Shen Nian didn't know how to play basketball and was clueless about the rules. Watching the game, he was completely lost, unable to tell who was fouling whom.
Since he was just idling around anyway, he went to the equipment room to get a basketball and asked Xia Yanchun to go play with him on an empty court nearby.
Xia Yanchun and Li Shiyan were only there to watch the commotion in the first place. The moment Shen Nian called, Xia Yanchun made a run for it, and once Xia Yanchun left, Li Shiyan followed suit.
The sports field of No. 2 High School was quite large. Next to them were first-year juniors playing fiercely. After watching for a while, Shen Nian only figured out how to shoot a basket.
"You don't even know how to play, why did you get a basketball?" She stood obediently to the side and teased him.
"You couldn't understand the game either, yet you watched for so long just now. It's not like we have anything else to do, right?" Shen Nian crooked his finger at her. "How about we see who can shoot more accurately?"
Xia Yanchun glanced at the basketball hoop.
She had never seen Shen Nian touch a basketball before, and he himself admitted he was completely clueless. Unlike comparing test scores, comparing shooting skills would be fairer since they were both beginners.
She had just watched him take a few shots, and he basically missed them all.
"Fine, let's compete."
"A bet! There has to be a bet!"
"What are you betting?"
"Ahem." Shen Nian cleared his throat, glanced at the petite girl watching nearby, and quickly waved his hand through the air.
Li Shiyan was angry but didn't dare speak up. She obediently walked further away, sulkily clasping her hands behind her back, taking big strides through the patch of grass beside the track, pretending not to care in the slightest.
What's so secret that I can't hear? Could they possibly be betting on something shameful?
You don't actually think I want to listen, do you?
Li Shiyan's big, dark eyes darted around. Having often whispered with Xia Yanchun about topics related to the opposite sex, she seemed to think of something now, her face flushing slightly.
A bet that can't be listened to...
Could it be, could it be!
A bet where the loser gets bullied?!
Li Shiyan kicked an innocent little stone flying, feeling that those two were so interesting, such a perfect couple to ship!
"What's the bet?" Shen Nian was still whispering with Xia Yanchun.
Xia Yanchun's face was red. She took a sharp breath and said in a tiny voice, "If I win, during the mock exams these two days, you can't call me by my name. You can only call me Sister Chun or big sister..."
"If I win, can you call me daddy?"
"Go die!" Xia Yanchun swatted Shen Nian on the head. "Be serious!"
Shen Nian actually was being quite serious, but he didn't dare say it.
What man doesn't have a fatherly dream? He already had two "sons," Chen Dong and Ma Mingfan. Now he just wanted a daughter, what's wrong with that?
"Fine then. You just have to call me big brother."
"That's not allowed either."
"?" Shen Nian laughed in exasperation. "Why? Isn't 'big brother' the same generation as 'big sister'? Why can you but I can't? Double standards, huh?"
"I'm older than you anyway. Having me call you big brother would be turning the natural order upside down. Pick something else." Xia Yanchun wasn't the least bit guilty.
Whoever is older is the big sister, whoever is older is the big brother. Clearly, she was the big sister, but Shen Nian was not the big brother.
They could bet on anything, but she would not yield an inch on the fact that she was the big sister.
This was a slide that couldn't even be touched.
"So many rules for a simple bet. I give up on you."
"Hurry up, hurry up! What do you want to bet?"
"If I can't bet on anything, what's the point?" Shen Nian waved his hand. "Forget it, I'm not doing it."
"Don't!" Xia Yanchun hurriedly grabbed his sleeve.
She really wanted to hear Shen Nian call her big sister.
It had been so many years since he last called her that. If not 'big sister,' then 'Sister Chun' would be fine too.
But Shen Nian just wouldn't call her that. Only when he was cornered would he yell "Sister Chun" to beg her to stop talking.
"In that case, I'm going to be shameless now." Shen Nian drawled, sounding like he'd swallowed two elders from the Soul Hall.
"Go on."
"If I win, during the exam these two days, you have to let me kiss you a few times, right?"
"On the forehead? No problem." She chose to play dumb. Sister Chun doesn't understand, you know.
"Forehead won't do." Shen Nian wagged his finger.
Xia Yanchun cupped her warm little face. "On the cheek then... fine."
Shen Nian 'tsk tsk'ed again and shook his index finger.
Xia Yanchun pursed her lips, pulled up the collar of her jacket to cover half her face, her almond-shaped eyes scrutinizing Shen Nian's face. Meeting his gaze, she blinked rapidly twice.
She chose to turn her face away, saying nothing, neither agreeing nor refusing, letting Shen Nian guess for himself.
Shen Nian poked her forehead. "Let's compete with three-pointers. Whoever makes three three-pointers first wins. Rock-paper-scissors to see who goes first."
"My score is higher, I go first!" Xia Yanchun snatched the basketball from Shen Nian's side.
"Six-six-six. No more acting for you, huh."
Xia Yanchun lifted her smooth chin. "Which line is the three-point line?"
"Pfft, this one."
"Th-this far...?" Xia Yanchun stood at the three-point line. Forget making a basket, she felt like just throwing the ball that far would be a problem.
"I need a practice shot. This one doesn't count, okay?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she raised the basketball with no athletic grace whatsoever and threw it in a way she thought was pretty good.
After all, they were only competing to make a three-pointer, and no specific form was required. Scoring is winning!
Reality was harsh. The ball went high enough, but not far enough. It really couldn't even reach the hoop, just rolled pathetically to the other side.
Xia Yanchun's world collapsed.
Li Shiyan huffed and puffed, running to retrieve the ball for them.
"Let me try one more time."
"Uh-huh, sure, sure."
What were you expecting? Expecting a Haki Chun who had never touched a basketball, trying to shoot three-pointers right off the bat, whose shots couldn't even hit the backboard, to win against a 1.8-meter-tall Shen Nian with maxed-out strength and reflexes, plus a Luck +5 bonus?
Shen Nian was already overjoyed, while Haki Chun was still struggling.
Xia Yanchun bent her knees again, sullenly gathering her strength, then threw the ball out with all her might.
The basketball clanged against the rim.
Yes! Hitting the rim means there's hope!
Shen Nian was speechless, amused to the point of laughter, almost wanting to let Xia Yanchun stand closer and go easy on her.
Thankfully, his mentality was solid. Going easy was impossible.
He and Xia Yanchun had competed in all sorts of things before—who could keep their eyes open longer, who could hold their breath longer, even who could finish a test first.
Unfortunately, he lost more than he won. Xia Yanchun was smart and rarely competed with him in areas where she was at a disadvantage.
Today was an exception. She probably thought shooting was easy... but in reality, she struggled just to get the ball to the hoop.
"Had enough practice? This time it counts." Shen Nian showed no mercy.
"Mmm... How about we just call off the bet?"
"You're saying that now? You must be joking."
"I... my period came, I have something to do, I... I gotta go!"
Shen Nian saw right through her guilt and said with a light smile, "Chickening out means an automatic loss."
Xia Yanchun fumed. She should have tried shooting first before agreeing to compete.
Later, after the match, win or lose, she would definitely sulk and make Shen Nian guess why. This time, it would be a really big sulk.
"Go, Xiao Chun, you can do it!" Li Shiyan cheered for Xia Yanchun from the sidelines.
That damn Shen Nian actually dared to bully me, Guimi! He didn't even make allowances for Guimi being on her period. He's truly the worst!
Since things had come to this, Xia Yanchun had no way of backing out. Throwing caution to the wind, she mustered all her strength and took the shot.
The basketball traced an arc through the air, clanged against the rim, circled it twice, and finally dropped through.
Shen Nian: ?
Did BYD just hit the pity pull?
Or did the loli girl give Chunbao a buff?
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily updates causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big shots.
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
