39 Malone

"What!?"

This was Ma Long's first thought after hearing the gossip Liu Shiwen brought back. Duan Nanzhou was looking for a boyfriend? Why would she want a boyfriend?

After the initial shock, Ma Long’s next thought was that he had been played. So, was the excuse she used to reject Chen Qi last time just that? It turned out she hadn't just deceived one person; there was also a foolish him.

Even with Xu Xin and Zhang Jike’s "encouragement to be brave" still ringing in his ears, Ma Long couldn't hear them anymore. His mind was filled with nothing but, "What do I do? What do I do?"

The news came so suddenly that Ma Long couldn't process it, especially since it was packed with so much information: the fact that Duan Nanzhou actually preferred men, the fact that she apparently had never considered any members of the National Table Tennis Team—including him—and the fact that she had already started meeting other men.

Ma Long felt lost and overwhelmed. Even though his brothers and teammates were pushing him to take a brave step forward, he didn't want to act rashly. He was terrified of ending up like Chen Qi, where they couldn't even remain friends in the end.

Since Duan Nanzhou could use such a reason to reject Chen Qi, combined with what she told Liu Shiwen today about not considering anyone from the team, and her decisive attitude toward relationships, Ma Long felt that if he rushed in regardless of the consequences, she would likely let him down gently to save his face, and then slowly fade out of his life. That was not the ending Ma Long wanted.

Therefore, Ma Long’s little brain turned and turned, but he couldn't think of a good solution. He could only weigh the pros and cons, trying to keep himself from acting too impulsively.

Moreover, the daily training for the National Table Tennis Team was extremely busy, and as a rising star and a key prospect of the new generation, Ma Long had no real opportunity to go out and find Duan Nanzhou even if he wanted to.

After some reflection, Ma Long declined his two good friends' well-meaning advice. Under their worried gazes, he returned to the dormitory. He needed to calm down and figure out what to do next.

...

Life went on.

Duan Nanzhou stopped her friends from setting her up on more dates. Firstly, work became busy toward the end of the year, and secondly, the people her friends were introducing were not very reliable, leaving her with no interest in continuing those conversations.

Thus, the matter of dating was temporarily shelved, and Duan Nanzhou immersed herself in her career, focusing on making money.

At the same time, she still chatted with Ma Long every day. Thanks to his persistent daily greetings and initiation of topics, it had become a habit for her. Whenever she wanted to share something, Ma Long was the first person she thought of, followed by her other girlfriends.

Ma Long was quite satisfied with this. Regardless, it was progress. Furthermore, through this growing familiarity, he learned more about Duan Nanzhou, which allowed him to better "boil the frog in warm water."

However, Duan Nanzhou was completely unaware of this. She simply felt that her current life was peaceful and comfortable—a sort of alternative "retirement life."

"Nanzhou, want to grab a meal together this weekend?"

"Sure, what are we eating?" Duan Nanzhou, who was free, received Ma Long's invitation and, thinking she had nothing else on, readily agreed.

"I heard about a restaurant, the food is supposed to be good. I think you'll like it," Ma Long's joyful voice came through the phone.

"Alright. Are Xiao Zao and the others going?" This wasn't the first time Duan Nanzhou had made dinner plans with Ma Long. Sometimes it was just the two of them, and sometimes it was a larger group from the national team. Generally, apart from the few men who were already in relationships, she would accept individual invitations from the others.

In this little national team dining squad, there were Ma Long, Xu Xin, Zhang Jike, Liu Shiwen, Ding Ning, Guo Yue, Wang Hao, Ma Lin, and Duan Nanzhou, the honorary member.

Therefore, Duan Nanzhou didn't think much of Ma Long's solo invitation this time, especially since he didn't have a girlfriend yet. She didn't feel the need to be overly cautious about their friendship.

But wait, why hadn't Ma Long met his partner yet? The timeline didn't seem to match up, did it?

This thought crossed her mind, sparking a bit of gossip. Could it be a butterfly effect? Perhaps because she had always been so familiar with him, and because Ma Long hadn't said or done anything too out of line, she had never overthought it. This also meant that someone who was usually quite perceptive about others' feelings had, this time, failed to notice anything amiss.

On the day of the dinner, they went to an old, long-established restaurant tucked away in an old alleyway.

"Not bad, Ma Long! Even I, a local, haven't been to such an authentic place. What a loss!"

"I heard about it from recommendations. The food should be good; we can come here often," Ma Long said with a shy smile.

Although it was an old shop, the decor was clean and neat, and the food was excellent. This place was immediately added to Duan Nanzhou's list of treasure eateries.

"Excuse me, may I ask if you two are boyfriend and girlfriend?"

As Duan Nanzhou was laughing and chatting with Ma Long, a pretty, youthful girl asked quietly from the side.

It was obvious she was asking Ma Long. Duan Nanzhou originally wanted to watch the gossip unfold, but she didn't expect him to stay silent, leaving the girl standing there in extreme embarrassment. Duan Nanzhou had no choice but to answer:

"No, is there something the matter?"

The girl breathed a visible sigh of relief upon hearing this, then gathered her courage and asked:

"Then, may I have your contact information?"

Though shy, the girl stared boldly into Ma Long’s eyes.

Ma Long was stunned. His first reaction was to turn and look at Duan Nanzhou, only to see her nodding frantically at him with a face full of gossip, signaling him to seize this opportunity.

"Sorry, it's not convenient," Ma Long pretended not to see her gestures and firmly refused.

"Oh, okay..." The girl was dejected but didn't leave immediately.

"Is there anything else?" Duan Nanzhou glared at Ma Long. How could he be so rude to the girl? Look how awkward she was! But if she wasn't leaving, did she want them all to be awkward together?

"Um... it's like this. Could I have your contact information instead?" The girl turned to Duan Nanzhou and offered a shy smile.

"Me?" Duan Nanzhou pointed at herself, stunned. What was going on? Did this girl set her sights on her after seeing there was no chance with Ma Long? That wouldn't be right, would it?

Ma Long was also taken aback. His first thought was, *No way! Duan Nanzhou can't get involved with a girl!*

"It's like this: actually, my brother also wants your contact information. Would that be convenient?" The girl pointed to a boy sitting at a table some distance away.

The boy looked like a cold, unapproachable "cool guy," but seeing his sister pointing at him, he wore a confused and bewildered expression, pointing at himself as if asking what was going on.

It was clear that this cool guy didn't know his sister was asking for a beauty's contact information on his behalf, and he hadn't even wanted it himself.

"It is not convenient!" Ma Long, having witnessed everything, turned sullen and refused righteously.

The girl looked at Ma Long with suspicion, her face clearly saying, "What does this have to do with you?" It wasn't until Duan Nanzhou added, "I'm sorry, it really isn't convenient," that she left, looking very reluctant.

Originally, the girl had taken a liking to Ma Long. Upon learning they weren't a couple, she wanted to get to know him, but she was rejected. Then, seeing Duan Nanzhou, this cool, beautiful woman, she thought she looked like a perfect match for her own cool brother, so she tried to help herself find a sister-in-law—only to be rejected by Ma Long again. Now, she found him annoying in every way.

So, before leaving, the girl secretly glared at Ma Long to express her anger.

Ma Long just felt the restaurant was bad luck. Why did they run into this as soon as they arrived? Besides, even if they weren't a couple, couldn't it be seen that they were potential partners? How could she have no social awareness at all?

"Let's go!" They had basically finished eating. Ma Long felt the feng shui of this place was at odds with him, so he prepared to leave quickly. He was afraid that if they stayed any longer, someone else would come asking for contact information.

After they got into the car, Duan Nanzhou resumed her gossiping.

"Why didn't you give her your number just now? That girl was quite pretty, and she seemed like a nice person!" Duan Nanzhou genuinely thought she was a refined beauty, and she would have looked great standing next to Ma Long, who looked like a well-behaved boy.

"I didn't want to," Ma Long replied, sulking while driving.

"Okay..." Duan Nanzhou paused, then asked: "Then what kind do you like? Should I introduce someone to you?"

"I don't like anyone!" Ma Long’s abrupt comment left Duan Nanzhou confused.

"You don't like... you don't like women?" Duan Nanzhou asked cautiously. Could it be that because of the butterfly effect in this life, Ma Long had changed his sexual orientation? Was she to blame for that?

When Ma Long didn't answer after she asked, Duan Nanzhou looked at his face, stayed silent for a moment, and then said carefully:

"Then, how about I introduce you to some men..."

Although it felt a bit strange, Ma Long was her good friend. Duan Nanzhou felt she could be more open-minded. For her friend's happiness, she was willing to do it!

"The person I like is you!" Ma Long finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He didn't know if Duan Nanzhou was truly dense or just pretending. He pulled the car over to a quiet side of the road and replied earnestly.

A silence followed.

Ma Long remained motionless, staring fixedly into Duan Nanzhou's eyes, as if he wanted to see right through her, or as if he needed her to respond to that statement.

The gossiping smile on Duan Nanzhou’s face vanished in that second. Her mind was now flooded with various shocking thoughts that would have been censored.

If there were bullet comments, she felt her face would definitely be plastered with the word "Clown," and a character introduction floating above her head reading: "A green tea girl who plays with people under the guise of friendship."

At this moment, Duan Nanzhou recalled everything that had happened and finally realized what had been wrong. Coupled with the fact that she had always been close to Ma Long as a "good friend," she only felt, *It's over! The sky has fallen!* She really couldn't explain this away!

Could it be that Ma Long had misinterpreted all her actions as signals that they were a potential couple? Was that why he was so angry when someone asked for their contact info today—because he thought she was stringing him along?

Duan Nanzhou wanted to say something, but any explanation felt hollow. No matter how she looked at it now, she appeared to be the type of person who kept Ma Long as a backup. She wanted to smack herself in the forehead!

"I'm not asking for an answer from you right now. I just hope you stop introducing other people to me," Ma Long said, his heart sinking as he saw Duan Nanzhou remain silent. *As expected, she doesn't like me!*

"Okay, I won't introduce anyone..." Duan Nanzhou replied weakly.

"Then we are still friends, and I hope you won't avoid me..." Ma Long said, voicing his greatest fear, as if he needed a verbal guarantee to prove something.

"Mhm..." Duan Nanzhou responded, though what she was truly thinking was anyone's guess.

In the end, that day concluded with the two of them parting in silence.