Having agreed to Xie Chu’s challenge for next week’s match, Gu Ji couldn’t just show up unprepared. Regardless of whether he could win or not, he at least needed to regain some of his feel for the game.
That evening, Gu Ji dragged his three roommates to the court to play basketball.
Everyone in their dorm knew how to play, though their skill levels varied. And with one particularly unreliable member among them, it often took less than half an hour for all four to end up sitting on a bench playing games on their phones, then heading out for a meal before returning to the dorm to sleep.
To avoid a repeat of that scenario, Gu Ji deliberately left his phone behind when they headed out this time.
Cheng Zhou pinched the soft flesh on his stomach, mourning the disappearance of his abs, before declaring with sudden determination, “I, Cheng Zhou, swear that starting today, I will exercise every single day.”
“How do we play?” Xu Jingyin asked once they reached the court. “Xiao Gu, aren’t you here to practice? How about a 1v1?”
Gu Ji paused for a moment. “Alright.”
Cheng Zhou, leaning against the basketball hoop, immediately grabbed Song Jinzhen beside him upon hearing this. “Then Jingyin and Brother Gu can go first. Zhenzi and I will go buy drinks.”
Xu Jingyin called out to Cheng Zhou, “Hey, didn’t you just say you were going to exercise?”
But Cheng Zhou was already pulling Song Jinzhen away at top speed. “We’ll be right back after buying a couple of drinks.”
“They’re always like this,” Xu Jingyin said, unsurprised. After all, this wasn’t the first time. Picking up a basketball from the side, he tossed it to Gu Ji. “Let’s start a game then.”
It had been a long time since Gu Ji last touched a basketball in his past life, so his movements felt rusty, and his reaction speed was a bit off.
…
“I feel like your skills have dropped,” Xu Jingyin remarked as he picked up the ball from the ground, looking puzzled. “Is it because you haven’t fully recovered from your last fever?”
“Maybe,” Gu Ji replied. “Let’s go again.”
After a few rounds, Gu Ji gradually started to regain his rhythm. During a break, he glanced around and asked, “Why aren’t those two back yet?”
Xu Jingyin, breathing heavily from the exercise, was already accustomed to their behavior. “Either they’re still shopping at the supermarket, or they’ve detoured to the cafeteria for a meal.”
“I’m dying of thirst. I’ll give them a call.”
When the call connected, Cheng Zhou’s cheerful voice came through. “What’s up, Jingyin?”
“Where are you guys? What about the drinks?”
“Zhenzi and I are buying scratch cards. I’m sure my luck is great today.” Cheng Zhou’s side sounded noisy. “Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. We ran into Classmate Yan at the supermarket and asked him to bring the drinks over for us.”
“If he didn’t get the wrong place, he should be there soon.”
After hanging up, Xu Jingyin couldn’t help but complain, “Has he forgotten that he spent five hundred yuan on scratch cards last time and only won five yuan back?”
“Didn’t he say his luck is good this time?” Gu Ji chuckled. “I’ll go check where Xiao Yan is. I didn’t bring my phone today, so I don’t want him to get lost.”
Xu Jingyin nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you.”
As Gu Ji stepped out of the court, he spotted Yan Congyu standing across the path, holding his phone as if making a call.
There were two large sports grounds in the area, plus an indoor gym. Cheng Zhou probably hadn’t specified the exact location to Yan Congyu. And since Gu Ji hadn’t brought his phone today, he couldn’t answer any calls.
“Xiao Yan, over here!” Gu Ji waved and called out.
Yan Congyu, who had been staring down at his phone after several unanswered calls and worrying that he might have been blocked, suddenly heard Gu Ji’s voice and instinctively looked up.
The next second, Yan Congyu walked toward Gu Ji, his voice slightly low, “You didn’t answer my call earlier.”
“I left my phone at home,” Gu Ji explained, sensing the other’s displeasure in his tone and comfortingly wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He asked softly, “What’s wrong? Did you wait too long?”
Yan Congyu’s throat tightened. He unconsciously looked at Gu Ji, whose damp bangs and close proximity revealed the shimmering smile in his eyes. Suddenly, he forgot what he had intended to say. “…No.”
Gu Ji tilted his head to look at Yan Congyu.
Under that gaze, Yan Congyu’s mind nearly short-circuited. He lifted the shopping bag in his hand as if to explain, “…I came to bring water.”
Gu Ji chuckled and pulled him into the sports field. “Got it, thanks.”
The shopping bag was filled with quite a few items, clearly chosen by Cheng Zhou not just several bottles of water but even some snacks.
Xu Jingyin took a bottle of water and thanked Yan Congyu.
Gu Ji casually handed Yan Congyu a bottle of sparkling water and sat down beside him, making small talk. “Are you free later? Want to grab some late-night snacks together?”
This was their dorm’s usual routine when going out at night. No matter the original purpose, it always ended with a late-night snack.
Yan Congyu replied, “Sure.”
“Take a seat here for now. We’ll head out once the other two are back,” Gu Ji said, taking a sip of water. “Do you know how to play basketball?”
Yan Congyu shook his head. “No.”
This wasn’t modesty. Yan Congyu had never touched a basketball before and had no idea how to play.
“Then have some snacks,” Gu Ji said, shoving the nearby snacks into Yan Congyu’s arms before picking up the basketball and heading over to Xu Jingyin.
The bench was a short distance from the basketball court, and with the noise from the game, normal conversation was barely audible.
Xu Jingyin guessed, “That painting we saw last time was by God Yu, right?”
“…God Yu?” It took Gu Ji a moment to connect the nickname with Yan Congyu. “Yeah, it was him. Why call him that?”
“Not sure, but everyone calls him that,” Xu Jingyin said. “He’s a prodigy in the art department—calling him God Yu isn’t an exaggeration.”
Gu Ji realized he might have underestimated Yan Congyu. As a layman, he could tell Yan Congyu’s painting skills were good but couldn’t gauge his exact level. Hesitantly, he asked, “…Is he that impressive?”
“More than impressive,” Xu Jingyin replied, dribbling the ball before suddenly fumbling in disbelief. “Aren’t you two acquainted?”
Xu Jingyin’s slip-up was so obvious that Gu Ji instantly intercepted the ball, made a three-point jump shot, and clapped his hands casually. “We are, but we met at a bar.”
Xu Jingyin, too distracted to care about the game, still found it hard to believe. “Do you know how much one of his paintings sells for?”
“How much—never mind, don’t give me the exact number. I have no frame of reference for that industry,” Gu Ji admitted, genuinely unaware. “But if we compare, who’s better—Xiao Yan or Lin Qingran?”
“…That’s a pointless comparison,” Xu Jingyin said after a moment of silence. “Why do you think he’s called God Yu? Who do you think is better?”
Gu Ji roughly understood. “Xiao Yan is stronger.”
“Why are you so calm about it?” Xu Jingyin speculated. “What did you offer him to paint for you? Money definitely wouldn’t cut it. Did you have some dirt on him? Did you threaten him?”
Gu Ji’s expression turned complicated, feeling as though the “God Yu” Xu Jingyin described and “Xiao Yan” were two entirely different people.
“It’s hard to explain the specifics clearly right now,” he clarified seriously, “I didn’t threaten him.”
Xu Jingyin glanced between the two of them. “So, he drew it for you voluntarily? Are you two good friends?”
That sounded more agreeable. Gu Ji nodded, “Pretty much.”
Xu Jingyin didn’t think much more about it. Xiao Gu’s personal charm was undeniable, and if they were good friends, everything that had happened before made sense.
He was usually overly cautious in his actions and couldn’t help but overthink in such situations, always worried that his friend might be deceived.
Yan Congyu sat on a bench by the basketball court, his gaze fixed on the boy running across the court. Memories of their high school days involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Back then, Gu Ji also loved playing basketball, but Yan Congyu never dared to watch from such a close distance, afraid that if he did it too often, he’d be noticed. Most of the time, he watched from afar, so far that he couldn’t even make out Gu Ji’s face clearly. Only when there was a crowd around would he venture a little closer.
At that time, Yan Congyu never imagined that one day he’d be able to watch Gu Ji play basketball openly and up close.
Leaning back against the bench, Yan Congyu was still lost in thoughts of high school when he suddenly caught sight of Gu Ji leaping into the air. As Gu Ji jumped, the hem of his shirt lifted, revealing a glimpse of his fair, lean waistline.
“…”
Yan Congyu’s ears instantly flushed red.
After the two of them played a few more rounds on the other side, a phone on the bench rang. Xu Jingyin went to answer it. Cheng Zhou and Song Jinzhen said they were on their way back and would arrive soon.
Xu Jingyin was clearly used to this. “They’re coming back to eat.”
Since they were about to arrive, Gu Ji and Xu Jingyin decided to wrap things up.
Yan Congyu watched as Gu Ji walked over and handed him a bottle of water. “Finished playing?”
“Yeah.” Gu Ji took the water, tilted his head back, and took a couple of sips, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
As he set the bottle down, he accidentally noticed Yan Congyu’s reddened ear tips and casually asked, “Is it really hot?”