Still Frame Chapter 29
byChapter 29: Chance Encounter
In those few lines of text, Zhang Liuxin could almost see Zhang Qiannan’s slightly raised lips through the screen, carrying a hint of flippancy and mockery.
“No, it was just a chance encounter,” Zhang Liuxin replied, word for word.
Zhang Qiannan said, “Just? Are you interested in Wen Jin too? Since when do you like men?”
His nails dug into his palm. Zhang Liuxin felt his stomach churn; the half-slice of pizza he had just eaten made his throat oily, nearly causing him to vomit.
“No.”
He waited for a long time, perhaps Zhang Qiannan was deliberately dangling him, making him feel as tormented as if he were tied to a cross.
Unable to discern his attitude, Zhang Liuxin slumped onto the bed, willing to endure the nausea and chat more with Zhang Qiannan. That way, he could at least figure out what the other man was thinking and whether he would tell Zhang Jiming about this.
He felt suffocated. Unlike the feeling Zhang Jiming and Ren Shuyun had given him since childhood, the brazen surveillance and provocation from Zhang Qiannan—his half-brother—made him feel an even deeper sense of powerlessness and exhaustion.
After sending that message, Zhang Qiannan never actively brought the matter up again. Even when the two of them returned to the Zhang family home, he acted as if nothing had happened, not mentioning it once.
Zhang Jiming would still bring up Wen Jin from time to time, his words constantly urging Zhang Qiannan to find ways to cozy up to Wen Jin. Zhang Qiannan would impatiently agree.
At times like these, Zhang Liuxin would jump out of his own head and wonder if Zhang Jiming not only failed to treat him like a son but also failed to treat Zhang Qiannan like one. Although children were useful tools for social climbing in high society, using them so blatantly was truly disgusting.
Because of this incident, Zhang Liuxin had been feeling mentally drained. In the dead of night, he would always question himself: Was he afraid that Zhang Qiannan would tell Zhang Jiming, leading to their relationship being misunderstood and Zhang Jiming’s lectures switching from Zhang Qiannan to him? Or did a fantasy about Wen Jin exist deep inside him, and Zhang Qiannan’s photo was merely a sharp needle popping that illusion?
“Zhang Liuxin, it’s your turn.”
A classmate next to him reminded him. Zhang Liuxin pulled his thoughts back, nodded, and stepped onto the tennis court.
He chose tennis class partly because he was good at it, and partly because it was one of the few sports he genuinely enjoyed.
Zhang Liuxin stood behind the service line, turned sideways, and bent his knees. The muscle lines of his calves were taut like a drawn bowstring. His shoulder blades slightly protruded in a beautiful, smooth curve. As he struck the ball, his shirt corner lifted, revealing a small section of his tight waist and abdomen. Thin, resilient skin covered the muscle, showing a faint outline as he exerted force.
Finally, the tennis ball plunged into the dead corner of the opposite court. The teacher clapped his hands and praised him, “Zhang Liuxin, right? You play tennis very well. How many years have you studied?”
“I learned when I was little, but I haven’t played much since.”
Ren Shuyun had hired a private tennis coach for Zhang Qiannan. Zhang Qiannan disliked sports, complained of boredom after one lesson, and switched to learning piano. The private coach was a famous tennis player who had cleared two months of his schedule for this. Zhang Jiming simply threw Zhang Liuxin over there, telling him to follow along and learn.
That was one of the few genuinely enjoyable periods of Zhang Liuxin’s childhood. However, opportunities to play tennis became rare later on. He didn’t have enough money to rent a court, and of course, he didn’t have friends willing to play with him.
“That’s quite good. You have a solid foundation. Next time you’re free, you can reserve the school court and play a match with me.”
“Teacher Wu, what about me? Am I qualified to play with you?”
Li Xingzhou came over carrying two bottles of soda water. They were ice-cold, with droplets clinging to the bottles. He pinched a bottle cap and pressed it against Zhang Liuxin’s arm, startling him. Zhang Liuxin shivered from the cold and said helplessly, “Xingzhou, why are you here? Weren’t you going to basketball class?”
Teacher Wu said, “This kid, I taught him how to play before. He looks serious on TV, but he’s actually mischievous.”
Li Xingzhou handed him the other bottle of soda water, slung an arm over Zhang Liuxin’s shoulder, and asked, “How did my friend play?”
Since the start of the semester, Zhang Liuxin had gradually gotten used to his frequent arm-slinging and shoulder-clasping.
Teacher Wu deliberately said, “He played much better than you.”
“Really? That good?” Li Xingzhou looked surprised. “How about we play a match tomorrow afternoon after class?”
He pulled out his phone, ready to make a reservation. “Four to five o’clock?”
“Sounds good,” Zhang Liuxin watched him quickly open his phone, fill in the time, and click reserve, smiling. “Then you have to go easy on me.”
Li Xingzhou waved his hand. “Who knows who will have to go easy on whom.”
They walked back to the dorm together. On the way, Li Xingzhou asked him, “Do you have something bothering you lately? Didn’t you get the highest score in the class on that last paper? Or is it something else?”
Zhang Liuxin hadn’t realized his emotions were so obvious that even Li Xingzhou noticed.
Seeing him hesitate, Li Xingzhou proactively said, “It’s fine. Say it if you want to, don’t if you don’t.”
He reached out and ruffled Zhang Liuxin’s hair, messing up the soft black strands into a tangled mess, before saying, “I just wanted to say that nothing is insurmountable. I’ll tell you a secret even Tian Ke doesn’t know.”
Zhang Liuxin paused, using the nearby window glass to tidy his hair, and asked, “What is it?”
“The first time I went for the interview at Silver Mirror, I was so nervous. I almost took the wrong elevator floor, called the department head ‘Grandpa’ when I met him, and nearly walked into the accessible restroom.”
Li Xingzhou smiled, his two canine teeth faintly visible. “I thought I was incredibly unlucky and figured I definitely wouldn’t be selected.”
“But you were selected later, right? Was it that celebration? You were the outdoor host at the sub-venue.”
Li Xingzhou gasped. “How did you know?”
“I watched the program you hosted,” Zhang Liuxin admitted frankly. “You’ve helped me so much since school started, I should be more proactive in getting to know you. That suit looked great on you.”
Li Xingzhou’s heart skipped a beat, and he unconsciously slowed his steps. Zhang Liuxin walked a few steps ahead before realizing he hadn’t followed. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Let’s go. What are you planning to eat tonight?”
“Noodles?”
“Noodles again…”
The school’s tennis court had been renovated; it was large and beautiful, but few people used it. As soon as Zhang Liuxin arrived, he saw Li Xingzhou.
Li Xingzhou was accompanied by two people, a man and a woman. Like him, they were both very handsome. When they saw Zhang Liuxin, they greeted him warmly, “Hello.”
The boy nudged Li Xingzhou’s arm. “Xingzhou, introduce us.”
Zhang Liuxin noticed that Li Xingzhou was wearing a white headband today, making him look vibrant and youthful. He introduced them openly to Zhang Liuxin. “Liuxin, these are my friends, Zhang Sen and Peng Weiqin. They are also in our college, Broadcasting and Hosting major.”
“This is Zhang Liuxin, my friend and classmate.”
Peng Weiqin had a pair of sharp, intimidating phoenix eyes, but her voice was gentle. “So you’re Liuxin. I think I’ve seen you in the college building. So handsome. No wonder Xingzhou didn’t proactively introduce us.”
Zhang Sen also said, “Tian Ke has complained to us many times, saying Li Xingzhou has a new friend and forgets his old ones, and doesn’t even have time to go to the internet cafe to play games with him.”
“Hey, hey, don’t talk nonsense,” Li Xingzhou feigned a stern face, then said, “Liuxin, they’re just watching for a bit and then leaving.”
“Alright, we won’t bother you. Don’t worry.”
Zhang Sen pulled Peng Weiqin to sit down nearby. “Weiwei and I have dinner plans later, so we’ll just sit for a bit and leave.”
“No problem.”
Zhang Liuxin felt a little uncomfortable that Li Xingzhou had brought friends, but once he was on the court, he forgot about it. Li Xingzhou’s skill was indeed good; it was clear he had received specialized training.
Zhang Liuxin hadn’t had such a satisfying game in a long time. He didn’t even notice when Li Xingzhou’s friends left.
“That was intense,” Li Xingzhou wiped his sweat. “I haven’t had such a great game in ages.”
Zhang Liuxin took a sip of water. Sweat dripped from his forehead, catching on his eyelashes. His vision blurred, and he blinked involuntarily, instinctively reaching into his bag for a tissue.
Before his hand could touch the bag, he saw a patch of white approach in the blur, accompanied by Li Xingzhou’s characteristic voice, “Wait.”
Li Xingzhou held a tissue and dabbed the sweat away for him. His hand was hot from the exercise. Zhang Liuxin was unaccustomed to such close proximity and felt the action was a bit presumptuous. He quickly stepped back. “No, no need. I can do it myself.”
He pulled out his own tissue and wiped the sweat. He saw Li Xingzhou standing there looking slightly lost. He twisted open the cap of a sports drink and handed it to him, saying in a tone of annoyance, “I should have worn a headband, knowing we’d play this intensely today.”
Li Xingzhou took the water and quickly regained his composure, tossing the used tissue into the trash. “Then remember next time.”
“Liuxin, my backhand isn’t good. I’ve never mastered it, and I missed several balls just now,” Li Xingzhou asked. “But yours looks great. Can you teach me?”
“Sure,” Zhang Liuxin said, placing his towel aside.
“I haven’t played tennis in a long time, so some of my posture might not be standard…”
Zhang Liuxin’s gaze froze, his eyes showing shock. The hand holding the tennis racket lost strength, and he nearly dropped it. Fortunately, Li Xingzhou reacted quickly and steadied it for him.
“What’s wrong, Liuxin?” Li Xingzhou followed his gaze. “Do you know them?”
As the two figures walked closer, Li Xingzhou narrowed his eyes and recognized them. “They look familiar. Isn’t that Lü Zixia from the Law School? And the one next to him, is that Wen Jin? The doctoral student this year.”
Although the distance was not short, Wen Jin seemed to have heard something. His gaze swept over, cold and aloof, like a thin layer of ice, sending a sudden chill down Zhang Liuxin’s spine.
Zhang Liuxin hadn’t seen Wen Jin in a while. Wen Jin never replied to messages in the group chat either.
He quickly withdrew his gaze, driving the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He deliberately turned his back, facing Li Xingzhou. “I don’t know them. Let’s continue.”
But Wen Jin’s figure lingered. The other man was wearing black athletic wear today. His skin looked even fairer against the pure black fabric, and the lines of his forearms and calves were smooth and beautiful.
“Mhm,” Li Xingzhou said. “I feel like my force application posture is wrong.”
Zhang Liuxin looked, then pressed his arm down slightly. “This should be better…”
His words were cut short by the sound of a tennis ball landing, and then a yellow tennis ball rolled toward them.
Zhang Liuxin heard Lü Zixia from the adjacent court say to Wen Jin, “Young Master Wen, did you skip lunch today? Why did you miss that shot?”
Whether it was a chance encounter, he knew in his heart.