Chapter 034: I Like You

“Then I’ll try to fall asleep a bit faster…”

“Mn.”

Perhaps because Zhou Zhexiao’s voice was too gentle, Xia Chiyi, who was originally thinking about random things, quickly entered a sleep state, emitting light and shallow breathing sounds.

There were no classes the next afternoon; it was Xia Chiyi’s fixed training time.

Only this time, Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi took the bus past the commercial building where the basketball training class was located without getting off.

“Not going to the children’s basketball class this time?”

“That place was lent to us by Ji Bo out of friendship. If we keep occupying his classroom, he’ll have to schedule fewer classes for his training center.”

“Oh, true, that’s not good. So we changed locations?”

“Mn.”

Zhou Zhexiao took Xia Chiyi to the fitness center they often visited before, but the fitness center was on the 16th floor, while Zhou Zhexiao pressed the button for the 15th floor.

They walked out of the elevator, and the first thing that came into view was a frosted glass door, which still had the logo of the fitness center upstairs printed on it.

Zhou Zhexiao entered a six-digit code on the electronic lock at the entrance. “The password is the same as your phone unlock code.”

“Oh.” Xia Chiyi was still a bit confused. What were they doing here? If they were doing equipment exercises, shouldn’t they go upstairs?

The moment the frosted glass door opened, Xia Chiyi’s eyes lit up. This place was actually an indoor basketball court!

Not just a basketball court; Xia Chiyi noticed a table placed by the court with a laptop on it, and cameras set up in the four corners of the basketball court. There was a whole cart of basketballs on the sideline, and behind the basketball court was a lounge where one could take a nap or do muscle relaxation. The lounge was equipped with showers and changing rooms.

Xia Chiyi saw Jiao Yingfeng talking to a middle-aged man. They seemed very familiar, patting each other on the shoulder.

“Xia Chiyi, come here for a moment.” Jiao Yingfeng beckoned to Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi hurried over. “Master, what’s going on here?”

“You mean this place? I rented this floor below the fitness center. Originally, they wanted to start a yoga class here, but unfortunately, there weren’t enough customers, so it closed down quickly. When the fitness center bought this place, they did soundproofing work, so we just needed to do a little renovation, install the basketball court and hoops, and you can do technical training here.”

Xia Chiyi was dumbfounded: “How expensive must this be…”

Even selling himself wouldn’t be enough to pay it back!

“Don’t worry. For the fitness center, leaving it empty is just losing rent. Ling Huanzhen and I agreed to recommend this fitness center on Weibo, so the rent is very cheap. The key is that it’s relatively close to your school, with a direct bus back and forth. The gym is upstairs. After equipment training, you can come down for technical training.” Jiao Yingfeng frowned. “You wouldn’t be naive enough to think this place belongs to you alone, right?”

“Ah?” Xia Chiyi stood there in a daze.

“Half of it belongs to me,” Zhou Zhexiao’s voice rang out.

Because the school’s basketball hall belonged to the entire basketball team, other teammates like Shuai Bei, Du He, and Chen Chuan all had to do technical practice there, which was really inconvenient.

Other public basketball courts couldn’t guarantee vacancy every time, so renting a venue that belonged to them was conducive to single-minded training.

Jiao Yingfeng added, “Let me introduce you to Fan Qingliang. He is a famous trainer. Since you worship Sheng Xingming so much, you should have heard of him.”

The man named Fan Qingliang revealed a mature and steady smile, raising his hand towards Xia Chiyi: “Hello, Student Xia Chiyi.”

Xia Chiyi’s eyes widened. He really suspected he was daydreaming in broad daylight!

“He… he was Sheng Xingming’s trainer when he played in the NCAA! I know, I know him!”

If it weren’t for the foundation Fan Qingliang laid for Sheng Xingming during his college years, his path to the NBA might not have been so smooth.

“Mr. Fan was also my trainer. After my ankle injury back then, it was with Mr. Fan’s help that I changed my force exertion method, extending my career by 7 years.”

After Jiao Yingfeng finished speaking, Xia Chiyi immediately felt deep respect. His eyes opened big and round, revealing straightforward anticipation and admiration.

“Haha, no wonder you told me not to look into his eyes the first time we meet because it’s easy to get soft-hearted. It’s true.”

Fan Qingliang’s smile became more obvious. He was a man with rugged features, the hair at his temples slightly graying. Based on his age, he should be in his fifties now, but his figure remained robust.

“Hello, Mr. Fan!”

“Hello to you too, Student Xia, nice to meet you. Let me state first, I haven’t taken a student for ten years. When Jiao Yingfeng invited me, I was very surprised.”

Haven’t taken a student for ten years—does that mean this excellent trainer retired after Sheng Xingming passed away?

“Jiao Yingfeng said he hopes I can help you change your force exertion habits like I helped Sheng Xingming and him, so I came. Honestly, I enjoy retired life very much—fishing, climbing mountains—all better than worrying about another brat. I came because he said you could complete the 21-point shooting drill within 90 seconds.”

Xia Chiyi looked at Fan Qingliang. The depths of his eyes were open-minded, yet within that open-mindedness, there was a faint trace of sorrow.

Perhaps Sheng Xingming was the star Fan Qingliang personally sent into the sky. He watched helplessly as he soared, shone, made hearts boil, and then suddenly fell.

Fan Qingliang’s retirement was probably because he knew he would never send another star into the night sky.

“I think many people can do 90 seconds. Let’s make it 75 seconds. If you can complete the 21-point shooting drill in 75 seconds, I’ll stay to train your force exertion method,” Fan Qingliang said.

Sure enough, such an outstanding trainer wouldn’t easily be moved by an unknown college student.

Jiao Yingfeng was stunned and said, “75 seconds is too difficult.”

“Is it? When Sheng Xingming did the ’21 points’ for the first time, he did it in 75 seconds. They are both first-year university students. There must be at least the same starting point for me to believe he has the same potential, worthy of me giving my whole heart again.”

When Fan Qingliang put away his smile, the expression on his face became unfeeling.

Invisible pressure shrouded Xia Chiyi’s heart. The image of Sheng Xingming holding a trash can and vomiting after devil training appeared in his mind.

Xia Chiyi suddenly closed his eyes and exhaled. “That’s great…”

“What’s great?” Fan Qingliang asked.

“I thought Sheng Xingming could complete 21 points within sixty seconds from the start. So his starting point was 75 seconds? Suddenly I feel I’m not that far from him.”

Fan Qingliang was stunned, then said coldly, “Finish your equipment exercises for today first. You are still far from comparing with Sheng Xingming!”

“Then I’m off, going upstairs for equipment!”

Fan Qingliang watched Xia Chiyi’s back and asked, “Did you already reveal that I would test him?”

Jiao Yingfeng shook his head: “Of course not. This kid is just like that; the more pressure you put on him, the stronger his adaptability.”

---

For today’s equipment exercises, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao did them together. Xia Chiyi seemed full of energy.

“You have to complete 21 points 15 seconds faster than your usual speed. Don’t you think it’s almost impossible?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Then when Sheng Xingming improved from 75 seconds to one minute, did he also think it was impossible?” Xia Chiyi asked while warming up on the treadmill.

“It took him three months to do it.”

“Okay, then after I break into 75 seconds today, I’ll also use three months to break into 60 seconds.”

“And then?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“What do you mean ‘and then’?” Xia Chiyi frowned. “You’re weird today.”

“When you break into 60 seconds, you’ll realize Sheng Xingming isn’t some god. What he can do, you can do too. He was just flesh and blood… Will you still worship him then?”

Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao. “Hey, do you know about Olympic records?”

“Mn.”

“Doesn’t every session have new records overwriting old records? Isn’t competitive sports about constant renewal in this way?”

“So, you will go chase those who are further ahead than Sheng Xingming?”

“I should say, if I reach Sheng Xingming’s record, it means I can continue, completing the goals Sheng Xingming wanted to achieve but didn’t have time to realize.”

Xia Chiyi continued running. The sudden silence of the person next to him made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Hey, Zhou Zhexiao, why aren’t you talking anymore? Say something, everything you say comes true!”

“You will complete the 21-point shooting drill within 75 seconds today,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi smiled. “That’s a really good omen!”

“You will also break into 60 seconds within three months.”

Xia Chiyi’s chest felt like it was struck by something. It was clearly a light force, yet it seemed to penetrate his entire heart.

“Thank you…”

“I will become more and more amazing, Xia Chiyi.”

“That’s for sure!” Xia Chiyi nodded vigorously.

“More amazing than the 28-year-old Sheng Xingming. Don’t look at the void past, just look at me.”

After speaking, Zhou Zhexiao stopped the treadmill and went to use other equipment.

Xia Chiyi touched the back of his head. What did this guy say just now?

He wants to surpass the 28-year-old Sheng Xingming? That was Sheng Xingming’s peak, and also the peak for Asian basketball players!

Holy crap, Zhou Zhexiao, you are truly arrogant to the extreme!

But every time I look at Zhou Zhexiao, I feel very reassured…

After Xia Chiyi completed the equipment exercises on the training list, sweat had soaked his sportswear, making it cling slightly to his body, outlining the lines of his waist and abdomen.

Today, that foreign couple came again. While sweating on the treadmills, they leaned together kissing as if no one else was there.

When Xia Chiyi passed by, the two actually stopped, their gazes lingering on Xia Chiyi.

As if appreciating something. Xia Chiyi had the illusion that he wasn’t wearing clothes.

He faintly heard them say “super hot” during their chat.

He was just about to go downstairs directly to the basketball court when Zhou Zhexiao pressed on his shoulder and pushed him into the changing room.

What does this guy want to do?

The changing room was quiet. Xia Chiyi’s back was pressed against the lockers; it felt like even a small sound would echo loudly.

“Change your T-shirt.”

“Why? I’m going to do the 21-point shooting test right away! I’ll sweat again…”

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his eyes, looking at Xia Chiyi’s waist and abdomen. “You want to show off that much?”

Xia Chiyi looked down and pulled at his T-shirt. It left his skin and then stuck back again; the lines of his rectus abdominis and external obliques were particularly tense.

Especially looking at himself in the mirror, the more he looked, the more he felt it was a bit impure. This kind of half-concealment seemed less honest than being shirtless.

Moreover, Xia Chiyi suddenly remembered there were two female students in the gym… his appearance was indeed unsightly.

And that foreign couple—Xia Chiyi seemed to understand why they had those strange looks.

“I only have one clean T-shirt in my bag. If I change now, after the technical training ends, I’ll have to go back to school soaking wet.”

Suddenly, a black T-shirt covered Xia Chiyi’s head, and Zhou Zhexiao’s voice rang out: “Wear mine.”

“Then what will… you do?” Xia Chiyi’s head just popped out of the collar when he was shocked.

Because Zhou Zhexiao happened to be holding the hem of his T-shirt with both hands, pulling it off over his head. The lines of his shoulders and back were incredibly smooth and good-looking.

Male actors in movies need filter effects and whatnot; Zhou Zhexiao came with his own buffs.

“Unlike you, I don’t bring just one.”

As soon as Xia Chiyi came out of the changing room, he felt the gaze of those two young girls, making his ears turn slightly red.

One of the girls came over smiling. Xia Chiyi remembered her; she was the one who previously thought Zhou Zhexiao was a coach and wanted his WeChat.

“I think your workouts are getting more and more effective! Want to grab dinner together later? Let’s make friends and chat?”

“Haha, sorry, I still have training later.”

“Next time then? Seems like we can see you every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon!”

Xia Chiyi smiled. “Sorry, I have other training after every equipment session.”

The girl heard the rejection and could only smile awkwardly, walking away with regret.

Xia Chiyi heard their discussion as he passed by.

“He clearly looks like the type who would be conquered as soon as someone confesses, didn’t expect it to be not that easy!”

“Told you earlier, someone this handsome must have high standards.”

Xia Chiyi arrived in the corridor and jokingly bumped Zhou Zhexiao with his elbow. “Hey, do I look like the type who would be conquered as soon as someone confesses?”

The two entered the elevator, and the doors closed.

Zhou Zhexiao stood aside, looking very cold.

Xia Chiyi thought to himself, Did this guy’s period come or something? Always suddenly getting cold-faced like this.

After staying silent for five seconds, Xia Chiyi reached out to press the floor button. Zhou Zhexiao suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“What?”

“I like you.”

Clear, without any ambiguous articulation.

Like a torpedo exploding in the deep sea, this small elevator car swayed in the tsunami.

“Cough cough cough… cough cough cough…”

It felt like the elevator wasn’t going to the 15th floor, but to the eighteenth level of hell.

Xia Chiyi’s skull buzzed buzz buzz buzz.

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!

What did he just hear? Did Zhou Zhexiao confess to him?

“Accept or not?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

Looking at this guy’s cold expression, this tone that wouldn’t pay for killing someone—which part of this damn thing looked like a confession?

What elevator horror movie are we acting in today?

Two seconds later, Xia Chiyi suddenly realized why Zhou Zhexiao was acting like this. He put his hands on his hips, raised his chin, and answered bravely: “I don’t accept!”

Zhou Zhexiao raised his hand and pressed the button for the 15th floor.

“So, who said you are the type who would be conquered as soon as someone confesses?”

The elevator started to descend, including Xia Chiyi’s heart.

“If I knew earlier, I would have said ‘I accept,’ just to see if you could still be so calm,” Xia Chiyi said unhappily.

“You can try.”

“No need, I want to live a long life.”

Xia Chiyi stepped out first, leaving Zhou Zhexiao in the elevator looking at his back for a long time.

Thanks to Zhou Zhexiao’s threatening confession, Xia Chiyi was exceptionally awake. When he returned to the basketball court, Fan Qingliang was already standing by the court with a stopwatch ready.

Zhou Zhexiao was responsible for passing the ball on the sidelines, and Jiao Yingfeng was responsible for picking up the ball.

This wasn’t just a test, but a measurement of the current Xia Chiyi, to see where his limits truly lay.

Xia Chiyi took a deep breath and prepared to sprint from the baseline.

With Fan Qingliang’s whistle, the stopwatch was pressed.

Click… clack… Time was flowing.

Xia Chiyi sprinted to the three-point line, braked simultaneously while receiving the ball, and jumped.

Fan Qingliang’s gaze lengthened. The first time he saw this child’s shooting posture in the video, he admitted he had a premonition of being slightly shaken.

Like a fledgling bird with fluffy feathers; when it spreads its wings, even the air favors it.

Seeing it in person, he had an illusion, as if what Xia Chiyi threw wasn’t a basketball, but time.

Time goes by and never returns; whether scoring or failing, don’t look back.

Xia Chiyi returned to the baseline, turned, and continued to sprint, entering mid-range distance. Zhou Zhexiao’s pass was very precise. Xia Chiyi braked and jumped again with almost no hesitation, beautifully taking 2 points.

Without pausing, he ran back and forth from the baseline, cutting into the paint. Zhou Zhexiao made a bounce pass, and after receiving it, Xia Chiyi banked it into the basket.

Xia Chiyi was like a sharp blade, slicing through the air, cycling in their vision. Every time he came under the basket, the expression in his eyes as he looked up at the hoop always made Fan Qingliang feel a surge of excitement, because the look in this child’s eyes when shooting was too similar to Sheng Xingming’s.

Because they were aiming at the same place.

When Xia Chiyi scored the 18th point, Jiao Yingfeng couldn’t help but glance at the stopwatch. It had only been 70 seconds!

This was much faster than his usual speed!

For the last three-pointer, Xia Chiyi received Zhou Zhexiao’s pass, positioned at the side of the three-point line.

It has to go in, kid! It has to go in! Jiao Yingfeng’s palms sweated, his heart suspended in mid-air.

Xia Chiyi’s right hand pushed the ball out. The fluid arc made Fan Qingliang lose focus for a moment; the star buried in the dust at the bottom of his heart seemed to faintly glow.

“74.82 seconds! Kid, you did it!”

Jiao Yingfeng rushed up, just about to give Xia Chiyi a bear hug, when Xia Chiyi fiercely pushed him away and rushed into the restroom.

“Blegh—cough cough—blegh—”

Jiao Yingfeng froze. Fan Qingliang closed his eyes and smiled, whispering, “Exactly the same…”

Back then, when Sheng Xingming finished the 21-point test with all his might for the first time, he also hugged the trash can and vomited wildly.

“I’ll go check.”

Zhou Zhexiao took a bottle of mineral water and walked into the restroom.

Xia Chiyi’s hands bracing against the toilet rim suddenly went weak. Seeing that he was about to fall in, Zhou Zhexiao scooped him up.

Xia Chiyi’s brain was still a bit fuzzy, his ears ringing, his chest feeling like a heavy stone was pressing on it. He couldn’t adjust his breathing for a while.

Zhou Zhexiao half-held him, bringing the mineral water to his lips. “Rinse your mouth.”

“Mmph…” Xia Chiyi nodded.

“Done vomiting? Can’t rest yet, I’ll walk a few laps with you.”

“Mn… thanks.”

Xia Chiyi realized belatedly that he must be heavy. Zhou Zhexiao holding him in this posture would be very, very tiring.

But who cares…

Xia Chiyi’s taut heartstrings relaxed; he just wanted to stay in Zhou Zhexiao’s arms like this.

After Xia Chiyi’s heart rate recovered, he wiped his mouth, tidied his clothes, came before Fan Qingliang, looked into his eyes and asked, “I completed 21 points within 75 seconds, right?”

“Mn, yes.” Fan Qingliang couldn’t hold his serious expression either, revealing an appreciative smile.

“So you’ll stay and be my trainer, right?”

“Yes.” Fan Qingliang nodded. “However, regarding shooting drills like sudden stops and braking, Jiao Yingfeng has already done a very professional job. I came to be responsible for the parts he can’t cover.”

“Changing my shortcoming of relying too much on my ankles?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Yes.” Fan Qingliang looked at Xia Chiyi’s training plan. “In my opinion, your equipment training might need some additions.”

Add more?

Xia Chiyi looked at Fan Qingliang. This child’s eyes were too pure and innocent, looking extremely like the little white cat in his yard that always lay on the windowsill looking at him through the glass with round, sparkling eyes, forcing Fan Qingliang to contribute all the cat food in his pantry.

“Even if you look at me like this, we have to add them. However, I will also remove some equipment exercises that aren’t very effective.”

“Oh.”

“You need to add kettlebells, including swings, as well as various lunges and goblet squats.”

Xia Chiyi looked blank.

Fan Qingliang laughed. “In the future, no matter how loose your basketball shorts are, they won’t be able to hide the lines of your glutes. Fans will think you are super hot.”

Xia Chiyi: “…That’s really not necessary.”

“Hahaha…” Jiao Yingfeng laughed with his arms crossed. “Old Fan’s training can strengthen your core and lower body stability. Haven’t you always been dissatisfied with your confrontation ability? Practice these well, and your confrontation ability will also improve.”

Fan Qingliang pointed at Jiao Yingfeng. “But our goal of completing 21 points within 60 seconds won’t change.”

“Right, three months.”

Xia Chiyi suddenly felt there were two demons joining forces in front of him.

Jiao Yingfeng smiled, leaned against the wall, took out his phone, and sent a message to his mentor: [He completed 21 points in 75 seconds today.]

Attached was a smug emoji holding a small red flower.

The youth training team’s discussion meeting had just ended. Xie Huai picked up his silenced phone. When he saw this message, he was stunned.

He asked the assistant coach walking beside him, “Did Qing University’s Liu Suchen also use the 21-point shooting drill before? Is anyone else using it?”

“Other members of the youth training team couldn’t persist after reaching around 75 seconds because the physical consumption was too great, significantly affecting other aspects of training. But Liu Suchen has been using it. He can now complete it in 60 seconds.”

“What was his initial time?”

“80 seconds.”

“How long did it take him to go from 80 seconds to 75 seconds?” Xie Huai asked again.

“The first stage? About two weeks,” the assistant coach answered.

Xie Huai rubbed his chin. “Oh, interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

“Someone adapted faster than him.”

---

A few days later, it was the match between Ningchang University and Chengjiang College, which stirred up quite a lot of topics among the universities in Jin Province.

Chengjiang College had always been unreconciled about their accidental defeat last year. It was said that the team’s diet had been strictly managed for a whole year; barbecue and spicy hot pot were banned for everyone, to prevent any “accidents.”

Everyone wanted to see Chengjiang College, holding back a burst of energy, beat up Ningchang University.

Secondly, and most importantly, fans wanted to know the results of Ling Huanzhen’s coaching.

Many people believed that Ling Huanzhen being a first-class basketball player didn’t mean he was a first-class coach. After all, there are specializations in every field.

Even under Pang Shuai’s Weibo, comments not favoring Ningchang University occupied half the space.

[Blogger must shoot the three-point brother handsomely, might be his last game…]

[Chengjiang College is fierce, a pack of wolves. Wolves vs. rural dogs, feel like the wolves will win!]

[Even a clever housewife can’t cook a meal without rice. Ningchang University has a thin foundation, no dazzling players! Ling Huanzhen can’t make a Manchu Han Imperial Feast out of nothing!]

[Who said that? Isn’t their power forward Shuai Bei formidable? And the three-point brother is simply a point-chasing killer!]

[Why do you think the three-point brother only played for three minutes? Because he has no endurance! He must have some shortcoming, that’s why the coach is hiding him!]

…

Xia Chiyi walked behind Pang Shuai and poked his broad back. “Hey, this comment saying I have no endurance, you actually didn’t delete it?”

“Of course I can’t delete it! If I delete it, this bro will definitely go crazy, saying deleting comments means a guilty conscience, that you really have no endurance!”

“It’s annoying to look at.”

Ye Chaoying added a godly knife: “Speaking as if you’ve tested whether you have endurance or not.”

“Do you want to test it?”

“Test it then. Pass the napkins, Fatty, put on a movie!”

At this moment, the dorm door turned. Zhou Zhexiao walked in sipping milk tea. He looked up and saw Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying with hands on hips, looking like they were about to perform a face-off.

The dorm was suddenly so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying turned around quickly, each returning to their desks as if nothing had happened.

Fatty turned around and asked hesitantly, “The movie… still playing?”

“Play your head.” Ye Chaoying quickly turned to pack his things. They had to gather at the bus stop outside the school in half an hour.

Fatty also hurried to check his camera. “By the way, why doesn’t our school have a school bus for pick up and drop off?”

“School bus? Our basketball team plus you, the external personnel, is only 14 people. Can’t even fill a school bus,” Xia Chiyi said.

“So envious of the soccer team; they can fill a school bus.”

“Don’t worry, wait until next year, our basketball team will definitely catch up to the soccer team’s establishment!”

Only they didn’t expect that as soon as they arrived at the school gate, they found a school bus already parked there.

Ling Huanzhen stood at the front door of the school bus, lifting his chin: “What are you thinking about? So slow! Hurry up!”

“We… have a school bus transfer?”

“Nonsense. With me, Ling Huanzhen here, could we lack a school bus?” Ling Huanzhen put his hands on his hips, looking proud.

“Then why didn’t we have one for previous games?”

Ling Huanzhen was frank and said directly, “Because the soccer team stopped at the provincial top 8 of the league, so the school bus is ours!”

Xia Chiyi found a window seat. “Really don’t know if this is joy or sorrow.”

Ye Chaoying also sighed along: “Yeah, soccer… is also our school’s eternal pain.”

It had to be said, the basketball team’s attention continued to rise. Today, student union officers came to help, delivering water, drinks, some energy-replenishing snacks, and a big box of Ningchang University commemorative towels.

As the school bus drove along, Ling Huanzhen’s brows were tightly knitted. Suddenly, he roared, “Fuck—”

The driver almost shuddered.

“Wh… what’s wrong?” Cheng Qing asked worriedly. “Did we forget to bring something?”

“It’s Li Xiaoran! Do you know what he said? He asked if he should order me some barbecue now!”

“Th… then?”

“So when we are about to lose to Chengjiang College, I can immediately fall down and fake food poisoning!”

“Holy crap—” Shuai Bei closed his eyes.

Du He looked surprised. “That’s Qing University’s head coach… why is he so mean?”

Xia Chiyi was curious too. “When you guys teamed up for the Olympics, was he like this too?”

“This guy has always been annoying!”

“Then block him,” Shuai Bei said.

“I won’t block him. If I block him, he’ll tell everyone I’m a sore loser.”

Xia Chiyi nudged Zhou Zhexiao with his elbow and whispered, “Any inside info? Li Xiaoran is coaching at Qing University, he and our Coach Ling shouldn’t be stepping on each other’s toes, right?”

Zhou Zhexiao spoke slowly, “Over ten years ago, Li Xiaoran went to Ling Huanzhen’s university for an exchange training month. He used the half-opened sour bamboo shoots Ling Huanzhen left on the table to cook noodles, then got gastroenteritis. Li Xiaoran fainted during a game, went to the hospital, and was mocked by foreigners for falling down because he couldn’t afford to lose. The actual situation was that Ling Huanzhen hadn’t thrown away that pack of sour bamboo shoots for half a month.”

Xia Chiyi: “…Sure enough, there is no hate without cause in this world.”

“Listen, we absolutely cannot lose to Chengjiang College! Whoever drags us down will do fifty frog leaps around the basketball court!” Ling Huanzhen laid down harsh words in front of the whole team for the first time.

“Then can I play?” Xia Chiyi lay on the back of the front seat and asked.

“You? Hold it in!”

Xia Chiyi shrank back and whispered, “If I can’t play, might as well go back and practice kettlebells.”

“He will let you play,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Hearing the other’s divine prediction, Xia Chiyi laughed.

The atmosphere in the basketball hall today was more than a little livelier than before. Chengjiang College’s teachers and students occupied half the spectator seats.

And they were all wearing uniform red cultural shirts, visually very oppressive.

Ningchang University wasn’t bad either. This time, the student union helped promote vigorously. Coupled with Fatty’s nine-grid photos, many students without classes came, clamoring to watch Xia Chiyi rain threes. Xu Mi didn’t miss a single game; she found a place to set up her DV.

“Did Chengjiang College eat too much protein powder? Why does everyone look like Shuai Bei, violence value maxed out?” Ye Chaoying said while stretching.

The next second, he got hit on the back of the head with a plastic bottle.

“Say that again, who do they look like? Who has violence value maxed out?”

Ye Chaoying didn’t blush or skip a beat when steering with the wind. “Each of them looks like protein went to their heads. One look and you know they rely on brute force. How can they compare to our power forward, where speed and skill coexist, strength and restraint complement each other!”

“Hmph!”

Xia Chiyi hadn’t expected Ye Chaoying to be so eloquent.

Just as they were warming up, the red wave on the opposite side erupted in a deafening roar.

“Chengjiang College—Like wolves and tigers—”

“Chengjiang College—Thundering in ears—”

“Chengjiang College—Shaking the netherworld—”

“Chengjiang College—Shocking the world—”

Those slogans were so loud Xia Chiyi almost choked on his energy jelly.

“Xia Chiyi, what do their slogans mean? You have the highest college entrance exam score here, right?” Du He asked sincerely.

Xia Chiyi touched the tip of his nose. “Just bragging, saying they are very powerful!”

Looking at the Ningchang University alumni behind them who came to watch, dressed sparsely… everyone was shaken. Some even spilled their potato chips on the ground.

“Feel like in terms of momentum, we already lost…” Fu Chenxue said blankly.

“Not necessarily, we also have a very powerful cheerleading squad. Look over there—”

In the center of the stands, several middle-aged big brothers held up a banner: “Yesterday’s Top Power Forward, Today’s Gold Medal Head Coach.”

It was Ling Huanzhen’s support group.

Zhou Zhexiao stood beside Ling Huanzhen with his arms crossed and said slowly, “This banner was raised too early. You might get slapped in the face today.”

“Shut up.” Ling Huanzhen glanced at him. “You’d better pray I can save you, this secret weapon, for the Southeast Division games.”

“Your secret weapon was never me.”

As the referee signaled, teams from both sides entered the court.

Chengjiang College’s coach frowned, and discussions started on their bench.

“Eh, why didn’t they send out that Number 15 who is very good at three-pointers!”

“We specially studied double-teaming for him, and he’s not playing?”

“But at least they sent that Number 13 with very fast dribbling speed as a starter. Be careful too.”

In the first quarter, the opposing center gave a low roar, forcefully suppressing Du He in the jump ball and slapping the ball to his own point guard.

Chengjiang College’s speed picked up instantly, rushing into Ningchang University’s formation like splitting bamboo. With a powerful dunk, even Shuai Bei, who jumped to defend, became a foil.

“So fierce…” Xia Chiyi let out a breath.

“Did you only see their fierceness?” Zhou Zhexiao propped his chin up and asked indifferently.

“Coordination is also very good. When the point guard dribbles, there are people supporting on both sides, and they systematically break open our defensive formation. Their moving screens are done very well.”

Zhou Zhexiao and Ling Huanzhen exchanged a look. This kid’s ability to read the game was gradually improving, and his big-picture view was forming.

For many years, Xia Chiyi’s narrow vision with the basket as the endpoint was gradually becoming broader.

Chengjiang College’s set of plays was fast. One and a half minutes into the game, they had already scored 6 points, while Ningchang University still had a goose egg (zero).

Xia Chiyi propped his chin up, looking at Ye Chaoying, wanting to know how he, as the point guard, would break the situation.

“Hey, Shuai Bei, don’t be impetuous, take it slow.” Ye Chaoying smiled at Shuai Bei.

Consecutive defensive failures under the basket made Shuai Bei doubt himself internally, though he didn’t show it on his face. When he met Ye Chaoying’s smiling face, he knew this guy was going to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm.

Under the cover of Shuai Bei’s movement, Ye Chaoying successfully cut to the side of the opposing point guard. While the opponent wanted to pass, he suddenly stole the ball.

Ningchang University’s counterattack pulled up. High passes were easily intercepted by the opponent, so Ye Chaoying dribbled and cut in. This time, Chen Chuan and He Bin were on his left and right. He Bin received the ball, Chen Chuan screened, three points to break the ice!

In the following game, Ye Chaoying used his agility to constantly attract Chengjiang College players to mark him, messing up their defensive formation. Even though Chengjiang College’s coach kept shouting, the team was like a kite pulled in Ye Chaoying’s hand—near then far, fast then slow.

Although many Ningchang University students in the stands didn’t understand basketball rules, even if Ye Chaoying didn’t score a single ball, they could see his core role.

Whenever Ye Chaoying made a brilliant pass, the alumni started applauding. Boys shouted cheers at the top of their lungs, and girls clapped their hands red.

“Next time bring cheering sticks!”

“Check online if there are any, use them next game!”

“Our school team is actually this good? I’m gonna summon everyone in my dorm!”

Xia Chiyi watched Ye Chaoying speeding on the court intently. In his mind, he seemed to see the other’s perspective.

—Du He is boxing out the opposing center. He Bin has arrived near the three-point line. Chen Chuan can screen or look for an inside cut. Shuai Bei’s position is good, but… can’t give it to Shuai Bei; he’s already marked by the opponent.

If I were Ye Chaoying, what would I do?

I would fake a pass to He Bin so Chen Chuan would screen early. Chengjiang College’s attention would be pulled to the perimeter. Then give the ball to Du He, let him dunk!

Sure enough, Ye Chaoying made the exact same choice. He looked like he was going to pass to He Bin, and He Bin had already made the run to receive the ball, but the ball bypassed the defender and went to Du He. Du He lived up to expectations and dunked for points.

Along with the bang of the basket, a gasp erupted from the audience because Ye Chaoying was hit by the opponent’s elbow and fell to the ground.

“Holy crap—can they do that?”

“Did they do it on purpose!”

“Using elbows when they can’t win?”

The referee called an injury timeout and rushed over to check Ye Chaoying’s condition.

He pressed his thumb against his nose; nosebleed had already flowed down to his chin.

Cheng Qing and Fu Chenxue hurried to help him off.

The Chengjiang College player touched his elbow and whispered, “Sorry, I really didn’t mean to.”

Ye Chaoying nodded, meaning “I know.”

Just now in that position, the opponent just rushed over to defend. If it were really intentional, he would have been carried out on a stretcher.

“What do we do? We finally built up some momentum. Now that the Number 13 who is good at organizing offense is down, we’ll become loose sand.”

“So worried. Hope he can still play after stopping the bleeding!”