45: Chapter 45 The purple-clad older sister is also very charming; the loan is officially announced, and Blue Fox's career begins!

The Maybach S600 drove into Leicester in the night; it was already past ten o'clock.

The city lights were sparse, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of London.

Yu Bai checked the time and decided to find a hotel in the city center to stay for the night, then report to the club first thing tomorrow morning.

News from Jonathan Barnett kept coming; the progress was rapid, and his professionalism was impeccable.

After parking the car, he walked into the lobby of a decent-looking five-star hotel.

Wen Wan walked up to Yu Bai naturally. "Should we book two rooms, or... just one suite?"

Without thinking, Yu Bai replied, "Two standard single rooms will do."

"Oh."

Wen Wan responded, her voice devoid of emotion, though a flicker of cunning flashed across her eyes.

She turned and swayed toward the front desk, leaving Yu Bai to wait in the lobby lounge.

Arriving at the desk, Wen Wan gave the young clerk on duty an impeccable, sweet smile. "Hello, could you please book me your best suite? One with a good view, thank you."

After getting the key card, she thought for a moment, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice to a volume only the two of them could hear. Half-joking and half-serious, she said to the receptionist, "Um... if my 'boyfriend' comes over later to ask, could you please help me out and say the single rooms are all booked, and only the suite is left? Would that be okay?"

She pursed her lips in Yu Bai's direction and winked.

The young clerk looked at the tall, handsome young man in the distance, then at the charming, exotic beauty before him. His expression became incredibly vivid; he smiled awkwardly, neither agreeing nor refusing. This plot... he had only ever seen it in TV dramas.

Wen Wan didn't mind. She said it purely as a "better safe than sorry" measure. Based on her understanding of the previously naive Yu Bai, he wouldn't ask any questions. But this kid lately... seemed different somehow. She had to be prepared.

She took the key card and walked back to Yu Bai, waving it. "Let's go, the room is ready."

Yu Bai stood up and followed her naturally toward the elevator, never asking once whether it was a single room or a suite.

Wen Wan glanced at his calm profile from the corner of her eye, a little smugness bubbling up inside. Little guy~ I thought you were hard to handle, but aren't you just following your sister obediently?

"Ding." The elevator reached their floor.

Walking to the room door, Wen Wan swiped the card to open it.

Yu Bai followed her in. His gaze swept across the spacious living room, the open kitchen area, and the corridor leading to the inner rooms. His brow furrowed immediately. "You only booked one room?"

Wen Wan threw her bag onto the sofa, turned around, crossed her arms, and pouted slightly, her face full of "how could you think that of me" grievance. "What's wrong? Student Yu Bai, what kind of unhealthy things are you thinking about? Are you afraid I'm going to eat you?"

She pointed at the room. "Look clearly, this is a suite! There are three bedrooms! And such a big living room. Sleep in whichever one you like, you pick first, okay? Honestly, do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Yu Bai was silenced by her retort. Looking at the genuinely spacious layout of the suite, his doubts were dispelled, replaced instead by a small pang of guilt. It was true; dressed like that, she must have had plans for the night—maybe a date or a party. She'd been called over by his one phone call to act as a driver, driving for two hours in the night... and now he was accusing her, which was a bit ungentlemanly. Perhaps she was a little scared to stay in a room alone? Whatever.

"Alright then."

Yu Bai said nothing more and dragged his luggage to the largest bedroom with a balcony.

Putting his things down, Yu Bai said to Wen Wan, who was fixing her hair, "You go ahead and shower first. I need to call my parents."

"Okay~"

Wen Wan responded cheerfully and walked into the only bathroom, humming a tune.

Yu Bai shook his head and called Yu Yun and Shen Muwan separately, explaining the situation concisely: he had arrived in Leicester, the loan to Leicester City was basically settled and might be officially announced soon, so they shouldn't worry.

On the phone, Yu Yun excitedly shouted that he wanted to come and watch his debut for Leicester City, while Shen Muwan gave detailed instructions to take care of his health and safety, her tone rarely soft.

By the time he finished his calls, the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped.

After a while, the bathroom door opened, and Wen Wan came out wearing a bathrobe. Her wet hair clung to her cheeks. Without makeup, she was less seductive and more fresh, but her expression was somewhat awkward and uneasy.

"Um... Xiao Bai..."

Her voice was small, tinged with annoyance. "The clothes I was wearing just now accidentally fell on the floor and got all wet. I forgot to bring a change of clothes. Could you lend me something to wear for now?"

She blinked those innocent big eyes, her long eyelashes still damp with water droplets.

Yu Bai was stunned and instinctively said, "Are you crazy? How would I have any clothes you could wear?"

Wen Wan's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had discovered treasure. She stared intensely at the simple white cotton shirt Yu Bai was wearing:

"That white shirt you're wearing is one I bought for you last time. I remember the brand; I even tried it on in the store! I can wear it as a dress!"

Her reasoning sounded... actually kind of logical?

Yu Bai was defeated by her logic. Looking at her wrapped in a towel, looking pitiful, and remembering that she had indeed bought the shirt for him... "Fine, fine, fine, take it."

Resigned, he turned his back, quickly took off the white shirt, and tossed it to her. He was left wearing only a tank top. "Put it on quickly, don't catch a cold. I'm going to shower, I'm tired."

He escaped into the bathroom, closed the door, and let out a long sigh of relief.

However, before that breath was even fully released, his gaze was pinned to something by the sink—

"Hiss—"

Yu Bai gasped, instantly feeling the bathroom temperature soar by ten degrees.

There, casually draped, was the purple lace underwear Wen Wan had changed out of. The style... was quite provocative.

Under the bright bathroom lights, that splash of purple and the delicate lace trim exuded a strong, impossible-to-ignore presence.

Yu Bai felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head with a "boom," and the tips of his ears instantly turned scorching hot.

He turned around abruptly, turned on the shower, and rinsed his body with cool water, trying to calm himself down. But his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, occasionally glancing in that direction uncontrollably.

The warm water flowing over his skin didn't cool him down; instead, it made that inexplicable heat even more acute.

He could feel his heart rate accelerating, his body temperature rising, and his cheeks burning alarmingly hot.

"This woman..."

He closed his eyes and muttered through gritted teeth, unsure if it was anger or some other emotion.

Finishing his shower quickly, Yu Bai came out wrapped in a bath towel, having mentally prepared himself. But as soon as he looked up, his breath hitched at the sight in the living room.

Wen Wan was curled up on the sofa, holding a tablet and scrolling through something.

She was really only wearing that white shirt of Yu Bai's.

The shirt was indeed oversized for her; the hem just covered the tops of her thighs, revealing a pair of long, straight, dazzlingly white legs.

She wasn't wearing shoes, her bare feet resting on the carpet.

Because she wasn't wearing a bra, the collar of the shirt was slightly open, revealing a segment of her delicate collarbone and her faint curves.

Her wet hair was draped casually, her makeup-free face clean and flushed from the bath. Under the soft lighting, she possessed a fatal attraction that blended innocence and desire.

Yu Bai felt his throat go dry and instinctively swallowed.

He looked away, his voice tight. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

With that, he walked quickly into his room without looking back and slammed the door shut with a "bang."

Back in his room, he immediately threw himself onto the bed and buried his face in the pillow. Then, he jumped up, found the remote for the air conditioner, and cranked the temperature down several degrees. Only when the cold air started blowing did he feel the heat in his body subside a little.

In the living room, Wen Wan was scrolling through IG, a triumphant smile on her lips. Sure enough, she found the scoop from a Tottenham reporter: "Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City have reached an agreement in principle regarding the loan of young player Yu Bai for one year. This 17-year-old midfielder performed outstandingly in his Premier League debut, and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri favors him highly."

She smiled and put down the tablet, only then realizing her stomach was growling. She hadn't eaten dinner, too busy "making trouble" and driving.

She walked to Yu Bai's door, wanting to ask if he wanted a late-night snack. She knocked gently twice, but there was no response.

"Asleep? That tired?"

She muttered, trying the doorknob—it wasn't locked?

She pushed the door open gently. Only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room.

Yu Bai was already asleep, his breathing even. But the quilt only covered him to his waist; his upper body was exposed, and the cold air from the AC was blowing directly on him.

"Honestly, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Wen Wan complained softly, with a touch of tenderness she didn't even realize, and walked over to pull the quilt up for him.

However, just as she leaned over and her fingers were about to touch the corner of the quilt, she froze. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively covered her mouth.

Under the quilt, the outline of a certain part of Yu Bai's lower body, due to his sleeping posture and the fabric, was clearly, stubbornly, and "erectly" bulging with an impossible-to-ignore curve.

Wen Wan's face turned bright red in a flash, her heart pounding wildly.

She wasn't an ignorant little girl, but the visual impact was just too strong, and the subject was Yu Bai...

Just then, Yu Bai mumbled something vaguely in his sleep, turned over, and his sleep-talk was clearly audible:

"Purple..."

"...Purple."

Wen Wan: "!!!"

She pulled her hand back as if burned, her heart nearly jumping out of her throat!

He... he was talking in his sleep? Purple? What purple? Could it be... could it be...

She instantly associated it with the purple underwear she had worn today, the flush on her face quickly spreading to the roots of her neck, and her ears burning up.

He saw it! And he was talking about it in his dreams!

She scrambled to tuck the quilt in for Yu Bai, dashed out of the room as if fleeing, and gently closed the door.

Leaning against the cold door, she pressed her hand to her wildly beating heart, feeling her cheeks hot enough to fry an egg.

After standing there stunned for a long while, she remembered the late-night snack and used her slightly trembling fingers to order room service.

While waiting for the food, she walked to the bathroom, intending to wash the clothes she had changed out of.

When her hand picked up the purple underwear, she paused again, the image of Yu Bai mumbling in his sleep seemingly reappearing before her eyes, and the heat that had just subsided on her face surged back up.

"That was... exciting..."

The next morning, the storm landed right on time.

At 9:00 AM sharp, Leicester City Football Club's official Twitter and website simultaneously released an announcement:

"We are pleased to announce that the club has signed talented midfielder Yu Bai on loan from Tottenham Hotspur for one season."

"This 17-year-old player had an impressive debut in the Premier League, and we look forward to him showcasing his talent at King Power Stadium."

"Welcome to Leicester City, Yu Bai!"

Almost simultaneously, Tottenham Hotspur also released an official message:

"The club confirms that youth player Yu Bai has joined Leicester City on a one-season loan. We believe this loan experience will contribute to Yu Bai's growth and development."

"Good luck, Yu Bai!"