Chapter 037: The Court General

“I forgot to mention, I’m still treating this as a training exercise. I believe we will definitely advance to the Southeast Division, where we’ll encounter various strong teams and situations. Letting Zhou Zhexiao play point guard is also to prepare for unexpected emergencies.” Ling Huanzhen walked over and patted Shuai Bei on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, the Zhou Zhexiao you worship isn’t just a top-tier forward; he’s a super-class guard too.”

Shuai Bei’s face suddenly turned red, and he muttered, “Who worships him?! I only worship myself!”

Everyone lowered their heads, struggling to hold back their laughter.

“Ye Chaoying, you’re starting this time too.”

Ye Chaoying was stunned, pointing at himself. “Me? I can still start? Didn’t you put Zhou Zhexiao at point guard?”

“Your role is crucial. I want you to cut off the connection between their point guard, Li Jia, and shooting guard, Jiang Yang. Make the Finance University’s ‘Backcourt Duo’ completely misfire. Incidentally, restrict Li Jia’s passing ability.”

“Aggressive defense, increase harassment steals?” Ye Chaoying asked.

“Correct!” Ling Huanzhen pointed at Ye Chaoying and said with great confidence, “You are the Steal King of Jin Province!”

“Speaking of which, can’t I break out of Jin Province and go national?” Ye Chaoying crossed his arms and said grumpily.

“National? As far as I know, there’s a guy named Lu Yingnan, right?” Ling Huanzhen looked at Cheng Qing, who was standing to the side.

Cheng Qing nodded. “Indeed, Lu Yingnan from Southwest Aviation University was also one of the Top Five University Players last year.”

“Hmph, this year he won’t be.” Ye Chaoying tilted his head to the side.

“With our current configuration, the offense feels a bit brittle. Are we just relying on Shuai Bei and Du He?” Chen Chuan looked worriedly at He Bin.

Such a lineup would make it very difficult for He Bin to play shooting guard. But if Chen Chuan played small forward, even he felt he wasn’t sharp enough.

“Xia Chiyi, for this game, you are the scoring core. Whether it’s long-range shots or cutting into the paint, do not hesitate.”

The weight of the words “scoring core” pressed heavily on Xia Chiyi’s heart.

---

On Saturday and Sunday, Ling Huanzhen arranged tactical training specifically targeting Finance University to counter their offensive zone defense.

By evening, Xia Chiyi’s equipment training was paused, but the “21-point shooting drill” continued.

Considering the game was on Monday, Jiao Yingfeng appropriately reduced the intensity and let Xia Chiyi go an hour early.

Xia Chiyi, however, leaned in front of Jiao Yingfeng. “Master, Master, I want to ask, have you ever played small forward?”

Jiao Yingfeng, who was packing up his things, laughed and ruffled Xia Chiyi’s hair. “Yo, your coach asks you to play swingman, and now you’re nervous?”

“Sigh, my switch-hand layups and hook shots are decent, right? I just don’t have those fancy dunks or double-clutches like the big shots. What I mean is, I haven’t practiced shielding the ball with my left hand during layups enough. I’m not as good as Chen Hao from Finance University in that regard.”

Seeing Xia Chiyi’s slightly pouting, serious face, Jiao Yingfeng knocked on his forehead.

“Thinking about practicing it now won’t be in time for Monday’s performance. But Old Fan and I do think you need to strengthen that area. In your 21-point layup drills, you need to use your left hand to block the elastic balls we throw while driving to the basket.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I know that drill!”

“Yeah, so your speed in the 21-point drill might slow down.”

“It’ll get faster with practice.” Xia Chiyi leaned in, resting his chin on Jiao Yingfeng’s shoulder. “Master, I want to learn defense. If an opponent shields the ball with their left hand for a layup, how do I block them?”

Jiao Yingfeng smiled and looked towards the door. Zhou Zhexiao had just finished his equipment training and came down to use the shower.

“Zhou Zhexiao, come demonstrate for Xia Chiyi.”

“Demonstrate what?” Zhou Zhexiao had a towel draped over his shoulders. It wasn’t clear if he had rinsed his hair, but water droplets clung to the strands, sliding down the bridge of his nose and the tips of his eyebrows.

Xia Chiyi was drinking a sports drink. Looking up and seeing this scene, he suddenly remembered how this guy looked leaning against the lamppost that night. Xia Chiyi silently lowered his head. He said he was easy to trick, but someone like Zhou Zhexiao was the one likely to give people… other ideas, right?

Jiao Yingfeng said, “I’ll do a guarded layup. Old Fan and Zhou Zhexiao will be the defense. Zhou Zhexiao, show Xia Chiyi how to block an opponent when they are shielding the ball.”

“You won’t get sent flying, will you?” Zhou Zhexiao said indifferently.

Jiao Yingfeng instantly flared up. “What is that supposed to mean? Is my physical confrontation that bad? Even if I’m not a brute like Ling Huanzhen, I can still dunk, okay!”

“Then come on.”

Hearing their argument, Old Fan walked out chuckling, rolling his shoulders as he went.

“This is getting interesting. Little Xia, watch carefully! Jiao Yingfeng dunking is a rare sight.”

“I’m not dunking; I’m doing a left-hand guarded layup.”

Zhou Zhexiao nodded. “So, in front of me, you still don’t dare to dunk.”

Jiao Yingfeng exhaled, giving up on the banter. “Fine, whatever you say is right.”

Xia Chiyi went to the sidelines, exhaled, and fixed his eyes on Jiao Yingfeng.

Jiao Yingfeng started quickly, rushing into the paint. Zhou Zhexiao and Fan Qingliang followed him closely. When Jiao Yingfeng jumped under the basket, he raised his left hand high, effectively blocking Fan Qingliang’s attempt. Impressive!

Bang—

The ball was swiped away by Zhou Zhexiao. Jiao Yingfeng shot at nothing.

Zhou Zhexiao landed, dribbled forward two steps, then stopped and looked at Xia Chiyi. “Did you see clearly? Even if the opponent raises their left hand to shield the ball, it’s not unsolvable.”

Xia Chiyi twisted his waist and moved his shoulders where he stood. “I think I saw it. You deliberately jumped from diagonally behind Jiao Yingfeng and swiped the ball from between his head and arm. But doing that… it’s so easy to foul!”

But Zhou Zhexiao’s control over strength and distance was perfection. Not only did his arm not touch Jiao Yingfeng, but even his body after jumping didn’t impact him. Xia Chiyi didn’t think he could have that kind of control in a tense game.

“Let’s do it again.” Zhou Zhexiao looked at Jiao Yingfeng.

“Sure.” Jiao Yingfeng caught the ball and said to Xia Chiyi, “Stand opposite Zhou Zhexiao, you’ll see it clearer.”

So, the three of them demonstrated for Xia Chiyi again.

This time, Jiao Yingfeng’s shielding arm was still strong, and Fan Qingliang had zero chance to block in the air.

Zhou Zhexiao’s jump angle was still from Jiao Yingfeng’s rear side, only this time, Xia Chiyi clearly saw every detail of how Zhou Zhexiao hooked the ball away. The most important thing was the jumping position.

“Understand?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Yeah.” Xia Chiyi nodded.

Jiao Yingfeng laughed. “Don’t let it be a case of ‘understood at a glance, useless upon trying’.”

Xia Chiyi rubbed the back of his head, then said to Zhou Zhexiao, “Come on, practice a few rounds with me?”

Zhou Zhexiao asked back, “Oh, what’s in it for me?”

“You play with my phone every day; shouldn’t you pay a rental fee?”

“…I already paid.”

“Monetary payment doesn’t count.”

Zhou Zhexiao: “…”

Jiao Yingfeng held back a laugh. It was the first time he had seen that helpless expression on Zhou Zhexiao’s face.

Xia Chiyi went to the center line. Zhou Zhexiao dribbled the ball in front of him, then suddenly accelerated towards the hoop.

Recent training had greatly improved Xia Chiyi’s sprint speed. When Zhou Zhexiao jumped under the basket, Xia Chiyi braked instantly, gauged the distance, and jumped as well. He turned his body slightly sideways and extended his arm, but ended up pasting it against Zhou Zhexiao’s cheek.

Zhou Zhexiao changed his layup to a dunk. In that moment, his body tensed up, resisting all interference forces. Xia Chiyi felt the illusion of being bounced off by the other’s back.

Upon landing, Zhou Zhexiao said calmly, “Foul. And-one.”

Standing on the sidelines, Fan Qingliang’s gaze followed Zhou Zhexiao as he whispered, “Too similar.”

“Hm?”

“I said Zhou Zhexiao… is too similar to Sheng Xingming,” Fan Qingliang said meaningfully.

Jiao Yingfeng lowered his eyes and smiled. “So, you want to focus on grooming Zhou Zhexiao?”

“He doesn’t seem to have any of the flaws Sheng Xingming had when he was young. Because of that… there’s nothing I can help him with. Compared to Zhou Zhexiao, I enjoy the feeling of digging for treasure more. Every layer of soil removed reveals a new harvest.” Fan Qingliang looked at Xia Chiyi and smiled.

At this moment, Xia Chiyi failed to steal the ball again, his chin slamming into Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder.

“Ugh…” Upon landing, tears welled up in the corners of Xia Chiyi’s eyes from the pain.

Zhou Zhexiao was completely fine. He wiped the corner of Xia Chiyi’s eye with his fingertip. “Hey, do you want me to buy you a transparent mouthguard?”

“I don’t think so…”

Unexpectedly, Fan Qingliang and Jiao Yingfeng on the sidelines nodded in unison.

“Right, almost forgot. Buy a mouthguard.”

“Back then, Sheng Xingming had a molar knocked out. For two whole weeks, he could only drink broccoli juice.”

Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin. “If you don’t wear a mouthguard, be careful you won’t even be able to chew boiled fish slices later.”

Is it that serious?

Xia Chiyi compromised. “Buy… it is…”

---

By Sunday night’s training, Fan Qingliang and Jiao Yingfeng once again reserved two hours for Xia Chiyi to practice defense under the basket.

“This requires too much precision. One step forward is a defensive foul; one step back makes it useless.” Although Fan Qingliang thought Xia Chiyi’s practice might be futile, he wouldn’t stop the young man from trying.

“Yeah, Sheng Xingming was an expert in this field back then. Asian athletes couldn’t match the strength of burly Western players under the basket, but that guy wasn’t resigned to it. Playing as a guard, he’d still go provoke opponents under the rim from time to time. He played to his strengths and avoided weaknesses, dodging physical collisions with those big guys as much as possible, using double-clutches and hand switches to score.”

So, the reason Xia Chiyi couldn’t steal the ball from Zhou Zhexiao in the air wasn’t because he was learning too slowly, but because Zhou Zhexiao was an expert at aerial ball protection.

Zhou Zhexiao knew perfectly well which angles and postures prevented attacks from behind.

In that hour and a half, Xia Chiyi failed countless times.

Each time, he would close his eyes to reflect, even gesturing in the air around Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao looked down at his slightly pouting mouth and whispered, “You could hang a keychain on that.”

“Huh?”

Two seconds later, Xia Chiyi realized what Zhou Zhexiao meant. He touched the tip of his nose in embarrassment. “I can’t help it. When I was a kid and encountered a problem I couldn’t solve, I liked to balance my pen on my mouth. Over time, it became a habit. Whenever I think, my mouth pouts. A keychain won’t work, but a pen fits.”

“Try it when we get back,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Thinking the other guy was teasing him, Xia Chiyi didn’t hesitate to lift his knee and bump Zhou Zhexiao’s lower back. “Again!”

They practiced back and forth no less than two hundred times. Gradually, Xia Chiyi seemed to truly find the trick, managing to hook the ball out of Zhou Zhexiao’s hands.

Unfortunately, before he could stay excited for two seconds, Zhou Zhexiao swiped the ball back upon landing, turned, and shot immediately. Xia Chiyi didn’t even have a chance to lift his arm.

“Holy cr—”

“So, blocking or stealing isn’t the end. You have to protect the ball after landing.”

Seeing Xia Chiyi’s unhappy little expression, Fan Qingliang smiled. “Actually, teaching Xia Chiyi is also an improvement for my own patience.”

“How so?” Jiao Yingfeng asked.

“Haven’t you noticed? No matter what training plan we propose, Xia Chiyi’s first reaction is ‘what is its purpose’, not ‘can I complete it’. I calculated it; from yesterday to today, he has failed to stop Zhou Zhexiao over five hundred times, but he hasn’t lost his temper at Zhou Zhexiao once, nor shown a hint of impatience.”

“To him, the stronger the opponent, the more interesting it is.” Jiao Yingfeng exhaled and checked the watch on his wrist. “Although I really want to watch him continue to eat dust from Zhou Zhexiao under the basket, we can’t afford any mistakes in tomorrow’s game. Time to chase them back to sleep.”

As a result, that night, Xia Chiyi lay in his dorm bed. The moment he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the image of Zhou Zhexiao leaping for a left-handed layup. He tried to defend him from various angles in his mind. Following the movements in his head, Xia Chiyi tossed to the left, then turned to the right.

Zhou Zhexiao, whose head was opposite his, let out a long sigh.

“What are you thinking about now?”

“I’m simulating how to slap your ball away in my mind,” Xia Chiyi answered, pulling the quilt over his nose and curling up, giving Zhou Zhexiao no chance to pinch his nose.

“Then think hard.”

“Huh? You changed your nature? Usually, you’d pinch me.” Xia Chiyi propped up his upper body, trying to see Zhou Zhexiao’s expression clearly.

“I permit it. You can think of me a few more times in your head.”

“Ah?”

“Every time is a lesson in failure.”

“Damn it, I want to fight you!”

“Then come over and fight.”

“Can’t win. Sleeping!”

---

The next morning, the basketball team members gathered at the school gate and boarded the bus.

Today was the battle for the provincial championship. It was said that the principals of both universities would be there to cheer, and even leaders from the Sports Bureau would attend.

Even Shuai Bei, who was usually incredibly arrogant, looked nervous. He probably didn’t realize it himself, but from boarding the bus to taking his seat, his brows were tightly furrowed.

Du He wasn’t much better. Hearing that the school team had made it to the finals to battle Finance University for supremacy, his parents had actually driven from their hometown county to stay in a hotel near the basketball arena just to see their son’s heroic performance this morning.

Du He had been video calling his parents on the bus, and even pointed the camera at Ling Huanzhen: “Dad, Mom, look, this is my coach, Ling Huanzhen! The strongest power forward, the boss of the national team!”

Ling Huanzhen felt a bit embarrassed being praised like that. Dropping his airs, he politely greeted Du He’s parents. “Hello Uncle, Auntie. With Du He in my hands, please rest assured!”

In the back row, Xia Chiyi covered his mouth and laughed, whispering, “What’s with ‘in my hands’? Is this a son-in-law visiting the in-laws?”

Du He’s parents were very excited, going on about how “This is the Chen Jingrun and Hawking of the basketball world,” making Ling Huanzhen even more embarrassed.

“Dad, Mom, this is my teammate Zhou Zhexiao. He came back from America, super amazing!” Du He pointed the camera at Zhou Zhexiao.

Du He’s parents immediately started saying things like “Thank you for your help,” “Du He said you taught him a lot of English words,” and “Du He really admires you.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s expression didn’t change at all. Beside him, Xia Chiyi felt embarrassed on behalf of Du He’s parents.

Du He said awkwardly, “Sorry, my parents talk a bit too much, I’ll just…”

“Thank you for the affirmation, Uncle and Auntie. In today’s game, I will pass to Du He a lot. We’ll strive to let him score 20 points.”

Before Du He could move the phone away, Zhou Zhexiao suddenly spoke.

Although there was still no smile, that sincere expression, looking serious and humble—here it comes, Zhou Zhexiao’s signature skill for dealing with dorm supervisors: Acting well-behaved!

The awkward atmosphere was swept away, and Du He’s parents grinned from ear to ear.

Little Fatty (Xiao Pang) opened his phone and checked his Weibo. Many people were cheering for the Ningchang University basketball team.

Of course, there were also many predicting they would lose to Finance University.

[Finance U is known as the Mighty Army of Jin Province; their status isn’t something Ningchang University can shake. Just do your best, little brothers. Blessings~]

[To put it bluntly, Ningchang University has such high attention because of Ling Huanzhen and the handsome players attracting a wave of fangirls!]

[Basketball is about skill and stamina; you can’t score with your face!]

[Finance U’s defensive ability is first-class in the province. No matter how fast #15 releases the ball, Finance U will definitely have a way to limit him!]

[Maybe #15 will play point guard this time too? But Finance U’s Li Jia is the number one point guard in the province, right?]

…

Little Fatty felt a stifled breath in his chest, stuck halfway. Just as he wanted to argue with those naysayers, he unexpectedly received a private message on Weibo from Xu Mi: [Don’t mind the negative comments from others. Believe in the victory you persist in. In my experience, every time they spray me the hardest on Weibo, it’s not long before they get slapped in the face so hard their teeth fly out.]

“Hehe.” Little Fatty couldn’t help but laugh.

When they entered the basketball arena, they couldn’t help but let out sounds of awe.

This time, every seat was truly taken. The student lineup from Finance University was powerful, holding up banners displaying their school motto.

The entire faculty and student body wore bright yellow T-shirts, practically blinding their opponents.

Ye Chaoying rubbed his eyes. “Holy crap… As expected of Finance U, it feels like the other side is a giant vault of gold!”

And the other side had a drum and bugle corps, which directly played the school anthem while all the teachers and students sang along.

“Why do I feel like… Finance U has already won the Olympic gold medal?” Chen Chuan couldn’t help but complain.

“You have to believe the Student Union came prepared. If they couldn’t even handle this, they’d be drowned in spit on the forums.” He Bin smiled.

After Finance U’s school anthem finished, a “Woo-la-la-la” sound came from behind Xia Chiyi. Everyone turned around to see that, like a magic trick, the spectator stands had formed the words “Ningchang University” using orange and white cultural shirts.

“Ah, I really feel like I’m participating in the Olympics now,” Xia Chiyi said dazedly.

Immediately following was the sound of Boom—Boom—Boom drumming.

Two large drums were placed on the left and right sides of their phalanx. When struck, they sounded like rolling thunder. Once this posture was set, the opposing drum and bugle corps looked weak in comparison.

Then the majestic school anthem began. No music, just the drumbeats of the big drums, straightforward and atmospheric.

“Fuck, I remember now. Those two drummer bros seemed to have won first place in folk music at the city’s Dragon Boat Festival last year just by drumming,” Chen Shen said.

Xia Chiyi revealed a “my horizons have been broadened” expression and applauded supportively. “Ningchang University, hiding tigers and crouching dragons!”

Both teams began to warm up. The shouting of slogans from both schools almost split Xia Chiyi’s eardrums.

I wonder if the Student Union prepared throat lozenges for everyone.

Caught between the two schools, Xu Mi had to cover her ears, deeply feeling the hot blood of Jin Province university students. The scene was like the World University Games.

Finance University was different from provincial powerhouses like Chengjiang University or the Normal University. This school team had rich competition experience, having reached the Southeast Division for six consecutive years, ranking between eighth and tenth. They were the undisputed pride of Jin Province.

Facing such a strong team, Xu Mi stared at Ling Huanzhen on the sidelines, thinking: Coach Ling, will you continue to keep Zhou Zhexiao as a hidden piece? Will you still let Xia Chiyi sit on the sidelines and watch?

Ling Huanzhen called the players to his side for a final confirmation of tactics and points of attention.

“Ye Chaoying, you remember what you need to do, right?”

Ye Chaoying tugged at his waistband. “Remember, remember. I’m not at the age where I need to take brain supplements.”

Ling Huanzhen leaned close to him and whispered, “Zhou Zhexiao will coordinate with you. Try your best to make their point guard Li Jia and shooting guard Jiang Yang run full court.”

“Oh—” Ye Chaoying raised an eyebrow. “You want me to be cannon fodder!”

“Cannon fodder has ranks too. Are you a little firecracker?”

“Pfft, who dares say I’m small? I’ll explode until green smoke rises from their ancestral graves!”

“Then unleash nuclear-level power and blow them until no bones remain.”

“Copy that.” Ye Chaoying tapped his temple with two fingers.

He understood Ling Huanzhen’s intention. Jiang Yang, that turret, was a big trouble; his battery had to be drained as quickly as possible.

Severing the connection between the turret Jiang Yang and Li Jia was about making the turret run himself ragged because he couldn’t receive ammunition.

Once those two were worn out, it would be time for their turret to show his skills. He Bin coming onto the court at that time would handle things with ease.

“Xia Chiyi, remember, you must coordinate with Du He and Shuai Bei to strengthen the defense under the basket. You also need to make up for our lack of forwards. When you should cut, cut decisively. They will definitely focus their defense on your mid-to-long-range shots, so you might as well give them something fresh.”

“Copy!” Xia Chiyi took a deep breath.

“Du He, Shuai Bei, you two have always been stable. But facing Finance U… they have rich game experience and know how to draw fouls. Be careful on defense; don’t be incited or lured by them.”

“Copy!”

“Understood!”

“Alright, if we win today, I’ve prepared gifts for you!” Ling Huanzhen announced.

“It wouldn’t be your signed photo, would it? Coach, you’ve already retired. There’s a saying—people leave, the tea cools… Your signature can’t sell for much anymore…”

The next second, Ye Chaoying received a bonk on the head with a rolled-up magazine.

The referee signaled that time was up. Players from both teams took the court and stood in position.

Before the jump ball, Zhou Zhexiao whispered in Du He’s ear, “Whether you win or lose the jump ball, ignore everything after landing and rush directly to the opponent’s basket.”

“Opponent’s basket?” Du He asked.

“Yeah.” Zhou Zhexiao raised his eyelids slowly. “Don’t have the speed?”

Du He took a deep breath, glanced at where his parents were sitting, and felt like he was pumped with adrenaline. He nodded. “I do!”

As the ball was tossed high, the entire arena let out a “Ooh—” sound. Both centers jumped. Du He’s fingertips just touched the ball, but the opponent slapped it forcefully toward their point guard, Li Jia.

Li Jia stretched out his arm, about to catch the ball, when someone beat him to it and scooped the ball away!

“What—”

“Fast break—” Zhou Zhexiao’s roar came. His opening interception left Finance University dumbfounded.

The moment Du He landed, he rushed toward the basket recklessly.

Zhou Zhexiao’s dribbling speed was extremely fast, as if he had predicted an unblockable path in advance. He cut directly into the opponent’s paint, finally encountering the interception of Chen Hao and the opposing power forward. Zhou Zhexiao casually tossed the ball out from between their outstretched arms.

“A floater?” Chen Hao judged that the parabola didn’t look like one.

The next second, Clang—, Du He caught the ball in the air and dunked it directly.

A cheer erupted from the Ningchang University camp.

In the stands, Du He’s parents hugged each other excitedly.

“Did you see that? Did you see? That’s my son!”

“He caught the ball in the air and dunked it in. Isn’t he super amazing?”

After landing, Du He looked at Zhou Zhexiao, who shook his index finger at him, meaning: First ball.

As the others retreated to their own basket, they glanced at Zhou Zhexiao’s calm expression out of the corners of their eyes.

Everyone inexplicably reached a consensus: When Zhou Zhexiao said he’d let Du He score 20 points, he wasn’t just being polite!

Meanwhile, Li Jia, who was dribbling the ball, secretly exhaled.

When Zhou Zhexiao stole the ball, he clearly wasn’t near him. How did he teleport over?

More importantly, his dribbling speed was too fast, and his mentality was incredibly strong.

Li Jia exchanged glances with Chen Hao and Jiang Yang. They decided to use the “Horns” tactic to set double screens.

Li Jia brought the ball up, pressing straight for Ningchang University’s three-point line. He carefully observed Zhou Zhexiao’s position, calculating Ningchang University’s defense in his mind. Then he noticed Ye Chaoying’s eyes; that guy was staring right at him.

So Li Jia made a fake pass, pretending to pass to Chen Hao, but actually passing to Jiang Yang, who was further away from Ye Chaoying.

Smack— Ye Chaoying wasn’t fooled by his fake move at all. He intercepted the ball at full speed, nearly falling due to the speed and inertia.

But Zhou Zhexiao arrived at Ye Chaoying’s side in time and took the ball.

Ningchang University launched another fast break. Xia Chiyi was already rushing to the three-point line, while Du He charged into the opponent’s paint to take a favorable position.

Zhou Zhexiao seemed to deliberately imitate Li Jia, raising his hand as if to throw the ball to Xia Chiyi. The Finance U players hurriedly moved to help defend, but Zhou Zhexiao changed the direction of the pass before landing, giving it to Du He.

Du He, in a prime position, only had to catch the ball and put it in the basket.

Ningchang University erupted in cheers again.

This was Zhou Zhexiao’s counterattack against Finance U’s point guard, as if saying: What kind of garbage double screen was that? Let me teach you.

Li Jia took a deep breath to calm his mind. This was already the second ball stolen from him.

Finance U’s coach frowned at this moment, wondering what Zhou Zhexiao’s style was. He hadn’t played in the previous game against Chengjiang College, so they thought he was truly injured and unfit to play. But looking at it today, once he launched a fast break, he was simply unstoppable.

For the rest of the first quarter, Zhou Zhexiao fulfilled his promise to Du He’s parents. With all kinds of god-tier positioning, he utilized Xia Chiyi’s perimeter shooting and Ye Chaoying’s steals to form a massive threat to Finance University, constantly disrupting their defensive rotations.

Du He only needed to look at Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes to know when to cut to the basket. Catching the ball meant scoring. He became a veritable point-farming king, racking up a full 20 points.

When the first quarter ended, Ningchang University actually led by 6 points.

If not for Chen Hao constantly seizing opportunities to score, the gap might have been even wider. Consequently, Chen Hao exhausted a large amount of stamina just in the first quarter.

Wiping sweat, Chen Hao looked back to observe the opponent.

Back in the KTV box, when Zhou Zhexiao came in and said he would play point guard, the three of them thought it was a smoke screen. When they mentioned it to their coach, they all felt that since Ningchang University already had sharp guards like Ye Chaoying and Xia Chiyi, there was no need to use Zhou Zhexiao in the most important finals.

But they never expected that Zhou Zhexiao was Ningchang University’s ace point guard.

Zhou Zhexiao telling them Ningchang University’s starting lineup so directly in the KTV was out of absolute confidence in himself.

During this short break, Ningchang University had already come up with new slogans.

“Ningchang University’s Zhou Zhexiao—Excellent Brain! High-speed Engine!”

“Ningchang University’s Zhou Zhexiao—Master of Control! King of Assists!”

Little Fatty, who was taking photos, was also inwardly excited. In the quarter just now, whenever Zhou Zhexiao decided to pass, it meant the situation on the court was already most favorable for Ningchang University. A pass out meant a score.

Xu Mi didn’t know how to describe her feelings at this moment. After all, she had witnessed Zhou Zhexiao’s extremely powerful explosiveness and technique, whether it was high-speed dunks or double-clutch layups. He was clearly a king on the offensive end, yet when he took a step back, he was the core brain connecting the whole team.

“Is this guy omnipotent?” Xu Mi was very excited inside. She thought Liu Suchen was the ceiling of the university league, but perhaps this ceiling was about to be shattered.

Someone from another school next to her was frantically taking pictures of Zhou Zhexiao with their phone.

“Wow, his eyes are so beautiful. How can he be so handsome?”

“Seeing him sitting on the bench before, I thought he was a substitute!”

“Have you ever seen such a formidable substitute? As soon as he started running, Finance University was thrown into chaos!”

Now, no one on the team doubted Zhou Zhexiao’s ability to play point guard. In front of him, Finance U’s defense crumbled like loose sand. His ability to read the game really seemed like he had a “God’s Eye View,” always predicting everyone’s positioning a step ahead.

Xia Chiyi stared at Zhou Zhexiao while drinking his beverage. That guy’s eyelashes were wet yet still curled stubbornly upwards. He raised a hand to slick back his hair, black strands slightly curling through his fingers. Xia Chiyi seemed to hear people in the audience shouting “So handsome.”

Zhou Zhexiao seemed oblivious to the gazes from all directions, quietly wiping the sweat from his chin and changing his wristband.

Ah, it was the pilled wristband he had swapped with him before.

“Student Zhou Zhexiao, you were god-like in the first quarter. I can feel your fan count skyrocketing. Can’t you look a bit happier?” Ye Chaoying looked at his indifferent appearance, getting more annoyed the more he looked.

“Yeah, I think your condition is just so-so.” Ling Huanzhen drew a straight line with his finger. “Do you plan to keep Du He as the scoring center in the next quarter?”

“The scoring core for the next quarter is Shuai Bei. Du He, you need to set good screens for Shuai Bei,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Du He immediately nodded like pounding garlic. “No problem!”

Shuai Bei smiled. “Is this ‘sit in a row, share the fruit’? After Du He, it’s me. Is it Xia Chiyi’s turn in the quarter after that?”

“Xia Chiyi, have you forgotten your mission today? The more you cut to the basket, the more chaotic their defense against you will become.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s cold gaze swept over, snapping Xia Chiyi to attention.

Because Zhou Zhexiao’s organized offense was too smooth, Xia Chiyi had forgotten that the team’s forward line only had Du He and Shuai Bei, which was too thin. The opposition might be formulating tactics targeting exactly that.

“I remember.” Xia Chiyi nodded.

The second quarter began. The expressions on the faces of everyone from Finance University were very serious, forming a sharp contrast with Zhou Zhexiao’s unhurried attitude on the other side.

They thought the two guards, Li Jia and Jiang Yang, would have drained a lot of stamina, but their full-court running became even more aggressive. Furthermore, Li Jia no longer just connected with Jiang Yang; their power forward also joined the switching ranks. Whenever Ye Chaoying wanted to steal the ball, he would be blocked by that big hulk.

Ye Chaoying cursed that big guy ten thousand times in his mind.

Just as Jiang Yang thought he could catch the ball and score, the ball was intercepted less than a centimeter from his fingertips!

This time, it was Xia Chiyi!