Chapter 26: Let’s Spend the Night Together

“……” 9527: Damn, what time do you think it is? Moon-gazing already? And this bold flirting—it feels strangely familiar… As expected, those two are simply born to be best buddies.

“You want to admire the moon?” Manman Yu strolled toward Geng Haoshi with the graceful steps of a refined lady. “Why don’t you master the ‘stationary low dribble’ with your left hand first before you talk about it?”

“Alright!” Geng Haoshi immediately began dribbling with his left hand.

Though his left hand wasn’t usually put to much use, under the effect of “Powerful Energy Gathering,” Geng Haoshi quickly mastered the stationary low dribble with his left hand in just three minutes.

Once again, the other team members were left dumbfounded.

Manman Yu moved closer to Geng Haoshi, her voice gentle and alluring. “Seeing how hard Xiao Er is working, I’ve decided to make an announcement…”

Could it be…? Geng Haoshi swallowed nervously, his face flushing with anticipation.

“I’ve decided that, starting today, all members of the university basketball team will be living here!”

What the hell?! Geng Haoshi was completely stunned. And so were the other players.

“Seeing Xiao Er’s drive, especially considering he’s our newest member, how can you veteran players allow yourselves to be outdone by a rookie?”

“That’s why from now on, all of you will train as if your lives depend on it!”

“And, naturally, you can thank Xiao Er for the inspiration.”

Damn, she’s just made me everyone’s enemy! All of Geng Haoshi 2.0’s swagger instantly vanished.

The team looked thoroughly drained—not from the training, but because after dinner, they’d all have to go back to the dorm, pack their things, and set up camp at the Chen Zhi Gymnasium. It meant their evenings would no longer be spent relaxing in the dorm, surfing the internet, or watching movies.

In this mood, they trained right up until dinnertime.

“Alright, go have dinner. Don’t forget to bring your bedding and toiletries when you come back tonight,” Manman Yu instructed, then turned and left.

Finally, the tension among the players began to ease.

“Ugh, so much for our nightlife,” complained Zhu Di, the team’s starting small forward.

“Tell me about it. It’s all someone’s fault!” Sun Peng, the starting power forward, remarked, shooting a glance at Geng Haoshi.

“Come on, the only one of us with a girlfriend isn’t complaining, so what are you two bachelors whining about? Besides, do you even have a nightlife?” Xu Gaofeng, the starting shooting guard, teased with a smile.

“Gaofeng, that’s not fair. Our nights are plenty exciting…” Zhu Di protested.

“Sure, sure. Your nightlife must be devoted to your hard drive goddesses, am I right?” Xu Gaofeng jabbed again.

Sun Peng slung an arm around Xu Gaofeng’s shoulders. “Hey, Gaofeng, even a hard drive goddess is still a goddess. Don’t play favorites.”

Though Geng Haoshi was used to being a loner, watching the rest of the team leave the gym in a rowdy group, laughing and joking, he suddenly felt a pang of abandonment.

“Haven’t you gotten used to this? Why get sentimental now?” came the voice of Geng Haoshi 2.0 in his mind.

“You again? The ‘Powerful Energy Gathering’ is over—why are you still haunting me?!”

“Kid, I’m awakened now. Not only will I haunt you, I’ll replace you one day!”

“Heh.” Geng Haoshi dismissed him with a snort.

“Hey, Xiao Er, why are you lagging behind? We’re all waiting for you—come on!” Xu Gaofeng was standing at the gym entrance.

“You mean… me?” Geng Haoshi pointed at himself, uncertain.

“Who else? Hurry up! If you’re late, all the good food in the cafeteria will be gone!”

He really is calling me! Geng Haoshi dashed out.

At the gym entrance, all eleven other team members were waiting.

Geng Haoshi felt a bit lost. Could they be planning to gang up on me over this living-in-the-gym thing?

“Ahem, Xiao Er…” The team captain and starting center, Meng Lang, spoke up.

“Captain, I’m sorry, please don’t hit me.” Geng Haoshi crossed his arms defensively in front of his body. “And if you must, not the face!” he added, shielding his face.

“…” 9527 and Geng Haoshi 2.0: What a wimp.

The team exchanged bewildered glances, completely baffled by his behavior.

“Who said anything about hitting you? Do I look that violent?” Meng Lang said, tensing his muscles in an intimidating pose.

“Alright, Captain, don’t scare him,” Xu Gaofeng said, patting Geng Haoshi on the shoulder. “Xiao Er, after training, we usually eat together in the cafeteria.”

So that’s it—they were waiting to eat with me. “You could’ve just said so,” Geng Haoshi sighed in relief. He patted Xu Gaofeng’s shoulder, reverting to his usual casual self. “Let’s go, Gaofeng.”

And so, the twelve team members marched off to the nearby cafeteria.

“See? The line’s already enormous,” Zhu Di complained as they saw the queue inside.

There was nothing for it—the twelve members joined the end of the long line.

“Look, that’s the university basketball team,” a senior said to a freshman.

The official team members all wore jerseys with the university emblem. Apart from Geng Haoshi, the other eleven were all in their school-branded jerseys.

“You mean the team that always comes dead last in the college league?” the freshman asked.

“That’s right—they’re the school’s greatest shame,” the senior replied with disdain.

“But they look pretty tall and strong. How could they be so bad?” the freshman wondered.

“It’s their skills—they’re terrible!” the senior said loudly.

The team members, overhearing the exchange, each flushed with embarrassment.

Geng Haoshi, on the other hand, grew more and more annoyed. He’d already learned from Manman Yu that the team finished last year after year, and that had depressed him enough. But now that he was a member, he couldn’t just sit by and let others insult his team.

He shouted at the guy, “Do you even play basketball? Stop talking nonsense!”

“You must be a new freshman, right?” The senior saw Geng Haoshi wasn’t wearing the team jersey and assumed he was a newcomer.

“Listen, I don’t want to badmouth our own school’s team. You’re new, you don’t know just how bad they are!” The senior looked exasperated, as if the team’s failures were a personal affront.

“So you must have some skills, then?”

“Listen, I may not play basketball, but if I went out there, there’s no way I’d finish last,” the senior scoffed, giving the eleven jersey-wearing players a dismissive once-over.