Chapter 016: You Are Worthy

Xia Chiyi hurriedly stepped forward. “I’ll get it, I’ll get it!”

Hearing the “Payment Successful” notification, Zhou Zhexiao handed the fifty-yuan note to Xia Chiyi. Xia Chiyi smiled and said, “Forget it, just put it on my tab. I don’t have any cash on me, so I can’t break your fifty.”

Ye Chaoying stood with her hands on her hips and sighed, “Is this what they call ‘Intimate Pay’?”

Having bought the clothes, the trio boarded the bus back to the university.

The item was stuffed into a black plastic bag resting on Zhou Zhexiao’s lap.

Xia Chiyi suddenly thought of something and asked Zhou Zhexiao, “You took that shirt down and bought it without even holding it up to measure. How are you so sure it fits?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not wearing it.”

You’re not wearing it? Then why did you buy it? Do you just purely enjoy the thrill of clearance sales?

Back at school, Zhou Zhexiao went and bought a marker.

Xia Chiyi had intended to take that clearance-sale “grandpa” undershirt and wash it in the laundry room along with his own clothes, but Zhou Zhexiao surprisingly said there was no need.

When Xia Chiyi returned with his clean laundry, he found that Zhou Zhexiao had neatly folded the undershirt and packed it back into the plastic bag.

“I want to send a courier package. Do you have the number for a courier company?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

Xia Chiyi sighed, opened a courier app in front of Zhou Zhexiao, and taught him how to place an order via his phone.

“Are you mailing this shirt?” Xia Chiyi asked curiously.

“Yeah.”

“Giving it to someone?” Xia Chiyi couldn’t imagine who would like this kind of tank top.

“Trading it for a player card.”

“Huh? Which player?”

“Sheng Xingming. The card from when he won the championship finals,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

Xia Chiyi suspected he had misheard. His brain spun a few times before he found a rationale: “Although you were a star player at Oak Hill Academy… you have fans in China, too? Someone is actually trading a Sheng Xingming player card for this old undershirt? Do you know how much his championship-year cards are worth? You can’t even buy them anymore!”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi for a moment. The guy had deep-set eyes, and the corners of his eyes held a trace of tenderness; being stared at by him for too long gave Xia Chiyi the illusion of deep affection.

“I don’t know if I counted as a star at Oak Hill, but I do indeed have fans in China,” Zhou Zhexiao said leisurely.

“Hahaha, I’m so envious! Your autograph can be traded for a Sheng Xingming card… my autograph can only be scribbled on textbooks.”

“It’s for you,” Zhou Zhexiao replied as he entered the address into the courier app.

“Huh? What’s for me?”

“The card. Thank you for taking care of me.”

Xia Chiyi froze. Why did he feel a little moved?

He had initially taken care of Zhou Zhexiao only because of his mother’s strict orders. But in just a few short days, he had genuinely started treating Zhou Zhexiao as a friend.

He could even feel… that Zhou Zhexiao needed him.

That sense of being needed gave Xia Chiyi an inexplicable feeling of satisfaction.

“…If I’d known earlier, I would have bought a better shirt for you to sign. How is a twenty-nine yuan undershirt worthy of Sheng Xingming?”

“It’s enough that you are worthy of it.”

Zhou Zhexiao nonchalantly sat back at his desk.

Not long after, the courier arrived and took the shirt away.

---

Ling Huanzhen, the men’s basketball player who had just announced his retirement yesterday, was lying on the sofa in his home, scrolling through his phone. The table before him was piled high with junk food and takeout containers.

Things he had craved desperately before now sat in front of him, yet he had no desire to eat them.

There was no need to train or deal with the media anymore. His life was bored to death; if not for the necessity of staying alive, even breathing felt superfluous.

The enthusiastic media contacts in his WeChat address book had gone completely silent. Ling Huanzhen huffed, “Back when I was in good form, they called me ‘Little Sweetie’. Now, there isn’t even anyone to call me ‘Big Zhuang’.”

Chirp—

Someone sent him a video clip accompanied by a voice message. Ling Huanzhen didn’t recognize the cute avatar.

Wow, someone initiated a conversation with me. I must treat this seriously!

He tapped it open to see a 2v2 outdoor basketball duel. One side wore the uniforms of the Jin Province provincial team, while the other side looked about the age of students.

“Did Ma Hongmin let his dogs out to bully people again?” Ling Huanzhen propped his chin up, watching with a lack of interest for about ten seconds before—

Clang—!

The sound of a dunk jolted him awake.

He hurriedly tapped the voice message, only to learn that these two, who were absolutely destroying the provincial team bench players, were actually students from Ningchang University.

Most importantly, these two college students had once been cut from the team by the Jin Province head coach, Ma Hongmin!

Although Ling Huanzhen had already proven his own abilities, seeing someone brutally crushing Ma Hongmin’s disciples gave him a rush comparable to winning the CBA Finals MVP!

Ling Huanzhen couldn’t wait to forward the video to his old friend, Jiao Yingfeng. The other party replied coldly: [Do not disturb me. I am taking an exam.]

Jiao Yingfeng was probably the smartest among their batch of basketball players. He had retired two years ago and embarked on a frantic journey of obtaining certifications—referee certificates, athletic trainer certificates, and this time it seemed to be something like…

[Are you taking the CPU? KTV? Oh, oh, oh, I remember now, CPA!]

Jiao Yingfeng was enraged, roaring into WeChat: [CPA is Certified Public Accountant! You’ve already retired, why would I take that! I’m taking the nutritionist exam!]

Ling Huanzhen quickly replied: [Just watch the video. Watch it and I won’t bug you, you can take whatever exam you want. How can I be the only one enjoying this? True brothers share the thrill!]

Jiao Yingfeng on the other end fell silent for fifteen minutes. It was so quiet Ling Huanzhen was about to explain he hadn’t sent a virus that would blow up his WeChat, when unexpectedly, a phone call came through.

As soon as it connected, his old partner’s voice came through like a machine gun: “What is this tall boy’s name? His playing style is very American… no, it should be said he has a very professional demeanor. His rhythm changes and handling directions are handled with extreme maturity, and even his defense is watertight. Someone like this should have entered the National Youth Team or gone pro long ago. What is he doing in a place like Jin Province?”

Ling Huanzhen laughed. “There’s something that will surprise you even more. This guy is named Zhou Zhexiao. He’s an overseas Chinese student who went to high school in the US. He was originally selected for the Jin Province team but was cut by Ma Hongmin.”

“He got cut with that level of skill? Seems like Jin Province has so much talent it’s floating up to heaven.”

“Weren’t we cut just like that back in the day? It’s the cycle of fate!”

Jiao Yingfeng let out a dry “Heh” and continued watching the video. Just as he was continuously analyzing Zhou Zhexiao, he was captivated by a lightning-fast fadeaway jumper from Xia Chiyi. His gaze was dragged over, and by the time he realized it, he was replaying that segment over and over like he was possessed, just to capture Xia Chiyi’s aerial form.

Anyone would be relegated to the background in the face of Zhou Zhexiao’s exquisite skills that far exceeded his age; his presence was simply too commanding.

—Exploding in an instant, that sudden tension was not something ordinary people could resist.

But Xia Chiyi’s shot broke through the earth wrapped in a certain kind of hope. He was more like sunlight on a branch in a warm winter; at first glance, it seems ordinary, but stare too long, and even the gentle, harmless sunlight will burn your eyes.

“The other boy’s aerial coordination is fantastic. His hang-time on the fadeaway is like a glitch in a video game, and his dribbling and cutting are smoother than milk tea. He’s a natural-born Shooting Guard.”

Ling Huanzhen let out a hearty laugh. “I knew you’d say that! Approval from the former ‘Asian King of Three-Pointers’! This kid is going to make it big!”

Jiao Yingfeng said with amusement, “When this kid shoots, he clearly jumps first, yet he lands after the person blocking him.”

“Ahh, yes, yes, yes! That’s the feeling, as if he has a time difference with the defender!”

It was a pity they couldn’t see it with their own eyes… or personally test these two up-and-comers.

“Hey, don’t you think Zhou Zhexiao looks particularly like… a certain Great Demon King? Especially that last pass. I was dumbfounded when I saw it. He passed just like that at the Olympics that year…”

Jiao Yingfeng was silent for a long time. “Yes… that was actually a miracle pass. Unfortunately, my positioning didn’t keep up.”

Otherwise, they might have defeated the Dream Team at the Olympics that year.

“I didn’t bring him up to make you feel guilty. I just wanted to say that after fighting for so long, we haven’t met anyone like him since. I suddenly really want to take a trip to Ningchang University.”

“Sure. Treat it as a vacation to clear your mind. Eat some fried skewers, chug some beer. No one is managing you anymore anyway.”

“Then… are you coming or not…”

Goosebumps rose on Jiao Yingfeng’s back. “Old men shouldn’t act cute.”

The call ended just like that.

Ling Huanzhen leisurely lay back on the sofa, searching for the names Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi in the search engine.

Just then, his email app notified him of a new message. When he saw the sender and the Duke University suffix at first glance, he bounced up from the sofa.

“Holy crap… in broad daylight, is Sheng Xingming’s ghost crawling out of the internet?”

Sheng Xingming was an honorary alumnus of Duke University. Even though he had passed away, the school wouldn’t deactivate his email account.

More importantly, Sheng Xingming’s younger brother used this email every year to send New Year’s greetings and donation invitations to other alumni, so the account was still semi-active. To honor his brother, Sheng Qiming hadn’t changed the password.

But the problem was the content of this email—it definitely wasn’t from Sheng Xingming’s brother.

[The old steed lies in the stable, still aspiring to gallop a thousand miles. I found the Ace’s Heart. Does your promise still hold?]

Following that was a time and an address. Ling Huanzhen’s hands trembled as he searched it, discovering it was actually a barbecue stall near Ningchang University.

Ling Huanzhen told himself that the person sending the email definitely wasn’t Sheng Xingming!

But the phrase “Ace’s Heart” was something only he and Sheng Xingming knew.

Many years ago, when they broke into the Olympic semi-finals, Ling Huanzhen had said Sheng Xingming was the Ace of the Chinese team.

Sheng Xingming had replied in a calm but helpless tone, “But the Ace hasn’t found his heart.”

In this world, no one truly understood him.

“This is absolutely… absolutely… absolutely someone’s prank!” Ling Huanzhen desperately grabbed at his hair, but the postscript at the bottom of the email forced him to believe that the other party might really know many things about him and Sheng Xingming.

[PS: If you break the appointment, I will tell Jiao Yingfeng that you were the one who wore out his limited edition sneakers during the second year of the NCAA. When you’re sixty and go plaza dancing, no one will accompany you.]