Chapter 3

Gu Chen dried his hair and lay down on the bed. For some reason, although his body no longer hurt, he felt utterly exhausted. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. Yet his hearing was unusually sharp, and he could clearly hear his two new roommates packing while grumbling and complaining on Gu Xiuming's behalf. Every word stabbed into his mind. Irritated, Gu Chen turned over and pulled the blanket over his head.

The roommates who had been chatting as they unpacked paused, exchanged a glance, then simply grabbed their phones and keys and left.

"Let's not argue with a sick guy." The two brothers threw their arms around each other's shoulders. "Let's go eat at the cafeteria first."

By the time Gu Chen woke up, it was already the next morning. He glanced at the alarm clock. It was only four thirty in the morning, but he could not fall back asleep. The other three people in the dorm were still sleeping. Gu Chen quietly got out of bed, washed up, took his wallet, and left the dormitory.

Gu Chen had a habit: whenever his mind was in turmoil, he liked to run laps. Running lap after lap along the rubber track, it felt as though the tangled mess of thoughts in his head could be straightened out like a ball of yarn in his grandmother's hands. Though he had returned to ten years ago, Gu Chen did not know why he had been reborn, nor did he understand the point of this rebirth that required him to go through the plot all over again. He was like the shadow puppets he had seen as a child. Even if his soul had awakened, every movement was still controlled by the plot. Watching helplessly as he walked step by step toward a dead end—this clarity only made things more painful.

Gu Chen ran mechanically, expressionless and vacant-eyed. He had no idea how many laps he had run when a basketball suddenly slammed into his shoulder.

Gu Chen snapped back to his senses and saw Huo Mingzhang standing by the field with several of his shady friends, all wearing smug grins. When Huo Mingzhang saw Gu Chen looking over, he raised an eyebrow. "Out here plowing the field lap after lap so early in the morning? With all that sweat, how much rice do you think you can grow?"

No decent words ever came out of Huo Mingzhang's mouth. Gu Chen truly could not be bothered with him and turned toward the cafeteria.

"Don't go!" Huo Mingzhang darted in front of Gu Chen in a single stride and said with a cheeky grin, "Meeting is fate. I only told you yesterday to play basketball with me and get some exercise. And today, here we are meeting on the court. Clearly, you took my words to heart. In that case, welcome to my team."

"No." Gu Chen refused outright. "I don't want to play basketball."

"Why not?" Huo Mingzhang frowned, unable to understand. "Basketball is so fun. Guys should play basketball."

"I'm not Hisashi Mitsui." Gu Chen was getting impatient. Though the plot imposed certain events he had no choice but to go through, outside of those events, he did not want anything to do with the characters in it.

Even working 996 came with breaks. Now that he had a second life, Gu Chen could not slack off enough, so how could he possibly volunteer for overtime?

Gu Chen's words amused Huo Mingzhang. Seeing that Gu Chen was still striding toward the cafeteria, he reached out and hooked a hand into Gu Chen's collar. With a grin, he threatened, "You don't have to be Hisashi Mitsui. But if you won't play basketball with me, believe it or not, I'll make you rest in peace."

Gu Chen turned to look at Huo Mingzhang.

Huo Mingzhang was startled by Gu Chen's gaze. After a brief pause, he sneered. "Don't forget. You can't afford to mess with me. You said that yourself."

Gu Chen was silent for a moment, then gritted his back teeth and nodded. "Fine. How do you want to play?"

Chapter 3

On the basketball court beside the field, Gu Chen and Huo Mingzhang stood facing each other at the free-throw line. Huo Mingzhang grinned as he showed off a couple of between-the-legs dribbles, then grabbed the basketball in one hand and flicked it backward into the air. The ball traced an arc through the air before landing steadily on his fingertip, spinning at an even speed.

"Don't say I'm bullying you. Why don't you go first?"

Gu Chen remained expressionless. "Cut the crap."

Huo Mingzhang raised an eyebrow, dribbled hard, and charged forward. Reaching Gu Chen, he used a lightning-fast feint to shake him off, took two steps beneath the basket, jumped, and went for a layup. With a forceful snap of his wrist, there was a loud bang as the basketball was slammed hard through the hoop, making even the hoop stand tremble slightly.

The boys and girls watching nearby immediately screamed.

Huo Mingzhang released the rim and landed steadily. Turning around, he curled his lips at Gu Chen smugly, only to find that Gu Chen still looked lifeless, standing in the same spot without moving—not entirely without moving, since he had turned around.

"Playing dead isn't much fun, is it?" Huo Mingzhang picked up the ball, feeling rather disappointed. He had just gone all out showing off, yet Gu Chen, his opponent, had been even calmer than the spectators watching from the sidelines. Huo Mingzhang suddenly felt like he had flirted with a blind man.

"Slacking off won't work. You said it yourself—you'd play basketball with me. If I don't have enough fun today, don't even think about leaving." Huo Mingzhang bounced the basketball hard twice and made his threat.

Gu Chen could not even be bothered to give him an expression. He beckoned at Huo Mingzhang and repeated the same words. "Cut the crap."

Huo Mingzhang snorted and tossed the basketball to Gu Chen.

Gu Chen caught it. His feet were still firmly planted on the free-throw line. Without even jumping, he raised the ball with both hands toward the basket and gave a light flick of his wrist. The basketball drew a graceful arc through the air and swished cleanly through the net.

The entire movement flowed as smoothly as water. Before Huo Mingzhang could react, the ball had already bounced several times on the ground and rolled to his feet, as though even that angle had been calculated by the shooter.

Gasps rose from all around. The students watching had not expected Gu Chen's shot to be so accurate.

Gu Chen gripped one wrist with his other hand and flexed it, still wearing that lifeless expression. "Your turn."

Huo Mingzhang looked down at the basketball, then tugged at the corner of his mouth at Gu Chen. "Not bad. You've got some skills."

Gu Chen did not reply.

Huo Mingzhang picked up the ball, dribbled it twice, and switched positions with Gu Chen. The next second, he ran past Gu Chen's side while bouncing the ball. As expected, Gu Chen made no attempt to stop him, and Huo Mingzhang easily drove in for a layup.

"Two to one." Huo Mingzhang passed the ball to Gu Chen and set his stance. "I was careless last time. This time, I won't let you shoot so easily."