Chapter 027: The New Technical Coach

In the afternoon, when He Bin sought out Ling Huanzhen to discuss his desire to become the team’s 3&D player, he expected Ling Huanzhen to stroke his chin and deliberate. Unexpectedly, the coach cracked open a can of cola to celebrate.

“That’s wonderful, Student He Bin. From the first time I saw you play, that’s exactly what I thought. I’m very happy that you and I share the same vision for your future development. Come, come, this is the training plan I’ve drawn up for you. I hope you’ll work hard to improve yourself even when there’s no team practice.”

He Bin was stunned. A training plan? Specifically for becoming a 3&D player?

Ling Huanzhen pulled three sheets of paper from the printer, detailing timed and quantified exercises across three modules: physical conditioning, strength training, and technical drills.

“Kid, you need to cherish these three pages. Coach Cheng stayed up late compiling all your data from the moment you joined the team until now, from training to games. Coach Cheng has watched every shot you took, every error you made, countless times with wide-open eyes. I took your data and discussed it with experts for a long time before putting together this training plan.”

He Bin stood there, dazed. Previously, Coach Ma had only treated him as a turret, constantly demanding he hone his three-point skills. But the weight of these three pages was a custom-tailored plan just for him.

“I understand. Thank you, Coach Ling.” He Bin walked out, finally able to exhale the breath he had been holding in his chest.

“A 3&D player, huh…”

He suddenly felt a little grateful to Xia Chiyi.

After a full two weeks of military training, Xia Chiyi looked in the mirror and realized his body had been tanned into two different colors.

His forearms, often exposed, had turned a wheat color along with his face. As he turned to check his back in the mirror, Ye Chaoying happened to walk in for a shower and unceremoniously hauled him out. “The bathroom is for showering, not for narcissism.”

“You should be saying that to yourself—” Xia Chiyi retorted unwillingly.

Suddenly remembering something, he pounded on the door. “My jacket is still inside!”

“What are you afraid of? It’s not your underwear!”

“I mean, I put my stuff in there first to shower!”

“You’ve already missed your slot!”

Xia Chiyi put his hands on his hips, frowning and sulking alone. He thought: If Zhou Zhexiao were in the dorm, Ye Chaoying wouldn’t dare fight him for the bathroom!

Just then, the dorm door opened. Zhou Zhexiao, holding an extra-large cup of milk tea, was noisily sucking up the pearls.

When he turned to close the door, his gaze collided with Xia Chiyi, and he visibly paused.

Xia Chiyi had just been kicked out of the bathroom. He was still wearing his military training round-neck T-shirt on top, but below… the camouflage pants were gone, leaving only black boxer briefs. His legs, having been wrapped in long pants the whole time and shielded from the sun, appeared exceptionally fair, with smooth lines full of tension.

The sound of pearls being sucked up paused briefly.

“I can order milk tea for you with my phone next time! You weren’t in the dorm, and Ye Chaoying even fought me for the bathroom!”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t speak. His eyes were lowered, making it unclear whether his focus was on Xia Chiyi’s ankles, calves, or above his knees.

At that moment, the sound of a key turning came from the door. It was Little Fatty returning from picking up takeout downstairs.

Just as the door opened a crack, Zhou Zhexiao suddenly reached out and pressed it shut. With a click, the lock engaged.

“Eh? What happened? Did I not open it?” Little Fatty’s confused voice came from outside.

Zhou Zhexiao kept his right hand pressed against the door. At this rate, Little Fatty would never open it in this lifetime.

“Why aren’t you letting him in?” Xia Chiyi asked in surprise.

“Put on pants.”

“My pants are in the bathroom!” Xia Chiyi said, hands on hips.

“Wear mine.” Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin.

Xia Chiyi looked in that direction; a pair of sweatpants was draped over the back of Zhou Zhexiao’s chair.

It was a big brand, and of course, the quality was excellent. Xia Chiyi had always wanted to try them on when Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t looking, but not today.

“Big boss, I just finished military training and haven’t showered yet!”

Outside, Little Fatty was struggling with the key, muttering, “What’s wrong with this door… Is someone inside? Open up!”

“Put them on.” Zhou Zhexiao’s voice deepened slightly.

“Why? I’m not flashing anyone…”

“You can’t let Little Fatty see.”

Can’t? Why can’t I?

Oh—he’s afraid Little Fatty will feel bad! He was already depressed about his height before. Basketball players are generally scaled up in all body parts. If Little Fatty discovered he was also weak in other areas, he might become autistic!

Xia Chiyi immediately grabbed Zhou Zhexiao’s sweatpants and pulled them on regardless.

Zhou Zhexiao released his hand. Little Fatty finally managed to open the dorm door, set down his heavy takeout, and complained, “Is our dorm door broken?”

“No… not broken…” Xia Chiyi felt a bit guilty.

Fortunately, Little Fatty didn’t dwell on the lock. instead, holding a burger in each hand, he went to the balcony and shouted, “Farewell, military training—never see you again, instructors—”

Xia Chiyi touched the pants he was wearing; they were really comfortable. He said apologetically to Zhou Zhexiao, “Sorry, I’ll get them dirty.”

“Just don’t walk around in boxers anymore.”

“Hmm? You do this in America too? Have to dress neatly in the dorm to see your roommates?”

Zhou Zhexiao sat in his seat, resuming his cosplay of a quiet, pearl-sucking handsome man. “They aren’t as good-looking as you.”

“…” This reason was thought-provoking. Xia Chiyi suddenly didn’t know if he should say thanks for the compliment.

After finishing the milk tea, Zhou Zhexiao walked unhurriedly to the bathroom door and suddenly banged on it with his fist. Inside, Ye Chaoying, who was humming a song, choked on bathwater from the shock.

Thinking it was Xia Chiyi seeking revenge for the bathroom takeover, Ye Chaoying shouted, “Xia Chiyi, you looking for a beating?”

Zhou Zhexiao said calmly, “Coach Ling said since freshman military training is over, starting tonight at 7 PM, attend the evening training.”

With that, Zhou Zhexiao turned and began packing his things, casually packing Xia Chiyi’s change of clothes as well, then slung the bag over his shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“The basketball hall has showers too.”

Hearing Zhou Zhexiao’s notification, Ye Chaoying let out a long complaint. “What the hell? Then I washed for nothing!”

“Ha, you washed for nothing!” Xia Chiyi replied, gloating.

On the way, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao ate the beef burgers Little Fatty shared with them. The sun was setting, casting orange light on them. In Xia Chiyi’s heart, a little lion was rejoicing on the savanna—his school team life was finally beginning!

Passersby occasionally exclaimed, “Look, it’s the two most handsome guys from the basketball team,” causing Xia Chiyi to uncontrollably glance at Zhou Zhexiao beside him, nodding internally. Mmhmm, I’m handsome. This guy is handsome too!

When Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao arrived at the basketball hall, people were already practicing. Xia Chiyi could feel the spirited atmosphere.

Walking over, they discovered it was Du He and Shuai Bei.

“Didn’t one of you want to study hard, and the other pursue an artistic path?” Xia Chiyi’s eyes lit up as he trotted over, leaning on the railing of the spectator stand and shouting.

Seeing Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao, Du He broke into a big grin. “I told my parents that although their expectation for me is just to ‘cross the river’ (Du He), this time I want to try ‘crossing the sea’! The basketball team’s coach is Ling Huanzhen! I told them he’s the Chen Jingrun of mathematics, the Hawking of physics! If I don’t become his disciple, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life! My parents agreed and told me to play well. Since I’ve decided, I shouldn’t give up easily!”

Looking at Du He’s fervent eyes, Xia Chiyi could feel the boiling passion in his heart, and for a moment, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Giving up is easy, but picking it back up takes courage.

“If Ling Huanzhen heard he was Hawking and Chen Jingrun, I wonder if he’d cry tears of joy.”

“Huh?” Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao, confused.

“His math and physics are hopelessly terrible.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s exposé was 100% accurate.

Xia Chiyi asked again, “What about you, Shuai Bei? Coach Ling definitely won’t allow you to skip practice for the studio, right?”

“While you were in military training, I finished all the shooting jobs I signed up for. For the remaining two years of university, I’ll focus on playing ball. With my conditions, I can shoot whatever I want after graduation.” Shuai Bei remained cool and arrogant.

Xia Chiyi rested his chin on his hand, gave a cheeky “Ehh—,” and asked, “Are Japanese action movies okay too?”

Shuai Bei raised an eyebrow and made a throat-slitting gesture at Xia Chiyi. “If there’s group practice tonight, I’ll dunk on your head.”

“I’m so scared.” Xia Chiyi pretended to clutch his chest.

“What are Japanese action movies?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

Xia Chiyi choked, then replied, “You’re still a baby; those kinds of movies aren’t suitable for you.”

“If I’m a baby, what are you? An unhatched egg?”

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth, but Shuai Bei cut in coolly: “If Zhou Zhexiao is a baby (bao bao), then Xia Chiyi is a bei bei. Bao bao bei bei, you two can dance cheerleading on the sidelines. A match made in heaven, perfectly suited.”

“I’ll beat you up!”

Cheng Qing finished dinner and came over to set up for evening training. Seeing Xia Chiyi and the others, he took them to the locker room and explained how to use the showers.

Xia Chiyi wanted to pick a locker closest to the bathroom but was forcibly dragged to the corner by Zhou Zhexiao.

Fortunately, the lockers were spacious; otherwise, Xia Chiyi felt that opening the door or changing clothes would make his elbows hit the wall.

“Why pick the corner? Feels like being punished to stand in the corner.”

“This way I can block for you.”

“Block what?” Xia Chiyi tilted his head.

“Do you like walking around in boxers that much?” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face to look at Xia Chiyi.

“No… I don’t.”

When Zhou Zhexiao next to him pulled off his T-shirt, revealing the taut lines of his shoulders and back, the visual impact made the blood in Xia Chiyi’s heart clog up, unable to pump out.

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t have bulky muscles; instead, his muscles tightly wrapped his frame, a physique with a perfect body fat percentage.

Smooth, firm, and full of tension. In short, once your gaze touched him, it would get stuck, as if rushing along with the blood flowing inside his body.

When Zhou Zhexiao bent down to change into his compression pants, Xia Chiyi held his breath and looked away.

Damn, you being next to me is the most dangerous thing, okay?

Tonight’s basketball team had the most complete lineup in history.

Ling Huanzhen held a clipboard, took attendance with great momentum, and then got straight to the point without dragging things out. “No need for new member self-introductions, right? After all, you don’t know each other until you fight. Height and weight aren’t fixed, and even positions and playstyles will constantly change during future coordination. So, you just need to remember each other’s names and understand one thing—you are teammates. You can be opponents in practice matches, but your real opponents are Southwest Aviation University, Fusheng University of Technology, Qincheng University, and Qing University.”

Everyone looked at him skeptically.

Those were the national top four. They were far even from the top four in the Southeast Division.

“Look at you, so promising. If you don’t dare to treat them as your opponents, you’ll never stand before them,” Ling Huanzhen said coldly.

Everyone was quiet.

“It seems this ‘big pie’ is too hard to swallow. Let me change to another one.”

Admitting he was painting a rosy picture made a few players with a low threshold for laughter chuckle.

“I checked those four teams. They have a first team, a second team, and other reserve players. In total, there are about thirty people for the coach to choose from, but the game is only forty minutes. On average, each person gets a little over a minute.”

Ye Chaoying leaned close to Xia Chiyi and whispered, “That doesn’t seem right. Five people on the court at once—the average should be over five minutes, right?”

Xia Chiyi tried not to move his lips: “Heard his math is bad. Don’t interrupt.”

Ling Huanzhen continued, “But here, we have many more opportunities. New players plus old players, plus the prodigal sons returning, that’s only twelve people. Everyone gets over three minutes of opportunity.”

Hearing this, many veteran players smiled.

It seemed this pie worked.

However, Zhou Zhexiao, hands in pockets, gave a “Hmph.” What did that mean?

Given that the guy was likely the Big Devil reincarnated, Ling Huanzhen decided not to provoke him.

“Alright, starting today, every night from 7 to 8 PM, we’ll conduct tactical analysis of other school teams. Then from 8 to 9:30 PM, we’ll split into groups to practice the tactics studied that night. If there are no questions, we’ll now use the match between Fusheng University of Technology and Yandu University to analyze the five basic tactics: pass-and-cut, drive-and-kick, post-up coordination, fast break, and screen/pick. I know everyone understands the theory, but I want you to carefully observe how Fusheng University of Technology pushes these five tactics to the extreme! After watching, you’ll realize Fusheng’s individual combat ability isn’t god-tier…”

Ling Huanzhen pointed a finger at He Bin, then Chen Chuan, and a few other veterans. “If you guys can apply tactics as smoothly as Fusheng University of Technology, Ningchang University should have at least made the Southeast Division top eight last year.”

A huge pie hung around the veterans’ necks, but it smelled so good it made them drool.

Ling Huanzhen played the match, pausing to explain, rewinding occasionally to ensure everyone understood the key points of tactical coordination.

Most of the team were recruited sports students who might not be very serious in class, but Ling Huanzhen’s analysis captivated them.

Cheng Qing, responsible for playing the video on the side, felt sincere comfort and infinite hope.

When Coach Ma Wenhua was in charge, he never nitpicked tactics detail by detail for the players. He only issued commands from on high and blamed the players for their inability to execute tactics when they failed.

Ling Huanzhen, however, clearly broke down “how exactly to execute.”

The grouping for tactical drills was the same as the intramural match.

Back then, Ye Chaoying wanted to execute tactics, but the five of them were disjointed, minding their own business.

But this time, Ye Chaoying finally experienced the control a point guard should have over the court. They defeated Chen Chuan’s side in the first quarter.

However, during the post-match summary, Ling Huanzhen specifically praised the veteran players.

“As expected of veterans, able to use tactical coordination to create opportunities for counterattacks even under disparate strength. I hope the freshmen won’t rely on individual strength and ignore teamwork. If you meet a truly strong team, you’ll lose so bad your underwear will fly to the moon!”

Ling Huanzhen’s gaze on Xia Chiyi and the others was sharp. Not nitpicking, but genuinely believing their tactical execution was poor.

“Pursuing individuality and wanting to express yourself must all be built on tactical execution.”

Next, Ling Huanzhen specifically separated the five of them, even placing Zhou Zhexiao on the opposite side of Xia Chiyi.

When the strength of both sides became balanced, the role of tactics became apparent.

Don’t let Zhou Zhexiao’s usual arrogant demeanor fool you into thinking he wouldn’t talk to anyone unworthy. When partnered with He Bin and Du He, their power became immense.

Zhou Zhexiao unhesitatingly abandoned his role as a scorer, transforming into an expert playmaker. His teammates were surprised to find that scoring became easy after receiving his passes.

Zhou Zhexiao utilized all his teammates. He didn’t score a single point himself, yet he left Xia Chiyi, Ye Chaoying, Shuai Bei, and Chen Chuan unable to cope.

More importantly, because of Zhou Zhexiao’s organization, his team’s tactical system appeared quite complete.

Ye Chaoying, hands on hips and panting, suddenly began to question life. “Is Zhou Zhexiao trying to put me, a point guard, out of a job?”

Xia Chiyi was also stunned. Zhou Zhexiao, organizing the offense with ease, looked exactly like… Sheng Xingming on the NBA court.

—God’s eye view, prophetic positioning. Everyone had a thread tied to them, with the ends gathered in that one person’s hand.

Ling Huanzhen crossed his arms, frowning deeply. This sense of control on the court… damn Big Devil.

It seemed to prove once again that Zhou Zhexiao was truly Sheng Xingming reborn, because Sheng Xingming had started for Duke University as a point guard.

The evening passed quickly. At 9:30, Ling Huanzhen blew the whistle and summarized.

This systematic tactical training multiplied everyone’s trust in Ling Huanzhen.

“Alright, training ends here for today. Make sure you do all the stretches properly. Coach Cheng, keep an eye on them.”

Ling Huanzhen shouted again, “Xia Chiyi, come here!”

Xia Chiyi’s shoulders trembled. Thinking his tactical execution was too poor, he feared Ling Huanzhen would blast him with verbal artillery.

A height of two meters was indeed imposing; Xia Chiyi felt like a shrinking chick in front of him.

The expected bombardment didn’t happen. Ling Huanzhen even gave a teasing smile.

“So you know your tactical execution was just average.”

“Yeah.”

Ling Huanzhen held back his laughter. In his heart, Xia Chiyi’s tactical execution was actually quite on point. Coming from high school, with new teammates and changed habits, adapting within one quarter was already very good.

Not to mention, having Zhou Zhexiao as an opponent… that wasn’t an ordinary point guard.

NBA players have vastly different personalities, each wanting to show off. But Sheng Xingming could handle them, forming an offensive network with proper tension and relaxation. This skill wasn’t something Ye Chaoying could match as a point guard yet.

But he wouldn’t burst the bubble; he needed Xia Chiyi to maintain a heart striving for perfection.

“What’s your class schedule tomorrow?”

“Basic Accounting in the morning, Marxist Philosophy in the afternoon.”

Ling Huanzhen stroked his chin and hissed, “You guys actually have such a high-end class like Accounting? You’d better attend properly; failing would be bad.”

Xia Chiyi nodded vigorously. It seemed his math really was bad if he thought Accounting was high-end.

“When do afternoon classes end?”

“Start at two, end at three-thirty.”

“Okay.” Ling Huanzhen waved his hand, and Zhou Zhexiao, hands in pockets, walked over unhurriedly.

“What’s up?” Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin.

Xia Chiyi’s mouth formed an O shape in nervousness. Bro, in front of Ling Huanzhen isn’t the time to be cool!

Unexpectedly, Ling Huanzhen didn’t mind at all. He even draped an arm over Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder, speaking in a negotiating tone: “How about after class tomorrow afternoon, you take Xia Chiyi to see Jiao Jiao? He seems to be taking some exam again and has to rush back to the capital the day after tomorrow.”

Xia Chiyi pricked up his ears. They weren’t hiding the conversation from him anyway.

Who is Jiao Jiao?

Ling Huanzhen’s girlfriend? But why did Zhou Zhexiao seem familiar with both Ling Huanzhen and this Jiao Jiao?

Ling Huanzhen fished out car keys from his pocket and handed them to Zhou Zhexiao. “You have a driver’s license, right? Drive carefully.”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Xia Chiyi asked uncertainly, “Can an American license be used domestically?”

Ling Huanzhen paused slightly, as if realizing something, and leaned into Zhou Zhexiao’s ear. “When did you get a domestic license?”

“…In my past life, I guess.”

Ling Huanzhen decisively took the keys back, patting Zhou Zhexiao on the back. “As a responsible coach, of course, I’ll personally take you to see Jiao Jiao. What if he breathes fire and burns you both to death? I have to protect you personally.”

Zhou Zhexiao replied coolly, “He only breathes fire at you.”

With that, Zhou Zhexiao lifted his chin at Xia Chiyi. “Go shower. I saw plenty of space in the shower room.”

The team only had twelve people, but there were twenty showers.

Presumably, when the basketball hall was built, the designer didn’t expect Ningchang University’s basketball team to recruit so few people.

The partitions in the shower room reached just to the players’ shoulders. As usual, Xia Chiyi was pushed by Zhou Zhexiao to the corner shower. Zhou Zhexiao was on his left, and a wall was on his right.

Xia Chiyi didn’t quite understand Zhou Zhexiao’s “isolationist” ideology. He still preferred the high school days where everyone showered happily together after playing.

Now, he had to shout just to say a word to Ye Chaoying.

However… Zhou Zhexiao showering was truly a scenic view.

The guy tilted his head back halfway, hot water rushing down from the top of his head. His slightly curly hair clung to his scalp, making his features sharper. His eyelashes holding water droplets were beautiful, and the hot water flowed over his jawline… For the first time, Xia Chiyi seemingly understood what male “sexual tension” was.

Zhou Zhexiao had packed their change of clothes, and they only brought one set of body wash and shampoo. Xia Chiyi had to lean on the partition like a wet puppy, asking Zhou Zhexiao for them.

“Pass me the shampoo!”

Zhou Zhexiao closed his eyes, following the direction of Xia Chiyi’s voice to pass the shampoo. His arm was long, thrusting it directly into Xia Chiyi’s face instead of his hand.

“Whoa!”

The shampoo fell to the floor, and Xia Chiyi quickly bent down to pick it up.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Zhexiao wiped the suds from his face and turned sideways to look.

Xia Chiyi’s shoulders and back were in the hot water. The boy’s beautiful muscle lines revealed a kind of childishness that could be easily grasped and destroyed.

The water from the showerhead flowed down every crevice, gathering into a crazy and turbulent tide in the silence.

Zhou Zhexiao quickly turned around. Xia Chiyi had picked up the shampoo and started scrubbing his head, soon covered in white foam.

When Xia Chiyi finished washing and had put on his T-shirt and sweatpants as requested by Zhou Zhexiao before leaving the stall, Zhou Zhexiao was still facing the wall, rinsing.

“You’re so slow.”

Xia Chiyi complained slightly. Passing by, he realized that although Zhou Zhexiao had the water on high, there was no steam at all.

He knocked hard on the partition. “Hey, you’re impressive, taking a cold shower! Careful you don’t catch a cold and get yelled at by Coach Ling!”

Maybe it was an illusion, but Xia Chiyi felt Zhou Zhexiao’s back shudder when he pounded the partition.

“You go out first; I’ll be done soon.”

The other’s voice was low and hoarse, sounding like he was already catching a cold.

“Turn on the hot water; don’t take cold showers.”

Knowing the guy was stubborn, Xia Chiyi emphasized not taking a cold shower again before going outside to wait.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before Zhou Zhexiao walked out slowly.

Xia Chiyi was sitting on a chair in the locker room playing on his phone. Zhou Zhexiao reached out to touch his head, confirming his hair was dry, and said nothing more.

“What were you washing in there? Why did it take so long?”

“Habit.”

“What weird habit? Ye Chaoying was in a rush to put on a face mask, so he left first.”

“Mm.” Zhou Zhexiao packed his sports bag and patted the back of Xia Chiyi’s neck. Xia Chiyi finished his last round of “Fight the Landlord” while walking, and they left the basketball hall together.

“Zhou Zhexiao, who is the person the coach is taking me to see tomorrow?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Technical coach.”

“The team has a technical coach? When was he hired?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Not the school’s. Specially arranged for you.” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

“Specially… arranged for me… Why? Coach Ling doesn’t want to teach me?”

A huge sense of loss was about to well up.

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to teach you, but that he can’t teach you technically. Did you forget why Ye Chaoying became his anti-fan?”

“Mid-to-long-range shooting is too trash?” Xia Chiyi tilted his head.

“Right. Unless you plan to learn rebounding from him.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi let out a long breath.

“Then who is this Jiao Jiao? Is she a trainer for the women’s basketball team? Is she Coach Ling’s friend?”

“They are indeed very good friends.” Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi and found him pouting slightly again, having held it for ten seconds without relaxing, indicating he was thinking about something very seriously and conflictedly.

“Are you worried you lack my ability to organize the offense? Or do you feel you lack the ability to predict teammates’ positioning?”

“Ah, yes! You were just like that person…” Xia Chiyi raised his hand to the moon in the sky. Moonlight passed through his fingers, illuminating the hidden star. “God’s eye view, god-tier positioning.”

“God’s eye view has logic too. I can teach you my logic, provided you sleep well tonight.”

“Really? You’re willing to teach me?” Xia Chiyi turned around. His eyes looked as if they had been washed, bright as the sun at night.

“Mm, but not tonight. I said you must sleep well.”

“Why? Because Basic Accounting tomorrow morning is hard?”

“No, because the technical coach might make you cry.”

With that, Zhou Zhexiao walked ahead.

Xia Chiyi stood in place, hands on hips. “Why do I always feel Zhou Zhexiao knows everything?”

And who exactly is this technical coach?

Feels like someone hard to get along with?

Although Xia Chiyi decided in his heart to study his major courses well and absolutely not affect his credits, when he had turned to page fifteen of the textbook, the professor on the podium was still on page one. Xia Chiyi couldn’t hold out and fell asleep on the desk not long after.

When the morning classes ended, Ye Chaoying shook Xia Chiyi’s head vigorously. “Kid, you’re too arrogant. You slept through the first day of major classes!”

Xia Chiyi rubbed his eyes. “Can’t help it; the professor talks too slowly.”

“You think the professor talks too slowly? Am I the only one who feels I can’t understand?” Ye Chaoying suddenly felt he and Xia Chiyi might not be in the same world.

Beside them, Zhou Zhexiao said calmly, “Indeed too slow.”

Little Fatty, pouring snacks into his mouth, said, “Yeah, three classes ended, all talking about concepts. You’d know just by flipping through the book.”

Ye Chaoying suddenly felt a deep crisis of failing the course.

At lunch in the cafeteria, Zhou Zhexiao rarely reminded Xia Chiyi to eat more high-protein foods. Even during the afternoon Marxist Philosophy class, while Ye Chaoying and Little Fatty played on their phones under the desk, Zhou Zhexiao openly used Xia Chiyi’s phone to watch game videos, leaving Xia Chiyi no choice but to sleep on the desk.

What Xia Chiyi didn’t expect was that at the end of the second class, Little Fatty actually ordered burgers! This was probably why, after being tortured by military training for fifteen days, the fat on his body was harder to degrade than plastic.

Xia Chiyi turned over, intending to continue sleeping, but Zhou Zhexiao’s hand rested on his shoulder, fingers poking his cheek first.

Unhappy. It’s one thing to play with my phone, but playing with my face? Resolutely ignoring you.

Seeing no reaction, Zhou Zhexiao’s knuckles scraped Xia Chiyi’s eyelids.

Too much. You’re the eyelash spirit, I’m not.

Next, Xia Chiyi’s nose was pinched. Ow ow ow, this guy is pinching my nose again!

Xia Chiyi sat up angrily, only to see Zhou Zhexiao place a burger in front of him, along with a bottle of soda water.

“Little Fatty, there’s a day you can’t eat anymore?” Xia Chiyi asked suspiciously.

Little Fatty in the front row turned around and looked at Xia Chiyi like he was an idiot. “I could eat you too. Zhou Zhexiao specially asked me to order this for you.”

Xia Chiyi glanced at Zhou Zhexiao, wondering why there was an extra meal during a perfectly good break. Wasn’t all that fish, shrimp, and brisket at lunch enough?

But under Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze, even though he wasn’t very hungry, Xia Chiyi still ate the beef burger.

When the day’s classes ended, Xia Chiyi stretched, feeling very guilty realizing he had slept through almost everything, but consequently, he was 120% energetic.

Zhou Zhexiao took him to the school parking lot to find Ling Huanzhen.

It was a very flashy Land Rover. Ling Huanzhen wore sunglasses, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the window sill, looking like he was shooting a commercial.

Eh, wait, did he actually shoot a Land Rover commercial?

Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao got into the back seat, and Ling Huanzhen drove out of the school gate.

“Xia Chiyi, let me give you a heads-up first,” Ling Huanzhen began.

“What… heads-up?”

“This technical coach I found for you is extremely good-looking.”

Hearing this, an image automatically formed in Xia Chiyi’s mind of a curvy beauty in a sexy sports vest and yoga pants.

“But the temper isn’t great.”

Xia Chiyi shifted shyly, his ears unconsciously turning red, thinking that those named “Jiao Jiao” seemed to be good-looking and wild.

“Sometimes I feel like every message he sends me is with a middle finger.” Ling Huanzhen sighed deeply.

The image of a beautiful, violent, and super cute lolita from manga holding a bazooka and firing everywhere appeared in Xia Chiyi’s mind.

Zhou Zhexiao, resting his chin on his hand, glanced at Xia Chiyi. “Why are your ears red?”

“Ah, no… nothing, just a little nervous.”