The first PE class period hadn’t even ended yet, but the students from English Class One had already completed their basic tests one by one.
Once the tests were done, everyone naturally went off to do their own thing.
University PE classes were far more relaxed than those in high school. As long as you finished the required tasks, the rest of the time was yours to spend however you liked.
If you were bold enough, you could even sneak back to your dorm—especially if PE was the last class of the day.
There was also plenty more space to move around compared to high school. The massive main athletic field had areas designated for all sorts of sports, and next to it stood the sports hall, which even housed a dedicated swimming pool.
Most of the equipment was kept in the sports hall too. You just grabbed what you needed, used your student ID as collateral, and returned it after class, much like borrowing a book from the library.
On such a sweltering afternoon, anyone with a functioning brain wouldn’t choose to play on the outdoor basketball court at the main athletic field.
So after the tests wrapped up, most students headed straight into the sports hall without prompting. The indoor courts weren’t as expansive as the main athletic field, but they could easily accommodate a few hundred people.
Shen Lianyao, Song Rui, and Wang Yuqiong were naturally inside the sports hall as well.
The four girls from Dorm 105 decided to play some badminton. They quickly split into two teams, grabbed their gear, and started rallying the shuttlecock.
Shen An, meanwhile, made his way to the basketball court, where Yang Bin and Li Yun were already waiting for him. A few guys from other majors were there too, apparently looking to put together a 5v5 game.
The other students scattered to their own amusements, joining up with their preferred playmates.
Shen Lianyao was the lone exception.
The moment Shen An had told her she was free, it meant she’d returned to her “single” status for the rest of this PE class.
When she really thought about it, Shen An was the only one in the class who’d ever taken the initiative to approach her.
He’d been greeting her right from the start.
No one else had been that forward since.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t interacted with other classmates besides him—most of those interactions were just part of her “job duties,” though.
After all, she was the discipline committee member.
Even her time with Wang Yuqiong stemmed from work-related reasons.
Without that role, she probably would have been invisible, treated like so much air.
That odd atmosphere wouldn’t change based on how pretty she was or wasn’t.
If there were more guys in the class, maybe a few bold simps would have made a move.
Unfortunately, Class One had only three male students.
Shen An was shameless enough to try, but the other two were far too self-conscious.
The student organizations were no better—unfortunately, only Shen An was a guy there too. Song Rui was as quiet as a clam, and the other groups had precious few males as well.
As for expecting girls to take the initiative… well, friendships between girls could be awfully delicate. Being too pretty wasn’t always a blessing, especially when it came to those dynamics.
The one person who might have approached her, Wang Yuqiong, had basically formed a sort of “rivalry” with Shen Lianyao because of Shen An.
So nearly a month into the semester, the vibes in both the class and the organizations had solidified like this.
Unless something changed, Shen Lianyao’s situation was pretty much set in stone. The next four years would likely stay the same.
And no matter how you looked at it, she didn’t seem interested in shaking things up.
It wasn’t a bad deal, really. Being alone was the state she was most comfortable in.
Having someone hovering around her just got in the way.
Shen Lianyao wandered aimlessly around the sports hall, quietly reassuring herself of this in her mind.
She didn’t seem to mind her circumstances at all—in fact, she appeared to quietly enjoy them.
But whether that indifference was genuine or just a front, only the late-night hours would reveal the truth: those moments of insomnia from boredom, or when sorrow proved too much to hide.
The badminton court and basketball court were right next to each other—the badminton court on the left, basketball on the right.
By some coincidence, the basketball court where Shen An was playing was the closest to the badminton court where Wang Yuqiong held court. They were at the farthest ends, so all it took was a glance over the shoulder to spot each other.
This inadvertently made things convenient for Shen Lianyao.
After a short walk, she stopped and took a seat.
She’d positioned herself right between the badminton and basketball courts. From up here, she had a clear view of both.
Shen Lianyao leaned forward slightly, pulling her wireless earbuds from her pocket and slipping them in. She rested her elbows on her knees, chin cradled in her palms, the melodic strains of music filling her ears. Her gaze drifted casually over Shen An, who was laughing and goofing around down below.
They’d originally planned a full 5v5 showdown, but with only three guys from Class One—and varying numbers from other majors, English Class scraping the bottom at just three—the boys settled on 3v3 after some discussion. It met the bare minimum, at least.
For 3v3, they didn’t need the full court; half would do.
They quickly sorted teams and the match order with rock-paper-scissors. English Class One faced off against Management Class 7 first!
They even roped in the PE teacher to referee.
With a sharp tweet of the whistle, the basketball battle kicked off.
That whistle drew eyes from all around.
Students were always sensitive to whistles during PE—whenever the teacher blew one, something was about to happen.
Seeing it was just the guys teaming up for hoops, the bored girls lounging nearby came over to watch the fun.
Soon enough, a crowd of girls ringed the basketball court—some there for the spectacle, some cheering, others just enjoying the show.
This naturally piled no small pressure on Yang Bin.
He glanced nervously around the growing audience, sidling up to Shen An and Li Yun. “What do we do, what do we do?” he whispered timidly.
Li Yun shot him a look and spoke first. “Isn’t this what you’ve always dreamed of?”
Uh…
Yang Bin stammered, and Li Yun kept spilling the beans. “Back in the dorm, you’re always bragging about how awesome you are at basketball. Play well, and who knows—some girl might even ask for your number.”
Shen An cracked up at that. “He’s that good at basketball?”
Li Yun shrugged. “Haven’t seen it myself, but he claims he was on his high school team. A starter, even.”
“He also says the only thing holding him back from going pro was his height.”
“Whoa, hidden talent, huh?” Shen An grinned at Yang Bin.
Yang Bin cleared his throat. “Don’t listen to him; it’s not that exaggerated.”
Then he pivoted. “But I was a starter on the high school team! Just pass me the ball as much as you can, and I’ll carry us to victory.”
“You got it. We’re counting on you.”
Shen An clapped Yang Bin on the shoulder.
Li Yun smirked. “Fine. Win this, and dinner’s on me tonight.”
Yang Bin thumped his chest. “Leave it to me.”
Li Yun shot back, “But if you choke, you’re buying.”
Tweet!
The whistle blew again—game on.
Shen An and the other two rose and jogged onto the court. Across from them, the three from Management Class 7 approached.
Hiss…
Yang Bin took one look and nearly deflated.
Their opponents were built like iron towers.
Even Li Yun felt a twinge of nerves. He muttered quietly, “You sure about this?”
No way to show weakness now.
Yang Bin puffed up. “No sweat. I’ve got a killer long-range shot. We won’t go toe-to-toe under the basket.”
“Got it!”
If even the players were getting cold feet, the spectators were in for a show.
Especially with the height mismatch—only Shen An from English Class could kinda hold his own against them.
But Shen An wasn’t bulky either, so it was anyone’s guess.
Instantly, cheers erupted from the Management Class girls, while English Class’s covered their faces.
Up in the stands, Shen Lianyao perked up with interest.
Truth be told, she was dying to see Shen An make a fool of himself.
Ideally, one of them would slam him straight to the floor.
Hmph!
But getting floored like that… he’d probably get hurt, right?
Shen Lianyao pressed her lips together.
Offense and defense were decided by rock-paper-scissors.
Shen An lucked out and won, so English Class had first possession.
Tweet!
The offensive whistle sounded.
Sticking to the plan of feeding Yang Bin, Shen An passed him the ball right away.
Yang Bin caught it and, eager to show off, tried a flashy move. Unable to break through, he spun for a jumper.
Nice!
Blocked cold.
Yang Bin: …
Shen An: …
Li Yun stood with hands on hips, face twisted. That all?
“Ahem, minor slip-up! Just a minor slip-up!”
Yang Bin’s face burned. He couldn’t bear to look at the crowd; one glance, and he might lose the nerve to stay on the court.
Shen Lianyao in the stands couldn’t help but giggle. The scene was downright comical.
The English Class girls were cringing.
Now it was Management Class’s turn to bring the heat.
On the basketball court, height didn’t decide everything—but you had to admit, it was a massive edge.
Unless your skills were on another level, it was tough to overcome.
Brute strength could shatter finesse.
The Industrial Management Class didn’t need any fancy strategy. They simply grabbed the ball, ran into position, forced their way through to the paint, and then leaped lightly for a layup.
The basketball swished through the net. One to zero.
According to the rules, the first team to five points won.
It was the English Class’s turn to attack next.
Li Yun passed the ball to Yang Bin again and shouted, “Don’t mess this up this time!”
Yang Bin dribbled the ball, nodding nervously. “No problem.”
But perhaps he was too tense. After barely breaking through to the paint, he hadn’t even shot yet when his hand shook and he fumbled the ball away.
The ball fell into the hands of one of the Industrial Management guys. Yang Bin’s face visibly fell, his disappointment plain as day.
Shen An arched a brow and immediately turned to chase after the ball handler.
He had originally wanted to give Yang Bin a chance to shine. From the way Yang Bin had dribbled and broken through earlier, it was clear the guy had real skill—he wasn’t just bragging.
But Yang Bin had one major flaw: he got stage fright easily.
Shen An had noticed it from the very first class meeting. The guy could talk a big game in private, but put him on stage and he started stammering.
That said, Shen An had his doubts about Yang Bin’s claim of being a high school team starter.
After all, if he’d really been on the school team, he should have seen action like this plenty of times.
Regardless, if they lost another point here, it might seriously dent Yang Bin’s confidence—especially with all the girls from their class watching.
So Shen An surged forward, stealing the ball right before the guy could react or pass it off.
Then he bellowed, “Yang Bin!”
Yang Bin snapped out of it just as Shen An lobbed the ball to him from across the court.
Since it was the Industrial Management Class’s offensive turn, their defense under the basket had thinned out. The other two players had drifted outside, ready to receive a pass.
Caught off guard, Yang Bin reacted swiftly. He caught the ball and banked in a smooth shot!
Swish.
The crisp sound of the net restored a good chunk of Yang Bin’s confidence.
He threw his hands up high, basking in the cheers with a cocky grin for the crowd.
Seeing this, Shen An chuckled to himself.
This guy sure loved to show off the moment he got a little success.
From then on, the English Class stuck to the same playbook. Shen An handled the breakthroughs and passes, Li Yun ran the floor to create space, and they fed Yang Bin as many shooting chances as possible.
Shen An’s speed was downright absurd. Taller, bulkier players usually lacked agility, but Shen An used his nimbleness to relentlessly carve out opportunities for Yang Bin.
And Yang Bin delivered. The final score: five to three.
English Class took the first match!
During the halftime break, the trio headed to the sidelines. Li Yun mumbled something but didn’t quite speak up.
Yang Bin, on the other hand, leaned in toward Shen An and said quietly, “Thanks, bro.”
He wasn’t clueless about basketball. Shooters got the glory, but breaking down defenses and creating space was the real challenge.
Anyone could chuck up a shot if they had the ball clean. The hard part was slicing through the defense and opening lanes for your teammates.
Shen An grinned. “Tch, I figured your first words would be demanding Li Yun buy you dinner.”
Yang Bin and Li Yun both burst out laughing.
That exchange warmed Yang Bin up to Shen An even more.
He knew Shen An had deliberately set him up to look good.
Shen Lianyao didn’t know much about basketball.
But even she could tell what was going on.
Yang Bin’s makes owed a lot to the chances Shen An created.
Of course, credit where it was due—Yang Bin’s shooting was solid too. Otherwise, those opportunities would’ve been wasted.
Still, it surprised her a bit.
She’d figured Shen An would hog the ball and claim all the glory himself.
After all, in her eyes, that’s just how cocky and shameless he was.
Soon enough, the second half of gym class wrapped up.
The English Class battled through five more teams, scraping out hard-fought wins each time.
They emerged as the big winners of the mini-tournament, solidifying their spot as champions.
Yang Bin had thought sinking all those shots would draw some girls’ attention. Instead, he stood quietly beside Shen An, watching as a crowd surrounded his teammate.
Yes…
Yang Bin had the most points.
But Shen An was the star of the show.
At moments like this, it had nothing to do with skill. It was all about the face.
Still, Yang Bin felt no real jealousy. He thought it over, then just smiled.
He turned and left with Li Yun first.
Shen An hadn’t expected the two to ditch him like that. Staring at the overly enthusiastic girls closing in…
He could only stammer out a lame excuse. “I… uh, I gotta pee! Heading to the bathroom! Bye!”
With that, he forced his way through the crowd and bolted at top speed.
Shen Lianyao stood up, tucked away her earphones, and left the Sports Hall to head to the classroom for the next class.
