Chapter 0074: Admiration

“The one who is invincible is Sheng Xingming, Zhou Zhexiao is a playboy.” Zhou Zhexiao turned his head to the other side, putting on an attitude of refusing to study.

Xia Chiyi was almost about to collapse with laughter. He felt like he had finally found an area where he was better than the other party.

Looking at the hair whorl on the back of Zhou Zhexiao’s head, Xia Chiyi gently stroked it and whispered half-jokingly: “Sleeping beauty, sleeping beauty, if you still don’t get up, I’m going to kiss you.”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhexiao actually turned his head around, revealed half of his face, and said with his eyes closed: “Whoever doesn’t dare to kiss me, I will sleep with him eight hundred times.”

Xia Chiyi sighed, “You better just keep sleeping, don’t wake up.”

Holy crap, Zhou Zhexiao, it’s better if you didn’t grow a mouth.

As soon as you open your mouth, you make people’s imaginations run wild!

Forget it, once I’ve sorted everything out and understood it, I’ll properly explain it to Zhou Zhexiao when we go back to the dorm. Just let him sleep for now.

After Xia Chiyi went to the bathroom and came back, he found a cup of hot coffee placed on his left-hand side, with a sticky note attached: Always supporting you, keep it up!

Xia Chiyi froze. Whose kindness was this?

In his vicinity, besides the class monitor and the recreation and sports committee member who were still typing their short essays, everyone else was already “corpses covering the field” and lying flat out. So he could only ask the class monitor and the others.

“Class monitor, did you see who brought me this cup of coffee?”

The class monitor glanced at it and then smiled: “Seems to be from another class. A girl with long hair, wearing a bow headband and a long skirt.”

The recreation and sports committee member also looked up, and when he saw the sticky note on it, he smiled: “Didn’t they already say it? Always supporting you, not leaving a signature means not asking for anything in return. Your fans are really great, sending you warmth at a time like this.”

“Fans…” Xia Chiyi rubbed the tip of his nose and felt embarrassed.

As soon as he returned to his seat, he found that Zhou Zhexiao had actually sat up, crossing his arms and waiting for Xia Chiyi to come back.

“Why… why are you awake? I thought you were going to sleep until the make-up exams.”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t say anything. He just took the coffee cup, opened the lid, held it near his nose, and took a sniff.

“This fan of yours has a lot of taste in life—Geisha coffee beans. Yield is low, the aroma is rich, and the acidity is also unique. I didn’t expect there would be someone in Ningchang who drinks such high-grade coffee.”

Zhou Zhexiao handed the cup back to Xia Chiyi.

“How do you know what variety of coffee beans this is?”

Xia Chiyi couldn’t even distinguish between instant and freshly ground coffee.

“Because in the past, I only drank Geisha, Bourbon, and Pacamara.”

“Hehe, they all sound very expensive. Sorry, but your quality of life has downgraded now. All you have left is brown sugar boba milk tea.”

Xia Chiyi furrowed his brows and thought for a moment about the position of this cup of coffee.

If it were a gift for himself, it should have been placed directly in front of his computer. But it was placed on Xia Chiyi’s left-hand side, which was also the direction Zhou Zhexiao’s face was facing when he slept.

That meant as soon as Zhou Zhexiao opened his eyes, he would see it.

Xia Chiyi suddenly formed a bold hypothesis, which was that it wasn’t given to himself, but to Zhou Zhexiao.

Pang Shuai had mentioned that Zhou Zhexiao also had a fan club, it’s just that they were very low-key. Since she was a fan, she should know that Zhou Zhexiao graduated from Oak Hill and definitely knew more about these foreign things than Xia Chiyi.

“I think… this is for you,” Xia Chiyi said.

“I won’t drink it. If I drink it, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao moved it aside and looked like he was about to lie back down again.

This time it was Xia Chiyi’s turn to grab his back collar and pull him up.

“Boss, I didn’t mishear, right boss? Just look at you… completely clueless about Principles of Accounting, taking a stroll in the clouds for Economics, and dreaming your way through Marketing, and you still want to sleep tonight! Hurry up and drink this coffee, don’t waste someone else’s good intentions. I’ll tutor you tonight!”

Looking at Xia Chiyi’s serious and persistent eyes, Zhou Zhexiao resisted for about three seconds, then obediently took the coffee and drank it in small sips.

As Xia Chiyi sorted out his notes, he asked: “Does it taste good?”

“You’ll know once you taste it.”

Zhou Zhexiao handed the coffee cup to him.

Xia Chiyi’s heartstrings were gently plucked, as if he had finally found a high-sounding reason to do something out of bounds and transgressive.

Using Zhou Zhexiao’s hand, he pressed his lips to the spot where the other party had drunk from and took a gentle sip.

Soon, Xia Chiyi’s brows furrowed, “Can’t drink it… it’s so bitter.”

Zhou Zhexiao drank a mouthful expressionlessly, completely not caring that Xia Chiyi had also drunk from that spot.

“But I think it has a citrus flavor.”

Xia Chiyi’s heart felt as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather. The two of them were still using citrus-scented shower gel to this day.

After sorting out the Marketing notes, Xia Chiyi got up to go wash his face.

Sure enough, looking death in the face is the best way to stimulate a person’s learning potential.

Even Xia Chiyi hadn’t expected he could review so many things in one night.

A bro next to him also came to wash his face, and when he made eye contact with Xia Chiyi, he smiled.

While Xia Chiyi was still savoring his smile, another bro who walked in also let out a “pfft” laugh.

“What’s wrong? Do I have food stuck in my teeth?” Xia Chiyi looked at the two of them.

“Nothing, just… haha…”

As soon as he walked out, he saw a girl with long hair standing not far away, nodding at him gently.

Xia Chiyi understood implicitly. This should be the girl who brought Zhou Zhexiao the coffee.

“Thank you, Xia Chiyi.”

“Um, that cup of coffee seems very precious, Geisha coffee beans. It would have been better if you gave it to him personally. He doesn’t even know who sent it,” Xia Chiyi said.

The girl shook her head: “If I gave it to him personally, he would walk past me as if he didn’t see me, or just directly say ‘I don’t need it.’ Moreover, since he could tell it was Geisha, it means he’s a connoisseur. My coffee wasn’t given in vain.”

“You mimic his tone really well.”

“Thank you for giving the coffee to him. I ground it myself, and brewed it myself too. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t want to appear in his life; I just want to occasionally participate in it,” the girl explained.

“I understand. Then I’ll thank you on his behalf.”

“As a reward, I’ll remind you—you have something on your back.” The girl pointed at Xia Chiyi’s shoulder.

Xia Chiyi immediately reached his hand around his back. After feeling around for half a day, he discovered that a sticky note was actually stuck to his back, with the words: I am very busy, I don’t have time to date.

Who stuck this on?

He had just carried this sticky note on his back and walked through an entire corridor. No wonder the classmates in the restroom looked at him with strange gazes. It turned out it wasn’t food in his teeth, but a note on his back.

This handwriting didn’t belong to Ye Zhaoying; that guy’s handwriting looked like a dog scratching.

Pang Shuai’s handwriting was as neat as printed text.

So the only one left was… Zhou Zhexiao? When did this guy write the note? When did he stick it on?

It must have been while he went to ask the class monitor!

Right at this moment, several girls walked over.

“Xia Chiyi, wishing you success in passing your final exams!”

“We will go cheer for you at the regional tournament!”

“This is for you, hope you like it!”

This was Xia Chiyi’s first time talking to so many girls, and for a moment he didn’t know what to do besides saying thank you.

The girl with long hair smiled meaningfully, waved her hand, and left.

When Xia Chiyi returned to his study room seat, he placed a pile of snacks on the table.

“Bro, did you go to the restroom or did you take a trip to the convenience store?” Ye Zhaoying leaned over to look.

Pang Shuai was stunned. “How come there’s everything? Small pastries, chocolate, konjac noodles, beef jerky, and spicy strips (latiao)?”

Although Zhou Zhexiao was still lying face down, he opened his eyes. In the next second, Xia Chiyi stuck that sticky note right on his forehead.

“Haha… hahaha…”

Ye Zhaoying and Pang Shuai covered their mouths, trying very hard to hold back their laughter.

Zhou Zhexiao sat up. Just as he plucked the sticky note off, Xia Chiyi lifted his hoodie, pulled it over his head, grabbed the drawstrings tight, and gave a forceful pull. Zhou Zhexiao’s head was enclosed inside the hood.

“Stay here and behave yourself for me.”

Zhou Zhexiao slowly opened the hood and laid back down on the desk.

He slowly pushed that pile of snacks forward, blocking his line of sight toward Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi’s face was slightly turned. As he read, he folded book pages, sometimes underlining, sometimes annotating. His thick eyelashes seemed to be adorned with a layer of soft mist, his thoughts seemingly wandering off with that faint glimmer of light into a boundless wilderness.

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t fall asleep again, continuously watching Xia Chiyi flip through that entire book.

Upon returning to the dorms, they rarely found that the lights of an entire dormitory building were all on; everyone was burning the midnight oil to fight night battles.

Passing by the corridor windows, two bros were even leaning there asking and answering each other questions.

Ye Zhaoying’s throat was a bit tense. The feeling was as if the game had entered the final thirty seconds, and everyone was fiercely fighting for possession of the ball.

“I feel a deep contradiction,” Ye Zhaoying took a deep breath.

“The contradiction between the vast scope of the exam and your lagging IQ?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“No, it’s the contradiction between failing after taking it completely unprepared, or still failing after pulling an all-nighter.”

Pang Shuai didn’t forget to twist the knife: “Yeah, for everyone else it’s reviewing, but only for you, Ye Zhaoying, it’s previewing.”

By the time they entered the dorm, it was already 10:30 PM.

Zhou Zhexiao rubbed his eyes; it was expected this guy would enter sleep mode in half an hour. They saw him grab his pajamas, about to enter the bathroom, but Xia Chiyi blocked his path and pointed at his small desk: “What sleep? Sit over there, we’re starting on Principles of Accounting!”

“I won’t.” Zhou Zhexiao looked into Xia Chiyi’s eyes and uttered these two words.

Both Ye Zhaoying and Pang Shuai froze. What did Zhou Zhexiao just say?

“You dare not? Then I will revoke your usage rights to my phone.”

“I can grab it myself.”

Ye Zhaoying clapped. “Well said. If you don’t show the professor a trick or two at finals, he’ll really think he actually successfully taught Zhou Zhexiao.”

Xia Chiyi glared coldly at Zhou Zhexiao. “Do you know that if you fail exams, you won’t be allowed to participate in matches?”

In the next second, Zhou Zhexiao hoisted Xia Chiyi up by the waist and placed him on his own desk. “I’ll take a shower to wake myself up.”

Xia Chiyi sat foolishly on the corner of the desk, thinking to himself, If you want to wake up then go wake up, what did you pick me up for?

It really was a case of the sky is great, the earth is great, but matches are the greatest.

When Zhou Zhexiao came out, his body still carrying faint water vapor, he truly sat down in front of the desk.

Xia Chiyi pulled up a chair, took out his own notes, and began explaining Principles of Accounting.

Ye Zhaoying originally wanted to go to bed—he had clearly given up on treatment—but after listening to Xia Chiyi explain for a while, he seemed to instantly understand what that whole accrual accounting and cash accounting thing was.

He stood behind Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao and acted as an auditing student for once.

“Did you understand this owner’s equity part?” Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao.

“En, understood.”

The other party’s face was slightly turned, his gaze entirely on Xia Chiyi’s notes. His serious appearance was very cute, and Xia Chiyi couldn’t resist patting the top of his head.

Soft strands of hair slipped between his fingers. Zhou Zhexiao kept his head down and his eyes closed, terribly obedient.

“Did you understand this accounting identity?”

“Understood too.”

“Now we’ll talk about the trial balance of occurrence amounts…”

Xia Chiyi discovered that Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t actually a poor student; he just wasn’t interested in things outside of basketball. His memory and logical abilities were very strong. Xia Chiyi only needed to explain it to him clearly once, and he would understand it all.

By the time the test points for the entire Principles of Accounting book were covered, it was already 1 AM.

The moment the textbook was closed, Zhou Zhexiao, who had been mentally focused, raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. That expression was exactly the same as when Xia Chiyi picked him up from the airport for the first time.

“God, it’s clearly something you, Xia Chiyi, can finish explaining in just over two hours, why does the professor take a whole semester?” Ye Zhaoying furrowed his brows, revealing an extremely baffled expression.

Xia Chiyi turned around. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to go to sleep? Why are you also here? Did you pay tuition?”

“Zhou Zhexiao didn’t pay tuition either.”

“But Zhou Zhexiao acts as my sparring partner for at least ten hours a week.”

While they were chatting, Zhou Zhexiao had already stood up unsteadily, preparing to climb into his bed.

“Wait, Zhou Zhexiao, you can’t sleep yet—we haven’t covered Economics!”

Zhou Zhexiao stood by the bed, ready to fall asleep standing up.

Xia Chiyi had no choice but to pinch his cheek hard.

“Brutal, too brutal. To pass the final exams, you’re even using torture…” Ye Zhaoying said this, but stayed nearby waiting for Xia Chiyi to explain economics.

The day before their exams, Ling Huanzhen called Jiao Yingfeng, who had returned to the capital.

“Jiao Jiao, Jiao Jiao, you have to do me a favor.”

“If you have something to say, say it. If you have a fart, fart it.”

“Can you go to the Youmin Temple in the suburbs and burn a stick of incense for Zhou Zhexiao? I’ve already found out his ‘Eight Characters’ (birth date details).”

“He… what happened to him?” Jiao Yingfeng grew tense. “Is he sick? Or did he get into another car accident?”

“No, no, no, it’s because final exams are tomorrow, and I’m afraid he’s going to fail!”

Jiao Yingfeng almost greeted Ling Huanzhen’s eighteen generations of ancestors; he almost scared him to death. He had thought the King of Hell was going to take Zhou Zhexiao back.

“You can relax, his brain is much better than yours.”

“Jiao Jiao, have you forgotten? He hasn’t studied for nearly twenty years. Besides, his previous major was Physical Education. But now he has to take exams for things like Principles of Accounting, Economics, Marketing… aren’t you worried?”

“If even you can graduate from university, what do I have to worry about.”

After saying that, Jiao Yingfeng hung up the phone.

Sitting in a taxi, he looked out the window, took a deep breath, and still said to the driver: “Master, please go to Youmin Temple first.”

Whether you’re an Olympic champion or have won the Larry O’Brien Trophy, in front of final exams, you all have to bow your heads.

Finally, the all-evil exam week passed.

On the day the last subject finished, everyone climbed into bed and started catching up on sleep.

Xia Chiyi’s all-nighters grasping the key points weren’t in vain. He and Zhou Zhexiao passed all subjects, and Zhou Zhexiao’s scores in accounting and economics were actually quite good.

It was Ye Zhaoying instead who died in College English.

Looking at the make-up exam notice, Ye Zhaoying didn’t even have the mood to apply a face mask anymore.

Team practices continued. Without the pressure of coursework, everyone practically soaked in the basketball gym day and night, their training enthusiasm reaching an unprecedented high.

Xia Chiyi received a call from his mom asking when he planned to come back; his dad would drive to pick him up.

At that moment, Xia Chiyi suddenly thought of a question.

What about Zhou Zhexiao?

Where would he go during the winter break? What would he do for the Lunar New Year?

That day at the “Dialogue” cafe, he and Zhou Rong parted on bad terms. If he followed Zhou Rong for the Lunar New Year, wouldn’t he be annoyed to death?

But he hadn’t heard him buying a plane ticket back to the US either.

If he didn’t book a ticket back early, with the Spring Festival approaching, the tickets being expensive was one thing, whether there were seats was another.

When training ended that day, Xia Chiyi dragged Zhou Zhexiao to buy milk tea.

Xia Chiyi slurped his not-so-sweet Jasmine Green Milk Tea, while Zhou Zhexiao was gurgling and playing with the boba pearls in his milk tea. The two walked on the sports field, treading the 400-meter track.

“What do you… have to say about the winter break?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Say what about it?” Zhou Zhexiao looked up, not understanding the context.

“Winter break means the Lunar New Year. I’m asking where you plan to stay for the Lunar New Year? If you want to fly to see your biological mother, you should be buying a plane ticket too, right?”

“I’m not going to see her. She got a new boyfriend; supposedly a French photographer, and they are traveling the world.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi grew anxious. “Such a big thing and you didn’t even tell me? Then where are you staying for the New Year?”

“Can’t I sleep in the dorm?” Zhou Zhexiao looked at him with innocent and calm eyes.

“My heavens and earth—” Xia Chiyi frantically scratched his head. “Even if you can sleep in the dorm, the cafeteria will close. During the Lunar New Year, you won’t even be able to order takeout.”

“Oh… then I’ll go stay in a hotel. Hotels should have food to eat.” Zhou Zhexiao looked as if it were a matter of course.

Xia Chiyi suddenly realized that this guy was already homeless.

Sheng Mo and Lin Yuqing were buried in Chengjiang County. Sheng Qiming might reminisce about his departed older brother during holidays, but none of this had anything to do with Zhou Zhexiao anymore.

Zhou Rong remarried and had parted on bad terms with Zhou Zhexiao.

Lin Qiao and her new boyfriend were cultivating their relationship; if Zhou Zhexiao went over now, he would be equivalent to a lightbulb (third wheel).

This world seemingly had no true intersections with Zhou Zhexiao anymore.

“Go back and pack up. Training stops the day after tomorrow, you’re coming home with me. My mom and your mom are best friends anyway,” Xia Chiyi looked at him and said.

Zhou Zhexiao silently looked at Xia Chiyi. After a long while, he just said “Okay”.

Xia Chiyi felt a burden lifted off his shoulders. He had thought this guy would refuse.

It was just that Zhou Zhexiao disappeared that afternoon. When Xia Chiyi returned from eating in the cafeteria, he found that Zhou Zhexiao had already packed his suitcase—a super huge suitcase.

Xia Chiyi had a head full of black lines: “Zhou Zhexiao… Although it’s winter break, we have to come back for training after the New Year. You don’t need to pack this many things, right?”

He seriously suspected this guy had even packed his pillows.

“I need to,” Zhou Zhexiao said very seriously.

Xia Chiyi’s dad was named Xia Mu. He was an executive editor for an academic journal in Linjiang City. He looked refined and scholarly. Although he had gained a bit of weight now, one could tell he was a great handsome guy when he was young.

Of course, he was still a handsome uncle now.

When Xia Mu saw Zhou Zhexiao in the parking lot, he felt this young man was so handsome he was about to blow up the sky; as he walked over pulling his suitcase, there seemed to be light on his shoulders.

Xia Chiyi gave a brief introduction. When he turned to Zhou Zhexiao, he couldn’t help but freeze.

What aloofness, what “strangers do not approach”—it all disappeared. He remained expressionless, but his eyes revealed docility and submissiveness. The slightly curly bangs softened his facial contours, and his large, deep eyes conveyed innocence. How obedient…

Xia Chiyi suspected he had grabbed the wrong roommate.

“Hello Uncle, I am Zhou Zhexiao. I will be intruding upon you during the winter break.”

With just one look, Xia Mu liked this child. He reached out and hugged him. “It’s no intrusion, how could it be an intrusion? The more people, the livelier. Come, go home with Uncle.”

After saying that, Xia Mu tried to lift Zhou Zhexiao’s suitcase to put it in the trunk. He didn’t expect the suitcase to be dead heavy, and Xia Mu almost stumbled.

“Let me do it, Uncle.”

Zhou Zhexiao easily lifted the suitcase and put it in.

Xia Mu sighed with emotion, “It’s good to be young.”

“Being young is useless, you also need a good lower back. He has eight-pack abs,” Xia Chiyi smiled and said.

He really wanted to see how long Zhou Zhexiao could stay “obedient.”

This was way too interesting.

Xia Chiyi’s home was in Linjiang City, not far from Ningchang City, just a two-hour drive away.

Along the way, Zhou Zhexiao told Xia Mu everything he knew regarding his questions, answering gently and patiently; he could be called a paragon of being well-educated and reasonable.

Even Xia Mu wondered in his heart: Didn’t they say Zhou Zhexiao was a playboy? Didn’t they say he was naturally rebellious and could make Zhou Rong’s blood pressure soar? What self-important, what selfish… I didn’t feel it at all?

Xia Chiyi’s home was in a fairly nice residential community. The three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment was quite spacious.

When they returned home, Xia Chiyi’s mother, Jiang Ni, was cooking. Hearing the noise, she rushed to the door wearing an apron and hugged her son.

When she saw Zhou Zhexiao, Jiang Ni also froze.

“This is Zhou Zhexiao… grown… grown so big? When you were little, you were pretty like a doll, now you’re as handsome as a movie star!”

“Auntie is also very beautiful, like Sophie Marceau,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

His voice quality was clear, cold, and special, revealing a sense of devotion.

Such earnest praise made Jiang Ni blush.

“When your Uncle Xia was pursuing me, he also said I looked like Sophie Marceau.”

Xia Chiyi felt like he had entered a fantasy world. Zhou Zhexiao actually knew how to say nice things?

“Chiyi’s room is right there. Auntie found new pillows and blankets for you; see if they are suitable. You can also hang up your clothes; Auntie cleared out a section of the closet for you!”

“Thank you, Auntie, you’ve worked hard. I can cook too; I’ll keep you company and cook with you later.”

“No need, no need, you guys go play, go play.”

Xia Chiyi hurried to pull the suitcase into the room. As soon as he closed the door, he shook Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulders and said: “Are you a Best Actor? How can you suddenly be so polite! Hurry up and revert to your true King of Arrogance colors!”

“But this is how I originally am,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao unzipped his suitcase and pulled out two red gift bags.

They took up half of the suitcase’s capacity; no wonder it was so heavy.

“What… what are all these?”

“The etiquette of visiting someone’s home.”

Having said that, Zhou Zhexiao carried them and walked out.

Xia Chiyi felt a very subtle feeling.

What… what etiquette again?

Immediately after, Xia Mu’s surprised and excited voice came from the living room.

“Child, you spent way too much money, didn’t you? How precious are these! How could I possibly accept them? Mother of my child, come quickly and look!”

Xia Chiyi hurried out to follow and was completely dumbfounded.

He finally knew what Zhou Zhexiao had disappeared an entire afternoon to do.

On the coffee table were two bottles of Moutai (premium liquor), two cartons of cigarettes, two tins of Longjing tea, and two boxes of bird’s nest.

“How… how could this child bring so many gifts?” Jiang Ni was also shocked.

“Mom said when going to someone else’s house for the New Year, you can’t go empty-handed,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

Xia Mu was the first to laugh out loud. Patting his knee, he said: “Silly child, how is this visiting for the New Year? You’re practically bringing betrothal gifts to propose marriage!”

Jiang Ni’s heart ached over the cost. “These are too precious, can they still be returned?”

“Right, where did you buy them? Uncle will go with you to return them, okay?”

“Uncle and Auntie, please just accept my good intentions. Thank you really much for giving me a place to spend the New Year this year. If they are truly returned, I will feel as if my good intentions have been returned too.” Zhou Zhexiao looked at them with those large, deep eyes.

Xia Mu and his wife instantly softened.

“Then Uncle and Auntie will accept these. Uncle will keep these two bottles of liquor, and bring them out to drink when you get married.”

“Okay, thank you Uncle.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao turned around, grabbed Xia Chiyi’s hand, and went back to the room.

Xia Chiyi was completely bewildered the whole time.

He dragged Zhou Zhexiao into his room. “Do we have this little tacit understanding? You ran out to buy these things without telling me? And who told you to prepare these things?”

It definitely wasn’t Zhou Zhexiao’s mother.

“When I went to the mall, I told the salesperson I was going to a friend’s house for the New Year, and the salesperson recommended these.”

Xia Chiyi clapped a hand to his head. “Are you sure you made it clear it was a ‘friend’ and not a ‘girlfriend’?”

“What’s the difference?” Zhou Zhexiao said as he looked at the posters Xia Chiyi had pasted all over the wall.

They were all NBA and CBA stars from recent years, and there was even one of Jiao Yingfeng.

“Of course there’s a difference! Going to a girlfriend’s house for the New Year means discussing marriage, so they make you prepare everything in pairs.”

“No wonder.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re still saying ‘no wonder.’ You were definitely misunderstood by someone.”

When Xia Chiyi looked up, he found that Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze had been lingering on the wall by his bed and the one opposite the bed.

In the past, these were all pasted with posters of Sheng Xingming. Later, Xia Chiyi was too sad, so his mother had replaced them all.

“Your room is like the NBA Hall of Fame,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“My mom said the same thing. You don’t know a lot of the people here, right? Do you want me to introduce them to you?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“No need. I’ve spent this period catching up on ten years of NBA game footage; I basically know all of these people.”

Zhou Zhexiao leaned back against the desk and said: “The first one on the left is Ella, who won MVP five years in a row. The second is Cairns, the Defensive Player of the Year from the year before last and last year. The third is Cole, known as the Rebounding King. Eastern Conference MVP Coventry, and Western Conference MVP Dundit.”

“En, you update your information capacity quite fast.” Xia Chiyi smiled and pointed at the computer monitor behind him. “This screen is big, right? When I got into Ningchang University from the college entrance exam, my parents rewarded me with it. We can watch games together, and binge movies together. Oh, and play games.”

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t reply to him, merely silently looking at that wall full of posters.

Here… there is no longer a place for him.

“In a year or two, these posters will turn yellow and will have to be replaced.”

Zhou Zhexiao nodded: “En, no one can be immortal.”

Xia Chiyi half-squatted, reached his arm under the bed, and dragged out a storage box from underneath.

“That’s why the ones you like the most have to be laminated and then hidden away. If they dry out or tear, and you want to buy them again now, you won’t be able to.”

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head and saw Xia Chiyi open the box. Inside was layer after layer of laminated posters, every single one of them about Sheng Xingming.

There were close-ups of Sheng Xingming, pictures of him shooting, and of him dribbling past people.

From winning Rookie of the Year to his Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Assist King, Steal King, and finally his Finals MVP…

Every single picture was frozen in time. Because someone had meticulously cared for them, they were so brand new that no passage of time could be seen.

Zhou Zhexiao slowly moved closer and sat cross-legged in front of the cardboard box. Those glorious years that even he himself had forgotten were always treated as precious treasures by someone.

“I like this one the most, so handsome it’s deadly.”

Xia Chiyi held the picture of the huge drifting double-pump under the basket from when he won the championship. The excitement in his eyes seemed ready to wave flags and shout.

Zhou Zhexiao propped his chin on his hand. He wasn’t looking at past glory, but at the Xia Chiyi in this moment.

Bright eyes, a sincere smile, and a passion that hadn’t faded over ten years.

Someone once said that a true farewell doesn’t have a farewell banquet at a long pavilion, or urging you to drink one more cup of wine; it might just end abruptly in some sudden moment.

For example, that earth-shattering car accident.

No matter how outstanding one once was, time will eventually drop the curtain on them.

Including people’s memories of him.

But in Xia Chiyi’s world, every moment of Sheng Xingming was fiercely carved into his memory, into his every shot.

As long as Xia Chiyi continued to burn himself on the basketball court, Sheng Xingming was an eternal river, refracting his radiance in multiples.

Zhou Zhexiao’s heart beat very fast. No matter how calm his impassive face appeared, he could clearly feel his own blood boiling and surging forward. He wanted to kiss him forcefully and vigorously, wanted to pry at his pure yet firm intentions, wanted to give him the craziest response.

If gods truly exist, please let him look at me like this forever.

There was a knock on the room door, and Jiang Ni’s voice came through: “Young men, come out and eat.”

“Okay, we’re coming out right now.” Xia Chiyi put the posters away, put the lid on securely, bent over, and pushed it under the bed.

Zhou Zhexiao suddenly smiled, “Does this count as you sleeping on top of Sheng Xingming?”

Xia Chiyi punched him lightly. “Had I known, I would have eaten to get fatter, and crushed him until he couldn’t breathe!”

Because it was the first day Xia Chiyi returned for his freshman winter break, dinner was exceptionally sumptuous.

As they ate, Jiang Ni and Xia Mu started chatting about things from Xia Chiyi’s childhood.

“Hey, you and Chiyi both play basketball. Do you have any basketball stars you like?”

Zhou Zhexiao thought for a moment and replied: “Michael Jordan.”

That was the universally known God of Basketball, a universal answer.

“Our Chiyi here, when he was young and saw that Sheng Xingming, he couldn’t even walk. You should know that Sheng Xingming who played basketball, right?”

Zhou Zhexiao nodded: “I know.”

“Do you remember that Sheng Xingming endorsed a brand of high-calcium milk?”

As soon as Xia Chiyi heard this, he knew the situation was bad. He immediately grabbed his mom’s sleeve and said: “Mom, he knows, he knows I’m a fan of Sheng Xingming… you don’t need to say it…”

“I know, High-Calcium Milk, Star of Tomorrow,” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

Jiang Ni said: “Yes, yes, yes. After he finished drinking that milk box, he wouldn’t throw it away. He would cut it open, wash it clean, and keep it safely.”

Xia Mu immediately added: “If anyone threw the milk box in the trash can, he would cry.”

“Why?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Because Sheng Xingming’s face was printed on the milk box.” Jiang Ni laughed. “He only drank that brand of milk, just for that milk box.”

Xia Chiyi’s face flushed entirely red. Under the table, he kept tugging at his mom. “Mom, stop talking, that was all from when I was a kid. I’ve grown up now.”

“You’ve grown up, but aren’t the things in that box, in the drawer, and behind the bookshelf still your treasures?” Jiang Ni smiled and said.

Zhou Zhexiao spoke up: “It’s fine, it’s quite interesting. Uncle, Auntie, please continue. What happened to those milk boxes?”

“Think about it. Saving them every day, 365 days a year—isn’t that a thick, huge box? His mom and I wanted to secretly throw them away, but he kept count, so we could only let them pile up there. If we threw even one away, he would cry.”

“I’ve never seen him have that much patience doing anything else. He had saved them for three years. In the end, his grandmother came to visit and while cleaning up, pulled out several boxes of cut and flattened milk cartons from under his bed. The old lady beamed with joy, thinking her grandson really knew how to live frugally. When the scrap collector came, she sold them all by the pound. When Chiyi came back, he washed his milk box, wiped it clean, and discovered the boxes under his bed were gone… He cried so hard it shook the earth and mountains; the whole building knew.”

Xia Chiyi covered his face. “I’m begging you both, leave me some face. Zhou Zhexiao and I still have to be classmates!”

“If I know all this, we can be better classmates. That way, in the future, whichever star you like next, I won’t throw away the milk boxes you save,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

This was the first time Xia Chiyi lost the ability to read his expression. Zhou Zhexiao’s face carried a very faint, pleasing smile. He looked earnestly at Xia Mu and Jiang Ni, making the two feel as if they had found an audience and were full of the desire to express themselves.

It was estimated that very soon, they would even blurt out how many times Xia Chiyi wiped his snot when he was a kid, and how many diapers he went through as a baby.

“There were also player cards. You know those laser player cards? You had to buy potato chips to get them. Supposedly there were five different designs. He collected the other four designs, but there was one of a shooting pose he could never collect. So he treated his classmates to potato chips every day. I said to him, ‘Son, you can trade with other classmates!’ In the end, this silly kid said that although they were duplicates, they were all Sheng Xingming, so he wouldn’t trade.” Speaking of this, Xia Mu couldn’t close his mouth from smiling.

“Yeah, really cute,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi was breaking down, thinking to himself, Cute my ass. In a while, when they closed the door, he would definitely be mocked by Zhou Zhexiao.

After eating, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao were in charge of washing the dishes—one responsible for washing, and the other for wiping them dry and putting them in the disinfection cabinet.

“Regarding the things from my childhood, just listen and forget it. You can’t mock me.”

“Why would I mock you?” Zhou Zhexiao asked back.

“It’s just… it’s really silly…”

“It’s not silly at all. When you become famous in the future, maybe I will be like that too.”

“Like that… like what?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Save your posters, but be reluctant to put them up, afraid they’ll turn yellow or get dusty. Buy the products you endorse, and be reluctant to even throw away the food packaging. Collect your player cards, go to the venue to watch you play, and spend high prices to buy your signed jerseys and the like.”

“…Aren’t we teammates? Why would you need to buy my jersey?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Ah, true. You can just wear mine.”

“I have a feeling you probably won’t be able to fit into mine.”

When they returned to the room, Xia Chiyi was all prepared to use his super large screen to play game footage, but Zhou Zhexiao poked Xia Chiyi’s shoulder.

“I want to see.”

“See what?”

“Those things you collected in the past.”

“Not showing you.” Xia Chiyi’s face flushed red, and his heart thumped. He felt like he was in elementary school being asked by the teacher to check his homework.

“Alright.” Zhou Zhexiao silently sat on the chair, bent over, and sprawled over the computer desk.

He looked lonely and pitiful like that, making Xia Chiyi feel as if he had done something very excessive.

“There’s really nothing good to see with those things, you’ll be disappointed if you look.”

As Xia Chiyi spoke, he stood up and dragged the other box out from under the bed.

There was a Sheng Xingming action figure, which should be a souvenir made by the team after his death.

“Where does this look like him?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“The ‘whole world owes him money’ expression looks like him.” Xia Chiyi touched the face of that action figure.

There were also various photo albums of Sheng Xingming; some were officially released, while others were printed and produced by fan groups at their own expense as souvenirs.

The material of the photo albums was very retro, like stiff cardboard. Xia Chiyi had attached anti-collision corners to them, protecting them quite well.

“This jersey, I like this color the most.” Xia Chiyi shook out a tank top from a storage bag. The front of the jersey was printed with Sheng Xingming’s signature.

__

[Author’s Note]
Xia Chiyi: Years later, I realized in hindsight… this was actually proposing marriage…