Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Huo Jingchuan genuinely had no idea where Lu Huan came from, as he had never even heard of rules like three-pointers and free throws before! He gave a perfunctory explanation, only to find Lu Huan listening intently— could it be that Lu Huan wasn’t being modest when he said he ‘couldn’t play basketball,’ but genuinely didn’t know how?!
He did want to invite a handsome guy who wasn’t very good at basketball to make himself look good, but he didn’t want to invite someone who would drag him down!
Huo Jingchuan’s expression immediately became indescribable.
He looked at Lu Huan and couldn’t help but ask, “I have a question I’ve wanted to ask for a long time: did you travel from some ancient dynasty?”
Lu Huan glanced at Huo Jingchuan, then calmly took out his ID card from his pocket.
Huo Jingchuan saw him pull out a card as if it were some kind of treasure, and couldn’t help but lean over to take a look. Lu Huan calmly said above his head, “I’m a local, honest and trustworthy.”
Huo Jingchuan: …
In his mind: I can’t believe you! How can someone not understand the local dialect?!
Despite the complaints, before the basketball game even started, Huo Jingchuan and a group of teammates surrounded Lu Huan, urging him to try shooting a basket first— to see where they could strategically position him later.
Lu Huan already understood the rules: simply throw the basketball into the hoop while surrounded by enemy troops. He caught the basketball and found it incredibly light, as if it were filled with some kind of gas, feeling weightless in his hand. Compared to spears or heavy arrows, it was practically weightless.
In that case, he needed to be gentle, otherwise he might throw it outside the school and cause controversy.
Thinking this, Lu Huan took two steps back and held the basketball in his palm.
His arm was hanging down, but the basketball seemed to be drawn to him, gripping his hand tightly.
Huo Jingchuan’s teammate said, “The handsome guy you brought doesn’t seem like he can’t do it! Not everyone can squeeze a basketball with one hand! You can’t do it.”
“…” Huo Jingchuan crossed his arms, feeling a bit embarrassed: “Damn it, I also suspect he’s lying to me…”
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Huan raised his hand and lightly tapped his finger.
The ball had been thrown.
The basketball traced a perfectly accurate parabola in the air.
Even before the ball hit the basket, everyone on the basketball court knew that it was extremely accurate.
The spectators widened their eyes, about to cheer, “Great shot!”
But no sooner had the cheers left his mouth than the ball went into the basket, but after bouncing off the ground, it sent the rim flying! The screws on the backboard came loose, and four of them clattered to the ground!
A fraction of a second later, with a loud crash, the basketball hoop fell to the ground!
….
The basketball bounced back and forth on the ground several times, like a highly destructive weapon, causing people around to scatter in fear. Finally, it bounced back and flew into the distant grass.
Someone picked it up, held it up, and said to the people on Huo Jingchuan’s side, “It’s cracked.”
The basketball cracked.
The people on the basketball court: …
Onlookers outside the basketball court: …
Su Xi: …
Huo Jingchuan gasped and rushed over to Su Xi, saying, “Where did you get to know someone like this who can uproot a willow tree? He just lifted his hand lightly and smashed the basketball! This basketball was brought by our class’s sports committee member; it cost over a hundred yuan!”
Su Xi: “…”
Lu Huan glanced at his hand, frowned slightly, and realized that he had used too much force. The reason was simple: whether drawing a bow, reining in a horse, or throwing a spear on the training field, it all required immense strength, something he had grown accustomed to over the years. He had clearly tried his best to use less force, but he hadn’t expected the spherical object and the basketball hoop to be as fragile as a willow in the wind.
These words were naturally offensive, so Lu Huan took the initiative to apologize: “I’ll pay for this ball.”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he responsibly went to the teaching building and brought back a table, placed it under the backboard, then picked up the rim and a few nails, and put the rim in by hand.
He even twisted it a bit harder.
After he twisted it, the basketball hoop, which was originally slightly loose, immediately became as solid as a rock. It was likely that even if the school collapsed, the basketball hoop won’t fall.
Su Xi was both amused and exasperated. She said to Huo Jingchuan, “Please be understanding. Lu Huan is naturally strong and has never played basketball before. There’s a first time for everything, so give him another chance.”
Huo Jingchuan didn’t quite trust her and was afraid that Lu Huan would beat them when they played basketball next.
Fortunately, the boys playing basketball weren’t too concerned about the basketball. Instead, they were extremely amazed and surrounded Lu Huan, wanting to see how his arms were. His arms didn’t have many exaggerated muscles, but they were fair, slender, and handsome, even much thinner than the two taller guys among them. So why did he have the explosive power to smash the backboard?
Someone suggested, “Brother Lu, why don’t you move a little further away and try shooting a three-pointer? Maybe you can make it easily from a distance.”
Lu Huan picked up another basketball and walked to the three-point line.
This time, he slightly composed himself and used even less force, almost flicking it out with his finger.
After a beautiful, smooth parabola—
“Clang!” The basketball swished through the hoop. This time, the force was just right. The basketball bounced back from the ground with unstoppable momentum, but its acceleration in the air decreased to zero. Just before it hit the rim, its speed also dropped to zero, and it fell back to the ground.
Everyone on the playground who witnessed this scene was stunned.
Good-looking people really do take the road less travelled. They don’t bother with one- or two-point shots; they have to shoot three-pointers to make a shot.
Lu Huan’s brow relaxed, feeling that he basically knew how much force to use. He picked up the basketball with interest and said to Huo Jingchuan and the others, “We can begin.”
To be honest, Huo Jingchuan didn’t believe Lu Huan could play either guard or forward, after all, he had only learned to shoot on the spot.
But to everyone’s surprise, in the second half of the game, Brother Lu made a series of incredibly powerful moves.
Whether it was defense, offense, or even a newly learned shot, he had almost no weaknesses.
Whenever he stood in a defensive position, even several players from the opposing team dribbling towards him couldn’t break through. Instead, he easily reached out and stole the ball.
When he launched a fierce attack, he didn’t even need his teammates; he could break through the defense of several opposing players and hit a three-pointer all by himself.
After half the game, Huo Jingchuan listened to the enthusiastic cheers from the sidelines, looking dazed.
He ran around without even touching the ball, wondering if he was there to run, not play basketball. This team didn’t even need him; Brother Lu alone was enough.
Halftime break. He and the others were panting and sweating profusely from running, but Lu Huan’s forehead was completely dry and clean. He didn’t look tired at all and even went to Su Xi’s side to wring out a bottle of mineral water.
Huo Jingchuan looked at the girls outside the arena whose attention had been completely drawn to Lu Huan, and was so worried he almost vomited blood.
This was completely different from what he imagined!
The other boys on the court had the same thought. What were they even doing at school playing basketball? Just to hear girls cheering for some handsome guy they didn’t even know? They might as well play on the run-down basketball court near their neighborhood. They wanted to urge Huo Jingchuan to talk to Lu Huan and ask him not to let this rich and handsome guy play in the second half. Otherwise, what chance would they have?
However, before Huo Jingchuan could even make the suggestion, Lu Huan glanced at the sky and took the initiative to tell him that they should change players.
He said, “It’s getting late, I have to take Xiao Xi home.”
If it gets too late and Su Xi’s parents come back, the two of them won’t be able to enter Su Xi’s room.
Huo Jingchuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling for the first time that Su Xi was somewhat useful. He then said to her, “Quickly, take your Popeye back.”
Su Xi rolled her eyes at him: “When there’s trouble, you’re always Zhong Wuyan; when there’s no trouble, you’re always Xia Yingchun.[1] You’re the one who begged and pleaded with us to have Lu Huan come and play basketball.”
She turned to Gu Qin and asked, “Want to go back together?”
Gu Qin’s mind was completely on the pretty young lady outside the venue, so she said to them perfunctorily, “You guys go back first, I’ll watch for a while longer.”
Just then, Su Xi was also afraid that going back with Gu Qin would give her away. It would be awkward if Gu Qin found out that she had actually led Lu Huan directly into her house.
She pulled Lu Huan toward the school gate.
Lu Huan, always eager to learn, asked, “What is Popeye?”
Su Xi told him, “It’s an animated film. The protagonist eats spinach and becomes very strong.”
Lu Huan smiled and said, “So it seems you are my Spinach.”
Su Xi didn’t understand what he meant at first. After walking a few steps with him toward the school gate, she realized that he meant that if she hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have played so seriously and wouldn’t have scored dozens of goals without letting Huo Jingchuan and the others pass by, only to be kicked out by his teammates.
Su Xi’s cheeks flushed instantly.
Lu Huan hesitated, then glanced at her.
Su Xi found it amusing and said, “You’re handsome. Except for the first shot that broke the rim, you played basketball very well after that! I’ve never seen anyone more handsome than you!”
Lu Huan was finally satisfied.
With Lu Huan’s looks, it would be absolutely impossible for no one to dare approach him for his WeChat after he walked around the school. On their short walk from the playground to the school gate, several groups of people had already come up to him asking for his WeChat.
Even if Lu Huan ignored it, it got annoying after a while.
Su Xi thought to herself, “I’m standing right next to Lu Huan, why are all these girls ignoring me? Do they think I’m dead?!” She couldn’t help but throw her coat, which she had been holding in front of her, at Lu Huan, saying aggressively, “Hold this for me.”
As soon as the matching outfits were displayed, sure enough, everyone coming to ask for his WeChat disappeared. The admiring glances around her turned into envy for Su Xi, and a hint of regret.
Su Xi: …
….
Although Huo Jingchuan said he would never play basketball with Lu Huan again and suffer the same torment, he was all talk and no action. In the following days, he begged Su Xi to call Lu Huan over several times.
The only difference was that the basketball game was no longer played at school, but near the residential area.
Surrounded by a group of middle-aged men and women, Huo Jingchuan and the other guys were justified in their poor performance, finally able to enjoy the thrill of Lu Huan leading them to crush the opposing team’s teammates.
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[1] This common Chinese saying describes a deeply unfair, transactional relationship where someone is only valued when they are needed. “In times of trouble, Zhong Wuyan”: You are turned to only for crisis management, hard work, or problem-solving because you are capable and dependable. “In times of peace, Xia Yingchun”: You are cast aside, ignored, or forgotten when things are going well, while someone else gets to enjoy the rewards, affection, or fun.
