The victory came easily.
Under Xiao Yi’an’s command, their team simply gave up on defense entirely, focusing all their efforts on an almost flawless offense.
By the third quarter, the opposing team had lost their fighting spirit due to the overwhelming point gap, letting Gou Yu’s team rack up points as they pleased.
As the final whistle blew, the scoreboard was frozen at that very moment.
Sixty to twelve.
Compared to the dejected players on the other side, everyone on this side—whether they had just come off the court or were watching from the sidelines—was beaming with joy.
It really felt like a triumphant victory after a great battle.
Xiao Yi’an liked this feeling.
After playing the full forty minutes, even the muscle aches and fatigue seemed to become a kind of badge of honor.
“Bro, you played great.”
Gou Yu came over again, laughing as he slapped Xiao Yi’an on the shoulder.
Liu Anran and Xu Nian, who were passing by, also nodded at him.
Then they each walked past him and melted into the crowd.
Gou Yu went to find Zhu Niao, who was hiding cautiously in the crowd, trying to avoid something unknown, and pulled her into his arms.
“Trying to run? You’re not getting out of the two-liter iced black tea you owe me!” Gou Yu wore a mischievous grin.
“I know, I know, now let go! You’re all sweaty—dirty and smelly,” Zhu Niao protested, but she didn’t push Gou Yu away, as if only pretending to be annoyed both in tone and expression.
“Smelly?” Gou Yu sniffed himself, “Doesn’t smell at all.”
He suddenly noticed the little bird in his arms had stopped moving, instead staring intently at a spot on his body.
“Hey, Old Gou, let me ask you something.” Zhu Niao pointed at Gou Yu’s armpit. “Did you use something from my dressing table?”
“I figured nobody wanted it, so I took it,” Gou Yu replied, imitating an accent not from his hometown.
“I’ll shark you, damn it, that’s not for shaving armpits, that’s…”
“What is it?” Gou Yu cocked his head.
“That’s…” Zhu Niao looked at Gou Yu’s innocent face close to hers, and a blush quickly crept up her cheeks. “Forget it, just use it if you want. I don’t need it anyway.”
“You don’t need it? Let me see.” Gou Yu immediately grabbed the little bird’s arm, lifted it, and bent down to peek past her sleeve, “Huh, really don’t need it.”
“I told you it’s not for shaving armpits…” Zhu Niao took a deep breath, “Forget it, I’d better just kill you here.”
With a dull thud, Gou Yu, clutching his waist, fell to the ground.
Then Zhu Niao kicked him again.
Liu Xie just glanced at Zhu Niao and Gou Yu nearby, as if used to this couple’s antics, then turned her gaze to Liu Anran in front of her.
“Tired?”
Liu Anran shook his head. “Not tired.”
“Figures,” Liu Xie said bluntly. “I saw you were mostly just walking around on the court. Even when you got the ball, you wouldn’t run a few extra steps.”
Liu Anran’s expression dimmed slightly.
“But…” Liu Xie, still wearing her blue-and-white outfit, broke into a smile, “You looked really cool out there, commanding presence like a lion patrolling its territory. Didn’t embarrass your brother at all.”
Liu Xie took two steps closer to Liu Anran and whispered by his ear, “Tonight, I’m not going home with you. Not planning to take me somewhere? I can pay for dinner, you know?”
As she finished, those foxy, seductive eyes blinked at him, the rest left unsaid.
Liu Anran knew his good sister just wanted to sneak out and have fun without her roommate knowing, and as a bonus, treat him for being dragged into this basketball game.
He also remembered the money Liu Xie spent was always from his card.
“Sure,” he replied with a relaxed smile.
“Then let’s go, gogogo, time to set out!” Liu Xie didn’t care if he was sweaty or not, and just pushed him out towards the basketball court exit.
The two of them happily squeezed through the crowd, and Xu Nian, who had just come off the court, stepped aside to let them pass.
Then, he turned to Yang Shuli in front of him.
For once, Yang Shuli wasn’t eating. She held a small towel, stood on tiptoe, and wiped the sweat from Xu Nian’s face, forehead, and neck.
Unlike Gou Yu the food delivery king and Liu Anran the leisurely old grandpa, Xu Nian had been running the whole game, playing all forty minutes.
Probably only Xiao Yi’an was as tired as he was.
“How do you sweat this much?” Yang Shuli realized at this rate, she’d never get him wiped clean.
“It’s fine, I just need a break,” Xu Nian took the towel from her hand and wiped himself a bit. “How did I do?”
“Uh, actually, I just think, uh…” Yang Shuli scratched her head, “You shouldn’t have picked A for your first shot.”
“Did you even watch, or were you just eating the whole time?”
“Hehehe…” The tiny dorm head laughed sheepishly, and Xu Nian could only rub his forehead, feeling helpless.
There was nothing he could do—Yang Shuli’s inability to keep her mouth idle was more of a passive skill than an active one; even she couldn’t control herself when it kicked in.
“Let’s go. Now that your period’s over, we can buy you some snacks you like.”
Xu Nian reached out his hand, and Yang Shuli naturally placed hers on his.
Then, Xu Nian walked steadily with the bouncy Yang Shuli towards the court exit.
“Help! Help!” The six-foot-tall Shandong guy clutched his waist and called out, stumbling toward the exit, “Someone’s trying to assassinate the Emperor!”
“Emperor, emperor, dog-legged emperor,” Zhu Niao followed behind, carrying a tree branch she’d picked up somewhere, “Dare to face me by the restroom door?”
As the crowd dispersed, the basketball court seemed to return to calm.
Xiao Yi’an’s mood also began to settle.
He saw Ye Qingchang, the only one still standing in place.
Ye Qingchang looked at him for a long while.
“President, thank—”
“Classmate Xiao,” Ye Qingchang interrupted Xiao Yi’an, “How do you feel right now?”
“Me? I feel… very fulfilled.”
“Good,” Ye Qingchang nodded. “Please try to keep hold of that sense of fulfillment.”
Suddenly, Xiao Yi’an felt that the Ye Qingchang standing before him seemed different.
She was right in front of him, but somehow she seemed far away.
Out of reach.
“You should live your own life. Don’t tie yourself to anyone else, becoming some version of yourself you don’t want to be. You’re not anyone’s shadow, and you can be better than anyone…” Ye Qingchang trailed off mid-sentence.
Because she saw the stiffness on Xiao Yi’an’s face.
Yes, Xiao Yi’an still couldn’t let go of his white moonlight, but she had decided to let go of Xiao Yi’an.
“From now on, you don’t need to call me President. I’m quitting the Literature Club.”
With that, she walked past Xiao Yi’an and left the basketball court.
Someones mad, Isnt she.
yep, she snapped