TITCFRIBN 15

 Chapter 15

After completing their march, they returned to their original positions and noticed that Coach Wang was no longer there. An Cheng looked around and finally spotted him in a distant corner of the field. Coach Wang had his head lowered while speaking to the head instructor, but the atmosphere between them seemed tense.

An Cheng leisurely observed from a distance. Suddenly, the head instructor kicked the back of Coach Wang’s legs, and with a loud thud, Coach Wang fell to his knees in a rather humiliating manner. Satisfied with the sight, An Cheng shifted his gaze away.

As the military parade neared its end, the leading instructors stood in a line at the front of the formation. Coach Wang was among them, though he kept the brim of his cap pulled down low, hiding his face.

The head instructor, standing on the far left, gave the command, leading the other instructors to face the parade stand and shout, "Attention! Salute!"

After a two-second pause, "About-face!"

The instructors turned to face the students they had trained for half a month and saluted. Then they spun around, marching quickly away, their backs strong yet somber as they disappeared from view. Many students couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.

As the squad disbanded, some of the more outgoing students suggested heading to karaoke for a small celebration, asking who wanted to join.

Wang Qimeng was the first to decline, turning to Bai Qing and An Cheng, saying, "You both know me. I’d rather sleep the whole night."

An Cheng also refused, thinking that such an occasion didn’t suit someone as cool as him. He believed he was better appreciated from afar.

Bai Qing, having built good relationships with many in the squad, was personally asked by some if he would join, but he shook his head, speaking with a touch of regret, "I’ve got plans tonight, so I can’t make it."

Bai Qing wasn’t keen on spending money, and he truly did have something else to attend to.

Later in the afternoon, nearing evening, Qi Le messaged An Cheng, "Cheng-ge, no plans for tonight, right?"

Cheng: “I do.”

Qi: “What plans?”

Cheng: “Gaming.”

An Cheng typed with a blank expression, still thinking about the star he lost yesterday and how he planned to get it back today.

Qi: “Since when did you start gaming? You can game anytime. The military training just ended tonight, so let’s celebrate.”

An Cheng, knowing Qi Le was a close friend of the original host, decided to give him a chance.

Cheng: “How do you plan to celebrate?”

Qi: “Let’s have an intense basketball match!”

An Cheng’s DNA responded to the call.

Basketball and gaming were two of his favorite hobbies.

Cheng: “Alright.”

Qi: “Bring Bai Qing too. His shooting is on point. Let’s play a full-court game.”

An Cheng hesitated. If they were playing full-court, they couldn’t take Wang Qimeng along. He was still a beginner, and full-court might be too much for him.

Fortunately, Wang Qimeng’s close friend had invited him for an all-night gaming session, so there was no need to drag him into the basketball match.

That just left Bai Qing. Bai Qing had mentioned earlier that he had something to do that evening, but An Cheng wasn’t sure if he could still join.

In fact, it wasn’t even evening yet, and Bai Qing was already busy, scrolling through his phone while jotting something down on paper.

An Cheng forwarded the conversation to him.

An Cheng: “Do you have time to go?”

Bai Qing opened WeChat, looked through the messages, and then glanced up at An Cheng. “Cheng-ge, I’ll go.”

An Cheng raised a brow. “Didn’t you say you had something to do?”

Bai Qing smiled, “It can wait until tomorrow. Nothing urgent.”

Compared to his own matters, he would easily turn down invitations from others, but when it came to An Cheng’s requests, it was hard to say no. Whatever he intended to decline would automatically turn into agreement the moment the words formed.

As night fell, there was barely any wind on the university campus, and though the temperature had dropped slightly, the air was still heavy with heat.

An Cheng and Bai Qing changed into comfortable clothes and headed to the agreed-upon basketball court.

Qi Le was already there, sitting on a nearby platform. When he saw them approaching, he waved. “You guys finally made it.”

He pointed to the other courts. “Even though there aren’t many guys at this university, the basketball courts are always packed. This was the only one available when I got here.”

Next to Qi Le stood two others, whom he introduced, “These are my roommates. This is Yan Cheng, who sleeps in the bed next to mine, and this is Wen Xuanming, from across the room.”

Even though it was the first time they met, the introductions were easy to remember. Yan Cheng was taller and had darker skin, while Wen Xuanming had a scholarly look, fair-skinned with a mole near his right eye.

Qi Le then introduced An Cheng and Bai Qing.

Among guys, once they step onto a basketball court, a few words are enough to make them feel like brothers.

An Cheng asked, “Weren’t we playing full court? Where are the other five players?”

Just as Qi Le was about to respond, he spotted five people walking in through the court’s entrance. “Speak of the devil,” he said with a grin.

He waved them over, adding, “These are second-year seniors. I met them on the forums. They claim to be really good.”

He winked and whispered, “Don’t believe it. We’re going to crush them.”

When the seniors approached, Qi Le switched to a respectful tone, “Good evening, seniors!”

Bai Qing glanced at the five opposing players, flexing his fingers, and muttered quietly to An Cheng, “Cheng-ge, they’re really tall.”

Bai Qing and An Cheng were already tall, both just over six feet, but the shortest of the opponents seemed to be at least 6'3". Not only were they tall, but they were also impressively muscular.

An Cheng nodded, and when no one was watching, he raised an eyebrow, excitement flickering in his eyes.

Bigger was better. More strength meant more of a challenge.

Qi Le wasn’t intimidated at all. After quickly dividing the teams, he urged to get started.

As the game kicked off, Qi Le immediately made his mark, using his height and excellent jumping ability to snag the ball. He quickly passed it to Yan Cheng, who dribbled forward but was quickly surrounded by two of the opposing players. Without hesitation, Yan Cheng extended his arm and passed the ball to An Cheng.

An Cheng, an experienced player, effortlessly sidestepped the defenders and called out to Wen Xuanming, “Catch!” But instead of passing to him directly, An Cheng sent the ball in a smooth arc behind him, tossing it to Bai Qing.

Bai Qing completed the play with ease, making a layup in three swift steps.

Qi Le chuckled, looking at the opposing captain, “Pure luck.”

The opponent laughed, waving it off, “It’s only the first shot. Nothing to worry about.”

The second point? Bai Qing scored again.

The third? An Cheng.

By the fourth, Qi Le delivered a slam dunk.

The opponents’ faces darkened. The game was heating up, with more physical contact as it went on. Eventually, when Wen Xuanming was dribbling, one of the opposing players jabbed him in the waist with an elbow, sending him crashing to the ground. His knee pads scraped, and his legs were badly scratched.

Qi Le’s expression turned stormy as he held back his anger, confronting the opposing captain. “It’s just a game. There’s no need to go that far, is there?”

The captain, breathing heavily, replied with a sneer, “We didn’t break any rules. What’s the problem?”

Qi Le realized why the seniors had invited freshmen to play—it was all about humiliating them.

Bai Qing helped Wen Xuanming up, inspecting his injury with a frown. “It’s pretty bad. Should we keep playing?”

Wen Xuanming, his face pale, responded, “It’s fine. We’ve got twenty minutes left.”

The game was set to last for thirty minutes, and only ten had passed.

Just as it seemed like Qi Le was about to get into an argument with the opposing captain, An Cheng patted his shoulder, “It’s fine. Let’s keep playing.”

Qi Le replied, “How can we keep playing like this?”

An Cheng, calm as ever, asked, “Why can’t we?”

Qi Le hesitated, looking over at Wen Xuanming, who nodded. “I’m fine,” he insisted.

Despite the hit he’d taken, Wen Xuanming was angry. There was no way he’d let it end like this.

A minute later, the game resumed.

Due to the earlier foul on Wen Xuanming, the opposing team had possession. They dribbled forward, deliberately skirting the edge of the rules before finally launching into a real attack after thirty seconds, passing the ball toward the hoop.

An Cheng moved swiftly, leaping to intercept the ball.

The captain immediately charged at him, his gaze cold and hostile. He was ready to take An Cheng down, and if An Cheng tried to get past him, he’d make sure he didn’t stand up again during the game.

It wouldn’t be anything serious—just a minor injury that would have him back on his feet in half an hour. The instructor wouldn’t make a big deal of it. After all, in basketball, it’s impossible to avoid a few bumps and bruises.

An Cheng suddenly slowed down, dribbling casually. As the clock ticked down and he was close to violating the time limit, he called out, “Bai Qing, catch!”

Then he swung his arm, hurling the ball forcefully.

Bai Qing didn’t catch the ball, because it smacked directly into the captain’s face.

The entire court fell into a stunned silence. The only sound was the basketball bouncing off the captain’s face and hitting the ground, where it continued to roll.

An Cheng, with zero sincerity, said, “Oops, it slipped. No violation, though.”

The opposing captain snapped back to reality, marching angrily toward An Cheng and shoving him by the shoulder. “Do you take me for a fool?”

An Cheng was pushed back a couple of steps; that guy was really strong. His expression remained unchanged as he glanced at the surveillance camera in the distance—this should be caught on tape.

"If a fight breaks out, I'll be in the right," An Cheng thought to himself.

Taking a loss? That would never happen—not in this lifetime.

An Cheng responded to the captain’s question with a puzzled look, "Aren’t you?"

The captain roared in anger, and his teammates began to gather around. Seeing this, Qi Le, Bai Qing, and the others also formed a silent circle.

Truthfully, An Cheng felt like he could take them all on by himself.

The captain went to push him again, but An Cheng sidestepped, ready to kick, when a voice suddenly interrupted.

A teacher, who had been casually strolling by, called out in surprise, "What are you all doing?"

Since a teacher had shown up, it seemed like a fight wouldn’t break out after all. Just as An Cheng was about to back down, he took a punch to the face.

He was caught off guard—who would have thought the guy would strike in front of a teacher?

An Cheng widened his eyes in disbelief, just about to retaliate, when the tall captain was suddenly tackled to the ground. The person on top of him landed two heavy punches.

An Cheng saw who it was—Bai Qing.

He couldn’t believe it. Bai Qing, of all people, had initiated a fight, and with such force. His fist came down hard, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

Hmm, pretty fierce.

As the captain began to recover and prepare to fight back, An Cheng swiftly pulled Bai Qing up and yanked him behind him.

Just as it seemed another fight was about to break out, a cool yet pleasant voice cut through the tension, "Lu Chi, what do you think you’re doing?"

The captain froze as if his soul had been stopped. After getting up, his anger dissipated, and he dusted himself off, looking sheepish as he turned toward the voice.

"They started it," he said defensively.

The newcomer chuckled, "Do you think I believe that? If I catch you again, we’re breaking up."

He approached An Cheng and Bai Qing, his eyes smiling as he assessed the two of them without being intrusive. "Hello, I’m Lu Chi’s boyfriend. I’m sure this is his fault, but he did take two punches. Let’s call it even, okay?"

Ji Xun smiled kindly. "After all, none of us want to face any consequences, right?"

Ji Xun was undeniably beautiful, in a way that transcended gender. Someone like him always had an easier time dealing with people.

An Cheng mentally calculated the situation. He had taken one punch, Bai Qing had thrown two. They weren’t at a loss.

He glanced at Bai Qing and Qi Le, reading the room. It was clear no one wanted to be punished over this.

"Alright," An Cheng nodded.

Ji Xun, now satisfied, didn’t rush off. "You’re the guys from that viral video on the forum, right? The one with the awesome ensemble? The music was cool, and you guys look even cooler."

Bai Qing frowned slightly, his gaze sharp and cold in the night as he stared at Ji Xun, unsure of his intentions.

Ji Xun continued, "I’m with the music club. The club fair is coming up soon. You should drop by."

An Cheng replied decisively, "I’m not going."

His time was limited. Between missions, games, and basketball, he had no time for a music club.

With that, An Cheng turned and left, not bothering to say anything more, with Bai Qing trailing right behind him.

Seeing them leave, Qi Le and the others naturally didn’t stick around either.

Ji Xun watched them walk away before turning to poke Lu Chi's forehead with his fingertip, "You, next time you try fighting, see what happens."

Lu Chi pulled him into a hug. "I was wrong. It won’t happen again."

The previously ignored strolling teacher: "...?"

When they reached a better-lit area, Bai Qing turned to look at An Cheng’s face, a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Cheng-ge, your face is bruised."

It was on his chin. An Cheng had dodged in time; otherwise, it might’ve cut his lip and drawn blood.

He pressed on his chin, feeling a sharp sting, but his expression remained calm. "It's nothing."

Back in the dorm, Wang Qimeng was still gaming. Since Bai Qing and An Cheng had gone out, he wasn’t wearing his headphones, and the constant sound of kills echoed through the room, making An Cheng a bit envious.

He should have joined Wang Qimeng for ranked play today.

Bai Qing rummaged through the drawers for a while before sitting in front of An Cheng with a chair. His light brown eyes reflected An Cheng’s face.

"Cheng-ge, let me put some ointment on for you."

Being suddenly this close made An Cheng feel a jolt, a little uncomfortable.

"It’s just a small injury, nothing serious." Trying to sound more convincing, he added, "I can do it myself."

Bai Qing’s expression was serious. "Cheng-ge, aren’t I your little brother?"

An Cheng: ...

"Alright."

Bai Qing leaned in even closer, close enough for An Cheng to see every individual eyelash. The alcohol pad touched his chin—there was no pain, just a tickling sensation.

For a moment, An Cheng’s calm expression cracked, and his eyes involuntarily narrowed.

Bai Qing’s gentle breaths brushed against An Cheng’s neck, making him tense up all over, though the soft application of the ointment had a soothing effect.

While one part of him felt relaxed, the rest of his body was rigid. An Cheng felt like he was being split in half.

Halfway through applying the ointment, Bai Qing asked, a bit eagerly, "Cheng-ge, you’re so good at fighting. Can you teach me?"

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