Chapter 30: A Born Shopaholic

Just as they were about to leave the gym, two girls walked up to them.

"Excuse me, handsome, you look so professional and patient. Could we add you on WeChat?"

"Yeah, we'd love to hire you as a coach!"

"I'm not a coach."

With that, Zhou Zhexiao walked straight between them. Xia Chiyi burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Hahaha, he... he's not a coach... he's my classmate!"

"Oh, did we misunderstand? We're so sorry. In that case, could we add your classmate on WeChat instead?"

"He doesn't have WeChat," Xia Chiyi said.

"He doesn't have WeChat?"

"How is that even possible?"

Zhou Zhexiao, already four or five meters away, crossed his arms, frowned, and said coldly, "I don't have WeChat."

The two girls were left feeling quite awkward.

Xia Chiyi smiled to ease the tension; even though they were strangers, he didn't want them to misunderstand Zhou Zhexiao. "He’s just like that, but he’s actually very patient and gentle."

After saying this, Xia Chiyi hurried to catch up with Zhou Zhexiao.

Passing by the reception desk, the young woman there called out to them with a smile, "After a whole afternoon of working out, would you like to try our imported protein powder?"

"Ah? No thanks! No thanks!" Xia Chiyi waved his hands frantically. He was already on the verge of bankruptcy; where would he find the money for protein powder?

"Let me look." Seeing Zhou Zhexiao about to walk past, Xia Chiyi grabbed his arm and dragged him into the elevator. "Next time, we’ll look next time! Let’s head back for dinner early so we don't miss the tactical analysis meeting tonight."

Once the elevator doors closed, Zhou Zhexiao spoke up, "But you need to supplement your protein."

"We can buy it from an online flagship store. There are sales, discounts, and they even deliver it to the package collection point right by the dorms! It’s so expensive to buy it at the gym!"

"An online flagship store?"

"Bro, which era are you living in? These days, you can even hire someone online to snap up limited-edition sneakers for you."

On the way back, trying to save money, Xia Chiyi opted for the bus instead of a taxi.

As the bus swayed along, Xia Chiyi demonstrated how to shop online using a smartphone—searching for items, adding them to the cart, and selecting coupons.

As the bus rocked back and forth, Xia Chiyi grew sleepy and drifted off with his head resting on Zhou Zhexiao's shoulder. Zhou Zhexiao took the phone from Xia Chiyi, eyes lowered, and focused intently on studying the shopping app.

At that moment, Jiao Yingfeng walked into the office of his former mentor, Xie Huai, the head coach of the National Youth Team, carrying a file folder. The windows were open, and a breeze puffed out the curtains, while sunlight filtered through the gaps, leaving long, thin trails of light on the floor. On the wall hung a plaque with powerful calligraphy: *The Torch Passed Down, A Legacy Everlasting.*

"It's rare to see you come to visit me," Xie Huai said, gesturing to Jiao Yingfeng as he calmly prepared some kung fu tea.

"There's a student I'd like your help looking into, Master," Jiao Yingfeng said, handing over the folder.

"Are you looking to recommend someone to me?"

Xie Huai took out the contents and realized it wasn't a profile of a person, but rather detailed data and a training plan.

"It’s not a recommendation. It’s my first time coaching a student, and I’m not sure if my approach is appropriate. I don't know if I'm being too eager for quick success or if I've overlooked something."

"You want to be a coach? You should have come to the National Youth Team. It’s been so many years, and there hasn't been a second Jiao Yingfeng."

"I don't have the confidence to teach many people. If I can focus all my efforts and teach this one well, that might be my life's achievement."

Xie Huai smiled, assuming Jiao Yingfeng was being modest, and opened the file of the boy named Xia Chiyi.

"Do you have any game footage?"

"Yes, Master, I'll play it for you."

Xie Huai’s office was equipped with a projector. Jiao Yingfeng didn't look for other games; he specifically played the highlights of his one-on-one sessions with Xia Chiyi.

At first, Xie Huai frowned, commenting, "His fundamentals are solid, and his dribbling and jump shots are excellent, but there are many kids like this in the National Youth Team."

"Master, keep watching for a bit longer."

As Xia Chiyi kept finding ways to surpass his previous self, Xie Huai’s brow began to smooth out. "This kid has good resilience. He can take a hit and get back up whenever, wherever."

"Keep watching."

When the footage showed Xia Chiyi imitating an NBA player’s move from the Olympics to trick Jiao Yingfeng and score a layup, Xie Huai let out a chuckle. "He's clever, and quite bold, too."

"The last shot is even more interesting," Jiao Yingfeng said.

That made Xie Huai set down his teacup, lean forward with his hands on his knees, and squint his eyes to see what this "more interesting" shot was.

On screen, Xia Chiyi dropped his center of gravity so low he was almost on his knees as he maneuvered past Jiao Yingfeng. That sharp, ruthless drive made Xie Huai suddenly tighten his grip on his knees.

"I... understand what you think is special about this kid," Xie Huai nodded. "Which province is he from?"

"Jin Province, but he was cut by Ma Hongming."

Xie Huai shook his head speechlessly. "The level of players Ma Hongming has been recommending to the National Youth Team has been getting lower and lower. I thought it was because basketball wasn't popular enough in Jin Province and there wasn't much talent. Now it seems... he should have stepped down from that position a long time ago. However, even if Xia Chiyi has potential and flashes of brilliance, he hasn't reached the level I would certify yet."

"Master, you once said that true talent, sooner or later, will find its way to you. We’ll play well in the University League."

"Alright." Xie Huai flashed a satisfied smile and patted the file folder. "I will definitely take a good look at your training plan. Gold will shine; glass only reflects. I’m curious, too, whether you’ve been blinded by glass or if you’ve actually grabbed hold of gold."

During the tactical drill that evening, Xia Chiyi was exhausted and slow to react, catching the ball with his face or the back of his head rather than his hands.

Ling Huanzhen didn't yell at him; instead, he benched him and let him watch from the sidelines.

When training ended, Ling Huanzhen called Xia Chiyi over. "Is the intensity your master set too high? If it is, I’ll talk to him and lower it a bit."

Xia Chiyi shook his head immediately and said firmly, "Please give me three days! I’ll definitely be able to adapt in three days!"

Ling Huanzhen shook his head. "Three days? I don't think that's possible."

"I can do it!"

Ling Huanzhen waved his hand, signaling that Xia Chiyi could leave, but he didn't mention that he had made a bet with Jiao Yingfeng: if Xia Chiyi stuck with the training plan, Ling Huanzhen would have to give Jiao Yingfeng a month of back massages. If he didn't, Jiao Yingfeng would be the one serving Ling Huanzhen.

"Tsk, should I hope you stick with it, or that you don't?"

On the first day, Xia Chiyi was still catching passes with the back of his head; on the second day, he couldn't keep up and fell asleep in English class; on the third day, he and Zhou Zhexiao both fell asleep on the bus and rode it to the final stop.

"I fell asleep, why did you fall asleep too!" Xia Chiyi got off the bus, clutching his head—the final stop, twelve stops past their own!

Zhou Zhexiao wasn't fully awake yet, looking completely dazed. "You slept, so I slept."

It was such a matter-of-fact tone, so "fair, just, and transparent" that Xia Chiyi felt embarrassed to even raise a fist to hit him.

On the return trip, seeing Zhou Zhexiao’s head about to lean against the window again, Xia Chiyi tugged on his ear.

"No sleeping!"

"Oh."

Zhou Zhexiao’s lashes fluttered, his gaze blank, that obedient look appearing again.

This guy, obedient? Forget it—he was clearly a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

By the fourth evening, Xia Chiyi was full of energy, practicing the "elevator door" tactic with everyone else.

Ling Huanzhen couldn't help but ask Zhou Zhexiao quietly, "Did you lower his training intensity without Jiao's permission?"

Zhou Zhexiao turned his head and gave Ling Huanzhen an icy glare.

Ling Huanzhen chuckled. Others might go soft and cut him some slack, but Zhou Zhexiao was an emotionless execution machine.

Finally, the regional qualifiers for the University League arrived.

There were forty-six universities in the province, thirty-six of which had school teams eligible to participate in the league.

Since the other three in the dorm were participating, their roommate Pang Shuai felt he couldn't be left out. He opened the official website of the Chinese University Basketball League and let out a sigh, "So this tournament you're playing in is the top amateur league in Chinese sports, with influence second only to the CBA! They call it the NCAA of China!"

Ye Chaoying smiled, leaning against the back of Pang Shuai's chair. "In terms of actual level, it's still far behind the NCAA. The NCAA is the cradle of the NBA, maintaining a professional level of competition. But our university league, even the first division, doesn't send many players to the local CBA."

Xia Chiyi added, "Back in the day, Ling Huanzhen and Jiao Yingfeng were cut by the provincial team and their professional prospects looked dim, but they were able to be recalled to the National Youth Team thanks to their outstanding performance in the American NCAA. The level of the American university league is very high; ours is relatively more amateur."

"No way! Look at the homepage of the official site, who is this guy? He's already been selected for the National Youth Team! He's so handsome—Liu... Liu..."

Xia Chiyi leaned in and laughed. "Fatty, what did you get on your Chinese college entrance exam? His name is Liu Suchen!"

At the mention of that name, Ye Chaoying’s expression turned serious. "Liu Suchen, the ace of the Qing University team. Last year in the semifinals, Qing University played Southwest Aviation University. Liu Suchen scored 32 points by himself, a triple-threat player with no weaknesses on offense or defense. We only have a chance to face a player of this level if we make it to the national final four."

"He was selected for the National Youth Team? But the university league still has him on the official site, so I guess his application to participate this year was approved." Xia Chiyi let out a breath. "He's so handsome..."

"You think this guy is handsome too? It’s so annoying—if you're that good-looking, go act in an idol drama, why play basketball?"

Xia Chiyi pointed to a pop-up window in the bottom left corner of the computer. "I meant the jump shot where Liu Suchen bypassed two defenders—it looks so cool."

"That's more like it. If we're talking about faces, shouldn't the most handsome guy be our own roommate, Zhou Zhexiao?" Ye Chaoying glanced in Zhou Zhexiao's direction.

He discovered that Zhou Zhexiao, who had been drinking bubble tea—slurping quite loudly—had slammed the cup onto his desk the moment Xia Chiyi said "He's so handsome" and turned to walk into the bathroom.

The air pressure in the room was visibly dropping.

That night, Xia Chiyi covered his head with his quilt because Zhou Zhexiao, on the other side, kept scrolling through videos on his phone. The light kept flickering, making it impossible for Xia Chiyi to sleep.

He had to roll over and reach his hand through the gaps in the bed frame, waving it around blindly until he seemed to touch Zhou Zhexiao’s eyes. The sensation of the other boy’s eyelashes sweeping against his fingertips was so ticklish that it made Xia Chiyi want to grab onto something tight.