No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 34

“Shu Luo, interested in coming out to play? When we return to school to prepare for finals, we’ll have to start the devil’s training, and all thoughts of playing will be stripped away.”

Half an hour later—

Zhang Feiyang, wearing his uniform and holding a basketball, stood outside the residential compound’s gate. He immediately waved upon seeing Shu Luo.

Shu Luo, dressed in a vest and shorts, walked over handsomely, wearing a cool pair of sneakers.

“Feiyang, are there girls? I specially dressed like this, you know~”

Zhang Feiyang chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Ha, girls! Yeah, there are.” I’m afraid you’ll turn around and leave if you see them.

“Then hurry up, let’s go!” Shu Luo urged, a little anticipation in his heart.

He didn’t get many opportunities to play basketball at school; there was too much homework piled up. Even if there was time, it was usually only during P.E. class. The rest of the time, nothing.

Basically, his basketball practice consisted of the one month Jiang Mu took him to train over the summer.

“Shu Luo, let’s play one-on-one.” Zhang Feiyang tossed the ball to Shu Luo and laughed. “The loser buys drinks.”

“No problem.”

The stakes for winning and losing between boys playing ball were always simple.

Da da da—

Shu Luo was the offense; Zhang Feiyang was the defense.

“Hehe, stop faking it. Hurry up now.” Zhang Feiyang defended with outstretched arms for a while.

A flicker of cunning flashed in Shu Luo’s eyes, and he moved to the left.

Zhang Feiyang’s eyes tracked the ball, then he sensed something was wrong. Huh? A pump fake?

But before he could react, Shu Luo had already passed him and executed a layup.

Zhang Feiyang’s eyes brightened. “Aiyo, the feel of your game has changed.”

“Of course! My big brother taught me.” Shu Luo’s expression became vibrant because of that shot.

“Alright, alright, I see you just can’t be separated from Jiang Mu. Keep going, keep going.”

It was Zhang Feiyang’s turn to attack.

After all, Zhang Feiyang was on the school’s basketball team, and he definitely had more practice time than Shu Luo because their classes had different management levels.

Zhang Feiyang smiled triumphantly. The next instant after holding the ball, his eyes became sharp.

He went straight for a three-pointer, and it went in.

Zhang Feiyang could play streetball. Shu Luo had never seen these fancy moves, as Jiang Mu played standard basketball. But Zhang Feiyang’s moves were dazzling, making Shu Luo’s eyes light up.

The one-on-one competition instantly turned into Zhang Feiyang’s skill showcase.

With terrifying jumping ability, he used a slight running start, slightly bent his knees, and soared right over Shu Luo’s head to dunk the ball.

He landed back in place, catching the basketball, then raised an eyebrow at Shu Luo and tossed the ball to him.

“Here, I’ll show you another move. Throw the ball to me when I jump.”

Watching Zhang Feiyang jump, Shu Luo tossed the ball to him in the next second.

Zhang Feiyang caught the ball, then threw it over the backboard.

Shu Luo was stunned. Was he trying to score from behind?

Pa—

It went in.

Shu Luo took a sharp breath. Aiya, incredible.

Zhang Feiyang winked at him, sweat dripping from his forehead—youthful and handsome.

“Feiyang, who taught you those fancy basketball moves?”

“Kenson. An American Black guy who lives in my compound. He plays basketball. I often play with him during the summer vacation. He’s awesome.”

Shu Luo felt a little envious. “Aiya, an American taught you to play basketball…”

“Don’t you have a Frenchman teaching you to play?” Zhang Feiyang teased, then hooked his arm around Shu Luo’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, no more playing. I can see you’re done for. Let’s go. Little me will take you out to eat. I didn’t get to hang out with you yesterday for your birthday, so this is your compensation today.”

“You stink.” Shu Luo glanced at him in disgust.

Zhang Feiyang said, “You complain about me? You’re covered in sweat too!”

“You sweated a lot more than I did.”

“How can you tell? Fine, stop making excuses. Look at your height. I’m worried.”

Indeed, Zhang Feiyang’s height was already close to Jiang Mu’s. Jiang Mu was already 1.8 meters (5′11″), and Zhang Feiyang felt like he was about that tall too.

Shu Luo elbowed him. “I’m still young; I have time.”

“Right, right, young is young. But you see, girls might overtake you in height any minute. There are a few girls in our class who are already 1.7 meters (5′7″). Look at you, 1.6 something (5′4″ or 5′5″) won’t cut it.”

Height was going to be a weakness.

“Stop talking about it,” Shu Luo said, turning his face to glare at him.

Zhang Feiyang laughed and pinched his cheek. “It’s fine to not grow tall. I just need a girlfriend like you, not too tall, haha.”

Realizing he was being teased, Shu Luo just ignored him.

“I called Zhong Qing. We’re going to have hot pot together. Oh, is Jiang Mu back yet?”

“Not yet. It’s fine; we’ll go.”

Hui Xin Zhuan Hot Pot Restaurant

“Put more beef slices in for me.”

Shu Luo’s mouth was already full, but he still didn’t forget to instruct Zhang Feiyang to do the work.

Zhong Qing sipped her drink and was also eating heartily. “Feiyang, put some enoki mushrooms in too.”

“Hey, you two boss me around quite easily, don’t you?” Zhang Feiyang said, but continued to put ingredients into the pot.

There weren’t many people in the hot pot restaurant at this time; it was only a little past 4 p.m.

They were seated in a private booth, so practically no one could bother them.

Soft jazz music was playing.

They took off their jackets and didn’t feel cold.

They were eating so much that sweat beaded on their noses.

“Shu Luo, want some spice?” Zhong Qing held up the restaurant’s special chili sauce.

“Sure. I haven’t had anything spicy in a long time. Let’s go all out today.”

Zhang Feiyang looked at him doubtfully. “Can you handle spicy food? You haven’t had anything spicy in a long time, and you want to go all out?”

“I can eat it, but my mom hasn’t made it in a long time because my dad can’t eat spicy food. I guess I can still handle mild spice.” He picked up a slice of beef and dipped it in a bit of chili sauce.

Zhong Qing watched in horror as Shu Luo dipped so much chili sauce. She looked at the small dish of sauce, then back at Shu Luo. Uh… should I warn him? But it seemed too late.

Sure enough, Shu Luo’s eyes widened suddenly, almost spitting fire.

“Spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy…” Shu Luo grabbed a soda nearby and gulped it down, but the heat was hard to dissipate. “Why is it so spicy?!”

“Hehe… you didn’t ask, did you? And you should have asked before dipping it. That’s super spicy,” Zhong Qing said, unable to tolerate Shu Luo’s foolishness at the moment.

His mouth was full of spice. He definitely couldn’t eat anything hot now.

He could only silently watch them eat happily while he drank miserably.

“Aiya, come on, come on. Big Brother will cool a slice of beef for you. Ah—”

Zhang Feiyang blew on a slice of beef for him and held it to his mouth.

Shu Luo angrily took a large bite, chewing fiercely.

But this was the sight the two of them most wanted to see: the cutest Shu Luo.

“Hey, Feiyang, what was Shu Luo like when he was little?” Zhong Qing suddenly asked out of curiosity.

Zhang Feiyang said mysteriously, “Well, I better keep that a secret, or someone will hit me.”

That only made Zhong Qing more curious. “Was Shu Luo super cute when he was little? How old were you when you went to kindergarten? Shu Luo is two years younger than us. He must have been tiny then, right?”

Tiny? Of course, he was tiny…

Zhang Feiyang remembered kindergarten the most clearly, but he didn’t really want to bring it up because of some embarrassing incidents, although Shu Luo was luckily unaware of them.

Zhang Feiyang started pre-school when he was five and a half. Shu Luo was only three then, the youngest among them, and very special. Because he was small, he never spoke or played with toys, just like a little girl. Of course, at the time, he thought Shu Luo was a girl.

“He was the youngest in our class then, and the most obedient. He was especially like… a little girl.” Zhang Feiyang stopped there; he certainly wouldn’t say more.

“Zhang Feiyang, who looks like a little girl!”

Zhong Qing rested her chin on her hand, looking at the expressive Shu Luo opposite her. Although he was younger than her, she rather liked him.

Zhang Feiyang saw Zhong Qing’s look just then, and his heart skipped a beat. Aiya, this is bad. The tomboy was getting affectionate. Shu Luo was in danger.

He subconsciously felt that Zhong Qing was not suitable for Shu Luo, but he didn’t know why.

“Haha, come on, let’s eat, let’s eat. Shu Luo, just wait until it cools down before eating. Does it still feel spicy?”

“It’s okay. The heat is mostly gone.” Shu Luo still decided to eat. What was the point of hot pot if he waited until it was cool? Of course, you had to eat it while it was hot.

“Hey Shu Luo, do you know if Jiang Mu has a girlfriend?”

The hand holding the chopsticks paused.

Zhang Feiyang looked at Zhong Qing strangely. “Why are you asking that? Why bring up Jiang Mu out of nowhere?”

“Nothing, I was just asking. I think I saw Jiang Mu with a girl by the exercise equipment on the playground last time. It’s rare to see Jiang Mu talking to a girl. Oh, Shu Luo, I think she’s in your class. She’s called Huang Wen… something. She’s your Entertainment Committee member.”

“Huang Wen Yu, she’s our class’s Entertainment Committee member.” Shu Luo continued to eat his beef. This was his favorite beef, so he had to eat more of it.

Zhang Feiyang subconsciously observed Shu Luo’s expression. Hmm… he seems fine.

“Then I wasn’t wrong. I even saw Jiang Mu smile. That’s really rare for that terrifyingly calm person. Looks like they might become a couple.”

Shu Luo suddenly felt the beef slice tasted a little fishy.

“That’s great. Huang Wen Yu is quite pretty.” Shu Luo said this, almost tasting sourness himself. What do you mean, great!

Zhong Qing didn’t sense anything, but it would be strange if Zhang Feiyang, having known Shu Luo for so long, didn’t.

It was like a sense of possessiveness. When you spend a long time with someone, they are basically the closest person to you. Suddenly, when another person appears, it’s like a domino effect beginning to collapse. Step by step, piece by piece, the speed gets faster and faster, until everything eventually tumbles down and ends.

But Shu Luo and Jiang Mu were somewhat different, truly different.

Zhang Feiyang didn’t consider himself a very observant or reflective person, but sometimes, he could sense things. Especially since Shu Luo was his childhood friend. This was also why he always paid attention.

“Zhong Qing, be careful. Shu Luo will go and tell on you to Jiang Mu. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Zhong Qing pouted. “I was just saying what I saw. Although I only saw Jiang Mu’s profile, I did see an envelope at the time, honestly.”

Zhang Feiyang shook his head, looking exasperated. This girl, would she die if she didn’t elaborate?

“Haha, my brother can even receive love letters! It seems people aren’t so afraid of him anymore. That’s good. That’s really good…” His voice trailed off towards the end, sounding a bit breathless. Is it really good?

After eating for over two hours, everyone was full and satisfied.

Zhang Feiyang suggested going to sing karaoke.

“Sounds good. Let’s go.” Shu Luo felt like he had a fire in his heart that needed to be vented.

Getting in was easy because Zhang Feiyang’s cousin was the club manager, so naturally, he brought the minors inside, even to a VIP room.

“Feiyang, have fun.”

Zhang Feiyang smiled at his cousin. “Thanks, Brother.”

“No problem. I’ll head down now.”

The room was large and very stylishly decorated.

Jay Chou was incredibly popular at the time; his songs topped the request list.

“I want to sing ‘A Serious Snow’ (Ren Zhen de Xue).”

Zhang Feiyang looked at him doubtfully. “‘A Serious Snow’? Whose song is that? It sounds familiar.”

“Xue Zhi Qian’s.”

“I know it. It’s a new song from December. It’s pretty good,” Zhong Qing said.

Zhang Feiyang looked through the list but couldn’t find it.

“Shu Luo, it’s not here.”

Shu Luo was a little disappointed. “Fine, I won’t sing that one then. Hmm… put on ‘Notebook’ (Ji Shi Ben) for me.”

Zhang Feiyang clicked his tongue inwardly. The mood of his song choices was strange.

Zhong Qing listened to Shu Luo sing, applauding every time. She sat in the back, watching his back facing the front.

Although he wasn’t tall, he was handsome, with a very delicate kind of charm. It became more apparent as he grew older, and he matured quickly, not seeming two years younger than her at all.

“Zhong Qing, you don’t happen to have feelings for Shu Luo, do you?”

Zhong Qing didn’t expect Zhang Feiyang to be so direct, but she didn’t hide it either.

“Yeah, I like him a bit.” Actually, she’d had a good impression of him since middle school.

“You know about Jiang Mu.”

Zhong Qing leaned against the back of the chair, crossing her legs. “But Jiang Mu can’t keep carrying Shu Luo like this forever, can he? I know Jiang Mu treats Shu Luo unusually, but they will eventually meet their own important people. Just like last time, Jiang Mu with a girl from their class. Shu Luo will have someone too, right? When that happens, they won’t stick together all the time.”

“Zhong Qing, it’s impossible for Jiang Mu to just hang out with a girl for no reason.”

Zhong Qing glanced at him, her tone a little cold. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when they have gotten used to an atmosphere where it’s only the two of them, a third person cannot wedge their way in. Didn’t I get pushed out too? Zhong Qing, you probably find it hard to understand why Shu Luo needs Jiang Mu so much.”

The more Zhang Feiyang talked, the more curious Zhong Qing became.

“Why?”

“When someone lives in their own world for a long time, it’s extremely lonely and terrifying, and the entire sky is dark. If a person, by chance, brings sunlight to them, they will surely strive to get close to that sunlight and absorb the warmth they need.”

Zhong Qing frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Shu Luo had mild depression when he was little because his parents were constantly away.”