Two weeks later, the inter-school basketball finals officially kicked off at the Yushi City Gymnasium.
After several rounds of competition, No. 1 Middle School and No. 5 Middle School advanced to the finals without any suspense, vying for the championship trophy.
On Sunday morning, Pei Xi and Shen Miaoyi arrived at the gymnasium together. It was already more than half full, packed with students from various schools.
Pei Xi, being a family member, took Shen Miaoyi and sat down directly next to the players' rest area.
"Pei Xi! Pei Xi!" As soon as he sat down, a voice came from behind him. Pei Xi thought the voice sounded familiar, turned around, and found that Dai Wei was also there.
She was sitting in the first row of the audience, waving vigorously at her.
A hint of surprise flashed in Pei Xi's eyes. "Dai Wei, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"How could I miss out on a fun-filled place like this!" Dai Wei laughed. "Besides, I've heard there are a lot of handsome guys in your No. 1 Middle School team, so I definitely can't miss out!"
After saying that, Dai Wei rubbed her hands together with an expectant expression on her face.
She leaned closer to Pei Xi and whispered, "I heard your brother is the captain, is that right?"
Pei Xi nodded.
"The girls around me have been talking about your brother ever since they came in. They've even bought the water they're going to deliver later," Dai Wei said, winking. "Your brother's really popular!"
Pei Xi smiled knowingly. Pei Zhi was always popular with the opposite sex; every time he played basketball, a bunch of female fans would gather around the court to offer him water and drinks.
However, he never accepted the offer and always brought his own water.
As the two were talking, the audience suddenly erupted in commotion. Pei Xi turned around and saw that the players had already begun to enter the field.
The crowd in the stands gradually became lively, and there were voices all around. Pei Xi could hear many girls excitedly calling Pei Zhi's name.
Sunlight streamed into the stadium from the roof, and against the not-so-strong sunlight, several figures slowly emerged, as cheers from the stadium grew louder and louder.
They were backlit, so at first their faces were not visible; all that could be seen was that each of them was gilded.
As they got closer, the facial features gradually became clearer.
Pei Zhi was leading the way.
He was wearing a black basketball uniform, a half-smile on his face, and a confident glance at the crowd.
Looking further back, the people following him were all wearing the same basketball uniforms as him.
Shi Chen, Tong Kai, Qin Yufan... Jiang Cheng walked at the back of the team, his steps steady, his jersey number 25.
Pei Xi was stunned when he saw his face.
Jiang Cheng is different today than usual.
He wore a headband on his forehead.
His hair had grown a bit longer, and a black headband clung to his smooth forehead, peeking out from among the soft black hair.
The stray hairs around the headband became lighter, giving the impression that the area was filled with fresh air.
It seemed to possess a magical power, adding a youthful touch to Jiang Cheng's usually brooding and aloof demeanor. It was as if he were standing on the school's brand-new sports field, bathed in the dry sunlight, a spirited young man with broad shoulders, and many girls had come for him.
The discussion in the audience behind him grew louder and louder, with many young girls excitedly discussing who was the most handsome. Pei Xi vaguely heard "number twenty-five" several times.
"Wow, this is incredibly handsome!" Pei Xi even heard Dai Wei's loud voice.
Pei Xi silently agreed, "Yes, he's definitely reached a new level of handsomeness."
On the other side of the field, the students from No. 5 Middle School had also entered and were ready to go.
Pan Qing, who had squinty eyes, was also there last time at the court. He was clearly a leader of No. 5 Middle School. He was about the same height as Pei Zhi, had a buzz cut, dark skin, and was wearing a white jersey.
There was a very tall guy in the group, even slightly stronger than Qin Yufan, with a fierce face, looking like a tough guy.
Pei Xi seemed to have seen him before when they fought on the court last time; he was said to have retired from the youth training team.
The two teams stood face to face in the center of the field, already subtly vying for dominance before even exchanging a word.
Pan Qing looked at Pei Zhi, sized up the people in their team, and said in a flippant tone, "Pei Zhi, let me give you a heads-up, you're definitely going to lose today."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhi smiled instead of getting angry, his face showing an air of confidence and self-assurance.
He glanced around Pan Qing's group, looking them up and down. "You guys from No. 5 Middle School, you look all physically strong."
He paused deliberately, then continued, "He just doesn't seem very bright."
"Who the hell are you talking about?" A guy from the No. 5 Middle School line stood up. It was the tall guy who pointed at Pei Zhi's nose and cursed.
A snicker rang out in the air. Shi Chen laughed as he put his arm around Pei Zhi's shoulder and said, "You were right. There are even people who take the initiative to claim it."
The tall man's expression changed, and he was about to take a step forward when Pan Qing stopped him, saying, "Jiang Bin, don't be impulsive."
Jiang Bin glared angrily at the group, but ultimately remained silent.
The two sides were exchanging words when the referees, a man and a woman, entered the field and stood on opposite sides of the court.
"Pfft," "Pfft," the microphone next to them emitted two noises after being plugged in, and the noisy sounds in the stadium suddenly fell silent.
The commentator for this match was a retired physical education teacher, an elderly man in his sixties who wore glasses. He was sitting on the control panel next to the field, where he had the best view and could easily see the situation on the field.
Below the stage, Pei Xi raised his hand and glanced at his watch; it was exactly 10:00 AM.
The competition is about to officially begin.
The commentator, in a booming voice, first delivered a string of official platitudes, then introduced the players from both sides, and finally announced: "The players from both sides have now entered the field, and I hereby declare the match officially open! Time's on!"
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