17 THEY ARE DATING

Lin Zhu gaped as he looked up at the other athlete, who was still standing tall next to him. Earlier, he was surprised by the athlete's sudden appearance to 'save' him from the coach's attack, but he thought that it was just him who was being delusional.

But, when once again Ye Quan defended him in front of the coach, Lin Zhu realized that it was not a mere delusion. Ye Quan was indeed helping him in front of the bald coach.

But why? Why did the ugly toad suddenly help him? What was his intention? He couldn't do that for free, could he? Does he expect anything in return?

Lin Zhu's mind was still in a tangle as he couldn't come up with an answer, but then his ears caught a laugh that forced him to take his eyes off the taller athlete.

He could see Coach Su laughing heartily at them. "I still remember how you two looked like cat and dog on the men's singles team, but it looks like you two are friends now?" He questioned the two athletes.

Lin Zhu wasn't sure if the coach was asking them a question or just stating his opinion. The tone he used was not clear, and he decided to just smile and not reply to the coach's cryptic remarks.

It was Ye Quan who replied to the older man again. "You are right, Coach," he responded as he smiled at the coach. "We are a team now, so we have to be friends to strengthen our bonds. Am I right, Coach?"

Lin Zhu frowned slightly when he heard Ye Quan's statement. He just realized that Ye Quan had only been acting all this time. He was so stupid as to forget that Ye Quan was a sycophant. He just wanted to look good in front of others, and he shouldn't be fooled by his fake actions.

Lin Zhu wanted to throw up after realizing that. He regretted thinking that Ye Quan defended him sincerely earlier.

"That's good," Coach Su commented. "I can see you two have a better relationship now, and I can also see how our Ah Zhu has improved since he joined the men's doubles team. Your attitude seems to get better, Ah Zhu. That's such a great improvement."

Lin Zhu was a bit stunned by the coach's words. Did the coach say the truth, or did he just want to flatter him? Earlier the coach slandered him, but just now he flattered him? Which one was the true color of the coach?

"I enjoyed chatting with you two, but now I have to go. See you later when we head to Korea."

Lin Zhu wanted to puke again. The coach could say that he enjoyed chatting there because Ye Quan was present with him. If Ye Quan wasn't there, then the coach would never have said such pleasantries.

Ye Quan surely had a soft spot in the coach's heart. He wasn't sure if it was because of Ye Quan's skills or because of something else. He contemplated the latter possibility, but he chose to brush off his thought because it wasn't his business.

The coach finally left them alone, and Lin Zhu could heave a sigh of relief. He didn't realize that he couldn't even breathe freely when the coach was around.

He was about to leave the meeting room, but Ye Quan's words halted his steps.

"You don't want to thank me?"

Lin Zhu rolled his eyes upon hearing the expected question.

"Why should I thank you? You were just acting, right? That's for the sake of your reputation, so I don't need to thank you."

Ye Quan raised his brows at Lin Zhu's cold response. "Whether I was acting or not, I think you still have to thank me. I have saved your face twice, so at least you have to appreciate my effort."

Lin Zhu gritted his teeth in frustration. He just wanted to go home and sleep, but this bastard dare to ruin his perfect plan!

The shorter athlete was about to snap at Ye Quan, but a girl suddenly approached them, and her skinny arms immediately circled Ye Quan's arm without hesitation.

Lin Zhu recognized the girl. It was Zhao Jia, the goddess in China's national team.

Lin Zhu's hazel eyes kept staring at the connection between Zhao Jia and Ye Quan's arms, and he was puzzled right away. His heart was beating loudly when he looked up at the girl.

"Senior Zhao, what are you doing with Senior Ye?"

In front of the goddess, Lin Zhu tried to act polite and composed. He was always nervous around the girl, and that was understandable because Zhao Jia was too beautiful for a normal human on Earth.

The girl had long black hair that reached her back, her skin was fair and shiny just like porcelain, and her face was more beautiful than flowers. Lin Zhu dare to say that Zhao Jia was more beautiful than any other celebrity in China.

The girl giggled upon hearing Lin Zhu's confused question.

"You don't need to be so polite with me, Ah Zhu. I'm only a year older than you," the girl replied to him in her soft and friendly tone. "And, do you think it's weird for me to be close to my boyfriend?"

There was a massive blast in Lin Zhu's heart after hearing his crush's answer. His heart exploded, and blood splattered inside his body. It was just a hyperbolic description, but that was how Lin Zhu felt at the moment. He felt pain in his heart, but it didn't bleed.

Lin Zhu shifted his gaze to Ye Quan, and Ye Quan proudly smirked at him while moving his arms to hug the goddess's shoulders.

"My JiaJia is right. We are dating now, so you have to prepare yourself to see our PDA."

Lin Zhu's legs turned into jelly, and he almost fell to the floor.

How could this fucker win his goddess's heart?