Chapter 20: Gunpowder and a Battlefield
Chen Yongjie is not the kind of person who studies by rote.
By the standards of a "model student," he is an all-rounder in terms of moral, intellectual, physical, and aesthetic development. He has come all the way from the podium. To give an example, just three days after the results were announced, he was invited back to school to share his experiences.
Below were thousands of younger students, and on the stage were the principal and teachers. A dozen cameras were filming and recording from various angles. The scene was far more formal than it is now. Chen Yongjie was not intimidated at all. But now, sitting in this ordinary audience seat, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
It seems like the whole world's attention is focused here.
Ji Tong greeted him again.
"I added you on WeChat before, but I haven't found a suitable opportunity to chat with you."
"I didn't originally plan to come tonight, but when Senior Tu Jing was video chatting with me, I happened to see you, so I came over."
Wait a minute, what does "didn't find a suitable opportunity to chat with you" mean?
What does it mean to say, "I didn't originally intend to come, but I saw you and came over"?
Within a minute or two, the various gossip groups at Anhui University became lively.
What did you say?
[It seems Ji Tong added this classmate on WeChat and they're discussing whether the two are a good match or not?]
【？】
Ji Tong also said that he came tonight specifically for this classmate, and that he hadn't originally planned to come.
【？？？】
[Hiss.]
I need all the information about this man within three minutes.
[Further investigation and report.]
Ji Tong was completely unaware of how "unsentimental" her words sounded to others; she was only focused on talking to Chen Yongjie.
After adding Chen Yongjie that day, the two simply greeted each other on WeChat and didn't say much.
Ji Tong knew that if he asked Chen Yongjie on WeChat, Chen would definitely answer truthfully, but he wanted to say it in person.
For the past two weeks, he had been with Gu Lin, and the two classes almost overlapped, leaving him with no free time.
Ji Tong didn't intend to hide the fact that she was looking for Chen Yongjie from Gu Lin, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen this time, since Gu Lin was on the court and could be seen just by looking up.
"Did you call me to talk about Brother Lin?" Chen Yongjie finally realized.
“Yes,” Ji Tong didn’t hide anything, “but not today.”
"I'm here today just to make a friend."
“Hello,” Ji Tong straightened up slightly from her seat, extended her hand to him, and smiled, her voice and expression very serious. “My name is Ji Tong, the ‘Tong’ from the Chinese phrase ‘thousands of households and the rising sun.’ I hope we can take care of each other in the future.”
That evening after the playground, Chen Yongjie learned the name "Ji Tong" from the counselor assistant Yang Ping.
So much happened that day, and so much information came in a jumble. It was the first time he learned that Lin Ge had already been admitted to university through a special program, but then voluntarily gave it up. It was also the first time he learned that Lin Ge had been in Germany before his first year of high school.
Chen Yongjie still hasn't fully figured out the intricacies of the situation, but there's one thing Yang Ping said that he remembers very clearly.
It refers to Ji Tong.
He said, "Tongtong was just a little anxious today. He only gets a little angry about Lin Ge's matter. He's usually very easy to get along with."
You'll understand once you get to know each other.
"No one can dislike Ji Tong."
At the time, Chen Yongjie only knew that Ji Tong was good-looking and came from a good family, but he didn't really understand the statement "No one would dislike Ji Tong" until today.
His family background allowed him to be "lawless," yet it fostered this kind of personality in him.
Chen Yongjie miraculously relaxed and reached out his hand to Ji Tong.
"Hello, Chen Yongjie, Yong as in eternal, Jie as in outstanding, please take care of me."
The moment the two shook hands, not only the audience but also Ke Tongguang and Duan Pei on the court were stunned.
Ke Tongguang, usually eloquent, looked blankly at Duan Pei and asked, "...Who is it? Do you know him, senior?"
Duan Pei did not answer.
If he remembers correctly, it seems to be Gu Lin's classmate, named Chen Yongjie.
Duan Pei looked up at Gu Lin.
He knew very well that although Ji Tong was looking for Chen Yongjie, in essence, it was for... Gu Lin.
Ke Tongguang didn't miss the glance Duan Pei gave Gu Lin.
They obviously know something.
"Senior, do you know that person?" Ke Tongguang asked again.
This time, Duan Pei replied: "Yes, his name is Chen Yongjie, from Class 9, classmate Gu Lin."
Ke Tongguang remained silent.
Standing on the referee's bench, Tu Jing glanced at the center of the field, then at the North Third spectator area, and sighed deeply. She took out her phone and made a call to someone.
"Ji Tong, if you keep sitting in the stands, the game won't even start."
Ji Tong: "I'm not going to play?"
Tu Jing: "..."
Tu Jing said helplessly, "Don't ask why, just go sit in the rest area right now."
Tu Jing issued an ultimatum and hung up the phone.
Chen Yongjie heard Tu Jing's voice and said, "Senior asked you to go down and watch Lin Ge and the others play ball, right?"
Ji Tong nodded, and while looking at her phone, casually added, "There's nothing much to see."
Ji Tong has been watching Gu Lin play basketball for three years. He knows Gu Lin's habits and movements with his eyes closed. As for other people, Ji Tong has even less interest.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yongjie's mind was once again filled with the phrase, "I didn't want to come, but when I saw you, I came." The people around him obviously thought of it too, and their gazes towards Chen Yongjie became strange again.
Just then, Ji Tong spoke up: "My senior is urging me to go downstairs."
Chen Yongjie breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, okay, you—"
Ji Tong: "Do you want to come down with me?"
The two spoke at the same time.
Ji Tong: "Okay? Okay, let's go down together then."
Chen Yongjie: "…………"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chen Yongjie walked to the bench like a zombie and took his seat.
Senior Duan Pei glanced at him.
Ke Tongguang glanced at him.
Lin Ge glanced at him.
The female students in the student council glanced at him.
Chen Yongjie's hands were no longer hands, and his feet were no longer feet.
"It's 7:40, aren't you going to start?" Ji Tong looked at the referee.
Like waking from a dream.
The second whistle rang out throughout the basketball court.
The whistle blows like a starting gun, and the ultra-high-resolution screen freezes the entire field simultaneously. The moment the referee tosses the ball up, even the most "wandering" gazes will involuntarily focus on the field.
--kick off.
Ke Tongguang and Gu Lin jumped at the same time... Gu Lin grabbed the ball!
Even Ke Tongguang was momentarily distracted, but his eyes quickly regained their composure, and within seconds he had met Duan Pei's gaze.
We must guard against Gu Lin!
No one expected that the opening tip-off would be followed by a lightning-fast fast break. Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang defended extremely tightly, but Gu Lin was just too fast. His dribbling, quick breakthroughs, and layups were so powerful that they were almost astonishing.
Just two minutes into the game, Gu Lin scored the first goal.
The moment the scoreboard flipped from "0000" to "0002", the entire stadium erupted in deafening screams.
"OMG, that's so cool!"
"You call this...an exhibition match?!"
"Neither Senior Ke nor Senior Duan could stop Gu Lin?!"
"They're fighting so fiercely?!"
"Don't you guys feel there's a lot of tension between Gu Lin, Senior Ke, and Senior Duan?"
"Isn't this CUBAL?"
Ke Tongguang, being a member of the school team, cooperated with Duan Pei and quickly scored a point.
The two teams were neck and neck, with the red team scoring one goal and the blue team scoring one goal, keeping the score extremely close.
Every few minutes, a roar of cheers erupted from the stadium, until the countdown on the big screen showed only two minutes left.
With the first half about to end, the Red Team passed the last ball to Gu Lin without hesitation.
The moment Gu Lin received the ball, Ke Tongguang and Duan Pei appeared in front of him.
—Scene recreation.
Ke Tongguang and Duan Pei bent their knees and spread their arms, their eyes sharp. The imposing presence of their tall male bodies was undeniable, as if to say, "We won't let you pass this time." Even the audience in the stands felt a strong sense of oppression.
But Gu Lin's expression remained unchanged despite being defended.
This was the first time Chen Yongjie had seen Gu Lin play so directly.
On the day he first met Gu Lin, his boyish intuition told him that this guy must be very good at basketball. But Gu Lin was very cold-hearted, and Chen Yongjie always thought that he was the kind of commander who orchestrated the whole game on the court. Who knew he would be so fierce.
At this moment, Chen Yongjie seemed to be on the court as well, his voice and legs trembling with tension, "With such tight defense, how can Brother Lin break through..."
"Don't break through." A light voice interrupted him.
Chen Yongjie exclaimed "Ah!" and looked at Ji Tong in the direction of the sound: "Not going to break through? Brother Lin is going to pass the ball to—"
A deafening scream swallowed up Chen Yongjie's voice.
That scream—
There must be a new situation on the field!
Chen Yongjie immediately turned his head away, but Ji Tong's voice rang in his ears.
"He will score directly."
The moment Ji Tong's voice fell to the ground, Chen Yongjie saw Gu Lin standing there, jumped up, and shot the ball.
Ke Tongguang and Duan Pei's pupils contracted, and like all the spectators in the stands, after a moment of stunned silence, they abruptly looked up—
The countdown on the large screen around the stadium has entered its final 15 seconds.
15——
14——
13——
Goal.
The entire audience fell silent for a second.
"Aa ...
"Holy crap!!! Beyond the three-point line, my god!"
"So cool!! So cool!"
"Brother, how are we supposed to fight if you do this?!"
"Where's the ventilator? I'm a little short of oxygen, get it on quickly!"
"My heart rate is 120! Help!"
"Brother Lin is awesome! He's so cool, damn it!" Chen Yongjie jumped up from the bench. No one could remain calm in the face of such a scene. He turned around—
Oh, so there really is one.
Not only Ji Tong, but also Li Yuan, Zhou Tian, and Cui Mingying sat steadily in their chairs. Li Yuan, who made the biggest movement, only raised his arms and shouted twice.
Dude, you guys are making me look really stupid.
Li Yuan seemed to know what Chen Yongjie was thinking and said, "Brother, it's not your problem, it's our problem. Two years ago, when we played basketball with Brother Lin for the first time, we all shouted 'Awesome!' and cried together. We were all numb to his antics with Tongtong, and now we're immune."
“Yes, that’s standard procedure,” Zhou Tian added.
Chen Yongjie: "..."
The first half has finally ended.
After the whistle blew, Ke Tongguang and Duan Pei stood in place for a full minute before shaking their heads with smiles and walking toward the benches in the rest area.
In the exhibition match, although there were two teams on the field, as soon as they left the field, everyone put their arms around each other and headed in the same direction.
The "supply area" is the rest area where Ji Tong and his group are located.
A group of people walked and chatted.
"Gu Lin, right? You play basketball really well. How about considering joining the school team?"
"You'll start immediately if you come."
"Tongtong can come along too."
"Mind your place, Gu Lin is on our team now."
"Tsk tsk, one Gu Lin isn't enough, you want to bring Tongtong along too, huh? Your basketball team gets all the good stuff?"
Gu Lin just smiled.
The second half begins in 15 minutes.
Ji Tong was still talking to Chen Yongjie when he turned around and saw three people walking over one after the other.
Duan Pei wore a red jersey, Ke Tongguang was dressed in bright yellow, while Gu Lin wore the simplest black and white.
Chen Yongjie wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the surrounding sounds went quiet when the three of them walked over.
"What's wrong?" Ji Tong asked, looking up at Gu Lin from her chair.
Gu Lin: "Water."
Duan Pei smiled at Ji Tong and said, "I'm thirsty, let's replenish our supplies."
Ke Tongguang already had a bottle in his hand, which was given to him by someone from the team.
The student council had prepared two cases of bottled water, both located next to the benches in the rest area. Ji Tong didn't ask any questions and bent down to get them for them, but as she looked down—
There was only one bottle of water left.
The surroundings were completely quiet.
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