Chapter 039: Expression of Love

“Back when you were studying in the United States, someone was selling this kind of magazine door-to-door. You bought one every month and hid them under your bed like a total fool. Later, when Sheng Xingming came to visit your ‘dog kennel’ apartment, your roommate Jiao Yingfeng was cleaning up and found the stack of magazines. You then knelt on that pile of magazines and swore to Jiao Yingfeng and Sheng Xingming that you wouldn’t use your meager living expenses to buy such magazines anymore.”

When Zhou Zhexiao recounted all this in a calm and composed tone, Ling Huanzhen immediately became the focal point of the entire school bus.

“Tsk, you make the story sound so real.” Ling Huanzhen didn’t bat an eyelid, wearing an expression that said, You’ve finally been tricked by me.

“Coach Ling, so that’s how you were back then! Coach Ling!” Ye Chaoying wore an exaggerated expression of shock. “You have failed my admiration for you.”

Ling Huanzhen rolled his eyes at Ye Chaoying. “Kid, give it a rest. Do you really think I don’t know you’re my anti-fan? I’ve compiled all the trash talk you’ve said about me into an Excel spreadsheet. Do you want to review it?”

Hearing this, Ye Chaoying shut his mouth immediately.

But the others were still surprised. Although the source of Zhou Zhexiao’s information was suspicious, he was Zhou Zhexiao. In everyone’s heart, Zhou Zhexiao wouldn’t lie; even his boasts were promises he would definitely keep. For example, when he promised Du He’s parents he would help Du He score 20 points, he delivered.

Ling Huanzhen curled the corner of his lips into a smile. “Zhou Zhexiao, people are just like that. If your own mind is in the gutter, everything you see looks filthy.”

Zhou Zhexiao stared motionlessly at Ling Huanzhen. Xia Chiyi felt like he could hear crackling sparks in the air between them.

“Xia Chiyi, be bold. Open the magazine. Let Zhou Zhexiao see whether he’s overthinking things, or if my brain is actually filled with trash.”

Ling Huanzhen revealed a smug expression.

Just as Xia Chiyi was about to open it, Zhou Zhexiao snatched it away. Surrounded by a gloomy, low-pressure aura, he rolled it up, intending to throw it into the trash can at the front. Just then, a gust of wind blew in, flipping open a corner of the magazine.

Inside, there were no erotic images. Instead, there was a pair of basketball shoes. The knot on the shoes was tied in a very specific way, with the excess laces neatly tucked into the eyelets—this was Xia Chiyi’s unique way of tying his shoes.

He took the magazine back and slowly opened it. The first page was a picture of a hand holding a stopwatch.

The gaze in the photo was focused intently on the court. Because of the focus, Xia Chiyi, who was closest to the lens, was only captured in profile. However, the contour from the bridge of his nose to his lips was clear; one could recognize it was Xia Chiyi at a glance.

“Wow, these are training records!” Xia Chiyi reached out to flip through it, but Zhou Zhexiao clamped it shut, refusing to let him see.

He flipped through a few pages backward, and after confirming they were all training records, he let go, allowing Xia Chiyi to take it and look.

Ling Huanzhen smiled. “Student, shouldn’t you apologize for your rude speculation about me?”

“You did it on purpose,” Zhou Zhexiao said, looking into Ling Huanzhen’s eyes.

“On purpose? What? Is it wrong to record your serious and responsible side toward your teammates? If you don’t like it, you can return it to me.” Ling Huanzhen extended his hand toward Zhou Zhexiao.

“Sorry, I misunderstood you.”

When these three words came out of Zhou Zhexiao’s mouth, everyone was astonished.

Ling Huanzhen’s eyes widened briefly. It seemed this gift, which was half-prank in nature, had really touched him.

He never expected to hear those three words from the Great Demon King’s mouth in this lifetime.

Zhou Zhexiao’s expression didn’t change much as he continued, “I apologize for my rude speculation about you. I hope the next time you give such a meaningful gift, you won’t use a pornographic magazine cover from twenty years ago. After all, you didn’t pay the copyright fee.”

“Hey, your apology isn’t very sincere.” Ling Huanzhen waved his hand, indicating he wouldn’t hold a grudge.

For Ling Huanzhen, seeing Zhou Zhexiao looking nervous was already satisfying enough.

Du He leaned in and asked, “But Coach Ling, did you really buy that kind of magazine twenty years ago?”

“I did. What’s embarrassing about admitting it? You guys don’t like to look?” Ling Huanzhen admitted generously.

“Hahaha, whose youth didn’t have exciting moments and emptied tissue boxes!”

After that, Ling Huanzhen continued to distribute his gifts, and everyone laughed and joked together.

Xia Chiyi lowered his head and looked at the commemorative album. Although the protagonist was ostensibly Zhou Zhexiao, if one looked closely, every page bore traces of Xia Chiyi’s existence.

For instance, his shadow cast on the basketball court, or half of his back left in the frame after a layup.

Before Fan Qingliang arrived, it was always Jiao Yingfeng and Zhou Zhexiao accompanying him in training. Since Jiao Yingfeng had to observe whether his movements were standard, the person passing and retrieving balls for Xia Chiyi was always Zhou Zhexiao.

He had been silently assisting in all his training like this. Xia Chiyi had been too focused on sprinting and shooting to ever notice Zhou Zhexiao’s expression on the sidelines.

Now, he finally saw it.

Zhou Zhexiao looked like a total boss when holding the stopwatch. When passing the ball to Xia Chiyi, he deliberately used various methods and angles—bounce passes, fast passes, high lobs, and even passes with spin—all to train Xia Chiyi’s reaction speed.

Even though Zhou Zhexiao’s expression was virtually the same in every shot, Xia Chiyi felt that every page was different.

“Handsome to the point of exploding,” Xia Chiyi whispered.

“Hm?” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face to look at him.

“Just a polite compliment, don’t take it too seriously. Every man who is serious about something is handsome.” Xia Chiyi closed the album.

“But not everyone reaches the level of ‘handsome to the point of exploding’.” Zhou Zhexiao reached out to Xia Chiyi, signaling for him to return the album.

“You’re not going to roll it up and throw it in the trash again, are you?” Xia Chiyi looked guarded, considering it might be better not to give it back to this guy.

“No. I’ll take it back and put it on my nightstand. If you want to see me, you can take it down and flip through it anytime.”

“Holy crap, I’ve seen narcissists, but I’ve never seen one as narcissistic as you! I’m taking it back to use as a lid for my instant noodles!”

---

On the way back, Ningchang University’s official public account published the news that the basketball team had overcome last year’s provincial champion, Finance University. The number of likes and shares was the highest since the account’s inception.

This also completely killed the lingering hope in Ma Wenhua’s heart of finding an opportunity to retake control of the school team.

Normal University, Chengjiang College, and finally Finance University—all were cut down by Ningchang University. This was not a coincidence; this was strength.

And Ma Wenhua knew he simply didn’t possess such strength. Even the goal of becoming provincial champions wasn’t in his plans.

Even if Ling Huanzhen was just playing at being a coach, he was doing a better job than Ma Wenhua ever could.

On the ride back to school, Principal Feng specially called Ling Huanzhen to congratulate him. He even said that if the school team had any needs for training, they should just ask; the school was holding a meeting on Tuesday and would try to satisfy them.

Everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

Ling Huanzhen, who had been slouching just a moment ago, now reigned in all his expressions and said solemnly, “Actually, our request is related to training. Since we’ve advanced to the Southeast Division, before the divisional matches start next March, we inevitably need to spar with strong teams from other provinces. Otherwise, working behind closed doors might lead to maladjustment during the divisional tournament. If this generates expenses for travel and accommodation, we hope the school can lighten the economic burden on the students.”

“As long as Coach Ling can schedule the practice matches, we will naturally be responsible for this part. In the past, sparring with strong teams outside the province was something we didn’t even dare to dream of.”

After some pleasantries, the call ended.

Ye Chaoying was the first who couldn’t hold back, leaning over the seat back in front of him to ask, “Is this true? We can play practice matches with strong teams outside the province? Hopefully not ones at our level from last year…”

Shuai Bei spoke up, “Finding a team at our level from last year isn’t easy either.”

The players looked at Ling Huanzhen with excitement. Ling Huanzhen said calmly, “You guys qualified as the number one in Jin Province, and you have me as your coach. How could we not book practice matches? I’m just afraid you’ll get crushed so badly you lose confidence.”

“We won’t! The more we get crushed, the stronger we get!”

Ling Huanzhen: “…Can’t you have a bit of ambition and not get crushed?”

---

Now the basketball team had clout. When the school bus drove through the school gates, fellow students lined the path to welcome them.

Even funnier was that previously, the school magazine was placed in the most conspicuous spot at the library entrance, yet almost no one read it. Printing twenty-odd copies each time was enough.

But ever since the basketball team made the Top 8, the spot for the school magazine was always empty.

Gradually, the team producing the magazine discovered a pattern: as long as they included photos or news of the basketball team, there wouldn’t be enough copies.

Someone even complained to the library, asking if people were taking the magazines and not returning them.

When the team made the Top 4, they printed fifty copies, but it still wasn’t enough.

This time, they were champions, and they had beaten Finance University by double digits. Principal Feng’s face was glowing; he practically floated when he walked to meetings. He readily stated that since the students were so interested in the First Division League, they should print a thousand copies and place them in the library for teachers and students to take for free.

At first, the office director thought a thousand copies were too many. Unexpectedly, just twenty minutes after several boxes of magazines were delivered, they were all gone.

Many students who arrived late were regretful, and some even begged for this issue on the forum.

The reason was simple: this issue had photos of Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi. Even Ye Chaoying gained many fans. Little Fatty’s photography skills were superb; a shot of Ye Chaoying sitting on the bench with a towel draped over him radiated hormones right off the page.

Coach Ling suddenly became very busy. Since Ningchang University had played both Chengjiang College and Finance University, and those two schools were about to compete for the second qualifying spot, both coaches were discussing strategies for victory with Ling Huanzhen. This gave Ling Huanzhen a taste of being caught in the middle.

In the evening, Xia Chiyi happily treated Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang to dinner. Unexpectedly, in just one afternoon, they had already analyzed his performance throughout the game and formulated an enhanced training plan.

For example, training regarding the off-hand shield and reaction speed was taken up a notch, and even the “21-point shooting drill” had increased difficulty.

During the meal, Xia Chiyi received praise from Fan Qingliang, who said that in the game against Finance University, he had formed good habits for exerting force, and his use of his ankles was very scientific.

Xia Chiyi kept smiling at the dinner table, saying he was looking forward to the upcoming training.

Fan Qingliang couldn’t help but whisper to Jiao Yingfeng, “How is this kid so easy to coax? Compliment him twice, and he’s ready to walk through fire and water.”

Jiao Yingfeng was in a good mood. Although Xia Chiyi treated them to home-style cooking near the school which was a bit salty and spicy, Jiao Yingfeng had a surprisingly good appetite.

He kept smiling because he also thought his little apprentice was particularly cute.

---

Under Little Fatty’s Weibo, a bunch of people were urging him on. They said that since Ningchang University won, why was the blogger so slow with the nine-grid photo set? The school team hotties had such good foundations that he could just post the raw photos without editing.

Little Fatty almost went blind selecting photos. He had captured so many exciting moments and really wanted everyone to see them.

Finally, he decided to make a nine-grid set for everyone who played.

Du He’s mid-air dunk, Shuai Bei’s block, Ye Chaoying’s steal, and He Bin’s composed three-pointer—every post was getting frantically liked.

Some people kept asking, “Where’s the #15 little brother?”, “Where’s your tall point guard?”, “Why hasn’t my husband appeared yet?”…

As soon as Little Fatty posted Zhou Zhexiao’s photos, his Weibo engagement instantly went berserk.

The close-up of Zhou Zhexiao pointing his index finger at Du He, the sense of speed as he dribbled through a double team, the determined expression of a blind pass, and the calm strategy while facing off against an opponent on the sideline—let alone the netizens, even Little Fatty thought this guy was too handsome.

He originally thought the female fans were just there for the looks, but Little Fatty discovered that more girls were discussing Zhou Zhexiao’s skills. It turned out girls had a delicate and keen angle of understanding basketball. Compared to boys who were keen on discussing explosive power, they focused more on technique and intelligence, so their favorability toward Zhou Zhexiao skyrocketed.

As they chatted, someone noticed Zhou Zhexiao’s long and curled eyelashes, earning him the title of “Ningchang University’s Eyelash Emperor.”

Not long after, everyone noticed the clean and sexy lines of his Adam’s apple, and he became the widely rumored “Adam’s Apple Killer.”

Later, someone posted a photo in the comments of him scooping up Xia Chiyi with one hand while patting Xia Chiyi’s back with the other. The discussion heated up even more.

Comments like “Top-tier boyfriend power,” “Unsmiling during the game, but gentle as water as soon as his teammate comes up,” “Xia Chiyi, get down quickly and yield Zhou Zhexiao’s embrace”… Little Fatty wanted to laugh reading them.

When he finally posted Xia Chiyi’s photos, many people who hadn’t watched the game live were stunned.

Xia Chiyi in the nine-grid was sharper than ever. Whether it was singling out Finance U’s power forward and center under the basket, stealing the ball with a blank expression, engaging in a hook shot duel with Chen Hao under the rim, or skillfully jumping behind Chen Hao to hook away his basketball.

Every picture was full of technique, power, and speed, completely contrary to the graceful shooting he usually displayed.

The tension seemed about to burst through the photos.

The comment section went crazy immediately.

[I thought he was a shooter, didn’t expect he could be an assassin too!]

[I watched the game; this guy is tough under the basket! He can steal and cut, and he’s super bold. Finance U’s two tallest guys were defending him under the basket, and he still managed to put the ball in the hoop! I got goosebumps watching it!]

[Chen Hao was about to put the ball in the basket twice in a row, but it got hooked away by this guy. Once is a coincidence, but twice? That’s a god-tier operation!]

…

Seeing his buddy so popular, Little Fatty felt as if this goodwill belonged to him too. Even though he was busy until past ten o’clock, he felt very happy.

Xia Chiyi hadn’t returned to the dorm yet. Ye Chaoying had also been called away by Ling Huanzhen for a chat and hadn’t returned. Only Zhou Zhexiao sat beside him, quietly watching him select and edit photos.

When Little Fatty leaned back in his chair and exhaled, Zhou Zhexiao handed him a bottle of eye drops, probably bought online.

Since neither he nor Xia Chiyi had the habit of using eye drops, this was likely bought specifically for Little Fatty.

Little Fatty was very moved, feeling that the kindest person in the entire dorm was Zhou Zhexiao.

“I want to make a commemorative album too.” Zhou Zhexiao showed Little Fatty the booklet Ling Huanzhen had made.

At first seeing the cover, Little Fatty had a “what is this thing” expression, but flipping inside and finding photos of Zhou Zhexiao, he said understandingly, “Sure, no problem. It’s just that you only played one game, and I didn’t catch you shooting or dunking.”

“Not me, it’s Xia Chiyi.” After Zhou Zhexiao finished speaking, he sucked up a tapioca pearl and chewed on it.

“Oh! Sure! Maybe make one for Ye Chaoying too, otherwise he’ll be jealous, hahaha.”

“Mn.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Little Fatty turned back and glanced at Zhou Zhexiao. The other kept his eyes lowered; although expressionless, he remained very quiet.

Every time he sat behind Little Fatty watching him process new photos, he never dictated or made demands, as if he was simply keeping Little Fatty company.

Ye Chaoying always said Zhou Zhexiao’s aura was too intense, making people retreat with just a look, but Little Fatty felt Zhou Zhexiao was very easy to talk to.

In fact, most of the time, he was quite “well-behaved.”

Well-behaved?

When this word entered Little Fatty’s brain, he suddenly remembered the book Ling Huanzhen gave Xia Chiyi today: Beware the Schemer Who Acts Cute with You.

At this moment, Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head, holding the bubble tea straw, making bubbling sounds. He blew air into the tea like a child, scattering the pearls clumped at the bottom, then licked his lower lip and continued sucking up pearls.

Few words, low maintenance, easily satisfied with a cup of bubble tea—Zhou Zhexiao was indeed very well-behaved.

Little Fatty tilted his head. If “acting cute” had ranks, Zhou Zhexiao’s “well-behaved” nature might be top-tier. No wonder Xia Chiyi could never refuse any of Zhou Zhexiao’s requests, even having no complaints about his phone being commandeered.

At this time, He Bin and Ye Chaoying walked out of Ling Huanzhen’s office. The streetlights illuminated the stone slabs, making them shine white and reflective.

“I thought the technical coach Coach Ling promised might appear when I graduated.” He Bin took a deep breath. “I didn’t expect it to be tomorrow. I wonder who it is?”

Ye Chaoying recalled that Xia Chiyi’s master was Jiao Yingfeng, so he could basically guess that his own technical coach was probably also a renowned figure back in the day.

“I don’t know, but He Bin, I have a feeling that the moment you see him, you’ll have a look of hero worship.”

He Bin narrowed his eyes. “Ye Chaoying, do you know something?”

“Hm, my guess might be wrong too. You’ll know when you see him!”

Ye Chaoying clasped his hands behind his head, humming a song in a good mood as he returned to the dorm.

---

Starting the next day, Xia Chiyi’s training difficulty went up a notch. Most importantly, he and Zhou Zhexiao were completely separated.

When he was doing equipment training, Zhou Zhexiao was using the basketball training room. When Xia Chiyi went down to the basketball training room, Zhou Zhexiao went upstairs to do equipment training.

Xia Chiyi sighed and started humming in the elevator: “You will never understand my sorrow, like day doesn’t understand the darkness of night—”

Weren’t he and Zhou Zhexiao just like day and night right now?

Unexpectedly, just as he put his fist to his lips pretending it was a microphone, the elevator door suddenly opened with a Ding—. Zhou Zhexiao was standing outside, a white towel draped over his shoulders.

Xia Chiyi froze and quickly lowered his fist.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head, the slightly curled hair on his forehead tilting to the side along with the movement.

Xia Chiyi suddenly really wanted to ruffle his hair, even though the guy was clearly taller than him.

“Singing…” Xia Chiyi stepped to the side. “So… are you coming in? I’m going up.”

“Yeah, I left something in the gym upstairs.” Zhou Zhexiao walked in.

“Oh.”

When Zhou Zhexiao stood next to Xia Chiyi, he spoke: “Day and night can reunite in the elevator, you don’t need to be too sad.”

Xia Chiyi averted his gaze, thinking this is super embarrassing. Back when he cosplayed a rock star in his room after the college entrance exam, no one found out. Why did rocking the mic in an elevator have to be caught by Zhou Zhexiao?

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, they opened again.

Oh, it was that foreign couple who often frequented the gym.

These two appeared roughly every Tuesday and Friday, and they didn’t mind other people’s gazes, embracing openly, sticking close, and kissing intimately. Usually, Fan Qingliang was watching over Xia Chiyi, so he would look straight ahead and never get distracted.

The man’s blond hair was likely dyed, with brown roots showing. His build was quite burly, giving a rugged feel, but Xia Chiyi couldn’t appreciate it; he felt the guy’s pecs were too developed, looking like a heavy rock with no aesthetic sense.

Zhou Zhexiao’s type, where muscles tightly wrapped the bones and flowed smoothly when tensed, was better.

His girlfriend was likely a teacher at the English training center upstairs—big waves, big eyes, a graceful figure, a beauty at first sight.

Perhaps the presence of two handsome university students in the elevator sparked their desire to perform their affection. They smiled at each other, first touching lips lightly, then suddenly kissing inseparably.

Even when the elevator quickly reached the gym floor, they weren’t in a hurry to get out; instead, the kiss deepened.

Xia Chiyi was dumbfounded because he saw the woman’s cheeks puffing in and out, like a small monster was struggling in her mouth. And since the couple wouldn’t leave, it seemed they were teasing Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao grabbed Xia Chiyi’s wrist and moved around them, but it was too late; the elevator doors closed, heading downstairs.

Listening to their intoxicated sounds, Xia Chiyi really didn’t know where to look.

Zhou Zhexiao suddenly spoke. His voice had a cold texture in the elevator car, as calm as if someone were performing an action movie stunt in front of him: “She looks like she’s swallowing a fish bladder.”

Xia Chiyi paused. What’s a bladder? But it certainly wasn’t a compliment.

That man’s arm was thicker than Xia Chiyi’s neck, not to mention the tattoos on his arm—he looked like trouble.

Zhou Zhexiao’s sentence successfully stopped their act. The woman stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, brushed back her hair, and laughed, “We were just joking.”

But the man was obviously unhappy. He clenched his fists, his face turning ashen. Xia Chiyi was now certain Zhou Zhexiao’s sentence had negated the man’s kissing skills, probably with an effect similar to saying he lacked endurance.

Xia Chiyi exhaled, bracing himself. He wasn’t a weakling, and Zhou Zhexiao was strong. If they fought together, this tattooed guy definitely wouldn’t gain an advantage.

Unexpectedly, the man unclenched his fist. Using a teasing tone, he looked into Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes and said, “I know you.”

Zhou Zhexiao coldly didn’t even give him an extra glance, simply pressing the button for the gym floor again.

Xia Chiyi looked at the tattooed man in confusion, thinking, What could you possibly know about Zhou Zhexiao?

Unexpectedly, the tattooed man mouthed to Xia Chiyi: He wants to sleep with you.

Holy crap.

Big Brother Tattoo, do you want to jump off the building? You scared the hell out of me!

Xia Chiyi didn’t hesitate to extend his middle finger, giving the other party the international gesture.

The man didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed. “Lovely.”

Xia Chiyi rolled his eyes at him. Anyway, your girlfriend already used “cute” and “adorable” on me; your “lovely” has no lethality.

When they returned to the gym floor, Zhou Zhexiao walked ahead without looking back, returning to the locker room to retrieve the item he left behind—a knee pad.

“I’m leaving. Don’t take what those two said to heart,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“Mm.” Xia Chiyi nodded.

But the tattooed man’s words were quite impactful. Xia Chiyi couldn’t control his brain from imagining… if Zhou Zhexiao wanted to sleep with someone… the phrase “coercive love” inexplicably surged into his mind.

“Why are your ears red?”

“Nonsense, they were kissing so exaggeratedly, as if afraid I wouldn’t understand their oral exercises!”

“Real kissing isn’t like that.”

Xia Chiyi said coolly, “You speak as if you have experience.”

“During past competitions, there was a teammate who was crazy. Every time we won, he’d jump to the front row of the audience and kiss his girlfriend wildly. It was joy from the heart, and an expression of love in the moment of victory. Although it looked irrational, like a dopamine and adrenaline rush, he transmitted his joy to her. His girlfriend hugged him tightly every time; you could tell she liked his kiss.”

“Oh.”

Listening to Zhou Zhexiao’s description, Xia Chiyi was a bit envious.

Zhou Zhexiao was describing his high school alumnus, right? The kiss probably happened at the high school league? Envious—actually being able to have a puppy love openly!

This reminded Xia Chiyi of one of Sheng Xingming’s NBA teammates who seemed to have a similar habit.

“So what happened later? How were they when you came back to China?”

“Broke up.”

“Ah, what a pity.”

Probably because they went to different universities, love lost to distance.

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi with a slightly puzzled gaze. “Why is it a pity? They both found the next one very quickly.”

Xia Chiyi suddenly didn’t know how to comment. American love was like a tornado—coming fast, leaving fast.

Zhou Zhexiao put on the knee pad. The black pad was tight on his knee. The part that clearly didn’t need covering was suddenly hidden under the black, like some kind of restriction.

The more Xia Chiyi looked, the more his hand itched. He really wanted to stick his finger in and lift it to see if Zhou Zhexiao was ticklish.

“Focus on training. Don’t get distracted by that couple.”

“I know, don’t worry,” Xia Chiyi muttered carefully. “Are you my dad?”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi, a sound coming from his throat: “Hm?”

Xia Chiyi immediately said spinelessly, “Yes, you are my dad.”

After Zhou Zhexiao walked out, Xia Chiyi slowly put his things away.

Unexpectedly, just as he sat on the chair to adjust his shoelaces, the tattooed man came in, sat not far from him, and looked at him with a meaningful gaze.

Just as Xia Chiyi stood up, the man suddenly spoke. His Chinese was a bit broken.

“He left that knee pad on the chair on purpose,” the man said.

Xia Chiyi looked straight ahead, intending to walk out as if he hadn’t heard, but the man added, “That way he had a reason to come back up with you after going down.”

Knowing full well this guy was likely spouting nonsense, Xia Chiyi’s heart still felt like it had been grazed by someone’s fingertip—a sudden throb, causing his heartbeat to miss a beat instantly.

“Save your breath, stop teasing me.”

Just as Xia Chiyi was about to walk out, the man said in a leisurely tone, “Are you sure you want to go out now? If your dad hears what I’m about to say, he might break your little boyfriend’s legs.”

“Huh? Dad?” Xia Chiyi frowned, reacting for a long time before realizing the man meant Fan Qingliang. “That’s my coach, not my dad.”

“Oh. Okay…” The man shifted to a more relaxed sitting posture and said slowly, “Before, it was your little boyfriend who accompanied you to practice, right? The way he warned others with his gaze was as if the whole world were criminals, and anyone who looked at you for a second too long had designs on you.”

Xia Chiyi knew he should walk out and stop listening to the man’s nonsense, but the other party’s words had an inexplicable attraction.

“But the way he looks at you is very gentle. I swear, I’ve never even looked at my first love with that kind of look.” The man paused, seeing Xia Chiyi hadn’t left, and instantly got excited again. “There is desire in his gaze. I’m a man; I can tell.”

“Desire… what the hell?”

“Didn’t I give you a hint in the elevator?” The man leaned forward, hands on his knees, a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.

Xia Chiyi calmed down. This guy was teasing him again.

“Hey, he is very gentle, and only gentle to people important to him.” Xia Chiyi sat opposite the man without reservation. “He is protective of me, afraid I’ll get hurt from wrong force exertion, worried I’ll give up because it’s too hard. Sir, you’re right; of course he has desire for me.”

The man froze, not expecting Xia Chiyi to be so direct.

“But this desire definitely isn’t what you think. We are the most compatible partners on the school team, but right now, I still have a gap with him in both skill and stamina. So I am desperately chasing, and he stopped to wait for me. We are both waiting for the day we slaughter everyone on the court. Probably like… Sherlock Holmes and Watson? Or Hawkeye and Black Widow?”

The man closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand. I apologize to you and your friend. Because you two really looked like a match before, Natalie and I loved seeing you appear in the gym together and would guess if you were a couple. Recently, you and your friend seemed to stagger your times at the gym, making Natalie and me worry if you broke up. I didn’t expect that today, I’d watch your friend put the knee pad on the bench with my own eyes. It was obviously not forgotten, but intentional.”

So, Zhou Zhexiao really did it on purpose?

“Just right, Natalie and I saw you both enter the elevator and wanted to give you a little sweet inspiration. Didn’t expect we misunderstood. Sorry.” The man raised his hand, seemingly casual, but his expression was sincere.

“Ah, it’s fine. He’s always tough-mouthed but soft-hearted. He said he wouldn’t manage my equipment training, but still wanted to find a reason to come up and look.”

With that, Xia Chiyi got up and walked out.

When the day’s training ended, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao took the bus back together.

“Hey, you were found out.” Xia Chiyi propped up his chin, deliberately looking out the window instead of at Zhou Zhexiao.

“Found out what?”

“Someone said you left the knee pad on the locker room chair on purpose.” Xia Chiyi secretly observed Zhou Zhexiao’s expression from the window reflection.

Hmm, is this guy a statue? His expression didn’t change at all?

“So?” Zhou Zhexiao asked back.

“Next time you want to watch my equipment training, just stay openly for ten more minutes before going down.” Xia Chiyi complained in a whisper. “Were you a towel in your past life? So twisted.”

“Don’t learn to talk like Ye Chaoying,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“Ye Chaoying doesn’t have a copyright; I’ll use it if I want.”

After speaking, Xia Chiyi covered his nose in advance, not giving the other a chance to pinch him.

Mentioning Ye Chaoying, Xia Chiyi suddenly got excited. “I wonder what expression he had when he met his technical coach today?”

---

Indeed, Ye Chaoying got up early today, put on his most fashionable sportswear, sprayed some sports cologne, styled his hair with his 380-yuan-a-jar hair wax, and arrived at the address of the basketball club Ling Huanzhen gave him.

Ye Chaoying looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, who was as fair as Tang Sanzang and faintly revealed a bit of delicate elegance, and asked uncertainly, “You… who are you?”

“I am your basketball coach, Gao Jinshu.”

Ye Chaoying’s mouth opened wide enough to fit a light bulb. “You? Are Gao Jinshu? Didn’t you fatten up into a square?”

Back in the day, Gao Jinshu was a famous point guard in the CBA and had won the Steal King title twice. Because his looks rivaled the “pretty faced” actors in TV dramas, many said all his endorsements were based on his face, not his skill.

But how could someone who was the Steal King in the CBA lack skill?

It was just that after retiring, this guy let himself go completely, expanding like he’d eaten yeast.

Ye Chaoying remembered a photo of Gao Jinshu from a Basketball Association meeting early this year; one person was as wide as two others.

“How did you lose so much weight? Is there something wrong with your health?” Ye Chaoying scanned Gao Jinshu from top to bottom with worried eyes.

“I’m very healthy! No high blood pressure, no high cholesterol, no high blood sugar!”

Gao Jinshu looked up at the sky and sighed. He had spent a full month slimming down to this figure, quitting ice cream, cake, and chocolate, all because Ling Huanzhen said he was handing a player over to him for individual guidance, and that the player was a total “face-con.”

He, Gao Jinshu, could refuse to be someone’s coach, but he absolutely could not be rejected by someone because his looks weren’t good enough!

So, with perseverance unimaginable to ordinary people, he persisted for a month and miraculously slimmed down to a “slightly chubby” level.

“Then… you… why did you come?”

Gao Jinshu took a deep breath. “If I hadn’t lost a bet to Ling Huanzhen, I wouldn’t have given up my days of eating, sleeping, and eating again to teach you.”

“Can I ask what you bet on?”

“What else could it be? Bet on whether Ningchang University could win the Jin Province championship. Speaking of which, I’m a legend in the basketball world after all; why don’t you have any admiration for me at all?” Gao Jinshu frowned, masking the loneliness in his heart.

“Admiration… of course I have some…”

Though not much.

Gao Jinshu leaned forward slightly, his furrowed brow relaxing a bit. “Eh, ‘Dirty English’. Although you have no manners, you have good taste!”

At the mention of perfume, Ye Chaoying got excited. Turned out Gao Jinshu was a connoisseur too!

“Actually, I wanted to use ‘Passage d’Enfer’, but considering I age ten years when I spray it, I chose ‘Dirty English’.” Ye Chaoying took two steps back, looked Gao Jinshu up and down, and nodded. “This Arc’teryx outfit suits your temperament quite well too!”

“Right? I think it’s good too, but Ling Huanzhen said I look like I’m going to deliver food!”

The two exchanged glances, confirming they were both exquisite boys!

Gao Jinshu decided to teach everything he knew. Ye Chaoying suddenly felt this guy must have been truly handsome when he was young.