"We'll go first then," Liang Bo said. "We'll meet up later."
On the way back to change, He Yao complained to Liang Bo.
"You've already resigned and have nothing to do with Chu Corporation anymore, so why are you still trying so hard to butter up Miss Chu? You're like a third wheel. Didn't you see they were out on a date, and you just had to butt in?"
Liang Bo didn't like that. "What do you mean by 'buttering her up'?"
"Didn't she say she didn't understand anything and asked me to introduce her? Besides, how am I a third wheel? It's two of them and two of us. I think *he's* the one disturbing *us*!"
"Then why don't you just not let them come?"
"Oh, you really feel disturbed?"
Liang Bo chuckled and looked down at He Yao.
"You've already fallen in love with being alone with me?"
He Yao couldn't help but punch him in the chest.
"Why are you so narcissistic? We've only known each other for a short time, and you think I'm in love with you? Why don't you say I want to marry you?"
"I'm not playing anymore, it's boring. If you want to accompany Miss Chu, stay. If you don't, leave. I don't want to deal with them anymore."
Liang Bo grinned, clutching his chest.
"What's wrong? I notice you seem to have some opinion about Chu Xi. She's so enthusiastic about being friends with you, look at you."
As he spoke, he seemed to realize something.
"He Yao, I notice a strange vibe between you and her fiancé. Could it be that..."
He Yao raised her fists again.
"Are you sick? Making up stories about me? And weaving them into the lives of a couple about to get married? With such great imagination, why don't you become a screenwriter?"
Liang Bo dodged her. "My imagination? I'm talking nonsense? Fine. Then prove it to me."
"You and that Zhan Jingrui have nothing to hide from each other, you're not deliberately avoiding him."
He Yao almost laughed herself to death at his words.
"What am I to you? What right do you have to ask me to prove anything? He's the president of the prestigious Zhan Corporation, the future son-in-law of Chu Corporation. What kind of story could he possibly have with a factory worker like me?"
"You can figure it out with your toes, okay? And you still want me to prove it? That's hilarious."
Liang Bo keenly caught the key point in her words.
"Didn't you say you didn't know him? How do you know he's the president of Zhan Corporation?"
"..." He Yao was speechless for two seconds.
"Zhan Corporation is so famous, is it strange that I know he's the president?"
"It is strange. I didn't even know he was the president of Zhan Corporation."
"That's because you're stupid. I'm too lazy to talk to you. If you're not leaving, I am."
Liang Bo grabbed He Yao's hand, his expression suddenly turning very serious.
"He Yao, I'm not young anymore. It's rare for me to meet someone I like, and I'm very serious about pursuing you. So, I hope we can be honest with each other."
"If you want to know about my past, I can tell you everything. At the same time..."
"At the same time, I have to tell you all my stories too?"
He Yao interrupted him. "Did I agree to be your girlfriend, Liang Bo? How can you so righteously pry into someone else's privacy? I think you're really sick."
Liang Bo was indeed being righteous.
"I don't think I'm sick. Once I've decided, you're mine, so I don't want to play games with you."
"I appeared later in your life, and you had a past. I can understand that. But I don't want it to remain buried in your heart forever, becoming a past I can't touch. So, I must help you resolve it."
"Tell me the truth, do you have any connection with Zhan Jingrui?"
He Yao saw that he was being incessant, with a "I won't give up until I get the truth today" kind of attitude.
Suddenly, she felt a rebellious streak.
"Fine, since you want me to have something going on with Zhan Jingrui so badly, I'll tell you."
"I do know him, and I've known him for a long time. We were classmates in high school. He was the campus heartthrob for all the girls, and he was mine too. I had a crush on him, and I still do."
"I heard he's marrying Chu Xi, and I'm not happy about it, so I can't stand seeing them together. Are you satisfied now?"
She thought that after saying all this, Liang Bo would at least let go.
Unexpectedly, instead of letting go, he held He Yao's hand even tighter and pulled her towards the tennis court.
"If that's the case, then you definitely can't leave."
He Yao was about to explode. "Liang Bo, are you out of your damn mind?"
"Don't get angry yet, listen to me. Do you know why people have crushes?"
Liang Bo pulled her closer, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they walked.
"It's because they don't understand some people well enough, are mesmerized by their outward appearance, and develop illusions, which leads to a crush."
"Don't rush to defend yourself, you don't need to say it, I understand. Zhan Jingrui is handsome, studies well, and comes from a wealthy family. In high school, girls, no, even now, he's a high-quality male in your eyes."
"But just because he's handsome, rich, and has a good physique, does that automatically make him a good man? Will you be happy if you're with him? Not necessarily."
"Today, let's get up close and personal, so you can get to know him properly. I'll give you some desensitization therapy."
"Maybe after you get to know him, you'll find he's nothing special, and you'll lose interest in him."
He Yao wanted to curse him out, but Liang Bo interrupted her again.
"Although I'm not as handsome as him, not as tall, and not as rich, I have an interesting soul."
"Today, I'm going to battle him to see whether an interesting soul is better or a beautiful shell is better. Don't refuse me. Just consider it helping me with an experiment, okay?"
"Just this once, as long as you cooperate with me, even if I lose, I won't complain. I won't pester you anymore."
He Yao initially wanted to call him ridiculous and ask why she should cooperate with him, giving him too much credit.
But then she heard the last sentence.
Fine.
To stop Liang Bo from pestering her in the future, it's just a game of tennis, so why not play?
After a bit of banter, they changed clothes and did their warm-ups. Chu Xi and Zhan Jingrui also arrived after changing.
The two ladies wore identical white polo shirts, sneakers, and pink pleated skirts.
The gentlemen wore white polo shirts, black casual pants, and white sneakers.
Four handsome men and beautiful women, a pleasing sight.
As soon as they entered, Liang Bo greeted Chu Xi.
"We've been waiting for you. Want to upgrade our game? Let's form a four-person mixed doubles team."
Chu Xi had no objections.
Although she had never played go-karting, she frequently participated in sports like tennis, badminton, and golf.
Since she didn't have any objections, Zhan Jingrui had no reason to back down.
As the three of them walked over, Liang Bo told He Yao about the mixed doubles, and He Yao was stunned.
It was her first time on a tennis court, her first time holding a tennis racket, and she didn't even know how to serve.
She could barely handle one person, and now mixed doubles? Wasn't this deliberately setting her up to make a fool of herself?