Chapter 0080: A Harmonious Union, Tied Together Forever

“There’s no need for that, right? A lot of people have probably downloaded it by now.” Zhou Zhexiao clicked open the comments under that Weibo post. “Don’t worry, the comments are all praising you for being handsome… But what does ‘I really want to have your monkeys’ mean? Is your Chinese zodiac sign a monkey?”

“It’s just a hyperbolic figure of speech to express affection. It has nothing to do with the zodiac. Give me my phone back…”

Just as Xia Chiyi reached out his hand, the food delivery app sent a notification that their takeout had arrived.

Zhou Zhexiao immediately rolled off Xia Chiyi’s back, grabbed his own phone, and headed out the door.

Sure enough, the allure of takeout was infinitely powerful to this guy.

Zhou Zhexiao skillfully retrieved the fish ball noodles from the delivery locker. However, the moment he walked up to the hotel entrance, he spotted Ling Huanzhen standing there with his arms crossed.

The great Coach had been waiting for the rabbit to hit the tree stump; he had been standing guard for quite a while.

“What, the dozens of dishes at the buffet weren’t enough to satisfy you?”

Zhou Zhexiao hid the bag behind his back. It was such a half-hearted attempt at covering his tracks.

“I saw it. Two bowls of noodles.” Ling Huanzhen lightly tapped Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder. “Not bad, you’re adapting to the lifestyle of modern youth quite well.”

Zhou Zhexiao remained deadpan. “This item does not support the seven-day no-reason return policy.”

As Ling Huanzhen and Zhou Zhexiao were staring each other down, Qincheng University’s Coach Ren Xin happened to walk out of the hotel. Seeing the two of them and the bag in Zhou Zhexiao’s hand, he burst out laughing.

“Out catching people getting takeout, huh?”

“You bet. If they eat something bad and ruin their stomachs, affecting the match results, whose fault is it?”

“Haha, I started catching them last night. They’ve gotten smart now; they don’t order takeout to the hotel anymore. They go out, finish eating, and then come back,” Ren Xin said.

“Oh? Who did you catch? I thought Qincheng University’s players were all rule-abiding,” Ling Huanzhen asked with interest.

“Yang Huaiyu. He took Ke Yan and Li Shunchuan out to eat claypot porridge.” Ren Xin smiled. “By the way, he left.”

“Who left…?”

Ling Huanzhen turned around and realized Zhou Zhexiao had completely vanished!

“What the heck, does this guy even respect me as a coach at all?”

The answer was obvious: no, he did not.

By the time Zhou Zhexiao returned to the room, Xia Chiyi wasn’t lying on the bed. However, the bathroom door was locked.

Zhou Zhexiao stood by the door, lowered his eyes, and knocked gently.

Sitting on the toilet, Xia Chiyi jumped like a startled animal, his shoulders trembling violently.

“I brought the fish ball noodles back.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s voice carried through the door. Xia Chiyi’s head was buried so low it was almost between his knees.

His face was flushed bright red. The boiling blood he had just expended so much effort trying to calm down instantly rushed right back to his head the moment he heard Zhou Zhexiao’s voice.

A wave of dizziness hit him. Xia Chiyi sat there frozen, his heart feeling like it was plummeting from a great height.

It was truly maddening.

Those explosive fantasies wreaked havoc in his brain, completely washing away his already fragile rationality. Just hearing sounds related to Zhou Zhexiao through the door felt incredibly seductive to him.

He knew exactly what he was thinking. He looked forward to every time the other boy leaned close, wishing the time he spent with Zhou Zhexiao could become infinite and endless.

He was inching step by step across a dangerous boundary, yet he had no idea how to rein in his overflowing, frantic heartbeats.

“Ling Huanzhen saw me holding the takeout.”

The moment those words fell, Xia Chiyi gave a violent shudder, yanked up his pants, and burst out of the bathroom.

“What… what did you say? Ling Huanzhen saw you taking the food? Did you tell him it was for you?”

“He saw there were two bowls of noodles inside,” Zhou Zhexiao said, loudly slurping his noodles.

“Did you not see the rule Coach Ling posted in the group chat? Anyone caught sneaking outside food at night gets punished with a thirty-minute plank!”

“I didn’t know.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded, bit off half a fish ball, and calmly continued slurping his noodles.

Right. This guy wasn’t even in the group chat.

Xia Chiyi tilted his head back. Just seconds ago, he had been letting his imagination run wild about Zhou Zhexiao in the bathroom, but now, he just wanted to punch him.

“That’s your only reaction?”

“What else? Even if you claim you didn’t eat it, he wouldn’t believe you anyway, right?”

True. They were going to be punished either way, so he couldn’t let the fish ball noodles down.

Xia Chiyi sat across from Zhou Zhexiao and started slurping loudly.

“Mmm… this fish ball is so soft and bouncy! Where is this shop? We can go eat there in person after the tournament is over!”

Zhou Zhexiao picked up his last remaining fish ball with his chopsticks and dropped it into Xia Chiyi’s bowl.

Xia Chiyi lowered his head. What are you doing? I just managed to suppress my little crush on you, and now you’re giving me your fish ball…

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Zhexiao looked up at him. “I only had this one left.”

“I just think these fish ball noodles are really delicious. A thirty-minute plank isn’t actually that bad.”

“Mm.”

However, Xia Chiyi had to admit he was far too naive.

The next afternoon, Ningchang University VS Southeast Jiaotong University.

Group stage matches naturally didn’t attract much attention, and since neither Ningchang University nor Southeast Jiaotong U were considered popular powerhouse teams before the tournament started, there logically shouldn’t have been many spectators.

But even the tournament committee didn’t expect the tickets for this match to be completely sold out.

The players began to warm up. Zhou Zhexiao sat nonchalantly in a chair, while Xia Chiyi kept his head down, a towel draped over it.

Amidst wave after wave of cheering, Xia Chiyi heard someone calling his name.

Ling Huanzhen rubbed the back of Xia Chiyi’s head through the towel. “Weren’t you eating those fish ball noodles so happily last night? Why the long face today?”

“Coach… couldn’t I just do the plank in your hotel room?” Xia Chiyi asked in a small voice.

Ling Huanzhen dramatically wrapped his arms around himself. “Why would you come to my room? We have a pure coach-and-player relationship.”

Zhou Zhexiao surprisingly lifted an eyelid. “What, did you want some other kind of relationship with him?”

Ling Huanzhen chuckled.

The match began. To the audience’s disappointment, Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi were not in the starting lineup.

“Why isn’t Xia Chiyi playing? I want to see his fadeaway jumper!”

“Where’s Zhou Zhexiao? Why isn’t he playing either? That guy’s alley-oop dunk was mind-blowingly cool, alright?”

Moreover, quite a few other teams had come to watch this match. Entire rosters from powerhouse teams like Chujiang University and the Mining University were present in the stands.

At the start, Southeast Jiaotong U relied on their strong interior to cut into the paint, going head-to-head against Du He and Shuai Bei to score consecutively. Their shooting guard also sank two straight three-pointers, expanding their lead.

Commentator: “Southeast Jiaotong U is playing very aggressively right out of the gate! It seems they know very well that if they don’t force Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi out quickly, it means Ningchang University is still holding back. But right now, at the Ningchang University bench—Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi are actually doing planks on the sidelines! Is this some sort of warm-up?”

In the stands, Ma Tao from the Mining University poked Yang Huaiyu in the row ahead of him in confusion. “I heard you guys are close with Ningchang University. Do you know what kind of special warm-up routine this is?”

Not just Yang Huaiyu, but Ke Yan, Meng Ting, and the others in the same row all started laughing.

“It’s not a warm-up routine. It’s probably a calorie-burning routine,” Yang Huaiyu said with a smile.

Ke Yan gloated, “I bet the cameras are going to constantly pan over to Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi. They are absolutely the most talked-about topic in the CUBA today!”

Li Shunchuan tilted his head back and sighed. “Thinking about it this way, Coach Ren is actually quite merciful to us. He only made us write self-reflection essays.”

The commentator sped up his speech, trying to keep up with the pace of the game. “Ningchang University isn’t backing down! Shuai Bei and Du He rise up strong, scoring two tough baskets! The point gap narrows!”

“He Bin, another beautiful off-ball cut, catching and shooting cleanly at the three-point line! Immediately after, Ye Zhaoying makes a steal, Chen Chuan cuts in quickly, and scores a layup!”

Meanwhile, on the sidelines in Ningchang University’s bench area, Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi’s shoulders, backs, and legs were perfectly straight, though Xia Chiyi’s arms were gradually starting to tremble.

Fu Chenxue was in charge of keeping time. “One minute is up, you can rest for 20 seconds.”

The moment her words fell, Xia Chiyi collapsed flat on the floor. Zhou Zhexiao also slowly lowered himself to lie beside him.

The first quarter ended. 18 to 16, Southeast Jiaotong U held a temporary lead.

The players on the court returned to Ling Huanzhen. During the short break, Ling Huanzhen hurried to discuss tactics.

Meanwhile, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao continued their planks on the side.

Quite a few people in the stands had already pulled out their phones to film the scene of them planking side-by-side.

“It’s so itchy… Fu Chenxue, my nose is itchy, scratch it for me…” Xia Chiyi kept his body tense, calling out to her pitifully.

But Fu Chenxue was busy listening to Ling Huanzhen’s instructions and completely missed Xia Chiyi’s cries.

Beside him, Zhou Zhexiao switched to a one-armed plank, reached his other hand over, and scratched the tip of Xia Chiyi’s nose.

Xia Chiyi’s heart gave a jolt, nearly losing his form and collapsing on the spot.

“Still itchy?”

Xia Chiyi wanted to shake his head, but driven by some inexplicable impulse, he whispered, “A little to the left.”

Zhou Zhexiao scratched the left side of his nose.

“My chin is itchy too.”

Zhou Zhexiao scratched under Xia Chiyi’s chin exactly like one would scratch a kitten.

Xia Chiyi narrowed his eyes in pleasure.

In the stands, the class monitor covered her eyes. “I came here to watch a basketball game, why am I suddenly being force-fed dog food?”

Pang Shuai hugged his camera and patted it. “Even my lens is doing backflips! Can these two stop messing around!”

When the players returned to the court, Fu Chenxue finally remembered she was supposed to be timing the two punished players.

“Ah, sorry, sorry, you can rest now! You guys held it for two minutes, so… so take a 40-second rest.”

Xia Chiyi collapsed, while Zhou Zhexiao only rested his lower abdomen on the floor, keeping his head up to watch the match.

In the second quarter, He Bin opened with a three-pointer that gave Ningchang University the lead. Following that, the two sides engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle, trading baskets continuously. Neither team could pull away.

They even started exchanging three-pointers.

Du He received the ball, drove into the Southeast Jiaotong camp, and scored a dunk under the cover of Ye Zhaoying and Shuai Bei.

But immediately after, Southeast Jiaotong’s small forward spun at the buzzer and scored with a hook shot!

The first half ended. Score: 38 to 36, Ningchang University trailing by 2 points.

The audience speculated wildly: would they get to see Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi in the second half?

Also, why exactly were those two doing planks on the sidelines? They had been doing it for over twenty minutes.

Even Xia Chiyi’s small fan group chat was discussing it.

[What happened to our baby Chiyi? Why isn’t he playing, just lying on the floor the whole time?]

[Don’t tell me he and Zhou Zhexiao both have herniated discs?]

[The current lineup is playing pretty well, but I get the feeling they aren’t going to play at all?]

Leaning back in his chair, Yang Huaiyu scrolled through the group chat on his phone. He smiled and couldn’t resist replying: [Based on insider experience and speculation, this is a punishment from the coach for getting caught red-handed eating takeout during the tournament.]

There are no completely airtight walls in the world. Soon, the news of Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao secretly eating takeout spread like wildfire.

The first to find out was naturally Pang Shuai. He put on an expression of utter exasperation.

“Damn it, when we get back, I’m going to shove those takeout boxes right down their throats!”

“You’d better actually be that tough.”

The other classmates also found out, having seen the WeChat messages while taking a bathroom break. As a result, they started chatting about it in the echoey bathroom stalls.

“Oh my god, so Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi are being punished by the coach for eating takeout!”

“How long do they have to be punished? Couldn’t they just go back to their rooms to be punished slowly?”

“Yeah, I want to watch them play basketball!”

With the bathroom acting as the epicenter of information transmission, other teams and sports streamers soon caught wind of the news as well.

Gao Chong from Chujiang University looked completely incredulous. He turned to his teammate. “So if we just order takeout for them the night before we play Ningchang University, wouldn’t we automatically win?”

“You can’t really blame them. The hotel buffet is too bland. Didn’t you see the guys from Jin Province University of Finance brought their own seasonings?”

Gao Chong sighed. “Now I’m craving Chujiang cuisine too.”

The second half began, and the teams swapped sides. Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi were still planking on the sidelines. Zhou Zhexiao’s posture remained flat and straight, but Xia Chiyi was already squirming, his body twisting and turning.

“What’s wrong with you now?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“I want to go on the court and play…”

Ling Huanzhen walked over and asked, “Are you guys going to eat takeout again?”

“No more,” Xia Chiyi put on an earnest expression.

Despite all the temptations this world had to offer.

Zhou Zhexiao looked up at Ling Huanzhen, too lazy to even lie. “What if I get hungry?”

Ling Huanzhen crouched down. “Zhou Zhexiao, you didn’t use to be like this. Do you remember? You used to be an athlete who only ate boiled broccoli and chicken breast. Isn’t the hotel buffet tastier than that?”

“Aside from body fat percentages, life also has taste and happiness.”

“What do you mean?” Ling Huanzhen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He used to think Xia Chiyi had corrupted Zhou Zhexiao with hotpot, fried foods, spicy skewers, BBQ, and crayfish. If not for Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao would still be adhering to his strict diet every day. So Xia Chiyi was the bad kid who had unlocked Zhou Zhexiao’s “desires.”

But looking at it now, what the heck… Xia Chiyi was all talk and no guts, while Zhou Zhexiao was entirely different.

He was filled with curiosity and a desire to experience everything the world had to offer.

At this moment, Cheng Qing came over to smooth things over.

“Coach Ling, they’re just not used to the local food in Huaicheng. I ran into Coach Ren at noon, and he suggested we go to the supermarket to buy some sauces the players like so they can dip their food in it.”

Xia Chiyi instantly spoke up: “I want black bean chili beef sauce! And seafood soy sauce! Eight-treasure mixed rice sauce!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go buy them for you in a bit.” Cheng Qing smiled and patted Xia Chiyi’s head. “What about you, Zhou Zhexiao? What kind of sauce do you like?”

“Black truffle mushroom sauce.”

Cheng Qing paused. “That sounds… quite high-end.”

Ling Huanzhen rolled his eyes at him. “This guy was incredibly pampered in his past life. You should be secretly laughing that he didn’t ask you to buy caviar.”

Xia Chiyi tugged at Cheng Qing’s pant leg. “That black truffle mushroom sauce isn’t high-end at all! It’s from the same brand as the eight-treasure sauce. It only costs 28.80 RMB!”

“That cheap? Does it even have real black truffle in it?” Ling Huanzhen asked, confused.

“Unless you want to buy me fresh black truffles?” Zhou Zhexiao lifted an eyelid.

“Never mind, you’d better stick to the 28.80 RMB black truffle sauce.”

“Are we… have our thirty minutes passed yet?” Xia Chiyi asked Fu Chenxue.

“There are… still eight minutes left.”

“Ah…”

The second half kicked off, and the crossfire reignited.

“Ye Zhaoying pressures at mid-court, Shuai Bei and Du He defend and counterattack, and Chen Chuan scores a layup! That was a beautiful sequence of teamwork by Ningchang University!”

Next, Shuai Bei and Du He scored consecutive layups, widening the point gap.

Southeast Jiaotong quickly called a timeout to adjust their rhythm and state. They launched a series of relentless fast breaks against Ningchang University, rapidly shrinking the point difference.

The third quarter ended. Score: 55 to 53. The pressure was now on Southeast Jiaotong U.

Their initial plan to force Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao onto the court in the first half had failed.

Meanwhile, the audience was brimming with anticipation.

“I watched Ningchang University play Fugong U yesterday, and I begged everyone I knew just to get a ticket for today. Did I come all this way just to watch Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi do planks on the sidelines?”

“Eating some takeout isn’t a capital crime! They’ve been punished for three whole quarters! We, the audience, didn’t do anything wrong!”

“They’re up! Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao are standing up! It’s happening!”

Yang Huaiyu could hear the discussions of the spectators around him. Just one single match had allowed many people to witness their true strength, sending expectations soaring.

When the fourth quarter started, He Bin and Chen Chuan sat on the bench drinking water, and a round of applause erupted from the audience.

Xia Chiyi stretched his arms back and forth. Doing planks for that long had made them a little sore.

Chen Chuan shouted at him, “Xia Chiyi, if your arms are trembling, just say it! If you shoot an airball, it’ll be embarrassing!”

Xia Chiyi raised a fist at him, making an “I’ll beat you up” gesture.

Finally, the final quarter of the match arrived—the moment the audience had been looking forward to the most.

The commentator grew visibly excited.

“Southeast Jiaotong inbounds from the baseline—but the ball is stolen by Xia Chiyi the moment it crosses half-court! Xia Chiyi is dribbling, he’s so fast! Is he going to execute another sudden stop at the three-point line?”

“Defenders are rushing in from both sides! Xia Chiyi shoots! It’s a deep three-pointer!”

“It’s in! Thirty minutes of planking didn’t make his hands soft! He proves himself with an ultra-long-range shot!”

It was a high-arc shot. The release was fast, yet it didn’t feel rushed. On the contrary, it had an elegant fluidity, like flowing water.

“Whoa, that was too beautiful!”

“It looked like he paused in mid-air after jumping!”

“That’s not an illusion; it’s called hang time!”

The spectators couldn’t help but discuss it. After all, the elegant, relaxed nature of Xia Chiyi’s shooting form was something other players simply didn’t possess.

In the Mining University section, Ma Tao frowned. “Damn it, with a shooting range that far, how is anyone supposed to guard him!”

Li Shunchuan looked back. “It’s fine. As he keeps shooting and shooting, you’ll eventually get used to it.”

Ma Tao: “…I don’t want to get used to it.”

Xia Chiyi’s opening three-pointer instantly ignited Ningchang University’s momentum. The alumni who had come to watch waved flags and screamed at the top of their lungs.

“Ningchang University’s Xia Chiyi! Every shot hits the mark! Reaching the pinnacle of perfection!”

“Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!”

Having been forced to hold back on the sidelines for so long, of course they were going to unleash their ultimate moves in the remaining ten minutes.

Southeast Jiaotong pressed forward again. Their small forward cut into the paint, but just as he raised the ball, Zhou Zhexiao blocked it outright.

“Ye Zhaoying catches the ball! Ningchang University charges out in full force straight toward the opponent’s basket! Facing tight defense, Ye Zhaoying passes to Shuai Bei. Shuai Bei’s mid-range jumper misses, but Zhou Zhexiao grabs the airborne putback dunk! Another score!”

The arena fell silent for a single second before erupting into deafening cheers.

At that moment, the sense of crisis rushed back to Ma Tao’s mind. “Did you guys see Zhou Zhexiao’s position? He was able to instantly leap up for a putback dunk… I suspect he could jump from the free-throw line!”

Yang Huaiyu replied very calmly, “As he keeps dunking and dunking, you’ll eventually get used to it.”

Ma Tao: “Enough with you guys! I will not get used to this.”

He, Ma Tao, was always the one dunking on others in the paint. Never the other way around.

Southeast Jiaotong launched a small counterattack. They had just clawed back 4 points when their point guard fired a fast pass diagonally past Ye Zhaoying—only for it to be intercepted mid-air by Zhou Zhexiao!

“Holy crap, Zhou Zhexiao is too insane! He can even intercept passes like that! Is there anything he can’t do?”

Zhou Zhexiao passed the ball to Xia Chiyi. Xia Chiyi caught it, but before he could cut inside, two players rushed to block his path.

Before they could get into position, Xia Chiyi executed a dry pull-up jumper. Another high-arc shot.

Commentator: “It’s as if time itself favors his shots! His high-arc ball strolls through the air as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard. My eyes can only see Xia Chiyi’s posture!”

Not just the audience, but even Xia Chiyi’s opponents tilted their heads up to watch the ball fly.

Southeast Jiaotong’s coach constantly signaled with his hands, demanding his players suppress Ningchang University’s offensive momentum. However, despite their tactical execution being on point, they couldn’t stop Xia Chiyi’s dribble penetration. He charged into the paint, every step making the Southeast players’ hearts clench, because they never knew when he might suddenly stop and pull up.

“A no-look pass! Xia Chiyi actually passed the ball to Zhou Zhexiao behind him! The chemistry between these two is beyond words—how did he know Zhou Zhexiao was right there?”

“Zhou Zhexiao has the ball! A realistic pump fake completely bypasses the defender! Fadeaway jumper! It’s in!”

The other teams in the stands felt another wave of shock: What the hell? We thought the fadeaway was Xia Chiyi’s specialty, but Zhou Zhexiao’s fadeaway has perfect balance, firing at the basket like an aerial fortress!

Even if we guard Xia Chiyi, how are we supposed to guard Zhou Zhexiao?

Even as the point gap widened, Southeast Jiaotong U didn’t give up, fighting bitterly until the very last moment.

They managed to claw back four points, but soon, Xia Chiyi faced a triple-team. With a fake followed by a side-step, he created just enough space to shoot in that brief window, hitting the mark once again!

The audience was going crazy. Regardless of whether they had been skeptical or dismissive before, their eyes were wide open now.

“Damn, this guy is truly a beast! Any angle, any timing, he just shoots whenever he wants!”

“He’s surrounded by three people! And he still dared to shoot!”

“Southeast Jiaotong U absolutely cannot stop him!”

Under Ningchang University’s unstoppable assault, the game finally concluded with a score of 97 to 69.

The players from Southeast Jiaotong U hung their heads. They had once thought being drawn in the same group as Ningchang University was a stroke of luck. But now… Ningchang University had become the nightmare of the group stage.

Having lost this match, a mountain of pressure rolled down upon Southeast Jiaotong U.

After the game, Ling Huanzhen had just led his players out of the exit tunnel when several media reporters intercepted them. This gave him a sudden, nostalgic feeling of returning to his pre-retirement days.

Xia Chiyi had just stepped out of the bathroom when he was surrounded by several spectators.

“Xia Chiyi, your shooting is so cool! Can we take a picture with you?”

“Xia Chiyi, look over here! Smile!”

Xia Chiyi looked completely overwhelmed, standing at the bathroom door surrounded like a mascot.

“Wow, seeing him up close, he’s really so handsome!”

“His eyes are so pretty, and his legs are so long!”

“He doesn’t put on airs at all, and he even gets shy when you talk to him!”

By the time Zhou Zhexiao shook the water off his fingertips and walked out, he was met with the sight of Xia Chiyi swarmed by a crowd.

Soon, others came over to ask Zhou Zhexiao if they could take a photo.

Zhou Zhexiao cast a deadpan gaze over them, making the people holding up their phones feel incredibly awkward.

“Um, Xia Chiyi, join us!”

Xia Chiyi gently patted the shoulders of the spectators and walked over to Zhou Zhexiao’s side. Slapping an arm around his shoulder, he leaned in and whispered, “My face is literally going stiff from smiling.”

“Then don’t smile. If you stop smiling, they won’t keep taking photos,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

Is this the technique he mastered in his past life to avoid getting photographed by fans?

No one knew who leaked the news, but soon, a massive crowd of spectators looking to take photos suddenly appeared in the corridor outside the restrooms.

A male fan shouted, “You two are a perfect match, everlasting as the heavens and earth!”

Xia Chiyi almost burst out laughing. Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhexiao seemed to really like this blessing. He beckoned to the guy and actively took a photo with him.

It was as if someone had suddenly unlocked the photo cheat code. All sorts of bizarre blessings began to emerge.

A tall female fan yelled, “The two of you must share your joys and sorrows, cross the river in the same boat, and stay together until the oceans dry up and the world ends!”

Zhou Zhexiao beckoned her over. When the girl stood in front of him and Xia Chiyi for the photo, Zhou Zhexiao actually smiled.

“You will definitely become the kings of the Southeast Division, conquer the national stage, fight endlessly, and slaughter the international arena!”

Xia Chiyi thought to himself that these people truly had a talent for blessings. Just to get a photo with Zhou Zhexiao, they were coming up with completely unique well-wishes every time!

By the time Ling Huanzhen finished his post-match interviews and came back looking for them, he found the corridor completely packed.

He sighed. Youth is charm indeed. Look at him now, no one was asking for his photo.

“Are you two leaving or not?”

As soon as Ling Huanzhen spoke, the fans started clamoring and pleading.

“Coach Ling, please don’t punish them with sideline planks anymore! Just punish them by making them shoot three-pointers or do storm-like dunks, please?”

“Yeah, they should have to score fifty points as punishment for eating takeout once!”

“Fifty points isn’t enough, it should be a hundred points!”

Xia Chiyi: Fifty points? A hundred points? That’s so brutal! You’d better just stick to making us do sideline planks!

Ling Huanzhen nodded. “Alright, I’ll take everyone’s suggestions into consideration. But our players need to leave now. Taking pictures in this… corridor outside the restrooms, no matter how nice the photos look, they’ll still have a certain smell to them, right?”

Everyone laughed jovially.

Ling Huanzhen finally managed to successfully extract Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi.

It was unclear whether the hotel chefs had caught wind of the two players getting punished for eating takeout, but that night, the buffet was completely revamped, featuring sections for Jin Province cuisine, Chujiang cuisine, Qincheng cuisine, and the like.

Except… the taste still wasn’t great. But the chefs had truly tried their best.

Cheng Qing returned from a nearby supermarket with an assortment of dipping sauces. The players let out a cheer, scooping spoonfuls of sauce onto their plates.

Xia Chiyi’s appetite was visibly much better. Li Shunchuan walked past carrying a plate and leaned over out of curiosity.

“Is that sauce really that good?”

“Jiong Li, it’s delicious! Bring your chopsticks and take a little!”

Li Shunchuan shook his head like a rattle drum. He still remembered the dishes he had eaten in the Ningchang University cafeteria.

“What is ‘a little bit spicy’ to you could send me to my next reincarnation on the spot. A weakling like me is only fit to eat bland feed; high-end ingredients will choke me to death.” Glancing at their bright red, chili-covered plates, Li Shunchuan immediately walked away.

Peals of laughter trailed behind him.

That day, the official league Weibo account posted the match results. Ningchang University’s victory was accompanied by a video clip of Xia Chiyi’s ultra-long-range shot and Zhou Zhexiao’s putback dunk.

Major sports bloggers began a new round of predictions. The bloggers who had previously done ranking predictions quietly moved Ningchang University into the top four of the Southeast Division.

When Ling Huanzhen scrolled past these prediction rankings, he was full of disdain.

He used to care, but looking at them now, these predictions seemed absolutely foolish.

However, what was circulating wildly across the internet was the footage of Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao lying side by side on the floor doing planks. Someone had even created a Super Topic for them, though its contents were rather subtle.

Super Topic: #Zhou Zhexiao & Xia Chiyi#
Description: Please bless this inside-out scoring duo with a harmonious union, tied together forever! You might even unlock Zhou Zhexiao’s smiling photo permission!

The page was filled with a diverse array of photos and hilariously creative blessings.

A photo someone had taken earlier—of Xia Chiyi leaning against a window, with Zhou Zhexiao resting his chin on his head to look outside—was also posted. Many fans were screaming “So cute!” and “Such a perfect match!”

There were even wishes for them to “give birth to a precious child soon.”

After this photo of Zhou Zhexiao resting his chin on Xia Chiyi’s head was posted, quite a few Ningchang alumni chimed in with their own “intimate photos” from the preliminary matches.

Xia Chiyi wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t searched it up, but once he did, he realized Zhou Zhexiao did this pose all the time.

For example, when listening to Ling Huanzhen’s tactical arrangements, Xia Chiyi would be standing seriously with his hands on his hips, while Zhou Zhexiao would lazily rest his chin on the top of Xia Chiyi’s head.

Or when Xia Chiyi was excitedly cheering for their teammates on the court, Zhou Zhexiao would have his chin resting on Xia Chiyi’s head, his neck turning to follow Xia Chiyi’s line of sight.

Even when they were lining up to register at the hotel, Xia Chiyi was looking down playing on his phone, and Zhou Zhexiao had his head resting on Xia Chiyi’s, watching him play the game.

The netizens concluded: Xia Chiyi was Zhou Zhexiao’s human support stand.

[Without Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao’s head would have nowhere to rest~]
[This is the cutest height difference!]
[Hahaha, I saw them do this several times at Ningchang University. I suspect Xia Chiyi didn’t even notice!]
[So Zhou Zhexiao is just lightly resting there, not daring to actually put his weight on him?]
[What human support stand? Zhou Zhexiao only dares to nuzzle him a little~]

Xia Chiyi tilted his head in confusion. Why did he feel like the netizens’ comments were filled with double meanings?

Sitting on the bed opposite him, Zhou Zhexiao was reading a hardcover book. Xia Chiyi narrowed his eyes to look closely. “Borges… who is that?”

“An Argentine poet.”

“Oh. What’s special about him?” Xia Chiyi asked.

“Nothing special. It’s just that occasionally, when reading his poems, I miss you very much,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi felt as if something had gently tugged at his heart.

“But we’re together almost every day.”

“I don’t know. I still miss you.” Zhou Zhexiao’s voice was soft, sounding almost like he was talking to himself.

“Which poem?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Zhou Zhexiao didn’t reply. Xia Chiyi rolled off his own bed, moved closer to the edge of the other boy’s bed, and craned his neck over the hardcover book.

“What Can I Hold You With…”

Reading the contents of the poem, Xia Chiyi felt like the sea was gently rolling under the moonlight within his heart. He began to imagine endlessly—was Zhou Zhexiao using Borges to hint at something?

But ultimately, he didn’t dare think too deeply about it.

Because maybe Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t hinting at anything at all. Maybe he just purely treated him as his sole connection to this world.

“Ew, I don’t like this poem. It feels so lonely and pitiful.”

“Oh.”

“The street where you gave me a piggyback ride from the gym to the bus stop wasn’t ‘lean’ at all; it was a four-lane road. Cars were zooming back and forth, it was bustling with people, and even the sunset was a brilliant orange-red. The sunset falling on your face… I always thought it was incredibly beautiful.”

I like you.
Even though the past you was so distant, someone I could only look up to.
But I like the present you.
You might be lonely, but you forge ahead fearlessly. Perhaps the person who needs to be connected to this world isn’t you; rather, I’m the one who deeply needs your company.

Zhou Zhexiao turned his face sideways and looked at Xia Chiyi.

“Also, what’s with the ‘lonely moon’ and ‘bitterness’… When we see the moon at night, shouldn’t we be glad the weather will be nice the next day?” Xia Chiyi nudged Zhou Zhexiao with his shoulder. “Besides, a ‘lonely moon’ implies it’s the only one. If there were two moons in the night sky, you’d be unhappy.”

“Why would I be unhappy with two moons?”

“Well, do you want to be the only moon, or the brightest star among many stars that I fall in love with one by one?” Xia Chiyi asked teasingly.

“I think I’d rather be the only moon.” A very faint smile tugged at the corners of Zhou Zhexiao’s lips.

Xia Chiyi could tell this guy was in a very good mood.

“Hey, let’s talk about serious business now.”

“What serious business?”

Xia Chiyi placed his phone on top of the hardcover book. The screen showed the photo of Zhou Zhexiao resting his chin on Xia Chiyi’s head.

“Are you purposely showing off your height? And you barely put any weight on me—were you intentionally trying to keep me from noticing?”

Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao with a completely serious expression.

“I was just pressing my chin against your hair whorl,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

“My hair whorl?”

“It’s soft. It feels really comfortable brushing against my chin,” Zhou Zhexiao admitted openly.

“Excuse me… am I a cat? Are you cat-huffing?”

Little lions count as cats too, right.

Zhou Zhexiao leaned against the headboard motionless. Xia Chiyi sensed just a tiny hint of guilt from him.

“You are not allowed to rest your chin on top of my head next time,” Xia Chiyi issued a stern warning.

“Then you aren’t allowed to lie on my back to look at your phone next time either.”

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth. Although Zhou Zhexiao treated him like a human support stand, hadn’t he been treating Zhou Zhexiao like a human phone stand?

And… Xia Chiyi vaguely realized that what he minded wasn’t Zhou Zhexiao leaning on his head, but the fact that they had been so close and he hadn’t even known.

“Then when you use me as a stand, I need to know about it.”

“Alright.” Zhou Zhexiao nodded.

Xia Chiyi clutched his head, suddenly feeling like he had compromised far too quickly.

Compared to Ningchang University’s relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, their opponents were not having a good time.

The team from Tanjiang Sports Academy was currently holding a meeting, discussing how to deal with Ningchang University.

Ten minutes ago, their Coach Min had received an unexpected phone call.

It was from Ma Hongming, the head coach of the Jin Province team.

“Director Ma, I truly didn’t expect you to call me. Do you have any guidance for us?”

Coach Min had previously wanted to send a few of his players to the provincial team. Thinking that Jin Province’s strength had always been average, he hoped his students could secure a future there. But Ma Hongming was incredibly arrogant and hadn’t taken a liking to a single one of them.

Ma Hongming spoke coolly, “I’ve thought it over, and the provincial team really should use our own local talent. Now that the Division I league has started again, the opportunity for selection has arrived. I want to squeeze out two spots for interior players from your school… but the leadership has some other ideas.”

Hearing this, Coach Min’s expression turned serious. “Coach Ma, what exactly are the leadership’s ideas?”

“Ningchang University’s opening match against Fugong U was simply too spectacular. The leadership favors all-around players like Zhou Zhexiao, and Xia Chiyi’s perimeter abilities are also very eye-catching. If Tanjiang Sports Academy can suppress them and teach them a lesson, it will be much easier for me to speak to the leadership on your behalf.”

Coach Min understood the implication immediately upon hearing this.

—If you want to send your students to the provincial team, you have to eliminate the competition.

After the call ended, Coach Min called over his most trusted interior players and relayed Ma Hongming’s hint to them.

“They want us to suppress Ningchang University? That’s almost impossible, right? Even Fugong U couldn’t beat them. How are we supposed to do it?”

Coach Min signaled for the players to calm down and listen to his analysis. “Looking at the current situation, even if we lose to Fugong U and Ningchang University, as long as we can beat Southeast Jiaotong U and Binhai Post and Telecommunications U, we can advance, right?”

Everyone nodded.

__

[Author’s Note]
First of all, I want to clarify: professional athletes must follow the dietary plans set by their coaches and nutritionists and shouldn’t eat outside food during tournaments.
However, Zhou Zhexiao and the guys are still college students, not professional athletes, so it isn’t quite that strict yet.
But this is just like how sleeping in class is wrong; eating unauthorized food during a tournament should also be criticized. I hope everyone doesn’t learn from them, but also please don’t take it too seriously.

Also, here is Borges’ poem What Can I Hold You With:
What can I hold you with?
I offer you lean streets, desperate sunsets, the moon of the jagged suburbs.
I offer you the bitterness of a man who has looked long and long at the lonely moon.
…
This entire poem actually fits Zhou Zhexiao’s lonely state of mind perfectly. In terms of basketball skills, Xia Chiyi looks up to him; but emotionally, Zhou Zhexiao relies on and yearns for Xia Chiyi.
Without Xia Chiyi, Zhou Zhexiao is left with nothing but loneliness.