Chapter 0066: The Losers Dance the Girl Group Dance

For Xia Chiyi, he didn’t actually want to be called a “sharpshooter,” because three-pointers weren’t the only thing he knew how to do.

His brain had been heavily influenced by Zhou Zhexiao for a full two quarters of the game; the continuous heating made Xia Chiyi’s blood boil along with it.

The heaven-defying maneuver of suspending in the air past three defenders, Xia Chiyi couldn’t pull it off.

But posting up for a one-on-one followed by a turnaround fadeaway jump shot—he particularly wanted to try that.

His first turnaround fadeaway jump shot had its balance disrupted by Yuan Yang, and the ball didn’t go in. Zhou Zhexiao grabbed the rebound and threw it directly back to Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi still chose to post up and confront Yuan Yang.

Yuan Yang finally understood—Xia Chiyi was treating this as a practice session!

It truly was a case of low physical damage, but extremely high insult.

Yuan Yang held in a breath of frustration and knocked the ball away just as Xia Chiyi turned around.

After a few rounds, Xia Chiyi was dead set on his goal, insisting on practicing his turnaround fadeaway jump shot right in front of Yuan Yang.

“If I let you score this, I’ll take your last name!” Yuan Yang’s anger was also provoked to a boiling point.

Xia Chiyi smiled so widely his left canine tooth showed, “Xia Yang. Let me tell you, it actually sounds pretty good!”

The other teammates also supported Xia Chiyi. In their eyes, any skills Xia Chiyi honed during practice matches were bonus points for official matches.

“Don’t chicken out, shoot it!” Shuai Bei shouted from under the basket.

Du He also clapped his hands: “First time strangers! Second time friends! Third and fourth time, easy as pie!”

Ye Zhaoying also bared his teeth and laughed: “If you make it, I’ll cover Zhou Zhexiao’s milk tea for a week!”

“Why is it that if I make the shot, the one whose milk tea you cover is Zhou Zhexiao’s?”

Finally, Xia Chiyi launched his third turnaround fadeaway. The ball still hit the rim, leading to another “Battle of the Gods” for the rebound. The ball bounced around the fingertips of several tall guys before finally landing in the hands of Xiangnan U of T.

Before the arrival of the final quarter, Zhou Zhexiao asked Xia Chiyi, “Do you just absolutely have to learn this?”

“Yes, this is too useful!” Xia Chiyi wiped the sweat from his chin.

It wasn’t that Xia Chiyi couldn’t do it at all, but his rhythm, accuracy, and anti-interference ability in the air didn’t seem as stable as Zhou Zhexiao’s.

“Don’t let Yuan Yang disrupt your rhythm. Before you turn, the positioning between you and Yuan Yang determines whether he can interfere with you. So everything depends on what happens before the turn, not after.”

Zhou Zhexiao draped a towel over Xia Chiyi’s head and pressed the top of his head through the towel. “Close your eyes. Forget my rhythm, and forget Yuan Yang’s containment of you. Refresh your brain, and start over in the fourth quarter.”

Xia Chiyi lowered his head and adjusted his breathing; he understood what Zhou Zhexiao meant.

Previously, he kept missing his turnaround jump shots. He kept trying, but he was constantly repeating the wrong process. Actually, the real key was the position of the turn, not the fadeaway jump shot itself.

Ye Zhaoying squatted in front of him and said with a smile, “I’ll keep passing you the ball, you keep practicing!”

Feeling the support of his teammates, Xia Chiyi’s blood boiled with passion.

The final quarter of the game began. Xiangnan U of T’s score was trailing, but their playing style remained impassioned and cadenced, showing no signs of decline.

Such an opponent also earned Ningchang University’s utmost respect; everyone went all out on defense.

Ye Zhaoying intercepted the ball again. He originally wanted to pass it to Zhou Zhexiao, but Zhou Zhexiao gestured with his chin towards Xia Chiyi’s position.

This guy was clearly being closely guarded by Yuan Yang, yet he still dared to ask Ye Zhaoying for the ball, his eyes screaming, “Give it to me, give it to me.”

“Here you go—” With a pass from a tricky angle, Ye Zhaoying bypassed Yuan Yang’s interception and truly delivered the ball into Xia Chiyi’s hands.

You brat, if this shot doesn’t go in again, I’ll spank your butt to pieces when we get back!

Xia Chiyi caught the ball, staying close to Yuan Yang as he accelerated for a breakthrough. Yuan Yang rigidly guarded Xia Chiyi’s route. Just as he was about to reach the end of the three-point arc, Xia Chiyi suddenly spun around. Due to inertia, Yuan Yang couldn’t stop him in time and could only shout: “Help defense—”

A tall player came over to block the shot, but Xia Chiyi executed a light and elegant fadeaway jump shot. The ball traced a melodious arc. Even though the defending player stretched his arm to the breaking point, he couldn’t touch it in the slightest.

“Bravo!”

Even though the ball hadn’t entered the basket yet, Zhou Zhexiao praised it in advance.

That ball unhurriedly passed through the hoop.

Yuan Yang stared blankly, then covered his eyes. “No way…”

His teammates, however, were very good at kicking a man when he was down.

“From this moment on, your name is Xia Yang!”

“Captain Xia, don’t forget you still have the hundred frog leaps from being stolen by Ye Zhaoying!”

Yuan Yang pointed at Xia Chiyi and said, “Just today, only for today I am called Xia Yang. I absolutely will not change my ID card for you!”

Xia Chiyi smiled. “It’s fine. If I make another shot, you’ll be called Xia Yang tomorrow too.”

“Bring it! Bring it! Bring it!” Yuan Yang tilted his chin up.

Although Xiangnan U of T was known as the wolf pack, Xia Chiyi suddenly realized… they might actually be a pack of huskies.

In the end, the score of the practice match between Xiangnan University of Technology and Ningchang University froze at 91 to 113. Zhou Zhexiao alone scored 62 points.

When the whistle blew, Ling Huanzhen let out a deep breath. Thank goodness… Even that great demon Sheng Xingming never made him dance a girl group dance. If he had to sacrifice his first time while being a coach, that would truly be…

“Oh oh oh oh—oh oh oh—We get to see Xiangnan University of Technology dance a girl group dance!” Xia Chiyi turned around excitedly and hugged Ye Zhaoying.

“Girl group dance! Girl group dance!” Ye Zhaoying also bounced around with Xia Chiyi.

Shuai Bei let out a breath: “Are these two combined even six years old?”

“I… I want to watch it too…” Du He said quietly.

They originally thought the players of Xiangnan U of T would be coy and bashful, but who knew Yuan Yang would put his hands on his hips and ask, “Do you want to watch it now? Or after lunch?”

“What? Don’t you guys need to rehearse? You can perform it immediately?” Xia Chiyi was stunned.

“It’s just a girl group dance, right? It doesn’t burn that many calories anyway.”

“Yeah. There’s another practice match tomorrow; it’s still uncertain who will win and who will lose. Why don’t we show you an example? Who knows, maybe you’ll have to dance it tomorrow.” Yuan Yang looked completely indifferent.

“Wait… hold on a minute…”

“Wait for what? Do you want to wait for us to buy little girl group skirts online, put them on, and then dance for you? Even if we wanted to wear them, they don’t carry our sizes!” the opposing team’s power forward said.

“It sounds as if you guys have bought them before?” Ye Zhaoying asked.

Yuan Yang had a “you guys really make a fuss over nothing” expression on his face, raising his voice to say: “Of course we’ve bought them before.”

What kind of basketball team is this exactly!

In the end, Ningchang University decided that life still needed a sense of ritual. Since they were going to appreciate a girl group dance, they decided to go to the showers, wash up clean, change clothes, sit in neat rows, and seriously appreciate Xiangnan U of T’s performance.

“Can we record it on our phones?” Du He asked.

The other party wore a “you really lack experience” expression.

“Record it on your phones for what? Just search on any short video website, and you’ll find a ton of them!”

After speaking, Xiangnan U of T had already lined up in formation, with the music from a phone speaker turned up to the maximum.

Little did anyone expect, when it came to girl group dances—Xiangnan U of T was professional!

They flawlessly executed all sorts of waist-swaying and hip-tossing poses, and were extremely synchronized to boot.

Even their expressions were super on point. As a few winks flew over, Xia Chiyi felt like he had been shot.

There was a sense of power amidst the allure. They were clearly twisting with such rhythm, yet it didn’t feel pretentious at all.

“Wow, kings of dance…”

“I originally thought it would burn my eyes, I didn’t expect I’d want to shout ‘encore’!”

“Bros, why are you still playing basketball? Wouldn’t it be better to debut right here on the spot?”

The four-minute dance ended in the blink of an eye.

The Ningchang University side was still left wanting more, shouting loudly for an “Encore.”

Yuan Yang smiled. “Then you guys have to beat us again in tomorrow’s practice match.”

Surprised, Ling Huanzhen asked Coach Zhao next to him, “Their girl group dance is really practiced. You can tell they have a deep foundation?”

Coach Zhao laughed. “They love to play around. In intra-squad practice matches, the losers have to dance a girl group dance. I don’t know how, but they have quite the desire to perform in this area. Then, the program our basketball team put on for the school anniversary was also a girl group dance, and it was quite popular.”

Ling Huanzhen: This is actually a thing?

Although they lost the game, Yuan Yang and his team didn’t suffer too big of a blow. On the contrary, they enthusiastically took Xia Chiyi and his team to their school’s cafeteria to experience Xiangnan’s delicacies.

Xiangnan’s flavor profile was relatively similar to Ningchang’s, except Ningchang focused on savory umami, while Xiangnan’s dishes were more fragrant and spicy.

Xia Chiyi had a great appetite, consecutively polishing off two large bowls of rice.

His phone vibrated. Xia Chiyi took it out to look and found it was a message from Yang Huaiyu.

[How many points did you win by in the practice match with Xiangnan U of T?]

Xia Chiyi sniffled his nose, which was red from the spice, and replied: [Won by over twenty points.]

Yang Huaiyu: [Then our Qincheng University is still more formidable, right? When are you coming over to play a practice match again?]

Xia Chiyi: [But I like Xiangnan U of T more!]

Yang Huaiyu, who was also eating, rested his chin on his hand and revealed a puzzled expression: [Do they also have opponents at my level there?]

It wasn’t Yang Huaiyu boasting, but outside of the national top four, it should be very difficult to find someone at his level.

Xia Chiyi: [Because their cafeteria’s stir-fried yellow beef is super delicious! They also know how to dance a girl group dance, do you guys?]

Seeing this message, Yang Huaiyu nearly choked.

Ke Yan across from him protectively covered his own meal tray. “Yang Huaiyu, can you handle yourself! You even choke eating steamed egg with clams!”

“A-Yan… we might end up having to learn how to dance a girl group dance!” Yang Huaiyu said in a serious tone.

“Ah? Why? Is this Daji Liu’s punishment for you?” Li Shunchuan turned his head to ask.

“No, no, no… Liu Suchen’s demands might be even higher, asking me to learn the electric guitar to accompany him or something… It’s Xia Chiyi, he was seduced by Xiangnan U of T’s girl group dance.”

Right after Yang Huaiyu finished speaking, they started searching online, and then a bunch of them lowered their heads to look at their phones.

“Hiss ha hiss ha… to be fair, Xiangnan U of T really does dance it well!”

“They are truly versatile and multi-talented! This makes our Qincheng University seem very boring in comparison…”

“Should we also cook something up?”

“Cook up what? Smashing a large rock on the chest?”

A group of people looked at Yang Huaiyu, which gave Yang Huaiyu a bad feeling.

“Don’t look at me like that, I charge money for that.”

Ke Yan: “We were thinking… you could practice a Striptease.”

Yang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. “Ke Yan, is your skin itching for a beating?”

However, since he had received the game results, Ke Yan, wearing his alt account, went onto Weibo in high spirits. He found the comment that ridiculed their Qincheng University and replied to the other party: [Ningchang University beat Xiangnan U of T by over 20 points! Those idiots who laughed at Qincheng University for only beating Ningchang University by 2 points should just turn to dust and vanish!]

Speaking of this, Xia Chiyi carried his beef soup noodles over to Yuan Yang. He patted the other’s back and asked curiously, “Can I ask, where did you hear that Zhou Zhexiao was going to score 50 points off you by himself?”

“Didn’t he post the comment on Weibo himself?” Yuan Yang asked, looking baffled.

“Huh? Impossible, Zhou Zhexiao doesn’t even have a Weibo account.”

“Is that so?”

Yuan Yang took out his phone, tapped open the Weibo post made by Xu Mi, scrolled for a long time, and found the comment made by a netizen named “Ningchang University Invincible NO. 14”: [You guys just wait! Ningchang University’s Zhou Zhexiao can definitely crush Xiangnan University of Technology! Scoring 50 points by himself will be no problem at all!]

Xia Chiyi was slurping noodles. When he saw this comment, he couldn’t help but burp.

“Yuan Yang… no, wait, today you have to take my last name and be called Xia Yang. How did you know this was Zhou Zhexiao boasting?”

“We researched your previous matches. Isn’t Zhou Zhexiao’s jersey number 14? This ID ‘Ningchang University’s No. 14’, wouldn’t that be Zhou Zhexiao…?” Yuan Yang pointed in Zhou Zhexiao’s direction.

“Oh my god, look carefully. The IP of this comment is in Fu Province, while our Ningchang University is in Jin Province.”

Only then did Yuan Yang belatedly rub his chin. “Seems like it. This IP is from Fu Province; it looks like we misunderstood…”

Xia Chiyi narrowed his eyes, pointed at the comment, and said: “This person is definitely a fan of Yang Huaiyu! When a comment said Yang Huaiyu was ‘no good’ and ‘too soft,’ he immediately went up to clap back. Since Yang Huaiyu is on par with Zhou Zhexiao, that means if Zhou Zhexiao could single-handedly score 50 points against you, it implies Yang Huaiyu could also single-handedly score that many points against you!”

“So that’s how it is. I was wondering why your Ningchang University, no matter how formidable, would be this arrogant on the internet. It was our misunderstanding, sorry about that!”

Yuan Yang patted Xia Chiyi’s shoulder, and then actually used his main Weibo account to directly reply to that person.

[Bro, you were right. Zhou Zhexiao did single-handedly score 50 points against us, and Ningchang University is indeed very strong. However, if you are Yang Huaiyu’s fan, just using your idol’s name is fine, to avoid causing misunderstandings. The players of Ningchang University are truly simple, honest, and low-key. Zhou Zhexiao doesn’t even have a Weibo.]

Xia Chiyi was stunned. “You just admitted it online like that… Aren’t you afraid of being flamed by people for losing the game?”

Yuan Yang looked indifferent. “What’s the big deal? When I first joined the varsity team, Xiangnan U of T used to lose frequently. If you want to gain experience, you have to challenge opponents stronger than yourself. So if you challenge every day and lose every day, and if you care about being flamed, then just work hard to win next time.”

Xia Chiyi threw his arms around Yuan Yang. “You are the most lovable opponent I’ve ever met.”

Yuan Yang also patted Xia Chiyi’s back. “Then you guys should play more practice matches with us!”

“Are there any perks?”

“If you make it to the national top four, we’ll go be your cheerleaders! Once we step out, whether it’s Qing University or Southwest Aviation University’s cheerleading squad, we’ll blow them all away until not even scum remains!” Yuan Yang extended his right hand, looking like a stage host.

At this time, Xia Chiyi’s WeChat vibrated. It was sent by Ke Yan.

[Sorry about that, that “Ningchang University Invincible NO. 14” is my alt account. Seems like it was misunderstood. I changed my alt account name just because I wanted to cheer for you guys.]

Xia Chiyi was stunned. The case was finally solved.

[So the NO. 14 is because you are a fan of our team’s Zhou Zhexiao?]

Ke Yan: […To tell you the truth, that is my 14th alt account.]

Xia Chiyi’s face darkened with metaphorical black lines.

Ke Yan: [For Xiangnan University of Technology’s captain to use his main account to admit the game results, I feel quite embarrassed.]

Xia Chiyi smiled: [If you feel embarrassed, then arrange a practice match with them.]

Ke Yan: [Then if we win, will they also dance?]

Xia Chiyi laughed. He leaned close to Yuan Yang’s ear and asked, “Someone from Qincheng University just asked, if they play a practice match with you, will there be a girl group dance to watch if they win?”

Yuan Yang was momentarily stunned. “Qincheng University was the national third place last year! Are they willing to play a practice match with us?”

Xia Chiyi smiled. “They are pretty nice people, not arrogant at all. Why wouldn’t they be willing to play a practice match with you?”

Yuan Yang patted his chest and said, “Then you tell them, if Yang Huaiyu can also single-handedly score 50 points against us, even if they want to watch a full girl group cultural performance, we can whip one up for them!”

Xia Chiyi’s mouth dropped open into the shape of an egg. He truly and incredibly admired Xiangnan University of Technology. This courage to seek abuse was truly too rare.

Just as Xia Chiyi sent the WeChat message, Ke Yan instantly replied: [Bring it! Bring it! Bring it! We originally really wanted to invite you guys next week, but we heard you’re going to play a match against Capital Electric Power University. If Xiangnan U of T is willing to come, that’s great! We’ll treat them to seafood!]

Upon learning that Xia Chiyi had helped them arrange a practice match with Qincheng University, before he had even finished the beef in his rice noodles, Xia Chiyi was lifted up by their players and tossed toward the ceiling.

“Sometimes I really envy Xia Chiyi. No matter where he goes, he can easily mingle with others. Just look at him, anyone who didn’t know better would think he won the national MVP,” Ye Zhaoying said enviously.

Shuai Bei evaluated: “Perhaps he is the number one social butterfly of our Ningchang.”

“What year is Yuan Yang in?” He Bin asked.

“He should be a junior this year.”

“Oh, Ningchang’s ‘Brother Harvester’ truly lives up to his reputation.”

At this time, watching the ceiling rapidly alternating between far and near, Xia Chiyi’s face turned green with fright.

“Put me down—I’m gonna throw up—I’m gonna throw up—”

On the same day, the practice match between Qing University and Chujiang University ended. Qing University took the game with a large score difference, defeating Chujiang University.

Liu Suchen once again broke the single-game scoring record against Chujiang University—65 points.

The captain of the Chujiang University varsity team, Gao Chong, took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his face.

Liu Suchen walked to his side and lightly bumped his fist against his chest. “Hey, it was agreed. If we won, you would play the recording of your practice match against Ningchang University for us once.”

Gao Chong smiled helplessly. “I know. Coincidentally, someone from Ningchang University also single-handedly scored 60 points against us.”

“That Zhou Zhexiao?”

Liu Suchen still remembered Yang Huaiyu saying that this guy’s strength was probably above his own.

“No, Xia Chiyi.”

Liu Suchen was momentarily stunned. In his mind flashed Xia Chiyi’s beautiful jump shots that he saw in the recording of the Jin Province grassroots tournament finals.

“Could it be that your basket was shot with 20 three-pointers by him?”

Gao Chong took a deep breath and said meaningfully, “He doesn’t only know how to shoot.”

After speaking, Gao Chong walked back to his teammates to listen to Coach Chen’s post-match summary.

That night, Gao Chong brought a laptop over and played that match recording in a lecture hall.

He hadn’t expected Qing University to attach so much importance to Ningchang University… Or rather, after going through that practice match, Gao Chong believed that any strong school in the country should attach importance to Ningchang University.

Sitting in the front row of the lecture hall were Coach Li Xiaoran, two assistant coaches, and the scorekeeper.

Sitting in the second row were Qing University’s starting players.

The match started playing. Liu Suchen crossed his arms and watched carefully.

Li Xiaoran was also communicating with the assistant coach beside him.

“This Ye Zhaoying requires close attention. His stealing ability is very strong, his dribbling speed is very fast, and his field of vision is broad. He’s an excellent point guard.”

“Their defense under the basket is top-tier in the Southeast Division. For instance, this Du He’s box-out positioning and Shuai Bei’s rebounding cannot be underestimated.”

“Zhou Zhexiao! It’s this Zhou Zhexiao again. His dribbling past defenders is too seasoned, and he’s pierced into the area under the basket again…”

Li Xiaoran stared at Zhou Zhexiao’s figure and said in a low voice, “Ren Xin from Qincheng University told me that this is an ‘all-around kaleidoscope.’ On both offensive and defensive ends, he has no weaknesses.”

The two assistant coaches subconsciously turned to look at Liu Suchen. Even someone as formidable as Liu Suchen had not received such an evaluation from Coach Ren.

Liu Suchen smiled indifferently. “That’s because Coach Ren has watched me grow up all the way. To him, I no longer have any novelty. Zhou Zhexiao appeared out of nowhere; of course, he feels his eyes have been opened.”

Even though he said that, Liu Suchen still had to admit that this Zhou Zhexiao was very strong.

Then, a wave of gasps arose from the surroundings—Xia Chiyi hit the brakes abruptly on the three-point line. Facing the interception of two tall guys, he took the shot without any hesitation, and the ball went in again.

“Very beautiful,” Li Xiaoran spoke up, revealing a rare expression of nostalgia.

“What?” the assistant coach asked.

Li Xiaoran shook his head and didn’t speak. He just gazed at Xia Chiyi’s figure, watching this young man shoot baskets over and over again in short intervals.

He thought of the days of his youth a very, very long time ago. He used to exhaust himself running around to defend Jiao Yingfeng. But no matter how tired Jiao Yingfeng was, no matter what kind of defense he faced, the moment he shot the ball was like an unsolvable problem.

Perhaps it wasn’t invincible, but as long as the ball reached his hands, it meant a contest was about to conclude.

Just like the boy before him.

Although the abilities and talents displayed by Ningchang University’s Zhou Zhexiao were worthy of Li Xiaoran deeply analyzing them ball by ball, he still couldn’t help but look forward to Xia Chiyi’s every shot.

As for Liu Suchen, besides being curious about Ningchang University’s strength, he was even more curious about what qualities they possessed that could cause such a massive change in Qincheng University—a gear-like cohesion, a tenacity that refused to give up even when the final moment arrived, and Yang Huaiyu’s newly fortified temperament, as if he had grown up overnight.

Then, Liu Suchen discovered that he was drawn to that figure who, even after being double-teamed, was still looking for opportunities to break through and score.

In that boy’s eyes, there was something that made Liu Suchen envious: a fervently burning passion for the thing he loved.

Every shot he took was like adding firewood to his teammates’ hearts, causing that flame to continuously burn brightly, as if there would never be a final moment.

Li Xiaoran finally spoke: “What is that child’s time from sprinting and abrupt braking to completing the shot?”

While the scorekeeper was still thinking, Gao Chong, who was playing the video beside them, spoke up: “Between 1.2 to 1.0 seconds. We’ve already calculated it.”

“Previously he still needed 1.5 seconds. His progress is too fast.” Li Xiaoran’s voice was stiff, but his heart was soft.

He hadn’t seen a child with this kind of talent in a long time.

“What a waste,” Li Xiaoran said.

The assistant coaches looked over in surprise. They suspected they had misheard, because their head coach’s tone seemed to carry a hint of unwillingness and regret.

Li Xiaoran spoke in a matter-of-fact tone: “Of course it’s a waste. How could a big dumb ox like Ling Huanzhen know how to properly cultivate a guard?”

This Xia Chiyi was simply a heaven-chosen combo guard. If placed in Qing University, Li Xiaoran would earnestly teach him hand-in-hand and guarantee to send him into the youth training team within a year.

Being picked up by Ling Huanzhen was simply like scattering a precious seed into the cracks of a concrete floor.

One assistant coach suddenly spoke up: “It’s a pity. If this Xia Chiyi were in our Qing University, he would pair perfectly with Liu Suchen. That would be a lethal double kill. No matter which strong team they encountered, they would be invincible.”

Liu Suchen smiled. Just as he wanted to say, “Maybe Yang Huaiyu thinks the same way,” the Xia Chiyi on the screen actually drove straight under the basket. With a nimble double-pump layup, he bypassed Gao Chong’s arm and sent the ball into the hoop.

The boy’s expression was intensely focused, and even when he scored, his eyes revealed pleasant surprise.

He was constantly trying, attempting things that people would say were too difficult for him or impossible for him to excel at.

When he broke out dribbling almost close to the ground, Liu Suchen felt a small thrill of surprise in his heart. His own emotions seemed to break out of their cocoon along with the other’s movement.

In the video, Xia Chiyi directly confronted Gao Chong under the basket. His off-hand firmly bounced the opponent away, just like a vigorous little gazelle charging against the predator’s fangs.

Liu Suchen craned his neck, watching him send the ball into the basket and confidently pump his fist upon landing.

This kind of feeling was very special.

Liu Suchen knew that it was because he had been elevated to a very high level in the university basketball scene, putting him in a position of constantly being challenged, so much so that he was almost forgetting what it felt like to try and take risks.

The match broadcast ended, leaving everyone somewhat wanting more.

Li Xiaoran raised his hand towards Gao Chong’s direction. “Captain Gao, since you won’t let us copy it, could you play it again? There are some parts where we still want to look at the details.”

Gao Chong sent a message to his coach, and then played it again.

In the repeated slow-motion playbacks, Liu Suchen clearly saw Xia Chiyi’s expression during every play.

He rarely showed a ferocious expression; his eyes were always filled with anticipation, as if they had been kissed by the sunlight.

In the eyes of opponents, perhaps he was an unstoppable force piercing stone, but Liu Suchen felt he could see the flowers swaying in the wind deep within his heart.

His basketball was very pure. Because what he pursued wasn’t winning or losing, but the process of taking every shot, that was why he elicited Yang Huaiyu’s protective urge.

Another round of playback ended. Li Xiaoran stood up and shook Gao Chong’s hand. “Thank you.”

For Qing University, this was extremely important material.

After the meeting dismissed, Liu Suchen and Coach Li Xiaoran walked shoulder to shoulder.

“Coach Li, I feel that against Chujiang University, Zhou Zhexiao was still holding back. And for Xia Chiyi to be able to score 60 points alone, at least thirty percent of the credit goes to his teammates selflessly feeding him the ball.

To see their true level, we either need to arrange a match, or have Qincheng University play their recording for us to watch,” Liu Suchen said.

Li Xiaoran said expressionlessly, “If we arranged a match, we’d have to set up a three-hundred-meter barbecue stall in the cafeteria.”

Liu Suchen frowned. “Are you and Ling Huanzhen still taking jabs at each other?”

Li Xiaoran didn’t speak.

“If we can’t arrange a match, I’ll go for a one-on-one.” After Liu Suchen spoke, he let out a long breath. “I suddenly remembered, I promised Yang Huaiyu I wouldn’t bully Xia Chiyi… but I can find that Zhou Zhexiao and test exactly what he’s made of.”

“You… if you want to go, then go,” Li Xiaoran said.

Liu Suchen’s eyes lit up. “For real? Before, when I went to Yandu University for a one-on-one, I’d get penalized with running laps when I got back.”

“However, recently, they should be playing practice matches in various places.”

Meaning that if he went, it would mostly likely be a wasted trip.

“Oh, alright…”

The disappointment on Liu Suchen’s face was visible to the naked eye.

Returning to the dorm that night, Liu Suchen had gotten tired of watching Ningchang University’s grassroots tournament matches. He rummaged around the official high school league website for a long time and finally found the match recordings from Xia Chiyi’s senior year of high school.

At that time, Xia Chiyi’s skills were more green than they were now. His dribbling and sprinting speed wasn’t as fast, and his physical condition appeared frail, as if he would shatter upon impact. Encountering defense from tall players, even Liu Suchen sweated for him.

It was like tracing a person’s growth. Liu Suchen started watching from when his skills had matured, all the way back to his past from a year or two ago.

Casually searching Xia Chiyi’s name on Weibo, he surprisingly found a blogger named “Photographer of the Ningchang Basketball Team.” Many photos of the Ningchang University varsity team were posted there, and it seemed quite popular.

Scrolling all the way down, he saw photos of Xia Chiyi.

When watching the match videos, he knew Xia Chiyi was very handsome. But only when photographs froze all his dynamic movements could one truly feel the agile and lively aura that belonged to Xia Chiyi. This was especially true when he was suspended in mid-air; Xia Chiyi’s profound gaze focused on the basket formed a stark contrast with the opponent’s urgent, even ferocious expression.

Suddenly, he could understand the phrase “very beautiful” that Coach Li Xiaoran had unintentionally uttered.

Because even Liu Suchen felt that this guy’s shooting posture was very beautiful.

“Ah… ah…” Liu Suchen put down his phone, feeling like he had probably gone crazy. “Stop, that’s enough for now. Get some sleep, there will be new things to look forward to tomorrow.”

After Ningchang University finished the practice match with Xiangnan University of Technology, Xia Chiyi and the others returned to Ningchang.

Xia Chiyi was sprawling lazily in his chair when he saw Zhou Zhexiao holding a tube of toothpaste squeezed to the bottom, saying, “Xia Chiyi, I’m out of toothpaste.”

“Oh, open the cabinet under the sink, there should be spares inside.”

“There aren’t any, they’re used up. There are no toothbrushes either,” Zhou Zhexiao said in a very certain tone.

Xia Chiyi clutched his head. “Ah… ah… I just got back… You can squeeze my toothpaste, can’t you change your toothbrush a day later?”

Some of Zhou Zhexiao’s living habits were like a machine’s. For example, he absolutely had to change his toothbrush once a month, regardless of whether the bristles had splayed outwards or not.

“There’s no body wash either.”

“The small supermarket on campus has the same brand.”

“They only have ocean mint scent.”

“Is ocean mint scent bad? As a man, your body should exude a distant and refreshing scent like the ocean.” Xia Chiyi continued leaning in his chair. Ever since being brainwashed by Xiangnan University, he had become obsessed with girl group dances. He was swiping through them on a short video website while bouncing his knees; he completely didn’t want to move right now.

“If you change your scent, I won’t be able to sleep,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“It’s not a big deal.” Xia Chiyi waved the back of his hand dismissively, immersed in the dynamic dance moves online.

Flipping through a magazine, Ye Zhaoying gave a light chuckle: “Let’s see how many rounds you can go back and forth with Zhou Zhexiao.”

Zhou Zhexiao: “There’s no toilet paper either.”

Xia Chiyi: “We’re all in the same dorm, don’t be so picky, just use Pang Shuai’s.”

Zhou Zhexiao: “I use three-ply.”

Xia Chiyi: “Just pull out two extra sheets, and it’s three-ply.”

Zhou Zhexiao finally stopped standing at the bathroom door. Instead, he walked in front of Xia Chiyi and said expressionlessly, “I’ve been in a car accident. From the start of school until now, I haven’t taken any medicine.”

Xia Chiyi’s little heart trembled. He immediately sat up straight with his back straight. He suddenly remembered when he was on the phone with Zhou Zhexiao’s mother earlier, she had mentioned to make sure Zhou Zhexiao’s emotions remained stable and to try to keep his living environment familiar.

Therefore, the orange-scented body wash, the toothbrush changed once a month, the three-ply toilet paper, etc., were probably all part of his “familiar environment.”

A change in any one of these could lead to Zhou Zhexiao’s emotional instability.

At worst, ten minutes later, he might start claiming he was Sheng Xingming again!

“I’ll make a list right now, and go shopping right away!”

“Mm.”

Zhou Zhexiao very skillfully found a reusable shopping bag, folded it up, and tucked it into his pocket.

After Xia Chiyi plugged in his phone to charge, he followed him out the door.

Ye Zhaoying wiggled his toes and sighed, “Brine curdles tofu; everything has its vanquisher.”

Frowning, Ye Zhaoying looked across the room and noticed that Pang Shuai had remained silent the whole time.

“Little Fatty, did you use up Zhou Zhexiao’s three-ply embossed toilet paper?”

“Ah? No… I don’t think so…” Pang Shuai’s tone was full of hesitation.

“Looks like Zhou Zhexiao treats you pretty well. While you were staying in the dorm, he and Xia Chiyi were both outside practicing basketball with the trainer, so they wouldn’t use toilet paper many times a day. Zhou Zhexiao didn’t even look at you just now, which counts as tacitly allowing you to use it.”

“I-Is that so…” Pang Shuai let out a breath.

Arriving at a large comprehensive supermarket one bus stop away from the school, Xia Chiyi pushed a cart, looking for the orange-scented body wash in the daily necessities aisles.

He remembered that at the start of the semester, he had chosen this body wash purely because it was 30% off and relatively cheap. He hadn’t expected it to become Zhou Zhexiao’s staple item now.

“Ah… it’s full price today.” Xia Chiyi sighed.

This guy also insisted on soft-bristled toothbrushes, the kind where one cost twice the price of a regular toothbrush.

Just as he was about to ask Zhou Zhexiao what function he needed for his toothpaste—gum protection or whitening—who knew that looking left and right, this guy had actually disappeared?

A tall guy of over 1.9 meters should stand out like a crane among a flock of chickens wherever he was put, so where was he?

Xia Chiyi searched three or four aisles in a row but didn’t find a trace of the other party.

“Next time, I absolutely have to put this guy in the shopping cart.”

Xia Chiyi casually grabbed a toothpaste set box and started pushing the cart to look for him. Has Zhou Zhexiao never been to a supermarket? Weren’t they supposed to buy daily necessities? Where did the guy wander off to?

Passing by the toilet paper, laundry powder, and laundry detergent, Xia Chiyi finally spotted Zhou Zhexiao.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

Following Zhou Zhexiao’s line of sight, Xia Chiyi’s brain buzzed. Zhou Zhexiao was indeed looking at “daily necessities.”

Rows upon rows of small boxes of various brands, functions, and flavors—they had everything. It felt like the supermarket was specifically catering to the hot-blooded vigor of the nearby university students.

“You… are interested in these?” Xia Chiyi rested both hands on the cart handle, thinking to himself, So what if it’s Zhou Zhexiao? Zhou Zhexiao also has human desires and passions!

“Nowadays, no matter the product, the varieties and flavors are far more numerous than they were ten years ago.”

This was the conclusion Zhou Zhexiao had reached after observing for roughly ten minutes.

“For example?” Xia Chiyi asked in amusement.

“For example, potato chips have chicken foot flavor, mutton soup flavor, roast goose flavor, donkey meat flavor… and even goji berry and red date flavor.” Zhou Zhexiao paused. “I also saw pantyhose milk tea.”

This guy was just one step away from directly asking why one would use pantyhose to brew milk tea.

“Yeah, even daily necessities are different. There are dotted ones, ribbed ones, and even verbena and gardenia scents—they have it all. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were body wash samples.” Xia Chiyi came to Zhou Zhexiao’s side. “Don’t you feel that the material life in our Divine Land is much more abundant than in America?”

Zhou Zhexiao’s brows furrowed slightly. “You’ve used them?”

“Used what?”

“The dotted ones, the ribbed ones, the hyaluronic acid ones, the verbe…”

Xia Chiyi hurriedly stepped forward and clamped a hand over Zhou Zhexiao’s mouth. “Bro, how can you say everything out loud!”

Zhou Zhexiao stood rooted to the spot, his face unchanging and his heart not skipping a beat, as if Xia Chiyi was the only one with a guilty conscience.

Besides university students, the grandpas and grandmas from the nearby residential areas also shopped at this supermarket.

A middle-aged couple walked past this aisle. Seeing this scene, they simultaneously revealed expressions of surprise.

“Are kids nowadays really this open?”

“Oh my, they’re already in university, how are they still kids! At least they know to use protection, so they can be considered sensible.”

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth. Auntie, Uncle, it’s not like that… I’m not that open of a person!

In all my life, I’ve only ever unwrapped this thing; I’ve never used it!

__

[The author has something to say]

Xia Chiyi: My reputation!

Zhou Zhexiao: This reputation is of no use anyway, might as well throw it away.