Chapter 520 - 519: What-If: Did the Big Shot Fight for Attention Today? 88

Chapter 520: Chapter 519: What-If: Did the Big Shot Fight for Attention Today? 88

The basketball game started soon after.

Jiang Xia wasn’t a natural athlete, and basketball wasn’t his strong suit, which was why he needed the extra practice.

However, thanks to his recent efforts, he had improved a lot.

The players selected for the game were all pretty good, and the two teams were evenly matched right from the start.

Five minutes in, the freshman team, led by Jiang Xia, was the first to score.

The team immediately broke into cheers, and the spectators in the stands raised their cups of floral tea to applaud them. The atmosphere was electric.

The first basket was crucial. The freshman team’s morale soared, but they quickly composed themselves and threw themselves back into the fight.

Shouts echoed from the stands from time to time as sweat flew on the court.

The first half ended after thirty minutes, with Jiang Xia’s team trailing by one point.

They took a break, had some water, and when the second half began, the freshmen were a bit too desperate to make up that one point. They repeatedly lost their rhythm, and before they knew it, they were behind by four.

During the break, Jiang Xia didn’t dare look up at the stands. He felt he was playing terribly and was ashamed to face Shi Lan. There were several times they shouldn’t have fallen so far behind, but he had accidentally passed the ball to the coaches’ team.

When Jiang Xia practiced alone, he only focused on his shooting. His passing was still relatively weak.

But none of his teammates said anything. Instead, they were even more fired up. "It’s okay, Brother Jiang! There are still two quarters left. We’ll definitely crush them."

The players from the coaches’ team were laughing loudly in the distance. Jiang Xia’s spirits sank. ’Maybe I should let a substitute take my place.’

If this were just a casual game, it wouldn’t matter. But this was a real match, and he had specifically asked Shi Lan to stay and watch. Jiang Xia didn’t want to make an even worse impression on her.

His teammates all tried to persuade him. "It’s fine, Brother Jiang. You’re actually playing really well. It’s not a big deal."

"Yeah, yeah! I remember you’re best at shooting, Brother Jiang. The team really needs you."

The coaches’ team was already ready, but the freshmen were still talking.

Perhaps they were taking too long, because the referee started blowing his whistle to hurry them along.

In the end, Jiang Xia decided to go back on the court. He had already asked Shi Lan to stay; he couldn’t let her down. He couldn’t back down in front of her.

That would make him look like a coward.

Shi Lan happened to be sitting in the front row. Perhaps sensing the freshmen’s hesitation, she suddenly shouted, "Jiang Xia, you can do it!"

"Go, freshmen, go!"

Hearing this, Jiang Xia’s eyes flickered. He turned to look at the stands, and a brilliant smile suddenly spread across his face as he replied, "Alright! I will!"

"Let’s go!"

The freshman team psyched themselves up and returned to the court.

After sitting back down, Shi Lan’s heart was beating a little fast.

She wasn’t one for being flashy or high-profile, and she had never shouted like that in such a public place before.

She had probably been swept up in the lively atmosphere of the basketball court. When she yelled, others were cheering too, with occasional shouts from the crowd, so she had dared to stand up.

’I’ll just consider it my way of thanking Jiang Xia for the milk tea,’ she thought.

However, that cheer meant something entirely different to Jiang Xia. This time, he truly gave it his all, and even the opposing team was a bit shocked by the fighting spirit he displayed.

Jiang Xia made the first shot.

The freshmen happily raised their hands, yelling, "Captain!"

Jiang Xia’s face was slightly flushed. He turned to the stands, his eyes meeting Shi Lan’s. He looked like a puppy excitedly wagging its tail for its owner after a victory, his expression begging for praise.

From a distance, Shi Lan gave him a thumbs-up.

Soon, Jiang Xia and his team threw themselves back into the game.

In the third quarter, they clawed back two points, now trailing the coaches’ team by only two.

The freshman players couldn’t help but say, "Not bad, Brother Jiang! I didn’t know you were holding back. You’re playing great."

"You haven’t made a single mistake this time."

Another person chimed in, "Of course not. This is the power of love..."

Jiang Xia shot him a look, but the corners of his mouth curved up in a happy smile. He glanced toward the stands and saw Shi Lan still watching, his eyes filled with a brilliant light.

’She really doesn’t mean what she says.’

’She said she’d leave in a little while, but she ended up watching for over an hour and even cheered for me.’

’This is amazing...’

Jiang Xia was deeply moved.

After a few minutes’ rest, the game entered its final quarter—the most intense moment of the match.

Both sides were completely focused, and the game grew tense. The score kept getting closer, tying up, and then pulling apart again.

In the final minute, Jiang Xia’s team was still two points behind.

Seeing that time was about to run out, Jiang Xia seized the opportunity and took a shot from far out.

The entire crowd held their breath, their hearts in their throats, their eyes following the parabolic arc of the ball through the air.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

As the countdown finished, the ball met its fate.

A three-pointer!

It went in smoothly! The freshman team won by a single point!!

The court instantly erupted in deafening shouts and applause. The freshman players happily lifted Jiang Xia into the air, cheering his name over and over.

As for Shi Lan, when she saw the final score and knew Jiang Xia’s team had won, she couldn’t help but smile. Her gaze softened as she watched him immersed in his joy, and then she quietly slipped away into the crowd.

She had fulfilled her promise to watch Jiang Xia’s game. To avoid him coming to find her again, she figured it was best to sneak away early.

Shi Lan quickly left the basketball court, but perhaps because it had been so long since she’d visited her alma mater, she couldn’t resist wandering around a bit. She even went to the library.

However, the library required a student ID to enter. She didn’t have one, so she just stood at the entrance, watching for a while.

Back when she was a student, she used to come to the library often.

Of course, she had been quite pragmatic; every time she came here, she was always trying to figure out how to make big money, hoping to find some inspiration in the books.

Although she never found a get-rich-quick scheme, the financial management books she read were a great help to her.

Money isn’t just about earning it; you have to find ways to make money with money.

Her very first investment was in stocks. It was very risky, though, and she had only made a bit of money by sheer luck. She’d been bullish on one industry and held a stock for three years, but after that, she couldn’t predict the market well and gradually stopped trading.

Compared to her, Ye Ming was a real expert in this area.

Shi Lan had been his cat before and had seen his stock trading records. He had taken notes on some of them, so now she used her spare cash to follow his lead and buy a little.

She had to admit, Ye Ming had a killer eye for this stuff. Of the three stocks she bought by following him, the best-performing one was already up 15%.

Shi Lan stared blankly at the library for a moment. Just as she was about to step back to take a souvenir photo, she accidentally bumped into someone.

She jumped and quickly turned to apologize. "I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

The person’s voice was familiar and gentle. He kept his head down, not looking at her, busy picking up the books that had fallen on the ground.

Hearing that voice, Shi Lan froze for a second. She looked down and saw that it was truly a case of "speak of the devil."

It was Ye Ming...