“If I enter the NBA after graduating, why can’t you come with me?” Reece asked.
Nie Chuan was stunned, then couldn’t help smiling, “With my level…… how could I possibly make it into the NBA? There won’t be any teams scouting me at all!”
Although the NCAA’s games would send a lot of fresh new blood (new players) to the NBA every year, if he wasn’t outstanding then it was simply impossible to enter that domain.
“What if there really was a team that scouts you? You still won’t go?”
“Huh?” Nie Chuan froze, he still hadn’t given this any thought.
To be able to play in a NCAA match was already beyond his expectation, as for the NBA…… he really didn’t dare to think about it.
“How about this, if we’re both scouted, I’ll go wherever you go.”
Reece’s words completely stunned Nie Chuan.
What “I’ll go wherever you go”?
It’s just like saying if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken!
“But it’s impossible for there to be a team that’ll scout me!” Nie Chuan was somewhat anxious.
“If we play until graduation and there’s still no teams interested in you, we’ll just look for a job together.”
“Hey, are you talking about if there’s no teams interested in me or if there’s none interested in you?”
Nie Chuan suddenly felt that there was something wrong with Reece’s logic.
Or is the logic of a school tyrant simply beyond the understanding of an underachiever like him.
“I’m talking about you. For me, basketball and the applause, glory, and whatnot doesn’t hold much meaning to me. Even if I’m not an NBA star, I’m confident that I’ll still be able to let myself live a high quality life. But, it’s very important who I play basketball with.”
Reece drove the car out.
Nie Chuan was still immersed in those words and couldn’t calm down for a long time.
So, for you, it’s important to be with me, right?
So, can I have an unrealistic expectation?
Even if it’s just you encouraging me, I can feel that, compared to basketball, I’m more important to you, right?
Nie Chuan’s eyes began to get hot again and he turned his head to look out the window. Suddenly, he was very scared that Reece would see all of his thoughts.
“Hey, Reece, have you ever really really liked someone?”
When the car stopped at a traffic light, Nie Chuan asked this in Chinese.
He didn’t know why but he really wanted to discuss this topic with Reece. He didn’t want to have to carefully take note of which words he must use to cover up his thoughts, so he chose the language he was best at.
“I’ve only liked one person so I can’t really say who I ‘really liked’ or ‘liked the most’.” Reece likewise used Chinese to reply back.
“Ah, but I can.”
“Oh, then how would you go about figuring who you liked the ‘most’?” Reece asked in amusement.
“They’re different from everyone else. While liking him, his breath, the scent on his body, even when his fingers accidentally brushed against me, I can recall them over and over again in my mind. And I’ll never be able to confess…… because I absolutely can’t fail. ” Nie Chuan was still looking out the window.
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.
“You do know that your IQ isn’t very high, right?” Reece asked.
“Jbwqjgfv ab sbe, atfgf jgfc’a wjcs qfbqif klat tlut PHr.” Rlf Jtejc gfqilfv veiis.
“Qtja P wfjc lr, obbir erejiis kbc’a yglcu agbeyif bc atfwrfinfr jcv jgfc’a rfcalwfcaji. Cii sbe tjnf ab vb lr yf j tjqqs obbi. Snfc lo sbe ilxf rbwfbcf, cb wjaafg tbk lwqbrrlyif la lr, sbe ralii tjnf ab yf j tjqqs ilaaif obbi.”
Reece reached his hand over and rubbed the back of Nie Chuan’s head.
He’s always been very powerful, but this time his movements were very gentle.
It’s over, I like you even more now…… what should I do?
Back in the bedroom, Nie Chuan’s gums were still a little swollen. The effect of the anesthetic had already passed and his face wrinkled from the pain.
“I’ll play a game with you. You won’t notice the pain while you’re playing a game.”
Nie Chuan suddenly felt moved by what Reece said.
But the pitfall was that the entire dormitory building’s network just happened to go under maintenance so they couldn’t play games anymore.
“Seems like God wants you to remember this pain,” Reece said.
Then he sat at the table and continued to complete his mathematical proof.
Nie Chuan covered his face while looking at Reece’s back. “Then you can talk to me, and I won’t think about the pain.”
“Alright, what do you want me to talk about?” Reece was still solving the problem.
Nie Chuan wasn’t convinced that Reece could do two things at once. “Was your dream to be a mathematician when you were little?”
“I didn’t have any dreams, but my father thought a lawyer would be very suitable for me. If I studied law, I would be on the path my father had carved out for me. He thinks I’ll be his pride.”
“Mmm…… your poisonous tongue really is suitable for a lawyer, and you’re clear-headed and logical.” In his mind, Nie Chuan began visualizing Reece coldly standing in the courtroom in a suit, finding all of the other party’s loopholes and refuting them one by one, winning with overwhelming strength.
“But I chose mathematics. In that first year, he hardly spoke to me. Later, when we met at my maternal grandfather’s funeral and he asked me why I wasn’t willing to enter the legal profession, I told him it was because there were too many variables between people, it’s not as simple as math. However, no matter how big the variables between people are, they can’t escape from interests; it doesn’t have countless permutations like math. Then, I don’t know what he realized, but even though he didn’t pay much attention to my affairs, he didn’t go as far as to stop speaking to me.”
“Well…… fathers are all like that. My father wanted me to study business or accounting,” Nie Chuan propped his head up and said. Our parents always hope that we can walk down the same road they have or enter fields they’re familiar with, so that their experience can let us go down a path with less detours.”
“Do you like the communication engineering you’re studying now?” Reece asked.
“Actually, what I really like is programming.”
“Ah……you like games.”
“Hehe, maybe I’m destined to not be able to make him feel proud in this lifetime so I can only make myself proud.” Nie Chuan smiled.
“It’s in your character.”
“And Reece, regardless of whether I get into the NBA or not, if you like basketball then don’t give it up easily…… because I’m proud of you. Maybe not before…… and maybe not yesterday either, but I am today at this very moment. I think I will be in the future too.” Nie Chuan looked at his back seriously.
If one day, they were no longer roommates, teammates, or even friends who see each other a couple times a week, Nie Chuan hoped that there would always be a place where he could frequently see him.
The model on Reese’s computer had stopped formulating. He stared at the screen for a long time. After several seconds, he closed all the tabs and spoke, “Go to sleep.”
“You’re not touched, are you?” Nie Chuan curled his lips in dissatisfaction. Those words just now had been the most touching ones he could think of.
“I said, sleep.” Reece turned around and poked Nie Chuan’s cheek where his tooth had been removed.
“I don’t want to sleep yet!” Nie Chuan waved Reece’s hand away. It’s not even ten yet ah!
“Without games and with no chocolate, what else can you do? Sleep.” Reece emphasized again.
Nie Chuan turned around helplessly and habitually put his hand into the pillowcase.
He turned over, reaching into the corner of the pillow, then cried out, “What the hell! Where’d my chocolate go?”
He glared at Reece, it definitely must have gotten “confiscated” by him!
“Sleep.” Reece’s long legs were already inside his blanket.
“Where’s my chocolate?” Nie Chuan sat on the bedside angrily with no intention of lying back down at all.
“Go to bed right now.” Reece’s face was expressionless, without even a trace of guilt for taking Nie Chuan’s chocolate.
“If I can’t find my chocolate then I can’t sleep!” Nie Chuan was persistent.
That was the Belgian chocolate Mao Xian had sent him! He had more than half left!
“It’ll be even harder to sleep after eating chocolate,” Reece replied.
“Were you the one who took my chocolate?” Nie Chuan was positively certain!
“Didn’t you eat it last night?”
Reece finally turned, his eyes seemed to be saying, “Are you going senile?”
“Ah? Is that so?” Nie Chuan suddenly wondered if he had misunderstood Reece.
“It’s like this. You took it to practice with you to eat every day, how could there be much left. “
Thinking about it this way, what Reece said seemed to make a lot of sense.
“How come I remembered there being one more?”
“You remembered wrong. Sleep can help you grow taller and restore your memory.”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
“Then I’ll go to bed! Tomorrow I’ll put a whole box of chocolates next to the pillow!” Nie Chuan pulled his blanket up.
Opposite him, Reece turned off the bedside lamp.
A few days later, Nie Chuan’s gums were finally no longer swollen but now, whenever he unwrapped chocolates before practice, Reece would coolly remind him, “You don’t have dental fillings so chocolate will get embedded there. Are you sure you want to eat it?”
Nie Chuan suddenly felt that the world really wasn’t beautiful!
“So you’ll take me to fill my teeth today when we’re done?”
“No time.”
That unpleasant feeling continued to escalate……
In late October, the intensive training for the NCAA finally kicked off. Not only the basketball team, even the football and other sports teams were training in full swing.
But the arrival of “Midnight Madness” gave Nie Chuan an even bigger shock.
Starting that Friday night in mid-October, the entire campus fell into an “out of control” state. After half a year of waiting and anticipation, the enthusiasm of the students could no longer be suppressed. The cheerleaders for various sporting events began doing gorgeous performances and there was even a bonfire in an open space on campus where the students started partying and dancing to the rhythm.
The basketball team also finally began their formal training.
The DK basketball team opened the basketball stadium to let the fans that liked their team see the training situation.
Nie Chuan followed Reece to the stadium to gather, only to find that the auditorium was already bursting with people. Some wore face paints of the DK school insignia while others held signs with the names of their favorite basketball players. Reece’s name was simply too easy to find. There were also Carlo and Ewing’s, even Montenegro had many fans.
The enthusiastic shouts of basketball fans rang throughout the stadium.
When the music sounded, the cheerleaders began their performance.
As the lead, Lily was really too sexy. It was the first time that Nie Chuan watched the cheerleading team’s midair turns and backflips, they were comparable to a gymnast’s!
“Hey! Allen, you okay?” Carlo snapped his fingers in front of Nie Chuan.
“Huh? What……” Nie Chuan leaned towards Carlo, it was difficult for him to hear what Carlo was saying.
Carlo laughed and put his hands on Nie Chuan’s shoulders. “These cheers aren’t just ours, they’re yours too. Ah…… I see your name.”
Carlo pointed to the highest part of the auditorium, which was crowded with Chinese students. They held a banner with Nie Chuan’s name on it and were shouting rhythmically.
“Nie Chuan! Nie Chuan! Jiayou! Nie Chuan! Nie Chuan! Jiayou!”
Nie Chuan saw Zhou Bin and his girlfriend An Xin at a glance.
He really didn’t expect that Zhou Bin, who had always seemed rational and wouldn’t blindly chase after something, would actually squeeze in here with others to cheer for him. He was with An Xin, who ordinarily gave the impression of a gentle girl but was shouting until her face flushed. It was as if they were afraid that their cheers for Nie Chuan weren’t as good as the ones for other players. They were just short of bringing a megaphone.
Nie Chuan realized for the first time that what he carried weren’t just the hopes of the DK basketball team for him, but also those of his classmates and friends.
Thank you guys, I’ll do my best.
When Coach Gordon came to the center of the court, the entire arena immediately quieted.
“Thank you everyone for your love for the DK basketball team! Trust me when I say that this is a brilliant start. This year, we’ll prove once and for all that DK isn’t a declining noble, but a destined king!”
After a few seconds of silence, the entire stadium was boiling again.
In this boiling atmosphere, the team began regular practice which included shooting and group standoffs.
Nie Chuan originally thought he wouldn’t be able to concentrate because of the craziness, but when his eyes met Reece’s, all the clamor disappeared.
In addition to fans, some sports reporters and even NBA scouts also came to watch, making the players participating in the training even more expressive with their showcase.
Even though Nie Chuan knew that the team had already defaulted him as a main player, Coach Gordon still repeatedly stated that he would only choose the person whose performance was strongest and who played the most steadily during the training.
After a whole training session, Nie Chuan’s body was stretched taut.
When the training finished, the players went to the stadium lounge in succession. There, the assistant coach adjusted massages for everyone.
This was the first time Nie Chuan had received a specialized massage.
“Huh? You’re still wearing weights on your ankles?”
The assistant coach’s voice immediately attracted the attention of the people beside him.
“My god! Allen! You already jumped high enough while shooting today, yet you were actually still wearing weights!” Zack yelled out in surprise.
Drea: Jiayou~
MadMadamMims: *(^_^)* Let’s go Nie Chuan!
Yay, new chapter! I’m surprised Reece hasn’t clued on to the fact that nie chuan likes him yet, nie chuan isn’t exactly slick.
Both of them are dense idiots, i swear 🤦♀️ But yess, A-Chuan is so cool!! 😍
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
Haha ikr 😂 like Reece, aren’t you suppose to be the smart one?
I am so proud of Nie Chuan. He’s worked so hard and improved so much. I’m glad that other people are seeing that too. I bet Reece has mixed feelings about it. Of course Nie Chuan is amazing! He’s known it all along! But now that other people can see it, he might have more competition. I’m looking forward to seeing exactly what it will take for them to realize that they like each other. Thanks for the update!
Thanks for reading renkayli! And I agree, Reece is definitely having some mixed feelings! He’s probably thinking something along the lines of “I should just hide him so no one else can see his brilliance” xD
Well what can we say Zack, our Allen is too awesome owo
I love your profile pic!
umhm Xiao X Aether supremacy lol
I’m a multi-shipper, but I have to say, Xiao x Aether is definitely one of my favorites!
umhm umhm 🙂