Chapter 9: Hitting Someone
The “unconscionable” Chu Yang returned to the dormitory the next day only to find the atmosphere incredibly strange. Si Yao was the most obvious; his emotions were written all over his face.
Though Xie An greeted him, he was noticeably quiet.
Lin Zhiheng gave him a single glance when he opened the door and then turned back to his desk. He held his mouse, but didn’t move it for a long time.
Chu Yang sat at his desk, pulled out two books, and then sent a private message to Xie An on his phone:
[Chu Yang: Did you guys have a fight?]
Xie Anās tense posture slumped. It took a while before he replied:
[Xie An: Itās nothing. Iām used to it. Thereās nothing to say to them.]
Indeed, no matter how depressed or angry they were, Chu Yang had no idea what was going on. Thinking about it only made them feel more stifled.
They hadn’t actually fought; it was just that last night, they had all simultaneously received a notification that a certain “little straight streamer” had started his broadcast. They discovered he was at someone elseās houseāand stayed the night.
Their hearts and organs had been gnawed at all night. Seeing the viewers “shipping” them made them even angrier. Not only that, a quick search revealed many fan-edited videos where this “Firstborn Friend” appeared frequently.
After all, Yin Lianchuan was the only one who had directly shown his face on Chu Yangās stream. He wasn’t bad-looking either, making it easy to edit “shipping” videos. Naturally, the fans were obsessed.
The three roommates had never shown their faces clearly. Fans could only guess which “Ge” was which based on their tone and clothing. Chu Yang was also very protective of their privacy; whenever anyone was in the dorm, he would pull the curtains shut for his stream.
…In comparison, they weren’t that close. And that was the truth.
However, Xie An quickly adjusted his mindset. Lin Zhihengās thoughts were deeper and he remained broody, while Si Yao was blunt; since his temper hadn’t been vented, his face wouldn’t look good.
Chu Yang didn’t know about their internal turmoil. Since the other two looked so sour, he spent both classes sitting with Xie An.
There were only two classes today, and there were no early classes tomorrow, Friday.
As class ended and the crowd grew, Chu Yang didn’t stand up immediately. He was scrolling through his phone, not looking at anything in particular, when a shadow suddenly fell over him.
He looked up to see three familiar facesāpeople he often played basketball with.
Chu Yang raised an eyebrow. “Is something up?”
He had high brow bones, long lashes, and deep features. Up close, he almost had a mixed-race look. When he was expressionless, he seemed very distant.
“Going to the basketball gym? There’s a tournament next month. Aren’t you participating?”
Chu Yang frowned and immediately tapped into the group chat to scroll through. There was no notification… Was it a private message…?
“When is the tournament? Why wasn’t I notified?”
A flash of unnaturalness crossed He Yiās face. He looked away, avoiding Chu Yangās gaze. “There hasn’t been a formal notice yet. It’s just a friendship match against the neighboring school.”
In reality, he had just been too impatient and used this excuse to find Chu Yang.
Chu Yang: “Oh.”
“So, are you coming?”
He Yi was clearly unable to keep his cool. He had dark skin and a tall build; when he was nervous, it was very obviousāall his muscles tensed up.
The two beside him were his roommates and weren’t very close to Chu Yang, so they didn’t speak, but their eyes remained fixed on him.
Chu Yang nodded. “Iāll go. Iāll head back to the dorm to change first.”
He Yi secretly let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll wait for you at the gym.”
Chu Yang: “Okay.”
Chu Yang returned to the dorm, changed into his jersey, grabbed his mini-fan, and prepared to head out. Before leaving, he asked in confusion, “Why isn’t the AC on?”
Chu Yang was naturally fair. Now, wearing the red jersey, his skin looked even whiter and more delicate. His whole person seemed to glow.
Because of the heat, he would usually wear a white T-shirt underneath, but today he only wore the jersey. His bare arms had none of the tan lines others had; the lines were elegant and exceptionally eye-catching.
Si Yao stared straight at him without speaking. Chu Yang gave him a look, didn’t understand what he meant, and didn’t ask. He pushed the door and left. After a few steps, he suddenly turned around to find the three of them following behind him.
“….What are you doing?”
Lin Zhiheng said, “Going to watch you play.”
Chu Yang: “….”
The basketball gym was very lively. Those who had been in class with Chu Yang heard he was going to play and immediately spread the word on the forum.
As soon as he entered, he was startled by the full house. Looking up, he saw many people had brought cameras. Who were they here to photograph?
The moment Chu Yang entered, the gym erupted with the sound of collective gasps. It was the first time everyone had seen him without an undershirt.
Unaware, he walked toward He Yi.
Basketball jerseys were loose and thin. As he moved, the jersey clung to his body, revealing the curve of his chest. Someone immediately let out a long, loud whistle at Chu Yang~
Lin Zhiheng and the others instantly turned and glared at the person.
Belatedly, Chu Yang realized everyoneās gaze today was strange. When he walked over to He Yi, several guys were staring directly at him, silent and swallowing their spit. He Yi was even more exaggerated; sweat was breaking out on his forehead.
Chu Yang gave him a puzzled look. “Are you that hot? Did you run here?”
The AC in the gym was actually quite strong. Chu Yang had already turned off his mini-fan.
He Yiās throat bobbed. He gave an “mm” and then asked, “Why… why aren’t you wearing an undershirt?”
This was a strange question. None of the others were wearing one either… Chu Yang was baffled. “Itās hot today.”
Then he added, “Is it weird for me to wear it like this?”
“….” The guys looked at each other, and then someone coughed and said, “It… it looks good. So white… so smooth…”
He Yi immediately smacked the back of the guy’s head.
The game began, and the gym truly reached a boiling point.
When Chu Yang jumped, his jersey lifted, and a glimpse of his lean abs flashed byā
“Ahhhh! Chu Yang!!”
“Abs! Abs! I saw his abs! Itās not fair that even his abs are that white!”
“The jersey is getting in the way! I really want him to strip it off and play shirtless for me!”
“How does he jump so high?? That vertical leap is insane, holy crap!!”
“Did you get the shot? Did you get it? Don’t just take photos, take videos! Videos!!”
Chu Yang was very agile, strong in both defense and offense. He handled the ball, performed a fake, and took a three-step jump for a shot.
The opponents were focused on him. Not only that, those guys were about half a head taller than Chu Yang and were regular gym-goers. One of their arms was as thick as two of Chu Yangās. When they jumped to block the ball, it felt like a “Mount Tai” press, completely enveloping Chu Yang beneath them.
Chu Yang dodged quickly, twisted his body, jumped again, and slammed a dunk home!
Clang! A basket!
He landed steadily, and the whistle blewāpoints added!
He turned back and grabbed the hem of his jersey to fan himself, then ran back to high-five his teammates. His hands were slightly smaller than theirs, and his knuckles were still pink. So cute.
The description of him as a white kitten among wolves was absolutely spot on.
This interaction with his teammates caused another wave of excitement in the stands.
This was an intramural game, so it wasn’t intense, but what Chu Yang was wearing today… it really made people want to go over and interact with him. The number of times he was blocked was far higher than usual. Almost everyone wanted to brush against him; he was being squeezed around like a piece of mochi.
To say they were “defending” him was an understatement; in a formal match, these would all be fouls.
And Chu Yang wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but a hand had even slid across his waist, and his arm had been squeezed.
That hand was very hot and uncomfortable. Frowning, Chu Yang passed the ball to a teammate and ran out of the huddle.
A trace of regret flashed across several faces. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Chu Yang had “ice-cold skin and jade-like bones.” Aside from being white…
Because of the indoor temperature, he felt icy and particularly comfortable to the touch. Even after running for so long, his face was only slightly flushed, and his eyes were even brighter.
His flushed lips parted occasionally, and his slightly damp hair made his dark features look even more striking. A casual glance from him felt like it could pierce oneās heart, yet you knew he was just being indifferent.
He was too good at “hooking” people.
During halftime, Chu Yang planned to get some water. Just as he walked toward the sidelinesā
Someone suddenly shouted: “Chu Yang!”
Chu Yang instinctively turned his head, only to see a ball flying directly at him. It was very fast. He instinctively dodged, and the ball flew pastā
Fortunately, it wasn’t heading toward the seats, but Chu Yang didn’t fully relax because someone happened to be walking byā
“Watch outā”
Thud! With a soft sound, the ball hit a girl, who crumpled and let out a cry of pain.
Chu Yang immediately ran over. “Are you okay?”
The gym went into an uproar. The girl kept her head down, biting her lip and rubbing her shoulder as she tried to stand up. She didn’t look at anyone and whispered to Chu Yang that she was fine.
As she stood up, she stumbled. Chu Yang saw that her entire face was flushed red, and she was trying to limp away from the scene.
Chu Yang watched her for two seconds and saw the moisture in her eyes. Realizing she was likely embarrassed, he quickly took a step forward and crouched in front of her. “Iām sorry. Let me take you to the infirmary.”
“No need… I can…”
Chu Yang: “Get on. Those people are going to come over and surround us soon.”
The girl looked back and indeed saw several tall guys walking quickly toward them. Her heart tightened, and she really did get onto Chu Yangās back.
In an instant, the entire basketball gym went silent.
Chu Yang didn’t notice. He whispered an apology, hooked his arms under the girlās legs, and headed for the infirmary.
He moved fast. The girl on his back slowly relaxed from her initial extreme stiffness, though she didn’t dare touch Chu Yang, keeping her arms stiffly draped over his shoulders.
Chu Yang looked very thin, but he was surprisingly steady as he carried her.
He didn’t smell like sweat; instead, he had a pleasant scent. She didn’t know what kind of soap or shampoo he used.
Being carried like this, the girlās feelings of grievance faded. Being hit and the sudden noise of the gym had made her feel awkward and humiliated; she had been on the verge of tears and wanted to vanish.
They arrived at the infirmary quickly. Chu Yang carefully set her down, his face completely red.
Carrying someone that far hadn’t been as easy as he imagined, but he couldn’t pant heavily in front of a girl and make her feel awkward. He turned away and coughed a few times before saying to the school doctor: “Please take a look at her. She was hit by a basketball, and it looks like her ankle is sprained too.”
The school doctor closed her notebook and went over to check. Chu Yang asked the doctor for some tissues and handed them to the girl. “Wipe the sweat off your face.”
“…Thank you.” The girl took them and instinctively wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes first. As she was about to put them down awkwardly, she noticed Chu Yang also wiped his own eyes, following her lead.
She subconsciously smiled and continued wiping her face.
Recommended Reads
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)
