SSD 19. The First Battle Begins

In the blink of an eye, the day of the match against Shuanglan arrived.

The night before the game, they finalized the player roster. There were ten in total. Captain Fang Ruihan, Zhu Xuyao and Wen Qin from the second year, Xu Fanming and He Jiang from the first year, along with four substitutes and their team manager Pan Yuan.

The next day, all ten of them shared a cab ride to Shuanglan’s gymnasium. Their first game would be played on the road. Xu Fanming had been so nervous the night before that he nearly couldn’t sleep. He ended up running over ten laps on the track in the middle of the night, working up a sweat before showering and finally managing to sleep. The noise from all that commotion nearly got him in trouble with his roommate, who had a strict sleep schedule. For both breakfast and lunch the next day, Xu Fanming made sure to eat well. He had eggs, bread, and cereal, all tasty and nutritious, and stopped when he was about ninety percent full.

With the official start of the opening ceremony, the preliminary ranking matches of this year’s provincial tournament officially began.

The cheerleaders took the stage with a dance performance. The team captains and managers from both sides shook hands and exchanged a few words, and the players from both teams headed into the locker rooms to do their final warmups.

Five minutes before the match, Xu Fanming was pacing around in circles from nerves. He’d barely gone three seconds after sipping some water when a sudden cramp hit his stomach. Clutching his waist, he rushed to the bathroom and didn’t come back for two whole minutes, his face pale as he leaned against the wall for support.

Zhu Xuyao seized the moment to mock him. “Whoa, even Daddy Fan’s got a case of nervous diarrhea?”

Xu Fanming smacked him on the ass. “Get lost!”

But he was still a nervous wreck inside. After how poorly he’d played in the last scrimmage, Xu Fanming was even more on edge now that it was an official match. His entire body felt tense.

Zhu Xuyao tried joking around to loosen him up, but it was no use. His mind was blank, and there was a loud ringing in his ears.

While changing, Xu Fanming happened to glance at himself in the mirror and noticed that his body was finally starting to show some muscle definition. His waist had slimmed down a bit, and his abs were beginning to take shape. All that time he’d spent training in the gym recently was clearly paying off.

So maybe the photos taken during this game would turn out kind of cool?

No, trying to distract himself didn’t work. He was still nervous.

Even he found it embarrassing. To everyone else, this might just be a warm-up match, but to him, it felt overwhelming.

After all, for someone like him, the little tyrant of the street courts, this was the first official game of his life.

He paced back and forth, then looked around at his teammates. Wen Qin, in his black Number 5 jersey, was off to the side stretching with laser focus. Fang Ruihan was adjusting his knee and wrist guards. Pan Yuan was fiddling with her camera. Huh? Something felt off. Someone was missing.

He shouted over his shoulder, “Where is he?!”

“Hm? Who?” Zhu Xuyao responded right away. “Oh, God Jiang? He just stepped out. I saw him on his phone outside.”

What was he doing outside at a time like this? Xu Fanming was still puzzling over it when Zhu Xuyao started teasing him, waggling his brows and saying, “Hey, what’s going on between you and He Jiang lately? He’s only been gone a few minutes, and you’re already getting anxious?”

Xu Fanming raised an eyebrow. “Are you jealous?”

Zhu Xuyao quickly moved to stand beside Pan Yuan and made a childish face at him. “I’m just saying, no one escapes the law of attraction in the end.”

He wasn’t wrong.

After so many free meals and half a month of access to a private gym, Xu Fanming had come to realize that his aversion to He Jiang had already faded quite a bit.

In the end, he came to a simple conclusion. Money really did solve everything.

And the source of that money, He Jiang, just so happened to walk back into the locker room at that moment. He had his phone in hand and a slight frown on his face, clearly preoccupied.

Xu Fanming was just about to speak when He Jiang’s expression eased slightly. He slouched onto a low bench and began casually scrolling through Weibo, looking completely unbothered.

Was this guy seriously playing on his phone right now? The match was about to start, and he still had time to relax like that?

The more he looked, the more irritated Xu Fanming became. He picked up his backpack and began rifling through it, determined to find his finger brace. It was his first real match, and at the very least, he needed to be fully geared up.

After searching for a while, he finally found the brace, but that was when he noticed something else was missing.

“Where’s my wallet?” He shook the bag a few times. “Did anyone see my wallet or my meal card?”

He Jiang tucked his phone away and replied casually, “They’re with me.”

Xu Fanming’s guard instantly went up. “How did they end up with you?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” He Jiang said with an amused expression. “You were the one who gave them to me. You just forgot to take them back.”

Xu Fanming froze for a moment, then remembered. It must have been that time after their gym session when they ran into Wen Qin on the school track. He had gotten the sudden urge to play a few rounds with him and had casually handed those things to He Jiang to hold onto. Thankfully, they hadn’t been lost. Xu Fanming had just opened his mouth to speak when He Jiang cut him off, as if already knowing what he was about to say. He raised an eyebrow and curled one side of his mouth in a smirk.

“If you want them back, come by my place tonight and get them.”

That raised brow and crooked smile made him look like he was just asking for a beating.

Xu Fanming had no intention of playing along. He simply let out a snort from his nose. “Idiot.”

Still, thanks to that annoying center, he actually felt a little less nervous by the time he stepped onto the court.

They walked out of the locker room and entered the arena. As soon as they stepped through the doors, the bright lights beamed down on their faces. It was only the first game, but the stands were already filling up with curious spectators. Not a huge crowd, but enough to bring the atmosphere to life. The arena lights were glaring, lighting up the court in sharp contrast. He Jiang narrowed his eyes slightly and scanned the gym with a complicated look. In the end, the figure he had been expecting was nowhere to be seen. Whether that made him feel relieved or disappointed, he wasn’t quite sure.

Beside him, Xu Fanming cleared his throat and lifted his head, looking across at their opponents.

At first glance, the opposing team seemed nothing out of the ordinary. They wore blue jerseys, and most of the players stood around 178 centimeters tall. But then, two towering figures slowly stepped into view.

Two looming shadows. Identical faces. Identical builds.

Good lord, those twin brothers on the other team were seriously tall.

Their crew cuts were sharp and tidy, their builds tall and solid. One wore the number 13 jersey, power forward Gao Dong. The other wore number 12, small forward Gao Nan. So these were the legendary twin brothers from Shuanlang Team?

Two meters? Two meters and one? With height like that, they could easily go pro. Xu Fanming glanced at He Jiang, then looked back toward the opposing forwards. He Jiang’s height of 1.9 meters was already enough to stand out, but in front of those two, even he seemed to lose some presence.

Xu Fanming swallowed hard. After witnessing the true strength of Shuanlang’s renowned double-forward duo, everyone on their side felt the weight settle a little heavier in their hearts.

He Jiang narrowed his eyes, staring in the direction of the twins. At the moment, they were leaning down to speak with a man in sportswear and a baseball cap, likely their coach. He Jiang turned back toward their own side and suddenly asked, “Is our coach not coming to watch today’s game?”

That reminded Xu Fanming as well. Come to think of it, Qinghuo did have a coach, but ever since he joined the campus team, he had never seen that coach in person, much less training with them or teaching them strategy. The only impression he had of the coach came from overhearing Fang Ruihan on the phone one time, probably handling some team matters. What stood out was that Fang Ruihan seemed to respect the coach quite a bit.

“You mean Coach Qiu?” He Jiang’s question made something flash in Fang Ruihan’s eyes, but the captain remained calm as he replied, “He’s been on a study trip in Shanghai since August. His return date is still uncertain. But as soon as the timing’s right, he’ll be back.”

No wonder Xu Fanming had never seen the coach. He must have left for Shanghai before the semester even started.

At the mention of the coach, Zhu Xuyao and Fang Ruihan exchanged glances, both of their expressions tinged with something complicated. Pan Yuan gave them a reassuring pat on the shoulder and stepped in with a smile, “That’s why, while Coach is away, we need to keep control of the game ourselves. As long as we’re still on the court, we can hold the line.”

Xu Fanming turned to look at Shuanglan. Their players had gathered around their coach, deep in discussion over strategy. For a moment, something twisted in Xu Fanming’s chest. The right time? What even counted as the right time? Never mind regular training, today’s game was such a big deal, yet their coach still hadn’t shown up.

Forget it. If they didn’t have a coach, then they’d just have to rely on themselves.

Just then, Fang Ruihan held out his hand. The rest of the team followed, stacking their hands together in a huddle.

“Qinghuo, let’s go!”

This was their first battle. They had to win.

After the cheer, Xu Fanming took a deep breath. His heart was racing uncontrollably. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept stealing glances at the towering twin forwards across the court. No. 12, Gao Nan, seemed to sense his gaze. He turned his head sharply, shooting Xu Fanming a cutting glare. Xu Fanming froze, then hurriedly looked away in embarrassment.

He Jiang caught the subtle movement and chuckled. “Getting nervous?”

“I’m not,” Xu Fanming retorted, defiant as ever.

“I’ve been dragging you to the gym and feeding you properly these past few days. Don’t let all that effort go to waste.”

You call ice cream and cake proper nutrition? Xu Fanming raised a fist. “Get lost. Stop bothering me.”

He Jiang laughed again, then leaned in slightly and murmured beside his ear, “Fanfan, from this moment on, you better not get distracted.”