Wei Junze turned his head to the owner and said, "Put today's bill on me."
Then he followed Lu Jinghuai’s steps.
“How long have you known Ji Nian?”
The green-haired guy was right to call him shameless—who the hell casually chats up their love rival like this?
Lu Jinghuai, with an air of perfect composure, replied, “We’ve known each other for ten years.”
Wei Junze thought, That’s a damn long time.
He wondered what Ji Nian looked like as a kid—probably with chubby cheeks, round eyes, like a little kitten.
“So, childhood sweethearts, huh?”
Wei Junze smirked, utterly unbothered.
Childhood sweethearts? Big deal.
Ever heard the saying?
Childhood friends never stand a chance against the one who comes later.
“Since you’re so close, did she mention she’s going on a date with me tomorrow?”
Wei Junze emerged from changing, rolling his wrists, his gaze openly hostile as he stared at Lu Jinghuai.
The golden-haired young man didn’t flinch, lips quirking in amusement. “Unimportant dates aren’t worth mentioning.”
Not just a pushover, then.
Wei Junze mused, gripping his bat as he stepped into his lane.
Lu Jinghuai was right beside him.
Twelve balls per round.
Indoor baseball wasn’t as thrilling as an open field, but right now, they were here to blow off steam—so it’d have to do.
Wei Junze observed.
The owner wasn’t wrong.
Lu Jinghuai looked slender, but his swings were precise and vicious, a sight to behold.
Wei Junze, of course, refused to be outdone. Eyes sharp, he tracked the blur of the high-speed pitch and swung hard.
The metal bat rang with a crisp crack.
They were evenly matched.
Round after round, Wei Junze’s arms began to numb.
He tugged at his lips, thinking, Why am I acting like some hotheaded kid obsessed with winning? I’m seeing Ji Nian tomorrow.
So, he called it.
The pitching machine stopped.
Lu Jinghuai didn’t.
Just as Wei Junze turned his head—BANG!
A ball slammed into the safety net right beside him, the impact warping the metal mesh with a deafening screech.
Wei Junze’s pulse spiked. He narrowed his eyes.
If not for the net, that dent would’ve been his skull.
Then—another ball.
It struck the exact same spot, punching straight through the weakened mesh, hurtling toward Wei Junze’s head.
No loss of speed.
He barely dodged, the ball grazing his temple before smashing into the net behind him with another thunderous BANG!
Tch.
Clutching his stinging temple, Wei Junze’s expression darkened.
Monster.
Lu Jinghuai tossed his dented bat aside, offering a half-hearted smirk. “Oops. Missed.”
Missed?
Bullshit.
Two balls in a row, aimed dead at him.
This guy wanted him dead.
Outside, Lu Jinghuai addressed the alarmed staff with a gentle, “I might’ve startled this gentleman.”
“Do comfort him, would you?”
Then, he pulled off his hair tie, golden strands cascading over his neck.
The light outside was blinding. After twenty-plus rounds, his back was drenched, the fabric clinging to a sprawling, crimson tattoo—twisting, grotesque lines barely visible beneath.
Wei Junze squinted.
A full-back piece.
Couldn’t make out the design, but the sheer violence of it, paired with Lu Jinghuai’s angelic face, sent a chill down his spine.
He’d assumed the guy was just some pretty boy.
Now he knew—
This one’s dangerous. The kind you don’t fuck with.
A thrill sparked in Wei Junze’s dark eyes.
Stealing prey from a beast?
Perfect.
---
Lu Jinghuai didn’t call his driver. He walked.
In most cities, this hour meant deep sleep. In City S, the night was just waking up.
A drunk man slurred at a girl on the sidewalk, “Playing hard to get? Dressed like that, you’re begging for it! Two hundred for the night—be grateful I’m offering! Thick thighs like yours ain’t worth more!”
The girl ignored him, calmly pulling out her phone to call the cops.
Enraged by her indifference, the man lurched forward to grab her—
A hand clamped around his wrist, freezing him mid-motion.
Spitting curses, the drunk whipped around—
And choked on his words.
Lu Jinghuai’s face, haloed by streetlight, was nothing short of ethereal.
The man gaped, drool nearly dripping.
“She said no,” Lu Jinghuai murmured, voice soft as silk.
No response. Just slack-jawed staring.
With a sigh, Lu Jinghuai released him and walked away.
The drunk, brain too pickled to process anything but beauty, stumbled after him like a lost puppy.
The girl hesitated, then followed.
“Hey—he’s tailing you!”
Though stunned by Lu Jinghuai’s looks, she was more concerned about the creep.
Lu Jinghuai didn’t react.
He led the man deeper, into a dim, camera-blind alley.
Finally, the drunk’s lust-addled brain rebooted. He reached out to grope Lu Jinghuai’s chest—
Whoosh.
He was airborne.
THUD.
A pig-like squeal erupted as he slammed into the wall, crumpling to the ground.
Lu Jinghuai glanced toward the alley entrance.
“He’s harmless now.”
A head peeked in. The girl, after a cautious scan, marched in on stilettos.
She eyed the groaning drunk, then—
CRUNCH.
Her heel ground into his gut.
“My legs are too thick?!” She snarled, kicking him like a sack of trash. “You limp-dick loser! I’ll show you thick—!”
Thwack. Thud. CRASH.
Once satisfied, she dusted herself off, nodded at Lu Jinghuai, and left.
Lu Jinghuai stared at the whimpering heap.
“See?”
He stepped on the man’s groping hand, pressing down slowly.
“If they don’t want you… don’t force it.”
Unlike the earlier screams, the man let out a piercing howl as the sound of bones cracking echoed through the air: "AHHHHHHHHHHH! I WAS WRONG! I’LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!"
Lu Jinghuai glanced around and found a sturdy wooden stick.
Aiming at the man’s lower body, he swung it down with the force of a baseball bat.
The stick snapped, its splintered edges accidentally scratching his hand, bright red blood trickling down his skin.
Lu Jinghuai carelessly tossed the broken stick aside, pulled out his phone, and snapped a photo of his injured hand.
At the same time, Ji Nian, who had just stepped out of the shower, received a new message.
Lu Jinghuai: "Ji Nian, it hurts so much."
[Attached Image]
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