UI CH 33

The straw brushed against the middle of his lips, and Shen Ran instinctively parted them slightly. Zhao Jiyu pushed the straw in further until it hit his teeth. Only then did Shen Ran react, quickly taking the cup himself.

From his turned profile, Zhao Jiyu could tell he was feeling awkward again. A slight curve lifted the corner of Zhao Jiyu’s mouth as he took a sip of his own coffee.

On the court, the yellow team had just completed a fast break, scoring two points first. Cheers erupted in the arena. Shen Ran focused back on the game, ignoring his burger and keeping his eyes glued to the ball.

Zhao Jiyu crossed his right leg over his left, resting his chin on his palm while watching the game. The yellow team was performing well today. Within the first five or six minutes, they had already scored ten points, while the blue team, which had higher championship prospects, only managed six points. Two missed shots from the blue team drew frustrated calls from the audience.

When the blue team missed the second shot, Shen Ran couldn’t help but turn to Zhao Jiyu and complain,
“What the heck? Those two misses were ridiculous. There wasn’t even anyone defending them!”

“Especially in the paint,”
Zhao Jiyu agreed.
“That shouldn’t have happened.”

“Exactly,”
Shen Ran continued.
“I’ve watched some of the blue team’s game videos. The power forward has pretty good skills.”

“Maybe they just haven’t gotten into the zone yet?”
Zhao Jiyu suggested. After all, everyone’s performance and state can vary.

Shen Ran understood the logic. However, this kind of situation usually only happened to rookies or people who didn’t play basketball often. For players who could make it to the finals, it was rare to make such simple mistakes.

“Maybe,”
he said, turning his attention back to the court. Zhao Jiyu noticed he still hadn’t touched his burger and leaned in to remind him,
“If you don’t eat it soon, it’ll get cold.”

Shen Ran took a bite of his burger but, before swallowing, stopped eating again.

The blue team’s point guard intercepted a beautiful pass and launched a lightning-fast counterattack. The blue team’s small forward received the ball, slipped past two defenders, jumped from the outside, and scored a perfect three-pointer.

Cheers erupted in the arena once more. Shen Ran also shouted, “Nice!”

Zhao Jiyu had clearly seen that play too. The blue team’s coordination was impressive, and this shot eased the audience’s dissatisfaction with the power forward’s previous two mistakes. The blue team then scored two more baskets, taking the lead.

It took Shen Ran nearly twenty minutes to finish his burger. Just as the blue team scored their 28th point and he was reaching for his cola, the crowd burst into applause again. He quickly turned back to the court. The yellow team’s center had just blocked a shot from the blue team’s center, who had attempted a layup.

Shen Ran turned just in time to witness the explosive momentum of the yellow team’s center. He stood up, along with many others around him. Zhao Jiyu noticed his hand, resting at his side, clenched into a fist in excitement. When Zhao Jiyu looked up, he indeed saw Shen Ran’s face brimming with barely contained joy.

After the block, the yellow team’s point guard secured the ball and initiated a fast break with a sharp, angled pass. The yellow team’s small forward maneuvered past the defense and easily scored two points.

The play was so brilliant that even more people stood up and clapped. Shen Ran’s clenched fist shook with excitement. He finally sat back down, took a couple of sips of his drink, and said to Zhao Jiyu,
“Did you see that move?”

Zhao Jiyu glanced at the drink in his hand, finding it amusing. He nodded,
“Yeah, the yellow team’s passing and coordination were spot on, and they really know how to seize opportunities.”

“The point guard’s skills are really solid,”
Shen Ran marveled.
“A good point guard can control the pace of the entire game. It’s a pity our school’s basketball team doesn’t have one.”

“What position do you play?” Zhao Jiyu asked.

With a straw still in his mouth, Shen Ran answered,
“Small forward.”

Zhao Jiyu asked,
“Did you practice during the summer break?”

“I wanted to, but I was too busy with my part-time job. But our coach mentioned a game coming up soon,”
Shen Ran replied.

“When is it?”

Shen Ran thought about it, but just as he was about to answer, another wave of cheers broke out. He turned to see the blue team’s power forward, who had been underperforming, make a slam dunk.

Since he had been talking to Zhao Jiyu, he missed the exciting play and couldn’t help but lament,
“Ah! What a shame!”

Zhao Jiyu hadn’t seen it either, but he wasn’t too bothered. Especially after noticing how Shen Ran had bitten his straw so hard it was misshapen, he finally couldn’t resist pointing it out:
“You’ve been drinking for so long. Didn’t you realize your cola tasted off?”

“Huh?”
Shen Ran was still caught up in his disappointment. When he turned to Zhao Jiyu’s slightly amused expression, he released the straw and looked down, confused.

Not wanting him to feel too embarrassed, Zhao Jiyu quickly helped him out:
“I can see you really love watching basketball. You didn’t even notice your cola turned into coffee.”

Shen Ran had a habit of biting straws, but the thought of biting the same straw that Zhao Jiyu had used made him feel uncomfortable.

After putting down the cup, he realized that their cups had been placed side by side, which explained why he hadn’t noticed taking the wrong one earlier.

Since Zhao Jiyu had noticed it all along, why didn’t he say anything?

“Let me buy you a coffee later,” Shen Ran mumbled.

“It’s still a while before the game ends,”
Zhao Jiyu said.
“Why not just give me your cola for now?”

Zhao Jiyu had only taken two sips of his coffee before Shen Ran took it away. When he was eating his burger, he hadn’t had a single drop to drink. Reluctantly, Shen Ran said,
“If you don’t mind, go ahead.”

“Mind what?”
Zhao Jiyu picked up the cola. The cup had a layer of condensation from the melting ice. He wiped it with a napkin and, when he looked up, he found Shen Ran staring at the straw with a hesitant expression. As their eyes met, Shen Ran quickly turned away, focusing on the basketball court instead.

Shen Ran didn’t need to say it—Zhao Jiyu already knew what he meant. Taking the same straw Shen Ran had used, Zhao Jiyu took a sip. The cool carbonated drink settled his stomach, lifting his spirits. Shen Ran, hearing the sound of him sipping, seemed to think of something, his entire posture visibly stiffening. But the awkwardness didn’t last long. Soon enough, Shen Ran was engrossed in the intense atmosphere of the game.

It wasn’t until halftime that Shen Ran turned back and said, “That last play was so close!”

“Yeah, the Blue Team’s point guard had a precise steal,”
Zhao Jiyu replied.

“Exactly! And the pass that followed was incredible too.” Shen Ran recalled the scene he had just witnessed. No wonder it was the city-level high school finals—the standard was impressive.

“But I was more impressed by the small forward’s performance,”
Zhao Jiyu said.
“To score a layup under the defense of three players and keep the score gap within single digits by the end—quite the achievement.”

Hearing Zhao Jiyu bring up that final layup, Shen Ran couldn’t help but feel his blood rush with excitement. At first, the scores between the two teams had been close. But after the Yellow Team assigned two players to guard the Blue Team’s center, the Blue Team struggled with rebounds, and the score gap widened. At one point, the Yellow Team was leading by 11 points. But in the final moments, the Blue Team found their rhythm again, easing the pressure for the second half.

Shen Ran shared his thoughts on that final layup, and Zhao Jiyu listened attentively. After he finished, Zhao Jiyu offered his own insights. The more they talked, the more in sync they felt, completely forgetting the earlier awkward moments. It wasn’t until halftime was almost over that Zhao Jiyu interrupted him, saying,
“I need to go to the restroom.”

Snapping out of it, Shen Ran quickly responded,
“Oh, go ahead.”

Zhao Jiyu was about to get up but, seeing Shen Ran scratching his head shyly, couldn’t help but sit back down. Leaning close to his ear, he said,
“Focus on the game. When I get back, make sure to tell me what I missed.”

Without waiting for a reply, Zhao Jiyu turned to the girl next to him and asked her to let him through.

The girl immediately drew her legs together, shifting to the side. Zhao Jiyu thanked her, and she shook her head, her gaze still lingering on him as he walked away.

Shen Ran noticed the girl’s gaze too. He took a moment to observe her—light brown shoulder-length hair, delicate features, a white blouse paired with a plaid skirt—she looked to be about their age.

Taking a sip from Zhao Jiyu’s coffee cup, Shen Ran bit the straw. Just as he was about to turn his attention back to the game, someone next to him called out.

“Excuse me, hey,”
the girl’s voice was as pleasant as her appearance. Shen Ran turned to see her offering a shy smile, hands clasped together.

“The person who was just here, he’s your friend, right?”

Shen Ran nodded.

“Do you have his contact information? Could you share it with me?”

Shen Ran paused his straw-biting, his lips parted slightly before closing again.

Thinking he hadn’t heard her clearly because of the noise, the girl raised her voice and asked again. Faced with her hopeful gaze, Shen Ran’s left hand, resting at his side, gripped the edge of the seat. When he finally spoke, he said, “He has a girlfriend.”

The girl was momentarily stunned. Her expression quickly turned disappointed, but she didn’t push further and even thanked him before retreating.

Shen Ran turned his attention back to the basketball court. The cleaning staff were mopping the floor, and the players from both teams were resting in their respective areas while the coaches used the time to adjust their strategies for the second half. He stared blankly for a while, only snapping out of it when his straw made an empty sucking sound. Glancing sideways, he noticed the girl again.

She seemed to be alone, not talking to anyone around her, just quietly playing on her phone.

Shen Ran observed her. Although she wasn’t as stunning as Yu Xuetong, she had a quiet and gentle demeanor. She was petite, the kind of girl who could easily evoke a sense of protectiveness. However, Zhao Jiyu had always had high standards, and giving out his personal WeChat to a stranger like that wouldn’t have been appropriate.

Shen Ran’s mind raced with random justifications, but before long, the girl stood up and left. He retracted his gaze, placed the empty coffee cup aside, and then noticed the half-finished cola that Zhao Jiyu had been drinking. Since Zhao Jiyu didn’t bite straws, his straw remained perfectly intact, especially the top part, looking almost the same as when he had first used it.

Shen Ran reached into the nearby McDonald’s bag and pulled out some Nuggets to eat.

As the halftime break was nearly over, he stopped eating after two pieces, planning to save the remaining three for Zhao Jiyu. He was just pulling out a napkin to wipe his hands when he saw two figures coming up the stairs at the edge of the stands.

When he recognized who they were, his body tensed. He forgot to wipe the sauce from the corner of his mouth, instead crumpling the napkin in his hand.

The girl from earlier was walking beside Zhao Jiyu. The two of them approached the stands together. Zhao Jiyu had his hands in his pockets, looking over at him as he climbed the steps. When he saw Shen Ran watching him, Zhao Jiyu quickly looked away, lowering his head to continue talking to the girl.