Chapter 0084: The Great King Comes to Patrol the Mountain

Zhou Zhexiao gently rubbed the back of Xia Chiyi’s head. “You are the Emperor.”

“Right… I am the Emperor!” Xia Chiyi pointed at himself with his thumb.

Following behind them, Ye Zhaoying pinched the corner of his eyes. “I thought he’d be the quiet, non-speaking type when drunk. I didn’t expect him to have such a strong desire for power… He even wants to be the Emperor?”

The next second, Xia Chiyi started singing The Great King Comes to Patrol the Mountain.

“I’m a wittle gobwin who ish’t cwingy…”

“What is he singing?” Zhou Zhexiao asked, supporting Xia Chiyi’s shoulders.

Ye Zhaoying paused for a moment. “He’s singing that he’s ‘a little goblin who isn’t clingy’.”

Zhou Zhexiao hoisted Xia Chiyi onto his back and said softly, “I prefer the clingy type.”

“I… best… dedicate to… wittle pwincess…”

While singing intermittently, Xia Chiyi tugged at Zhou Zhexiao’s hair.

“Ouch, be gentler… Are you trying to rip Zhou Zhexiao’s scalp off?” Ye Zhaoying found it thrilling just watching from behind, terrified that Zhou Zhexiao would just throw Xia Chiyi onto the ground.

“What is he singing now?” Zhou Zhexiao asked as he walked.

“He says he wants to pick the most beautiful flower and give it to his little princess…”

Zhou Zhexiao suddenly stopped. Ye Zhaoying also grew tense, wanting to slap himself. What kind of blind translating am I doing?!

“Hey, Great King, which mountain are you patrolling?” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face; Xia Chiyi was very close to him.

Xia Chiyi’s arms suddenly wrapped tightly around him, burying his face into the crook of his neck, his nose constantly rubbing back and forth. “You! You! You! You are… the mountain this King patrols…”

“Then you aren’t allowed to patrol any other mountains from now on.”

“Mhm!” Xia Chiyi nodded vigorously.

Ye Zhaoying: …What kind of nonsense am I listening to? Xia Chiyi, let’s see how you face the world when you wake up tomorrow!

They finally made it back to the hotel. Ye Zhaoying watched Zhou Zhexiao carry Xia Chiyi into the room, not knowing whether to be happy or worried.

Bro, whether you live to see the sun today depends entirely on your own luck!

“I’ll leave Xia Chiyi to you. I’m taking off!”

Ye Zhaoying immediately slipped away.

Back in the room, Zhou Zhexiao kicked the door shut with the tip of his foot. Carrying Xia Chiyi on his back, he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back, laying Xia Chiyi down.

However, Xia Chiyi continued to hug Zhou Zhexiao’s neck without letting go. Zhou Zhexiao frowned and patted his arm.

Xia Chiyi let out a murmur and aimlessly rubbed Zhou Zhexiao’s nose tip and cheeks, finally resting his fingers on Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes, willfully caressing his eyelashes.

“Xia Chiyi,” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face, dodging the other’s hand.

Xia Chiyi let out an unhappy, soft hum. His palm followed Zhou Zhexiao’s jawline down to his Adam’s apple, resting over his carotid artery, and he let out a laugh.

“Your pulse is so fast… Haha… Why is that? Why is that?”

While asking, Xia Chiyi swung his legs, constantly bumping into Zhou Zhexiao’s waist.

Zhou Zhexiao forcefully propped himself up. As he pulled away, Xia Chiyi anxiously tried to grab him, his fingertips brushing past Zhou Zhexiao’s collar. Zhou Zhexiao took a deep breath, stood at the foot of the bed, and looked at Xia Chiyi.

He hadn’t had the chance to insert the room card, so the entire room was dark, illuminated only by the faint light of the streetlamps filtering in through the curtains.

Xia Chiyi lay on the bed. The alcohol had fully hit his head, and his previous excitement had passed, replaced by fatigue and sleepiness.

The back of his head sank into the white bedsheets, making his messy black hair look like light feathers from hell, sent solely to evoke desire.

Those normally clear eyes now revealed a hazy confusion, as if walking defenselessly in the dark, waiting to be protected, or perhaps destroyed.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Chiyi’s eyelids grew too heavy, and he finally closed them.

The breath held in Zhou Zhexiao’s chest could finally be exhaled.

He slowly moved his feet and sat at the head of Xia Chiyi’s bed, resting his hands on his knees and looking at him.

“My pulse is beating too fast… of course it’s because I like you,” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

He was only telling this to himself; he didn’t expect the other person to be able to accept it.

Xia Chiyi suddenly let out a whimper, causing Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulders to stiffen. The next second, Xia Chiyi grabbed the blanket and spun around, nearly falling off the bed. Wrapped in the blanket, he stopped right at the edge of the mattress.

Zhou Zhexiao’s left hand hovered in the air before he placed it back onto his knee.

“But… do you know the difference between admiration and liking?” Zhou Zhexiao asked softly.

Suddenly, the boy wrapped in the blanket pulled the covers and rolled back. He poked his head out. Those eyes that had previously lost their focus were inexplicably clear, so lucid that it made one’s heart tremble—like plummeting from an altitude of ten thousand meters, thinking you were about to be smashed to pieces, only to fall into a soft patch of clouds instead.

“Admiration… is looking up to your achievements, cheering for you… wanting to become you…”

The boy’s hand reached out from the blanket, as if trying to touch Zhou Zhexiao. Though the distance between them seemed close, Xia Chiyi couldn’t reach him.

This made him anxious, and the stubbornness in his heart multiplied. He grabbed the hem of Zhou Zhexiao’s shirt and tugged at him forcefully.

It wasn’t until the other willingly lowered his head that Xia Chiyi let out a “hehe” chuckle and touched the tip of Zhou Zhexiao’s nose.

“And liking?” Zhou Zhexiao asked softly.

The breath from his words sprayed right onto Xia Chiyi’s wrist.

“Liking… means that even if you retire one day, you are still you… I like you in all your forms… Whether it’s Sheng Xingming holding a championship ring, or Zhou Zhexiao having absolutely nothing…”

Zhou Zhexiao patted Xia Chiyi’s head. “That’s right… Besides you, I have absolutely nothing.”

Xia Chiyi propped himself up with his other hand, inching forward little by little. “If we open up the difference between admiration and liking in Borges’ way…”

“How is it?”

Zhou Zhexiao lowered his eyes. His thick, dense eyelashes cast shadows on his eyelids, and the expectation and longing brimming in his eyes flowed through the darkness.

“To admire you… I am your most devoted believer. Even if your divine statue is ruined and desolate, even if you have no divine power left… you are my faith.”

Xia Chiyi’s voice was very soft, as if he were telling someone his deepest secret.

Zhou Zhexiao had to lean in closer to hear clearly.

“To like you… means accompanying the ‘you’ who fell from the mountain… to return to the peak… standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you.”

Zhou Zhexiao stared into Xia Chiyi’s eyes for a long time. His knuckles brushed past his cheek as he said softly, “When you grow up a little more, you might not think this way anymore.”

Xia Chiyi simply rested his chin on Zhou Zhexiao’s left knee, looking up at him. “Then… when I grow up a little more… what will I think?”

“Walking a higher and further path is too grueling. Being able to participate in the CBA draft and become a professional athlete would be considered a success.”

“With so little ambition… Master would break my legs.” Xia Chiyi pouted his lips again.

Zhou Zhexiao spoke slowly, with great patience, “Jiao Yingfeng, Ling Huanzhen… they are all outstanding enough, yet they still couldn’t become Sheng Xingming. The harder you try, the more clearly you see the insurmountable chasm. Even I might not necessarily be able to become the ‘me’ I once was. Effort, opportunity, talent—you can’t lack a single one.”

Xia Chiyi slowly lifted his eyelids. “Why do you need to become the ‘you’ you once were? You need to become a better you.”

Zhou Zhexiao’s face remained impassive, but his throat bobbed visibly.

“When you grow up, you will meet more people. People with better appearances than this skin, people more charming than me… your liking will change too.”

Xia Chiyi furrowed his brows and stared hard at Zhou Zhexiao. “Mm, then have you ever met someone better than you?”

“…No.”

“I’ve already grown up, and I haven’t met anyone better than you either.” After saying that, Xia Chiyi suddenly wrapped his arms around Zhou Zhexiao’s waist, rubbing his cheek against the fabric of his sportswear.

Zhou Zhexiao rubbed the whorl of hair on top of Xia Chiyi’s head and smiled helplessly. “That’s because you haven’t met enough people, and the height you’ve reached isn’t far enough yet.”

“Urp… urp… urp…”

The shoulders of Xia Chiyi in his arms started heaving. Zhou Zhexiao suddenly realized something, picked him up in one swift motion, and carried him to the bathroom.

Xia Chiyi shoved Zhou Zhexiao away, rushed to the toilet, lowered his head, and let loose like a falling river.

Afraid he might pitch forward into it, Zhou Zhexiao supported him with one hand and pressed the flush button with the other.

When Xia Chiyi had nothing left to vomit, Zhou Zhexiao twisted open a bottle of mineral water and brought it to his lips.

“Rinse your mouth.”

Xia Chiyi gulped down two large mouthfuls, tilted his head back, made a gurgling sound in his throat, and spat it out. He then smacked his lips, showing an unhappy expression. “There’s a weird taste in my mouth… I want to brush my teeth…”

“Okay, we’ll brush your teeth.”

Zhou Zhexiao got a cup of water, squeezed out the toothpaste, and supported Xia Chiyi over to the sink.

Xia Chiyi opened his mouth wide, but just couldn’t get the toothbrush accurately into his mouth. One second he was jabbing it into the tip of his nose; the next, he was poking the corner of his mouth. Zhou Zhexiao took a deep breath, wrapped his arms around Xia Chiyi from behind, held the glass cup in one hand, and covered the back of Xia Chiyi’s hand with the other.

The boy’s back pressed tightly against his chest, fitting together like perfectly matched gears.

“Open your mouth.”

“Ah—”

The next second, the toothbrush went in, and Zhou Zhexiao brushed his teeth for him.

“Take a sip of water. Don’t swallow it. Spit it out.”

Xia Chiyi spat it out the moment he took it in.

Zhou Zhexiao frowned. After thinking for a moment, he said, “You need to go ‘gurgle gurgle’ before spitting it out.”

“Oh.”

Xia Chiyi obediently took a large gulp. While gurgling, he turned his head and looked at Zhou Zhexiao with wide eyes, as if asking, Is this okay?

“Mm, spit it out.”

Xia Chiyi obediently turned his head back and spat the water out.

Zhou Zhexiao grabbed a towel and washed Xia Chiyi’s face. Xia Chiyi’s head drooped lower and lower; it looked like he was about to fall asleep again. Zhou Zhexiao sighed, turned around, and scooped Xia Chiyi up with one arm. Xia Chiyi’s chin rested on Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder as he was carried back into the bedroom.

Zhou Zhexiao knelt on one knee at the foot of the bed, took off Xia Chiyi’s sneakers, and then his athletic socks.

When his palm cupped Xia Chiyi’s Achilles tendon, Xia Chiyi dazedly opened his eyes again.

“Why are you taking off my shoes…”

“Because it’s time to sleep.”

“I take dem off myshewf…”

After saying that, Xia Chiyi struggled to sit up, bending over to reach for his other foot.

But his other foot was held firmly in Zhou Zhexiao’s hand.

“No… I want to take it off myshewf…” Xia Chiyi frowned, looking very determined.

“Why?” Zhou Zhexiao asked, simultaneously pulling off Xia Chiyi’s other sneaker.

“Because… what if it smells… I don’t want you to smell it…”

“There is no smell. You didn’t sweat much today.”

“Really?” Xia Chiyi tilted his head.

“Really.” Zhou Zhexiao pulled off his sock, revealing a smooth, clean instep.

The arch of the boy’s instep was very beautiful, showing that his support strength during jumps was very strong. The veins on his instep were a bluish hue, as if vigorous power was flowing quietly beneath.

“Let me do it!” Xia Chiyi sat up in a rush, reaching out to pry at his own foot.

Zhou Zhexiao sighed, planting a hand on either side of him. Xia Chiyi’s head nearly bumped into his forehead.

“Who acts like you? I already told you there’s no smell. Hurry up and sleep…”

Xia Chiyi didn’t speak, just stared quietly at Zhou Zhexiao.

“What’s wrong now?”

“I want to patrol the mountain!”

Zhou Zhexiao sighed. “It’s already very late today. Can you patrol the mountain tomorrow instead?”

“No,” Xia Chiyi said with absolute resolve.

“Why not?”

“Because today’s mountain and tomorrow’s mountain are not the same!” Xia Chiyi lifted his chin high.

Zhou Zhexiao looked up at the ceiling and let out a helpless sigh.

Unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi’s palm covered his throat. “You see… tomorrow won’t have such a good-looking neck…”

“Fine, you patrol your mountain. After patrolling, go to sleep.”

The next second, the back of Zhou Zhexiao’s head was pulled forward. He suddenly pitched forward, thankfully catching himself with his arms. But right after, something warm and soft pried open his upper lip. It was like water instantly seeping into the cracks of a solid rock; Zhou Zhexiao nearly lost all his strength and collapsed.

His heartstrings were instantly stretched to their limit, as if pierced by a majestic force from the other side of the universe.

Xia Chiyi’s completely skill-less kiss triggered an unparalleled, earth-shattering effect.

Zhou Zhexiao stared at him with wide eyes, but Xia Chiyi had his eyes squeezed tightly shut. His thick eyelashes fluttered gently, then he teased Zhou Zhexiao’s lower lip once more.

Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze suddenly grew dark and deep. He endured it without changing his expression, telling himself that this bad boy had just drunk too much, and his hippocampus would very likely fail to retain any memory due to the alcohol. But in the end, he couldn’t resist his instincts. The moment he wrapped his arms around Xia Chiyi, his rationality was doomed to fall.

His returning kiss was more decisive and forceful than a mid-air dunk. His unrestrained claiming left Xia Chiyi utterly unable to parry. He tried to turn his face to take a breath, but Zhou Zhexiao’s palm pressed firmly against the back of his head.

Aside from basketball, Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t good at any form of verbal communication in interpersonal relationships. This kiss was his way of telling Xia Chiyi—stop provoking me, or I will go crazy.

When air finally flowed between their lips, before Xia Chiyi’s lungs even had time to feel it, Zhou Zhexiao’s kiss pressed back down. The previous turbulence and collision turned gentle, like a temptation full of indulgence, yet refusing to grant Xia Chiyi any freedom. It wasn’t until Xia Chiyi’s arms climbed onto Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulders that the slight response made Zhou Zhexiao ecstatic. Not even the final shot that locked in his championship had felt like this… something within his chest shot straight into the clouds, desperate to erupt.

He constantly claimed, pressing forward like an army at the city gates.

Xia Chiyi endured it with his head tilted back, constantly retreating, retreating… retreating further.

Until his back was pressed tightly against the headboard, with Zhou Zhexiao’s hands planted right by his ears.

“Mmph… mmm…” Xia Chiyi forcefully slapped Zhou Zhexiao’s forearms.

Zhou Zhexiao pulled back slightly. Lowering his eyes, he said in a low voice, “You started it.”

Xia Chiyi took a deep breath and impatiently touched Zhou Zhexiao’s lips again.

Zhou Zhexiao froze for a moment. He cupped the side of Xia Chiyi’s face with one hand, his fingers gently sliding past his ear.

It turned out he wasn’t being rejected; Xia Chiyi just didn’t know how to breathe.

Zhou Zhexiao parted his lips, welcoming and enjoying Xia Chiyi’s demanding kiss.

The weight of his soul seemed to be swept away. Xia Chiyi attacked sharply and completely unrestrained. Zhou Zhexiao had to prop both hands against the headboard, feeling like he could be overthrown by the other at any moment.

Right at this moment, a knock sounded on the room door, followed by Ling Huanzhen’s voice.

“Room check. If you’re back in the room, open the door.”

Zhou Zhexiao took a deep breath. Even with Xia Chiyi chasing his lips to kiss him, he had to speak up and answer, “We’re back.”

“That’s fine then. Was just afraid you two partied too hard.”

With that, Ling Huanzhen left.

When Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head again, he discovered that Xia Chiyi had actually tilted his head to the side and fallen asleep.

Only this time, he was truly asleep. Xia Chiyi’s eyelids were quietly closed, and his breathing was even.

Zhou Zhexiao picked him up and placed him under the covers.

As he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, Zhou Zhexiao vindictively bit hard on the tip of his nose.

“Mmph… wuu…” Xia Chiyi let out a muffled sound.

---

The next morning, Xia Chiyi sat leaning against the headboard, reaching up to scratch his head. A tuft of hair on the back of his head stuck straight up foolishly.

He felt like his head had been shot; it was as if an invisible force had pierced through his temples.

What on earth happened?

Xia Chiyi smacked his own head. He vaguely remembered taking Zhou Zhexiao to KTV… and then? What happened after that?

Why did his memory feel like it had been snipped away?

Xia Chiyi turned his face and glanced at the bed next to him. It was already empty.

Judging by the bright light filtering through the curtains, it didn’t look like seven or eight in the morning. He grabbed his phone and checked… it was actually almost twelve noon!

His phone also had many WeChat messages from different people.

Pang Shuai: [Are you okay? The classmate who mixed the Erguotou told me to say sorry to you. Has it affected your condition? The knockout stages start tomorrow, will you be alright?]

Xia Chiyi tilted his head. Erguotou? What Erguotou?

Liang Qin: [I looked it up, and it says people under twenty-five should drink less alcohol, as it affects the development of the hippocampus and frontal lobe… You drank two large cups at once, will it affect your physical balance?]

“Two large cups? What did I drink two large cups of?” Xia Chiyi was thoroughly confused.

Ye Zhaoying: [Great King, have you awakened? After patrolling the mountain for so long last night, are you still alive today?]

Without another word, Xia Chiyi made a WeChat call to him.

“Hey, Ye Zhaoying, what exactly happened yesterday?”

“No way? You actually don’t remember?”

Ye Zhaoying’s tone carried uncontainable schadenfreude. He vividly and colorfully described Xia Chiyi’s actions after getting drunk, including that song The Great King Comes to Patrol the Mountain!

“From now on, Zhou Zhexiao is your mountain! But I really should congratulate you. The fact that you’re still alive means Zhou Zhexiao gave you tacit permission to patrol his mountain!”

Xia Chiyi covered his face with one hand, asking himself ten thousand times in his heart: just how stupid was I to not realize the juice was mixed with alcohol? And I foolishly downed two entire cups? And I even dared to “patrol the mountain” on Zhou Zhexiao’s body?

Thank goodness, thank goodness Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t here right now, otherwise he really wouldn’t have the face to go on living!

Right at that moment, a “beep-beep” sound came from the room door. Zhou Zhexiao was back.

Xia Chiyi didn’t know what came over him, but he flipped over and whoosh, dove straight under the bed. He hugged his head and bumped his forehead against the floor twice.

Zhou Zhexiao walked in and saw Xia Chiyi’s bed was completely empty, leaving only a corner of the blanket. He walked over unhurriedly, lowered his eyes, and looked at Xia Chiyi’s back. “Are you embarrassed because you fell under the bed, or are you just not awake at all?”

“…Can I choose ‘not awake at all’?”

“Then maintain this posture and continue sleeping.”

Zhou Zhexiao came to Xia Chiyi’s side, sat on the floor, and unceremoniously rested his two legs across Xia Chiyi’s back.

Xia Chiyi was sweating profusely, thinking to himself: How am I supposed to sleep like this?

“I choose to get up.” Xia Chiyi arched upward, but Zhou Zhexiao didn’t retract his legs. Like the Five Finger Mountain suppressing Sun Wukong, Xia Chiyi had no choice but to silently prop himself up with his arms and slide himself out.

Finally managing to stand up, Xia Chiyi took a deep breath, picked up the blanket, and threw it back onto the bed.

“Um… I heard I got drunk last night. I’m sorry…” Xia Chiyi said in a low voice.

“From now on, no matter where you go, if you smell a strange drink, you must refuse it. Regardless of how much you trust that friend,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi swallowed back the words “It’s not that serious” that were about to leave his mouth.

The one who had truly been baptized by reality was Zhou Zhexiao; the advice he gave was definitely not without reason.

“Understood, I will remember.”

This time also served as an experience and a warning for Xia Chiyi.

Thank goodness there was no game today. Otherwise, with him drinking just about anything yesterday, even if it wasn’t alcohol, if it was something else that affected the game, it would be too late for regrets.

“Ling Huanzhen will probably call us for a meeting today…”

“I asked for leave on your behalf. I said you drank some weird juice at the KTV, threw up last night, and needed to sleep in a bit more.”

Xia Chiyi scratched the back of his head. Zhou Zhexiao really was excellent at selective description. Every sentence and every word was true, it was just only a fraction of the full truth.

By now, the matchup results for the knockout stage should have already come out.

He grabbed his phone to take a look. “Mm, our next opponent is Huaicheng Normal University. Doesn’t this count as their home court?”

“And after we beat Huaicheng Normal?”

“Barring any surprises, it’ll be Shenghai University. Born of the same root, why such eagerness to fry each other? We have a bond formed through multiple practice matches,” Xia Chiyi lamented.

“Because we must win, they will just have to lose.”

Zhou Zhexiao stood up, walked over to the TV, unscrewed a bottle of hotel mineral water, and tilted his head back to take a few sips.

Xia Chiyi sat at the head of the bed. The other’s quick-dry athletic shirt clung slightly to his back, outlining the contours of Zhou Zhexiao’s back. For some reason, Xia Chiyi felt his imagination had been extraordinarily rich and astounding lately. With just that little bit of undulation, Xia Chiyi could perfectly reconstruct the muscle lines and flow of Zhou Zhexiao’s back.

…I’ve even scrubbed his back before, for crying out loud.

Xia Chiyi lowered his head, suddenly feeling regret.

That time in the shower room at the Capital Electric Power University, when he was scrubbing Zhou Zhexiao’s back, he should have savored the feeling. His brain must have been waterlogged back then, only thinking about scrubbing a layer of skin off Zhou Zhexiao.

He completely missed the best opportunity to cop a feel…

“Zhou Zhexiao’s tender tofu… Sigh…”

Just as Xia Chiyi sighed, Zhou Zhexiao frowned and came over to him. His ear had somehow already leaned close to Xia Chiyi’s cheek, just to hear clearly what he was muttering about.

“Tender tofu? You want to eat that?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

He had gone out for a morning run after brushing his teeth earlier, so his breath still carried the minty scent of toothpaste.

Xia Chiyi shuddered. Zhou Zhexiao’s lips were so close. As long as he pretended to accidentally turn his face, he could kiss them.

Don’t be a coward, Xia Chiyi!

If you like Zhou Zhexiao, you have to be prepared: the bold gorge themselves, while the timid starve to death!

Xia Chiyi turned his face. As a guard with broad vision on the court, he naturally remembered exactly where Zhou Zhexiao’s lips were positioned and the distance between them. But copping a feel and playing basketball were two different things!

Right as Xia Chiyi turned his head to act, Zhou Zhexiao surprisingly turned his head too. Xia Chiyi swore to the heavens, his target was only the corner of Zhou Zhexiao’s mouth; a tiny taste of sweetness, and he would have been completely satisfied.

However, the relative motion of the two of them caused his and Zhou Zhexiao’s lips to brush directly against each other. That soft, elastic touch carried an invincible destructive power. Xia Chiyi’s rationality and senses exploded instantly. Not just their lips, but even Zhou Zhexiao’s nose brushed against his own.

Xia Chiyi’s fingers nearly crushed his phone before he managed to restrain himself from grabbing Zhou Zhexiao’s collar.

Zhou Zhexiao lifted his eyelids, his cold, clear gaze sweeping over. It looked like a torrential downpour was brewing. Xia Chiyi’s panic wildly burst outward like gathering storm clouds.

What do I do?

This isn’t what I planned!

This completely counted as a real kiss, right… During the New Year, when he sneaked a kiss while Zhou Zhexiao was sleeping, he only dared to touch his chin. Now he had directly brushed across his entire mouth…

Xia Chiyi swallowed hard. Propping his upper body on his elbows, he scooted backward, trying to put distance between him and Zhou Zhexiao. But his back was pressed tightly against the headboard; there was nowhere left to retreat.

Even if he wanted to escape from the other side, he sorrowfully discovered that Zhou Zhexiao’s hand had somehow already braced itself on his other side.

This cursed wingspan!

“Hey, drink more water. Your lips are peeling,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi froze in place, completely motionless.

Is there something wrong with Zhou Zhexiao’s point of focus?

Is this an issue about my lips peeling? Shouldn’t this be…

Xia Chiyi pursed his lips. Why did his lips feel so numb?

He got up and went into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. “My god? Am I allergic to kiwi or Erguotou? Why are my lips swollen?”

He had this nagging feeling that he had forgotten something very important…

Just as Xia Chiyi was about to put the toothbrush into his mouth, he suddenly got a very strange feeling. It was as if someone had once wrapped their arms around him from behind very gently, keeping him company while he brushed his teeth.

His heart started thumping loudly once again.

When he pushed open the bathroom door, he was greeted by the demonic, surround-sound tune of The Great King Sends Me to Patrol the Mountain.

It was Zhou Zhexiao playing the song on his phone.

Especially that line: “I am a little goblin who works hard and isn’t clingy,” which made Xia Chiyi’s heart jolt in shock.

Even though he had blacked out, he vaguely remembered rubbing Zhou Zhexiao’s face, pulling his ears, and tugging his hair.

Calling it “patrolling the mountain” was just a euphemism; in reality, he was just using his drunkenness as an excuse to bully him.

“I’m sorry… for treating your head like a mountain to patrol. I won’t get drunk next time.”

Xia Chiyi believed Zhou Zhexiao was playing this song to remind him of his arrogant, drunken behavior last night.

Zhou Zhexiao was sitting by the window. The sunlight fell on the tip of his nose, making even his curled eyelashes look like the flapping wings of a bird. However, the side of his face turned toward Xia Chiyi was cast in shadow, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Zhou Zhexiao shifted, propping his chin on one hand. His gaze slowly moved from outside the window and landed on Xia Chiyi.

Holy crap… this guy is starting to bewitch people’s minds again.

“Do you remember how you patrolled the mountain?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

Sometimes Xia Chiyi truly hated this guy’s unflappable expression. He absolutely couldn’t tell if he was genuinely angry or just trying to scare him.

“Sigh… I just touched your… eyes and nose, grabbed your hair… It was my first time getting drunk. I won’t go crazy from alcohol again.” Xia Chiyi made an “I swear” gesture.

“That’s all you remember?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“…Besides that, did I do anything else atrocious?” Xia Chiyi asked cautiously.

“Forget it. Maybe one day those dead memories will resurrect on their own.” Zhou Zhexiao looked back out the window, the fingers supporting his chin pressing lightly against his lips.

The intertwining light and shadows made it impossible to guess what was on his mind. The blood in Xia Chiyi’s heart surged like the tide.

His intuition told him that if those dead memories ever resurrected, it would probably spell the end of the world.

The corners of Zhou Zhexiao’s lips curved upward very faintly. “You don’t need to think about dying right now. We have a long road ahead of us.”

“Huh? How does ‘a long road ahead’ apply here?”

“Mm. I know what you’re thinking, so from now on, things will be easy for me to handle.”

“What do you want… to handle?”

Zhou Zhexiao stood up and pressed his hand firmly onto the top of Xia Chiyi’s head. “I want to watch you perform The Great King Comes to Patrol the Mountain.”

Damn, how am I still alive?

Why didn’t you just suffocate me with a pillow yesterday?

---

When lunchtime came around, Xia Chiyi set down his food tray. Ling Huanzhen came over, patted his shoulder, and said, “Your stomach feeling much better now?”

“M-much better.”

“You can’t just drink fresh-squeezed juice from outside recklessly. You don’t even know if the fruit was good or spoiled,” Ling Huanzhen admonished.

“Mm, understood.”

When Ye Zhaoying arrived, Xia Chiyi hooked an arm around his and forcefully dragged him away.

“Hey, what are you doing…”

“Shut up. I have something to ask you.”

This was the first time Ye Zhaoying had felt such a strong aura from Xia Chiyi. He could only act like an ostrich, letting Xia Chiyi drag him into a corner of the cafeteria.

“Hey, besides what you told me on the voice call, did anything else happen?”

Xia Chiyi looked at Ye Zhaoying with a cold gaze, carrying a strong warning for him to “think carefully.”

“I already told you about all the stupid things you did right under my nose! If you did something like dancing on graves once you got back to your room, I wouldn’t know…” Ye Zhaoying paused. “Oh, I remember…”

“What did you remember?”

“You said Zhou Zhexiao was the mountain you wanted to patrol, and Zhou Zhexiao said—then you aren’t allowed to patrol any other mountains from now on.”

Xia Chiyi’s heart skipped a beat.

Rather than a warning from Zhou Zhexiao about his harassing behavior…

It sounded more like a form of veiled indulgence.

“Xiao Xia, is that you?”

A gentle voice rang out. Xia Chiyi turned his head and saw a tall, slender figure standing against the light. His two straight legs, even wrapped in sweatpants, looked exceptionally long and strong.

Xia Chiyi tilted his head, asking uncertainly, “Are you… Brother Cong?”

“Hahaha, it’s me! My god, I never thought we’d actually meet in the Division I League! You’re getting more and more famous now, kid!”

Zhao Lingcong took two or three steps forward, his handsome and elegant features emerging from the light.

“It really is you! Brother Cong!”

The next second, Xia Chiyi ran over, opened his arms, and hung off the other’s shoulders.

Zhao Lingcong patted his back and laughed, “You’re too much, kid. Why didn’t you look for me when you were filling out your university applications? I could have recommended you to the coach and got you into our university.”

Xia Chiyi touched the tip of his nose. “It was just to prove a point… Someone in my class was making fun of me, saying I was all brawn and no brains. To spite them, I studied super hard, and I actually passed the entrance exam!”

Ye Zhaoying also stared blankly at him. “It’s actually Zhao Lingcong… Is this a reunion after a long separation… or enemies meeting on a narrow path?”

Following Xia Chiyi’s shoulder, Zhao Lingcong looked over and made eye contact with Ye Zhaoying.

“Isn’t this Ye Zhaoying from the Affiliated High School? Long time no see. I didn’t expect that you and Xiao Xia would be opponents last year, but teammates now.”

Zhao Lingcong patted Ye Zhaoying’s shoulder.

“Likewise. I didn’t expect that the year before last, you and Xia Chiyi were teammates, but this year you’ll probably become opponents.”

Zhao Lingcong stroked his chin. “Seems like it. But let me test Xiao Xia. Do you know which university team I play for?”

“Southeast Forestry University?”

As soon as Xia Chiyi spoke, Zhao Lingcong knocked him on the head.

“I’m from Southeast Mining University! You were always mixing up Mining and Forestry before. With a brain like yours, I don’t even know how you passed the college entrance exam.”

Xia Chiyi was dumbfounded. “So you… you and… Ma Tao are teammates?”

“Yeah, Ma Tao is my partner now. You played Ma Tao pretty smoothly. When I heard him talking about some amazing kid from Ningchang No.3 High School, the description sounded so much like you, but then I thought his story was too exaggerated, since you didn’t seem quite that amazing. I didn’t expect it to actually be you.”

“No, wait… We watched the Mining University’s preliminary matches this year, and we didn’t see you! We didn’t see you in the group stage either… Brother Cong, are you warming the bench for the Mining University?”

Zhao Lingcong flicked Xia Chiyi’s forehead. “I had an accident before the preliminaries and fractured my tibia, so I couldn’t play. After that was rehabilitation training. The coach only allowed me to rejoin the team for the Southeast Division knockout stage.”

“So you came back specifically to deal with Qincheng University and fight them for the title of King of the Southeast?” Xia Chiyi asked.

Zhao Lingcong paused. Resting his hands on his hips, he leaned in slightly, looking into Xia Chiyi’s eyes, and said, “Does Ningchang University not want to fight for the title of King of the Southeast Division?”

Xia Chiyi pointed to himself. “Are you saying… you also plan to deal with us?”

Behind him, Ye Zhaoying let out a long breath and helplessly pressed down on Xia Chiyi’s head. “Bro, isn’t it obvious? If it were just to deal with Qincheng University, they could have totally let Brother Cong rest up a bit longer. Calling him back specifically for the knockout stage makes it clear that the person he wants to deal with is you!”

“I… I just wasn’t used to it for a second. I still thought of you as my teammate.”

The smile on Zhao Lingcong’s face grew wider. “Then you really have to get used to it. Don’t go passing the ball to me during a match; that would be incredibly awkward.”

“Definitely,” Xia Chiyi said very seriously.

“Ah, by the way. During my rehabilitation training, besides watching Qincheng University’s matches, I was watching yours. You’ve improved so fast, constantly refreshing my understanding of you. But… do you understand me?”

Zhao Lingcong lowered his eyes, his smile carrying a hint of mischief.

“Brother Cong, you’re playing mind games, trying to make me nervous on purpose.”

“I’m reminding you to study me carefully.”

“That’s for sure. I’ll definitely study you down to your underwear.”

Xia Chiyi thought for a moment, then pressed down on Zhao Lingcong’s shoulder.

“Brother Cong, can you do me a favor?”

“What favor?”

“Help me talk to Ma Tao. Tell him to stop glaring at me the moment he sees me… I always feel like he’s going to beat me up.”

Zhao Lingcong froze for a second, then clutched his stomach and burst out laughing. “You… you’re already in college, how are you still so easily bluffed? Ma Tao is just a paper tiger. He actually admires you; he won’t do anything to you. The more he bluffs and the more scared you get, the more excited he becomes.”

“Oh, alright then. I’ll see you on the court.”

“See you on the court.”

Xia Chiyi held out his fist toward Zhao Lingcong, and the two lightly bumped fists.

When Xia Chiyi and Ye Zhaoying returned to the dining tables, they rushed over to find Ling Huanzhen without delay.

Ye Zhaoying sat down next to Ling Huanzhen with his food tray, speaking nervously, “Coach Ling, we just ran into Zhao Lingcong from the Mining University! This guy is super strong, and he’s even Xia Chiyi’s ex…”

“Pfft… Cough, cough…” Ling Huanzhen swiftly covered his mouth, nearly spitting his food all over Cheng Qing’s face across the table. “Who… who is Xia Chiyi’s ex?”

Are college students’ dating experiences really this complicated nowadays?

__

[Author’s Note]
Zhou Zhexiao: Xia Chiyi, your ‘brothers’—Yang Huaiyu, Liu Suchen, Zhao Lingcong, plus Lu Yingnan who hasn’t shown up yet—can already form a full mahjong table. And that doesn’t even include me.
Xia Chiyi: Stop! I don’t have any ‘brothers’! I only have you, my one and only mountain!