The night was deep, and a room in Pear Blossom Villa was always locked.

Jiao Yuyin leaned against the balcony railing, letting the wind blow through him, the cigarette between his fingers burning to the end.

The newly opened pack of cigarettes is already half empty.

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and dialed the private investigator's number.

"Brother Dong, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I have something urgent to ask you."

How many people do you have on hand that you can directly use right now?

Is the person reliable?

“There’s a newcomer at Yingyue Entertainment named Cen Li. Keep an eye on her… My dad might be around this woman, so be careful. Report any developments to me.”

"There is another person, Meng Qi, the younger brother of my sister-in-law Meng Qin, who also needs to be investigated. In addition to his whereabouts, I also need evidence of his transfer of benefits with Jiao Yushen, preferably evidence of him obtaining benefits from the Jiao family."

Jiao Yuyin's voice was low, his gaze lost in the darkness.

*

The time for preparation and training for the competition passed by in a flash.

The Qingbei team ushered in their first playoff game of the season.

The series is a best-of-three format, with the losing team being eliminated. It's a do-or-die battle, and no team will hold back in the playoffs.

Qingbei team is ranked seventh, while their opponent Qinhuai team is ranked tenth. Qingbei team has priority home advantage.

Accompanied by cheers and encouragement, players from the Qingbei and Qinhuai teams entered the field one after another.

The fans of Luyu even displayed a triumphant attitude, like former serfs singing a song of liberation, and put up a large banner in the stadium where they played their home game.

"A tiny fish, yet none can rival it!"

Jiao Yuyin, dressed casually, was enthusiastically cheering for the Qingbei team in the crowd of supporters. Qin Meng, standing next to him, held up a Qingbei team cheering stick and also shouted a cheer for Sun Meng.

Lu Yu thought of what Jiao Yuyin had said to her that morning, that he would support her, and now she really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

It's better not to continue this situation.

In the commentary booth, host Liu Du announced in a loud voice, "Hello everyone! Today, we have invited our old friends, former national team head coach Feng Xu and former national team captain Meng Xiaotong, to the commentary booth."

"Hello everyone, I am Feng Xu."

"Fans, the enthusiasm is still as strong as ever today! I'm your old friend Xiaotong."

"Xiaotong, as a former player of the Qinhuai team, could you share some inside information with our viewers?" Liu Du said.

"I've been retired for so many years, how could I have any inside information?" Meng Xiaotong said with a smile. "Qinhuai team's tactical style has always been characterized by strong outside offense. Today, there will probably be a lot of direct confrontations between them and Lu Yu and Chu Feiyu."

"After about a week of adjustments, the teams' tactics and coordination may also be slightly modified. Let's wait and see how the Qinhuai team will deal with the dark horse Qingbei team with its winning streak." Liu Du finished speaking.

The referee stands in the center of the field with the ball, ready to kick off.

Yang Lingling and Lu Yu exchanged glances for a moment, then each focused on their own game, preparing to fight for the first ball.

The basketball was tossed high into the air and slowly fell back down at its highest point.

Yang Lingling's timing for jumping was good; just as the basketball began to fall, she deflected it towards Lu Yu.

Lu Yu took a sidestep and easily caught the incoming basketball.

The basketball bounced rhythmically with Lu Yu's steps. Lu Yu organized the offense quickly, using feints and skillful footwork to easily get past the two defenders from the Qin Huai team.

Qin Huai's power forward and small forward accelerated to keep up with Lu Yu's speed. Without pausing, Lu Yu, under Shu Juan's cover, made a long pass to Chu Feiyu.

The Qin Huai team's center filled in the defensive position and immediately blocked Chu Feiyu's long-range shooting route.

Yang Lingling also followed the opposing center's movement, limiting the opposing center's blocking position.

Chu Feiyu's eyes darted around, and she made a quick behind-the-back pass. Lu Yu caught the basketball in mid-air and immediately accelerated after landing.

The lights shone down, reflecting on the smooth surface of the field like the shimmering light of a river. Lu Yu was like a fish swimming in the river, creating ripples wherever he went.

Lu Yu accelerated and then stopped abruptly, the basketball slipping from her hands. Lu Yu successfully faked out the Qin Huai team's small forward who was following her.

Sun Meng accelerated her run from the corner of the outside. Long-term cooperation has made Sun Meng and Lu Yu have a good understanding. Sun Meng caught the basketball in the air, stepped into the three-second zone, and used her body speed to jump and shoot. The whole set of movements was coordinated and light.

There was no one under the basket.

"Clang!"

"Wow!--"

The basketball is right in the center of the basket.

The cheers in the stadium drowned out all other sounds.

The first goal ignited the Qingbei team's offensive momentum, and Lu Yu excitedly pulled Sun Meng into a hug for a moment.

Sun Meng's inner thoughts immediately resonated.

My idol hugged me!!! I'm speechless!

Lu Yu chuckled helplessly, and patted Sun Meng on the shoulder as she stepped back, as a form of encouragement.

Two grown men in the audience were each jealous of their own.

"Didn't you say you won over Sun Meng? Now I seriously doubt how much of what you said was true."

"It was clearly Lu Yu who hugged Mengmeng. You can't just make things up because you're the boss."

Jiao Yuyin remained unfazed, bent his elbow, and nudged Qin Meng. "Meng—Meng…are you calling yourself?"

"..."