Chapter 18: Renewal and Rise of Ningchang

“Order again tomorrow. Don’t finish this one tonight,” Xia Chiyi replied.

Zhou Zhexiao held the takeout cup in one hand, his other hand circling the straw. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes clearly conveyed a stubborn “I don’t care, I want it” attitude.

“It’s not healthy to drink something this sweet so late at night,” Xia Chiyi continued to reason with him.

He never imagined that one day, retrieving a milk tea he had already started drinking would require such effort.

“My metabolism is excellent. Tomorrow’s milk tea is for tomorrow,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Xia Chiyi covered his forehead. Zhou Zhexiao was adept at turning his own words back on him, quoting him verbatim.

They had even discussed in the dorm that Zhou Zhexiao might not have had domestic milk tea while overseas, but no one expected that while he resisted smartphones, he would be conquered by bubble tea!

“Wait a moment, dilute it with some hot water,” Xia Chiyi said, taking a deep breath. He tore open the plastic seal of the milk tea and poured in a bit of hot water. The black pearls began to swirl inside, and Zhou Zhexiao looked quite satisfied.

He sat in his seat, cradling the bottle with both hands, intently sipping it—like a magnified version of Xia Chiyi holding his baby nephew’s milk bottle.

Gradually, Xia Chiyi realized Zhou Zhexiao didn’t so much enjoy drinking the milk tea as he did playing with the pearls. Like a child, he used his tongue to push the pearls all around his mouth, grinding them with his molars. The pearls had to linger a while before he swallowed.

Well, in a way, it was a kind of youthful innocence.

“Why do you like biting the pearls so much? Is this some kind of delayed oral fixation?” Xia Chiyi muttered.

“Because they’re like you,” Zhou Zhexiao paused his straw-sucking, glanced at him, and finally finished the bottle of pearls.

Xia Chiyi still had one foot on the ladder and nearly slipped. Pointing at himself, he asked, “Like me? How exactly am I like that?”

“Soft, bouncy, and sweet.”

After saying this, Zhou Zhexiao tossed the empty cup into the trash and turned to wash up, showing no interest in continuing the discussion.

“Strange... weird guy...” Xia Chiyi muttered.

By the time the hallway lights went out, Xia Chiyi quickly fell asleep. The dorm was filled with the sound of drawn-out breathing.

Zhou Zhexiao faced the wall, his right wrist wrapped in a worn wristband covered in fuzz balls. He pinched the tiny lint with his fingers and slowly closed his eyes.

News of an internal scrimmage within the school basketball team spread rapidly on the forum.

The basketball team normally had little presence, but someone on the forum had written a detailed exposé on the grudges among Ma Wenhua, Du He, and Shuai Bei, stirring up righteous indignation among the students. The upcoming match was jokingly dubbed “The Battle to Oust Ma Wenhua.”

“Did Ningchang University even have a chance at the regional qualifiers last year? They did, but Ma Wenhua blew it for them!”

“Dear Coach Ma, do you realize you’re coaching the basketball team, not the soccer team?”

“We should crowdfund to send Coach Ma to Qing University or Southwest Aviation University! Let those top schools see if they can endure his torture!”

“Ma Wenhua, are you possessed? Even randomly picking benchwarmers would be more useful than your choices!”

“How much money did Ningchang University pay Ma Wenhua? We’ll double it, begging you to step down!”

...

Xia Chiyi patted Ye Chaoying’s bedside and asked, “Bro, did you post that thread? I’m worried Ma Wenhua might assassinate you!”

Ye Chaoying gave an innocent look. “I’ve been analyzing Chen Chuan and that He Bin’s playstyle these days. No time for nonsense like that.”

Xia Chiyi looked skeptical.

“Besides, look at that post. It even lists the time and model of the equipment Ma Wenhua purchased—clearly from someone who had beef with him before. We’re not the only ones hoping his coffin gets kicked over.”

This only made Xia Chiyi more anxious. “With the forum stirring up such a fuss, do you think the school leaders might cancel our match to keep the peace?”

Before Ye Chaoying could answer, Zhou Zhexiao spoke confidently: “No. The school leaders will definitely come.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi felt much more at ease.

Zhou Zhexiao sat playing with Xia Chiyi’s phone. Recently, he had learned to search for basketball game videos on it. Xia Chiyi had suggested several times that Zhou Zhexiao buy a new smartphone, but the latter never responded. Xia Chiyi even thought he might be short on living expenses.

But yesterday, when accompanying him to the ATM, Xia Chiyi realized Zhou Zhexiao’s allowance could easily support the entire dorm, including the bottomless pit that was Little Fatty.

In no time, Zhou Zhexiao transferred three thousand yuan to Xia Chiyi with the note: “Phone rental fee.”

Staring at the sum, Xia Chiyi’s first reaction was, “Is that for a month or a whole semester?”

Zhou Zhexiao sucked on the straw of his calcium milk and replied, “For the lifetime of this phone.”

Xia Chiyi asked, “What if I get a new phone?”

“I’ll pay half.”

After saying that, Zhou Zhexiao furrowed his brows. Xia Chiyi understood and pulled out another calcium milk from the plastic bag.

Watching him walk away, sipping his milk with an indifferent stride, Xia Chiyi thought this guy was incredible.

According to Little Fatty’s analysis, this “phone rental” was probably due to the notion that “other people’s stuff always seems better.”

Though Xia Chiyi told him to buy a new one, every time he saw Zhou Zhexiao watching basketball videos so obediently—and never browsing other content—he felt he was quite respectful of Xia Chiyi’s privacy.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan from the basketball team was fuming over the forum posts. He repeatedly requested the admin to delete them, genuinely worried that if Ma Wenhua were replaced, the next coach wouldn’t look out for them.

He hurried to the nursing home to inform Ma Wenhua.

When he arrived, Ma Wenhua was reclining in the rocking chair, enjoying the sunset while sipping afternoon tea.

Chen Chuan anxiously asked, “Coach Ma, are you going to guide us in tomorrow’s match to defeat Ye Chaoying and those three? I heard they’re really strong. If we lose... the starters will be theirs! They don’t see eye to eye with you!”

Ma Wenhua scoffed, “You just don’t understand. Those kids on the basketball team are all rebels; they don’t respect me as head coach. I tell them to go east, and they stubbornly go west. Leaving them to stew does no good—they don’t reflect, just run to complain. Look at my brother in the provincial team—he’s the absolute authority. He decides who plays, and complaints don’t matter!”

Chen Chuan still worried, “But what if Principal Feng thinks differently after watching?”

“Tch... Of course we listen to the principal. A game has four quarters. They can start the first quarter, but who plays the remaining three quarters is up to me,” Ma Wenhua smiled slyly.

Chen Chuan understood: the competition had just intensified; now loyalty mattered most.

“When the provincial grassroots tournament starts, I’ll come back if Cheng Qing brings the team to see me. If we break through the grassroots level, that’s thanks to my coaching. If not, there’s an excuse—after all, they made the head coach quit, didn’t train properly all summer, and didn’t consult me on selecting special recruits. Then losing is only natural.”

Rocking in his chair, Ma Wenhua said, “The sunset is infinitely beautiful...”

But then added, softly, “...it’s just near dusk.”

On the day of the match, Xia Chiyi and his two teammates brought sports gear, drinks, towels, and headed to the basketball gym.

Little Fatty pulled out his DSLR, determined to use his lower body strength to capture classic moments of the dorm brothers.

Along the way, second- and third-year students cheered them on enthusiastically.

The closer they got to the gym, the more nervous Xia Chiyi became, even feeling clumsy.

Ye Chaoying felt confident today, but Xia Chiyi’s sweaty palms betrayed his nerves. “What do we do? Our artillery seems nervous. Today, he won’t accidentally shoot into our own basket, will he?”

Zhou Zhexiao strolled over calmly and asked, “What are you worried about? You weren’t afraid playing the provincial team.”

“Losing to Gao Qing is one thing—at worst, I just call him ‘Dad.’ But this game decides our future for four years... Don’t worry, I’ll be fine once I’m on the court.”

“I won’t let you call anyone ‘Dad.’”

Looking at Zhou Zhexiao’s cold profile, Xia Chiyi whispered, “How about you scare me a bit? When I’m scared, even facing Ling Huanzhen won’t make me nervous.”

Xia Chiyi followed behind Zhou Zhexiao.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhexiao stopped and said flatly, “Someone mentioned that a fuzz-covered wristband might feel special when shooting handguns.”

Xia Chiyi’s soul was shaken. He stared blankly at Zhou Zhexiao.

What did he just say? Who am I? Where am I?

At this moment, Zhou Zhexiao was wearing that very fuzz-covered wristband! Xia Chiyi once thought those little fuzz balls were adorable, but now, inexplicably, his blood surged wildly—he nearly had a meltdown on the spot!

“Weren’t you scared? Why do you still look nervous?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

So all that was meant to scare him?

Damn it, my heart nearly exploded! It’s not that I wasn’t scared—it’s that I was scared too much!

Zhou Zhexiao said coolly, “Forget it. Even if you shoot into our own basket, I can still block it.”

Now that’s more like it!

Xia Chiyi hurried to catch up, unable to stop glancing at Zhou Zhexiao’s side profile—expressionless, sharp gaze, a deadly ascetic aura. That remark was definitely an impromptu attempt to scare him.

At the gym’s entrance stood two tall figures with sports bags.

The one nervously rubbing his hands was Du He.

The other, head down, rapidly texting with one hand, was Shuai Bei. His white hair fluttered in the breeze, his indifferent expression radiating supreme confidence.

Great, these two hadn’t bailed on them.

“Too slow,” Shuai Bei scowled and glanced at the three of them.

Du He licked his lips. “Haven’t played for a while. Worried about my touch…”

“No problem. You’ll get your touch back once you start playing.”

The five of them entered the gym, followed by a panting Little Fatty. These long-legged giants showed no sympathy for a chubby guy’s troubles.

More spectators filled the gym than they expected—almost every seat was taken. Some even held homemade signs reading, “Time for Renewal, Ningchang Rising.”

Seeing that sign upon entering, Xia Chiyi’s blood boiled with passion.