Chapter 0070: One Plus One is Greater Than Two

“Looking at your reaction, you really did come to ‘Lianpu’ that day. Before I could even ask you ‘how was my drumming’, you slipped away.”

Those hands were lowered. Sunlight hit Xia Chiyi’s eyelids, and as soon as he turned around and opened his eyes, he saw Liu Suchen.

He had a deeply impressive face—a handsome guy with striking, bold features. His almond eyes tilted slightly upward, he had a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, and his smile exuded confidence and flamboyance.

Up close, he had practically no bad angles. No wonder others said that even if this guy didn’t play basketball, he could go act in idol dramas.

Xia Chiyi stood there, stunned. He was a bit bewildered. To think that a top-tier player like Liu Suchen would actually know his name, and even joke with him as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I didn’t bully you, so don’t go turning around and tattling to Yang Huaiyu,” Liu Suchen said very seriously, resting one hand on his hip.

“How do you know my name?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Liu Suchen leaned forward slightly, carefully observing Xia Chiyi’s expression. “Why wouldn’t I know your name? Your team only lost by 2 points in the practice match against Qincheng University, and in the practice match against Chujiang University, you single-handedly dropped 60 points on them, tying my previous record.”

“That’s because my teammates were all helping me. Everyone was feeding me the ball… we made a bet with Chujiang University.”

Regarding this 60-point record, Xia Chiyi felt it was necessary to explain clearly.

“From the moment you hit the brakes to the moment you release your shot, you only need 1 to 1.2 seconds, and your shooting percentage is also very high.” Liu Suchen’s gaze seemed to follow Xia Chiyi’s eyes, penetrating into his brain to retrieve everything about him.

“What about now? Have you compressed it to under a second?”

“N-No… if I were that fast, I could go play in the NBA.”

Liu Suchen noticed that when this boy answered questions, his eyes always revealed a streak of earnestness.

It made one want to tease him, yet also want to protect him. No wonder Yang Huaiyu was so protective of him.

Liu Suchen asked again, “Did you come to Qing University alone? Aren’t you playing a match against Capital Electric Power University this weekend?”

“You even know who we are playing practice matches with?” Xia Chiyi was even more surprised.

What Liu Suchen was thinking in his heart was: I can’t exactly let you know that I’ve been searching for news about you these past few days, can I?

However, his mouth smoothly replied, “I follow a blogger who specifically reports on the Tier 1 league, named Xu Mi. She routinely updates the practice matches and results between major universities.”

“Oh, it’s her.”

“You know her too?” Liu Suchen said.

“She stayed in Ningchang for a while and watched a few of our games.”

“Oh.” Liu Suchen tilted his chin up. “Bloggers like Xu Mi generally keep match recordings. This means I can ask Xu Mi for some unreleased match footage to study.”

Xia Chiyi laughed and pointed at himself. “You? Want to study me? No wait, you should study us properly; we have someone on our team who is not inferior to you.”

“So where are your teammates? Did they only send you alone to scout the enemy?”

“Some of them went to the commercial street, some went to the tourist spots. Qing University’s training definitely wouldn’t be open for us to observe anyway. Even if they came, they wouldn’t be able to scout any enemy intelligence.” Xia Chiyi rubbed his head.

Liu Suchen crossed his arms and looked down at him slightly.

The sunlight was very nice today. Falling on the boy’s face, whether on his cheeks or the contours of his ears, one could see a layer of fine, soft peach fuzz.

He answered whatever was asked and said whatever came to mind. Just as Yang Huaiyu had said, this kid hadn’t yet learned the little tricks of old sparrows like them.

“Then why did you come?”

“To take a look at this university that I wouldn’t be able to get into even if I retook the entrance exam for eight hundred years.”

Liu Suchen couldn’t help but chuckle. He turned his head slightly. “Let’s go, I’ll take you.”

“Where to?”

“You came all this way to Qing University, so I’ll take you to see the basketball team’s training. Or are you too scared because you’re alone?”

“I’ll go! I’m definitely going!” Xia Chiyi didn’t expect his luck to be this good.

“Are you swearing at me?” Liu Suchen turned his head and asked.

Xia Chiyi hurriedly corrected himself: “I mean I want to go see Qing University’s basketball team.”

Liu Suchen smiled and walked ahead, leading him into the legendary basketball gym.

World-class competitions had been held here, and it possessed the most complete courts and equipment.

But today it was only for the basketball team’s training, so the lights around the spectator seats weren’t turned on; only the three basketball courts in the middle were in use.

An intra-squad scrimmage was taking place on one court, while the men’s and women’s teams were doing basic drills on the other two courts, respectively.

Just the lights illuminating the courts alone made one feel their sheer opulence.

Xia Chiyi carefully followed behind Liu Suchen. Initially, the men’s basketball players who were training didn’t spare Liu Suchen many glances; they seemed accustomed to Liu Suchen slacking off during training.

But when they caught sight of Xia Chiyi, the atmosphere seemed to undergo a change.

The gazes across the entire court turned into X-rays, examining Xia Chiyi from head to toe, from the strands of his hair down to his fingernails.

Xia Chiyi also noticed that the physical conditions of Qing University’s basketball team members were all excellent. It was obvious that besides basketball skills, they also placed great emphasis on physical fitness training.

“Liu Suchen, your training allows people from outside schools to watch?” Xia Chiyi tugged at the back hem of Liu Suchen’s jacket.

“Hmm? Why do you think that?”

“The way they’re looking at me, it’s as if I owe them millions.”

“Hahaha!” Liu Suchen turned around and walked backward a few steps just to get a clear look at Xia Chiyi’s little expression. “Because your shooting percentage is too high, it filled the entirety of Qing University with a sense of crisis. A mid-range shooting drill was added to our training plan; everyone has to complete at least a hundred shots every day.”

“But… Li Shunchuan’s shooting is also very formidable.”

“Exactly. Originally there was only one Li Shunchuan, and now there’s you added to the mix.”

Walking further ahead, Xia Chiyi saw a man with crossed arms and a stern expression—Li Xiaoran.

An illustrious point guard in the CBA back in the day, and the man who had been squabbling with Ling Huanzhen for nearly twenty years.

Liu Suchen put on a huge smile and went to meet him. “Coach Li, look who I caught outside the stadium—a little spy sent by Ningchang University.”

Xia Chiyi felt the aura exuding from Li Xiaoran, subconsciously swallowed his saliva, and immediately gave a ninety-degree bow: “Hello, Coach Li! I’m not here as a spy, I just came to stroll around Qing University!”

Beside him, Liu Suchen was holding back his laughter so hard it hurt. “Coach Li, stop keeping a straight face and scaring the kid. His brain is as innocent as his face, hahaha.”

“This practice match has one last quarter before it ends. Take him to the side to watch.” Coach Li nodded.

Xia Chiyi let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Coach Li!”

He sat down somewhat nervously on a chair by the sideline. Liu Suchen rummaged around left and right. Since the players all brought their own water bottles to the game and there was a water dispenser by the court, he wanted to find a bottle of mineral water for Xia Chiyi but couldn’t find where the stash was.

Although it was an intra-squad practice match, it was even more spectacular than Xia Chiyi had imagined.

When Qing University’s players launched fast breaks, they naturally carried a crushing, overwhelming momentum. Their defense was also very tenacious, and their switching and help defense were incredibly swift.

When the forwards grabbed rebounds, their jumping power and bouncing speed were astonishing.

Whether forwards or guards, their dribble penetration and mid-range shooting abilities were also the strongest Xia Chiyi had ever seen.

Among them was a tall player with short black hair permed with a bit of texture to look fluffy. His skin was very fair, making the freckles on his face somewhat obvious. His dribbling speed was very fast, his breakthrough ability was strong, and he frequently scored with mid-range jumpers.

When facing the defense of two players, he threw a feint, a fake move so beautiful that Xia Chiyi’s eyes could barely keep up.

Xia Chiyi thought he was going to shoot again, but who knew he would thread past the two opponents, box out the defender under the basket, turn around, and execute a hook shot.

Truly catching them off guard and attacking where they were unprepared!

“Wow…” Xia Chiyi tilted his head up slightly, looking at him. “So formidable…”

And when the other party landed, he happened to make eye contact with him. His expression froze slightly. He ran to the sideline and widened his eyes, “Xia Chiyi? Ningchang University’s Xia Chiyi?”

“Yeah, I’m Xia Chiyi.”

But unfortunately, Xia Chiyi didn’t know who the other party was.

Liu Suchen waved the back of his hand at him. “Song Boyun, hurry up and get back to the match!”

So this guy’s name was “Song Boyun.” Playing this well, how come he had never heard of him?

Xia Chiyi couldn’t help but ask, “He’s very formidable, but I didn’t see him in last year’s tournament.”

“Very formidable? This is considered very formidable? Why do I feel like whatever he can do, you can do too?” Liu Suchen rested his chin on his hand and looked at Xia Chiyi.

Perhaps because someone from an outside school was watching from the sidelines, the rhythm of the game became even faster. Nervous, Xia Chiyi clenched his fists, his gaze following closely. The boy named Song Boyun shook off the defender under the basket again, suddenly turned around, and scored with a jump shot.

Xia Chiyi couldn’t help but applaud for him.

Song Boyun pointed his index finger at Xia Chiyi with a smile.

Xia Chiyi gave him a thumbs up in return.

Liu Suchen smiled and said, “Song Boyun is a first-year student just like you. Barring any accidents, he will make his debut as a starter in the division matches on our side.”

Xia Chiyi silently memorized this name in his heart, resolving to find game footage of this guy from his high school days to study when he got back.

At this time, a team member came over carrying a bottle of soda and some snacks, rudely calling out to Liu Suchen: “A guest is here, don’t you know how to entertain them?”

Liu Suchen took them, opened the bag and took a look: “Cola? Pistachios? Fried dough twists? And mini candied hawthorns? Where did these come from?”

“Coach Li gave them.”

“Then why has Coach Li never given me any to eat?” Liu Suchen asked.

“…When you graduate from Qing University and come back as a guest.”

Although Liu Suchen handed the food to Xia Chiyi, Xia Chiyi’s eyes were entirely focused on Qing University’s practice match and that Song Boyun. He even paused halfway through opening his cola, stopping until Song Boyun scored yet again.

“Tsk. If I had known, I would have gone on the court too. Would you also look at me with starry eyes like that?” Liu Suchen asked, amused.

Xia Chiyi’s brain wasn’t thinking, and he answered directly: “I’ve watched your game videos many times already, I wouldn’t have starry eyes anymore!”

Liu Suchen’s eyebrow raised slightly, and he asked again, “Then am I formidable?”

“Formidable.” Xia Chiyi craned his neck. Song Boyun faked a shot and deceived the defender once again; it was too natural.

Liu Suchen saw through Xia Chiyi’s perfunctoriness, so he started cracking pistachios next to him.

“Then am I more formidable, or is Yang Huaiyu more formidable?”

“Probably you’re a tiny bit more formidable.”

“Then am I more formidable, or is Lu Yingnan more formidable?”

“Last year you were more formidable. This year I haven’t studied Southwest Aviation University yet.”

Liu Suchen lowered his head and chuckled. “You’re so honest.”

Clap clap clap clap. Xia Chiyi started clapping like a seal, becoming Song Boyun’s personal hype squad.

It made Song Boyun feel embarrassed, unsure if he should show off even more of his strength in front of an opponent.

“Then let me ask you again, am I more formidable, or… is your team’s Zhou Zhexiao more formidable?”

Liu Suchen still remembered Yang Huaiyu’s evaluation of Zhou Zhexiao, which was unprecedentedly high.

Hearing that name, Xia Chiyi subconsciously smiled, “Zhou Zhexiao, of course.”

Liu Suchen’s fingers peeling the pistachios paused. He was a bit unhappy now, because Xia Chiyi’s previous answers had all been very sincere, so right now Liu Suchen didn’t doubt that he genuinely felt Zhou Zhexiao was more formidable.

At this time, the practice match ended.

Everyone walked over to Li Xiaoran to listen to his summary and pointers.

Xia Chiyi also pricked up his ears to listen carefully. He found that Li Xiaoran spoke very little, but every word hit the nail on the head.

When criticizing Song Boyun, he was equally merciless.

“Your teammates were already outside waiting to receive the pass! Why didn’t you pass? You practically perfectly avoided all your teammates’ reception runs for the entire game, truly incredibly gifted.”

Song Boyun lowered his head, his hands clasped behind his back. Even though he won, and even though he looked so cool, he still had to be scolded.

At this point, Li Xiaoran suddenly cue’d Xia Chiyi. “Look at Xia Chiyi’s reception of his teammates’ runs and his help defense. If you could learn even one-third of that, I wouldn’t need to have a headache over the coordination between you and Liu Suchen.”

Listening from the sidelines, Liu Suchen chuckled. “Basketball IQ is something that’s probably innate.”

Li Xiaoran’s gaze turned to Xia Chiyi. “Are you just here to look around and play? Don’t you want to play basketball?”

Xia Chiyi was stunned. What did Coach Li say?

Letting him play basketball here?

Seeing Xia Chiyi unreactive, Li Xiaoran raised his voice: “Don’t dare? Afraid of exposing your true strength? Or afraid that we at Qing University will use our numbers to bully you?”

“I don’t have much strength… worth worrying about exposing.” Xia Chiyi swallowed.

The head-bowed Song Boyun suddenly turned his head to look at him: “If you’re called ‘no strength,’ then be careful of getting ganged up on.”

“How about this: Xia Chiyi is a guest, so I’ll team up with him. Song Boyun, you and Huo Cheng form a team. Let’s play a two-on-two?” Liu Suchen turned to Xia Chiyi, “No problem, right?”

“No problem!”

Xia Chiyi felt like he had won the lottery.

Not only did he get to watch Qing University’s practice match, but he also got to play two-on-two with their team members?

Huo Cheng was a famous power forward in the Tier 1 league, known as the “Little Ling Huanzhen” of the college basketball scene.

“Then go warm up.” Liu Suchen gave Xia Chiyi a gentle push.

At this moment, the phone in Xia Chiyi’s pocket suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and saw that time had unknowingly flown to 3:30 PM. It was Ling Huanzhen calling to ask where he was and why he wasn’t replying to messages in the WeChat group.

It turned out a message had been sent in the group confirming if everyone was on their way to the high-speed rail station. Everyone had replied, except Xia Chiyi who remained silent.

Xia Chiyi quickly returned Ling Huanzhen’s call: “Coach Ling, I bumped into Liu Suchen at Qing University. He took me to watch their training and even said he wanted to play a two-on-two with me. Can I be a little late…”

Ling Huanzhen thought he had misheard. How did this kid manage to mix into Qing University’s varsity team?

“Li Xiaoran let you watch their practice match?”

“Yeah.” Xia Chiyi nodded.

“And he’s letting you play basketball with his team members?”

“Right, isn’t this opportunity super rare?” Xia Chiyi was itching to try.

“There must be a conspiracy in this. He definitely wants to test your abilities! It’s absolutely not out of good intentions!”

Ling Huanzhen’s voice wasn’t considered loud, but it definitely wasn’t soft either. Standing not far away, Li Xiaoran could faintly hear what he was saying.

Li Xiaoran let out a cold snort, walked over, and crooked a finger at Xia Chiyi, “I’ll talk to him.”

Taking the phone, Li Xiaoran rested his hands on his hips and gave a chilly smile, “Ling Huanzhen, are you scared?”

“Scared? What do I have to be scared of?”

“If you aren’t scared, how come out of the entire Ningchang varsity team, only the freshman Xia Chiyi came to spy on our military intelligence? Are the rest of you especially afraid of death?”

Ling Huanzhen immediately roared back, “Don’t think too highly of yourself, you aren’t Mount Everest!”

“Fine then, I’ll keep Xia Chiyi here to play with me for a while.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi immediately leaned in: “Coach, my train ticket…”

Li Xiaoran glanced at Xia Chiyi. “We will buy an airplane ticket for Xia Chiyi to go back.”

Ling Huanzhen gritted his teeth: “No need, the airport is too far!”

Li Xiaoran said indifferently: “It’s fine, I’ll drive him there.”

Even through the phone, Xia Chiyi could feel the sparks flying between the two coaches.

“I’m coming over right now! You are not allowed to bully that child!”

Li Xiaoran scoffed softly, “I will bully him. I plan to use a rotation battle, beating him until he’s exhausted, stripping him of his confidence, and making him doubt life.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi petrified on the spot. He really wanted to say: Coach Li, I’m still here… can you please not pretend I don’t exist?

Liu Suchen put a hand on Xia Chiyi’s shoulder in amusement, “Don’t worry, Coach Li is just scaring your coach so he’ll bring the elites of your team to come rescue you.”

Even though anyone could tell it was just a bluff upon hearing it, Ling Huanzhen really got anxious.

“Li Xiaoran, whatever beef is between you and me, don’t drag the students into it! Xia Chiyi is… is…”

“Is what?” Li Xiaoran asked coldly.

“Anyway, no matter what, I’m coming over right now!”

The call was hung up. Li Xiaoran tossed the phone back to Xia Chiyi. “Now, do you want to be a good boy, sit here and wait for Ling Huanzhen to come lecture you? Or do you want to seize the time and have a good game right now?”

“Have a game right now!” Xia Chiyi said loudly.

He could sense that although Li Xiaoran looked stern, he held no malice towards him.

Li Xiaoran nodded: “Unlike Ling Huanzhen, that guy is just a coward.”

Xia Chiyi: …

A few minutes later, Xia Chiyi finished warming up and stepped onto the basketball court.

The others who were practicing couldn’t hold back and gathered around; even the women’s basketball team paused their training.

After all, having someone from an outside school come to play 2-on-2, and with Li Xiaoran personally initiating it, was a truly rare sight.

Huo Cheng pressed down on Song Boyun’s head, “Brat, I’m teaming up with you today. If you drop the ball on me, I’ll throw your bed boards out to bask in the moonlight tonight.”

Under the suppression of Huo Cheng’s aura, Song Boyun revealed a terrified expression: “Brother Cheng, I will play well, I promise I will play well…”

Xia Chiyi looked at Huo Cheng across from him. The other party stood 201 cm tall, his entire body packed with firm muscles, and his facial contours were tough and sharp. He reached up and slicked his original 30/70 parted hair backward. As that oppressive gaze swept over, Xia Chiyi gulped.

Huo Cheng gave a very faint smile, as if saying: Let me see how much capability you have.

“Getting major domineering CEO vibes…”

Just as Xia Chiyi’s voice fell, Liu Suchen, who was rotating his wrists with a lazy expression next to him, suddenly laughed.

“How did you know Huo Cheng’s nickname in our team?”

“Ah? It really is ‘Domineering CEO’?”

“Yep. You can experience it for yourself right now,” Liu Suchen said with a smile.

“Since we have a guest, the guest gets the first possession.” Huo Cheng threw the basketball to Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi smiled, “Are you sure you’re letting me go first?”

“Sure.”

With the blow of a whistle, before the observing players on the sidelines could even react, Liu Suchen sprinted toward the opponent’s basket at an extremely fast speed, “Pass—”

Xia Chiyi’s gaze closely followed Liu Suchen’s back. This half-court sprint speed was too fierce. When Xia Chiyi made the motion for an imminent fast pass, Song Boyun immediately dashed toward his passing lane. Who knew that Xia Chiyi would bring the ball together with both hands and lightly jump for a shot.

Everyone around was stunned, not expecting such a maneuver. This kid had just crossed the half-court line!

Huo Cheng and Liu Suchen reacted extremely swiftly; a battle for the rebound was on the verge of breaking out!

But that ball unhurriedly threaded straight through the center of the hoop. From the sidelines, Li Xiaoran watched Xia Chiyi’s posture as he released the ball. It was a nimble, agile beauty that appeared without warning; it looked as if a pair of soft wings might sprout from his shoulder blades at any moment.

“Didn’t expect this kid’s shooting range to be so far. The difficulty of defending him just increased,” the assistant coach spoke up.

“…Mm.”

Li Xiaoran thought of Sheng Xingming, and also thought of Jiao Yingfeng. Those two would also suddenly pull out an ultra-long-distance shot during the most anxious moments of a game.

Using a high and far arc, it allowed the tense scrambling of the game to suddenly relax.

It was also a special language. Sometimes it could sever an opponent’s surging momentum, and sometimes it could remind dispirited teammates: Don’t lower your heads, look up.

Liu Suchen came up to Xia Chiyi with hands on his hips. “You’re pretty amazing, treating me as bait. I drew the attention of Huo Cheng and Song Boyun for you, so you could comfortably take an ultra-long-distance shot?”

Xia Chiyi explained, “It’s all because you ran too fast. I thought that rather than attempting a fast pass and getting it intercepted, I might as well just score it myself.”

Liu Suchen smiled, “Excellent judgment. When are you going to act as bait for me?”

“There will always be a chance.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

The next round was Huo Cheng and Song Boyun’s turn to attack.

Huo Cheng’s dribbling was fierce and vigorous. He seemed to be charging indiscriminately, but his various push-and-pull fakes were so fluid that Xia Chiyi couldn’t keep up.

Even if he got passed, Xia Chiyi wouldn’t give up. He immediately turned around and chased after him again.

Huo Cheng never expected that with Liu Suchen defending from the front and Xia Chiyi trying to swipe the ball from behind, the pincer attack would make his nerves taut. Song Boyun rushed over to support.

At the exact moment Huo Cheng passed the ball, it was intercepted by Liu Suchen, and in the blink of an eye, Liu Suchen scored again.

After Liu Suchen landed, the very first thing he did turning around was seek Xia Chiyi for a high-five.

If Xia Chiyi hadn’t deliberately gone for a low swipe, baiting Huo Cheng into a high pass, Liu Suchen wouldn’t have been able to snatch the ball away so easily the moment he lifted it.

“This double-team coordination was spectacular,” the assistant coach sighed in admiration.

Li Xiaoran crossed his arms, his gaze as he looked at Xia Chiyi growing even deeper. “When this child plays basketball, he’s not just thinking about himself. The opponents’ positioning and his partner’s needs are all in his brain. He can integrate all this information; his basketball IQ is very high.”

Liu Suchen had also never played so smoothly; several of his scores drew continuous gasps of amazement from the surrounding crowd.

A swift turnaround jump shot under the basket, an aerial poster dunk on Song Boyun, a fake out under the basket against Huo Cheng leading to a layup score.

Basically, Xia Chiyi absolutely wouldn’t let both Song Boyun and Huo Cheng return under the basket at the same time. He would also use his proficiency in long-distance shooting to lay down smokescreens, impeding the opponents’ retreat and giving Liu Suchen the opportunity to score recklessly.

Wherever he needed Xia Chiyi to be, Xia Chiyi would appear there, slicing and passing with silky smoothness, threading the needle perfectly.

Xia Chiyi knew when to press Huo Cheng together with Liu Suchen, and he also knew when to trap Song Boyun at the sideline.

When Song Boyun held the ball and contested Liu Suchen, Xia Chiyi would help-defend from the most optimal angle, cleverly blocking the path between Song Boyun and Huo Cheng, causing Song Boyun to lose his passing opportunity.

Xia Chiyi would also apply pressure from the other side until, together with Liu Suchen, they forced Song Boyun to the sideline.

Song Boyun howled with frustration in his heart. He clearly had so many flashy skills and scoring abilities, but Xia Chiyi just had a way of keeping him from reaching that “finishing” step.

Like a dud firecracker.

Huo Cheng also found it unbelievable. Liu Suchen had always been difficult to deal with, but it had never been like today, where it felt as if he had turned on cheat codes, almost reaching a point where he could do whatever he wanted.

“This is the so-called one plus one is greater than two,” Li Xiaoran said softly.

He had always wanted to find a partner like this for Liu Suchen, but unfortunately, Xia Chiyi belonged to Ningchang University.

In order not to be led around by the nose by Liu Suchen and Xia Chiyi, Huo Cheng took the initiative to attack and create opportunities for Song Boyun.

At the moment he shook off all entanglement, Song Boyun soared like a flying bird, driving in for a layup.

However, Liu Suchen still leaped to intercept relying on his superb speed. A fierce expression appeared on Song Boyun’s normally boyish face.

—Don’t think you can block me just because you’re the ace! I’m not inferior to you!

The players off the court were also thrilled, hoping that Song Boyun would shake Liu Suchen’s status as the ace!

In mid-air, Song Boyun slightly pulled the ball back, and sure enough, Liu Suchen grabbed empty air.

“Watch out—” Huo Cheng’s near-roaring warning sounded.

Song Boyun simply had no time to analyze what Huo Cheng wanted him to watch out for. As he was about to send the ball out for the second time, Xia Chiyi had already leaped into the air and swatted his ball away!

Song Boyun looked at Xia Chiyi in astonishment. Why did he appear here? Why did he come in for the help defense at precisely this exact timing?

“This is an under-the-basket defense executed using a time difference. This child Xia Chiyi’s judgment and reactions are simply too fast.”

Just as the people on the sidelines were still pondering this two-stage defense, Liu Suchen happened to catch the ball and shouted, “Run—”

Landing and turning around without any pause, Xia Chiyi sprinted straight for the opponent’s basket.

Song Boyun and Huo Cheng both rushed back to defend.

Xia Chiyi’s sprinting speed surprised them; Huo Cheng even felt like he was chasing after another Liu Suchen.

They thought Xia Chiyi would take the ball and brake at the three-point line, but after catching the ball, Xia Chiyi pressed forward relentlessly.

Huo Cheng’s heart leapt into his throat, and he shouted loudly, “This guy is going for a layup!”

Liu Suchen was also stunned. He didn’t expect Xia Chiyi to abandon his most proficient abrupt-stop jump shot and instead choose a confrontation under the basket.

Blood pumped into his heart in gushes.

—You brat, are you out of your mind with courage?

Facing the high-pressure iron wall that was Huo Cheng, Xia Chiyi actually chose to confront him physically.

“You picked the wrong opponent!” Huo Cheng’s gaze fell icily. From earlier till now, he had been annoyed by this kid!

He had to find an opportunity to dampen Xia Chiyi’s aggressive drive, to squeeze him out from under the basket.

But what Huo Cheng didn’t expect was that Xia Chiyi’s center of gravity would suddenly drop, passing below Huo Cheng’s hips. His base was far more stable than Huo Cheng had imagined.

But just as he broke through the defense, he encountered Song Boyun’s interception.

The onlookers grew tense. Li Xiaoran also felt it was a pity; although he could clearly see what Xia Chiyi was attempting, this attempt was destined to fail.

Who knew that Xia Chiyi would hit the brakes once again. The basketball was pushed and pulled widely at extreme speed. Like magic, he actually bypassed Song Boyun and nimbly sent the ball into the hoop.

In the moment Song Boyun grasped empty air, he suddenly realized that Xia Chiyi was imitating Liu Suchen’s score from earlier.

“How is this possible, this kid only saw it once, right?”

Liu Suchen tilted his head back slightly. Although it was an imitation, Xia Chiyi was lighter and more agile, arousing an urge to explore within Liu Suchen.

He really wanted to know: could Xia Chiyi learn all of his scoring techniques?

The assistant coach slightly parted his lips. “What formidable learning ability…”

“Is it just learning ability? This requires his half-court sprinting ability, his abrupt stopping level, and his dribbling ability to all approach Liu Suchen’s degree, and he also has to have the courage to confront Huo Cheng physically. This kid… truly makes one want to simultaneously destroy him and protect him.” Li Xiaoran’s brows furrowed tightly.

Destroying him would be easy: just have Liu Suchen play him one-on-one and completely obliterate the self-confidence he had built up. Even Yang Huaiyu had once almost failed to walk out from under it, let alone a Xia Chiyi who lacked sufficient experience with failure.

But Li Xiaoran couldn’t bear to do it. With such a good seedling, his instinct as a coach was to bring him soil, hoping his roots would dig to the deepest depths where no one could shake him.

The ten-minute game concluded far too quickly. When the whistle blew, the 28 to 17 point gap was beyond Huo Cheng and Song Boyun’s expectations.

The observing team members were left wanting more.

“It’s over already? Can’t they play for another ten minutes?”

“Even though we often see Liu Suchen passing five players in practice matches, this time it was like a wandering dragon startling a dream!”

“That Xia Chiyi actually dared to challenge Huo Cheng. I thought he’d be knocked flying and sent straight to heaven as a sacrifice, I didn’t expect him to actually break through!”

Huo Cheng and Song Boyun both looked at Xia Chiyi. If gazes could materialize, Xia Chiyi would probably have been stabbed knife after knife already.

Liu Suchen turned his face and looked at Xia Chiyi: “Your coach hasn’t arrived yet anyway. Play another ten minutes?”

“Can we?” Xia Chiyi looked toward Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran nodded.

Who knew that after ten minutes, there would be another ten minutes.

After suffering countless losses at Xia Chiyi’s hands regarding off-ball movement and help defense, Song Boyun finally realized he needed to cooperate with Huo Cheng.

But Xia Chiyi’s condition was also getting better and better. The more scoring abilities Liu Suchen displayed, the more excited Xia Chiyi got, and the more he wanted to try out those skills of Liu Suchen’s.

Facing Huo Cheng’s defense, Xia Chiyi suddenly pulled the ball back. Like fishing, he baited Huo Cheng into jumping high, then nimbly bypassed him to confront Song Boyun, switching hands in an instant to score a layup.

Every step seemed like an unorthodox, risky sword move, yet every single one went into the basket for a score.

When Huo Cheng realized he had been tricked by Xia Chiyi, his mind went blank.

Just a few minutes ago, Liu Suchen had clearly used the same method to bait him. Why, when Xia Chiyi did the exact same thing, did he still fall for it?

But thinking about it for three more seconds, Huo Cheng realized—even if he hadn’t been baited into jumping, Xia Chiyi could have instantly shot the ball relying on his rapid release ability.

No matter what, this play was a dead end for Huo Cheng.

Liu Suchen whistled, and the Qing University players watching from the sidelines were also murmuring.

“This Xia Chiyi is not simple. No wonder Liu Suchen personally brought him in.”

“Did you see our coach’s expression? His brows haven’t unfurrowed once!”

“No comparison, no harm—today Huo Cheng and Song Boyun are like plastic teammates; compared to the other side, they have absolutely no chemistry to speak of.”

Song Boyun stood on the sidelines, inhaling forcefully. He looked at Xia Chiyi and felt an unspeakable terror.

Song Boyun was already mentally prepared for Xia Chiyi’s basketball skills.

But when it came down to an actual game, Song Boyun suddenly became aware of Xia Chiyi’s other ability: he could make Liu Suchen’s offense even more efficient and crisp, and he could help Liu Suchen transition from defense to offense at any time.

Like a magnifying glass, an accelerator, a game cheat code!

Huo Cheng walked up to Song Boyun. “Let’s go, go to the coach to get lectured.”

This time, when Song Boyun stood in front of Li Xiaoran and lowered his head, his face was completely devoid of expression.

But Li Xiaoran didn’t reprimand him again; he just pressed down firmly on his shoulder, “Understood?”

Song Boyun nodded: “Understood.”

A basketball game isn’t a one-on-one bullfight.

Previously, Song Boyun had never seen such superb off-ball movement and help defense like Xia Chiyi’s. This ability seemed both mentally and physically exhausting, but when paired with a player like Liu Suchen, the chemical reaction between the two was like throwing sodium metal into water—bursting wildly, causing Liu Suchen to become incomparably dazzling.

Not to mention that Xia Chiyi could also hold his own single-handedly.

Liu Suchen sat on the chair and looked sideways at Xia Chiyi beside him.

Xia Chiyi was somewhat nervously checking his phone repeatedly. Playing the game was thrilling for a moment, but returning to the team would mean his funeral.

Liu Suchen tore open the packaging of a mini tanghulu and brought it to his lips. Xia Chiyi took a bite. The tartness of the hawthorn caused his face to contort in a rare expression.

“If only you were at Qing University.”

“Ah?” Xia Chiyi was working hard to swallow that little tanghulu.

“If you and I teamed up, we could ruthlessly pin Yang Huaiyu to the bottom of a pit, so he’d never see the light of day. We’d kick Qincheng and punch Southwest Aviation U!”

Xia Chiyi licked his lower lip, which was stained with sugar. “But I already have a very formidable partner.”

Liu Suchen watched his worldly-innocent appearance. The smile on his face gradually faded, and his boiling, joyful emotions instantly cooled.

He suddenly felt regretful. He shouldn’t have made Xia Chiyi his partner, shouldn’t have experienced this unique bond.

The more tacitly Xia Chiyi coordinated with him, the more it meant that he was being deeply read by Xia Chiyi.

But, Xia Chiyi was not his partner, but an opponent.

Liu Suchen looked at him for a long time. He had never experienced such deep regret.

As the ace of Qing University, he enjoyed many privileges. For example, the entire team would center their offense around him, and some teammates even had to change their playing styles for him.

But Xia Chiyi was a privilege he could not obtain.

“Then we can only be opponents,” Liu Suchen said softly.

“If I could also be selected for the National Youth Team like you, then we could be teammates.”

Xia Chiyi said it casually, but it was as if Liu Suchen’s regret had suddenly found a remedy. He pressed down firmly on Xia Chiyi’s head.

“Then you have to work hard. Learn everything you can, and then become very, very formidable.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Right at this moment, the assistant coach walked in, leading Ling Huanzhen and Zhou Zhexiao.

They were originally heading from the hospital to the high-speed rail station, but upon learning that Xia Chiyi was with the Qing University varsity team, they immediately changed direction and rushed over.

The first moment Ling Huanzhen caught sight of Xia Chiyi, he couldn’t even be bothered to bicker with Li Xiaoran. He strode over rapidly, looking as if he was going to pull Xia Chiyi by the ears.

“Xia Chiyi—you’ve really done it! While others went out to play, you ran to Qing University to spy on military intelligence! As an old father, I am truly gratified!”

Xia Chiyi carefully analyzed Ling Huanzhen’s gaze.

What the heck, this guy isn’t angry at all.

Looking at the excited gleam flashing in his eyes, he definitely had wanted to come check out Qing University for a long time. Because he couldn’t bring himself to ask due to the petty grudges from his youth, Xia Chiyi being “detained” by Qing University actually gave him an excuse to show up at their door.

Xia Chiyi turned his body; his main focus was still checking on Zhou Zhexiao.

The other party was expressionless, both hands tucked in his pockets.

Song Boyun nudged Huo Cheng, “Look, that’s Ling Huanzhen, a living, breathing Ling Huanzhen!”

Huo Cheng sighed: “Ling Huanzhen is only thirty-eight this year, what’s so rare about him being living and breathing?”

“The fact that he still hasn’t started squabbling with our coach yet, that is rare.” Song Boyun narrowed his eyes. “That ice-cold, statue-like guy behind Ling Huanzhen, that’s Zhou Zhexiao, right?”

“Yeah.” Huo Cheng observed him while wiping sweat with a towel.

It wasn’t just Huo Cheng; the gazes of the entire Qing University varsity team fell upon Zhou Zhexiao.

That was the player evaluated by Qincheng University’s Coach Ren as an “offensive and defensive kaleidoscope”—it was hard not to pay attention to him.

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[The author has something to say]

Xia Chiyi: Little fox, don’t be regretful. We can play in the World University Games together, and the Olympics.
Liu Suchen: Who did you learn to make empty promises from?
Xia Chiyi: Ling Huanzhen.