Dou Changxiao had been extremely busy these past two weeks. He spent his days interning at the hospital and returned to campus each evening to continue pouring time into his studies. This period coincided with a heavy workload from the research group he was assigned to, with several tasks piling up simultaneously. Though he didn’t feel exhausted, he simply had no time left to spare for anything else.

Dou Changxiao found this arrangement quite satisfactory.

He forced himself to avoid even the brief moments of mental relaxation before sleep to think about anything related to Ning Zhu. He ruthlessly convinced himself that as long as he ignored it, gradually, with the passage of time and without nourishment, those newly sprouted feelings would wither and dry up without a trace.

Those tender threads of affection, before they could even taste their own flavor, deserved careful nurturing and nourishment. Instead, they were cruelly cast aside into a corner.

Half a month passed, and it seemed to be working.

On the day of the school anniversary, Dou Changxiao happened to be off duty for his internship, and many tasks had conveniently wrapped up. Unwilling to idle, he still packed his schedule full. However, all deadline-driven tasks had been completed long ago, leaving only less urgent work.

Before lunch, Cheng Yang messaged him, asking if Dou Changxiao could step in to help out during the afternoon. Cheng Yang had signed up for a basketball tournament recently, but right before the game, two teammates suddenly got tied up with other commitments and couldn’t make it. That’s when he thought of Dou Changxiao.

A basketball game only lasted about forty minutes with four quarters, and even with breaks, it wouldn’t take too long. Dou Changxiao pushed his current tasks back temporarily and headed over to fill in.

Dou Changxiao arrived right on time. As soon as he showed up, the team’s power forward breathed a sigh of relief and immediately thanked him.

To avoid overlapping with the afternoon school anniversary celebration, the game started earlier than the ceremony. Organized by the school basketball club, the event wasn’t strictly official. Still, prior promotion across campus forums and social media drew a decent crowd of students as spectators. The game was held on an outdoor court. Inside, volunteers handed out water and reserve players warmed up, while most spectators crowded against the perimeter fence.

The opposing team included three or four Alphas with particularly imposing physiques. Sitting in the front row of the bench area, Dou Changxiao glanced over upon arrival but said nothing. Cheng Yang leaned in and muttered a curse under his breath, “You noticed too, right? Fuck, those overachievers from the Computer Science Department. To boost their comprehensive assessment scores for the tournament, they pulled several players from the varsity team. Those sitting in the front row—I swear the guy in the middle must be over two meters tall!“

Dou Changxiao showed little reaction, merely uttering a faint ”Hmm.”

“Let’s just give it our best shot. Losing won’t be a disgrace,” their power forward chuckled, feigning nonchalance as he anticipated being dominated. “After the game, we should head to the school anniversary celebration early. If we’re late, the auditorium will be packed, and we’ll be stuck watching the livestream online.”

Dou Changxiao: “…”

Soon, the referee signaled for both teams to take the court.

The power forward’s assessment was off. While their team’s overall strength fell short of the opposition, Dou Changxiao’s explosiveness, stamina, and ball-handling skills far surpassed those of the opposing school team’s Alphas. With him controlling the tempo and orchestrating both offense and defense, his teammates found it much easier to execute plays. Add to that Cheng Yang and the point guard’s solid skills, and by the end of the first two quarters of the four-quarter game, their team’s score was surprisingly neck-and-neck with the opponents, even holding a slight two-point lead.

During the break between the second and third quarters, the crowd outside the perimeter fence visibly swelled.

Cheng Yang walked over to Dou Changxiao, tossed him a bottle of water, glanced around, and remarked, “You’re really popular. More so than those guys from the opposing school teams.”

Dou Changxiao: “What?”

Cheng Yang: “At least a third of the crowd outside the fence came to watch you play.”

Dou Changxiao seemed distracted, responding half-heartedly, “Oh?”

Cheng Yang: “…”

He wisely dropped the topic, not wanting to get annoyed by Dou Changxiao’s lukewarm attitude.

“The next two quarters are going to be tough,” he remarked, frowning at the opposing team huddled together strategizing. “Especially for you—they’ll definitely double-team you, making scoring difficult. If you can’t break through, focus on passing and receiving. Our team needs to play together.”

Cheng Yang’s passing skills were polished. Dou Changxiao understood this and simply nodded.

As expected, after the opposing team adjusted their tactics, the third quarter proved significantly tougher. They fell behind by three points. Entering the final quarter, the entire team stepped up their game.

Dou Changxiao dribbled with tight defense. He spun past one defender with a one-handed crossover, only to be double-teamed by two Alphas.

Cheng Yang watched him from behind the defenders, while another teammate positioned himself perfectly for a pick-and-roll play.

Dou Changxiao assessed the situation in a glance. Passing to Cheng Yang for a pick-and-roll cut was the optimal solution.

He shoulder-dribbled, but just before passing to Cheng Yang, a black figure outside the perimeter caught his eye unexpectedly.

“…” The instant their eyes met, Dou Changxiao’s passing motion was abruptly halted as he lowered his center of gravity.

He crouched, gathering power, his explosiveness surging to its peak—

A quick step to the side, a rapid drive, and he blew past two defenders!

The opposing guard rushed to intercept, but the player’s body control was terrifyingly precise. After accelerating through the drive, he came to an abrupt halt and launched a jump shot!

The ball arced beautifully through the air, finding the basket dead center.

A stunning three-pointer.

The instant the ball swished through, a thunderous roar erupted from beyond the perimeter net.

Dou Changxiao: “…”

The game continued, but Dou Changxiao didn’t glance in that figure’s direction again.

Hot blood surged through his limbs. Amidst the chaotic cheers outside the court, only one thought remained abnormally clear and cold in Dou Changxiao’s mind—

I really am sick!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The whistle blew. Game over.

Dou Changxiao’s team had pulled off an incredible comeback in the final quarter, scoring multiple points to secure the win.

The power forward was in a daze after leaving the court. Approaching Dou Changxiao before catching his breath, he shouted his praise without restraint: “Bro, you were on fire out there!!”

Dou Changxiao: “…It was fine. No different from the first three quarters.”

Other teammates gathered around, echoing the power forward’s reaction: “Damn, bro! That fake move before you blew past the defender? So damn convincing! I genuinely thought you were passing to Cheng Yang!”

Cheng Yang grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the back, shot Dou Changxiao a slightly complicated look, but didn’t say anything.

After the group finished showering him with flattery, they left the court reluctantly, still buzzing with excitement.

A small group remained outside the perimeter net, seemingly still caught up in the intensity and brilliance of the game they’d just witnessed.

Dou Changxiao took a couple sips of water, calming himself for a moment before turning to glance in the direction he’d been looking earlier.

The dark figure was gone.

He didn’t know when they’d left.

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Cheng Yang approached with his water bottle. “Just now…”

He hesitated, uttering a few words before falling silent.

Dou Changxiao glanced at him. “What?”

Cheng Yang held back for a few seconds before blurting out, “Who were you showing off for just now?”

“……”

“Don’t think you can fool me by staying silent. Your game in the last quarter was totally different. That pass earlier was meant for me, right?” Cheng Yang chuckled, his ambiguous smile tinged with gossipy mischief. “Come on, tell me—who was it for?”

Dou Changxiao replied coldly, “No one.”

Cheng Yang froze, then his eyes widened in shock, glowing like light bulbs even in broad daylight.

Damn… this guy really was showing off!

Otherwise, given his logic, he would’ve denied “showing off” first, not “who it was for.”

His interest immediately piqued: “Don’t be like that! Your buddy here has plenty of experience chasing people. Give me a year max, and I guarantee I’ll help you land that Omega.”

Dou Changxiao: “…Get lost.”

Cheng Yang glanced at Dou Changxiao’s displeased expression, realizing the other was clearly annoyed. He wisely dropped the subject.

He just silently grumbled to himself: Is it really necessary? With this guy’s credentials, to put it bluntly, forget about pursuing someone—even poaching them would be a breeze…

Just then, Fang Huaixin, who had been watching their match from outside the net, approached.

“Hey, hey, I don’t smell sweaty, do I? I want to sit next to Huaixin later.” Cheng Yang hurriedly raised his arm to sniff himself.

Dou Changxiao didn’t respond.

Fang Huaixin approached and greeted him, asking, ”Senior Dou, are you heading to the auditorium? If so, we can go together. I heard Mr. Ning might be giving a speech. Are you going to see it?“

Dou Changxiao: ”…”

His silence stretched on a bit too long.

Cheng Yang: “…”

Hello? Are you even alive?

Dou Changxiao: “Not going.”

Cheng Yang: “.”

Fine, not going. But why the long pause? Wasting my time.

…Wait.

A sudden thought struck him: “Could it be that the person you’re showing off for is in the auditorium?”

Fang Huaixin let out a puzzled ‘Ah’ and looked at Dou Changxiao in surprise.

Dou Changxiao: “…”

Cheng Yang: “Alright, I was just joking.”

“But you don’t have anything else to do later, right?” Cheng Yang nudged him. “Today’s our school’s once-in-a-decade celebration. You won’t get another chance like this in grad school. It’d be such a waste to miss it.”

Dou Changxiao fell silent.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Ning Zhu only lingered outside the court for a few minutes.

He had promised Dou Changxiao he wouldn’t bother him anymore, so upon hearing the game whistle, he left with the crowd.

Though he’d only watched a few minutes of the game, the infectious excitement seemed to surge through Ning Zhu’s veins. Especially that kid…

Ning Zhu thought of the Alpha who was quiet and reserved in his presence, yet on the court, he was flamboyant and dazzling—a contrast so striking it was impossible to look away.

He’d been so stunned he couldn’t speak. He even felt the passion he’d lost for basketball reignite within him.

He decided he’d call Ji Chi and Cheng Li in a couple days to set up a game, and invite Xiao Tao along too.

Ning Zhu’s mind wandered the whole way. Upon reaching the auditorium, he spotted a familiar silhouette in the front row. Snapping back to reality, he called out, “Tingfeng!”

Wei Tingfeng turned at the sound. He was also on leave today and had come to visit his alma mater for its anniversary.

Wei Tingfeng sat in the aisle seat, and Ning Zhu walked over, standing beside him.

“It’s been over a month since your last heat cycle,” Wei Tingfeng reminded him. “Don’t forget to go back to the hospital for another checkup soon.”

The glandular examination process was quite cumbersome. Ning Zhu had to make the trip himself each time. Having endured these tedious, complicated procedures for years, he became hypersensitive to the word “checkup.”

Ning Zhu sighed helplessly. “Seriously, do you have to be this dedicated? Even after work, you can’t stop discussing patient conditions with them.”

Wei Tingfeng retorted, “Who’s forcing me? Better me reminding you a couple extra times than having you pass out on the street and get hauled in by ambulance. That’d save everyone a lot of trouble.”

“Sigh, fine,” Ning Zhu chuckled. “How busy has the department been lately?”

“Not too bad. We got a few interns in the past couple weeks. One particularly outstanding junior is shadowing me and has been a huge help. But starting next week, they’ll be rotating to other departments.” Wei Tingfeng, who was mentoring interns for the first time, added with a hint of wistfulness, “I’ll actually miss them when they leave.”

After chatting for a while, a girl needed to pass in front of Wei Tingfeng. Ning Zhuo shifted aside to let her through. Seeing the auditorium seats were already more than half full, he didn’t continue the conversation with Wei Tingfeng. Instead, he turned and walked forward to find his own seat.