Chapter 0102: Decisive Battle of the Southeast

Once this program aired, the attention on the Southeast Regional finals was elevated once again.

Before going to sleep that night, Xia Chiyi hugged a corner of his blanket and looked over at Zhou Zhexiao. This guy was actually still focused on watching game videos on his phone.

The light from the screen swept across his nose and lips, making his eyes refract a special luster. It made Xia Chiyi’s mind wander.

He threw off his blanket and directly crawled over to the opposite bed. Just as Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head, Xia Chiyi squeezed in, the top of his head nearly bumping into Zhou’s jawbone.

Frowning, Zhou Zhexiao dodged Xia Chiyi’s “foul.” In a brazen move, Xia Chiyi lifted one of Zhou Zhexiao’s arms and wrapped it around his own back.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t sleep. Let’s watch together.”

“If you can’t sleep, memorize English vocabulary.”

“Sure. You recite it, I’ll listen.” Xia Chiyi lifted his head, staring at him with wide open eyes.

Zhou Zhexiao sighed. “I haven’t confessed to you yet.”

“I’m taking an advance. After you confess, I’ll pay you back with interest.”

“…”

Xia Chiyi turned his head away and pressed the play button on the phone screen, completely missing the slight upward curve of Zhou Zhexiao’s lip line.

“What are you watching? A highlight reel of great team plays?”

“Yeah.”

Zhou Zhexiao pulled Xia Chiyi up a bit closer, and began providing commentary as they watched.

As he spoke, Xia Chiyi’s cheek was almost pressed entirely against Zhou Zhexiao’s.

The other’s voice was very steady. Wave after wave of invisible sound resonated with Xia Chiyi’s eardrums and spread to his heart.

Xia Chiyi listened very attentively.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Zhou Zhexiao fought off his sleepiness to let out a yawn.

He glanced at the time on his phone; it was already 11:30 PM. Just as he wanted to pat Xia Chiyi’s face, he realized the other had already fallen asleep leaning into the crook of his neck.

With a sigh, Zhou Zhexiao’s palm, which was less than a centimeter from Xia Chiyi, didn’t land. Instead, he gently brushed aside his fragmented bangs.

“Go back and sleep on your own side.”

Not knowing if Xia Chiyi actually heard him or not, his nose rubbed gently against Zhou Zhexiao’s neck.

“Are you a matchstick? Always trying to cause friction to start a fire?” Zhou Zhexiao said in a very soft and helpless voice.

Xia Chiyi didn’t answer.

Zhou Zhexiao held his shoulder with one hand and fell back, lying down on the pillow.

The lights were turned off, the phone alarm was set and placed on the nightstand. Lying flat with his eyes closed, Zhou Zhexiao said: “Alright, stop pretending. Aren’t you tired staying in just this one position?”

Xia Chiyi opened one eye, took a peek, and then closed it again.

Zhou Zhexiao, we’re all adults now. Seeing through it without pointing it out is adult politeness.

He slept very soundly. When he woke up to his phone alarm the next morning, Xia Chiyi felt it was unbelievable.

This was the finals! They had charged from the very bottom all the way to the peak of the Southeast Region. This was equivalent to doing ‘five years of gaokao and three years of mock exams’ and finally reaching the eve of the college entrance examination!

Xia Chiyi still remembered that before his actual gaokao, he would feel full after taking just one bite of food, and would still be tossing and turning in bed like a pancake at 2:00 AM, nearly unable to even recite his own ID number.

How did he fall asleep so quickly last night?

Was it because of Zhou Zhexiao’s scent?

Xia Chiyi picked up Zhou Zhexiao’s pillow, covered his own face with it, and rubbed his face into it forcefully.

It smells so good… the scent of oranges.

“Are you a puppy? Why do you like rubbing against things so much?”

Xia Chiyi hurriedly put the pillow down. Looking up, he saw Zhou Zhexiao standing at the foot of the bed, not knowing how long he had been watching him.

“Aren’t… aren’t you supposed to go for your morning run?”

Zhou Zhexiao retorted, “The game is about to start. Is it necessary for me to go out and run?”

“Oh.” Wearing an expression of ‘absolutely nothing happened,’ Xia Chiyi tossed the pillow behind him and went into the bathroom to wash up.

There were many people cheering him on in his WeChat: Pang Shuai, the class monitor, his high school classmates, and friends he had made through practice matches.

Even Xiangnan Industrial University from a different region had sent a message, attaching a video of a newly choreographed girl group dance.

At the end of the video, Yuan Yang winked and made a finger heart—a sheer storm of sweetness: “You must win—”

Xia Chiyi was instantly hit.

“Wow…”

“What is it?” Zhou Zhexiao glanced over at him.

“Say, if I become a famous basketball player in the future, will there be a whole square formation of cheerleaders dancing a girl group dance for me?”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at him noncommittally.

“Hey, aren’t you going to give me some encouragement?”

Zhou Zhexiao remained silent.

“Will I become a household name as a basketball player in the future?”

“Yes.” Zhou Zhexiao’s answer was very certain.

“Will I see my endorsement ads in subway stations, shopping malls, and before movies?”

“Yes, you are very handsome.”

“Will I hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy?” Xia Chiyi raised his eyebrows.

“With me around, you definitely will.”

“Will I enter the Hall of Fame?”

“Inevitably.”

“Then will there be an entire square formation of cheerleaders dancing a girl group dance for me?” Xia Chiyi looped back to that question again.

“You’re dreaming about eating farts.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao turned his back and ignored him.

Xia Chiyi patted Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder.

The other turned his head, his gaze conveying a “What’s wrong with you now?” look.

Xia Chiyi suddenly pointed finger guns at Zhou Zhexiao, firing a shot, and sang the most repeated line from the video: “I want nobody nobody but you!”

“…”

“What’s with that expression?”

“You sang out of tune.”

“…Let’s end our friendship.”

Zhou Zhexiao immediately added, “But it was quite cute.”

“It’s too late.”

Zhou Zhexiao added: “You can shoot another one.”

“Shoot yourself.”

Wearing an “I’m not playing with you anymore” expression, Xia Chiyi turned around and walked away.

There was also a message from Liu Suchen in his WeChat, though it was hard to tell if it was encouragement or provocation: [The scenery at the peak cannot be seen from halfway up the mountain.]

Xia Chiyi replied: [Thank you. During the Nationals, please vacate your mountain peak.]

He also attached a sticker of a ‘Great King patrolling the mountain.’

Seeing Xia Chiyi’s reply, Liu Suchen couldn’t help but laugh.

Beside him, Song Boyun said in annoyance, “Could you not wear that sweet, love-struck ‘simp’ smile while looking at Xia Chiyi’s message? He is the enemy, an opponent, and the most difficult shooting guard to deal with in this tournament besides Li Shunchuan! You must maintain the same clear-headed attitude toward him as you do toward Yang Huaiyu and Lu Yingnan.”

“What kind of attitude counts as clear-headed?”

“Naturally, speaking a load of nonsense, having honey on your lips but a sword in your heart, killing with a borrowed knife, and being superficial brothers,” Song Boyun answered.

Surprisingly, the other teammates all nodded in agreement.

Liu Suchen frowned and began to ponder, “Is my moral character really that bad?”

“What do you think!”

---

This game commanded the attention of thousands, and the main reason was that Ningchang University—originally a weak team—had managed to hack their way through from the grassroots qualifiers like slicing melons and chopping vegetables, knocking down all the seeded players in the entire Southeast Region. Last year’s King of the Southeast, Qincheng University, was now the only remaining major fruit.

Principal Feng, who came to watch the game, was so excited that a huge blister had formed on the corner of his mouth; no amount of chrysanthemum tea could calm his internal heat.

Ningchang University’s cheering squad was massive this time, taking up nearly a quarter of the stadium’s spectator seats. The orange ocean rose and fell in waves, dazzling the eyes.

In contrast, Qincheng University’s crowd actually looked a bit sparse.

The people from Southeast Mining University had also booked seats for this match. Before entering, Zhao Lingcong saw Xia Chiyi’s fan group distributing items outside the stadium.

“Eh? Looks pretty interesting!”

Zhao Lingcong immediately dragged Ma Tao over to join the fun.

“If you want to look, go look! I’m not interested!”

“Holy crap, look at what this is? Isn’t it too cute?” Zhao Lingcong handed a pinwheel to Ma Tao.

Ma Tao looked completely disgusted, feeling his IQ was being forcibly lowered: “How old are you, playing with this?”

“Just blow on it!”

Ma Tao impatiently blew a puff of air. Unexpectedly, when the pinwheel started spinning, it formed the pattern of a basketball.

“Hey, that’s kind of interesting.”

“Look, isn’t it cute?” Zhao Lingcong held up a T-shirt and measured it against his shoulders.

The T-shirt featured Xia Chiyi’s pre-game promotional photo—the one that could be downloaded from the official website. His shooting posture was beautiful, but the key point was how his slightly upturned head and the elongated line of his neck truly looked both pure and sexy.

It was just that the text underneath was a bit nonsensical.

Frowning, Ma Tao read it aloud: “‘No one can stop me from eating a hundred chicken drumsticks.'”

Zhao Lingcong grabbed another one and handed it to Ma Tao. “This one suits you—’Instant noodles are the soul of tonight!'”

“I don’t want it!”

“Just wear it. During yesterday’s game, Xia Chiyi wore my support shirt.”

“What does that have to do with me? He didn’t wear mine!”

“Of your whole body, your mouth is the hardest. When I showed it to you, your eyes clearly lit up.”

“My eyes aren’t lightbulbs, why would they light up!”

In the end, Ma Tao still put on the T-shirt printed with Xia Chiyi’s face alongside Zhao Lingcong.

Ma Tao walked forward with his head down, praying in his heart: Don’t look at me! Don’t recognize me! I am not Ma Tao!

Unfortunately, he was tall and robust like a human clothes hanger; everywhere he went, he received a barrage of stares.

Zhao Lingcong was even more annoying. Whenever he saw someone he knew, he had to go up and say hello. When he bumped into the guys from Qing University, he actually threw an arm around Liu Suchen’s shoulders and started chatting.

Liu Suchen laughed, “Yo, your T-shirt looks very handsome. It looks like your kid is going to take the gaokao, and you’re wearing a qipao waiting at the entrance of the exam hall.”

Zhao Lingcong beamed with joy: “I get it, I get it—wishing him victory from the start, right!”

Liu Suchen glanced back at Ma Tao. “You guys from Southeast Mining truly have broad minds.”

“It’s so crowded today, feels like there are a lot of people. Is it because it’s the finals?” Zhao Lingcong asked.

Liu Suchen replied, “I heard a CBA player came to watch the game, so his fans showed up too.”

---

At this moment, several people were already seated in the VIP spectator section.

Xie Huai slowly sat down and placed his thermos down. Just as he was about to unscrew the cap for a drink of water, someone took the cup from him. “Coach Xie, let me do it.”

The voice sounded quite familiar. Xie Huai looked up and found that it was Gao Jinshu.

“You… you came to watch the game too?”

Gao Jinshu smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared. “Haha, it’s quite embarrassing to say. I wanted to book tickets online, but there were no seats left. So I brazenly called the organizers to see if they had any internal tickets. I didn’t expect them to arrange for me to sit in the VIP section! After retiring for so many years, this is the time I’ve had the most presence. Look, it’s close, the view is clear, and I can keep you company. What great luck!”

Xie Huai patted Gao Jinshu on the back: “You’ve lost weight, you’ve really lost weight. Is life too hard after retirement? Or are you feeling unwell? If you need anything, just tell me!”

“You misunderstand. I took on a student. The young people these days judge a book by its cover. If I don’t lose weight, he wouldn’t want me to teach him. So… didn’t I just hurry up and lose some weight?”

Xie Huai couldn’t stop grinning. “You guys, one after another—Ling Huanzhen went to lead a college basketball team, Jiao Yingfeng took on an apprentice, and you actually have a student too? How old is he? Where is he? What’s his skill level like? Don’t hide it, bring him to show me?”

“He’s playing today. His experience is a bit lacking, and he’s still a bit rough around the edges. See if you can recognize him.”

“Ah, look at you, keeping me in suspense! Then I’ll have to take a good look!” Hearing this, Xie Huai’s interest grew even stronger.

On the sidelines, Yuan Tingxuan was still accepting interviews from reporters, while fans behind him chanted his name.

“Everyone knows I came to watch the Southeast Regional finals this time because Xia Chiyi tagged me. So naturally, I had to come and see whether he’s a mule or a horse.”

The reporter friends laughed.

“Another, and the most important point: I hope my arrival will bring more basketball fans to pay attention to this college-level competition. Although many years ago, it couldn’t compare to the NCAA across the ocean, and professional athletes discovered from it were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. People treated it like a national college sports meeting. There were few broadcasts and few viewers; during my time in the Division I league, the spectator seats were often empty.”

The reporter nodded.

“But it’s different these past few years. There really are very many, very excellent players coming from the college Division I league. I hope everyone will generously support our own college basketball league!”

---

By this time, both teams had arrived at their respective bench areas.

Xia Chiyi kept feeling that the team’s atmosphere was a bit weird.

Ling Huanzhen was emphasizing today’s tactical and technical focus to them. Xia Chiyi listened attentively, but couldn’t help but speak up.

“Old Ling, did you button your Polo shirt wrong?”

The entire team’s gazes focused on Ling Huanzhen’s collar.

“Is this such a big deal!”

After saying that, Ling Huanzhen quickly re-buttoned his shirt.

Who knew Cheng Qing would suddenly interject, “You put the lid of my thermos onto your thermos.”

“Here, giving it back.”

Xia Chiyi glanced at Zhou Zhexiao beside him, asking with his eyes: Is Ling Huanzhen nervous?

Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Everyone gathered in a circle. Ling Huanzhen shouted loudly, “One, two, three, we are—”

“Kings of the Southeast!”

Someone inexplicably shouted, “Must win!”

Everyone looked over. The person who hadn’t updated his slogan was Du He.

He raised his hand and said embarrassedly, “I… I forgot to change the slogan.”

“Should we shout it again?” Chen Chuan asked.

Ling Huanzhen waved his hand: “No need. ‘Must win Kings of the Southeast’ is fine too.”

The teammates dispersed to warm up.

Xia Chiyi stretched his legs on the side while observing his teammates’ reactions.

Especially Du He—after shouting the slogan, his mind had been wandering, and he was walking with the same arm and leg forward again.

The key point was that his uncoordinated walking was so obvious, yet Shuai Bei, who was right next to him, hadn’t noticed at all?

“Hiss…”

Suddenly, Shuai Bei let out a muffled groan, stumbled backward two steps, and hopped back to his seat on one leg.

Du He walked past him with no reaction, but instead, He Bin nervously rushed over to Shuai Bei’s side.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“My calf… cramped up,” Shuai Bei said with a frown.

“What? Cramps?” Ling Huanzhen’s heart leaped into his throat. “Is it serious? Is it bad?”

Xia Chiyi’s heart also tensed up. He had experienced calf cramps during a game before, and that kind of pain couldn’t be relieved in a short time.

Originally maintaining a normal state of mind, Xia Chiyi belatedly started getting nervous.

This was the finals of the Southeast Region! Just one more win and they would be crowned Kings of the Southeast!

This was like buying a lottery ticket where all the previous numbers had hit, leaving only the final number. With sudden immense wealth right before their eyes, how could he not be nervous?

With a smack, the back of Xia Chiyi’s head was flicked. Turning around, he met Zhou Zhexiao’s indifferent gaze.

“Don’t add extra drama for yourself in your head.”

“…Oh.”

Are you freaking broadcasting on the same brainwaves as me? How do you know whatever I’m thinking in my head?

Everyone crowded around. Even the audience in the stands noticed something was wrong on their side.

“What happened on Ningchang University’s side? Did someone get hurt?” In the stands, Zhao Lingcong craned his neck, but unfortunately couldn’t clearly see what was happening from his angle.

Ma Tao chimed in: “Could it be that they’re nervous?”

“Nervous? Qincheng University isn’t an unfamiliar opponent,” Zhao Lingcong said.

“But this is the finals, not a practice match. The winner becomes king, the loser a bandit; one game decides everything. The psychological pressure is definitely different.”

“Fortunately, Little Xia still looks normal.” Looking at Xia Chiyi standing with hands on hips and peering over, Zhao Lingcong breathed a sigh of relief.

Ma Tao said grumpily, “Xia Chiyi dared to directly challenge a professional athlete like Yuan Tingxuan. Do you really think he knows the meaning of the word ‘nervous’?”

The team doctor quickly hurried over to help Shuai Bei relax and massage the muscle. Luckily, it wasn’t serious and was relieved quite fast.

Crossing his arms, Coach Li Xiaoran of Qing University frowned. “This is where Ling Huanzhen’s lack of experience shows. Ningchang University climbed all the way up from the very bottom. Placing first in the group stage was an honor, breaking into the top eight made history; the pressure compounds layer by layer. And in the regional finals, the players are definitely going to be tense. If you draw the bow too tightly, the string will snap.”

Liu Suchen also glanced worriedly at Ningchang University’s bench. “Right now, they are only one step away from the summit.”

At this time, Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang were sitting in the spectator seats.

“Yingfeng, shouldn’t you hurry down there? After all, you are registered as a member of the coaching staff,” Fan Qingliang reminded him.

Jiao Yingfeng really wanted to rush down, but he held back: “I’ll just watch from here. If I go down today, Ling Huanzhen will become even more reliant on me in the future. In the past when we played games, Ling Huanzhen was used to focusing on my off-ball movement, setting screens for me, and grabbing rebounds.”

“That’s because he trusted your ability and judgment.”

“But it’s different now. He is a coach; he’s the head commander of a team.”

“I understand.” Fan Qingliang’s gaze was profound. “It’s not just the players who are growing, but also him, the coach.”

After passing this hurdle, Ling Huanzhen would become more composed.

Remaining unflustered in the face of crisis was the most fundamental psychological quality of a coach.

Right now, Ling Huanzhen was sitting next to Shuai Bei, patting his shoulder. He sighed and said in the most calm and composed tone he could muster: “You’re really something, kid. Gifting me a big surprise package right from the start.”

“Sorry, Coach! I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore!”

Just as Shuai Bei was about to stand up, Ling Huanzhen pushed him back down. “What’s the rush? Just sit. There will be a time for you to go on the court.”

On the opposite side, Qincheng University was already warming up.

Even though the players from both teams would joke around and play together when eating at the hotel, and roasting and rescuing each other in video games was the norm, when it came to the actual game, Qincheng University’s players entered the zone. They were methodically lining up for shooting drills, executing various dribbles and passes.

Conversely, Ningchang University’s players were all huddled around their bench area.

Taking a deep breath, Ling Huanzhen said to He Bin: “Captain, what are you waiting for? Take them onto the court to warm up.”

“Yes!”

He Bin waved to his teammates, and everyone started shooting one by one.

Although Ningchang University seemed to have restored order, the alumni still felt an inexplicable tension.

Even He Bin, who was good at shooting, unexpectedly missed a three-pointer from the corner.

In contrast, on the opposite side, Li Shunchuan took a step back for every shot he made. After several shots, he retreated all the way to the half-court line. He made every single shot, drawing continuous applause from the audience.

Next, Ke Yan deliberately threw the ball off the backboard. Meng Ting, He Zhan, and Yang Huaiyu surprisingly lined up and completed put-back dunks consecutively.

Just from the pre-game warm-up alone, Qincheng University displayed the calm and ease of a consistently victorious, powerful team.

The contrast was too stark. Frowning in the stands, Zhao Lingcong said, “I’m a bit worried, what do we do?”

Ma Tao: “I’m worried too. Originally, if Ningchang University took the title of King of the Southeast, our Mining University losing to them wouldn’t be an injustice. But if they get crushed by Qincheng University, doesn’t that indirectly prove we’re just a bunch of noobs?”

Zhao Lingcong nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Ma Tao suddenly roared with a booming voice: “Xia Chiyi—make Daddy proud—or else I’ll settle new hatred and old grudges together, and beat you, you little li—!”

Before he could finish the words “little liar,” Zhao Lingcong covered his mouth.

Following the sound, Xia Chiyi looked over and saw Zhao Lingcong and Ma Tao both wearing orange fan T-shirts, with Ma Tao forcefully prying Zhao Lingcong’s hand away.

They actually came to cheer for me too?

Xia Chiyi flashed them a peace sign (V).

Ling Huanzhen lifted his chin toward Zhou Zhexiao. “Hey, make some noise and boost our momentum. Look at them, every single one looks like a sick chicken with the plague. I want to dig a hole and bury them all!”

“Oh.” Zhou Zhexiao dribbled the ball and walked to the edge of the court.

Xia Chiyi was already standing on the half-court line, watching Meng Ting practice his mid-range jump shots.

“Aiya, it mi—”

Before Meng Ting could finish the word “missed,” Xia Chiyi, standing at half-court, abruptly shot the ball. His ball actually smashed Meng Ting’s ball—which was bouncing on the rim—right into the hoop!

A round of applause erupted from the entire arena.

“Haha, hahaha, now that is something!” Xie Huai started clapping.

Li Shunchuan looked back, saying “Amazing,” and bumped fists with Xia Chiyi.

Immediately after, the audience let out a collective gasp of “Woah—”.

Zhou Zhexiao dribbled and sprinted toward the basket, soaring into the air. Gliding through the sky, he passed the basketball from his right leg to his left leg, and then—he actually grabbed the ball and executed a reverse dunk!

Following the shuddering sound of the basketball rim, a wave of exclamations washed over the audience.

Ningchang University’s orange legion started banging their thunder sticks furiously, and the sound of whistles echoed one after another throughout the stadium.

The mouths of the two commentators were open wide enough to stuff an egg in.

Xu Mi: “Was that… was that the mid-air double-clutch layup (butterfly weave) that Xia Chiyi failed to imitate from Yang Huaiyu in the show yesterday?”

Chen Hui answered: “No, no, no! It’s even harder than that—Zhou Zhexiao did a one-handed reverse dunk!”

In the VIP spectator section, Xie Huai didn’t say a word, while Yuan Tingxuan was even more astonished.

“Such explosive power and hang time… is he really just a college student?”

Gao Jinshu clapped forcefully, a surge of vigorous spirit rising in his chest.

Standing at the half-court line, Xia Chiyi suddenly yelled: “Do it again, I didn’t see clearly!”

“Do it yourself.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao threw the ball back to He Bin. “Captain, let’s continue warming up.”

The sluggish atmosphere of the entire team instantly lifted. The audience, who had been worrying about Ningchang University’s poor form, also put their minds at ease.

Chen Chuan and the others started taking turns shooting. Just by looking at the arc of their basketballs, Xia Chiyi could sense that their mood had relaxed a great deal.

Revealing a relieved smile, Ling Huanzhen rested his hands on his knees. What came to mind were the words Li Xiaoran had said to him on WeChat.

He made his decision. “Shuai Bei, you stay off the court. He Bin, you’re starting.”

Both Shuai Bei and He Bin froze.

Shuai Bei said loudly: “Coach, if I don’t play, we won’t have enough firepower under the basket!”

He Bin was also worried: “Yeah, Coach… we have Xia Chiyi for perimeter shooting on the court…”

Ling Huanzhen raised his hand, signaling them to quiet down.

“The purpose of putting Ye Chaoying on the court is to restrict Li Shunchuan.” Ling Huanzhen looked at Ye Chaoying. “Little Leaf, you must remember: your role isn’t to prevent Li Shunchuan from scoring a single point. It’s to make him…”

“Make him unable to receive the ball, make him run, and drain his stamina. Just like how Southeast Mining dealt with Xia Chiyi,” Ye Chaoying said.

“Very good.”

Ling Huanzhen then looked at Xia Chiyi. “Your most important role is to organize the offense and distribute the ball to whoever can score. If you have a great open look yourself, then score. We need to score with maximum efficiency right from the opening. You must go full throttle. Since Shuai Bei isn’t in, offense is our best defense.”

“Understood—”

Ling Huanzhen looked at Zhou Zhexiao, assigning him the most crucial task: “You must ruthlessly suppress Yang Huaiyu. If he scores a goal, you must immediately return the favor. Ace against ace—you absolutely must seize them by the throat and pierce their hearts.”

“Oh.”

Out of nowhere, Xia Chiyi pressed down on the back of Zhou Zhexiao’s head.

Reluctantly, this guy lowered his head slightly and said clearly: “Got it.”

“Yo, how rare, you’re actually being obedient.” Ling Huanzhen couldn’t help but laugh.

Watching his teammates step onto the court, Shuai Bei clenched his fists. “Coach, then what about me?”

“When both sides’ stamina has drained to a certain point, your fully-charged battery will be extremely important.” Ling Huanzhen gave Shuai Bei a meaningful look.

Shuai Bei’s heart trembled slightly, and he slowly clenched his fists tight.

Seeing Shuai Bei left off the court, the alumni all became worried.

“Is Shuai Bei injured?”
“Without letting Shuai Bei start, won’t our combat power under the basket be insufficient?”

Only Li Xiaoran and Jiao Yingfeng in the stands felt reassured by this lineup instead.

“How rare. This guy actually has moments when he listens to advice.” Li Xiaoran smiled faintly.

The corners of Jiao Yingfeng’s mouth curled up. “Fortunately, this guy knows that combat power needs to be distributed evenly.”

The starting lineups of both teams stepped onto the court; the tip-off was about to begin.

Yang Huaiyu and Xia Chiyi brushed past each other, and with mutual understanding, the two bumped shoulders.

“Little kids shouldn’t think about wearing crowns. Your neck is so thin, if it hurts from the weight, big bro will feel bad.”

“It’s fine. My neck may be thin, but my skull is hard.” Xia Chiyi smiled.

As everyone stood still, watching the referee holding the ball, Xia Chiyi’s nerves finally grew tense.

The finals of the Southeast Region… had finally arrived!

The ball was tossed into the air. Even though it was a moment they had experienced countless times, at this very second, it made their blood surge.

With his head tilted up, Du He felt for the first time as if countless invisible threads from beneath the floorboards were wrapping around his feet, as if he had been cemented into the ground.

Meng Ting jumped high. Du He was visibly a step too late.

The ball was tipped by Meng Ting. Ke Yan caught the ball, and just as he was about to launch a fast break, the whistle blew sharply.

Meng Ting actually committed a jump-ball violation!

An uproar swept through the arena, and many spectators stared wide-eyed.

Du He scratched the back of his head, feeling as if he had hit the jackpot.

From the commentary desk, Chen Hui spoke up: “Let’s popularize the rule on jump-ball violations here. Simply put, while the ball was still rising and hadn’t started its descent, Meng Ting hit it. That constitutes a violation.”

Xu Mi added: “Although jump-ball violations are very common in games, for the player Meng Ting, this is his first time committing a jump-ball violation in this year’s Southeast Regional tournament.”

Facing Meng Ting, Yang Huaiyu smiled somewhat mischievously. “Hey, do you not want your KPI for this match anymore?”

Behind Meng Ting, Ke Yan clapped his hands. “It’s fine, it’s fine, let’s do it again!”

Meng Ting glanced at Du He, and then at Xia Chiyi not far from him, stating frankly: “I was nervous, so I committed a violation. Is that not allowed?”

“Oh.” Du He nodded, suddenly feeling as if the blood flow had returned to his legs.

Xia Chiyi quickly said, “No problem, take your time! It’s fine if you violate a few more times!”

“Fuck you!” Meng Ting made an “I’ll beat you up” gesture towards Xia Chiyi.

Everyone returned to their initial positions for the second tip-off.

Knowing that Meng Ting got nervous too, Du He suddenly felt his legs weren’t so heavy anymore, and his mind cleared up. Previously, his ears were buzzing, but now he could clearly distinguish what the cheerleaders were shouting.

Once again, the ball was tipped into the air. Du He and Meng Ting touched the ball almost simultaneously. Meng Ting had more strength. Ke Yan rushed forward, but before his fingertips could touch the ball, a tall figure flashed past and actually hijacked it!

—Zhou Zhexiao?

It was actually Zhou Zhexiao?

Qincheng University immediately retreated to defend. Instead of launching a fast break right away, Zhou Zhexiao dribbled rhythmically, observing the opponent’s formation with an icy gaze.

Chen Hui: “Zhou Zhexiao is handling the ball? Is this because Zhou Zhexiao stole it off the opening, or is this Ningchang University’s planned arrangement?”

Xu Mi was also very surprised: “Based on previous games, Zhou Zhexiao does possess top-tier ball-handling skills. But facing Qincheng University’s super-strong frontline, if Ningchang University shifts Zhou Zhexiao—a major combat asset—to play point guard, do they still have the ability to penetrate?”

Just as everyone was waiting for Zhou Zhexiao to pass the ball to Ye Chaoying or Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao charged toward Qincheng University’s formation at an extremely fast speed. His teammates followed suit. This wave of flat-out basic attacks (direct offense) kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

When Zhou Zhexiao crossed half-court, the audience didn’t dare breathe loudly, because it wasn’t just fast—it was ferocious.

A clash of short weapons, a flurry of combat. With a spin, Zhou Zhexiao sealed Yang Huaiyu outside the paint and passed the ball toward He Bin, who was rushing to the corner.

Ke Yan immediately stepped up to press, but that pass was intercepted early by Xia Chiyi—or rather, Zhou Zhexiao had intended to pass to Xia Chiyi all along!

He Bin was just a smokescreen!

“Crap—” Ke Yan almost shattered his molars. This guy is probably going to shoot right where he stands!

After receiving the ball, Xia Chiyi executed a fake shot and a real pass, giving the ball to He Bin anyway!

He Bin jumped and calmly scored.

Chen Hui began to applaud. “The coordination on this play was too brilliant! Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, striking where they were unprepared! It completely disrupted Qincheng University’s defense!”

Xu Mi laughed: “Although Zhou Zhexiao was the one who dribbled across half-court, the person who truly distributed the ball was Xia Chiyi.”

In the VIP section, Coach Xie also nodded in satisfaction: “In modern basketball, the definitions of positions aren’t that rigid anymore. A lot of times, once you’re on the court, you have to play whatever position is needed.”

Xia Chiyi high-fived He Bin, then looked back at Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao gave a faint nod; he fully affirmed Xia Chiyi’s judgment at the time.

Xia Chiyi smiled. I’m amazing, right? You’ll never find a teammate who understands you better than I do!

Qincheng University wasn’t intimidated. Yang Huaiyu smiled. “This opening gift package is quite sincere.”

But it only took them five seconds to return the favor.

Ke Yan had just brought the ball past half-court when he was pressured to a stop by Xia Chiyi. He wanted to pass to Li Shunchuan, but the passing lane was blocked by Ye Chaoying, so he could only lob the ball high toward the backboard.

“Rebound—” Xia Chiyi shouted.

With a bang, He Zhan caught the ball mid-air and slammed it in in one smooth motion. The others on the court hadn’t even reacted.

“Mm-hm.” Ke Yan raised his eyebrows smugly.

Xia Chiyi frowned, ignoring his provocation.

“This kid’s wings have grown hard; he actually ignored me!” Ke Yan complained to Yang Huaiyu.

Smiling, Yang Huaiyu comforted Ke Yan: “He’s probably thinking up trash talk right now, or charging up his ultimate move and hasn’t had time to unleash it yet.”

“You’re the one who needs to hurry up and charge your ultimate! Zhou Zhexiao has you completely locked down; I can’t even find an angle to pass to you! Careful, or you, this ace card, will become a dead card!” Ke Yan said grumpily.

Watching Zhou Zhexiao’s retreating back, Yang Huaiyu rubbed the tip of his nose.

—Zhou Zhexiao, locking me down like this, it’s hard for me to score, but you won’t be able to score either.

Another round of contest. Xia Chiyi and Ke Yan entangled near the half-court line. Ke Yan was also playing the close-contact physical game now, pressing so tightly that Xia Chiyi almost had no room to maneuver. This time, it was Yang Huaiyu who pinned Zhou Zhexiao behind him, blocking his receiving path.

Xia Chiyi really didn’t want this kind of close-range mutual affection.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhexiao spun and wrapped around to Yang Huaiyu’s front. In that instant, Xia Chiyi threw an extremely fast pass that made people’s hearts pound with fear, thinking he was going to turn it over. Who knew that the moment Zhou Zhexiao caught the ball, he immediately charged toward the basket.

The audience began to cheer. Was the under-the-basket battle between Zhou Zhexiao and Yang Huaiyu finally beginning?

Zhou Zhexiao soared into the air for a layup. Yang Huaiyu, Meng Ting, and He Zhan all rushed back to defend in an emergency. This wave of defense almost sealed off all his open looks.

No matter how well you can double-clutch, no matter how heaven-defying your hang time is, you aren’t making this shot!

Expressionless, just as his feet were about to touch the ground, Zhou Zhexiao gently tossed the ball.

The ball passed between Yang Huaiyu’s arms, but it absolutely wouldn’t go in!

Yang Huaiyu was already preparing to tip the rebound when he felt a chill at his side. Another figure had already jumped up, and with a light tap, that ball went in.

Cheers erupted all around. Yang Huaiyu saw the number on Xia Chiyi’s back.

“Damn it… the brat appears and disappears like a ghost…” Yang Huaiyu smiled helplessly.

Who knew Xia Chiyi would turn around and make finger guns at Yang Huaiyu.

But before he could say “bang bang bang,” Zhou Zhexiao pressed his “gun barrel” down with one hand, casually covering his face in the process, and dragged him away.

“What are you doing?”

“What are you blindly shooting for?”

Hearing Zhou Zhexiao’s cold rhetorical question, Xia Chiyi realized… Could this guy be unhappy?

When they were chatting in the room earlier today, Xia Chiyi had made the same gesture at Zhou Zhexiao.

Oh, it’s because of the accompanying lyrics—I want nobody nobody but you!

Looking at Zhou Zhexiao’s back, Xia Chiyi pouted: I didn’t even sing, what a petty ghost.

Holding his camera, Pang Shuai was going crazy with excitement: “Did you see that? That’s what you call ‘using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds’! So many people exerted all their strength to defend under the basket, and with just a light tap from Xia Chiyi, the ball went in! Who understands this feeling?”

Sitting at the commentary desk, Chen Hui really wanted to watch a replay, otherwise, he truly wasn’t sure what exactly had happened with that play.

“Why do I feel like Zhou Zhexiao was deliberately fishing? He was simply like a suspension crane, hoisting up the three most powerful interior defenders from Qincheng University, and then intentionally hitting the backboard to give Xia Chiyi an opportunity?” Chen Hui wasn’t entirely certain.

Xu Mi nodded: “That’s it, that’s exactly it! I saw that when Zhou Zhexiao soared into the air, Xia Chiyi was already rushing toward the basket! Although this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, it definitely wasn’t a coincidence!”

At Qing University’s bench, Liu Suchen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “When will I be able to have a partner like that…”

Song Boyun nodded and said seriously, “For that, blue smoke might need to rise from your ancestral graves.”

Liu Suchen forcefully pressed down on Song Boyun’s head: “I’m going to demolish your family’s ancestral hall right now and burn it on my ancestral graves.”

“I already have the awareness to fill gaps in positioning now!” Two streams of wide tears flowed down Song Boyun’s face.

Although everyone had long anticipated that this game would be spectacular, the unexpected offensive coordination and the impossible-to-defend put-back attacks sent the surprise level soaring straight up.

The final two minutes of the first quarter were simply a hurricane-like showdown between Yang Huaiyu and Zhou Zhexiao.

---

[Author’s Note]

Zhou Zhexiao: After winning this game, I can hear Xia Chiyi confess.
Xia Chiyi: What? Didn’t we agree you were going to confess?
Zhou Zhexiao: If you don’t confess, I’m going to buy a rowing machine.
Xia Chiyi: Holy crap…