Chapter 52: Braised Beef Instant Noodles!

After intercepting the ball, Ye Chaoying sprinted into the Shenghai University’s zone, passing the ball the instant before he was about to be double-teamed.

Guan Qian shot up from his chair. There was a Ningchang University player standing in that unassuming position?

At the end of the arc, He Bin received the ball and, completely undefended, shot and scored.

“Beautiful—” Ling Huanzhen clapped his hands.

Even Guan Qian had to clap along, a layer of cold sweat forming on his back.

Ye Chaoying’s steal was unexpected, but even rarer was how perfectly He Bin’s positioning coordinated with Ye Chaoying.

“He Bin! He Bin, you’re amazing!” Xia Chiyi put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, whistling crazily for He Bin’s positioning.

The intensity of the following match almost made the Student Union officers on the sidelines forget their duties.

Shenghai University’s small forward frequently threatened under the basket, but finally, on his fifth layup attempt, he ate a super big block from Du He.

The block was so powerful that after landing, the Shenghai small forward shook his wrist three times, looking bewildered.

The scores of the two teams rose alternately. Ye Chaoying displayed excellent playmaking ability, constantly creating scoring opportunities for his teammates, blasting Shenghai University all over the place.

Coach Guan Qian watched Ye Chaoying’s back and couldn’t help but exhale. This is the powerful vitality a good point guard brings to a team.

Previously seeing Xia Chiyi’s performance, Guan Qian felt he was already a top-tier guard in the Southeast Division. He didn’t expect Ling Huanzhen to also have Ye Chaoying in his hand.

Another burst of exclamations came as Ye Chaoying successfully stole the ball again, passing it to Shuai Bei under the basket.

Shuai Bei turned to shoot. perhaps because of his large size, his gathering motion was a bit slow. A Shenghai player rushed over to block the ball, but unexpectedly hit his arm instead.

Jiao Yingfeng blew the whistle, declaring a foul on the Shenghai player. Shuai Bei would take free throws.

The Shenghai player raised his hand, and other teammates came to comfort him.

“It’s okay. That big guy looks clumsy shooting; he definitely won’t make the free throws.”

“Your foul was still meaningful!”

Guan Qian glanced at Ling Huanzhen. This power forward named Shuai Bei had definitely inherited Ling Huanzhen’s true teachings in both boxing out under the basket and rebounding techniques.

But shooting… he didn’t know the level, and this was definitely something Ling Huanzhen couldn’t teach.

Sure enough, Ling Huanzhen rested his chin on his hand, frowning. Ningchang University’s bench players were also loudly comforting Shuai Bei, telling him to calmly take the free throws.

Xia Chiyi clenched his fists, eyes fixed on Shuai Bei, muttering softly: Gotta make it! Gotta make it! Gotta make it!

If he makes it, we can unlock new shooting postures!

Shuai Bei originally felt everything was within his plan, but Xia Chiyi’s gaze inexplicably put immense pressure on him.

Before taking the ball from the referee, he glanced in Xia Chiyi’s direction and mouthed: “Shut up.”

Xia Chiyi quickly pursed his lips.

Shuai Bei held the ball, exhaled, and thought of the motion Xia Chiyi taught him that day, the same motion he had repeated countless times himself.

Gather the ball, coordinate breathing and finger elasticity at the right position, and send the ball out.

Thump— The first ball went in.

Ling Huanzhen whispered: “Really lucky!”

“What luck? Can you have a little more confidence in your student?” Xia Chiyi said unhappily. “The next ball will definitely go in too.”

Ling Huanzhen narrowed his eyes and looked at Xia Chiyi. “Did you guys practice shooting together?”

“Not really, I just gave a little idea. But Shuai Bei was very serious.” Xia Chiyi said, “If Shuai Bei makes the next ball too, I want to eat a bowl of Braised Beef Instant Noodles.”

Ling Huanzhen laughed. “What kind of daydream are you having?”

“Shuai Bei is just more talented at shooting than you. Do you dare to bet?”

“I agree to you eating Braised Beef Instant Noodles, as long as you’re not afraid your master will kill you.”

Xia Chiyi chuckled and took out his phone. “I recorded you saying that. When Master wants to kill me, I’ll say you gave it to me.”

The sound of the basketball swishing through the net came again. Shuai Bei’s second ball went in too.

The other teammates were stunned.

He Bin came over to high-five Shuai Bei. “Awesome!”

“Just average.” Shuai Bei tugged at his collar coolly, though his heart was actually pounding fiercely.

The first practice match of the morning ended. Ningchang University narrowly defeated Shenghai University 72 to 70 thanks to He Bin’s last buzzer-beater.

The Student Union actively handed towels and drinks to the players.

Although Guan Qian was on the coaching bench, his back was covered in a thin layer of nervous sweat.

He called the players over and asked coldly, “What do you think of Ningchang University’s level now?”

The main players panted, silent for a long while.

“Why aren’t you talking? Before coming, you thought it wasn’t worth the trouble. Said they probably only had Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao worth looking at, and the rest were a mob not to be feared?” Guan Qian asked.

Shenghai’s small forward exhaled deeply. “Their defense under the basket is very tight. That Du He, and that Shuai Bei, return to defense very quickly. Their boxing out skills are powerful, and their rebounding can compete with ours.”

“That’s natural! Ling Huanzhen fought for a place in the CBA back then relying on boxing out and rebounding. What else?” Guan Qian asked again.

Asking players to dissect their opponents was, in a sense, forcing them to face their own weaknesses.

“Their guards have very high mobility. That Ye Chaoying is not only good at organizing fast breaks but also amazing at steals. In four quarters… he seems to have stolen 5 balls from us…”

Guan Qian spoke up: “Correction, it was six balls.”

The players took a deep breath. Six steals in one game—what kind of monster was this Ye Chaoying?

“This guy… can compete with Southwest Aviation University’s Lu Yingnan… so tricky.”

“Their shooting guard… named He Bin… really knows how to run. This guy always understands the situation on the court. Almost every time we thought we had Ningchang University locked down, this He Bin was waiting for the ball in the most suitable position! And his shooting accuracy is probably on par with Xia Chiyi!”

“Yeah, that last buzzer-beater, amazing that he could make it! His heart is really big!”

Guan Qian took the scoreboard and looked at the data. “He Bin, 5 out of 7 shots, including 2 three-pointers. Most importantly, he didn’t occupy too much of the team’s ball possession and was very skilled in defense, especially with assist defense awareness. His positioning is superb, worthy of us analyzing every run he made to catch the ball!”

“Small forward Chen Chuan… although he might only make the second team at our Shenghai University, his tactical cooperation awareness is strong, and he understands his teammates’ needs very well… This team doesn’t have many people, but they are indeed elite.” Guan Qian commented.

After speaking, the Shenghai University players fell silent.

“Yes, and let me remind you again, Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi didn’t play. They are freshmen who can go head-to-head with Yang Huaiyu and Ke Yan.”

After Guan Qian finished speaking, the Shenghai players felt like they couldn’t even eat lunch.

At this time, Ling Huanzhen came over to exchange pleasantries with Guan Qian. Seeing the dejected look of the Shenghai players, he immediately understood what was going on.

“Old Guan, victory and defeat are common in military affairs. Go eat, go eat!” Ling Huanzhen leaned into Guan Qian’s ear. “Jiao Yingfeng is here. You should take this opportunity to discuss guard training with him.”

Guan Qian was stunned for a moment, realizing that Ling Huanzhen inviting Jiao Yingfeng wasn’t just to show off his connections, but because he took Guan Qian’s headache to heart. The expression on Guan Qian’s face softened a lot.

At this moment, Jiao Yingfeng walked near Xia Chiyi and sneered: “You’re capable, huh? Teaching others how to draw fouls?”

Turns out Jiao Yingfeng saw that in the previous match, Shuai Bei deliberately lured the Shenghai player to hit his arm.

“Not at all, didn’t Master teach me all this? Drawing fouls is utilizing rules. Any referee encountering that ball just now would have to call a foul on Shenghai University. Master, don’t mind it too much.” Xia Chiyi looked up, revealing a bad-boy smile.

“I won’t. As a master, I’m quite relieved. I always thought you were a naive sweetie, worried others have 800 tricks up their sleeves while you’re clueless. Seeing you like this now, I’m at ease.”

Jiao Yingfeng lowered his eyes, glanced at a message from Ling Huanzhen, and suddenly sneered.

Xia Chiyi had a bad feeling.

“Your Coach Ling lost a bet to you?” Jiao Yingfeng asked.

Xia Chiyi nodded.

“The stake is Braised Beef Instant Noodles?”

Thinking of that instant noodle flavor, Xia Chiyi’s cheeks began to water.

Jiao Yingfeng revealed an amiable smile, his palm pressing hard on top of Xia Chiyi’s head. “In the afternoon practice match, if you can score 45 points, I’ll allow you to eat it.”

After saying that, Jiao Yingfeng walked away.

Xia Chiyi let out a long breath.

“Scared me to death, I thought Master was going to crush my head!”

“Then you should take more calcium supplements, make your skull harder so it doesn’t pop so easily.” Zhou Zhexiao said indifferently.

“Oh my god, 45 points… how many three-pointers is that? 15!” Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao. “Are you playing in the afternoon match?”

“No.”

“Who’s playing in the afternoon?” Xia Chiyi’s heart was filled with longing for instant noodles.

“There’s a notification in the WeChat group.”

Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao returned to the locker room together. Watching the other put the watch back on, Xia Chiyi suddenly felt guilty.

Although he really wanted to be the only contact in Zhou Zhexiao’s WeChat, he couldn’t be so selfish. Zhou Zhexiao should establish connections with people around him.

“How about… I at least pull you into the team’s WeChat group.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s brow furrowed. He still remembered lying in bed at night immersed in the ocean of shopping, when the pinned team WeChat group on Xia Chiyi’s phone would always pop up messages at the top.

Interrupting the continuity of his online shopping.

“No, too noisy.”

Xia Chiyi: “…”

He didn’t know what the heck he was feeling guilty about. This guy didn’t do social interaction at all. As long as he didn’t join any groups, there was no social drain.

Opening WeChat, Xia Chiyi confirmed that his teammates for the afternoon were Fu Chenxue, Chen Chuan, Qin Jiayu, and Deng Qi.

Qin Jiayu and Deng Qi were both juniors with relatively low presence in the team, only having played in the first two games of the grassroots competition.

Before the afternoon match, everyone was warming up together. Xia Chiyi clasped his hands together. “Senior brothers, little brother requests you pass the ball to me more. Coach Ling said if I don’t meet the scoring target in the practice match, he will personally buy a durian for me to kneel on.”

Anyway, Ling Huanzhen had so many black pots on his head, one more wouldn’t matter.

Fu Chenxue was the kindest and believed him immediately: “You… don’t worry, we’ll definitely pass the ball to you!”

Chen Chuan gloated, “Yo, how many points counts as meeting the target?”

“…Forty-five.”

Chen Chuan: “Holy crap… maybe you should just kneel on the durian… You already showed your face at Qincheng University. I bet they will double-team you.”

He Bin passed by sipping a sports drink and dropped a sentence: “Maybe two people aren’t enough, three people will surround you.”

Ye Chaoying sprayed some perfume beautifully in front of his locker. “Maybe you’ll get special treatment and be surrounded by four people.”

Du He only heard half of it and said in surprise: “Is social news so intense now? Who? Being kept by four people? At the same time? Or split Monday to Thursday?”

Xia Chiyi: “Shut up, all of you.”

Zhou Zhexiao sat on the chair, frowning deeply.

“What are you doing? It’s time for lunch.” Xia Chiyi tugged at the other’s sleeve, but Zhou Zhexiao didn’t react.

“I already gave you all my living expenses, why do you still have to give yourself to others from Monday to Thursday?” Zhou Zhexiao looked up and asked.

Xia Chiyi went crazy, pressing Zhou Zhexiao’s head into his chest and rubbing his hair into a bird’s nest.

“Although your living expenses are on my card, they’ve all been spent by your buy-buy-buying!”

Ye Chaoying started spouting nonsense again: “Zhou Zhexiao, spending money recklessly like this won’t do. If you really want to keep Xia Chiyi from Monday to Friday, you have to start saving money now. Maybe by the time you graduate, you can buy a small apartment in Ningchang City and keep a mistress in a golden house!”

Xia Chiyi rushed over, jumped on Ye Chaoying’s back, and fought him. “If you teach him messy stuff again, I’ll post photos of you picking your feet in the dorm online! See if those cosplay fans still love you after knowing your true face!”

Zhou Zhexiao kicked Ye Chaoying. “Why Monday to Friday?”

“What Monday to Friday?” Ye Chaoying had long forgotten what he said earlier while being strangled by Xia Chiyi.

“Why can I only keep Xia Chiyi from Monday to Friday?”

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying’s primary school chicken fight stopped for about two seconds. Xia Chiyi was speechless: “Old iron, that shouldn’t be the main point, right?”

Ye Chaoying struggled to speak: “Even a mule needs a break! Even kept people need weekends off, right?”

The teammates in the locker room almost laughed like pigs.

At the start of the afternoon match, everything was as Chen Chuan predicted. Shenghai University sent two people to double-team him, and specifically chose two big tall guys.

Fu Chenxue dribbled the ball, desperately trying to find a chance to pass to Xia Chiyi but couldn’t find an angle.

“Give up on him, it’s our turn to score.” Chen Chuan shouted. “Thank you Xia Chiyi, for holding back two enemy forces single-handedly.”

Guan Qian stood on the sidelines with crossed arms, feeling his tactic was very wise. One minute into the game, Xia Chiyi had barely touched the ball, and the new center and power forward Ningchang University sent on were obviously not as powerful as Du He and Shuai Bei from the morning.

Instead, Chen Chuan suddenly stood out, constantly encouraging his teammates.

“Qin Jiayu—don’t be scared, cut inside! Cut inside!”

“Fu Chenxue, compete in speed with him, you’re stronger! Don’t lift the ball, it’ll get knocked away!”

“Deng Qi, charge! Block him!”

Under Chen Chuan’s leadership, the inexperienced Ningchang University barely tied with Shenghai University’s second team.

When Guan Qian looked across the court, he met Ling Huanzhen’s eyes.

Ling Huanzhen’s focus surprisingly wasn’t on the locked-down Xia Chiyi, but frequently nodding at Chen Chuan’s performance.

Doesn’t this guy think it’s a big deal that Xia Chiyi, the key firepower for perimeter scoring, is suppressed?

Or, does he think this isn’t enough to suppress Xia Chiyi?

Guan Qian suddenly felt a bit of a creepy feeling.

In the third minute of the game, Xia Chiyi suddenly darted out from between the two big tall guys relying on speed. Fu Chenxue passed immediately. Xia Chiyi caught the ball, stopped abruptly, jump shot, and scored!

This ball gave Fu Chenxue great confidence. As long as Xia Chiyi could use speed to create a gap to receive the ball, Fu Chenxue would pass to him.

Chen Chuan was also very supportive, actively setting picks for Xia Chiyi. This allowed Xia Chiyi to score 4 balls totaling 8 points before the end of the first quarter.

“Not bad,” Chen Chuan draped his arm over Xia Chiyi. “Thought you were going to become a dud.”

After all, Shenghai University’s double-teaming level was more than just a little higher compared to opponents they met in the grassroots competition.

Xia Chiyi clasped his hands together and bowed to everyone. “Whether I kneel on durian or not depends on you guys. Pass to me, pass to me, must pass to me!”

He chanted silently in his heart: Pass to me, I will score! I want to eat instant noodles!

“Don’t worry, durians are for eating, how can they be for kneeling?” Chen Chuan patted Xia Chiyi’s shoulder to reassure him.

Hearing their chat, Ling Huanzhen asked puzzledly: “Why are you guys talking about durians?”

“No… nothing… hahaha…” Xia Chiyi quickly diverted the topic. “Next quarter Chen Chuan will continue to be awesome, strive to make their double-team on me turn into a BOX ONE.”

Ling Huanzhen pulled the corner of his mouth into a bad smile: “Arrogant.”

The so-called Box One is a tactic where multiple defenders surround the opponent’s scoring player. It can be said to be a high-risk, desperate tactic.

Guan Qian’s brow was tightly knit. He said to the two players responsible for guarding Xia Chiyi: “You are still too gentle! Facing Xia Chiyi, you have a size advantage! Stick closer! Don’t give him space to escape or dribble! Don’t be afraid even if you get called for a foul!”

“Understood!”

Guan Qian looked at Xia Chiyi. This freshman was laughing and chatting with teammates as if Shenghai University’s double-team hadn’t affected his mood.

Fine, I also want to know, having to run all over the court to find chances to shake off two markers, in which quarter will your stamina run out.

—Stamina, besides skill, is an eternal factor influencing the outcome of a match.

Sure enough, in the next quarter, the double-team on Xia Chiyi was tighter.

The score remained anxious, making Ningchang University’s side emotional.

“It’s like this again, they want to make Xia Chiyi a dud!” Du He scratched the back of his head. “Good thing this is a practice match. If it were a formal match, how should we help Xia Chiyi break out?”

“Shenghai University’s defense is too tight. Once Xia Chiyi shakes them off, and Du He and I go up to pick, Shenghai will have other players rotate to defend. Truly worthy of being a top 16 national team, even bench players’ switch defense and assist defense coordination are so strong.”

Shuai Bei’s brow furrowed tightly. If not for Ling Huanzhen as coach, they might not have had the chance to see such tight defense until graduation.

Ling Huanzhen smiled, patting Du He and Shuai Bei’s heads with each hand. “Not bad, not bad, my Twin Towers under the basket can analyze and study others’ defense now. But… you have to trust your teammates.”

“Hmm?” Du He looked up puzzledly.

Shuai Bei snorted lightly. “Coach Ling means Shenghai’s defense still doesn’t pose a threat to Xia Chiyi.”

“So awesome?” Ye Chaoying also crossed his arms, suddenly aroused with 120,000 points of interest. “Alright, if my bro Xia Chiyi can break out, I’ll treat the whole team to milk tea!”

Ling Huanzhen looked at Ye Chaoying: “Do you take me for dead?”

“Ze… zero-calorie sugar won’t do?” Ye Chaoying asked weakly.

Ling Huanzhen stared at Ye Chaoying without speaking.

Ye Chaoying whispered: “No pearls either?”

Who knew Ling Huanzhen said: “Do I not have the right to drink milk tea?”

“Oh—Yes! Of course yes!”

To drink free milk tea, players on the sidelines shouted to cheer for Xia Chiyi.

“Xia Chiyi—You are light—You are electricity—You are the myth of Ningchang University—Rush out!” Du He shouted loudly.

Xia Chiyi almost fell flat on his face.

“Don’t look at yourself being thin as paper, we believe you can cut iron like mud!” He Bin surprisingly also joined the jeering.

Xia Chiyi almost exploded. Who is thin as paper? Who? I’m no longer that little boy in high school who falls at a bump!

Ye Chaoying shook Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder. “You cheer for him too! I’ll add triple pearls for you!”

Ling Huanzhen was stunned: “Triple pearls? Is that still milk tea? Isn’t that a big cup of porridge?”

Zhou Zhexiao raised his chin, and everyone listened respectfully.

“Xia Chiyi, if you don’t rush out soon, I’ll buy a rowing machine.”

“Damn it—” Xia Chiyi was going crazy.

Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what kind of threat Zhou Zhexiao buying a rowing machine was, but Xia Chiyi’s face changed color.

As his roommate, Ye Chaoying exhaled and covered his eyes. This couldn’t be solved by milk tea anymore. Xia Chiyi, you must break the double-team. The rowing machine delivery definitely wouldn’t be brought up to the sixth floor. Once Emperor Zhou gave the order, he and poor Pang Shuai would be reduced to porters.

Xia Chiyi clicked his tongue, thinking these guys really made a fuss!

He had been double-teamed by Qincheng University’s He Zhan and Meng Ting. For the past few days, his sparring partners were Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang.

Just these two big tall guys from Shenghai University, actually weren’t enough to look at!

Xia Chiyi used positioning to create a gap, received Chen Chuan’s pass, and then surprisingly dribbled at extreme speed tightly against the defender. Jiao Yingfeng as referee stared closely at Xia Chiyi’s actions; once there was a foul, he would blow the whistle.

Xia Chiyi stuck to the opponent without giving an inch, making teammates off the court have their hearts in their throats!

One step, two steps, three steps. Sensing the defender losing balance, Xia Chiyi lowered his center of gravity, instantly passed the defender’s hip with his shoulder, turned around, and made a neat jump shot.

“It’s in—”

Ningchang University’s side cheered.

With the first confrontation came the second, the third. Xia Chiyi followed the same pattern, constantly racking up points.

Guan Qian’s frown deepened. He didn’t expect Xia Chiyi to break out so seasonedly against a double-team. Most importantly, he seemed to have underestimated his confrontation ability.

If a perimeter player couldn’t be handled even by double-teaming, it was truly too troublesome.

Xia Chiyi’s center of gravity during breakthroughs got lower and lower, meaning the big guys defending him also had to lower their center of gravity, and follow his various runs and fake moves.

Shenghai players exclaimed one after another.

“How to guard him? His dribbling ability is too strong, can’t even steal the ball.”

“If I were double-teaming him, I’d get a heart attack, right?”

Guan Qian could see his players’ stamina declining sharply, their breathing becoming messy, and patience waning.

Finally, Xia Chiyi passed between the two with a dribble almost sticking to the ground, causing one player to fall to the ground.

Xia Chiyi turned and shot, scoring again.

Adding the previous quarter, Xia Chiyi had made 10 out of 15 shots, totaling 23 points.

Under double-team conditions, to still have such shooting accuracy… Guan Qian glanced at Zhou Zhexiao off the court. This guy hadn’t even played yet.

If the two linked up inside and outside, Shenghai University would really be blown out.

Guan Qian substituted the fallen player. The opponent sat on the chair, panting like an ox.

“Coach… I tried my best… This kid runs too much…”

“I know. You did well.” Guan Qian patted the player’s shoulder.

Others handed him water and supported him to walk slowly on the sidelines.

The Student Union quickly sent towels and energy supplements over. Shenghai University people thanked them.

Returning to the sidelines, the Student Union officers couldn’t help chatting.

“Did you see? That person defending Xia Chiyi looked like he was dying of exhaustion!”

“But look at Xia Chiyi. Although he is panting too, he seems fine?”

“Although I don’t understand, it feels impressive…”

“If two quarters can drag down a defender, then can Xia Chiyi drag down two in a whole game?”

In the remaining two quarters, Guan Qian didn’t give up double-teaming Xia Chiyi, substituting in new players.

“Coach Guan is too dark, our Xia Chiyi’s battery is halved, and he swaps in two full-charge players to defend.”

“This is clearly a tag-team battle, wanting to make Xia Chiyi misfire!”

Just as everyone worried about not getting Ye Chaoying’s treat, Zhou Zhexiao, leaning back in his chair, actually yawned arrogantly.

As if this match was boring, hypnotic like memorizing English vocabulary.

“Zhou Zhexiao’s attitude represents Xia Chiyi’s strength. I suddenly have full confidence in Xia Chiyi again.” He Bin broke the mystery with one sentence.

Ye Chaoying rubbed his hands. “Let us witness the moment of miracle!”

Clearly, the two new players from Shenghai University lacked experience. Xia Chiyi’s fast and smooth change of direction almost made the two hug each other, constantly performing step-back jumpers.

Coach Guan’s face became uglier and uglier, constantly shouting defense essentials, but these were too pale in front of Xia Chiyi’s dribbling breakthroughs.

In the constant process of breaking double-teams, Xia Chiyi suddenly became more and more confident in his confrontation ability. After breaking through, he didn’t rush to shoot but cut into Shenghai University’s basket, having a direct confrontation with their small forward. During the collision, a small double-clutch threw the ball into the basket.

Coach Guan watched Xia Chiyi playing smoother and smoother, suddenly not knowing if his double-team tactic was right or wrong.

Clearly, to limit a player like Xia Chiyi, double-teaming was the first option.

But it unexpectedly unlocked Xia Chiyi’s confrontation ability. He constantly tested various confrontations on the court, refreshing his own understanding of himself.

He even performed a baseline extension confrontation. With solid skills and a stable core, even if a big tall guy wanted to force him near the baseline to lose dribbling space, he withstood it, then neatly laid up and scored.

Chen Chuan clapped his hands, amused and exasperated: “Xia Chiyi, do I have to give up my small forward position to you?”

Xia Chiyi woke up from his confrontation confidence. This was a practice match, not his personal show.

He began to distribute the ball decisively, using his own threat to pin down opponents and create scoring opportunities for teammates.

Shenghai University’s second team was led running all over the court by Xia Chiyi. The amount of exercise increased again, fatigue gradually showing.

Looking at Ningchang University’s side, Chen Chuan could score almost upon receiving the ball. Even the inconspicuous Qin Jiayu and Deng Qi played smoother and smoother.

When the afternoon practice match ended, Ningchang University won 88 to 65. Of the 88 points, Xia Chiyi scored 45 alone.

The Student Union people were stunned.

“So our school team is this powerful? Next time whoever says our basketball team is fetching water with a bamboo basket in vain, I’ll go fight him!”

“Heard people say Xia Chiyi has a fan group before, I didn’t believe it… just a basketball team member not a star, what hammer fan group. Today I know… he is really explosive handsome. I really want to take photos, but not allowed…”

“We can ask for a photo with him later, right?”

Liang Qin stood by the sidelines, watching silently. Hearing everyone gaining more confidence in the basketball team, she also felt genuinely happy.

When Xia Chiyi turned around, he found all teammates off the court gathered together, not knowing what they were doing.

Zhou Zhexiao unscrewed a bottle of sports drink and handed it to him. “They are ordering milk tea, Ye Chaoying is treating.”

“What? I want to order too!”

“Your master ordered for you.”

“My… my master ordered for me? So good?”

“Mhm, he said after eating instant noodles tonight you should run an extra 3000 meters around the playground. If you drink full sugar milk tea again, you might have to live on the playground tonight.” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

“So, what milk tea did I get?”

Ye Chaoying walked over, replying grinningly: “Jasmine Milk Green Tea, skim milk. Because afraid the milk tea shop’s zero-calorie sugar isn’t real zero-calorie sugar, so your milk tea is sugar-free.”

Xia Chiyi instantly felt life was boring: “You might as well order me a cup of Jasmine tea.”

“Can I? If I can I’ll change it, it’s 4 yuan cheaper.” Ye Chaoying said without conscience.

“No, I want the one that costs 4 yuan more!”

When dismissing in the afternoon, Ling Huanzhen really bought a box of instant noodles and threw it to Xia Chiyi. “Enjoy slowly.”

Xia Chiyi glanced at Jiao Yingfeng. The other was discussing guard training plans with Guan Qian. Xia Chiyi quickly tucked the instant noodles and went back to the dorm.

He specially didn’t eat too much at dinner. Back in the dorm, with an excited heart and trembling hands, he started boiling water.

The class group had already started spamming the practice match results.

[Heard we won both morning and afternoon games today!]

[Student Union said Xia Chiyi was explosive handsome in the afternoon game, soloed 45 points!]

Football team’s Zhang Xiulin immediately retorted: [So what, he counts as a first-team player right? Scoring 45 points against Shenghai University’s second team counts for what?]

[Haha, floor above is funny, do you know Shenghai sent two people to man-mark Xia Chiyi the whole game?]

[What first team, second team, speaking as if the football team playing Shenghai University’s second team could also solo… Let’s not say 4 goals, can you win by 2 goals?]

Zhang Xiulin was so annoyed his molars were about to shatter. Just as he was pondering how to retort in his mind, his ex-girlfriend’s WeChat suddenly showed several unread messages.

Zhang Xiulin’s heart trembled, impatiently clicking to look.

[Xia Chiyi is your classmate right?]

[Heard you always roast him in the group, and some say it’s because of me? I broke up with you because you seem possessed by Archimedes, you have to leverage everything I say.]

[You’re in the football team, he’s in the basketball team, logically well water doesn’t violate river water. You being sour in the group every day, your classmate even found me, asking me to persuade you to be kind.]

Zhang Xiulin was annoyed to the point of exploding, quickly pressing on the phone: [You know hammer about basketball, fan this fan that isn’t it just because Xia Chiyi’s face is good looking? Tomorrow badminton team gets a handsome guy, day after volleyball team gets a pretty boy, you get obsessed, you are just this superficial!]

[Hehe, sorry, you play football too rottenly, leading to me still not understanding the rules. Basketball rules I’m quite proficient in now. Go watch the school basketball game when you have time, you don’t even know where you lost. Bye bye, Archimedes.]

Seeing the four words “Archimedes”, Zhang Xiulin was angry enough to vomit blood. After struggling to type a paragraph and send it, he was actually blocked by his ex-girlfriend?

He was actually blocked!

Truly outrageous!

Who is Archimedes? You are Archimedes! Your whole family is Archimedes!

Zhang Xiulin felt like he ate a mouthful of fly shit. Who knew his roommate exclaimed.

“Today’s practice match referee was actually Jiao Yingfeng! Feel like I missed a hundred million! I should have gone with the Student Union to be logistics today! Maybe could even hand water to Jiao Yingfeng!”

Basketball team again. Zhang Xiulin’s dinner was about to come back up to his throat.

With a desolate heart, he went to the balcony and took a deep breath.

He felt like the only person in this world who looked down on the school basketball team, a lonely retrograde preserving reason.

Contrary to Zhang Xiulin’s depression, Xia Chiyi was incredibly happy. His water boiled. When he added the seasoning packet, a rich aroma smoked Little Fatty down from eating chips on the upper bunk.

“Holy crap, Xia Chiyi are you dying! Didn’t your master say you need to keep a clean diet? Instant noodles shouldn’t be on your menu right?”

Ye Chaoying and Zhou Zhexiao entered the dorm carrying milk tea. Ye Chaoying smiled and said: “This is his reward for scoring 45 points in the game today. After eating he still has to run 3000 meters on the playground.”

Xia Chiyi carefully covered the cup noodles with that “Accounting Basics” book, careful not to let any steam leak out.

Zhou Zhexiao placed Xia Chiyi’s Jasmine Milk Green Tea labeled “skim milk, no added sugar” on the desk, then sat on the chair, looking at Xia Chiyi while sucking pearls.

Xia Chiyi’s phone was on the desk, the countdown showing 3 minutes and 20 something seconds left. He clutched the plastic fork with both hands, eyes full of longing and expectation, as if that wasn’t instant noodles but the O’Brien Championship Trophy.

Ye Chaoying leaned next to Zhou Zhexiao, whispering: “Did you eat this when studying abroad?”

“Ate it when I was little.”

“Did you think the taste was just so-so?” Ye Chaoying raised an eyebrow.

“Mhm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

“You can taste Xia Chiyi’s brew in a bit, it must be tastier than what you had when little.”

Xia Chiyi’s ears were very sharp. “Don’t even think about it. I have to run 3000 meters after eating. I won’t give even a single strand to anyone.”

Zhou Zhexiao snorted coldly, turned his head, and started flipping through the “Management” textbook.

When the phone alarm rang, Xia Chiyi lifted the lid. Steam carrying a rich aroma surged through the entire dorm.

Pang Shuai complained: “Holy crap Xia Chiyi—eating instant noodles in the dorm, really releasing poison ah!”

Ye Chaoying inhaled deeply. “Suddenly feel like I should go to the small supermarket, what to do? I want to eat mushroom chicken flavor.”

“Gao Jinshu lets you eat this?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Old Gao doesn’t let… forget it, Old Gao lost twenty pounds for me, for him I can resist the temptation of instant noodles.”

Xia Chiyi didn’t rush to eat, but took out his phone for a selfie first, posting to Moments: [The world is big, big enough to have all kinds of perverted training plans. The world is also small, a bowl of instant noodles is full of happiness~]

He rolled the noodles with a fork, puffed his cheeks to blow on them, closed his eyes and took a big mouthful, making slurping sounds.

Ye Chaoying shouted: “Xia Chiyi, you really aren’t human.”

Xia Chiyi drank a mouthful of soup unmoved, sighing: “If only there were ham sausage and marinated egg.”

“Then you might run not three thousand meters, but five thousand meters.”

Finally, Pang Shuai couldn’t stand it, put down the chips, and climbed down from the upper bunk.

“I’m going to the tuck shop to buy a bucket now. I can add ham sausage and marinated egg.”

After Xia Chiyi ate a few mouthfuls, he felt something was weird… Oh, he hadn’t heard the sound of Zhou Zhexiao sucking pearls for a while.