Chapter 0067: Boiling Point

Zhou Zhexiao practically demonstrated the saying: As long as I don’t feel awkward, the one who feels awkward is someone else.

He walked over to the “New Arrivals” section of the shelf, pointed at a row of unheard-of brands, and said, “Why are there even durian and pickled bamboo shoot flavors?”

“Yeah… it’s practically a gathering of seasoning packets… wouldn’t wearing this thing hurt?”

Zhou Zhexiao turned and walked toward the adjacent shelf, and Xia Chiyi hurriedly pushed the cart to follow him.

He didn’t even know who exactly all the stuff in this shopping cart was being bought for. Could this guy be treating him as a life assistant?

“What about you? You must have used them when you were in middle school, right? Which kind is actually the best to use?”

Seeing the other’s totally serious expression, Xia Chiyi wanted to tease him.

“Never used one,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

“You’re not being honest.” Xia Chiyi rolled his eyes at him and pushed the cart right past him.

Never having eaten pork doesn’t mean one hasn’t seen a pig run.

Probably influenced by American TV shows, Xia Chiyi always felt that the lives of American high school students were incredibly rich and colorful, enough to film a standalone drama. Coupled with their restless hormones, the amount of raging passion equated to the demand for these “daily necessities.”

Xia Chiyi teased him verbally, but in his heart, his “filter” for Zhou Zhexiao was turned up to the max.

This guy would probably only ever fall in love with basketball.

Xia Chiyi turned his head and saw Zhou Zhexiao standing in front of the snack aisle, feeling a bit worried.

When Zhou Zhexiao first hung out with them, he wouldn’t eat offal or chicken feet when having hot pot skewers, but now this guy was even more familiar with choosing skewers than Pang Shuai.

At first, he didn’t know what milk tea was, but now he always asks for double boba.

Even Jiao Yingfeng had repeatedly warned Xia Chiyi, telling him not to take Zhou Zhexiao to experience life anymore, afraid that once this guy had an awakening, there would be no reeling him back in.

“These are spicy strips (latiao), you can’t handle them,” Xia Chiyi kindly reminded him.

“How spicy could they be?” Zhou Zhexiao asked back.

Actually, Xia Chiyi was very surprised. Even on the other side of the ocean, how could Zhou Zhexiao have never eaten this god-tier snack?

Of course… it was highly likely he forgot due to the car accident.

“Yeah. Stop looking at it. Its spiciness level could make you reincarnate on the spot. Plus, this thing is oily and high in calories; it’s only suitable for an iron stomach.” Xia Chiyi patted Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder, meaning: Don’t even think about it, you can’t eat it.

Xia Chiyi pushed the cart a few meters away, turned around, and found that Zhou Zhexiao was actually still standing there. He simply raised his hand, easily reaching the highest shelf, and took down a pack of spicy strips with a Peking Opera mask printed on it.

Xia Chiyi found it a bit funny. Was this guy a child? The more you tell him he can’t eat something, the more he wants to try it?

Zhou Zhexiao flipped it over to face Xia Chiyi, his expression seemingly saying: Dad, I want to buy this book.

“Did spicy strips exist during the Shang Dynasty?”

“Ah? Why ask that?”

“It says on here ‘Even Daji would be ecstatic eating this’.”

Xia Chiyi leaned in for a look and burst out laughing: “Bro, ‘Daji’ is the brand of these spicy strips. That phrase is just an advertising slogan, equivalent to a certain brand releasing a new basketball shoe and the propaganda slogan being ‘Sheng Xingming’s legs look 2.8 meters long wearing these’.”

Zhou Zhexiao looked down at his own long legs. “If anyone ran an ad slogan like that, they’d receive a lawyer’s letter from me.”

“Right, right, right, but Daji can’t hire a lawyer and can’t send lawyer’s letters.”

Zhou Zhexiao walked over and tossed that pack of spicy strips into the shopping cart.

“Hey, are you really going to eat it? If you get diarrhea from the spice, I won’t be able to carry you!”

Zhou Zhexiao had already walked ahead, continuing his journey of exploration.

Xia Chiyi took that pack of spicy strips out, looked at it left and right, wondering what magic it possessed to attract Zhou Zhexiao.

Smartphones couldn’t conquer Zhou Zhexiao, but Daji-brand spicy strips managed to do it?

“This guy looks so serious, but could he be a fan of Daji?”

Passing by the bedding aisle, Xia Chiyi saw two girls standing on their tiptoes, trying to reach a throw pillow placed on a high shelf.

The salesperson happened to be absent. One of the girls jumped up like a little rabbit and only managed to grab a corner of the pillow, still failing to bring it down.

Xia Chiyi smiled and walked over. Just as the girl was about to jump up again, Xia Chiyi raised his hand and easily reached it.

“Is this the one?” Xia Chiyi lowered his head and asked.

The girl looked up, met Xia Chiyi’s smiling eyes, and after two seconds, nodded vigorously and said, “Yes… it’s this one.”

“Okay, I’ll get it for you.”

Xia Chiyi pressed down on the adjacent pillow with one hand and pulled out the one the girl had selected with the other.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you… Xia Chiyi, thank you.”

Xia Chiyi was stunned for a moment. “You know me?”

The girl nodded. “I do. You’re on the basketball team; we’ve watched the basketball team’s games.”

The other girl reacted a bit faster and took out her phone. “Can I add your WeChat…”

Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Zhexiao’s voice came from outside the aisle, “I want to buy this.”

“Ah?” Xia Chiyi turned his head to look and drew a sharp breath. “That’s dog food! You don’t even have a dog, why do you need dog food!”

“Pang Shuai said he tasted it, it’s crunchy and very delicious. Buying it to take back for him to eat.”

Xia Chiyi covered his face. Zhou Zhexiao’s punishment might be late, but it would never be absent.

Stuffing him with dog food was probably the punishment for Pang Shuai using up his toilet paper.

Xia Chiyi hurriedly went back to the cart and indeed saw some weird things. “Zhou Zhexiao, these are dried rice noodles (fen gan). You don’t even have an electric pot, what are you buying dried rice noodles for?”

“Since it’s called ‘dried’ noodles, shouldn’t it be eaten dry?” Zhou Zhexiao said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Ah?”

“Biscuits (bing gan), beef jerky (niu rou gan), dried mango (mang guo gan),” Zhou Zhexiao gave examples.

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth. “No, no, no… This is very complicated to make. You have to at least soak it and boil it before you can eat it. It’s not dry crispy noodles!”

“Alright.” Zhou Zhexiao put his hands in his pockets. At this time, Xia Chiyi was bending over to organize the shopping cart. Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze swept over his back and met the eyes of the two girls.

The girls tugged at each other and immediately turned and left.

Once they rounded the corner, the two suddenly smiled at each other.

“So Zhou Zhexiao accompanies Xia Chiyi to the supermarket!”

“The way Zhou Zhexiao said ‘Alright’ to Xia Chiyi was so obedient!”

By the time Xia Chiyi finished organizing the shopping cart and turned back to look at the throw pillow section, he found that the two girls were already gone.

“Huh? Left so quickly?”

They arrived at the self-checkout terminal. This was Zhou Zhexiao’s happy time; he really enjoyed the feeling of scanning items.

Xia Chiyi was just watching from the side, when he suddenly saw three small boxes that shouldn’t be there.

“Hey, what did you grab these for?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Curiosity.” Zhou Zhexiao glanced at Xia Chiyi. “Aren’t you curious?”

“I don’t believe you, America taught you how to use them, alright!”

“But there were no hyaluronic acid ones, no pickled bamboo shoot ones, and no…”

There were others waiting for their terminal behind them, and those two girls also pushed their cart over. Xia Chiyi was too embarrassed to put these little boxes back on the shelf, so he could only bite the bullet and pay for them.

Finally, there were “unclean” things in his clean payment history.

Good thing Zhou Zhexiao had brought a reusable bag. Otherwise, if people saw the little boxes in a plastic bag, the two of them would become the “unclean” basketball team members.

Returning to the dorm, Xia Chiyi had just put the body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and such into the bathroom storage cabinet, and as soon as he came out, he saw Zhou Zhexiao sitting at his desk tearing open the little boxes.

Xia Chiyi walked over and lowered his voice, saying, “What are you doing? Whether you want to use them yourself or blow balloons, go do it in the bathroom.”

“Why?”

At this point, Zhou Zhexiao had already torn open the first one.

Pang Shuai, who was most sensitive to food, sniffed vigorously. “Who is it? Who brought durian into the dorm?”

Xia Chiyi clamped a hand over it. “No one, it probably drifted over from the dorm next door.”

“I was about to say, if someone in our dorm bought durian and didn’t share it with me, I’d definitely get mad at him,” Pang Shuai said, then went back to watching his anime.

Zhou Zhexiao pried Xia Chiyi’s fingers open. The liquid spilled between Xia Chiyi’s fingers, and when Zhou Zhexiao’s fingers wedged in, Xia Chiyi was so nervous he almost forgot to breathe.

“Open.” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face and looked at Xia Chiyi. His voice was very flat, but no matter how one listened to it, it didn’t sound pure.

“Op… open where?”

“Fingers.”

Xia Chiyi clenched tightly, but with a forceful pinch from Zhou Zhexiao’s fingers, Xia Chiyi let go.

The smell of durian was overwhelming. Zhou Zhexiao’s finger slipped, and his brows furrowed.

“Silicone oil, no wonder it’s so cheap.”

Holding Xia Chiyi’s hand, Zhou Zhexiao squeezed between his fingers a few more times, then pulled out some tissues and wiped Xia Chiyi’s fingers clean one by one.

“This kind can’t be used, it easily causes infections.”

“Ah… oh…”

Just as Xia Chiyi’s voice fell, he saw Zhou Zhexiao coldly throw the durian-flavored one into the trash can by his feet.

Xia Chiyi thought this guy’s research ended here, but who knew he would tear open the second one.

The smells of pickled bamboo shoots and durian mixed together, making Xia Chiyi a bit nauseous.

Pang Shuai sniffled nearby. “Is next door making Luosifen? Why does it smell so stinky…”

Zhou Zhexiao pinched the little thing, as if feeling its elasticity and thickness.

“This is the same brand as the one just now… also…”

“This one is a bit more expensive. Looking at the ingredient list, it’s hyaluronic acid. But the smell is too terrible.”

It was also tossed into the trash can by Zhou Zhexiao.

So when Zhou Zhexiao said “curious,” he was really just curious, taking each one out to inspect it.

The third one was indeed much more normal; it was rose-scented. Opening it, it actually looked quite clear.

Zhou Zhexiao silently slipped his finger inside. Watching this, Xia Chiyi felt his face burning up, especially as Zhou Zhexiao’s long finger was stretched tight by it…

“You try it,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“I… I try this? How do I try?”

Xia Chiyi thought to himself, even if he had to try it, shouldn’t they at least put on a movie or something? And he couldn’t possibly try it for him to watch.

“Put it on your arm.”

“Ah?”

What kind of new play is this?

Seeing Xia Chiyi blushing to the point of bleeding, Zhou Zhexiao leaned a bit closer, his amber eyes staring intently at Xia Chiyi. “You don’t know?”

“I… I know… how could I not know…”

Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes moved closer and closer, a trace of rare teasing in his gaze.

He just kept looking at Xia Chiyi like that. That magnanimity and straightforwardness belonging to Zhou Zhexiao caused Xia Chiyi’s heart rate to become increasingly erratic.

“Alright, I don’t know.” Xia Chiyi finally admitted defeat.

“You can prepare one or two during matches.”

“No way… are you even preparing to sleep… with fans during matches?”

Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head. “Go to the bathroom and pour the water out of your brain before coming back.”

At this moment, Pang Shuai, who was clearly watching anime, suddenly glanced over and gave the correct answer: “If you have an open wound, you can use it to waterproof it.”

Xia Chiyi was completely stunned.

Was my mindset too narrow after all?

“No, Pang Shuai… how do you know?”

“I saw it scrolling through short videos.” Pang Shuai turned back to his anime with a face full of righteousness.

Zhou Zhexiao stretched the “daily necessity” open and slipped it onto Xia Chiyi’s hand bit by bit. It adhered to the skin, quickly expelling the air.

In other words, if an open wound really appeared on an arm or hand, after putting on a band-aid, wearing this thing over it would actually allow one to shower.

“We don’t often encounter open wounds playing basketball, but if we do, it’s very troublesome.”

“That’s true.”

“I actually learned it from my teammates too. I hadn’t thought about preparing them before, but seeing them in the supermarket today, it’s better to carry one or two.” Zhou Zhexiao lifted his eyes and looked at Xia Chiyi. “Although I hope you never have to use it.”

Xia Chiyi caught the double meaning and smiled. “I also hope I never have to use it because of an injury.”

The door suddenly opened. It was Ye Zhaoying returning.

“What’s that smell, like a garbage dump…”

As Ye Zhaoying sniffed, his nose led him to the trash can by Zhou Zhexiao’s feet. Seeing the contents, he was shocked. Then seeing the layer on Xia Chiyi’s hand…

“You guys… what new game is this? Does blowing balloons not satisfy you anymore?”

Xia Chiyi rolled his eyes to the heavens and thrust his arm in front of Ye Zhaoying’s face. “Look closely! Please look carefully! If you get an open wound like a scrape or a cut during a match, using this like this won’t affect you taking a shower, right?”

Ye Zhaoying nodded. “Seems so…”

“So what were you letting your imagination run wild with just now? Hurry to the bathroom and pour the water out of your brain!” Xia Chiyi finally had the chance to use Zhou Zhexiao’s line on someone else.

Pinching his nose, Ye Zhaoying pointed at the trash can and said, “Whatever you planned to use them for, please throw them away immediately! Durian plus pickled bamboo shoots, it’s an olfactory hell!”

Without another word, Xia Chiyi grabbed the garbage bag and ran downstairs.

Even after throwing it into the dumpster, Xia Chiyi could still smell the rose scent emanating from his arm.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Ye Zhaoying opening the windows to ventilate the room.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhexiao, wearing an expression that said none of this had anything to do with him, was leaning back in his chair. Upon seeing Xia Chiyi, he remarked, “You smell so nice.”

Hearing this, Ye Zhaoying and Pang Shuai laughed until they were bent over backwards.

Xia Chiyi’s ears turned red again.

He really didn’t want to talk to Zhou Zhexiao anymore!

That night, Xia Chiyi received a message from Shuai Bei: [Free? Come out to the old place to practice.]

Xia Chiyi immediately replied: [I’m free, coming!]

“I have something to do, going out for a bit!”

Watching Xia Chiyi’s eager and joyous demeanor, Ye Zhaoying narrowed his eyes.

“Friends, there’s something suspicious about this guy.”

Pang Shuai said grumpily, “Last time you said there was something fishy about him treating the Class Monitor to milk tea, and it turned out he was just purely treating her to milk tea.”

Zhou Zhexiao said slowly, “He’s just going out to play basketball.”

“Going out? To play basketball?” Ye Zhaoying stroked his chin. “Teaching a girl?”

“Teaching a guy,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

“Then that’s no fun at all.”

As soon as Xia Chiyi walked out the school gates, he saw Shuai Bei straddling a motorcycle. That posture really made one want to pull out a phone and take a picture of him.

“Wow, handsome… where did you get the motorcycle?”

“What do you mean where did I get it? It’s my motorcycle to begin with.” Shuai Bei frowned and tossed a helmet to Xia Chiyi. “We’re pressed for time, hurry up and get on. If we ride the motorcycle, we can play basketball for an extra twenty minutes.”

Xia Chiyi got on. This was his first time riding a motorcycle, and he gripped Shuai Bei’s jacket tightly.

“I really want to open my arms wide like in the movies…”

“Hehe, if you fall out, don’t blame me.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi gripped Shuai Bei’s jacket even tighter.

Arriving at the community basketball court, after the two warmed up, Shuai Bei shot a few balls from the free-throw line. His accuracy was already quite good.

Xia Chiyi taught him the jump shot. Shuai Bei practiced very seriously, but they hadn’t expected to run into the guy with the floral bandana and his little bros again tonight.

Fortunately, Xia Chiyi and Shuai Bei only needed half the court. The floral bandana guy and his friends played two-on-two, using the other half.

The two sides minded their own business, and they got along fairly harmoniously.

Except for… a young lady who had come with the floral bandana guy. Wearing a black crop top and a loose track jacket, her eyelashes were so long and thick they practically curled to the sky. Her trendy cool eyeshadow makeup paired with peach glass lip gloss maxed out her style—both sweet and fierce.

When Shuai Bei practiced his jump shots, Xia Chiyi was responsible for retrieving the ball and throwing it back to him, occasionally correcting his posture.

That young lady sat cross-legged on their half of the court the entire time, watching them very patiently.

After Xia Chiyi and Shuai Bei had played for over twenty minutes, the two unscrewed their water bottles, their backs facing the girl.

Xia Chiyi gently nudged Shuai Bei and asked half-jokingly, “Handsome, are you constantly missing your shots because a pretty lady is watching you?”

Shuai Bei took a deep breath. “Which eye of yours saw her looking at me?”

“Both eyes.”

Shuai Bei pressed down on Xia Chiyi’s head. “Then you might as well gouge both eyes out, they’re useless to keep anyway.”

“Ah?”

“She’s looking at you.”

“Impossible, right?” Xia Chiyi turned his head. That young lady curled her lips into a smile and waved at Xia Chiyi.

So she really is looking at me…

This time it was Xia Chiyi’s turn to be nervous. Although there were often girls cheering him on during matches in the past, this was the first time there was only one female spectator on the entire court while he was playing.

Shuai Bei glanced at Xia Chiyi’s stiff neck, slung an arm over his shoulder, and said earnestly, “Little Brother Chiyi, one look and I can tell you’re not on her level. I suggest you just focus on teaching me how to shoot. Even if an ugly duckling wants to eat swan meat, it has to grow up and wait until its feathers are fully grown first.”

“Got it, just practice your basketball. I’ve practiced with you for so long, and I haven’t even heard you call me Master.”

“Alright, whichever game I score more than ten points with jump shots, I’ll call you Master.”

“That’ll take forever and a day,” Xia Chiyi sighed.

Shuai Bei’s eyebrows almost flew up to the sky. “Are you looking down on me, or looking down on yourself?”

As soon as Xia Chiyi turned around, that young lady had actually stood up and was walking towards them.

She smiled naturally and gracefully. “Hello, Xia Chiyi.”

“You know me? Are you also a student at Ningchang University?”

“What, do I look that young?” The young lady leaned forward and looked up at Xia Chiyi. “You’re so tall, about 188 cm?”

“No, I’m only 186 cm.”

“When was the last time you measured your height?”

“The enrollment physical exam.”

The young lady shook her head, then pointed to her own eyes. “My eyesight is very good; you must have grown taller. I suggest you go back and measure again.”

Shuai Bei said expressionlessly, “Not bad, a second growth spurt after entering university. You actually grew taller.”

“My name is Yan Jun. Are you interested in playing a game with me?”

Underneath Yan Jun’s crop top were beautiful abs, showing that she probably worked out frequently.

Xia Chiyi noticed she was wearing a pair of basketball shoes. He couldn’t recognize the brand, but the shoe shape was very beautiful.

“Um, today I’m here to accompany my teammate to practice…”

Just as Xia Chiyi turned his head to look at Shuai Bei, Shuai Bei raised both hands. “I don’t mind, we’re not short of these ten minutes. However, we have to rush back by 10:30.”

After speaking, Shuai Bei retreated off the court and sat on the ground with an expression that said: Bro, cherish this opportunity.

Yan Jun smiled again, carrying a bit of teasing. “What, looking down on me, thinking it’s boring to play basketball with a girl?”

“You misunderstand. It’s my first time playing basketball with a girl.” Xia Chiyi smiled graciously. “Tell me the rules. How many minutes are we playing? Or how many goals, and what counts as a win?”

“We’ll just play to ten goals, but there must be a price for winning or losing.” Yan Jun crossed her arms and looked at Xia Chiyi, as if saying: Little brother, do you dare?

Hearing there was going to be a one-on-one here, the floral bandana guy and his crew stopped playing and came over from the other half of the court.

“Sister Yan, you’re going to play this kid? He’s a bit formidable!”

The floral bandana guy smacked his companion. “What are you thinking? This kid is formidable, but is our Sister Yan not formidable?”

Despite saying that, the floral bandana guy still leaned in close to Yan Jun and whispered, “Sister, let’s not make the stakes too high. Just playing for fun is fine.”

“Mm, just playing for fun.” Yan Jun walked a circle around Xia Chiyi. “Little brother, you’re really handsome. If you lose, be my boyfriend.”

Not only were the young men dumbfounded, even Xia Chiyi was stunned.

It’s just street basketball, are we playing for such high stakes?

“Sister Yan, so you like this type? But this guy is too green!”

“Yeah, one look and you can tell he doesn’t know anything besides looking good. Just forget it!”

“Talk too much. Sister just likes little milk dogs.” Yan Jun pushed the floral bandana guy and his companions away.

Sitting on the sidelines, Shuai Bei was originally drinking water, but he paused at this, muttering, “The stakes seem a bit high…”

“If you win, Sister will give you a pair of basketball shoes.” Yan Jun poked Xia Chiyi’s shoulder.

Xia Chiyi took a half-step back. He could smell a faint perfume on Yan Jun; it seemed to be the floral scent of lily of the valley.

“Ladies first, the first ball belongs to me. No problem, right?” Yan Jun picked up the basketball from the ground, dribbled it rhythmically, and looked at Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi nodded.

Seeing that Yan Jun’s mind was made up, the floral bandana guy had no choice but to retreat off the court.

Shuai Bei frowned, but ultimately decided to make a phone call. The moment it connected, the other party’s cold and calm voice came through.

“Shuai Bei, what is it?”

“Oh, just letting you know. Xia Chiyi is playing basketball with someone, first to ten goals wins. If he loses, he has to be the other person’s boyfriend.”

The other end was quiet for about two seconds before the voice said: “He won’t be your boyfriend.”

Shuai Bei uncharacteristically rubbed his own head: “Sorry, he’s not my type. But he is someone else’s type. The young lady opposite him is very pretty. As long as he has high emotional intelligence and deliberately loses, he’ll become the first person in your dorm to get a partner.”

The call ended. Shuai Bei felt he had fulfilled his duty to notify. As for how long it would take the other party to rush over, or whether Xia Chiyi would deliberately lose, that was beyond his control.

Yan Jun dribbled toward the basket. Her sense of rhythm was very good, and she kept her center of gravity low; it was clear she had specially trained.

Xia Chiyi spread his arms to block her. Yan Jun unceremoniously tried to bump past him. For Xia Chiyi, it felt like she crashed into his chest. In that moment, his heart leapt up, because he thought of Zhou Zhexiao.

Every time Zhou Zhexiao practiced confrontation with him, was this what he saw from his angle too?

Like crashing forcefully into his chest, where even with tensed muscles, the heart would be squeezed to a halt.

When he lowered his center of gravity to pass Zhou Zhexiao’s hip level, did Zhou Zhexiao also look down and see the stretching lines of his nape and spine?

In that moment of distraction, Yan Jun had already broken through under the basket and easily scored a layup.

The floral bandana guy and his companions let out wave after wave of boos.

Shuai Bei’s eyebrows twitched. “So he really likes this type?”

Yan Jun brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Xia Chiyi with a beaming smile: “Are you going easy on me, or do you really want to be my boyfriend?”

Xia Chiyi immediately clarified: “I’m not going easy. I genuinely didn’t expect you to dare to have physical contact with me.”

Yan Jun threw the ball back to Xia Chiyi. “It’s only ten goals, and I’ve already taken one. Even if you want to be modest, you have to do it within your means.”

The floral bandana guy and his bros grew nervous.

“This kid was teaching that big guy how to shoot, I thought he was very professional. Sister Yan got past him so easily? Is he a paper-thin walnut that crumbles at a pinch, or is he really interested in Sister Yan too?”

“Sister Yan’s wager is exactly meant to tempt him to lose on purpose, isn’t it? Sister Yan is so beautiful, being this kid’s girlfriend, he’s making a massive profit!”

Xia Chiyi took a deep breath, gathered his focus, and abruptly accelerated to dribble and break through. The wind seemed to carry heat. Yan Jun remained in her spot maintaining a defensive stance, but by the time she reacted and turned to follow, Xia Chiyi had already made the layup.

“Holy crap, so fast…”

“He passed right before our eyes in a flash. I thought he only knew how to shoot!”

Yan Jun smiled. “Finally getting serious?”

Xia Chiyi smiled back. “I can’t just lose casually.”

“Oh, it seems you have a girlfriend.”

“No.”

Xia Chiyi lowered his center of gravity significantly, keeping his line of sight level with Yan Jun’s.

Yan Jun smiled again. “Then you have someone you like.”

Xia Chiyi’s breath hitched. Seeing that Yan Jun was about to break out from under his arm again, with a bang, Xia Chiyi directly intercepted the ball. Yan Jun thought he would dribble past her, but Xia Chiyi pulled up for a jump shot on the spot.

“Wow… isn’t that too far?”

The floral bandana guy and the others were all stunned.

Xia Chiyi looked at Yan Jun, putting away all his smiles. “Stop trying to use chatting to interfere with me. It’s useless.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you look exceptionally handsome when you’re serious?”

Knowing Yan Jun’s strategy, Xia Chiyi actually felt much calmer inside. “Everyone looks very handsome when they’re serious, not just me.”

The two went back and forth like this. Yan Jun discovered that no matter what reason she used to try and make physical contact with Xia Chiyi, this guy would find a way to avoid it.

He would either directly intercept the ball, or let her pass and then cleanly block her when she went for the layup.

In short, he wouldn’t touch her in the slightest anymore.

This might be a form of gentlemanly conduct.

It was also telling her in another language: I don’t have those kinds of intentions toward you.

The ten goals ended very quickly. Besides the first goal that Yan Jun scored, the other nine goals were all taken by Xia Chiyi.

Yan Jun rested her hands on her hips, panting, while for Xia Chiyi, this probably didn’t even count as a warm-up.

“Sorry, Sister Yan. I feel that getting a boyfriend requires getting to know if you’re compatible with the other person. Making a decision over one game of basketball is too reckless.”

Xia Chiyi picked up the ball from the ground. He knew he was younger than the other party and didn’t seem to have any position to give her advice, but he still couldn’t help but say those words.

Looking at Xia Chiyi’s expression, Yan Jun suddenly clutched her stomach and laughed out loud: “You… you don’t really think I wanted you to be my boyfriend, do you?”

“Ah?” Xia Chiyi looked up.

“Of course, if you had lost to me on purpose and wanted to date me, that wouldn’t have been impossible. But I’ve watched your games; I know exactly what level you’re at, okay?”

“So you clearly knew you would lose, yet you still competed with me…” Xia Chiyi looked at her in confusion.

Not only Xia Chiyi, but even Shuai Bei and the floral bandana guy’s crew didn’t understand either.

“Didn’t I say it? If I lost, I’d give you a pair of shoes.” Yan Jun reached out her hand toward Xia Chiyi. “Hello, let us formally get to know each other. I am Yan Jun, the basketball shoe designer for ‘Boiling Point’.”

“Boiling Point?” Xia Chiyi felt this brand sounded quite familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard it for a moment.

“Looking at you, you clearly didn’t take our brand invitation to heart at all, right? Our PR manager found the ‘Ningchang University Basketball Team Photographer’ and sent a private message on Weibo, wanting to invite you to be a print model for our basketball shoes. But the other party politely declined on your behalf.”

At this point, Xia Chiyi finally had an impression.

“What, finally remembered? Our ‘Boiling Point’ basketball shoes are primarily designed for young people, especially the university student demographic. We are confident that regardless of function or style, we are not inferior to foreign major sports brands. However, it’s not easy to break into the market in the field of basketball shoes,” Yan Jun explained.

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Xia Chiyi suddenly felt he had been overly sentimental earlier.

The floral bandana guy suddenly understood something. “No wonder! Sister Yan, you saw the photo I posted on my WeChat Moments last time, knew Xia Chiyi would come here to play basketball, and specially came to stake this place out? Because you were specifically looking for him!”

Yan Jun smacked the back of the floral bandana guy’s head. “What stakeout? If Sister wanted to stake him out, wouldn’t it be more accurate to go straight to the entrance of the Ningchang University boys’ dorm?”

“So it was… a chance encounter?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Yan Jun smiled: “It was a meticulously planned encounter. To let you know that as a basketball shoe designer, I also play basketball frequently. I know what shoe shape, soles, and even uppers mean to you guys who play basketball, what makes them comfortable, and what can help you jump higher.”

“But, being a print model or something… I can’t do that.” Xia Chiyi hurriedly waved his hands.

“Don’t misunderstand, we don’t want you to come to a photo studio to take pictures. We just want you to try wearing our shoes. If you genuinely feel they are comfortable, please wear our shoes on the court during the division matches. As for how to promote it, that’s our business. If they’re uncomfortable, you can leave the shoes under your bed board to gather dust.”

“But why look for me? If you want to expand your brand awareness among the university student demographic, shouldn’t you look for Yang Huaiyu or Liu Suchen? They bring their own fans, their varsity teams are well-known, and they can also make it to the National Top Four.”

“But we favor Ningchang University more, and we favor you more. Think about it, does betting on a presumed powerhouse that everyone expects have higher discussion value, or does betting on a dark horse have higher discussion value?” Yan Jun smiled and blinked. “Moreover, if you wear our shoes and find them comfortable, we hope you’ll recommend them to your teammates. It would be best if the entire Ningchang University varsity team wore our ‘Boiling Point’ basketball shoes onto the court. ‘Boiling Point’ is willing to accompany you all the way to the national championship.”

Xia Chiyi paused. He admitted he was attracted by the words “national championship” coming from Yan Jun’s mouth.

This was his and Zhou Zhexiao’s number one goal. But if he spoke this goal out loud, even his own teammates would probably say, “Don’t boast.”

Yet Yan Jun said it with such a matter-of-fact tone, giving Xia Chiyi a feeling of heroes appreciating heroes.

Boiling Point was a sports brand aiming to break into the basketball shoe market, and Xia Chiyi was a university student-athlete aiming to win the national championship.

They were equally not favored by the public, but both wanted to become leaders in their industry.

“I won’t force my teammates to wear the same shoes as me unless they volunteer to. Also, if you only talk a good game and the shoes aren’t comfortable, I won’t wear them on the court either.

Because I have to be responsible to the people who see these shoes,” Xia Chiyi said to Yan Jun.

Yan Jun took a deep breath. “Being able to convince you to try our shoes is already the first step toward success.”

After speaking, Yan Jun said very seriously: “Can I touch your feet?”

“This… this isn’t very appropriate, is it…”

“To choose a comfortable pair of shoes for you, I want to feel your arch, your ankle, your heel, and the weight-bearing area of the sole of your foot.”

Feeling the other’s professional attitude, Xia Chiyi nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed: “But my feet are sweaty…”

“What’s the big deal? It would be weird if they didn’t sweat, right?” Yan Jun revealed a bright and straightforward smile.

Shuai Bei dialed that number again and said in a low voice: “It’s a false alarm. The other party didn’t take a fancy to Xia Chiyi, just his feet.”

The person on the other end was silent for several seconds before asking: “What does that mean?”

“Wait till he gets back and see if he tells you.” Shuai Bei raised an eyebrow, acting mysterious.

Xia Chiyi and Yan Jun sat on the sidelines. Taking advantage of the remaining time, Shuai Bei started practicing his shooting again.

What Xia Chiyi didn’t expect was that Yan Jun actually carried a tape measure in her sports jacket. She seriously measured Xia Chiyi’s ankle, the width and length of the sole of his foot, etc., and recorded all the data in her phone.

When her palm went to support the arch of Xia Chiyi’s foot, Xia Chiyi subconsciously shrank back.

Yan Jun was amused by his reaction. “What? Still shy?”

“It’s just a bit ticklish, and sweaty too.”

“Couldn’t tell, you actually have a bit of an idol burden?” Yan Jun used her palm to feel the depression of Xia Chiyi’s arch, and then measured his other foot in the same way.

“Alright, you can put your shoes on. Let’s add each other on WeChat. Once I’ve picked out the shoes for you, I’ll mail them to your dorm.”

When Yan Jun looked up, she found that Xia Chiyi had actually been looking at her the whole time.

“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Xia Chiyi smiled. “When Sister Yan is serious, her face glows.”

“Ah, Xia Chiyi, are you really not considering being with me? You’re both sweet and salty; my heart is fluttering.”

Holding her heart, Yan Jun made an exaggerated expression.

Xia Chiyi smiled without answering.

“You kid, one look and I can tell you have someone you like, right?”

“No, really don’t have anyone yet.”

“Alright, regardless of whether you do or not, if the person you care about likes the shoes I pick as much as you do, you can tell me the size, and I’ll gift her a couples version.” Yan Jun blinked.

Xia Chiyi smiled. “When I find her, I’ll definitely tell you.”

But not knowing what kind of spell he was under, the image that surfaced in Xia Chiyi’s mind was Zhou Zhexiao’s face.

Yan Jun turned around, crossed her arms, and looked at Shuai Bei who was practicing: “Hey, do me a favor and try our shoes too.”

Shuai Bei paused. “My shoe size is 48. You don’t need to touch my feet.”

Yan Jun crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, another pure-hearted youth.”

Xia Chiyi chuckled beside them.

That night, Xia Chiyi still managed to make it back before the iron gates of the dormitory closed.

As soon as he walked to the entrance of the dorm building, he saw Zhou Zhexiao sitting on the steps, his head tilted up as if looking at the stars.

Students were continuously returning to the dorm, and the sound of chatting and laughing could be heard everywhere. But only Zhou Zhexiao was quiet, giving off a feeling of being somewhat out of place in this world.

Whenever it was like this, Xia Chiyi would feel a desire to hold tightly onto the other person.

He didn’t seem to belong here.

But he was also waiting for Xia Chiyi’s return.

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[The author has something to say]

Zhou Zhexiao: This sponsor is not bad; they know to gift couple shoes.