After hearing Zhang Mingyu's wager, Qin Ze's first reaction was not to Zhao Baliao and the others' anger, but: I think I've been set up.
Zhang Mingyu showing up at the court was nothing strange, merely a coincidence. But from demanding that Qin Ze give up the court from the very beginning, to the incident of throwing the ball at someone afterward, and then considering how Qin Ze had publicly slapped Zhang Mingyu's face a few days ago, there was much to ponder.
To sum it up, Zhang Mingyu and his friends had happily come to play basketball, then happened upon Qin Ze, the enemy who had slapped him in the face. A scheme was born, and the whole affair could be summed up in four words: "I want to start trouble!"
This was revenge from the School Hunk.
Qin Ze had always been willing to assume the worst of others.
The arrow was on the bowstring; there was no choice but to fire. When the moment came, there could be no backing down.
Qin Ze thought for a moment, then turned to look at his companions.
"I'm fine with it." Zhao Baliao was loyal to the bone.
"Life and death are nothing. If you don't accept it, then fight." That was the reply from internet-addicted teen Liu Ziqiang.
Old Wang thought for a moment and said quietly, "Damn it, we can't even chicken out now. Otherwise, forget about picking up girls before we graduate college—we'll only have our left hands to switch with our right."
Li Liang said, "Honestly, I'm scared too, but we can't lose face."
One guy from Dorm 304 hesitated. "They're all on the Basketball Team. The founding emperor said never fight an unprepared battle..."
Old Wang glared. "Virgin, shut your asshole. You're a good shooter, so you have to play." He knew well how to rule people with both stick and carrot. "As long as you play, win or lose, you won't have to pay back the two hundred yuan you owe me."
Old Wang really knew how to handle people. With that, Dorm 303's favorability toward him was practically maxed out.
The guy nicknamed virgin slapped his chest. "Forget calling him grandpa—even if I have to call him great-grandpa, I'll go along with it."
And just like that, the lineup was quickly decided: Qin Ze, Zhao Baliao, Liu Ziqiang, Old Wang, and Virgin.
Qin Ze stared straight at Zhang Mingyu. "Five minutes' rest."
"Fine!" Zhang Mingyu nodded in agreement.
The surrounding students buzzed with discussion. Zhang Mingyu was famous—who didn't know him? Some people even pulled out their phones and made a post on the Campus Forum: "Zhang Mingyu duels someone on the Basketball Court; loser has to call the winner Grandpa."
Several photos were attached, showing Qin Ze and the others facing off against Zhang Mingyu.
The post was pinned by an administrator. Within minutes, its views and replies soared.
"Pics or it didn't happen. I believe it."
"Basketball Court, right? I'm heading over now."
"Old Driver is hitting the gas. Destination: Basketball Court."
"Beep, deep-hole card."
"Beep, social security card."
"Beep, senior citizen card."
"Zhang Mingyu's been pretty wild these past few days. He just got slapped in the face not long ago, and today he's challenging someone to a game."
"Waiting to see Zhang Mingyu crash and burn."
"Impossible. Look, the guys around him are all from the Basketball Team. The guys opposite them are all different heights and builds. They clearly don't have a chance. Only that student standing in the middle has some presence..."
"Huh, am I the only one who thinks that silhouette looks familiar?"
"+1 to the person above. I think it looks familiar too."
"Same here."
"Same here."
"+10086."
"Um... um, take a look. Is that Qin Ze? Qin Ze, the Slap-in-the-Face King?"
Someone replied uncertainly, then attached a photo of Qin Ze's back as he wrote on the blackboard.
The moment that picture was posted, the thread's popularity shot to a whole new level.
"Holy shit, it really is him."
"Oh my, is this kid going head-to-head with Zhang Mingyu?"
"My little brother just got hard. Respect."
"My wish is for world peace... pfft, let me start over. My wish is to slap Zhang Mingyu's face."
"My name is Qin Ze, and I endorse myself."
"Everyone, form up and head to the Basketball Court."
"Damn it, I'm off campus and can't get back in time. Please livestream it, please!"
"I think I smell a conspiracy. OP, what exactly happened?"
The original poster was delighted that his post had been pinned and had temporarily become the hottest thread on the Campus Forum. He happily replied, "I'm at the Basketball Court. They haven't started yet, so don't miss it if you're passing by—come watch the show. The person above asked the right guy. I was playing nearby and witnessed the entire incident. The two sides got into an argument over basketball, and it nearly escalated into a fight. Fortunately, both sides were fairly rational and didn't really start throwing punches. Otherwise, they'd definitely get disciplined, maybe even expelled. But at this point, neither side was willing to give way, so they decided to settle it with basketball. The losing side has to admit fault, apologize, and call the winners: 'Grandpa, your grandson was wrong.'"
The people on the forum grew excited again.
"OP just said it was deliberate? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I saw it with my own eyes." The original poster sent a picture saying, "I swear on my integrity."
"So Zhang Mingyu deliberately picked a fight. He's getting revenge on Qin Ze for slapping his face."
"Fuck, Zhang Mingyu really is sinister. He holds a grudge over every little thing."
"He has no tolerance for others. Big Tycoons are all scum."
"So only the officials are allowed to set fires while the common people aren't allowed to light lamps? Qin Ze slapped our Mingyu's face, and you won't let him hit back?"
"Exactly. The people above are just a bunch of jealous shut-in losers. No wonder you don't have girlfriends."
"Zhang Mingyu, well done! Long live Zhang Mingyu!"
The forum turned into a raging argument and quickly went off topic.
Qin Ze and the others sat beneath the hoop, drinking beverages and resting up. They looked calm, but their conversation exposed the unease in their hearts. Zhao Baliao looked around and asked softly, "Why do I feel like there are more and more people?"
"No way." Li Liang rubbed the back of his head and grimaced.
"Check the Campus Forum." Old Wang handed his phone to Zhao Baliao.
After passing it around and reading it, Zhao Baliao stared wide-eyed. "Fuck, which asshole posted this?"
"They're roasting us over an open fire. If we lose, our reputations will be completely ruined. We won't be able to hold our heads up again." Liu Ziqiang spoke gloomily.
More and more people gathered around, packing the Basketball Court so tightly that not even water could pass through. As time passed, the crowd continued to grow.
Virgin stood fearless. "When a man dies, he dies. What's there to fear?"
"Of course you don't care. You're a nobody. So what if you lose face? Who the hell even knows you?" Old Wang rolled his eyes. "Qin Ze will be the most humiliated. He's the main character in this whole thing. This is Zhang Mingyu's revenge. If he really gets forced to call someone Grandpa, it'll be far worse than getting slapped in the face in class."
Everyone looked at Qin Ze.
Qin Ze showed no expression. His gaze swept over the eager spectators outside the court, then over Zhang Mingyu and the others watching them like tigers from a distance, and finally over his companions' faces. At that moment, his heart suddenly surged and his blood began to boil. Unable to stop himself, he sang, "Run forward, facing cold stares and mockery How could we feel the vastness of life without enduring hardship? Fate cannot make us kneel and beg for mercy Even if blood stains our chests Keep running, carrying the pride of an innocent heart."
It was a song he had heard in the Points Shop, and the moment had moved him to sing it.
Keep moving forward, keep moving forward, facing cold stares and mockery, ignoring setbacks and hardship.
No one was born weak. Even little people had their own roars and howls.
Zhao Baliao suddenly felt his blood boil. He clenched his fists, veins bulging, and threw back his head with a roar.
"Run forward, facing cold stares and mockery!" Old Wang shot to his feet.
"I'm going to become a god!" Liu Ziqiang punched the basketball stand.
Virgin said, "Fuck, so what if they're the Basketball Team? So what if he's the School Hunk? Before two hundred yuan, they're all nothing but clouds."
The game began!
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