On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

The boys who had just finished playing basketball walked towards the stands, chatting and laughing, their eyes already fixed on a few girls in the stands.

They showed none of the shyness one would expect when facing a strange girl; instead, they displayed only eagerness upon seeing their target.

The tallest and most handsome boy in the group had a bright and natural smile, and without the slightest hesitation, he led his teammates directly to the six people.

His face was flushed from exercise, and his eyes were bright. His gaze swept quickly across the faces of the girls, finally settling on Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao, who seemed the most approachable.

"Hey, beautiful ladies, how are you?" he greeted them with a smile, his voice cheerful and full of the energy typical of an athletic boy. "You look like freshmen, are you here to get acquainted with the campus?"

Zhou Yue is an outgoing person. Although she doesn't like being approached by people, she seems to be used to it. She immediately smiled and replied, "Hello, seniors. You have good eyesight. We are indeed freshmen and are just out for a stroll to get familiar with the environment."

“Absolutely, the freshman season is when we’re busiest… no, most helpful.” The tall guy joked self-deprecatingly, eliciting a chuckle from his teammates behind him. He then introduced himself, “My name is Zhang Yang, Zhang as in bow and long, Yang as in soaring. These guys are my brothers.”

He casually pointed behind him, appearing quite carefree.

"Hello, seniors." Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao responded with smiles.

Su Yuqing and Zhao Ya nodded politely.

Shen Xinghe merely glanced at it indifferently before continuing to look at the court, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

Chen Mo sat quietly to the side, observing calmly.

Zhang Yang naturally picked up the conversation, but his gaze drifted more towards Su Yuqing, who was the most beautiful and quiet, and Shen Xinghe, whose unique temperament and looks were no less than Su Yuqing's (he still thought she was a cold beauty). He extended an invitation: "It's too hot today, and you guys seem bored sitting here. We're going to take a break at the newly opened cold drink shop next door. Want to come along? Consider it a welcome dinner for you seniors, and we can also tell you which places on campus are fun and which pitfalls to avoid."

His words were fluent, and his reasons sounded sufficient and natural, making it difficult for anyone to immediately find a flaw to refuse him.

Zhou Yue continued to act as the spokesperson, smilingly declining: "Thank you for your kind offer, senior! But we just rested for a short while and don't really feel like moving around yet. Besides, we have some other plans later. Maybe next time."

Despite being flatly rejected, Zhang Yang's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes held a hint of challenge; he had clearly experienced this kind of situation many times before.

Undeterred, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed directly on the girls, especially Su Yuqing, his tone half-jokingly insistent: "Don't be so dismissive. Just have a drink, make some friends. How about we add each other on WeChat first? If there are any fun activities at school, or... if anyone bothers you, just call us seniors, we'll be there for you anytime."

These words already carried a hint of self-satisfaction and confidence, even a subtle sense of showing off one's abilities.

This sophisticated and slightly intimidating approach to conversation subtly altered the atmosphere.

Su Yuqing frowned slightly and subconsciously moved closer to Chen Mo.

"No need, senior, we already have someone protecting us," Lin Xiaoxiao said, squinting her eyes. She was already a little annoyed by the other person's excessive clinginess.

As soon as she said that, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Chen Mo. After all, in their eyes, Chen Mo was the only man there, so the person Lin Xiaoxiao was talking about was naturally him.

"Five beauties, one bodyguard? That's hardly enough," Zhang Yang said with a chuckle. "Why don't we consider a few of us?"

Chen Mo, who had been silent all along, finally raised his eyes. His gaze was calm yet carried an invisible penetrating power as he met Zhang Yang's eyes directly. His tone was flat and cut straight to the point: "We appreciate the kindness of the seniors, but since they have already said they don't need this kind of 'service,' then you should go find other people who need your protection." His refusal was crisp and decisive, without any hesitation or ambiguity, and there wasn't a single flaw in his words.

The smile on Zhang Yang's face finally faded a little.

A burly teammate behind him, wearing a Rockets-style jersey, was clearly more hot-tempered. Seeing this, he sneered, took a half step forward, and looked Chen Mo up and down with a scrutinizing and provocative gaze: "Kid, you're protecting five girls so tightly by yourself? Can you handle it all? We just want to make friends and get to know each other, there's no need to block our way, is there?"

These words were quite impolite, full of provocation and contempt, directly pointing the finger at Chen Mo and expressing hostility towards him for "monopolizing" the beautiful woman.

The atmosphere instantly became tense, filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Zhou Yue and Lin Xiaoxiao stopped smiling and became somewhat nervous.

Su Yuqing grabbed Chen Mo's arm.

Zhao Ya's expression also turned serious.

Chen Mo's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he slowly stood up.

He was about the same height as Zhang Yang, but his calm demeanor, which had weathered many storms, and his sharp eyes instantly overwhelmed the other's mere athletic vitality, creating a substantial sense of pressure.

He stared at the rude boy, his voice low but clear and cold: "I don't want to repeat myself. Are you leaving or not?"

The boy felt a chill run down his spine under Chen Mo's gaze, but relying on the fact that there were more of them and that he was a seasoned veteran, he stubbornly stuck out his neck and tried to retort.

"Ah."

A soft sneer rang out, carrying a hint of lazy mockery.

Shen Xinghe, who had been observing from the sidelines, stood up.

He elegantly straightened his neatly combed collar, his beautiful almond-shaped eyes sweeping over the arrogant group before finally settling on the provocative boy. His tone was calm yet tinged with disdain: "You're so good with words, but I wonder if your ball skills match? Since you're all ball players, and you're all so hot-tempered, just talking isn't enough. Let's settle our ball-playing issues on the court. Two against two, five balls. If we win, you apologize for what you just said, and then leave quietly."

As Shen Xinghe spoke, everyone suddenly realized that this beautiful woman seemed to be a boy.
This left the group somewhat bewildered.

His suggestion also came as a surprise to everyone.

Zhang Yang and the others were stunned for a moment, then looked at Shen Xinghe again, their eyes filled with surprise and undisguised contempt.

With his appearance, how could he possibly play basketball with them?

"You? Play against us?" The Rockets player burst out laughing, gesturing exaggeratedly. "Dude, is that physique just for photos? Don't joke around. On the court, collisions can be brutal. We can't afford to hurt your pretty face." (End of Chapter)