Chapter 0076: Southeast Division — Old Grudges Reunited

Ling Huanzhen arranged a few more practice matches for them, and Cheng Qing also registered information for all the team’s athletes in the relevant system.

Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang also wanted to use the remaining time to strengthen Xia Chiyi’s fadeaway jump shot.

Xia Chiyi was being shouted at by Jiao Yingfeng when, unexpectedly, Ling Huanzhen arrived.

“Jiao Jiao, Jiao Jiao, I have something to tell you,” Ling Huanzhen said with an earnest expression.

“I have nothing to say to you.” The moment Jiao Yingfeng saw Ling Huanzhen’s face, he remembered Li Xiaoran carrying the blame for over a decade on his behalf.

Ling Huanzhen walked over and forcibly pulled Jiao Yingfeng to the side. “When we argue, let’s not let the children hear, okay?”

Xia Chiyi: …Children? Whose child am I exactly?

“Don’t put your hands on me.”

“It’s like this: Cheng Qing needs to submit our school team’s roster, and I want to… put you down as assistant coach.” Ling Huanzhen’s expression was full of flattery.

“What? Put me down as assistant coach? Your abacus is clicking pretty loudly, isn’t it? I haven’t received a single cent of salary from Ningchang University.”

“Isn’t it just a precaution? Think about it — I don’t have much experience as a coach. If something goes wrong in the moment and it buries your precious disciple’s entire year of effort, then you…”

Jiao Yingfeng answered without mercy: “Then you can just wait to become Eunuch Ling.”

At this moment, Zhou Zhexiao also came downstairs after finishing his equipment training and heard their conversation in the corridor.

“Actually I also support putting Jiao Yingfeng down as assistant coach,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“Right? The two of us appearing on the coaching roster together — how stylish is that.”

Zhou Zhexiao glanced at Ling Huanzhen: “Because he’s not reliable enough.”

Ling Huanzhen: I feel like I’ve taken ten thousand points of damage.

Jiao Yingfeng thought for a moment: “If you insist on putting my name down, I have no objection. But unless you get a splitting headache or have a mental breakdown, I’ll try my best not to appear. After all, in the early rounds of the tournament, it’s not a good thing for the team and its players to attract too much unnecessary attention. Besides, the two of us, two different trains of thought — if we get into arguments when problems arise, it won’t be good for anyone.”

Ling Huanzhen raised his hand and gave an “OK.”

“Hopefully this year our group’s seed draw…” Before Ling Huanzhen could finish, his mouth was covered by Jiao Yingfeng.

“Close your crow mouth!”

“Mmph, mmph, mmph.” Ling Huanzhen quickly nodded, signaling he wouldn’t say any more.

The twenty teams in the regional tournament would be divided into four groups. Last year’s top four would be directly assigned as the number-one seed in each of these four groups, which were Qincheng University, Chujiang University, Mining University, and Fusheng University of Technology.

These four powerhouse schools were also essentially last year’s national Top 16.

The other participating teams would draw lots to determine their positions.

In the group stage, the winner earns 2 points, the loser earns 1 point. The team at the bottom of each group is directly eliminated.

The draw was like a lottery. Everyone’s training over these few days was noticeably more relaxed than usual. Everyone was thinking about when the group assignments would be announced, and each person had their own unique way of making wishes.

For example, Fu Chenxue had stuck a Guan Yu figurine inside his locker and was pressing his palms together in non-stop prayer: “Second Lord Guan, please bless us. In the group stage, don’t let us face Qincheng University! Don’t let us face Mining University! Don’t let us face Fusheng University of Technology!”

Shuai Bei walked past with a towel: “Damn, you might as well just call out Chujiang University directly!”

After all, Ningchang University had beaten Chujiang University in practice matches and had enough experience against them.

If they were to face Qincheng University, they’d likely be ground to exhaustion. Winning might give them soaring morale; losing would definitely leave them deflated.

Even Du He had put on bright red boxer shorts, becoming the eye-catching scenery in the locker room.

“Du He… don’t do this, it’s really an assault on the eyes. This isn’t even your zodiac year!” Chen Chuan felt visually assaulted and wanted desperately to put on a pair of sunglasses.

“Actually… I also went to a temple to burn incense and pray,” He Bin said while packing his things.

Xia Chiyi coughed, “Burn incense and pray?”

“Right, at least this year… we can’t get knocked out at the bottom of our group… and go straight home, can we?”

“—That’s absolutely impossible.”

Everyone else said in unison.

He Bin pressed both hands against either side of his locker and was silent for two minutes. It seemed like he finally remembered that he was the captain of this team.

“Very soon, forums, Weibo, and group chats are going to explode. Everyone keep a good mindset — we absolutely cannot be swayed by any negative public opinion!”

“Of course. Don’t worry. Once the group roster comes out, I’ll immediately uninstall Weibo and all the forums!” Chen Chuan was the first to raise his hand.

“I also absolutely won’t participate in any forum or Tieba discussions.”

“I’m quitting all WeChat groups!”

The teammates swore up and down. Xia Chiyi enviously glanced at Zhou Zhexiao — this guy didn’t have any social media whatsoever, truly undistracted.

Glug glug glug—

Suddenly, the sound of someone slurping pearls came from inside the lockers. Everyone looked back, and there was Zhou Zhexiao with a supersized cup of bubble tea sitting in his locker, earnestly sipping away.

“Is this guy even human?” Ye Chaoying stood with arms akimbo, feeling his blood pressure rise.

“We’re all worried sick about the groupings, and he can still drink bubble tea!”

“I really want to beat him up!” Chen Chuan said through gritted teeth.

“Give it a rest. That he’s not asking you to buy him a ‘Beat the Hell Out of Lemon’ tea is already plenty generous. If you dare hit him, I’ll take your last name!” Shuai Bei snorted coldly.

He Bin suddenly spoke: “Coach said it is expressly forbidden to bring bubble tea into the locker room to drink. Zhou Zhexiao, who bought you that tea?”

This “expressly forbidden” rule was actually specifically aimed at Zhou Zhexiao, since he was the only person on the entire team addicted to pearls.

Ling Huanzhen had also worried himself to pieces — he was afraid his old friend, reborn into this life, had abandoned his former self-restraint and set off down a path of lateral expansion with no turning back.

He couldn’t control the dorm room, couldn’t control the classroom, so he could only control the team’s locker room.

Zhou Zhexiao raised his head. “I don’t have bubble tea in my locker.”

“What? We all saw it!”

Ye Chaoying and He Bin came over to the locker together, like cops conducting an inspection, pulled him to the side — and indeed there was no bubble tea, only an empty cup.

“You think just because you drank it there’s no evidence?” Ye Chaoying said, amused.

Zhou Zhexiao looked at him coolly: “Do you want me to spit it back out for you to taste?”

“No… no need…”

Xia Chiyi rolled his eyes. These two were putting on quite the performance.

After all, that cup of tea was takeout that Ye Chaoying had ordered for him.

Ling Huanzhen walked in with his hands on his hips and patted Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder. “Buddy, did you know there are portrait photos before the group assignments are announced?”

“I didn’t know,” Zhou Zhexiao answered, very straightforwardly.

“You are the face-value representative of our Ningchang University. Your condition determines how many people will show up at the venue to cheer for us.”

Zhou Zhexiao calmly lifted the hem of his T-shirt. His beautiful, deeply sculpted abdominal muscle lines were exposed before Ling Huanzhen. A wave of wolf-whistles rose one after another from all around.

“Old Ling, I’m only eighteen right now — my metabolism is powerful.”

Ling Huanzhen’s breath caught awkwardly in his throat. “What do you mean?”

“You’re thirty-eight. Eat fewer skewers and drink less beer.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao continued tidying his own locker.

Ling Huanzhen froze for twenty seconds, then suddenly yanked up his own shirt as well. “What do you mean by that? Look clearly — my abs are still there!”

Zhou Zhexiao caught him off-guard with an elbow. Ling Huanzhen nearly choked.

“Is that so? Quite a bit softer.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao swung his gym bag onto his back, tossed the empty bubble tea cup into the trash bin, and raised his chin toward Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi quickly threw his bag over his shoulder. Passing by Ling Huanzhen, he couldn’t hold back and pinched Ling Huanzhen’s abs through his shirt.

“You little brat—”

“Coach, they really are a bit soft!”

And with that, Xia Chiyi ran off with his head tucked in.

---

This time, the Southeast Division tournament was held at Junyang Sports Center in Huaicheng.

The members of the Ningchang University basketball team would pack their bags and head to Huaicheng.

This trip meant nine days of competition, from which the King of the Southeast Division would emerge. More importantly, the CBA professional basketball draft would also be getting underway.

Whether official media or self-media, they would pour in in large numbers to cover the event — a completely different level of heat from the grassroots competition.

It was Xia Chiyi’s first time playing in a tournament this long. He checked Huaicheng’s weather forecast over and over for a long time and packed both long-sleeved shirts and a jacket.

His WeChat was almost bursting from farewell messages.

Classmates from his class were all wishing him a smooth journey. The class president said that once the match schedule was announced, they would rush to grab tickets and would definitely show up at the venue to cheer them on.

The fan group for Xia Chiyi — which he didn’t even know existed — was also overflowing with messages.

[Baby Chiyi is going to Huaicheng! I desperately want to see his and Zhou Zhexiao’s portrait photos!]

[It’d be best if it was like the New Year’s greetings — Zhou Zhexiao carrying Xia Chiyi to shoot!]

[And another double-pump!]

[Double-pump? Why not just say propose while you’re at it? There’s a competition coming up — don’t pull a muscle!]

[Let’s keep an eye on the organizing committee. Once tickets go on sale, we rush to grab them! Banners and light boards all need to be sorted too!]

…

Yang Huaiyu, who had been lurking in the fan group, also started looking forward to it: “I wonder what would happen if we run into Xia Chiyi and his team at the venue?”

Ke Yan answered coolly: “What else would happen? Smile, shake hands, hug, or talk trash.”

“Smiling and shaking hands is so fake. I’m going to pack up some fried oyster pancakes, take a big bite, and breathe right in Xia Chiyi’s face.”

“And then he spits in your face?” Ke Yan said without good humor.

---

The members of the Ningchang University basketball team boarded the high-speed rail headed for Huaicheng. The total journey was four and a half hours.

On the train, the other team members were noticeably nervous. Some were watching game highlights from the Southeast Division’s strong schools, some were playing mobile games, and even Shuai Bei was scrolling through short video dramas, all just to relax for a moment.

Only Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao had their heads leaning against each other, each with one Bluetooth earbud, listening to Bandari’s Forest Fairy, sleeping as if they were off on a vacation to a faraway place.

“These two really have nerves of steel,” Cheng Qing remarked.

This time, Principal Feng paid great attention to the basketball team. The organizing committee only arranged accommodation and meals but not transportation. So Principal Feng specially booked a bus to pick them up from the high-speed rail station to the hotel.

When they got off the bus with their suitcases, the hotel’s front desk already had other teams checking in.

So they sat in the lobby on sofas to wait.

Fu Chenxue had already entered a state of anxiety, his heels bouncing non-stop: “That… that looks like it could be Southeast Transport University, right? They’re all so tall!”

Ye Chaoying, who was scrolling videos, looked up and glanced over. “Not really. Shuai Bei and Du He are about the same height as them.”

Deng Bin lightly poked Ye Chaoying and said quietly: “You might not know, but last year Southeast Transport University beat us by 27 points.”

Ye Chaoying patted Deng Bin on the shoulder. “It’s fine. This time we beat them by 27 and we’re even.”

All of a sudden, the entire lobby went quiet.

Ye Chaoying had assumed his voice wasn’t loud — that was because he was wearing semi-open-back earphones.

Southeast Transport University, who was at the front desk checking in, heard every single word.

They turned around and looked at Ye Chaoying with expressions that were simultaneously irritated and amused.

“Even a bottom-tier team like Ningchang University dares to talk big now? Aren’t they afraid of choking on their own words?”

“This year try not to be like last year, knocked out in the group stage.”

“Well, what do you expect? Their coach is Ling Huanzhen. They have the capital to be arrogant. Probably every single one of them thinks they can hit CBA level.”

“Right. If the confidence of Ningchang University could be used to generate electricity, all the nuclear power plants in the world could shut down.”

Southeast Transport University chatted among themselves, their voices neither too loud nor too soft, pitched just right so everyone in the lobby could hear.

Ye Chaoying pretended nothing had happened and kept scrolling short videos.

Instead, it was Ling Huanzhen who spoke calmly: “When you lost to Southeast Transport University last year, who was on the court?”

He Bin answered: “Me and Chen Chuan.”

After saying it, Chen Chuan lowered his head and said softly: “Sorry… we lost by too much.”

Ling Huanzhen asked again: “So Du He and Shuai Bei were both off the bench?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s fine. Ye Chaoying, that target of 27 points is a bit low.” Ling Huanzhen said, “People still need to have some aspirations.”

Hearing Ling Huanzhen speak, the Southeast Transport University players unanimously fell silent.

After all, he was a former top-tier CBA power forward, and he was still quite intimidating to college students.

Ye Chaoying couldn’t hold back, leaned over, and asked quietly: “Then Coach, how many points do you think we’d need to beat them by for it to count as a qualified target?”

Ling Huanzhen smacked the back of Ye Chaoying’s head. “Your emotional intelligence is still at the prenatal education level, isn’t it? I was trying to save you from embarrassment!”

“I didn’t participate in the college basketball league last year, so what’s there for me to be embarrassed about?” Ye Chaoying tucked his head back in.

“Quick, look outside — that’s Binhai Post and Telecommunications University arriving.” Du He tilted his head and exhaled.

Xia Chiyi glanced at Chen Chuan and He Bin’s expressions and said quietly: “That can’t be another opponent from last year’s group stage, can it?”

Du He nodded. “Right. Last year Binhai Post and Telecommunications University beat us by 38 points.”

Xia Chiyi thought to himself: What kind of luck is this?

There are twenty teams in the Southeast Division, and they managed to run into two opponents from last year’s group stage right here in the hotel lobby.

“Um… can I ask, what was last year’s group stage seed for your group?” Ye Chaoying poked Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan inhaled sharply. “Ye Chaoying, do you know absolutely nothing about last year’s group stage situation?”

“I know you went 0-4 in the group stage and got directly eliminated.”

Chen Chuan nearly fell over from being choked by his own teammate.

Just then, someone in a Fusheng University of Technology jersey walked through the lobby. Their long legs and the breeze they stirred while passing sent a chill through all the veteran players who had competed last year.

Chen Chuan’s throat trembled badly. Last year, Ningchang University’s group stage first round ran into Fusheng University of Technology and was shredded 139 to 52. The scene was so beautiful Chen Chuan still doesn’t want to revisit it.

More importantly, the player right in front of them was small forward Ai Jun from that match. This guy, in a single quarter, blocked Chen Chuan four times.

He still remembered Ai Jun smiling and saying: “Buddy, if you charge to the basket a few more times, I’m going to be the block king of this game.”

That burning shame, Chen Chuan still hasn’t forgotten.

Chen Chuan desperately wanted to lower his head, hoping the other party wouldn’t notice him.

But who would have thought that Ai Jun would actually walk straight over toward them.

“Ling Huanzhen! Ling Huanzhen! Are you really Ling Huanzhen? I’m your fan!” Ai Jun came before Ling Huanzhen with an expression of excitement.

“Ah, hello, hello!” Ling Huanzhen shook hands with him.

“Can I have your autograph?” Ai Jun asked with great anticipation.

“Um… of course.” Ling Huanzhen nodded.

He had thought that since retiring several months ago, his fans should have long since vanished. He hadn’t expected that there was still someone at Fusheng University of Technology who followed him.

Ai Jun ran to the front desk, borrowed a pen, and handed it to Ling Huanzhen.

“Where should you sign? Just the name, right?”

Ai Jun turned his back, revealing the Fusheng University of Technology emblem on the back of his athletic wear. “Just sign my back! Could you please write: ‘Ai Jun — Invincible in Battle’!”

Ling Huanzhen’s hand paused, pen in grip.

At this moment, those who had been scrolling videos, those playing Link Link — everyone raised their eyes.

Even Zhou Zhexiao, who had been dozing with his head down, was elbowed awake by Xia Chiyi.

“Buddy, you’re a bit bold, aren’t you?” Shuai Bei folded his arms and spoke up.

Ai Jun turned around with an expression of complete innocence. “What’s bold about this? Isn’t it a perfectly normal blessing?”

“Don’t you know Coach Ling is our Ningchang University’s coach? If he blesses you with being invincible in battle, what are we here for?” Ye Chaoying raised his chin.

All of a sudden you kind of feel like among all the Top 8 schools, Qincheng University is the most likable.

Ai Jun froze for a moment. He seemed to genuinely not have realized this — that was probably what they call the confidence of the strong.

At this point, another Fusheng University of Technology player walked over and draped an arm over Ai Jun’s shoulder. “What happened — did our small forward get mocked? I told you long ago, if you want an autograph, wait until after the match.”

The implication being: once Ningchang University is eliminated, it doesn’t matter what encouraging words Ling Huanzhen writes.

He Bin’s brows furrowed slightly. This was Fusheng’s shooting guard, Shao Jin. Last year in the first half of their game, he took 18 shots from beyond the arc, hitting 14, single-handedly scoring 42 points against Ningchang University…

And at the time, He Bin was too reliant on his teammates’ screens and couldn’t execute his three-point shooting at all.

Not to mention that all of Ningchang University together couldn’t set up any decent defense, completely helpless against this shooting guard Shao Jin.

Shao Jin walked before Ling Huanzhen. He didn’t have the fan’s rose-tinted glasses, and asked directly: “I hear Ningchang University has a super-talented shooting guard who can even rival Qincheng University’s Li Shunchuan. I wonder whether this is false advertising, or whether Li Shunchuan has been declining sharply in form?”

Xia Chiyi was stunned. He looked toward He Bin.

He Bin said calmly under his breath: “Don’t look at me. It’s you they’re looking at.”

Shao Jin’s words had put Ningchang University in a no-win situation. If Ningchang University said Xia Chiyi was talented, that would be picking a fight with Li Shunchuan. If they modestly said Xia Chiyi was no match for Li Shunchuan, it would be the same as indirectly admitting to false advertising.

Just at this moment, a mellow voice carrying a trace of teasing laughter came from across the lobby.

“Xia Chiyi, how come your team hasn’t checked in yet? Are you here to welcome guests in the lobby?”

Everyone followed the sound. Yang Huaiyu came walking from the direction of the elevator with his hands in his pockets, Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan following behind.

The scene was really like a celebrity entourage: Ke Yan was the manager perpetually driven to exasperation by a willful superstar, while Li Shunchuan was the put-upon little assistant trotting at his heels.

The moment Yang Huaiyu appeared, he became the center of all attention.

Even the front desk manager couldn’t help but look up toward him.

“We’re next in line…” Xia Chiyi’s words weren’t even finished before Yang Huaiyu hooked the back of his head single-handedly into his arms.

Zhou Zhexiao, who had just been drowsy with sleep, suddenly snapped awake, his brow furrowing. He raised his hand, seized Yang Huaiyu’s thumb joint, and forcefully pried his palm open.

“Don’t rub his head. If he gets stupid, you can’t afford to compensate.”

Zhou Zhexiao raised his eyes, looking at Yang Huaiyu coldly. Yang Huaiyu also withdrew his smile.

The atmosphere instantly made everyone tense.

Xia Chiyi combed his ruffled hair back into place while saying: “Please, this is the hotel lobby. You two aren’t going to stage a final showdown at the Forbidden City, are you?”

Yang Huaiyu gave a soft laugh and extended his hand toward Zhou Zhexiao: “Looking forward to a battle with you. Let’s see who is truly the King of the Southeast Division.”

“Oh, then don’t lose before that gets here,” Zhou Zhexiao clasped Yang Huaiyu’s hand.

Southeast Transport University and Binhai Post and Telecommunications University, who hadn’t yet left the lobby, were both stunned.

Yang Huaiyu always appeared to be smiling, but was proud to the bone. The people he would voluntarily shake hands with could be counted on one hand.

Fusheng University of Technology’s Ai Jun and Shao Jin couldn’t conceal the surprise on their faces. What did Yang Huaiyu just say?

He actually thought that Ningcheng University could contest to be King of the Southeast Division?

That was outrageous squared — outrageous all the way home.

Yang Huaiyu’s attention returned to Xia Chiyi. “What shampoo do you use? Your hair is so soft, it keeps making me want to touch it.”

Ke Yan rolled his eyes and pulled his team’s ace backward. “We’re in public — it’s not the time for you to be flirting.”

Li Shunchuan, tagging along behind, tilted his head. “I just thought I heard someone mention my name?”

Ningchang University’s side exercised their consistently excellent tradition: everyone raised a finger and pointed at Shao Jin.

It was him, it was him, just him!

Shao Jin grew awkward and could only cough once and say: “There have been a lot of rumors lately, don’t know if they’re true or not, just asking.”

Ke Yan put his hands in his pockets and smiled. “Can I ask what the rumor was?”

“Something about Ningchang University’s shooting guard having skills on par with your team’s Li Shunchuan!” Ai Jun spoke up on behalf of his teammate.

The moment he had heard that rumor, Shao Jin was deeply contemptuous.

As a shooting guard, he had always lived in Li Shunchuan’s shadow.

And now, besides Li Shunchuan, a freshman had appeared out of nowhere. Shao Jin was naturally displeased.

Where did all these super-sharp shooters come from?

Everyone and everything just setting up their own image.

So earlier, Shao Jin had deliberately walked over and said what he said, just to see Ningchang University’s reaction.

Now it turned into watching Li Shunchuan’s reaction instead.

“Oh, you mean Xia Chiyi? I’m not planning to give up my throne to you this year,” Li Shunchuan looked at Xia Chiyi and said, very seriously.

“Of course. Ever since playing that practice match against you, our heartbroken Li Shunchuan has recovered from his heartbreak and perked right up. The most important thing he does every day is training, and his motto is: absolutely cannot lose to Xia Chiyi.” Ke Yan smiled and patted Li Shunchuan on the shoulder.

Qincheng University’s trio turned around and looked at Ai Jun and Shao Jin together.

“Hey, you guys from Fusheng University of Technology better watch out. You might not be seeds next year,” Ke Yan said with an expressionless face.

“What did you say?” Ai Jun thought he had misheard.

Li Shunchuan followed up with his own parting shot: “Shao Jin, your three-point shooting percentage is probably going to drop to third place.”

“Li Shunchuan, is this an insult?” Shao Jin said, looking at Li Shunchuan icily.

Yang Huaiyu draped his arm over Li Shunchuan’s shoulder and said with a smile: “Our Qincheng University only insults opponents with the final score. Outside the court, we only offer kindly meant reminders.”

“Fine. Then let me wait and see just how formidable Ningchang University actually is.”

After saying that, Shao Jin grabbed Ai Jun and they left.

At this point, Southeast Transport University finally finished their check-in procedures, and it was Ningchang University’s turn.

Yang Huaiyu and his trio left spiritedly, saying they were going to familiarize themselves with the surrounding area.

Xia Chiyi watched their backs, then leaned over to Ling Huanzhen’s side and asked: “How come I feel like they didn’t just come to stand up for us — they also came to make enemies for us?”

“Simple. As opponents, they also want other teams to take us seriously. If those teams still think of us as last year’s pushover, we can play the pig to eat the tiger. Now it’s different — if they run into Fusheng University of Technology, they’ll probably bring out their starting lineup right from the first whistle.” Ling Huanzhen answered.

“That works too. If the opponents are too weak, Zhou Zhexiao might fall asleep standing on the basketball court.”

Perhaps because he didn’t have last year’s painful experience, Xia Chiyi was still very excited for the group stage’s arrival.

Two people to a room, Xia Chiyi naturally shared one with Zhou Zhexiao.

Their room was on the eighth floor — quite a lucky number.

Opening the window, they could see various promotional banners and the Junyang Sports Center several hundred meters away.

A massive advertisement, covering almost the entire exterior wall of the arena: China University Basketball League, Level One — Southeast Division.

Glory fears no passage of time. A shining star emerges upon the stage!

Coming and going, you could also see self-media bloggers holding up their phones, livestreaming introductions. If they passed by players, they would stop them for interviews.

Like Yang Huaiyu — he was being swarmed by several people for an interview at the end of this road. This guy seemed very accustomed to all of this, a killer smile on his face, talking freely and easily, even getting those bloggers holding cameras and fill lights to burst out laughing.

He’d probably rack up another huge wave of new fans.

Xia Chiyi was leaning on the windowsill watching, but Yang Huaiyu had an exceptionally sharp pair of eyes. With a single glance he spotted Xia Chiyi on the eighth floor of the hotel.

He looked over, smiling like a male lead in a movie, raised his hand with easy grace, and waved at Xia Chiyi.

“What are you looking at?”

Zhou Zhexiao’s voice came from behind.

Xia Chiyi was just about to pull his head back in when Zhou Zhexiao pressed himself against his back, resting his chin on the back of Xia Chiyi’s head.

“Oh, looking at your Zhou Zhiruo,” Zhou Zhexiao said. (Translator’s note: Zhou Zhiruo is a character from The Smiling Proud Wanderer — famous for her complicated romantic entanglement with the protagonist.)

“Didn’t Pang Shuai already say you and I are more like Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü!”

“Then is Yang Huaiyu Guo Fu? Or Cheng Ying? Or Lu Wushuang?” (Translator’s note: These are all female characters from The Legend of the Condor Heroes who had feelings for Yang Guo.)

Zhou Zhexiao’s voice was slow and unhurried.

“You realize your tone of voice sounds like you’re jealous, right?”

“I am jealous. Doesn’t Xiaolongnü get jealous too?”

Xia Chiyi: You make such a good point. I feel a bit happy about that. What do I do?

The self-media people swarming around Yang Huaiyu had already swiveled their cameras, and the sight of Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi stacked against the window had definitely been captured.

“Get down from there!”

“No.”

Xia Chiyi could only brazen it out and wave at Yang Huaiyu.

The curve of Yang Huaiyu’s lips became even more pronounced, as if even his eyes carried a soft glow.

Zhou Zhexiao finally straightened up, hooked Xia Chiyi’s back collar, and said: “Do you want to throw a stick down? Best if it hits Yang Huaiyu on the head.”

“Huh? Why?” Xia Chiyi turned his head in confusion.

“That’s how it went in the Water Margin I read.”

Xia Chiyi was shocked. “When did you read Water Margin?”

“Before you were even born.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s expression was still unreadable, but Xia Chiyi felt his complexion was a little dark.

“Who was the one throwing the stick down? Song Jiang? Was there a scene like that in the Xunyang Tower drinking episode?”

“It was Pan Jinlian, and the stick hit Ximen Qing.” (Translator’s note: This is the famous opening scene of Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing’s encounter in Water Margin — Pan Jinlian accidentally drops a bamboo pole while opening a window, hitting Ximen Qing below.)

Xia Chiyi turned around, sighed, and said: “Da Lang, should I order you a cup of bubble tea?” (Translator’s note: “Da Lang” — meaning “Elder Brother/Husband” — is Pan Jinlian’s form of address for her husband Wu Dalang in Water Margin.*)

“Sure.”

Seeing Xia Chiyi’s head retreat back inside, Yang Huaiyu could only turn around again to face the interview.

“So, Yang Huaiyu, is it really true that Ningchang University is the opponent you’re most focused on in the Southeast Division?”

Yang Huaiyu put a finger to his lips. “I can’t just say that casually — saying it would offend people. Mining University, Fusheng University of Technology, and Chujiang University are all very formidable.”

The crowd surrounding him laughed.

“Is it because of their head coach Ling Huanzhen?” someone asked again.

Yang Huaiyu shook his head. “Of course not. Speaking of which… Qingda’s head coach is Li Xiaoran, former CBA’s premier point guard; Ningchang University’s head coach is Ling Huanzhen — CBA’s premier power forward versus premier point guard. Isn’t it worth being excited to see just how capable Ling Huanzhen is as a coach?”

The young streamers exchanged glances.

Ningchang University and Qingda… weren’t even in the same league to begin with, were they?

“Reportedly, Ningchang University lost to Qincheng University by only 2 points in a practice match. Did you really play the full game in that practice match?” A male host wearing black-framed glasses spoke up bluntly.

The official live streaming platform for this tournament was Kulang.

And this bespectacled young man was a basketball analysis UP-host on Kulang, invited to serve as one of the match commentators, named Chen Hui.

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Yang Huaiyu. They could all feel the unfriendly tone in Chen Hui’s voice and were worried about whether Yang Huaiyu might suddenly lose his temper.

But Yang Huaiyu smiled lightly and unbothered: “Yes, I played the full game of that practice match.”

“It’s hard for a last-place team to rise and achieve a dramatic turnaround in one year. This isn’t a power fantasy novel. A lot of people are speculating that Qincheng University’s approval of Ningchang University is a smokescreen, or that you exchanged resources with Ling Huanzhen.” Chen Hui held Yang Huaiyu’s gaze and continued with sharp questions.

Chen Hui’s assistant, worried the relationship between him and the player would become too strained, tugged at the hem of his clothes, but Chen Hui was unmoved.

Those around him looked at him with expressions of “are you out of your mind?”

“What resource exchange?” Yang Huaiyu asked, curious.

“For example: you didn’t participate in last year’s CBA draft because you were steamrolled by Liu Suchen, and you couldn’t be selected by the club of your choice. If this year you build a relationship with Ling Huanzhen, maybe your prospects would be bright.”

Everyone else could already imagine how much traffic this segment would get if it aired.

Sure enough, Chen Hui had quite some nerve. With a celebrity player who had a fan base like Yang Huaiyu, they all tried their best to stay on his good side. But this Chen Hui was sharp as a needle — this move of his was something else.

“Well, I hear you’ve been doing quite well in basketball commentary. May I ask whether you’ve watched Ningchang University’s grassroots tournament final against Jinsheng Normal University this year?” Yang Huaiyu asked.

Chen Hui paused. The level of basketball in Jinsheng had always been at the middle-to-bottom tier nationally. For teams that couldn’t advance to the Southeast Division’s top eight, he hadn’t spent that much time researching them.

“In addition, the scores from Ningchang University’s practice matches against six powerhouse schools including Shenghai University and Chujiang University are publicly available. Although the details of the practice match process have not been made public for well-known reasons, as a media figure, it’s actually possible to do a little more research before making a judgment — rather than using provocative, emotion-stirring tactics to garner attention for the sake of traffic.”

Chen Hui paused. For a moment he couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

“Personally, I believe that since you’ve already taken on the official broadcast commentary duties for the organizing committee, you should approach the teams you’re about to cover without bias, fairly and objectively. Otherwise, when the other team’s performance exceeds your expectations, you won’t even have a decent line of commentary ready — and the one embarrassed won’t be me, Yang Huaiyu. It’ll probably be you.”

Yang Huaiyu appeared broad-minded and composed, not the slightest bit provoked by Chen Hui’s questions.

Chen Hui hadn’t expected Yang Huaiyu to neither blow up nor throw out threats.

Ever since Qincheng University lost to Qingda last year, Yang Huaiyu had not accepted any interviews.

This had led many people in the circle to say he and Liu Suchen were like Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang — “Since Heaven saw fit to create Zhou Yu, why did it create Zhuge Liang too?” Yang Huaiyu, who could have soared freely, could only plummet vertically the moment he met Liu Suchen, crashing to pieces.

This response had the journalists interviewing Yang Huaiyu unanimously breaking into applause. Whether or not Ningchang University was strong, at the very least Yang Huaiyu’s demeanor left people with a very good impression.

Yang Huaiyu nodded and walked out from among them.

---

Back in the hotel, Xia Chiyi excitedly rolled around on the bed a good few times. The mattress was neither too soft nor too hard, the pillow neither too high nor too low.

This was the place where they would be staying for nine days. At any rate, Xia Chiyi was confident they would make it all the way to the regional tournament final.

Zhou Zhexiao checked the bathroom, then boiled the electric kettle several times, poured the water out, and sniffed inside it.

“There’s a mildew smell.”

Xia Chiyi nodded. Something he had read online tumbled out of his mouth: “Right, you have to be careful. Someone might have boiled their underwear or socks in it.”

Sure enough, Zhou Zhexiao’s brow furrowed. He turned and was about to head out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to buy a new electric kettle.”

“Couldn’t you just boil it a few more times?”

“That still doesn’t change the risk that it might have been used to boil someone else’s underwear and socks.”

Xia Chiyi quickly sat up and reminded him: “Then be careful. There might be a lot of bloggers out there covering the tournament. Don’t go saying anything carelessly.”

“En.”

After Zhou Zhexiao left, Xia Chiyi suddenly felt his own worry was completely unnecessary. Since when did Zhou Zhexiao ever “say things carelessly”? This guy basically didn’t speak at all.

No matter who tried to interview him, he would absolutely pass by with eyes forward, without a sideways glance.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhou Zhexiao walked out, he ran into another group of influencer bloggers at the corner where Yang Huaiyu had been intercepted for his interview.

They had originally been staking out the spot for Yang Huaiyu or other star players of the Southeast Division, but one little blogger looked up and caught a glimpse of Zhou Zhexiao, and felt a visual jolt.

“Who is that guy? Does anyone know him? He’s so handsome!”

“I don’t recognize him either, but he has such incredible presence. Should we go interview him?”

“He’s from Ningchang University — the most controversial team, the one eliminated in last year’s group stage, but this year their coach has been switched to Ling Huanzhen!”

“Hey! This classmate from Ningchang University, could you stop for a second?”

Zhou Zhexiao walked straight ahead as if he had heard nothing.

The others hurriedly followed. One blogger tried to push the microphone in front of Zhou Zhexiao’s face. Zhou Zhexiao only needed to lower his eyes, and his cold gaze dropping down instantly made the blogger hesitate with timid apprehension.

Someone else thought they could at least capture Zhou Zhexiao’s face front-on. But Zhou Zhexiao’s legs were too long, his stride without the slightest hesitation or pause, and after chasing for a few steps they could only give up.

“Damn, what an attitude!”

“Maybe he’s not that confident in his own ability, so he doesn’t dare to speak carelessly?”

“Once Ningchang University loses, even if we begged us to film him we’d be too lazy to bother!”

That same evening, Chen Hui posted his complete interview with Yang Huaiyu on Kulang. It was only three and a half minutes long, but the number of bullet comments surpassed anything Xia Chiyi had imagined. The competition hadn’t even started, yet the comment section was already a full-scale brawl.

Some people said Chen Hui hadn’t done his research before the interview. Some people didn’t believe Ningchang University could really be that formidable. And some were trashing Yang Huaiyu, saying that after getting steamrolled by Liu Suchen like that last year, who was he to be putting on airs…

Xia Chiyi heaved a deep sigh.

Zhou Zhexiao had already scalded all the hotel’s teacups with his brand-new kettle, and then asked Xia Chiyi: “Why are you sighing?”

“Because Yang Huaiyu spoke up for us and got trashed for it.”

Zhou Zhexiao answered as a matter of course: “It’s fine. Once we beat Qincheng University, it’ll prove he wasn’t exaggerating.”

Doesn’t that mean Yang Huaiyu should say thank you to you?

__

[Author’s Note]
Xia Chiyi: Da Lang, drink your bubble tea!
Zhou Zhexiao: Just how many Ximen Qings do you have?

Just kidding, everyone don’t take it seriously.