A New Gift Part 2

Qin Yan jolted. “Holy shit, you’re coming back to the main team?”

“That’s right.” Nan Jia tilted her head, a playful expression on her face. “My previous volunteer work for legal popularization is over, and I have some spare energy this semester, so I applied to transfer back to the main team as the manager.”

“You wait, I’m going to tell them this exciting news.” With that, Qin Yan ran off. Before long, all the boys on the court knew the news and were just short of cheering for joy.

“Senior is so popular,” Yue Zhishi couldn't help but remark, watching the group of excited boys from a distance.

Nan Jia patted Yue Zhishi’s shoulder. “Lele, are you here for the interview today? Let me measure your wingspan. Let me experience the superior proportions of a mixed-race person.”

“His legs are so long,” Shen Mi couldn’t help but praise.

“I know you.” Nan Jia extended a fist towards him. The two bumped fists. “A rising star, keep it up.”

Yue Zhishi discovered that popular people often have a natural affinity, just like Nan Jia. She could converse and interact with anyone sincerely and with ease. A personality like this that could act as a lubricant was perfect for a team manager.

With two pieces of good news in a row, Qin Yan made an on-the-spot decision. “We’re having a team dinner after the interviews, no one is allowed to skip out. Two great generals have returned today, and we have so many new friends. Let's all celebrate properly!”

As soon as the interview was mentioned, Yue Zhishi’s stomach began to ache dully, a stress reaction he had when he was nervous. He grabbed Song Yu’s arm and said in a very low voice, “I’m a little worried.”

Song Yu raised his hand and patted Yue Zhishi’s back twice like a friendly senior, but he didn't pull it back right away, letting it linger on his shoulder blade as if reluctant to leave, stroking it a few times very slowly.

This method of distraction was extremely effective. In a certain moment, Yue Zhishi once again smelled the faint scent of body wash on him. In this venue filled with hormones and sweat, this subtle fragrance silently enveloped his entire body like a transparent barrier, both protecting and occupying.

The interview was much faster than expected. Nan Jia helped them measure a series of physiological data like weight, height, and wingspan. The remaining technical interview was left to the team captain.

“I really haven't grown.” Yue Zhishi muttered, stepping off the height and weight measuring device. In disbelief, he stood on it one more time, but the data was still the same. Nan Jia found his expression particularly cute. “What’s wrong?”

“I haven't grown. I’m still one centimeter short of 180.” Yue Zhishi's face was full of confusion. “I thought I grew. It’s been almost three months. Why is this one centimeter so hard to grow?”

Qin Yan said his growth plates might have closed, but he was interrupted by Nan Jia, who said with a laugh, “Our equipment must be faulty. I’ll put down 180 cm for you.”

“Aren’t you falsifying the numbers?” Qin Yan said deliberately loudly. “You have no integrity as a basketball manager.”

“So what,” Nan Jia teased as she entered the data. “You guys who are 170 cm report it as 175, 180 as 183. If you actually grow to 185, you’d wish you could carve it on your face as a pass.”

Yue Zhishi was amused. He turned to look at Song Yu, who was over 186 cm and was helping with the technical interviews. He dribbled past a player and made a layup as smooth as flowing water, his face devoid of any expression. Among a group of players who were not short, he still stood out like a crane among chickens.

The interviews ended, and everyone left the gymnasium. Because of his special physical condition, Yue Zhishi still couldn't join the main team. Nan Jia consoled him the whole way, but in truth, Yue Zhishi himself had already anticipated this. The result matched his expectations, so he wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Qin Yan, Song Yu, and the other old team members walked ahead, chatting with the newly recruited members as they headed off campus. They were going for a team dinner. In fact, Yue Zhishi, having been rejected, didn't want to go, but since Song Yu was there, he was a little tempted. Plus, both Qin Yan and Nan Jia asked him to come eat with them, so Yue Zhishi couldn’t refuse.

“It’s okay, Lele, you can come train with the main team,” Nan Jia said. “You can come whenever you want. Senior Qin Yan is there anyway.”

“Then...” Yue Zhishi hesitated over his words. “Will Senior Song Yu be training too?”

“Him?” Nan Jia smiled. “Rarely. But when he was a freshman, Song Yu came every day, often staying until he was the last one to leave.”

Yue Zhishi asked directly, “How do you know?”

A nostalgic look appeared on her face. “I had just joined back then too, as an assistant to the basketball manager. Every day, I’d help with things like counting basketballs, ordering jerseys, doing all sorts of small, odd jobs. Sometimes when everyone finished training, they wouldn't clean up, so I had to stay behind to tidy. So I spent a lot of my free time in the gym, sometimes sitting in the stands to catch up on homework. At first, Song Yu didn't even know I was there. He thought there was no one in the gym and would practice his shots over and over again by himself.”

Speaking of this, Nan Jia laughed. “I don’t know what he needed to practice for, his shooting accuracy was already exceptionally high. One time, I couldn't help it, so I sat in the stands and asked him why he kept shooting. It was the first time he saw me, but he didn’t speak to me, just picked up his clothes and left.” Nan Jia looked at Yue Zhishi, her expression carrying an emotion she usually didn't show, almost like she was pouting. Her tone was very cute. “Super cold.”

Yue Zhishi wanted to say that Song Yu wasn't that kind of person, but he had a faint feeling that Nan Jia actually knew, so he said nothing. A ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to him: he wished he had been the one sitting silently in the stands back then.

The social butterfly Qin Yan chose a barbecue restaurant they frequented, where the atmosphere was perfect for a gathering. As they reached the entrance, Nan Jia seemed to have suddenly thought of something. “Oh, right, about your Moments post yesterday, I saw Song Yu replied. You and him...”

A boy in front went in, ungallantly paying attention only to himself and not holding the door for the person behind him. The heavy glass door was swinging shut, and Yue Zhishi grabbed the edge of the door, pulling it open to let Nan Jia in. Inside, Qin Yan was calling Nan Jia’s name, telling her to go pick a table.

With this interruption, Nan Jia also forgot what she was about to ask and hurried over.

Shen Mi had appeared by Yue Zhishi’s side at some point, but Yue Zhishi’s eyes were only on Song Yu, who seemed to be surrounded by a group of people. A tall and burly senior walked towards the two of them. He spoke like a ruffian and slapped Yue Zhishi heavily on the shoulder. “Hey, they say you’re mixed-race. What country and what country are you mixed with?”

Yue Zhishi found this person a bit rude, but he still answered seriously, “My mother is from the United Kingdom.”

“Oh, the UK, huh. Little girls just love you mixed-race types.” The senior said something that sounded like a compliment, but his expression was somewhat disdainful. “You’re close with Nan Jia? Are you from the Law School too?”

Seeing that Yue Zhishi didn't want to speak, Shen Mi picked up the conversation. “Yes. Are you too, senior?”

“Yeah, I’m your direct senior.” He reached out, as if to put an arm around Yue Zhishi’s shoulder, but Shen Mi tactlessly stood between the two of them and said with a smile, “Senior, does that mean I can ask for your guidance if I need help in the future?”

“Sure.” The senior glanced at him, and hearing that a table had been settled on, he jutted his chin in that direction. “Let’s go, we from the Law School will sit together.”

Yue Zhishi didn't like this kind of presumptuousness. He just wanted to sit with Song Yu, but making that request directly would seem childish. Moreover, this gathering didn't really have much to do with him; to put it bluntly, he was just tagging along for a free meal and didn't have much right to make demands.

There were too many people, so they split into two large tables. After just a moment's hesitation, he was forced to one of the tables. Half the people at it were from the Law School, and the other half were from the School of Electrical Engineering and the School of Civil Engineering. The only thing that made Yue Zhishi feel comfortable was that he was sitting between Shen Mi and Nan Jia. Otherwise, he might have really just run away.

After sitting down, Yue Zhishi kept sending messages to Song Yu and looking up in his direction, but Song Yu was tied up by a boy next to him who kept asking him questions, and he didn't seem to have time to look at his phone. He put his hand in his pocket, clutching the small stone Song Yu had given him.

While waiting for the food to be served, everyone was chatting. As they chatted, one of the boys suddenly raised his phone. “Hey, someone posted on their Moments that Senior Song Yu came back for Nan Jia.”

Then, very quickly, all the boys at the table started hooting and jeering. Some even turned around to joke with their teammates at the other table, and everyone joined in the commotion.

Shen Mi glanced at Yue Zhishi and felt that his expression was even calmer than he had expected.

Nan Jia, at the center of the discussion, kept trying to stop their teasing. “No, don’t spread rumors, okay? Neither of us knew the other was coming back. It’s a pure coincidence.”

The boy who started the jeering clicked his tongue. “Tsk tsk, it’s already ‘the two of us’.”

“Can you not take things out of context?” Nan Jia said sternly. “Seriously, don't be like this. It’s a completely unrelated matter. You guys are really so bored.”

Yue Zhishi really wanted to leave now. Not only did he want to leave himself, he wanted to take Song Yu with him.

The senior who had been giving Yue Zhishi a hard time pushed the jeering boy down. “Eat your food. We’ll see if some alcohol later can shut that big mouth of yours.”

The air conditioning was set very low. Nan Jia asked Yue Zhishi if he was cold. During the interview, she had learned that Yue Zhishi had severe allergies and a weaker constitution, so she was especially considerate of him. But these displays were very glaring in the eyes of that big senior.

The alcohol arrived faster than the food; a large case was brought over. Yue Zhishi looked up and saw Song Yu with Qin Yan’s arm around his shoulders, silent. He also turned his head in Yue Zhishi's direction, and their gazes met. Both sides were very noisy, and with two tables between them, neither knew what was happening at the other's table.

Yue Zhishi mouthed the word “phone” to him, but Song Yu looked a little confused and narrowed his eyes.

Yue Zhishi mouthed it again, his lips forming an exaggerated, somewhat cute shape. Song Yu seemed to understand and lowered his head as if looking for his phone.

“Alright, enough with the nonsense. For this welcoming party, let’s just drink to our hearts’ content. No one is allowed to run off today!” The big senior opened the bottles one by one and passed them around, in a one-bottle-per-person fashion.

Yue Zhishi couldn’t drink alcohol, so he specifically told him, “Senior, I have allergies and can't drink beer. You don't need to open one for me.”

“Bullshit. Nine out of ten people who say they’re allergic to alcohol are faking it.” That senior directly forced the bottle in his hand toward Yue Zhishi. “Take it.”

Nan Jia was a little displeased. “What are you doing, Wang Zhi? He said he has allergies, he’s not joking.”

“A little bit won't hurt.” Wang Zhi’s tone softened a little towards Nan Jia, but his attitude didn't change. “Take it. I’m telling you, you can’t get out of it.”

Yue Zhishi didn't even extend his hand, and the situation became tense. Shen Mi, quick to read the room, took the bottle. “Well, senior, how about I drink it for him? I can chug it straight from the bottle.” After saying that, he really started chugging, downing more than half the bottle in one go. Yue Zhishi didn't even have time to pull him back. “You don’t have to drink it.”

Shen Mi wiped the alcohol from the corner of his mouth, placed the bottle on the table, and smiled. “Senior, you see, he...”

“He what? You think you’re so capable, huh? It’s only the first day and you’re already playing the hero for someone else. Did I say you could drink it?” Wang Zhi became more and more unstoppable as he spoke. He grabbed a newly opened bottle of beer, left his seat, and walked around to Yue Zhishi’s side. Ignoring the protests of Nan Jia and Shen Mi, he said directly to Yue Zhishi, “You have to drink this for me today. This is basic courtesy. You have to respect your seniors, you know? Drink it and you’re a real man. I’ll respect you for it, bro.”

Yue Zhishi looked up at Wang Zhi, his tone calm and his words direct. “But I don’t need your respect.”

“You!” Wang Zhi was about to grab his hand, intending to force him to take the beer, but his hand was quickly grabbed by another person and unceremoniously thrown aside, preventing him from touching Yue Zhishi's arm.

Yue Zhishi looked up and saw Song Yu. Just one look at his expression, and Yue Zhishi knew he was very angry.

Wang Zhi had never liked Song Yu either. “What? You’re here to oppose me too?”

Song Yu’s tone was cold. “He can’t drink.”

Wang Zhi was so angry he laughed. “Hilarious. This is a freshman from our Law School. I’m teaching my own junior how to act, what’s a surveying and mapping major like you getting involved for?”

Song Yu sneered and murmured softly, “Junior...”

He looked at Wang Zhi, his gaze sharp and cold. “What a coincidence. Guess who he is.”

Wang Zhi’s expression changed as he stared at Song Yu’s face, which was even colder than usual.

“My younger brother. Is it your turn to teach him?”