Chapter 0095: I Am Your Daddy, Ever-Changing

After receiving the ball, Shuai Bei immediately took a shot, but unexpectedly, it didn’t go in.

“Rebound!” Zhao Lingcong shouted to remind them. His position was boxed out by Xia Chiyi, preventing him from rushing over.

Lowering his eyes, Zhao Lingcong could see the top of Xia Chiyi’s head. The guy who used to fly away from a single bump was now spreading his arms and boxing him out firmly.

He had never felt so clearly that he was being defended against. Xia Chiyi was like a flexible cocoon; even though light shone through from all sides, Zhao Lingcong had nowhere to go.

Li Renjie immediately turned around, boxing Du He out on the perimeter. Who would have known that Shuai Bei had already rushed under the basket and, right in front of Li Renjie’s face, sent the ball into the hoop.

“Shuai Bei’s play was absolutely beautiful! He decisively took the shot himself, and even though he missed, he used the time difference to score a putback! Fast reaction, refusing to admit defeat!” The commentator was thrilled.

Ye Zhaoying jumped up and slapped Shuai Bei on the back.
“You’re so badass!”
“Not as badass as your dribbling speed.”

Shuai Bei adjusted his wristband and glanced at Li Renjie.
This time, Li Renjie stared at Shuai Bei for quite a while.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ma Tao asked.

Li Renjie pulled up his collar to wipe the sweat off his chin and said faintly, “Nothing. I just feel that I underestimated this Shuai Bei before.”

There were only twelve seconds left before the end of the second quarter.
Zhao Lingcong smiled, pulling up his collar to wipe his chin. “You didn’t score much this quarter.”

“You didn’t score much either, so it’s very fair.” Xia Chiyi tilted his chin up at him.

Zhao Lingcong gritted his teeth in his heart: This brat, I really want to slam his head into the cracks of the floorboards.

Qingda’s Song Boyun took a sip of his drink and frowned, saying, “Xia Chiyi barely took any shots this quarter. Zhao Lingcong is really awesome.”

Liu Suchen smacked him on the back of the head. “I think you should say it the other way around—Zhao Lingcong barely took any shots this quarter. He was blocked so well by Xia Chiyi that he couldn’t even get to the basket a few times. On the contrary, Xia Chiyi made several brilliant passes, assisting Zhou Zhexiao to score.”

Song Boyun widened his eyes in delayed realization: “Oh, right—”
Liu Suchen and Huo Cheng, one covered his eyes, the other sighed deeply. They really couldn’t bear to look at this idiot.

In the last twelve seconds, Zhou Zhexiao single-handedly pinned down Ma Tao, defending him so tightly that Ma Tao wanted to foul countless times!
Xia Chiyi defended Zhao Lingcong to the death. The two shuffled left and right, probing each other, but neither could shake the other off.

Ye Zhaoying passed to Shuai Bei. Shuai Bei wanted to shoot but was blocked by Li Renjie. The ball almost went out of bounds but was chased back by Du He.
There were only four seconds left.

“Don’t hesitate! Hesitation is defeat—!” Xia Chiyi shouted loudly.

Du He’s heart felt as if it had been slammed hard. His brain nerves fired up, and in one vigorous effort, he dribbled past Huang Chun and Cheng Kuang, violently dunking the ball into the basket right before the first half ended.

Applause erupted at the scene, and the referee announced the end of the first half.

Du He was completely stunned.
“Did I score? Was it me who scored?” Du He pointed at himself and asked.

The next second, Xia Chiyi pounced on him.
“It went in, it went in! Du He, you were incredibly handsome! You passed two people in three seconds, and they were both guards! Your dribbling is freaking awesome!”

Just like that, the first half ended with Ningchang University tied with Southeast Mining University at 68 to 68.

During halftime, dynamic music started playing.
The tense atmosphere finally found a moment of relief.

Yang Huaiyu got up to buy a drink from the vending machine, but unexpectedly bumped into Liu Suchen and Lu Yingnan.

“What are you drinking? My treat,” Liu Suchen said with a smile.

“No need. I still haven’t forgotten how you schemed to splash cola all over me last time.” Yang Huaiyu pressed the button and paid for himself.

“Who do you hope wins this match?” Liu Suchen asked again.

“It would be best if they went into overtime, tearing at each other until both sides suffer heavy losses.” Yang Huaiyu raised his eyes, revealing a gentle smile. “Anyway, that’s definitely what you’re thinking.”

“My intuition tells me that you are more afraid of Ningchang University.”
An icy voice sounded. It was actually Lu Yingnan who spoke up.

Yang Huaiyu twisted open his soda cap and lazily lifted his eyelids. “Why should I be afraid? Ningchang University is so interesting. Today’s Zhao Lingcong might just be tomorrow’s you.”

Lu Yingnan’s expression didn’t change at all: “I am different from Zhao Lingcong.”

“Everyone who says ‘I am different from so-and-so’ cannot escape the Law of True Fragrance (inevitably eating their words).” Liu Suchen glanced at Yang Huaiyu.

Yang Huaiyu shrugged and smiled open-mindedly: “I have never said one thing and meant another. Little Brother Chiyi has always been very fragrant. Our whole team thinks he’s deliciously fragrant, it’s just that we can’t take a bite out of him.”

Lu Yingnan smiled very faintly. “Xia Chiyi is indeed very cute.”

Yang Huaiyu chuckled twice. “Last year you also praised Liu Suchen for being cute. And then you and Liu Suchen had a wonderful love-hate relationship in the finals, it was just too beautiful.”

Liu Suchen raised an eyebrow, throwing an arm around Lu Yingnan’s shoulders. “You always put up a stoic front in front of me. I didn’t expect you to secretly praise me as cute behind my back?”

Lu Yingnan’s expression remained indifferent. He glanced at Liu Suchen: “Xia Chiyi’s cuteness lies in the fact that if you give him a match and a high-level opponent, he can level up. As for you, Liu Suchen, if you didn’t have a good-looking face, you would be really obnoxious.”

Liu Suchen frowned, revealing a thoughtful expression.
Yang Huaiyu said bluntly: “Your fake deep thought look resembles constipation.”

Liu Suchen said with a grin: “I was just thinking, the way the three of us are chatting looks exactly like villains with ulterior motives in a TV drama. Appearing like sworn brothers of the Peach Garden, but constantly backstabbing each other every moment.”

After a second of silence, Yang Huaiyu and Lu Yingnan both let out a sigh.
Yang Huaiyu: Truly as always, a dog’s mouth cannot spit out ivory.
Lu Yingnan: You can be the villain yourself, we are the protagonists.

However, the sight of three star players gathered at the vending machine was still very eye-catching. In less than thirty seconds, a crowd of fans hoping for a group photo appeared in front of them.

Even the official Cool Wave photographer rushed over, wanting to take pictures of them and drum up some hype for the Southeast Division finals.

“Let’s go.” Lu Yingnan turned around first.
The three immediately scattered, leaving the rushing photographer to catch empty air.

Returning to his seat, Lu Yingnan lowered his eyes, looking at Xia Chiyi who was sitting quietly in his seat, draped in a towel, seemingly deep in thought.

He admitted that as a first-year player, Xia Chiyi was outstanding.
But just being like this wasn’t enough to warrant being valued so highly by Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu.

Moreover, Lu Yingnan had a premonition that the second half would be Xia Chiyi’s home court.
And… the coordination between Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi was definitely more than just this.

Ling Huanzhen had finished arranging the tactics and assigning tasks. The second half was the real decider.
His large hand rested on top of Xia Chiyi’s head over the towel. “Are you okay?”

“I want to listen to music.”
“What do you want to listen to?”
“Something a bit more hype, okay?” Xia Chiyi lifted his eyelids.

Ling Huanzhen pointed at the ceiling. “Isn’t the stadium music hype enough? I don’t have headphones; even if you want to listen, you wouldn’t be able to hear it clearly.”

Zhou Zhexiao sat down beside Xia Chiyi. “Want to change the rhythm?”
“Yeah. I want… a faster rhythm.”

“Sometimes, ‘fast’ makes people unable to think in time. Taking extreme approaches can actually make it easier to make mistakes. You want to shake off Zhao Lingcong, so you always want to be faster, while Zhao Lingcong has constantly been adapting to your speed. Can’t you do the opposite and slow down?”

“Slow down… how do I slow down?” Xia Chiyi took a sip of water and asked with a smile.

Zhou Zhexiao’s hand shielded Xia Chiyi’s face, bringing him into his embrace. His left ear was pressed against Zhou Zhexiao’s chest, and his right ear was covered by his palm.

“Calm yourself down. What you’re best at is mental simulation,” Zhou Zhexiao’s voice passed through the noisy stadium music into Xia Chiyi’s ear.

Xia Chiyi exhaled. He had used the first half of the match to feel out Zhao Lingcong, and now it was time to analyze him.
Perhaps Zhou Zhexiao was right. What he needed wasn’t to be faster, but to slow down, settle his mind, and deconstruct the known Zhao Lingcong.

Zhou Zhexiao’s breathing was like the wind passing through a valley, long and quiet, along with the “thump—thump—” coming from deep within his chest.
Every movement, steal attempt, and defensive angle of Zhao Lingcong replayed in Xia Chiyi’s mind.

Just as Zhao Lingcong had been adapting to Xia Chiyi’s acceleration, Xia Chiyi realized he needed to learn to predict his opponent’s predictions.
Xia Chiyi let out a gentle breath, his anxiety to achieve quick success easing up.

“If you hug me a little longer, I’m going to fall asleep,” Xia Chiyi said softly.
“It looks like Pang Shuai took a photo.”
“What?”
Xia Chiyi shoved Zhou Zhexiao away.

“Your face is covered by the towel, what are you nervous about?” Zhou Zhexiao glanced at Xia Chiyi faintly. “It’s not like we’re having an illicit affair.”

The effect of this sentence was comparable to a bomb.
Xia Chiyi’s face instantly exploded red, almost biting his own tongue. “What… what the hell are you talking about? With so many spectators in the whole stadium, what illicit affair?!”

Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi calmly and indifferently. “Exactly. So why are you stuttering? Why are you blushing?”

Wow, when this guy is being shameless, he actually looks so solemn and dignified!

Ling Huanzhen walked over and rubbed Xia Chiyi’s head. “The way you were nestled in Zhou Zhexiao’s arms looked like a little bunny finding its mother. Can you still hold up for the second half? If you can’t, come down, you can observe well sitting on the sidelines too.”

Xia Chiyi took off the towel and looked back at Ling Huanzhen: “I can.”
We’re only just getting started, how could I not hold up.

“Alright. Zhao Lingcong has been conserving his stamina, maybe because of his previous injury, or maybe for a buzzer-beater in the second half.” Ling Huanzhen looked thoughtfully at Zhao Lingcong. “I observed that his breathing is very steady. I’m afraid he has a big move for the second half.”

“I know. My stamina isn’t bad either,” Xia Chiyi smiled.

Ling Huanzhen nodded. Aside from Zhou Zhexiao, Xia Chiyi should be the one with the best stamina in Ningchang University.

“Hey, we agreed that if we win the match, you have to tell me what exactly you did in the elevator to scare the cleaning auntie so much she didn’t dare to come in.”
Zhou Zhexiao’s fingertips, resting on his knee, twitched.
“If we win, I’ll show you.”

Xia Chiyi put one hand on his hip and covered his face with the other. “Why do your words always feel so inappropriate?”
“Tongue is also fine…”
“No tongue needed! Just leave the trash talk on the court!”
Xia Chiyi pressed his palm hard against Zhou Zhexiao’s chest, the meaning to “stop” couldn’t be more obvious.

Ye Zhaoying walked over, crossing his arms and saying helplessly: “You two acting like this, are you challenging the alumni’s hearts?”

“He’s the one who brought up tongues first…” Xia Chiyi pointed at Zhou Zhexiao. Halfway through, he felt something wasn’t right and immediately shut his mouth.

Ye Zhaoying rolled his eyes at the sky. “Tongues? What about tongues? How about this: after this match ends, you guys can tattoo each other’s names on your tongues. When you’re happy, you keep it in your mouth, and when you’re mad, you bite down to vent?”

Zhou Zhexiao said as he walked onto the court: “That’s a good idea.”
“Good idea my ass!” Xia Chiyi’s hair was about to stand on end.

The second half of the match was about to begin. Unexpectedly, Ye Zhaoying was subbed out, and He Bin came on.
The audience buzzed with discussion, and the commentator was also guessing Ling Huanzhen’s intentions.

“Why sub Ye Zhaoying out? Without his speed, can Ningchang University still launch fast breaks?”
“Right, although He Bin is good, Southeast Mining Uni’s mobility is very strong. If he wants to find open scoring opportunities, he’ll probably have to run his legs off, right?”
“Are they trying to use He Bin to replace Xia Chiyi’s perimeter shooting ability?”

Zhao Lingcong smiled and tilted his chin at Xia Chiyi: “It seems Coach Ling doesn’t hold any expectations for your perimeter scoring from now on.”

Xia Chiyi stretched his knees on the spot. “No need to worry about me. But Cong-ge, is your leg completely healed? A small forward who hasn’t even scored ten points by the end of the first half… how about I buy you a box of AD Calcium Milk later?”

Zhao Lingcong smiled and jabbed back: “What about you? Are you still using Baby Golden Water?”

The referee signaled that the match was about to start.
Xia Chiyi was too lazy to engage in a trash-talk battle with him, mouthing the word: Childish.

Shuai Bei was about to inbound the ball. The whole stadium was anticipating who exactly would bring the ball past half-court for Ningchang University.

Du He caught the ball and was about to throw it to He Bin, who was running toward the three-point line. Southeast Mining Uni’s Huang Chun and Cheng Kuang rushed over to intercept. Who would have known that Du He would pull back slightly and pass the ball to Xia Chiyi in the front lateral direction.

Xia Chiyi jumped to catch the ball. Upon landing, Zhao Lingcong had already lowered his center of gravity, ready to steal. But Xia Chiyi switched the ball to his left hand and, without any hesitation, dribbled forward.

Zhao Lingcong couldn’t react in time and could only turn around and catch up.
So fast!
Xia Chiyi was like a bullet shot from a gun barrel, heading straight for Southeast Mining Uni’s basket.

Zhao Lingcong’s brain worked at top speed, analyzing the decisions Xia Chiyi might make: Will he pass to He Bin running to the corner? Or to Shuai Bei boxing out under the basket? Or maybe Du He?

Unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi suddenly performed a Crawford hop step, light and with a very strong sense of rhythm. The ball wrapped behind his back, returned to his right hand, and he himself bypassed to the other side of Zhao Lingcong, easily making a layup.

It was like magic. Unlike his previous pursuit of quick releases, this play by Xia Chiyi focused more on his positioning relative to Zhao Lingcong.
Having seen so many of his jump shots, this nimble layup seemed to open up a new situation for the match.

Ma Tao patted Zhao Lingcong’s shoulder. “Hey, are you really lacking calcium? You still aren’t showing your might?”
“Scram. Keep an eye on your Zhou Zhexiao.”
Zhao Lingcong adjusted his wristband.

In the next round, Ma Tao was forced by Zhou Zhexiao to pass. Li Renjie sprinted over, wanting to receive Ma Tao’s pass. Du He and Shuai Bei went to intercept, but unexpectedly, the ball slipped through. The one who actually caught it was Zhao Lingcong!

He charged to the basket against Xia Chiyi’s defense, executed a hop step fake and spin, and scored. It was so smooth and silky that the brain couldn’t even process it in time.

“Tsk.” Xia Chiyi could tell this was Zhao Lingcong’s response to his previous basket.
The contest between these two was becoming increasingly obvious, and the smell of gunpowder gradually diffused.

Next possession, Xia Chiyi received the ball, and the entire stadium’s gaze focused on him.
Lu Yingnan subconsciously leaned forward, staring at Xia Chiyi. He was very curious about how many offensive methods this kid still had.

On the court, Xia Chiyi looked into Zhao Lingcong’s eyes. His dribbling was like a fierce beast crawling in the grass, waiting for the optimal moment to bite the prey’s neck.
One second, two seconds…
Every muscle in Zhao Lingcong’s body was tense. Xia Chiyi’s attack could be launched in a matter of milliseconds.

Without any sign of a heavy dribble, Xia Chiyi suddenly turned and held the ball high as if to shoot. Zhao Lingcong’s center of gravity was instantly shifted, but he immediately realized this was a fake!

In a flash, Xia Chiyi used his left foot as a pivot and suddenly turned to the other side. It was another movement seemingly with calculated distance. If Zhao Lingcong followed over, it would easily cause a heavy charging foul. Xia Chiyi scored once again!

Most importantly, there was no traveling violation. Many spectators and the point guards of various teams in the stands were gesturing left and right, trying to figure out how he did it.

“Holy crap…” Ma Tao gritted his teeth.
Li Renjie took a deep breath. “Now that this guy isn’t shooting, he’s actually even harder to deal with!”

Lu Yingnan frowned. In order to score under Zhao Lingcong’s tight defense, Xia Chiyi had visibly leveled up.
His previous defensive ideas for this kid had to be changed again. It seemed he couldn’t miss a single one of Xia Chiyi’s matches.

But Zhao Lingcong quickly returned fire. He actually caught the ball sideways right in front of Xia Chiyi, followed immediately by a behind-the-back dribble, spinning past Xia Chiyi’s side. However, Xia Chiyi wasn’t shaken off; instead, he followed with a slide step. Zhao Lingcong’s heart leapt into his throat, thinking: How is this brat’s reaction so fast?!

But his rich experience allowed Zhao Lingcong to react instantly. He flowed seamlessly into another behind-the-back dribble, bypassing Xia Chiyi’s other side and scoring a bank shot.
The audience felt like they were on a roller coaster, unable to predict the changes in possession. It was a back-and-forth spectacle, almost too much for the eyes to take in.

“How was that?” Zhao Lingcong asked.
“Cong-ge, you’re getting older, be careful of your ankles,” Xia Chiyi said with a look of sincere concern.
The back-and-forth between the two was challenging the limits of everyone’s heartbeats, practically a showcase of crossover skills.

On Mining Uni’s side, Ma Tao and Li Renjie cooperated to score points. Zhou Zhexiao continuously screened for Xia Chiyi, occasionally catching the ball to finish.
Meanwhile, He Bin acted as a very powerful decoy, constantly making Mining Uni’s two guards run back and forth along the three-point line, running Huang Chun and Cheng Kuang to exhaustion.

Time in the third quarter was getting tighter, gradually entering the countdown.
Xia Chiyi led Zhao Lingcong running all over the court. Suddenly, he intercepted a pass from Cheng Kuang to Zhao Lingcong and threw it backward. After Zhou Zhexiao caught it, Ma Tao and Li Renjie rushed over. Seeing that they were about to double-team him, Zhou Zhexiao executed a dry pull-up jumper and scored on the spot!

The commentator shouted Zhou Zhexiao’s name, and the whole audience responded with crazy applause and cheers.

Zhao Lingcong looked at Xia Chiyi. Does this kid have eyes on the back of his head? Otherwise, how did he dare to pass the ball backward without even turning his head?
How did Xia Chiyi predict Zhou Zhexiao’s position?

In the stands, Lu Yingnan turned his head and made eye contact with his coach. “Coach, Xia Chiyi’s court vision is very broad.”
The coach nodded, his face solemn. “Such vision and route running should logically be very difficult to achieve at his age and with his match experience. This probably isn’t just because of talent; he must have paid attention to training in this aspect during his daily practice.”

“Also, he and Zhou Zhexiao understand each other very well. Their tacit understanding is too high,” Lu Yingnan replied.
On the court, it had always been Lu Yingnan coordinating with other players to score. At this moment, he really wanted to know what it felt like to have someone coordinate with him.

Zhuo Zheng also quieted down. Xia Chiyi’s dribbling and passing would be considered top-tier even across the ocean, and his court vision couldn’t just be described as “broad”—it was practically at a cheat-code level.

In the last eight seconds, Li Renjie drove for a layup, clashing head-on with Shuai Bei. He executed a double clutch, and it looked like he was about to send the ball in from Shuai Bei’s side. Unexpectedly, Du He arrived and blocked the shot.
The entire stadium gasped.
Du He’s block kept the point difference between the two teams within 2 points.

“I… I blocked Li Renjie?” Du He looked at his own hand in surprise.
Shuai Bei put his hands on his hips and exhaled. “Yes, you blocked Li Renjie.”
“I actually blocked Li Renjie! He’s one of the top two centers in the Southeast Division!”
Shuai Bei kept nodding. “Yes, yes, yes. So now you’re also one of the top two centers.”

In Qincheng University’s seating area, Meng Ting, who was also a center, got annoyed. “Du He, you better have some ambition! In front of me, Li Renjie is nothing but a fart! What are you getting so moved for?!”

Although there were all kinds of cheering sounds at the scene, Meng Ting’s voice still transmitted very clearly into Li Renjie’s ears.

Li Renjie’s hair was about to stand on end. He really wanted to rush up into the spectator stands and strangle Meng Ting to death—Are you a budgerigar?! Chirping non-stop?!

Whether it was Qingda, Qincheng University, or Southwest Aviation, everyone realized that no one in Ningchang University was just there to make up the numbers.
Whoever underestimated any of them, that person would deal a fatal blow at a critical moment.

The players from both sides returned to their respective bench areas.

“Hey, you are only one and a half steps away from the Kings of the Southeast Division. One step is Qincheng University.” Ling Huanzhen pointed at the stands, and everyone’s eyes followed.
Xia Chiyi saw Yang Huaiyu, who was turning his face to say something to Ke Yan next to him, his expression very serious.

“And the remaining half step is these next ten minutes.” Ling Huanzhen looked at Du He, then at Shuai Bei. “You two did a good job, but you have to be even more formidable next. You represent Ningchang University’s front line; you are our toughest trump cards.”

Du He and Shuai Bei nodded together.
Toughness—that was what must be achieved in the next ten minutes.

“Zhou Zhexiao, you have to be prepared to switch defenses with Xia Chiyi at any time. We need to catch them off guard. It’s the same old saying—I am your daddy, ever-changing!“

Xia Chiyi clenched his fists. Switching defenses meant he would very likely clash head-on with Ma Tao.
“Scared?” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face and asked.
“So thrilling,” Xia Chiyi answered.

The final quarter began. After the brief rest, the audience’s emotions tensed up once again.
At this point, whether it was the commentator, or the coaches and professionals watching the match, no one dared to say who exactly would win.

Xia Chiyi gulped down two mouthfuls of water. He heard his own heartbeat, heavier than before.

“You’re tired.” Zhou Zhexiao turned his face, his gaze falling on him.

Xia Chiyi wanted to say “I am not,” but under Zhou Zhexiao’s gaze, he found he couldn’t utter any brave words.
Swiping the loose hair on his forehead up with one hand, Xia Chiyi’s eyebrows were still damp with sweat, looking shiny under the lights.
“Yeah, I’m tired.”

It wasn’t physical; it was mental.
Zhao Lingcong always had so many unexpected breakthrough methods. He kept Xia Chiyi’s nerves highly tense. The psychological exhaustion was several times greater than the physical.

“It’s the final quarter. Play a bit more recklessly.”
“Mn.” Xia Chiyi closed his eyes, his head half tilted back.
For the last dozen seconds or so, he was going to let his brain rest properly.

In Southeast Mining Uni’s bench area, Zhao Lingcong had a towel draped over his head. Ma Tao nudged him with an elbow.

“You scored 18 points in the third quarter, but you still haven’t caught up to Xia Chiyi.”

“Xia Chiyi only scored 16 points, right.” Zhao Lingcong lifted the towel to wipe his face.

“I won’t mock you. It’s not easy to score points off him. Breaking through his defense cost you 1.5 times… maybe even twice your usual energy and time.”

“It’s the last ten minutes.” Zhao Lingcong lifted his head, covering his face with one hand over the towel. “I want to take the crown of Southeast King.”

“Nonsense, I want it too.” Ma Tao laughed.

Players from both sides stepped onto the court again. This was another new, even more intense battle.
He Bin was subbed out, and Ye Zhaoying returned to the court.

He stretched his wrists and rolled his shoulders. Right at the start, he stole the ball from Huang Chun with lightning speed. However, before the ball crossed half-court, he was double-teamed by the two big men, Li Renjie and Ma Tao. Before losing his passing angle, he urgently passed the ball out.

Xia Chiyi caught the ball and charged straight toward the opponent’s basket.
The whole stadium erupted. It was already the final quarter, yet Xia Chiyi still possessed such sprinting speed.
Cheng Kuang chased behind him, running wildly until his lungs felt like they were going to burst—How is he so fast!

Zhao Lingcong defended by Xia Chiyi’s side, guarding against his sudden stop jump shot.
Xia Chiyi executed a large sweeping dribble turn. Zhao Lingcong lost his position and ended up matched against Zhou Zhexiao.
“Ma Tao—stop him—!”

Ma Tao rushed to Xia Chiyi’s side, thinking: With your build, you still want to lay it up in front of me?
Unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi released an extremely quick, high-arcing floater. Ma Tao swiped at empty air. The ball’s arc was very high, flying over his head and hitting the backboard.

Li Renjie and Shuai Bei were about to fight for the rebound, but the ball calmly went into the hoop.

“Woah—” Gasps of amazement rose from all sides.
Pang Shuai grabbed Zhang Xiulin next to him and shook him excitedly. “Handsome! Too handsome! Freaking awesome!”

Zhang Xiulin also sighed in his heart. Even though Xia Chiyi clearly had no physical advantage, he still took Ma Tao on one-on-one. Truly gutsy.

Looking into Ma Tao’s eyes, Xia Chiyi quickly retreated to defend.
For Ma Tao, this shot was a blatant provocation: Look, you’re so much taller than me, but you still can’t stop me!

On the other side, the contest between Zhou Zhexiao and Zhao Lingcong finally commenced.
The two locked eyes. Zhao Lingcong shuffled his feet, and Zhou Zhexiao followed parallel, constantly guarding Zhao Lingcong’s passing lanes.

The key was that Zhou Zhexiao was expressionless. His joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness did not show on his face, providing zero emotional feedback. All of Zhao Lingcong’s probing felt like punching into thin air, as if he were performing a one-man show.

After several exchanges, Zhao Lingcong finally received the ball. He took a deep breath and sprinted with the ball, sticking almost flush against Zhou Zhexiao all the way. The silent confrontation between the two was full of tension. Upon reaching the three-point line, he made a fake pass to Cheng Kuang, finally managing to barely shake off Zhou Zhexiao. He forcefully broke into the paint and jumped under the dual interception of Du He and Shuai Bei!

Holding the ball with both hands, he swept it low. His core strength burst in an instant as he tossed the ball up, sending it into the basket.

Mining Uni’s cheerleaders erupted.
“Zhao Lingcong—Zhao Lingcong—!”

Zhao Lingcong landed and looked back at Zhou Zhexiao.
Zhou Zhexiao unhurriedly walked over, sweeping his bangs up from his forehead.

It was Xia Chiyi who, with his head half-tilted back and clearly panting, couldn’t help but say: “Wow… that was incredibly badass…”

Zhou Zhexiao finally showed an expression. His brows furrowed.
From the corner of his eye, Xia Chiyi caught sight of Zhou Zhexiao tapping the toe of his shoe on the floor. The meaning was obvious: Your skin is itching for a beating? You want to lick the floor that badly?

“Zhou Zhexiao, return one to him!” Xia Chiyi’s desire to survive was at maximum.

In the stands, Ke Yan elbowed Yang Huaiyu. “I say… shouldn’t you hand over your title of ‘King of the Double Clutch’?”
“Hah?” Yang Huaiyu glanced sideways at him.

Even He Zhan and Meng Ting in the row behind them were joining in.
Meng Ting: “Zhao Lingcong’s double clutch was like a cloud-piercing arrow, an army of thousands couldn’t stop it!”
He Zhan: “Truly absolutely amazing! Even if Meng Ting and I joined forces, we probably couldn’t stop it.”
Yang Huaiyu turned around and gave them each a knuckle to the head. “If you can’t stop it, you still have the nerve to say it out loud?”

If they didn’t return color for color, then they wouldn’t be Ningchang University.
Ma Tao deliberately stuck tight to Xia Chiyi and tangled with him. To shake him off, Xia Chiyi had to increase his running volume, and sweat soaked through his jersey.

Xia Chiyi knew what Ma Tao was scheming. He wanted to drain his stamina so he wouldn’t be able to shoot stable long-distance shots in the crucial final minutes.
“In your dreams,” Xia Chiyi said coldly.

“Hah, what?” Ma Tao sneered, looking at the hair whorl on top of Xia Chiyi’s head.

Unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi abruptly turned and bypassed him, stealing Huang Chun’s dribble out of nowhere. Seeing Li Renjie about to step up to defend, Xia Chiyi executed a fake shot and actually passed the ball!

Zhou Zhexiao caught the ball near the three-point line. Facing Zhao Lingcong, he formed a threatening posture, breaking left. His body leaned forward almost parallel to the floor. Zhao Lingcong followed with his heart in his throat, but never expected Zhou Zhexiao to pull back!

Zhao Lingcong nearly fell to one knee, while Zhou Zhexiao swaggered away. Li Renjie swiftly ran toward the basket. The whole stadium stared intently.
Whether it was Liu Suchen, Yang Huaiyu, or Lu Yingnan, their shared thought was: Pass to Xia Chiyi running to the baseline!

Yet, Zhou Zhexiao expressionlessly performed a double clutch reverse layup, scoring right over Li Renjie’s head!
After landing, Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi and made a gesture of raising both hands upward.

No one else understood what this meant, but Xia Chiyi widened his eyes with an expression like he had just seen a rocket launch, praising him unreservedly.
“That was too handsome!”

Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes were full of apathy.
As if to say: Just that? So perfunctory.

Xia Chiyi rolled his eyes, and the words flowed out naturally: “You’re simply a deity descending to the mortal realm! Please show your descent certificate, otherwise you must maintain this divine level on the next shot!”

Shuai Bei sighed while shouting: “Get back on defense—”
Ye Zhaoying rolled his eyes. “These rainbow farts are so thick I’m too embarrassed to even listen!”
Du He made a comment that struck right to the core: “My dad says, if the rainbow farts aren’t vigorous and spectacular enough, my mom won’t be satisfied.”
Xia Chiyi: “…”

After this brief banter came an agonizing, nerve-wracking battle.
For two whole minutes, possession constantly switched. Zhou Zhexiao blocked Zhao Lingcong; Li Renjie almost slammed a block right into Du He’s face; after Ye Zhaoying got a steal, the ball was chased back down by Huang Chun. It was ever-changing, and no one knew what would happen next.

With only the final two minutes of the match remaining, the score remained neck-and-neck.

Facing Zhou Zhexiao, Zhao Lingcong suddenly took a step-back shot. The three-pointer went in, giving Southeast Mining Uni a 2-point lead over Ningchang University.
“You’re not the only one; my three-pointers aren’t bad either,” Zhao Lingcong said, looking calmly into Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes like an old master.

Having clearly had his stamina drained by Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao taking turns for so long, yet still managing to sink a three-pointer at a critical moment—such mental fortitude made the other school teams watching applaud.

And the pressure this shot brought to Ningchang University… was immense.
Ye Zhaoying’s throat was tight with anxiety. A single moment’s error in judgment could bury all their previous efforts.

At the moment he received a look from Xia Chiyi, Ye Zhaoying suddenly accelerated. With a do-or-die determination, he pushed forward, setting off a frenzy of counterattacks!
He dashed past the three-point line, facing dual steal attempts from Huang Chun and Cheng Kuang. With a slightly spinning pass, the ball miraculously wrapped behind Cheng Kuang’s back and was caught by Xia Chiyi.

Cheng Kuang turned his head. There’s actually a pass like this?
This match truly refreshed his perception countless times.

Xia Chiyi continued forward with the ball. Ma Tao and Li Renjie fiercely double-teamed him.

“You brat, just stay right here—” Ma Tao said in a low voice.

“I won’t—”
Accompanying Xia Chiyi’s stubborn shout, his shoulder dipped. Ma Tao and Li Renjie both thought he was going to break through. Unexpectedly, he bounced the ball diagonally right in front of Ma Tao’s legs, and Zhou Zhexiao snatched it away!

Everyone in the stands was stunned.
Lu Yingnan was known as the number one point guard in the Division I League, yet even he had never executed a pass like that. Even though he sat there with a calm face, his pupils couldn’t stop trembling.

Yang Huaiyu put away his easy smile, and Ke Yan clenched his fists.
“I can’t make a pass like that,” Ke Yan said.
“And I couldn’t catch a pass like that.”

Was Zhou Zhexiao’s appearance just a coincidence… or were they naturally this in sync?

At this moment, Zhou Zhexiao dribbled the ball, facing Li Renjie directly. Li Renjie was fully prepared to meet the challenge.
Bring it on!

Zhou Zhexiao dribbled and posted up against Li Renjie. Li Renjie tightened his nerves and controlled his footwork, resolutely refusing to let Zhou Zhexiao turn around. But he never expected that Zhou Zhexiao would jump the instant he faced the basket!

Li Renjie leaped to block, but didn’t anticipate it to be a fadeaway jumper with an immense degree of lean. Zhou Zhexiao practically flew backward diagonally, elegantly creating a world belonging solely to himself. He sent the basketball out in a beautiful parabola. The moment it entered the hoop—it reversed the situation, killing the opponent’s momentum and piercing their hearts!

Ningchang University instantly took the lead.

After landing, Zhou Zhexiao stumbled backward, bumping right into Ma Tao who was rushing over to defend. Ma Tao let out a muffled groan, while Zhou Zhexiao managed to stabilize himself and avoid falling.

“Thanks,” Zhou Zhexiao tossed over his shoulder airily.

Ma Tao stood frozen, his brain still buzzing.
Is this guy even human? To be able to shoot a fadeaway under these circumstances.

Xia Chiyi’s throat bobbed. His previously tired and heavy body gradually felt hot blood flowing through it again.

Amidst the shocked cheers of the entire stadium, Zhou Zhexiao adjusted his wristband to his elbow while walking toward Xia Chiyi.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Zhexiao asked blandly.

This guy was practically showing off, constantly refreshing his skill package in Xia Chiyi’s heart.
“Just now… that was really close.”

“When the moment comes that requires taking a risk, your heart won’t feel the danger; you’ll only want to score.”

A drop of sweat slid down from Zhou Zhexiao’s temple, leaving a bright trail along his cheek. Xia Chiyi’s heart beat madly. This guy seemed as if he existed purely to capture his gaze.

By the time Xia Chiyi reacted, he had already raised his hand, his knuckles brushing past Zhou Zhexiao’s jawline, catching that drop of sweat on his fingertip.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been seduced on the basketball court.”

“Hah… I wasn’t… I didn’t!” Xia Chiyi’s heart thumped crazily.
What was I doing!

Zhou Zhexiao gave a very soft smile, his gaze falling on the game clock. “Forty-eight seconds left. Hold them off.”

Thanks to Zhou Zhexiao’s teasing, it was as if Xia Chiyi had been injected with a shot of adrenaline, causing every nerve in his body to pull taut.

Not only him, but the entire team was invigorated.
There were forty-eight seconds left. After these forty-eight seconds, they would advance to the Southeast Division finals!

The bullet comments in the Cool Wave live stream exploded, reaching the highest volume since the start of the Southeast Division tournament.
[The moment to witness a miracle has arrived! Ningchang University breaks the dark horse curse and charges into the finals!]
[Southeast Mining Uni stands tall and undefeated! Forty-eight seconds is enough for a comeback!]
[So nervous I could die! Why is this live! I want to fast-forward to the match results…]
…

“Bring it on—!” Ye Zhaoying pulled his wristband up, staring at Southeast Mining University with blazing eyes.
Southeast Mining University was last year’s runner-up in the Southeast Division. They had competed against so many experts; forty-eight seconds… was enough for them to score two baskets!

Huang Chun brought the ball up and passed it to Zhao Lingcong as soon as he crossed half-court. Zhao Lingcong’s dribbling speed was too fast. With a fluid fake, he bypassed Ye Zhaoying, slipped between Du He and Shuai Bei, and met the dual defense of Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi under the basket. He looked at Li Renjie, yet raised the ball with both hands.

Fake move. This guy is going to shoot!

__

[Author’s Note]
Zhou Zhexiao: The confession segment is almost here.
Xia Chiyi: Guess who confesses first?
Zhou Zhexiao: Weren’t you the one trying to force me to confess?
Xia Chiyi: If you didn’t want to confess, could I actually force you?
Zhou Zhexiao: …