The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 27

Back in his room, Zhaoqing was grappling with a difficult physics problem when his phone buzzed several times. Irritated, he twisted the cap of his pen before finally unlocking the screen. The caller ID displayed “10086” (Customer Service), and only then did his tense nerves slightly relax.

It wasn’t that he was being paranoid. Lately, perhaps realizing that appearing so conspicuously at Zhaoqing’s door would be noticed by others, Song Yuening had finally stopped cornering him in the hallway.

But Zhaoqing didn’t feel relieved.

Because that little psychopath had switched tactics, he now called punctually every night to harass him!

After several instances of answering without guard only to hear Yuening’s voice, Zhaoqing’s patience evaporated. He blacklisted the number, but the guy immediately called back from a different one. Zhaoqing was annoyed to death; eventually, he stopped answering any unknown calls altogether. Because of this, he had missed several important calls from his homeroom teacher, Zhou Sixuan, and Fang Yang.

Finally, Zhaoqing reached a compromise. When Yuening called, he would simply pick up, toss the phone on the bed, and quietly go back to his homework, treating Yuening’s voice like background white noise.

The “10086” call ended, and the phone rang again. This time, having already been through a “boy who cried wolf” scenario, Zhaoqing wasn’t as anxious about the unknown number. He picked up, and sure enough, it was Yuening.

“Zhaozhao, good evening.”

Zhaoqing felt like the man was putting on a show. Every time he called, Yuening’s voice sounded a bit more melodic, like a graceful white peacock fanning its tail. It was a complete departure from his “aloof god” persona. The “filter” of his cold dignity was in tatters.

Zhaoqing tossed the phone onto the sofa and didn’t reply, letting him talk to himself. Yuening was talented; he could carry a monologue for nearly half an hour.

“Zhaozhao, I heard the school basketball court isn’t available for you guys at night. Do you need my help?”

“It’s no trouble. I want to contribute to our basketball game, too. As long as you’re willing to eat breakfast with me from now on.”

“Is that okay, Zhaozhao?”

“Zhaozhao? Zhaozhao, are you there? If you don’t answer, I’m coming to knock on your door.”

Hearing him offer help, Zhaoqing hesitated. He put down his pen and stood up, staring at the phone on the sofa as the “emotional” and “rational” versions of himself fought another round.

Zhou Sixuan had found a suitable court for training, but it wasn’t near the school. Traveling there and back took a lot of time. It would be much easier to train at school. But that would mean owing Yuening a favor…

He wasn’t willing.

“We’ve already found a training ground,” Zhaoqing said coldly. He hung up without hesitation and blacklisted Yuening’s newest number.

Because of this, he missed Yuening’s final sentence: “Zhaozhao, our seventeenth birthday is coming up. What gift do you want?”

When Yuening finished speaking, all that met him was the endless busy tone. He knew his “puppy” had blacklisted him again. He stood up and looked down at the illuminated conservatory, thinking of how Zhaoqing would either speed up to avoid him or grab a classmate to act as a shield whenever school let out.

It was adorable, yet inexplicably frustrating.

“New grounds?” Yuening wondered silently. “Where exactly?”

The next day, Zhaoqing opened the balcony door to air out the room. He felt the medicinal scent in his room had grown stronger lately. He didn’t know how it was getting in, was Yuening’s condition worsening with the recent rain, causing the smell of brewing herbs to drift over?

After school, Zhaoqing took the bus to the new court with his teammates. Zhou Sixuan was right; the court was large and new, perfect for training. They dropped their gear and began warming up.

Class President An Yi and several other girls, including Sixuan’s girlfriend, sat on the sidelines to watch. Under his girlfriend’s gaze, Sixuan was particularly energetic, showing off his skills in what everyone laughed was a “human courtship display.”

Watching Sixuan’s antics, the image of another person popped into Zhaoqing’s head: Song Yuening. Speaking of courtship displays, Yuening seemed to be.

Wait, no! That’s too vulgar! Zhaoqing shook his head vigorously to dispel the “domineering rival falls for me” plotline from his brain.

“Sixuan, you ready?” a teammate called out. They all laughed as Sixuan continued to show off for his girlfriend, whose face turned beet red.

What on earth is love? Zhaoqing wondered. Can it really make the living die and the dead live? Make the thick-skinned shy and the shy-skinned shameless? He had never seen Sixuan look so bashful.

While the atmosphere was lively and full of laughter, a series of footsteps approached from a distance. Zhaoqing was the first to notice. He turned to see several arrogant, provocative stares.

“Where are you guys from? Don’t you know this court has always been our territory?”

The leader looked like a typical arrogant second-generation rich kid. Zhaoqing caught sight of their school badges and felt a sinking feeling in his gut.

They were students from Mingsi High School!

It made sense; this place was much closer to their school. Zhaoqing used to accompany Xie Chengxuan to play here often, so he was familiar with the area. But in his haste to reject Yuening, he had completely forgotten about Xie Chengxuan!

“On what grounds?” a hot-headed teammate shot back. “This is a public court. Since when is it yours? Ever heard of first come, first served?”

“First come, first served? No one dares talk to me like that. I know where you’re from—that trashy High School A, right? Your team hasn’t even sniffed a bronze medal in the league. With your pathetic skills, you should just go home and have a popsicle.”

“Exactly. Why bother practicing? Even if you win your school’s internal matches, you’ll just lose when you face the Mingsi team.”

“Do you know who our coach is? Do you know who’s sponsoring this tournament? It’s our Brother Xie!”

“Why are these pretty girls watching you guys? Go home to your mothers. If you want to watch a real game, we’ll show you one ourselves, hahahaha.”

Zhaoqing’s head snapped up at the name “Brother Xie.” He felt a jolt in his chest. A split second later, a loud thud echoed. Sixuan, veins popping on his forehead, had hurled the basketball directly at the leader’s chest.

“Dammit, Brother Ren, you okay?”

“Fuck, they actually dared to start something?”

“You piece of trash, hitting on my girlfriend, you’re looking for a beating!” Sixuan was livid and ready to charge.

The Mingsi students were taller, stronger, and more numerous. Plus, with the girls present, a brawl would be terrifying for them. Zhaoqing quickly pulled the raging Sixuan back with one hand while using the other to block the Mingsi students’ advance.

“Don’t do anything stupid. I know your Grade Dean, Mr. Liu Chen. If you start a fight here, don’t blame me for calling him right now.”

Zhaoqing pretended to dial a number. He didn’t actually have the Dean’s number, but he remembered the name of the strict dean from his year at Mingsi in his previous life. Although Mingsi students were rich, most were destined for overseas studies, and “Dean Liu” was the one man they truly feared. The school’s relatively decent discipline was largely thanks to him.

Sure enough, the mention of the Dean’s name dampened their spirits.

“You know Dean Liu? No way,” Lackey A questioned.

“Why bother with them? Poor students from a poor school—all they know is how to tattle. They’re nobodies,” Lackey B mocked.

Sixuan was still glaring at them, and Lackey C challenged him: “What, you want to fight? Not afraid of being beaten to death? At most, we’ll just pay some compensation money.”

“You think you can?” Sixuan nearly broke free from Zhaoqing’s grip.

Zhaoqing felt his strength failing; it felt like a single spark could ignite the entire court.

“What’s this? Ren Wei, who gave you that bruise?”

In the midst of the tense standoff, a deeply weary, bored male voice rang out. Zhaoqing’s eyes widened as he looked back. A tall silhouette was walking toward them.

“Brother Xie, you’re here! These bastards from High School A are trying to steal our court!” The boy named Ren Wei sounded like he had found his savior, his voice rising in pitch.

Conversely, Zhaoqing’s face turned deathly pale. He watched the familiar figure approach, feeling the blood in his veins turn to ice.

Xie Chengxuan… talk about a narrow road!