Chapter 291

After the rock society's performance ended successfully, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Everyone was ignited by the passionate "I Believe."

Especially at the final climax, Yan Zhusheng leaned close to Li Luo, and the two shared one microphone to sing the last chorus together, bringing the performance to a perfect close.

It also set a strong tone for the opening of this final round.

After the performance, the rock society's equipment was carried back to the second floor by student union members, clearing the venue.

The entire basketball court was left with only the ping-pong table in the center.

Under the host's loud introduction, Zhao Rongjun and another boy who reached the finals entered from opposite sides.

The boy from Class 14 looked thin and short, creating a sharp contrast with Zhao Rongjun's tall and muscular frame.

Since neither finalist was from their own class, Qiao Xinyan and Xu Yinghuan, watching from the stands, led their classmates in cheering for Zhao Rongjun as his study group members took the stage.

But as soon as they heard Xu Yinghuan's cheers, Zhao Rongjun shuddered all over, glanced at the crowd in the stands, and felt dizzy.

His entire state was affected.

As a result, at the start of the match, his movements became stiff, and he immediately lost control of the game.

This ping-pong final used a best-of-five sets format, with each set played to eleven points.

Due to the strong impact of the crowd's cheers, Zhao Rongjun lost the first set by a large margin.

The students from Class 3, along with Qiao Xinyan and Xu Yinghuan, grew anxious.

In contrast, Li Luo, who had just returned to the stands, glanced at Zhao Rongjun on the court, then smiled and said to Xu Yinghuan, "If you don't cheer for him, he'll win."

"What do you mean, class monitor?" Xu Yinghuan replied, annoyed, "So our cheering is wrong now?"

"Try it and you'll see," Li Luo said, spreading his hands.

Xu Yinghuan was skeptical but still spoke to Qiao Xinyan from Class 1 next to her.

Soon, without the two of them leading, the other students from Class 1 and Class 8 stopped cheering voluntarily and watched the match in silence.

Only the students from Class 3 and Class 14 continued cheering loudly.

But with the interference from Qiao Xinyan and Xu Yinghuan gone, Zhao Rongjun's condition clearly improved.

After falling behind 5-0 at the start of the second set, he quickly caught up, tied the score at 9-9, then won two consecutive points to take the second set.

"It actually works?" Xu Yinghuan stared in surprise at Zhao Rongjun's performance, "Class monitor, you really know him—no wonder you grew up sharing pants."

"He was just too nervous from your yelling," Li Luo said helplessly. "Now his eyes are only on the ping-pong ball, so his state is better."

Sure enough, after winning the second set, Zhao Rongjun smoothly won the next two sets, securing the men's ping-pong championship with a 3-1 set score.

Zhao Rongjun was drenched in sweat; his previously intense gaze had now returned to its innocent clarity.

Hearing the cheers and shouts from his classmates, he tensed up again, walked to the edge of the stands, reluctantly greeted the Class 3 students, and when he passed Class 8 and saw Li Luo reaching down, they slapped hands.

"Won the championship—what reward do you want?" Li Luo teased from the stands, grinning. "How about I arrange two?"

The people beside him probably didn't understand what Li Luo meant.

But Zhao Rongjun understood instantly, his face darkened, turned away, and walked off without a word.

"Fine, fine, now that you've won the championship, you're acting all high and mighty, huh?"

The two best friends exchanged a few more jabs, as the women's ping-pong final officially began.

Since Li Luo didn't know any of the players, he paid little attention.

After the ping-pong final ended, student union members immediately rushed onto the court to remove the ping-pong table.

The sports department teacher quickly set up the badminton net.

While the setup was underway, the dance society girls, dressed in revealing cheerleader uniforms, ran onto the court and began dancing.

By the time they finished dancing, the badminton court was fully prepared.

First up was the men's badminton final.

Li Luo wasn't interested—he knew no one from Class 8 had made it to the final.

But the student union had already sent someone to notify Yan Zhusheng to go backstage to prepare.

So Li Luo stood up too, accompanying her down to the locker room, where he happened to see her opponent Luo Jiajia and his best friend Zhao Rongjun.

"Oh! There's our champion," Li Luo slung an arm around Zhao Rongjun's neck. "How's it feel winning the championship?"

"It's just… nothing special to say."

"Tsk tsk," Li Luo pulled Zhao Rongjun aside and whispered, "You still not considering my suggestion? Or are you still interested in Luo Jiajia? I could arrange it in the book for you—but she's got a boyfriend already, so it feels kinda bad."

"Get lost," Zhao Rongjun's face darkened. "I just asked you to give me a normal girlfriend in the book—not someone I actually know. Don't pull any nonsense."

"It's just to make reading more immersive."

"Thanks, but no thanks!"

The two boys chatted animatedly, while the two girls, not very familiar with each other, sat apart quietly, waiting for their turn.

When the men's badminton final reached its final set, a student union member came in to notify them they could begin warming up early.

So Yan Zhusheng and Luo Jiajia began light warm-ups inside the locker room.

Once their bodies were loosened, Yan Zhusheng looked at Li Luo.

Li Luo felt uneasy under her gaze and instinctively whispered, "Someone's watching—we can't hug."

"I didn't say I wanted to hug," Yan Zhusheng blinked. "I just wanted you to help me stretch."

"Then why didn't you say so sooner? Why were you just staring at me?"

"You're the one who misunderstood," Yan Zhusheng narrowed her eyes, secretly pleased. "You're the one who wanted to hug."

"Nonsense—I'm not you," Li Luo walked over, followed her instructions, and helped stretch her arm. "You already got your pre-final encouragement—no need for another, right?"

"You can give me another if you want."

"Nah, better not. Just focus on your match."

"And after the match?"

"Win first, then talk."

"Win and hug?"

"Cough… a congratulatory hug."

"Then what if I lose?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head. "A comfort hug?"

Li Luo: "... You've got quite a few tricks."

After finishing the stretching, the men's badminton match outside ended.

Xu Youyu happened to pass by, stepped in place of the student union's notice-taker, knocked on the door, and smiled inside: "Your match is about to begin—get ready to take the court."

? ￠O

Yan Zhusheng and Luo Jiajia nodded and walked straight out of the locker room toward the court.

Zhao Rongjun followed behind, planning to be a cheerleader on the sidelines.

Li Luo walked last, probably fearing he'd be caught again by the senior, quickening his steps—making Xu Youyu chuckle: "Hey! You're scared of me now?"

"Not at all," Li Luo shook his head rapidly. "Who's scared of you? Don't talk nonsense."

"Then why are you running so fast?"

"I'm eager to watch the match."

Once on the court, Li Luo joined Zhao Rongjun and sat on the bench beside the court, whispering to Zhao Rongjun: "Who are you rooting for?"

"Luo Jiajia."

"But Yan Zhusheng is also your good friend—don't you support her?"

"You're supporting her, aren't you?" Zhao Rongjun looked exasperated. "I'm not you, trying to date three girls at once."

"If you can't speak well, stay silent—you don't get to make things up."

"But that's exactly what you wrote in your novel."

"Can you just copy what's written in a novel straight into real life?" Li Luo retorted. "I even wrote in my book that you got scammed online—did you get scammed?"

"How can you even say that?" Zhao Rongjun snapped. "You know that never happened—so why'd you write it?"

"Cough… those are trivial matters—don't take them so seriously," Li Luo coughed twice. "Novels draw from reality but transcend it—they can't match reality point by point."

Of course, the online dating scam wasn't entirely made up by Li Luo.

Although Zhao Rongjun hadn't been scammed yet, in his past life, after entering university, he really had been defrauded of several thousand yuan through online dating.

At the time, Qianjiang University even hung banners near the dormitory entrance to warn students—though they didn't use Zhao Rongjun's name, protecting his privacy.

But when going out for grilled skewers and drinks with Li Luo, Zhao Rongjun still confided his miserable experience to him.

Later, Li Luo never missed a chance to tease him about it.

Including his secret crush on his high school desk partner, only to find out she already had a boyfriend.

And his reluctant acceptance of an arranged marriage at over thirty, spending three hundred thousand yuan as bride price to marry her—only for the marriage to fail.

Combined with the online scam, these three became Zhao Rongjun's "Three Great Scandals" in Li Luo's eyes.

In his past life, during their grilled skewers and drinks, these were indispensable seasonings.

Of course, Zhao Rongjun didn't hold back—he loved teasing Li Luo most about his three near-misses with excellent girls, always giving him a little "eye medicine" every time they drank.

But now, having been reborn, Zhao Rongjun had only completed the first step—the other two hadn't even come yet.

Of course, this lifetime, with Li Luo accompanying him to Qianjiang University, he no longer needed to worry about such things happening.

"Sigh, Xiao Jun," Li Luo recalled these memories and couldn't help patting Zhao Rongjun's shoulder. "You really owe me big time this lifetime."

"... Did you sneak drink and get drunk and still haven't woken up?"

"It's fine—you don't understand. I'm the buddy carrying the burden for you," Li Luo chuckled. "Watch the match."

The women's badminton match officially began with the physical education teacher's whistle.

Yan Zhusheng was indeed very skilled.

Luo Jiajia, though athletic, wasn't particularly good at badminton—she relied purely on physical strength to push through.

In the semifinal against Ying Chanxi, she'd barely won by a few points in the final set.

But Yan Zhusheng's match against Ying Chanxi had been relatively easy.

So after the match began, Yan Zhusheng gave Luo Jiajia little chance.

Probably because she'd held back slightly during her match against Ying Chanxi.

Now, fully unleashed, she pushed Luo Jiajia back step by step.

She won the first set 15–7.

She won the second set 15–6.

Straight 2–0 sweep—giving Luo Jiajia not the slightest hope of a comeback.

Most spectators naturally wanted to see a back-and-forth duel.

But for Class Eight students, Yan Zhusheng winning smoothly was best—they cheered wildly from the stands.

After Yan Zhusheng won, Class Eight's Zhu Yufei was already leading his team warming up on the sidelines; similarly, Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen from Class One were doing the same.

As for Li Luo…

"Alright, alright, enough already?"

Deep in a secluded corridor beside the locker room, Li Luo hugged Yan Zhusheng, helplessly saying, "You've already celebrated—I still have a match to play."

"You're not playing in the first two sets," Yan Zhusheng buried her head in his chest, her voice muffled. "Just a little longer."

"A friend's hug can't last this long."

"It can," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "That one was to celebrate my win—this one is encouragement before your match."

"Didn't you already encourage me before the match?"

"That one was for my singing performance—this one is for your basketball game."

"... You're pretty good at calculating; you should become an accountant someday."

"Why?"

"You clearly have a talent for cooking the books."

A few minutes later, Li Luo emerged from the corridor, having finally parted from Yan Zhusheng, and wearily rubbed his temples, feeling increasingly unable to control things.

Whether it was the senior or Zhusheng, both gave him the feeling they were pushing him toward demonic deviation—truly exhausting.

Xixi is still the best.

As Li Luo stepped out of the corridor onto the basketball court, he saw the dance club's cheerleaders had already left the court and the badminton net had been taken down.

Ying Chanxi stood at Class One's resting area, cheering them on, but her gaze kept flickering toward Class Eight.

Upon seeing Li Luo appear, she couldn't help but walk over: "Where have you been?"

"Went to the bathroom," Li Luo said without blinking. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. I just worried since you didn't show up," Ying Chanxi said, adjusting his collar, then whispered, "Good luck in the match."

"That's not very fair," Li Luo laughed. "I'm playing against your own class, and yet you, as class monitor, are secretly rooting for the enemy?"

"I'm just cheering for you—I didn't say I support Class Eight," Ying Chanxi huffed. "Besides, no one knows I'm cheering for you secretly."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Li Luo conceded, swayed by her logic. "But it doesn't matter—we're definitely going to win."

"So confident?" Ying Chanxi frowned skeptically, then added in a hushed tone, "Just be careful, okay? I just heard Liu Shaowen and the others say they've got a plan targeting you, but I didn't quite understand it—just watch yourself."

"Still saying you're not a spy planted in Class One?" Li Luo chuckled helplessly. "Leaking military secrets like this—if this were a battlefield, you'd be dragged out and beheaded."

"Hmph," Ying Chanxi gave him a light kick. "Your kindness is met with ingratitude. I'm not talking to you anymore."

With that, she tossed her head and returned to Class One's side.

Seeing their class monitor finally return, Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen both exhaled in relief, then perked up.

They'd truly feared she'd go to Class Eight and never come back—if she was still cheering for Class Eight when the match started, they'd completely lose it.

Fortunately, Ying Chanxi was still level-headed; after sitting down on Class One's bench, she prepared to cheer them on.

Soon, the match began.

The PE teacher blew his whistle, and both teams took the court.

Under Liu Shaowen's gaze, Li Luo from Class Eight sat motionless, utterly unmoving.

After exchanging a glance with Xie Shuchen, both knew for sure.

Li Luo really does lack stamina—can he only last two quarters?

If so, the first two quarters will be crucial.

As they thought this, the ball was tossed up.

Jian Zhenyuan snatched the ball from Xu Guangtao, passed quickly, and with Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen's seamless coordination, Class One scored two points within seconds.

On the stands, Class One's students erupted in cheers.

Class Eight's students weren't outdone—they began cheering loudly for their own players.

Yet overall, though Class Eight wasn't weak, their center gap meant fewer possessions and fewer offensive opportunities than Class One.

After the first quarter, the score was 17–10—Class Eight trailed by seven points.

The atmosphere in Class Eight grew heavy.

Yan Zhusheng sat beside Li Luo, looking at the score, and asked: "Aren't you going in for the second quarter?"

"Not yet," Li Luo said calmly. "You'll see soon."

Ying Chanxi, who had been anxious, calmed slightly when she saw Li Luo's composed expression.

But then she noticed Yan Zhusheng whispering something to Li Luo, and she puffed out her cheeks, growing ever more impatient for the Gao Er class split.

After finishing with Yan Zhusheng, Li Luo turned to Zhu Yufei and the others who had just come off the court and whispered: "How's your stamina holding up?"

"We're fine," Zhu Yufei gave him an OK sign. "We're just waiting for you—no problem, right?"

"Relax. Just wait till the third quarter."

The match entered the second quarter.

Class One continued their momentum.

With Liu Shaowen and Xie Shuchen's offensive coordination, Class One ended the quarter 35–21, leading by fourteen points.

On the stands, Class Eight's students clenched their fists in tension.

But remembering Li Luo hadn't entered yet, they relaxed a little.

After all, in their last game against Class Seven, it was Li Luo who turned the tide.

Class One, however, since most hadn't seen Class Eight's earlier matches, had no idea of Li Luo's strength—now their mood was relaxed, convinced their class would win the championship.

It felt pretty good to them.

After all, though Class One's status as an elite class was prestigious, some always saw them as nothing but bookworms.

Now, if Class One's basketball team won the championship, it would shut those people's mouths.

It was a good thing either way.

But Liu Shaowen and the others on the court didn't think so.

After halftime, the PE teacher blew his whistle again.

Xie Shuchen watched Li Luo take off his jacket and step onto the court, then narrowed his eyes: "Liu Shaowen, you handle this quarter?"

"Yeah," Liu Shaowen nodded seriously.

On the stands, Class Eight's students erupted in cheers upon seeing Li Luo enter.

Xu Yinghuan led the chant: "Li Luo! Go!"

"Li Luo! Go!"

Class One was startled, wondering if Li Luo's popularity in Class Eight had really reached this absurd level.

They were already chanting like this as soon as he stepped on the court.

Beside the court, Ying Chanxi sat on the bench; hearing Xu Yinghuan leading the cheers, she barely held back her lips, almost shouting along.

But after seeing Li Luo step onto the court, Ying Chanxi's face also showed an expression of anticipation, silently cheering for him in her heart.

On the court, the third quarter officially began.

Li Luo had just passed the ball to Zhu Yufei at the baseline when he saw Liu Shaowen appear before him; as soon as Li Luo moved, Liu Shaowen followed, tracking him all the way from the baseline to the opposite half-court, never letting go.

Seeing this, Li Luo couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, realizing the counter-strategy was exactly this.

If this tactic had been used against the old Li Luo, it might have actually worked.

After all, he had previously recorded just such a position in his Memory Palace; as long as Liu Shaowen stuck to him like glue, leaving no opening, he truly wouldn't have been able to adjust his shooting angle.

The Memory Palace wasn't an all-powerful key—it still had to obey basic laws; it couldn't remotely control a shot if Li Luo couldn't physically perform the motion stored in his memory.

But now, things were different…

During these exam days, he hadn't been idle.

Li Luo smiled at Liu Shaowen, then sidestepped slightly, creating a small gap between them.

Although Liu Shaowen quickly closed in again, denying him any normal shooting opportunity, Li Luo still managed to catch the ball passed from Zhu Yufei.

Then the next second, Li Luo sidestepped and clashed with Liu Shaowen, his right hand lightly hooking the ball—giving Liu Shaowen no chance—and the hook shot sailed cleanly through the net, leaving Liu Shaowen momentarily stunned.

Liu Shaowen looked down at his position.

He glanced at the three-point line, barely a meter away from Li Luo, then at the basket far off, and fell silent.

Usually, taking three steps and hooking the ball near the basket with touch—that was perfectly normal.

But you're hooking the ball from almost right on the three-point line!

Can this even go in?

And it went straight through the net.

This is just too ridiculous!

But soon, Liu Shaowen and the others realized this wasn't the most absurd thing.

As Class Eight kept attacking, every time they passed the ball to Li Luo, he'd hook it from some bizarre angle.

And every time, it went in perfectly.

Even the PE teacher acting as referee was left speechless.

The stands of Class Eight erupted in wave after wave of cheers.

Within just a few minutes, the score had been pulled to 43-35, only eight points behind!

By the end of the third quarter, the score had been tied to 48-43, just five points apart!

"This is impossible… we can't defend this." Liu Shaowen muttered during the break, "How do you defend a hook shot? You can't even touch it."

"Then stop defending—just go on offense," Xie Shuchen said grimly. "We're only down five. If we don't turn it over, we're fine—they're not strong defensively."

When the fourth quarter began,

Class One changed strategy, no longer trying to stop Li Luo's hook shot.

After all, their center, Jian Zhenyuan, was significantly stronger than the opponent's Xu Guangtao.

By maintaining offensive rhythm while deliberately slowing the pace and dragging out time, they could still reduce scoring frequency on both sides and preserve their lead.

So as the fourth quarter began, Class One's pace clearly slowed, affecting Class Eight as well.

As time passed, the score gradually reached 58-55.

Then it was 62-61!

Two minutes remained.

The tense battle on the court made the spectators on the stands hold their breath, eyes fixed on every movement.

Until only twenty seconds remained, when Class One's defense loosened—Li Luo launched a jump shot and scored two more points.

He successfully took the lead!

64-65!

Just hold on!

Zhu Yufei and the others in Class Eight were filled with excitement.

But Liu Shaowen on the other side took a deep breath, coordinated with Xie Shuchen on the inbound, and after being defended by Class Eight, couldn't break through.

In the end, he had to gamble—a three-point shot from beyond the arc.

Whether by luck or not, the ball bounced off the rim a few times, hit the backboard, and finally dropped through the net.

67-65!

Only ten seconds left!

Liu Shaowen couldn't help but fist-pump, instinctively glancing at Ying Chanxi on the sideline.

But what he saw wasn't her smiling face—instead, he noticed her frowning, watching Li Luo with clear worry.

This instantly killed his urge to cheer, leaving him with a helpless expression.

Meanwhile, Xie Shuchen was already directing everyone to retreat defensively.

If they could hold for these ten seconds, they'd win for sure!

But just as they thought this, Li Luo had already received the ball from Zhu Yufei.

As the clock counted down,

He hadn't even reached the three-point line—he stopped abruptly, still over a meter away from it, directly facing the basket.

His Memory Palace spun at high speed, forcibly implanting muscle memory, driving his body, arms, wrists, and fingertips.

He flicked the ball with force.

It arced through the air in a beautiful parabola—

Nothing but net.

The PE teacher's whistle blew.

The entire gymnasium fell silent for an instant.

The moment the basketball went through the hoop, the wonderful sound was as if everyone could hear it clearly.

The next second, from the stands of Class Eight, excited cheers suddenly erupted!

Then, as if contagious, it spread rapidly through the stands, and applause rolled out like thunder.

Li Luo looked at the scoreboard on the sideline, which finally settled at 67-68, and quietly let out a breath of relief.

Good thing he had prepared in advance; otherwise, today's game really would have been taken by Class One.

"Congratulations." Yan Zhusheng, Li Luo's jacket cradled in her arms, ran onto the court and whispered to him, though her eyes fairly gleamed with eagerness to try.

Li Luo quickly pressed down on her shoulder and said in a low voice, "Not now. Behave yourself."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng pressed her lips together and obediently followed Li Luo off the court.

Ying Chanxi had originally wanted to run over as well, but thinking that her own classmates had lost the game by a single point and must be feeling down right now, she still did her duty as class president and ran over to Jian Zhenyuan and the others to offer some comfort.

But in her heart she was quite elated, her mind replaying over and over the heroic figure Li Luo had cut as he took that final shot, and she felt her head going dizzy with it.

If only she were from Class Eight… what a shame there would be no more basketball games in Gao Er.