Chapter 63: Liu Suchen: To Win, You Have to Stab Your Brother Twice in the Back

Yang Huaiyu was dripping with sweat all over, his breathing heavy like a dilapidated windmill.

After being apart for many days, Liu Suchen’s basketball skills had improved again.

His breakthroughs were even more unpredictable, but fortunately… fortunately, Yang Huaiyu already had the experience of going one-on-one with Zhou Zhexiao while in a state of exhaustion. Carrying the persistence in his heart, he moved laterally with speed, constantly applying pressure on Liu Suchen’s dribbling route.

Both of them had fought until their eyes were red. Liu Suchen cut in frantically and finally shook off Yang Huaiyu. Facing the twin towers under the basket of Qincheng University, he suddenly braked hard, jumped, and shot the ball.

Yang Huaiyu’s nerves were intensely focused—Block it! As long as I don’t give up, there’s still a chance to block it!

When he suddenly appeared in front of Liu Suchen, his resolute gaze brought a dull sensation that sliced through nerves. Liu Suchen’s sense of crisis maxed out. The moment the ball left his hand, Liu Suchen knew this shot wasn’t going in.

At this moment, Meng Ting and He Zhan jumped, determined to seize this rebound. However, they didn’t expect Liu Suchen to fiercely charge past the free-throw line, jump resolutely, and directly dunk his own missed shot right into the basket.

What made his heart strings pull taut was—Yang Huaiyu was actually right beside him. Just a little bit… just a little bit more, and he would have blocked this shot.

After landing, Yang Huaiyu couldn’t steady himself and slumped onto the floor.

The whistle signaling the end of the match blew. Yang Huaiyu rested his hands on his knees, just sitting there. His sweat-soaked bangs slid from the back of his head to his forehead again. He was truly exhausted.

Liu Suchen stood with his hands on his hips, his heart almost leaping out of his throat. After walking around in a circle twice, he reached his hand out to Yang Huaiyu. “You were so valiant during the match, but as soon as the whistle blows, you go soft?”

Yang Huaiyu swatted his hand away. “As a man, you should be tough when it’s time to be tough, and lie flat when it’s time to lie flat.”

Liu Suchen stared at Yang Huaiyu, revealing a playful smile. He lightly tapped Yang Huaiyu’s calf with the tip of his shoe. “Three days apart, and you make me look at you in a new light. If you had this form last year, we would have been teammates in the National Youth Team.”

“Get lost.” Yang Huaiyu glanced at the scoreboard. “We lost by 4 points.”

“Yeah, much less than what you lost by last year.” Liu Suchen rested his hands on his knees, bent down, and looked at Yang Huaiyu sharply and directly. “It seems that to deal with you guys this year, I’ll have to go all out right from the first quarter.”

“Yeah. After all, this year, you don’t have Geng Lu in your team to pull the tripping rope with you anymore.” Yang Huaiyu lifted his head. His seemingly exhausted and lazy gaze revealed a trace of unyielding tenacity.

Liu Suchen looked at him for two seconds, then turned around and walked back to his own team.

When he passed by his teammates, the cynical smile from just a moment ago suddenly turned icy cold.

“Qincheng University has changed a lot. It’s highly likely they’ll enter the top four this year.”

The power forward, Huo Cheng, tilted his head up, still catching his breath. Only after a long while did he speak: “Yeah, their coordination is more tacit, and everyone has become tougher to deal with.”

“There’s also their mentality. A truly strong team isn’t just about superb skills or tactics, but also the persistence to never let go, even at the very last moment. Once they possess this kind of persistence, no matter how much you constantly batter them, they will no longer fear the opponent’s strength. Instead, they will resolve the predicament in front of them step by step, until they turn from prey into hunters, and completely devour the original predator.”

Liu Suchen cast a sideways glance toward Ke Yan, Li Shunchuan, and the others.

Hearing this, Liu Suchen’s teammates felt a chill run down their spines.

Liu Suchen walked over to Coach Li Xiaoran. As expected, Li Xiaoran was crossing his arms with a solemn expression. It seemed he could also sense Qincheng University’s strength.

“They’ve completely transformed,” Li Xiaoran said coldly.

While wiping his sweat, Liu Suchen stared at Yang Huaiyu’s figure. “Did Yang Huaiyu change trainers? It feels like his skills have improved a lot. I had a really hard time defending him.”

“Is it only his skills?” Li Xiaoran glanced at Liu Suchen.

“He’s become a formidable opponent in terms of mentality too.” Liu Suchen ground his molars, his handsome face revealing a bit of gloominess. “I thought I could properly bully him this time and see him crestfallen. I didn’t expect this guy to become more and more capable.”

A few freshmen from Qing University gathered around Liu Suchen. “How about… Brother Suchen, you go fish for some information?”

“You guys go?” Liu Suchen raised an eyebrow.

The freshmen cubs immediately waved their hands. “What’s the use of us going? They’ll just play Tai Chi with us. It still has to be a social bandit like you to get the real intel.”

“Social bandit, my ass. A well-educated person like me, how am I like a bandit?”

After saying that, Liu Suchen tossed his towel onto the bench, adjusted his hairstyle, and walked toward the Qincheng University camp.

He saw Yang Huaiyu, Ke Yan, and a few others sitting in a circle, currently watching the replay of the match.

“I feel like these few three-pointers of mine were very handsome. My performance today can be considered remarkable.” Li Shunchuan looked quite happy.

Ke Yan also said, “Although we didn’t play the rhythm well in the third quarter, I pulled it back in the fourth quarter. It should be a case of the flaws not obscuring the jade, right?”

Yang Huaiyu, who was originally as tired as a dead dog, suddenly gained some energy. “I think I was very handsome today. I feel like I’m going to fall in love with myself…”

“Yeah, although we lost the match, we lost very handsomely.” Meng Ting stroked his chin, also very satisfied.

They all knew that this match would be sent over to Ningchang University. Seeing that their images in the practice match were tall and mighty, they felt relieved.

Even if they lost, they had to make Ningchang University, who would be analyzing this match, have nothing to say.

He Zhan suddenly tugged at Meng Ting’s jersey and lowered his voice, saying, “The femme fatale is here… Those whose level isn’t high enough, evacuate quickly…”

Hearing this, Meng Ting immediately turned around and walked away quickly with He Zhan.

As they walked, they deliberately engaged in an awkward conversation, like someone guilty trying to cover their tracks.

“I’m exhausted, hurry up and go take a shower!”

“If we’re late, I’m afraid there won’t be any spots left!”

The number of people around the video replay decreased. Ke Yan subconsciously looked up and met Liu Suchen’s face, the kind that made countless girls’ hearts tremble at a single glance.

“Jiong Li, stop looking and retreat quickly! Daji Liu is here.”

Ke Yan had just turned around when he heard Liu Suchen’s voice ring out: “A-Yan, aren’t you watching the replay? Why are you leaving as soon as I arrive?”

“I’ve been holding it for forty minutes, I need to go to the bathroom!”

Ke Yan thought he was pulling the naive Li Shunchuan, but he unexpectedly pulled Yang Huaiyu away.

As Yang Huaiyu backed away, he met Liu Suchen’s raised eyebrows, and the word he mouthed was: Coward.

Yang Huaiyu spread his hands, sporting a completely reckless expression, and playfully mouthed back: If I’m a coward, then I’m a coward.

The slow-to-react Li Shunchuan felt that our combat forces had all evacuated. Why was he the only one left?

Just as he was about to get up and leave, Liu Suchen sat down beside him and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“Jiong Li, you were pretty awesome today! To be able to rack up 29 points on our Qing University’s turf. The MVP of the Southeast Division this year definitely belongs to you, right?”

Li Shunchuan’s throat bobbed. The closer Liu Suchen’s handsome features got, the more nervous he became.

Since childhood, what he was worst at dealing with were good-looking people, regardless of gender.

“That’s… that’s… not necessarily… The Southeast Division is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There are still shooting guards who are better than me…”

“Is that so? Who else is there?” Liu Suchen asked amiably.

Li Shunchuan swayed towards the other side, but was quickly pulled back by Liu Suchen.

Yeah, who else is a better shooting guard than me?

Besides Xia Chiyi, Li Shunchuan really couldn’t come up with any other examples.

But Xia Chiyi was an allied force. They still had to study Qing University together; how could he betray an ally just like that?

Li Shunchuan pursed his lips. His originally somewhat comical inverted V-shaped eyebrows were now almost a straight line.

“Jiong Li, I thought that even though we belong to different teams, we at Qing University play the most practice matches with you every year. We should be considered allies, right? You have intel on the Southeast Division, but you refuse to reveal even a little bit?”

Li Shunchuan revealed an expression of disbelief and asked back blankly, “To Qing University… we are actually allies?”

“Yeah.”

Since we’re all allies, what to do about this?

I can only perform a tactical retreat!

Step one, use a jab step to fake out the opponent.

“Alright… You used to be the mosquito blood on Yang Huaiyu’s bed board. While he wished he could slap you to death, he was also attracted by your outstanding basketball skills and played with you.”

The smile on Liu Suchen’s face froze. “What the hell is mosquito blood?”

Step two, dribble between the legs and pull back to distract the opponent!

“Now, he has finally found his ‘first love’. Although he’s already broken-hearted… but the other party is young, frank, has a good personality, with sunshine in his eyes and strength in his heart!”

“Ah?” Liu Suchen really couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Step three, and the most important step, the lateral step-back—escape the devil’s claws!

Just as Liu Suchen was pondering where Yang Huaiyu’s “first love” came from, Li Shunchuan slipped to the side, left Liu Suchen’s defensive range, and quickly evacuated.

Watching Li Shunchuan’s fleeing figure, Liu Suchen couldn’t help but feel amused.

It seemed Qincheng University had really found some formidable ally.

When Li Shunchuan returned to the locker room, he was pulled over by Ke Yan and the others.

“You didn’t get coaxed into confessing, right?”

“No, of course not!” Li Shunchuan said firmly.

“Beautifully done. We have to let them investigate themselves. Why should we hand the answers to them on a silver platter!” Ke Yan high-fived Li Shunchuan.

“Exactly, the first place copying the second place’s answers, that’s too shameless!”

And Ningchang University was that “answer”, and for veteran strong teams like them, it was also the hardest problem to solve.

On Qing University’s side, the team members gathered together, pulling out all the varsity teams that had played practice matches with Qincheng University and lining them up. Every team member channeled the power of Sherlock Holmes.

“Is it Shenghai University? But it’s said that Shenghai University doesn’t have a strong guard this year, and their perimeter ability is too weak. It shouldn’t be them, right?”

“Mining University, then? Thinking it over, only Mining University has this strength and capability. But Mining University’s playing style has always been very rough… It doesn’t match Qincheng University’s increasingly delicate teamwork.”

“Is it Southwest Aviation University? After all, Lu Yingnan is there… But their practice match with Southwest Aviation University was also three months ago.”

Li Xiaoran frowned. He suddenly remembered seeing something on Coach Ren’s WeChat moments before: A scoreboard showing Ningchang University 110 VS Qincheng University 112.

The other party had set it to be visible for three days, and it could no longer be seen now.

As the head coach of Qing University, Li Xiaoran stroked his chin, thinking to himself: Ling Huanzhen, did I underestimate you?

That night, in the staff dormitory, Li Xiaoran found the last match of Ningchang University in the Jin Province grassroots tournament: Ningchang University VS Jin Province University of Finance and Economics.

Speaking of the University of Finance and Economics, they were also a familiar face in the Southeast Division, their best result even reaching the top eight of the division.

But when facing Ningchang University, the Jin Province University of Finance and Economics unexpectedly gave off a sense of helplessness, unable to sustain their efforts.

Even though Ling Huanzhen didn’t have many players at his disposal, having been old rivals in the CBA for so many years, Li Xiaoran could see Ling Huanzhen’s confidence and composure.

The more he watched, the more tightly Li Xiaoran’s brows furrowed.

At this moment, someone knocked on his dorm door. Hearing the rhythm, he knew it was Liu Suchen.

Li Xiaoran opened the door for Liu Suchen. As soon as the other party saw a match playing on the coach’s laptop, he didn’t say a word and pulled up a chair.

“Is Ningchang University strong?” Liu Suchen let out a yawn. After experiencing a hearty practice match in the morning and eating his fill at noon, he naturally felt sleepy.

“I can only say that, judging solely from their performance in the grassroots tournament, they are not yet fit to be our opponents. But…”

Liu Suchen leaned against the back of the chair and turned his head. “Coach, don’t beat around the bush. The part after ‘but’ is the main point.”

“But in this match, Ningchang University clearly had strength to spare. I’m not clear on the depth of their players’ abilities.”

After saying that, Li Xiaoran clicked the “play” button.

Liu Suchen rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to perk up, and looked at the screen.

At first, Liu Suchen still had his chin propped up, looking as if his eyelids were about to droop.

Half a minute later, he leaned back against the chair, crossed his arms, and his right index finger gently tapped his arm along with the rhythm of Zhou Zhexiao’s dribbling.

“What’s this Zhou Zhexiao’s background?” Liu Suchen’s gaze locked onto Zhou Zhexiao’s back.

“He graduated from Oak Hill Academy in the US. Originally, the Jin Province provincial team intended to recruit him, but it’s said that because he was in a car accident and his condition was uncertain, Jin Province gave up on him.”

“No wonder… Oak Hill is famous for producing NBA stars. No wonder I thought this Zhou Zhexiao’s playing style was so professional—his dribbling is steady, and this kind of ball-handling rhythm will make the player defending him very uncomfortable. He has a very strong desire for control on the court. Jin Province University of Finance and Economics is like being held in his palm, completely unable to escape. A point guard like this… is enough to lead a third-rate team out of Jin Province.”

Li Xiaoran spoke up: “Feel it carefully again.”

Liu Suchen narrowed his eyes, meticulously trying to figure out and observe Zhou Zhexiao’s every move, and revealed an expression of sudden realization.

“His playing style is very sharp. He frequently fills in when Ningchang University’s forwards make mistakes, and his direct cuts to the basket are clean and decisive. The University of Finance and Economics is in awe of him. If he played forward… I’m afraid the University of Finance and Economics would have suffered a crushing defeat in the second quarter.”

“Yes. In essence, this Zhou Zhexiao is the same type of player as you and Yang Huaiyu.”

“Interesting.”

Just as Liu Suchen’s gaze was chasing after Zhou Zhexiao, he saw a boy on the three-point line face a double team, brake suddenly, and pull up for a jump shot. His shooting motion was so melodious that one could almost hear the cry of a bird flying past.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a pleasing jump shot.

Liu Suchen’s heart was briefly and gently tugged by that boy’s hand gesture.

From that moment on, Liu Suchen became distracted. He was clearly supposed to be focusing on Zhou Zhexiao, but when Xia Chiyi received the ball, he began to look forward to his shot.

Apart from the number, every player also had their name on the back of their jersey. It was just that this boy was mostly filmed from the side, and his off-ball movement was very nimble and fast. Even though Liu Suchen had excellent dynamic vision, he still hadn’t been able to clearly see the name on his back.

Finally, after the boy executed a decisive fadeaway jumper, his back appeared completely in the camera’s frame.

“Xia Chiyi.” Liu Suchen softly read out that name.

“Right, this is also a player I’m very concerned about. The time he takes to suddenly stop and shoot fast can be kept within 1.5 seconds. Although he is still considered immature compared to Li Shunchuan, looking at the entire Division I league, I don’t think you can find more than five shooting guards with this kind of speed and shooting percentage. As long as he’s given enough experience in major tournaments, by next year, he’ll be able to compete with Li Shunchuan,” Li Xiaoran said.

“It shouldn’t take until next year,” Liu Suchen said.

“What won’t take?”

“This is a match from over a month ago. With his kind of talent, over a month is enough to make rapid progress. Li Shunchuan told me that the Southeast Division has a shooter no less inferior to him. Hasn’t he just arrived?” Liu Suchen’s fingertip lightly poked Xia Chiyi’s face on the screen.

Then, Liu Suchen’s brows furrowed, and his mind unconsciously recalled Li Shunchuan’s description of Yang Huaiyu’s “first love.”

—The other party is young, frank, has a good personality, with sunshine in his eyes and strength in his heart!

The more Liu Suchen looked, the more he felt that Xia Chiyi fit Yang Huaiyu’s criteria for a “first love.”

Most importantly, he also had a face fitting for a first love in a campus drama.

“Coach Li, how about we arrange a practice match with Ningchang University…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liu Suchen felt the low air pressure radiating from Li Xiaoran, along with an obvious “I don’t want to.”

He almost forgot, his own coach and Ling Huanzhen had been sworn enemies for over a dozen years.

These two could openly bash each other and exchange trash talk on Weibo.

Arranging a practice match would be like throwing Li Xiaoran’s face on the ground.

“Ah… then what should we do? Qincheng University definitely won’t give us the video of their practice match with Ningchang University to study.” Liu Suchen showed a regretful expression and turned to look at his coach.

“Ningchang University just played a practice match with Chujiang University this morning,” Li Xiaoran said.

Liu Suchen showed an excited expression: “Who won? What was the score?”

“Ningchang University won, 108 to 89.”

“Then their level is pretty good. But since Chujiang University lost, they wouldn’t forward the practice match video to us,” Liu Suchen said.

Li Xiaoran spoke up: “We can use a practice match as a bargaining chip. We won’t keep the match video; we’ll just watch it once on the spot. It’s enough to know the depth of Ningchang University’s strength.”

“Coach Li still has a way.”

That afternoon, after Coach Ren got the video of the practice match, he forwarded it to Ling Huanzhen with the note: We’ve kept our promise.

When Ling Huanzhen saw it, he didn’t expect the other party to be so straightforward. He also knew in his heart that Coach Ren had recognized Ningchang University. Naturally, a feeling of mutual appreciation surged up, so he replied: [Received. We’ll exchange ideas when the time comes.]

That night, this match was played using a projector in Ningchang University’s basketball stadium.

From the first minute, Xia Chiyi had his fists clenched, feeling nervous.

Yang Huaiyu went full throttle, clashing head-on with Liu Suchen without any evasion, forcing Liu Suchen to constantly change his rhythm and speed.

The confrontation between the two was like crashing into each other, shattering, and then undergoing nirvana and being rebuilt.

Xia Chiyi witnessed the highest level duel among university students. Speed, power, stamina, and judgment merged into their forms, and Liu Suchen’s strength lay in the fact that every time Yang Huaiyu thought he had stopped him, he still had a backup plan.

The quick reaction and the determination for victory made Xia Chiyi’s hairs stand on end, his heart tightly squeezed.

When the match ended, everyone was shocked, unable to help but wonder in their hearts if they were facing Qing University, facing Liu Suchen, could they really display the same imposing manner as Qincheng University?

Even the usually optimistic Ye Zhaoying was frowning and biting his finger.

Xia Chiyi turned his face and looked at Zhou Zhexiao beside him. The other party didn’t have any expression of anxiety or self-doubt; his eyes had become deeper and heavier.

Like an aimless ship finally dropping its anchor into the deep sea.

Because Liu Suchen had ignited Zhou Zhexiao’s desire to claim the championship of the Division I league.

Just as everyone was silent, Xia Chiyi clapped his hands forcefully. “Amazing. The fact that Yang Huaiyu and the others can match Qing University evenly means that we are not far from Qing University’s strength either.

Qincheng University scored 2 points higher than us, and they lost to Qing University by 6 points, so the gap between us and Qing University is 8 points.”

Hearing him say this, everyone let out a sigh of relief. They seemed to have found some comfort, but the anxiety in their hearts remained.

Ling Huanzhen smiled. Although he really wanted to say that winning and losing wasn’t calculated this way, Xia Chiyi’s statement seemingly provided a lot of emotional value.

“Alright, starting now, let’s dismantle this match. Suppose we are Qincheng University; what should we do during each offense and defense? Are there any areas that can be improved and made up for?”

The players of Ningchang University began to express their own opinions, even gesturing on the court.

The next day, the practice matches between Qing University and Qincheng University continued, only this time it was a contest between the second teams. The first team could rest today.

Ever since sleeping at Ningchang University for two nights, Yang Huaiyu’s training intensity had unwittingly aligned with Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao’s. He woke up to his alarm clock at 5:30 in the morning.

They were staying in temporary dormitories prepared by Qing University. Yang Huaiyu thought he could go for a morning jog at Qing University today while admiring the beautiful scenery of this century-old school in the morning light. As soon as he turned off the alarm on his phone, he found he had several WeChat messages, surprisingly all from Xia Chiyi.

Yang Huaiyu immediately clicked on them and found that the other party had sent over a document. Inside were actually Ningchang University’s game observation notes.

Moreover, the time Xia Chiyi sent it was already past two in the morning. This was something the other party had specially summarized and sent to them.

When Yang Huaiyu opened it and looked, a wave of excitement washed over his heart. He immediately shook Ke Yan opposite him: “A-Yan, A-Yan…”

Ke Yan pushed Yang Huaiyu’s face away. “It’s only 5:30, go for your morning jog by yourself…”

“No, Xia Chiyi sent us game observation notes. Do you want to read them together?” Yang Huaiyu dangled his phone in front of Ke Yan’s face.

Ke Yan took a deep breath, took the phone, and glanced at it a couple of times. Originally, he was still heavy with sleep, but after reading for a while, he became wide awake. He sat up, then knocked forcefully on the bed frame behind him.

“Li Shunchuan, Li Shunchuan, get up!”

After a few dozen seconds, Li Shunchuan sat up with a bird’s nest haircut. “I heard you, but even if we want to read it, can’t we wait until after eight o’clock… There’s no need to be in such a hurry…”

Ke Yan directly climbed to the opposite side and woke Li Shunchuan up. “Jiong Li, time flies like an arrow! While you are sleeping, Ningchang University is studying and improving. Xia Chiyi has already walked ahead of you! Your throne as the number one shooter is in danger!”

“What throne? Who wants to usurp the throne? I’m up…”

Not long after, quite a few people gathered in their dorm room. Ke Yan opened his laptop, and everyone sat in a circle, scrutinizing each play one by one according to the timestamps provided in the observation notes.

“Oh my god, Xia Chiyi and the others are really awesome to analyze it in such detail. They’ve even summarized Liu Suchen’s dribbling and breakthrough habits… This observation skill is too sharp, isn’t it?” Li Shunchuan said in surprise.

Yang Huaiyu stared intently at the screen. Liu Suchen, who was dribbling, was slowed down to 0.75x speed. “The dribbling and breakthrough habits were probably summarized by Zhou Zhexiao. He mentioned it when I went one-on-one with him. This match validates his summary.”

“Suggest a three-man zone defense against Liu Suchen under the basket… Holy crap, a three-man zone defense… How do we defend this? What does ‘rhythm two plus one point five’ mean?” Meng Ting touched the back of his head.

Yang Huaiyu smiled. Wasn’t this the method Xia Chiyi used to jointly defend against Zhou Zhexiao with him previously?

He smiled and began to explain, “I know the answer to this one. It means that Meng Ting and He Zhan are responsible for putting pressure on Liu Suchen’s layup, but the two of you must jump at the same time, without any time difference, to block Liu Suchen’s frontal layup route. At this time, Liu Suchen has two choices: a floater or a double-pump. Then, I jump when the two of you reach the highest point. When Liu Suchen pulls the ball back and his height drops, I’ll execute the block. The main focus is the time difference.”

“Wow, it seems the two days you slept with them really weren’t ordinary. Your mutual understanding has grown,” Ke Yan said, a bit jealous.

He Zhan read aloud from his phone again: “2nd quarter, 8 minutes 32 seconds. Jiong Li can help defend at the right side of the top of the three-point arc. If the acting is realistic enough, you can trick Liu Suchen into moving to the right side. Yang Huaiyu can take the opportunity to force him to the right sideline. His passing route will be restricted, and Ke Yan can go for the steal…”

Sitting at the very front, Ke Yan moved the progress bar of the match to that timestamp and started playing.

“Hey, it’s really true.” Li Shunchuan touched the back of his head. “I was lacking a bit in help defense awareness. Otherwise, we might have scored two more points.”

“Haha, I wonder who made these notes; they actually know Li Shunchuan’s nickname is ‘Jiong Li’.” He Zhan burst out laughing.

Li Shunchuan snorted. “Who else but that guy who wants to usurp the throne. Even though my lateral step-back is smoother than his, when it comes to help defense… I have to admit I’m not as good as him.”

For a moment, everyone felt a bit touched. The analysis that Xia Chiyi and the others had stayed up all night to do was handed over to them without any reservations.

Meng Ting sniffed. “Smells so good, did someone bring breakfast over?”

“Soy milk, milk, meat buns, and egg-filled pancakes,” a leisurely voice rang out.

“Yo, thanks!” Meng Ting turned his head, looked at the leisurely figure sitting on the corner of the table, and gasped.

Ke Yan, who was operating the mouse, also paused. He asked He Zhan beside him in a low voice, “When you came in… did you close the door?”

He Zhan explained softly, “When I came in… I was afraid there were still people in my dorm who wanted to come over and watch, so I didn’t close the door…”

Ke Yan covered his face. “Thank you so much.”

Everyone tacitly put away their phones, automatically stood to the sides, and smiled at Liu Suchen.

“Oh my, you even brought breakfast over for us. You are really a nice person.” Meng Ting hurriedly took the plastic bags, smiling as brightly as a flower.

Liu Suchen walked over, sat directly in the center seat, and held down Yang Huaiyu, who was about to flee, with one hand.

“Yeah, I’m such a nice person, yet you guys are reluctant to even eat breakfast, just staying here discussing how to deal with me. You guys sure live up to my kindness.”

Liu Suchen turned his face, looking at Yang Huaiyu with a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes.

Yang Huaiyu smiled casually. “In this world, only you are worthy of us waking up early in the morning to analyze.”

“What were you guys reading on your phones? Send it to me to see?” Liu Suchen crooked his finger at Yang Huaiyu.

Yang Huaiyu still smiled as comfortably as if he were drinking morning tea. “Don’t be like this. If you really want to see the things the coaching staff stayed up late to analyze, you can wait for your Coach Li Xiaoran to forward it. Everyone, isn’t that right?”

After saying that, Yang Huaiyu looked at the people around him.

The others nodded like pounding garlic.

“Yes, yes. If we spread it without the coach’s permission, we will be punished.”

Liu Suchen gave a playful smile. “Yang Huaiyu, you really are an aircraft carrier among scumbags. Half a year ago, who stayed up late with you to analyze Southwest Aviation University second by second? Who practiced with you on how to prevent being stolen by Lu Yingnan? I thought I was your true love on the court, but it turns out I’m disposable too?”

“Alright now.” Yang Huaiyu revealed a charming smile. “Don’t be angry.”

Ke Yan sighed. “I don’t want to watch the upcoming drama; he’ll definitely compromise. He’s never been able to stand up in front of Daji Liu.”

Li Shunchuan, Meng Ting, and He Zhan followed him out the door.

Meng Ting had an expression of resenting iron for not becoming steel. “What follows might be a tragic case of domestic violence… The one being abused will definitely be Yang Huaiyu.”

He Zhan also shook his head. “Sigh, if we compare our ace to the sea, then Liu Suchen is Jingwei. Jingwei is destined to fill the sea.”

At this time, only Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen were left in the dorm room.

Liu Suchen stared into Yang Huaiyu’s eyes and said, “Don’t think you can fool me with a smile. I want to see it too.”

“I’ll show you, I’ll show you.” Yang Huaiyu helplessly coaxed him while reaching his hand into his pocket.

At the moment he was about to take his phone out, he suddenly bolted, truly moving like a fleeing hare.

Not only Liu Suchen, but even Ke Yan and the others in the corridor were stunned.

You can actually pull a move like that?

“Yang Huaiyu, you’re dead—”

After a one-second pause, Liu Suchen charged out, and the two began a 100-meter sprint.

“Did Liu Suchen’s half-court sprint break the youth training team’s record?”

“Mhm…”

“Even like this, Yang Huaiyu still wants to run? What a true warrior!”

Liu Suchen almost ground his teeth to dust, chasing Yang Huaiyu around the Qing University campus for a full five minutes.

For the first time, Yang Huaiyu sprinted until he was almost out of breath, and was caught by Liu Suchen on the lawn of Qing University.

“Run, weren’t you going to run? You’re competing with me in a sprint! You ran me half to death—”

Yang Huaiyu waved his hand. “You are my buddy, and the other party is my brother… I can’t betray… either of you…”

“Haha, so just now you were right there studying how to deal with your buddy along with your brother?”

While catching his breath, Yang Huaiyu raised his eyes and looked at Liu Suchen with a cold gaze: “Didn’t you also study me with Lu Yingnan? You and Geng Lu’s tripping rope strategy against me was learned from Lu Yingnan, right?”

Liu Suchen twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled, visibly stiffening for a second. “How did you know? Lu Yingnan is very tight-lipped…”

Yang Huaiyu showed a victim’s expression, accusing Liu Suchen of his betrayal: “Holy crap! If someone hadn’t reminded me that Geng Lu’s positioning and help defense were very similar to Lu Yingnan’s, I wouldn’t have suspected you! So it’s true! And to think I naively accompanied you to the bar, with you playing the drums on stage and me clapping like a seal below… Am I an idiot?”

“Then what do you want?” Liu Suchen raised his chin.

“Anyway, we are both… willing to take a knife for a buddy, but to win, we’ll stab that buddy twice in the back… So we’re even…”

After saying that, Yang Huaiyu staggered forward.

“That’s not right either. Since in the end, we both have to stab a buddy twice in the back to win, what’s with you rather dying than submitting right now? I can endure being betrayed by you, as long as you would betray anyone. But I cannot tolerate someone being an exception with you.”

Who said men’s friendship is higher than the mountains and wider than the sea? Men’s friendship is clearly also full of jealousy and unfairness.

Yang Huaiyu blew out a breath toward the sky. “He’s still a child! He’s not an old fox like us; he hasn’t even learned how to stab people in the back yet.”

“Holy crap… it really does have a bit of a ‘first love’ flavor to it. Let me guess who it is. Ningchang University… that freshman, Xia Chiyi, right?”

“Think whatever you want.” Yang Huaiyu’s expression remained unchanged.

“Alright, I’ll buy a ticket and fly to Ningchang right now to find this Xia Chiyi and go one-on-one with him. I’m going to blow him up and make him cry and doubt his life.”

Yang Huaiyu suddenly smiled. “Great, you go, hurry up and go. I’ll be waiting to watch. Xia Chiyi has a sword-bearing bodyguard beside him named Zhou Zhexiao. You’ll have to get past him first.”

“Zhou Zhexiao…” Liu Suchen thought to himself. This guy really is a formidable character, just as the coach and I imagined.

“Alright, I don’t need you to forward it. Everyone has curiosity, and I also want to know how others study me under a microscope. I’ll just look at it on your phone. Once I’m done, that’s it. I won’t spread it, and I won’t go looking for your little brother Chiyi. I promise to let him grow up healthily. Before the national top eight tournament, I absolutely will not mercilessly destroy the flower!” Liu Suchen raised his hand, making a solemn vow.

Yang Huaiyu sighed, knowing that his collusion with Ningchang University had already been exposed. If he wanted to settle this peacefully, he could only open the file.

“Fine, you can read it right here. I promised them I wouldn’t forward it to people outside the team.”

Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen walked shoulder to shoulder around the track.

With one hand on his hip, Liu Suchen held Yang Huaiyu’s phone in the other, scrolling through the document’s contents.

He could tell that the contents inside should have been summarized by two people. One had a more steady temperament, and the recorded content was straightforward, objective, rational, and lacked tone. The other used modal particles, which should be the little brother Chiyi who was being protected by Yang Huaiyu.

“Your little brother Chiyi not only has good shooting skills but also a great sense of the big picture. While the other person was focusing on analyzing my techniques, he very seriously analyzed the positioning of my teammates and me. If he played point guard, he would also be very formidable,” Liu Suchen said as he walked.

“Mhm. He wants to be an outstanding combo guard.” Yang Huaiyu closed his eyes, seeming to be able to see the way Xia Chiyi described his dream.

“No wonder I felt that your team had a special mutual understanding. Did you go to Ningchang University to experience it firsthand?”

“Yes, Ningchang University pays great attention to help defense and positioning. Let’s put it this way: originally, when I PK’d with their small forward Zhou Zhexiao, going all out and concentrating fully, we could remain evenly matched. But Xia Chiyi knows what kind of positioning can interfere with my judgment—once Zhou Zhexiao passes the ball to him, he will score six or seven times out of ten. This sense of threat isn’t like what Geng Lu gave back then, but an actual scoring threat.”

“I’ve watched him, and Coach Li has watched him too. From braking suddenly to completing the shot, it’s within 1.5 seconds. You probably won’t find a second one among the freshmen.”

Yang Huaiyu let out a soft chuckle.

“What are you laughing at?” Liu Suchen narrowed his eyes. “What else are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing… nothing else.” Yang Huaiyu thought to himself, When was 1.5 seconds? It should be around 1 second now.

But the arena needs surprises, and Yang Huaiyu looked forward even more to Liu Suchen experiencing it himself.

“Who is XCY? Oh, Xia Chiyi, pinned to the top of your WeChat.” Liu Suchen turned his face, looking at Yang Huaiyu with a big smile.

“I know, I know. Whether as an opponent or a brother, one must be fair. I’ll pin you to the top too, even higher than him, is that okay?”

“Hey, Old Yang.”

“What? I’m only nineteen. Don’t make me feel like I’m already ninety.”

“Do you still think playing professionally is boring? If you’re selected for the youth training team this year, will you refuse?”

“No.” Yang Huaiyu lowered his eyes and smiled slightly. “I didn’t want to play professionally before because I genuinely felt an athlete’s life is very short. Once you turn what you like into a career, you lose the joy. And the more you go all out, the more you see your own ceiling, which is very scary.”

“And now?” Liu Suchen asked.

__

Author’s Note:

Liu Suchen: Although we’ve never met, I’ve remembered you, Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi: Achoo! Someone is speaking ill of me!

Zhou Zhexiao: You just caught a cold. Put your jacket on.