FENG YU'S POV, WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
"You're coming to the game, right?"
Yishui leans against Feng Yu's locker, still in his practice gear. He smells like sweat and exertion, hair damp, face flushed from running drills.
Feng Yu has seen him like this before. In photos. Videos. From across the gym through the windows.
But up close is different.
"Game?" Feng Yu asks, even though he knows. Home game against Beijing Normal University. Saturday, 3 PM. He's had it marked in his mental calendar since the schedule was posted online two months ago.
"Basketball. This Saturday. It's a big one, rival school." Yishui grins. "You should come. Bring Zheng Yi. I can get you good seats."
"I don't really know anything about basketball."
"You don't have to. Just come watch. Cheer when everyone else cheers." Yishui's voice drops slightly. "It'd be nice to have you there."
Feng Yu's chest tightens. "Yeah. Okay. I'll come."
"Yeah?" Yishui's whole face lights up. "Great. I'll text you the details."
Someone calls Yishui's name from down the hall. He waves at them, then looks back at Feng Yu.
"I have to go. Study session with the team. But I'll see you Saturday?"
"Saturday."
Yishui jogs off, and Feng Yu watches him go.
Zheng Yi appears from around the corner, shaking his head. "You are so far gone."
"Shut up."
"He invited you to his game. He wants you to watch him play. That's…"
"Don't."
" basically a mating display."
Feng Yu shoves him. They both laugh, but something warm settles in Feng Yu's chest.
Yishui wants him there.
Wants him to watch.
That means something.
SATURDAY, GYMNASIUM, 2:45 PM
The gym is already packed when Feng Yu and Zheng Yi arrive. Students everywhere, wearing school colors, holding signs, shouting chants.
"This is insane," Zheng Yi yells over the noise.
Feng Yu nods, scanning the crowd. Trying to find their seats.
His phone buzzes.
YISHUI: You here? Seats are in section B, row 5. Reserved them for you.
FENG YU: Just got here. Thanks.
YISHUI: Wish me luck?
FENG YU: You don't need it. You're good.
YISHUI: How do you know? You've never seen me play.
Because I've watched every game uploaded online for the past two years. Because I know your stats, your average points per game, your shooting percentage.
FENG YU: Just a feeling.
YISHUI: Well, play better if you're watching. See you after?
FENG YU: Yeah.
They find their seats: fifth row, center court. Perfect view.
"These are really good seats," Zheng Yi observes. "He must have pulled strings."
Feng Yu doesn't respond. Just watches the court as players warm up.
There he is.
Number 7. Yishui.
Taller than most players, moving with easy confidence. Shooting practice hoops, laughing with teammates.
Beautiful.
"Feng Yu."
"What?"
"You're staring."
"I'm watching. There's a difference."
"Sure, there is."
The crowd around them is mostly students, groups of friends, couples, and diehard fans. Feng Yu notices a group of girls a few rows down, all wearing jerseys with "SU 7" on the back.
Of course, Yishui has fans.
Of course, people want him.
The thought creates an uncomfortable tightness in Feng Yu's chest.
The game starts.
Feng Yu has watched basketball before, Yishui's games, mostly, but watching in person is different. The speed, the energy, the way Yishui moves across the court like he owns it.
He scores within the first three minutes. The crowd erupts.
Feng Yu finds himself cheering along with them.
HALFTIME
X University is winning by twelve points. Yishui has scored eighteen already.
"He's really good," Zheng Yi says, impressed.
"Yeah."
"You should see your face right now."
"What about it?"
"You look proud. Like he's yours or something."
Feng Yu looks away. "I'm just happy for him."
"Uh huh."
The players return to the court for the second half. Feng Yu's eyes automatically find Yishui.
But then he notices something else.
A girl sitting courtside, front row, directly behind the team bench. She's beautiful in that calculated way: perfect hair, designer clothes even at a basketball game, expensive bag.
She's watching Yishui with an intensity that makes Feng Yu's skin prickle.
Not like a fan.
Like something else.
"Who's that?" Feng Yu asks, nodding toward her.
Zheng Yi follows his gaze. "No idea. Why?"
"Just curious."
But he's not just curious.
He's unsettled.
The girl's phone is out. She's taking photos. Not of the game, of Yishui specifically.
When Yishui glances toward the crowd during a timeout, his eyes land on her. Something complicated crosses his face.
Not happiness.
Obligation?
The girl waves. Yishui nods, polite, distant, then turns away.
Feng Yu files this information away.
AFTER THE GAME
X University wins by twenty. The crowd is euphoric.
Feng Yu waits outside the locker room with Zheng Yi and a handful of other people, girlfriends, friends, and fans, hoping for autographs.
The girl from courtside is there too.
Up close, she's even more striking. Mid twenties maybe, poised, confident. She stands slightly apart from the crowd, like she doesn't need to wait with everyone else.
Like she has a right to be here that others don't.
Players start emerging. Chen Yi first, then Kai Fang, Feng Yu didn't know he played, then others.
Finally, Yishui.
Still in his uniform, hair wet from the shower, bag over his shoulder.
His eyes scan the crowd, land on Feng Yu. His face breaks into a genuine smile.
"You came!" He makes his way over.
But before he reaches Feng Yu, the girl intercepts him.
"Yishui, you were amazing out there." Her voice is warm, familiar. She touches his arm, casual, possessive.
Yishui's smile becomes polite. Guarded. "Thanks. Zhou Meng, what are you doing here?"
"Supporting my fiancé, obviously."
The word lands like a physical blow.
Fiancé.
Feng Yu's world tilts slightly.
"We're not…" Yishui starts, but Zhou Meng laughs.
"Not officially, not yet. But our parents have been planning this since we were children. Don't be difficult." She looks past Yishui, notices Feng Yu for the first time. Her eyes narrow slightly. "Who's this?"
"Feng Yu. A friend. From the Business program."
"Friend." Zhou Meng's voice makes the word sound like a question. She extends a perfectly manicured hand. "Zhou Meng. Yishui's fiancée."
"We're not engaged," Yishui says firmly. "Our families have business ties. That's all."
"For now." Zhou Meng's smile doesn't reach her eyes. She turns back to Yishui. "Your mother wants us to have dinner tomorrow. Family meeting. She asked me to remind you."
"I'll check my schedule."
"It wasn't a request, Yishui." Her voice hardens slightly. "Seven PM. Don't be late."
She leaves without another word, heels clicking on the gym floor.
Silence.
Yishui runs a hand through his wet hair, looking exhausted. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."
"You're engaged?" Feng Yu keeps his voice neutral.
"No. I'm not. My parents want me to be. There's a difference." Yishui looks at him, something almost pleading in his eyes. "It's an arrangement thing. Business families. They've been pushing it for years, but I've never agreed."
"She called herself your fiancée."
"She does that. Trying to manifest it or something." Yishui's voice is bitter. "I've told her a thousand times we're not together, but she doesn't listen. Neither do our parents."
Feng Yu processes this. Recalibrates.
Zhou Meng is an obstacle.
A threat.
But also, Yishui clearly doesn't want her. That's useful information.
"Must be tough," Feng Yu says carefully. "Having your life planned out for you."
"You have no idea." Yishui shoulders his bag. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I need food and to forget that conversation ever happened."
They walk toward the exit, Yishui, Feng Yu, Zheng Yi, Chen Yi, and Kai Fang joining them.
Feng Yu can feel eyes on his back.
He turns slightly. Zhou Meng is still there, watching from across the gym.
When their eyes meet, her expression is cold.
Calculating.
She knows.
Somehow, she knows that Feng Yu is more than just a friend.
And she doesn't like it.
CAFETERIA, 6 PM
They end up at the noodle shop, Yishui's safe place. The five of them crowded around a table meant for four.
"You played well today," Feng Yu says quietly to Yishui.
"Thanks. I played better knowing you were watching."
"That's cheesy," Chen Yi interjects.
"Let him be cheesy," Kai Fang says, but his eyes are on Feng Yu. Assessing.
They eat and talk. The conversation flows easily: basketball, classes, weekend plans.
But Feng Yu can't stop thinking about Zhou Meng.
The way she looked at him.
The possessiveness in her voice when she said "fiancé."
The warning in her eyes.
She's going to be a problem.
LATER, WALKING BACK
Yishui walks Feng Yu and Zheng Yi back to their dorm.
"Sorry again about Zhou Meng," Yishui says when they're alone. Zheng Yi had walked ahead, giving them space. "She's... persistent."
"It's not your fault."
"Still. I don't want you to think…" He breaks off. "I'm not interested in her. Never have been. This whole arrangement thing is my parents' fantasy, not mine."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah. I believe you."
Yishui looks relieved. "Good. Because I…" He stops, seems to reconsider whatever he was going to say. "I'm glad you came today. It meant a lot."
"Anytime."
They reach the dorm entrance.
"See you Monday?" Yishui asks.
"Yeah. See you."
Yishui hesitates, like he wants to say something else. Do something else.
But then he just waves and walks away.
Feng Yu watches him go.
Then head inside.
FENG YU'S DORM, 9 PM
"So," Zheng Yi says carefully. "He has a fiancée."
"An arranged thing. He doesn't want her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"Because I saw his face when she showed up. That wasn't happiness."
"Still. This complicates things."
Feng Yu lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "It's fine. He's not interested in her. She's just an obstacle."
"An obstacle with family backing and years of history."
"So?"
"So you're a freshman, he's known for two weeks."
"Three weeks."
"That doesn't help your case." Zheng Yi turns to face him. "Feng Yu, what if his parents force this? What if he has to marry her?"
"He won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because he'll choose me."
The certainty in his own voice surprises even Feng Yu.
But he believes it. He has to believe it.
Because the alternative, that Zhou Meng wins, that years of family planning override what's building between him and Yishui, is unacceptable.
Feng Yu won't let that happen.
Whatever it takes.
ZHOU MENG'S POV, SAME TIME
Zhou Meng sits in her apartment, wine glass in hand, thinking about the boy.
Feng Yu.
Small. Pretty. Wide dark eyes that looked at Yishui like he hung the moon.
And the way Yishui looked back...
Zhou Meng has known Yishui for years. Watched him date, watched him lose interest, watched him go through the motions with girls his parents approved of.
She's never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at that boy.
Soft. Warm. Unguarded.
That's a problem.
Zhou Meng has spent years positioning herself as the inevitable choice. The perfect match. The one his parents want.
She's not about to lose that to some nobody freshman. She pulls out her phone. Opens Instagram.
Types: Feng Yu X University
Nothing comes up.
She tries variations. Different platforms.
Still nothing.
Interesting.
Who has no online presence at all?
Someone hiding something, that's who.
Zhou Meng smiles.
If Feng Yu has secrets, she'll find them.
And she'll use them.
Because Zhou Meng doesn't lose.
Especially not to orphan boys with doe eyes and ulterior motives.