When they saw the dinner, even the players from Mingchuan Private High School silently noted how generous No. 1 High School was compared to their own school.
After the meal, Sun Jing gathered the team in the locker room for a meeting. As the evening set in, the gymnasium lights illuminated the night.
Tonight’s match was highly anticipated, as both Mingchuan and No. 1 High School were top contenders in the upper bracket. A large crowd had gathered to watch.
After a while, the players from both teams entered the court and began warming up. Wang Weibuo from the team remarked, “I just heard that Mingchuan isn’t too impressed with us. They’re saying they only came second in their group because of a poor performance and that they’re going to take us down too.”
Xuan Xia scoffed, “They sure talk big. Everyone knows they came in second because they underestimated their opponents. And they’re still making the same mistake?”
“They had a chance in the group stage, but now it’s single-elimination. Tonight, we’ll send them packing,” Lan Zhi laughed.
“Their team added a new strong shooting guard this year. I hear he plays aggressively. Tongzhou, you should keep an eye on him.”
Liang Tongzhou chuckled dismissively, “No worries. Let’s see how he handles it.”
After reviewing their tactics one last time, Pei Chen and Xuan Xia left the gym to head to the restroom. On their way, they saw Liang Zhiyi still busy with arrangements.
“Yes, please help me carry this box of water to the gym…”
“Double-check that all the ice packs and medical supplies are ready…”
The girl, carrying a box of water, handed it to someone else, panting from the effort but not stopping.
Pei Chen watched her, remembering how she had joined the logistics team for his sake, yet she worked without any of the arrogance expected of a wealthy young lady.
Liang Zhiyi turned and caught his gaze, flashing him a bright smile before jogging over to him.
“Pei Chen, your match is about to start, right?”
Seeing this, Xuan Xia excused himself, leaving the two alone. Pei Chen looked down at her, noticing that despite the cool autumn night, she had worked so hard that she was sweating.
Pei Chen responded with a hum, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
Liang Zhiyi shook her head, saying it wasn’t hard. She looked at him, smiling, “Pei Chen, good luck tonight. I believe you guys will win.”
He acknowledged her words, and just then, someone called out to Liang Zhiyi. She started to walk away but suddenly turned back and ran up to him again, as if she had remembered something.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her voice soft and gentle:
“Take care of yourself, don’t get hurt.”
If he got hurt, it would break her heart.
Her voice wasn’t too loud, but it was just enough, like a gentle breeze brushing past his ears. Pei Chen looked at her, a smile curving on his lips. His dark eyelashes fluttered as his heart raced.
Young and inexperienced as he was, he didn’t fully understand his feelings yet.
But every time his heart beat wildly, it was always because of her.
°°°
Back on the court, five minutes later, it was 7 PM.
The round of 16 elimination match began in a roaring, packed stadium.
The gym was packed tonight, with students from both schools coming to cheer on their teams.
After finishing her tasks with the logistics team, Liang Zhiyi went to find Ji Fei’er and the others already seated at the work desk. At that moment on the court, Mingchuan’s center won the jump ball and passed it to their point guard, who then passed it to their shooting guard.
The shooting guard was a tall guy with a buzz cut and an air of arrogance. He took the ball, broke through the defense, and dunked it into the basket.
When No. 1 High School gained possession, Liang Tongzhou also made a basket. But when the ball was back in the hands of the buzz-cut guy, he faked out the defender with a deceptive move, quickly driving to the basket and scoring with precision.
He smirked, glanced at No. 1 High School with disdain, and waved to the crowd, which immediately erupted in loud cheers.
Xuan Xia laughed in frustration, “What’s he acting so cocky for? We’re just a few minutes into the game.”
The match continued, with Mingchuan playing aggressively, keeping No. 1 High School under intense pressure. But No. 1 High School held on tightly to the score, with both teams trading baskets in a tightly contested game.
At the end of the first quarter, Mingchuan had a slight lead.
During the break, Sun Jing made slight adjustments to their tactics and told Pei Chen to be more aggressive in the next quarter. In the first quarter, he had focused on passing and executing plays, mostly giving the ball to Xuan Xia and Liang Tongzhou.
As the team’s core, scoring wasn’t always Pei Chen’s primary goal; sometimes, it was about creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.
The second quarter began with Mingchuan maintaining a slight lead, causing the students supporting No. 1 High School to hold their breath.
A few moments later, Pei Chen was dribbling the ball, with the buzz-cut guy guarding him closely.
After a few seconds, Pei Chen faked a move, spun past the defender, and took a fadeaway shot. The ball arced through the air and fell through the hoop—two points.
The score was tied again. The buzz-cut guy, frustrated, took the ball and launched another attack, but Pei Chen faked him out, stealing the ball and sprinting to the other end of the court, finishing with an effortless hook shot.
“Ahhhh, Pei Chen, you’re amazing!”
“That fadeaway was just too cool!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, the atmosphere electric.
In the previous quarter, Pei Chen hadn’t shown much of his skills, and even during the group stage, he hadn’t played much. The opponents assumed his abilities were average, leaving the buzz-cut guy secretly astonished by his sudden prowess.
On the sidelines, Ji Fei’er couldn’t contain her excitement either. “Why does Pei Chen make playing basketball look as easy as solving a difficult problem?!”
Liang Zhiyi laughed at her remark, feeling the same way.
Pei Chen’s movements were so effortless, as if basketball was nothing more than a simple game to him, with scoring being a matter of whether he wanted to or not.
With Pei Chen’s latest shot, No. 1 High School took the lead. The team played with increasing confidence, smoothly securing the second quarter. By the third quarter, they widened the gap even further. Mingchuan, once formidable, seemed shaken by the unfavorable turn of events, making mistakes that No. 1 High School capitalized on.
By the end of the third quarter, No. 1 High School had essentially secured victory.
In the fourth quarter, Sun Jing subbed out Pei Chen and Liang Tongzhou. Despite Mingchuan’s efforts to stage a comeback, they couldn’t close the gap and ultimately lost to No. 1 High School by eight points.
As the clock ran out, the players on the court were ecstatic. They had defeated a powerful opponent.
Mingchuan’s team shook hands with No. 1 High School, acknowledging their defeat and admitting that No. 1 High School was indeed very strong.
After the game, the crowd slowly dispersed, and Pei Chen and his teammates headed to the locker room to change clothes.
Sun Jing gathered everyone for a brief summary, telling them to go home and rest well tonight as they had all worked hard.
The boys walked out of the gym, chatting among themselves. Pei Chen felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and a subtle ripple of emotion flickered in his eyes.
As they reached the school gate, the group suggested going out for a late-night snack. Pei Chen suddenly spoke up, “You guys go ahead.”
“Huh? Why aren’t you coming?”
He hesitated for a moment, “I have something to do.”
So the group left without him, and Pei Chen stood under the dim streetlight. As the number of passersby dwindled, his mind buzzed with thoughts, and his gaze kept drifting toward the school gate, tension building in his mind.
After a while, the figure of a girl finally appeared in his line of sight.
It was Liang Zhiyi, who had just finished her logistics work. Seeing him, she quickly walked up to him, her brows arched in a cheerful smile.
“Pei Chen, I knew you’d wait for me, hehe.”
She had texted him earlier, asking if he could wait for her at the gate. Although he hadn’t replied, he had indeed stayed.
Pei Chen’s voice was tight as he asked, “Did you need something from me?”
“Can’t I look for you without a reason? I just wanted to have a little secret date with you.”
“…”
A date? She was talking nonsense again.
Pei Chen turned to leave, but Liang Zhiyi couldn’t help but laugh and tugged on his sleeve, murmuring pitifully, “Pei Chen, I didn’t have dinner tonight, and now I’m starving…”
His brows furrowed with concern. “Why didn’t you eat dinner?”
“I was too busy. I just had a few bites of bread,” she rubbed her stomach, “I feel like I’m starving to death.”
A deep voice came from above her, “What do you want to eat now?”
She smiled, “Let’s walk a bit, and I’ll tell you when I think of something.”
The two of them strolled forward slowly, under the glow of the streetlights.
The late autumn night was cool, with leaves gently falling around them.
Liang Zhiyi mentioned that she was tired of the food around the school and wanted to explore the city center. With a hopeful look, she asked, “Pei Chen, do you have time?”
After a brief pause, he finally gave in to his inner thoughts:
“Yeah.”
She skipped a couple of steps in excitement, her face lighting up with joy. She mentioned that she remembered a great Northeastern Chinese restaurant on Jiangcuo Road that she used to go to as a child and wanted to try again.
She pulled out her phone to navigate and started chatting with Pei Chen as they walked. “Pei Chen, you were amazing tonight! When did you start playing basketball?”
“When I was five.”
“That young? Why did you start playing basketball?”
Pei Chen lowered his eyelashes, his tone light. “At that time, basketball was the only thing that kept me company.”
His father was paralyzed, and after his mother remarried, he had only basketball to keep him occupied as he grew up.
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi felt a pang of sadness but quickly smiled to lift the mood. “Pei Chen, you’re not playing basketball alone anymore. You have a great team of friends with you now.”
He nodded. “It really makes me happy to play on the school team.”
“Exactly! And look at you now, you’ve made it to the top eight, and I’m sure you’ll go even further.”
Pei Chen responded with a quiet acknowledgment.
They continued talking as they followed the map, eventually arriving near their destination. However, despite the map indicating they had arrived, the restaurant was nowhere in sight.
Standing by the roadside, Liang Zhiyi looked around, puzzled. “This is strange… Could the navigation be wrong?”
“Let me check.”
Pei Chen took the phone from her.
A gust of wind blew by, and Liang Zhiyi shivered, hugging her arms tightly as her teeth began to chatter from the cold. Noticing this, Pei Chen handed her his sports jacket.
“Put this on,” he said.
She accepted the jacket with a smile, and then heard him say, “It’s getting colder at night. You should wear more.”
“Mmm…”
She draped the jacket over her shoulders while Pei Chen looked at the map on her phone, unsure of what had gone wrong.
Pei Chen suggested, “Maybe we should ask one of the nearby shops?”
They both turned and noticed they were standing in front of a budget hotel. The lady at the front desk inside noticed them and walked over.
Surprised, Liang Zhiyi gently tugged on Pei Chen’s sleeve. “Why don’t you ask her?”
As the lady approached, Pei Chen began, “Excuse me, ma’am, could you—”
Before he could finish, the lady, with a wide smile on her face, quickly nodded, “Yes, we have rooms available! We still have rooms upstairs tonight!”
Pei Chen: ??
The lady eyed the two of them with a knowing look and added with a grin, “I can see you two lovebirds have been hesitating outside for a while. No need to be shy. Our hotel has excellent rooms. The deluxe double room is just 255 yuan, and since it’s late, I’ll even give you a discount. We also have twin beds, and various themed couple suites too.”
Both of them: ?!?!