Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 95: Not Playing Ball

Even the calm top executives of these big companies and officials of the court couldn't help but burst into laughter when they heard the name "Yang Xi". The influence of the movie "From East to West" is still considerable, so a group of people quickly understood the meaning of Yang Chen's words. However, after laughing, they suddenly realized that something was amiss. The person they were facing was none other than Zhou Dongcheng, the young master of Dongxing, the little emperor of the underground world in the eastern district of Zhonghai. This kid dared to joke with him. Is he asking for trouble?!

However, Zhou Dongcheng's reaction was surprisingly not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Mr. Yang is really good at joking, but I like humorous men."

His voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of shyness and joy.

Yang Chen felt goosebumps all over his body. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, exhaled some smoke, and then calmed down a bit. He said, "I don't like being liked by men."

"You not liking being liked doesn't mean I can't like you," Zhou Dongcheng said somewhat ambiguously.

With a cigarette in one hand, Yang Chen absentmindedly scratched his head, not even afraid of the cigarette burning his hair. The Dongxing young master in front of him was much more troublesome than he had imagined. If it were a fierce and powerful type, Yang Chen wouldn't be afraid, but this guy was as soft as cotton, with no strength at all.

The guests around them had already started their own activities, and there were several teams on the tennis court playing lazily back and forth.

The warm sunlight scattered on the court. Yang Chen stretched lazily and stopped talking.

Zhou Dongcheng frowned as he watched Yang Chen smoking, and after a while, he continued to smile, "I know Mr. Yang may have some misunderstandings about me, but I sincerely want to be friends with Mr. Yang. Do you think there's a chance?"

"Friends?" Yang Chen said vaguely, "Is sending someone to track me your way of making friends?"

Zhou Dongcheng didn't deny it, nodding frankly, "Yes, but that time was just an accident. I also didn't expect Mr. Yang to use such thunderous means, but I can assure you I won't pursue it. In fact, the orders I gave them were just to investigate Mr. Yang's surroundings."

"I don't like being investigated," Yang Chen said lightly.

Zhou Dongcheng fearlessly met his gaze. "I promise it won't happen again, Mr. Yang Chen. And as a man whom I perceive as broad-minded, I believe you can forgive my rash actions that one time."

Being addressed with respect, Yang Chen couldn't come up with anything harsh to say. He just shrugged and said, "Forget it, I don't want to make a fuss."

"In that case, as friends, would you accompany me for a game of tennis?" Zhou Dongcheng suddenly asked.

"I haven't played before."

"It doesn't matter. What's important is the friendly gesture, not the score."

Zhou Dongcheng's words were irrefutable, leaving Yang Chen feeling helpless about his proactive goodwill.

Yang Chen sighed, stood up first, and walked over to Tang Wan's side. "Director Tang, may I borrow a racket?"

Tang Wan had been paying attention to the conversation between Yang Chen and Zhou Dongcheng. Although she couldn't hear clearly, she had an inkling that the two might have had prior contact. She didn't say much, simply nodded and gestured for a waiter to bring Yang Chen a standard racket.

Zhou Dongcheng's entourage immediately retrieved a pink racket from their sports bag, matching his attire. This peculiar color choice didn't attract much attention because in this circle, it was no secret that Zhou Dongcheng liked men and enjoyed feminizing himself. People were accustomed to it.

When Yang Chen and Zhou Dongcheng took to the court together, the two girls who had been playing there obediently gave way.

Many of the merchants and politicians present began to doubt their own judgments. Could it be that Yang Chen could chat with Zhou Dongcheng and even play tennis together? Perhaps he was indeed someone significant? However, among the prominent figures in Zhonghai, there was no one matching this description. Some speculated that he might be a scion of a prominent family from elsewhere.

"So, uh..." Yang Chen walked to the side of the court and asked Mo Qian Ni, who was chatting and laughing with several men and women, "Miss Mo, how do you play tennis?"

Mo Qian Ni was momentarily stunned. Although she didn't understand why this man was asking such a silly question, she still explained simply, "It's when someone hits the ball to you, you hit it back after it touches the ground. You play within the court, and if you hit it out, you lose points."

"Oh, I see," Yang Chen recalled the scenes he had seen on TV before and roughly understood.

"You don't know how to play?" Mo Qian Ni noticed the issue and asked suspiciously.

Yang Chen truthfully replied, "I haven't played before, but I think I understand how to."

Most people who have played tennis know that although tennis rackets look large and tennis balls are much bigger than ping pong balls, it's not easy to hit a ball that bounces up from the ground on a seemingly not-so-large court.

Many beginners, when they first come into contact with tennis, feel that although the ball is flying right towards them, they just can't seem to hit it. And hitting it back after managing to make contact and scoring a point? That's an even more difficult task.

Under the gaze of a group of people ready to watch the show, Yang Chen swaggered onto the court, cigarette dangling from his mouth, and holding the racket. He said to Zhou Dongcheng on the other end, "Let's go, I'll play a few rounds with you."

Many people on the sidelines heard the undertones in his words and showed peculiar expressions. Mo Qian Ni's face also reddened slightly; this guy always spoke so rudely.

However, Zhou Dongcheng just smiled gently. He then tossed the ball and swung the racket! His movements weren't exactly textbook, but the bend and bounce of his body made him look graceful.

The ball smoothly arced over the net and bounced diagonally on Yang Chen's side!

Yang Chen was already standing where the ball bounced. Since his right hand was holding the cigarette, he naturally held the racket in his left hand and effortlessly swung it toward the ball!

"Boom!" The ball collided with the racket, emitting a muffled sound!

To the surprise of everyone, the tennis ball, after leaping over the net, suddenly shot towards the parking lot outside the court like a missile! It crossed a distance of about twenty to thirty meters and continued flying over the nearly ten-meter wire fence on the sidelines before landing in the parking lot.

Many girls exclaimed in surprise. Was that a ball hit with the left hand by one person?! Even if he hadn't hit it accurately and it went out of bounds, that could be understood. But this man, with a casual swing of his left hand, managed to make the ball fly over ten meters of wire fence!

Even if everyone present were given a perfectly weighted, cone-shaped stone, no one would dare claim they could easily throw it over that wire fence!

Seeing the astonishment on the faces of those around him, including Zhou Dongcheng, Yang Chen realized he had exerted too much force, or rather, underestimated the elasticity of the interaction between the tennis ball and the racket.

With an embarrassed smile, he flicked the cigarette ash and continued to hold the cigarette in his mouth. "Sorry, this ball has quite the bounce. I'll pick it up after we're done playing."

Others awkwardly chuckled, looking at Yang Chen's not particularly muscular arm with strange expressions. If that hand were to land a punch on someone, they'd probably lose their life.

"Mr. Yang really has incredible strength," Zhou Dongcheng remarked calmly. Having seen the world and knowing of Yang Chen's considerable martial prowess, he quickly regained his composure. He retrieved a new ball from his entourage and said, "Let's continue."

This time, Yang Chen didn't exert too much force. He just calculated enough force to hit the ball back to the opponent's side. As for the angle and speed, Yang Chen didn't care at all. The trajectory of the tennis ball seemed as slow as a turtle's crawl in Yang Chen's eyes, without any pressure at all.

On the sidelines, people saw Yang Chen leisurely strolling on the court, standing exactly where the ball bounced, gently guiding it back with one hand to where Zhou Dongcheng was standing. Zhou Dongcheng didn't need to move at all to receive the ball.

Everyone realized that Yang Chen wasn't playing tennis; he was playing with the ball!

Although Yang Chen's grip and posture with the racket were "ugly beyond words," it didn't affect the assessment of his tennis skills by the crowd.

Many young women were already mesmerized. Yang Chen, with his cigarette dangling from his lips, sweat dripping from his forehead, hair blowing in the wind, slight frown, and relaxed facial expressions, had already captured their attention.

Tang Wan noticed Mo Qian Ni, who was standing beside her, looking somewhat dazedly at Yang Chen, her eyes glazed with a similar fascination as the other women. She sighed softly.

In Tang Wan's eyes, Yang Chen was undoubtedly a playboy. She had realized this from the first time he had met her by the river on a rainy night. Later, when she had encountered him with Li Jingjing at her daughter's school, she became even more convinced. Now, unexpectedly, it was Mo Qian Ni.

Li Jingjing was a naive girl, so it wasn't surprising that she had been deceived by Yang Chen. But Mo Qian Ni, a well-known PR professional in the business world and an excellent manager, falling into his trap was beyond belief. This made Tang Wan unable to help but wonder how Yang Chen managed to capture the hearts of these two vastly different but equally outstanding girls.

At this moment, watching the man on the tennis court freely wielding his poor tennis skills but effortlessly toying with the tennis ball between his hands, Tang Wan had a slight epiphany. It seemed that the greatest characteristic of this man was something other men couldn't possess.

Unbeknownst to Yang Chen, Mo Qian Ni was looking at him with a gaze she had never used before. And the welcoming smile from Tang Wan was merely a facade; she had already placed him on her blacklist. Yang Chen gradually realized that Zhou Dongcheng on the opposite side was almost out of energy to hit the ball back. It seemed that after hitting dozens of balls in succession, Zhou Dongcheng was exhausted.

When the ball flew towards him again, Yang Chen simply caught it with his hand, flicked the cigarette butt from his mouth, and shouted to Zhou Dongcheng, "Are we still playing?"

Zhou Dongcheng, sweating profusely, bent over, panting heavily, and supported himself with his hands on his knees to prevent himself from collapsing. He tossed the racket aside and waved his hand laboriously, saying plaintively, "No... no more..."

"In that case, I'm leaving." Yang Chen really didn't want to stay any longer. Originally, because of the relationship with Rose, Zhou Dongcheng would undoubtedly be an enemy. But how could he endure this enemy constantly smiling at him?

Zhou Dongcheng was somewhat anxious but couldn't care less about his exhaustion. He gasped and shouted, "Mr. Yang... please wait, would you... would you be so kind as to have dinner with me?"

"Dinner with your sister!"

As soon as Yang Chen thought about sitting at a candlelit dinner table with a flamboyant and flirtatious man at both ends, he felt a chill run down his spine. He walked to the edge of the court and grabbed Mo Qian Ni's hand without hesitation, saying, "Let's go, I'm hungry, let's eat!"

Without waiting for Mo Qian Ni's reaction, he forcefully pulled her along.

Mo Qian Ni was held tightly by Yang Chen, feeling the warmth of his hand, her face unavoidably blushing with embarrassment, her heart pounding like a deer. However, she lacked the strength to resist and seemed to lack the will to withdraw her hand. She could only hurriedly bid farewell to several CEOs and left the tennis court with Yang Chen.

After Zhou Dongcheng's attendants helped the dejected Zhou Dongcheng to the sidelines, someone with a grim expression asked, "Young Master, that Yang Chen is too ignorant. Should we send some brothers to give him a little gift?"

Zhou Dongcheng cast a cold glance at him, causing the person to tremble in fear.

"Yang Chen is my friend. He's a real man. Don't speak ill of him in front of me again!" Zhou Dongcheng's voice was icy.

"Yes... yes... yes, Young Master..."

Zhou Dongcheng looked in the direction Yang Chen had left, once again falling into a fascinated expression.