Chapter 113 - Car flipping K.
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The Physical Education Institute’s technique had always been top-notch and their competitive urges were particularly strong too, and their want for victory did not fall short of Kang Shengzhe in the least. This meant that no matter who their opponent was, they would not show any mercy and they would suppress their opponents until the end. Therefore, encountering the Physical Education Institute was equivalent to dropping out no matter what.
Even if the Liberal Arts College was exchanged with anyone else, their faces would become green too.
You Liangxing frowned at that while Liao Su pushed at his hands and pursed his lips. He said: “Having good physiques is not our fault, we just wanted to play with the other children.”
You Liangxing: “......” Good going.
You might want to play with others, but do other people want to play with you?
As they were speaking, the footsteps on the court became increasingly hurried. Kang Shengzhe’s voice came out fast and his yell was layered with noticeable irritation. “Pass the ball to me!!”
The basketball streaked across the air and Kang Shengzhe jumped up and caught it. His arms pushed up at a high speed and just as the ball left his hands, it was smacked out of the air by a tall figure that had run up.
A loud thud sounded as the ball impacted the ground, going out of bounds.
The referee blew the whistle and the first half of the match ended. You Liangxing looked at the score: five to twenty-eight.
Completely one-sided.
The spectators were all listless. The female spectators from the Liberal Arts College conducted their discussion in whispers. “It didn’t go in again.” “The Physical Education Institute is too fierce, they’re not giving Kang Shengzhe a chance to throw the ball at all, this is already the tenth time.” “Mn.... The school seniors have already substituted people twice, but they can’t do anything either; this match can’t be played at all. The Physical Education Institute’s speed is too fast, they couldn’t catch up to them even if they tried.”
Kang Shengzhe looked like he had been pulled out of water as he was drenched and smoking steam. He did not notice that You Liangxing was standing at the back of the crowd and he was holding his knees, panting nonstop.
Someone asked him, “Are you alright?”
Kang Shengzhe shook his head forcefully but his expression was indiscernible.
After a few more minutes, the match started again. During the latter half of the match, Kang Shengzhe stepped onto the court again.
Even the students from the Physical Education Institute could not help but comment. “Fuck me, that Little Giant is coming here again.” “Let him come, we’ll just play as we always do.”
Disregarding the voices in the background, You Liangxing asked: “How long has he been playing?”
Liao Su thought about it, saying, “Not too long. Just the first half of the match.”
To Liao Su, ‘the first half of the match’ might not mean when it concerned the exertion of physical strength consumption because he exercised and did sports throughout the year. However, for Kang Shengzhe, a person who came from the Liberal Arts College and did not like exercising, that might not be the case.
Furthermore, his opponents came from the Physical Education Institute which meant that the tempo was several times faster than normal. The fact that Kang Shengzhe could endure up until now was already commendable. And looking at how Kang Shengzhe was posturing himself, it was obvious that he intended to personally play the match until the end.
“Pass the ball, pass the ball!”
“What are you doing! What did you go up there for!”
“Don’t get distracted! Focus!”
A general overview of the situation was that the Liberal Arts College had already exhausted much of their momentum and physical strength and the only possibility of scoring was with Kang Shengzhe’s three-pointers. However, the Physical Education Institute already had a person staring at him since the first half and when they reached the second half, they added two more people to stare at him.
Being barricaded by three men whose heights were around the 1.8 to 1.9 metre mark meant that Kang Shengzhe was constantly being hindered. As ten minutes passed, he did not manage to touch the ball once.
Meanwhile, the electronic scoreboard constantly refreshed: five to thirty-four, five to thirty-eight, seven to forty-two, seven to fifty.
There was no suspense a long time ago.
Liao Su’s expression was both admiring and apologetic. “These bunch of school juniors don’t know how to give some mercy either. Would it kill them to let two balls off, if they keep playing like this, wouldn’t they be banned from the competition again next year?”
You Liangxing’s eyes did not stray away from Kang Shengzhe. The taller man’s hair had already come loose and his face was stained with a reddish hue due to his overexertion and his expression was cloudy. But those pretty eyes still held an unprecedented severity, and not only was it serious, it had an attractive quality to it.
This was how Kang Shengzhe looked like when he became absolutely determined.
Today was the first time You Liangxing saw it.
There was five minutes left to the end of the match and the tempo in on the court eventually slowed. The Liberal Arts College no longer possessed their combative spirit and the team were merely scattered as they ran around sluggishly, no longer attempting for three-pointers.
The ball was currently in the Physical Education Institute’s hands and they were going to shoot for the basket after another pass. The orange basketball thumped against the basket and rebounded into the air. Then, a long arm reached out and viciously smacked it, sending the ball flying to the Physical Education Institute’s half of the court.
Simultaneously, Kang Shengzhe yelled: “Pick it up and score!!”
No one expected that Kang Shengzhe, who had been blocked for the latter half would suddenly run under the basket to snatch the ball. The work distribution for this man had always been clear and since he said that he would only shoot three-pointers, he absolutely refused to exhaust himself by jumping about to block the ball.
The opportunity to score was sent to them directly by Kang Shengzhe. Sharp-eyed and deft of hand, the school senior immediately caught the ball and jumped to shoot. A neat parabola whooshed over, and the Liberal Art College’s ball—
Scored!!
Although victory and defeat was already determined, being able to score despite unfavourable circumstances roused the enthusiasm that the Liberal Arts College had. The spectators burst into a wave of shouts and the female students started clapping in excitement.
“Nice!!!”
In the four minutes leading to the end of the match, Kang Shengzhe utilised his height and jumps to block the ball thrice underneath the hoop. There were a lot of people underneath the basket and it was inevitable for collisions to happen but he refused to relent on a single step. In the end, he used the last of his energy to wrest the ball away.
The ball was pulled into Kang Shengzhe’s arms when he landed back down. His sweat dripped and splashed onto the floor. Finally, a shrill whistle rang through the basketball court. The referee raised his ends and the match was brought to a close.
They lost.
There were no cheers. Instead, it descended into silence.
The students from the Liberal Arts College and Physical Education Institute shook hands while the female students around the basketball court exchanged gazes of blank dismay before they hurriedly gave their team water and towels. With much sincerity, they said: “It’s been hard on you, you guys played really well.”
Kang Shengzhe received the towel but he did not wipe his sweat. Instead, he covered his head with the towel and his entire body slumped into a sitting position. Soon after, he buried his head deeply while gasping hard.
The school seniors in the Liberal Arts College team felt their noses inexplicably sour and they knelt beside Kang Shengzhe, patting his shoulder. “It’s fine, Kang Shengzhe, it’s fine.”
The others followed up, saying: “Did you hear that? It’s fine, get up, get up, let’s find a cooler place to rest.”
In spite of that, Kang Shengzhe still sat on the ground without moving and his voice was stuffy: “You don’t have to care about me.”
Watching from afar, Liao Su felt like something was amiss. “No way, right? Did that bunch of whelps beat my God K into decline? That’s going too far.”
You Liangxing eyed him but he did not bother to reply. After looking at Kang Shengzhe for a good while, he decided to walk over to him in the end. Initially, there were not a lot of people who noticed You Liangxing but once he moved forward, the people in his vicinity abruptly stilled and they unconsciously took two steps back to allow You Liangxing to pass.
When he walked to the front of Kang Shengzhe, the tall man that had shrunken himself into a ball did not show the slightest reaction. You Liangxing could only sigh and kneel down and call out to him at eye level. “Kang Shengzhe.”
Kang Shengzhe’s shoulders shook but he did not raise his head.
You Liangxing repeated himself again: “Kang Shengzhe.”
His voice was rather distinct and with the repetition, it was obvious that he was not hallucinating. Kang Shengzhe’s big head trembled and he lifted his head up, slow. You Liangxing’s countenance came into view, facial features handsome and spirited, exuding a striking temperament. His face only lacked the four huge, written words: It was really him.
Kang Shengzhe’s mouth parted and his eyes reddened all of a sudden. His long eyelashes fluttered and a bean-like teardrop welled in his eyes.
“Liang Liang...”
A loud “PA”. You Liangxing had slapped him.
Kang Shengzhe: “......”
That slap of his was not heavy in strength but its effect was sharp. Startled, the rest of what Kang Shengzhe wanted to say was slapped down.
Kang Shengzhe: “... What did you hit me for.”
You Liangxing did not know why he suddenly acted this way either. There was no expression on his face but his hands were already shaking slightly. He could not explain what was going on but when he saw that Kang Shengzhe was about to cry, he felt lost and his limbs would not comply which led to his sudden slap.
“... I was afraid you’ll cry.”
Kang Shengzhe: “You slapped me because you were afraid I’ll cry?”
“Liang Liang, you have very special methods when it comes to consoling people.”
You Liangxing had no answer to that, instead, he chose to ask: “Do you still feel like crying?”
Kang Shengzhe pouted, sniffing. “Not anymore.”
You Liangxing replied with an ‘oh’ and no longer spoke. Noticing that the surrounding gazes were centred on Kang Shengzhe and his person, he faltered before saying: “Stand up, we’re leaving.”
He did not know what muscle he pulled in Kang Shengzhe when he said those words, but there was an abrupt turn of his head as he said unhappily: “I’m not leaving.”
You Liangxing tugged at him but Kang Shengzhe did not move in the slightest. You Liangxing pulled him again but this person took a step further by twisting his body away, back facing him. “I refuse to leave.”
You Liangxing: “... Have it your way!”
Once he said that, he turned his head away and lifted his foot. Unexpectedly, his leg was hugged by Kang Shengzhe.
Chagrin and pity coloured his entire expression. “Why do you like getting angry so frequently!”
You Liangxing stared at him. A short while later, Kang Shengzhe stretched his hand out and fitted his hand in You Liangxing’s palm. Holding hands, the pair did not concern themselves with the gazes of those around them as they rose to their full height and left the court.
They hadn’t walked far when the people spectating them moved in unison as they shrieked out their opinions. “Oh my god did you see that!!!” “The two of them are actually...!” “Ahhhh what kind of situation is this!”
Alas, You Liangxing did not have the energy to care about these. He pulled Kang Shengzhe to get on a taxi while Kang Shengzhe still maintained that look of discomfort.
Originally, You Liangxing wanted to shelve the matter aside first to give Kang Shengzhe some time to calm down but not only did Kang Shengzhe not calm down, his eyes reddened even further.
You Liangxing was not afraid of being irritated, but he was afraid of how Kang Shengzhe looked when he was holding back his tears. His heart pounded fiercely and he said in a stern voice: “Don’t do that! Blink it back!”
Kang Shengzhe shrugged his shoulders and he eventually suppressed it. His eyes blinked and he made a noise through his nasal cavity.
He looked heartbroken and inconsolable and You Liangxing could not help but feel a little distressed. He stretched his hand out to poke Kang Shengzhe’s forehead and his tone softened subconsciously. “Is it that upsetting?”
Kang Shengzhe nodded, not uttering a word. You Liangxing’s voice became even gentler. “It’s just a match of basketball.”
“It’s not just a match of basketball.” Something lodged itself in Kang Shengzhe’s throat as he verbalised his discontent. “I promised that I would get the championship but I lost in the first match. And you even happened to see it... all my face has been thrown!”
Saying that, Kang Shengzhe felt his sadness well up. “Someone even wanted to show off in front of you, so how could it end like this!”
You Liangxing rubbed the space between his eyebrows, head hurting as he replied: “If you’re the one who wants to show off, please don’t say the two words ‘someone’.”
Kang Shengzhe pretended not to hear him and he could not extricate himself from the disappointment he was immersed in. You Liangxing had no way of handling him so he could only pat his own shoulder and say: “Lean over.”
Humming, Kang Shengzhe bent his head. With his tall stature, leaning on someone else’s shoulder seemed a little odd and he had to slightly adjust his posture. Then, he muttered. “A little tired.”
You Liangxing: “... Put up with it.”
Kang Shengzhe gave him an “oh” in reply and no longer made any noise. The vehicle gently swayed and the interior of the car went quiet. Slowly, Kang Shengzhe’s breath steadied. After a while, You Liangxing finally said: “Feeling better?”
Kang Shengzhe did not reply. When You Liangxing tilted his head to look over, he realised that the taller man had unexpectedly fallen asleep.
To be able to sleep in such a tiring posture, it could be observed that he was truly fatigued to a certain degree.