SSD 55. First Clash with Kongxin

“Mm… ngh!”

The deserted street echoed faint gusts of wind, rustling through the silence. He Jiang’s kiss was deep, and the wet, slick sound of it rang in Xu Fanming’s ears like a spell. He could feel every shift of He Jiang’s tongue, the way it sucked lightly, then harder, tracing and licking with precision. The temperature spiked. Even his scalp began to tingle.

“No—”

Xu Fanming shoved him away, face flushed bright red with shame and frustration. He Jiang glanced around, cleared his throat, then wrapped an arm around Xu Fanming’s waist and pulled him toward a large, leafy tree off to the side.

“Hey,” Xu Fanming squirmed uncomfortably, “what are you doing?!”

The thick trunk and dense branches made a perfect cover. He Jiang, slightly out of breath, curved his lips into a grin and asked, “After this game, we’ve got a long break ahead. Fanfan, is there anywhere you want to go? I’ll take you.”

With his neck turning red, Xu Fanming slapped a hand over He Jiang’s mouth. “No need!”

He Jiang’s eyes crinkled as he laughed and mumbled something under his breath, but his voice was muffled by the hand pressed to his lips. Xu Fanming frowned. “What did you say?”

He Jiang pulled down his hand, then leaned in and kissed the side of his face. “I said… I want to spend every day with you.”

As he spoke, his mouth began to move lower, trailing kisses down the side of Xu Fanming’s neck. Each kiss was slow and teasing, leaving behind a faint, wet trace. He Jiang listened with satisfaction to the fractured sounds spilling from Xu Fanming’s lips, and when he reached his throat, he suddenly latched on to his Adam’s apple with a sharp suck—hot and ticklish, enough to nearly pull the soul out of Xu Fanming’s body.

Xu Fanming, utterly unequipped for this level of seduction, stood frozen. His brain was wiped blank, and the electric, trembling sensation made him panic. Instinctively, he raised a foot to kick He Jiang. “Stop it, you—don’t kiss me anymore…”

He Jiang smiled.

“Just one more.”

Then he kissed him again.

By the time they made it back to the rental apartment, it was already three thirty.

He Jiang was still fine, but he worried that if Xu Fanming didn’t get enough sleep, he’d end up snoozing until noon and then stumbling into the match straight from lunch.

Thinking about Xu Fanming, He Jiang sat on the couch and looked down at his palm, his mind already drifting back to those lingering, hazy moments.

Just now outside, things had almost gotten out of hand. One kiss after another, and he had nearly crossed the line again. The more He Jiang thought about it, the more his heart surged with heat. He couldn’t help sighing to himself once more—Little Raptor, so tempting and so utterly unaware of it, really was testing the limits of his self-control again and again.

With someone this adorable, he had to be careful. He had to keep Xu Fanming tucked away, properly hidden. When the time came, he’d lure him into bed and eat him clean, not leaving a single scrap behind.

While indulging in indecent fantasies, He Jiang tossed his jacket onto the couch and headed for the fridge, grabbing a bottle of strawberry milk. He was about to wash up and call it a night when, just a few steps in, he spotted a package sitting unopened on the table.

Ah… right.

He Jiang tried to recall and finally pieced it together. That was the parcel he’d received last week, sent from his mom’s office.

Probably the new wallet she’d mentioned. He didn’t think much of it. After finishing the strawberry milk, he casually grabbed a pair of scissors and began opening the package.

Inside was a black leather wallet. From his point of view, it didn’t look all that different from his old one, but since his mom had already gone to the trouble of sending it, he figured he might as well start using it.

He Jiang pulled out his old wallet, took out his cards and cash, and began transferring everything over. While doing that, he also removed the tags from the new one. Just then, a few folded papers slipped out from a hidden compartment in the packaging.

He Jiang glanced at them absently at first, but the moment his eyes landed on the words, his hands froze.

His expression darkened.

The yellowed sheets were medical documents. At the very top, the heading read:

CT Scan Report.

—

The day of the match, one thirty in the afternoon.

The gym was packed. The stands were bursting with spectators, while the players had long since gathered in their respective locker rooms.

As the clock ticked forward, the atmosphere inside the arena swelled with anticipation.

There was no doubt that today’s game would be a clash between giants. The rising dark horse, Qinghuo, would face off against the legendary seeded team, Kongxin. What kind of sparks would fly between these two powerhouses?

The crowd was the largest it had ever been. Every seat was filled, and all eyes were fixed on the court, waiting for the showdown to begin.

“Players, please take the court.”

The broadcast announcement rang out, followed by the steady sound of footsteps echoing through the corridor.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the gymnasium’s glass windows as wave after wave of excitement rippled through the stands. From the two tunnel entrances, two teams began to appear, neat and striking in full uniform. One side wore Qinghuo’s signature black and orange. The other side, Kongxin, entered in bold crimson.

Once both teams had taken their places in their respective zones, the cheerleaders began to enter the court one after another, dancing to hype up the crowd. With only two minutes left before tip-off, both sides were deep in their final warm-ups.

“Kongxin, let’s go!”

“Qinghuo, fight on!”

“He Jiang, He Jiang, unmatched under heaven!”

“Yunyang, Yunyang, fame far and wide!”

Cheers like that rang out from the stands, drifting into the players’ ears and bringing a strange kind of amusement with them.

“Haha,” Zhu Xuyao let out a snort of laughter. “People are doing chants with rhymes now?”

Xu Fanming shrugged. “That’s how people hype it up these days.” Then, with a faint pout, he hugged his waist. “But how come I don’t get a slogan?”

“You’re not exactly our poster boy,” Zhu Xuyao shot back. “If you did have one, it’d probably be something like, ‘Little Fan, Little Fan, temper out of hand—ow!’”

Xu Fanming smacked him without mercy. “Say that again and see what happens!”

Wen Qin chuckled quietly from behind them. “But there really are a lot of spectators today.” He glanced around at the buzzing arena, then suddenly noticed Fang Ruihan standing at the front of the lineup, gripping his water bottle and staring at Kongxin’s bench. His expression was unusually tense.

Right before the game, their normally calm captain had fallen silent. Everyone began slowing their movements, casting glances at one another in quiet unease. They all knew it clearly that this banter was just a way to ease the pressure. The truth was, every single one of them was carrying a mix of nerves and anticipation.

Xu Fanming finished his water, took a deep breath, and slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him stood a row of players in crimson uniforms. Bold numbers and names were printed across their chests. Five starters sat in the front row, some of the faces were vaguely familiar.

At the center of the lineup sat No. 15, Xing Yunyang. A buzz cut, sharp features, and a presence that radiated strength and composure. Xu Fanming pressed his lips together and shifted his gaze slightly to the side.

Next to Xing Yunyang was a boy with clean features and short black hair. He wore jersey No. 5, his skin naturally fair, and there was a gentle smile on his face. He sat quietly at the edge of the row. Xu Fanming recognized him instantly.

“Mm,” He Jiang’s eyes landed on the same person. “Yuan Dan.”

So Yuan Dan, just a first-year, was already starting for Kongxin. While Xu Fanming was still processing that, the boy in red suddenly turned his head, and his gaze locked in this direction.

Xu Fanming froze, but then quickly realized the other boy wasn’t looking at him.

He was looking at He Jiang, standing just behind.

At that moment, He Jiang also noticed Yuan Dan. The two of them held each other’s gaze for a few seconds, then exchanged a subtle smile. The mood between them softened.

“Hey,” Xu Fanming suddenly spoke up, not even sure why himself, “what were you two just doing?”

He Jiang looked back and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Then what was that,” Xu Fanming exaggerated a squint and mimicked their expression, “little head nod, little eyebrow twitch—what was that supposed to mean?”

He Jiang blinked innocently. “Just saying hi.”

Then he added, “Might also be making dinner plans with an old friend after the game.”

“Dinner?”

Before Xu Fanming could say more, He Jiang pointed ahead and cut him off. “Fanfan, look—see those two over there?”

Xu Fanming followed his gesture and spotted two unfamiliar players sitting further down the opposing bench.

One wore No. 7, his hair parted down the middle, revealing a broad forehead. The other wore No. 13 and had a pair of striking, bright eyes. Both of them had neutral expressions, their emotions unreadable.

“That’s their small forward and shooting guard,” Fang Ruihan explained from beside them.

Xu Fanming nodded vaguely. So this was Kongxin—the team everyone had been talking about. Bit by bit, his eyes lit up. Today, they were finally meeting face to face on the court.

Suddenly, his whole body froze. A sharp breath hissed through his teeth.

“The, the—”

Zhu Xuyao, noticing something off, leaned over with a frown. “What’s wrong, Fan Dad?”

He followed Xu Fanming’s stunned gaze, and saw it.

At the very front of Kongxin’s bench stood a tall man with long hair. His blinding blond ponytail was tied into a tight knot, with loose strands trailing in the breeze. The neckline, the build, even the way he stood, there was no mistaking it.

“Ah,” Zhu Xuyao murmured in realization. “That’s Kongxin’s captain. Tan Ren.”

“What?!” Xu Fanming’s eyes widened in disbelief. “He—he’s not a server?!”

“Huh?” Zhu Xuyao scratched his head. “He worked in a restaurant?”

Xu Fanming was dumbfounded. “Yeah! He was the one at that place we went to eat! And the guy who delivered the crayfish… that was him too!”

“You mean that time we went out for food after buying shoes?” Zhu Xuyao blinked. “Why didn’t I see him?”

“Because you were in the bathroom, idiot!”

“Ohh~” Zhu Xuyao slowly recalled it, then burst out laughing at Xu Fanming’s stunned expression. “So you two already met ahead of time. What a surprise, huh? Feeling lucky?”

“But, but—”

Before Xu Fanming could get the words out, Zhu Xuyao gave him a light smack. “What, you think people aren’t allowed to work part-time jobs?”

It wasn’t that he had a problem with people doing part-time jobs. It was just that this guy had once delivered Xu Fanming a fruit bowl with such polite, friendly service that Xu Fanming had actually come away with a good impression of him. But now that the apron was off, the jersey was on, and the man was standing on the court as a player, everything suddenly felt strange. They were opponents now.

Wait. He had even added him on WeChat. Shit. He had added Kongxin’s team captain on WeChat ahead of time!

Xu Fanming was still tangled up in his thoughts when, all of a sudden, the entire opposing bench stood up in unison. The sudden motion startled him again, and he froze, not knowing what to say.

“Mm…” Wen Qin, beside him, clenched his fists. His fingers tightened around the wristband. “They’re so tall…”

None of the Kongxin players were under 180 centimeters. Xing Yunyang stood well over 190, and their captain, Tan Ren, had easily cleared the two-meter mark.

A row of perfectly aligned heads.

All of them stood motionless, yet the sheer pressure they gave off was like a storm gathering at sea. Not a single word, and still it felt like a tidal wave crashing down.

“One minute until the match begins.”

The announcement echoed across the court as the crowd erupted with shouts and cheers, unable to hold back their anticipation any longer.

Qinghuo’s players huddled together in a circle. Behind them was the roaring arena. In front of them, a pack of predators. Each of them locked eyes with the others and took a deep breath.

“Three, two, one, Qinghuo, fly!”

Just before the game began, Wen Qin made his way over to Pan Yuan. From his pocket, he pulled out the wristband he’d been holding tightly this whole time. The words Chicago Bulls were etched across it.

Pan Yuan blinked, then smiled. “Huh? Isn’t that the captain’s treasure? What’s it doing with you?”

“Mm, he lent it to me.” Wen Qin’s face flushed red. Nervously, he held it out with both hands. “Could you… keep it for me? Just for now? Thank you.”

Pan Yuan laughed and reached out to take it. “Of course, no problem—”

But before she could touch it, a staff member wearing a work badge suddenly rushed past from behind Wen Qin, running toward the hoop in a panic. The impact knocked Wen Qin off balance. His hand slipped, and the wristband went flying.

Wen Qin’s eyes flew open. His heart began to race wildly.

“Huh?” Pan Yuan froze too, eyes scanning in all directions. “Where did it go?”

Wen Qin dropped to a crouch in a panic and started searching frantically. But there was too much clutter on the court, and in the mess of it all, the small wristband was nowhere to be found.

“Wen Qin, hurry up! We’re about to start!”

His teammates were already calling from behind. Wen Qin’s face had gone even paler. Pan Yuan gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. “It’s okay. You go first, I’ll stay and look. Don’t worry.”

“…Okay.”

Wen Qin bit his lip, turned around, and ran toward the team in a rush. But his palms had started to sweat, and his chest tightened with a sharp, restless ache.

Was this… some kind of bad omen?

A wave of unease rose in him, sudden and heavy.