After dinner, the four girls discussed going to the entertainment area on the upper floor of the hotel to unwind. However, as soon as they entered the billiards room, they ran into four familiar figures.
“Hey! Isn’t this the famous campus belle of Hai University, Su Qingyu? What a coincidence!” Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately rushed over like an eager puppy, trying to strike up a conversation.
Su Qingyu brushed her long hair aside, a distant yet radiant smile on her face, and retorted without hesitation, “Xiao Yu, are we even that close?”
“We’ll get closer after chatting a bit more!” Xiao Yu, thick-skinned as ever, grinned and extended an invitation, “How about a game? Boys versus girls!”
“Sure! Who’s afraid of who!” Jiang Mo, always the most straightforward, swiftly picked up a cue stick and twirled it in her hand. Dressed in a neutral, casual outfit, her handsome face and tall, upright posture gave her a dashing presence that even seemed to outshine the boys around her.
Tong Hua looked around curiously, her impression of a billiards room still limited to what she had seen on TV. He Sui leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on her innocent little face, which clearly read, “What is this new and interesting thing?” He immediately understood—she was probably a complete novice who had never touched a cue stick before, judging by her clueless, almost otherworldly expression.
“A showdown between boys and girls! Sounds fun!” Su Qingyu also got excited, catching the cue stick Jiang Mo tossed to her and striking a cool, poised stance.
“Dare to take us on?” Jiang Mo and Xia Lingxi stood side by side, their faces showing no fear.
“Of course we dare! We have He Sui on our side!” Nan Chao proudly slung an arm around He Sui’s shoulder, as if he had just secured an unbeatable advantage.
Just as the atmosphere was heating up, a timid voice cautiously spoke up, “Um… I don’t know how to play…”
Instantly, the entire billiards room fell silent.
All eyes turned toward the source of the voice—Tong Hua.
An awkward stillness hung in the air. Oh right, they had almost forgotten—there was a little one here who had just turned eighteen a week ago.
Tong Hua grew up in a family steeped in art and academia. While her parents were open-minded, they were also strict about guidance. Places like billiards halls, internet cafes, and bars were absolutely off-limits to her before she came of age.
Even during regular dormitory gatherings, she was only allowed to hold a glass of juice.
As her older sisters, Su Qingyu and the others had always protected her well, never taking her to such places.
“Ah… I forgot we have a little one here who needs special protection,” Xiao Yu scratched his head, “What do we do? We’re one person short on our side?”
“Who’s a little one!” Tong Hua protested, clearly displeased. She was an adult now! She didn’t need to be treated like a fragile object!
“I can learn!”
She declared stubbornly, her competitive spirit flaring up again.
Her gaze swept over the boys before finally settling on He Sui.
Xiao Yu had just said that He Sui was the best!
Immediately, she put on an extremely sweet smile, like a kitten begging for treats, and leaned in close to He Sui. Her big eyes blinked, carrying a hint of eager flattery, “Teacher He~ Teach me, please?”
“Haha, forget it, little Tong Hua~” Xiao Yu spoke first, with a bit of a spectator’s mentality. “He Sui usually doesn’t teach people easily—he’s got a terrible temper~” He waited to see how He Sui would refuse, hoping to soothe his own wounded pride from earlier.
However, He Sui simply lowered his gaze to look at the little troublemaker before him, who was once again pushing her luck. Her eyes sparkled with eager anticipation, as if she had completely forgotten how badly she had fallen while skiing that afternoon.
The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. Picking up the cue he had just used and set aside, he casually pulled this overly ambitious little kitten over to his side.
“Fine, Teacher He will teach you,” he said in a flat tone, yet it felt like a boulder dropped into a calm lake.
“You guys play first. I’ll teach her,” He Sui signaled to the others, preparing to take Tong Hua to an empty pool table nearby.
“No way, He Sui! You hypocrite!!” Xiao Yu’s roar instantly echoed through the pool hall. Clutching his chest, he looked as if he were having a heart attack. “You teach her to ski! You teach her pool! What about me?! I gave you AJs and you still won’t teach me! Where are your principles?! Did a dog eat them?!”
He Sui lazily glanced at him, dug at his ear, and tossed out a devastating line: “Keep that off-key, duck-like voice of yours—the one that sounds like a broken suona—to yourself. You’re hurting my eyes.” With that, ignoring Xiao Yu stomping in place with rage, he led Tong Hua straight to the nearby table.
“I… ahhh! This world, I’ve had enough!” Xiao Yu was filled with grief and indignation, his mind already looping a sad BGM: The world isolates me, letting it mock me~
At that moment, all he wanted was to hug his knees tightly and squat in a corner, drawing circles to protest the unfairness of fate.
…
Arriving at the nearby table, Tong Hua confidently snatched the standard pool cue from He Sui’s hand. Gripping one end of the cue, she slammed it onto the ground with a “clang,” thinking she looked bold and cool, but in reality, the cue stood much taller than her.
Both of them stared at the clearly disproportionate cue and her height, falling silent for a moment.
Then, He Sui unapologetically let out a “pfft” of laughter, the mockery in his tone completely undisguised.
“What are you laughing at!” Tong Hua cried out in embarrassment, her face flushing red. “This is height discrimination!”
“There are shorter cues specifically for women or beginners over there,” He Sui said, holding back laughter as he pointed to the rack nearby. “Why did you have to grab the one in my hand? Did you think you were 185 cm instead of 158?”
“I’m 160!!” Tong Hua stubbornly corrected, trying to defend her last shred of height-related dignity.
“Hahaha… okay, fine, 160…” He Sui laughed so hard his shoulders shook, not sparing her any face.
“Hmph… hurry up and start!” Tong Hua pulled a grumpy kitten face, urging him impatiently.
He Sui helped her switch to a suitable shorter cue, then began instructing her on the basic stance, hand bridge, and grip.
He explained it even more clearly and concisely than he had while teaching her to ski that afternoon, emphasizing the rules and aiming techniques.
“Try to see if you can sink that solid-colored ball into the corner pocket,” He Sui pointed to a striped ball in a not-too-difficult position.
“Alright, I’ll try,” Tong Hua took a deep breath, assumed her stance, and added, “But let’s get this straight—if I miss, you’re not allowed to laugh at me!”
“Alright, I won’t laugh.” He Sui agreed readily, though of course he was lying—he loved seeing people embarrassed, especially this little kitten in front of him.
Tong Hua held her breath and focused intently, no longer relying on the reckless instinct she had during her afternoon skiing.
Her cat-like eyes swept sharply across the table as she quickly calculated the ball’s trajectory, collision angles, required force, and even subconsciously simulated physics formulas in her mind.
Her concentrated expression made it seem as though she wasn’t playing pool but solving a complex mathematical model.
After adjusting her angle and steadying her breath, she struck!
With a crisp “clack,” the cue ball precisely hit the target ball, not only sending it into the designated corner pocket but also knocking apart two other closely positioned balls, one of which wobbled its way into the side pocket.
Three balls in one shot!
Tong Hua calmly set down her cue, casually brushing the stray hairs from her forehead with a small, graceful hand. Her expression was serene, but her tone carried a hint of playful smugness: “Just average, only third best in the world~”
He Sui raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
He had expected her to need several attempts to get the hang of it, but she picked it up so quickly. Her computational skills and spatial thinking truly lived up to her reputation as a prodigy who had skipped grades.
He nodded, offering a plain but sincere acknowledgment: “Hmm, not bad.”
“Not bad?!” Tong Hua’s deliberately cool and proud demeanor instantly crumbled. She widened her eyes, looking at him in disbelief. “Teacher He, is that all? Just ‘not bad’? This is my first time playing! And I sank three balls in one shot! Shouldn’t you praise me a bit more?” She tilted her face upward, her big eyes sparkling with the unspoken plea, “Praise me, praise me!”
Seeing her bright, unabashedly expectant gaze, He Sui felt his mischievous side stirring again. But in the end, he indulged her, chuckling softly with a tone of resigned fondness: “Alright~ You’re a little genius, okay?”
Sure enough, the little kitten’s metaphorical tail instantly shot up to the sky.
She proudly brushed her hair again, placed her hands on her hips, and leaned on her cue, her face plastered with a “Well, I’m just this amazing, what can I do~” expression of faux modesty. In a dramatic, almost sing-song tone, she declared: “See? I told you~ My talent is no joke! Skiing was just a fluke!”
“Enough, stop showing off.” He Sui reached out and playfully ruffled her soft hair, pressing down that metaphorical tail she’d just raised. “Let’s see if you can beat me later before you get too full of yourself~”
With that, he turned and walked toward the main table, leaving Tong Hua behind, her composure shattered once more. She clutched her now-messy hair, hopping in place as she protested: “Ahhh! He Sui! Get lost! Don’t mess up my hair!”
He Sui waved a hand over his shoulder without looking back, the smile on his lips deepening a little.
Teaching this little thing seemed a bit more fun than playing pool itself.