Chapter 041: Which High School Are You From?

“Hmm, is it too late to make an appointment now?”

“Normally it would be fine, but our photographer has something urgent to attend to and took the afternoon off. Is tomorrow okay?”

Xia Chiyi thought about how the practice matches were starting tomorrow, and he wasn’t sure if they’d have another chance to come shopping. He came up with a compromise.

“How about this? I’ll rent your blue and white school uniforms, we’ll take some photos on this street ourselves, and then return them to you when we’re done?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“That works too.”

Xia Chiyi paid the rental fee. He and Zhou Zhexiao stored their own clothes at the photo studio and continued strolling down the street.

When Zhou Zhexiao changed into the school uniform, his entire aura changed—he became much more… obedient.

With his slightly curly bangs hanging before his eyes, when those large, deep eyes looked at Xia Chiyi, it was a scene straight out of a campus idol drama. He really had that look of “gazing affectionately at even a dog.”

The key was that whatever pose Xia Chiyi asked him to do, he did it. Except for the fact that he didn’t really like to smile.

“Hey, can’t you smile just a little bit?” Xia Chiyi leaned in front of Zhou Zhexiao and asked.

Zhou Zhexiao glanced at him slowly and replied, “There is nothing interesting happening, why should I smile?”

Xia Chiyi scratched the back of his head and looked at the photo on his phone. It was just Zhou Zhexiao alone in the frame, a solitary male high school student… hmm… not lively at all. Xia Chiyi went to Zhou Zhexiao’s side. Behind them was a low wall of a small guesthouse, inlaid with various seashells and conchs; it looked quite nice. Zhou Zhexiao was silently leaning back against that wall.

“Fine, I’ll join you.” Xia Chiyi pushed off the ground and sat on top of the wall, then yanked Zhou Zhexiao. “Come here, come here.”

Zhou Zhexiao walked over. Xia Chiyi pulled him between his dangling legs and rested one hand on Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder so that both their faces appeared on the phone screen.

Xia Chiyi extended his other arm, resting his chin gently on top of Zhou Zhexiao’s head.

“I’ll tell you a dry joke. If it’s funny, please give me a smile, okay?”

“Mn, go ahead.”

“One day, you and I were lying in the same bed sleeping. You suddenly said to me, ‘This life is too short.’ I thought to myself, Wow, even Zhou Zhexiao has sentimental days?“

Xia Chiyi glanced at Zhou Zhexiao in the camera lens; he looked completely uninterested in the joke.

“Then you said, ‘My feet are so cold.'”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t react. Xia Chiyi shook him. “Hey, did you get it?”

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s the quilt! The quilt covering us! I thought at 1.92 meters, you of all people would get it!”

Just as Xia Chiyi was about to move the phone away, he noticed the corner of Zhou Zhexiao’s mouth dip very slightly.

The guy smiled. He finally smiled. That wasn’t easy.

Xia Chiyi hurriedly pressed the shutter button, capturing this precious moment.

Unfortunately, the photo didn’t just capture Zhou Zhexiao, but also Xia Chiyi looking down at him. From this angle, although you could only see Xia Chiyi’s forehead, nose tip, and eyelashes, it looked for all the world like he was about to force a kiss on Zhou Zhexiao, while Zhou Zhexiao was coldly refusing yet secretly enjoying it.

What kind of shoujo manga plot was this?

“Ah, didn’t take it well. Delete, delete, let’s do it again!”

But Zhou Zhexiao gripped Xia Chiyi’s wrist and pressed it down, bringing the phone screen in front of his face.

“No need to delete.”

Xia Chiyi was now a master at interpreting Zhou Zhexiao’s micro-expressions. He gave a wicked grin and brushed Zhou Zhexiao’s bangs up. “You like it, don’t you?”

“Mn.” Zhou Zhexiao looked up slightly and glanced at Xia Chiyi.

“Eh, wait, this is perfect!” Xia Chiyi lifted Zhou Zhexiao’s chin, used his hand to comb his bangs back again, and took a close-up of his face. “This blue and white uniform really has magic. It makes you look so innocent yet alluring.”

Zhou Zhexiao probably couldn’t comprehend how “innocent” and “alluring” could be put together, so he gave Xia Chiyi a skeptical look.

They walked and snapped photos all the way until the sun began to set, reaching the end of the street.

“Chen Chuan was talking nonsense. There’s no Civil Affairs Bureau at the end of the road!”

But there was a popular “internet celebrity” glass church.

Though called a church, there was no priest. It was just a triangular glass building. Inside the triangle was a small podium for vows, and behind it was the sea of Qincheng—blue, sparkling, with seagulls flying past the triangular window frames.

Xia Chiyi wasn’t the sentimental type, but in this moment, he felt a sudden urge to spend his whole life with someone.

Zhou Zhexiao’s voice sounded from behind him, speaking to a passerby: “Could you help take a photo for us?”

“Sure!” A girl’s cheerful voice replied.

Xia Chiyi felt a light tug on his back collar; it was Zhou Zhexiao’s finger.

“Hey, we’re two guys! This is the ‘Glass Church,’ a place for couples to vow eternal love and take wedding photos!”

Two college guys crashing the scene in high school uniforms… that was too weird, right?

“Church? Is there a priest here?” Zhou Zhexiao asked back.

“…No.”

“Then make a vow to yourself.”

“Vow what?”

By now, he and Zhou Zhexiao were standing behind the small podium. Xia Chiyi was so embarrassed his toes were curling.

Zhou Zhexiao lifted Xia Chiyi’s hand and placed it over his heart. “Promise yourself that you will keep going, that you won’t give up, until you fulfill your promise to Sheng Xingming. That you will walk onto his court, and go to places higher and farther than him.”

Xia Chiyi took a deep breath. He heard the cries of the seagulls behind him, wave after wave, seemingly tugging at his heartstrings. The air was filled with the salty scent of the ocean surrounding them, and the faint smell of citrus body wash from Zhou Zhexiao.

And Zhou Zhexiao was right beside him, half-embracing him.

It reminded him of when he was little, being lifted high above Sheng Xingming’s head, sitting on his shoulders.

He had said, One day you will grow up. You will see higher and farther than you do now, and your aiming point for shooting will change too.

Yes, the current Xia Chiyi saw not just a small hoop, but the entire court, and the infinite possibilities that changed in the blink of an eye.

“Hey, Zhou Zhexiao.”

“Mn?”

“Rather than to Sheng Xingming, I’d prefer to make a promise to you. Although the future is unknown, if we walk it together, there will definitely be super big surprises.”

This time, Zhou Zhexiao finally smiled.

When Xia Chiyi took his phone back, he heard the girl who helped take the photo say, “You two are so handsome. I can tell your relationship is really special.”

Perhaps the glow of the setting sun was too soft, but Zhou Zhexiao looked gentle enough to melt as he thanked the girl.

“Zhou Zhexiao look, there’s an open-air basketball court ahead!”

There were some posters hanging around the court; it seemed a street basketball tournament had been held there not long ago.

“Mn.”

“I’m hungry. How about we buy some snacks and sit on the steps of the basketball court to eat?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll go line up for takoyaki, you go line up for the oyster pancakes! Make sure you get them, oyster pancakes are a Qincheng specialty!”

“Mn.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Actually, Xia Chiyi had a little scheme. The line for oyster pancakes was longer. If it were him, he definitely wouldn’t have the patience, but if it was Zhou Zhexiao… that guy could stand silently with his hands in his pockets all day.

Besides the takoyaki, Xia Chiyi bought some other specialty snacks, like shrimp paste grilled fish balls and Qincheng spring rolls.

Sure enough, he arrived at the open-air court earlier than Zhou Zhexiao. He found a spot with a good view and sat down to organize his food.

It looks so good, I’m drooling. Zhou Zhexiao, hurry up.

Maybe I’ll just eat one takoyaki first. After all, this snack is everywhere, it’s not really a specialty.

Just as Xia Chiyi was struggling with whether or not to eat the takoyaki, the light in front of him was blocked.

With that height, it must be Zhou Zhexiao coming back…

Xia Chiyi looked up, but he didn’t see Zhou Zhexiao. Instead, it was a guy who looked slightly familiar, though he couldn’t remember where he’d seen him.

The guy was wearing loose sportswear, had broad shoulders and long legs, and looked to be at least 195cm tall.

“A local high school student?”

High school student? Who’s a high school student? I’m already a freshman in college!

Just as he wanted to look up and retort, he suddenly realized the guy said that because he was still wearing the blue and white uniform rented from the photo studio!

Fine, let him misunderstand. Otherwise, he’d have to explain to a stranger that he was acting young after graduating, strolling around in a high school uniform.

He’d definitely be laughed at.

The guy gave him a gentle smile. His deep, European-style double eyelids made him look mature and relaxed; even a stranger like Xia Chiyi felt his guard drop.

The description that popped into Xia Chiyi’s mind was: Looks at a dog with deep affection.

Pui pui pui! I’m not a dog!

Seeing Xia Chiyi didn’t answer, the guy spoke again, “Do you play basketball? I noticed when you were sitting here, your legs are really long.”

“…I do.”

The tall guy turned his head and made an ‘OK’ gesture to his companion. “I told you this guy plays basketball—”

Xia Chiyi was completely baffled. This person was too random. So what if I play basketball? What’s it to you?

“It’s like this, my friend and I make three people. We want to play two-on-two, but we’re missing one. Can you play a game with us?”

Xia Chiyi thought, Zhou Zhexiao will be here soon. Who knows how long their ‘one game’ takes?

He was just about to refuse when he looked down and noticed the guy was wearing this year’s newly released limited-edition sneakers. Does this guy play well?

Or is it a case of “bad student, lots of stationery”?

Seeing Xia Chiyi hesitate, the guy squatted down in front of him, as if to lower the threat of his height.

He looked at the food in Xia Chiyi’s bag and laughed. “The places you bought these from aren’t good. Wait until we finish playing, I can treat you to something better.”

Xia Chiyi looked up and met the guy’s sincere eyes. It was the first time he’d seen someone capable of such an expression—like a neighborly big brother coaxing a kid to go home and do his homework.

Once stared at by those eyes, it seemed impossible to refuse.

“Yang Huaiyu, if we can’t find anyone, we’ll just play one-on-one. Don’t use your innocent looks to scam high schoolers!”

An impatient voice rang out from the center of the court.

Yang… Yang Huaiyu?

No wonder he thought the guy looked familiar!

In the game videos he watched before, the hair on both sides of Yang Huaiyu’s head was shaved into a buzz cut, with messy curly hair on top. Paired with his somewhat European features, he looked roguishly handsome.

Not like now, with semi-long hair tied casually behind his ear with a small rubber band. That roguish air was completely gone; he just looked handsome and reliable, as if he could score with any ball passed to him.

This guy’s vibe was worlds apart from last year, which was why Xia Chiyi hadn’t recognized him.

“Don’t be scared. Those two guys look scary, but they’re decent university students. If you’re willing, be on my team. I’ll take good care of you. They’re just looking fierce to scare you.” Yang Huaiyu smiled again, shallow wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes.

If he hadn’t seen this guy play, Xia Chiyi would have truly been fooled by his innocent act.

Anyone who watched the First Division League knew that Yang Huaiyu’s playstyle was fierce, sharp, and merciless.

Yang Huaiyu was still looking at Xia Chiyi with earnest eyes, but Xia Chiyi’s heart was pounding like a drum.

Holy crap! Ye Zhaoying said before that we should fiercely seduce the Qincheng University players, and the opportunity just arrived like this?

“Let me warm up?” Xia Chiyi said.

“Ah, you agree? Great.”

Xia Chiyi went to the sideline and stretched his shoulders and legs.

The two university students opposite were deliberately being sarcastic.

“Yo, Yang Huaiyu, the high schooler you found looks pretty professional! Maybe his wish this year is to get into your Qincheng University!”

“We play really rough! You better protect him!”

“Yang Huaiyu, why don’t you just call someone from your team? To play against us, you should at least call Li Shunchuan or Ke Yan, right?”

Xia Chiyi had heard those two names too.

Li Shunchuan was Qincheng University’s shooting guard, one of the three great sharpshooters of the University League.

Ke Yan played point guard, the tough central hub of their offense.

Simply put, they were all experts. Connecting any of them with Yang Huaiyu would be like holding four Aces or four Twos in poker.

Since the two opponents were talking so arrogantly, they were likely players from a strong team too.

Yang Huaiyu was just about to tell Xia Chiyi “ignore them,” but unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi looked calm. He even extended his left pinky finger and pointed it downwards, coolly dissing them back.

Yang Huaiyu rubbed his chin, suddenly finding the high schooler in front of him quite cute.

“What’s the background on those two?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Yang Huaiyu patiently helped stretch Xia Chiyi’s back and smiled. “Mining University.”

Xia Chiyi stopped and tilted his head to look at Yang Huaiyu. “Mining University? Qincheng University’s sworn rivals? You guys didn’t kill each other enough in the quarterfinals, you have to do it here too?”

“Haha, yeah! The taller one is Ma Tao, plays power forward, he’s on their first team. The other one… I don’t remember his name, just pretend his name is Little Ming…”

Xia Chiyi looked at Yang Huaiyu with disbelief. That’s a Mining University player, it’s fine if you don’t remember his name, but you’re renaming him?

“If Little Ming doesn’t work, Little Fang is fine too.” Yang Huaiyu spread his hands. “Don’t look at me like that. That guy is probably a freshman, I haven’t played against him so I really can’t remember his name.”

Xia Chiyi was about to ask what “Little Ming’s” real name was, but Yang Huaiyu stopped him. He shook his hand and said, “Don’t ask. If you ask, playing ball will turn into a brawl.”

“Uh…” Xia Chiyi seriously suspected that Little Ming wasn’t a freshman at all, and that Yang Huaiyu simply couldn’t remember people’s names.

“These two ran over from Fu Province for a trip. I was shopping at a supermarket nearby, and bumped right into them as soon as I walked out.” Yang Huaiyu leaned into Xia Chiyi’s ear and said in a helpless tone, “It’s simply cross-province trolling.”

Xia Chiyi couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“What are you good at?” Yang Huaiyu asked.

“Everything’s okay.” Xia Chiyi stood up and looked at Yang Huaiyu. “Why, don’t believe me?”

Yang Huaiyu maintained his kindly smile. To him, this high schooler probably hadn’t seen the intensity of the First Division League; his naivety was cute.

However, he had absolute confidence in his own strength, so whether Xia Chiyi was good or not didn’t matter to him.

—He just needed to continue being a cool, sassy, and slightly cute high school student.

“Full court! Half court is too cramped, it’s boring!” Ma Tao shouted.

Yang Huaiyu glanced at Xia Chiyi and nodded. “No problem.”

“Whoever scores 10 goals first wins. Finish it quickly, the food I bought is getting cold,” Xia Chiyi shouted.

“Damn, Qincheng high schoolers are arrogant!” Little Ming had been provoking them for so long, probably not expecting that he hadn’t even left a name in Yang Huaiyu’s mind.

“Don’t worry, Big Brother scores fast. You’ll be able to go back to eating your junk food in no time!” Ma Tao stood with hands on his hips, shouting with full breath.

Xia Chiyi let out a cold snort. Maybe he had been with Zhou Zhexiao too long, because he blurted out, “Walking sideways like a crab in your own village is one thing, but running to Qincheng and thinking you’re the ancestor is another.”

“Damn, let’s see if you can still be this cocky in a minute, kid!” Ma Tao wasn’t angry; instead, he was amused.

Yang Huaiyu couldn’t help laughing either.

He turned his face to look at Xia Chiyi. The stadium lights shone on his face; though handsome, he still looked a bit childish. Yet, his gaze held a rare determination. If anyone underestimated him, this sharp blade might go straight for the throat.

“Visitors first, you guys go ahead.” Yang Huaiyu lifted his chin.

Mining University wasn’t polite at all. Little Ming dribbled straight toward Xia Chiyi.

In their view, high school students were inexperienced and conceited—the easiest to break through.

Yang Huaiyu moved laterally quickly, wanting to help Xia Chiyi with defense, but the high schooler in the blue and white uniform performed far beyond his expectations.

Xia Chiyi’s eyes were fixed on the ball in Little Ming’s hand. The moment the ball bounced off the ground, he suddenly reached out and scooped it away!

“Get back on defense—” Ma Tao shouted.

The two of them returned to defense extremely fast—the half-court sprint training of a national top-eight team was no joke—but Yang Huaiyu still ran to Xia Chiyi’s side first to support him.

He thought the high schooler would pass, but Xia Chiyi did a sudden stop, stepped back, and raised his hand for a jump shot!

“Rebound!”

Ma Tao shouted, but Yang Huaiyu didn’t run towards the hoop.

Because although Xia Chiyi’s shot was urgent and fast, his posture in the air was calm and elegant. The ball swooshed into the basket.

Xia Chiyi took two steps back, extended his index finger toward Ma Tao, and said, “First ball, Mining University.”

Holy crap? I actually scored a jump shot against Mining University? Master! Uncle Fan! Did you see that?

Wait… they haven’t ascended to heaven yet, what the hell am I saying!

Xia Chiyi really used immense self-control to maintain a cool expression like Zhou Zhexiao’s.

Yang Huaiyu’s expression changed from surprise to joy. He pressed down hard on the top of the high schooler’s head. “You’re pretty good! Which middle school?”

“If you can pull a double-clutch past both of them alone, I’ll tell you.”

Yang Huaiyu pinched Xia Chiyi’s neck. “Score another one, let me make sure it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“You hurry up and do a layup too, let me see if you’re just a pretty face.”

“So, you think I’m handsome?” Yang Huaiyu smiled even more obviously.

“Smile my ass.”

This time it was their turn to attack. Yang Huaiyu deliberately let Xia Chiyi dribble, clearly wanting to see his high-speed dribbling again.

Xia Chiyi stared patiently at Little Ming in front of him. Little Ming’s eyes revealed a determination to wipe away his previous shame.

Xia Chiyi accelerated without warning. Little Ming barely kept up with the defense, but Xia Chiyi did a wide crossover and pullback, shaking Little Ming so bad he almost fell over.

On the contrary, Ma Tao, despite his large size, was surprisingly fast at helping on defense. He kept pressing Xia Chiyi, restricting his field of vision.

Xia Chiyi suddenly took a step back and rapidly lowered the ball. Ma Tao made a split-second decision to block him, but who knew he would throw the ball behind him.

Yang Huaiyu’s face was expressionless, but he was shocked inside: How did this kid know I was behind him?

But he didn’t have time to think too much. At full speed, he pierced through Ma Tao and Little Ming’s defense and scored a layup.

“Two balls.” Yang Huaiyu smiled and flashed a peace sign at Ma Tao.

“Tsk.”

Soon, Ma Tao broke through with imposing momentum, like a rolling tank. Xia Chiyi could only shadow him. He and Yang Huaiyu jumped together to defend, but they couldn’t withstand Ma Tao’s powerful dunk.

With a loud boom, the basketball hoop trembled.

“Hey, take it easy. If you break the hoop, you have to pay for it.” Yang Huaiyu offered a friendly reminder, receiving an international hand gesture in return.

Compared to Ma Tao’s dunk, what surprised Yang Huaiyu more was Xia Chiyi’s performance.

Ma Tao was fast, but the high schooler could return to defense in time. Looking at the entire Qincheng University, aside from their point guard Ke Yan and Yang Huaiyu himself, there probably wasn’t a third person with that kid’s speed.

Facing Ma Tao’s dunk, the high schooler dared to meet it head-on, not fearing the physical confrontation at all. Most importantly, his defense under the basket was measured—no fouling, and no meaningless confrontation that would lead to injury.

Under the current collision rules, this sense of propriety was a very important quality.

Seeing the calm expression on the high schooler beside him, Yang Huaiyu couldn’t help teasing him: “Put your hand on your chest. Is your heart pounding from that dunk just now?”

Xia Chiyi tilted his head. “Hey, a dead person’s heart doesn’t pound.”

“Haha.”

Next, Xia Chiyi easily passed Little Ming. Facing Ma Tao’s defense, he made a beautiful and powerful bounce pass, the landing point right on Ma Tao’s left side.

When Ma Tao moved laterally to scoop the ball, Yang Huaiyu caught it.

Xia Chiyi took the opportunity to break through to the basket. Yang Huaiyu smiled slightly and threw a fast pass.

The ball had great power and speed, and the distance was short. Xia Chiyi felt anger rush to his head—he’d never seen a pass like this!

Xia Chiyi reached out and caught the ball with one hand. Because of the running position for this ball, he shook off Little Ming who came to defend. Although Ma Tao had turned around and was rushing over, Xia Chiyi jumped calmly and pushed the ball out.

Ma Tao looked up. “How is it so fast again?”

Little Ming was also stunned. The entire Mining University team had been practicing quick releases all year, but no one was as fast as this high schooler.

The basketball passed through the hoop. Xia Chiyi made an ‘OK’ gesture over his eye, meaning “Big Brother has piercing eyes and shoots with perfect accuracy.”

Yang Huaiyu had never seen such a smooth and natural shooting motion. Many people on the team were easily affected when shooting against tall defenders.

But this high schooler in front of him was incredibly calm. Even when Ma Tao charged over, the corner of his mouth held a hint of a smile.

Xia Chiyi hopped twice in place and pointed at Ma Tao. “You are Kuafu, and my shot is the sun!”

Kuafu chased the sun, and only ended up exhausting himself to death.

Yang Huaiyu couldn’t help laughing out loud. So formidable, and so cute.

“Kid, don’t get cocky!”

Xia Chiyi retreated to defend, glancing sideways at Yang Huaiyu. “Put away your gums! Can you stop just making up the numbers?”

“Alright.”

Yang Huaiyu’s gaze darkened. He had to show some skill. If the high schooler next to him had originally put Qincheng University as his choice, but changed it to Mining University because Yang’s performance today was trash, that would really be a billion-dollar loss.

Ma Tao and Little Ming coordinated their attack again. Xia Chiyi aimed for an opportunity to steal Ma Tao’s pass to Little Ming. Unexpectedly, Ma Tao used a fake, deceiving Xia Chiyi. Just as he was about to go for a layup, he was blocked by Yang Huaiyu with a loud bang!

Xia Chiyi froze. Yang Huaiyu was clearly some distance away from Ma Tao—when did he catch up?

And his explosive jumping power was incredible, arriving second but striking first. That block had immense force; even Ma Tao was shaken.

“Fast break—” Yang Huaiyu’s cold voice rang out, seemingly entering Xia Chiyi’s brain and injecting a stimulating power into his heart.

Xia Chiyi caught the ball and accelerated immediately. Yang Huaiyu followed at his side. Ma Tao and Little Ming ran frantically. Little Ming interfered with Xia Chiyi’s dribbling, constantly watching his every move. But he didn’t expect that Xia Chiyi would pass the ball to Yang Huaiyu without even looking.

Does this guy have eyes on the side of his head?! Little Ming watched the pass, his heart on the verge of collapse.

Yang Huaiyu went straight to the basket. His jump was higher than a normal layup. Xia Chiyi thought he was doing it to avoid Ma Tao’s defense—after all, Ma Tao was like a wall… but Yang Huaiyu’s hang time exceeded Xia Chiyi’s imagination. He calmly folded his body, and when he extended, he wrapped the ball around Ma Tao’s left arm and sent it into the basket.

Xia Chiyi stood there, unable to say if his dynamic vision was too good or if Yang Huaiyu’s aerial balance and tension were too strong, making the double-clutch layup look like it was in 0.9x slow motion.

After landing, Yang Huaiyu looked back at Xia Chiyi. His eyes held a smile, but mostly the extreme excitement of capturing prey.

Xia Chiyi’s throat made a gulping sound.

Yang Huaiyu walked up to Xia Chiyi and whispered, “If you chose Qincheng University on your application, definitely don’t change it, okay?”

This time, Xia Chiyi’s heart beat wildly, and a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

Could he tell the truth, that he never put Qincheng University on his application?

…Because Qincheng University’s cutoff score was 12 points higher than Ningchang University’s.

This double-clutch layup clearly stimulated Ma Tao. Xia Chiyi had seen many big guys dribble; usually, there was a bit of clumsiness or stagnation. But Ma Tao’s dribbling was smooth and rapid. An extremely realistic fake actually fooled Yang Huaiyu, but Xia Chiyi was already chasing at his side.

Ma Tao was stunned: How did this kid keep up?

Even Little Ming showed a surprised expression. He didn’t expect this high schooler to not only have a strong sense for help defense but also be this fast!

Not only that, Yang Huaiyu returned to defense at top speed. As Ma Tao went for the layup, he jumped to defend too.

Ma Tao’s off-hand fiercely blocked Yang Huaiyu’s attempt. Just as he thought the ball would go in smoothly, another hand appeared between him and Yang Huaiyu, steadily hooking the ball away!

Ma Tao hadn’t even felt anyone approaching from behind!

Little Ming’s eyes went wide. He suspected he was seeing things.

This high schooler jumped sideways, his movements clean without a hint of a foul, and just took away a ball that everyone thought was a sure thing?

As soon as Xia Chiyi landed, he rushed towards the opponent’s basket. Little Ming charged up to defend.

Before even reaching the three-point line, Xia Chiyi suddenly braked. Little Ming couldn’t stop at all, while Xia Chiyi completed a super long-distance shot within half a second.

Ma Tao and Yang Huaiyu turned around, watching the ball go into the basket as if destined. The breath held in their chests could finally be released.

“Holy crap!” Ma Tao suddenly charged aggressively toward Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi had just landed and steadied himself when his shoulder was grabbed by Ma Tao’s hand. He was yanked 180 degrees around, nearly snapping his neck.

“You actually blocked me!”

Xia Chiyi stared blankly at him, thinking, I’m not going to get beaten up by him, right?

“When you walk by the river, how can your shoes not get wet…” Xia Chiyi patted Ma Tao’s arm. “If you do layups often enough, you’re bound to get blocked once or twice.”

These words amused Yang Huaiyu standing nearby.

“Don’t apply to Qincheng University, apply to our Mining University! You can definitely apply for a full scholarship! And our Mining University has a specialized nutritionist team. Whether you want BBQ, hot pot, or crayfish, it’s no problem!”

“Huh?” Xia Chiyi looked confused.

Yang Huaiyu’s face changed immediately. He yanked Xia Chiyi behind him, reaching out to block Ma Tao and stopping him from moving forward.

“Hey, Ma Tao, no poaching like this!”

“How is this poaching? I’m letting him know life has different options! Let me tell you, Qincheng University’s cafeteria is bland and tasteless. Their coaches do random checks on their diet. Anyone whose body fat percentage isn’t up to standard gets trained until they throw up!”

Xia Chiyi scratched the back of his head. The situation seemed to be developing differently than he imagined.

“Our game… aren’t we continuing?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Ma Tao waved his big hand. “Continue what? The difference in strength between friends and foes is too big. I was wondering why you didn’t call Li Shunchuan or Ke Yan, Yang Huaiyu. Turns out you had a secret weapon all along!”

Xia Chiyi shouted from behind Yang Huaiyu, “Before today, he didn’t know me!”

Yang Huaiyu pushed the “high schooler” label back down and continued blocking Ma Tao. “Don’t be like this. Your Mining University has such a rich source of students, spanning north and south. Didn’t you see what he bought? He likes seafood, right?”

Xia Chiyi didn’t know whether to nod or shake his head. Ningchang was an inland city, so seafood was scarce.

“I like grilled oysters and prawns.”

Yang Huaiyu smiled. “See? When you come to study at Qincheng University later, we just have to say the word to the cafeteria, and they can make oysters and prawns in 108 different ways for you.”

But Ma Tao didn’t plan to give up. He reached out to grab Xia Chiyi, and they started playing a game of eagle catching chicks.

“Kid, which middle school are you from?” Ma Tao’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

“Ah?” Xia Chiyi froze. “I… Which middle school am I from?”

“Look, you scared him. Don’t tell him, tell me later.” Yang Huaiyu smiled and turned his face.

Ah? I don’t want to tell you either!

Anyway, we’ll meet at the practice match tomorrow!

Just then, a cold, penetrating voice came from behind.

“Xia Chiyi, are you still eating your oyster pancake?”

Xia Chiyi turned around and saw Zhou Zhexiao, also wearing the blue and white school uniform, standing on the steps. He was holding a bag containing oil paper with several bamboo skewers sticking out.

Xia Chiyi suddenly felt like he was seeing a savior.

“Ah—why did you take so long to buy a pancake—”

Ignoring the other two, Xia Chiyi turned and sprinted toward Zhou Zhexiao like an antelope escaping a predator hunt.

Yang Huaiyu turned around and saw the tall figure standing at the bottom of the steps.

The light there wasn’t bright enough for Yang Huaiyu to see the person’s features clearly, but an aura that seemed to freeze everything spread through the air.

The person’s figure was lean and powerful, with an excellent wingspan. In terms of physical conditions, he was definitely a good seedling for basketball.

“Hey, you haven’t said yet, which high school are you from?” Yang Huaiyu raised his voice and asked openly.

Xia Chiyi’s shoulders stiffened. He looked up at Zhou Zhexiao and mouthed: Let’s go quickly.

Who knew Zhou Zhexiao would open his mouth and answer: “Ningchang No. 3 High School.”

After speaking, he bent down, picked up the things Xia Chiyi bought earlier, turned, and walked away.

Without thinking, Xia Chiyi immediately followed.

Ma Tao took out his phone and hurriedly messaged his coach, terrified he would forget in a moment that the kid was from Ningchang No. 3 High School.

Yang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “From Ningchang? Today is only Friday. Did he skip class to come play? Or has a sports student already been scouted by a coach, so he doesn’t care about the college entrance exam?”