CHAPTER 513: CHAPTER 310: JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL

At the Beijing Ren Da large sports field, the Economics department is having a basketball game against the Journalism department. The first half ended in a tie, and the scores are still tightly contested in the second half. With only one minute left, the scores are tied once again, and it seems that overtime is inevitable.

A robust male student about 189 cm tall seizes the opportunity to break free from the Economics department defenders and charges toward the basket. Catching sight of a figure darting diagonally at the corner of his eye, he makes a sudden stop, feints a jump, then suddenly feels his hand lighten, "Zhan Ping!" With that shout, a handsome male student about 183 cm tall quickly jumps to catch the ball and scores with a layup!

"Thump... thump... thump..." The basketball casually bounces inside the hoop, signaling the end of the game, and the Economics department players joyfully embrace each other!

The captain of the Journalism department, Sun Linjian—the robust male student who lost the ball—reluctantly picks up the basketball, dribbling it quickly in front of him, then behind his back, and between his legs... This is the tradition—the losing side has to perform fancy basketball tricks.

"Sun Linjian, no cheating!"

"Exactly! Exactly! Still three minutes to go."

"..."

After stopping his movements, Sun Linjian finds the scene has turned chaotic, as the crowd of students surrounding him protests his attempt to brush the matter off.

"Old Sun, cheating is not what a man should do!"

"That’s right, losers accept their punishment!"

"..."

The Economics department players join in the teasing and making a scene.

Sun Linjian angrily points at a few of them: "Just you wait, who wins and who loses next time is not yet decided." Helpless, he can only continue performing tricks with a grumbling mood.

Yu Dongqi (the student who made the pass) drapes his arm around Zhan Ping (the student who scored), eyes squinting: "Zhan Ping, remember what we agreed upon, whoever dodges tonight’s celebration will fail the exam! And keep failing!"

"Dongqi, isn’t that a bit too harsh?" Zhan Ping punches the other in discontent: "Alright then, I’ll treat you guys to Xiao Shaoxing tonight!"

"Boss, boss, is the sun rising from the west today? Not only are you partaking, but you’re also footing the bill? And in such a fancy place, no less?" The speaker is the guard Wang Miao, about 170 cm tall, known for compensating his lack of height with his sharp tongue—good at throwing verbal jabs.

Zhan Ping stretches out his leg and kicks him: "You’re the least reliable, if it weren’t for Dongqi’s quick thinking, I’d be the one standing in the center of the court dribbling the ball right now."

"Do we get a share of the treat?" Two girls, one plump and one slim, chime in: "We might not have contributed much but we’ve worked hard, cheering until our throats went hoarse!"

Yu Dongqi performs a gentlemanly gesture: "Of course, how could we not invite old classmates? But, could you bring along a few more girls?"

The plump girl sizes him up: "Yu Dongqi, look at you, skinny as a pole, with your bushy eyebrows, delicate eyes and a gourd-shaped face—no matter how many girls come, you’re not going to have a chance!"

Yu Dongqi shoots her a glance: "Li Xueqin, I wanted to make it lively by having more people around, I’m not trying to play any particular scene with anyone, so if it works out, fine, if not, forget it. Is there pleasure in insulting people?"

The plump girl nods briskly: "No problem, our whole dorm crew will show up, everyone will surely agree, free food is free food after all!"

Yu Dongqi pats Zhan Ping on the shoulder: "Zhan Ping, how about I pay for half?"

Zhan Ping takes a look at him, wiping the sweat off his face: "I wouldn’t mind if you paid for it all."

"No way, we can’t let off a miser plucking feathers just this once, can we?" Yu Dongqi shakes his head repeatedly: "Today, you just accept it."

"Zhan Ping, please proceed immediately to the meeting room 106 on the east second floor, Zhan Ping, please proceed immediately to the meeting room 106 on the east second floor..."

Listening to the broadcast that repeats over and over on the loudspeaker, Yu Dongqi’s eyes crinkle with a mischievous smile: "Old Zhan, could it be that Miao Lin is tricking you?"

The Miao Lin he’s referring to is the sweet female voice on the broadcast, the number one campus beauty at Ren Da, also part of the 99 cohort, a high-achieving student from the Journalism department, she was in the same high school class as Zhan Ping and followed him to this university.

"You think the broadcasting room is her family’s property?" Zhan Ping looks at his soaked clothes, hesitates for a moment: "Forget it, such a rush, not changing."

"The scent of your sweat might be an extra delight for Miao the beauty," Yu Dongqi laughs, Zhan Ping kicks him and quickly runs towards the meeting room.

"Whoa! Boss, no need to rush like that, Miao the beauty will wait patiently!" Everyone knows about Miao Lin’s crush on Zhan Ping, it’s no secret in the school, Wang Miao also eggs on without reservations, meanwhile lifting his own shirt to smell himself, grimacing and waving his nose: "Only a ghost would like this stench."

"You got it, only a ghost would like the smell coming off you!" The plump girl Li Xueqin firmly stomps on him and leaves with her friend.

"Hey? Why stomp on me? She pissed off or what?" Wang Miao is baffled, poking Yu Dongqi: "What’s her problem?"