Chapter 281: Stubborn Chanxi

April 11, Saturday morning.

It was different from other Saturdays.

During morning self-study this morning, all first-year students were free to do as they pleased.

Either stay in the classroom to study, or go downstairs to watch the basketball game.

Under Li Luo's powerful appeal, nearly every student from Class 8 of the first year followed him downstairs.

They marched en masse toward the basketball court.

The sheer presence of Class 8 was quite intimidating.

When other classes' basketball teams saw how many people had come, they couldn't help but hesitate.

After all, not everyone was interested in basketball.

Most classes had only a few girls—curious or drawn by the handsome players—come down together; the rest stayed in the classroom to study.

Students at Fuyi High were relatively self-disciplined, and this game wasn't a mandatory event like the sports meet, so naturally, they preferred not to come.

Like Class 1, for instance.

"You guys… aren't coming down to watch the game?" Li Luo glanced at Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan, plus the five Class 1 basketball team members beside them, and couldn't help saying.

"What can I do?" Ying Chanxi sighed. "If I weren't class monitor, I wouldn't even want to come down."

"But you seem pretty eager to come down," Qiao Xinyan said, puzzled. "You even said…"

"Xinyan!" Ying Chanxi shot her a glare and quickly covered her mouth, then added, "Since our class team worked so hard, I should come down to cheer for them."

Hearing this, Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen immediately puffed out their chests, their fighting spirit soaring to its peak, waiting only for the game to begin.

To them, whether other students came down didn't matter at all.

As long as Ying Chanxi came, that was enough!

Li Luo glanced at their team lineup—mostly familiar faces.

Liu Shaowen, Xie Shuchen, Jian Zhenyuan, Liao Hailin, plus one burly guy, probably their center.

Two bench players, plus Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan who came down to cheer—nine people total, and that was all.

Other classes had sent down a few people too, but nothing like the overwhelming numbers from Class 8.

"Monitor, drinks are here."

A classmate reminded him.

Li Luo turned around and saw Lin Yuan and several other boys carrying several cases of drinks from the convenience store, setting them down nearby.

After instructing everyone to distribute the drinks, Li Luo looked toward Ying Chanxi and waved to her and Qiao Xinyan: "Give some to your class too."

"Thanks!" Qiao Xinyan, already close with them, grinned and took the drinks without hesitation, then grabbed a few more and carried them over to Liu Shaowen and the others.

Ying Chanxi took the drink Li Luo handed her, glanced at the nearly empty cases, and asked, "Did you buy all these yourself?"

"Yeah, happiness matters most," Li Luo said. "You should take a few over to them too."

"... Thanks."

"What kind of relationship do we have? You're thanking me?"

"I'm just being polite," Ying Chanxi huffed, picked up a few bottles, and handed them to the Class 1 boys.

Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen, holding the drinks, looked like they were about to burst with excitement.

"The monitor handed me a drink—see that?"

"Why are you so worked up? It's still Li Luo who gave them."

"You're even more excited than I am!"

"Am I? I'm just cold from the drink. Don't make things up."

They drank their beverages, their spirits high.

Ying Chanxi watched her team's morale, then said to Li Luo: "Your drinks seem to be working pretty well."

"You think it's the drinks?"

"Hmph."

"Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng stepped forward, holding out a drink. "Can't open it."

Li Luo glanced at it, took it casually, and easily twisted off the cap.

Yan Zhusheng took the drink and took a small sip.

Watching this, Ying Chanxi looked down at her own already-opened bottle and fell silent, mentally adding a point to Pikachu's tally.

At that moment, Xu Youyu, responsible for maintaining order, strolled over and tapped Li Luo on the shoulder: "Hey~ The draw's about to start over there—don't forget to send someone."

"Got it," Li Luo nodded, calling out, "Zhu Yufei! Don't forget to go draw lots with the PE teacher!"

"Oh!" Zhu Yufei responded and sprinted toward the drawing area.

Zhang Guohuang and others, curious about the results, also rushed over to watch.

Xu Youyu glanced at the drinks in Li Luo's hand, then at those held by Class 8 and Ying Chanxi's group, and asked, "Did you guys buy these yourselves?"

"Li Luo bought them," Yan Zhusheng replied.

"Any left? Can I have one too?" Hearing it was Li Luo's, Xu Youyu didn't hesitate, grinning.

Li Luo looked at the empty boxes on the ground and shrugged: "All gone. If you want one, go buy another from the convenience store."

"Why bother?" Xu Youyu glanced around, then took Li Luo's drink, twisted off the cap, and poured two swigs into her mouth.

Though her lips never touched the bottle's mouth—she merely caught the liquid mid-air—Ying Chanxi was stunned.

"S-Senior…" Ying Chanxi, seeing her about to drink more, quickly offered her own drink. "Just take mine."

"No need, no need—I'll just have a couple sips," Xu Youyu drank two more, then returned Li Luo's drink. "I'm off. Good luck with your game."

Watching Xu Youyu's retreating back, then Li Luo's drink, Ying Chanxi silently bit her lip.

Mentally adding a point to Doraemon's tally.

On the other side, Yan Zhusheng's gaze landed on Li Luo's drink, his eyes brimming with restless desire.

He glanced down at his own drink, then at the nearby trash bin, lost in thought.

Not long after, Zhu Yufei rushed back from the PE teacher.

"Which class did you draw?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"Class Sixteen," Zhu Yufei chuckled. "Good luck—there aren't many who can play basketball there. We should advance smoothly."

On the other side, Liu Shaowen from Class One also returned; they had drawn Class Eleven, not a difficult match.

Don't be fooled by the small number of students from Class One—they're not all bookworms.

People like Xie Shuchen and Liu Shaowen not only excel academically but also play basketball well.

Liu Shaowen was once a famous basketball prodigy at Yucai Middle School.

While consistently ranking second in the grade, he was also frequently seen on the school basketball court, drawing admiration from many girls.

If he weren't fixated solely on Ying Chanxi, Liu Shaowen wouldn't lack for romantic prospects.

Xie Shuchen was even more so.

He was handsome, played guitar, excelled at basketball, and had outstanding grades—his appeal to girls was considerable.

Unfortunately, for Ying Chanxi, all these traits were clearly secondary.

"Are you going to play later?" Ying Chanxi asked, leaning close to Li Luo.

"Let the others play for a while," Li Luo shook his head. "I'll wait until they're tired before stepping in."

"Oh, then I'll go watch our class's game first," Ying Chanxi said. "When you're ready to play, remind me—we're on the adjacent court."

"You're really coming to cheer for me?" Li Luo teased. "The Class One monitor cheering for another class? That'll hurt morale."

"It's just an internal basketball tournament—there's no such thing as morale," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes. "Hardly anyone in our class cares. Better to solve a few more problems."

As she spoke, Class One had already taken the court under the PE teacher's direction to warm up.

Qiao Xinyan waved to Ying Chanxi, who then waved goodbye to Li Luo and sprinted toward the adjacent basketball court.

Meanwhile, Class Eight's boys, along with those from Class Sixteen, gradually took the court, shooting hoops, warming up, and quietly discussing tactics.

There were five full courts at Fuyi Middle School's basketball arena.

This morning, sixteen classes competed in eight matches, divided into two groups of four.

The matches for Class Eight and Class One were side by side.

Li Luo stood with his Class Eight teammates watching, while Zhu Yufei led Zhang Guohuang, Lin Yuan, Fang Chen, and Xu Guangtao onto the court.

The rules were simple: four quarters, each ten minutes long.

After each quarter, there was a five-minute break; halftime lasted ten minutes.

A full match lasted just over an hour.

Each class fielded seven players: five starters and two substitutes.

Of course, some classes couldn't muster seven players—they still had to field a five-man starting lineup.

Unlike badminton or table tennis, basketball was a class competition; if a class couldn't even find five boys, it would be embarrassing.

Class Sixteen, Class Eight's opponent today, was barely able to scrape together five players.

After the first quarter began, Li Luo quickly realized only two of the opposing team could actually play basketball.

The other three could barely dribble; their shots were wildly off-target—it was truly a struggle for them.

Especially since this was a full-court game requiring constant running between two baskets; for those with poor stamina, such frequent sprints were grueling.

After Class Eight led 17–2 at the end of the first quarter, Li Luo whispered something to Zhu Yufei.

In the second quarter, Class Eight's five players deliberately slowed their offensive pace, occasionally giving the two skilled opponents room to move, not pressing them too hard, letting them play comfortably.

Meanwhile, Class One's match against Class Eleven was in full swing.

Under the fierce assault of Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen, Class Eleven—equally mediocre compared to Class Sixteen—was crumbling.

After two quarters, they trailed 32–7.

Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen even began secretly competing to see who could score more.

After each basket, they'd perform a self-styled "cool" gesture, then casually glance toward Ying Chanxi on the sidelines.

Seeing her clap for them, they'd instantly perk up, their offensive rhythm growing stronger with each possession, leaving Class Eleven's players with no sense of participation.

By the end, it was purely a solo show by Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen.

"Our class seems pretty strong," Qiao Xinyan remarked from the sidelines. "The score gap is huge."

"Mm," Ying Chanxi nodded indifferently, her gaze flickering occasionally toward the adjacent court; only when she saw Li Luo still standing outside did she turn back. "It's boring though—just watching Liu Shaowen and the other guy keep scoring."

"Matches are more exciting when both sides are evenly matched," Qiao Xinyan laughed. "I think Class Eight looks pretty strong."

"What if our class ends up facing Class Eight?"

"Which side would you support, Xi Xi?"

Asked this, Ying Chanxi froze, then muttered guiltily, "I—I'd obviously support our class. How could I support another class?"

"But what if Li Luo plays?" Qiao Xinyan pressed with a grin.

"What does that have to do with it?" Ying Chanxi sniffed. "I'd still support our class."

No sooner had she spoken than Xu Youyu, patrolling nearby, passed by and tapped her shoulder: "Xi Xi, Li Luo's about to play."

"Huh? Really?" Ying Chanxi spun around instantly, saw Li Luo warming up after halftime on the adjacent court, and immediately grabbed Qiao Xinyan's hand, rushing over.

"Aren't you supposed to support our class?" Qiao Xinyan followed, laughing and teasing. "Why do you switch sides the moment Li Luo steps on the court?"

"That's not switching sides!" Ying Chanxi insisted. "It's not our class versus theirs—I just think Class One's game is boring and wanted to watch something else."

As she spoke, Ying Chanxi arrived beside Li Luo.

"Huh?" Li Luo glanced at her. "I haven't even told you yet—how'd you know to come over?"

"I saw you looked like you were about to play?"

"Hmm, let's go up and play a bit." Li Luo twisted his neck and stretched his body. "But it probably won't be worth watching—after all, the opponent isn't very strong."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the physical education teacher blew the whistle, signaling both teams to take the court.

Ying Chanxi watched with eager eyes as Li Luo stepped onto the court. After a simple tip-off, she saw him jogging across the field, occasionally catching the ball, executing a smooth three-step layup, and easily sinking it into the net.

Clap-clap-clap!

Qiao Xinyan glanced at the applause—far louder and more enthusiastic than the half-hearted clapping moments before—and couldn't help smiling wryly.

On the other side of the court, Class One's basketball court.

Liu Shaowen sank another stylish basket, then instinctively glanced toward the sideline—but failed to see Ying Chanxi's figure. He froze in place.

Huh?

Where's our class monitor?