Chapter 40: The Aloof God Is Unattainable (15)
Even without Huo Yuan’s reminder, Huo Xian didn’t let his guard down around Mei Heng.
Mei Heng had been warned by his family and shouldn’t openly cause trouble, but “accidents” are always unexpected, especially in a basketball game full of physical contact.
As Huo Xian expected, Mei Heng did plan to target him on the court.
After winning several games, Huo Xian noticed Mei Heng’s little actions becoming bolder and more frantic. The final game against Class 15 was approaching, and Mei Heng would likely give it his all.
“Huo Yuan, no matter what, don’t use points,” Huo Xian instructed Huo Yuan after changing into his uniform.
Huo Yuan, having studied human knowledge for a few months, was no longer so naive. He obeyed Huo Xian, saying seriously, “I’ve watched basketball game videos. Malicious physical contact between players can cause injuries including, but not limited to, fractures.”
“……Mei Heng wouldn’t go that far,” Huo Xian said.
Huo Yuan’s tone was serious, “You can’t judge a book by its cover!”
Huo Xian thought, You’ve only been learning for a short time, and you already know so many idioms! But he still said, “Doesn’t your manager have a host protection function? The court is so small. If Mei Heng really wants to hurt me, he’ll be within ten meters of me.”
Huo Yuan: “The manager’s protection only activates for life-threatening situations.”
In other words, anything short of death had to be endured.
Before, Huo Xian could have persuaded Huo Yuan, but today he was adamant, leaving Huo Xian feeling both helpless and warm inside. In the end, he could only compromise, “Don’t use points unless absolutely necessary.” After a pause, he added, “If you can avoid using points, I’ll give you a gift.”
“What gift?” Huo Yuan was immediately interested.
“I won’t tell you yet,” Huo Xian teased. “Remember, the gift is only if you don’t use points during today’s game. Otherwise, there’s no gift.”
Huo Yuan hesitated for a long time before reluctantly agreeing, “Okay, I’ll try.”
…
The high school basketball game wasn’t usually a large event. Typically, only the participating classes would have students cheering. But on the day of the finals, the gymnasium was packed, with over eighty percent of the audience being girls.
They were there to see Huo Xian.
Huo’s mother said that the “iceberg male god” trope is outdated was wrong, at least not for Huo Xian.
Huo Xian was aloof and solitary, his coldness seeming innate, not the “cold outside, warm inside” type many people assumed. He Wenqu had personally tested this, and several girls later tried to be the one to melt his icy heart, but they quickly learned that romance novels don’t apply to reality.
A real iceberg can’t be warmed. Every single one of them failed.
Seeing those girls arrive excitedly and leave dejected, He Wenqu felt a strange sense of satisfaction. At least he wasn’t the only one treated this way.
But because of this, He Wenqu was even more curious about the extent of Huo Xian’s coldness.
Back to the game.
“Ahhhhhhh Huo Xian!” As soon as Huo Xian appeared, he received a reception fit for a sports star. It was fortunate the game was during lunchtime, otherwise, so many people wouldn’t have been able to come.
There were ten players on each team. Besides the much-admired Huo Xian, the other nine players included some jealous rivals, especially Wang Ning, the forward from Class 13. He was also considered a school heartthrob – tall, handsome, and had attracted many female fans in previous games. Men naturally have a competitive spirit and pride, but his pride only lasted until now.
Huo Xian quickly noticed someone from Class 13 constantly watching him. While this wasn’t uncommon on the court, the blatant hostility wasn’t. Even so, he didn’t take it seriously, dribbling and shooting without being affected.
Wang Ning’s face darkened further.
However, Class 9 also had a weak link: Mei Heng.
He Wenqu’s attitude towards Huo Xian remained complex and conflicted, but he didn’t hesitate to pass the ball on the court. The other two teammates, used to passing to Huo Xian due to previous practice, did so as usual. Only Mei Heng refused, even when Huo Xian was the only possible recipient of the pass. He preferred to shoot himself, resulting in a surprisingly close score.
At the end of the third quarter, the team captain and another player didn’t dare offend Mei Heng. He Wenqu pointed out his problem, his tone less than pleasant.
“I don’t care how deep your grudge with Huo Xian is. Since we’re playing a game, play properly! Pass the ball when you should!” He Wenqu said sternly.
Mei Heng’s temples throbbed. He and He Wenqu were considered rivals turned friends, sharing similar interests. He Wenqu had helped him in fights; he considered him a brother. But now?
“He Wenqu, I’m not you. I don’t have your broadmindedness. My grudge with Huo Xian will last a lifetime. Asking me to pass to him? Impossible! Never!” Mei Heng said coldly.
He Wenqu’s expression became even worse. “Then why are you even playing? Go back and be your rich young master!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
Sure enough, Mei Heng was stunned, then sneered, “Fine, I’ll go back to being my rich young master. You and Huo can have the court.” He threw down his towel and left.
Mei Heng’s actions immediately changed the expressions of He Wenqu and the team captain. Their team only had five players, no substitutes. If one left, how could the game continue?
Before He Wenqu could speak, his words were stuck in his throat because Huo Xian blocked Mei Heng’s path.
“Get lost,” Mei Heng’s eyes were full of hatred.
Huo Xian’s voice was icy, “If you leave today, I’ll break your legs tomorrow.”
Mei Heng was about to scoff and show he wasn’t easily intimidated, but upon meeting Huo Xian’s emotionless, cold gaze, he had an inexplicable feeling – Huo Xian wasn’t bluffing.
Even knowing Huo Xian wasn’t bluffing, Mei Heng wouldn’t normally submit. However, considering his goal hadn’t been achieved, he might as well stall for a while.
Thanks to Mei Heng’s increasingly disruptive actions, Class 13, which had been trailing, managed to overtake in the final minute. This greatly boosted their morale. On Class 9’s side, the team captain and another player had lost their fighting spirit. Mei Heng enjoyed seeing Huo Xian’s dark expression, and Class 9 being overtaken was also due to his intentional poor play. Unfortunately, Huo Xian didn’t look displeased.
Not only did Huo Xian not look displeased, but in the second he got the ball, he scored a three-pointer, regaining the lead.
Damn!
Wang Ning and Mei Heng cursed inwardly at the same time. Wang Ning got the ball and signaled to his teammate, but the ball hadn’t even been passed back when it was intercepted. His pupils constricted; he forgot to react.
At the same time, Mei Heng, who had been plotting, finally made his move.
He was clever, using the motion of intercepting the ball to charge forward. In front of him was Huo Xian.
“Huo Xian, watch out!” Huo Yuan shouted.
“Don’t move!” Huo Xian multitasked, warning Huo Yuan while pivoting smoothly on one foot, the ball flying from his hand as he shifted his weight with Mei Heng’s charge.
“Bang!” The weight of the two men hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Mei Heng’s face contorted, his insides feeling like they’d shifted, half his face seeming flat. This was completely different from his expectations. He should have been the one pinning Huo Xian to the ground, Huo Xian sprawled out…
“Disappointed?” Mei Heng heard a cold, slightly sarcastic voice amidst his frustration.
Before he could react, the voice continued, “If there’s a next time, Mei Heng, your knee won’t just be fractured.”
Fractured?
Before Mei Heng could react, Class 9’s players helped Huo Xian up and rescued the “human cushion.” Compared to the “human cushion,” Huo Xian received more attention. From the audience’s perspective, Huo Xian fell solely because Mei Heng bumped into him, and then tripped him while retreating, causing him to lose his balance.
Mei Heng watched Huo Xian being surrounded and cared for. His already aching body hurt even more, especially his left knee, numb from pain, or perhaps the word “fractured” from Huo Xian prevented him from moving.
When the final whistle blew, Class 9 won the championship.
The cheers in the gymnasium didn’t match Mei Heng’s sorrow. No one paid him any attention as he sat motionless on the bench. It was only much later, when He Wenqu noticed his absence, that he was found.
…
Even after winning, Huo Xian wasn’t particularly happy because he heard the notification from Huo Yuan’s manager about points deducted and the addition of another mission world for the third time.
Back in his room that night, he said, “[Huo Yuan]…”
Huo Yuan didn’t dare even make a sound.
“Huo Yuan, come out, use your conscious body form.” Huo Xian felt he needed to have a serious talk with Huo Yuan.
“……Points will be deducted,” Huo Yuan whispered.
Huo Xian was about to laugh, “[Knowing the importance of points, you still dared to hurt someone?]”
On the court, Huo Xian noticed Mei Heng’s actions and returned the favor. However, according to his estimate, Mei Heng would only suffer minor injuries, far from a fracture. As for how he knew about the fracture, it was Huo Yuan’s warning.
Huo Yuan remained silent, or rather, dared not speak.
“Huo Yuan.” Huo Xian called out directly.
After about two minutes, a hazy figure appeared before him. Before Huo Xian could speak, the figure went to the desk, hiding between the desk and chair, clutching the back of the chair, only his eyes and forehead visible. He looked at him pitifully, “I’m sorry, I’ll never use points recklessly again, I swear!” He raised three fingers, swearing to heaven.
Huo Xian: “…”
He was ruthless when spending points and quick to apologize. That was Huo Yuan.
But still, he couldn’t be lenient.
“Then tell me why your points suddenly went from -4000 to -5000. What did you do without my knowledge?” Huo Xian narrowed his eyes, looking unyielding.
Huo Yuan was truly innocent this time. He immediately defended himself, “After -4000, I really didn’t use my abilities, but because I hurt someone, which is considered malicious, 500 points were deducted.”
“500? Not 1000?” Huo Xian asked.
“……Accumulated two mission worlds; the penalty for deducting points is doubled.” Huo Yuan looked gloomy. “I told you the system reform wasn’t complete, and it’s not the final version yet.”
Huo Xian’s eyelids twitched at this. “Now you’ve accumulated three mission worlds. The penalty…?”
Huo Yuan completed his sentence, “Yes, triple.”
“So now each time you appear, you lose… 300 points?” Huo Xian asked, his expression strange.
Huo Yuan secretly glanced at the point deduction record, hesitated slightly, and nodded gently. “Yes.”
Huo Xian: “…”
A miscalculation!
He took a deep breath, took two steps forward, and spun the chair back, startling Huo Yuan, who almost performed a wall-passing act, but managed to restrain himself.
Huo Xian knelt, his eyes level with Huo Yuan’s. Huo Yuan, looking at him nervously, wanted to hide, but Huo Xian didn’t let him, so he looked at him with his beautiful purple eyes, nervously calling his name: “Huo Xian… I know I’m wrong, don’t be angry, okay?”
Huo Xian: “…”
Huo Xian almost broke down. Suddenly, the phrase “using one’s beauty to do evil” seemed very fitting for Huo Yuan.
He gathered his thoughts and said, “From today onwards, I’ll check your points every day and monitor your ability usage. If you can’t accept that, when this world ends, we…”
“I accept!” Huo Yuan quickly agreed before he could finish. “From now on, unless you ask, I will definitely not use my abilities, I will show you my points every day, I want to keep doing missions with you!”
Huo Xian thought, So easily tricked, and smiled, “Then it’s settled. No going back.”
“No going back!” Huo Yuan’s tone was firm and sincere.
Since 300 points had already been deducted, Huo Yuan intended to use them to the fullest, waiting until the last second to leave.
Huo Xian didn’t mind; he even hoped this hour would be longer. Instead of confronting Huo Yuan, he took out the paints and paper he had specially bought and started painting.
“Huo Xian, what are you drawing?” Huo Yuan asked curiously.
Huo Xian replied, “A gift.”
Huo Yuan immediately remembered the gift Huo Xian had promised him before the basketball game, and beamed, “Thank you, Huo Xian, you’re so kind!”
“You might be thinking too much,” Huo Xian glanced at him, mercilessly shattering his fantasy.
“Huh?”
Huo Xian said calmly, “It was originally a reward for not using points, but you used points, so the reward is void.”
“Ah… No… Huo Xian, I want the gift,” Huo Yuan’s expression visibly fell, pleading pitifully.
Huo Xian tapped his forehead with the end of his brush, offering a little hope, “If you can avoid deducting points for the next month, I’ll give it to you then.”
Author’s Note: Xian ge: How long my schemes are.
Yuan Yuan: I don’t want to know qaq