Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

Chen Jixian took a sip of cola: "Eating such an expensive meal today is a way of celebrating my coming of age."

Wang Hao: "You don't need to borrow my ID card next time you go online?"

Xiao Chen rolled his eyes.

He turned to look at Ye Haoran:

"By the way, there's something I've always wanted to ask: how did you register on Irene's fan website?"

"I've also seen that website. You have to answer a bunch of random verification questions, like the color of your stage outfits and which practice room you were in before your debut... It's practically designed to keep male fans away."

Wang Hao blinked:

"The color of their stage outfits? The practice room before their debut? What the hell are these questions? Even a civil service exam wouldn't be this detailed!"

Ye Haoran put down his teacup: "I didn't answer. My girlfriend is a fan of Red Velvet, and she helped me."

"Holy crap, Lao Ye, you have a girlfriend? Korean or Chinese?"

"...Just call me FILA-ge."

Chen Jixian took a bite of the grilled fish: "What's it like to have a girlfriend?"

Wang Hao: ? ? ?

Ye Haoran: ? ? ?

Two men were staring at him at the same time.

Their meaning was very clear: you've been rumored to be dating two of the most popular female idols in Korea, and you've even been seen going in and out of hotels, yet you still don't know what it's like to be in love?

Chen Jixian was taken aback for a moment: "Why are you looking at me? Let's get down to business!"

Is this a serious matter?

Ye Haoran shook his head:

"well enough.

"She likes to lean on my shoulder while looking at her phone, and she keeps asking me, 'What color is this?'"

"Lipstick shades, eyeshadow palettes, nail polish, all sorts of sets... I can't answer any of them."

When FILA said "I can't answer," his lips twitched slightly, and then he picked up his teacup and took a sip.

He's covering it up.

When a man talks about his girlfriend, he can't suppress the corners of his mouth but doesn't want others to notice, so he likes to tactfully drink water.

Teacups are so useful! They can be used to cover your face and pretend you're drinking water instead of secretly laughing.

Wang Hao: "That's great."

Chen Jixian: "I'm envious."

The two men stared at Xiao Chen again.

Chen Jixian ignored them and stuffed a piece of grilled fish into his mouth.

When he gets tired of doing practice problems, he also imagines:

A girl leaned on his shoulder and casually asked him a question he could never answer.

Then she said, "Never mind, I'll see for myself," and continued to snuggle up to her.

Chen Jixian had never experienced anything like this before.

If he's willing to let loose a bit, he actually has a chance—his fan club is mostly made up of young girls.

However, Xiao Chen's ambition, and ASA's ambition, wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.

"...I'll be waiting for you on the tour!"

MD!

I've really been seeing ghosts lately.

If Xiao Chen slacks off even slightly, the voice of his senior brother will appear in his mind.

Wang Hao slammed the Coke can on the table: "So, what does your sister-in-law look like? Is she pretty?"

Ye Haoran picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said in a nonchalant tone, "It's alright, looks aren't important."

Wang Hao persisted: "What do you mean by 'not important'? Good-looking is good-looking, and bad-looking is bad-looking. What do you mean by 'not important'?"

Ye Haoran didn't reply and put the teacup back on the table.

His expression was steady, but a very subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth—

How to describe this expression?

Someone touched a nerve, but I'm too embarrassed to say it directly.

Fila's smile was almost impossible to suppress, but thankfully he managed to quell it by making a tea-drinking gesture.

Chen Jixian saw it, leaned back in his chair, and shook his head while laughing.

Ye Haoran wanted to show off, but he was also pretentious and didn't want to say it himself—he was waiting for someone else to say it for him.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Chen Jixian's smile suddenly froze.

wrong,

Should we wait for someone else to say it for us?

He had seen different, yet very similar, expressions.

It wasn't on Ye Haoran's face.

That day, under the warm lights of the barbecue restaurant, Bae Joo-hyun said, "I have an oppa."

At that moment, Xiao Chen stared at her face. After she finished speaking, her lips moved slightly, as if she was waiting for something.

Could it be that

Was she also waiting for him to see through her?

Bae Joo-hyun pushed him away with a lie, hoping that he would shake his head with a smile, just like today, and expose the truth hidden beneath her lies.

She didn't wait.

He's too well-behaved.

but,

Why would she use such a lie? Why go through the trouble of pushing him away?

[Would you like to pay 2000 yuan?]

The price of the psychological ring has gone up.

It should be.

When you see a fool, how can you not take advantage of him?

Pay!

In the upper left corner of Chen Jixian's field of vision, Ye Haoran's psychological circle appeared—

A golden ring.

A silvery mist.

When FILA was lying, the ring didn't shrink; instead, it expanded outwards.

He wasn't afraid of being exposed; in fact, he vaguely hoped to be exposed.

Chen Jixian lowered his head.

And that day,

Almost exactly the same.

Wang Hao kept pressing, "Then tell me, is she pretty or not?"

Ye Haoran was still stubbornly insisting that "it's not important."

Chen Jixian looked at Ye Haoran's uncontrollable smile and suddenly felt it was very irritating.

Was Bae Joo-hyun like that that night too?

Are we waiting for him to sabotage us?

Chen Jixian put down his chopsticks, looked at Ye Haoran, and lowered his voice a little.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

FILA couldn't suppress the smile on his face any longer: "...Yes."

obviously,

Ye Haoran finally met the person who would sabotage him.

Wang Hao leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh: "I knew it."

Old Wang doesn't have any ambitions; finding an answer is enough for him.

Chen Jixian was quiet for a while, then suddenly laughed again.

He picked up the last can of Coke on the table, unzipped it, and placed it in front of Ye Haoran.

"I'm going to play in a competition next month, so it might be a long time before we see each other again... Thank you for tonight too."

Ye Haoran was taken aback: "You treated me to dinner, and you're thanking me?"

"...Then you pay the bill."

Wang Hao burst out laughing.

Ye Haoran glanced at Xiao Chen but didn't ask any further questions.

He will probably never know how much this dinner helped Chen Jixian.

But that doesn't matter.

Ye Haoran extended his right hand and shook hands with Chen Jixian.

The palms of the two young people were pressed together firmly!

"When you're done, remember to come back and let me know." Ye Haoran gripped his hand tightly.

"What's there to say? I won anyway!" Chen Jixian raised an eyebrow, looking completely matter-of-fact.

The three people parted ways at the restaurant entrance.

Ye Haoran zipped up his jacket and walked towards the subway station.

He took a few steps, looked back, waved his hand, and then turned and continued walking.

The two stood under the streetlight for a moment.

Wang Hao watched the figure turn the corner, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly spoke in a very serious tone, as if he were reading the narration of a documentary.

"Some people are destined to shine on a bigger stage." He paused, as if savoring the line, "Like Ye Haoran, like you."

Chen Jixian turned to look at him, wondering what was wrong with him this time.

"We will shine too," Wang Hao said, "on our own paths."

Chen Jixian waited a while, making sure he was finished with his emotional outpouring, and then asked, "So, how do we get back now?"

"Walk back, it'll save on bus fare."

"...Just keep shining like that."

The two walked back for a while, and occasionally a car would drive by, its headlights sweeping across their backs before quickly disappearing into the distance.

Chen Jixian suddenly spoke up: "By the way, the company has applied for my early graduation, so I won't be coming next Monday."

Wang Hao paused for a moment, then continued walking.

"No one will let me copy math homework anymore."

"Forget it, you don't even call me dad, I won't let you copy it even if I come."