The boys sensed the shift in the atmosphere and instinctively scattered, leaving only Zong Yan and Sijiang facing each other.
Sijiang didn't even notice the change in his surroundings. He simply averted his gaze, staring at the ground.
"You look terrible," Zong Yan pointed out calmly. "Just asking because I’m afraid you might drop dead—how long has it been since you last slept?"
*Damn it, does she even know how to talk to people?*
The strings in Sijiang’s mind suddenly pulled taut.
"Thanks for the concern, but I’m doing great. I sleep like a log every night," he snapped. "Eyes closed until dawn!"
*Now she decides to care? She’s probably just looking for an excuse to lecture me.*
He wasn't going to let her use this to get a handle on him. Sijiang lifted his chin and pointed a thumb at the boys nearby, his expression a mix of arrogance and smugness. "Anything else, Classmate Zong? I need to go get ready."
His posture was enough to irritate anyone.
"Oh."
There was no sign of anger or joy on Zong Yan’s face. Instead, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, though her expression remained complex, as if she had more to say. "I actually wanted to tell you something..."
Tell him something? What?
Sijiang instinctively leaned in closer.
"Big boss, we’re out of time! We have to go!" the Sports Rep suddenly called out anxiously.
"If you have something to say, say it fast. I’m busy," Sijiang urged.
Zong Yan closed her mouth, her cold demeanor returning. "Never mind. Go do your thing."
Sijiang kicked the ground in frustration, sending a pebble flying several meters. "Fine, keep it to yourself. Like I care!"
He strode over to the Sports Rep and gave him a massive eye-roll.
*Annoying!*
The Sports Rep scratched the back of his head, bewildered. "What did I do now?"
In the semifinals, each class had to play two games to determine who would compete for the championship and who would take third place.
Zong Yan’s class hadn't been particularly lucky with the draw. They had pulled a team packed with sports majors, the favorites to win the whole thing. Every player on that team was a giant over 1.9 meters tall; just standing in front of them was intimidating.
Fortunately, the opponent they were facing today was relatively easy. They had played them before and won. Consequently, everyone was brimming with confidence. Their goal was to secure third place and settle for fourth at worst. Third would be ideal, but fourth wouldn't be a loss. After all, they had never even made it past the round of sixteen before.
The girls in the class had already unfurled a banner: *“Forget 3rd or 4th, don’t be a fool, strive to be Number 1!”*
Other classes whispered: “How did a banner that suggestive even pass inspection?!”
When the Sports Rep and the others walked out of the locker room, waving energetically to the crowd, they froze the moment they saw that conspicuous banner. The worst part was that the class number at the bottom of the banner matched the one on their jerseys perfectly.
The young men’s spirits instantly wilted.
They should have known! No wonder the girls had been acting so mysterious, saying they wanted to give their "unambitious boys" some motivation and keeping the banner content a secret.
"It’ll definitely be a surprise," the Life Secretary had promised.
*Surprise, my foot! This is twisted encouragement!*
"What do we do?" they asked each other, despair in their eyes.
"What else can we do? If you’re a man, you have to be a 1!"
"Right! Be a 1!"
Sijiang walked out behind them, adjusting his jersey. His eyes twitched when he heard a group of men shouting "Be a 1" with such passion.
"What kind of madness has gripped you all?"
Before anyone could answer, he noticed that the entire audience's attention seemed focused in one direction. Sijiang looked over, puzzled.
"Holy crap..."
He was speechless. What kind of unconventional class was this? Suddenly, he didn't want to step onto the court anymore.
"Can I quit the team?" Sijiang asked with a stony face. He had zero motivation to win glory for a class like this. One phrase on the banner was particularly eyesore-inducing.
He didn't deserve it.
"You can't, big boss!" the boys cried, grabbing him for fear he would desert them at the last second. "We’re counting on you! This is about a man’s dignity!"
The whistle blew, and the game began.
In the first quarter, Sijiang’s offense was incredibly aggressive. Almost every time he got the ball, he looked for an opening to sink a three-pointer. The opposing team couldn't even set up their defense in time. Within minutes, they were down by ten points.
"No way, Young Master Si, you’re being too ruthless."
The person guarding Sijiang was an old acquaintance—strictly speaking, a former fair-weather friend from his drinking days. He had once been close to Li Jie, the guy Sijiang had sent to the hospital. However, after Sijiang and Li Jie had their falling out, the relationship between Sijiang and that circle had become awkward.
"The court is about skill. What’s 'ruthless' got to do with it?" Sijiang ignored him. Catching a teammate's signal out of the corner of his eye, he performed a feint, successfully bypassed his guard, and caught the pass.
"Two points!"
"Damn it!" The opponent was starting to lose his cool.
During the break after the first quarter, the players headed to their respective class support areas. The Sports Rep ran straight to Zong Yan, face drenched in sweat, grinning like an idiot.
"Could I trouble the Senior for a bottle of water?"
Zong Yan handed him a clean towel. "Mhm. Wipe yourself off."
The Sports Rep took it with both hands, carefully dabbing his face before opening the water and gulping it down. "Thanks, Senior!"
He returned to the rest area satisfied, plopping down on a chair with the water at his feet. "I’m feeling good. We might actually make it to the finals!"
"Seriously, I’m feeling weirdly confident too."
"It’s all thanks to Big Boss Sijiang."
Speak of the devil. A long leg very deliberately kicked the Sports Rep’s water bottle away as Sijiang sat down next to them.
The Sports Rep blinked. "Huh?" He looked at Sijiang, who appeared perfectly calm. *Uh, it must have been an accident,* he thought, reaching down to pick it up.
"Sorry, didn't see it there," Sijiang’s voice rang out, sounding flippant. "I’ll pay you back with a new one."
With that, he tossed an unopened bottle of water to him. The Sports Rep caught it, looking a bit dazed. He felt too embarrassed to go back for the dirty bottle on the ground.
Sijiang crossed his legs, glanced at the floor, and let out a cold smirk.
In the second quarter, he maintained the same tactic: exhausting his physical strength to gain an advantage. However, the recent lack of sleep, combined with certain unspeakable events, made him feel his heart beginning to beat irregularly. His breathing grew ragged.
*Screech—*
His sneakers skidded against the floor. Sijiang performed a 180-degree turn, intercepted the ball in mid-air, and leaped again.
"Three points!"
"Whoo! Sijiang!" Excited cheers erupted from the stands.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. His face was a bit pale, but he still cockily flashed a middle finger toward the audience.
It was crude, but in this setting, it looked undeniably cool.
Halftime arrived. Everyone’s energy was spent; they sat on chairs or the floor, gasping for air. The score stood at 53:20. The situation was excellent; victory was almost guaranteed.
Zong Yan followed the others to the players, distributing supplies and checking on their condition. When she passed Sijiang, she handed him a sports drink and said, "Don't push yourself too hard. Just do your best."
Sijiang pretended not to hear her, maintaining a cold expression. Only after Zong Yan had walked away did he open the drink and take small, slow sips.
"Hey, Young Master Si." Someone suddenly leaned in close.
Sijiang lifted his eyelids. "Your class is on the other side. What are you doing here?"
The newcomer was another old acquaintance, someone Li Jie had brought into their circle. Sijiang tried to remember which family the guy belonged to. *Forget it, can't remember. He’s not as rich as my family anyway.*
"Haha, just coming over to say hi. It’s been a while. You’ve gotten even better at basketball, Young Master Si. Did you go abroad to train with the NBA?"
"That’s a bit much on the flattery," Sijiang replied listlessly, tasting the sweet drink.
The other guy wasn't embarrassed. He followed Sijiang’s gaze and suddenly spotted a familiar figure. "Eh? Is that Zong Yan?"
Sijiang gripped the water bottle, his eyes turning hostile.
The guy quickly waved his hands. "I’m not trying to mess with her, Young Master Si!"
He was joking, of course. After what happened to Li Jie, who would dare go near that girl? Although Sijiang hadn't said it outright, when he was beating Li Jie, he had kept shouting: *"How dare you touch her?"*
First, Li Jie was hospitalized with external injuries, then a fractured nose, and finally, Sijiang had broken his limbs. *Tsk, how tragic.*
However... everyone has a bit of a gossiping heart.
"Young Master Si, you just got back. Are you going abroad again?"
Sijiang frowned. "What do you mean? Why would I go abroad?"
"Huh? Aren't you going with your girlfriend?"
"...What the hell are you talking about?"
For some reason, Sijiang instinctively felt that he absolutely did not want to hear what the man was about to say next.
"I heard Zong Yan is going abroad. Since you two are dating, I figured you’d be going together."
After all, given Sijiang’s frenzied state back then, everyone assumed he and Zong Yan had a special relationship. Even after all this time, they hadn't forgotten.
"What did you say?"
The guy was still looking at Zong Yan’s back, feeling sentimental. But then he heard Sijiang’s quiet question. It was so soft he almost missed it.
"I said, a couple of days ago, I heard Zong Yan telling a teacher that she’s going abroad..."
In an instant, every sound in the world vanished.
***
