Chapter 22: This Is a Belt, Not a Seatbelt!

“Why just a supporting player?” Xia Chiyi wore a puzzled expression. “Aren’t you and Du He the core of the offense in the first quarter of today’s game?”

The word “core” made Shuai Bei’s heart skip a beat.

Ye Chaoying also shouted, “Exactly! Which strong team doesn’t have a dominant power forward who crushes the competition? Your aura alone is so impressive!”

Shuai Bei closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Enough, Xia Chiyi. You’re either a dreamer or a master of empty promises.”

Seeing Xia Chiyi’s disappointed look, Shuai Bei actually felt a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

So what if you score a lot? You’re still out of my league.

Shuai Bei turned and walked away, facing the sun as he couldn’t help but smile.

“Ah! I forgot to ask Ling Huanzhen for his autograph!” Du He suddenly yelled, turning around to run back.

Xia Chiyi’s head buzzed, “I forgot to get an autograph too!”

He hadn’t even started running when someone firmly grabbed the collar of his jacket.

Turning around, he saw Zhou Zhexiao’s cold face.

“He’s already retired. Even if you want his autograph, it’s meaningless now.”

“He represents the golden era, do you understand what that means? Let go of me, I have to go!”

“I thought your era only had Sheng Xingming.”

“Sheng Xingming will always be in my heart, but Ling Huanzhen is just ahead, not far. Let go of me! I have to go!”

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll give you my meal card!”

“No.”

The next second, Xia Chiyi was hoisted onto Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulders.

Everything happened so fast that Xia Chiyi didn’t even realize how he ended up there.

Ye Chaoying picked up Xia Chiyi’s dropped sports bag, stroked his chin, and followed behind them.

“Du He—help me get an autograph—” Xia Chiyi stretched out his arm toward Du He, unwilling to give up.

That expression reminded Ye Chaoying of the “New Legend of the White Snake” she watched as a child; Xia Chiyi looked exactly like the character before being locked in Leifeng Pagoda.

At this moment, Ling Huanzhen was surrounded by a group of enthusiastic university students.

Many tugged at their t-shirts, asking him for autographs. Ling Huanzhen never imagined he would receive such treatment after retiring.

“Ling Huanzhen! It’d be great if you were our coach—”

“With you here, we’d definitely break through the regional playoffs and fight for the championship!”

“Ling Huanzhen! Coach! Ling Huanzhen! Coach!”

Once one person spoke, the crowd seemed infected, clapping and shouting in unison.

Ling Huanzhen looked into their eager eyes; he couldn’t help but feel touched.

School leaders and office directors had to act as bodyguards, separating the students and clearing a path for Ling Huanzhen to leave.

Just as he reached the corridor, Ling Huanzhen ran into Du He.

Du He held up his t-shirt and shouted in one breath, “Ling Huanzhen! You’re my favorite player! Please sign this for me!”

“Huh?” Ling Huanzhen was stunned.

Laughter erupted around them.

After a moment, Du He realized, “No, no, no, I’m your fan. You’re my idol! Please sign for me!”

Ling Huanzhen took the marker, asked for Du He’s name, and wrote flowing characters on his t-shirt. “Your name is Du He, right?”

“Yes!”

Having spoken to the men’s basketball team’s chief power forward, Du He’s face flushed with excitement.

“Even though your name means ‘crossing the river,’ I hope you possess the ambition to do just that,” Ling Huanzhen said, striking Du He’s heart like a powerful blow. Suddenly, he recalled what Zhou Zhexiao told him—if you’re not brave, no one will be strong for you.

“Wait, can you also sign for my teammate Xia Chiyi from the last game?” Du He suddenly remembered Xia Chiyi’s request and hurriedly rummaged through his bag, finally pulling out his vocabulary notebook.

“Xia Chiyi? Why didn’t he come ask me himself? Is he shy?”

Honestly, Ling Huanzhen was quite curious to see that kid up close.

“He got carried off to the cafeteria by Zhou Zhexiao…” Du He lowered his head; he couldn’t lie in front of his idol.

Ling Huanzhen paused for two seconds, imagining the scene, muttering, “Is that guy the team bully? Even when asking for autographs, he has to keep tabs?”

After signing, it was time for the school leaders to warmly host Ling Huanzhen.

Though it was just a private room in the school cafeteria, all the relevant leaders were present, unwilling to miss the chance to take photos with Ling Huanzhen and release news articles to boost the school’s reputation.

Ling Huanzhen was down-to-earth and quickly got along with them.

The vice principal chuckled, “You have such prestige among students! If our school team weren’t so low-level, we’d want to hire you as coach!”

That was just flattery; others chimed in.

But Principal Feng sincerely raised his tea, “If you could stay and guide the kids, even for just a day or two, I believe they’d improve rapidly. Our school team got crushed in the Southeast regional division. If you could give them some pointers, it would boost their confidence.”

Ling Huanzhen was worried about how to respond. A well-known retired CBA player coaching a university team that can’t even advance past the regional playoffs—how could he bring himself to accept?

But his promise to Zhou Zhexiao was right here.

Jiao Yingfeng was still obsessing over who had worn out his limited-edition sneakers.

If Zhou Zhexiao found out, just imagining Jiao Yingfeng’s rage made Ling Huanzhen’s head spin.

Now that the school leaders had spoken up, the path was clear. He had to seize the opportunity.

“Sure, the kids’ performance today surprised me; it’s on par with the national youth team’s selection level! It’d be a waste not to nurture them properly,” Ling Huanzhen said with a bright, sincere smile. “I was planning to rest for a year anyway. Staying in Ningchang for that time wouldn’t be bad!”

The vice principal was stunned.

Did he hear that right? What did Ling Huanzhen just say?

Principal Feng’s eyes gleamed. Since Ling Huanzhen was so straightforward, he had to seize the chance and finalize the matter quickly.

“You mean you’re willing to be the coach of Ningchang University’s school team?”

“Yes. And I must say, your cafeteria food is quite good!”

The vice principal hurriedly cautioned, “Um, maybe you should think it over? What if you regret it later?”

“What’s there to regret?” Ling Huanzhen smiled. “Hey, wait, does your team already have a coach? I wouldn’t want to take someone’s job—that would be my fault.”

Principal Feng immediately said, “Coach Ma’s health has been poor, and he’s been hospitalized for months. He can’t even attend the provincial grassroots matches to guide the team. If you take over, Coach Ma can rest assured and recover. Everyone wins!”

The vice principal subtly added, “Coach Ma Wenhua is actually Coach Ma Hongming’s cousin from the provincial team.”

With that connection, the vice principal hoped Ling Huanzhen would consider Ma Hongming’s feelings and not take his cousin’s position.

Yet Ling Huanzhen, appearing considerate, said, “All the more reason for me to stay and ease Coach Ma’s burden! With me here, Coach Ma can rest until the league ends next June without worries!”

The vice principal felt completely lost, as if caught in a whirlwind. Who am I? Where am I?

Meanwhile, in the student cafeteria, Xia Chiyi stared at the clay pot of stewed veal steak with no appetite.

“I want Ling Huanzhen’s autograph…”

Seeing his despondent look, Ye Chaoying felt a pang of sympathy.

“If you want his autograph, you wouldn’t understand it,” Zhou Zhexiao replied coldly.

“How could I not understand…”

“Because it’s ugly.”

Ye Chaoying and Xia Chiyi looked at him, certain he was joking seriously.

Ling Huanzhen’s autograph must have been professionally designed. How could it be ugly?

Just then, Du He rushed into the cafeteria, scanned the room, and finally found Xia Chiyi. Excitedly, he approached them, pulling open his jacket to reveal the autograph on his t-shirt.

“Look! This is Ling Huanzhen’s autograph!”

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying immediately pounced to examine it. They nearly spun Du He’s t-shirt around three hundred and sixty degrees, yet still couldn’t make sense of it.

“What on earth is this?”

“I told you, it’s ugly,” Zhou Zhexiao said, lifting his soup bowl and sipping the rumored seaweed and egg soup as if tasting fine tea.

“So Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t lying…”

“Indeed, teammates don’t deceive.”

They invited Du He to sit down. As everyone reached for the clay pot of beef steak, Xia Chiyi paused.

“Did we forget something?”

Ye Chaoying frowned. “Yeah, there are four of us in the dorm…”

A figure appeared behind Xia Chiyi, a deep, melancholic voice rang out: “Do you still remember Pang Shuai from Daming Lake?”

“Little Fatty, you worked hard! Come sit down quickly. Look, we ordered you some stewed veal steak!”

“Yeah, no one has touched their chopsticks yet!”

Pang Shuai finally sat down contentedly, handing his DSLR camera to Xia Chiyi. “Take a good look! You guys had a great victory today. The news agency stopped me at the basketball hall entrance, wanting to use my photos as supplemental material for the school’s official account. It seems they only focused on capturing Ling Huanzhen; every game photo should be usable.”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi immediately turned on Pang Shuai’s camera and connected it to his phone via wireless transfer.

Though Little Fatty knew little about basketball rules and hadn’t watched many games, he captured several thrilling moments.

For example, Du He’s opening jump ball, eyes wide and focused on the sky, standing a bit taller than Chen Chuan, full of energy.

Shuai Bei’s slam dunk shook the rim visibly.

“Wow, I have to send this one to Shuai Bei so he knows that he’s truly handsome when playing basketball!”

Ye Chaoying jumped into the air, intercepting a pass to He Bin, as if his flesh and blood were taking a bullet for the team.

Xia Chiyi extended his phone to Ye Chaoying, who widened his eyes and took it. “Yo, Little Fatty… you have such powerful skills! You’re the treasure of our dorm! Everyone looks like a god in your photos!”

“You only just realized that?” Little Fatty grinned proudly.

Flipping through more pictures, Ye Chaoying showed a look of envy and admiration. “Zhou Zhexiao, two tigers cannot share one mountain. How can you be so handsome when there are two good-looking guys in the same dorm?”