Chi Yan twisted open the bottle cap and quickly drank half the water. He then sat down next to Chu Yang, resting his hand on her shoulder, and asked her to help wipe his sweat.
"We'll go eat around 6 o'clock. Is there anywhere specific you'd like to go today?"
"Are you going to play basketball for two hours? It's only 4 o'clock now. Let's just eat at the cafeteria. I haven't had food from B University's cafeteria in a long time." Since Chi Yan started working at the company, he spent less time at school, so Chu Yang rarely came to B University and hadn't seen Wei Feng and the others in a while.
"We should be done by 5. Let's take a walk around campus. It's been a while since I've strolled with you here."
"Sounds good."
After chatting for a bit, Chi Yan returned to the basketball court. Chu Yang's gaze followed him. Unlike his demeanor at the company, Chi Yan now seemed like a carefree college student, exuding youthful energy and overflowing with hormones.
When he scored, he high-fived his teammates in celebration. Occasionally, as he jumped, his shirt would lift with the wind, offering a tantalizing glimpse of his abs.
Chu Yang recalled how, when she first arrived in this world, she thought that chasing men wasn't as appealing as chasing money. Now that she had "caught" a man, she found it wasn't so bad after all.
At the company, she had seen Chi Yan's intensely serious side, with his subordinates trembling in fear of his anger. It was similar to how he had been at the bar that time. Seeing him like that, Chu Yang could envision what he would be like when he became even more mature.
She felt incredibly fortunate to be a part of both his college life and his life after growing up.
Initially, Chu Yang sat alone on the sidelines, but soon a girl came and sat next to her. "You're Chi Yan's girlfriend, right?"
Chu Yang nodded.
The girl smiled at her warmly. "Hi, I'm Wu Huarong's girlfriend. My name is Cheng Ge. He's number 6 out there." The girl pointed to the player wearing the number 6 jersey on the court, her eyes full of affection as she looked at him.
Chu Yang shook hands with her. "I'm Chu Yang. Nice to meet you." She vaguely remembered Wu Huarong, as he was usually part of the group when Chi Yan played basketball, and they had even eaten together before.
"I don't know why these guys love basketball so much. Mine is always talking about playing. It's fine if he plays himself, but he wants me to come watch too."
Chu Yang chuckled. "I guess it's similar to how we girls like playing with dolls, skincare products, and makeup. As long as it's not a harmful hobby, it's not really a problem."
"You're right. I have a friend whose boyfriend is obsessed with video games and sometimes neglects her because of it. In comparison, my Rongrong just plays basketball and doesn't ignore me. What about your boyfriend? Oh, my boyfriend mentioned that yours hasn't played with him in a while. I think he said something about him going to work at a company."
Chu Yang nodded. "Yes, he's been learning at the company this semester."
"That must be tough. While everyone else is carefree and having fun, he's already taking on responsibilities."
Chu Yang looked at Chi Yan on the court, remembering the late nights he spent working overtime. She felt a pang of sympathy for him. Before he started at the company, he always seemed to have plenty of free time, constantly asking her out for meals, to hang out, play basketball, skateboard, box, and other activities. They used to go running or take walks together every evening.
Now, they rarely did those things anymore. However, since they lived together, the amount of time they spent together hadn't really decreased.
But people have to grow up, and Chi Yan was just growing up a bit faster.
Beside her, Chen Ge kept glancing at her boyfriend, smiling whenever he scored a basket.
"So, how did you meet your boyfriend?" Chen Ge asked. "I met mine in the cafeteria line. He took the last serving of sweet and sour pork ribs. I was having a bad day and felt so unlucky that I couldn't even get the food I wanted. I was on the verge of tears. He noticed, hesitated for a moment, then gave me his portion, saying, 'Don't cry. Here, you can have it.' I thought he was so cool at that moment."
Chen Ge cupped her face, lost in the memory.
Chu Yang gripped her phone tightly. "We met on a bus. He... he looked like he was afraid I would taint him or something." It was quite funny in retrospect, if not for the dangerous situation they had been in at the time.
Just as Chu Yang finished speaking, Chen Ge suddenly stood up in panic. "Rongrong, what's wrong?"
Chu Yang looked over to see Wu Huarong collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest before losing consciousness.
Chu Yang immediately saw the dangerous black energy surrounding him.
She rushed over, shouting, "Quick, get the AED (Automated External Defibrillator)!"
Chi Yan was already performing CPR. Someone was calling for an ambulance, and Wei Feng had quickly located the AED and was running back with it. "Here it is!"
Chen Ge was on her knees nearby, crying.
Chu Yang frowned as she noticed the black energy wasn't dissipating at all. It was extremely dangerous.
She turned to Chi Yan. "Ah Yan, pause for a moment and let me try something."
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Chu Yang made a gesture with her hands, and a ball of light appeared. She sent the light into Wu Huarong's chest, causing her face to suddenly pale. "Ah Yan, continue what you were doing before."
The others were stunned, even Chen Ge stopped crying and stared at Chu Yang in disbelief. What had just happened?
Soon, Wu Huarong's heart started beating again, and he coughed.
Everyone cheered joyfully. "He's awake!"
The ambulance arrived shortly after, and the paramedics examined Wu Huarong. They praised the group, saying, "You did an excellent job. He should be fine now."
Chen Ge and one of Wu Huarong's close friends accompanied him to the hospital. The rest of the group, no longer in the mood to play basketball, packed up their things and dispersed.
Chu Yang leaned against Chi Yan, slowly recovering her mystical energy. The healing technique she had used today was her first attempt, and being unfamiliar with it, it had drained her considerably.
"Are you alright?" Chi Yan looked at her with concern. "Let's go home and rest."
Their campus walk was out of the question now; Chi Yan was too worried about Chu Yang.
"I'll carry you on my back," he said, crouching down.
After some consideration, Chu Yang decided to climb up, allowing Chi Yan to carry her on his back as they left the gymnasium. There weren't many people in the gym earlier, and those present were all acquaintances. So when everyone saw this, they were surprised, but knowing that Chu Yang was a big shot, they only became more admiring.
Oh, except for Chen Ge, who felt like his worldview had been shattered. But she didn't have the energy to think about that right now.
As they left the gymnasium and got into the car, Chi Yan drove her straight back to the Forest Garden Community. Since they had originally told the housekeeper not to cook dinner tonight, Chi Yan ordered takeout on the way.
Upon arriving at Forest Garden Community, Chi Yan carried Chu Yang upstairs in his arms, princess-style. Chu Yang actually felt it wasn't necessary; she just looked a bit pale, but there was nothing really wrong. However, seeing Chi Yan's expressionless face, she felt too embarrassed to say anything.
