SSD 36. Spectating and an Unexpected Encounter

Later on, He Jiang tried asking Xu Fanming out again, saying the gym had just brought in a new set of equipment and inviting him to try it out. He got rejected, and nearly took a sneaker to the face for his trouble.

He went back with a swollen forehead and an egg pressed against it, thinking that his little raptor really had one hell of a temper.

The next time they met was during a group outing. That day, Yangsheng had a game, and team captain Fang Ruihan called He Jiang to see if he wanted to come watch. When He Jiang got there, Xu Fanming was already present.

He Jiang showed up with bruises all over, and Xu Fanming had a face like thunder. Once again, their squabble made its way through the whole team.

Of course, no one really took it seriously. Everyone was used to their bickering by now. He Jiang and Xu Fanming had been clashing since day one, but their constant arguments had somehow only made their relationship closer.

Whatever was really going on between them, only the two of them knew.

This time, Fang Ruihan, Wen Qin, Zhu Xuyao, Xu Fanming, and He Jiang all came to watch the game.

Watching from the stands was a completely different experience from actually being out on the court. After going through their first official game and notching a victory, the mindset of Qinghuo’s players had also changed.

The five of them sat in the spectator stands. The game was still in its pre-show phase. The cheerleaders were performing their opening routine, and both teams were warming up at the far end of the court. Xu Fanming sat next to Zhu Xuyao, who noticed how tense he looked and joked with a grin, “Fan-dad, you’re not even playing today. Why are you acting like you’re about to mess up a dribble?”

The jab hit its mark. Xu Fanming flushed a little and snapped back, unwilling to concede, “That kind of thing will never happen again. Your daddy’s dribbling game is top-tier, always has been!”

Seeing that familiar Xu Fanming was finally back, Fang Ruihan smiled faintly and looked toward the court. “Today’s opponent for Yangsheng hasn’t been anything special in past years. There probably won’t be much suspense in this game.”

Fang Ruihan turned to Wen Qin beside him and asked, “You watched us play that practice match against Yangsheng last time. Did you take anything away from it?” Wen Qin played the same position as Yangsheng’s No. 9—Tian Yi, their devilish defender. Maybe Tian Yi’s performance back then had sparked some new ideas for him.

Wen Qin pressed his lips together and hesitated before speaking. “Defense, drives, layups… that No. 9 is strong in every area. But we’re not bad either.”

Fang Ruihan nodded, and the memory of that practice match came back to him.

They had lost that game by just one point.

At the opening tip-off, Yangsheng gained possession. Right away, their No. 9 guard revealed his full skill set. With explosive jumping ability, sharp reflexes, and unwavering confidence, he tore through Qinghuo’s defense. He even startled Zhu Xuyao, who ended up missing a crucial scoring chance.

Later, He Jiang hit a beautiful three-pointer to break the deadlock, but Tian Yi quickly led his teammates to catch up. That pressure threw Xu Fanming off his rhythm. He hesitated with the ball in his hands and was blown dead by the referee.

With Tian Yi on the court, Yangsheng was a worthy opponent.

Nearly half a month had passed since that practice game. No one knew how much Yangsheng might have improved in that time. Fang Ruihan fixed his gaze on the court, staring at the player in the white No. 9 jersey.

His hunch was correct. This match left no room for surprises.

Tian Yi claimed the opening tip-off once again. It was as if his palm had a magnet in it, drawing the ball straight into his hand. From there, Yangsheng steadily found their rhythm and began pulling ahead with absolute control.

By the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard showed 34 to 23. Yangsheng had the lead.

The five of them had already witnessed Yangsheng’s strength before, so they remained calm. It was exactly what they had anticipated.

But as the second quarter began, everyone started to sense that something was off.

“Senior,” Wen Qin said softly, “it feels like the other Yangsheng players are passing to No. 9 a lot less…”

The group glanced at each other in confusion, but Wen Qin’s comment had clearly struck a chord, and it lit something up in Fang Ruihan’s mind.

“In other words,” Fang Ruihan began to reason, “maybe Yangsheng is trying to raise the overall level of the team, instead of continuing to rely on a system that revolves around No. 9.”

During their last practice game, it had been obvious to everyone just how central Tian Yi was to Yangsheng’s entire strategy. Every time a teammate touched the ball, their first instinct had been to pass it to him. But in this match, the number of passes going to Tian Yi had noticeably dropped. Meanwhile, his teammates were gradually racking up more points, and Tian Yi’s share of the scoring was decreasing.

Fang Ruihan glanced over at the Yangsheng bench, where their coach sat upright and stone-faced. A moment later, Xu Fanming said exactly what he was thinking.

“It’s the coach’s idea.”

Zhu Xuyao nodded. “Makes sense. Relying too heavily on one core player isn’t a good thing anyway.”

Right then, the second quarter of the game entered its most intense phase. Tian Yi had the ball in his hands. Two defenders rushed to cut him off, but he didn’t even flinch. With complete control, he drove straight into the paint, sliced through both layers of defense, and went up for a big step layup.

As the ball hit the ground, Tian Yi reached up and brushed back his sweat-drenched bangs. His lips curled into a confident grin, revealing sharp little canine teeth.

The sight made Xu Fanming want to punch something.

It was just as irritating as the smug look He Jiang always wore.

And once he thought of He Jiang, Xu Fanming’s mood soured even more. But of course, the other party didn’t seem bothered at all. Right now, he was chatting with the others as if everything were perfectly normal.

Zhu Xuyao and Fang Ruihan were chatting about Yangsheng’s game when they turned to He Jiang for his thoughts. He gave Xu Fanming a glance, so quick it was hard to read then said calmly, “There’s no such thing as a flawless person. Just like there’s no player on the court without a weakness.”

Seeing the relaxed look on He Jiang’s face, and the way he kept sneaking glances over, Xu Fanming suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to knock his head off and march straight to the police station to turn himself in.

During the halftime break, Xu Fanming got thirsty and stood up to buy a drink from the vending machine outside. The moment He Jiang saw him leave, he got up and followed.

After scanning the code, a bottle of ice-cold Coke dropped from the machine. Xu Fanming had just bent down to pick it up when another hand reached in and grabbed it first. He froze, then looked up. It was the exact person who kept making him fantasize about committing a felony.

“Give it back!”

Xu Fanming reached out to snatch it back, but He Jiang caught him by the back of the hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a light kiss against his skin. For a moment, Xu Fanming stood frozen. He was stunned by He Jiang’s shamelessness and flustered enough to dart his eyes around, afraid someone might be passing by. He jerked his hand back and stumbled a few steps away.

“D-don’t touch me. I’m warning you.”

He Jiang looked at the way he had gone into full alert and chuckled, then twisted the cap off the Coke and took a sip. He muttered to himself, “Mm, pretty sweet.”

That line definitely carried a double meaning. Xu Fanming bit down on his lip, mortified to the point it felt like his heart might explode.

“You are so—” He fumbled for a fitting insult but came up empty. In the end, all he could manage was a sputtered, “Shameless? Do you act like this with everyone?”

He Jiang said firmly, “I only act this way with you.”

Xu Fanming froze. “Why?”

He Jiang answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because you’re Xu Fanming.”

Xu Fanming’s face turned red, and after a long pause, all he could squeeze out through clenched teeth was a single curse. “Fuck.” He Jiang’s honesty left him completely at a loss for words.

Seeing that Xu Fanming was still standing there, He Jiang walked over to the vending machine and bought a bottle of strawberry milk. He held it out and said, “Cut back on the soda. Try this.”

Xu Fanming took another step back. “…I don’t want it. Give me back my Coke.”

He didn’t reach out to take the milk. But He Jiang had clearly made up his mind. He wanted him to try it no matter what. The two of them ended up bickering like children, pushing and tugging at each other over the bottle. He Jiang kept shoving the milk toward Xu Fanming’s chest, and Xu Fanming scratched at him blindly in return. They messed around like that for a while, neither holding back, until suddenly, the opened Coke bottle was knocked loose.

It hissed and sprayed, the fizzy liquid splashing all over the ground, and right onto the shoes of a passerby.

“…”

“…”

He Jiang pointed straight at Xu Fanming and threw him under the bus. “He pushed me. I’m innocent.”

Xu Fanming: “??!@#%￥”

The poor guy whose shoes had just been soaked crouched down at once, clutching them like his heart was breaking.
“…”

Xu Fanming took one look and felt his chest tighten. The guy was wearing a pair of Yeezy 500s, a limited drop. Retail alone ran several thousand.

Then the man stood up, and Xu Fanming’s heart skipped a beat. He was tall enough to match He Jiang in height, the two of them standing nearly level.

The man’s features were sharp and deeply defined, with a strong bone structure that gave him the look of someone with mixed Western heritage. It only added to the force of his presence. He narrowed his eyes, his stern gaze fixed squarely on Xu Fanming. A chill crept down Xu Fanming’s spine. All he could think was that if he had a second chance, he would have smashed that bastard He Jiang’s mouth in before he had the chance to throw him under the bus.

Just then, He Jiang seemed to finally pick up on the intense waves of resentment radiating off Xu Fanming. In a rare move to preserve his own safety, he stepped forward and blocked the man’s view, offering a polite apology. “Sorry about your shoes. I’ll cover the cleaning.”

The man’s lips remained pressed in a tight line as his intimidating gaze shifted toward He Jiang. After a few seconds of silence, the tension eased slightly. “Alright.”

“I’m He Jiang from X University.” He Jiang pulled a red bill from his wallet and handed it over as he introduced himself. “If anything comes up later, you can reach out to me.”

The man’s expression finally softened. His face remained blank, but there was a visible shift in the lines of his brows and eyes.

Just a few seconds later, however, his brows furrowed again.

“X University?” he repeated with a frown. “You’re… He Jiang from the Qinghuo team?”

He Jiang looked at him, puzzled, then gave a small nod. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The man paused for a moment before his lips lifted into a faint, unreadable smile.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Yuan Dan. Nice to finally meet you in person.” He looked directly at He Jiang and extended a hand. “I’m Xing Yunyang from Tech’s Kongxin Team. Hello, He Jiang.”

Kongxin Team. The name hit both He Jiang and Xu Fanming like a jolt. They stood frozen on the spot.