Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 136 First Battle

Zhao Qihang cursed all the way back to the classroom, and before he even warmed his chair, he started reviewing the incident.

As the saying goes, patience brings peace, while retreat only breeds more anger.

"What's with that kid's swagger? So what if he's a little taller? Let me tell you, if Chen Xu hadn't held me back, I would have..."

"What are you going to do about it?" Song Huan sat down and unscrewed the water glass.

Zhao Qihang hesitated for two seconds, then said, "I'll argue with him."

Xiao Yunqing leaned over from the side, "What's wrong? Who was that person just now?"

She was in the shade of the tree at the time and only saw Zhao Qihang fall, but didn't hear what he said.

Song Huan recounted Zhou Jie's story, and Zhao Qihang, listening from the side, grew increasingly green with embarrassment, finally slamming his fist on the table.

"Just you wait! When the match comes, I'll beat him to a pulp."

Xiao Yunqing opened her eyes briefly.

They've already become enemies before the fight even started?

She turned to look at Song Huan and poked the back of his hand.

"Can you beat him?"

Song Huan paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I was originally going to spare them." He leaned back in his chair, his tone light and casual. "Since you've already spoken, I'll definitely beat them to a pulp."

Xiao Yunqing blushed and turned her head away, "You're bragging again."

After submitting the list of participants for the class competition, Lu Xu glanced at it and nodded.

The school's sports department was efficient; the competition schedule was posted two days later.

Sixteen classes from the second year of high school participated in the competition, divided into upper and lower brackets.

Class 4 is in the upper bracket, and their first match is against Class 12, a liberal arts class.

If we win, the next match will be against the winner between Class 8 and Class 9.

The two classes are so destined to meet, they actually bumped into each other.

The bulletin board was crowded with people.

Zhao Qihang squeezed in for a peek, and bumped into Zhou Jie as he came out.

Jay Chou also came to check the schedule, glancing down at it.

"Class 4 versus Class 12?"

He glanced at Zhao Qihang. "The liberal arts class, you should be able to win."

He paused for a moment, then added, "After all, Class 12 doesn't even have a decent center."

Zhao Qihang's face turned green again. This sentence was definitely directed at him!

Zhou Jie had already turned and walked away, his steps slow, his sneakers squeaking on the ground.

The two lackeys followed behind, glanced back, and said something with a smile.

Xiao Yunqing stood to the side, clenching her fists in anger. "How could this person be like this? Our class hasn't offended him."

Chen Xu stood at the back, having remained silent until now. He finally spoke, "I know him."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Chen Xu leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets.

"In the district-wide junior high basketball tournament, our school played against their school. I led the team, and we won."

Zhao Qihang suddenly realized and slapped his thigh.

"So you defeated me before, and you're holding a grudge!" he sneered. "I thought you were something special."

Chen Xu shook his head. "His individual ability is very strong. Their school lost because their teammates were not good enough."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "In that game, he scored half of their team's points."

Zhao Qihang stopped laughing, then pouted defiantly, "The Three Musketeers might not be afraid of him!"

Song Huan watched Zhou Jie's retreating figure.

Everyone has their own obsessions.

For Zhou Jie, defeating Chen Xu is probably his obsession.

Thursday afternoon, the weather was unbelievably nice.

The sun was high overhead, not scorching, but warm and pleasant.

A banner was hung on the playground that read "Grade 11 Basketball Tournament".

The audience seats were mostly filled, mostly with girls, who were chattering away.

Zhao Qihang came out of the locker room with the ball in his arms and was stunned.

Class 12, humanities class.

There are more girls.

There were more than just a lot of them; they practically took up half of the entire audience area. The colorful displays were a feast for the eyes.

He swallowed hard, patted Chen Xu on the shoulder, and said, "Brother, we have to win this game."

Chen Xu was already warming up.

He took off his coat, revealing a white vest underneath, the muscles on his arms gleaming in the sunlight.

Someone in the audience exclaimed "Wow!" and several girls stared at him.

Song Huan sat on the sidelines tying her shoelaces.

Xiao Yunqing squatted down next to him, put her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it twice. "Are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

She patted her legs a couple more times. "That's good."

He paused, then said, "Don't get hurt."

Song Huan looked up at her.

She lowered her head and pressed her finger on his knee once, then again.

Her short hair hung down, covering half of her face, and her exposed ears were red in the sunlight.

Zhou Shan, standing to the side, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses. "Oh, Yun Qing, are you worried about your man now?"

Xiao Yunqing stopped.

Her face turned red starting from her neck and extending to the tips of her ears.

She glared at Zhou Shan, stood up, and stepped aside. "I was just helping him relax. Athletes need to relax before a competition."

"Oh~" Zhou Shan drawled out, "Relax."

Xiao Yunqing stopped talking, stood on the sidelines with her arms crossed, her face as red as the rubber on the track.

Song Huan smiled and stood up.

The referee, wearing a black T-shirt, blew his whistle and waved for both teams to enter the field.

Zhao Qihang walked in front, Chen Xu followed behind, and Song Huan brought up the rear.

The team from Class 12 across the street also came up. The person at the front was thinner, wearing sports glasses, and his hair was a little longer than before.

Zhao Qihang rubbed his eyes, took a closer look, and exclaimed, "Holy crap, Lu Ciyuan?"

Lu Ciyuan stood opposite him, his expression quite interesting.

I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to cry. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, but couldn't move it.

The tallest of his teammates behind him only reached Chen Xu's shoulder.

The two shook hands in the center circle.

Song Huan grasped Lu Ciyuan's hand and smiled, "Long time no see."

Chen Xu shook his hand and patted his shoulder lightly, but Lu Ciyuan's shoulder felt a little heavy.

Zhao Qihang was the last one, and when he shook his hand, he shook it hard twice, saying, "You traitor to the organization."

The voice wasn't loud, but Lu Ciyuan heard it and gave a wry smile.

"I didn't choose humanities because I wanted to," he said softly. "I really can't learn science."

The referee tossed the ball up.

Chen Xu jumped for the ball, stretched out his hand, and deflected it into Song Huan's hands.

The game started.

Song Huan dribbled the ball across half-court, and the defender from Class 12 came up to him, arms outstretched, legs spread apart, in a very standard posture.

Song Huan glanced at him, then changed direction and went past.

The man paused for a moment, then turned around to chase after him, but it was too late.

Song Huan went to the free throw line, jumped up, flicked the ball from his fingertips, and it went in off the backboard.

Some people in the audience applauded.

The girls from Class 12 also patted the camera twice, then realized something was wrong and lowered their hands.

Zhao Qihang held the ball at the top of the arc and called out "Song Huan".

Song Huan circled around the baseline, used Chen Xu's screen to shake off the defender, received the ball, jumped, and shot from beyond the three-point line.

The ball arced through the air and swished into the net.

"Good shot!" Zhao Qihang shouted.

The applause from the audience was louder than before.

The girls from Class 12 started taking pictures again, and this time they didn't stop.

One of the girls with a ponytail patted the ground twice and said to the person next to her, "That boy from Class 4 has a really good shooting accuracy."

The person next to him nodded, their eyes never leaving the field.

Song Huan ran back to defend, and heard Xiao Yunqing's voice as he passed the sidelines.

"Be careful not to get hurt!"

The voice wasn't loud, and it was mixed in with the crowd, but he heard it.

He glanced back at her; she was standing on the sidelines, arms crossed, brows furrowed.

Chen Xu is basically unstoppable under the basket.

The center in Class 12 was half a head shorter than him and a size heavier.

The ball went in, Chen Xu caught it, backed up twice, turned around, and hooked it in.

The ball spun around the rim and rolled in.

In the next round, Zhao Qihang broke through and passed the ball.

Chen Xu received the ball under the basket, jumped, and slammed the ball into the hoop with one hand.

With a loud bang, the basketball hoop shook.

The audience was silent for a second, then erupted.

The girls in Class 12 covered their mouths, their eyes wide open.

Someone whispered, "He's so tall."

"His arms are so long."

"Was that a dunk?"

There was no shortage of discussion about Song Huan, including not only her ball skills but also her looks and physique.

Xiao Yunqing stood on the sidelines, watching the girls' reactions, and pursed her lips.

Zhou Shan stood beside her, smiling, "Yun Qing, you don't look too well."

"No." Xiao Yunqing turned her gaze back to the court.

Song Huan received the ball again beyond the three-point line.

The person defending him was very close, their hand almost touching his face.

He took two quick steps, stepped back, and jumped.

The defender rushed in, but it was too late.

The ball was flicked from the fingertips, arcing high, and bounced off the backboard into the basket.

The applause from the audience was no longer divided between friend and foe.

A girl from Class 12 stood up and clapped, but was pulled down by someone next to her and sat down, though she was still clapping.

The girl with the ponytail went even further, shouting "So handsome!" at Song Huan. Only after shouting did she realize what she had said, blushed, and lowered her head.

Xiao Yunqing stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, tapping her fingers on her arm twice.

Zhou Shan leaned closer, her voice low, "Yun Qing, why did you pinch me?"

Xiao Yunqing looked down and realized that she had grabbed Zhou Shan's arm without realizing it, so she quickly let go.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Zhou Shan rubbed her arm, her smile carrying a deeper meaning.

"It's okay, I understand. Anyone would feel uncomfortable if their man was being stared at by other women."

"He's not me..." Xiao Yunqing stopped mid-sentence.

His gaze drifted back to the sports field.

Song Huan had just made a three-pointer and was running back when he glanced over at her as he passed the sidelines and smiled at her.

She turned her head away from him, but her face was flushed.

The outcome of the match was not in much suspense.

The score gap widened, to thirty points, then forty points.

The girls in Class 12 no longer cared which side was their class; they cheered when Song Huan got the ball and screamed when Chen Xu dunked.

Zhao Qihang, standing to the side, was incredibly envious. "I controlled the ball so well, why isn't anyone applauding me?"

In the final minute, Song Huan had the ball at the top of the arc.

The person defending him had given up and stood two steps away with his hands on his hips.

Song Huan glanced at Chen Xu under the basket. Chen Xu was being boxed out and was in a bad position.

He glanced at Zhao Qihang again; Zhao Qihang was in the corner, being watched.

He passed the ball between the defender's legs, circled around him, caught the ball, and made a layup.

The ball bounced off the backboard and rolled into the basket.

The crowd cheered.

The final whistle blew, 73-21.

Zhao Qihang was the first to rush up and hug Chen Xu, but Chen Xu pushed him away in disgust.

Song Huan walked over, gave Zhao Qihang a high five, and then walked across the street.

Lu Ciyuan stood on the sidelines, head down, towel draped around his neck, his hands gripping the ends of the towel tightly.

His teammates behind him were already packing up their things. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, but he didn't move.

Song Huan walked up to him and extended her hand.

Lu Ciyuan raised his head, his eyes a little red.

He stared at the hand, paused for a moment, then took the hand off the towel and grasped it.

"Well played," Song Huan said.

Lu Ciyuan gave a wry smile. "Don't try to comfort me. Seventy-three to twenty-one, you call that a good score?"

Song Huan patted him on the shoulder, "That short guy in your class is fast and good at breaking through defenses. You guys adjusted your defense in the second half, so scoring won't be so easy for us."

Lu Ciyuan looked at him for two seconds, then smiled, "You're still the same, never showing off even when you win a game."

Zhao Qihang walked over from behind and slapped Lu Ciyuan on the back.

"You chose humanities just to look at girls, didn't you?"

Lu Ciyuan stumbled forward after being slapped, "I really can't learn science."

"Bullshit, you just want to see girls."

The two started arguing again, just like they did back in Class 8.

Chen Xu walked over and stood beside him, not saying a word, but smiling.

Lu Ciyuan glanced at him and said, "That dunk you just made was awesome."

Chen Xu scratched his head. "It's alright."

Xiao Yunqing ran over from the sidelines, carrying five bottles of water.

He first handed one bottle to Song Huan, then one to Chen Xu, then two bottles to the other two participating students, and finally threw the last bottle to Zhao Qihang.

Zhao Qihang caught it, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig. "What? This is my last bottle?"

"You talk too much."

Song Huan unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

Xiao Yunqing stood beside him, looking up at him. "Are you alright?"

"no."

"That's good." She paused for a moment. "Those three-pointers you just made were pretty accurate."

Song Huan looked down at her.

She wasn't looking at him, her eyes were fixed on the court, but her little face was flushed.

Zhou Shan walked over from behind and adjusted her glasses.

"Yunqing, the way you pinched me just now is still red."

Xiao Yunqing's face flushed again. She glared at Zhou Shan and said, "When did I pinch you?"

"Just now, when that girl shouted that Song Huan was so handsome," Zhou Shan said, rubbing her arm, "you pinched him really hard."

Zhao Qihang burst out laughing.

Chen Xu also laughed, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Song Huan didn't laugh. She lowered her head, twisted the bottle cap, and pretended not to hear.

Xiao Yunqing stood there, her face as red as the rubber on a running track.

She glared at this one, then at that one, and finally turned and left.

Her short hair was blown by the wind, revealing her bright red ears.

Zhou Shan followed her, walking beside her. "Yun Qing, wait for me!"

"No, we won't wait."

The two people walked away.

One walked away angrily, while the other jogged after him.

Song Huan stood by the court, watching that figure from behind.

Her short hair fluttered in the wind, and she walked quickly, but after a few steps, she slowed down.

Zhao Qihang leaned closer and whispered, "Bro, you're doomed. She's jealous."

Song Huan ignored him, finished her water, crushed the bottle, and threw it into the trash can.

"I'm leaving," he said, walking towards the sidelines.

Chen Xu followed and walked beside him.

The two walked side by side, one taller than the other.

Zhao Qihang called out from behind, "Wait for me!" and caught up. The three of them walked together.

Behind me, the audience was still dispersing.

Some people were discussing the dunk, some were asking Song Huan which class he was in and whether he had a girlfriend, and some were saying there was another game tomorrow.

The members of Class 12 are already packing their things.

Lu Ciyuan folded the towel and stuffed it into his bag.

I glanced up at the scoreboard; it read 73 to 21, still lit up in red.

He looked at it for a while, then lowered his head and zipped up his jacket.

Their class competition ended as soon as it started.

This is destined to become a regret in his life.