Chapter 0103: Yang Huaiyu’s Top-Tier Defense

First, Yang Huaiyu executed a rip-through move under the basket with the ball, faking out both Du He and Zhou Zhexiao to score a layup.

Upon landing, Yang Huaiyu asked with a smile, “Are you dizzy yet?”

This made Du He’s face flush red with anger.

On the next possession, Zhou Zhexiao backed down Yang Huaiyu under the basket, forcefully wedging him out of an advantageous position before scoring with a feather-light shot.

“Are you drunk? You can’t even stand steady?” Zhou Zhexiao retorted to Yang Huaiyu.

They went back and forth with various dramatic double-clutch layups, making the audience’s blood boil with excitement.

By the end of the first quarter, Ningchang University held a temporary lead over Qincheng University at 28 to 26.

Both commentators were extremely excited.

Chen Hui said, “It’s only been one quarter, but there’s already so much we can pull out and review. Xia Chiyi’s god-tier off-ball movement, Zhou Zhexiao’s lethal kills under the basket, Yang Huaiyu’s behind-the-back double-clutches, He Zhan grabbing rebounds like a rocket launching… As expected, evenly matched games are the most spectacular.”

Xu Mi patted her chest: “Especially the last two minutes—the showdown between Yang Huaiyu and Zhou Zhexiao made me afraid to even breathe, for fear of missing some minute detail.”

As a professional athlete, Yuan Tingxuan also took a deep breath.

“Previously, when Coach Xie said in the chat room that the current generation of men’s basketball wasn’t good enough, I still felt he was going too far. At least I, Yuan Tingxuan, am not too bad, right… But these ten minutes of the game would be quite outstanding even if placed in the CBA. Who would’ve thought they’re just college students…”

Yuan Tingxuan rubbed the back of his head.

Meanwhile, with a hand half-covering his chin, Xie Huai was looking at a different figure.

“For Ningchang University to hold the score steady in the first quarter, one person made a massive contribution,” Xie Huai stated.

“Who?” Yuan Tingxuan asked curiously.

“That kid named Ye Chaoying. Generally, the best way to deal with shooters like Li Shunchuan and Xia Chiyi is to prevent them from getting the ball, rather than trying to stop their shots. Ye Chaoying’s long-and-short arm defense is highly proficient and resilient. Even if Li Shunchuan manages to break free from his defense, he still loses the opportunity to receive the ball, and he has to run at least twice as much as usual. In the first quarter, how many points did Xia Chiyi and Li Shunchuan score respectively?”

“Xia Chiyi 9 points, Li Shunchuan 2 points,” Gao Jinshu answered.

“The effect is quite obvious, then.” Xie Huai looked pointedly at Gao Jinshu.

Gao Jinshu nodded slightly, his heart swelling with immense pride: I taught him, I’m the one who taught him this!

---

At Qincheng University’s bench, the moment Li Shunchuan sat down, he gulped down water.

Wiping his sweat, Ke Yan stared at Ye Chaoying on the opposite side. “I never knew Ye Chaoying’s face-guarding ability was this strong. I passed to ‘Embarrassed Li’ (Li Shunchuan) four times, and it was intercepted three times.”

Capping his water bottle, Li Shunchuan said gloomily, “You and Ye Chaoying both play point guard, so you both have a high sensitivity to passing. He can predict your passes better than anyone else.”

Coach Ren Xin’s expression remained relatively calm as he analyzed, “Their goal is to use Ye Chaoying to drain Li Shunchuan’s stamina. Once his stamina drops, his accuracy will drop too. So in the second quarter, Li Shunchuan, take a rest and adjust your form.”

Knowing Li Shunchuan was feeling down, Ke Yan draped a towel printed with little yellow ducks over his head.

“It’s fine, once you adapt to Ye Chaoying’s defense, you’ll be able to…”

Li Shunchuan spoke coldly: “It’s not just Ye Chaoying’s defense making me look this battered. Ye Chaoying’s long-and-short arm defense indeed has fast reflexes and good stickiness, but this isn’t my first time facing it. However, this time, whether I do a V-cut or a backdoor cut, I’m always a step too late… because Xia Chiyi deliberately squeezes through your screens, causing me to lose my opportunity.”

Li Shunchuan tightly gripped the two ends of the towel. Seeing him look so emo, his teammates didn’t know how to comfort him for a moment.

With lowered eyes, Ke Yan clenched his fists. “You mean to say Xia Chiyi not only takes on the responsibility of handling the ball, but also coordinates with Ye Chaoying at any moment to provide help defense, and on top of that, he disrupts the situation under the basket to fill the gaps for Zhou Zhexiao?”

“How detestable. That little brat is becoming more and more difficult to deal with.” Meng Ting turned sideways and caught a glimpse of Xia Chiyi tugging on Zhou Zhexiao’s ear, whispering something.

“Ah, seeing him whisper with Zhou Zhexiao feels like they’re plotting.” Picking up a towel to wipe his chin, Yang Huaiyu revealed an excited expression. “They definitely have a major ultimate move prepared for the next quarter.”

Coach Ren spoke up: “Actually, this opening is not bad at all. Ye Chaoying’s defense is indeed impressive, but his stamina is draining very quickly too. Furthermore, no matter how agile Xia Chiyi is, there are ways to restrict him.”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward him, each face filled with anticipation.

Coach Ren waved his hand, calling Ke Yan over.

As he listened, Ke Yan nodded seriously.

“What did the coach tell you?” Meng Ting asked curiously.

“Won’t you find out in a bit?” Ke Yan lifted his head. “Shuai Bei is coming onto the court. You manage the area under the basket well.”

The second quarter soon began.

The audience’s movements of drinking beverages and eating snacks slowly came to a halt.

The spectators from Southwest Aviation University all sat up straight and proper.

“Captain, I need to go to the bathroom urgently.” Zhuo Zheng decided it was better to go now to avoid the crowd during halftime.

“Hold it,” Lu Yingnan stated coldly.

Zhuo Zheng took a deep breath and had no choice but to sit back down. An expression of grievance unexpectedly appeared on his usually fierce face.

Lu Yingnan explained, “In the second quarter, Qincheng University will inevitably intensify their restrictions on Xia Chiyi. How he breaks the stalemate will have great reference value.”

Zhuo Zheng didn’t understand. “Why do they need to restrict him? He didn’t score that many points in the first quarter.”

“Did you not notice that he’s been constantly coordinating with Ye Chaoying in pursuit defense, shutting Li Shunchuan down into a dud?” A sense of scrutiny lay in the depths of Lu Yingnan’s eyes, and beneath that scrutiny was a trace of appreciation.

A look of sudden realization dawned on Zhuo Zheng’s face. “So if they don’t teach Xia Chiyi a lesson, it will be very difficult for Qincheng University to score from the perimeter.”

This little brat is truly… whatever threat you don’t want, he has it.

His main focus is just making opponents suffer.

Ling Huanzhen patted Shuai Bei’s shoulder and smiled: “Having observed from the bench for so long, it’s time for you to go on the court.”

Shuai Bei nodded. When he stood up, the stadium lights shone down on him, making him look particularly imposing.

Ye Chaoying retreated to the bench area, facing a panting Li Shunchuan from afar across the court.

At the start of the second quarter, surprisingly, it was Zhou Zhexiao handling the ball for Ningchang University again. Dribbling across half-court like a meteor striking the earth, before Yang Huaiyu had time to press him tightly, the ball was passed to Xia Chiyi.

As if inheriting Zhou Zhexiao’s speed, Xia Chiyi drove toward the basket like a small hurricane, passing right by Ke Yan.

Ke Yan’s eyes went wide. His feet… his feet didn’t have time to move…

Xia Chiyi charged into the opponent’s paint. His soaring height made Chen Hui at the commentary desk shout: “The great roc rises with the wind in one day—” (T/N: Li Bai’s poem, implying a spectacular rise)

Before the poem was finished, Xia Chiyi faced the double defense of Meng Ting and He Zhan. He looped the ball between his legs, perfectly evading Meng Ting’s block attempt. Tightening his core and continuing forward, he looped it under his leg a second time, incredibly evading He Zhan as well! Seeing that he was about to dunk—unexpectedly, Yang Huaiyu appeared!

—Little brat, did you think only you guys understand mismatch blocking?

Yang Huaiyu’s expression wasn’t fierce, but it was extremely resolute.

This sudden clash under the basket turned the opening of the second quarter into a royal flush.

Xia Chiyi had managed to maintain his dunking height with great difficulty, but Yang Huaiyu’s sudden appearance startled him into losing control of his core strength. The ball nearly smashed right into Yang Huaiyu’s head.

Fortunately, Yang Huaiyu reacted fast and turned his face to dodge. Xia Chiyi subtly adjusted his force, and the ball smacked against the rim and bounced out.

Amidst the audience’s exclamations, Shuai Bei—who had just stepped onto the court—directly executed a put-back dunk, scoring!

Meng Ting and He Zhan both took a deep breath, their minds still replaying Xia Chiyi weaving right in front of them… If it hadn’t been for Yang Huaiyu, Xia Chiyi would have definitely made that shot.

That would have been a resounding display of power to put them in their place.

At this moment, they felt incredibly thankful for Yang Huaiyu’s defense.

Although the dunk failed, this play refreshed many people’s impression of Xia Chiyi.

Liu Suchen’s eyes were wide open. He truly admired Yang Huaiyu because if it had been him facing that play, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to block it.

Lu Yingnan frowned, muttering, “Xia Chiyi’s explosive power under the basket has actually become this strong.”

Zhuo Zheng said blankly, “Good thing you told me not to go to the bathroom… otherwise I would have missed it…”

Chen Hui exhaled slowly. “Just now, I originally wanted to quote, ‘The great roc rises with the wind in one day, soaring ninety thousand miles straight up.’ Although it might be an exaggeration… seeing Xia Chiyi loop the ball between his legs twice while hanging in mid-air to evade the blocks was truly shocking.”

Xu Mi nodded: “Yes, yes! Many viewers probably watched Coolang’s feature program yesterday, where Xia Chiyi also learned from Yang Huaiyu to perform the same move. But in the program, there was plenty of run-up space and no one blocking him. Yet just now, Xia Chiyi executed this play under real game conditions… The quality was much higher than in yesterday’s program.”

Amidst the audience’s discussions, Xia Chiyi glanced at Yang Huaiyu.

Yang Huaiyu asked with lingering fear, “If my skull wasn’t hard, would I have been unable to defend your dunk?”

“Then for my next shot, I’ll jump a little higher.”

Xia Chiyi turned around and ran back to his own half.

On the way, Xia Chiyi bumped into Zhou Zhexiao. Because Zhou Zhexiao hadn’t pinned Yang Huaiyu down, Yang Huaiyu wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go for the block otherwise.

Zhou Zhexiao caught sight of his slightly pouting lips. This time, it wasn’t contemplation; it was childish temper.

“I will avenge you,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“I will avenge my own grudges.”

Meng Ting and He Zhan looked at each other.

It seemed that during the break, when they saw Xia Chiyi tugging on Zhou Zhexiao’s ear, he was saying that he wanted to complete this play right at the opening as a response to Yang Huaiyu.

“If Xia Chiyi’s shot had really been blocked by Yang Huaiyu’s face… what would that be called?”

“A facial slide-tackle block?”

Yang Huaiyu was speechless: “Shouldn’t it be an offensive foul?”

While dribbling, Ke Yan felt a heavy weight of pressure in his heart.

Xia Chiyi’s moves just now were too vicious; he simply didn’t have the chance to execute the coach’s defensive arrangement.

Not only was he fast, but his momentum was also ferocious. Ke Yan really couldn’t imagine a guard pulling off a drive like that.

Following that, Xia Chiyi swept across the entire court relying on his outstanding ball-handling skills, continuously mobilizing Qincheng University’s defense.

Every time, just before the opponent could form a double-team, Xia Chiyi would break through preemptively and pass the ball out.

He played around with ‘feinting east and attacking west’ in all sorts of variations, dragging the pace of the second quarter to an unprecedented height.

Under such a fast pace, Qincheng University was running themselves ragged. Even when Ke Yan and the substitute players combined their efforts, they couldn’t stop Xia Chiyi from shooting.

What was even more outrageous was that he would often look at He Bin or Shuai Bei, but pass the ball to Zhou Zhexiao in a completely different direction.

Even He Bin and Shuai Bei were fooled by him, truly believing he was going to pass to them. Yet, Zhou Zhexiao could always manage to run right into Xia Chiyi’s passing lane.

This kind of completely untelegraphed passing tortured Qincheng University into a state of nervous breakdown, seeing threats in every bush and tree.

What is synergy? This is it!

Yang Huaiyu received Xia Chiyi’s provocative gaze. The little brat had his chin half-raised, as if saying: This is my revenge.

Within three minutes, Ningchang University extended their lead to 12 points.

When Zhou Zhexiao executed a gliding tomahawk dunk, Coach Ren Xin called an emergency timeout.

The audience, who had been holding their breath all this while, finally let out a sigh of relief.

Chen Hui thumped his chest. “I really don’t know how Xia Chiyi manages to predict Zhou Zhexiao’s off-ball movement!”

Xu Mi responded, “I also don’t understand how Zhou Zhexiao knows Xia Chiyi will pass the ball to him, even when they don’t even make eye contact.”

“The synergy between these two is truly ‘like mountains echoing valleys, wind rising and waters surging’!”

“Or you could say they share the same brainwaves and operate on a shared brain.”

In the VIP section, Yuan Tingxuan, an active professional athlete, was completely dumbfounded. “This Xia Chiyi… I saw online that he’s a sharpshooter. Is he this incredible playing point guard too?”

Gao Jinshu couldn’t help but say, “What year’s old almanac are you reading? Xia Chiyi has a very broad field of vision, high basketball IQ, and extremely strong anticipation skills.”

As for Xie Huai, he didn’t offer a single word of commentary, but his hand holding the thermos was trembling slightly from gripping it too tightly.

Because Zhou Zhexiao… was too similar. He was truly too much like Sheng Xingming.

His double-clutches, hook shots, and post-up turnaround jumpers were simply exact replicas of Sheng Xingming.

Back in the day, although Sheng Xingming played as a combo guard, Xie Huai could see his unwillingness to be confined. Whenever an opportunity arose, he would slice into the paint and charge straight for the basket in one breath.

Even if it was sometimes very risky and sent people’s adrenaline soaring, Xie Huai allowed Sheng Xingming to have free rein.

It’s just that Sheng Xingming was far less lucky than Zhou Zhexiao.

Whenever he drove into the paint, he was like a lone wolf breaking out from a desperate situation. Whether it was Li Xiaoran, Gao Jinshu, or Ji Bo, they were always just a tiny bit short of keeping up with Sheng Xingming’s offensive train of thought.

Even Ling Huanzhen and Jiao Yingfeng, who were closest to Sheng Xingming, often couldn’t keep up with his split-second judgments in the crevices of play.

But Zhou Zhexiao had met Xia Chiyi. It was simply as if the heavens had gifted him a tailwind, allowing him to be unbridled and spectacularly vigorous.

The angle and timing of Xia Chiyi’s passes seemed naturally tailored to fit Zhou Zhexiao’s offensive thinking.

It looked as if Zhou Zhexiao was the one charging through enemy lines under the basket, but in reality, he was a kite held firmly in Xia Chiyi’s hands. All of his attacks were foreshadowed by Xia Chiyi.

At this moment, Xia Chiyi was draped over the top of Zhou Zhexiao’s head, listening to Ling Huanzhen explain points to note.

Lowering his eyes, Liu Suchen looked deeply at Xia Chiyi. “I’m really so jealous.”

Who wouldn’t want to receive passes like that and win to their heart’s content?

Having watched the game for so long, Coach Gu of Southwest Aviation University finally spoke up.

“Lu Yingnan, your line of thinking was correct. If we meet Ningchang University, you must personally guard this Xia Chiyi.”

As his words fell, the other players of Southwest Aviation University all looked over.

In the past, the players Lu Yingnan guarded one-on-one were always offensive aces like Liu Suchen or Yang Huaiyu.

In Ningchang University, Zhou Zhexiao’s offensiveness was clearly the strongest, yet the coach was choosing to let Lu Yingnan guard Xia Chiyi?

Zhuo Zheng’s expression was very serious as he analyzed the coach’s intent: “You’re having the captain guard Xia Chiyi not just to lock down his scoring ability, but also to seal off his passing. Without Xia Chiyi, I can fight Zhou Zhexiao to the bitter end. But with Xia Chiyi providing these god-tier assists, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do against Zhou Zhexiao.”

Coach Gu nodded. “It’s good that you can figure it out.”

At Qincheng University’s bench, Coach Ren used the brief time to rapidly lay out his defensive arrangement.

Coach Ren had only spoken two sentences when Ke Yan shouted out loud: “What? Coach? How can we do that?”

The teammates’ gazes all turned towards him.

Coach Ren patted his shoulder. “The fact that the previous defensive arrangement couldn’t be executed wasn’t your fault. Because you weren’t the best candidate for it.”

Ke Yan lowered his head and bit his lower lip.

The game resumed, and Li Shunchuan returned to the court.

This made Ye Chaoying tense up, straightening his back. “Coach Ling, Li Shunchuan is back on the court!”

Ling Huanzhen calmly patted Ye Chaoying’s shoulder: “It’s fine. You rest well. What the basketball court never lacks is ‘brine coagulating tofu—everything has its vanquisher’.”

Ye Chaoying’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand—who exactly was the brine, and who was the tofu?

The battle reignited. It was Xia Chiyi’s turn to handle the ball again. He charged across the half-court line at extreme speed. He originally thought the first person he would encounter would be Ke Yan, but the one coming straight at him was Yang Huaiyu!

Yang Huaiyu forced Xia Chiyi beyond the three-point line, suddenly pressing tight against him.

He was practically straddling Xia Chiyi’s pivot foot. Once he locked down the movement of Xia Chiyi’s pivot foot, he completely deprived him of any shooting space.

Yang Huaiyu was taller than Xia Chiyi. Spreading his arms, he almost looked like he was embracing Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi’s speed was abruptly checked, and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t break free.

“Big bro missed you,” Yang Huaiyu said with a smile.

“I want to smack you to death,” Xia Chiyi ground his teeth.

Xia Chiyi forced a bounce pass to He Bin, but it was intercepted by Ke Yan.

“Fuck—”

Xia Chiyi wanted to chase Ke Yan, but Yang Huaiyu still stuck tightly to him. Xia Chiyi kept either bumping into his chest or having his receiving positions blocked.

This guy’s muscles were trained very tightly; he didn’t look bulky, but bumping into him made bones rattle.

On the other side, just as Zhou Zhexiao squeezed past an opponent’s screen to chase after Li Shunchuan, Li Shunchuan’s three-pointer sank in.

Xia Chiyi gritted his teeth. So aggravating.

But being aggravated didn’t help; he could only try to find a way to break their coordination as quickly as possible.

On the second possession, Xia Chiyi found that as long as the ball was in his hands, Yang Huaiyu would stick to him, specifically restricting his pivot foot.

Xia Chiyi couldn’t move left or right. This guy’s broad shoulders and long arms severely blocked his line of sight.

Even if Xia Chiyi could predict Zhou Zhexiao’s movement, faced with that wingspan, he was at a disadvantage. He couldn’t respond to Zhou Zhexiao, and he was constantly having the ball poked by Yang Huaiyu.

Once possession was lost, Li Shunchuan would rapidly activate. His perimeter shooting plunged Ningchang University into a passive situation.

The lead Ningchang University had so painstakingly built up was leveled out just like that.

Commentator Chen Hui spoke up: “I was just wondering when this kind of defensive technique would appear—straddling the pivot foot!”

“Many friends might not know what a pivot foot is. In a basketball game, when a player receives the ball, the first foot to touch the ground is the pivot foot. If both feet land simultaneously, the foot that stays on the ground during the first movement is the pivot foot.”

“When dribbling, the pivot foot cannot move before the ball leaves the hand, otherwise it constitutes a traveling violation. But Yang Huaiyu’s defense sticks to Xia Chiyi’s pivot foot so tightly that from afar, it looks like he’s straddling it,” Chen Hui explained.

Xu Mi continued the commentary: “In the play just now, to avoid traveling, Xia Chiyi’s range of movement and passing angles were severely restricted. It’s equivalent to Yang Huaiyu cutting off his forward passing lanes.”

In the stands, a player from Southwest Aviation sighed, “As expected of Qincheng University. No matter how formidable Xia Chiyi is, he’s still been suppressed beneath the Five Finger Mountain!”

Lu Yingnan stated: “It’s not that Qincheng University is formidable, it’s that Yang Huaiyu is formidable. Xia Chiyi’s first step and dribbling are both very fast; Yang Huaiyu must be incredibly sharp to instantly determine the opponent’s pivot foot and jam it perfectly.”

Xia Chiyi continued to be tightly pressured by Yang Huaiyu’s defense. With his three-point skill fully unlocked, Li Shunchuan kept chasing points for Qincheng University.

Meanwhile, on Ningchang University’s side, Zhou Zhexiao continuously initiated attacks to keep the score close.

As the quarter ended, Qincheng University had overtaken Ningchang University by 3 points. The situation was visibly disadvantageous for Ningchang.

Yang Huaiyu smiled and said to Xia Chiyi, “Rest, take a little rest.”

Through gritted teeth, Xia Chiyi said, “Are you secretly in love with me? The court is so big, yet you insist on sticking to me!”

“Who told my eyes to only see you?”

Damn it, Yang Huaiyu can actually wear an expression of deep affection.

“Why are you even playing basketball? Go hold hands with Liu Suchen and act in an idol drama!”

Consequently, in the stands, Liu Suchen sneezed three times in a row.

Huo Cheng: “Someone is cursing you?”

Liu Suchen: “For someone as universally loved as me, a sneeze definitely means someone is missing me very much.”

Huo Cheng rolled his eyes at him.

Watching Xia Chiyi’s back as he returned to the bench area, Liu Suchen said, “Compared to the exhaustion brought by all the running, it’s more accurate to say that Yang Huaiyu sticking to him like nougat candy is making Xia Chiyi feel terrible.”

“I understand this feeling. It’s as if the throat of destiny has been glued shut, and no matter how much you cough, you can’t cough it out. The irritation grows more and more severe until you can’t control your emotions.”

Liu Suchen frowned: “Why do I feel like you’re describing Lu Yingnan’s defense?”

---

Halftime arrived. Returning to his chair, Xia Chiyi gulped down two mouthfuls of water, but the fire in his heart couldn’t be extinguished.

After the staff finished cleaning the court, live performances began.

Amidst the rhythmic music, Xia Chiyi stood in a corner with his hands on his hips, kicking the tip of his own foot.

Ling Huanzhen was shouting at the top of his lungs, laying out tactics. Xia Chiyi heard him, yet didn’t seem to fully absorb it.

“Xia Chiyi!” Ling Huanzhen roared.

“Yes!” Tensing his muscles all over, Xia Chiyi looked at him.

“Is this your first time being straddled?” Ling Huanzhen asked.

What the heck?

“It’s straddling the pivot foot…” Xia Chiyi took a deep breath. “Coach Ling, Yang Huaiyu and I are perfectly innocent; there is no ambiguous relationship between us at all. What’s this about straddling… Yang Huaiyu didn’t mount me, he was just jamming my foot…”

Sitting to the side with his fingers intertwined and resting gently in front of his knees, Zhou Zhexiao said, “This is a high-level defensive technique in professional games. I’ve taught you this.”

“During practice, you were the one riding me too, and you never taught me what to do when I’m being ridden!” Xia Chiyi was somewhat displeased.

Ye Chaoying couldn’t help but twist the knife: “So when you get ridden, you just resign yourself to your fate?”

“You…”

Xia Chiyi told himself to be calm, but still picked up his towel and wrapped it around Ye Chaoying’s head.

“Come, come, come! Experience what Yang Huaiyu’s defense feels like! That guy’s annoying smile is coming from all directions!”

Draping an arm over Du He’s shoulder, Shuai Bei sighed helplessly.

Fu Chenxue raised a hand to cover his eyes. “The game is clearly so intensely deadlocked, so why does it feel like you two aren’t even discussing basketball?”

Taking advantage of this interval, the organizers went to interview the guests in the spectator section.

At this moment, Xie Huai, Gao Jinshu, and Yuan Tingxuan were chatting.

“Coach Xie, do you think Xia Chiyi will be able to break through Yang Huaiyu’s defense in the second half?”

Xie Huai said softly: “This is a game, not a one-on-one match. Why does he have to break through it?”

The battle-tested Gao Jinshu also laughed: “Yeah, this kid is just too honest. Take a step back, and the sea is vast, the sky is boundlessly wide, isn’t it?”

Xie Huai also revealed a meaningful expression.

Yuan Tingxuan, however, looked bewildered, feeling that his brainwaves couldn’t connect with Elder Xie and Gao Jinshu’s.

How on earth is Xia Chiyi—who has been completely locked down by Yang Huaiyu—supposed to break the stalemate?

As the time for the second half drew closer, many spectators who had gone to the bathroom were rushing back one after another.

Ling Huanzhen patted the back of Ye Chaoying’s head. “You’re going on in the second half.”

Xia Chiyi felt a wave of tension in his heart. Is Ling Huanzhen going to sub me out?

“He Bin, you come off and rest for a bit.” Sensing the gazes of the other team members, Ling Huanzhen explained, “Even if Xia Chiyi can’t score or pass, at the very least, he can draw Yang Huaiyu’s defense and create scoring opportunities for the rest of the team.”

Xia Chiyi let out a slow breath. It sounded like he still had great value on the court, but in reality, it was incredibly suffocating.

For the first time, Zhou Zhexiao—who rarely spoke—made a request to the coach: “I’m going to take Xia Chiyi to the side to chat for a bit.”

“Ah… go ahead…” Ling Huanzhen nodded, thinking: If the Great Demon King wants to do something, could I even stop him?

Zhou Zhexiao’s hands were already large; he easily gripped the back of Xia Chiyi’s neck and led him behind the seats.

The skin on the back of his neck felt the temperature of Zhou Zhexiao’s palm. This was the same hand that had dribbled forcefully during the game, making the basketball bounce and levitate against his palm. During the match, there was no time to think about it, but now his mind was completely filled with how dead handsome it was.

“What are you doing?” Xia Chiyi asked cautiously.

Creating some distance between them, Zhou Zhexiao told him, “Charge at me.”

Lowering his center of gravity, Xia Chiyi dashed forward. He had just initiated his first step when Zhou Zhexiao stuck to him.

Their chests collided. Just as Xia Chiyi stabilized his center of gravity, Zhou Zhexiao continued pressing forward.

His arms spread wide, encircling Xia Chiyi. Stumbling backward, Xia Chiyi nearly fell to the ground.

But Zhou Zhexiao grabbed him and pulled him back up.

The audience on the opposite side noticed this and let out wave after wave of exclamations.

“What’s going on? What’s happening? Don’t tell me these two are having a falling out?”
“Is it because Xia Chiyi was locked down by Yang Huaiyu and couldn’t pass to Zhou Zhexiao?”
“No way, the second half is crucial! They absolutely cannot have internal conflicts at this time!”

In contrast to the audience’s worries, Pang Shuai, holding his camera, continuously comforted the alumni.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! Zhou Zhexiao never loses his temper with Xia Chiyi. They never fight!”

Who knew that as soon as Xia Chiyi stood firm, Zhou Zhexiao would provocatively curl his finger at him again.

Gritting his teeth, Xia Chiyi charged up again, only to have his pivot foot instantly locked down by Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t care about committing a foul at all, using even more obvious physical force to press forward. Trying to resist while his center of gravity was unstable, Xia Chiyi was no match for Zhou Zhexiao at all, and retreated continuously.

Zhou Zhexiao’s icy gaze locked firmly onto Xia Chiyi. The inside of Xia Chiyi’s knee touched the other’s. Even though this was common physical contact on the court, the temperature at this moment and the restrained, forceful approach left Xia Chiyi completely unable to resist.

When his back hit a solid wall, there was finally no room left to retreat.

Zhou Zhexiao violently thrust both arms forward, planting his hands by Xia Chiyi’s ears, isolating him into another world.

Even though no sound could be heard, it felt like a basketball smashing into a rim—deafeningly loud.

“Look for yourself. How much room for retreat do you have?” Looking into Xia Chiyi’s eyes, Zhou Zhexiao tilted his chin up.

Only then did Xia Chiyi realize he had retreated more than ten steps, and was actually standing in front of the exit tunnel.

The audience grew even more worried. Even the referee came over to remind Ling Huanzhen that fighting wasn’t allowed, even among teammates.

Ling Huanzhen hurriedly explained, “It’s fine, it’s fine. We are very united and friendly, there won’t be any infighting.”

Seeing Ling Huanzhen’s calm demeanor, the referee walked away, slightly reassuring the audience.

“As long as I’m not pressured back to the half-court line or the sidelines, I always have a path of retreat.” Xia Chiyi let out a slow breath.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about retreating, but even if he did, Yang Huaiyu would naturally keep pressing.

“But I can’t retreat endlessly without a bottom line, right?”

“Are Yang Huaiyu’s arms really that long that they completely embrace you? Can you only see 270 degrees forward, but can’t see me?”

When Zhou Zhexiao said this, Xia Chiyi completely froze.

“Also, don’t always think about charging forward. When he comes at you, attack him first.”

His face turning serious, Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi earnestly.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Chiyi broke free from the sense of confinement. His thinking ability returned, and his mind suddenly became crystal clear.

“It was me… his defense forced me into becoming hot-headed.”

“His pivot foot pressing defense is indeed high-level. You see, Ke Yan couldn’t even find the right timing when he wanted to press you tightly. As their offensive ace, Yang Huaiyu being assigned to single-guard you shows that Qincheng University is truly terrified of you.”

“Yeah.”

The two stood against the light. The audience on the opposite side could only see that they were very close, and Zhou Zhexiao had pinned Xia Chiyi against the wall. With his head lowered, Xia Chiyi looked like a little kid who had done something wrong. It wasn’t just the audience; even Yang Huaiyu on the opposite side felt his heart ache looking at it.

Not only Ningchang University’s teammates, but even Qincheng University on the opposite side was watching their every move.

“Xia Chiyi looks so pitiful.” Yang Huaiyu lifted his eyes and wiped his sweat.

“What? Has your heart gone soft?” Ke Yan asked grumpily.

Yang Huaiyu said slowly: “Of course, I should take his life while he’s sick (take advantage of his vulnerability). He’s still young; next year he’ll be a fine hero again.”

The second half of the game was about to begin.

Ling Huanzhen shouted toward the back: “Are you two done?”

Realizing that standing so close to Zhou Zhexiao had made him “the focus of tens of thousands of eyes,” Xia Chiyi immediately ducked out from under Zhou Zhexiao’s arms.

“Done, done, coming right now!”

Expressionless and unhurried, Zhou Zhexiao followed behind him, making it impossible to tell whether this “kabedon-style” exchange had gone smoothly or not.

Before stepping onto the court, Xia Chiyi tugged on Zhou Zhexiao’s jersey.

“Mm?” Out of habit, Zhou Zhexiao leaned toward him. The noise surrounding the court was too loud, and his ear was almost pressed against Xia Chiyi’s lips.

“I will definitely break through Yang Huaiyu’s 270-degree defense, and only let you embrace me 360 degrees.”

After saying that, Xia Chiyi ran onto the court with a serious face and high-fived Ye Chaoying.

Zhou Zhexiao touched his own ear; it was already red.

Sometimes, he truly couldn’t believe Xia Chiyi had never been in a relationship before.

This little scoundrel clearly mastered the art of seduction.

Xia Chiyi had never said a single word of “like,” yet he swore confidently that he had already confessed.

It made Zhou Zhexiao search for sugar in everything Xia Chiyi had said up until now.

Clearly without getting his consent, Xia Chiyi had presumptuously established the pact that he would confess if they won the King of the Southeast title.

Now, before they had even won, he came to tease beside his ear, as if firmly believing that he would definitely admit he liked him.

Zhou Zhexiao twisted his front bangs between his fingers. In the past, whether on or off the court, no one had ever been like him… torturing people completely obliviously.

The commentators were about to enter a state of tension again.

Chen Hui spoke: “I am currently in a very conflicted state.”

Xu Mi smiled. “Let me guess what your conflict is. You hope Xia Chiyi can shake off Yang Huaiyu’s pressing defense, because a closely matched game is the most exciting. But once Xia Chiyi breaks through the encirclement, he becomes an unbridled wild horse. By the time we commentators even open our mouths to speak, an offensive sequence might already be over.”

Chen Hui nodded: “Exactly!”

Shuai Bei inbounded the ball. Before Ye Chaoying could even hit top speed, he encountered a double-team from Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan at half-court, forcing an emergency pass.

Sure enough, the moment Xia Chiyi received the ball, Yang Huaiyu repeated his old trick, rapidly crowding his pivot foot, depriving him of the chance to move left or right.

Du He and Shuai Bei hurried over to support him, but Xia Chiyi was about to be surrounded from all four sides.

Suddenly, he executed a forceful dribble, the ball bounding up and hovering under his palm. Lowering his center of gravity, it looked as if he was going to pass under Yang Huaiyu’s arms. Their eyes met.

Yang Huaiyu: Little loach, you’re not slipping past this time.

Xia Chiyi’s gaze didn’t deviate in the slightest, but his hand flicked backward. Zhou Zhexiao received the ball, dribbled into a spin to wrap around, and pulled up for a shot right next to Xia Chiyi!

Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan sprinted over, stretching their arms until they nearly broke, but still couldn’t reach it in time!

After landing, Zhou Zhexiao glanced coldly at Yang Huaiyu, as if letting out a ‘hmph.’

Chen Hui’s eyes lit up: “This wave of coordination was 666 (awesome)! Always believe in Zhou Zhexiao’s turnaround jumper! Fast enough to make you doubt your life!”

Xu Mi: “I still want to know, does Xia Chiyi have eyes on the back of his head? How did he know Zhou Zhexiao wrapped around behind him, and even judge whether he was on the left or the right?”

If this shot was a coincidence, then Xia Chiyi’s series of subsequent operations were absolutely not coincidences.

When Yang Huaiyu locked Xia Chiyi down a second time, Xia Chiyi held the ball, continuously probing with his other foot but unable to break out. Who knew that Zhou Zhexiao would pass behind him again—only this time, Ke Yan was hovering nearby to “pick up scraps,” making it extremely dangerous!

With a backward half-turn pass, Xia Chiyi precisely evaded Ke Yan and delivered the ball into Zhou Zhexiao’s hands.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhexiao stopped right on the three-point line and pulled up directly for a jump shot.

Turning around, Yang Huaiyu’s eyes widened; he could only watch the ball sink into the net.

Meng Ting and He Zhan let out a long breath. If they guarded the area under the basket, Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan simply couldn’t restrict Zhou Zhexiao’s perimeter shooting.

But if they left the basket, Zhou Zhexiao could drive in or pass straight inside.

They were truly stretched too thin, destined to lose points either way!

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Yang Huaiyu once again and curled his finger.

Chen Hui laughed: “It seems these two long-range shots are Zhou Zhexiao’s letter of challenge. He’s telling Yang Huaiyu and Qincheng University that even if they restrict Xia Chiyi, they cannot restrict Ningchang University’s perimeter scoring.”

“Whether they should continue wasting Yang Huaiyu’s combat power to guard Xia Chiyi is a question Qincheng University needs to seriously consider.”

Smiling, Yang Huaiyu tugged at his collar and wiped his chin. “Behind-the-back passes aren’t going to work every time.”

On another possession, Yang Huaiyu decisively forced Xia Chiyi toward the sideline, so there was no way Zhou Zhexiao could wrap around behind him to receive the ball.

Seeing that the possession clock was about to run out, many spectators began counting down the seconds.

Yang Huaiyu’s disruptive swiping practically covered all of Xia Chiyi’s passing lanes.

“Time is almost up.”

In the past, he felt Yang Huaiyu smiled calmly and open-mindedly, possessing a mature grace that Xia Chiyi lacked.

Now, no matter how he looked at it, this guy’s smile looked like a villain’s!

Xia Chiyi suddenly lowered his center of gravity, as if trying to bypass him from the side.

Just as Yang Huaiyu shifted his center of gravity to attempt a steal, Xia Chiyi withdrew the ball. As his pivot foot gained freedom, he forced a pull-up jumper!

“No way! It’s too forced!” Chen Hui became tense at the commentary desk.

In an instant, Qincheng University’s Meng Ting and He Zhan, along with Ningchang University’s Du He and Shuai Bei, all rushed under the basket and began an intense battle for position. The fight for the rebound had begun.

Four people jumped at the same time. It was unclear who touched the ball, but they didn’t grab it and bumped it back up into the sky.

Several hands waved wildly up and down; the audience didn’t dare blink.

That orange basketball suddenly seemed full of a desire to survive, bouncing in the air three or four consecutive times without being grabbed. On the contrary, Du He and Shuai Bei were actually squeezed out of advantageous rebounding positions.

Just as Xia Chiyi’s heart tightened with worry, Zhou Zhexiao and Yang Huaiyu joined the battle.

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[Author’s Note]

Xia Chiyi: All top-tier defense is a paper tiger in front of Zhou Zhexiao’s experience!
Zhou Zhexiao: …