Wen Ming was slightly startled, but looking at Ye Wanqing’s expression, it didn’t seem fake either, so he felt a bit baffled. “What?”
Ye Wanqing smiled generously. “Chasing someone! You are usually so busy with work, except for three years ago. Never mind, that couldn’t even be called dating, so you definitely don’t have much experience. Coincidentally, I have some insights in this area and can share them with you.”
Seeing his smug look, Wen Ming couldn’t help the corners of his lips curling up. “Really? Then, I really do have to consult Teacher Ye.”
Hearing this, Ye Wanqing immediately broke into a mischievous grin, leaning close to his ear. “So, President Wen, do you like him or not? Do you want to pursue him?”
Faced with this sudden question, the tips of Wen Ming’s ears instantly turned red. His fingers nervously twisted together as he lowered his head, not daring to meet Ye Wanqing’s gossipy eyes directly.
Ye Wanqing sat back down in his chair, pulled over a matcha Frappuccino, took a massive gulp, and smiled. “A-Ming, I know. Although you don’t say it out loud, you definitely have feelings for him in your heart. It’s written all right across your face. Oh my, little Liang Ling is quite capable to make your stubborn old iron tree bloom.”
Wen Ming scratched his head in embarrassment, staring at the coffee swirling with ripples inside the cup, and smiled faintly.
“I don’t even know what I feel for him, it’s just, toward me, he is indeed very different.”
Watching him involuntarily radiate that kind of happiness, Ye Wanqing laughed inwardly. Still putting up a tough front, huh? Whether you like him or not is already written plain as day on your face.
“Well, aren’t you going to make a move?” Ye Wanqing tapped the tabletop with his finger and blinked at him.
Wen Ming paused. Though his face looked reluctant, his body still honestly leaned closer toward him.
“Well, tell me, how do you pursue someone?”
On the other side, the rain was coming down harder. After finishing the match review with his teammates and fans and taking a group photo, Liang Ling emerged in high spirits. He looked around in a circle but didn’t see Wen Ming’s figure, so he strangely ducked under the eaves, took out his phone to call Wen Ming, only to find out that his phone battery had died.
“Ah, how unlucky. He couldn’t have already gone back, could he?” Liang Ling watched the raindrops patter heavily against the ground, forming one puddle after another, his little face twisting into a bitter melon.
“Hey? Brother Liang! Why haven’t you gone back yet?” Lu Ming, biting on a lollipop, rode his dad’s old-fashioned heavy bicycle past Liang Ling. Seeing him standing there all by himself, he couldn’t help asking.
Liang Ling shook his head with a smile and pointed at the sky. “It’s too late. President Wen might have gone back. I’ll wait for a little bit, it should stop soon.”
“How can you do that!” Hearing this, Lu Ming grew somewhat anxious. He jumped off the bicycle, fumbled around in the front basket for a long time, and fished out an ancient-looking umbrella. “Here! Brother, use this to head back.”
Liang Ling gratefully murmured a thanks and hurriedly opened it up. Unfortunately, not long after it was unfurled, two of the ribs let out a crack and snapped under the pressure.
Lu Ming: “My dad really is something, refusing to replace such a broken umbrella.”
Liang Ling smiled and handed the umbrella back to him. “It’s fine, you hurry back, otherwise Uncle Lu is going to start waiting anxiously.”
Lu Ming checked his watch. Indeed, it was getting close to eleven o’clock, and if he didn’t return soon, his dad was going to start roaring. After thinking it over, he yanked off his school uniform jacket and, ignoring Liang Ling’s gasp of surprise, draped it entirely over Liang Ling to cover him.
“Xiaoming, what are you doing?” Liang Ling finally managed to wriggle out from inside the oversized clothes, looking at him in utter bewilderment.
Lu Ming got a fit of goosebumps from the chill, but still managed to swing his long leg with a dashing motion, steadily mounting his bicycle as he shouted back at him, “It’s fine, I have another set at home. Brother, just wear that first so you don’t catch a cold, and return it to me next time.”
“Hey!” Liang Ling had just wanted to call him back, but who knew that little rascal had wind under his feet and vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.
“Honestly…” Liang Ling pulled the school uniform tighter around himself; it still retained the warm body heat of a young teenager, making a smile tug at the corners of his lips.
After waiting a while longer, the rain still showed no signs of stopping. Liang Ling’s legs felt a bit sore and achy from standing, and his stomach started rumbling with hunger. Uncomfortably crossing his arms, he squatted down and curled himself into a tight ball to minimize body heat loss.
“Why are you all alone out here?”
Suddenly, an anxious voice came from behind. Hearing it, Liang Ling’s eyes instantly lit up. He turned his head back and smiled brightly at him, “President Wen! You haven’t left yet?”
In the distance, Wen Ming came striding over holding an umbrella, his other hand carrying a small, exquisite cake. He stood still in front of him carrying a full body of chilly air, looking at his frozen, red little face with a mixture of reproach and heartache, “Don’t you have a phone? Why didn’t you call me?”
Liang Ling was inexplicably scolded and felt rather baffled, offering an apologetic explanation, “I’m sorry, my phone ran out of battery.”
Wen Ming was practically amused to the point of anger. He grabbed Liang Ling’s icy little hand, opened his trench coat, and tucked him straight into his embrace. The crisp Longjing fragrance instantly wrapped tightly around Liang Ling, making his breath hitch abruptly.
“No, no, President Wen, please let go of me.” Liang Ling felt an itchy, aching sensation coming from his gland area and panicked for a moment. Wen Ming’s natural body scent was far too seductive to him, and this time for some reason, unlike the faint and elusive traces from before, it was far denser and more lingering, like an invisible rope binding him so tightly he couldn’t move even half a step.
No, wait, this isn’t just a natural body scent anymore. This definitely is the scent of pheromones. Liang Ling was startled, gazing dazed and blankly toward the back of Wen Ming’s neck, where there was actually nothing at all.
“What are you looking at me for?” Wen Ming looked at him somewhat strangely.
Liang Ling shook his head, unable to stop himself from reaching out to touch the back of his neck, muttering in a daze, “Pheromones, how can there be pheromones? President Wen, aren’t you a Beta?”
Seeing that he was starting to talk nonsense again, Wen Ming amusedly poked his forehead. “I told you already, I am not whatever Alpha or Beta you keep talking about. Stop reading so many web novels, your brain is getting all muddled.”
Liang Ling poked his head out, unwillingly continuing to observe that smooth, fair patch of the back of his neck, but truly, there was nothing there. He let out a disappointed oh.
Wen Ming helped him into the car, then bent slightly forward to hand the little cake over to him, smiling, “Congratulations to you, little runner-up.”
Looking at his elegant and charming smile, Liang Ling flushed slightly on the face, feeling rather embarrassed. “It’s nothing, besides I wasn’t even the champion, yet you even bought me a small cake.”
Wen Ming shook his head, his eyes filled with deep affection and a smile, “Being the runner-up is already very impressive. I heard from Player Ye that your jungle play is wonderful, he appreciates you a lot and thinks you have the potential to play professionally.”
“Really?” Liang Ling blurted out excitedly. God Ye affirmed his jungle skills? Wow. When he returns the clothes to Lu Ming next time, he’ll definitely have to brag about this properly.
Wen Ming smiled and nodded. “Of course, when have I ever lied to you?”