Chapter 55: Yang Huaiyu, You Have Not Lost (Second Update)

That comforting, lingering sense of security returned.

Xia Chiyi remained completely still, carefully letting out a breath.

Little did he know, from the moment he had turned around, Zhou Zhexiao had been watching him the entire time.

Watching his crown, watching the back of his neck exposed above the collar of his pajamas, watching him cautiously draw closer.

Zhou Zhexiao inched forward, the tip of his nose brushing against Xia Chiyi’s hair.

Recently, Xia Chiyi had devoted most of his time to training, and his hair had grown longer without him finding time for a trim.

With every breath Xia Chiyi took, his soft strands of hair grazed across Zhou Zhexiao’s nose and bridge, ticklish yet incredibly soft.

Zhou Zhexiao knew that Xia Chiyi’s hand was still tracing patterns on the wall—something he habitually did when he couldn't fall asleep. Without making a sound, Zhou Zhexiao sighed softly and draped his arm gently over Xia Chiyi’s body. This weight served as a subtle warning for him to hurry up and sleep.

Sure enough, Xia Chiyi’s shoulders instantly stiffened. He was terribly nervous; if he kept poking and prodding the wall, Zhou Zhexiao’s resting arm would definitely feel it. Would he wake up?

Sensing that Xia Chiyi remained as rigid as a child caught sneaking candy under the covers by his parents, Zhou Zhexiao smiled in silence. He deliberately tightened his embrace a fraction, waiting for Xia Chiyi to feel uncomfortable and push him away.

Yet, Xia Chiyi still did not move.

Xia Chiyi’s natural warmth and physical presence seeped through their pajamas. In that single instant, a sense of possessiveness multiplied tenfold. Zhou Zhexiao desperately wanted to pull him closer still, to press against his bones with crushing force, to shove him deep into his arms and stamp him against his chest so he could feel the frantic, frenzied beating of his heart firsthand.

Suddenly, Zhou Zhexiao wasn't sure whose torment this spur-of-the-moment prank truly was.

Until his fingers were gently grasped by Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi’s thumb carefully stroked the nail of Zhou Zhexiao’s index finger, his exhaled breath brushing against the web of Zhou Zhexiao’s hand.

Zhou Zhexiao’s heart felt as though it had plummeted from a height of ten thousand meters straight into the ocean, utterly submerged by Xia Chiyi’s breath and touch.

Wrapped up like this, Xia Chiyi, whose mind had still been somewhat restless, suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.

He let out a tiny yawn. The humming in his mind finally stopped, and he no longer needed to poke or scribble haphazardly against the wall. Before long, he fell fast asleep.

The sound of his steady breathing finally served as a hypnotic lullaby for Zhou Zhexiao. Together, the two of them drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the alarm on the bedside phone began to vibrate.

It rang for barely a second before Zhou Zhexiao reached out and shut it off.

He slowly sat up. One of his hands was still loosely held in Xia Chiyi’s grip, his fingertips resting just inches away from Xia Chiyi’s slightly parted lips.

"Time to get up. Morning practice," Zhou Zhexiao said, giving his imprisoned hand a slight shake.

"Mmm..." Xia Chiyi predictably furrowed his brows, looking as though he wanted to squeeze out thirty more seconds of sleep.

Zhou Zhexiao leaned in close to Xia Chiyi’s ear. "I’ll count to ten. If you don't get up, I’m pinching your nose."

The moment Zhou Zhexiao reached "one," Xia Chiyi immediately released his grip, covered his nose, and bolted upright.

As Zhou Zhexiao climbed down from the bed, Xia Chiyi suddenly realized—had he actually been holding onto Zhou Zhexiao’s hand just now?

Yet Zhou Zhexiao hadn't gotten angry... nor had he made fun of him. Did that mean—he was allowed to hold it?

After they finished washing up, a sudden thought struck Xia Chiyi, and he began shaking Yang Huaiyu’s shoulder vigorously.

"Yang Huaiyu, get up! Morning practice!"

"No way..." Yang Huaiyu wore a rare expression of deep grievance as he felt around for his phone and checked the screen. "Little Chiyi, it's only... five-thirty... My morning practice doesn't start until six..."

"Get up. You're the one who said you wanted to experience my training routine," Xia Chiyi said, continuing to rattle Yang Huaiyu’s shoulder without pause.

Yang Huaiyu rubbed the top of Xia Chiyi’s head. "The morning practice part... I think I'll skip experiencing that. Everyone's routines are pretty much the same..."

"But I couldn't keep up with Zhou Zhexiao’s pace from the very beginning. Are you sure you can?" Xia Chiyi challenged.

"I can... I should be able to..."

Xia Chiyi leaned in close to Yang Huaiyu’s ear and suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Take down Liu Shuchen!"

Yang Huaiyu took a deep breath and firmly shoved Xia Chiyi’s head away. "I'm up... I'm really up..."

And so, before the morning glow had even managed to blanket the campus of Ningchang University, Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi, accompanied by a drooping, repeatedly yawning Yang Huaiyu, set off for their morning run.

Yang Huaiyu had originally assumed their running route would be confined to the Ningchang University campus, but to his surprise, they ran further and further, following Chengjiang Bridge all the way to Chengjiang Wetland Park without a hint of stopping.

Crucially, Xia Chiyi was right: Zhou Zhexiao, setting the pace at the front, maintained a completely steady speed and showed no obvious signs of slowing down despite having run this far.

Xia Chiyi turned around and ran backward, looking at Yang Huaiyu. "Can you keep up with this pace?"

Yang Huaiyu couldn't help laughing. "This is my normal morning running speed, you know."

It was just that the distance wasn't usually this long.

When they finally reached the wetland park, Yang Huaiyu was immediately captivated by the birds skimming across the water's surface.

Qincheng University relied on artificial lakes, which offered a completely different vibe from the natural scenery of a wetland park.

The expanse of water in the wetland park was vast and open, lifting Yang Huaiyu’s spirits and clearing his mind.

When Yang Huaiyu followed them onto the boardwalk winding through the bald cypress trees, the rows of towering trees rising straight out of the water blended together into something resembling a cinematic frame.

Yang Huaiyu had to admit that getting up half an hour early for this morning run was worth every second.

He couldn't resist pulling out his phone to take pictures, while Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao, running ahead, naturally became part of the scenery in his shots.

When the morning run finally concluded, Yang Huaiyu checked the data recorded on his phone. His exercise volume had unexpectedly doubled his usual amount.

Feeling slightly exhausted, Yang Huaiyu braced his hands on his knees to regulate his breathing.

Xia Chiyi, however, was clearly adapting wonderfully and was already debating with Zhou Zhexiao over who truly deserved the title of the greatest current center in the NBA.

Yang Huaiyu took a screenshot of the scenery he had captured during the run along with his mileage stats and posted it to his Moments.

The very first person to like it was his fitness coach.

The coach left a comment: [I am so terrified that I am actually dreaming, and that when I wake up, I'll find you still asleep in bed.]

Ke Yan wrote: [There's no way this screenshot is yours. That's Little Chiyi's mileage, right?]

Yang Huaiyu replied with a smile: [See those two running ahead near the cypress boardwalk? I spent the whole time chasing their backs. Here’s my conclusion: if you want to run far during morning practice, you really need a companion. Ah Yan, care to join?]

Ke Yan replied: [zzzzz...]

Coach Ren also saw the post. Though he didn't like it, a faint smile touched his lips.

The assistant coach set his dining tray down opposite Coach Ren and asked with a smile, "What should we do? It looks like this kid is going to stay over there for several days. Meng Ting and He Zhan are already making a fuss about wanting to go too."

Coach Ren smiled faintly. "Some opponents make you feel a relentless, step-by-step pressure, like a deep ravine or an abyss, leaving you clueless about how to cross."

"And what about other opponents?" the assistant coach asked.

"Like water. Water can capstone a boat, but it can also carry it. When you're with that kind of opponent, even if you feel a moment of slackness, they will give you a push along the way."

"So if Meng Ting and the others want to go, should we just let them?"

"Just make them run extra laps as punishment when they get back."

The assistant coach chuckled.

Xia Chiyi’s breakfast consisted of the meal plan provided by the nutritionist. After he made his selections at the cafeteria window, Zhou Zhexiao would double-check his tray to ensure compliance, seemingly a method of mutual supervision.

Yang Huaiyu joined them for a meal and found it quite pleasant—largely because, at long last, there was no chili in sight.

Watching Yang Huaiyu savor a red bean bun as if it were a rare treasure, Xia Chiyi burst into giggles.

Yang Huaiyu gave Xia Chiyi’s head a light tap. "Don't think I didn't notice. The cafeteria we're eating at today is completely different from the one last night."

Nibbling on a cornmeal steamed bun, Xia Chiyi murmured, "Don't worry, I already told my trainer to prepare an extra portion for you at lunch and dinner. Guaranteed delicious and entirely non-spicy."

"Heh. When you finish eating the oyster omelet for me, I'll believe you."

"Ningchang doesn't even have oyster omelets." Xia Chiyi spread his hands triumphantly.

"Ke Yan and the others are coming this Friday night. They said they're bringing the most authentic ones."

As soon as Yang Huaiyu finished speaking, Xia Chiyi instantly felt his cornmeal bun lose its appeal.

At that moment, Zhou Zhexiao walked over carrying another plate: an egg crepe wrap stuffed with shrimp and diced beef.

Xia Chiyi’s nose instinctively followed the plate. He assumed Zhou Zhexiao was bringing the wrap to him, but to his surprise, it was set down in front of Yang Huaiyu.

"For me?" Yang Huaiyu asked.

"Mmm."

Even Xia Chiyi was stunned. Zhou Zhexiao had never shown the slightest inclination toward "hospitality."

Xia Chiyi flashed a look that clearly meant, "You're going to suffer today," leaving Yang Huaiyu momentarily tense.

Still... the egg crepe wraps at Ningchang University were genuinely delicious.

After breakfast, neither Zhou Zhexiao nor Xia Chiyi seemed to have classes, so they brought Yang Huaiyu along to catch a public bus.

Previously, Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao would usually sit in the middle double seats, but this time they headed all the way to the back row.

Yang Huaiyu sat by the window, listening as Xia Chiyi pointed out and introduced the shops lining the street—each one a fragment of Xia Chiyi’s daily life.

"That barbershop is great and cheap. A buzz cut only costs ten yuan, and a layered cut like mine is just twenty-five! The week before last, one of my teammates suddenly developed alopecia areata and wanted to just shave his head completely bald. When the boss saw how upset he was, he did it for free. Hahaha!"

"And that little shop selling malatang," Xia Chiyi said, casting a sympathetic look at Yang Huaiyu. "Too bad you can't eat spicy food, otherwise I'd treat you to some. When the semester first started, we brought Zhou Zhexiao there. This guy is the pickiest eater ever. No chicken feet, no organ meats, no duck blood... what else was there?"

"No pickled bamboo shoots either," Zhou Zhexiao supplied from the side.

"And what about now?" Yang Huaiyu asked.

"Now he eats everything. Heart, lungs, tripe, honeycomb tripe, chicken gizzards, duck intestines—nothing is off-limits. Except for chicken feet; he only eats them if the toenails have been trimmed. Because of that, we specially gave feedback to the owner. Hahaha."

"I still don't eat pickled bamboo shoots," Zhou Zhexiao interjected.

Xia Chiyi leaned in close to Yang Huaiyu’s ear and whispered, "Word has it that about twenty years ago, our Coach Ling poisoned Li Xiaohran—who was off on an exchange program in America—with a single packet of pickled bamboo shoots, and they've been sworn enemies ever since."

Yang Huaiyu experienced a sudden flash of enlightenment. "No wonder you guys are so enthusiastically researching Liu Shuchen. Turns out you have a long-standing rivalry with Qingda as well?"

Though the bus ride was only five or six stops long, Yang Huaiyu didn't find it boring at all. On the contrary, Xia Chiyi was an exceptionally engaging conversationalist who could make the tiniest, most mundane details of everyday life sound utterly fascinating.