Avoiding trouble won't solve anything. Sure, Shen Guang was the one who'd caused it, but he still had a duty to help him clean up the mess. What could he do? The guy was Shen Guang.

By the time he made his way into the gym, it was already packed.

People chatted and laughed. Some even laughed so hard they doubled over.

When Shen Guang slowly walked in, a few people jeered at him.

“Well, I thought he'd run off. Didn't expect him to actually have the guts to show up.”

“Come on, don't be so harsh. He's a man who owns up to what he does. Though after today, he might never bounce back. He's about to get ground into the dirt.”

Their words amused quite a few people there. Plenty of others glared at Shen Guang, as if he'd done something despicable.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of a basketball bouncing against the floor instantly quieted the students in the gym.

The crowd slowly parted to make a path. A sturdy boy in a basketball uniform, fully geared up, was showing off as he dribbled.

Quite a few girls leaned against the railing by the bleachers, watching with interest.

Looks like they'd done some advertising for today.

When he saw Shen Guang arrive, the boy set down the ball and walked straight over to him.

He looked slightly contemptuous. He'd meant to use his height to intimidate Shen Guang, but Shen Guang wasn't short either. They stood face-to-face, the tension between them thick.

“Shen Guang, I thought you wouldn't dare show up. But since you've got the guts to face me, I respect you as a man!”

Shen Guang had expected him to mock and sneer at him. He hadn't expected the guy to actually respect him for showing up.

What would the other Shen Guang have done?

The other guy was on the basketball team, and Shen Guang had actually challenged him to a one-on-one game. Just how over-the-top was his inner hero? He was taking on something he couldn't possibly do—did he really think a miracle would happen?

If miracles happened every day in this world, they wouldn't be miracles anymore.

Besides, the other guy trained for hours every day. The idea that you could beat him just by saying so was ridiculous.

“So, what are the stakes?”

Shen Guang didn't want to waste too much time. Instant noodles were half-price at the supermarket today. If he was late, he might miss the deal.

“Are you admitting defeat already?”

“No. I just want to make sure we're clear on the terms.”

Shen Guang met the boy's gaze. His eyes were clear as water, without a trace of anything clouding them.

That caught the boy off guard.

The students nearby started heckling, but they were all mocking Shen Guang.

“Hey, Shen Guang! Want our Chao-ge to spot you a few baskets? I'm worried that little body of yours can't take it!”

“Yeah! I've never even seen you play basketball at school. Can you dribble? How about a free-throw contest? Maybe you'll manage to sink a couple!”

The gym erupted in laughter. The ones shouting were all good friends of the boy. He furrowed his brows slightly but didn't stop them.

Some of the girls by the railing giggled behind their hands, too.

The atmosphere around Shen Guang felt suffocating, as if everyone had come just to laugh at him.

But Shen Guang didn't react. He kept his eyes on the boy in front of him.

The boy picked up the basketball and tossed it into Shen Guang's arms. His gaze was utterly serious as he said,

“Let's play to ten. A two-pointer counts as one, and a three-pointer counts as two. If you win, I won't interfere with anything you do from now on! But if you lose, stay away from Yan Qingxue!”

Hearing that, Shen Guang finally figured out what had started all this.

Shen Guang had probably been chasing after Yan Qingxue so relentlessly that someone else who liked her had gotten fed up and decided to get rid of him once and for all.

But come on, if you're picking a fight, couldn't you choose someone easier to beat? Challenging someone in their own field—how confident can you be?

This just proved once again that cannon fodder had no brains.

Guess all the IQ points went to the male and female leads.

Holding the ball, Shen Guang looked at the boy in front of him and said,

“You and I have no right to argue over who Yan Qingxue spends time with. She's not something either of us owns. She's a real person. Before we do something like this, shouldn't you at least let Yan Qingxue know?”

What Shen Guang said made some sense, but to the boy, it was just an excuse he was making in advance for his inevitable loss.

Some things you don't understand until you've done them!

When the other guy didn't respond, Shen Guang shook his head helplessly.

He had no interest in losing first and winning later. The supermarket sale was only on for a limited time. If he missed this week's instant-noodle discount because of what was happening today, he'd make these people pay for it.

Everyone watched the two of them on the court. Just as they all expected Lin Yangchao to steal the ball from Shen Guang—

Shen Guang pulled off a crossover, then burst forward and drove straight past Lin Yangchao on the right.

Lin Yangchao had misjudged him! He froze, not even reacting in time.

He'd assumed Shen Guang couldn't play at all. Shen Guang had never taken part in any of the class basketball games.

A gust of wind swept past him. Shen Guang had already made the layup, and the ball bounced to Lin Yangchao's feet.

The whole thing had taken less than three seconds.

Everyone stared in shock, their eyes wide as saucers.

Some of the girls in the bleachers cheered for Shen Guang, too. They'd much rather see him make a comeback than watch Lin Yangchao crush him.

After all, Shen Guang was better-looking.

“Can we hurry this up? I've got something to do,” Shen Guang said calmly. The ball had already rolled to Lin Yangchao's feet.

To Lin Yangchao, that was a tremendous insult.

……

After chatting with her classmates in the classroom, Yan Qingxue had planned to head home. But one of them hurried over and called out to her.

“Qingxue! Hurry to the gym and take a look!”

Yan Qingxue was completely confused. She had no idea what was going on or why they were in such a rush to get her to the gym.

The classmate was drenched in sweat and panting hard. They'd clearly run all the way over.

“What happened?”

“Shen Guang and Lin Yangchao are having a one-on-one game in the gym. I heard it's because of you.”

“Because of me?”

Yan Qingxue knew something was wrong as soon as she heard that. She took off at a run toward the gym.

As she neared the gym, she heard a gasp from inside. The moment she stepped in, she saw a basketball swish cleanly through the hoop.

A crowd stood along the sidelines, every face full of disbelief.

At the center of the court, Lin Yangchao sat slumped on the floor, drenched in sweat. But what hit hardest was the utterly defeated look on his face.

He braced both hands against the floor, seeming unable to accept the outcome.

Shen Guang wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Lin Yangchao, and said calmly,

“All right, that's ten. If there's nothing else, I'm heading out.”

Shen Guang didn't linger. He picked up his backpack and was about to leave when he happened to meet Yan Qingxue's eyes at the entrance.

He didn't say anything, though. He simply gave her a quiet nod, then left.

As if he'd done nothing more than the most ordinary thing…