Dazzling as if Emitting Light
Zhou An’ran realized she had underestimated Chen Luobai’s popularity at school, or rather, the student’s interest in this basketball game.
As soon as the bell rang for the last class on Friday, students who usually rushed straight to the school gates now swarmed the basketball court. They packed tightly around the first row’s third court, marked off by red and white lines.
Even the players from Class 10 struggled to squeeze through the crowd. Their classmates were scattered by the surge of people, unlike Class 2 students who had arrived early and huddled together.
Spectators even crowded the corridors of nearby teaching buildings.
The game was ready to start as soon as both teams’ players assembled.
Official basketball games allow up to twelve registered players, but Class 2, though academically strong, wasn’t necessarily athletically inclined. Not everyone was interested in basketball either. Dong Chen and He Mingyu, for instance, preferred soccer and table tennis. So even though Tang Jianrui’s near-bullying incident had fired up the boys in Class 2 to eagerly sign up, only five ended up joining Chen Luobai and the others for training.
Now as the game began, Chen Luobai, Zhu Ran, and Tang Jianrui, along with two other boys named Bao Kun and Shao Zilin, started as the first five. The remaining three sat on the sidelines as substitutes.
They had somehow procured three folding stools to sit on. One of the boys, Huang Shujie, sat directly in front of Zhou An’ran.
As this was a student-organized match, the school wasn’t involved in its arrangement. Compared to official games, this one was rather rudimentary.
There was no 24-second shot clock.
No large LED screen displaying player rosters and stats.
The referee was a PE teacher doing a friendly favor.
But this didn’t dampen the spectators’ enthusiasm. As soon as the players took the court, cheers and encouragement erupted from the sidelines. Class 10 students, having arrived late, were scattered about, their voices completely drowned out by Class 2.
Hu Kun stood at the center line, his face slightly grim.
He looked towards Chen Luobai, who was still loosening his wrists. “Don’t say I’m bullying you. I’ll let you have the first ball. I won’t jump for it.”
Zhou An’ran stood near the three-point line at a 45-degree angle to the frontcourt. She could hear the on-court conversation.
She saw Chen Luobai stop rotating his wrist. The wristband, matching his jersey color, covered the small brown mole. He seemed to raise an eyebrow slightly at Hu Kun’s words, his tone still incredibly arrogant.
“No need to spot us points. It’ll just make your loss more embarrassing.”
Hu Kun: “…”
Chen Luobai ignored Hu Kun after speaking. He didn’t go for the jump ball himself either, just lifted his chin slightly. “Tang Jianrui, you go for the jump.”
Jumping against Tang Jianrui was a tall, skinny player from Class 10 wearing jersey number 10.
Tang Jianrui, as Class 2’s PE representative, was already good at basketball. With a chip on his shoulder, as soon as one of the PE teachers serving as a temporary referee tossed the ball up, he leaped high and swatted the ball toward his teammates.
The ball flew perfectly towards Zhu Ran, who jumped and caught it.
Zhou An’ran stood by the sideline, her hand slowly reaching into her school jacket pocket.
Usually, Second High didn’t allow students to bring phones to school.
But for first-year students, the rules weren’t enforced too strictly. Countless students secretly brought their phones, even in their class.
Zhou An’ran rarely brought hers.
She knew she wasn’t a naturally gifted student. Maintaining her current grades in Second High’s experimental class relied entirely on hard work and decent self-discipline.
But today was an exception.
Still, it was against school rules, and right now everyone was focused on watching the game. No one had taken out their phones to take photos or videos yet, so she hesitated.
While she wavered, Hu Kun had already closed in on Zhu Ran.
Zhu Ran reacted lightning-fast, throwing the ball to Chen Luobai.
This was Zhou An’ran’s first time watching him play in an official game. Seeing the ball in his hands, she forgot about taking out her phone. Her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the court, her fingertips gripping her phone case tightly, inexplicably nervous for him.
Hu Kun, being a professional after all, was incredibly quick to react.
Before Chen Luobai could dribble into the three-point line, Hu Kun had swiftly blocked his path.
The face-off between these two was the biggest highlight of the game.
All eyes in the arena were fixed on the court, on the two figures near the three-point line.
Zhou An’ran watched that area too.
She saw Chen Luobai first casually dribble the ball between his legs a few times, his movements as smooth as flowing water. Then suddenly, he accelerated with a change of direction, as if trying to break right into the key. But Hu Kun reacted quickly too, blocking him again just in time.
Chen Luobai attempted to break through twice more but without success.
Zhou An’ran’s heart was in her throat, her fingers on her other hand slowly clenching.
Hu Kun and Chen Luobai were at the 45-degree angle on the other side of the three-point line, diagonally across from her. Unable to break through, Zhou An’ran couldn’t see any frustration on the jersey-clad boy’s face. His expression was just much more serious than usual, making his profile appear even sharper.
Zhou An’ran pressed her lips together, watching as the boy in the red jersey suddenly made another crossover in front of his body. His shoulders dipped slightly as if attempting to break into the key again.
Hu Kun seemed to anticipate his route once more.
In the next second, the boy on the court suddenly looked up and flashed a smile at Hu Kun.
Just like the day they arranged this game, his smile was both wild and provocative.
— The breakthrough was a feint.
Chen Luobai’s face still wore that smile as he slammed the ball behind him with his right hand, not even looking back.
The ball hit the ground.
It bounced back out—
And was steadily caught by Zhu Ran.
Most people on the court had their eyes on Hu Kun and Chen Luobai, no one noticed when Zhu Ran ran to Chen Luobai’s diagonal back.
Nor did anyone notice that Tang Jianrui had already created an open position under the basket.
Except for him.
After receiving Chen Luobai’s no-look bounce pass, Zhu Ran immediately threw the ball to Tang Jianrui. With no one guarding him, Tang Jianrui easily made a layup.
From Chen Luobai facing off with Hu Kun at the three-point line to Zhu Ran receiving the pass to Tang Jianrui’s successful layup, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
The court fell silent for a moment.
Then erupted in deafening cheers and screams.
The students from Class 2 were completely fired up.
Huang Shujie, sitting in front of Zhou An’ran, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards the court: “Ruirui, well done! Ruirui, go get revenge!”
Zhou An’ran felt like her ears might go deaf from their shouting.
But somehow, she could still hear her own rapidly beating heart.
She remembered.
He had said before, that basketball isn’t an individual sport.
On the court, ball possession changed hands.
As Class 10 prepared for a baseline throw-in, Zhu Ran went over to Chen Luobai with a grin, looking for a high-five.
The boy mock-scolded him with a disgusted smile: “It’s just one basket, what are you high-fiving for? Hurry back on defense.”
Yet as he spoke, he still lightly tapped Zhu Ran’s outstretched palm.
The soft sound of their high-five was lost in the court’s boiling, clamorous cheers.
After Class 10’s throw-in, the ball reached Hu Kun’s hands.
As soon as Hu Kun crossed half-court, Chen Luobai and Zhu Ran double-teamed him outside the three-point line, with Tang Jianrui waiting nearby.
With his path completely blocked, Hu Kun had no choice but to pass to Class 10’s lanky Number 10.
The tall, skinny player was immediately guarded by Bao Kun, with Tang Jianrui coming over to help defend. As an ordinary student facing a double-team, he had even fewer options. Instinctively, he tried to pass the ball back.
The court was in chaos. Zhou An’ran couldn’t tell if this Class 10 player had made a bad pass or if his mind had gone blank, but somehow he ended up throwing the ball right into Chen Luobai’s arms.
Chen Luobai caught the basketball, grinning widely. “Thanks, brother.”
Number 10 from Class 10: “…”
The entire audience: “??”
Hu Kun also seemed momentarily stunned in disbelief.
By the time Chen Luobai, without pausing for a second, had already started dribbling the ball swiftly towards the frontcourt, Hu Kun finally snapped back to reality.
“Do you guys even know how to play basketball?” Hu Kun shouted as he ran. “Why are you spacing out? Get back on defense, you idiots!”
Chen Luobai was aiming for a fast break.
Just past half-court, he tossed the ball to Tang Jianrui, who was closer to the basket.
But this time, Tang Jianrui’s shot didn’t go in.
Hu Kun had already made it back on defense.
After grabbing the rebound, Tang Jianrui threw the ball back to Chen Luobai, who was near the three-point line.
Hu Kun quickly positioned himself in front of Chen Luobai again.
The two seemed to have returned to their face-off from the previous possession.
Zhou Anran stood on the sidelines, watching as Chen tried to break through twice, just like in the last round, but his path was still blocked.
Until Zhu Ran somehow managed to slip away from Class 10’s defense and positioned himself diagonally behind Chen Luobai.
Chen Luobai moved the basketball from his left hand behind his back to his right, lowering his shoulder – almost identical to his move in the previous possession, as if he was about to drive towards the basket.
But the lesson from the last possession was still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Hu Kun instinctively glanced at Zhu Ran.
And in that split second, Chen Luobai suddenly pulled the ball back from his right hand to his left—
It wasn’t a drive.
Nor was it a pass.
Chen Luobai used the opportunity to step back, creating space between himself and Hu Kun, then immediately jumped for a shot beyond the three-point line.
The orange basketball traced a long arc through the air, smoothly falling through the hoop.
The crowd erupted once again.
Huang Shujie, standing in front of Zhou Anran, leaped up from his small bench, as excited as a firecracker: “Holy shit!! A step-back three!! Luo-ge, you’re a beast!!!!”
Amidst the cheers, Zhou Anran saw the boy in the bright red jersey in the middle of the court raise his hand high, making a three-point gesture.
The young man’s eyes were filled with a dazzling smile, radiant as if he could emit light.
Class 2 had opened the game with a 5-0 run against Class 10.
Hu Kun’s expression was visibly grim.
Although he wasn’t yet a starter, he was still a professional player on the school team who had undergone specialized physical training. He was noticeably more muscular than Chen Luobai and the others. In a true physical confrontation, sometimes even Chen Luobai and Zhu Ran together couldn’t stop him.
Similarly, Chen Luobai playing point guard for Class 2, got along well with the other boys on the court. He controlled the rhythm excellently, and everyone cooperated seamlessly. Hu Kun alone couldn’t defend against all five of them.
After the opening, the game between the two classes became intense.
But because Class 2 had taken an early lead, by the end of the first quarter, they were still ahead of Class 10 by 6 points.
Players from both sides left the court for a break.
Zhou Anran, along with everyone else, turned her head to see Yin Yizhen, who had been standing by the mineral water box, flash a brilliant smile.
She had squeezed in after class, protected by Zong Kai, and mixed with their class crowd to watch the game. She didn’t seem out of place at all. Now, she casually pulled out a bottle of water from the box and handed it to Chen Luobai, her tone sweet.
“You’re even better at basketball than I imagined.”
Chen Luobai reached out to take the mineral water from her hand.
Zhou Anran tightened her grip on the phone in her school uniform pocket.
Nearby, Chen Luobai’s face showed no expression as he casually tossed the water bottle backward into Zhu Ran’s hands, asking nonchalantly, “Why are you squeezed in with our class?”
As he spoke, he bent down to grab another bottle of water for himself.
The smile on Yin Yizhen’s face disappeared, and she pouted, seemingly unhappy: “Didn’t I tell you the other day that I’d come to help hand out water?”
Chen Luobai had already casually twisted open the mineral water bottle. He didn’t respond further, tilting his head back to take large gulps of water, his sharp Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with each swallow.
Lou Yiqi, who had previously offered to help hand out water, remained silent throughout, lowering her head to grab water and pass it to Tang Jianrui and the others.
Zhou Anran averted her gaze.
The players from Class 10 had somehow started arguing.
The sound of the dispute carried over, but due to the diagonal distance, the content of the argument wasn’t clear. All that could be seen were the unpleasant expressions on their faces.
The second quarter quickly began.
Whether it was because of the argument during the break or not, the coordination between Hu Kun and the other Class 10 players, which was already lacking, seemed to worsen rather than improve as this quarter started.
They were like scattered sand.
Even though Hu Kun continued to score, halfway through the quarter, Class 2’s lead had expanded to double digits.
Zhu Ran and Tang Jianrui had even taken turns resting on the bench for a while.
As the second quarter was nearing its end, Chen Luobai subbed himself out.
Since it wasn’t an official match, the substitution wasn’t very formal. During a dead ball, Chen Luobai made a substitution gesture to the referee and simply walked off the court.
Zhou Anran stood outside the sideline, watching as the young man walked step by step towards her side, finally stopping in front of her.
Or rather, in front of Huang Shujie.
He had played almost the entire first half. His black hair was damp, and his exposed neck, arms, and calves were covered in sweat. Even from a short distance away, waves of heat seemed to radiate from him.
Zhou Anran didn’t dare look at his face, but she didn’t know where else to rest her gaze. In the end, she could only keep her eyes lowered, just in time to see him kick Huang Shujie lightly.
“You’re up.”
“Me?” Huang Shujie stood up from the bench. “Alright, but if I can maintain our lead, Luo-ge, can you teach me that step-back three you just did?”
Chen Luobai smiled and kicked him again. “We’re in a game. Get on the court first, we’ll talk later.”
He sat down on Huang Shujie’s small bench.
The folding stool was very low, forcing the tall young man to bend his long legs awkwardly.
Without him having to ask, another substitute boy nearby proactively grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.
A breeze blew by.
His jersey billowed slightly in the wind, and for a second, it seemed to lightly brush against her school uniform pants.
Zhou Anran didn’t dare stare at him, continuing to focus her gaze on the court.
But she couldn’t take in anything that happened on the court during those last few minutes of the second quarter.
During halftime, Chen Luobai didn’t get up either.
Several players from Class 2 gathered around him. Those without small stools simply sat on the ground.
“How should we play in the second half?” Tang Jianrui asked.
Zhu Ran lifted his shirt to wipe off some sweat: “We’re already leading by 15 points. We could play casually in the second half and still win.”
Chen Luobai threw his empty water bottle at him. “Don’t jinx it.”
Zhu Ran caught it with a grin: “It’s called confidence, okay?”
“In the second half, Hu Kun’s stamina will definitely decline, and the other players from Class 10 will play even more chaotically than now,” Chen Luobai continued. “We just need to maintain our rhythm from the first half.”
Tang Jianrui glanced back: “How can they not be in chaos? Hu Kun keeps calling them idiots. Who does he think he is? The guys from Class 10 are probably holding back their anger. But everyone be careful, I’m worried Hu Kun might play dirty.”
After discussing the second-half tactics, Zhu Ran added, “Oh right, don’t rush off after the game. Let’s go to Qingting for dinner tonight.”
Huang Shujie winked at him: “You’re treating?”
Zhu Ran: “I’m broke. Your Luo-ge is treating.”
“Come on, Luo-ge has been paying for all the drinks and snacks we’ve been buying during training these past few days,” Tang Jianrui chimed in. “Why don’t we split the bill tonight?”
Zhu Ran put his arm around Chen Luobai’s shoulder: “Your Luo-ge has plenty of money. Don’t worry, he won’t go broke from treating us.”
“Get lost,” Chen Luobai laughed, swatting his hand away. “I’ll treat everyone else, but you’re paying for your share.”
As the second half began, Zhou Anran noticed that a few people in the audience had started recording with their phones. Even Yan Xingxi beside her was holding up her phone.
Perhaps because it was the last class on Friday and technically the start of the weekend, the PE teachers Chen Luobai and his friends had invited to referee seemed to turn a blind eye, focusing solely on the game.
Zhou Anran’s fingers in her school uniform pocket twitched, and she finally took out her phone.
Harboring a secret unknown to others, she couldn’t act naturally. As she began recording, she deliberately panned the camera across the other people first before finally focusing on the one person she truly wanted to capture.
This way, even if Mrs. He or others were to find this video on her phone later, it shouldn’t reveal too much.
But as soon as the game resumed, Zhou Anran realized that her gaze, or rather her camera, often forgot to move away from him.
During one confrontation, Hu Kun’s actions were noticeably aggressive, almost directly grabbing his hand.
But perhaps it only seemed excessive because her gaze had never left Chen Luobai, as the PE teachers hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
Zhou Anran observed Hu Kun’s gloomy expression, recalling that both Zong Kai and Tang Jianrui had mentioned his dirty play style. Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
As predicted, the other players from Class 10 played even more chaotically in the second half, with almost zero communication with Hu Kun. It was clear there was conflict, with one or two players seeming to have given up on the game, playing very perfunctorily.
The score gap between the two classes continued to widen.
When Class 2 regained possession, Tang Jianrui and Zhu Ran easily broke free from their defenders, creating an open shot opportunity for Chen Luobai, who was being guarded by Hu Kun.
Chen Luobai didn’t miss this chance, quickly jumping to shoot.
The ball left the young man’s hands, once again smoothly falling through the hoop.
However, as Chen Luobai was landing from his jump, Hu Kun, as if rushing over to defend him but a step too late, intentionally or unintentionally placed his left foot exactly where Chen Luobai was about to land.
Zhou Anran didn’t immediately realize what had happened, but through her camera lens, she saw the boy in the red jersey lose his balance and fall to the ground.
Her heart suddenly tightened.
Several substitutes from their class immediately stood up from their benches.
Whether it was because several of them were crowded together earlier, or Hu Kun had found a good angle, the PE teachers hadn’t noticed this foul.
There was no whistle for the moment.
Zhu Ran, with a grim expression, helped Chen Luobai up.
Chen Luobai stood and flexed his ankle, appearing to be unharmed.
Zhou Anran breathed a huge sigh of relief internally.
But Zhu Ran, perhaps having seen something, immediately charged toward Hu Kun as soon as he released Chen Luobai’s wrist.
It was the first time Zhou Anran had seen Zhu Ran this angry.
In the second half, the two classes had switched sides. Class 2’s frontcourt was now on the other side, but despite the small distance, Zhu Ran’s furious voice still carried clearly.
“You motherf***er, Hu Kun, how dare you pull such a dirty move right in front of me?”
Hu Kun appeared much calmer in comparison, though his face remained gloomy: “What dirty move? You’re just throwing baseless accusations at me?”
Zhou Anran had been too worried earlier to notice, but hearing this, her fingertips holding the phone twitched.
She unconsciously took a step forward, and at that moment, Yin Yizhen’s voice also came from nearby.
“What’s going on? I’ll go check.”
Yin Yizhen spoke as if she was about to rush onto the court.
After a couple of steps, she was pulled back by Zong Kai, who wore a complex expression.
Zhou Anran couldn’t hear what Zong Kai said, but she saw Yin Yizhen purse her lips and withdraw her foot.
Time was pressing, and it seemed as if she had thought of many things at once, yet nothing at all. She slightly turned her body, slipping her phone into Yan Xingxi’s school uniform pocket, and leaned close to her ear.
The situation on the court was still chaotic.
Hearing Hu Kun’s words, Zhu Ran was about to explode with anger, almost immediately raising his fist: “My eyes are the evidence.”
Before he could swing, Chen Luobai stopped him from the side.
At that moment, one of the PE teachers rushed over: “What’s going on here? Are you playing basketball or fighting? If you want to fight, maybe we should just call off this game.”
Chen Luobai pulled Zhu Ran behind him: “How could we be fighting, Teacher Zhao? We’re just having a friendly exchange.”
Teacher Zhao: “…”
As the PE teacher for Class 2, Teacher Zhao was familiar with their usual behavior and knew Chen Luobai’s personality, but he was almost amused by his blatant lie.
Zhu Ran, unable to fight in front of the teacher, barely suppressed his anger: “Teacher Zhao, he just tripped Chen Luobai.”
Teacher Zhao frowned.
They indeed hadn’t seen any foul play just now.
Hu Kun retorted: “Teacher Zhao, I didn’t even touch him. It’s normal to lose balance when landing. But Zhu Ran just falsely accused and insulted me in front of everyone, and even rushed at me to fight. Teacher Zhao, even if it’s not grounds for disqualification, shouldn’t he at least get a technical foul?”
The anger Zhu Ran had just suppressed immediately flared up again: “You son of a—”
“Zhu Ran,” Chen Luobai interrupted him, “Don’t be rash. He’s deliberately trying to provoke you.”
Teacher Zhao glanced at Zhu Ran.
What Hu Kun said was indeed true. Even though he was Class 2’s PE teacher and quite fond of Zhu Ran, he couldn’t show favoritism in this situation.
Teacher Zhao raised the whistle hanging on his chest to his mouth, intending to call a technical foul on Zhu Ran. But before he could blow the whistle, a sharp whistle sound came from another direction.
Everyone in the center of the court turned towards the source of the whistle.
The one who blew the whistle was Class 10’s PE teacher. He stood by the sideline, raising both hands to make a gesture: “Class 10, Number 4, unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Number 4 from Class 10 was Hu Kun.
Hu Kun was stunned: “Teacher Li, I didn’t do anything. How is it unsportsmanlike conduct?”
Teacher Li lowered his hands and frowned at him: “A student caught you tripping on camera just now.”
Hu Kun was bewildered again.
He had been very discreet with his actions earlier, believing no one had noticed. Although a few people in the inner court were holding phones, they were almost all girls, probably just interested in Chen Luobai’s face. He doubted any of them truly understood basketball, and even if they were filming, they wouldn’t be focusing on foot movements.
That’s why he had been so confident.
The situation suddenly took an unexpected turn.
Even Chen Luobai was slightly taken aback.
Zhu Ran felt the anger in his chest instantly dissipate. He glanced at Hu Kun’s unpleasant expression and said cheerfully: “Which hero caught that on camera?”
Tang Jianrui and the others had also rushed over earlier to mediate. Hearing this, they looked towards Teacher Li: “The girl standing next to Teacher Li seems to be from our class. Isn’t she called Yan Xingxi?”
“Lady Yan, thanks a lot!” Zhu Ran shouted towards the sideline, then turned to Teacher Zhao, “See, Teacher Zhao? I wasn’t falsely accusing him. You know how dangerous tripping can be. Luo is lucky he wasn’t injured today.”
Teacher Zhao lowered the whistle from his mouth and looked at Hu Kun, saying sternly: “Students play basketball to exercise and relax. Don’t bring unnecessary elements onto the court.”
Hu Kun’s expression changed several times before he composed himself: “Teacher Zhao, I didn’t notice. You know that confrontations and conflicts are inevitable on the court. Maybe I wasn’t careful during the defense. I’m sorry, Chen Luobai.”
Chen Luobai glanced at him with a smile: “It’s fine.”
Hearing Hu Kun’s words, Zhu Ran was about to burst with anger again, but seeing the young master’s smile, he felt that Hu Kun probably wouldn’t have an easy time later.
But before Zhu Ran could see Chen Luobai make things difficult for Hu Kun, he heard the girl from their class Yan Xingxi suddenly ask Teacher Li loudly.
“Teacher Li, are all actions targeting the player instead of the ball considered unsportsmanlike conduct? And if a player commits unsportsmanlike conduct twice in one game, will they be kicked out?”
Teacher Li nodded.
Yan Xingxi looked towards the court, raising her voice even more, as if intentionally speaking for someone to hear: “Alright, then rest assured, we’ll continue to help you keep a close eye on the court. If anyone makes such small moves again, we’ll tell you immediately.”
Zhu Ran glanced at Hu Kun, whose expression had become extremely unpleasant, and couldn’t help but grin: “The girls in our class are impressive.”
Chen Luobai looked towards the sideline, then slowly withdrew his gaze.