Chapter 306
When Blake saw the boy squatting down, yet keeping his eyes fixed on Indya, he instantly recognized that look. As a man, Blake understood it all too well. He squinted his eyes slightly and was about to stand up, but Shannon had already returned with the sandwich and shoved it into Lando’s hands.
Indya immediately supported Lando and took him to the lounge next door. Only after the whole team had walked off did Indya come back, carrying her bag. She sat right down beside Francesca without so much as glancing at Blake.
“A bunch of kids,” Indya slumped into the chair, exhausted. Getting up early was one thing, but why did she have to run around after a group of children? Francesca saw the state of her, twisted open a bottle of water, and handed it over. Indya murmured a thanks and tilted her head back to drink half of it in one go.
Chris asked, “Is this Lando a new recruit for the team? I didn’t see him at the last press conference.” Since his own wife had started doing business in the entertainment industry, Chris had also gotten into the habit of following entertainment news. He had watched the live broadcast of the last team signing. The team captain had still been the same, but this boy was someone he hadn’t seen before.
With her eyes closed, Indya replied, “Yeah. We poached him from another team at a high price. He’s never even been a substitute, came straight on as one of the starting lineups. Very capable–but he’s not been in good health. He gets stomachaches all the time.”
Shannon had been in the lounge the whole time. Seeing that Indya ignored him, Blake found it hard to endure. He put on his glasses and pretended to sleep. But Chris noticed Blake’s sour mood and deliberately asked, “Isn’t he just a newcomer? The team manager will take care of it. It’s only for this overseas match–after that you won’t have to bother with him.”
Jessica also said, “This time Shannon is the leader, let her handle it. You should stick close to Blake. Didn’t Sam say so? Blake is still pretty popular in Lonat. If you’re not around, someone might take advantage of him.”
Indya gave Blake a tired glance. Seeing him lying back with sunglasses on, she finally said, “We’re in the lounge. Nothing for me to worry about here. Don’t overthink it.”
Until the plane took off, Blake and Indya didn’t exchange a single word. But once they boarded, their seats happened to be side by side. That was when Indya noticed Blake’s foul mood. He kept a cold face, even when reaching for things, and didn’t say a word.
“What’s wrong with you?” Indya asked in puzzlement.
Blake took two sips of water, turned his head to glance at her, and said lightly, “Any random kid can make you worry, but you didn’t notice that I also had a stomachache?”
Indya was rendered speechless. She was genuinely stunned. She had been running around with the team the whole time, and when she came in, she had only seen Blake sleeping. She really hadn’t realized that he also had a stomachache.
“When did your stomach start hurting?” she asked.
The truth was, Blake did have a stomach condition. It was something left over from his time in filming crews. Whenever shooting started, he never knew when he could get a meal. On top of that, he had to maintain his figure, so he didn’t eat much. That was how the stomach trouble set in. Sam had even mentioned it to Indya, reminding her to pay attention to Blake’s meals. The doctor had warned that Blake couldn’t be hospitalized again–otherwise next time he would need surgery. Indya slapped her forehead, a little frustrated. She quickly pulled out the fruit and sandwich she had already prepared and handed them to Blake. “I really did forget. I’m so sorry. Sam told me before, but I was out early picking up the kids this morning. I could see at a glance that Lando had no appetite. With you lying there with your sunglasses on, I honestly didn’t notice.
The in-flight meal still had to wait a while, but Blake’s stomach was hurting badly. So Indya’s apology wasn’t that useful. He asked for some water and took a few bites of snacks.