Chapter 13: "Why Did You Delete Me?"

Inside the reception room.

Liu Mingyue stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression visibly displeased.
“We agreed you’d come with me, so why are you suddenly inviting a friend?”
Gu Shiyan swirled the teacup in his hand, watching the ripples gently sway as he spoke in a calm, steady voice, “I never said I’d accompany you.”
His tone was languid, lacking all courtesy.
Irritated, Liu Mingyue picked up the teacup from the table and drained it in one gulp.

They followed the staff into the tennis court.
Luo Xing glanced at the empty court. “Shen Que, where are your friends?”
The staff member stepped back. “They’re probably changing. Please wait a moment.”
Yao Xiangming sat to the side. “If they invited us, why are we the ones waiting?”
Luo Xing unscrewed her water bottle, biting the straw as she drank, her gaze fixed on the entrance of the court.

Shen Que’s friends?

“Hey, Xing Xing, look! Isn’t that Gu Shiyan?” Ming An tugged at Luo Xing’s sleeve.
Luo Xing had changed into sportswear: a fitted, cropped T-shirt hugging her waist, sky-blue shorts that revealed her long, slender legs.
Her right wrist was adorned with a pure white wristband; she held a tennis racket.
She looked toward where Ming An was pointing.

That figure—she could tell at a glance it was Gu Shiyan.
He wore a black sports top and matching shorts. Behind him followed a girl dressed similarly.
They looked, unmistakably, like a couple.

Gu Shiyan approached Luo Xing.
Her eyes focused on the cut beneath his eye.
She replayed the plot in her mind—there was no scene at this time where Gu Shiyan fought for the heroine.
If it was some minor scuffle, how could Gu Shiyan’s face be injured?

Shen Que stepped in front of Luo Xing, blocking Gu Shiyan’s gaze from settling on her.
“Did you have the staff call us here?” Yao Xiangming stood beside Shen Que, looking at Gu Shiyan.
Gu Shiyan had barely caught a glimpse of Luo Xing before the two stepped forward, shielding her.
Suppressing a subtle feeling within, Gu Shiyan curled his lips into a smile. “Yes. Didn’t you want to play tennis?”
Shen Que eyed Gu Shiyan coldly. “Pretending to be my friend—isn’t that a bit shameless?”
Gu Shiyan lowered his eyes, lips curved with a smile. “A bit? I’m nothing if not shameless.”
Luo Xing tugged at Shen Que’s sleeve, whispering, “Let’s go back.”
Gu Shiyan’s gaze, icy as if forged from frost, locked onto the fingers gripping Shen Que’s sleeve.

He looked up, laughing softly. “It’s just a tennis match. Are you afraid?”
Yao Xiangming snorted, “Who’s afraid? Let’s do it. I’ll go first.”
Luo Xing released Shen Que’s hand.
She’d only remembered that Shen Que disliked Gu Shiyan the most, forgetting Yao Xiangming’s impulsivity.

“Good, brave soul.” Gu Shiyan glanced outside, raising his hand.
Luo Xing looked over—Li Zhao, Yi Chuan, and another unfamiliar face stood there.
“Let’s play doubles. Five per side.”

Luo Xing eyed Gu Shiyan’s group of five, then glanced at him. “You have four men over there; we only have two. That’s not fair.”
The last three words came out, each syllable clipped and deliberate.
Gu Shiyan’s gaze lingered on Luo Xing, his lips moving slightly. “If you want, I can join your side.”
Luo Xing stepped back, “No one wants you on our side.”
Shen Que stepped forward, looking at Gu Shiyan. “Enough. Who’s first?”

Li Zhao stepped up with a racket. “Me.”
Shen Que nodded.

Just as everyone thought Shen Que would play, he suddenly said, “Yao Xiangming, you go.”
Yao Xiangming: “…”
Shen Que returned and patted Yao Xiangming. “Play well.”

Luo Xing sat on the bench nearby, gripping her water bottle tightly. “Can he win?”
Ming An anxiously squeezed Yun Cai’s hand. “I’ve never seen Li Zhao play tennis. I don’t know if he’s any good.”
Yao Xiangming himself didn’t know how skilled Li Zhao was, but he dared not underestimate him.

Luo Xing looked toward Gu Shiyan’s side. They seemed utterly unconcerned—apart from the girl watching the match, the other three were engrossed in their phones.
Luo Xing stared absently. Across the court, Gu Shiyan raised his head, his gaze catching hers.
The tension was palpable, even across the net.
She quickly lowered her eyes, unscrewed her bottle, and drank.

Yun Cai looked at the bottle cap in her hands. “Why unscrew it? Isn’t there a straw?”
Luo Xing licked the moisture from her lips. “I—I find it easier this way.”
Ming An chimed in, “Don’t you like drinking through the straw?”
Luo Xing coughed. “Biting the straw’s a bad habit. I need to stop.”
Shen Que glanced down at her. “Aunt Jiang said if you could break that habit, she’d buy you the camera you wanted most, but you couldn’t do it.”
“I knew even if I got it, I’d play with it a couple days and leave it to gather dust.”
Luo Xing argued, explaining herself to Shen Que.

She was entirely oblivious to the gaze from across the court.

Liu Mingyue knew that with Gu Shiyan on her side, victory was assured.
Still, she worried the others might lose too badly, so she anxiously watched the match.
“Has Li Zhao ever learned tennis? Even his grip is wrong!” Liu Mingyue glanced at Gu Shiyan.

He sat lazily, hands resting on his knees as he fiddled with his phone, eyes fixed on the opposite side.
Liu Mingyue looked over—four people on the other team. She couldn’t tell whom he was watching.
She sat down beside Gu Shiyan. “Shiyan, are your friends reliable? The other side has already scored four points!”
Gu Shiyan turned his gaze to Liu Mingyue. “He’s never played tennis.”
Liu Mingyue was stunned. “What—what did you say?”
Without a reply from Gu Shiyan, she tugged at his sleeve. “Then why did you call him here?”
“To have fun. Didn’t you say your dad opened the tennis court just for fun?”
Liu Mingyue was so angry she refused to speak another word to him. Her eyes locked onto the three girls across the court.
“Gu Shiyan, be honest—do you like someone on the other side?”
Gu Shiyan glanced sideways at Luo Xing, then lowered his eyes to the patterns on the ground. “Would you just shut up?”

Yao Xiangming had been nervous at first, but after a few rounds realized his opponent wasn’t holding back or deliberately playing poorly—he genuinely had no idea what he was doing.
“Man, with that stance, I thought you were the prince of tennis.” Yao Xiangming wiped sweat from his brow.
Li Zhao nodded, “Thanks for going easy.”
“…”

Next up was Ming An, but Luo Xing stopped her. “Let me go.”

Liu Mingyue saw the lineup change, but didn’t care.
Just as she was about to step onto the court, Gu Shiyan picked up his racket. “I’ll go.”
Liu Mingyue turned to him. “I’ll play myself.”
Gu Shiyan raised his racket. “I can’t stand her. Let me.”
Liu Mingyue looked at Luo Xing—a radiant face, a good figure. “Isn’t she your type? Why can’t you stand her?”
Gu Shiyan’s racket was red and black, complementing his outfit.

Luo Xing looked at Gu Shiyan across the court. “Why are you switching players?”
“Why did you delete me?”
Gu Shiyan stood firmly, his voice clear but not loud—each word reaching Luo Xing.

Neither could answer.