If You Have to Blame Someone, Blame Fu Zhenzhen

By the time Jiang Nian and the others finished buying drinks and entered the gymnasium, it was already packed.

After they went inside, Feng Xing parted ways with them to find his own team.

Watching him leave, Jiang Nian had the distinct feeling that he was fleeing in a panic.

She followed Tong Chuhe to the cheerleaders' rest area in the front row of the stands, craned her neck to look at the rows behind them, and exclaimed sincerely:

"So many people came today."

The gymnasium, which could hold five thousand people, was filled to capacity.

Just then, an announcement sounded over the speakers. Tong Chuhe patted her:

"Snap out of it. The players are coming in."

Jiang Nian obediently turned around and watched the two teams entering the court.

Leading them were their respective captains, Li Fei and Chen Dan, followed by the two teams' star players, Tan Xuguang and Feng Xing.

Even during the pregame handshake, the tension between the teams was palpable.

Chen Dan squeezed Li Fei's hand and raised his eyebrows. "Don't start crying if you lose today."

Li Fei rolled his eyes, completely unfazed by Vast Sea's provocation.

"You say that every time. When have you ever delivered?"

Next in line, Feng Xing held out his hand to Tan Xuguang, but his gaze drifted toward his leg:

"I heard you hurt your leg. Why don't you just sit this one out? I'll go easy on the others."

Tan Xuguang shook Feng Xing's hand, looking utterly unconcerned:

"It's just a minor injury. More than enough to beat you guys."

Once both sides finished talking trash, the substitutes returned to the rest area.

The starters took their positions on the court, poised and ready as they waited for the referee to start the game.

The referee walked to center court, holding the ball in one hand and his whistle in the other. When it was nearly time, he put the whistle to his lips and blew hard:

"Tweet-"

At the whistle, the referee tossed the ball high into the air. Tan Xuguang and Feng Xing leaped up for the tip-off at the same time, kicking off the fierce contest.

With a sweep of his big hand, Tan Xuguang secured the first possession and charged toward the basket with the ball.

He darted past a defender like lightning. Seeing Chen Dan blocking his way, he raised the ball high in both hands, sprang upward, and sent it cleanly through the hoop, scoring Pluto's opening basket before anyone could react.

"Pluto! Tan Xuguang! Pluto! Tan Xuguang!"

The Pluto students erupted in deafening cheers, all shouting Tan Xuguang's name.

Tan Xuguang himself looked toward Jiang Nian and raised his eyebrows, as though asking, Wasn't I cool?

Only after Jiang Nian waved her pom-pom and gave him a thumbs-up did Tan Xuguang look away, satisfied.

Watching the triumphant Tan Xuguang, Feng Xing ran his tongue over his back teeth in excitement.

He was going to get serious too.

The Vast Sea players wasted no time. While Tan Xuguang was still basking in his success, they swiftly launched an attack on Pluto. Before long, Feng Xing sank a three-pointer too.

Both teams attacked and defended at a blistering pace, trading baskets back and forth.

Vast Sea grabbed another rebound and tried for a fast break. Tan Xuguang and the others chased them with everything they had, finally catching up.

Li Fei tried to stop them but failed. Chen Dan raised his hands to shoot, only for Tan Xuguang to rush up and block him. Pluto seized the ball and raced toward the basket.

Tan Xuguang sent a long pass to Li Fei, who tossed the ball up and straight through the hoop, adding another point for Pluto.

After several trips up and down the court, both teams were playing with increasing vigor. But they had barely warmed up when the referee blew his whistle, signaling the end of the first quarter.

Jiang Nian looked up at the score. Twelve to twelve-the first quarter had ended in a tie.

The break between the first and second quarters was short, giving the players only enough time for a quick rest and a few tactical instructions.

So as soon as the second quarter began, Tan Xuguang could clearly tell that Vast Sea had assigned several players to guard him.

Whenever he moved, several players closed in to block him, making both receiving and passing the ball much harder.

All he could do was try his best to snatch the ball from the other players, then turn and hurl it back to a teammate.

The Pluto player jumped up to catch the ball. Seeing that he was already close to the basket, he immediately took three long strides.

He leaped into the air, and the ball dropped through the hoop for a beautiful three-pointer.

The scores stayed close. Enthusiastic chants rang out beside the court, cheers rising one after another, and Jiang Nian's nerves were on edge as she watched.

In the original novel, Pluto had ultimately won, but they had been behind at halftime. And now Tan Xuguang wasn't even in peak condition.

Sure enough, Vast Sea's Feng Xing sank another beautiful three-pointer, while several players kept Tan Xuguang so tightly guarded that he could barely touch the ball.

Pluto was now six points behind, with only one minute remaining.

Li Fei sent someone to help Tan Xuguang, finally giving him a little breathing room. He scored a two-pointer just one second before the buzzer, bringing the score to 32-28, with Pluto trailing by four.

The halftime break lasted fifteen minutes. With Vast Sea in the lead for now, their students in the stands were all smiles, as though victory were already assured.

The Pluto players looked somewhat dejected as they sat in the rest area, drinking water and catching their breath while they waited for the cheerleaders' performance in five minutes.

Jiang Nian sat in her chair, her lips pressed together as she watched her school's players in front of her.

In the original plot, Pluto's players had begun losing confidence after falling behind Vast Sea.

Fu Zhenzhen had suddenly run over and unleashed her heroine aura, inspiring them with a speech and gaining a whole crowd of fanboys in the process. Only then had they regained their confidence, crushing Vast Sea in the second half and winning the game.

But now Fu Zhenzhen hadn't even made the cheerleading squad and had no chance to give that speech. Was Pluto going to lose this time?

Jiang Nian furrowed her brows, trying to think of a way to fill in the part of the plot where Pluto regained its fighting spirit.

She scanned the area and happened to spot Tan Xuguang talking to his teammates. Her dark eyes shifted as she asked 88 in her mind:

[88, what exactly do those buffs we stripped off Fu Zhenzhen last time do?]

Hearing Jiang Nian's question, 88 patiently explained what the buffs did:

[Shining Bright draws the attention of everyone present and lasts five minutes. Love at First Sight makes other people's hearts race around the buff's bearer, producing a pleasurable feeling similar to being in love, and lasts five minutes. Advanced Dancer is...]

88 listed them one by one. After hearing what all the buffs did, Jiang Nian nodded in satisfaction.

[Okay, then put all the buffs except Advanced Dancer on Tan Xuguang.]

Together, these buffs were essentially Fu Zhenzhen's heroine aura.

Since Fu Zhenzhen wasn't here now, Tan Xuguang could serve as the whole team's pillar of support instead.

Turning the fourth male lead into the heroine... why not?

The buffs only lasted five minutes anyway. Using the break to restore the players' confidence didn't count as interfering with the game, did it?

Looking at Jiang Nian's mischievous grin, 88 cast a pitying glance at the completely oblivious Tan Xuguang. Then it promptly applied all the buffs to him, silently apologizing in its heart.

Don't blame me. Niannian told me to do it. If you have to blame someone, blame Fu Zhenzhen.

Fu Zhenzhen, sitting at home: *?*