Meng Jiuyi had seen him play billiards. The most annoying thing about Kyushu was the humid season, when the whole world was shrouded in a thin veil, and you could feel your hands getting wet just by touching it.

In the midst of this frustration, she saw him dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, standing relaxed and casually, aiming at the stick.

The misty window outlined his mountain-like facial features, and as if sensing something, he glanced towards the window.

Meng Jiuyi dodged abruptly; the wind blew through the trees, and the leaves rustled softly.

That sound echoes for years.

Xu Yan remained silent, meeting her gaze with a hint of bewilderment, a mixture of various colors, as if hiding brilliant stars.

He didn't respond, and she couldn't help but feel nervous, especially under his condescending gaze, her eyelashes involuntarily drooping.

As the dampness spread through his palms, Xu Yanzhi gestured to the cue stick beside him.

Which one do you like?

Meng Jiuyi was puzzled.

Xu Yanzhi glanced at her again, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Meng Jiuyi understood that he wanted to teach her.

"...Anything is fine."

He picked up a maple wood frosted cue, applied powder, and let her try it first. Meng Jiuyi followed his example, bending down close to the table. Her sleeves were too long and cumbersome, so she rolled them up, positioned her hands properly, and tried sliding the cue.

Her attention was elsewhere, and she didn't notice that the soft, clinging ice silk fabric accentuated her curves against the table tennis table, revealing her porcelain-white skin and slender waist.

With so many scrutinizing eyes, one could tell without even turning their head.

Xu Yanzhi's pupils darkened slightly, and he suddenly felt a sense of stagnation. He subconsciously thought it was the tie that was holding him back, but the tie had already been removed.

He stood behind her, his broad frame completely blocking her view, and gently cupped her hand in his palm.

The scalding heat lingered on Meng Jiuyi's skin through the ice silk fabric, making the back of his neck numb.

His deep, resonant voice reached my ear.

"Relax your forearms, don't twist your shoulders so much, and then flatten your palms."

Meng Jiuyi's reaction time seemed to have been cut open. She could feel a body close behind her, broad and tall, and a heavy sense of pressure made her body bend down naturally.

Aside from the touch between their fingers, their bodies were only lightly close together. He was very gentlemanly and gave her plenty of space, but their breaths were very close. She could smell the scent of a mountain forest after a morning rain, which was warmed by the first rays of sunlight.

What she had dreamed and longed for years ago now fills every breath she takes.

It felt like a spilled orange soda, with bubbles rushing up from my chest until a soft, even laugh came from behind me.

Meng Jiu tilted her head slightly, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Xu Yanzhi's eyes still held a hint of a smile, perhaps mixed with a touch of helplessness.

"I'm not that scary, am I?"

It was referring to her stiff, numb body. The more she tried to relax, the more taut she became, like a stretched string. Xu Yanzhi almost began to wonder what kind of monster he was.

"Feel sorry.."

Meng Jiuyi felt a pang of regret, realizing that asking him for help was a mistake.

She was adept at pretending to remain calm and composed.

The blush spread along her neck to the back of her neck, like cherries ripening overnight, so clear that even someone lounging on the second floor could see it.

Ashes fell between his fingers; this was the third cigarette, but Tan Yuchen didn't smoke it, only holding it loosely between his fingers.

The dim blue light from upstairs outlined his features into a sharp, three-dimensional shape, and his eyelids slid down like thin, sharp blades.

Nobody knows what he's thinking.

So it wasn't fear after all?

Xu Yanzhi stared at the rosy, translucent blush on her earlobe, paused for two seconds, and then belatedly realized what was happening.

Although it was summer in Kyushu, the club had kept the air conditioning on all the time, but probably because it hadn't been maintained for years, he still felt it was too hot at this moment.

He composed himself, his gaze calmly and restrainedly shifting away as he earnestly taught her how to dribble.

"Like this, there's a small ball in front of you, so when you hit the club you can pull back about the distance of one ball, and then—"

Xu Yanzhi held her hand and struck the club. With a "thud," the number three ball went into the hole.

“They’re inside!” Meng Jiuyi’s eyes lit up slightly.

Xu Yanzhi demonstrated the other types of balls to her as well, but Cao Rui kept her legs crossed the whole time, showing no sign of panic.

With her amateurish skills, he could crush her with a flick of his finger.

"I'm a very chivalrous person, would you like me to go easy on you?"

He meant it when he said he'd let her win. During their game, Meng Jiuyi barely managed to get close to winning a few times, and he followed suit, wanting to humiliate her.

The score difference between the two sides was not significant.

Meng Jiuyi completely ignored him. There were only two balls left. Cao Rui stood lazily to the side with a cue stick, and when they switched positions, he deliberately swept her up and down.

Give her a final scare with the last ball.

Meng Jiuyi was completely unaffected by him. She bent down and focused intently on what was in front of her. Just as she was about to strike the cue, she couldn't help but look up at Xu Yanzhi.

Light flooded into her eyes, as if a galaxy were twinkling.

Then she struck the stick with force—

Ball number two, along with ball number five, double in!

She won.

Cao Rui's expression changed drastically instantly; her technique was nothing like that of a novice.

"You fucking cheated. With a technique like that, how the hell did you even learn it?"

Meng Jiuyi shrugged, his tone innocent, "I'm just rusty, so I asked someone to teach me. Why is that not allowed? You're not going to renege on your word, are you?"

Knowing he couldn't win against him, Meng Jiuyi pretended to be a complete novice to lower his guard.

She was playing dumb to fool Xu Yanzhi, which didn't surprise him at all. He had just taught her how to hit all the balls perfectly.

He didn't ask any questions throughout the entire process, and just followed along with hitting the ball; that's not how a novice does it.

Even though he had expected it, he still couldn't help but let out a faint chuckle.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him laughing at her. Meng Jiuyi's eyelashes fluttered, and she looked away.

"This girl is interesting," Tan Jing remarked, watching from the second floor.

Nobody paid any attention to him.

Tan Yuchen had already put his hands in his pockets and turned back, seemingly uninterested.