Chapter 5

Shen Jiayan pinched my cheek.

"What are you, the God of Crooked Smirks? You keep giving me that lopsided grin. Asking for trouble?"

Whenever I got smug, that expression appeared without my realizing.

He always said it was a face that deserved a smack.

I disagreed.

I wasn't afraid of him anymore. I even leaned right up to his ear and chanted defiantly, "I'll smirk if I want to. I'll smirk, I'll—"

Before I could finish, he pulled me into a corner of the stairwell and bent to kiss me.

As though punishing me, he firmly tipped my chin up, deepening the kiss.

He didn't let go until I could barely breathe.

"Think I can't deal with you anymore?"

My lopsided grin was gone.

In its place, burning cheeks.

I gave his chest a light punch.

"You're awful!"

He smiled roguishly, his tone infuriating.

"Don't worry. I can be worse."

The basketball class I'd once dreaded had become my favorite.

I got to take it with my boyfriend.

For the first half, I watched him play. In the second half, he came over to teach me layups.

They were on the final, after all.

And my skills were painful to watch.

So now I had a private coach.

Quite a few girls stood around watching.

He demonstrated the movement slowly. Smooth, flowing, effortlessly impressive.

I copied him and practiced until class ended and everyone had left.

My form was right.

I still hadn't made a single shot.

Frustration showed on his handsome face. He frowned slightly.

"Tsk. Never seen anyone this uncoordinated."

I lowered my head sadly.

"Don't be mad, Coach Shen. I want to make a basket too."

"Hold the ball. Stay there."

"Huh?"

Was he giving up on me?

I felt terribly guilty.

With my head down, I said, "Sorry. I'm no good at sports..."

The next second, I was airborne.

Shen Jiayan had put his arms around my waist and lifted me.

"Come on. Aim, then shoot."

I sent the ball toward the hoop right in front of me.

This time, it went in perfectly.

He set me down.

"Nothing to apologize for. Take your time practicing. Your boyfriend's right here, isn't he? What are you scared of?"

His voice was unexpectedly gentle. The usual arrogance had vanished from his face.

My nose stung.

"Shen Jiayan, you're so good to me. I thought you were angry."

He took a tissue and gently wiped the sweat from my face.

"Silly. I don't get angry that easily. Don't give up so quickly either. I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Mm."

"Practice hard. Take basketball with me again next semester."

"..."

We dated for two years at university, our relationship growing steadier.

After graduation, moving in together was the natural next step.

With both sets of parents fully aware.

One evening after dinner, I tugged at his shirt.

"Um, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time..."

"If you want to kiss me, just say so. No need to be shy."

"Not that!"

"Then what?"

"I want to touch..."

He immediately lifted his shirt.

"Help yourself. All yours."

I couldn't take it anymore.

"Would it kill you to let me finish? I meant I've wanted to touch your head for ages!"

For someone with our enormous height difference, getting to pat this menace on the head would be an unrivaled achievement.

He sighed softly, looking utterly defeated, then lifted me onto his lap.

"Come on, then. Go ahead."

Say what you liked about him, he knew how to make an occasion of it.

I reached out my wicked hand.

And thoroughly ruffled his hair, turning it from neat to a complete mess.

Normally, he was cooler and more arrogant than anyone.

Now he sat there obediently letting me do as I pleased, looking so helpless that I couldn't resist cupping his face and kissing him several times.

He caught my wrist.

Warm fingertips stroked my palm.

He leaned close to my ear and coaxed, "All right. My turn."

"..."

Oh, no.

Most of the time, he called me Babe.

When I annoyed him, it was Jiang Luo.

When he teased me or deliberately provoked me, it was Shorty.

I decided to protest that last one.

Time to teach him a lesson.

"You're not allowed to call me Shorty anymore."

"Try calling me Shorty again. I dare you!"

I decided to threaten him with violence and brandished my mighty fist in front of him.

"See this? Keep it up and I'll..."

He spread his fingers around my fist and pulled me into his arms.

"You'll what?"

"I'll sort you out."

He answered in an infuriating voice.

"I'm so scared. Please, have mercy."

"Begging won't help!"

I reached to squish his face into all sorts of shapes.

But he stood up.

The height difference between us immediately widened.

Looking perfectly willing to submit to my punishment, he still had the nerve to taunt me.

"So how are you going to sort me out now?"

I rose onto my toes and looped my arms around his neck, pulling him down.

I nipped his lip and said through gritted teeth, "I'll cling to you for the rest of your life. Spend your money. Have my way with you!"

Far from frightened, he smiled even more happily and lifted me up to kiss me.

"I couldn't ask for anything better."

"..."

One day, in my second year of university, the campus shuttle was packed.

Crushingly packed.

I seemed to have stepped on something.

Looking down, I discovered a petite girl beside me.

"Sorry."

"It's all right. It didn't hurt."

Her voice was gentle. She seemed so sweet and unassuming.

As I lowered my head, I happened to glimpse her WeChat conversation.

I hadn't meant to snoop.

Then I saw my name.

"Fuck. Jackpot. Shen Jiayan's standing right next to me. This man is gorgeous, but I can't see his face!!"

"Thanks to this packed bus, my forehead's almost touching his chest. I'm dying."

"I'm terrible. Having thoughts I shouldn't be having about him."

"When he apologized, I couldn't help putting on a sweet little voice."

No wonder I'd never guessed, from hearing her speak, that she had such a wild side.

I happened to glance at the bus window.

And paused.

Why was I smiling?

After that, I saw her on the campus shuttle every Tuesday and Friday morning.

She liked sneaking looks at me.

Whenever I caught her, she immediately pretended to look down at her phone.

Her fingers flew across the screen. I had no idea what she was typing.

I waited.

Waited to see when she'd finally give in and talk to me.

Before she ever said a word, the university announced that all students were to go home.

I regretted not speaking to her first.

At least I could have asked for her contact details and tried talking to her.

Damn it.

4.

An online basketball class.

Someone had forgotten to mute herself and said I couldn't handle it.

Wasn't that her?

Finally. Got you.

She liked grey sweatpants?

Fine. I'd wear them.

Jiang Luo.

So that was her name.

I immediately searched the year group for her WeChat and sent a friend request.

5

To this day, that silly girl thinks I fell for her because of what she said in the online class.

She's unbearably pleased with herself.

Whenever it comes up, she deliberately gives me that crooked smirk.

"I'm amazing!"

What am I supposed to do with her?

Only at night can I put a stop to her swagger.

After all, every time she brings it up, I have to prove to her, very clearly...

I can handle it.

Later, we had a child.

Our child asked how we'd fallen in love.

She made up a whole new version, just for the occasion.

"I was in my second year at university. Your mom was studying very, very hard in class, even putting up her hand to answer the teacher's questions. Your dad happened to walk past. He was so moved by my dedication that he started pursuing me like mad. Then I liked him too, so I said yes."

"Dad, is that true?"

"Yes. Your mom's right. That's exactly how it happened."

What else could I do?

I'd won my wife over myself.

I'd just have to spoil her for the rest of my life.

The End