Chapter 0104: Walking the Opponent’s Path, Leaving the Opponent with No Path to Walk

The square inch of territory under the basket suddenly plunged into a scenario where heroes vied for dominance.

With a triple jump, Zhou Zhexiao tipped the ball away from Yang Huaiyu’s fingertips twice consecutively, and finally managed to grab the rebound on the third try.

“Woah—” Exclamations rose and fell one after another.

Xia Chiyi shouted loudly: “Great job! Balabala Little Magic Fairy!”

He shouted so loudly, wishing his voice could resound across the horizon, that the entire spectator section burst into wild laughter.

Even Lu Yingnan, who had maintained a stern expression the entire time, choked out a cough.

Zhou Zhexiao threw an extremely fast long pass. With a tricky angle, it flew between the shoulders of Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan. Completely unforeseen, there was simply no way to intercept it.

Xia Chiyi, however, caught it steadily. At this open position and this distance, even if Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan flew over, they wouldn’t be able to reach it.

He turned and immediately dipped the ball to generate power. The ball was sent off from his fingertips with a beautiful wrist snap.

No matter how many times it was repeated, it always captured the entire arena’s attention.

Yang Huaiyu, who was rushing over to intercept, stopped halfway. He tilted his head up, tracking that arc.

Answering him was the sound of the basketball swishing cleanly through the net.

This wave of inside-out coordination drew cheers from the audience. Their moods, like tightly wound springs, were suddenly released the moment Xia Chiyi shot the ball.

It was an indescribable sense of relief, making people fascinated, with a lingering aftertaste.

“Hehehehe!” Even Xie Huai laughed. “To play basketball, you don’t just need technique, you also need wisdom.”

Xia Chiyi extended his index fingers toward Yang Huaiyu and provocatively beckoned him inward, meaning, “Come keep guarding me.”

Looking at him, Yang Huaiyu gave a helpless smile.

There were very few opponents who, despite being a nerve-racking, massive source of trouble, made one unable to suppress the urge to appreciate them from the bottom of their heart.

“Little brat, don’t get too arrogant.”

Qincheng University initiated a ferocious counterattack. Like a wild beast charging at its attacker after being scratched, they bared their sharp fangs.

Yang Huaiyu led He Zhan and Meng Ting in invading the space under Ningchang University’s basket.

Du He and Shuai Bei were repeatedly squeezed out of defensive positioning under the basket. This battle for position could be described as hard against hard. The audience couldn’t feel the importance of boxing out, but watching it left Xia Chiyi’s heart in his throat.

Even Zhou Zhexiao and Yang Huaiyu joined the melee under the basket.

What Xia Chiyi didn’t expect was that Yang Huaiyu repeatedly managed to wedge Zhou Zhexiao out of advantageous positions, and then passed the ball to Li Shunchuan to score.

“Yang Huaiyu’s boxing out is way too insane…”

Holding his camera, Pang Shuai couldn’t help but review the photos he had taken, trying to figure out exactly how Yang Huaiyu was managing to out-muscle Zhou Zhexiao. Unfortunately, his technical knowledge was insufficient; he couldn’t see the trick to it, but thought it was awesome anyway.

It wasn’t until Zhou Zhexiao’s movement under the basket was restricted by Yang Huaiyu for the third time that Xia Chiyi noticed Yang Huaiyu was using a drop step, jamming Zhou Zhexiao’s foot from a specific angle. His leg and body acted like a safety pin, making it impossible for Zhou Zhexiao to move laterally under the basket.

Watching this made Xia Chiyi wish he could turn into a staple remover and pry Yang Huaiyu up.

“I truly didn’t expect that in a domestic college-level league, someone would be able to apply the drop step this proficiently.” Yuan Tingxuan began to applaud.

“This drop step completely restricts Zhou Zhexiao’s offensive power under the basket. Zhou Zhexiao is the type where, once he jumps with the ball, any double-clutch, floater, or hook shot is a piece of cake. Rather than jumping up to defend him, it’s better to be like Yang Huaiyu and not even give him the opportunity to jump.” Gao Jinshu sighed, feeling a bit worried about Zhou Zhexiao.

Yuan Tingxuan stated: “I wonder if Zhou Zhexiao has a way to deal with this. At this time, Ling Huanzhen should call a timeout and teach him properly. Ling Huanzhen is an expert at dealing with the drop step!”

Xie Huai, however, remained silent. He merely watched Zhou Zhexiao quietly.

This young man’s technique, his composure, his rapidly shifting offensive and defensive mindset—it was like a seed buried in Xie Huai’s heart, frantically taking root and sprouting, sending out countless strong, powerful vines that intertwined and converged into a single shadow.

And this shadow was Sheng Xingming.

In his heart, Xie Huai said: If you possess Sheng Xingming’s potential, then you must know how to break free from Yang Huaiyu’s drop step.

In the Coolang live broadcast room, quite a few people were making sarcastic and mocking remarks about Zhou Zhexiao.

[Didn’t he look down on Yang Huaiyu before? Who’s the one being completely locked down by Yang Huaiyu now?]
[Zhou Zhexiao, don’t be arrogant; once you get arrogant, your car flips!]

Xia Chiyi glanced at the time. There was a minute and a half left; they really couldn’t let the score gap widen any further.

While running back to defend, Xia Chiyi couldn’t resist using his knee to bump Zhou Zhexiao from behind.

“You’re the Balabala Little Magic Fairy. You were so brave under the basket just now, have you lost your ability to transform?”

Zhou Zhexiao gave him a faint glance. “I haven’t confessed yet, so please keep your hands and feet to yourself.”

Xia Chiyi’s fists hardened. “Do you believe I’ll beat you up…”

As Zhou Zhexiao ran farther away, he said, “Wait a moment. I’ll demonstrate it for you.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi pulled at his collar and vigorously wiped away the sweat that was about to drip into his eyes.

“Alright. If you disappoint me, I’ll flatten you.” Xia Chiyi glared at him.

History is always strikingly similar. As the third quarter entered its final minute, Zhou Zhexiao was once again jammed by Yang Huaiyu’s drop step.

Observing this, Ke Yan rejoiced in his heart, and successfully passed the ball to Yang Huaiyu under his teammates’ screen.

The moment Yang Huaiyu received the ball, Du He and Shuai Bei felt a sharp pain in their livers because they were being blocked by Meng Ting and He Zhan.

If Yang Huaiyu scored again, the point difference would reach double digits!

In Yang Huaiyu’s hands, this ball was like a massive bomb. The basketball rim was that fragile, unprotected bunker, about to be blasted to smithereens.

Xia Chiyi rushed over. Even though he was a guard, he had to do everything in his power to block this shot!

His heart hung high in his chest, and he couldn’t hear the sounds coming from all directions. It was as if he had been covered by a stuffy, suffocating little box.

Yang Huaiyu was about to release the ball—even if Xia Chiyi were the ‘Flying Man’, he wouldn’t make it in time to block this shot!

Who knew that Zhou Zhexiao would exert force in both feet simultaneously? Like magic, he executed a subtle rotating hop step, rapidly breaking away from Yang Huaiyu’s restriction. His feet shifted from a jammed position to being parallel with Yang Huaiyu’s feet, and he swiftly spun to wrap around him!

Yang Huaiyu jumped. Just as his fingertips were about to send the ball out—

The resounding smack of a frontal block echoed through the basketball gym!

The players on the court were stunned.

Yang Huaiyu’s hand was empty. Belatedly, he realized… he had been blocked!

What happened? Didn’t he jam Zhou Zhexiao in place?

Meng Ting and He Zhan, who were closest to the basket, didn’t understand either. How did Zhou Zhexiao shift the universe, wrapping around from behind Yang Huaiyu to his front-side?

An uproar swept through the entire arena.

Having seen that scene clearly thanks to his excellent dynamic vision, Xia Chiyi jumped wildly on the spot out of excitement, looking exactly like a little squirrel running desperately on a hamster wheel.

This guy Zhou Zhexiao is too handsome! If it weren’t for so many spectators watching, Xia Chiyi had no doubt he would jump up, pounce on his back, and kiss him to death!

Rubbing his eyes, Xie Huai said softly: “It was a hop step.”

With this hint, Gao Jinshu and Yuan Tingxuan finally realized what happened.

“This kid’s reflexes are way too fast, right? That move just now is definitely worth replaying repeatedly to study,” Yuan Tingxuan said.

Chen Hui was so excited he smacked the commentary desk several times. “Zhou Zhexiao! It’s Zhou Zhexiao! He was clearly pinned by Yang Huaiyu’s feet, yet he actually managed to break free! That quick pop turn was simply brilliant!”

“Never mind that Yang Huaiyu using a drop step to pin Zhou Zhexiao’s feet is already a very rare skill to see in the Division I league. Who would’ve expected Zhou Zhexiao to actually execute a hop step during such a tense struggle of strength… The Southeast Region is truly crouching tigers and hidden dragons. There is always someone better, and a sky beyond the sky!”

At this moment, Xu Mi recalled the scene of watching Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi play basketball for the first time.

It was just that right now, they were countless times more mature than they were back then.

Meanwhile, Ling Huanzhen on the sidelines smiled faintly.

In his past life, the Great Demon King had suffered his fair share of ‘bullying’ when playing in the professional leagues. Using a drop step to restrict movement under the basket or whatever was mere child’s play.

With such a rare live demonstration, I wonder if Du He and Shuai Bei managed to learn it.

Hands on his hips, Yang Huaiyu exhaled forcefully.

He didn’t expect that the ultimate move he had painstakingly practiced would be cracked by Zhou Zhexiao just like that.

“What, is your self-esteem that fragile?” Passing by him, Ke Yan asked chillingly.

“No, ever since Xia Chiyi almost dunked on my skull, I feel like… at least Zhou Zhexiao’s blocks have a very high safety factor.”

Yang Huaiyu glanced up at the game clock, then gave Li Shunchuan a look.

Li Shunchuan understood perfectly. If they could sink another three-pointer in the remaining 48 seconds, they could force Ningchang University to carry the heavy pressure of a double-digit deficit into the final ten minutes!

Looking at Li Shunchuan’s expression, Xia Chiyi knew this sharpshooter was probably about to show his might.

Ye Chaoying caught the bouncing ball. Like a fighter jet dive-bombing along a mountain range, seeing that he was about to encounter the defensive floodgates of Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan, Xia Chiyi shouted: “Pass to me—”

Xia Chiyi’s hands had just touched the ball when Yang Huaiyu actually arrived again!

Not just Xia Chiyi, but the teammates on the court and the audience all felt their hearts tighten.

Is Xia Chiyi going to have his pivot foot restricted by Yang Huaiyu again?

This time, Zhou Zhexiao wouldn’t have time to get behind him to receive the pass!

With his arms crossed, Xie Huai leaned forward, his gaze locked onto Xia Chiyi: How will you respond?

As his teachers, Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang felt a massive surge of anticipation in their hearts, hoping he could independently break through Yang Huaiyu’s defense.

Suddenly dribbling into a spin, Xia Chiyi wrapped around Yang Huaiyu with his back almost pressed against him. The entire process took less than half a second, and he was already facing the basket squarely.

Yang Huaiyu’s heart tightened. He had a bad premonition—Xia Chiyi wouldn’t do a side-step to open up distance again; he was going to shoot directly!

“In your dreams!” Exerting force urgently, Yang Huaiyu launched himself diagonally towards Xia Chiyi’s direction. His palm almost entirely blocked Xia Chiyi’s ball release angle.

He’s going to get blocked!

Too impulsive!

Why not open up some distance before shooting!

Various thoughts of regret and pity filled the entire space.

But that shot was a fadeaway jump shot. The arc of the ball upon release exceeded imagination, as if an asteroid originally on a collision course with Earth had chicly bypassed the entire solar system.

As it went into the basket, everyone looked up; there wasn’t even time to fight for the rebound.

Without lowering his right hand, Xia Chiyi turned his face slightly to look at Yang Huaiyu. “Hey, do you want to switch up your defensive method? This trick isn’t working anymore.”

Yang Huaiyu wiped the sweat off his face. He truly didn’t expect this kid to be this bold and reckless.

Li Shunchuan silently clenched his fists, staring at Xia Chiyi. This guy had already practiced the turnaround fadeaway jumper to the point of pure mastery.

Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang looked at each other, unable to hide the smiles on their faces.

Chen Hui and Xu Mi felt even more like they had awakened from a grand dream.

“From the moment Ye Chaoying initiated the attack with the ball to Xia Chiyi’s shot, the total time was only 4.5 seconds, my friends!”

“This shot effectively halted Qincheng University’s plan to stretch the point difference to double digits, and stabilized Ningchang University’s momentum! At a crucial moment, the first-year Xia Chiyi possesses the massive heart of a veteran player!”

“There’s more than forty seconds left. Scoring two goals is no problem.” Li Shunchuan looked at Ke Yan, his gaze deep, cold, and resolute.

Immediately following, Li Shunchuan displayed a rare魄力 (boldness/courage). On Ningchang University’s three-point line, with a screen from Yang Huaiyu on his left, he met Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi head-on and scored with a fadeaway jumper!

The whole process took only 4 seconds. This was a powerful response directed at Xia Chiyi.

There wasn’t much aggressiveness in Li Shunchuan’s personality, but this time, he looked coldly at Xia Chiyi.

It was a form of unwillingness to concede. Having been dragged around by Ye Chaoying for an entire quarter without achieving anything, and with his subsequent scoring being lackluster, to not doubt himself at this point would mean he wasn’t ‘Embarrassed Li’.

But Xia Chiyi’s fadeaway jumper breaking through Yang Huaiyu’s defense was like a fierce slap across his face. It reminded him that the meaning of the title “Sharpshooter” never lay in just making a few three-pointers, but rather in the courage to still be able to score from the narrowest of gaps when facing the enemy’s impenetrable walls.

Taking down this shot, Li Shunchuan let out a low roar.

With this roar, Xia Chiyi’s blood also boiled and clamored.

Isn’t this exactly the kind of game he wanted?

The audience’s excitement index skyrocketed. With over thirty seconds left in the third quarter, going by the scoring speed of these two teams, there would still be massive variables introduced into the final quarter!

The pace of the game was unimaginably fast.

Zhou Zhexiao stole the ball from Yang Huaiyu and passed to Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi backed down against Li Shunchuan. Powerful and decisive, Li Shunchuan’s footing became unsteady, and Xia Chiyi rapidly executed a fadeaway jumper—it went in again!

Qincheng University’s possession. Li Shunchuan ran crazily off-ball. Xia Chiyi pursued him through the screen set by Yang Huaiyu and Meng Ting. Feigning a run to the left, Li Shunchuan abruptly cut right, deceiving Zhou Zhexiao’s help defense. After receiving the ball, he immediately pulled up—scoring again!

“There are 8 seconds left in the third quarter! If it were any other game, there probably wouldn’t be any major changes! But with these two teams, a reversal can happen in just a few seconds!” Chen Hui’s voice pitched high.

“Exactly, this last minute has been absolutely spectacular! Thrilling and heart-stopping, making it impossible to sit still!” Xu Mi couldn’t help but gulp.

During these eight seconds, even the referees were completely tense.

The final eight seconds. Ningchang University’s possession.

The entire team was unprecedentedly united. Du He and Shuai Bei also ran with all their might to set screens for Xia Chiyi.

With a powerful low-center-of-gravity dribble, Zhou Zhexiao nearly brought down Yang Huaiyu’s center of gravity. Facing Meng Ting, he suddenly braked hard and spun, making everyone think he was going to pull up for a jump shot, but instead, he handed the ball directly to Xia Chiyi, who was passing by him.

With one dribble, facing the double defense of He Zhan and Li Shunchuan, Xia Chiyi executed a pump fake, sending both of them flying. Delaying his release by half a beat, he shot just as the whistle blew. The entire arena watched with bated breath—a clean swish through the net!

“This buzzer-beater! Too brilliant!”

On the coach’s bench, Ling Huanzhen stood up and shouted loudly, “Good—”

With this shot, the point difference between Qincheng University and Ningchang University was only 6 points!

Xie Huai took a deep breath, his hand subconsciously reaching into his pocket.

Gao Jinshu said: “What’s wrong? Coach Xie, are you too nervous and need to take some fast-acting heart pills?”

Xie Huai smacked him on the back of the head without mercy.

“What are you saying! After so many years of ups and downs on the court, if I had a heart condition, I would’ve been carried out long ago!”

“Then you are…” Gao Jinshu looked at Xie Huai’s hand inside his pocket.

“My palms are sweating. I originally didn’t want you guys to see me wiping my sweat… I didn’t expect the last forty-eight seconds of the third quarter to be of such high quality.”

Beside him, Yuan Tingxuan let out a long breath. “Me neither. Even playing in the CBA, or even in international tournaments, I’ve never seen such a tense shootout! The hearts of the players on both these teams are too strong! With such high offensive efficiency… it’s hard to imagine if I would be able to make the kind of precise judgments they do if I were on the court!”

The break time was only a brief two minutes. Some spectators stood up to stretch in place, but the number of people going to the bathroom was much lower than before.

In Southwest Aviation University’s seating area, Lu Yingnan’s face was extremely cold, his whole body exuding an intense aura that deterred anyone from approaching.

“Captain, what’s wrong?”

“I’m thinking about methods to guard Xia Chiyi. Double-teaming, face-guarding, pivot foot restriction—Qincheng University has executed all of these very well, yet they still couldn’t stop Xia Chiyi from scoring. The most formidable thing about this Xia Chiyi isn’t his speed and technique…”

“Then what is it?” Zhuo Zheng asked.

“It’s his mentality. A mentality of identifying a problem on the court and immediately solving it. Facing difficulties head-on, he can reverse adversity into a tailwind advantage at any time. My fear is…”

His fear was that even if they restricted him for 35 minutes of a game, he could still break out of his cocoon and deliver a lethal kill in the final 5 minutes.

“It’s too noisy around here. Captain, what did you say your fear is?” Zhuo Zheng leaned in to ask.

“Weren’t you going to the bathroom?” Lu Yingnan asked.

Hugging his arms, Zhuo Zheng revealed an expression of facing death with equanimity. “I already held it for ten minutes, what’s holding it for another ten! If the quarter opens with a shootout, all my previous holding would go to waste!”

Coach Gu couldn’t hold back anymore. He patted Zhuo Zheng’s shoulder and said, “It’s not good to hold it for too long, you should just go!”

“No… ten minutes, I can do it.” Zhuo Zheng sat stubbornly in his original seat.

---

The high-intensity match made the players of both teams feel exhausted.

And pressure multiplied this sense of exhaustion.

For Qincheng University, they had to defend their title as Kings of the Southeast.

They wouldn’t bow their heads even if they died. Once they bowed their heads, the crown would fall.

For Ningchang University, this was the final step to summiting the Southeast Region.

The crown was close at hand; they had to pluck it down even if they had to risk their lives.

Drinking water, Xia Chiyi continuously took deep breaths to adjust his heart rate.

Looking at the team members with composed expressions, Ling Huanzhen stated, “You still have the Nationals; the journey is long. Believe me, Qincheng University is nothing but a little cookie—eat it in one bite!”

“Yeah—”

Ling Huanzhen didn’t continue feeding them chicken soup (motivational fluff), but instead provided strategic deployment and technical guidance.

“Du He, Shuai Bei! You must strengthen your deterrence under the basket! Your box-outs are too weak!”

As he spoke, Ling Huanzhen pounded his left hand with his right fist.

Du He took a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s going on either. Under the basket, He Zhan always manages to push me to the outside of the paint.”

Shuai Bei gritted his teeth: “The one annoying me is Meng Ting. Sometimes I clearly box him out, yet he can still jump to fight me for the rebound. This guy’s wingspan and physical conditions are practically comparable to Southeast Mining’s Ma Tao. If I’m not careful, he plays rocket launch right behind my head!”

Hooking his arms over Du He’s and Shuai Bei’s shoulders, Ling Huanzhen pressed them close to him. “This requires you to actively initiate contact to box out! The strength of your back is very important. Stick to them, don’t give them any space to generate power!”

As he spoke, Ling Huanzhen pulled Zhou Zhexiao over to demonstrate live with Du He and Shuai Bei.

Previously, he had worried that the two of them wouldn’t be able to grasp the proper extent and would easily commit fouls. Although he had mentioned it, they hadn’t heavily focused on it in training.

Ling Huanzhen also hadn’t expected that there could be such high-level battles under the basket in the Division I league, and that the opponents could execute offensive box-outs so perfectly.

“Understand?” Ling Huanzhen asked.

Shuai Bei immediately nodded, “Understood!”

Du He, however, frowned. “I’m a bit worried about not grasping the limits well.”

Zhou Zhexiao spoke indifferently: “It’s fine. When I find an opportunity, I’ll demonstrate it for you to see.”

Ling Huanzhen took a deep breath. As expected, a real game was the best teacher.

Only when forced into a certain situation during a match would one naturally adapt, learn various techniques, and evolve different skills for the sake of victory.

“Xia Chiyi, be a bit bolder. With Ye Chaoying handling the ball, you can safely swing between forward and guard!”

“Yes! Coach!”

Ling Huanzhen suddenly gripped Xia Chiyi’s head and pressed him in front of him, his powerful gaze seemingly trying to pierce into Xia Chiyi’s eyes.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have any response at all to the tight defense Qincheng University is giving you?”

After saying that, Ling Huanzhen used his own foot to kick the outside of Xia Chiyi’s basketball shoe.

Suddenly realizing something, Xia Chiyi nodded vigorously, revealing a wicked smile. “Understood. I will show them some color.”

The other teammates felt helpless. Why does it feel like Ling Huanzhen and Xia Chiyi are using secret codes that we can’t understand?

But after Ling Huanzhen hinted at it, Xia Chiyi was eager to try.

He saw Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang hidden in the spectator seats.

After all their wholehearted teaching these past days, it was time for Xia Chiyi to hand in his answer sheet.

Ling Huanzhen: “Zhou Zhexiao, be a bit more ruthless, be a bit more crushing. Shatter their confidence under the basket!”

“Oh.”

Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin. The next second, Xia Chiyi pressed down on his back again.

Inhaling a breath, Zhou Zhexiao said rather reluctantly, “Yes, Coach.”

Turning his face sideways, Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao. I want to be acknowledged by you. I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you. I want to walk with you to a higher, brighter place.

Perhaps when they grew a little older and looked back on the past, this game wouldn’t even rank high on the list.

But at this very moment, Xia Chiyi felt it was immensely important. Because every dribble and every layup was the result of them being together.

Zhou Zhexiao’s fingers reached over, his knuckles lightly scraping across the bridge of Xia Chiyi’s nose.

“I won’t let your memories have any regrets ever again,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi’s heart expanded infinitely, like a balloon being filled with hot air.

—I don’t want your memories to have any regrets either.

Finally, the final ten minutes arrived.

This was the pinnacle showdown of the Southeast Region.

The players of both teams took the court. Right from the opening, Qincheng University sounded the horn of attack.

Yang Huaiyu drove the ball straight at the basket, confronting Zhou Zhexiao strongly in an explosive clash of hormones. Seeing that Zhou Zhexiao was about to block the shot, Yang Huaiyu calmly passed the ball backward!

Li Shunchuan received the ball, but didn’t anticipate Xia Chiyi immediately pressing him tightly. Learning and applying Yang Huaiyu’s defensive trick on the spot, Xia Chiyi completely jammed Li Shunchuan’s pivot foot.

With the standoff between the two major shooting guards of the Southeast Region, the audience was incredibly tense.

Li Shunchuan didn’t linger in battle, decisively passing the ball to Meng Ting!

Du He and Shuai Bei were waiting in strict formation. Unexpectedly, Meng Ting pulled up for a shot and scored directly!

“Your daddy doesn’t only know how to dunk!” Meng Ting shouted loudly.

This was the King of the Southeast Region, Qincheng University.

Every single player had no weak points.

“Tsk…” Shuai Bei felt like he was being played with.

When Ningchang University gained possession, Qincheng University was also waiting in strict formation.

Ye Chaoying drew the opponents’ fire to the left side and executed a behind-the-back pass. In a flash of lightning, Xia Chiyi caught the ball.

Driving straight ahead with astonishing speed, Xia Chiyi went for a hook shot. Go in for me—

“Bang—”

Yang Huaiyu, who had been following closely behind him the entire time, actually gave him a chase-down block!

Witnessing this formidable mid-air balance and perfectly timed block, Xia Chiyi’s eyes widened. He met Yang Huaiyu’s icy gaze.

It was as if he was saying: With me around, you still think you can act arrogant under the basket?

Ke Yan was just a hair’s breadth from getting the ball, but it was intercepted by Zhou Zhexiao!

Zhou Zhexiao immediately went for a put-back shot, scoring a goal!

“This is truly a roller coaster! Xia Chiyi shot with full confidence, never expecting to get chase-down blocked by Yang Huaiyu! Ke Yan thought he got the ball, but it went into Zhou Zhexiao’s hands again!”

“Until the very next second, it’s impossible to predict the offensive and defensive arrays. It’s still a high-efficiency rotation of offense and defense, making it hard to breathe!”

Xia Chiyi rushed over and high-fived Zhou Zhexiao.

As their hands parted, Zhou Zhexiao actually hooked his finger and pinched the back of Xia Chiyi’s hand.

“Who is the Little Magic Fairy?” Looking down, Zhou Zhexiao asked.

Even though his face was expressionless, his damp eyebrows and eyes revealed an untamed wildness.

When he lifted his eyelids, his eyelashes refracted the overhead lights, sparkling—so sexy it could kill without paying with its life.

Xia Chiyi told himself that at this moment, he had to be thick-skinned and absolutely could not blush out of shyness.

“I am Peppa and you are George; our hearts will be connected forever!”

“You can be a pig by yourself.”

“What?”

“I am willing to be a professional pig farmer.”

Xia Chiyi snorted. “You want to sleep with a pig every day?”

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Zhou Zhexiao visibly paused for a moment.

Before Xia Chiyi could take two steps, the back of his head was pressed down by Zhou Zhexiao again. A low voice sounded: “Don’t talk trash to me.”

“I did not! Every word I say comes from the heart!”

“If you don’t want to get chase-down blocked, you have to bravely seize the lane. Run into the defender’s path and force them to decelerate,” Zhou Zhexiao said in a low voice.

“Ha, understood! Run in the opponent’s lane, leaving the opponent with no path to run.”

The pace of the game grew faster and faster. Not only were Xia Chiyi and Li Shunchuan battling it out on the three-point line, but even Zhou Zhexiao and Yang Huaiyu began flying under the basket.

With an extremely wide-angled Kyrie Irving-style mid-air switch-hand layup, Yang Huaiyu faked out Zhou Zhexiao in the air. Elegant and fluid, it was like a playful tease.

Immediately following, Zhou Zhexiao encountered Yang Huaiyu’s pursuit defense under the basket.

Recalling the chase-down block he had eaten, Xia Chiyi nervously shouted: “Careful—”

Just as Zhou Zhexiao was about to go for a one-handed layup, Yang Huaiyu indeed went for a chase-down block!

But unexpectedly, this was a fake move by Zhou Zhexiao to misdirect Yang Huaiyu’s center of gravity. He rapidly brought the ball back to his abdomen, executing a smooth, flowing switch-hand layup.

In Xia Chiyi’s field of vision, he saw Zhou Zhexiao’s hair flying backward. The slight curls were pulled into elegant straight lines by his speed. His eyes, his jawline, his taut neck—all exuded a formidable power.

Enthusiastic applause endured for a long time.

Zhou Zhexiao landed. This was just a common occurrence for him, and there wasn’t even a trace of joy on his face.

It made the cheers coming from all directions seem so ignorant by contrast.

Yang Huaiyu, however, clicked his tongue (“tsk”). He couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhou Zhexiao was taking revenge for Xia Chiyi, deliberately baiting Yang Huaiyu into a chase-down block.

When Zhou Zhexiao passed by Xia Chiyi on his way back to defend, Xia Chiyi couldn’t resist lifting his knee to kick him. “Couldn’t you show a little expression…”

Scooping his right hand backward, Zhou Zhexiao perfectly caught Xia Chiyi’s calf. His palm slid all the way down from the calf muscle to the ankle. That wave of heat almost made Xia Chiyi spontaneously combust.

Before Xia Chiyi could even catch his breath, Zhou Zhexiao had already let go and walked straight to his defensive position.

“Tsk… male vixen…”

Qincheng University’s possession. Receiving the ball, Li Shunchuan pulled up for a sudden stop jump shot. Under the double interference of Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying, the ball smashed against the rim.

As the ball bounced into the air, Xia Chiyi’s nerves tightened—it was another battle for the rebound.

This time, Shuai Bei successfully boxed out Meng Ting. Even though Shuai Bei’s position was clearly more advantageous, Meng Ting’s vertical leap and wingspan were both astonishing. He actually managed consecutive tip-jumps and plucked the ball right over Shuai Bei’s head!

A sense of humiliation once again surged in Shuai Bei’s heart.

“Careful—” Yang Huaiyu shouted loudly.

However, it was a step too late. Who knows when Ye Chaoying had arrived in front of Meng Ting. With a light wave of his hand, he stole the ball away.

“Beautifully done by Ye Chaoying! It doesn’t matter if your rebounding skills blow up the sky; if you don’t hold onto the ball the moment you land, it’s all for nothing!” Chen Hui commentated passionately.

“Ye Chaoying passes quickly to Xia Chiyi. Xia Chiyi turns and dribbles, his speed is too fast! Yang Huaiyu has caught up! Be careful, Xia Chiyi!” Xu Mi was extremely worried.

The entire audience’s mood was tense. Yang Huaiyu was getting closer and closer to Xia Chiyi. Was he going to get chase-down blocked again this time?

Miraculously, Xia Chiyi “merged lanes” with Yang Huaiyu. The moment Yang Huaiyu was directly behind Xia Chiyi, Xia Chiyi abruptly decelerated, as if doing a hard brake to pull up for a jump shot. Yang Huaiyu immediately decelerated as well to avoid a collision.

But Xia Chiyi accelerated again, leaving him in the dust.

At this point, Yang Huaiyu had no time to activate his speed again. He could only follow behind him, watching him send the ball into the basket.

“Ha!” Xia Chiyi turned around and pumped his fist to cheer for himself.

Yang Huaiyu took a deep breath. That feeling of extreme appreciation combined with an extreme desire to strangle this little brat flared up again.

In Qing University’s seating area, Li Xiaoran frowned deeply. “Xia Chiyi is a player with very strong analytical and learning abilities. You can make him suffer a loss in a game, but he will definitely find a way to counter it at the fastest possible speed.”

Liu Suchen nodded: “Yeah. Trying to pin him down with one move is impossible. Yang Huaiyu’s pivot foot pressing and his chase-down block have both been cracked by Xia Chiyi.”

Just two minutes into the final quarter, surrounded by the trio of Yang Huaiyu, Meng Ting, and He Zhan, Zhou Zhexiao forced a strong fadeaway jumper. The arc of the parabola was very high, and the speed was also very fast. Like a dive-bomber, the orange basketball swooped into the rim. With this, Ningchang University tied the score.

“The ball is in! This shot was fast and high, an extreme release! I believe this wasn’t a coincidence, this is Zhou Zhexiao’s true strength!”

“Facing triple defense without panicking in the face of danger, and releasing the ball without the slightest hesitation—Zhou Zhexiao has the massive heart of a finisher!”

The two commentators once again couldn’t contain their excitement because this shot was simply too brilliant.

With his head tilted up, Xia Chiyi’s mind constantly replayed the posture of Zhou Zhexiao’s shot. His hair flying in the wind, the lines of his arms stretching out—like protecting a bird taking flight into the sky… It was full of the tension of freedom.

I so badly want to become the ball in his hands, to use my body and heart to feel the trajectory of his power.

This shot made Yuan Tingxuan, an active professional athlete, feel ashamed of his own inferiority.

—To shoot so fiercely despite being defended on three sides.

Zhou Zhexiao remained eternally unfazed by favor or disgrace. Passing by Xia Chiyi, his fingertips brushed through his hair whorl. It was a bit damp, but soft like little grass drenched by rain; it felt very good.

“That’s all you’ve got?”

With just these few light words, Xia Chiyi immediately understood the other’s subtext: With only this much skill, even if we win the game, I have no desire to confess.

Looking at his athletic back, Xia Chiyi thought, He really needs a beating.

How did I even develop a liking for this flavor?

Consequently, Xia Chiyi also pulled off a wave of extreme operations.

He ran wildly down the court with the ball. Yang Huaiyu, Ke Yan, and Li Shunchuan followed closely behind. Like a meteor striking the earth, all the pursuers were reduced to dust in his wake.

“It’s already the fourth quarter, where does he get this monster stamina!” Zhuo Zheng gritted his teeth tightly.

It was truly one person running wildly, surrounded by five people.

Showing no intention of passing the ball, Xia Chiyi charged all the way to the corner.

“Guard the basket—” Coach Ren of Qincheng University shouted urgently.

But Xia Chiyi’s shooting was too accurate. Guarding the basket was only meaningful if Xia Chiyi missed and they had to fight for the rebound. But who dared bet on this guy taking the shot!

Yang Huaiyu arrived in front of Xia Chiyi first, but he had already released the ball. As always, a high arc. Even if Yang Huaiyu launched like a rocket, he couldn’t reach it.

Xia Chiyi extended his hands, making a shooting gesture. But he wasn’t aiming at Yang Huaiyu in front of him; he was aiming at Zhou Zhexiao, who had rushed under the basket.

Lifting his chin, Zhou Zhexiao wiped his face, looking as if he hadn’t seen it.

No wink. Not cute.

Time was slipping away bit by bit; every second was precious. Xia Chiyi’s shot put Ningchang University in the lead, shifting the heavy pressure back onto Qincheng University’s side.

The entire pace of the game entered a hurricane state once again. The showdown between the two major shooting guards, Li Shunchuan and Xia Chiyi, made the audience afraid to even breathe heavily.

Xia Chiyi’s post-up jump shot lost its balance due to Yang Huaiyu’s obstruction.

Zhou Zhexiao and Du He cut under the basket, tilting their heads up to find the timing to grab the rebound while simultaneously beginning to box out.

Meng Ting was tightly blocked behind Zhou Zhexiao. Zhou Zhexiao spread his arms, ready to jump.

In today’s game, Meng Ting was the undisputed Rebound King. Even when boxed out from behind, he could still manage to come from behind and snatch the ball.

But this time was different. After Zhou Zhexiao jumped, Meng Ting visibly stumbled backward. The rebound was firmly grabbed by Zhou Zhexiao. Turning around with a dribble, he was about to shoot!

Yang Huaiyu arrived again, successfully blocking the shot!

Zhou Zhexiao paused slightly; the ball had already left his hands.

In the spectator seats, Ma Tao exhaled deeply, forced to admire Yang Huaiyu in his heart. In the entire Southeast Region, the only one capable of blocking Zhou Zhexiao is probably Yang Huaiyu alone!

Offense and defense reversed instantly. The audience’s moods were tense, and the adrenaline of all the players on the court was skyrocketing.

Bringing the ball under the basket, Li Shunchuan evaded Ye Chaoying’s steal attempt. However, when he released his shot, he realized Xia Chiyi had already arrived in front of him. His hand was stretched very high. In the instant of releasing the ball, Li Shunchuan felt the force of Xia Chiyi’s fingertips.

Although minute, it altered the ball’s trajectory!

Why… why when he’s already been running for so long, and his whole body is drenched in sweat—why can he still judge my release in a fraction of a second?

Why can he still jump so high?

Why does he still have energy left!

Looking at Xia Chiyi hanging in the air, Li Shunchuan saw agility radiating from that intense tension.

“Rebound—” Before he even landed, Xia Chiyi shouted to remind his teammates.

But this time, Zhou Zhexiao and Yang Huaiyu restricted each other outside the paint. The rebound could only rely on Du He and Shuai Bei.

Seeing that Meng Ting was about to drive under the basket again, this time Du He actually took the initiative to forcefully box out! This backward force caused Meng Ting to fail his jump once again, and the rebound was plucked away by Shuai Bei!

“Beautifully done!” Raising both hands, Xia Chiyi cheered in Du He’s direction.

Many teams watching the game live were stunned. They never expected that Du He, who had been suppressed under the basket for three quarters, would actually forcefully box out Meng Ting in the final three minutes!

It could only be said that Ling Huanzhen’s live explanation and Zhou Zhexiao’s live teaching had been effective.

Taking the ball, Xia Chiyi charged straight at the opponent’s formation. Qincheng University’s fastest players, Yang Huaiyu and Ke Yan, followed closely behind. The two were about to form an encirclement around him.

Who knew that Xia Chiyi would push the ball towards Yang Huaiyu’s side and make a probing step, but suddenly pull the ball back with an agile scissor step. Looking toward Zhou Zhexiao, it seemed he was about to pass to him.

Both Yang Huaiyu and Ke Yan moved to intercept in that direction, but without warning, Xia Chiyi dribbled toward the other side, completely shaking off the two of them, and sent the ball into the basket from the three-point line!

After scoring, Xia Chiyi turned excitedly toward Zhou Zhexiao’s direction, habitually jumping onto him!

But he absolutely never expected that the person he bumped into would be Yang Huaiyu.

How could it be Yang Huaiyu? Why is this guy standing here? Where is Zhou Zhexiao?

---

[Author’s Note]

Xia Chiyi: It’s over… I jumped on the wrong person…
Zhou Zhexiao: Keeps forcing me to confess, yet he’s the one who strayed outside the wall first.
Xia Chiyi: I am not! I did not!