Searching for a path in an uncertain future, following an old dream of playing basketball
Faced with the other party's helpless and desperate question, Xue Jiuyue didn't know how to respond for a moment. Qiu Xue, however, continued with sympathy, "I know no one has experience with this, and you certainly don't have an answer. Thank you for listening to me for so long. I really don't know what to do or who to tell. This cafe was our first safe haven and has brought us so much happiness, so I took a leave of absence to come here and relax. I just happened to be so presumptuous to tell you so much, and I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Thank you so much."
Xue Jiuyue initially had a negative impression of the two women, but after hearing such a lengthy monologue, she saw a woman's emotions, devoid of any affectation, and felt her truest inner journey. Regardless of right or wrong, or gender, that sincerity and vividness, laced with such a powerful condemnation of fate and helplessness, deeply moved Xue Jiuyue. Despite her inexperience, she grudgingly sought some comfort, hoping to bring even a hint of warmth and support to this helpless heart.
"You're welcome. Thank you for trusting me and confiding in me. I admire your courage in following your heart, which is understandable. I also admire your choice to be honest and not lie, which takes a lot of courage."
Xue Jiuyue first expressed her true opinion, and then continued, "Actually, you're not completely without a way out now. As you said, you and Feng are currently at a bottleneck in your relationship. This is normal. Once you get past it, the world will be bright and the sky will be wide open. This is also a test of true love, and it's too early to draw a conclusion now."
Qiu Xue nodded. In fact, she knew all the answers, but hearing them from other people could strengthen her confidence.
"Also, during this time, you can calmly reflect on your previous marriage, including the relationship between you and your husband. Perhaps everything that happened before was just a rebellion of the little girl in you."
"Is it useful to think about this? Can I ever go back?"
"Even if you're divorced, you can still remarry, let alone if you're not divorced yet? This is also a test of true love, so the situation is far better than you think."
"I hope it's as you said, that everything is still in time."
Both sides know that there are still many difficulties, but a narrow path full of thorns, twists and turns, or even one with no end in sight, is better than a smooth wall. After all, life will go on.
No matter how deep the attachment is, it cannot pull back the persistence of the setting sun, just as the most urgent expectation cannot disturb its steady pace.
Autumn snow eventually melted into a sea of orange, returning to wherever she wanted to go, or perhaps not. Ke Yike finally embarked on the basketball trip he'd been looking forward to all day. To escalate the intensity, Ke Yike called on two of his teammates—"Xiao Fei," with a lean build like a cheetah, and "Xiao Pang," with a stocky build and a naive look.
The venue Qian Jianjun had booked was less than a 20-minute drive from the cafe. It was a standard indoor basketball court. Qian Jianjun had come fully prepared, stocking up on several drinks, including purified water, functional drinks, and milk, with enough for all of them. Since they planned to go skewers after the game, he also packed handmade chocolates and other sweet treats just in case. Basketball is a competitive sport, after all, so a first aid kit was a good idea.
Most unexpectedly, Qian Jianjun prepared two sets of dark and light sportswear for everyone present, including Xiaofei and Xiaopang, and even provided socks and shoes. He said that life requires a sense of ritual, and so does exercise.
The most difficult thing to deal with was sports shoes. Qian Jianjun was afraid that the size would not fit, so he almost moved a shoe store here and had several pairs of shoes in all sizes to ensure that everyone present had the right size.
"Anyway, you can return the product without giving any reason within seven days, so you don't have to worry about wasting it," Qian Jianjun explained.
Xue Jiuyue originally wanted to refuse or pay, but since everyone got one, she finally silently accepted this first gift from Qian Jianjun.
After a brief discussion, everyone agreed that Qian Jianjun, Lao Zhou, "Xiao Fei," and Lin Yiyi would form one team, and Ke Yike, Qiu Nian, "Xiao Pang," and Zhou Ying would form another. As for Xue Jiyue, after much persuasion, she joined as a libero. Both teams could pass the ball to her, and if she made a shot, her assist would count as double the points.
At the start of the game, the two teams were engaged in a one-on-one defense, leaving Xue Jiyue free to roam freely. She quickly slipped under the basket, and Qian Jianjun dribbled the ball and made a bounce pass, steadily passing it to Xue Jiyue, who caught the ball and shot it in, taking the lead.
Ke Yike soon followed suit, though his moves were even more dazzling and dazzling. Having already dribbled past Qian Jianjun and headed straight for the basket, he opted to pass the ball from behind to Xue Jiuyue, who had just reached the basket. Because of the tricky angle, the ball was slightly high, allowing Xue Jiuyue to leap up for an alley-oop, catching and shooting in one smooth, airborne sequence. The handsome, deft moves stunned everyone—this was clearly a master!
As Xue Jiuyue scored frequently, both teams quickly realized that limiting her access to the ball was the key to victory. They switched from man-to-man defense to a zone defense. Now, regardless of who was attacking or defending, Xue Jiuyue would face the defender. Since everyone maintained a safe distance to avoid physical contact with her, the defense was effectively useless. However, Xue Jiuyue herself stopped cutting to the basket. She lingered on the perimeter, hoping only to occasionally pass the ball and act as a utility player.
Neither Qian Jianjun nor Ke Yike would forget her. Soon the ball was handed to her, and Qian Jianjun's voice echoed, "Xiaoyue, you organize it."
Before he could react, the ball had already arrived. Xue Jiuyue habitually lowered his center of gravity, with his left foot in front and his right foot behind, raised his head and looked towards the basket, dribbling with one hand and ready to protect the ball with the other hand. After a few shots, the feeling of being like a fish in water came over him. Xue Jiuyue didn't need to see it, just by the feeling between his fingers and palms, he could accurately know where the ball was, and he could control the ball with precision as if he were using his arm. Lin Yiyi, who was defending Xue Jiuyue, also moved over to defend. Seeing the defensive player, he made a crotch dribble directly from the memory of his muscles, and then accelerated in disguise, leaving Lin Yiyi behind.
Ke Yike rushed over to fill in. Xue Jiuyue, who was accelerating, suddenly stopped and leaped high. She leaned back slightly in the air, raised her right forearm, and with five fingers spread out, she held the basketball steadily above her head. With her left hand, she supported it lightly. Then, with a push of her right arm and a twist of her wrist, the basketball shot out from between her fingers, passed through Ke Yike's arm, and into the net.
This series of actions happened in a split second, so fast that even Ke Yike, who jumped up to block the shot, missed. Although he tried to retract his hand, he still lightly touched the back of Xue Jiuyue's left hand.
"Fighter, additional punishment!" Xue Jiuyue, as if assisted by God, finally reacted at this time.
Yes, she was indeed "as if assisted by God" just now. The smell of a sports perfume on Ke Yike mixed with a faint smell of sweat penetrated directly into the frontal lobe of her brain, bringing that clear voice to her side.
"Jump up and lean back slightly so you won't be blocked easily."
"Yes, open your palms, leaving your right palm empty, and use the base of your fingers to control the ball and lift it up. Use your left hand to support it, also to protect it..."
Ye Yi's voice and the familiar smell intertwined into a wisp of spirit that attached to Xue Jiuyue's body, allowing her to smoothly complete this set of movements that were extremely difficult even for boys.
Everyone present was stunned by her handsomeness. Except for the newcomers "Xiaopang" and "Xiaofei", everyone else was even more surprised by what Xue Jiuyue said next! Everyone came over and surrounded Xue Jiuyue.
"Xiaoyue?"
"Sister Yue?"
"sister?"
"What's wrong?" Xue Jiuyue didn't understand.
"Hit the gun!" Qian Jianjun's magnetic voice also revealed his irrepressible joy.
"Yes, there was a fight, what happened?" Xue Jiuyue hadn't reacted yet.
"Does it hurt?"
Zhou Ying's concern completely cleared the fog in Xue Jiuyue's heart.
"Yes. Does it hurt?" Xue Jiuyue asked herself excitedly, glancing at her left hand. The white back of her hand was now slightly red. She did feel something just now, but after thinking about it carefully, it was far from the sharp pain that pierced her soul from the depths of her heart, making her feel unbearable.
"You, try again?" Xue Jiuyue's voice trembled a little.
Looking at the delicate hand held in front of him, Ke Yike swallowed his saliva. He looked up at Xue Jiuyue again and received an encouraging nod.
"Cough cough," Ke Yike cleared his cough twice before stretching out his right index finger, wiping it on his clothes, and then approaching cautiously.
"Hiss..." Despite being fully prepared and trying very hard to endure, Xue Jiuyue still couldn't help but let out a sound of pain. She quickly retracted her left hand, cupped it in her right palm, and placed it against her chest, as if she had been stabbed.
What hurts even more is that the hope that had just risen in my heart was torn to pieces and scattered into ashes that covered the sky, but was condensed into beads of grievances soaked in the unwillingness flowing in my blood vessels, and appeared in my eyes.
"Xiaoyue, don't be impatient! We can't achieve success overnight! Without taking small steps, how can we reach a thousand miles? A good start means that the path is right and the direction is right. We can practice more and we will always get good results!" Qian Jianjun comforted Xue Jiuyue in time like an elder brother.
Zhou Ying also spoke up, "Sister Yue, isn't it said that illness heals like a thread? Let's take it slow."
Ke Yike immediately said, "It's okay, Sister Yue, if you like, we can come and play ball every day in the future."
"Sis, since we've had a good start, since we all like playing ball, we can just come often. It always... hurts, hurts..."
Qiu Nian stopped talking before he could finish his words. It turned out that Lin Yiyi stomped her foot and stepped on his toes.
"What are you all talking about?"
Interrupting Qiu Nian's boring repetition, Lin Yiyi made a unique statement.
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