SOD | Chapter 108

Nie Chuan didn’t expect such a scene.

Reese pulled Nie Chuan along, not intending to answer. His gaze was sharp, and when he coldly swept over the media reporters surrounding them, everyone inexplicably took a small step back. Reese arrogantly led Nie Chuan away.

Sitting in the taxi, Nie Chuan looked out the window.

Reese asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking that today’s Owen Weshaw is completely different from the practice match. More dangerous than when he teamed up with Larvin against us two-on-two.”

“This is the NCAA finals, only the strong survive. Owen won’t hold back,” Reese replied.

“I used to focus on his scoring ability under the basket. Even though he’s a shooting guard, his jumping and explosiveness are on par with yours. Seeing his three-point shooting today was terrifying.”

Though he didn’t want to admit it, Ewin seemed thin compared to Owen.

Owen’s ability to move between the three-point line and the basket made defending him a huge challenge for DK. Plus, with their small forward, their teamwork was daunting just to think about.

“So, you need to not only play point guard but also take on scoring duties.”

Nie Chuan exhaled, “I still feel it’s not enough.”

“Of course, it’s not enough. We need to make adjustments when necessary.”

“What adjustments?” Nie Chuan was curious about what Reese was thinking.

“You score, I’ll defend.”

Nie Chuan seemed to understand Reese’s plan. Reese intended to mark Owen one-on-one.

If they could shut down Owen and break his connection with the small forward, DK would have more freedom.

“Don’t overthink it. We’ve come this far.”

Reese reached out and ruffled Nie Chuan’s hair.

Last year, DK was defeated by CBU. Back then, Reese managed to suppress Owen and close the gap in the last five minutes, proving Reese’s ability was slightly superior.

In the afternoon, the team had two hours of regular training.

Carlo and Ewin were very serious.

Nie Chuan could clearly feel Ewin’s pressure.

“Hey, Ewin.” Nie Chuan put his arm around Ewin’s shoulder, “Don’t worry too much, it’s just the finals. You just need to score.”

Ewin laughed, “Just make sure you don’t get scared and start hiccupping because of Owen Weshaw again.”

Nie Chuan was embarrassed. It seemed this black mark would follow him for a long time. He had to give Owen a hard time in an official match to restore his reputation.

After training, the whole team had dinner together, everyone wishing for victory in the next game.

After dinner, Nie Chuan walked with Reese along the streets near the hotel, hands in his pockets.

Squinting and enjoying the night breeze, Nie Chuan felt extremely comfortable.

His phone vibrated occasionally with WeChat messages from friends back home and Zhou Bin, wishing him success in the next game.

Even though he wasn’t in his home country, he had become the talk of his high school classmates. Many were eagerly waiting for the game footage to be uploaded.

While Nie Chuan was looking down at his phone, not paying attention to where he was going, he unknowingly walked to the edge of the sidewalk.

Reese was on the phone with his sister Vivian when he noticed a motorcycle making a loud noise, about to pass dangerously close to Nie Chuan.

“Nie Chuan—” Reese ran over, reaching out to pull Nie Chuan back.

“Huh?” Nie Chuan turned to look at Reese, seemingly not understanding why Reese suddenly called him.

At that moment, a figure appeared beside Nie Chuan, pulling him to safety.

Nie Chuan’s phone fell, and his mouth hit the other person’s chin, almost drawing blood.

Nie Chuan was in so much pain that tears almost fell.

Behind him, the wind from the speeding motorcycle brushed past.

Reese stood not far away, eyes wide with fear on his face.

This fear slowly sank, replaced by a sharp look in his eyes, “Owen Weshaw.”

“Haha, you two are really inseparable, even taking a walk together at night?” Owen’s voice had a hint of laughter.

Nie Chuan turned his face and saw Owen. So it was Owen who pulled him back from the roadside.

Reese raised his chin, and Owen smiled helplessly, withdrawing his hand from Nie Chuan’s shoulder, spreading his hands in a resigned manner, “Alright, alright, I get it. Your Nie Chuan, no one else can touch.”

“Owen, what are you doing here?” Nie Chuan was surprised.

“What’s the big deal? We’re close to the stadium, and we’re all staying at nearby hotels. It’s normal to run into each other. I’ve been following you two for a while, curious when you’d notice me.” Owen checked his watch, “Fifteen whole minutes! I guess I really don’t have much presence. But anyway, I did pull Nie Chuan back, so shouldn’t you at least thank me?”

“Thank you,” Reese replied.

“Not very sincere.”

At this point, Nie Chuan realized he almost got hit by a motorcycle, breaking into a cold sweat.

A fall like that wouldn’t just mean missing the next game; it could be life-threatening.

“Owen, thank you!” Nie Chuan said, looking at him.

“By the way, Nie Chuan, what did you think of CBU’s performance today?” Owen asked with a smile.

That smile was just like when he first saw Nie Chuan on the community basketball court, like a British gentleman, without any aggression.

“Very impressive. Also scary. But our DK will definitely beat you,” Nie Chuan said confidently.

Owen laughed, hands in his pockets, “You think beating Raven Harvey means you can conquer the world?”

Nie Chuan raised his eyebrows, walked over to Reese, put his arm around Reese’s shoulder, and smiled at Owen, “Conquering the world? Not really. But with Reese, we should have no problem conquering the NCAA finals!”

Owen was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, “Alright! I’ll be waiting. In three days, let me see if you and Reese can really conquer the NCAA.”

After exchanging a few words, Owen left with his hands in his pockets.

Reese, who had been silent, finally spoke, “You were worried after watching CBU’s game today, so why are you suddenly so confident?”

Nie Chuan smiled and continued walking with Reese, “I think the game in three days will be tough.”

“Yeah.”

“But we’ll win.”

Nie Chuan suddenly ran to a bench by the road, stepped onto it, and turned around.

The streetlight shone brightly on his face.

A car drove by, making Reese inexplicably nervous, “Get down from there.”

He grabbed Nie Chuan’s wrist, and as Nie Chuan leaned forward, seemingly about to fall into Reese’s arms, he steadied himself, pressed down on Reese’s shoulder, and kissed Reese’s lips.

It was a long kiss.

Reese’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and he tilted his head back, turning from responding to Nie Chuan to passionately seeking more.

He released Nie Chuan’s wrist, instead gripping Nie Chuan’s waist tightly, pulling him closer.

Nie Chuan’s legs gradually left the bench, practically being held up by Reese.

Reese’s kiss grew more intense, as if igniting a fire in Nie Chuan’s blood, ready to consume him.

“Hey!” Nie Chuan leaned back, breaking the kiss.

Reese, however, continued to kiss his chin and neck.

“Aren’t you always concerned about kissing me in public?” Reese asked, looking up.

In Reese’s eyes, Nie Chuan saw countless star-like lights.

“Are you bothered that it was Owen who pulled me back from the road, not you?” Nie Chuan asked with amusement.

“I do mind, but I’m grateful to him,” Reese said softly, “So don’t do anything dangerous again.”

Reese buried his head in Nie Chuan’s chest.

“Alright, as long as we’re together.”

Three days later, the match between CBU and DK began.

From the moment he left the hotel and got on the bus, he could feel an inexplicably intense atmosphere.

Those DK-supporting students who couldn’t get tickets had already gathered in front of the hotel, lining up on both sides, cheering loudly.

They waved flags, their faces painted with DK’s emblem.

As the bus left the hotel, Nie Chuan closed his eyes, calming his mind.

He needed to focus, adjusting his breathing, listening to his heartbeat, replaying Owen Weshaw’s shooting in his mind, his dribbling rhythm, the way he powered from his calves to his fingertips when jumping to shoot. The technical characteristics of CBU’s other players and their cooperation played like a slow-motion movie in Nie Chuan’s mind, repeating over and over.

The stadium had become a boiling sea.

Nie Chuan followed the team inside. When Reese, wearing his jersey, flexed his wrist on the court, the cheers rose by eight degrees.

“Great! Looks like Reese Reddington is playing today!”

“I’ve heard his partnership with Nie Chuan is amazing, finally get to see it!”

Since the last game, Nie Chuan’s supporters had multiplied.

Coach Gordon took a deep breath and called the players over, “What I needed to say, I’ve repeated many times yesterday. Now, I want you all to come together, lower your heads, and clear your minds to focus!”

Everyone bent down, put their arms around each other’s shoulders, forming a circle, and closed their eyes.

This wasn’t a moment of meditation, but a process of discarding everything unrelated to the court and single-mindedly pursuing victory.