Chapter 101: Fear of Gain and Loss
At the edge of the basketball court, Chen Cheng sat on a flowerbed, crossing her legs as she watched An Yuan play in the distance.
She used to play basketball in elementary and middle school, but now she had no interest in it. She was only here because her brain felt fried from doing too many practice problems and needed a break.
With a pack of spicy strips in hand, she ate carefully, afraid of getting her fingers greasy.
With a beauty present, the intensity of the game unknowingly increased. Everyone was fighting harder for rebounds, making flashy shots, all trying to catch Chen Cheng’s attention.
"Hiss—so spicy!"
Chen Cheng stuck out her tongue and fanned herself. It had been a while since she last had spicy strips, and the sudden heat made her inhale sharply.
"Chengzi! Did you see my dunk just now?"
An Yuan took a break from the game and walked over, grinning proudly as he showed off.
"What?"
"The dunk! It was super cool!"
"Didn’t see it." Chen Cheng looked up and offered him the spicy strips. "Want some? Too spicy for me."
An Yuan rolled his eyes at her, sat down beside her, and took the snack. After playing in the cold winter air, he was drenched in sweat, and steam seemed to rise faintly from his body.
"An Yuan~ look."
An Yuan turned his head just as Chen Cheng lifted her hair, revealing her delicate earlobes adorned with small, sparkling earrings.
"Aren't they pretty?" Chen Cheng beamed, waiting for his compliment.
But An Yuan was still holding a grudge. With a blank expression, he said, "Didn’t see anything. What are you talking about?"
Frustrated, Chen Cheng pounced on him, making him bend over as she playfully punched his chest. "Are you blind?!"
"Okay, okay! They look great! Everyone’s looking at you!"
"Idiot!"
Chen Cheng sat back down, adjusted her posture, then let her gaze wander toward An Yuan.
An Yuan, who had just finished playing ball, was clearly disheveled. His hair was damp, a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, and his jacket was open, revealing a black shirt underneath. But he radiated an undeniable, vibrant, healthy, and intensely attractive masculine energy.
Now she understood why some girls would scream over their favorite guys on the court.
"Finals are coming up soon..."
She sighed, feeling like time was slipping away too fast.
Especially now that she had adjusted to the fast-paced life of senior year, it felt like if she wasn’t careful, she and An Yuan would be right back at that moment ten years in the future...
"How’s your studying going?"
"Everything’s fine except English." Chen Cheng's dislike for English was even stronger. "I hate it. It’s useless anyway. Might as well learn Japanese instead. At least I’d understand the text in eroge games."
"Then learn it. We finally got a second chance. Anything you want to do, go for it."
"Then I also want to learn drawing. So I can make my own illustrated books!" Chen Cheng rubbed her chin with a sly grin. "That way, when I write novels, I can add my own spicy illustrations. No need for manga adaptations, I’ll just do it myself."
She's very vocal about her lewd interests, but in reality, she was all talk. When it came to actual intimacy, she was so shy she couldn’t even handle a simple kiss.
A classic case of a keyboard warrior. Bold in theory, but pure and innocent in practice.
An Yuan secretly mocked her in his mind but said aloud, "That sounds good. After the college entrance exam, you could take a class? Or find online tutorials and teach yourself?"
"I’ll self-study! I used to think it was too late to start anything new, but now I know it’s not."
Chen Cheng pushed up her glasses out of habit, only to realize they weren’t there. It still felt like she had a pair resting on her nose.
Luckily, she was already used to wearing contacts. By now, she could even touch her eyes directly without blinking.
"An Yuan."
An Yuan noticed that Chen Cheng’s voice suddenly got a lot softer. She leaned in close to him, looking a little guilty, her eyes darting around as if making sure no one was watching.
“What’s up?”
“I secretly wore stockings under my pants today~”
Chen Cheng, both shy and excited, lifted the hem of her pants slightly, revealing her slender calves wrapped in black stockings. The thin fabric traced the elegant shape of her leg.
“Do you like it?”
“I do, I do.” An Yuan nodded quickly, nervously scanning the area to make sure no one else had noticed.
He suddenly understood that Chen Cheng might secretly enjoy the nervous excitement of almost getting caught. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have secretly messed around next to him while he was asleep back then.
This is kind of a weird kink...
Lowering his head, An Yuan leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “You like this kind of thing, don’t you?”
“What? No way!”
Chen Cheng instantly lowered her pants and denied it outright. The warm breath against her ear made it tingle, and with an annoyed expression, she pushed An Yuan’s face away. “Stay back! My ears are itchy.”
Her ears were pretty sensitive. Not so much that a single breath would make her weak in the knees, but enough to make her feel ticklish and uncomfortable.
Oh? That reaction seems pretty suspicious.
After knowing her for so many years, An Yuan could tell right away when Chen Cheng was trying to hide something.
But instead of pressing further, she changed the subject. “Say… what do you think we’ll be like ten years from now?”
“Ten years later?” An Yuan did some quick math. “Actually, it’s not that far away. We’ll start college in September, that’s four years, then work for another five… By then, we’ll probably be married with kids.”
“Marriage, huh...”
Chen Cheng always felt uneasy about the idea of marriage. After all, she had seen too many failed ones, her parents’ marriage, An Yuan’s past pre-marriage, it all made her subconsciously feel like it wasn’t a good thing.
Resting her chin on one hand, she muttered, “Who knows? Maybe by then, you’ll fall for someone else and marry them instead.”
“No way. You’ve known me for so long. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
That was true. An Yuan was someone incredibly responsible and reliable.
If he hadn’t been with the wrong person in his last life, things wouldn’t have ended up so badly for him.
“I just worry you won’t be able to handle me...”
“Relax! I’ll take good care of you. Worst case, I’ll just hit the gym and train my legs more!”
Chen Cheng glanced at his lower body and scoffed, “Is that what I was talking about? You said I was a pervert, but actually you're the one who's a pervert.”
Besides, isn’t it more likely that I’d be the one who can’t handle you?
She pulled her scarf up, covering half her face, leaving only her eyes visible. Fidgeting with her nails, she hesitated before saying, “I mean my personality... It’s actually a lot like my mom’s. I can be stubborn, short-tempered, moody… and I tend to pick fights for no reason.”
“When I lived alone, the only ones who had to deal with it were my pets. Sometimes, I’d lose my temper at them like a crazy person… I wasn’t as nice as I seem now.”
An Yuan had already experienced her stubbornness and temper firsthand. This girl thought she hid it well, but when it was that time of the month, she occasionally lost control of her emotions.
Especially when she's playing games, that little mouth of hers curses nonstop, completely contradicting her seemingly quiet and pure appearance.
“Maybe it was just because you lived alone for too long? That kind of isolation can mess with your head.”
“Maybe...”
An Yuan shrugged, unconcerned. “So what?”
He noticed Chen Cheng's unease, the look of anxiety and anticipation on her face. So, he gently put his arm around her waist.
“Don’t worry. I’m here. We’re practically sworn brothers for life.”
“Ugh! Let go, let go! People are watching and laughing at us!”