Chapter 23: The Big Three Reunited

Ma Wenhua couldn’t believe the news the vice principal revealed to him—Ling Huanzhen was going to replace him as the head coach of Ningchang University’s school team?

How was this possible? What was the annual salary of a university team coach?

Shouldn’t Ling Huanzhen take advantage of his influence to enter the Basketball Association? Or at least start as an assistant coach for a professional team, accumulate enough experience, and then become a head coach? Why would he stoop to a university team?

Even if he truly had noble character and didn’t care about money, wanting to devote himself to grassroots basketball development, he could choose a better team than Ningchang University!

Yandu University, Fusheng University of Technology, Southwest Aviation University—if he casually mentioned any one of them, they would eagerly extend an olive branch.

Why! Why choose Ningchang University!

Ma Wenhua thought of his own coaching contract, which ended right after the First Division finals next June. If they had Ling Huanzhen, Ningchang University likely wouldn’t renew his contract, which meant his livelihood was gone…

Opening the campus forum, every post was clamoring for him to step down. The attention from the entire school’s teachers and students on the basketball team was several times greater than before.

Not only that, a Weibo Big V named Xu Mi also reported on this intramural competition. Although the focus was on Ling Huanzhen acting as a referee and having fun with the university students, she also lavished praise on Ningchang University’s newcomers, stating they had provincial team-level skills.

There were all sorts of comments below, such as looking down on Ningchang University’s team or claiming the blogger was exaggerating.

But the most popular comment was: Why can’t those with provincial team skills get into the provincial team? The answer, of course, is that nepotism is the glorious tradition of the Jin Province Provincial Team.

It had over a thousand likes and more than three hundred replies, all saying that Jin Province basketball couldn’t rise because of problems with talent selection, and the head coach was a local emperor. Incidentally, Ma Wenhua was exposed as relying on the Jin Province head coach to wreak havoc on school teams in various universities.

Ma Wenhua dialed Chen Chuan’s phone, telling him to privately message Xu Mi to delete that Weibo post immediately.

But Chen Chuan wanted to do that too! However, he had absolutely no interaction with Xu Mi. Not to mention, he was currently enduring scrutiny from the entire school; he wished he could cover his face just going to the cafeteria!

“Coach Ma, I posted scenes of our team training on my Weibo before. Any fool knows who I am. If I message Xu Mi and she screenshots it to post again, the whole world will think you have a guilty conscience.”

Ma Wenhua’s back was soaked with sweat, his previous calm completely gone. He didn’t even dare call his cousin again, only praying his cousin hadn’t seen this Weibo post.

However, what Ma Wenhua didn’t know was that the phrase “Nepotism is the glorious tradition of the Jin Province Provincial Team” was liked by star players from several famous universities and spread widely for a time.

Then, like a game of pass the parcel, it was forwarded to Ling Huanzhen and Jiao Yingfeng. Although everyone had retired, they couldn’t help but tease a bit.

[Shouldn’t you be grateful for Coach Ma’s kindness in screening you out back then? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have crossed the ocean to fight in the NCAA!]

Jiao Yingfeng squinted at the WeChat message from his former teammate Gao Jinshu; he could see the other’s gloating face even through the screen.

He suddenly felt that if he could really cultivate those two boys screened out by Ma Hongming, it would definitely hit Ma Hongming right where it hurt.

If nothing else, he, Jiao Yingfeng, held grudges the most. He still remembered squeezing into that dilapidated small room in America with that big fool Ling Huanzhen, every day filled with the panic of an uncertain future.

For a gentleman to take revenge, never mind ten years, twenty years wasn’t too late.

Maybe he, Jiao Yingfeng, could cultivate another King of Three-Pointers.

---

The weekend passed quickly. Military training would start tomorrow.

Because Zhou Zhexiao always liked hogging Xia Chiyi’s phone to watch game videos, Xia Chiyi was really worried this guy’s eyes would go bad. So he carefully suggested, “How about we buy a laptop with a big screen? And a projector? We can project the games onto that blank wall to watch?”

As soon as the words fell, Ye Chaoying and Little Pang raised both hands in agreement, indicating the four could chip in to buy a projector.

Zhou Zhexiao nodded and replied, “You know my password.”

Ye Chaoying and Little Pang looked at him again with those suggestive gazes.

Zhou Zhexiao’s password was Sheng Xingming’s birthday. The key was this person never admitted to being a fan of Sheng Xingming and didn’t participate in any fan activities.

While the other three in the dorm gathered to choose a projector model, Zhou Zhexiao’s Nokia suddenly vibrated. He looked down at the text message, walked to Xia Chiyi’s side, propped one hand on his desk, and hooked the other on the back of his chair. Leaning into his ear, he said, “I have something to do, going out for a bit.”

“Oh oh, go ahead, go ahead, remember the curfew.” Xia Chiyi waved the back of his hand.

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head, glancing at the stray hairs by the boy’s ear.

When Zhou Zhexiao left, Xia Chiyi suddenly realized: Wasn’t his posture just now almost surrounding me?

And that close-range subwoofer voice… made my heart itch.

Wait? What business could this guy possibly have to go out for?

---

In a KTV private room nearest to Ningchang University, the 2.02-meter tall Ling Huanzhen was nestled helplessly, weakly, and pitifully in the sofa, holding a cup of fresh cucumber juice. Having eaten Ningchang barbecue and fried skewers for two days straight, a large red boil had risen on his nose, causing him to grimace in pain at the slightest touch.

In the center of the sofa sat a man who looked clean and refined, with a tall and slender figure. His narrow eyes carried a hint of sharpness at the corners. He glanced at Ling Huanzhen with disdain and said coldly, “Didn’t you say you were going to summon Sheng Xingming to see me? Where’s his ghost? Should I light seven candles?”

Ling Huanzhen revealed an ingratiating smile: “Soon, aren’t there still five minutes left?”

“If you can’t summon his soul, I’ll send you to be reincarnated in five minutes.”

The door to the private room was pushed open. Zhou Zhexiao walked in with his hands in his pockets. Looking at the big boil on Ling Huanzhen’s nose, he snorted lightly: “Knew this would happen.”

Jiao Yingfeng looked at Zhou Zhexiao with scrutiny and suspicion, pulling the corner of his mouth into a smile. “Quite the convincing posture. Ling Huanzhen, did you train him?”

“Jiao Jiao, he really is that Great Demon King…”

“Shut up.” Jiao Yingfeng rolled his eyes at Ling Huanzhen. “You were either tricked or you joined him to trick me. The former means you’re hopelessly stupid; the latter is an unforgivable crime. Either way, you need a beating.”

Zhou Zhexiao walked silently to face Jiao Yingfeng and sat directly on the coffee table. That indifferent expression, as if looking down on everything, made Jiao Yingfeng’s dead memories revive uncontrollably.

“So do you hope that person becomes history, or do you hope he is alive?” Zhou Zhexiao asked calmly.

“I hope he is alive. And I know no one can become a second him, not even you.” Jiao Yingfeng looked directly into the young university student’s eyes.

“Alright. The second day you arrived in America, you sent me a text complaining that you couldn’t survive in the room anymore.”

Jiao Yingfeng was slightly stunned, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Ling Huanzhen said in surprise, “I lived with him; how come I didn’t know?”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Ling Huanzhen. “Because your socks smelled too bad; it affected his breathing. He wished he could chop off your feet and throw them out the window. You were on the other side of the ocean, Ling Huanzhen; why did you still buy socks that were three pairs for five yuan?”

Jiao Yingfeng’s fingers gradually curled, gripping his own knee—How could this kid know?

Did he meet Sheng Xingming once, and the other told him?

No, Sheng Xingming wasn’t the type to tell others about trivial matters in someone else’s life.

And precisely because of this, everyone felt safe telling him trivialities or major secrets.

“You originally wanted to help him wash all his socks.” Zhou Zhexiao looked at Jiao Yingfeng again.

At this moment, Ling Huanzhen was incredibly moved. “Jiao Jiao, so you were that good, actually wanting to help me wash socks?”

“Are you crazy?” Jiao Yingfeng glared at him fiercely.

Zhou Zhexiao continued, “I told you, if you don’t want to die, throw away all his socks. Then he’d have to buy new ones. Over there, even if he wanted to buy three pairs for five yuan, it was impossible.”

Jiao Yingfeng’s fists clenched tightly.

Ling Huanzhen showed an innocent and pitiful expression: “What… my socks were thrown away by you?”

“Shut up. Do you want your feet or that pile of ragged socks?”

“I want my feet.” Ling Huanzhen thought hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to Jiao Yingfeng.

“The first laptop you bought was a second-hand one you bought from me for a hundred dollars. I offered to give it to you because the right corner was cracked. You said even brothers should settle accounts clearly.”

Jiao Yingfeng’s throat tightened, his mind constantly wondering how this university student could know things from so long ago. Had he mentioned it in some interview?

In his memory, he hadn’t.

Zhou Zhexiao continued, “Ling Huanzhen’s English was too broken; even a dog wouldn’t recognize his ‘Sports Psychology’ paper. At the end of the first semester of freshman year, he was in a constant state of panic. You helped him revise the paper, and then you sent it to me to check. At the time, you had a habit of misspelling a word: ‘indicate’. You habitually spelled it ‘indecate’. You didn’t turn on auto-correct. I corrected it for you.”

Jiao Yingfeng was a thorough materialist. He didn’t believe in gods, let alone rebirth.

But why was there another person in this world who knew these details?

Clearly, even that big fool Ling Huanzhen didn’t know… It was as if there was no other explanation except that the person before him was Sheng Xingming.

Jiao Yingfeng stared intently at the person in front of him, his breath caught in his throat. He knew what he was hoping for in his heart. If miracles really existed, please let this miracle descend.

Looking at the other, Jiao Yingfeng felt his heart suspended in mid-air. He asked slowly, “After losing to the US team in the Olympics, what did we say?”

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his eyes, looking at his old friend in front of him. The other no longer had the bright youth of those years, but the hot blood in his eyes hadn’t cooled.

“You covered your face with a towel and kept saying to me, ‘Xingming, I’m sorry. It was me who didn’t catch that ball.'”

Jiao Yingfeng’s fists clenched tighter and tighter, fingernails digging into his palms.

“I said, ‘Cry to your heart’s content. Next time, we have to make the US team shed more tears than you for it to count as revenge.'”

In that moment, Jiao Yingfeng’s tears finally burst forth, his fist striking his chest again and again.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect that to be your last Olympics…”

A moved expression appeared on Zhou Zhexiao’s face. He extended his arms and hugged him tightly. “I’m the one who should say sorry. It was me who didn’t keep the promise to fight alongside you in the next Olympics.”

Ling Huanzhen’s eyes also reddened. He extended his arms, embracing both of them.

“Don’t cry. The Big Three have reunited; others should be the ones crying!”

---

That night, Xia Chiyi stood in front of the iron gate with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Zhou Zhexiao as usual.

Only this time, Zhou Zhexiao returned earlier than expected, probably knowing military training would start tomorrow.

Seeing Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao reached out and rubbed the top of his head vigorously.

“What are you doing!” Xia Chiyi turned his head away, feeling annoyed at being treated like a child.

Zhou Zhexiao’s smile was very faint; one had to look carefully and know him well to observe it.

“Starting today, you need to work very hard, and also be very careful.”

“Hm? Work hard on what? Careful about what?” Xia Chiyi’s head was full of question marks. Sometimes he really couldn’t keep up with Zhou Zhexiao’s train of thought.

It was just military training, nothing more than standing at attention, midnight marches, and the like. What else could there be?

“Many people are willing to lend you their shoulders, willing to be your stepping stones. You need to work hard to climb up.” Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze held a gentleness Xia Chiyi had never felt before.

Besides gentleness, there was a determination that made Xia Chiyi’s blood run hot.

“Then what do I need to be careful about?”

“Careful not to get injured. Because many people have placed their hopes on you, you cannot easily leave the stage halfway.”

“Mn, I know.” Xia Chiyi nodded vigorously, like a little lion about to charge into the vast world.

However, before that, he had to get past the hurdle of military training.

Even though the weather had cooled down, from the first day of military training, the sun blazed high in the sky.

The sun seemed to emit light and heat as if its life depended on it, nearly drying out the military training lawn.

Sweat flowed down Xia Chiyi’s forehead constantly. He glanced at Zhou Zhexiao beside him from the corner of his eye. The other stood ramrod straight without even a sway, truly possessing firm willpower.

Finally, they endured until the end of the first day of training. The students were practically crawling on the ground.

The instructor, however, called Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi to the front, smiling as he said, “These two must be the ‘department hunks’ of your department, right?”

Xia Chiyi was bewildered. Department hunks? I wouldn’t dare claim that.

The students sitting on the ground let out bursts of meaningful laughter.