Turmoil on the Court

"Handsome, why are you ignoring me?" Mu Yousen continued to send messages to Chen Zhixuan. Chen Zhixuan remained convinced that this person was just trying to prank him. Meanwhile, he felt a twinge of disappointment that Cheng Yuxin hadn't been in touch lately.

"Xiao Xuan, let's go play basketball in a bit; we don't have classes this afternoon," Chen Feng said, coming over to invite him. "Sure, it's been a while. I'll have to crush you guys, hahahaha." Back in high school, Chen Zhixuan was something of a local court legend in Yucheng; his three-point shot was truly something to be reckoned with. "Don't brag so much. I could shut you down on my own," Chen Feng retorted, refusing to back down. "Then stop flapping your gums and let's see what you've got on the court."

When they arrived at the court, Chen Zhixuan and his group found an open spot and began warming up. Chen Zhixuan grabbed the ball, executed a between-the-legs dribble, stepped back, and launched a shot from beyond the three-point line. The ball sailed through the net with a clean swish. "Whoa, you're for real? Looks like you've got some skills." Seeing the fluid motion, Chen Feng realized Chen Zhixuan was a serious player. He passed the ball back, saying, "Go again, let's see if that was just luck." Chen Zhixuan didn't stand on ceremony; he caught the ball, spun, and nailed a fadeaway jumper. "Nice shot! Great shot!" the others on the court cheered. "Damn, you're good. I guess you really will crush me. I'm convinced." Chen Feng was clearly impressed, as he couldn't replicate those moves or that level of accuracy.

"Let's play four-on-four, and we can form a new group if more people show up." They began splitting into teams, and Chen Zhixuan and Chen Feng ended up on the same side. At first, everyone was playing casually, just having fun. After a while, a group came over to challenge them. Chen Feng whispered to Chen Zhixuan, "These guys are from the Media school. Buddy, play seriously; we can't lose to the 'sissy squad'." Because the Media department had many girls and few boys, Chen Feng liked to tease them with that nickname. "We'll see if they can take the heat. I've got this."

Chen Zhixuan won the first game quickly. Now it was the Media team's turn. The person guarding him was about 190cm tall and wore glasses. Chen Zhixuan had always hated people who wore glasses on the court. In his words, "Can't you get sports goggles or contacts? Once the physical contact starts, aren't you worried about breaking them?" Chen Zhixuan stood 185cm tall and weighed 80kg, possessing one of the best physiques among the casual players. He wasn't afraid of physical play, having spent every day on the courts in the past.

After one exchange, Chen Zhixuan realized they were actually quite skilled, with good coordination, flexible movement, and aggressive defense. Still, in his eyes, they were lacking. Chen Zhixuan used a screen to roll toward the basket, used a pump fake to deceive two defenders, and easily banked the ball in. It had to be said, Chen Zhixuan was a cut above.

"Xiao Xin, look, aren't those the guys from our class? They're playing basketball. Let's go watch for a bit." Xiao Ma loved watching the boys play, ever since middle school. She grabbed Xiao Xin and Xiao Si and they hurried over. Upon closer inspection, she noticed someone familiar. "Hey, isn't that Xiao Xuan? What a coincidence! Look, Xiao Xin!" When Cheng Yuxin heard it was Chen Zhixuan, she became interested. She wanted to see what this boy, who had been causing her so much internal conflict, looked like on the court.

Chen Zhixuan hadn't noticed them yet, still lost in the game. It wasn't until Chen Feng was inbounding the ball that he spotted the girls and whispered to Chen Zhixuan. Only then did Chen Zhixuan notice Cheng Yuxin sitting on the sidelines. The presence of girls seemed to grant him supernatural power, acting like a buff. Suddenly, Chen Zhixuan intercepted a pass and retreated behind the three-point line. Chen Feng, sensing the moment, signaled for everyone to clear out and give Chen Zhixuan a chance to play one-on-one. Chen Zhixuan dribbled between his legs, lowered his center of gravity, and feinted a move to the right. He then pulled the ball back between his legs and drove hard to the left. The defender, realizing he'd been beaten, called for help. Two large players, both nearly 2 meters tall, closed in for a double-team. Chen Zhixuan seemed to have anticipated their move. He could have passed to Chen Feng, who was wide open in the corner, but knowing Cheng Yuxin was watching, he took a step, adjusted his angle, and chose to drive straight through the contact. He bent his knees, took a deep breath, and launched himself like a spring. He slammed the ball home over both defenders with immense power, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Chen Zhixuan hung on the rim for a second, and the court erupted. "Damn, a poster dunk! How is this guy so strong?" Even the people on the neighboring courts couldn't help but cheer. Chen Zhixuan let go, landed, acted as if nothing had happened, and walked to the sideline to grab some water. "Next group," he said.

"My god, Xiao Xuan looks so cool playing! That was explosive, he even dunked!" Xiao Ma was going crazy. Cheng Yuxin felt a surge of excitement, too: "I didn't expect him to be so impressive on the court."

After playing for over two hours without losing a single game, Chen Zhixuan walked off the court, drenched in sweat. Suddenly, a bottle of water appeared in front of him. "Have some water. You guys were playing so intensely." Chen Zhixuan looked up to see Cheng Yuxin, her face flushed, one hand behind her back and the other holding the water. He was stunned. "Thanks. What brings you to the court?" His tone was the complete opposite of his dominant presence on the court—soft and low. This made Chen Feng, who was standing nearby, cringe.

"Isn't that Cheng Yuxin? Why is she bringing him water?" It was one of the Media students who spoke. "Brother Jian, aren't you chasing her? Can you take that?" his friends teased the guy who had been defending Chen Zhixuan. It turned out this "Brother Jian" was a classmate of Cheng Yuxin's who had been pestering her since the first day of school to express his feelings, which she had consistently ignored.

Unable to stand seeing the girl he liked bring water to another guy, he stood up and walked over to Chen Zhixuan. "Hey, buddy, want to play one-on-one?" Chen Zhixuan, seeing the challenge, thought to himself, "I used to be the king of one-on-one. If you want to hand over a victory, I'll gladly take it." "Sure, let's play to six, winner gets the ball," Chen Zhixuan said confidently. As he stood up, Cheng Yuxin whispered, "Good luck, win it."