When the fight for the ball began, Peter lost to Montenegro. The ball was passed to Carlo. In the face of Ewing’s defense, he smiled and was just about to break past with a very natural fake when he found himself empty handed, Ewing had unexpectedly intercepted the ball.
“□□!” Ewing was already far away.
Carlo quickly overtook him but he had still been stunned. The number of times Ewing actively tried to intercept the ball in the league wasn’t few but the number of times he really succeeded wasn’t many either and the way he had naturally matched the opponent’s rhythm to steal the ball like just now was even fewer!
Ewing passed the ball to Nie Chuan who then overtook two opponents before coming face to face with Reece.
Nie Chuan passed to Peter then moved to the side to block in front of Reece in an attempt to shield Peter from Reece’s attack.
However, Montenegro and another player surrounded Peter.
“Peter!”
Zack hurried over, everyone thought Peter would pass the ball to Zack for a layup but unexpectedly he passed the ball behind him to Ewing.
Outside the three point line, Ewing was on the verge of jumping. However, just when Carlo was about to block the shot, Ewing retracted the ball and pushed to the other side before quickly taking off for a jump shot!
Carlo was stunned. Ewing had already shot. After scoring, he looked toward Carlo and mouthed: Idiot.
Carlo pulled his collar as he stared at Ewing, his expression gradually turning cold.
“Hey, Ewing’s like a different person.”
“This is also good,” Reece replied faintly.
“Alright, you suppress Nie Chuan, give Ewing to me,” Carlo flexed his wrists.
In the next round of offense, when Ewing once again received a pass from Nie Chuan, Carlo came to face him.
There was a fire in his eyes that seemed to want to make Ewing evaporate.
“Bring it, baby!”
“Next time you call me ‘baby,’ I’ll smash your head in!” Ewing said coldly.
Even though he wasn’t able to control his speed as easily as Nie Chuan, his between the leg and behind the back dribbles had become more natural.
Carlo’s nerves were stretched taut. Whether Ewing was trying to cut left or right, he was firmly defended against.
Ewing could only turn to the side only for the ball to instantly get intercepted by Reece.
“Damn it——” Ewing chased after him as he shouted, “Allen! Stop him! Stop him!”
After watching Reece bypass three consecutive people and press towards the basket with an imposing momentum, Nie Chuan finally chased after him. In that moment he extended his arm as if to shoot, Peter jumped. Sure enough, it was a fake. Reece withdrew the ball but the second time he extended his arms, Nie Chuan jumped.
He gritted his teeth, the height of his jump made everyone wide-eyed.
Stop him! Stop him! Ewing shouted in his heart.
Carlo was also dazed: No way, was Reece going to get blocked by Allen?
But Reece still forced the ball into the basket.
Nie Chuan fell backward and landed on the ground.
“Fuck——” His tail bone almost broke.
When Reece landed, he looked at Nie Chuan and said indifferently, “That’s the reason why you have exercises for strengthening your waist, abdomen, and back. Your jump has height but it lacks strength.”
Finished speaking, Reece turned and left.
Carlo patted his chest and he ran until he was side by side with Reece. “Hey, you almost scared me to death just now! I thought you were going to get blocked by Allen!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Pr atlr rbwfatlcu atja’r lwqbrrlyif?” Effmf jrxfv.
Jjgib mtbxfv.
Lf aegcfv ab ibbx ja Rlf Jtejc ktb kjr uglwjmlcu ktlif geyylcu tlr yftlcv jcv revvfcis gfjilhfv rbwfatlcu. “P rjs, Effmf…… tbk mbwf la offir ilxf Ciifc uba ajiifg jujlc? Coafg atf wjamt olclrtfr, ifa’r ufa j ubbv wfjregf!”
The practice match that was in full swing had already attracted many people’s attention.
Lily and Celine had come and were watching the fast-moving players from the side of the court. Lily held her head and said indignantly, “That Carlo! He organized a practice match and didn’t even tell us!”
Celine’s eyes subconsciously followed Reece.
Ever since last time when she tried to kiss Reece, she knew that her and Reece were absolutely impossible. She also didn’t know how she came to have such a thought, as if she was punishing Reece. She had wanted Nie Chuan to see that kiss so that he would get angry at Reece. But even if Nie Chuan got angry, what of it? As long as Reece remains persistent, she has no room to intervene.
As Nie Chuan’s passes became more and more agile, his judgement on the situation of everyone on the court gave Carlo a massive headache.
Carlo had once asked Nie Chuan, how are you able to judge everyone’s positions so accurately?
Nie Chuan’s reply had made Carlo dumbfounded: Just go play EA Sports some more and simulate NBA Live!
Afterwards, Carlo really did play but he was never able to pass the sixth level even after two weeks while Nie Chuan was able to clear customs while singing cheerfully the entire way.
Even though Peter and Zack had strength as teammates, there was a certain disparity between them and Carlo and the others. However, Nie Chuan had made a lot of time through bypassing opposing players to reach his teammates. Even if they were behind the other team, they still maintained a single digit difference.
Finally, Reece personally defended Nie Chuan one-on-one. He stood in front of Nie Chuan coldly, like an immovable mountain.
“Oh, Allen is really getting better and better.” Lily let out a sigh.
Celine chuckled. “Maybe it’s because Reece came to defend against him personally?”
It’s because you don’t know what kind of feelings Reece has for Nie Chuan.
“Hey Celine, don't twist the facts. I don’t know why you joined my cheerleading team but if it’s just to chase a man then my advice to you is that if you want to get that man’s attention, you have to first understand what he loves. For example, basketball.”
“Huh? Why are you saying that all of a sudden?” Celine was a little embarrassed.
“Allen is the point guard of the team, he doesn’t have many opportunities to score. No, it should be said that he has always been the one creating opportunities for his teammates, like that long pass and fast break just now. How high do you think the probability of getting a point with only one pass is? His pass avoided Carlo and passed through two players to reach Peter’s hand. Apart from elaborateness, it’s a question of how many people have the courage to act in the face of a strong enemy.”
Celine was stunned.
At this time, Nie Chuan was marked by Reece while those on his side were also in a disadvantageous position.
He looked over Reece’s shoulder and found Peter under the basket. Even if he didn’t have the advantage against Montenegro, Nie Chuan decided to give it a shot.
In any case, even if they lose, they can’t lose any more miserably!
Nie Chuan retreated with the ball. Reece, who was familiar with him, knew that this was a sign that Nie Chuan was increasing the distance in preparation for a quick cut.
But Nie Chuan didn’t make the cut, instead he took off on the spot.
It wasn’t the three-point line but Nie Chuan’s probability of scoring at this distance had always been very low so Carlo really thought it was a fake.
However, Nie Chuan really took the shot.
The ball went over Reece’s head, and Nie Chuan’s posture in midair was very elegant. Under everyone’s eyes, the basketball fell steadily into the basket.
“That was a beautiful goal,” Lily said with a smile.
Celine admitted that she had been stunned. She never thought Nie Chuan would be able to score off Reece.
“Eh! Allen! You did it! You did it!” Ewing ran over and hugged Nie Chuan by his shoulders.
“Haha, thanks to you for correcting my posture next to me all the time.” Nie Chuan laughed happily.
Unfortunately, Nie Chuan and Ewing’s team still lost with a nine-point gap. If it hadn’t been for Nie Chuan’s last shot, it would have been a double digit score gap.
“Haha, how do you feel after losing?” Carlo asked Ewing.
“Not bad, I passed you so many times, idiot!” Ewing gave Carlo the middle finger then, with an arm around Nie Chuan, said happily, “Allen! Let’s have hot pot today to celebrate!”
“Okay!” Nie Chuan responded with his mouth but his mind was still on Reece.
Reece tilted his head back to drink water with a calm expression on his face.
Ewing glanced at Nie Chuan then said clearly in a loud voice, “Hey! Let’s eat hot pot together! It’s really delicious and appetizing, you can put a lot of things in to cook, and most important of all, it’s Carlo’s treat!”
“Huh? Why is it my treat? ”
“It’s for consolidating the feelings between teammates. Why, you don’t want to? If not then Allen and I will be sticking together again!”
Carlo helplessly followed. “Reece, let’s go! Let’s go with everyone!”
When he saw Reece leisurely walk over with his bag, Nie Chuan finally let out his breath.
The hot pot made everyone feel very full, so they decided to go back to school on foot.
Reece walked at the very front, and Nie Chuan came up beside him.
“Hehe! Now you have the same smell on you!” Nie Chuan smiled, his eyes like two crescent moons.
The corners of Reece’s lips curved into a smile as he chuckled, “Oh, I thought you meant the same as you and Ewing.”
Inwardly, Nie Chuan curled his lips: Did you get infected by Carlo?
After walking a few meters, Nie Chuan opened stiffly, “Actually, you saw it, right?”
“Saw what?”
“Saw that I was going to shoot, not cut to the side.”
Reece didn’t reply.
“Then why didn’t you stop me?” While eating hot pot, Nie Chuan kept thinking about this question.
“Because I wanted to know whether you can make the shot or not. In a real game, the opportunity for a shot may only be a fraction of a second. Don’t overthink. When you think too much, your opponents will also see through you.”
“Mn.” Nie Chuan nodded.
He really was still too far behind ah.
But…… didn’t Reece say he would never throw a game? Does this count as a throwing?
Back at the student apartment, Zhou Bin smelled the scent of hot pot as soon as Nie Chuan entered.
“It seems that you had a good time eating today!”
“Of course! Although you, me and Mao Xian haven’t had hot pot for quite a while,” Nie Chuan said as he took off his shirt.
Zhou Bin’s head leaned over. “Eh, Ah Chuan, your muscles are getting more and more defined ne!”
“Of course! Ah Bin, how about you join us and play basketball too?”
“I don’t need it!” Zhou Bin waved his hand.
Before Nie Chuan walked into the bathroom, he habitually came to the line he had previously drawn. “Ah! Ah Bin! I got taller again! This time it’s definitely more than a centimeter! My god! I’ve broken the 180 centimeter mark!”
“You’ll still keep growing,” Zhou Bin said with a smile.
“Hahaha! I’m going to continue drinking milk tomorrow morning!”
“Ah Chuan…… I have something to tell you.” Zhou Bin’s expression became more serious than normal.
“What is it?” Nie Chuan sat down across from Zhou Bin.
“I…… might be moving out of the dorm this week. I want to live together with An Xin,” Zhou Bin said while gauging Nie Chuan’s reaction.
Nie Chuan was stunned.
Cohabitation was a very common thing amongst the international students around Nie Chuan. Not only can they save money, they can also take care of each other and spend time together with the people they like. Ever since Zhou Bin began having silly conversations with An Xin on the phone every day, Nie Chuan knew that such a day would come sooner or later.
“I…… thought it would be next semester……”
Zhou Bin sighed. “This semester is almost over. An Xin is under a lot of pressure and has already started preparing for her final thesis. She didn’t apply for a dorm room so she’s always lived alone……”
Nie Chuan lowered his head and whispered, “It’s better to live alone than to have two girls living together ne……”
Zhou Bin laughed. “You understand women quite well.”
“When are you leaving the dormitory?”
Nie Chuan knew that they were all growing up and that they each had their own lives. It was impossible to stay together like this every day. However, when he thought of Zhou Bin going to go live with his girlfriend, Nie Chuan felt a sense of loss.
“This Friday.”
“That fast?” Nie Chuan looked up.
“Yeah, it was really hard finding a suitable place. Don’t make that face! Ah Chuan, we’re still brothers! We’ll still go play basketball and eat and drink often together!”
“Mn.” Nie Chuan nodded.
“It’s just that in the future when I’m not here anymore, you have to get up and go to class the moment you hear the alarm. Remember to brush your teeth after eating chocolate at night and don’t keep candy in your mouth when you go to sleep. Be careful or else all your teeth will fall out before you even become an old man! And also ah, you have to remember to wash your stinky socks by yourself, don’t just randomly throw them all over the place, you got it?”
“Alright, alright! You’re still so naggy even though you’re already leaving! Then just don’t go!”
“How is that possible. But Ah Chuan, you don’t need to be scared that you’ll be lonely. The beds in the student apartment get rented out very quickly.”
“Oh, right.”
But Nie Chuan didn’t want to live with other people ah!
Habits and such aren’t that easy to match ah! Not to mention how much tacit understanding there is between him and Ah Bin ah!
If a neat freak comes along, what will he do if there’s a bunch of rules?
Or maybe it’s some rock ‘n’ roll guy who has to blast his music through loudspeakers every day?
He’s going to get a nervous breakdown!
“How about you find me a place nearby then? I’ll move out too!”
“Give me a break! You still want to be my niúpí táng ne!” Zhou Bin was amused.
“That’s right, I’m your niúpí táng!” Nie Chuan desperately clung onto Zhou Bin’s waist. “If only you were a girl! I’ll be your boyfriend! I’ll live together with you ma!”
“In your dreams!” Zhou Bin tore at Nie Chuan.
__________________
Drea: Out with the old, in with the new eh? 😉
MadMadamMims: Hmm 🧐 seems NC may need a new roommate. I know a very eager volunteer 😉
ahhh its coming! I wondered whether that was just a teaser since they stayed at different dorms (๑˃ᴗ˂) but now here it isss (≧ ᗢ ≦)
Hhhh we all know exactly who will end up rooming with him xD
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
I love ZB & NC’s friendship. A little sticky cake, but also realistic. I felt the same way when my best friend moved out TT (a sign of us growing up).
But at least NC has Reece to help him through this time….
NC will be having a new roommate yey and the volunteer is obvious 😆
thank you for the chapter! I wonder what excuse our dear volunteer will say for moving in :)))
I wonder how fast Reese will offer his place as an alternative?! 🌈👨❤️💋👨
Is Reece going to move in? Or is Nie Chuan going to move in with Reece? Or maybe, a new person will move in and give Reece some competition. I’m happy for Zhou Bin though! He’s a good friend. Watching Nie Chuan grow in basketball and height is so satisfying. Thanks for the update!
“It’s better to live alone than to have two girls living together ne ……” Lol what, what girls has he been talking to; most people don’t hate roommates???
ohohohohohoho so this is how Reece insinuates himself into NC’s room
Thanks for the chapter!
We ALL know who the new roommate is gonna be 😏
Thank you for the chap!
Everytime Nie Chuan lamented and added “ah! ” At the end of his sentences, he really sounded so cute(o´罒`o)♡