After the Fake Young Master Betrayed the Australian Farmer - Chapter 12

“What a coincidence; my surname is Han too.”

Han Yan’s hand, resting over Adams’, paused for a moment. He stared at him for a long while before his eyebrows arched slightly. With his usual flirtatious air, he retorted, “Thanks, but isn’t that just a fact?”

With that, he turned his attention back to the table. Leaning down, he whispered, “See that solid yellow ball? At this angle, if you hit the center of the cue ball, it is a guaranteed sink.”

He guided Adams’ hand, pulling the cue back slightly. However, the moment the tip struck the cue ball, he knew he had missed.

The cue ball and the yellow ball were originally in a straight line, with the yellow ball hugged against the cushion right in front of the pocket. Despite such an easy setup, Han Yan unexpectedly botched the shot. The cue ball grazed the edge of the yellow ball, hit the opposite cushion, and immediately bounced back to the dead center of the table.

Han Yan watched the cue ball spin and eventually come to a stop. His gaze darkened slightly.

“What a shame. It is my first time teaching someone, and I guess it is different from playing solo,” Han Yan said, trying to sound casual as he covered for his mistake.

Adams did not care whether the ball went in or not. Upon hearing the words “first time,” a bright spark instantly flared up in his eyes. Han Yan let out an almost imperceptible click of his tongue and turned away to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Adams was a fast learner. Before long, he was playing with decent form. Han Yan leaned against the sofa armrest with his arms crossed, thoroughly enjoying the view of the other man’s well-defined muscles. The short-sleeved shirt was still a bit small for him. As Adams raised his arms, the sleeves tightened, making his muscles look even more powerful and lean.

Tsk. He is perfect in every way, just a bit too innocent.

By the time they finished playing and left the hall, the sky had already darkened. Since they had a late lunch, neither was particularly hungry. Above the pool hall was an arcade. Even before entering, a wall of sound hit them. The mechanical sound effects mixed with the roar of the crowd caught Adams’ attention, making him look over several times.

“Want to play?”

For the first time, Han Yan saw a flicker of restless excitement in Adams’ eyes. At his age, boys are naturally playful, and an arcade holds a massive attraction for young men.

“I am a bit curious. I have never seen one before.”

Good heavens, is Adams really living in the same era as me? Han Yan wondered. No social media, no friends; it was as if he were isolated from the world, living like an old hermit in the deep mountains.

Han Yan grabbed Adams’ arm and pulled him inside with a grin. “You haven’t seen one before? Well, you are seeing one today. Come on, big brother will show you the world!”

Game tokens clattered as they tumbled out of the machine. Han Yan picked up a heavy small basket and shoved it into Adams’ hands.

“Here. Play as much as you want. If it is not enough, there is more. My treat.” Han Yan patted his chest, acting like a big spender.

Adams pursed his lips and offered a quiet thanks. Han Yan pinched his chin and gave it a little shake. “What is there to thank me for? Between the two of us, who is counting?”

Adams’ emerald-green eyes instantly flooded with warmth. If he had a tail, it would likely be wagging frantically right now. Yeah, he is pretty cute.

“Want to try the basketball machine? It is simple. Do not tell me you have never played basketball either.”

Han Yan picked up a stray basketball from the floor, tossed it up, and balanced it on his fingertip, making it spin.

“I haven’t played, but I have seen others do it.”

When Adams was in school, he often saw other boys gathered to play. No one ever invited him, and he was not the type to push his way in, so he had never even touched a basketball in all his years.

Han Yan was momentarily speechless. He felt a sudden pang of sympathy for him. He let out a silent sigh, tossed the ball back into the machine, and inserted tokens into the machine in front of Adams. As he hit the start button, he stood on his tiptoes to ruffle the other man’s hair.

“We will play this today to get a feel for it. Later, I will take you to play real basketball.”

Adams froze for a moment, slowly raising a hand to touch the top of his head where Han Yan’s warmth still lingered.

“What are you dazed for? The game has started.”

Han Yan gestured with his chin, fed tokens into his own machine, and hit start. He winked at Adams with a smirk. “Don’t cry if you lose too badly, cutie.”

As the gate opened, several basketballs rolled down. Han Yan grabbed one, lifted his arm, and held the ball above his head. With a snap of his wrist, the ball traced an arc through the air and dropped cleanly through the net. Simultaneously, the red score on the machine jumped from zero to two.

Han Yan glanced at Adams, who was still staring at him like a fool, and playfully snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. “Snap out of it.”

Only then did Adams realize that a third of the countdown had already passed. He grabbed a ball and tried to mimic Han Yan’s form, but the ball hit the rim and bounced out.

“Hands too high. Lower them a bit. Use more strength in your wrist. Right, just like that. Now shoot.”

After several failures, the ball finally grazed the inner rim and fell through. The net flipped up and then settled back down with a gentle sway.

“Good job.”

Adams said humbly, “Thanks. It is because you are a good teacher.”

Seeing him so obedient, Han Yan’s heart itched. He could not resist reaching out to mess up Adams’ hair again. Mm, feels good. Even better than Benny’s.

Adams let Han Yan do as he pleased with his hair. Seeing the other man’s eyes crinkle with a good mood, he could not help but smile too. Soon, Adams found his rhythm, and his accuracy began to climb. Han Yan, while shooting, kept an eye on Adams’ side. Seeing the score gap closing, his competitive spirit was instantly ignited.

The electronic sound of balls entering the hoop rang out continuously, and the scores on the screens jumped frantically. As the last ball fell, the timer hit zero, and the gate closed, locking the balls away.

Han Yan brushed his hair back and checked Adams’ score. It was a bit lower than his, but impressive for a beginner. However, in that last round, neither had played at their full potential. Adams had spent half the time staring at him, and Han Yan had spent half the time teaching and ruffling hair.

“Another round?”

Adams’ chest was heaving slightly as he replied, “Okay.”

What was supposed to be one round turned into a “best of three.” By the end of the final round, both had a layer of sweat on their foreheads. Han Yan wiped his brow and gave a thumbs up. “Not bad at all! I haven’t been this serious in a long while.”

Adams wiped the sweat from his temple with the back of his hand, his voice sincere. “You are very good too. Better than me.”

Han Yan laughed and patted his shoulder. “I am going to the restroom to wash my face. Watch our stuff.”

As soon as he pushed open the restroom door, he saw two Caucasian teenagers with cigarettes in their hands cornering a small, Asian boy.

“We don’t have money for food. Give us some cash.”

“I do not have any money,” the boy replied in broken English, shrinking back as he glanced at the glowing cigarette tips.

“You are lying. I saw it just now; you have plenty of cash in your wallet.”

One of the teenagers stepped closer to the boy. The boy’s back hit the cold tiles. His long bangs covered his eyes, hiding his expression, while his hands tightened into fists at his sides.

The two teenagers shared a look and were about to make a move when two hands landed on their shoulders. A lazy voice with a thick Australian accent drifted from behind them. “Listen, kids. You barely have hair on your chests and you are already out here trying to rob people?”

The teenagers turned around to meet Han Yan’s smiling eyes. He did not look particularly threatening. One of them brushed Han Yan’s hand off his shoulder and cursed, “Get lost! Who do you think you are? This is none of your business!”

Tsk. Teenagers are so annoying.

“Didn’t your teachers ever teach you manners?” Han Yan asked.

“Shut your mouth! Die, you bastard!”

The two teenagers reached out to grab Han Yan’s collar, but with a slight sidestep, he made them miss entirely. Holding onto the logic of “capturing the leader first,” he grabbed the one who was shouting the loudest and executed a beautiful shoulder throw.

The movement pulled at a certain place that had not fully recovered yet, causing him to frown imperceptibly. The cigarette butt fell to the floor, and a clean sneaker stepped on it, crushing the ember. Sigh. I might be bullying kids a bit too much.

Han Yan looked down at them and let out a bored yawn. “Go home to your mothers, idiots.”

Realizing they had run into someone they could not handle, the two teenagers glared at him and scrambled away. With the trouble dealt with, Han Yan finally had a chance to look at his fellow countryman huddled in the corner. He walked over and asked, “Hey brother, you okay?”

The boy barely came up to the bridge of Han Yan’s nose. His round, deer-like eyes were still filled with lingering fear. He stammered, “I’m… I’m fine.”

Seeing that the boy was not injured, Han Yan nodded. Without saying more, he went to the sink to wash his face. He turned off the faucet and looked up, only to see the boy standing behind him in the mirror, watching him thoughtfully.

Damn, does this guy walk without making a sound?

“Thank you for saving me,” the boy said with a face full of gratitude, his admiring gaze making Han Yan look like some sort of hero.

“It is fine. Just helping out while passing by. The teenagers around here are pretty rampant, and the police cannot do much about them. If you see them in the future, try to walk the other way. If you really get targeted, just give them what they want. Your life is more important,” Han Yan kindly advised, noticing the boy’s thin limbs and frail appearance.

The boy listened intently and nodded, his lips curling into a smile that revealed two dimples. “Thank you. I understand. By the way, can we add each other on WeChat? I haven’t been here long and I am not familiar with the area yet.”

The boy scratched his cheek sheepishly.

“Sure, go ahead. What is your name? I will add a note for you.”

Han Yan did not mind. He did not expect to stay in touch anyway; it would just be another name on his contact list that he would never talk to, except for the occasional like on a post.

“Han Jue. Jue as in the jade pendant.”

Oh? Same surname.

“What a coincidence. My surname is Han too. I am Han Yan. Yan as in flame.”

Han Jue’s fingertips paused on the screen for a moment, but he quickly went back to typing “Han Yan” into the note field as if nothing had happened.

On his way back to the arcade, Han Yan kept thinking about Han Jue’s face. It felt familiar, but he could not quite remember where he had seen it. Whatever. Maybe he just has a common face?

Meanwhile, Han “Common Face” Jue left the restroom and walked straight into a restaurant. He pushed open the door to a private room, and the noisy chatter inside instantly fell silent.

“Jue, why did it take you so long? Uncle Han called earlier but could not get through to your phone. He asked me where you were, and I told him you went to the restroom. He wants you to call him back once you are out.”

The boy sitting next to the head of the table broke the silence. Han Jue took his seat at the head of the table and smiled shyly.

“I went into the wrong room by mistake, and my phone just happened to die. Can I borrow your phone to call my dad back?”