"Brother Xiong, we've got news on that guy," Shanji, newly promoted as Hall Master, trotted eagerly into the villa's grand hall.
"Speak!" The towering two-meter brute leaned back on the sofa, bare chest exposed, lighting a cigar.
"The word's from the Caida group. Seems the kid was spotted entering Caida University with some pretty girl."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Round up the boys and bring him in... Oh, and the girl too! Haul them both here," Xiong exhaled a cloud of smoke, his darkened tongue licking his thick lips.
"Brother Xiong..."
"To hell with it! Get moving!"
"But Brother Xiong, you can't touch that girl!"
"There hasn't been a girl I couldn't... Wait, what did you say? She's on the 'Untouchable List'?" Xiong shot up, eyes widening. The "Untouchable List" was a ranking among major gangs to avoid any accidental offense to women tied to powerful families. Every new recruit was given this list to memorize, to ensure they'd never cross the wrong people.
"Yes, Brother Xiong. She's the daughter of Chu Ah, chairman of the True Dragon Group."
"Chu Ah? The Mad Chu? Shanji, pull everyone back now!" Xiong broke out in a cold sweat. That Chu—truly insane—could ruin a man's life in one day if crossed.
"But what about that kid?"
"Forget about him for now! Shanji, are you messing with me? Why didn't you mention the girl was Chu's daughter earlier, you fool!" With a swift kick, Xiong sent Shanji sprawling across the floor. "Next time you don't give me the full picture, I'll slice you down myself!"
...
"Peipei, are these two friends of yours?" the handsome Number 10 came down from the court, eyes brightening when he saw Chuchu, then shifting to the man beside her.
"Yes. My best friend, Chuchu, and her boyfriend." Peipei handed him a white towel as she introduced them.
"Hi, great to meet you! I'm Lei Wei," Number 10 said, casually wiping his sweat and handing the towel back to Peipei. "Since you're friends of Peipei, make yourselves at home."
"Thank you!" Chuchu responded politely.
Meanwhile, Xiangri had settled comfortably, leaning his head against Chuchu's chest, paying no mind to Number 10.
"Xianggui," Chuchu's face flushed, "don't you understand a thing about social etiquette?"
"You want to go home?" Xiangri looked up at her with a sly grin.
"Ugh, ignore you!" Chuchu huffed, pouting as she turned her attention back to the game on the court.
Lei Wei returned to the court, immediately stirring shrieks from his fan club.
Xiangri, unfazed, finally took note of the crowd. Mostly girls in short skirts and bare legs—his attention drifted to the longest, fairest pair of legs among them, and he scoffed internally. Ditching classes just to hang around here, embarrassing themselves. Why not start a strip show? He neglected, however, that he too was part of the truancy brigade.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Xiangri yelped, startled by a sharp pinch at his waist.
"Hmph! You were ogling them," Chuchu muttered with a pout.
"Ha, is someone jealous?" Xiangri snuggled closer with a satisfied sigh.
"The jealous one here is you!" Chuchu grabbed his arm and twisted hard, causing him to yelp. Peipei, watching the two, finally intervened. "Hey, you two! As sweet as you are, there's an audience, you know?"
"Peipei, stop it!" Chuchu shot her friend a glare.
"What? Who said something?" Peipei feigned innocence, looking around.
Chuchu cursed under her breath, "Annoying woman."
Peipei, sensing the tension, changed the subject. "Chuchu, you came to give me advice, but you're busy making eyes at your husband," she teased, only to quickly correct herself at Chuchu's glare, "I mean, Little Chu, what do you think of him?"
"Don't know," Chuchu replied in a huff.
"Petty! I've never seen someone this petty, and you're my best friend, too!"
"Don't know means don't know!"
"Then how about I share my thoughts?" Xiangri drawled lazily.
"Xianggui, don't say anything stupid," Chuchu warned.
"No worries, Chuchu's husband! Feel free, I'm on your side. I've never heard a man's take on another man. I think it's a bit more… honest," Peipei encouraged him.
"Number 10…" Xiangri raised his voice, drawing glances from nearby players, who had only caught snippets of their conversation thus far and now strained to listen.
A sense of unease crept into Chuchu; knowing him, he'd likely blurt out something outrageous. Even in front of her father, this man never held his tongue. She glanced at Peipei, seeing her friend's eager look and sighed, hoping she wouldn't regret this.
"He's passably good-looking—just enough to qualify for the term 'pretty boy,'" Xiang Ri remarked, his words barely out before Chu Chu sighed, knowing all too well that he was about to start again.
Shen Peipei was taken aback. Was Chu Chu's boyfriend actually complimenting the guy?
"Unfortunately, his skills are dismal," Xiang Ri added just as the player he'd derided slipped past his opponent and dunked with impressive flair.
Chu Chu, mortified, wanted nothing more than to throw Xiang Ri off her lap as several players glared in his direction. She tried to cover, saying, "Peipei, honestly, Xiang Ri doesn't know much about basketball. He probably thinks only long shots count as skillful."
"Oh really, little girl? Your husband here was quite the basketball ace back in the day," Xiang Ri muttered, visibly displeased. Despite not having touched a basketball in this body, he felt confident; with the partial recovery of his previous strength and residual muscle memory, he figured he'd manage.
"Chu Chu's husband!" Shen Peipei interjected, suddenly serious.
"Hm?" Xiang Ri turned to face her, a striking, long-legged beauty.
"You're really quite... hilarious!" Shen Peipei burst out laughing, clutching her stomach as her distinctive laugh filled the court.
Xiang Ri, bemused, thought, *Does she actually think I'm full of hot air?*
"Hey, 'Ace,' want to play a round or two?" an unfriendly voice cut in.
"No interest," Xiang Ri replied coolly, looking up to see one of the tall players from earlier, standing over 6'5".
"So, not as skilled as you claimed, huh? Or just scared?" the tall guy sneered.
"Tien Feng! Do you disregard your manager now?" Shen Peipei scolded, glaring at him.
Xiang Ri looked at Tien Feng with contempt. "You want a match with me?"
He wasn't the kind to fall for provocations easily, not after all he'd been through, and certainly not with a mentality well beyond his years.
"Just looking for some sport. Come on," Tien Feng replied, a predatory glint in his eye.
"Tien Feng! Are you rebelling?" Shen Peipei's eyes flashed with anger as he continued to push her limits.
"Manager, it's not on me. Didn't you see the way he's flaunting his 'ace skills'?" Tien Feng shrugged, feigning innocence.
Xiang Ri ignored him, turning to Chu Chu. "Don't worry about these fools; they're not worth my time."
"What did you say?!"
Xiang Ri's arrogant remark echoed, reverberating around the court until even the players and spectators were transfixed on them.
"Shall we go one-on-one, or do you need backup?" Xiang Ri sneered, his finger pointed at Tien Feng.
Shen Peipei covered her mouth in shock. *Chu Chu's boyfriend is just… intense. He barely looks strong enough to withstand a collision with Tien Feng, let alone handle him.*
"Enough!" several players charged, unable to hold back their anger, ready to teach the arrogant outsider a lesson.
"Stand down!" Tien Feng blocked them with his arm. "This one's mine."
"So it's a one-on-one then?" Xiang Ri gave Chu Chu a reassuring look and took a step forward. Though she was worried, his confident gaze reminded her of the time he'd taken down a judo team single-handedly. She couldn't help but trust him completely.
"Chu Chu, why don't you stop him?" Shen Peipei urged, concerned. Tien Feng was a key player on the school team, and Chu Chu's scholarly boyfriend hardly looked like he belonged on a court.
"Trust me, I believe in him," Chu Chu replied, drawing a sigh from Shen Peipei.
Curious spectators quickly spread word of the upcoming match until the entire court was buzzing with anticipation.
The teams on the court paused their game, eagerly giving up space. After all, an outside challenger taking on a school player wasn't something they saw every day, and everyone was excited to see what might unfold.
"Tien the Madman against the four-eyed challenger. This is going to be good," someone remarked.
"You fool! It was the four-eyed guy who challenged Madman. Didn't you see him pointing? Talk about arrogant! Hope he doesn't lose his glasses. Might not find his way home after. Poor guy—prayers up for him," someone else quipped.
"Look at the size difference—more like a monkey facing off against a gorilla."
"Couldn't agree more!"
"Peipei, why didn't you stop them? He's a guest, after all…" a player chided, eyeing the two preparing to face off.
"You think I wanted this?" Shen Peipei replied, gritting her teeth. "Tien Feng is crossing the line. I'll report him to Coach Qi if he doesn't stop."
The player shook his head with a helpless smile before glancing at the stunning girl on the bench. *She's even prettier than Peipei... but she's already got a boyfriend, apparently.*
"I'll take ten shots first, then you go for five. Whoever scores the most wins. Deal?" Tien Feng's eyes bore down as he looked down at Xiang Ri.
The crowd cheered, applauding Tien Feng's "sportsmanship," while cheerleaders chanted, swirling their pom-poms with boundless enthusiasm. Their short skirts revealed swaying legs, adding to the spectacle for the wolves in the stands.
"Isn't that a little disadvantageous for you?" Xiang Ri, unfazed by the crowd, tapped his nose nonchalantly.
"Let's get on with it!" Tien Feng grunted, tossing the ball at him.
"If that's the case, I won't hold back," Xiang Ri responded, taking hold of the ball and testing the grip.
"Bring it on!" Tien Feng positioned himself defensively.
Xiang Ri, however, had no intention of clashing with him physically. He dribbled twice, then launched the ball in a high arc toward the hoop.
The crowd laughed, seeing his mid-court shot. *As if that'll land. He might not even hit the rim—what an embarrassment.*
Xiang Ri wasn't banking on the shot scoring, though. The second the ball left his hands, he sprinted towards the hoop.
Tien Feng, predicting a rebound, waited beneath the net. *With me here, he'll never get the ball.*
A resounding thud rang out as the ball bounced off the backboard, rebounding into the air. Tien Feng leaped to grab it, only for a pale hand to snatch it first, smashing it down through the net with force.
The silence that followed was deafening.
It took several seconds for a thunderous cheer to erupt, loud enough to shake the court. The spectators rubbed their eyes, hardly believing what they'd seen: a slight figure outjumping a near-giant, capturing his own shot and dunking it with ease, a maneuver as fluid as water. Had they just witnessed an NBA-level play?
Chu Chu jumped up in glee, clapping and shouting in excitement.
Shen Peipei stood with her jaw dropped, disbelief etched across her face.
Lei Wei's eyes narrowed, studying the slight figure with renewed interest.
As for Tien Feng, he stood frozen beneath the net, staring at his hands in bewilderment, dazed by the impossible leap.
"To be frank, this isn't meant to discourage you," Xiang Ri remarked, dribbling the ball back to mid-court, ready for the next play, "but you brought this on yourself."