Chapter 003: Underdog vs. Benchwarmer

Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin, as if that would help him overcome gravity and open his eyes.

Instinctively, he walked straight towards the round bed, kicked off his shoes, flopped onto it, pulled the duvet around himself, and rolled up like a burrito, leaving only a few strands of black hair and his forehead exposed.

Xia Chiyi wasn’t sure if this guy had actually seen the wild leopard print on the bed or the suggestive plastic rose, but it was clear Zhou Zhexiao’s energy tank was empty. Xia Chiyi couldn’t drag him to another destination now.

Resigning himself to fate, Xia Chiyi arranged Zhou Zhexiao’s shoes neatly to avoid tripping over them in the morning. When he looked up, he noticed something on the bedside table next to Zhou Zhexiao. He picked it up and was slightly surprised.

“It really is a Nokia 5230…” Xia Chiyi glanced at Zhou Zhexiao bundled in the duvet. “Impressive, bro. In this flashy, noisy era, there’s actually someone who can resist the temptation of smartphones.”

Xia Chiyi closed the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window, went to the other side of the bed, pulled the duvet over himself, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept before he was forced awake.

Every inch of skin touching the duvet was itching. He had to sit up and start scratching his neck, arms, and calves.

God, how am I supposed to sleep like this?

“Is this duvet poisonous… or did they not change it after the last guest used it?”

Xia Chiyi checked his phone and found it was already 9:00 AM. Next to him, Zhou Zhexiao was still sleeping soundly wrapped in the duvet, not even making a sound of breathing.

Is this guy still alive? How did he manage to stay in the same position all night?

Details from recent horror movies flooded his mind—stories about sleeping back-to-back with a roommate’s corpse all night.

Xia Chiyi cautiously leaned over and slowly pulled the duvet down. Zhou Zhexiao’s nose appeared bit by bit, his thick eyelashes resting on his eyelids. He looked very peaceful, like a sleeping beauty.

Just as Xia Chiyi brought his knuckles close to Zhou Zhexiao’s nose, his wrist was suddenly seized. The strength in the other’s fingers was immense, almost crushing Xia Chiyi’s wrist bone.

Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes snapped open, staring blankly at Xia Chiyi as if he hadn’t realized where he was, just startled awake from a nightmare.

Right, this guy was in a car accident. Did I scare him by touching him randomly?

“It’s okay, don’t be scared.” Xia Chiyi quickly used his other hand to stroke Zhou Zhexiao’s hair. So soft.

Zhou Zhexiao frowned, the muscles in his shoulders and back visibly tense, as the gentle and soothing voice of the boy reached his ears.

“This is a room in a homestay. You were too sleepy last night and fell asleep without even looking at the room clearly. I’m Xia Chiyi, who picked you up at the airport. Do you remember me?”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Sensing the other party lean a bit closer to him, Xia Chiyi grew bolder. He placed Zhou Zhexiao’s head on his shoulder and gently patted his back.

Warm body heat transferred to Zhou Zhexiao through the thin cotton T-shirt, and the faint sweet scent of oranges from Xia Chiyi’s neck spread out.

After a while, Xia Chiyi faintly heard the sound of lengthened breathing by his ear.

What? This guy fell asleep again?

“Wake up, hey, wake up?” Xia Chiyi shook his shoulder.

Zhou Zhexiao sat up looking bewildered. First, he rubbed his hair, then scratched his neck, and then, like Xia Chiyi, started scratching his arms.

“You’re itchy too?”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Feeling a sense of fairness, Xia Chiyi’s mood improved significantly. “The disinfectant on the sheets and duvet covers probably wasn’t rinsed clean, that’s why we feel itchy. Go wash up, I’ll take you for breakfast in a bit.”

“Okay.” Zhou Zhexiao put on his sneakers and went into the bathroom.

Xia Chiyi rested his chin on his hand, watching the silhouette through the frosted glass, thinking about how slightly awkward it was that both he and Zhou Zhexiao were covered in scratch marks.

But wasn’t this guy supposed to be rebellious? Why does he seem so well-behaved?

After a while, Zhou Zhexiao came out of the bathroom and said to Xia Chiyi, “The toothbrush is very hard.”

“Oh, bear with it. I’ll go to the supermarket with you later; you can buy one with softer bristles.”

When Xia Chiyi stood in front of the sink and spat out toothpaste foam streaked with blood, he suddenly realized Zhou Zhexiao hadn’t said the toothbrush was hard out of pickiness, but to remind him not to brush too hard.

Leaving the homestay, the two stood under the sunlight. Xia Chiyi stretched lazily. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Milk, boiled egg, chicken breast, broccoli,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

“Uh…”

Those were standard athlete foods, but hadn’t Zhou Zhexiao always not wanted to be an athlete? Was he this disciplined?

“We’re in college now, no need to be so restrained. Let’s eat something flavorful.”

Xia Chiyi gently tugged on his sleeve, signaling for him to follow. Ningchang had a huge variety of breakfast stalls.

As they passed a community basketball court, Xia Chiyi stopped in his tracks, and Zhou Zhexiao nearly bumped into him from behind.

Two tall men wearing provincial team sports jackets were walking towards them.

The one in front was smiling so wide his gums showed, constantly trying to get close to the girl next to him, who calmly stepped aside to avoid him.

“Mm?” Zhou Zhexiao made a nasal sound, seeming to ask why Xia Chiyi stopped.

Xia Chiyi turned his face away and sighed, thinking he shouldn’t have gone out without checking the almanac today. Otherwise, how could he run into Gao Qing and Lv Hang?

During the provincial team selection, relying on the guidance he received from Coach Ma since junior high, Gao Qing often looked down on people with his nostrils.

And Lv Hang always acted like a peacemaker, but in reality, he was just Gao Qing’s lackey.

Xia Chiyi didn’t want any confrontation. After all, he was about to start college, and the provincial team chapter was closed.

But when the girl next to Gao Qing saw Xia Chiyi, her eyes lit up and she called out, “Xia Chiyi, what are you doing here?”

Hands in pockets, Xia Chiyi glanced back. “Picking up my college roommate. Just passing through.”

Why didn’t I remember when picking the homestay yesterday that the provincial team trains nearby?

Gao Qing immediately put on the smug expression of a villain in a TV show. He looked back at Lv Hang. “Isn’t this Xia Chiyi! The best three-point shooter in our batch! But shooting well is useless. Nowadays, anyone can shoot. If your physical confrontation is weak—you’ll flip over with one bump. Such a cannon is useless!”

Lv Hang shook his head helplessly at Xia Chiyi, implying to just let Gao Qing run his mouth.

Who knew that after joining the provincial team, Gao Qing had become arrogant, and his trash talk had become endless.

He turned his head slightly and saw Zhou Zhexiao behind Xia Chiyi, getting even more excited.

“Oh—isn’t this Zhou Zhexiao? The elite from America’s Oak Hill Academy. You guys know Oak Hill Academy, right? The basketball powerhouse that produced over 40 NBA stars! Heard you got into a car accident, broke your legs, messed up your brain, and even got some PTSD, still seeing a psychiatrist? The NCAA didn’t want you, so you wanted to export yourself back to the domestic market, but didn’t expect our provincial team isn’t a recycling center either—”

Gao Qing met Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes. A cold light flashed past, and the air seemed to condense into a silent wave, pressing down with immense pressure. Gao Qing was jolted for a moment, but when he came back to his senses, Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze was very faint, so faint it was like he didn’t regard him as anything at all.

The girl grew impatient, frowning as she tugged at Gao Qing’s sports jacket. “Are you done yet?”

The girl’s name was Xu Mi, a talented student from the journalism department of the Communication University. She had a Weibo account with over 100,000 followers dedicated to reporting and reposting news related to the university league. Her commentary on matches was also excellent, and she had even been invited to be a commentator for games.

Because Xu Mi had a recommendation letter from her advisor, she had visited during the provincial team selection. At that time, she thought most highly of Xia Chiyi, which made Gao Qing insanely jealous. He told everyone he met that Xia Chiyi didn’t rely on skills to play basketball, but on his face.

“You made the provincial team, so why do you act like a jealous villain all day?” Xia Chiyi pointed at Zhou Zhexiao behind him. “Apologize to him.”

“Apologize? Why should I apologize to a loser dog? You guys can only bark now.”

There were a few middle school students playing on the community court. Because Gao Qing’s words were too harsh, they all stopped and stood there watching the drama.

Looking at Gao Qing’s eyes, Xia Chiyi raised his voice, “Zhou Zhexiao, is your brain working or broken?”

“…Working.”

“What about your legs? Broken or not?”

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his eyes, looking from his ankles up to his knees. Probably because he didn’t find any surgical scars, he replied, “Should be unbroken.”

“Then let’s test it.”

“Test what?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Whether us two loser dogs are better, or the provincial team’s benchwarmers are better.” Xia Chiyi tilted his head and looked at Gao Qing.

Gao Qing had been slightly unnerved by Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze, but hearing the word “benchwarmer” from Xia Chiyi felt like a needle stab. “Let’s compete then! Who’s afraid of whom!”

Lv Hang stood there stunned with his mouth half open, while Xu Mi sighed helplessly.

Gao Qing rudely marched onto the community court and said directly to the group of middle school students, “Hey kids over there, lend us your ball!”

The leader of the middle school students frowned. “We’re not kids, we’re in middle school!”

But intimidated by Gao Qing’s large build—1.96 meters tall plus recent muscle-building training—just lowering his head and getting close to the students created immense pressure. Added to his unfriendly expression and the authority of the provincial team uniform, the middle school students tossed him the ball.

Xia Chiyi stood on the sideline, rotating his shoulders. Zhou Zhexiao, seeming unaware that he was also part of this contest, stood beside Xia Chiyi with his arms hanging down.

“Let me introduce you. The one who can’t speak anything nice is Gao Qing. He plays power forward. The provincial team liked his strong physique and confrontation ability. And this guy has no sense of propriety; can’t tell if he’s playing basketball or driving a tank.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s expression remained faint as he repeated, “Strong confrontation ability…”

Xia Chiyi read the doubt in his expression and said seriously, “His confrontation ability really is strong.”

“Oh.”

Xia Chiyi gestured towards Lv Hang with his chin. “Lv Hang. Can play both forward and guard, but isn’t an expert in either. However, strong defensive ability, an expert in harassment and stealing.”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao responded, giving him face.

Although he didn’t know Zhou Zhexiao’s skill level or playing style, Xia Chiyi was confident. Even if Zhou Zhexiao just stood on the court as a mascot, he could handle Gao Qing and Lv Hang by himself!

“Just one quarter, ten minutes! Our time is precious, none to waste on you guys,” Gao Qing declared.

Xia Chiyi walked up to the group of middle school students and asked the leader, “Hey bro, what’s your name?”

The address “bro” was clearly well-received. The student replied, “Liu Shun.”

“Can you help keep time then?”

Liu Shun took out his phone and nodded. “No problem. Crush the guy with his nostrils in the air.”

Xia Chiyi laughed and returned to the court. “Alright, ten minutes. Let’s play full court.”

Gao Qing grinned. He wanted to show Xia Chiyi that his selection was deserved! There were gaps Xia Chiyi couldn’t cross just by working hard. In a sport like basketball that relies on height and explosive power, 186cm and 196cm were different! Someone with strong confrontation ability was different from someone who flipped over with one bump!

“Ladies first, college students start,” Lv Hang smiled gently, playing the good guy again.

“No need, respecting the old and cherishing the young is a traditional virtue.” Xia Chiyi lifted his chin.

Gao Qing grinned broadly. “Respecting the old and cherishing the young? Why don’t you ask that loser rejected by both the NCAA and the provincial team if he forgot to take his meds today!”