SSD 44. Hot Pot

At the end of the game, the players from both teams took group photos and recorded the final scores.

As the gym gradually cleared out, Tian Yi remained where he was, standing alone and facing the basket, lost in thought. A few teammates considered walking over to comfort him, but in the end, the coach stopped them.

Later on, even after the coach had left by car and the rest of the players had changed out of their jerseys in the locker room, Captain Tian Yi was still standing there, distracted, staring at the hoop. It was hard to tell if he was reflecting on the match or running through it all in his head.

That was when Fang Ruihan and He Jiang walked over. They had already changed out of their jerseys. The gleam they carried on the court had faded, and now both of them looked softer, more grounded.

Fang Ruihan took the initiative and held out his hand with a smile. “I hope you enjoyed the game.”

Tian Yi stared at that hand for a few seconds. Only after a pause did he raise his own and clasp it.

They shook hands twice. Then Tian Yi slowly smiled. “After today’s game, I’ve got no complaints.”

Fang Ruihan looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. In that instant, a sense of unspoken mutual respect passed between them. That handshake between two captains, on opposite sides of the court, became a bridge connecting both teams.

Fang Ruihan smiled again. Tian Yi turned to He Jiang, studying him for a long moment. Finally, as if he had pushed past something in his heart, he let out a long breath. He looked He Jiang straight in the eye, lowered his head slightly, and said sincerely, “Today, I’m taking back what I said to you.”

He Jiang raised an eyebrow.

“Qinghuo isn’t what I imagined. Every one of you has a lot of potential.”

Fang Ruihan smiled and gave Tian Yi’s shoulder a firm pat. “You’re a great player too. It’s a kind of luck to face an opponent like you.”

Tian Yi lowered his head for a moment, then looked up again. The corner of his mouth tugged upward, revealing that familiar little fang.

“I should say the same to you. I’ve been thinking… maybe it’s time I started making some changes.”

As he spoke, Tian Yi raised his hand and pointed toward Xu Fanming, who had just come out of the locker room in casual clothes. He smiled and said to the two of them, “Your No. 6 is pretty good. There were a few moments he actually startled me.”

He Jiang nodded in agreement. “You’ll get used to it.”

Fang Ruihan let out a chuckle. He turned to glance at the rest of the Yangsheng players, then threw an arm around Tian Yi’s shoulders and grinned. “In that case, to celebrate the end of a great match, how about a joint team dinner?”

With one win and one loss, Qinghuo and Yangsheng had become like two well-matched brothers. As the games had gone on, so had their camaraderie grown.

“I’m in!” Zhu Xuyao was the first to respond, and voices of agreement quickly followed from the Yangsheng side.

“Sounds good,” Tian Yi smiled, eyes narrowing in amusement. “Let’s go together.”

Night had fully fallen, and the breeze was gentle.

At the hot pot restaurant, which was packed for the dinner rush, the waitstaff bustled around with chopsticks and bowls, the rising steam thick with the scent of food. The warmth filled the air and turned every face at the table rosy.

More than ten people were seated around a large table, with the two team managers squeezed into the center. The two girls exchanged a glance and smiled, and just like that, the whole table burst into lively chatter.

When Xu Fanming got up to pour buckwheat tea for everyone, Zhu Xuyao took the opportunity to shamelessly pile a full spoon of fatty beef into Pan Yuan’s bowl. To show off his gentlemanly flair, he even added a bite for the other manager sitting beside her.

“Yuan Yuan, try this. It’s cooked just right. Not too raw, not too done.”

After taking a bite, the Yangsheng team manager sighed and shook her head. “Hmm? It tastes a little overcooked to me. Ugh, I don’t think this fatty beef is all that good.”

Pan Yuan blinked, cleared her throat lightly, then popped the beef into her mouth. She chewed twice, swallowed, and smiled at her. “Really? I think it’s pretty good.”

Zhu Xuyao’s face instantly flushed red. Damn, who could resist that? His Yuan Yuan was totally standing up for him.

Even a few of the Yangsheng players nearby seemed to catch on and started teasing him with knowing grins.

“Oooh~ our hero’s no match for a beauty’s gaze!”

Zhu Xuyao was still fumbling for words, all flustered, when Xu Fanming walked over with the teapot and smacked him hard on the head.

Zhu Xuyao shot him a glare. Xu Fanming just scoffed, “If that fatty beef’s so amazing, how about sharing a few bites with your dad here?”

Zhu Xuyao tugged at the hood of Xu Fanming’s sweatshirt, dragging him away from Pan Yuan’s plate. “Get lost. You’re just the tea boy. What the hell are you eating for?”

“Look at you, grinning so wide your jaw’s about to fall off.”

“I’m drunk on love, thank you very much. A willing captive to romance!” Zhu Xuyao swung a hand toward Xu Fanming’s head, but when he made contact, he turned the motion into a gentle pat and switched to a beaming smile. “Tch. Fine, your performance today wasn’t bad. I’ll be generous and reward you with a slice of fatty beef. Come on, Fanming, open up.”

Xu Fanming opened his mouth, and Zhu Xuyao fed him a slice of beef with his chopsticks.

He chewed a few times, then made a face. “It’s overcooked. Tough as hell.”

“Still picky, huh!” Zhu Xuyao’s face turned even redder as he smacked him. “Get out of here, you brat!”

Xu Fanming dodged with a little shoulder roll and strolled off humming to himself while the whole table erupted in laughter.

The meal was rowdy and cheerful. Toward the end, Fang Ruihan even asked the waiter for a plate of egg fried rice and half a crate of beer. The beer was for the fun of it. The egg fried rice was to help Wen Qin settle his stomach.

“You must be exhausted after today’s game, huh?” Fang Ruihan smiled as he pushed the fragrant egg fried rice toward Wen Qin. “Just eating hot pot isn’t good for your stomach, and it doesn’t really fill you up. Have some of this. It’ll help.”

Wen Qin’s cheeks flushed red. So the senior had noticed. In the second half of the match, he had burned through his stamina too quickly. Compared to the others, he had clearly been struggling. After the game ended, he could barely walk straight, completely light-headed from exhaustion.

He couldn’t afford to keep dragging the team down like that.

He Jiang watched as Fang Ruihan ordered a bowl of egg fried rice just for Wen Qin, then turned to glance at Xu Fanming, who was currently struggling to figure out how long to cook tripe in the hot pot.

A sudden urge struck him. He leaned in close and asked, “You want some egg fried rice?”

Xu Fanming didn’t even look up. He was focused on the piece of tripe he had just fished out of the pot. After chewing for a while, he frowned. It was tough and rubbery, completely overcooked.

He Jiang let out a quiet sigh. “Useless hands… Here, let me.”

He picked up a piece of tripe with his chopsticks and dipped it into the spicy broth. As he held it in the bubbling red oil, he started giving step-by-step instructions. “Like this. Once it’s in, count in your head. He. Jiang. Is. The. Hottest. Of. Them. All. Do that five or six times, and it’s ready. Here, try it.”

Xu Fanming opened his mouth to curse at him, but before he could say a word, He Jiang stuffed the steaming tripe, coated in dipping sauce right into his mouth.

He chewed slowly. The texture was crisp, the flavor just spicy enough, and the doneness was spot on. It was surprisingly good.

He paused for a second, then decided to let it go. He could overlook a little nonsense in exchange for good food. Without saying anything, he swallowed both the tripe and whatever he had been about to complain about. Then he reached out with his chopsticks again, aiming straight for the plate of tripe in front of him.

Just then, Fang Ruihan and Tian Yi stood up together, raising their beer glasses to lead the whole group in a toast.

Fang Ruihan was the first to speak, smiling as he said, “It’s been a real thrill getting to compete with Yangsheng. These two games brought both surprises and regrets, but I believe the future will be even better. Whether it’s the upcoming rankings or the playoffs, let’s all give it our best.”

The atmosphere was cheerful, and Tian Yi was in good spirits. He clinked glasses with everyone and nodded with a smile. “We’ve all known each other for a while now. I hope we’ll keep making progress, no matter where the road takes us.”

The drinks flowed freely, and as the warmth spread through their bodies, so did the ease in their words.

“After these two matches…” Tian Yi’s cheeks had flushed red. He looked like he was starting to feel the alcohol. Then, suddenly, he turned toward He Jiang and said, “Your number ten left the strongest impression on me. If I’m not mistaken, that’s He Jiang, the MVP from the middle school circuit?”

All at once, a dozen pairs of eyes turned to stare at He Jiang. He gave a small, awkward cough and nodded casually. “Yeah.”

A collective gasp followed.

“I played in regional tournaments back in high school too,” Tian Yi raised an eyebrow and gave He Jiang a small smile, “so I kept an eye on a lot of competitions around the country. I remember hearing about you back then.”

He Jiang gave another quiet nod, then after a short pause added, “But if Fanming hadn’t hit that three at the end, the result today might have been different.”

Everyone turned to look at Xu Fanming. His face flushed bright red, but he kept his expression steady and quietly picked up another piece of tripe to eat.

Fang Ruihan chuckled and added, “Fanming really was in great form today.”

“Oh,” Tian Yi nodded and glanced at Xu Fanming. He smiled and said, “Number 6, I remember you too. You seemed a little nervous during our last practice match, didn’t you?”

Xu Fanming bit down lightly on his chopsticks. He lifted his eyes and gave a muffled, “Yeah.”

“But in today’s game, I could tell you’ve started to loosen up.”

Xu Fanming met his gaze. There was no mockery or sarcasm in Tian Yi’s face, only the genuine respect and sincerity that came from one opponent acknowledging another. Xu Fanming hesitated for a moment, then slowly set his chopsticks down.

“This year… this is actually my first time playing in an official game.”

Tian Yi put his glass down too and raised an eyebrow as he looked at him.

“I used to play streetball. I once thought about going pro, but for various reasons, that didn’t work out.” Xu Fanming spoke seriously. “Even so, I never gave up on the idea. This year’s competition means a lot to me. Maybe that’s exactly why I was too eager to prove myself… and ended up forcing things. Those first two games were exhausting.”

He Jiang’s eyes flickered slightly. He looked at Xu Fanming, and his gaze slowly deepened.

“But now, I won’t make that mistake again.” Xu Fanming raised his head. His eyes were clear and steady, and a bright, open smile had begun to form. “If I want to play professionally and step onto a bigger stage, then I need to become stronger. There’s still a lot I have to learn, and I’m ready for it.”

No one said anything for a while. It was as if all of them had been drawn into their own thoughts. Maybe Xu Fanming’s words had stirred something. Memories, hopes, regrets. Hot-blooded moments, or ones they had tried to forget.

For a long time, the only thing left drifting in the air was the rising steam from the hot pot.