Chapter 19: A Blindingly Obvious Crush part 2

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At the Coordinate Billiards Club.

Chi Ye slouched lazily in the lounge chair, elbow propped on the armrest, forehead in hand, idly swirling the whiskey in his glass. His gaze was unfocused, drifting ahead, settling nowhere in particular, murky and unreadable.

Directly in front of him, a slender figure bent over the pool table. The girl had long black hair almost to her waist, a pleated skirt and white blouse giving her a demure and delicate air.

Noticing his gaze, she tossed him a flirtatious look. Then, deliberately turning her back, she planted one shapely leg on the table, arched her back, and leaned in to take a shot, posing provocatively.

Chi Ye frowned, eyes closing briefly as if the sight had burned.

“D**n, that’s bold,” Liang Size sneered beside him.

He Zhenyu chimed in, “What do you think, boys? Which one of us is she targeting?”

Zhang Kun snorted.

“Come on, with Chi Ye here? We’re background noise.”

The girl picked up her cue and sashayed over to them, flashing her wide, deer-like eyes at Chi Ye.

“Gege~ wanna play a round?” she cooed sweetly.

Chi Ye’s brows knit in clear displeasure. His tone was icy, “Go find the floor manager and get your paycheck. You’re done working here.”

Her face went from surprised to confused in a heartbeat. Chi Ye lifted his eyes to give her a cold glance.

“This is a proper pool club.”

Her face fell. Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks as she ran off.

“Sigh,” Liang Size drawled. “She was cute too. Crying like that really tugs at the heartstrings.”

He clapped Chi Ye’s shoulder teasingly.

“Bro, you’ve got some serious self-control. Even Monk Tang wouldn’t have held out like that in the Spider Demon Cave. That man had no desires, your heart’s clearly a storm, and yet you still held back. Mad respect. Who are you saving your virginity for, huh?”

Zhang Kun cackled. “The girl he’s saving himself for? She’s in a whole different league than that one just now. Top-tier, like straight out of a dream.”

He nudged Ye Shaowen with his elbow. “Right?”

Ye Shaowen laughed and chimed in, “Yeah, totally worth it. Makes sense why our Young Master Chi has been staying pure all these years.”

Liang Size’s curiosity was piqued. He patted Chi Ye on the shoulder. “Chi, bro, I’m dying to know. Call her over sometime, yeah? Let your brothers get a glimpse of the goddess.”

Chi Ye turned his head and gave him a side-eye. “You think you’re worthy?”

“D**n, Chi Ye, you’re really stingy. Can’t even let us look?” Liang frowned.

Chi Ye brushed off Liang’s hand from his shoulder with a look that said he couldn’t be bothered.

Knowing he wasn’t getting anywhere, Liang sighed in disappointment.

Zhang Kun laughed. “The girl in that photo Chi Ye posted last night, that’s her.” He looked at Chi Ye. “Right, Chi Ye?”

Chi Ye stayed silent.

“Haha, that’s a yes,” He Shenyu jumped in. “Man, that girl really is something. I was lowkey jealous last night.”

Ye Shaowen added, “The photo doesn’t even do her justice. In person? She’s on a whole other level.”

Liang Size groaned, “D**n, I’m so jealous. Where the hell did this dog meet such a gorgeous girl?” He started patting Chi Ye again. “Come on, spill it. How’d you two meet? Tell us.”

Chi Ye downed his glass of whiskey in one go and stood up. “Not in the mood to shoot the sh*t. You guys have fun. I’m going to study.”

“Huh?” Liang stared at him, baffled. “Study what?”

“Grad school entrance exam,” Chi Ye said casually.

“What the hell!” Liang and He Shenyu exclaimed in unison.

“You serious? Chi Ye, CEO Chi! You’re the boss! People like you hire grad students and PhDs. Who the hell takes the test themselves?” Liang stared at him like he’d grown another head. “Bro, are you under some kind of spell?”

Zhang Kun leaned back into the sofa, laughing so hard he held his stomach. “Our Chi? He’s been under a spell since he was sixteen.”

Chi Ye ignored them and headed toward his private room. Right then, Qin Lang walked in from outside.

Seeing Chi Ye about to leave, he grabbed his arm. “Yo, where you off to? I just got here, man. Won’t play a couple rounds with me?”

Chi Ye nodded toward the others. “Go play with those idle losers.”

Liang shouted across the room, “Qin Lang! Tell me he’s not nuts. It’s the weekend, and instead of hanging out with us, he says he’s studying. Studying for grad school!”

Qin Lang looked shocked. “Grad school? Which one?”

“Qingbei,” Chi Ye replied bluntly.

Qin Lang burst out laughing and let go of his arm. “This guy’s seriously crazy, been six years and he’s still trying to get into Qingbei!”

“Let him go then,” Qin Lang said as he headed toward Zhang Kun and the others. “Life’s too short. Have fun while you can.”

Chi Ye glanced back at them. “You losers don’t know sh*t. I’m not like you. I’ve got dreams.”

Qin Lang laughed. “Sure, sure. Big dreams, huh? Let me guess… your dream is Lin Yuran?”

“Who’s Lin Yuran?” Liang asked.

“The girl in that photo Chi Ye posted last night,” Ye Shaowen answered.

Qin Lang looked at Chi Ye. “If that’s the case, why don’t you just confess already?”

“I thought you guys were already together?” Liang asked, confused.

“Then what was up with that post last night?” He Shenyu chimed in.

Zhang Kun explained, “He lost a game. Had to post it.” He looked at Chi Ye. “But really, why bother going through all that? Just confess, man. A guy like you, what girl would turn you down?”

“I did,” Chi Ye muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Everyone stared at him, confused for a second, then all burst out laughing.

“No way you actually got rejected?”

“Knew I shouldn’t have said anything to you dumb**ses.” Chi Ye turned and walked off.

Zhang Kun quickly caught up and grabbed him. “Wait, don’t go. Come back and let the brothers help analyze this.”

Chi Ye paused, hesitated for a moment, then came back.

Qin Lang pulled out a cigarette pack and offered one to everyone.

When he got to Chi Ye, Chi Ye stared at it for a second and said, “Nah. I quit.”

Qin Lang’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then he laughed, as if something clicked. “Man, I really respect you.”

Chi Ye crossed his arms, watching them puff away. “Alright, so tell me, what went wrong?”

Qin Lang pointed at Zhang Kun, Ye Shaowen, and Liang Size. “You three are the resident love experts. Go on, analyze for our Young Master Chi.”

Liang Size took a drag and said, “Is she, like, super outstanding?”

Chi Ye nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

Liang said, “Then maybe it’s just that she’s got a bunch of people chasing her. You’re not her type.”

“With Chi’s looks and status? Doesn’t seem likely,” Ye Shaowen countered. “More likely she already had someone in her heart. You came too late, couldn’t get in.”

Zhang Kun agreed, “Yeah, I think that’s it. That guy last night, Ye, or whatever his name was, his words sounded like a subtle claim of territory.”

“But the girl didn’t seem into him,” Ye Shaowen said.

Qin Lang added, “Lin Yuran has a childhood friend she grew up with.”

He Shenyu, who’d been quietly listening, finally spoke up with a touch of sympathy. “D**n, Chi, you’re in a full-blown love battlefield. This is cutthroat.”

Chi Ye gave a bitter smile and sighed. “I knew you guys were useless. I’m out.” Without waiting, he turned and left.

Zhang Kun called after him, “Chi, don’t be sad! Worst case, just go hard after her. A real man doesn’t sweat the small stuff.”

Qin Lang kicked him. “Shut up. You think Chi Ye’s like you?”

Chi Ye didn’t turn around. He just raised his hand and waved behind him.

Back in his private room, Chi Ye opened his phone before diving into his practice tests. There was a glaring red ‘1’ next to Lin Yuran’s WeChat profile. Her avatar was a hand-drawn illustration of a caged angel. He’d recognized her style instantly when her friend request came in; he knew that art anywhere.

Now, for the first time since then, the profile had a message. Hopefully this time it wasn’t just another letdown like before. He tapped into the chat.

Little Fox: 【Delete last night’s post, or at least clarify what it meant.】

Chi Ye gave a bitter laugh and muttered, “What the hell was I expecting?”

Staring at their awkward chat history for a long time, he finally typed a reply:

【Chi Ye: Okay.】

Then he opened up his Moments and scrolled.

Lin Yuran’s post 【Us】 was already gone.

Of course she wouldn’t leave it up.

Chi Ye scrolled to his own post, stared at the photo for three whole minutes, then opened the comments section. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, finally typing something and hitting send.

Just then, Qin Lang walked in. Chi Ye was sitting there, staring blankly at his phone, a lollipop between his lips.

Qin Lang had seen his recent reply. He could read the quiet loneliness between the lines; he came in to offer some support.

Over the years, Qin Lang had seen this side of Chi Ye too many times: either buried in books or lost in thought, alone in the corner of the billiards club. He hadn’t understood it before, but now he was starting to get the picture.

“Chi Ye,” he said, “don’t mope around by yourself. I’ll go talk to her bestie, see if I can dig something up for you.”

Chi Ye snapped out of it and looked up at him.

Qin Lang grinned smugly. “I think that girl’s into me.”

“Oh yeah?” Chi Ye drawled. “You know her?”

“Barely talked,” Qin Lang admitted. “Why? You care?”

Chi Ye gave him a lazy look. “You serious about her?”

Qin Lang laughed. “She’s got a vibe I like. Pretty forward, y’know? I’ve been single for ages, might as well give it a shot.”

Chi Ye didn’t say anything.

Qin Lang gave him a friendly pat. “Alright, back to studying. Let your bro handle the recon. Once I’ve got something, we’ll plan the next move.”

Chi Ye cracked a faint smile. “Get lost. Don’t bug me unless it’s mealtime.”