Chapter 286: The Stream Rises a Foot, the Flute Rises a Zhang

Ying Chanxi's dive to save the ball sparked a burst of commotion in the crowd.

And when Li Luo picked her up, carrying her through the crowd in full view of everyone,

Ying Chanxi's cheeks instantly flushed red; she wrapped her arms around Li Luo's neck, burying her face against his chest, too shy to look at the onlookers.

The intense physical exertion had made her heart race; though the match was over, her heartbeat now seemed to pound even faster.

Only after the surrounding noise faded and Li Luo had passed through the crowd did Ying Chanxi dare lift her head to glance sideways, then couldn't help tilting it up to sneak a look at Li Luo's face.

"What are you looking at?"

"N-nothing…" Ying Chanxi, caught in her small act, immediately lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you…"

"You'd better thank me by paying more attention next time," Li Luo said helplessly. "You fell last year's sports meet, fell again in this badminton match—will you be falling every year from now on?"

"It wasn't that serious this time…" Ying Chanxi muttered in protest. "I just panicked and instinctively went for the shuttlecock—it's not even painful falling on the grass."

"Still talking back?" Li Luo frowned. "Don't you know your body matters more? Besides, losing this match won't affect your advancement—why push yourself so hard?"

Ying Chanxi mumbled something under her breath in his arms; Li Luo didn't catch it.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Were you insulting me?"

"No way!" Ying Chanxi blushed. "I just wanted you to walk slower… it's too fast, a little… a little bumpy."

"Like this?"

Li Luo slowed his pace slightly.

Feeling his step slow, Ying Chanxi tightened her grip around his neck, resting her head against his chest, silently nodding in delight: "Mm… this is better."

Just as Li Luo carried Ying Chanxi away, Yan Zhusheng followed after them.

Liu Shao Wen, Xie Shuchen, and the others finally reacted, hurrying behind them.

Watching Li Luo carrying their class monitor, their eyes filled with envy.

"Damn, if I'd reacted faster just now, could I have carried our monitor too?" Xie Shuchen muttered.

"Dream on?" Liu Shao Wen rolled his eyes. "Think about what kind of relationship they have? Li Luo's her cousin—that's why he can carry her like that. Would you dare try?"

"Uh…" Xie Shuchen imagined it in his mind—the scene was beautiful—but then he pictured Ying Chanxi sharply rejecting him, and he felt awkward. "Fine, forget I said it. But our monitor really went too far—this match wasn't that important."

"She's our grade's top student," Liu Shao Wen said seriously. "Whatever she does, she has a fierce competitive drive—that's why she's always number one."

Xie Shuchen was enlightened by his words and nodded in sudden understanding. "Learned something. You really get it."

"Hmph," Liu Shao Wen chuckled. "I've known her for over three years—I naturally understand our monitor better than you."

The two trailed behind, and farther back came the classmates from Class One, along with Xu Yinghuan, Zhao Rongjun, and other friends close to Ying Chanxi.

Meanwhile, the spectators around Court Five watched Li Luo's retreating figure as if watching a spectacle.

The boys wore expressions of envy, but once they learned he was the girl's cousin, their jealousy faded—they only regretted not having such a cute little sister.

The girls around them also wore looks of envy, wishing they were Ying Chanxi.

If only they had fallen during their own match, and a handsome guy like Li Luo had rushed over without hesitation, swept them up in his arms, and carried them straight to the infirmary.

Just imagining it made the girls blush and feel thrilled.

A scene straight out of the novel "The Campus God Only Loves Me" had just unfolded before their eyes.

This moment still struck a chord in many girls' hearts.

The girls from Class Sixteen even teased Shen Shuhua, who had come to watch the match: "You advanced too, right? Next time, ask Li Luo to come watch—try faking a fall and see what happens?"

Shen Shuhua laughed helplessly at her classmate's suggestion and quickly shook her head in refusal, yet a faint fantasy lingered in her mind as she watched Ying Chanxi being carried in Li Luo's arms—what would it feel like if it were her?

But this had little to do with Li Luo and Ying Chanxi's relationship.

In the infirmary.

The school nurse cleaned Ying Chanxi's knee wound, checked her limbs, then said: "No serious injury—just a minor scrape. I've bandaged your knee; don't shower for the next two days."

In truth, it was barely a scratch—no blood even leaked—and the nurse judged that if she'd waited a bit longer, the pain would've faded on its own.

This wound didn't even need more than a rinse with water and a band-aid—this guy was making a big deal out of nothing.

He'd stormed in carrying someone—the nurse had thought something terrible had happened.

After confirming she was fine, Ying Chanxi followed Li Luo out of the infirmary.

"I told you, it's nothing."

"Still, I had to check to be sure."

Yan Zhusheng, waiting by the door, stepped forward and asked anxiously: "Is Xixi okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little scrape," Ying Chanxi said, hugging Yan Zhusheng's arm with a smile. "Congratulations on winning all five matches—let's go have dinner."

Yan Zhusheng watched Ying Chanxi's walking posture, saw she was truly unharmed, and relaxed.

Liu Shao Wen and Xie Shuchen came forward to offer their well-wishes; after Ying Chanxi thanked them, they wisely took their leave.

"The PE teacher drew the lots for you two just now," Zhu Yufei said as he caught up. "The top 32 are set—you're in opposite halves. You won't meet until the final."

Li Luo raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Looks like we're headed for a summit clash?"

At those words, Ying Chanxi, still clinging to Yan Zhusheng's arm, stiffened slightly; Yan Zhusheng's expression also shifted subtly—neither knew what the other was thinking.

But outwardly, they walked cheerfully toward the cafeteria and had dinner together.

…

The next day, Saturday morning, the second round of basketball matches officially began.

The remaining eight classes paired off.

Li Luo's Class Eight was matched against Class Three, where Zhao Rongjun played.

Before nine in the morning, students from several classes had already come downstairs and gathered at the basketball court to watch.

Li Luo stood beneath the hoop, listening to Zhu Yufei discuss strategy, when he felt a sudden urge to urinate; he excused himself and headed for the nearest restroom.

Just after using the restroom, he bumped straight into Lu Wei from Class Seven.

"Huh? I didn't see you on the basketball court earlier—I thought you'd run away," Lu Wei said with a grin. "I heard you're playing Class Three today? Make sure you win—I'm looking forward to facing your class next round."

Li Luo glanced at Lu Wei, thinking how unlucky he was to run into this guy.

After washing his hands, Li Luo nodded indifferently, too lazy to respond, waved him off, and headed toward the basketball court.

Seeing Li Luo ignore him, Lu Wei snorted coldly, then remembered Gao Yuqin would come to cheer for him soon—his spirits instantly lifted, and he couldn't help swinging his fist.

On the other side, Li Luo had already returned to the basketball court.

As monitor of Class One, Ying Chanxi had to go cheer for her own class, so only Yan Zhusheng remained with Class Eight.

Seeing Li Luo return, she kindly handed him a drink.

Zhu Yufei and the others nearby saw this and exchanged sly glances; an unspoken atmosphere spread among the boys.

Even the girls on the other side began whispering quietly.

But Li Luo remained completely unaware.

At nine o'clock sharp, all four matches began simultaneously.

Li Luo still had no intention of playing in the first two quarters; he stayed on the sidelines, resting, watching Zhu Yufei and the others battle against Zhao Rongjun and his team.

Have to say, compared to last week's match against the pushovers from Class Sixteen, Class Three's strength this time was still slightly lacking, but they were already able to go back and forth with Class Eight.

For example, Zhao Rongjun, big and dark-skinned, played center against their team's Xu Guangtao and clearly held a significant advantage.

But Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang were strong, and Lin Yuan was a sharp shooter who occasionally sank a basket—no matter how well Zhao Rongjun anchored the center, it wasn't enough.

At the end of the first quarter, Class Eight led 16–10, ahead by six points.

Seeing the game was under control, Li Luo began strolling around the basketball court.

He circled the other three courts and observed: Class One, Class Seven, and Class Twelve all held strong leads—it was clear the second-round standings were already taking shape.

Li Luo took a moment to glance at Lu Wei and his teammates from Class Seven; had to admit, although this guy wasn't much as a person, his basketball skills were pretty impressive—at least on the same level as Zhu Yufei.

And this guy had a blunt, straightforward personality—he played hard and fearless on the court, giving him real intimidation value in a high school basketball game.

Class Seven won the first quarter by 18 points, 12 of which came from Lu Wei alone.

Clearly, Gao Yuqin cheering on the sideline had pumped him up full of energy.

Thinking this, Li Luo wandered over to Class One's court.

"Why are you here?" Ying Chanxi asked, approaching him curiously as he arrived.

"To scout the enemy," Li Luo grinned. "Zhao Rongjun's team is strong, but they won't beat us. Next round we might face your class—I had to come check you out."

"You're pretty smart," Ying Chanxi huffed. "Our class isn't worse than yours, right? Those guys seem pretty good."

"Yeah, true," Li Luo nodded.

Aside from their fifth player and two substitutes like Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen, everyone else in Class One were skilled basketball players, roughly on par with Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang.

Their center, Jian Zhenyuan, was also intimidating—only slightly weaker than Zhao Rongjun.

Their guard, Liao Hailin, moved well and posed a serious threat.

Compared to Class One's well-rounded lineup, Li Luo would rather face Class Seven.

After all, if you could contain Lu Wei alone, Class Seven became much easier to beat.

"Nice!"

On Class One's court, Xie Shuchen executed a slick three-step layup and scored again.

As he turned to look for Ying Chanxi cheering for him, he saw her happily chatting with Li Luo—his face instantly fell.

"Why are you here, Li Luo?" Xie Shuchen asked helplessly, slipping to the sideline during the opponent's inbound and his team's retreat.

"I'm not playing until later—I just came to admire your skills," Li Luo grinned at him, giving a thumbs-up. "That last shot was awesome."

Flattered by Li Luo's praise, Xie Shuchen grinned sheepishly, scratched his head, and immediately sprinted back to defense.

Though he hadn't received praise from Ying Chanxi, being complimented by Li Luo still made him happy.

His energy on the court surged even more.

After Class One finished their second quarter, Li Luo glanced over at Class Eight and saw Zhu Yufei and the others heading to halftime break.

He greeted Ying Chanxi and headed toward his own class.

But Ying Chanxi trotted after him cheerfully.

"Aren't you going to watch your class's game?" Li Luo asked, amused.

"You're playing soon, aren't you?" Ying Chanxi countered.

"Yeah, I'll play the last two quarters."

"Then I'll watch you," Ying Chanxi said, stepping lightly and unhesitatingly abandoning Class One's boys.

Behind her, Qiao Xinyan shook her head helplessly, sighing for Liu Shaowen and the others.

Seeing Li Luo arrive, Zhu Yufei greeted him, then said: "Zhang Guohuang ran a lot in the first two quarters—you take over for him. Later, I'll handle the ball—we'll set screens together."

"OK." In basketball, Zhu Yufei was experienced—he often watched NBA games—so Li Luo usually followed his tactical instructions.

But remembering how Lu Wei had bragged at the restroom door earlier, Li Luo studied the court positions, thought for a moment, then told Zhu Yufei: "If you can, pass me the ball a bit more, okay?"

Zhu Yufei blinked, glanced at Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi on the sideline, then grinned widely: "No problem—we're leading now. Go wild."

After the second quarter ended, the score stood at 32–21 in favor of Class Eight, an 11-point lead.

Though two quarters remained and victory wasn't guaranteed, Zhu Yufei felt confident enough to agree to Li Luo's request.

But Li Luo wasn't just showing off.

When halftime ended, the PE teacher blew the whistle, and both teams returned to the court.

Li Luo looked at Zhao Rongjun across the court and winked.

Zhao Rongjun gave him a resigned look and held his ground firmly at center.

The third quarter began, and possession was with Class Eight.

After Li Luo passed the ball to Zhu Yufei, he jogged over to the opposite half-court, where a classmate from Class Three marked him closely.

Watching Zhu Yufei dribble toward the three-point line, Li Luo sidestepped, set a screen beside Zhu Yufei, then slipped to a 45-degree angle during Zhu's offensive move and raised his hand for the pass.

The next second, Zhu Yufei faked a move and passed the ball straight into Li Luo's hands.

The opposing student immediately closed in on Li Luo.

But Li Luo jumped straight up, not even attempting to drive past the defense, and launched a jump shot.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng by the sideline stared intently at the ball.

The ball bounced off the rim and fell down, missing the basket.

Ying Chanxi sighed, and Yan Zhusheng frowned.

Below the basket, Zhao Rongjun leaped, snatched the ball cleanly from Xu Guangtao, and immediately hurled it hard toward a classmate who had already sprinted to Class Eight's half-court.

A swift three-step layup gave Class Three their two points back.

"Cough, sorry," Li Luo raised his hand. "Mine, mine."

"No problem," Zhu Yufei shook his head. "Want another one? Try a few more shots."

"Alright."

Li Luo didn't hesitate; he nodded.

Soon after, Class Eight organized another offensive play, and Zhu Yufei passed to Li Luo multiple times.

On his third shot, the ball traced a graceful arc through the air, and under the gaze of the spectators, whoosh—it swished cleanly through the net!

Ying Chanxi clapped enthusiastically by the sideline.

Yan Zhusheng also clapped lightly, his mood lifting.

Li Luo, watching the ball go in, smiled, glanced at the spot where he'd jumped three times in nearly identical positions, and quietly activated his Memory Palace, replaying the sensation from just after that successful shot.

The Soul Possession effect quietly activated.

For Class Three, one made basket out of three attempts was entirely acceptable offensive output.

Especially since Li Luo almost always shot immediately upon receiving the ball, never driving forward, which greatly eased Class Three's defensive pressure.

But after Li Luo made his first basket, Zhao Rongjun felt something was off.

Because within the next few minutes, Li Luo made four consecutive shots—all from nearly the exact same spot, leaping high, swishing each one without a single miss!

This stunned not just Class Three, but even Class Eight's own players.

Zhu Yufei exclaimed: "What's going on with you? So hot?"

Normally, when playing basketball, Zhu Yufei had some understanding of Li Luo's ability.

His technical skill was decent, his physical condition good, and crucially, he had an excellent sense of his teammates' positions—when playing together, Zhu Yufei found it very comfortable to coordinate with Li Luo.

But Li Luo's shooting wasn't particularly outstanding; overall, Zhu Yufei still considered himself the stronger player.

Yet achieving what Li Luo just did—five consecutive jump shots made—could no longer be dismissed as luck.

"Cough… just feeling good today."

Li Luo downplayed it, rubbing his head—he wasn't truly skilled, so he stayed humble.

After confirming this tactic worked, at the end of the third quarter, Li Luo returned to his normal playstyle for the fourth quarter.

In the end, Class Eight won 58–37 against Class Three.

"You were amazing today," Ying Chanxi took the initiative to unscrew the cap and held the drink to Li Luo's lips. "Here, take a sip."

"Not bad," Li Luo drank a few sips, exhaled in relief, and replied modestly.

Yan Zhusheng watched from the side; after Ying Chanxi finished feeding him, he quietly stepped over, pulled out a pack of wet wipes, took one out, and gently wiped the sweat from Li Luo's face: "Don't move."

Ying Chanxi, just taking back the drink, saw this and fell silent—her earlier small triumph vanished.

Zhao Rongjun walked over too, sighing in mock exasperation: "Did you eat bullets today? Shooting so accurately?"

"Skill is skill," Li Luo didn't humble himself with his best friend—he grinned, slapped Zhao's shoulder. "According to last week's bet, say 'Dad.'"

"Get lost! Who made a bet with you?" Zhao Rongjun laughed and scolded. "Winning's nothing—I made it to the knockout round in table tennis too."

"Oh? Really?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow, then asked Zhu Yufei, "How'd our class do in table tennis?"

"Cough," Zhu Yufei grew awkward. "We got swept."

Li Luo: "... Alright, then, Brother Zhao, you're truly impressive."

They chatted for a while.

Zhu Yufei went with the PE teacher to draw lots.

After the second round, only four classes remained.

Including Class Eight, they were Class One, Class Seven, and Class Twelve.

A few minutes later, the draw results came out. Li Luo looked at Zhu Yufei returning, but before he could speak, Lu Wei walked over and chuckled: "See you next week. Hope you don't chicken out."

The draw result was obvious.

Sure enough.

Zhu Yufei spread his hands. "Next week, we play Class Seven."

"Good," Zhang Guohuang said. "At least not Class One. Just focus on crushing Lu Wei."

"We'll see," Li Luo recalled Lu Wei's arrogant expression and sighed, rubbing his head.

Although daily use of the Memory Palace caused no major side effects as long as he didn't recall his past life,

the Soul Possession ability—repeatedly replicating the same moment in quick succession—still strained the brain.

Li Luo had only used it for ten minutes in the third quarter, and his head already felt slightly dizzy.

Though part of that was due to first testing it under high-intensity movement, once mastered, he guessed he could sustain it for about twenty minutes.

But for a high school game, it should still be more than enough.

Thinking this, Li Luo let it go.

"Let's go, back to the classroom to rest."

……

After school at noon, they ate lunch in the cafeteria.

Ying Chanxi had class.

Xu Youyu had to handle student council matters.

So Yan Zhusheng said to Li Luo: "I told my mom, and she said she's free today—why don't you come home with me this afternoon?"

"Huh? About the album?" Li Luo remembered that Yan Zhusheng had previously mentioned wanting to talk to him in person.

"Yes," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "My mom said the company has already made concrete arrangements, so she wants to inform you in advance and ask if there's anything you need to pay attention to or cooperate with."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded. "Then I'll go to your place this afternoon."