Chapter 551: Childhood Sweethearts
Liou Zhengming’s basketball skills aren’t bad. He wasn’t as fat when he was young and really loved basketball.
But with all the years of entrepreneurship, he hasn’t had a chance to play.
Today, picking up the basketball again, he quickly regained his old feel for the game, because muscles have memory.
Even so, his body is no longer what it used to be. After just a few shots, he was gasping for breath, with his left hand resting on his knee, half-squatting and waving his hand repeatedly, "No more, no more, I’m done, let’s go back."
"Lame!" Yan Xinrou held the ball at her side and laughed, "Hurry up, or the kids will laugh at you."
Liou waved his hand more vigorously. "Let them laugh. I’m not moving anymore."
"Dad, when you first started your business, you worked so hard and stuck with it. What’s a bit of basketball?" Liou Qingcheng energetically ran up, "I’ll play with you."
Hearing his daughter’s encouragement, Liou smiled broadly. He wiped his forehead with his shirt and swallowed, waving his hand, "Let’s go again!"
The newly motivated Liou was like he’d taken medicine, or rather, like he was pumped up with adrenaline.
He started dribbling with his jiggling flesh and then ran, trying to break through the defense of Yan Xinrou and her daughter and make a shot.
Yan Xinrou wasn’t good at basketball, but Liou Qingcheng was. She was a girl who loved sports, and basketball was one of her big passions, otherwise, after watching Lin Tian play, she wouldn’t have taken such a liking to him.
Seeing her father reveal a flaw, Liou Qingcheng snuck over like a sly little fox and grabbed the ball. Then she dribbled quickly towards the other hoop.
With a leap, she made a jump shot, and with a ’swish,’ a three-pointer went in.
But turning back, she saw her father sitting on the ground goofing off.
"Hmph! Dad!" Liou Qingcheng snorted softly, "We’re playing with you, how can you be lazy?"
"But you took the ball."
"Can’t you steal it back?"
"You run like a rabbit, can’t catch up..."
"..."
Liou Qingcheng glanced at her father’s bloated figure, and it seemed to make sense.
Right at that moment.
On the court next door, a group of young people in casual clothes were chasing each other fiercely.
Suddenly, a delicate-looking person with a headband stopped with the ball.
Soon, the surrounding friends noticed something was off and glanced in that direction, immediately spotting Liou Qingcheng’s breathtakingly beautiful face, especially her post-exercise charm, and someone’s eyes quickly went straight.
Little Toothpick, who looked quite rough, laughed and asked, "Mr. Qiao, did you fancy that chick? Is that why you got dazed?"
Qiao Jiang’s mouth curled into a smile, "How is she? Pretty right? Does anyone know who she is?"
Little Toothpick’s sinister grin grew wider, patting his chest, "Who cares who she is? As long as Mr. Qiao likes her, I’ll snatch her for you tonight and keep you..."
Before Little Toothpick could finish, Qiao Jiang raised the basketball and slammed it into his face with a ’bang,’ knocking out two of Little Toothpick’s teeth. Blood immediately gushed from his mouth.
"To hell with you! She’s not someone you can snatch!" After saying that, Qiao Jiang rushed forward and kicked him hard in the stomach.
This scene was common enough for the onlookers, but they still shuddered, grateful it wasn’t them who spoke earlier.
Nobody helped Little Toothpick. It served him right for provoking someone he shouldn’t have.
"Mr. Qiao, who is she really?" someone cautiously asked.
"She’s a goddess! My goddess since childhood, to be admired from afar, not desecrated, understand?" Qiao Jiang asked.
"Understood, understood, Mr. Qiao is a romantic, I’m impressed."
"As expected of a goddess, Mr. Qiao has great taste."
"..."
A group of sycophants started flattering him, with smiles as if they were eunuchs.
"You may not know the goddess, but you should recognize the fat guy, right? His last name is Liou." Qiao Jiang pointed to Liou Zhengming.
The group’s minds started searching for famous people named Liou, especially a three-hundred-pound fatty, which wasn’t hard to guess.
"Is it Liou Zhengming?" someone whispered.
"Yes, that’s him."
"Isn’t he living in Jiangming Garden? What’s he doing here?"
Qiao Jiang contemptuously glanced at the speaker and said calmly, "Someone of his status could live right next to the palace if he wanted. What’s wrong with living here? Now you know why I chose to live in this community, right?" Qiao Jiang asked.
"Is it for the goddess?"
"Not entirely, Liou Zhengming is a big fish too. Let’s go say hello."
Qiao Jiang strode forward confidently.
Liou Zhengming saw a group of young people walking over. Although they were well-dressed, they didn’t look like good people.
Could they be here to take over the court? But there were several empty ones next door.
With so many people on the court, it was clear the game couldn’t continue.
Adjusting his clothes, Liou Zhengming asked, "What’s the matter?"
His voice was calm, looking completely unconcerned.
"Hello, Mr. Liou, Mrs. Liou, I’m Qiao Jiang. Do you remember me?"
Qiao Jiang smiled, extending his right hand with the demeanor of a gentleman.
Yan Xinrou looked at his face, recalled for a few seconds, and then remembered, "You’re Qiao’s son’s little fool?"
Qiao Jiang’s smile froze, as that nickname for his father was something nobody dared use anymore.
Even the patriarchs of the big families would greet him respectfully.
The nickname Qiao’s fool was taboo in their family.
If others dared to use it, they’d meet a tragic end.
But since it was Yan Xinrou who said it, Qiao Jiang didn’t dare make a sound. Not only was she Liou Qingcheng’s mother, more importantly, her background was not something he could provoke.
Liou also recalled, shook hands briefly with Qiao Jiang, then immediately let go, smiling, "We haven’t seen each other in over a decade, have we? You’ve grown so much. You’ve been studying abroad all these years, right?"
"Yes, I just got back, studied finance at Oxford, planning to inherit my dad’s business."
Qiao Jiang replied humbly, then turned his gaze to the perfect girl holding the basketball, no, the goddess.
"And this is Qingcheng, right?" Qiao Jiang smiled.
"Qingcheng, do you remember Qiao Jiang? You always pestered him for candy when you were little." Liou Zhengming asked with a smile.
"I remember we were childhood sweethearts, ha ha."
Qiao Jiang was given aristocratic education since young, a smile being basic etiquette, so his smile felt like a spring breeze.
The remark from him didn’t feel abrupt, only like a joke.