My Exclusive Dream World Adventures
Chapter 294 - Chapter 294 294 Excuses

Chapter 294: 294 Excuses Chapter 294: 294 Excuses Thud, thud…

Luo Xiyun stood outside the three-point line on the basketball court, dribbling the ball and facing Chen Xu sideways, thinking about how to break through.

She was dressed in a loose red basketball jersey, her long hair tied up behind her head.

Chen Xu stood in front of her with his arms crossed, a smile on his face as he watched her.

Luo Xiyun took a few steps to the side, and Chen Xu followed suit.

“You’re too close, step back a bit.”

Suddenly, Luo Xiyun stood up straight in protest and pushed him slightly.

Chen Xu stepped back, spreading his hands, “Is this okay now?”

Luo Xiyun glanced at his hands again, Chen Xu shrugged and crossed his arms once more.

Just then, Luo Xiyun changed hands with the ball, made a quick move, and bypassed him from the left, taking two steps to lay up. The basketball circled around the rim before rolling in.

“Ha, come on.”

Seeing the ball go in, Luo Xiyun excitedly ran to the side, picked up a black marker, and waved smugly at Chen Xu.

With an expressionless face, Chen Xu walked over.

Luo Xiyun cupped his chin with her left hand, “Don’t move, if it goes wrong, don’t blame me.”

Chen Xu, seeing the amusement in her eyes, said helplessly, “Can we change the punishment?”

“No way, I’ve wanted to do this for a while.” Luo Xiyun spoke as she started drawing on his forehead with the marker.

After a while, there was a black cartoon-shaped dog on Chen Xu’s forehead.

Luo Xiyun stepped back to look at her handiwork, a radiant smile on her face, “Let’s go again.”

This was their routine, starting from badminton, table tennis, and tennis, evolving to more competitive sports like soccer and basketball.

To add some fun, they had also introduced stakes. The loser had to accept a punishment from the winner.

Of course, the disparity in their abilities was vast, not to mention the physical differences between men and women. Chen Xu’s skills were not something Luo Xiyun could match.

For fairness, Chen Xu had to accept many restrictions; he could not use his hands while defending, couldn’t get too close, nor could he jump.

Luo Xiyun had never played basketball before. In the beginning, she didn’t even know how to dribble and used both hands. Chen Xu just stood in front of her and without moving, she couldn’t even score one or two baskets in a whole day.

In a few months, she had improved rapidly. Dribbling breakthroughs and layups became smooth, and her shooting accuracy rose considerably.

Now, Chen Xu often lost more than he won. Whenever Luo Xiyun won, she always thought of new ways to punish him, like today when she decided to draw on his forehead.

Luo Xiyun served again, intending to repeat the trick but ended up crashing into Chen Xu’s arms. Unable to stop, she staggered and knocked him down too.

“Are you okay?”

The fall was quite hard. Luo Xiyun was about to stand up from on top of him when he held her tightly, “Don’t move.”

“What’s wrong?”

She stayed still, lying quietly in his arms, hearing his strong heartbeat.

Chen Xu said, “I just want to hold you.”

Luo Xiyun rested her face on his chest and whispered, “Did you forget what you promised me?”

Chen Xu gently stroked her hair, “It’s normal for friends to hug.”

Luo Xiyun didn’t respond and closed her eyes.

Similar conversations had happened many times over the months. Chen Xu used such excuses to slowly test her boundaries. She was well aware of it, but for now, the contact was still within her limits.

It was for his mental health.

She told herself this.

The temperature in the base was constant, between 24 and 26 degrees, with a circulating air system, making it quite comfortable.

But having just played basketball for a while, the two of them holding each other made them start to sweat.

“Chen Xu,” Luo Xiyun suddenly said.

“Hm?”

“I’m going back.”

“Hm.”

“Another year has passed, time flies so fast.”

“Yeah, so fast, you’re leaving again.”

Then, another stretch of silence.

“I’m dying of heat, let me up,” Luo Xiyun said, trying to break free from Chen Xu’s hold. Chen Xu stood up, then let her down.

Luo Xiyun walked to one side, picked up the ball, and looked at him, “Still playing?”

“Of course.”

…

In the evening, after dinner, Luo Xiyun cleaned up the dishes, dried her hands, and said, “I’m leaving.”

“Why the rush?”

Luo Xiyun said, “You know why.”

Chen Xu could guess the reason. She was worried about running into Yang Jinxia or Bai Jinxuan. It had almost been a year since she entered the dream, and either of them could log on at any time.

He said somewhat dejectedly, “With your departure, I won’t see you for two years.”

“Aren’t they here to keep you company? You’d be happier with them around, right?”

Chen Xu looked at her and said, “You’re jealous.”

Luo Xiyun glared at him with some annoyance, “Chen Xu, let me ask you, if I fell in love with another man, could you accept that?”

Chen Xu’s eyes brightened, “So, you’re admitting you still love me.”

“You… Stop being ridiculous,” Luo Xiyun didn’t want to talk to him any further and went back to her room.

After the door closed, Chen Xu’s gaze carried a trace of amusement.

Time, it could change everything.

When Chen Xu was previously with Luo Xiyun, they didn’t see each other much daily, both busy with work, without rest on holidays, and the number of dates could be counted on one’s fingers.

But this time in the dream, they had spent two years together. During these years, they were together every day – studying, eating, playing sports – averaging over ten hours a day together.

Luo Xiyun’s attitude towards him had unconsciously changed. From the initial indifference, ignoring him, to now cooking and playing basketball together, even accepting some more intimate physical contact.

Calling each other friends was just an excuse, an excuse she used to convince herself.

Now, as she was about to log off, he truly didn’t want to let go. The longer they stayed in the dream, the more he cherished their time together.

He learned so many recipes, even grew vegetables and learned to dance, played basketball with her, all to keep life from becoming too monotonous.

Even if there were only two people left in the world, life could still be fulfilling.

Chen Xu was pondering all this when Luo Xiyun came out of her room.

“I’m leaving,” she said, “Don’t let anyone into my room.”

The “anyone” she referred to were obviously the other two.

As she passed by him, Chen Xu grabbed her hand, “Can you leave tomorrow instead?”