Chapter 28: Loves Telling Little Lies

On the basketball court, it was Chen Yuan’s turn to attack, with Li Dongyang guarding him closely.

Chen Yuan didn't rush. He dribbled the ball and said, "Did you write that 2,000-word PPT? Since Song Jianian is here, you can hand it to her."

Li Dongyang’s heart skipped a beat. Does he know Song Jianian is here too? I have to win this one-on-one!

Huh? Where did he go?

Just as Li Dongyang was busy planning how to show off, he realized Chen Yuan had vanished. Turning around, he saw him already under the basket, executing a textbook layup. The ball swished through the net.

There was no change in possession after the basket. Chen Yuan, playing another round of psychological warfare, launched a three-pointer for his second shot. It went in.

The score was 2-0.

"Can you stop talking so much while playing? Is trash talk all you’re capable of?"

Chen Yuan dribbled in place, then pulled off a double-between-the-legs move to shift his defensive rhythm. After creating space, he surged forward.

Li Dongyang managed to keep up, but Chen Yuan executed a sudden stop and step-back, causing Li to stumble and nearly fall.

Dribbling on the spot, Chen Yuan didn't rush to shoot. Li Dongyang continued to defend, but Chen Yuan transitioned from a between-the-legs dribble to a behind-the-back move. He charged to the rim, dropped his center of gravity, spun, and lifted the ball with one hand. Li Dongyang chased after him, but off-balance, he almost toppled over again.

"Boss, you've made him look like a complete idiot," Liu Shiyu said, giving a thumbs-up.

Chen Yuan softly tossed the ball into the net.

On the fourth shot, Chen Yuan attempted another three-pointer, but it missed.

Li Dongyang saw his chance, his eyes burning with rage. Chen Yuan stood within the three-point line, giving him room to shoot but not to drive.

Seizing the moment, Li Dongyang rushed forward, but his target clearly wasn't the basket; he swung his elbow directly at Chen Yuan.

At the moment of contact, Chen Yuan stepped back. Li Dongyang lost his leverage and tumbled right off the court. It was a total whiff.

"Haha..."

A roar of laughter erupted from the basketball court. Li Dongyang looked embarrassed. Several onlookers from the student council covered their faces, unable to bear watching.

"Too weak. Bring in someone else."

The court was concrete, and Li Dongyang had taken a heavy spill, so there was no need to continue. Chen Yuan returned the ball and waved, and Song Jianian walked over.

"Ah... no way?" Cao Yumeng watched as Song Jianian left her behind. She’s just walking away like that? We agreed to go to the library together; how could she ditch me just after eating? What a fickle girl!

Liu Shiyu sat under the basket, stunned for a long while. The boss and Song Jianian left? Then what was the point of my desperate, long-range three-pointer? Damn it!

"Senior, I’m leaving first. You can go lick your wounds here." A kind word is warm in winter, but biting words are truly fun to use.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Chen Yuan walked away with Song Jianian. Li Dongyang felt like he could crush his own teeth. Why is this happening!

"Senior..."

Just as Li Dongyang was grinding his teeth, a girl with a ponytail quietly approached him.

"Hello, junior." Li Dongyang straightened up, trying to look presentable. "I’m fine, don’t worry. It’s just a scrape on my knee; a small injury like this is nothing to me."

"No, I want to tell you: could you play cleaner next time? If Chen Yuan hadn't dodged, he definitely would have been hurt by you. How shameless, ptooey!"

She walked away immediately after the insult. Li Dongyang stood frozen, and the people around him remained silent, listening to the sound of a "simp" breaking down.

Meanwhile, Chen Yuan and Song Jianian had left the basketball court, walking side-by-side in the shade of the trees. Dressed in black denim shorts and a white top, Song Jianian was a beautiful sight on campus.

Chen Yuan felt that Li Dongyang had no grasp of the situation and had a rather low emotional intelligence.

*Sperm One: "Rush! As long as I'm first, I can unite with Miss Egg!"*
*Sperm Two: "You idiot, we're in the mouth."*

Facing someone like him, Chen Yuan had no good solution.

"Have you eaten?"

Song Jianian shook her head. "No."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Uncle Zhang told me to call him when I’m free; he wants to give me some cut fruit. We can go pick it up and then eat outside."

"Sure, let’s get some Songyang combo."

The two left the campus. Song Jianian proactively bought lemonade for Chen Yuan to quench his thirst.

"Why did you only buy one?"

"Uncle Zhang prepared cut fruit; I'll eat that later."

"So you’re planning to feed me a drink mixed with industrial flavoring while you eat fresh fruit?"

"Then... then I'll drink this, and you can have the fruit." Song Jianian was so nervous her speech became slightly garbled.

"But I like lemonade too."

"I’ve got it!" Song Jianian looked very clever. "Just eat the lemon slices directly. It has the lemon flavor and it's fruit, too."

"Listen to me, thank you, because of you, the seasons are warm..."

They walked to the University Town. Since students from all the universities had returned, the flow of people was like a weave, and couples could be seen everywhere.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not eating, I'm not hungry."

Chen Yuan sized her up. "Have you already eaten?"

"No! I'm really not hungry!" Song Jianian said solemnly. "I’ll just eat some fruit in a bit."

*[The child is growing up and has reached the age where she can tell little white lies...]*

No task? Just a notification? According to the system’s progress, Song Jianian was now two years old. A human toddler over two could already manage simple communication. Telling a little lie was perfectly consistent with her age.

"Then I won't worry about you."

"Mm-hmm."

Chen Yuan didn't go for anything else; he bought a smoked meat pancake, and then they headed toward the Lanting Hotel.

As expected of a four-star hotel, the lobby was spacious and bright, giving one the sense that the money spent was well worth it. After they entered, Song Jianian went to the front desk, and Chen Yuan sat on a nearby sofa.

A bite of the smoked meat pancake, a sip of lemonade—*auv*, that was authentic.

"Niannian."

Seeing Song Jianian come in, the lobby manager walked up to greet her and also took a look at Chen Yuan.

"Sister Jing."

"I'll have the kitchen cut up some fruit for you."

"Mm."

Clearly, this task had become a daily routine for the staff; they knew exactly why Song Jianian was here. Song Jianian returned to the sofa in the lobby and sat next to Chen Yuan. The lobby manager, Xu Jing, and the female receptionist gossiped on the side.

"Manager, is that boy the young lady's boyfriend?"

"Since she's brought him here, President Zhang likely knows about it. It must be."

"He's quite handsome, but he looks a bit scruffy," the receptionist said.

"What do you know? Let me tell you, this is a perfect match!"

"How is it a perfect match?"

"Look at that boy. The sweat on his body hasn't even dried yet. Even if he's not a sports major, he’s definitely a guy who loves sports. It's a perfect match for our young lady."

"Sports majors are all pretty vigorous, right?" the receptionist giggled.

"I can only say most are decent; the proportion is higher," Xu Jing replied. "But the most important thing is the vibe. Look at them sitting there; they have that vibrant, youthful energy."

The receptionist scrutinized Chen Yuan and Song Jianian again. The pairing of a scruffy college boy and a sweet, beautiful girl was truly addictive to watch.

Soon, the kitchen finished cutting the fruit. Just then, Uncle Zhang came down from the elevator and saw Chen Yuan sitting on the sofa.

"President Zhang."

Uncle Zhang nodded with a smile in response. Xu Jing took the bag, and the two walked over to Song Jianian.

"Uncle Zhang." Chen Yuan stood up to greet him, and Xu Jing handed the fruit to Song Jianian.

"Uncle Zhang, Sister Jing, I'm going now."

"Mm, go ahead."

Carrying their things, the two got up to leave. Just then, a man and a woman walked in from outside.

The girl was very pretty with a good figure, wearing loose black pants and a beige top, her hair tied back, looking clean and sharp. The man: skipped.

Chen Yuan recognized the girl, though they weren't close. Her name was Jiang Shuyi. She was in the same major, a sophomore in the School of Information, and the Minister of the External Relations Department of the student council.

When he was a freshman, she had come to find him, asking if he wanted to join the External Relations Department, but he refused because the process was too tedious.

Now that they were here, were they here to ask for sponsorship?