“How many points has Ewin scored?” Larvin asked.
“Seven three-pointers, twenty-one points,” Owen replied.
“How many points did you score against azu last year?”
“Thirty-two points,” Owen answered.
“Just four more three-pointers and Ewin will break your record,” Larvin said with a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.
But beneath his glee, Larvin felt a chill. His team, ufr, lacked sharpshooters like Owen and Ben, and now with Ewin joining the ranks of top shooters, dk was even stronger.
At this moment, Edgar was about to pass to Ben, but Nie Chuan was almost intercepting their passing line. Everyone speculated that Nie Chuan would cut off azu’s pass again. Unexpectedly, Sethston seemed to anticipate this, and with a quick step, he intercepted the pass before Nie Chuan, skillfully bypassing him and charging towards dk’s basket.
Edgar, who made the pass, broke out in a cold sweat. If Sethston hadn’t been prepared for Nie Chuan, they might have lost the ball again!
Sethston brought the ball into the free-throw area, facing Reese. He used fake moves to try and shake off Reese, but Reese’s movements were sharp, and the pressure in his eyes made Sethston feel an inevitable momentum. Sethston didn’t want to waste time entangling with Reese, especially with Nie Chuan closing in from behind. If they managed a pincer attack, the chances of losing the ball would be high.
Sethston decisively passed the ball to Ben, who jumped immediately. Unexpectedly, Nie Chuan, who was originally heading towards Sethston, changed direction and rushed over.
What are this guy’s ankles made of!
Ben held his breath. Nie Chuan had already disrupted his quick shots twice; he had to steady this one!
Ben shot quickly, and Nie Chuan’s leap made Ben inexplicably fearful, but the ball still grazed over Nie Chuan’s fingertips and went into the basket.
azu took a slight lead again.
But Nie Chuan didn’t give azu a chance to breathe, quickly breaking through Ben and Bracey’s defense. Facing Sethston, Nie Chuan made a fake shoulder move and passed the ball to Reese. Sethston immediately turned to chase Reese, with Nie Chuan following closely. Reese, seemingly in danger but actually confident, passed the ball to Heishan between Giant Rock and Edgar.
Facing Giant Rock’s aerial defense, Heishan jumped without hesitation. Everyone thought he would clash with Giant Rock, but unexpectedly, Heishan sent the ball through Giant Rock’s armpit into the basket.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and Heishan’s massive figure in the air was unexpectedly agile.
“Well done!” Commentator Robert couldn’t help but stand up and applaud. “Who says Heishan only has strength! It’s not just about dunking; this is his ability too!”
The audience expressed their admiration for Heishan with thunderous applause.
azu didn’t intend to let dk have it easy. Sethston brought the ball, performing a hat trick, passing Ewin and Carlo. Facing Nie Chuan, he faked a shot, luring Nie Chuan to jump. Nie Chuan realized it was a fake, pretended to leap but kept his feet grounded.
Nie Chuan thought Sethston would choose to cut left or right, but unexpectedly, he stepped back, creating distance from Nie Chuan, and passed the ball to Bracey on the other side. It was a replica of Nie Chuan’s step-back move.
Bracey broke through Heishan’s defense and was about to lay up. Reese rushed over and, at the last moment, completely blocked Bracey’s shot, his speed astonishing. For Bracey, it felt like his neck had been chopped off.
Gasps echoed. Everyone was on edge.
Although Reese blocked the shot, Edgar took the ball and dunked again. Everything happened too fast; Heishan’s jump was too late, and Edgar scored.
“Ugh…” Larvin covered his mouth as azu pulled the score back to a four-point lead.
“Never underestimate azu’s other players. Even though Sethston and Ben steal the spotlight, azu couldn’t have come this far relying solely on them,” Owen said.
“The same goes for dk, doesn’t it?” Larvin raised his chin and smiled.
At this moment, Nie Chuan brought the ball and engaged in a tug-of-war with Sethston again. Reese quickly joined, and Bracey also entered the fray, creating chaos.
“The tension in this game is no less than the nba…” Engel pounded his chest.
“Even in the nba, it’s rare to see such high-level, high-quality matchups,” Robert’s fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of his pocket.
With less than three minutes left, Nie Chuan knew he was exhausted, very exhausted.
Just like when he faced Raven Harvey, his legs felt like they were filled with lead. He wasn’t sure how fast he could run, how high he could jump, or if he could continue intercepting Sethston’s passes, but he knew he couldn’t slack off. He had a premonition that if he endured this, he would go much further in the future!
Sethston could feel from Nie Chuan’s breathing that the pressure from the first half had taken its toll. Now, it only needed the right straw to break the camel’s back.
And Nie Chuan understood this too.
His left and right breakthroughs were blocked by Sethston. Sethston’s tight defense targeted Nie Chuan’s step-back moves, giving him no space or leeway, making it hard for Nie Chuan to find a suitable angle to pass the ball.
Time was ticking away, and Nie Chuan gritted his teeth. His gaze swept past Sethston’s shoulder and saw Reese being defended by Bracey.
Even with just a quick glance, Nie Chuan could clearly discern Reese’s expression, his gaze, and even the determination in his heart.
You always believe in me so blindly, thinking I can do anything, surpass any opponent the world thinks I can’t.
Your trust is so blind, yet you’re such a rational guy, and I believe in everything you believe in.
Suddenly, Nie Chuan’s tired legs tensed up, accelerating abruptly, charging towards Sethston’s left side.
I leave everything to instinct, no longer thinking about what to do.
Because thinking is a waste of time.
Countless eyes were fixed on Nie Chuan’s charge, and the world’s breath seemed to pause.
Nie Chuan dribbled, spun, the ball bounced past Sethston’s left hand, caught by Nie Chuan’s right hand, then dribbled between Sethston’s legs. As it bounced up, Sethston quickly turned to reclaim the ball, but Nie Chuan took the opportunity to slip past, extending his arm, shifting his balance so quickly it seemed he would fall before Sethston.
Gasps spread through the air, but Nie Chuan steadied himself, all happening in a blink.
Regaining his balance, Nie Chuan faced Sethston, dribbled behind his back to avoid a second interception, and gracefully sped away!
As Nie Chuan jumped under the basket, the audience seemed captivated by a certain emotion, shouting, “Go!”
Even Owen and Larvin in the stands couldn’t help but stand up.
Nie Chuan’s legs tensed backward, his leap into the air like a taut slingshot.
Giant Rock was determined to guard this shot, his roar was astonishing, but Nie Chuan’s jump was too high, his hang time allowed him to stretch out, then quickly contract, as Giant Rock descended, Bracey and Sethston jumped again.
Sethston’s expression was resolute, his gaze seemed to want to kill Nie Chuan, but Nie Chuan pressed forward, dunking between Sethston and Bracey’s arms.
With a loud clang, the audience widened their eyes, breathless.
“Good!” Owen clapped vigorously, followed by endless cheers and applause.
As Nie Chuan landed, he knew he couldn’t maintain his balance, but someone supported his back.
That scorching warmth, that familiar touch, he didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
With less than a minute and a half left, dk was only two points behind azu.
“I’ll give you thirty seconds to rest, and after thirty seconds, we’ll make azu despair,” Reese said, turning to run.
Nie Chuan watched Reese’s back. He always knew what he needed and how to achieve that goal.
“Nie Chuan is almost done…” Larvin said worriedly.
“A minute is enough for the game to change several times. And for Nie Chuan, he only needs to hold on for thirty seconds, thirty seconds is enough for him to stop Sethston at the crucial moment,” Owen exhaled.
Maybe before the game, many people favored azu, but now, no one was sure azu could win in the end.
Sethston, though tired, saw Nie Chuan running slowly, clearly buying time to rest, and knew he had to score quickly!
Facing Carlo and Reese, Sethston’s crossover became faster and more varied, but Reese’s defense was precise, and Carlo pressured Sethston from the side. Sethston calmly bypassed Carlo but faced Reese’s interception, the situation was perilous, he passed the ball to the rear side, Ben received it and shot again!
“Guard him—” Coach Gordon shouted from the sidelines.
Ewin, closest to Ben, sprinted over, seeing Ben’s hand already raising the ball over his head, Ewin jumped desperately, his fingertips touching the ball.
The ball hit the rim, and under the basket, Heishan was blocked by Giant Rock, in a disadvantageous position.
Heishan gritted his teeth, determined to grab the ball despite the bad position!
The two tallest players in the game jumped simultaneously, a spectacular scene!
Heishan’s hand reached from behind, snatching the ball fiercely as Giant Rock touched it.
The scene erupted again, a force only felt when witnessed firsthand.
Heishan quickly passed the ball, the speed was incredible: “Score!”
Sethston jumped to intercept, but the speed and height of the ball eluded him.
“This pass really has Nie Chuan’s fast-pass style! No wonder they’re teammates!” Commentator Robert exclaimed, “Heishan proves his ability once again!”
Reese received the ball, pulling everyone into motion, Sethston followed closely, Edgar and Giant Rock quickly retreated, Bracey lowered his center of gravity intending to steal.
At the most critical moment, Reese passed the ball, Carlo sprinted to the basket, ready to score!
Edgar and Giant Rock double-teamed, everyone thought Carlo had to pass to Heishan, but Carlo’s eyes saw nothing but his goal.
He switched from a layup to a dunk, spinning through Giant Rock and Edgar, scoring with a soul-stirring shot, leaving everyone under the basket looking up in awe.
“Whoa—” gasps erupted.
Engel patted his chest: “dk is really going to give everyone a heart attack!”
Carlo turned back, seeing Ewin giving him a thumbs-up, a rare compliment from this guy!
“Looks like dk’s scorers aren’t just Reese,” Larvin exhaled, “Glad we didn’t face dk in the quarterfinals.”
“With Heishan and Carlo under the basket, scoring and rebounding are both covered. Ewin is definitely the highlight of this game, not losing to Ben Robbins. Reese cuts in to score, always ready to break through, and Nie Chuan surprises everyone by taking on Sethston. If they win, this is the so-called best lineup.”
With 56 seconds left, azu launched a fast attack again, Sethston ran past Nie Chuan, listening to his heartbeat: one, two, three…
Then Reese’s shout came: “Run! Nie Chuan!”
Like waking from a dream, Nie Chuan turned and sped away, running amidst the roaring basketball court.
“So fast…” Larvin was dumbfounded, “I thought… he was done…”
Nie Chuan easily shook off Ben, who came to intercept, his movements agile and smooth as if divinely assisted!
Carlo had been faked out by Sethston, heading straight for the basket!
Heishan was blocked by Giant Rock, unable to jump, Reese and Nie Chuan arrived on either side of Sethston, the two of them sealing the basket, Sethston switched the ball from right to left, about to pass back to Ben, but Nie Chuan suddenly changed balance in mid-air, slapping the ball down, Carlo came to take it, Bracey and Edgar went to intercept, Carlo passed decisively to Ewin!
Ewin had just crossed the midline, with Ben right behind him about to steal, Ewin suddenly moved sideways, avoiding Ben and immediately jumped to shoot!
“No need to rush!” Commentator Robert shouted.
Heishan, Giant Rock, Carlo, and Edgar all rushed to the basket, ready for a rebound battle, but Ewin stood still, his head slightly tilted like a devout pilgrim.
The ball calmly fell into the basket, dk overtook azu with 24 seconds left in the game!
“Ewin is amazing!”
“Simply a sharpshooter!”
Ewin knew he could shoot with confidence because he had the most reliable teammates!
But it wasn’t over, azu’s counterattack was even more frantic. Sethston brought the ball, his steps and rhythm making Nie Chuan struggle, almost falling, Sethston bypassed Nie Chuan into the three-second area, but Nie Chuan followed closely. The audience held their breath, all commentators forgot to commentate.
Sethston dribbled with his left hand, avoiding Nie Chuan on the right, but Nie Chuan deliberately slowed a beat, coming from behind to steal, this threat forced Sethston to quickly pass the ball, Edgar received it but was closely guarded by Carlo, he passed to Ben. Confident in his ball-handling, Ben couldn’t shake off Ewin with three fake moves, Ewin’s determination pressured Ben greatly, forcing him to pass to Bracey.
But before the ball reached Bracey, a figure flashed by, and the ball was taken by Nie Chuan.
Sethston turned, surprised, where did Nie Chuan get the energy and speed? This is inhuman!
Quickly, surprise turned to fear, he chased after him.
Ten seconds left.
Nie Chuan sprinted with the ball, Ben was faked out and fell, Nie Chuan then faked a shoulder move, luring Bracey to the left, then a jab step almost made Edgar collide with Bracey. The techniques Sethston used on him, Nie Chuan replicated, even faster and more agile, as Sethston caught up, Nie Chuan charged to the basket, jumping, Sethston was about to block, Nie Chuan pulled the ball back, this wasn’t Nie Chuan’s first double-clutch layup, he maintained his hang time, but Giant Rock also jumped to block, everything was perilous, Nie Chuan pulled the ball back again.
Many spectators stood up: is this a double-clutch layup?
Many remembered Nie Chuan’s confrontation with Raven Harvey under the basket, this point guard had scoring ability not inferior to a small forward!
After pulling the ball back, Bracey also jumped, the descending Sethston looked up at Nie Chuan’s eyes, eyes he had never seen, sharp as if tearing through all defenses, creating a broader realm!
Nie Chuan tossed the ball backward, unlike Sethston’s backward pass, Nie Chuan’s throw was high, as Sethston landed and rushed to intercept, he didn’t expect Reese to jump just past the free-throw line, seemingly walking in space, his body slightly leaning back, legs tense, catching the ball in mid-air!
A dunk from such a distance!
Such jumping ability is maddening!
Time seemed to freeze, immobilizing everyone, Reese’s dunk shattered everything, and in that instant, time flowed madly.
In sync with Reese’s dunk, Nie Chuan landed.
The two double-clutch moves had drained his last energy, he staggered and sat on the ground, but kept his head up, watching Reese’s powerful dunk.
Everything was dazzling, the high ceiling seemed about to crack and fall.
He remembered Reese’s first dunk when they met.
In the clamor, everything Nie Chuan saw peeled away, revealing its true form.
Reese looked down at Nie Chuan.
That was the most powerful gaze in the world, the one Nie Chuan kept chasing.
The game time hit zero, the score frozen at 95 to 90.
Nie Chuan panted, slowly getting up.
“dk won…” Larvin said dumbfounded.
“Yeah… it was unexpected, yet inevitable,” Owen’s voice trembled slightly.
“We won… right?” Mao Xian rubbed his eyes hard.
Zhou Bin stood with his mouth half-open, speechless.
Reese bent down, pulling the sitting Nie Chuan up, hugging him tightly.
The stadium was deafening, Nie Chuan felt he might be swept away by the sound.
The committee was announcing this year’s championship, but Nie Chuan couldn’t hear anything.
He breathed heavily, as if it were the end of the world, though his mind knew it was just an illusion.
Reese pressed his head into his chest, his left ear against Reese’s chest, his right ear covered by Reese’s hand.
That breathing, like tides, like clouds, carried Nie Chuan’s thoughts away.
Nie Chuan raised his hand, hugging Reese’s back tightly.
dk’s teammates rushed over, Heishan, Carlo, Ewin embraced Reese and Nie Chuan.
“We won! We won! We really won!”
“Oh my god! We really won!”
Chuck and Peter also rushed over, Nie Chuan and Reese were surrounded, almost invisible.
Nie Chuan’s head was lifted, his lips captured in a kiss so intense it could destroy him, their lips and tongues entwined, inseparable.
So bold, so reckless, something Nie Chuan had never felt before.
Nie Chuan responded fiercely to Reese, their breaths colliding and merging, like completing a transformation.
Reese said nothing, but Nie Chuan felt he said so much.
Carlo and Ewin, embracing them, showed surprised expressions but kept holding them, shielding these two guys, maintaining their world amidst thousands of eyes and flashing lights, feeling each other.
Countless images flashed in Nie Chuan’s mind. Whether it was Reese’s first appearance, practicing on the field, taking him to the warehouse gym, or their first kiss in the school library… Nie Chuan realized many of his firsts were with Reese.
Reese always led him to achieve things beyond his dreams.
Tears slid from Nie Chuan’s eyes, they were about to be overwhelmed by the crowd, finally falling to the ground. Reese always kept his arm up, protecting Nie Chuan.
This was the world Reese gave him, seemingly small, containing nothing.
But actually vast, encompassing everything.
dk’s flag waved everywhere, cheerleaders danced on the sidelines.
Owen and Larvin stood with other spectators, applauding for dk.
Commentator Robert was unusually excited: “You know what? This isn’t an upset, it’s the return of the king! After many years, dk not only reached the ncaa finals but also reclaimed the championship!”
“This is incredible… but if the champion wasn’t dk, it would feel so unsatisfying!” Engel clapped hard, his voice trembling, “This is the highest quality game I’ve seen in ncaa in years!”
“I see a team with limitless potential and a future to look forward to!”
Watching the cheering dk, azu’s players stood stunned, seemingly not realizing they had lost the championship.
Ben blinked, looking up at the score, tears streaming down.
He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling.
Beside him, Sethston placed a hand on his head, rubbing it hard: “Why are you crying?”
“We… we lost…”
Edgar, Giant Rock, and Bracey also came over, hugging and comforting each other.
Sethston looked at dk, immersed in uncontrollable joy, Nie Chuan and Reese were nowhere to be seen.
“This is just the beginning of another competition… finally, interesting opponents have appeared.” Sethston’s lips slowly curled up.
Half an hour later, dk’s players finally dispersed and stood up. Reese helped the exhausted Nie Chuan, slowly walking to the center of the court.
Sethston walked over, extending his hand to them: “You guys are strong.”
Nie Chuan was still catching his breath, not expecting Sethston to directly acknowledge their strength.
“See you next year. Every year, ncaa brings eye-opening newcomers, and those who experience this game will keep improving, so next time we meet on the court, who knows who will win.”
“Of course.” Reese’s voice was cool.
Nie Chuan felt this world was unreal.
As if after a nap, he would become that aimless college freshman again.
They were awarded, interviewed by reporters, Coach Gordon’s speech, Nie Chuan felt his mind was empty, except for Reese’s grip and warmth.
dk didn’t rush back to their city’s school, everyone was extremely exhausted, so they went to a nearby hotel to rest.
Coach Gordon was busy to the point of madness, his phone constantly vibrating, countless reporters, media, even nba scouts were looking for him, overwhelming him.
dk’s victory news had spread online, one could imagine the school’s current state of frenzy.
Nie Chuan, in a daze, returned to the hotel room, his phone constantly vibrating, it was Mr. Lin’s call, but he had no energy to answer, collapsing onto the bed.
Before his consciousness completely faded, he felt someone kneeling on the bed’s edge, lowering their head, removing his sports jacket, kissing his spine, his nape, a deep, indelible emotion if not carefully felt would be missed.
The person turned him over, removed his shoes, pulled up the covers.
Nie Chuan lightly grasped the person’s wrist, murmuring: “Reese…”
“Mm.” The person sat beside him.
“Am I dreaming…”
The championship was a dream, playing basketball was a dream, even Reese was a dream?
“Then, no matter what dream you have, tell me.”
“Why?” Nie Chuan’s head grew heavier.
“So I can make it a reality with you.”
That voice made Nie Chuan feel incredibly at ease, and he fell asleep.
Meanwhile, in the opposite room, Carlo and Ewin were exhausted on the bed.
Ewin kept muttering: “Is this a dream? We actually won the championship?”
“How could we all have the same dream?” Carlo laughed, crumpling a tissue and throwing it at Ewin’s face.
“Hey, if you were this accurate on the court, it would be great.” Ewin turned to Carlo, “Hey… you saw Reese kiss Nie Chuan, right?”
“Yeah, we were blocking for them, weren’t we? Is there a better teammate than us?” Carlo lay with his arm under his head, looking at the ceiling, “I was wondering why those two had such good chemistry, turns out they’re together!”
“Then… with Reese and Nie Chuan so dazzling, will they go to the nba?” Ewin asked worriedly.
“You’re dazzling too, do you want to go to the nba?” Carlo laughed.
“Of course I want to… but not now. I want to play ncaa for a couple more years… here with you, with Heishan, with everyone. Here has things the nba doesn’t.” Ewin looked at the ceiling, “Every nba player from ncaa misses this time. I don’t want to skip it, or miss it.”
“Alright, let’s enjoy it together.” Carlo turned to Ewin, sharing a smile.
When Nie Chuan woke up in the hotel room, Reese lay beside him, one arm around him, the other scrolling through a sports magazine online.
Outside, car horns sounded, Nie Chuan rubbed his eyes, turning to Reese’s profile, unable to look away.
“Why are you staring at me?” Reese turned, meeting Nie Chuan’s gaze.
“Because you’re handsome.” Nie Chuan slowly smiled, taking Reese’s phone, “What are you reading?”
“Mr. Lin’s column about us.”
“Really? What did he write?” Nie Chuan eagerly browsed.
Mr. Lin’s professional writing was impressive, he thoroughly analyzed each dk player’s technical characteristics, comparing them with other teams’ players, speaking with data, predicting this ncaa’s awards.
Nie Chuan widened his eyes: “Ah, Sethston is still the steal king! But… but I’m just a bit behind him!”
“But you made the best point guard.” Reese said softly, kissing Nie Chuan’s forehead.
After the thrilling game, this peaceful life was enjoyable for Nie Chuan, he leaned against Reese, continuing to read.
“Wow, Ewin’s stats are great too, likely to make the best shooting guard this year!”
“And Heishan, Mr. Lin called him the undisputed rebound king.”
“Carlo is also a candidate for best power forward. Our dk is blooming everywhere this year!” Nie Chuan beamed, then became serious, “But you’ll definitely be mvp… Reese, reaching this point, top nba teams will want you. Will you go?”
“What about you?” Reese asked back.
“How would I know? I’m not you!” Nie Chuan laughed.
Reese didn’t answer, Nie Chuan knew such an important question needed careful thought.
“Why do you think I’d go to the nba? For money? For fame?” Reese’s hand wrapped around Nie Chuan’s shoulder, slowly brushing his hair.
“For money? You don’t lack money.” Nie Chuan found the reason absurd, “Fame is even less likely, you don’t care what others think. If you go to the nba, it’s because there’s no one left in ncaa worth conquering.”
“Mm.” Reese pressed Nie Chuan’s head towards him, kissing again.
“Why do I feel your kisses are so sincere? Like I’m more important than the ncaa championship?” Nie Chuan chuckled.
“You are more important than anything.”
Nie Chuan saw something and suddenly exclaimed: “Oh my god, Mr. Lin called you the emperor of dk!”
“Mm.”
“Wait… why am I the ‘little emperor’!”
“Like a deck of cards, we’re the only pair of aces.” Reese replied.
“The point isn’t the aces, it’s why am I the ‘little emperor’!” Nie Chuan’s voice was full of dissatisfaction.
Reese looked pointedly at Nie Chuan’s legs under the blanket: “You’re naturally ‘small’.”
“You’re the small one!” Nie Chuan straddled Reese.
Reese calmly lay back: “You seem energetic, so do it yourself.”
“Like hell I will!” Nie Chuan’s face flushed, tossing the phone aside, trying to strangle Reese, but was pulled into an embrace.
“Xiao Chuan, this afternoon I’ll take you to meet someone important to me.”
Reese’s voice was unusually solemn and serious.
Nie Chuan listened to his heartbeat, nodding: “Okay.”
Who could this person be?
Reese’s sister Vivian? His father James? Or maybe a personal coach for next year’s ncaa finals?
With these questions, Nie Chuan and Reese finished their room service lunch.
Reese pulled a suit from the closet, Nie Chuan didn’t even know when he packed it.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his collar, Nie Chuan watched his back, straight and elegant.
This gave Nie Chuan an illusion, as if he and Reese had spent many years together, when all the ups and downs of youth settled into calm, he would sit on their room’s bed, watching Reese dress in non-court clothes.
“I don’t have a suit,” Nie Chuan said.
Reese turned, adjusting his tie, walking to Nie Chuan, bending down, kissing his forehead: “It’s okay, you don’t look like it even in a suit.”
Nie Chuan pouted: “What… you wear a suit and kiss me, feels like we’re getting married.”
“Do you want to marry me?” Reese whispered in Nie Chuan’s ear.
Sometimes, Nie Chuan really didn’t understand how someone as cold as Reese could occasionally say such tempting things.
“If you say you want to marry me, I’ll agree.”
Reese chuckled, pulling Nie Chuan up.
As they left, they encountered several sports reporters, Reese grabbed the bewildered Nie Chuan, rushing down the emergency stairs.
At first, Nie Chuan was clumsy, but soon he enjoyed running with Reese in the stairwell.
When they burst out of the hotel and into a taxi, Nie Chuan laughed: “Hey, do you think when we return, we’ll have to run up the stairs again?”
Reese’s lips curved into a faint smile, raising his hand to ruffle Nie Chuan’s hair.
Their taxi stopped at an intersection.
Nie Chuan tilted his head, seeing a Hawaiian travel ad at the bus stop.
Blue ocean, dazzling sunlight.
“Hey, Reese, you know, I’ve imagined more than once, when we’re old, will we support each other, walking on the sunset beach?”
Nie Chuan stared at the blue ocean, lost in thought.
Reese leaned over, as the car moved, wrapping his arm around Nie Chuan: “For me, the sun is just rising. I’ll always hold you, so you just need to walk in the sunlight, not thinking about whether it’s sunrise or sunset.”
Nie Chuan smiled.
Their car stopped at a café, the door not yet open, Nie Chuan smelled rich coffee.
Reese stepped forward, pushing the door open.
The café felt like another world, they walked forward, at the end sat a man in a suit.
When he saw Reese and Nie Chuan, a deep, wise smile appeared on his lips.
“This is the head coach of this year’s nba champions l.a.l, Coach Melsen. He’s a retired nba player, once stayed in China. He’s very interested in us.”
Nie Chuan stood there, wide-eyed.
Melsen smiled, pulling a chocolate from his pocket, tossing it to Nie Chuan: “Long time no see, you’ve grown.”
“Yes…”
Nie Chuan suddenly realized.
Melsen—the first person to teach Nie Chuan basketball.
“Since dk entered the finals, I’ve been watching you and Reese. Each of your growth steps beyond my expectations. I look forward to seeing what level you’ll reach after leaving ncaa.”
In Melsen’s smile, silent waves like thousands of troops roared towards Nie Chuan, unstoppable, breaking through all imagination, surging to the endless boundary behind him.
Nie Chuan told himself: Is this destiny? He had come full circle, back to the starting point.
A new era was rising.
(The End)
