Lemon Soda Candy

Zhou Anran seemed to have underestimated Chen Luobai's popularity at school, or at least the level of interest students had in this match.

As soon as the bell signaling the end of the last class that Friday rang, numerous students who would typically head straight for the school gate had instead rushed onto the field, forming a crowd around the red-white line at the third court in the first row. 

Even some players from class 10 struggled to find their way in through the crowd. Unlike their class who had the advantage of arriving early and gathering in the same place, students from class 10 were scattered around. 

The corridor of the nearby teaching building was also packed with spectators.

Once the players from both sides had arrived, the game was ready to start.

For a standard basketball match, a maximum of twelve players can participate. Despite Class 2 excelling in academics, it doesn't necessarily mean they excel in sports as well. Besides, not everyone is interested in basketball, such as Dong Chen and He Mingyu who prefer football and table tennis. Therefore, despite the eagerness of some boys in Class 2 to sign up, motivated by Tang Jianrui's almost-getting-bullied accident, only five of them actually went to train with the tree. 

Chen Luobai, Zhu Ran, Tang Jianrui started the match along with two other boys from their class, Bao Kun and Shao Zilin. While the other three waited on the side as substitutes. 

The three people sat on some random folding stools near the sidelines, one of the boys, Huang Shujie, was sitting right in front of Zhou Anran.

Since this match was not officially organized by the school, it was rather shabby compared to a regular match. 

There was no shot clock¹. 

Nor was there a large LED screen displaying the players' names.

The referee was their PE teacher. 

But that did not dampen the crowd enthusiasm in the slightest. The moment the players from both sides started the game, loud cheers echoed across the field. The Class 10 students, who arrived late and were scattered around, were completely overshadowed by the Class 2 students. 

Hu Kun stood in the center, face a little pale. 

He looked at Chen Luobai who was still warming up his wrists, "Don't go around saying I bullied you, I'll let you have the first ball, no need for a jump ball²."

Zhou Anran was standing near the front at a 45-degree angle just right outside the three-point line, and could hear the conversation clearly. 

She saw that Chen Luobai, who was standing near the centerline, had stopped turning his wrists. The wristbands, matching the color of his jersey's, covered his tiny brown mole. His eyebrows appeared to lift slightly at the remark, and his tone remained as arrogant as ever. 

"That won't be necessary, I'm afraid you might lose too badly." 

Hu Kun: "......"

Chen Luobai didn't pay any more attention to Hu Kun, he had no intention of doing the Jump Ball himself and simply gestured with his chin, "Tang Jianrui, go do the jump-ball."

The person who jumped the ball against Tang Jianrui was a tall, thin man from Class 10 wearing No.10 jersey.

As a member of class 2's sport committee, Tang Jianrui is pretty good at basketball. He held his breath and, as soon as the PE teacher, acting as a temporary referee, tossed the ball up, he leaped high and swiftly passed it to a player on his team.

The ball flew towards Zhu Ran, who jumped up to catch it.

Stood by the sidelines, Zhou Anran slowly reached into the pocket of her school uniform jacket.

No. 2 High school students are normally prohibited from bringing phones to school. 

However, the rule is not as strict for first-year students. Many of her classmates secretly bring their phones despite pretending to follow the rules.

Zhou Anran rarely brings one.

She's aware that she's not a gifted student, the reason she's able to maintain her current grades in the experimental class at No. 2 High School is all down to hard work and a fair amount of self-discipline. 

Today, however, is an exception.

But breaking the rules is still breaking the rules. She hesitated a little as everyone was concentrating on watching the game, no one had taken out their phones to take pictures or videos. 

In that moment of hesitation, Hu Kun had closed in on Zhu Ran. 

Zhu Ran was quick to react and threw the ball to Chen Luobai. 

It was Zhou Anran's first time properly watching Chen Luobai play. Seeing that the ball was in his hand, she no longer cared about the phone. Her eyes were fixed on the field, nervously held onto her phone case. She couldn't help but feel anxious for him.

After all, Hu Kun is a professional player with fast reflexes.  

Before Chen Luobai had a chance to get the ball to the three-point line, he was already swiftly blocked by Hu Kun.

The rivalry between the two is the biggest highlight of this game.

The entire crowd had their eyes glued to the two men near the three-point line at the court. 

 Zhou Anran also looked over. 

She watched as Chen Luobai effortlessly maneuvered the ball between his hips, displaying a smooth and fluid motion. Suddenly, he swiftly changed direction, appearing to charge to the right, but was promptly stopped by Hu Kun's quick reaction. 

Chen Luobai then made two more attempts to break through, but both were unsuccessful.

Zhou Anran's nervousness reached new heights, her other finger slowly tightening.

Hu Kun and Chen Luobai stood at the 45-degree angle on the other side of the three-point line, right opposite of her. Despite all the failed attempts, Zhou Anran noticed that the boy in jersey showed no signs of annoyance. However, he seemed more serious than usual, which accentuated his sharp profile. 

Zhou Anran smoothed her lips, she saw the boy in red jersey suddenly change direction again, shoulders slightly lowered, seemingly trying to make another attempt to break forward. 

And it seemed that Hu Kun had once again guessed his move.

The next second, the boy in the field suddenly raised his head and smiled at Hu Kun.

The grin mirrored the same boldness and provocation as the day he had challenged him. 

——the move was merely a deception. 

Still with a smile on his face, Chen Luobai didn't even look back as he passed the ball with his right hand. 

The ball hits the ground.

Bounced off——

And was caught firmly in Zhu Ran's hands.

Everyone's attention was on Hu Kun and Chen Luobai, no one noticed that Zhu Ran had come running up behind Chen Luobai. 

No one paid attention to Tang Jianrui who was already running towards the empty space under the basket.

But he did.

After receiving the ball from Chen Luobai, Zhu Ran swiftly passed it to Tang Jianrui, then the unguarded Tang Jianrui easily made a lay-up³. 

The entire sequence, from Chen Luobai and Hu Kun facing off at the three-point line to Zhu Ran receiving the pass and Tang Jianrui's successful lay-up, occurred within a matter of seconds.

The whole place goes quiet for a moment.

Then came ear-splitting cheers and screams.

In particular, students from class 2 were erupting in excitement. 

Huang Shujie, seated in front of Zhou Anran, put both his hands over his mouth and exclaimed loudly towards the field, "Well done, Ruirui! Ruirui, go get your revenge!"

Zhou Anran felt like her ears were going deaf from all the shouting.

But somehow, she could still perceive her own rapid heartbeat. 

She remembered, 

He had mentioned that basketball was not an individual game.

On the court, the ball has to be passed around.

While Class 10 was preparing to serve the ball from baseline, Zhu Ran smilingly approached Chen Luobai for a high five.

The boy scolded with a disgusted look on his face, "It's just a goal, what's with the fuss. Go back to defense."

But he held out his hand anyway and clapped on Zhu Ran's outstretched palm.

The high five was drowned out by the lively noise of the field.

Following class 10's serve, the ball reached Hu Kun.

As Hu Kun crossed the half-court with the ball, he was pinned down outside the three-point line by Chen Luobai and Zhu Ran, with Tang Jianrui waiting nearby on the side.

With no other options, Hu Kun had to pass the ball to the tall and skinny no.10 player from class 10.

Bao Kun immediately came to defense, and Tang Jianrui also went over to help. Faced with an attack from two sides, the boy, who was just an ordinary student, unconsciously passed the ball back.  

Chaos emerged on the court, Zhou Anran didn't know if this Class 10 player didn't pass it properly or if he was simply confused, he actually threw the ball right into Chen Luobai's arms.

Chen Luobai laughed as he took the ball, "Thanks bro."

Class 10's No.10: "......"

The entire audience: "?"

Hu Kun also seemed to be in complete disbelief.

It was only when Chen Luobai rushed forward with the ball to the frontcourt, dif Hu Kun react.

"Do you even know how to fucking play basketball?" Hu Kun shouted as he ran, "Why are you still standing there! Get back on defense, you fool."

Chen Luobai obviously intended to make a quick attack.

As soon as he reached the half court, he threw the ball to Tang Jianrui, who was closer to the basket.

But Tang Jianrui missed the shot this time.

Just then, Hu Kun was already back to defense.

Tang Jianrui picked up the ball and then threw it back to Chen Luobai near the three-point line.

Hu Kun quickly blocked Chen Luobai again.

The two seemed to be continuing the previous round of confrontation.

From the sidelines, Zhou Anran watched as the boy tried to break through twice like he did in the previous round, which also ended up in vain.

This went on until Zhu Ran somehow managed to slip out of Class 10's defense and run right next to Chen Luobai.

Chen Luobai dribbled the ball from his left hand to his right hand, mimicking a move he had done before, giving the impression that he was about to charge forward.

What happened in the previous round was still fresh in minds. 

Hu Kun unconsciously paid more attention to Zhu Ran.

At that moment, Chen Luobai suddenly passed the ball in his right hand back to his left hand——

He didn't rush forward.

Nor did he pass the ball.

Instead, he took advantage of this opportunity to step back, increasing the distance between himself and Hu Kun, then directly jumped from outside the three-point line.

The orange-red basketball arced in the air and landed into the basket.

Once again, the whole court erupted in excitement.

Huang Shujie, sitting in front of Zhou Anran, was so thrilled that he jumped out of his seat, his excitement resembling firecrackers, "Holy shit! A step-back three-point shot!!! Luo ge, you're awesome!!!!"

Amidst the cheers, Zhou Anran noticed the boy in the red jersey at the center of the court raising his hand to the sky, making a three-point gesture.

The young man's eyes were brimming with exuberant smiles, shining so brightly that he seemed to glow.

Class 2 started the game with a 5:0 victory over Class 10.

Hu Kun's expression was visibly awful.

Although he was not yet a main player, he was still an actual pro player in the school team who has undergone targeted physical training and is obviously much stronger than Chen Luobai and the rest. If they were to go head-to-head, Chen Luobai and Zhu Ran might not stand a chance against him. 

Similar to Hu Kun, Chen Luobai played as a shooting guard in class 2. Chen Luobai had a good relationship with the boys on the court and was able to control the rhythm quite well, everyone also had a mutual understanding. Hu Kun couldn't possibly defend against all five players by himself.

After the first round, the match between the two teams started to reach a stalemate.

However, since Class 2 had taken the lead at the beginning of the game, they were still six points ahead of Class 10 by the end of the first quarter.

Players from both sides left the court for a break.

Zhou Anran, along with everyone else, turned her head and saw Yin Yizhen standing in front of the water box with a big smile on her face.

After class, Zong Kai escorted her to watch the game with people from their class. Not only did she not feel awkward, she even graciously took a bottle of water out of the box and handed it to Chen Luobai, saying sweetly.

"You play much better than I thought."

Chen Luobai reached out to take the water from her hand.

Zhou Anran squeezed the phone in her school uniform pocket.

Not far away, Chen Luobai showed no expression as he tossed the water bottle in his hand and threw it to Zhu Ran, asking in an indifferent tone, "Why are you here with our class?"

As he spoke, he bent down and grabbed another bottle of water.

The smile on Yin Yizhen's face disappeared, she pursed her lips, appearing unhappy. "Didn't I tell you the other day that I would come to help distribute water?"

Chen Luobai unscrewed the water bottle without answering her question. He tilted his head slightly and took a large sip of water, his Adam's apple moving up and down as he swallowed.

Lou Yiqi, who previously said she would help with the water, remained silent throughout the whole interaction, handing the water to Tang Jianrui and the others while keeping her head down. 

Zhou Anran withdrew her eyes.

For some reason, the players from Class 10 suddenly began arguing.

The sound of the argument reached them, but since they were standing on opposite sides, they could not hear what they were arguing about, and could only see that the expressions on some of them did not look so good.  

The second quarter soon began.

Not sure if it was because of the fight during the break, but the Class 10 players, who already lacked teamwork, showed no improvement and were practically playing individually now.

Like a scattering sand⁵.

Despite Hu Kun continuing to score at the same rate, halfway through the second quarter, Class 2 had widened their lead to double digits.

Both Zhu Ran and Tang Jianrui took a break for a while.

Towards the end of the second quarter, Chen Luobai also switched places.

As this was not a formal match, the switch was not as formal. During a dead-ball⁶, Chen Luobai gestured to the referee for a replacement, and walked off the court by himself.

Zhou Anran stood outside the sideline, watching as the boy approached her side and eventually stopped in front of her.

Or rather, stopped in front of Huang Shujie.

He had played for almost the entire first half of the match, his dark hair was damp, and his exposed neck, arms and calves were covered in sweat. His warm breath reached her face due to the short distance between them. 

Zhou Anran didn't dare to look at his face, but she didn’t know where to put her eyes, in the end she could only look down, just in time to catch him extending his leg to kick Huang Shujie.

"You go."

"Me?" Huang Shujie got up from his seat, "Sure, but if I can maintain our lead, Luo ge, can you teach me how to do that step-back three-point shot?"

Chen Luobai smiled and kicked him again, "We're still in a match. Go, we can talk later." 

He sat down on Huang Shujie's little stool.

The folding stool was too low, the boy had to pitifully bend his long legs.

Without him having to ask, another substitute player beside him took the initiative to bring a bottle of water and handed it to him.

A breeze blew by.

His jersey was blown up slightly, and for a second, it seemed to brush lightly against her school uniform trousers.

Zhou Anran dared not stare at him and kept her gaze on the court.

However, she couldn't process anything that happened on the court during those few minutes of the second quarter.

At half-time, Chen Luobai still hadn't got up.

Several players from Class 2 gathered around him, those without a stool sat directly on the ground.

"What's the strategy for the second half?" Tang Jianrui asked.

Zhu Ran lifted up his shirt and wiped off his sweat, "We're already 15 points ahead, we'll win no matter how we perform in the second half." 

Chen Luobai threw his empty bottle at him, "Don't jinx it."

Zhu Ran took it with a grin, "It's called confidence, alright?"

"In the second half, Hu Kun's stamina will likely decrease, and the rest of Class 10 will only get worse than they are now," Chen Luobai continued, "Let's maintain the same pace as the first half."

Tang Jianrui glanced back, "Can it not be a mess, Hu Kun keeps acting like a jerk, who does he think he is? The people in Class 10 are probably holding back their frustration, but everyone be careful, I'm afraid Hu Kun will use dirty tricks."

Once the discussion about the tactics for the second half was finished, Zhu Ran said, "By the way, don't go anywhere after the game, let's have dinner at Qingting tonight."

Huang Shujie scowled at him, "Your treat?"

Zhu Ran: "I'm broke, it's your Luo ge's treat."

"No way, Luo ge already paid for all the drinks and snacks we bought during training these past few days."Tang Jianrui answered, "How about we split the bill tonight?"

Zhu Ran put his arm around Chen Luobai's shoulders, "Your Luo ge has a lot of money, don't worry, treating us won't make him poor."

"Get lost." Chen Luobai laughed and slapped his hand away, "I'll treat everyone, you pay for yourself." 

At the start of the second half, Zhou Anran noticed that several people on the field were using their phones to take pictures, including Yan Xingxi next to her who had her phone up.

Perhaps because the last lesson of the day was over and it was their free time, the PE teachers who were asked by Chen Luobai to referee the game pretended like they didn't see anything and were preoccupied with the game.

Zhou Anran finally took out her phone from the pocket of her school uniform.

Deep inside her heart, there was a secret that nobody knew, one that couldn't be hidden. When she started recording, she intentionally moved the camera past the others before eventually focusing on the only person she intended to capture

This way, even if Ms. He or someone else scrolled through the video on her phone in the future, it wouldn't be too obvious.

Yet, once the match started, Zhou Anran found that she often forgot to take her eyes, or rather the camera, off of him.

In one confrontation, Hu Kun's moves became noticeably harsher, he almost directly hauled Chen Luobai's hand.

Then again, it might only have looked harsher because she only has her eyes on Chen Luobai, since the PE teachers clearly didn't seem to notice anything.

Zhou Anran looked at Hu Kun's sullen expression and frowned imperceptibly when she recalled what Zong Kai and Tang Jianrui said about him playing dirty.

As anticipated, the other Class 10 players became more and more disorganized in the second half, they had almost no communication with Hu Kun. It was evident that there was conflict among them, a few individuals even seemed to have lost interest in the game and were playing very half-heartedly.

The score between the two classes continued to widen.

When the ball reached the Class 2 side again, Tang Jianrui and Zhu Ran smoothly slipped away from their defense, creating an opening for Chen Luobai, who was being guarded by Hu Kun.

Chen Luobai, of course, seized the chance and quickly jumped to shoot. 

The ball flew out of the boys' hands and smoothly entered the basket once again.

However, as Chen Luobai was in midair, Hu Kun appeared to be rushing to block him, but he was a step too late and, whether intentionally or not, stepped on the exact spot where Chen Luobai landed.

Before Zhou Anran was able to react, through the camera, she saw the boy in red jersey lose his footing and fall to the ground.

Her heart tensed.

The substitute player at the front immediately jumped from their seat.

She didn't know if it was because there were several people crowded in the same area just now, or if Hu Kun just found a good angle, the PE teacher didn't notice any foul play.

No whistle was blown for the moment.

Zhu Ran pulled Chen Luobai up with a sour face.

Chen Luobai stood up and moved his ankle, he seemed to find no apparent injury.

Zhou Anran felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Zhu Ran, not sure if he had seen something, released Chen Luobai's wrist and immediately charged towards Hu Kun.

This was the first time Zhou Anran had seen Zhu Ran so angry.

In the second half of the match, the two classes switched sides, Class 2 was now playing on the opposite end of the court. From a distance, Zhu Ran's angry voice could be heard clearly. 

"You motherfuckers, Hu Kun, you fucking dare do such filthy move in front of me."

Hu Kun looked much calmer in comparison, but his face was still just as sullen, "What filthy move, how can you accuse me without any proof?"

Zhou Anran was so worried just now, when she heard these words, the fingertips holding the phone twitched.

Her foot unconsciously took a step forward, but Yin Yizhen's voice suddenly came from nearby.

"What's going on, I'll go check."

Yin Yizhen sounded like she was going to rush towards the field.

Not even two steps away, she was pulled back by Zong Kai with a complicated expression in his face.

Zhou Anran couldn't quite hear what Zong Kai said, she only saw Yin Yizhen pull her feet back while pursing her lips.

Time is pressing. A lot of things raced through her mind at once, yet at the same time, nothing seemed to get through. She simply turned sideways, stuffed the phone in her hand into the pocket of Yan Xingxi's school uniform and leaned in closer to her ear.

The situation on the field was still chaotic.

Hearing Hu Kun's words, Zhu Ran was bursting with anger, he raised his fist right then and there, "My freaking eyes are the proof." 

However, before he could throw a punch, Chen Luobai intervened and stopped him.

One of the PE teachers just happened to come over at this time, "What are you doing? Are you guys playing or fighting? If you want to fight, I don't think this match can continue."

Chen Luobai pulled Zhu Ran behind him, "Fighting? No way. Teacher Zhao, we're having a friendly exchange."

Teacher Zhao: "......"

Teacher Zhao was class 2's physical education teacher, even though he was already familiar with them and understood his personality, his ability to tell lies without batting an eyelid almost made him laugh in anger.

Zhu Ran knew that he couldn't fight in front of the teacher, so he forced himself to control his anger and explained, "Teacher Zhao, he just undercut⁷ Chen Luobai's foot."

Teacher Zhu frowned.

They really hadn't seen any foul play just now.

Hu Kun retorted, "Teacher Zhao, I didn't even touch him just now. Things like landing on the wrong feet happen all the time. But Zhu Ran wrongly accused and cursed me in front of everyone, he even tried to hit me. Teacher Zhao, even if it didn't escalate to violence, shouldn't you at least give him a T⁸?"

Zhu Ran's anger, which had just been suppressed, immediately resurfaced. "You obviously—" 

"Zhu Ran." Chen Luobai interrupted him, "Calm down, he's deliberately trying to provoke you."

Teacher Zhao looked at Zhu Ran.

What Hu Kun said was indeed true. Even though he was the PE teacher of Class 2 and was fond of Zhu Ran, he shouldn't show bias in a situation like this.

Teacher Zhao reached for the whistle on his chest, intending to give Zhu Ran a technical foul. However, before he could blow the whistle, he heard a sharp whistle coming from somewhere else. 

Almost everyone on the field turned their heads simultaneously towards the source of the sound. 

The whistle was blown by the PE teacher of Class 10, who was standing on the sidelines, gesturing with both hands raised, "Class 10, No. 4, personal foul⁹."

Class 10, No. 4 is Hu Kun.

Hu Kun was taken aback, "Teacher Li, I didn't do anything, what personal foul did I do?"

Teacher Li put his hands down and frowned at him, "Some students recorded you undercut his feet just now."

Hu Kun was even more perplexed.

Just now, he did the move very stealthily, believing that nobody would notice. Although there were a few people holding phones in the field, the majority of them were girls, who ought to film Chen Luobai's face. He assumed that none of them would understand basketball, and even if they were filming, they wouldn't focus on their foot.

That's why he was so confident.

But suddenly, things took an unexpected turn.

Even Chen Luobai was slightly taken aback.

Zhu Ran felt the anger in his chest instantly dissipate as he looked at Hu Kun's displeased expression, he happily said, "Which heroes captured this?" 

Tang Jianrui, who had hurried over to their side to stop the fight, looked over to Teacher Li's side at this word, "The girl standing next to Teacher Li, she seems to be from our class, I think her name is Yan Xingxi?"

"Female Hero Yan, thank you!" Zhu Ran shouted towards the sidelines, then turned Teacher Zhao again, "Teacher Zhao, you see, I really didn't accuse him wrongly. You know how dangerous a move like an undercut can be. It's fortunate that AhLuo didn't get injured today."

Teacher Zhao lowered the whistle in his mouth, looked at Hu Kun, spoke in a stern voice, "Students play basketball to exercise and relax. Don't do any inappropriate behavior on the court."

Hu Kun's expression changed slightly, he took a moment before replied, "Teacher Zhao, I really wasn't paying attention just now. You know that clashes and collisions are inevitable in the field. Maybe I wasn't paying attention when I was defending against him. I'm sorry, Chen Luobai." 

Chen Luobai smiled and glanced at him, "It's alright."

The moment Zhu Ran heard Hu Kun say that, his anger returned, but when he saw that the young master next to him was smiling, he felt that it might have put Hu Kun in anguish. 

But before Zhu Ran could witness Chen Luobai giving Hu Kun a hard time, he heard the girl from their class named Yan Xingxi suddenly ask teacher Li loudly. 

"Teacher Li, are all moves that target players instead of the ball considered fouls? And what happens if a player commits two fouls in one game? Will they be kicked out of the field?"

Teacher Li nodded his head.

Yan Xingxi looked towards the field and raised her voice, as if she wanted someone to hear, "Alright then, don't worry. We'll continue to keep an eye on the field and let you know immediately if anyone tries such a trick again." 

Zhu Ran was overjoyed when he took a look at Hu Kun, who was already looking very pale, "As expected of girls from our class!"

Chen Luobai glanced to the side before slowly averting his gaze.

_______

¹: A shot clock is a countdown timer proving a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal.

²:A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in basketball. 

³:A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below.

⁴: One of positions in basketball who's main objective is to score points for their team and steal the ball on defense.   

⁵:Lacking cohesion or organization. 

⁶:Dead ball is a term in which the ball is deemed temporarily not playable.      

⁷:A situation when the opposite team takes out the legs of a player who is about to make a shot mid-air, leaving the player defenseless and unable to land on his or her feet.

⁸: a technical foul, a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play. 

⁹: a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent.