Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Tian Ruan hopped onto the stands like a rabbit and dashed to Yu Jingmo’s side, treating him like the sturdiest lightning rod. If he could’ve, he would’ve clung to Yu Jingmo’s leg without hesitation.

A chorus of gasps and cheers spread through the crowd. Under the cover of the princess hat, the two boys who had fallen into each other’s arms were left too stunned to move for a long time.

Xi Qin kicked Yu Shang’s foot, prompting him to jump up in a hurry. The princess hat slipped onto Lu Qiuyan’s flushed cheek, his wide eyes locked on Yu Shang in shock.

Yu Shang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he reached out a hand to him.

Lu Qiuyan acted casual as he took Yu Shang’s hand to pull himself up. After all, it was just a kiss on the forehead—no big deal.

But when he turned his head, Tian Ruan was already gone. Everyone else was staring at them, stunned, and the stands were erupting in chatter.

“Did they kiss?”

“They did, right?”

“Aaaaaah…!”

Lu Qiuyan caught on. Under the cover of the princess hat, everyone seemed to assume he and Yu Shang had kissed on the lips??

“……”

The De Yin basketball team went dead silent. The host’s voice stuttered as he announced, “What a wild and unpredictable moment… Now, the De Yin basketball team will take a one-hour break. Please prepare for the next match between the Affiliated High and Nan Zhong teams.”

From a distance, Tian Ruan watched as Lu Qiuyan and the others headed toward De Yin’s designated rest area. Not daring to approach, he gulped down the tea Principal Li had prepared for Yu Jingmo, playing thirsty.

“Disgusting! A total spectacle!” the Principal of No. 2 Middle School scoffed.

Principal Li smiled. “Boys will be boys.”

“But kissing in public? What kind of place do they think this is?”

Tian Ruan couldn’t hold back. “Excuse me, since when did you see them kiss? They clearly just fell! And here you are, a principal gossiping like this?”

The bald head of the Principal of No. 2 Middle School flushed beet-red with rage. “Whether you’re Mr. Yu’s brother-in-law or not, you’re still a De Yin student. Is this how De Yin students speak to their principal?”

Tian Ruan retorted, “I’m calling out the behavior, not you. I have nothing but respect for Principal Li.”

“You respect her, but not me?”

“Students are people too. Why should I treat you with respect if you don’t show any?”

“……” The Principal of No. 2 Middle School trembled with fury. “You’ve got a mouth on you!”

Tian Ruan sighed. “Took you long enough to sound human. Thanks for the compliment.”

The Principal of No. 2 Middle School looked ready to faint from anger.

Tian Ruan was practically preening, his pride swelling until Yu Jingmo smacked his ass. Startled, Tian Ruan turned to him in a fluster. “Mr. Yu…?”

Yu Jingmo suppressed a chuckle. “Go talk to your teammates. Picking fights with a principal here is straight-up treason.”

When he uttered the word “treason,” his voice was deep yet tender, as if it had been kneaded a hundred times in his chest—words only Tian Ruan could hear. His ears warmed slightly, and with a nod, he scurried off toward the De Yin basketball team.

Yu Jingmo watched him leave, the curve of his lips gradually smoothing into neutrality as he lowered his gaze to sip his tea.

Principal Li laughed. “That child always keeps things interesting.”

Yu Jingmo: "As long as it's not a scare, it's fine."

Tian Ruan jogged back to the basketball team but soon slowed down, moving at a snail's pace.

Wang Weiqi had returned sometime earlier and, sensing the strange atmosphere in the team, went around asking questions. The moment Tian Ruan arrived, Wang eagerly rushed over. "Bro, bro, did the student council president and Lu Qiuyan really kiss?"

Tian Ruan glanced at him. "Be careful spreading rumors—you’ll lose points."

"..."

Wang Weiqi had something to say about point deductions. After that chaotic stampede over a misunderstanding last time, though Wang Weiqi was unharmed, the school later issued official warnings to the students who had recklessly rushed in.

The student council also deducted points from those students—five points each, including Nan Mengyao.

Her perfect-girl image was ruined, and Nan Mengyao ignored Wang Weiqi even more afterward. No matter how hard Wang Weiqi tried to apologize, he couldn’t fix how she saw him.

"...So, is it true or not?" Wang Weiqi stole glances at the composed Yu Shang and the indifferent Lu Qiuyan—the two of them acted like nothing happened.

"No." Tian Ruan wanted to avoid drama. The best approach was to keep Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan apart to prevent things from getting messy too soon.

Wang Weiqi nodded. "I get it."

A secret relationship couldn’t be made public, so that left him with only one option: to contribute to covering up the romance between the student council president and Lu Qiuyan.

Wang Weiqi zipped over to Lu Qiuyan, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "I’ll cover for you."

Lu Qiuyan shook him off and spotted Tian Ruan inching along like a turtle. He crooked a finger. "Come here."

Tian Ruan scurried over, pushing Wang Weiqi away to sit next to Lu Qiuyan, putting on an innocent act.

Wang Weiqi landed on his butt. "..."

Lu Qiuyan crossed his arms and snorted. "You *booked it* over here."

Tian Ruan: "Probably because I’m good at cards."

"?"

"I’m quick in card games too."

Lu Qiuyan wasn’t amused by the bad joke. After a long pause, he asked, "You really didn’t kiss me on purpose?"

"...I swear, I have no weird intentions toward you."

"Good." Lu Qiuyan was relieved. He rarely had such an odd friend like Tian Ruan and didn’t want their friendship to change—though he didn’t need to worry too much, since Tian Ruan was Yu Jingmo’s wife.

If Tian Ruan had any other ideas about him, he’d definitely get his ass kicked by Yu Jingmo when he got home...

The game was heated. Though the Affiliated High had lost one game the day before, the point difference wasn’t large, and they were an underdog with serious momentum under Hai Chao’s leadership. South High, on the other hand, was dominating, making the game evenly matched for once and earning cheers from the stands.

Tian Ruan: "...Looks like we and Second High were just noobs fighting."

Lu Qiuyan slouched back, tilting his chin up. "Don’t you recognize those guys from South High?"

Tian Ruan looked closely and was surprised to see the tall teenagers he’d played basketball with before. "They’re from South High? I thought they were from some sports school."

"South High isn’t far from my place. We ended up becoming friends."

The game was tied up, and by the fourth quarter, the scores were locked, forcing a five-minute overtime.

The match reached its climax in those five minutes, with cheers from the stands rolling like waves—

"Affiliated High, never say die!!"

"South High, South High, hotties who'll slam-dunk ya!!!"

Other schools: "???"

It had to be said, apart from Hai Chao from Affiliated High, every player from South High was tall, long-legged, and good-looking—a whole squad of eye candy.

Tian Ruan said to Lu Qiuyan, "Well, they *are* your fanclub."

Lu Qiuyan: "?"

The referee's whistle blew, signaling the end of the match.

South High's total score: 23. Affiliated High's total score: 22. Unfortunately, they got knocked out of the finals.

Next up was the match between Deyin and South High.

Deyin students chanted their slogan: "Deyin Deyin, take the win!"

Other schools: "Talk about cocky!"

Deyin: "Our breath’s minty fresh, thanks."

"..."

Thus, the impression of rich kids being extra grew even stronger.

The Deyin basketball team remained silent.

Tian Ruan tried to break the tension: "Don’t worry, everyone. With Lu Qiuyan here, we’re sure to win."

Lu Qiuyan: "Not my problem."

Xi Qin pushed his glasses up with a smirk. "I think Tian Ruan’s strategy last game was low-key genius. If we let Hei Dazhuang take out South High’s MVPs, we might just win."

Hei Dazhuang pounded his chest Tarzan-style: "Leave it to me!"

Yu Shang disagreed: "That’s too dirty. It’ll make Deyin look bad."

Xi Qin: "We’re a bottom-tier team anyway. Not knowing the rules is normal."

Yu Shang: "I don’t agree."

Xi Qin: "Raise your hand if you agree."

One, two, three hands went up—plus Xi Qin himself, making four.

Yu Shang: "..."

Xi Qin smiled: "Majority rules. Suit up."

Tian Ruan took a deep breath. The book skimped on details for this match against South High, only mentioning that they won in the end. As for how exactly they won, he was flying blind.

After a ten-minute break, the South High players, having downed their sports drinks, strutted onto the court amped up, facing off against Deyin at center court.

"Hey, short stack, we meet again," the tall guys from South High called out Tian Ruan. "No mercy this time."

Tian Ruan wasn't actually short by southern standards—he was the tallest among short folks, and with most people around the protagonist couple being tall, he seemed even smaller in comparison.

"If you think I'm a runt, let's see what happens after the game," Tian Ruan said confidently, proud of his jumping ability.

Nan High recited their lines mechanically: "Lu Qiuyan, we finally get to face you properly in a match."

Lu Qiuyan replied, "I won't go easy on you either."

"With just you alone, it won't be enough."

"My teammates may mostly be from the Year of the Pig, but a few of them can still surprise you."

"Then let's see."

The referee tossed the ball up and blew the whistle, officially starting the game.

Nan High charged forward with unstoppable momentum, stealing the ball. Their forward charged into the lane, only to find Tian Ruan defending. With a quick leap, he blocked the shot and passed it to Lu Qiuyan in a few swift moves.

Lu Qiuyan dribbled forward—he played like a one-man army—and scored the first point.

The De Yin crowd roared.

Tian Ruan jumped up. "Score!"

But soon after, Nan High sank two consecutive baskets, including a three-pointer.

De Yin students panicked. "De Yin, De Yin, we must win!"

Hei Dazhuang rolled toward Nan High like a blazing cannonball, bowling over one, two, three, four players.

"..."

The referee blew his whistle. "Hei Dazhuang, foul! Foul! Foul!"

The dazed Nan High players staggered to their feet. "What happened? An earthquake?"

Tian Ruan gave Hei Dazhuang a thumbs-up. "Hell yeah, Big Bro Hei!"

Nan High's captain scoffed in anger. "Oh, it's like that?"

In the second quarter, Hei Dazhuang flattened another Nan High player—his fourth foul—and was benched for fouling out, replaced by Wang Weiqi. Wang Weiqi sent flying more Nan High players.

Not to be outdone, Nan High gave as good as they got, flattening De Yin players one after another.

At some point, the basketball lay forgotten on the ground as both sides collided like bumper cars in a demolition derby, neither willing to back down.

Everyone: "......"

Are we playing ball or having a free-for-all?

Tian Ruan was plowed through for the third time, landing right next to the ball—behind the arc.

In a daze, he grabbed the ball, patted it, and tossed it up.

Seeing them still crashing into each other, he tossed it up again.

Swish, swish, swish—he made over twenty trick shots before the quarter ended. The referee blew the whistle.

Quarter score: De Yin: 25 points. Nan High: 1 point.

The crowd: "…………"

Tian Ruan hugged the ball and bounced excitedly: "Oh yeah! Woohoo!"

Nanzhong: "..."

Jesus, stop with the "Oh yeah"—it gives me flashbacks.

With this unexpected score, the remaining two quarters predictably saw De Yin surpass Nanzhong in total points, winning the championship of the four-school league.

Amid the applause of the entire school, Tian Ruan turned to Yu Jingmo and bounced excitedly: "Oh yeah!"

Yu Jingmo smirked faintly: "Yeah, oh yeah."

The crowd: "…………"

What kind of four-school league was this? More like a four-school fest.