TAO | Chapter 51

Under the intense gazes of the school’s powerhouses, Wei Xiaochi wished he could shrink into an ostrich and bury his head in the sand.

However, the substitute player from No. 2 High School wasn’t good at reading the room. Calling out “Mr. Wei,” he walked straight up to Wei Xiaochi. In such an awkward situation, Wei Xiaochi had no choice but to stand up and follow him.

His knees were still wrapped with a towel, but he was so tense under Yang Shuo’s stare that he forgot about it. When he stood up, the towel slid off his legs after he took two steps and landed right at Yan Shen’s feet.

Yan Shen, seated by the aisle, bent down and picked up the towel. The faint scent of Jiang Zhan’s pheromones wafted from it, and several people’s gazes sharpened, fixating on Wei Xiaochi.

Confirmed—it was the scent from that towel.

Wei Xiaochi wanted to disappear on the spot, overwhelmed with embarrassment. He had no idea how to deal with the situation.

Yan Shen, usually looking perpetually drowsy with his languid, half-lidded phoenix eyes, suddenly had an alert gleam in them. He scrutinized Wei Xiaochi for a moment, then handed back the towel with a casual remark, “Try practicing some Pilates.”

Wei Xiaochi was utterly baffled but cautiously took the towel, mumbling, “Thank you.”

After thanking him, he bolted like his life depended on it, not wanting to stay a second longer.

The substitute successfully completed Li Suilin’s instructions, escorting Wei Xiaochi to the bench of No. 2 High School’s basketball team. This was a spot reserved only for team members. Wei Xiaochi felt uneasy, especially since sitting in the front row gave him a clear view of Xue Feng. That guy was so tall and built; no wonder he had knocked Jiang Zhan down earlier.

Li Suilin handed him a bottle of water. “Have a drink, Xiaochi.”

Wei Xiaochi waved his hand. “No need. I’m not part of the basketball team.”

The water was purchased with the team’s budget, and Wei Xiaochi didn’t feel comfortable taking advantage of it.

Li Suilin unscrewed the cap and placed the bottle in Wei Xiaochi’s hand. “Who knows? You might just be our unsung hero today.”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t understand what he meant. “Huh?”

Li Suilin just gave a cryptic smile and shifted his attention back to the court. Holding the bottle, Wei Xiaochi also looked toward the court, focusing on the tall figure running across it.

Since Wei Xiaochi had left the stands and sat on the bench, Jiang Zhan’s peripheral vision had been flickering toward that direction, intentionally or not. Their gazes met briefly before quickly breaking away.

Jiang Zhan refocused, dribbling the ball toward the basket. Xue Feng and Yiyang Vocational High School’s small forward swiftly moved to defend, ready to intercept him near the basket.

As Jiang Zhan prepared for a layup, Li Suilin grew nervous. Charging head-on like this was too risky.

Xue Feng also assumed Jiang Zhan was about to jump for a layup and leapt up to block him, positioning himself solidly in front of the basket. Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhan stepped back and passed the ball to Jiang Rui with a reverse throw.

When Yiyang’s small forward realized what had happened, he sprinted toward Jiang Rui to block his shot. But Jiang Rui suddenly grinned and passed the ball back to Jiang Zhan.

Xue Feng landed on the floor, and Jiang Zhan seized the opportunity to make a clean shot. The ball swished through the hoop.

It seemed Jiang Zhan hadn’t lost his composure just because Wei Xiaochi was there. Relieved, Li Suilin took a leisurely sip of water.

Watching the game from this close was too nerve-wracking for Wei Xiaochi. Even though he didn’t understand basketball, he couldn’t help but feel tense, his heart lodged in his throat.

Especially when Jiang Zhan clashed fiercely with Xue Feng. Someone as tall and built as Xue Feng must be tough to defend against, right?

Wei Xiaochi worried for Jiang Zhan but also couldn’t understand why Alphas liked such high-risk sports.

“Rebound!” shouted a freshman substitute, jumping up and yelling, “Go, Brother Zhan!”

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes were glued to Jiang Zhan and two other players under the basket, including the towering Xue Feng. Their bodies collided repeatedly as they jumped to snatch the ball.

Jiang Zhan didn’t have the best position for a jump, making it hard for him to secure the rebound. He tipped the ball upward with his fingertips, causing it to bounce higher.

As he landed, Jiang Zhan jumped again, higher this time. Just as he touched the ball, Xue Feng landed and collided with his knee, sending Jiang Zhan tilting backward.

Jiang Zhan staggered but steadied himself quickly, jumping for a third time. Everyone marveled at his lower-body strength—anyone else would have been knocked off their feet by Xue Feng’s brute force. Not only did Jiang Zhan stabilize, but he also exploded upward again.

Xue Feng stood there, stunned. He hadn’t expected Jiang Zhan’s competitive spirit to be so fierce.

This time, Jiang Zhan jumped too hastily and only grazed the ball. On his fourth leap, he finally grabbed it.

The audience erupted into applause for Jiang Zhan’s unyielding determination. The clapping lasted over ten seconds.

At the same time, the referee blew the whistle, giving Xue Feng a technical foul and awarding Jiang Zhan two free throws.

Watching Jiang Zhan at the free-throw line, Li Suilin suddenly said to Wei Xiaochi, “It hurts, you know.”

Wei Xiaochi blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“Going for rebounds—it really hurts your fingers,” Li Suilin explained. “He wasn’t in the best position to grab that ball, but he put all his strength into jumping and tipped it with his fingers to keep Xue Feng and the others from getting it.”

“Fingers aren’t made of iron. Hitting a fast-moving ball like that is painful. And he jumped four times, tipping it three times.”

Li Suilin sighed. “I don’t know if he’s just fiercely competitive or if he doesn’t want to lose in front of you.”

Wei Xiaochi had been so caught up in the intensity that he hadn’t considered this. Now, he stared blankly at Jiang Zhan’s hands.

Jiang Zhan acted like nothing had happened, his eyes locked on the basket as he prepared for his free throws. His Alpha features were sharp and imposing, with sweat-soaked black hair framing his chiseled face. He was a picture of focus and power, a far cry from the Jiang Zhan who had clung to Wei Xiaochi earlier.

Two shots, two points.

Jiang Zhan raised his wristband to wipe his brow, then casually glanced back at Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi pressed his lips together, unable to pinpoint his feelings. He stiffly mouthed “Good luck.”

Jiang Zhan didn’t seem pleased with Wei Xiaochi’s lack of enthusiasm. He let out a snort, but it was too faint for Wei Xiaochi to hear.

Jiang Zhan’s rebound and subsequent points put No. 2 High School in the lead. He sprinted down the court with incredible speed. When defenders blocked him, he decisively passed the ball to a teammate.

With No. 2 High School’s ironclad defense, Yiyang’s scoring slowed significantly, and Jiang Zhan effectively neutralized Xue Feng.

This was a grueling game for both teams, draining their energy. By this point, their differences became apparent. Apart from Jiang Zhan, most of No. 2 High School’s players showed signs of fatigue. On the other hand, Yiyang’s players seemed unfazed, their fitness levels far superior.

Seeing his teammates struggle, Li Suilin stood up. “Coach, let me play.”

The coach sighed and nodded, signaling for a substitution.

Li Suilin’s entry into the game only made the atmosphere more intense. Meanwhile, Wei Xiaochi grew increasingly nervous, his palms sweaty.

Just as he tipped back his water bottle, a stray ball from a fierce play flew toward the bench at high speed. It was about to hit Wei Xiaochi when suddenly, someone dove to shield him.

Author’s Note:

I’m a very obedient (and easily persuaded) author. Since you all think the idea of a 12-second hang time is too creepy, I’ve revised it to 1.5 seconds instead.

However, I’m worried that if it’s too short, some readers might feel that such a brief hang time lacks enough visual impact.