Chapter 0117: Lu Yingnan: I really like watching you shoot.

The entire arena drew in a sharp breath, followed by thunderous applause.

This chase-down block was a perfect culmination of speed, reaction time, and explosive power. It announced to everyone present that Lu Yingnan was a top-tier master in the First-Tier League.

Yang Huaiyu fell silent, because if he had been able to handle Xia Chiyi’s “lane merging” drives the way Lu Yingnan just did during the Southeast Division finals, they might have had a chance to beat Ningchang University.

Unfortunately, there were no “ifs.”

He wasn’t Lu Yingnan.

This single block ruthlessly crushed Rongzhou Tech’s momentum to catch up. Mo Chuang and Zhuo Zheng acted like two giant scythes, frantically harvesting points until the point gap was pushed nearly to twenty. Rongzhou Tech requested a substitution, bringing in a freshman player.

This freshman was full of drive, forcing his way inside to score and stop the bleeding.

However, Xia Chiyi began to worry for this freshman, because not everyone could withstand the pressure of being heavily guarded by Lu Yingnan.

The Rongzhou Tech coach hadn’t let him play in the first half, probably out of fear that he would be completely dismantled by Lu Yingnan.

The freshman pulled off a double-clutch layup and then a reverse dunk, initiating a scoring run that even provoked Zhuo Zheng into wanting to go one-on-one against him.

But Lu Yingnan only gave Zhuo Zheng a hand gesture to back off, and Zhuo Zheng immediately stopped tangling with him.

The freshman arrogantly crossed up two defenders. Just as he pulled up at the three-point line to take his shot, Xia Chiyi yelled, “Watch out—!”

He had never seen such a ferociously swift steal. Despite being nearly 1.9 meters tall, Lu Yingnan dropped his center of gravity incredibly low, his upper body almost parallel to the floor. His arm shot out completely straight, instantly stripping the ball away from the freshman.

Even Zhou Zhexiao, who had seen his fair share of grand spectacles, had his pupils contract.

In the blink of an eye, the offensive initiative returned to Southwest Aviation University. Lu Yingnan threw a fast pass, and Mo Chuang caught the ball for a violent slam dunk, shattering Rongzhou Tech’s dream of a comeback.

Meanwhile, the freshman stood frozen under the basket, staring at Lu Yingnan, still processing how the ball had just been stolen from him.

What followed was history repeating itself. The freshman had just started dribbling for a breakthrough and hadn’t even had time to accelerate when—smack—the ball in his hands disappeared again.

Lu Yingnan intercepted the ball and sprinted away.

“That guy isn’t even human!” Ye Chaoying was still trying to figure out how Lu Yingnan managed to pull that off.

“That Rongzhou Tech freshman is probably going to be subbed out soon,” Xia Chiyi said, furrowing his brows.

“Why? Even though he lost the ball twice, his scoring ability shouldn’t be underestimated,” Ye Chaoying asked, confused.

“Because Lu Yingnan will keep targeting him. Dribbling, shooting, driving, passing—Lu Yingnan will act like a floodgate blocking his path, trapping him until he becomes completely disoriented and forgets how to even play on the court. Once his confidence is crushed by Lu Yingnan, it will be extremely hard to rebuild,” Xia Chiyi explained.

It was just like Yang Huaiyu last year, who encountered the “tripwires” of Qinghua University in the Nationals and was entirely neutralized by Liu Suchen and Geng Lu. It took Yang Huaiyu a massive amount of time and effort to climb back out of that pit.

Yang Huaiyu had an open and broad-minded personality; he could afford to lose.

But this freshman was likely at the stage where he derived his self-worth entirely from “winning,” making losing the one thing he couldn’t accept.

“Don’t pass!”

Amidst Xia Chiyi’s shout, the freshman’s pass was intercepted mid-air by Lu Yingnan. Southwest Air launched another fast break, crushing their opponents with sheer rhythm.

Just as Xia Chiyi predicted, the freshman’s dribbling rhythm fell into complete chaos. He lost his judgment and court vision, made consecutive passing errors, and even somehow lost the ball on his own after finally breaking out of a double-team.

These were the psychological shadows Lu Yingnan had planted in his mind, which were now expanding infinitely.

Rongzhou Tech’s coach called an emergency timeout and subbed the player out.

Xia Chiyi exhaled. Looking at the freshman’s hanging head, he deeply empathized with the pressure he felt.

He must be experiencing intense self-doubt right now.
How exactly am I supposed to pass the ball?
Why did that layup fail?
Was it a mistake to choose a three-pointer?

And looming in front of every single choice was the massive shadow brought on by Lu Yingnan.

“You’re different from him,” Zhou Zhexiao spoke up.

“Huh? W-What?”

“Your passes are filled with fake-outs; any teammate could be your decoy to confuse the opponent. Lu Yingnan wouldn’t be able to see through your passing intentions so easily.”

“Oh.”

“Your center of gravity after breaking out of a double-team is very low, which doesn’t leave Lu Yingnan that much space for a steal.”

“Mm… thanks.”

“Your three-point release is extremely fast. By the time Lu Yingnan determines whether you’re going to side-step or step-back, you would have already shot the ball.”

Listening to Zhou Zhexiao’s calm analysis, the heavy weight in Xia Chiyi’s heart lifted.

But regardless, against an opponent like Lu Yingnan, even the tiniest flaw of his would be seized upon.

The match entered the final quarter.

Rongzhou Tech fought back like beasts pushed into a corner, launching a frantic counterattack. Their shooting guard, in particular, used agile fakes to breeze past defenders and score smoothly. The rest of the team actively coordinated, briefly pulling the point deficit down to single digits.

Xia Chiyi wanted to cheer and applaud them.

But Lu Yingnan destroyed it all once again.

First, he used his off-ball movement to block the opponent’s best passing lane. Then, through tight one-on-one man defense, he forced the surging shooting guard to slow down and carefully process his dribbles, passes, and shots.

However, slowing down meant giving Lu Yingnan the time to analyze and judge. A seemingly natural fake-shot-into-pass was anticipated by Lu Yingnan ahead of time.

When Lu Yingnan took that ball away, Xia Chiyi felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

—Decisive and sharp, offering the opponent absolutely zero chances.

Little by little, Rongzhou Tech was dragged into the swamp known as “Lu Yingnan.” Their bodies grew heavier, and the pressure mounted.

When the final thirty seconds arrived, they still didn’t give up, even though there was no possibility of closing the point gap.

Lu Yingnan chased down the shooting guard, saw through his fake-shot-into-pass maneuver once again, and completely suffocated the play right before the final buzzer sounded.

With this, Southwest Aviation University claimed the title of Southwest King for the ninth consecutive year.

No one in their camp left early; instead, they united to cheer and celebrate.

The players of Rongzhou Tech stood in absolute silence, their spirits still trapped inside that massive swamp.

Lu Yingnan had a towel draped over his shoulders and was tilting his head back to drink water.

Even though this person was far away, just looking at his back gave off an oppressive aura that made Xia Chiyi’s heart feel heavy.

Xia Chiyi found it incredibly strange. He had never been afraid of Yang Huaiyu, nor had he ever cowered in front of Liu Suchen, so why did facing Lu Yingnan always give him a slight feeling of breathlessness?

“Let’s go,” Zhou Zhexiao patted Xia Chiyi’s back.

“Oh… alright.”

Xia Chiyi stood up and followed the rest of the audience to exit the arena.

As if possessed, he turned his head to glance in Lu Yingnan’s direction one more time.

Despite being surrounded by many teammates, his expression was completely cold.

Zhuo Zheng had an arm draped over his shoulder, excitedly talking about who knows what. Lu Yingnan suddenly looked up, and unexpectedly, his eyes met Xia Chiyi’s once again.

Those deeply dark, almost light-absorbing eyes made Xia Chiyi’s throat tighten.

But there was nothing to be afraid of.

Xia Chiyi offered a smile, gave Lu Yingnan a nod, then turned and followed in Zhou Zhexiao’s footsteps.

Lu Yingnan slowly opened his water bottle and took two sips.

“What are you looking at?” Mo Chuang asked, leaning over.

“Trying to scare a kid, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” Lu Yingnan turned around, grabbing his towel to wipe the sweat off his chin.

“Scare a kid… I’ve told you before, stop staring at people expressionlessly. You really look like a deranged villain from a horror movie!”

Lu Yingnan silently stared at Mo Chuang.

Mo Chuang took two steps back. “Captain, don’t look at me like that… my back is getting chilly, I’ve got goosebumps.”

The corners of Lu Yingnan’s lips ticked up very slightly. “Yeah, I’m going to eat you tonight.”

---

After watching the Southwest Division finals, Ling Huanzhen took the players to a buffet called “Ever-Victorious General.”

It truly had everything—chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Although the seafood was mostly frozen, for eighty yuan, what more could you ask for?

Du He alone grabbed a mountain of food, but looking at Ye Chaoying and Xia Chiyi, they didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

“What’s… wrong with them?” Du He nudged Shuai Bei with his elbow.

Shuai Bei sighed. “This is exactly why they say simple-minded people have the best lives.”

“Huh?” Du He looked utterly confused.

Shuai Bei slung an arm over Du He’s shoulder and whispered, “Is Lu Yingnan strong?”

“Super strong. Doing chase-down blocks and steals left and right. He beat that flashy freshman into doubting his own life.”

“Then let me ask you, what year are Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying in?”

“Freshmen.”

“What position does Lu Yingnan play?”

“Guard?”

“What positions do those two play?”

“Guards too.”

“So there you go…” Shuai Bei sighed.

“Oh—” Du He made an expression of sudden realization. “But Xia Chiyi is way better than that Rongzhou Tech freshman! And Ye Chaoying is better than their point guard too! It won’t be that tragic…”

Just as Du He finished speaking, someone from a table further away stood up.

“What did you guys say?”

Following the voice, they saw two college students sitting by the window, wearing Rongzhou Tech sports jackets.

Shuai Bei grabbed a steamed bun and violently stuffed it into Du He’s mouth.

“Sorry, sorry, this guy has no filter,” Shuai Bei hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying also snapped out of their daze.

From the looks of them, they weren’t on the basketball team; they were probably just regular Rongzhou Tech students.

“No filter? You guys are from Ningchang University, right? What’s the big deal! You’re only acting like this because you play in the Southeast Division! If you were in the Southwest Division, let’s see what place you’d manage to get!”

Several Rongzhou Tech students gathered around.

Their school team had just lost a game, so they were definitely holding in a lot of frustration.

Du He’s “unintentional words,” although true, were akin to a slap in the face.

“I’m sorry, I only said that to… comfort our teammates. After watching Southwest Air’s game, we also felt they were incredibly strong… Our guards couldn’t even eat out of anxiety, which is why I said that.”

Du He looked at them with complete sincerity.

The Rongzhou Tech students were stunned. They had expected the “King of the Southeast,” Ningchang University, to be much more arrogant. They didn’t expect them to be… so unexpectedly low-key.

They had initially come over to vent their anger, but now that they had calmed down a bit, they realized that their own physiques were completely inadequate in front of this group of basketball players from Ningchang University.

Just then, Zhou Zhexiao walked by carrying a tray fully piled with small steaks and chicken wings. His tall, imposing figure carried a natural sense of oppression. As his shadow swept over them, the students unconsciously took two steps back, sat down, and continued grilling their food, pretending nothing had happened.

Zhou Zhexiao sat down, placed a steak onto the grill with the tongs, and said calmly, “Frozen seafood gets a very rough texture when grilled, so I didn’t grab any.”

“Oh.” Just as Xia Chiyi was about to take the tongs from Zhou Zhexiao’s hand, Zhou Zhexiao didn’t let go.

“I’m probably better at grilling meat than you are.”

Xia Chiyi was stunned. It wasn’t that Zhou Zhexiao lacked life skills—after all, he wasn’t born a star player and had lived through a self-sufficient college life—but his cooking skills… should have been limited to boiled chicken breast with broccoli, plus milk with oatmeal, right?

But seeing his technique in grilling the meat and sprinkling the seasonings, he truly was very skilled.

“Did you work part-time at a barbecue joint before?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“No. I only worked as a clerk at a sports store.”

Xia Chiyi was shocked. “You sold sneakers? Jerseys?”

“Mm.”

“With how little you talk, could you really sell anything?” Xia Chiyi found it hard to believe.

“I was very professional,” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

Xia Chiyi pictured the scene in his head. “Did… customers frequently ask you to try the clothes on to show them?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Xia Chiyi turned his head away and laughed.

In his past life, this guy had an insanely handsome face, and his basketball player physique was absolutely top-tier. He looked pleasing to the eye no matter what he wore.

The people who patronized him probably had ulterior motives.

“What about grilling? When did you learn that?”

“The basketball team often had group dinners. At first… I didn’t want to go. They would chat about really boring topics and it was a waste of time. Later, the coach told me to be more sociable… so I went.”

Xia Chiyi pictured that scene. “Did you specifically take on the job of grilling meat just so you wouldn’t have to participate in their conversations?”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao leaned closer to Xia Chiyi and whispered, “Consider it practice. Now I can grill it for you to eat.”

Xia Chiyi touched the tip of his nose, staring eagerly at the grill, just wanting to eat the meat Zhou Zhexiao was cooking for him sooner.

Right at this moment, several tall figures walked into the buffet restaurant. They looked around, and when Xia Chiyi caught sight of them, he realized… wasn’t that the Rongzhou Tech basketball team?

And the guy leading them… wasn’t that the small forward who scored the most points for their team today?

Unexpectedly catching Xia Chiyi’s eye, the small forward led his group straight toward their table.

What was going on?
Did those Rongzhou Tech students relay what they said to the basketball team, and now they were here to pick a fight?

“I… I really didn’t say anything that out of line…” Du He’s eyes went wide as he looked over at the group of Rongzhou Tech students from earlier.

Those students also looked at each other in dismay, whispering to confirm amongst themselves.
“Did any of you call the basketball team?”
“I didn’t.”
“Neither did I…”

Then, the Rongzhou Tech students shook their heads in the direction of Ningchang University, indicating they had no idea why their basketball team was here either.

It wasn’t until the small forward stood in front of Xia Chiyi that his serious expression suddenly turned a bit shy, and he scratched the back of his head.

“Um, congratulations on winning the Southeast Division championship. We’re the Rongzhou Tech basketball team.”

Xia Chiyi nodded blankly. “Hello…”

“About today’s game… I noticed you guys were in the audience. I really made a fool of myself. We didn’t play well.”

“Actually…” Xia Chiyi didn’t know what to say for a moment. Saying they played well would sound like sarcasm.
But saying they played poorly would make him sound haughty.

Ye Chaoying suddenly spoke up: “If we were up against Southwest Aviation, even if we gave it everything we had, we might not win either.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Ling Huanzhen, who had been outside on a WeChat voice call with Jiao Yingfeng for half an hour, finally deigned to return.

Seeing this grand gathering the moment he walked in, Ling Huanzhen asked, “Students, you don’t look like you’re here for the buffet. You look like you came specifically to find us. Is there something you need?”

Ling Huanzhen was famous. Even though he had retired, he still held a high status in the hearts of basketball players.

“Um… we really admire Ningchang University. Plus… you guys are currently the team with the strongest perimeter scoring ability in the entire First-Tier League… Could we do an exchange with you?” the Rongzhou Tech captain asked.

“Ah? You mean play a match together?” Xia Chiyi looked back at Ling Huanzhen. “It should be fine, right…”

“Mm.” Ling Huanzhen was actually very happy to let his players interact more with Rongzhou Tech, considering they had the deepest firsthand experience of Southwest Air’s playstyle.

“Let’s eat barbecue together! Get some good rest, and we’ll play a game tomorrow!” Xia Chiyi said with a smile.

And so, the buffet restaurant became even livelier.

---

Right across the street from the “Ever-Victorious General,” inside a home-style restaurant, Yang Huaiyu and Lu Yingnan were sitting across from each other.

Yang Huaiyu leaned back in his chair and said helplessly, “Eating with you easily gives me indigestion.”

“Why?” Lu Yingnan shot Yang Huaiyu a glance.

“Has no one ever told you that you look like a strict school dean?”

Lu Yingnan gave a faint smile. In the instant the fine lines at the corners of his eyes lifted, his heavy, cold aura dissipated.

“Were you ever afraid of me?”

“Not afraid, exactly… just felt it was incredibly troublesome to be targeted by you. My rhythm was always disrupted, and nothing ever went smoothly no matter how I played.”

“Then is there anyone you’ve been afraid of? Didn’t people say you gave Liu Suchen the cold shoulder for a while after losing to Qinghua University in the Nationals last year?”

“That shouldn’t be called fear. True fear…” Yang Huaiyu’s previously relaxed gaze suddenly tightened. “…Is when Xia Chiyi dribbles to attack my lead foot. I want to turn around to chase him, but it’s already too late… It’s so fast, and so sudden. He frequently has moments of absolute brilliance like that, where all the preparation in the world isn’t enough to defeat him.”

“Mm.” Lu Yingnan nodded.

Yang Huaiyu glanced at his phone and laughed. “The Ningchang University basketball team really doesn’t rest no matter where they go. They actually arranged a friendly match with Rongzhou Tech.”

Lu Yingnan, who was just about to put a piece of stir-fried kidney into his mouth, suddenly froze and asked, “When?”

“Tomorrow morning. It seems you guys from Southwest Air aren’t formidable enough, leaving your opponents with so much leftover energy? After we finished our finals, we had to sit in the locker room for half an hour just to recover our breath.”

“Then shouldn’t we schedule a match with them too?” Lu Yingnan asked unhurriedly.

“What are you thinking? Tomorrow afternoon they’re taking the same high-speed rail as us to the capital—to watch the Northeast Division finals. Aren’t you guys going?”

“Pity. You beat me to the punch again.”

After a moment, Lu Yingnan asked again, “Are they playing at Rongzhou Tech tomorrow?”

“No, Rongzhou Tech is too far, they’re afraid of missing the bullet train. They rented a basketball court.”

“Let’s go together.”

Yang Huaiyu looked up, then laughed. “Who exactly are you going for?”

Lu Yingnan looked at Yang Huaiyu. “You ask despite knowing the answer.”

---

The next morning, the players of Ningchang University and Rongzhou Tech met at a basketball court provided by Boiling Point Sports.

Even Rongzhou Tech’s coach had come. While the players warmed up, the two coaches chatted on the sidelines.

“It’s really embarrassing to admit. Back then, when Coach Ren from Qincheng University recommended your team and said he could arrange a practice match, I actually completely disregarded it. And now, I can’t even get in line to schedule a practice match with you guys.”

“To be honest, I’m just a rookie in this coaching profession. I don’t even know what’s best for them myself. Once we reach the Nationals, who knows how far these kids can go? We might suffer a severe beating right in the first round,” Ling Huanzhen said humbly.

“No way… Your team is very strong, easily at the level of Qinghua University or Southwest Aviation.”

“Hahaha, if that were truly the case, why didn’t Southwest Aviation come schedule a practice match with us? It seems they still don’t think much of us.”

Just as his voice fell, a deep, cold voice drifted over.

“If we extend a practice match invitation right now, does Ningchang University still have a slot for us?”

Everyone on the court turned their eyes over to see Yang Huaiyu walking toward Ling Huanzhen with a smile, and the person following right behind him was Lu Yingnan.

Xia Chiyi, who was dribbling to warm up, slipped up. As the ball bounced away, Zhou Zhexiao caught it and brought it back.

“What are you thinking about?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Lu… Lu Yingnan?” Xia Chiyi rubbed his eyes. “Why is he here?”

“It’s Lu Yingnan. Is he not supposed to be here?” Zhou Zhexiao asked back.

Lu Yingnan had already walked up to Ling Huanzhen.

“Coach Ling, a pleasure. I wonder if we could spectate the match?”

Ling Huanzhen laughed heartily: “Sure thing.”

Lu Yingnan nodded and stood very quietly by the sidelines.

Even without saying a single word, his presence was overwhelmingly strong.

Today, he wasn’t wearing his deep blue team uniform, but rather a loose light coffee-colored T-shirt and dark gray sweatpants.

Although… his color coordination was truly nothing to write home about, Lu Yingnan’s physique was simply too good. With his long, straight legs, he still managed to stand out strikingly in the crowd.

“If you keep staring, I’ll start thinking you’ve changed targets.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s voice sounded right next to Xia Chiyi’s ear.

It was very light but crystal clear. Xia Chiyi laughed and snatched the basketball back out of Zhou Zhexiao’s hands.

This practice match wasn’t fought to the bitter end; it was more about experiencing different playstyles.

Rongzhou Tech was, after all, in the Top Four of the Southwest Division, and such a practice opportunity was too rare. In the first quarter, Ling Huanzhen subbed in players who rarely got court time—Fu Chenxue, Deng Qi, and Qin Jiayu—making Chen Chuan and He Bin the core pillars of the game.

The opponents fielded their second string as well.

The two sides traded blows. Xia Chiyi sat on a basketball with Zhou Zhexiao standing right behind him. By leaning back, he could perfectly rest against Zhou Zhexiao’s legs.

Ye Chaoying let out a yawn. This pacing was genuinely a bit boring for him. He wiped the corner of his eye and glanced toward Lu Yingnan, only to find the guy with one hand in his pocket, his gaze sharply focused on the court, watching incredibly seriously.

There was not a single trace of the “Overlord of the Southwest” arrogance.

By the second quarter, Chen Chuan and He Bin were struggling to carry the team. Even though they coordinated flawlessly, the opponents’ fast breaks forced them to neglect one end for the other.

Rongzhou Tech’s players on the court finally gained some confidence, feeling that Ningchang University wasn’t as legendary as rumors made them out to be—their second string was at most at the level of a regional Top Eight team.

Ling Huanzhen stroked his chin and subbed Ye Chaoying in.

With just the substitution of a single point guard, the Ningchang University side was instantly brought back to life, sparking a wave of fierce counterattacks.

Ye Chaoying continuously manipulated the opponents’ defense, setting up plays for Chen Chuan and He Bin to open fire from the three-point line once again, which in turn gave Chen Chuan far more leeway to cut into the opponents’ basket.

In an instant, Rongzhou Tech’s zone defense devolved into utter chaos. For three whole minutes, they couldn’t initiate a single effective offense.

“This point guard is amazing…”
“The moment he steps on the court… it’s like Ningchang University became an entirely different team.”
“Don’t underestimate him! In the Southeast Division finals, he single-handedly locked down Li Shunchuan, silencing him for an entire quarter!”

Rongzhou Tech had no choice but to call a timeout and sub in two starting players.

But the moment the ball crossed half-court, it was stolen by Ye Chaoying. His speed was lightning-fast, and he decisively struck the moment he found an opening.

The Rongzhou Tech coach was stunned. Over the next two minutes, this exact type of steal happened again, repeatedly strangling Rongzhou Tech’s fast breaks right in the cradle.

Yang Huaiyu leaned close to Lu Yingnan and whispered, “This is the Steal King of our Southeast Division.”

“Mm.” Lu Yingnan looked calmly at Ye Chaoying, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Was it acknowledgement?
Did he feel it was lacking just a little fire?
Or did he not take Ye Chaoying seriously at all?

Yang Huaiyu smiled. This guy was really a tight-lipped gourd.

Rongzhou Tech subbed in the freshman from yesterday’s game. The moment he stepped on the court, the kid scored 8 points consecutively.

But just as he was driving straight for the basket, the ball was suddenly slapped away by Ye Chaoying. Coupled with the fact that Lu Yingnan was watching from the sidelines, the shadows of yesterday’s match descended upon him again, and he seemed to completely lose his ability to score decisively.

Whether it was a layup, a pass, or a crossover, he hesitated, constantly searching for Ye Chaoying’s position.

Yang Huaiyu sighed, nudged Lu Yingnan beside him, and whispered, “He was a good seedling, but you just snapped him right off.”

Lu Yingnan remained completely unmoved and replied, “If he truly is a good seedling, he’ll grow back even after being snapped off.”

Yang Huaiyu laughed with a sigh. “I’ll thank you on behalf of Rongzhou Tech then.”

“You were snapped off by me before too, and aren’t you thriving and growing now?”

“That makes entirely too much sense. Should I be thanking you?”

In the third quarter, Rongzhou Tech subbed their captain back in. The small forward who scored the most points yesterday was eager to try but was kept firmly on the bench by his coach.

Du He and Shuai Bei finally took the court.

The interior strength of the two teams was evenly matched, making the battle under the basket extremely fierce.

Shuai Bei’s mid-range jumpers and Du He’s sudden, fluid drives made people’s eyes light up.

On the sidelines, Lu Yingnan slowly said, “Finally, it’s getting a little interesting.”

Yang Huaiyu smiled and asked, “Compared to your team’s center Mo Chuang, how are they?”

“The two of them combined are probably exactly equal to one Mo Chuang,” Lu Yingnan answered.

Yang Huaiyu chuckled, “Arrogant. Needs to be taught a lesson.”

The two teams were resting and listening to their coaches’ reviews. Yang Huaiyu led Lu Yingnan over to the Ningchang University side.

Yang Huaiyu familiarly crouched down next to Xia Chiyi, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “Hey, do you know what Lu Yingnan just said?”

“Ah? What?”

“He said that the two guys from your team, Shuai Bei and Du He, combined are barely equal to their team’s center, Mo Chuang.”

Lu Yingnan shot Yang Huaiyu a knowing look. If this guy didn’t try to stir the pot, he’d probably feel like he was wasting his life.

Upon hearing this, Du He’s eyes actually lit up. “What? Just Shuai Bei and me combined can match Mo Chuang? Really?”

Shuai Bei also looked over while adjusting his wristband, not looking angry in the slightest. Instead, he gave off the vibe of someone hearing the magazine with him on the cover was selling extremely well?

Yang Huaiyu nodded. “Really. The guy is right here, would I make it up?”

Du He immediately bear-hugged Shuai Bei. “This is amazing! The two of us together can contend with Mo Chuang! Do we actually have that kind of skill?”

Shuai Bei nodded coolly. “In that case, Zhou Zhexiao can focus entirely on dealing with Zhuo Zheng.”

Yang Huaiyu looked at them with a smile. “I mean, what kind of filter do you guys have for Mo Chuang?”

Du He looked completely earnest. “Mo Chuang is the number one center in the Southwest Division. Is he not amazing? He’s a hot pick for the CBA draft this year!”

Shuai Bei nodded coolly. “He’s just that amazing.”

Yang Huaiyu rested his chin on his hand and sighed. “If our team’s Meng Ting and He Zhan heard the exact same words, they’d probably jump up in rage. They each think they’re way better than Mo Chuang, but they ended up losing to you guys in the Southeast Division finals. It seems being low-key and humble are excellent traits. I hope those two can learn it.”

Lu Yingnan walked up behind Yang Huaiyu, grabbed his collar, and hoisted him up.

“Looks like your pot-stirring isn’t very effective.”

If Rongzhou Tech’s players had heard those exact words, they might have exploded in anger. But Ningchang University actually took it as a compliment.

Yang Huaiyu stumbled as he was hauled up. “I was just letting you know that Ningchang University is a terrifying opponent because they never let things get to their heads, and they possess a very clear understanding of themselves.”

Aside from watching games, this was the first time Xia Chiyi had been this close to Lu Yingnan. The terrifying aura around him seemed to have faded a bit, giving Xia Chiyi the courage to lift his head and look at him.

But the moment Lu Yingnan’s gaze shifted over, Xia Chiyi immediately looked straight ahead, pretending nothing had happened.

A very faint laugh came from above his head, disappearing so fast it felt like an illusion.

“I’m not that scary. Look if you want to look.”

Only then did Xia Chiyi slowly raise his eyes and look at the other man. His cold, hard features were actually carrying a tiny hint of softness at that moment.

Yang Huaiyu rubbed his chin. “This sounds exactly like the Big Bad Wolf tricking Little Red Riding Hood.”

“Get lost.” Xia Chiyi punched the top of Yang Huaiyu’s head. “You’re Little Red Riding Hood! Later I’m going to buy you a red cloak, and you better wear it all the way to the capital so Liu Suchen can get a good look at you!”

“Are you going on the court for the fourth quarter?” Lu Yingnan asked, his gaze fixed on Xia Chiyi.

“Ah… probably.”

“That’s good. I really like watching you shoot.”

Xia Chiyi felt a bit flattered. He hadn’t expected Lu Yingnan to express his appreciation so straightforwardly.

“Thank you.”

Sure enough, in the final quarter, both teams fielded their full starting lineups.

No matter the team, facing Xia Chiyi’s sudden-stop rapid-fire shots for the first time was incredibly difficult to adapt to.

In front of Xia Chiyi, the opponent’s harassing attempts to steal the ball seemed nonexistent. With a nimble shoulder fake, he tricked the defender, immediately followed by a step-back shot that was entirely impossible to guard.

“Too fast… the moment the ball reaches Xia Chiyi’s hands, it feels like he’s going to shoot!”
“But even if you know he’s going to shoot, you can’t predict how he’s going to create space…”
“He can juke your heart right out… it’s completely unguardable. Before, I thought Qincheng University’s Li Shunchuan was already a sniper, but Xia Chiyi… his dribble drives and fake moves are too deadly!”

In just three minutes on the court, Xia Chiyi had already shot 5 for 6.

“Does it look good?” Yang Huaiyu asked Lu Yingnan.

“It does.”

“So… can you bear to destroy it?”

“The most beautiful flowers often bloom in scorched earth. If… I can truly become that fire.”

Xia Chiyi caught the ball again. Three Rongzhou Tech players rushed from different directions to intercept him, stretching their arms out long, looking like they wanted to tear off Xia Chiyi’s wings.

Acting as if he completely didn’t care about them, Xia Chiyi pulled up for a sudden stop, dipped the ball, and launched it in one smooth, uninterrupted motion.

Even knowing he was going to be knocked down the very next second, his posture in the air remained extended and graceful, completely focused and undisturbed.

The arc of this shot was extremely high, and the entire stadium followed it with their eyes.

As the ball went through the net, Xia Chiyi was also knocked down, crashing to the floor.

On the sidelines, Lu Yingnan took a half step forward, as if tugged by something, worried he might be injured.

“I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” Xia Chiyi scrambled up.

Zhou Zhexiao walked over to check his knees and ankles, but acting as if nothing had happened, he hopped twice, rotated his wristbands, and calmly went to shoot his free throw.

“He certainly isn’t delicate at all,” Lu Yingnan said softly.

“He’s far from delicate; he’s a little monster. Ke Yan and I discussed this before: Xia Chiyi can execute high-speed direction changes, and even in the fourth quarter, his changes of direction remain incredibly fast without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.”
“Many players with great physical attributes rely too heavily on their ankles, but Xia Chiyi relies on his glutes and thighs to generate power, heavily reducing the burden on his ankles.”

Yang Huaiyu stroked his chin and teased, “Just how many times did you watch his game videos anyway?”

“Hundreds, maybe a thousand times,” Lu Yingnan’s tone was mild.

“Do Liu Suchen and I get this kind of treatment?”

Lu Yingnan answered very bluntly: “No.”

“Why?”

“You guys aren’t as pleasing to the eye as he is.” Lu Yingnan shot him a glance, his eyes filled with the subtext, ‘Do you really lack that much self-awareness?’

Yang Huaiyu sighed. “Alright, the unspoken rule of communication between the three of us is to just insult each other.”

Right at that moment, Zhou Zhexiao drove the ball into the paint. Two Rongzhou Tech players jumped to defend, but Zhou Zhexiao executed a floater, effortlessly redirecting the momentum to score and bring the practice match to an end.

Yang Huaiyu put away his smile and said with a very serious tone, “Zhou Zhexiao is also worth you studying hundreds or thousands of times.”

“Of course. I need to completely nail him down.”

“What big words. I’m just afraid he’ll tear your entire wall down.”

---

After the practice match ended, the coaches called their respective players over for a review.

Rongzhou Tech’s players gathered around. Their coach asked softly, “How did it feel?”

The players were very quiet.

After several seconds, their captain finally spoke up: “Very strong.”

The small forward took a deep breath and said, “The level at every position is incredibly high. They fully deserve the Southeast Division championship. They didn’t beat Qincheng University and Southeast Mining through luck, but pure strength.”

“Their perimeter is too hard to defend. Needless to say for Xia Chiyi, if we don’t send two players to mark him, it’s just giving away free points. And then there’s He Bin. With him there, the moment Ningchang University activates their dual-shooter mode, they could blow us apart just from the outside.”

“The chemistry between Du He and Shuai Bei’s Twin Towers in the paint is also very strong. With them there, Xia Chiyi can shoot without worry. That’s the guarantee and confidence a shooter needs.”

“Is no one going to talk about Zhou Zhexiao? That guy is a devil, okay? Every time he slashed into the paint, he scored in the blink of an eye. Our interior defense was like a sieve. And… Zhou Zhexiao can shoot from the outside too, which is just fatal.”

After finishing their analysis, the Rongzhou Tech players felt immense pressure, realizing that the Nationals were going to be an incredibly grueling battle.

“Alright, they are the King of the Southeast. It’s perfectly normal not to win. Food must be eaten one bite at a time, and a journey walked one step at a time. Ningchang University didn’t reach the sky in a single bound either. Let’s go say our thanks.”

The players from both sides chatted for a while, and a long list of names was added to Xia Chiyi’s WeChat contacts.

Some people also came over to add Zhou Zhexiao’s WeChat, but Zhou Zhexiao shook his head. “I don’t really use WeChat.”

This made the Rongzhou Tech players a bit embarrassed, so the other teammates hurriedly explained for him.

“Zhou Zhexiao really doesn’t use WeChat much. I’m his teammate and his roommate, and even I don’t have his WeChat,” Ye Chaoying explained.

“Really? How can that be…”

Chen Chuan and Fu Chenxue also nodded vigorously.

“It’s true, it’s true. This guy doesn’t do socializing.”
“He never wastes energy on interpersonal relationships!”
“He doesn’t really make friends either.”

Just as they finished saying this, the very Zhou Zhexiao who “doesn’t really make friends” walked right up to Lu Yingnan and offered a basketball to him with one hand.

“One-on-one.”

The voices of everyone chatting in the basketball court suddenly, instantly, completely stopped.

__

[Author’s Note]
Lu Yingnan: Why does he want to go one-on-one with me?
Yang Huaiyu: Because you said you really liked watching his boyfriend shoot.