Chapter 49

Chapter 49

On the court, Xie Ci noticed the sports school players arriving in succession. He quietly asked Zhang Ruochuan and the other three, "Do you all understand their playing style and tactics?"

Seeing them nod, Xie Ci turned to Xiao Deng, "What about you? Ready?"

Xiao Deng took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm ready!"

"Maintain spacing, avoid double teams, and don't let them get an easy shot," Xie Ci said as he adjusted his wristband by rotating his right wrist. He watched as Gao Yuan approached and calmly added, "From now on, let's start narrowing the lead."

"Let's do this!" Jiang Chenyu and the others shouted excitedly, each taking their positions on the court.

Gao Yuan dribbled up to Xie Ci, a smug grin on his face, "Is No. 1 High School out of players?"

"Looks like you're only up by eight points?" Xie Ci replied indifferently.

Gao Yuan chuckled, "Just wait until I push the lead to over twenty in the second half. This will be the last high school game Team Xie ever sees."

Xie Ci responded calmly, "We'll see about that."

As they spoke, Gao Yuan drove into the three-point arc, faking a pass to throw Xie Ci off, then turned and rushed towards the basket.

As they passed each other, Gao Yuan felt the ball slip away. He turned sharply to see Xie Ci already counterattacking with the ball.

"Get back on D!" Gao Yuan quickly chased after him.

The other eight players, who had been locked up, quickly switched from offense to defense.

Zhang Ruochuan sprinted to back up Xie Ci, but the sports school's guard tried to intercept him, only to get picked off by Fang Size coming from the side.

Xiao Deng quickly got in front of the sports school's wing, ignoring the fierce expression on the opponent's face, and kept his distance to stop the drive.

In a flash, Xie Ci was across half-court, with Gao Yuan closing in and going for the block.

The two jockeyed for position, with Xie Ci continuously advancing with the ball.

The squeak of sneakers and the rhythmic pounding of the ball echoed in everyone's ears, ramping up the tension.

Gao Yuan saw Zhang Ruochuan coming and pivoted to cut him off, trying to deny Xie Ci the pass. Out of nowhere, Xie Ci went up for the shot.

Gao Yuan and the two guards who rushed over jumped to intercept, but they couldn't even touch the ball as they watched it arc through the air and swish through the net.

Sixteen seconds into the second half, Xie Ci scored the first three-pointer.

The crowd went wild.

Xie Ci walked back, passing by Gao Yuan, "When you said you'd widen the gap to twenty points, did you mean No. 1 High School leading by twenty?"

Having just boasted and quickly been proven wrong, Gao Yuan looked at him with displeasure as he walked past, "It's still early!"

It was No. 1 High School's turn to attack.

As soon as Xie Ci dribbled past the midline, he was blocked by Gao Yuan and his teammates. His feigned jump successfully deceived everyone, and he passed the ball from behind to Zhang Ruochuan who came to support.

As the opposing players chased after him, Zhang Ruochuan turned and passed the ball to Jiang Chenyu, who had just reached the three-point line.

Jiang Chenyu caught the ball, jumped, and shot.

Bang!

The basketball fell into the basket.

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

Thirty seconds into the second half, Yizhong hit two three-pointers, narrowing the score to 38:36.

Gao Yuan’s face fell as he huddled his teammates and said, "Don’t worry about their sub forward; he’s just a decoy. Focus on defending Xie Ci and the 66th shooting guard."

The small forward was gasping for air, visibly anxious. "They’re setting up for outside shots, avoiding the paint. They’re shooting and retreating."

"They’re defending us."

Gao Yuan stared intently at Xie Ci on the opposing side. "Let’s see how they’ll keep scoring from the perimeter."

With seven minutes into the second half, the score was tied at 56-all.

After feeling each other out in the first half, both teams had clearly upped the tempo. Now that they’d sized each other up, the real battle began.

Seeing Yizhong gaining momentum, the sports school coach called a timeout.

He motioned for Gao Yuan and the team to huddle up and adjust their game plan. "Their sub forward has no scoring ability. With one less player, they have no advantage inside. We’ve got to lock down the perimeter! Don’t let 7 and 66 touch the ball! Especially 7. A Yuan, A Jian, stick to him like glue! If he doesn’t get the ball, we’ve got this in the bag!"

Gao Yuan glanced at Yizhong’s player bench. The sub forward was slumped in his chair, gasping for air, his hands shaking as he sipped water. The rest of the team looked worn out, but Xie Ci, though drenched in sweat, seemed unfazed and showed no signs of fatigue.

"A Jian," Gao Yuan gestured for his teammate to come closer and whispered, "Once we’re back on the court, look for a chance to shut Xie Ci down."

A Jian was about to nod when he suddenly noticed the opposing coach calling for a substitution, looking puzzled.

"Who’s that they’re subbing in? I’ve never seen him play."

The other teammates were also confused but didn’t make much of it.

"The sub forward can’t keep up? This guy looks like a rookie, even weaker than the last one."

"With Wang Hao out, whoever they throw in won’t make a dent. Not to mention, they’ll have issues with coordination. There’s only thirteen minutes left; they don’t have time to get in sync."

Over there, Gu Yufeng stripped off his jacket, ready to hit the court.

Xie Ci reminded him, "Once you’re out there, don’t go rogue. Stick to the plan."

Gu Yufeng stretched his shoulders and neck, responding expressionlessly, "I only take orders from my boyfriend."

Xie Ci silently closed his mouth and turned to walk toward Xiao Deng, who was sitting in a chair. "You did great out there."

Xiao Deng looked up, his face tired but his eyes bright. "Thank you, Captain. I learned a lot."

Time was up, and everyone returned to the court.

In the stands, the Yizhong students went wild when Gu Yufeng stepped onto the court.

After Gu Yufeng’s standout performance at the sports meet, everyone was hyped to see him play.

The mayor, sitting in the front row, leaned over and whispered to Gu Yongnian, "Your son is really popular."

Gu Yongnian smiled, his eyes narrowing. "He’s been likable since he was a child."

On the court, Xie Ci was being double-teamed more aggressively than ever, blocked at every turn, unable to even get a hand on the ball. Jiang Chenyu faced the same relentless defense, unable to get near the three-point line.

Fang Size and Zhang Ruochuan kept passing the ball back and forth, but they couldn’t find an opening to get the ball to their main scorer.

When Zhang Ruochuan went for a shot, Gao Yuan signaled the guard to intercept.

Both the guard and Zhang Ruochuan jumped simultaneously, but the ball suddenly changed direction towards Xie Ci.

"Captain!" the guard, catching the fake, quickly signaled Gao Yuan to cover Xie Ci.

Xie Ci, double-teamed, kept adjusting his stance as he tracked the incoming ball.

Gao Yuan and his teammate braced to intercept.

To their surprise, the ball sailed right over their heads and was easily caught by Gu Yufeng, who had already dashed into the three-point line. He drove to the hoop and soared for a slam dunk.

Bang!

The ball went through the net and hit the ground, the hoop groaning under the impact.

The court went silent for a split second before erupting in cheers.

Gao Yuan’s team was in shock.

How did this sub slip behind them? Did no one pick him up?!

Gao Yuan scanned his four confused teammates, then looked at the empty space behind them in the paint.

They were so locked in on guarding the outside, focusing on Xie Ci and Jiang Chenyu, that they totally missed this sub. Plus, Zhang Ruochuan's pass to Xie Ci and Xie Ci's attempt to catch the ball were all fakes—the whole play was designed to get the ball to the new forward.

They’d been completely fooled.

"Captain?" A Jian asked Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan thought for a moment: "Watch number 9, but don’t lose sight of Xie Ci and 66."

However, in the next two minutes, Gu Yufeng racked up ten straight points, extending the lead to 60:72, with Yizhong ahead by 12 points.

Yizhong’s energy shifted completely after Gu Yufeng stepped in, as if they had become a different team, finally hitting their stride.

The sports school team finally took Gu Yufeng seriously and diverted some of the players guarding Xie Ci and Jiang Chenyu to defend this fast-break specialist.

"Fall back! Number 9 has crossed the half-court line!"

"Don't let number 66 get near the three-point line!"

"Xie Ci has broken through!"

Gu Yufeng dribbled into the paint, only to be blocked by the opposing guard who had fallen back. He dished it to Xie Ci, who was there to back him up.

Xie Ci, pursued by Gao Yuan, made a few agile moves and passed the ball back to Gu Yufeng.

Gu Yufeng approached the basket, leaped, and shot.

The sports school guard jumped to intercept.

Gu Yufeng twisted his wrist and suddenly passed the ball to Xie Ci on the other side.

Xie Ci seized the moment to slip past Gao Yuan, caught the ball, and leaped for a slam dunk.

Another muffled thud echoed.

The basketball slammed into the ground, bouncing and rolling off.

Xie Ci landed lightly, high-fived Gu Yufeng as he approached, and they walked side by side back to their court.

Yizhong's relentless offensive plays had the students in the stands fired up with excitement, their voices raw from cheering.

The five players' teamwork was nothing short of incredible! Especially Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci—it was like they were reading each other's minds. No commands needed, sometimes not even a glance; as soon as one moved, the other knew what to do!

In comparison, the sports school lagged a beat behind, and with Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci running so fast, the gap only grew wider.

Yizhong surged into another fast break, and the sports school fought tooth and nail to defend. Xie Ci, Gu Yufeng, and Jiang Chenyu were completely shut down, leaving Zhang Ruochuan no shot, so he had to pass to Fang Size first.

"Block the pass from their number 11!"

Hearing the shout from the sports school's guard, Fang Size leapt up and took the shot.

The ball swished through the net.

Fang Size adjusted his glasses: "I’ve been practicing my shots."

Zhang Ruochuan, passing by, laughed loudly: "Keep your gripes to yourself, Lao Fang."

Looking at the gradually widening score, the five players from the sports school had expressions darkened.

Under the relentless attacks, their rhythm had long been disrupted, their stamina was plummeting, and they were doubled over, gasping for breath.

"The substitute forward they brought in isn’t just a looker; he’s a force to be reckoned with!" the sports school's guard muttered through gritted teeth. "All five of them have scoring ability—how do we even defend against that?"

Gao Yuan and A Jian exchanged knowing glances.

Up to this point in the game, they hadn’t found a suitable opportunity to act, but if they didn’t do something soon, there’d be no coming back.

It was the sports school's turn to attack.

A Jian dribbled to the basket, ready to leap and shoot, but out of nowhere, Fang Size swatted it away.

The ball that flew out was caught by Jiang Chenyu, and after a few passes, it ended up in Xie Ci's hands.

Xie Ci was locked down, and when Gu Yufeng got into position, he passed the ball over.

Gu Yufeng seized the opportunity, jumped, and shot.

As the ball left his hand, he noticed Gao Yuan raising his left hand. Gu Yufeng sensed something was wrong and narrowly avoided the elbow that was aimed at his side, but as he landed, he stepped on the other's shoe, unexpectedly twisting his ankle and stumbling back, falling.

"Yufeng!"

Xie Ci was the first to rush over, "Did you hurt your foot?"

"Lao Gu!"

Zhang Ruochuan and the other two's expressions changed, and they all gathered around.

Gu Yufeng took the hand Xie Ci offered and stood up, moving his sore right ankle: "It should be fine."

Xie Ci's face darkened as he turned to look at Gao Yuan: "Did you do that on purpose?"

"He stepped on my foot, I'm in more pain than he is," Gao Yuan said with a smug grin, as if to say, "I’m not admitting anything, so what’s your move?"

The referee blew the whistle.

"That’s a charging foul!"

After Gu Yufeng scored on the free throw, Zhang Ruochuan walked over to him: "Your foot’s really okay?"

"It’s nothing," Gu Yufeng brushed it off.

After Zhang Ruochuan left, Xie Ci lowered his voice: "I’ll take charge from here, you back me up."

Gu Yufeng was somewhat helpless: "My foot isn’t injured."

"That’s final," Xie Ci said without looking back, heading to his position.

Gu Yufeng couldn’t help but find it funny.

After knowing each other for so many years, he had never been managed by Xie Ci like this. Xie Ci had always let him do whatever he wanted, but this felt good.

After a few warnings from Xie Ci, Gu Yufeng finally passed the ball to him.

As soon as Xie Ci received the ball, Gao Yuan and a forward named A Jian blocked him.

"Lao Xie!"

A shout came from the right, but Xie Ci didn’t rush to pass the ball. He darted forward, faked a move, and spun around to break through.

Gao Yuan lunged to block but stumbled and hit the floor.

Watching Xie Ci score, Gao Yuan shouted at the referee: "Number 7 from the opposing team committed a charging foul!"

But the ref didn’t call it.

Gao Yuan was furious, but Xie Ci’s passing glance held a silent threat.

In the next three minutes, Xie Ci’s same move left Gao Yuan flat on his back four times. The last time, he twisted his ankle and couldn’t get up, angrily pointing at Xie Ci: "That’s a foul! Why isn’t it being called?!"

"I didn’t touch you, so how’s that a foul?" Xie Ci passed by expressionlessly, "If you can’t keep your balance, maybe you should sit this one out."

Gao Yuan couldn’t hold on and was carried off on a stretcher in the last two minutes of the game.

With him out, the sports school team crumbled.

In the second half, the first high school team steamrolled ahead, leading with a big score of 72:96, and secured the league championship easily.

In the back row of the stands, Xie Qian joined the cheering crowd, standing to clap along.

In the front row, Gu Yongnian smiled through the congratulations, but he was concerned about whether Gu Yufeng was injured.

The winning team posed for photos and answered interviews. Jiang Chenyu struck a pose, joking, "Make sure I look good!"

The group chatted and laughed, but Xie Ci’s gaze never left Gu Yufeng. He seemed okay, but his spirits were low.

After it was over, Zhang Ruochuan and the others limped back to the locker room and sat on the bench as soon as they entered, not wanting to get up.

"I’m wiped. I didn’t feel it earlier, but now my legs are like lead," Jiang Chenyu bent over, covering his head with a towel. If the floor wasn’t so cold, he would have laid down.

Zhang Ruochuan: "Who isn’t? My hands are shaking holding this bottle, and my head’s spinning."

Jiang Chenyu: "Isn’t Lao Gu’s endurance solid? Why did Lao Xie say his stamina isn’t great? He kept up his speed almost till the end, and he and Lao Xie were in sync. The other team just couldn’t keep up."

"It depends on who you compare it to," Fang Size said after sitting for a while, then got up to grab his clothes and change. "If it’s compared to Lao Xie, none of us can match his endurance."

Mentioning Xie Ci, Jiang Chenyu looked around: "By the way, where’s Lao Xie? And why hasn’t Lao Gu shown up yet?"

Fang Size: "I just saw him head over to the coach."

In the empty restroom next door, Gu Yufeng sat on the bench, resting for a moment before bending down to untie his shoelaces. When he touched his ankle, he realized it was swollen.

He didn’t feel it at first, but the pain got worse.

He heard footsteps at the door. Gu Yufeng looked up to see Xie Ci pushing the door open, carrying an ice pack and some medicine.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I guessed."

Xie Ci walked over and sat down, lifting Gu Yufeng’s leg onto his lap.

When he took off the sock, the swelling was obvious.

Xie Ci pressed around the ankle a few times to confirm there were no bone injuries, then wrapped the ice pack in a towel and applied it.

Gu Yufeng thought he’d hidden it well; Zhang Ruochuan and the others didn’t notice, but Xie Ci still found out.

His leg was propped on Xie Ci’s thigh, the ice pack alleviating the swelling and stinging pain of the ankle. With two layers of towels, it wasn’t too cold—just right, much like this person, who always made him feel comfortable in unexpected ways.

Gu Yufeng leaned sideways, his back against the wall: "You won’t talk to me, but you’re good at handling my leg."

Xie Ci: "You can still flirt with a hurt foot?"

Gu Yufeng, fishing for conversation: "Do you usually treat their injuries like this? Putting their legs on your lap?"

Xie Ci: "No, their feet stink—it burns my eyes."

Gu Yufeng was amused: "So my feet don’t stink?"

Xie Ci: "Don’t bring it up."

Gu Yufeng: "..."

His phone buzzed. Xie Ci saw it was his father, Xie Qian, and answered it.

"Dad?"

Xie Qian’s voice came through the phone.

"Do you have plans after the game? Should we go back together?"

Xie Ci glanced at Gu Yufeng and replied, "Go ahead, I’ve got some stuff to take care of."

Gu Yufeng noticed his glance and interjected, "I’m fine here, you can go if you have things to do."

Xie Ci ignored him, hung up the phone after speaking.

"It’s just a small injury—no need to make a big deal."

Gu Yufeng said so, but he was in a good mood. "By the way, what did you say I often do midway earlier?"

Xie Ci then remembered his slip of the tongue, almost revealing too much. Seeing Gu Yufeng staring at him, demanding an explanation, he forced out a sentence: "You always slow down halfway through your morning runs."

Gu Yufeng thought to himself, "You reacted quickly," straightening up and leaning closer: "Now that the competition's over, shouldn't you settle the rest of the payment?"

Xie Ci: "..."

Yesterday, it was decided on the spur of the moment to have Gu Yufeng help out, and as payment, he had to flick Xie Ci's forehead twice. He'd already gotten one flick yesterday, which was like a down payment.

Thinking about how hard Gu Yufeng had worked for the competition, Xie Ci resignedly turned his head: "Be gentle."

Gu Yufeng laughed: "Are you actually begging for mercy?"

Xie Ci: "After you flicked me yesterday, my forehead was swollen all night."

Gu Yufeng: "Come on, I only used half my strength."

Xie Ci was stunned: "You actually hit me that hard? I could end up with a concussion."

Gu Yufeng was amused: "It's not like I'm using some superpowered finger move."

Xie Ci urged: "Come on, get it over with."

Gu Yufeng raised his hand to his forehead but didn't flick it. Instead, he traced from his temple to his jawline, his fingertips lightly grazing his earlobe: "Since you put it that way, how could I really flick you? How about we settle this in a gentler way?"

Xie Ci avoided his hand, sensing it wasn't exactly appropriate, and was about to refuse when he heard Gu Yufeng continue: "How about a kiss, and we'll call it even?"

Xie Ci: "..."

Outside, Fang Size came out to find them. With the competition over, they were free to head back.

After this round, everyone was tired and hungry, planning to have a good lunch together.

He spotted Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci in the next room.

Just as he was about to knock and enter, he saw Gu Yufeng lean in and touch Xie Ci's face. Fang Size paused for a moment and quickly took two steps back.

Did they just kiss?!