Chapter 0131: Sending Them to the Loser’s Bracket!

Xia Chiyi smiled, “My force generation for changing directions relies on everything above the knees.”

Geng Lu rapidly digested Xia Chiyi’s words in his mind, then recalled Xia Chiyi’s various defensive shadowing maneuvers. That stable and solid feeling indeed relied on the strength of his thighs and above.

However, everyone who learns to play basketball develops the habit of using their ankles to execute instantaneous changes in direction from a young age. Xia Chiyi must have formed this new force generation technique through specific training methods.

Geng Lu looked at Jiao Yingfeng.

Jiao Yingfeng smiled: “If you’re interested, you can consult Old Fan about force generation methods. In this area, he’s the true expert.”

Fan Qingliang, who was currently drinking coffee, was suddenly cued. “If you’re interested, I won’t hold back either. It’s just that everyone’s situation is different. I’ll need to study your recent game footage and your daily training routines before I can give you advice.”

Geng Lu raised a hand: “Thank you, Uncle Fan. I feel like this trip to Ningchang was totally worth it.”

Xia Chiyi immediately leaned in, “Brother Geng, how about sharing a bit more solid defensive knowledge?”

Geng Lu frowned, saying unhappily: “Xia Chiyi, you really take an inch and run a mile, don’t you?”

Ye Zhaoying tugged at the small of Xia Chiyi’s back, intending to remind him not to push his luck. After all, shouldn’t Geng Lu first teach his nearly one year of CBA experience to his junior from Qing University?

Who knew Xia Chiyi would grin broadly: “Even when you pretend to be angry, you’re quite gentle. Your acting skills are just average, so how come your feints are so realistic?”

Geng Lu couldn’t hold back and was amused by him: “You’ve got a good eye. Every time I pretend to be angry, Liu Suchen apologizes to me. I didn’t expect you wouldn’t be fooled at all.”

Xia Chiyi put his hand to his ear, waiting for Geng Lu to pass on his experience.

“You’ve noticed Zhou Zhexiao’s left-hand dribbling is very formidable too, right?”

“Yeah!”

“At this time, don’t stick too closely to him. Try your best to maneuver so that your chest is directly facing the ball. Use agile, probing, and disruptive footwork to occupy his offensive path. If you attempt a steal against him and fail, it will be very difficult to stop him.”

Xia Chiyi tilted his head, closed his eyes, and started playing a mental movie. Then he stood up and threw the ball to Zhou Zhexiao.

“Come on, dribble with your left hand!”

Geng Lu advised: “Don’t be so eager, take a proper rest. Even if you aren’t tired, Zhou Zhexiao is tired.”

But to his surprise, Zhou Zhexiao caught the ball and began dribbling with his left hand.

Ye Zhaoying said dismissively to Geng Lu: “Let them be. They can fight another three hundred rounds; we just need to sit back and watch the show.”

Originally, Xia Chiyi was beside Zhou Zhexiao. Following Geng Lu’s advice, he tried his best to adjust his position and initiated his footwork interference. He raised one hand high to prevent a sudden jump shot from Zhou Zhexiao, and extended the other hand in a posture ready to cut the ball, while keeping his center of gravity stable and not leaning forward. This way, he wouldn’t fall over due to some of Zhou Zhexiao’s feints.

Geng Lu watched from the sidelines as Xia Chiyi enthusiastically practiced for another ten minutes.

“Does his stamina bar ever empty out?”

“Of course it does. For example…”

“For example, when?”

“For example, after carrying the whole dorm to pass the final exams,” Ye Zhaoying spread his hands.

Geng Lu showed an expression of understanding. “Then it’s not just his stamina bar that empties out; all his brain cells must die off entirely.”

In the end, Geng Lu hadn’t even rested for half an hour before he was dragged over to continue practicing two-on-two defense. Xia Chiyi strongly insisted on teaming up with him, determined to make Zhou Zhexiao eat dirt.

Playing like this, they continued until 5:30 PM.

Even Ye Zhaoying was resting his hands on his knees and waving, saying he couldn’t go on anymore. Yet, Xia Chiyi shockingly suggested he, Geng Lu, and Zhou Zhexiao continue with a two-on-one.

Geng Lu made a prompt decision: he threw the ball away, lay down on the floor, and absolutely refused to get up, even if it killed him.

“Ah? Brother Geng, don’t lie down. You need to get up and walk around!”

Xia Chiyi crouched beside him, found a can of ice-cold cola, and pressed it against his cheek.

Sporting an expression as if his soul had left his body, Geng Lu took the can of cola but then pushed Xia Chiyi away. “Go away… I’ve been squeezed dry by you, I don’t have a single drop of solid knowledge left… Have mercy… I still have to learn shooting from Coach Jiao tomorrow…”

“We won’t practice anymore, really we won’t. But lying like this is bad for your heart.”

Zhou Zhexiao hooked his arms under Geng Lu’s armpits, hauled him up, and supported him as they walked.

Xia Chiyi popped open the can of cola, stuck a straw in, and walked alongside them, holding it up for Geng Lu to drink.

Geng Lu didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Crying because once he came here, he shouldn’t even dream of getting back up.

Laughing because… the service was quite attentive.

Seeing that Geng Lu and Ye Zhaoying needed more time to recover, Xia Chiyi grabbed his waterproof bag and went into the shower room first.

He had just hung up his bag and was turning to close the door when a hand firmly stopped it.

“Zhou Zhexiao, is there something wrong with you? What if your fingers get caught?” Xia Chiyi’s soul nearly flew out of his throat.

“They won’t. I’m stuck.”

“What part of you is stuck?” Xia Chiyi looked down and finally noticed Zhou Zhexiao’s foot wedged in the door frame. “What? Do you want to shower first?”

If you want to shower, why didn’t you bring a waterproof bag? Is this guy not changing clothes?

Just as Xia Chiyi was feeling suspicious, Zhou Zhexiao squeezed in and quickly closed the door.

“When are you going to pay me back for those hickeys?” Zhou Zhexiao asked, looking into Xia Chiyi’s eyes.

“Hickeys… what hick…”

Wait, Zhou Zhexiao actually still remembers that bet?
I thought I had managed to gloss over it!

Sure enough, seeing Xia Chiyi’s reaction, Zhou Zhexiao raised an eyebrow, indicating he was very unhappy, extremely displeased.

He walked toward Xia Chiyi. The feeling of him constantly drawing nearer was exactly like the oppressive feeling of a full-court press on the basketball court. Xia Chiyi had only taken two steps back when Zhou Zhexiao’s hand reached out and clasped the small of his back.

“You owe me two. Trying to back out?”

“Then… then it shouldn’t be now! We have guests outside, and my master, and…”

Zhou Zhexiao kissed him directly. His tongue swept in mercilessly, churning wildly and swallowing all of Xia Chiyi’s unfinished words.

Noses brushing against each other, the kiss was too forceful. When Zhou Zhexiao’s cheekbones and brow ridge pressed against him, it ground against Xia Chiyi so painfully that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

Yet, inexplicably, he also felt a thrill, because he was the only person who could sway Zhou Zhexiao’s emotions and desires.

It seemed today was Zhou Zhexiao’s turn to get hot-blooded.

“Tell me, where can I leave them?”

Zhou Zhexiao kissed Xia Chiyi’s cheek and the tip of his nose. The low, hoarse voice as he nibbled on his ear made Xia Chiyi tremble.

Zhou Zhexiao’s lips moved to the side of Xia Chiyi’s neck, where the lines were full of tension. Whenever he kissed a little harder, he could sense the flow of blood. That sensation always made Zhou Zhexiao’s heart race, as if through kissing, he could control Xia Chiyi’s life.

Xia Chiyi pushed against Zhou Zhexiao’s chest, “No… Master will see, and Ye Zhaoying will ask.”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t suck forcefully. As he scattered light kisses, he nuzzled with the tip of his nose, perhaps intentionally stoking the fire.

“Then what about here…”

Zhou Zhexiao’s fingers pinched the hem of Xia Chiyi’s jersey, pulling it up. His knuckles traced the lines of Xia Chiyi’s abdominal muscles from the bottom up. He was just like a match; one strike and he would burn Xia Chiyi clean away.

“No! Definitely not there!”

“Why…” The patience in Zhou Zhexiao’s voice was grinding away bit by bit.

He wasn’t trying to tease Xia Chiyi right now. He was purely trying to honor their agreement—the place where he could forcefully suck a hickey had to be permitted by Xia Chiyi.

But… if Xia Chiyi kept trying to back out of it, he could choose not to honor it either.

“If you leave one there… then it won’t be something that can be resolved within a normal shower time.”

Xia Chiyi’s face was as red as a tomato, the kind that had been steamed in a pot and would burst at the slightest touch.

Zhou Zhexiao stared at him without saying a word, like a wolf waiting for its alpha to issue a command. He was an arrow already nocked on the bowstring; he had to complete his hunt.

Xia Chiyi could feel the sense of urgency radiating from Zhou Zhexiao’s emotions. He really, really wanted this.

It was probably because of the countless times they had collided and engaged in physical confrontation. Because while playing defense, Xia Chiyi would constantly press against his chest, and with his arm braced above his hip, countless times drawing near and moving away… it had finally ignited Zhou Zhexiao’s possessiveness.

Xia Chiyi reached out his hand. His palm first pushed against Zhou Zhexiao’s chin, then covered his lips.

“Leave it in the palm of my hand. It’ll be as if… I caught your kiss.”

A muffled laugh came from against his palm. The tip of Zhou Zhexiao’s nose just happened to rub against the webbing between Xia Chiyi’s thumb and index finger. Combined with his warm breath, it formed an invisible hook, tugging at Xia Chiyi’s nerves layer by layer.

“Do you not want me to leave a mark, or do you want me to kiss you a few more times?”

As Zhou Zhexiao spoke, his lips constantly brushed against Xia Chiyi’s palm. It tickled so much that Xia Chiyi wanted to move his hand away, but Zhou Zhexiao parted his lips and kissed him even more noticeably.

Xia Chiyi realized in hindsight: A mark probably won’t stay on my palm.

Zhou Zhexiao grabbed Xia Chiyi’s wrist and bit down on the fleshy mound at the base of his thumb (the thenar eminence).

Xia Chiyi’s shoulders hitched, as if a surge of energy traveled along the fascia of his palm and burst out from his fingertips.

“Is my star still there?”

Zhou Zhexiao lightly kissed his fingertip. Xia Chiyi subconsciously spread his fingers, revealing the star inked in the webbing between his fingers.

He originally thought Zhou Zhexiao just wanted to look at it, but he didn’t expect him to take it into his mouth and bite down on the muscle of that finger segment. He used the tip of his nose to push Xia Chiyi’s middle finger upward, leaving teeth marks around that star.

“If I can’t shoot tomorrow, I’m blaming you entirely!”

“Oh, then shoot the day after tomorrow.”

Xia Chiyi pressed forcefully against Zhou Zhexiao’s face, trying to push him away a bit. The other party closed his eyes, and his eyelashes swept across the webbing of Xia Chiyi’s fingers, provoking a burst of heart-fluttering ticklishness.

“You still owe me one.”

“What else do I owe you…” Xia Chiyi finally remembered that he had lost the left-hand dribbling contest twice. Even if the teeth marks on the star counted as one, there was indeed one remaining.

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his eyes, looked at the drawstring of Xia Chiyi’s sweatpants, and tugged it lightly. “Leaving it here is also fine.”

“Leave it here! Here!” Xia Chiyi exposed his wrist to Zhou Zhexiao, practically shoving it in the other’s face.

Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head, looking at Xia Chiyi: “Want me to hang another necklace on your wrist? Then you could cosplay as an exorcist.”

Bro, that expression of yours isn’t much different from a devil’s right now.

Zhou Zhexiao clasped Xia Chiyi’s wrist. When his lips pressed against it, the temperature around Xia Chiyi plummeted abruptly—wait, no, it skyrocketed. The force of the kiss seemed to penetrate right through his skin. With every beat, his blood seemed to be propelled by Zhou Zhexiao’s power, galloping frantically toward deeper places. His heart swelled so much it felt like it would burst. Xia Chiyi was initially looking down, but before he knew it, he was embraced by the other party and pulled tightly into his arms. Resting his chin on the other’s shoulder, he was guided backward step by step until his back was pressed against the cold ceramic tiles of the wall.

Outside the door came Fan Qingliang’s voice: “Yo, are those two showering together? Aren’t they worried about it being too cramped…”

Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao. Zhou Zhexiao seemed to smile slightly. He reached up and turned on the showerhead. Water cascaded from above, accompanying Zhou Zhexiao’s kisses.

By the time Xia Chiyi left, he was so dizzy he was nearly suffering from hypoxia.

“Bring me my waterproof bag,” Zhou Zhexiao’s voice came from the other side of the door.

It lacked the initial low hoarseness, sounding so clear and bright it was infuriating.

“I won’t. Come out naked.”

“Then I’ll scream.”

“Scream then! Let’s see if anyone cares when you shout yourself hoarse, they’ll just treat you as a joke.”

“Alright.” Zhou Zhexiao didn’t seem angry at all.

Xia Chiyi suddenly got the feeling that Zhou Zhexiao was about to pull some crazy stunt.

“Jiao Yingfeng—Xia Chiyi stole my waterproof bag—”

Holy shit!

Sure enough, through the locker room door, he heard Jiao Yingfeng’s voice: “How old are you, still playing these games! Hurry up and give it back to him, do you not want to live anymore?!”

Accompanied by the laughter of Ye Zhaoying and Geng Lu.

Ye Zhaoying: “I think you’re the one who’ll be kneeling on the weight scale when you get back!”

Fan Qingliang even added: “The 500-jin one, oh!”

“I didn’t take it! He forgot it himself!”

Who knew this guy Zhou Zhexiao’s credibility was actually far higher than Xia Chiyi’s? Even Ye Zhaoying blindly trusted him.

“Stop playing around and hurry up and give it to him. Geng Lu and I still need to wash!”

Xia Chiyi suddenly felt like life had lost all meaning.

He rummaged through Zhou Zhexiao’s waterproof bag and accidentally caught a glimpse of the mark on his wrist. It was currently bright red, and he didn’t know if tomorrow it would turn darker… or fade away.

This was his dominant shooting hand. He couldn’t help feeling that Zhou Zhexiao kissing it so forcefully was like him transferring all his expectations and strength to him.

---

That night, Geng Lu lay in the hotel bed. Although his body was exhausted, his spirit was highly exhilarated.

On his phone was a WeChat message from Liu Suchen: [How was it?]

Geng Lu smiled: [Very formidable. Strong individual ability, deep stamina, tacit coordination. You’re doomed.]

Liu Suchen: [Without you, what will I do? Who will watch my back, who will help me with help defense, who will cover for my rotations? Didn’t we agree to love each other for a lifetime~]

Geng Lu: [You’ve grown up, you need to learn to bear it yourself. Besides, Liang Tan is also excellent, you have to believe in him.]

Liu Suchen: [Pardon me for asking, but what exactly did you teach Xia Chiyi over there?]

Geng Lu: [I taught him how to counter you. Just like how you and I countered Yang Huaiyu back then.]

Liu Suchen had experienced it firsthand—when you’re out in the underworld, debts must always be repaid.

Geng Lu’s arrival brought Xia Chiyi a lot of experience in double-teaming defense.

In the following days, Old Fan specifically trained his left hand.

Including the force generation habits of his left hand.

“Xia Chiyi, did you not eat? Your left hand is completely limp! Without anyone even needing to steal it, is your ball even bouncing back up?”

Xia Chiyi’s daily dribbling routine was to make the ball bounce back up to shoulder height. Old Fan shouted out various footwork commands from the sidelines. Whichever footwork caused him to lose the ball, he had to start over from there.

He had just adapted to high dribbling when he started low dribbling, requiring the ball to bounce no higher than his hips.

Then came a combination of high and low dribbling. Fan Qingliang issued commands from the sidelines: “High—Low—Low—High—What’s wrong with you? Can’t tell high from low?”

Xia Chiyi wanted to cry but had no tears: “It’s not that I can’t tell high from low, it’s that I’m about to start breakdancing on the court…”

Zhou Zhexiao stood on the sidelines. This guy had actually used Xia Chiyi’s phone to order milk tea, and was heartlessly leaning against the wall, making slurping and gurgling noises as he drank.

“Zhou Zhexiao, do you have any humanity?!”

“A young idler, an old beggar…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xia Chiyi couldn’t resist hurling his basketball at him. Who knew Zhou Zhexiao would twist his waist and dodge it perfectly.

Talk about infuriating!

“Zhou Zhexiao, come over here and practice with him! Set the rhythm for him!”

“Oh.”

To their surprise, holding the milk tea in his right hand, Zhou Zhexiao dribbled the ball with his left hand according to Fan Qingliang’s commands, perfectly accurate regardless of whether it was high or low.

This greatly provoked Xia Chiyi.

“I refuse to believe I can’t match up to you!”

As for Ye Zhaoying, after being handed over to Jiao Yingfeng by Gao Jinshu, the content of his practice changed.

“Your mid-range jumpers aren’t even accurate, and you’re thinking about shooting three-pointers? Start with mid-range shooting first, and master your free throws!”

Ye Zhaoying: I thought I was setting sail on a grand voyage, but overnight I’ve been sent back to kindergarten.

But Jiao Yingfeng was Jiao Yingfeng. He nitpicked Ye Zhaoying’s form movement by movement, from bending the knees to dropping the shoulders, and even adjusted his release height based on Ye Zhaoying’s force generation habits.

Although his shots were all over the place at first, two or three days later, they actually became increasingly accurate, which filled Ye Zhaoying with a hundredfold confidence.

“I feel like I can shoot free throws from the three-point line!”

“There’s absolutely no need for that.”

“Ah?”

“No one shoots free throws from the three-point line. Start practicing jump shots now.”

“…”

Ling Huanzhen also spared no effort in cultivating the forwards, calling in those retired forwards and centers from before to accompany Du He, Shuai Bei, and Chen Chuan in grinding for experience.

It was only then that Shuai Bei realized Ling Huanzhen truly had friends all over the world; he even called in former teammates who were now bosses selling fruit in Southeast Asian countries.

Old ginger is indeed spicier. Even though their speed and strength had declined, their skills were rock solid, leaving Du He and the others completely bewildered.

In the last week of May, the Division I League competition committee began drawing lots for the thirty-two teams.

The competition format was a double-elimination tournament, divided into an upper bracket and a lower bracket.

Many people were unfamiliar with the double-elimination format, including Xia Chiyi’s fans.

It was Yang Huaiyu, lurking in the group chat with a burner account, who took on the role of the educational master.

[As the name suggests, a double-elimination tournament means you are eliminated after losing two games. Take Ningchang University as an example: if they win their first round, they automatically advance to the next round of the winner’s bracket. If they lose, they drop into the loser’s bracket. If they win their first round in the loser’s bracket, they will play against the loser of the second round from the winner’s bracket. If they lose, they go home; if they win, they advance to the next round of the loser’s bracket. They keep playing like this until they face the final batch of teams eliminated from the winner’s bracket, becoming one of the National Top Eight. In the loser’s bracket, losing even once means complete elimination.]

[Then what if they keep winning?]

[If they keep winning, they can enter the National Top Eight in just three games.]

[Then the opponents they face are very important!]

Yang Huaiyu replied with a smile: [Yes, let’s hope they don’t encounter Qing University or Southwest Aviation University in the first round.]

[Our cub isn’t afraid of battle! Even if he encounters Qing University and Southwest Aviation University, he can send them to the loser’s bracket!]

Yang Huaiyu touched the tip of his nose and chuckled softly, “Then I am full of anticipation.”

Ke Yan smiled: “I think you’re anticipating being placed in the same half of the bracket as Ningchang University so you can fight them early, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you hope for that?” Yang Huaiyu tilted his head back, “I really want to see how Xia Chiyi looks when he drops into the loser’s bracket.”

“That guy has an excellent mindset. Even if he drops into the loser’s bracket, he can still stage a counterattack and become the king.”

Before the bracket divisions and first-round matchup list were announced, the atmosphere in the team locker room felt inexplicably familiar to Xia Chiyi.

For instance, Du He had put on his bright red underpants again. A “Continuous Good Luck” amulet fell out of Ye Zhaoying’s wallet. Chen Chuan was muttering incessantly in front of his locker. Fu Chenxue and the other substitute players had shockingly banded together to engage in feudal superstitions, setting up a Feng Shui array in the locker room.

Looking at the small fishbowl and the fifteen-yuan landscape painting in the locker room, Ling Huanzhen suddenly didn’t know what to say.

“Babies, have you forgotten that we are the champions of the Southeast Division! We are a seeded team in the national tournament, we absolutely will not encounter powerhouse teams like Southwest Aviation University or Qing University in the first round. You guys don’t need to be so nervous!”

Zhou Zhexiao strolled unhurriedly past Ling Huanzhen, “You misunderstand. They just don’t want to encounter Southwest Aviation University or Qing University in the same half of the bracket.”

Ling Huanzhen sighed helplessly: “It’s a pity, but out of those two powerhouse teams, one of them will definitely be in the same half as us.”

Xia Chiyi asked while sucking on a milkshake: “So do you guys hope to be in the same half as Southwest Aviation or Qing University?”

Ye Zhaoying sighed up at the ceiling: “What’s the difference between chocolate-flavored poop and poop-flavored chocolate?”

Shuai Bei answered: “Sounds like we have to eat poop regardless.”

“Liu Suchen and Lu Yingnan really ought to thank you guys.”

Just at this moment, Fu Chenxue suddenly yelled out: “It’s out! The draw is out!”

In an instant, everyone pulled out their phones, opened the official page, and checked the national tournament groupings.

Ningchang University was placed in the upper bracket. The first thing everyone focused on was their first-round opponent—Qicheng Business and Trade University.

The third-place team from the Northwest Division this year.

It wasn’t Qing University, not Southwest Aviation University, not their old friend Qincheng University, and certainly not this year’s King of the Northwest.

Everyone unanimously exhaled a breath of relief.

“Oh my, look at how unpromising you all look.” Ling Huanzhen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “It’s only the first round; there wouldn’t be any bloodbath scenarios like the King of the Southeast fighting the King of the Northeast.”

After confirming their opponent, Xia Chiyi impatiently checked the other teams in the same half of the bracket.

They were in the upper bracket along with Southwest Aviation University!

Fusheng Industrial University and Chujiang University were also in the same half, but based on the groupings, Chujiang University would encounter Capital Sports University in the second round, which was a bit tricky. As for Fusheng Industrial University, the biggest obstacle to entering the top eight was probably Southwest Aviation University.

Lu Yingnan’s eyes, as deep as the ocean, immediately surfaced in Xia Chiyi’s mind.

And Zhuo Zheng; he must also be impatient to compete against Zhou Zhexiao, right?

Qing University was in the lower bracket, grouped with Southeast Mining University.

As for Qincheng University, they were placed in the lower bracket. If they kept winning, they would encounter the champion of the Northwest Division—Northwest University of Science and Technology—in the third round of the winner’s bracket.

Old Yang, although the King of the Southeast title was taken by us, you can defeat the King of the Northwest to prove your Dao!

After the grouping results settled into dust, the atmosphere in the locker room suddenly became lively.

“This grouping seems okay, right? At least we aren’t in the same half as Qing University; they are last year’s champions after all!”

“Yeah, it feels like the lower bracket is more like the group of death. Look, Qing University, Qincheng University, and Southeast Mining University are all in that half!”

Ye Zhaoying couldn’t resist breaking their optimism: “You say that as if our upper bracket isn’t deadly enough. Look clearly, we might encounter Capital Sports University over here! That’s the third place from the Northeast Division! They’ve swept up talents from all over the country, they aren’t on the same level as the Tanjiang Sports Institute from the Southeast Division!”

Shuai Bei also spoke up to remind them: “There’s also Northwest University of Finance and Economics; my high school classmate is there. They are the runners-up of the Northwest Division. I’ve watched their game footage; their inside presence is very strong. Not only is it strong, but their forwards also have a very high shooting percentage for mid-range jumpers.”

Du He tilted his head: “Eh? You have a classmate at Northwest Finance and Economics? How come I’ve never heard you mention it?”

Chen Chuan said while chewing on a strip of beef jerky: “Northwest Finance and Economics is a powerhouse school. Since you have a classmate you know, why didn’t you pull some strings and organize a practice match?”

Shuai Bei nonchalantly folded his towel into his backpack, “Before we won the King of the Southeast, he and I had never contacted each other.”

“What… do you mean?” Du He looked puzzled. “Is it because he didn’t know you were still playing basketball?”

Shuai Bei remained silent. Chen Chuan sighed and pressed down on Du He’s head.

“You still can’t understand? Those from Northwest Finance and Economics looked down on us at Ningchang University!”

“Oh…” Only then did Du He nod.

Xia Chiyi looked at Shuai Bei. His expression was somewhat lonely. He probably used to treat the other party as a good friend, it’s just that what should have been pure student-era friendship gradually became utilitarian.

“When we encounter them in the national tournament, we’ll send them to the loser’s bracket.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone froze, unanimously looking at Du He.

Ye Zhaoying widened his eyes and asked: “Du He, what did you say?”

Du He repeated very seriously: “I said, in the national tournament, we are going to send Northwest University of Finance and Economics to the loser’s bracket.”

Shuai Bei, who had been expressionless the whole time, lowered his head and couldn’t help but laugh softly, his shoulders trembling slightly.

“We’re past puberty, I’m not that sensitive. Besides… I already have you bunch of tricksters. But sending Northwest Finance and Economics to the loser’s bracket is still a must!”

Everyone laughed and continued studying the schedule.

“If we keep winning, the match to advance from the Top Eight to the Final Four will very likely be against Yandu University!”

As soon as Chen Chuan finished speaking, everyone unanimously looked at He Bin.

He Bin had been holding his phone looking for game footage of Northwest Finance and Economics. The locker room suddenly quieted down, and when he looked up, he met everyone’s concerned gazes.

“Hey, you guys… I am very fine and very confident. Sheng Fang from Yandu University and I are merely high school classmates, we can’t even call it a friendship. Of course, personally, I also very much hope to stop Yandu University in the Top Eight!”

“Well said!” Chen Chuan was the first to applaud.

Listening to their discussion, Ling Huanzhen clapped his hands forcefully, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Let me remind everyone, if we want to achieve these goals, what we need isn’t just advancing from the first round, but remaining undefeated! Everyone must understand, any team that can fight their way into the national tournament is not easy to deal with. Especially the previously mentioned Yandu University; they have rich experience participating in the national tournament, we are just little brothers in front of them! Add to that the Northwest Finance and Economics that Shuai Bei mentioned—last year’s Top Eight! Before the national tournament, we have absolutely never crossed swords with these teams, haven’t even met in a practice match. They might have already thoroughly researched the color of our underwear, while we still don’t know their playstyles, and are completely ignorant of the depth of their bench. So we absolutely, absolutely cannot let our guard down, understood?”

“Understood—”

The team members replied in unison.

Since their Ningchang University could stage a counterattack and become the King of the Southeast, it was hard to guarantee that a dark horse wouldn’t emerge from these inconspicuous teams.

Ling Huanzhen glanced at the Feng Shui array set up by Fu Chenxue and the others, smiled, and said: “The little goldfish are quite cute. The draw is over now, so whoever brought them in, please take them away. We will be leaving Ningchang very soon for the matches, we can’t let these little goldfish starve to death in our locker room.”

“Un… understood…”

“Alright, dismissed. Pack up everything you need to bring properly. This Friday, we will welcome the first match of the group stage!”

Before that, Ningchang University needed to provide their official team photos to the competition committee.

Because the participating teams were spread all over the country, each team only needed to shoot their own photos according to the committee’s standards.

Principal Feng specifically called Ling Huanzhen to ask about the budget for the official photos.

Ling Huanzhen smiled and said, “Principal, you don’t need to worry about this. The photos for the national tournament are very simple—just a white background with a group photo of the whole team. There’s no need to specially spend any money.”

“You still need to find a professional studio!”

“How can an outside studio compare to our own people?”

“Our own people? Who?”

“That Pang Shuai from the school’s photography club! The photos used on our school’s official account and the basketball team’s Weibo are all his work!”

“Look at my memory! How could I forget him? Of course the photos for our basketball team’s national tournament should be taken by our own people!”

Receiving the photography notice, Pang Shuai stared blankly for a good while, wondering if his ears had heard wrong.

“Coach Ling, you… are you talking about the photos submitted to the competition committee?”

“Yes, it shouldn’t be hard, right?” Ling Huanzhen rubbed the back of his head. Was this actually more complicated than he imagined? Had he caused a huge trouble for student Pang Shuai?

“It’s not hard! Not hard at all! I guarantee the completion of the mission!”

After hanging up the phone, Pang Shuai covered his face with a towel, his shoulders trembling.

Xia Chiyi, who was packing his things, wondered why Pang Shuai had suddenly become so quiet. Looking up, he found Pang Shuai covering his face.

“Little Fatty, what’s wrong?” Xia Chiyi walked over and patted his shoulder.

When Pang Shuai moved the towel away, it turned out he was crying, his eyes and nose completely red.

“Holy crap! Little Fatty, did… did something happen? Did you lose your meal card? Or did someone bully you?”

Ye Zhaoying, who was packing his various bottles and jars in front of the bathroom shelf, also hurried out, “Fatty! Who bullied you? Even if you’re heavy, we will definitely back you up!”

Zhou Zhexiao also put down Xia Chiyi’s phone and silently walked to Pang Shuai’s side.

“No one bullied me! I’m just too touched; Coach Ling asked me to take the official team photos for you guys!”

“Just for that?” Xia Chiyi took a deep breath, “Old Ling has no intention of paying you, what the hell are you so touched for!”

“You can’t say that, he fought to get you a three-day meal ticket.”

Zhou Zhexiao raised his phone again, saying indifferently: “Accumulate experience now, and later you can take close-up player photos for us.”

His roommates’ matter-of-fact attitude gave Pang Shuai a proud sense of being trusted and recognized.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like taking photos for them in the future.

Because Jiao Yingfeng was reported by Ling Huanzhen as an assistant coach, he was also called in for this group photo.

The team members changed into their jerseys and arranged the chairs.

Jiao Yingfeng also received a coaching staff polo shirt identical to Ling Huanzhen’s and Cheng Qing’s. He was a bit embarrassed.

“I haven’t made any contributions to the team at all, I feel like I don’t deserve this shirt.”

Ling Huanzhen immediately said: “How could that be? Isn’t that brat Xia Chiyi your biggest contribution to the team? Plus, at the national tournament, I’m looking forward to fighting shoulder to shoulder with you, ideally defeating Li Xiaoran together!”

As the two of them sat in front of the center chairs, Ye Zhaoying suddenly blurted out: “Why do these two look like they’re taking a wedding photo?”

In an instant, Ling Huanzhen flushed completely red from his neck to his ears, and Jiao Yingfeng choked on his own saliva.

“Ye Zhaoying! You brat, if you don’t know how to speak, keep your mouth shut!” Ling Huanzhen wished he could strangle Ye Zhaoying’s neck.

Ye Zhaoying immediately dodged backward.

But because of his comment, everyone really did feel they looked more and more like it. Even Cheng Qing, who was originally planning to sit on the other side of Ling Huanzhen, became embarrassed.

“Assistant Coach Cheng, why aren’t you coming over?” Ling Huanzhen waved forcefully at him.

“Well, I just feel that in a movie about three people, there’s always one person who is redundant…”

Everyone laughed again.

Although it was a simple large group photo, everyone was incredibly serious.

Pang Shuai shouted “One, two, three! Big eggplant!”, and in the frame, everyone revealed a row of big white teeth.

The group photo couldn’t satisfy the team members’ aroused desire for taking photos. One by one, they asked Pang Shuai to take solo shots for them—after all, when the official channels released comparisons of individual player stats, they used solo shots.

Xia Chiyi tugged at Zhou Zhexiao’s sleeve and whispered, “Come on, let’s go take ours too.”

The two stood in front of the white backdrop. Because they were being watched by their teammates and coaches, Xia Chiyi was a bit nervous and didn’t dare to be too intimate with Zhou Zhexiao. He could only stand with his back perfectly straight, forcefully pressing his arms against the sides of his legs to conceal his shyness.

In contrast, Zhou Zhexiao stood beside him with a completely normal expression.

After two ‘clicks’ of the camera, Ye Zhaoying suddenly started unconsciously “dropping bombshells” again!

“I say, Xia Chiyi, why are you so stiff, and smiling so fakely! Are you also taking a wedding photo with Zhou Zhexiao?”

Xia Chiyi’s fur immediately bristled, and he chased Ye Zhaoying in circles, trying to beat him up.

However, both of them were super-fast point guards. After running three laps, he still hadn’t managed to land a hit.

Instead, it was Zhou Zhexiao who leaned in front of Pang Shuai’s camera screen to review the photos of him and Xia Chiyi.

Even while being chased and beaten, Ye Zhaoying refused to shut up.

“Xia Chiyi, if you keep chasing me, I’ll go online and buy hundreds of little red books (marriage certificates), stick your and Zhou Zhexiao’s photos inside, and send them to your shipper fans!”

“You won’t live to see that day!”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhexiao asked Pang Shuai: “What little red books?”

Pang Shuai answered: “They’re fake marriage certificates, not real ones. Don’t go buying them out of curiosity, Xia Chiyi will definitely throw a fit.”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t answer with an “understood” or “un,” which made Pang Shuai a little bit worried…

After the photos of all the participating teams were transmitted to the official website, the specific dates and venue arrangements for the schedule were also published on the official Weibo account.

The slogan for the Division I League national tournament this year was: “Competitions are not just about winning or losing; leave no regrets in your youth.”

Xia Chiyi scrolled through the official Weibo, looking at the passionately burning promotional text. Then he looked at Zhou Zhexiao beside him and couldn’t resist asking: “Hey, how does experiencing youth all over again feel?”

“Pretty good. It would be even better if I had another pack of spicy gluten strips to go with my milk tea.”

Xia Chiyi pursed his lips and smiled. Just as he was about to take out his phone to order takeout for Zhou Zhexiao, the next second, Ling Huanzhen appeared behind them and pressed down viciously on the top of Xia Chiyi’s head.

“Don’t even think about it! No eating junk food before the competition!”

Xia Chiyi’s neck was nearly snapped.

“I just don’t understand! Old Ling, how do you manage to appear and disappear like a ghost? And… the one who wants spicy gluten strips and milk tea is Zhou Zhexiao! If you want to press someone’s head, it should be Zhou Zhexiao’s! Why am I always the one getting hurt?”

“Because you are his upstream! Only by firmly controlling the upstream can we ensure the downstream water resources remain clean and clear!”

Xia Chiyi looked helplessly at Zhou Zhexiao, “Buddy, you’ll just have to endure it.”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids to give Ling Huanzhen an extra glance, “Oh, until when do I have to endure?”

“Endure until I retire!” Ling Huanzhen said crossly.

He truly couldn’t understand it. Back then, the Great Demon King was such a disciplined, restrained, and principled athlete. Why did he change completely after getting together with Xia Chiyi?

The moment Ling Huanzhen disappeared, Xia Chiyi dragged Zhou Zhexiao to the school’s convenience store. He had originally put spicy gluten strips, braised eggs, sausages, and braised beef-flavored instant noodles into the shopping basket, but suddenly thinking of something, he put them all back and replaced them with flavored ice pops.

Zhou Zhexiao frowned, watching Xia Chiyi’s confusing actions, “Why?”

Xia Chiyi revealed a wicked smile, like a little devil pretending on Halloween saying “Trick or treat”.

“Once the competition starts, we’ll have to practice restraint, right?”

---

【Author’s Note】
Today when I was gluing a headband, the super glue leaked out and glued my fingers together.
Then while I was screaming like a banshee in my room, my mom calmly dunked my fingers into alcohol, and they separated in no time.
I had already planned to post a notice saying my fingers were glued together and I wouldn’t update… and then that notice became void.