CHAPTER 25

I have no idea who joined Gui Shang’s squad, but they must be prisoners in Gui Shang’s building. Despite the fact that the two guys look to be considerably less intimidating than the opposing team’s Gu Yan and Tian Hai, when Gui Shang rises up, their entire aura is enough to match Gu Yan and Tianhai.

In terms of basketball skills, the two teams appear to be on equal footing. The chemistry between Gu Yan and Tian Hai is astounding. In comparison, although the other two prisoners in Gui Shang’s team have no skills to speak of, their team scored a lot of points by relying solely on Gui Shang.

Someone starts betting on the sidelines while the court is filled with cheering noises. I am not sure what their gambling agreement is, and I have no interest in finding out, but I have a feeling it’s not legal.

I return my gaze back on the field just in time to see Gu Yan leap and throw the ball with grace. With a swoosh, the ball shoots into the net. It is a three-point shot. Immediately, some prisoners burst into thunderous cheers, while others erupted in a sour expression laced with profanities.

I watch as the ball bounces about on the ground before rolling back to Gu Yan’s feet. I instinctively raise my eyes to his face as he picks up the ball, but my sight chances to encounter Gu Yan’s smiling face.

He turns to face me, and the corners of his lips lift a few degrees. My pulse races as I flusteredly avert my gaze, calmly shifting my sight back to the crowd and refusing to indirectly admit to Gu Yan that I had indeed spotted him just now.

My eyes wander aimlessly, but I do notice a certain person within the audience. With his short yellow hair and attractive youthful face, it’s the young man I met on my first day in the Absolute Wing Hall── Josh.

Josh is quietly seated on the sidelines, his right foot still covered in bandages. His injury doesn’t appear to have entirely healed.

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“My apologies, but thank you. I guess I do kinda need it.” I give Cang Wu an apologetic smile.

“Did you not sleep well last night?” Cang Wu leans alongside me, his arms across his chest, his back against the wall in the same posture as mine.

“Ah… Well, sort of…” I don’t know how to answer this awkward question, so I casually dodge it. Cang Wu seems to be aware of what I am embarrassed about. He no longer responds to our conversation and simply stares in front of us, where the game is playing in full swing.

Cang Wu is a man of few words, yet he has an extraordinary disposition. Even if he stands passively and someone approaches him, he only responds briefly with two or three phrases. On the other hand, being alone with him in mutual silence doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. I get along with him pretty well. In fact, most of the time that we’re together is spent in silence. But I do not particularly feel awkward. Rather, I feel completely at ease in his presence.

Perhaps, it’s also because I am not a very talkative person. Cangwu and I have certain qualities in common. That’s what I believe, yet Cang Wu’s demeanor strikes me as far more steadfast than mine.

“Ye ShiJiu,” Cang Wu calls out to me.

“Hmm?” I respond as I sip the coffee.

I’m not sure if the sun rose from the west today. But, for the first time in a long time, Cang Wu himself takes the initiative to start a conversation. “I think you have a very special personality.”

“Ah?” I accidentally drink a bit too much coffee, and the hot, smoky liquid burns my tongue. Its stinging feeling causes my eyes to tear up, so I softly exhale twice and try not to make a single sound, hoping to keep Cang Wu from detecting my odd state.

“I feel quite at ease with you.” Unconsciously, a grin appears on my face as Cang Wu expresses his feelings towards me.

“I think so too.” I giggle a few times.

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m at ease around you as well.” I respond to him.

When he hears my answer, Cang Wu’s poker face freezes for a moment, and then a small, puffy flush gradually appears. I can’t help but crack a genuine smile as I see him turn his head away with a flustered look.

He obviously said it first, so why is it that he is the one who shies away in the end?

I grin from ear to ear as I take two more sips of coffee. Cang Wu is such a lovely person.

“What are you two doing here hiding?” Teal’s petite body suddenly emerges from behind the wall pillar. He grabs my hand while his big, round grayish-green eyes stare at the thermos cup I am holding. And then, the next moment, he wrinkles his gorgeous eyebrows. “Ah! What a scam! I want to drink some good stuff too!”

“Hey!” Before I could stop him, Teal already snatches the cup and immediately takes a big gulp.

As a result, his retribution comes immediately…

“It’s hot! And bitter!” Teal’s bright little face scrunches up and tears stream down his cheeks as he fans his scorching tongue with his hand.

“Idiot Teal, who told you to grab someone else’s drink?” Yaren slowly appears beside Teal. As soon as he arrives, he takes advantage of his height and deliberately puts his elbow against Teal’s light brown head.

Although Yaren has said so, he himself grabs the cup and quickly takes a few sips from it.

Yaren and Teal’s personalities are similar in some ways. They are, however, one of the few personalities that I find difficult to interact with. Although spending time with them is not unpleasant, occasionally, it is inevitable for me to suffer some repetitive losses. For example, every time I eat with Teal, my meal is almost equivalent to a vegetarian meal. If I have something on my plate that Teal likes to eat, he’ll devour it all.

“Yaren!” Teal furiously smacks Yaren’s hand away but the latter swiftly leans back onto Teal’s light coffee-colored head.

“Oops, let me lean on you. Xue Luoyi called me earlier, and I had just finished a stack of paperwork. Now I’m extremely tired to death!” Yaren rants in a lousy mood and slurps down the coffee that should have belonged to me.

I let out a soft sigh. Looks like that cup of coffee will no longer see the light before it even comes back to my hands. Although I still have a little craving and miss the smell of coffee, I am no match to Yaren’s greediness.

“By the way, how come so many people are gathered on the basketball court?” Yaren’s eyes narrow slightly.

“Maybe it’s because there are kings playing on the court?” I respond to him, noticing that Cang Wu has been staring intently at the field as if waiting for something.

“King? Is Gui Shang in there?” Yaren’s spirit suddenly burst into life, leaving no trace of his earlier weariness.

“Yeah.”

“What! Why didn’t you say this earlier! Is Gui Shang still playing?” Yaren shoves the thermos cup back into my hand, which only has a half cup of coffee remaining.

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

Yaren scans the basketball court for Gui Shang, and as soon as he catches sight of him, he rushes up like a fired rocket, squeezing himself into the sea of prisoners swarming around the court. And from the sidelines, he cheers and yells loudly for Gui Shang, exactly like a small girl rooting for her sweetheart. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm merely causes Gui Shang, who is ready to throw the ball, to slip his hand, and the ball ends up snatched away by Gu Yan.

“Ouch, that Gui-Shang-stalker only knows Gui Shang and forgets about his buddies whenever he spots him.” Teal pouts his mouth and sighs exaggeratedly on the side.

Meanwhile, on the court, after he has taken the ball away, Gu Yan hits another three-point shot just before the game takes a brief break. And Cang Wu, who has been silently watching from the side, finally moves.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

Cang Wu, who is about to walk to the court, comes to a halt and turns his head to face me, only to shake the bottled water in his hand before walking away again.

“Cang Wu is bringing water to Tian Hai,” Teal explains to me.