Chapter 0132: Li Xiaoran: Daydreamer!

“Hmm?”

“I want to kiss you,” Xia Chiyi mouthed.

Zhou Zhexiao stared blankly for two seconds, then nodded.

“I also want to…”

Xia Chiyi made an ‘OK’ gesture over his mouth, and lightly licked the corner of his lips with his tongue. This was a suggestive hint Zhou Zhexiao had once directed at him.

He copied it exactly, mimicking it to perfection, but added a wink at the end.

Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes darkened, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and then he responded, “Oh.”

Xia Chiyi walked quite a distance holding the ice pop, showing absolutely no intention of snapping it in half to share with Zhou Zhexiao.

“Where are you going?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Taking you into the small woods.”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at the back of Xia Chiyi’s head and couldn’t hold back a low chuckle, “Our school’s small woods seem a bit too sparse, don’t they?”

“You’ve scouted the small woods? Zhou Zhexiao… I didn’t expect you to be that kind of Zhou Zhexiao!”

Actually, where could they go? Pang Shuai was a permanent resident in their dorm, and there were plenty of people in the study rooms and library.

“How about we pretend to clean the sports equipment room…”

Before Xia Chiyi could finish his sentence, Zhou Zhexiao took a large stride forward, grabbed Xia Chiyi’s wrist, and yanked him back.

“Hey, where are you dragging me?”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t answer him, but his strides were very fast.

Many students watched the two of them walking quickly past. Coupled with Xia Chiyi’s bewildered expression, everyone was a bit worried.

“What’s wrong with Zhou Zhexiao? This is the first time I’ve seen him drag Xia Chiyi like that.”
“It looks like he’s dragging Xia Chiyi somewhere to beat him up?”
“The national tournament is about to start, please don’t let there be internal strife!”

Facts proved that the students’ worries were completely superfluous.

Zhou Zhexiao led Xia Chiyi out the school gates, took the bus for a few stops, and arrived at a newly opened hotel near the Chengjiang Wetland Park.

“What… what are you doing?”

“ID card,” Zhou Zhexiao said, looking at Xia Chiyi.

“You’re taking me here to get a room…” Xia Chiyi’s eyes widened. He never expected that a scene straight out of a TV drama would actually become reality.

Zhou Zhexiao asked in return: “Or do you prefer the thrill of sneaking around?”

“The thrill of sneaking around?”

This time it was Xia Chiyi’s turn to not understand what Zhou Zhexiao was saying.

“For example, an empty classroom, an unlit equipment room, hiding under the desk in the study room…”

The more Xia Chiyi heard, the more wrong it sounded. He quickly covered Zhou Zhexiao’s mouth: “Where did you learn all this?”

Zhou Zhexiao answered without changing his expression: “I heard teammates chatting about it in the locker room.”

“That’s definitely not our current teammates!”

Zhou Zhexiao bit Xia Chiyi’s finger, startling Xia Chiyi into hurriedly retracting his hand.

“Little coward, don’t you dare?” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face sideways to look at him.

“I don’t dare? I’m just distressed for my wallet!”

“No need to be distressed, I have money.”

Xia Chiyi slapped his own forehead. How could he have forgotten? Zhou Zhexiao had his own ways of making money. Even without the living expenses his mother sent him, he could just sell his autographs.

Because the hotel had complete facilities and was adjacent to the wetland park, the prices were not cheap. A standard king-size bedroom required five big bills.

Too expensive… That could buy so many hot pot meals.

“Let’s change to a different place. This place is newly renovated, the formaldehyde levels must be exceeding the standard,” Xia Chiyi leaned close to Zhou Zhexiao’s ear and whispered.

“No, it isn’t. They used eco-friendly paint for the renovation.”

You even believe that?

“You’re just scared.”

“I am not.”

The front desk asked them both for their ID cards.

Xia Chiyi readily fished his out. As long as he didn’t show a guilty conscience, who would know if they were getting a room to drink cola and play cards, or to watch the sunset?

Despite doing so much mental preparation, when Zhou Zhexiao took his ID out of his pocket, a small circular packet unexpectedly fell out! It even had a Bulgarian rose printed on it.

Xia Chiyi almost exploded on the spot. Why did Zhou Zhexiao put this thing in his pocket?!

What… what was he planning to do?

All along, to prevent injuries, and because there were so many matches and training sessions, they hadn’t used that little thing. Today, Zhou Zhexiao actually brought it in his pocket—was he planning to do something major?

The receptionist froze for a moment. Zhou Zhexiao, his expression entirely unchanged, put it back into his pocket, and the receptionist acted as if nothing had happened while entering their information.

Xia Chiyi took two steps back. This is so socially fatal… Maybe we should just go back to school.

But Zhou Zhexiao took the room card with one hand, and pressed his other hand against the back of Xia Chiyi’s neck, guiding him toward the elevator.

“Why did we have to come here!”

“Because there’s a screen projector here. I want to lie in bed and watch Pokémon.”

“The dorm has a screen projector too!”

“The resolution isn’t good enough, and we can’t lie in bed.”

“Why don’t you say you want to watch Peppa Pig?”

“Hmm? Do they have that here?”

Xia Chiyi: Just pretend I didn’t say anything.

Hearing their conversation faintly, the receptionist couldn’t help but smile.
The reasons young people spend money nowadays are truly bizarre.

Because it wasn’t peak tourist season and rooms were plentiful, the front desk gave them a direct upgrade.

Their room was on the twentieth-something floor, facing the wetland park. The view was expansive, overlooking a sea of green and a mirror-like water surface.

“Wow… This is really nice.”

As soon as the door opened, Xia Chiyi rushed in, leaning against the balcony. He squinted his eyes, letting the wind blow against him. His fine bangs swayed with the breeze, stirring up a flurry of emotions in Zhou Zhexiao’s heart.

This place was truly so much better than the leopard-print bed-and-breakfast where he first slept with Zhou Zhexiao.

With a crack, a can of cola was handed right next to Xia Chiyi’s ear by Zhou Zhexiao.

“The cola here is very expensive!”

“We’ll just buy two cans and put them back before we leave.”

“True.”

Xia Chiyi took a big gulp, and his mood soared.

Zhou Zhexiao pressed up close behind him, resting his hands on either side of him. His lips touched the whorl of Xia Chiyi’s hair. When Xia Chiyi tilted his head back to drink the cola, he could feel the tip of Zhou Zhexiao’s nose.

“Hey, why did you put that in your pocket?” Xia Chiyi gently bumped the back of his head against the other’s.

Since they were already together, it was something that would happen sooner or later, and Xia Chiyi was both curious and expectant.

If Zhou Zhexiao said he wanted to try it today, then Xia Chiyi would sacrifice himself for the cause and forge ahead courageously.

“Yuan Tingxuan gave it to me.”

This answer was highly unexpected. Xia Chiyi was stunned for a long time.

“Why did he give this to you?”

“When he was changing clothes in the locker room, it fell out of his bag. I picked it up and gave it back to him, but he stuffed it into my pocket, saying that at our hot-blooded age, it’s very necessary.”

“Ah? Even if he gave it to you, that was several days ago… You didn’t take it out when you washed your pants? You definitely brought it out on purpose today, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t. I took it out and put it on my desk, but Ye Zhaoying almost saw it, so I put it back in.”

Xia Chiyi turned around, showing a wicked grin. He grabbed Zhou Zhexiao’s collar, pulled him close, and asked: “Are you harboring bad intentions?”

Zhou Zhexiao’s lip line curved slightly, and he spoke: “If I was harboring bad intentions, do you think one would be enough?”

“That’s true. It’s a hot-blooded age, after all!”

“Besides, the one who’s scared is you.”

Hearing this, the flames of war instantly ignited within Xia Chiyi.

“Me? Scared? Today, I’ll let you know what a true technical master looks like!”

“Oh really, you have techniques? I never knew.”

Zhou Zhexiao nodded perfunctorily, turned around, opened the closet, grabbed a bathrobe, and went into the bathroom.

“Hmph, who are you looking down on?”

“Looking down on you.”

By the time Zhou Zhexiao walked out wearing a pure white bathrobe, calmly drying his slightly curly hair with a towel and sitting down next to him, Xia Chiyi had to admit that he was currently looking down on himself.

“I really want to pounce on you.”

“Hmm?”

“I really want to play a cosplay game!”

Zhou Zhexiao also had to admit that Xia Chiyi’s eyes were very deceptive.
Clearly, his brain was full of trashy thoughts, yet his eyes looked so sparkling and innocent.

“Play what?”

“Like forced love. You are an innocent young flower, and I am the princeling of a conglomerate. Your family has fallen on hard times, you need money for medical bills, and so you are kept by me. Today is the day your nightmare begins. Wash yourself clean and prepare to accept my ravag—”

Before Xia Chiyi could finish his script, Zhou Zhexiao suddenly kissed him, sweeping through Xia Chiyi’s lips and teeth with powerful force, unabashedly exuding his aggressiveness.

“Mmph…” Xia Chiyi propped his elbows behind him, forced backward by this power until his back was pressed tightly against the headboard.

Zhou Zhexiao completely covered him like a white cocoon, his black hair and white bathrobe creating a sharp, even somewhat romantic contrast.

Even though they had seen each other countless times and kissed countless times, Xia Chiyi’s heart was still beating frantically.

When Zhou Zhexiao bit his upper lip, it was truly like an unstoppable army sweeping down south.

Xia Chiyi curled up, resting his chin on Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder, and heard a muffled chuckle from him.

It was a sound coming from deep within his throat, low and magnetic.

“What are you laughing at?” Xia Chiyi asked in dissatisfaction.

“You’re the princeling of a conglomerate? It seems I paid for the room today.”

Xia Chiyi tilted his head, “Hold on, let me think… The princeling of a conglomerate makes love for the sake of—”

Before the script could be finished, he was kissed until his head spun.

Zhou Zhexiao lightly tugged the drawstring at Xia Chiyi’s waist. It was like a kind of reminder that deeply shocked Xia Chiyi’s flying soul, causing it to quickly snap back from all directions.

“You sure are hot-blooded; one kiss and you’re already losing it?”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi was unhappy.

When it came to playing basketball, his experience might not be as rich as Zhou Zhexiao’s, but when it came to this, Zhou Zhexiao was just a little brother in front of him!

He pushed Zhou Zhexiao away forcefully and walked toward the bathroom.

“Wait until this young master comes out, let’s have a proper showdown and see who is the fastest man!”

Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head: “How do we compete in this?”

Not long after, Xia Chiyi ran out wrapped in a bath towel, his hair still wet, like a little puppy caught in the rain, hurriedly burrowing into Zhou Zhexiao’s arms.

“Why didn’t you wear a bathrobe?”

“Forgot to grab one!”

After saying that, Xia Chiyi lay down boldly, a provocative little expression on his face, and said to Zhou Zhexiao: “Come on! Come on! Come on!”

Looking at the other’s arrogant appearance, a breath inexplicably caught in Zhou Zhexiao’s chest.

“Alright, don’t refuse to admit it when you lose.”

“You better not refuse to admit it when you lose!”

After saying that, Xia Chiyi even opened the stopwatch function on his phone. Zhou Zhexiao immediately understood how they were going to compete.

Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t in a hurry to use his tricks right away. Instead, he patiently gave Xia Chiyi a kiss, employing every possible means to tease and provoke, making Xia Chiyi’s scalp tingle until he nearly erupted on the spot.

Zhou Zhexiao kissed the corner of Xia Chiyi’s mouth and bit down hard on his chin. Xia Chiyi felt like a cooked shrimp, constantly wanting to curl up, but he was forcefully crushed by Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao’s hair wasn’t completely dry yet. The slightly cool ends brushed against Xia Chiyi’s neck, making his blood feel like it was catching fire.

“Hurry up! What’s the use of just kissing me all the time!”

“Don’t you just like it when I kiss you?”

When Zhou Zhexiao spoke, his warm breath swept across Xia Chiyi’s skin like a thin blade, as if intending to slice open his flesh and travel along his bones.

To Xia Chiyi, this was both a seduction and a torment.

Xia Chiyi endured it painstakingly, but ultimately couldn’t hold on.

With one arm holding Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao used his other hand to pick up the phone and took a glance.

“Three minutes and thirty seconds.”

Xia Chiyi raised his hands and covered his face.

Holy crap? Only three minutes? This is way too pathetic, isn’t it?

“It seems you haven’t even reached the passing line for this age group, have you?”

“Get lost!”

Xia Chiyi yanked the quilt, wrapping himself up.

Zhou Zhexiao pinched the strands of hair sticking out of the quilt, “Hey, are you going to be a sore loser?”

“A sore loser? That doesn’t exist!”

Xia Chiyi swatted Zhou Zhexiao’s arm away, rolled in the quilt, jumped off the bed, grabbed the half-melted ice pop, and then lunged right onto Zhou Zhexiao’s body.

“Are you going to share it with me?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“You’re not worthy, these are all mine,” Xia Chiyi pulled up a wicked smile.

His ears, which had just been red, were now even cuter. Unable to hold back, Zhou Zhexiao took a hard bite.

“Ow, ow, ow! Are you a dog, Zhou Zhexiao?”

Zhou Zhexiao pressed against Xia Chiyi’s lips and asked: “Where do you want to put that?”

“What do you mean where to put it? Obviously to eat it!” Xia Chiyi revealed an even more obvious smile, poked Zhou Zhexiao’s chest, and said, “Oh, so your brain was full of trashy thoughts just now too. You actually have the nerve to lecture me?”

Then, he forcefully pinned Zhou Zhexiao down, looking at him from above like an arrogant little prince.

Zhou Zhexiao’s body temperature surged. He wore an expression of being at the other’s complete disposal, yet spoke words of command: “Then hurry up. If you dilly-dally, I’ll count it as your loss.”

Xia Chiyi’s short, choppy hair played a huge role at this moment; when it scraped against Zhou Zhexiao’s skin, it almost struck sparks.

Not to mention, this guy suddenly sat up, snapped open the ice pop, and poured the ice water inside into his mouth.

The immediate contrast of ice and fire left Zhou Zhexiao utterly defenseless, making him experience what it truly meant for one’s “soul to leave the body.”

“Hahaha! Zhou Zhexiao, you only lasted one minute and fifty seconds! You have the nerve to laugh at me!”

Xia Chiyi sat next to him, triumphantly patting the quilt with both hands, like a happy little seal.

Zhou Zhexiao stared at him for a long time, wanting his happiness to last a bit longer, yet simultaneously wanting to punish him fiercely.

An endless possessiveness expanded from the depths of his heart. Zhou Zhexiao suddenly pinched Xia Chiyi’s cheeks and pressed him down.

“What are you doing… Can’t afford to lose…”

Zhou Zhexiao’s kiss crashed down, like a storm sweeping away the clouds, impatient and dizzying.

A fierce love surged outward madly, overwhelming Xia Chiyi with the ferocity of the end of the world.

Just when Xia Chiyi felt that his life was burning madly for the other party, this guy suddenly became gentle again.

Xia Chiyi leaned against Zhou Zhexiao’s chest and asked softly: “How about… we try that rose thing?”

This was like a bullet piercing through Zhou Zhexiao’s remaining self-control. He turned around, stretched out his arm, and found that sealed little square packet.

However, the more rushed he was, the more he couldn’t get the hang of it. He just couldn’t put it on properly.

Xia Chiyi was initially full of enthusiasm, but now he was sitting cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand, watching the other party struggle expressionlessly: “Did Yuan Tingxuan really give this to you?”

“Yeah…”

Xia Chiyi sighed up at the ceiling: “Did he underestimate you too much? You’re a player driving a sports car, and he gave you a baby walker?”

“Hmm?” Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi in confusion.

“This is too small! You can’t use it!”

“Oh.”

Unwilling to give up, Xia Chiyi jumped up, rummaged through the drawers and cabinets, and even turned the bathroom upside down, only to find that aside from instant coffee, sugar packets, and various tea bags, there were absolutely no daily necessities they needed!

“Ah! This hotel is terrible! I must leave a bad review online! You wasted your five big bills! You are never allowed to waste money like this again!”

Watching Xia Chiyi’s frantic state, Zhou Zhexiao went from his initial silence to lowering his head and chuckling softly.

Xia Chiyi rushed over and shook his shoulders, “You can still laugh? Are you stupid?”

“Seeing you so anxious makes me feel… that you really, really like me.”

Xia Chiyi froze for a moment, and his originally agitated heart calmed down.

“Yeah… I’ve always liked you a lot anyway.”

“It’s a good thing there’s nothing here. If you got hurt, I would definitely regret it,” Zhou Zhexiao patted Xia Chiyi’s head.

“I now feel that you super like me too.”

“Because I can’t bear for you to get hurt?”

Xia Chiyi shook his head, leaned close to Zhou Zhexiao’s ear, and said: “Because I can make you temporarily abandon your reason.”

Although acting recklessly for a bit was indeed very happy, with the competition coming up, it was better not to be too indulgent.

Xia Chiyi turned on the TV, originally wanting to find a movie to watch, only to discover that all the popular movies required payment.

“I can pay for it,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“I already paid for annual VIP memberships on video sites, I’m not paying for it here. Oh, we can watch this!”

Xia Chiyi selected a very nostalgic basketball-themed cartoon, then turned around and returned to Zhou Zhexiao’s side.

“Let me tell you, I absolutely loved watching this cartoon when I was a kid.”

“Yeah, who did you imagine yourself as?”

“I never imagined myself as anyone, but I always imagined the boy who played basketball the best as Sheng Xingming. Then I fantasized that when I went to middle school, Sheng Xingming would be my teammate. Even though I was very young then, I also knew that fantasies… would ultimately remain just fantasies.”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi. Just as he was about to say something, Xia Chiyi rested on his shoulder, rubbing against it like a lazy cat.

“I never expected my fantasy to become reality.”

Because this cartoon was produced so long ago, the picture quality was a bit rough, but it contained many basketball skills from Sheng Xingming’s era.

Zhou Zhexiao watched very seriously, as if through this, he could touch all the fantasies Xia Chiyi had about him in his youth.

And the character who was the best at basketball had once given up the sport due to an ankle injury, was abandoned by the school and coach who once favored him, and even became a topic of gossip for his former opponents. That experience was too similar to Sheng Xingming’s injury during his NCAA days. No wonder Xia Chiyi had such an association when he was a kid.

The protagonist met him through a conflict, pestered him to teach him basketball skills—seemingly forcing him, but actually encouraging him to rehabilitate—and then made a comeback, returning to the peak together.

Coincidentally, this character originally played as a guard, but after his comeback, because the team’s forward line lacked strength, he switched to playing forward. He was mocked by opponents, but during the official matches, he beat those opponents—who thought he was a “washed-up snack returning to the table”—until they doubted their very lives.

As Zhou Zhexiao watched, he realized that this popular supporting character might have been modeled after the Sheng Xingming of that year.

And Xia Chiyi’s obsession with this animation was, to some extent, a projection of his worship for Sheng Xingming.

Seeing the protagonist make a fool of himself, Xia Chiyi laughed so hard in his arms that he trembled. Zhou Zhexiao’s threshold for laughter was very high, but he surprisingly caught all the basketball-related jokes and laughed along with Xia Chiyi.

They watched cartoons like this until eleven o’clock at night. Xia Chiyi fell asleep first. Zhou Zhexiao kissed him and spent the entire night finishing the whole animation.

He clearly should have been sleepy, but this cartoon hooked him into watching it all the way to the end.

The next morning, when they returned to the dorm, they were predictably subjected to Ye Zhaoying’s severe interrogation. Pang Shuai, while eating potato chips, was also curious about where they had spent the night.

While Xia Chiyi was still thinking up an excuse, Zhou Zhexiao directly blurted out: “We went to that newly opened Lakeside Hotel.”

“What? What did you two go to the Lakeside Hotel for?”

Zhou Zhexiao solemnly stated his reasons: “The scenery is good, the facilities are new, the internet is fast, the buffet is free, and we could cast cartoons to the screen.”

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth, suddenly feeling that this reason actually sounded very normal.

Ye Zhaoying almost jumped up: “Holy crap! You really are a spendthrift! You stayed at such an expensive hotel just to watch Pokémon? Didn’t you even go for a swim? That hotel has an infinity pool!”

“Oh, we didn’t know.”

“I didn’t have swimming trunks either.”

“You could have just cast the screen in the dorm! Even if you played My Little Pony or Thomas the Tank Engine, we wouldn’t laugh at you! What the hell did you go to the Lakeside Hotel to burn money for?!”

Zhou Zhexiao answered solemnly: “What I was watching was Basketball Superman.”

Ye Zhaoying froze for a moment, then forcefully patted Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder: “Brother! You’ve got taste! I also grew up watching Basketball Superman!”

Xia Chiyi immediately leaned in: “Who is your favorite?”

“Of course it’s the point guard in the protagonist’s team! As for you, Xia Chiyi, I can guess with my toes that you like the second male lead—that character was adapted from Sheng Xingming’s experiences!”

Just like that, Xia Chiyi successfully diverted the hotel topic to childhood cartoons.

By noon, Ye Zhaoying and Pang Shuai were happily inviting them to the cafeteria to eat beef clay pot.

Xia Chiyi rubbed the back of his head, I didn’t expect to pass through it just like that?

Shouldn’t they be saying something like, “Guan Yu would never go stay in a hotel with Zhang Fei” or whatever?

Next Monday, the national tournament would officially begin.

The official Weibo, Kulang’s columns, and the sports channels all launched into full-swing promotions.

Players drafted into the CBA from the Division I League over the years also recorded VCRs, which were proudly pinned on the official Weibo.

For instance, Yuan Tingxuan. As an alumnus of Southeast Mining University, he executed a fierce slam dunk, turned to the camera, and said: “Keep winning, and you will find the answer you seek!”

Followed by Southeast Mining University’s long-standing slogan: No discounts, fight to the very end.

There was also Cheng Xiaofei, the power forward from Yandu University who was drafted into the Rongzhou Bank Club last year. He performed a mid-air double-clutch, his aura majestic: “Only the mediocre don’t attract hatred! Yandu University, make all the teams in the Division I League hate you to death!”

That was truly arrogant enough.

Less than an hour later, the official Weibo uploaded Geng Lu’s video.

As a guard, Geng Lu executed a silky smooth crossover, turned for a layup, and smiled slightly. Accompanied by his gentle expression, it reminded Xia Chiyi of a certain brand of chocolate commercials—enjoy the silky smoothness, and all that.

“Rather than looking up at high mountains, it is better to establish dominance right where you stand.”

This calm, this tranquility, instead carried a powerful aura of having the championship firmly within his grasp.

Xia Chiyi liked Geng Lu’s video without hesitation.

Who knew that in less than three minutes, Yuan Tingxuan’s WeChat message arrived: [What’s the meaning of this? Liking Geng Lu’s post but not mine? Playing favorites! You value looks over friendship!]

Holy crap, the phrase ‘value looks over friendship’ is a bit too terrifying.

Xia Chiyi: [Brother Geng and I are completely innocent, where did valuing looks over friendship come from!]

Yuan Tingxuan: [It’s just because he looks better than me, that’s why you liked him and not me!]

Xia Chiyi quickly scurried to like Yuan Tingxuan’s post and left a finger-heart emoji comment.

Ye Zhaoying’s sigh drifted over: “Sigh, look at these blessing videos posted by the official account, not a single one is from a player from our Jin Province… It feels like nobody in the industry favors us, and nobody is cheering for us.”

Pang Shuai suddenly hollered: “Look, look! There’s one from Coach Ling! I knew the official account would have to consider the face of our King of the Southeast somewhat!”

Xia Chiyi quickly opened it. In the video, Ling Huanzhen wasn’t showing off any formidable under-the-basket moves. He was just wearing a low-key polo shirt, holding a thermos cup, and smiling as he said: “The seniors all say, one day I will become the best coach in the Division I League.”

That was it? That didn’t match Ling Huanzhen’s status.

“Why say ‘one day’? I can’t wait that long.”

“Holy crap, our Coach Ling is publicly challenging Coach Li of Qing University! If he wants to be the best coach in the Division I League, doesn’t that mean our Ningchang University will defeat Qing University?”

Too arrogant!

Xia Chiyi immediately clicked like.

Ye Zhaoying couldn’t help asking: “He’s challenging Qing University! Don’t you feel guilty at all?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? If we win, the glory belongs to everyone. If we lose, he’s the only one whose face will be swept the floor!”

Li Xiaoran retweeted Ling Huanzhen’s video and commented: Even gravity can’t hold down a daydreamer like you.

Although there wasn’t a single blessing from professional players that belonged to Jin Province, in the highlight compilation of the Four Great Divisions posted by the official Weibo, Ningchang University was the king of popularity.

Xia Chiyi’s final goal against Southeast Mining University, where his front-foot attack almost broke Yang Huaiyu’s ankles; Zhou Zhexiao’s tomahawk dunk right after passing the free-throw line; his mid-air drift under the basket bypassing three defenders; Ye Zhaoying’s steals—as soon as they were shown, many people from other divisions asked who they were.

Receiving more attention meant the likelihood of being targeted was higher.

The national tournament was a brand-new battlefield.

Living up to expectations, Zhou Zhexiao went online shopping again and bought a bunch of stuff. A towel costing over five hundred yuan made Xia Chiyi’s heart ache. Wristbands costing over three hundred a pair—the money was practically burning right before Xia Chiyi’s eyes. Compression pants for twelve hundred a pair, allegedly packed with high-tech materials, though Xia Chiyi tugged at them for ages and couldn’t figure out where the high-tech was.

The most infuriating part was that when he tried to return these items, Zhou Zhexiao directly locked them in his cabinet, blocked the door, and put on an expression of fighting to the death.

“Alright, alright, don’t be like this. I won’t return them, okay?”

So, they all became part of Zhou Zhexiao’s luggage.

Ye Zhaoying said in confusion: “They say bad students have the most stationery… but Zhou Zhexiao isn’t a bad student in basketball! Why does he need so much stationery?”

Xia Chiyi sighed, “Probably because in his last life, he could only use sponsor brands, and now that he has more choices in this life, he wants everything.”

According to the schedule, their matches in the upper bracket would be held in Linbin City. This city was located in a central province, connecting the southwest and southeast, with well-developed transportation.

And their matches would be played at the basketball stadium of the Linbin Sports Center, specifically on Court No. 1.

Starting from this day, an intense series of matches would unfold. From the first round on May 29th to the end of the loser’s bracket final round on June 2nd, the National Top Eight would be determined.

The schedule was extremely dense. Ling Huanzhen’s requirement for them was to eat well, drink well, sleep well, and go all out in the games.

After saying this, Ling Huanzhen gave Zhou Zhexiao a meaningful look, the implication obvious: No more playing 1-on-1 with other opponents, and no eating random takeout.

Ye Zhaoying lowered his head and chuckled silently. Xia Chiyi pressed down hard on his head.

Cheng Qing smiled and said: “The food in Linbin is very delicious. Although it’s not spicy, it’s very fresh. So no matter how bad the hotel buffet booked by the committee is, it can’t be that bad.”

Xia Chiyi and the others packed their luggage. To leave enough time to adapt to the new venue, they set off for Linbin City on Saturday night.

Riding on the high-speed rail, Xia Chiyi was still reviewing the game footage of Qicheng Business and Trade University. Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head, leaned on Xia Chiyi’s shoulder, and slept very obediently.

Ling Huanzhen and Cheng Qing went to the dining car to order dinner boxes for everyone and distributed them.

Ling Huanzhen couldn’t help sighing: “If only Zhou Zhexiao could be this obedient in front of me…”

Cheng Qing smiled: “Zhou Zhexiao just doesn’t know how to say nice things. He actually respects his teachers and the Dao very much.”

Ling Huanzhen revealed a surprised expression: “Teacher Cheng, what gave you such an illusion?”

“Ah? Isn’t he? Every time I ask him to help carry things, he immediately lends a hand.”

“Huh?” Ling Huanzhen thought to himself, Shouldn’t Zhou Zhexiao stand to the side with his hands in his pockets, looking as if it has nothing to do with him?

“When he sees me on campus, he docilely calls me ‘Teacher Cheng’.”

Ling Huanzhen gnashed his teeth in anger. This guy is truly holding double standards.

“When my thermos runs out of hot water, he silently goes to boil some, and brews the chrysanthemum and goji berries for me.”

Ling Huanzhen covered his face: “My heart is dead. Burn paper money for me if anything happens.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi, Ye Zhaoying, and the others secretly laughed.

A world where only Ling Huanzhen was hurt was achieved once again.

While eating their boxed meals, everyone discussed their current opponent—Qicheng Business and Trade University.

Ye Zhaoying: “I’ve never even heard of Qicheng Business and Trade before.”

Shuai Bei: “When the Division I League was first established, their school team once made it to the National Top Eight. But later, the school leadership didn’t place much importance on sports, and had a dispute with the head coach at the time, Chen Mingxi. The school leadership squeezed Coach Chen out, and then the basketball team never recovered.”

Xia Chiyi nodded: “Right, right, right. I read online that they couldn’t even recruit anyone during tryouts, and eventually the basketball team disbanded. Only the students voluntarily participated in the Sunshine League, which is the amateur division. But for the Division I League, their school team was abandoned for a full eight years. It was only later, when a new principal took over and started focusing on sports again, that they invited the original head coach back.”

“Yeah, the year before last they were stopped at the grassroots level; last year they didn’t make it out of the divisional level; this year they finally entered the national tournament.” Du He sighed as he spoke, “This experience is somewhat similar to ours.”

Three years of hard work, starting from zero. This resilience made the players of Ningchang University feel a sense of heroes appreciating heroes toward Qicheng Business and Trade, even though they had never met each other.

By the time the high-speed rail arrived at the station, it was already 8:00 PM.

The evening lights of Linbin City had just come on under the night sky, possessing a graceful and restrained beauty.

Linbin City was a tier-three city and wasn’t very bustling. Moreover, there were only two universities in the entire city, so the Division I League wasn’t very popular here. Everyone had already prepared themselves for a desolate scene with no audience during their matches.

But to their surprise, the official app of the competition committee showed that two-thirds of the seats had actually been booked.

“Could they all belong to our Ningchang University cheerleading squad?” Ye Zhaoying said while scrolling through his phone.

“Probably not. Everyone has to attend class, and most Monday classes check attendance. Maybe it’s the cheerleading squad from Qicheng University?” Shuai Bei said.

The bus took them to the entrance of the hotel arranged by the committee. Cheng Qing instructed everyone to make absolutely sure they took their personal belongings, and not to leave behind things like earphones or power banks.

As Xia Chiyi and the others got off the bus one by one, they saw a dozen or so university students wearing black tracksuits, carrying backpacks, alighting from a public bus opposite them.

“Xia Chiyi! You’re Xia Chiyi, right?!”

One of the boys threw his bag onto a teammate and came running toward Xia Chiyi.

It wasn’t until he ran under the streetlamp that Xia Chiyi could clearly see the white letters on his chest: Qicheng Business and Trade University.

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【Author’s Note】
Hope everything goes peacefully in this chapter.