Even though Meng Yue was wearing a loose basketball uniform today, it still could not hide those surging waves…
Chen Luo could not help but sigh inwardly. After not seeing Teacher Meng for three years, she had matured a lot. If Chen Luo had not spent the past two and a half years steadily settling himself, he really would not have been able to withstand this wave of offense.
“How was it? My three-step layup technique is pretty decent, right?” Meng Yue asked after sinking the ball and turning back.
“Not bad.”
Chen Luo nodded and replied, “You just need to release the ball a little faster at the end.”
“Come defend me and give it a try.” Meng Yue went on, “No defense means no pressure.”
“I’m about to continue class soon,” Chen Luo replied, sounding a little troubled.
Although he had resolved to become a slacker employee, Chen Luo could not slack off too much. After all, he had only been here a few days. With his foundation still unstable, he at least had to make it look like he was trying.
“Hurry up. Stop dragging your feet. Even if we can only play for a few minutes, then it’s only a few minutes.”
Meng Yue said this with a bit of a counselor’s authority.
“Fine.”
Chen Luo replied helplessly.
He then passed the ball to Meng Yue at the three-point line and started defending. Of course, Chen Luo was not taking defense too seriously either.
Otherwise, he would definitely have shut Meng Yue down so thoroughly that she would not have been able to shoot.
However, Meng Yue…
Her offense was truly fierce. She took the initiative to press against Chen Luo and drive inside. Wave after wave of attacks rolled forward like a bulldozer, bumping Chen Luo until he was a little overwhelmed.
Teacher Meng’s attack this time was really intense. She forcibly backed Chen Luo all the way under the basket, then lifted her hand and banked the shot in off the glass.
After the basket went in.
Meng Yue looked up at Chen Luo, who kept backing away, and said, “Don’t go easy on me when you defend. Put some pressure on me.”
“…”
Chen Luo smiled bitterly and said nothing.
He thought to himself, I put pressure on you, and then you push my limits?
After what happened three years ago, Chen Luo had already turned over a new leaf and decided to live a down-to-earth life again.
“Stop standing there blankly. Come over and defend.”
Meng Yue said.
She took the ball and walked outside the three-point line. Chen Luo had no choice but to follow along and defend, though he still did not dare guard her too tightly.
Because Teacher Meng’s fakes were truly impossible to defend.
At last, 10:50 arrived.
The alarm rang.
Chen Luo thought to himself that it was finally over. He immediately blew the whistle, gathered the children together, and sent each of them back to their parents one by one.
After that, he clocked out right on time at 11:00.
He walked out of the gym.
When he reached the first floor, Meng Yue, with Duoduo in tow, also came down to the first floor.
Sure enough.
They went home together again. When they reached the mall plaza, they went to the supermarket together to buy today’s groceries.
Chen Luo bought a stalk of celtuce, a pound of lean meat, and a block of white tofu, then they checked out and headed back together.
They crossed the road.
Returned to the small courtyard.
Chen Luo saw a little boy playing basketball in the courtyard, wearing a full basketball uniform and playing quite skillfully.
Chen Luo was immediately stunned. Where had another kid come from?
At the same time, Meng Yue also showed a hint of confusion. She turned her head, looked at Chen Luo, and asked,
“Do you know this child?”
“No.”
Chen Luo shook his head and replied.
At that moment, Gu Qing, who was resting on the second-floor balcony, stood up from the lounge chair and said to the two of them in the small courtyard below,
“This is my younger male cousin, Langlang.”
As she spoke, Gu Qing looked at her younger male cousin and said with a smile, “Langlang, hurry and greet them. Didn’t I teach you?”
Hearing that, Langlang hugged the basketball and walked over to Chen Luo and Meng Yue. He spoke very politely.
“Hello, Brother Chen Luo. Hello, Auntie Meng.”
“…Hello.”
After a few seconds, Chen Luo suppressed his shock and replied with a smile.
“Hello, Langlang. Auntie Meng will give you an orange.”
Meng Yue smiled and said.
Then she took a big orange from the bag in her hand, stuffed it into Langlang’s hands, and very gently ruffled his head.
That mature, motherly smile made Langlang, who was meeting Meng Yue for the first time, feel a little warmth and closeness.
“Thank you, Auntie Meng.”
Langlang replied softly.
“Such good manners.”
Meng Yue smiled gently and replied, then took Duoduo upstairs. Chen Luo looked after them for a moment and went upstairs too.
But inside.
At that moment, a bit of wariness had risen. This was actually Gu Qing’s younger male cousin, and he was playing basketball in the courtyard while wearing a basketball uniform…
Could Gu Qing already know that Meng Yue was taking Duoduo to the training class he taught?
No way!
I have to ask her!
Chen Luo thought it over step by step in the stairwell. By the time he reached upstairs, he had already decided to probe around a little, so he put the groceries inside the house.
Then he walked out the door and went over to Gu Qing’s side. Gu Qing was currently working on her notebook, her hands flying across the keyboard as she typed.
She seemed to be working on a PowerPoint presentation.
Chen Luo watched for a while without saying anything, planning to wait until Gu Qing finished this burst of work before bringing it up. Instead, Gu Qing stopped first, turned her head, and asked,
“What are you standing next to me looking at? Are you peeping at this beauty?”
“Standing right in front of you and that still counts as peeping?” Chen Luo said with perfect confidence. “I wanted to ask how your younger male cousin came over.”
“He’s here to play for a couple of days.”
Gu Qing replied with a smile.
At that moment, seeing Chen Luo look uneasy inside while trying to act calm on the outside, Gu Qing somehow felt especially like laughing. Her face could not hide her happiness at all.
“At his age, he should be in school, right? Do you have time to take care of him during the day?”
Chen Luo asked next.
“Yes.”
Gu Qing nodded and replied, “I’m currently working as an editor at a magazine. Most of the time I can work from home. Only when I occasionally get assignments do I need to do fieldwork, but it’s usually in Jiangcheng.”
“So you don’t need to worry about my younger male cousin. Besides, my younger male cousin really likes playing basketball, and I even plan to sign him up for a training class.”
Hearing this.
Chen Luo’s heart sank to the bottom. Even though he was panicking like crazy inside, his expression still stayed steady like an old dog, and he squeezed out a tiny smile in agreement.
“That’s great! Basketball is great! Kids should play more basketball!”
“That’s right.”
Gu Qing nodded and replied with a smile.
“All right then.”
Chen Luo nodded and said, “I won’t disturb you while you work. I’m going back to make lunch.”
After saying that, Chen Luo turned around, walked back home in a few steps, gently closed the door, and plopped down on the sofa, sitting there stunned for a long time without moving.
Damn it!
Gu Qing was really going to sign him up for a class, and their Chenguang basketball training class was so close to Linjiang Courtyard.
By then, if Gu Qing searched on her phone, she would definitely choose Chenguang basketball. That would mean she was bound to run into Meng Yue again.
At that point…
Just thinking about it made Chen Luo’s scalp tingle. Why was life getting more and more exciting? It was a little different from what he had imagined!
If this kept up…
Could he still live a peaceful, steady life?