Qin Xing and Huang Xiaoman didn't know much about basketball. Their knowledge was limited to a few famous NBA superstars.
So, in their article, they wrote: "Jack Su, a son of thunder from the great river and the untamed wilds. He possesses peerless strength and an explosive force that can tear opponents apart in an instant. He dunks effortlessly above the rim, soaring and gliding like Vince Carter. He is an even more undetectable UFO."
"...He is the avatar of Allen Iverson; when he starts to move, he leaves time itself behind. Even if Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant stood before him, it is he who would be hailed as invincible!"
"And as for the distant Michael Jordan, he's probably breathing a sigh of relief that he retired early. This is why Carmeron Anthony, the number one high school player in the nation, respectfully calls Jack 'lil-goat'."
The accompanying photo showed Carmeron Anthony lying with his head on Su Xi's lap, looking up at him with an expression of pure adoration.
Qin Xing had a knack for photography; his composition and angles were perfect. Su Xi looked dominant, while Antonio appeared coy.
Qin Xing was very pleased with his photo, and Huang Xiaoman was very pleased with her writing.
But what they got was an onslaught of ridicule.
"OMG, is someone actually hyping up some nobody who never even made a name for himself in the high school leagues? If he were really that good, you'd be seeing his name in Sports Illustrated, not Carmeron Anthony on the cover!"
"I bet this Jack Su guy came here to hype himself up. He's gonna get what's coming to him. That yellow-skinned dude can't even beat our backup guard, Tinsley, let alone our superstar guard, Rod!"
"Hey, to the guy above. Don't go scaring this scrawny yellow-skinned kid with Horror Rod. He'll get smashed to pieces."
"If this guy scores 10 points in this game, I'll go to the gym, get on my knees, and personally kiss his toes."
"You're being too harsh. 10 points? Carmeron Anthony might not even score 10 against Georgetown's defense. If this guy even gets playing time, I'll call him the God of Basketball!"
"Bros, I did some digging. This guy got in through the back door. He's a high school classmate of Scott's. Another one of their high school classmates, Reggie Williams, brought him onto the team. He's going to be cut soon; this is all just a smokescreen to try and stay on the roster."
"I guarantee this guy gets cut before the tournament. If they even make it to the tournament, that is."
"..."
And these were the milder comments. They didn't even read out the uglier, more profane ones.
"I think this might have backfired," Qin Xing said.
"Uh..."
Huang Xiaoman also realized that her good intentions had completely backfired.
She quickly asked, "Are they about to leave for Georgetown University?"
...
Huang Xiaoman caught Su Xi just before the Syracuse University Orange Team's bus departed. She confessed everything, telling him the whole story from beginning to end. When she finished, she hung her head in shame.
She expected Su Xi to fly into a rage.
But after listening, Su Xi remained perfectly calm. He said, "Thank you for helping me."
He didn't blame her.
His eyes were calm.
He wasn't the least bit concerned about what kind of trouble he would face at Georgetown.
In fact, deep down, he even thought that what Huang Xiaoman had written wasn't wrong.
'Because ultimately, I am destined to become that kind of super-dominant force in the basketball world.'
Just then, the team's guard, Josh Peis, walked over. He was a playboy, and he whistled at Huang Xiaoman. "Hey, it's a pleasure to meet you, sweet thing. Any chance I could invite you to have dinner with a starting guard for the Orange Team?"
"Stay away from her. She's my... friend."
Su Xi subconsciously shielded Huang Xiaoman, glaring at the team veteran. He didn't want this playboy getting his claws into Huang Xiaoman.
Josh Peis felt humiliated. He stared at Su Xi. 'Why are you ruining my fun?'
Su Xi stared right back at him, his eyes filled with warning and contempt.
It looked like they were about to come to blows.
Not until Carmeron Anthony walked over did Josh Peis wisely take his leave.
"Is this your girlfriend, Jack?" Antonio was all smiles. He extended a hand. "You're really beautiful. I'm Cameron, Jack's teammate. We're best friends; Gerry McNamara is only number two. What's your name?"
Huang Xiaoman was overjoyed. She reached out and shook Antonio's hand, saying, "You can call me Lucy. Lucy Huang!"
"Hello, Lucy. I have a feeling I'll be at your wedding," Carmeron Anthony said, in his usual tone.
This made Huang Xiaoman even happier.
Su Xi and Huang Xiaoman exchanged a few more words. He told her to be safe and not to worry about what happened.
Although there were no intimate words exchanged, Huang Xiaoman was so happy she was about to jump for joy. If she had nine tails, they would surely be wagging with delight.
She was in high spirits.
'He didn't even blame me; he actually thanked me for helping. And he stood up for me against that teammate who was hitting on me. He must have been bursting with jealousy. What a possessive, aloof boy he is.'
On the way back to her dorm, Huang Xiaoman skipped and hopped, her heart fluttering like a schoolgirl's.
On the bus, Carmeron Anthony sat with Su Xi and said, "That girl from before was really something—top-tier body, face of an angel. If she weren't your girlfriend, I would definitely make a move on her. You know, no woman can resist my romantic offensive."
"Your romantic offensive? Isn't that just walking up to a girl and saying, 'Hey, that's right, I'm Carmeron Anthony, the guy Sports Illustrated named the best high school player in the nation. Wanna go on a date?'" McNamara roasted him from the side.
The three of them always sat together.
"Is that not enough?" Carmeron Anthony said. "You have no idea how little resistance girls have to that line."
"They just want to get their hooks into a future NBA star early," McNamara said. "You only attract easy-girl."
"Yeah, you're right. But that doesn't matter to me at all. As long as she's good-looking and can keep up with my moves, that's all I need." Sweet Melon had his own logic.
Su Xi usually didn't participate in these kinds of conversations. It wasn't that he was a moral purist.
Right now, he was just wondering if Huang Xiaoman had made it back to her dorm safely.
Then, his thoughts shifted... 'Does Georgetown University have any talented guards? Now that Huang Xiaoman has drawn all this hate towards me, will their players target me even more?'
'If they go all out against me, my talents should integrate faster, right?'
Su Xi was now filled with anticipation for the upcoming game.
...
Josh Peis sat at the front; he had his own circle.
He and Carl Joseph, who had been 'eliminated' by Su Xi, were from the same high school, which was why he had always hated Su Xi. Sitting with him were another guard, Kusduan, and the center, Craig Fos.
Josh Peis was a sophomore. Last season, he had been Reggie Williams's primary backup. This season, he was supposed to become the starting shooting guard, a role he was eagerly anticipating.
Kusduan was a senior. He was the sixth man last season, a combo guard. He understood Jim Boham's tactics better than anyone. Though his talent was average, he could always execute the head coach's vision and act as a steadying presence for the team. Sometimes, he even acted as the team's drill captain, leading some training exercises in the coach's stead.
Craig Fos was a junior and the team's starting center.
The three of them were close and often hung out together. They weren't particularly fond of the two new five-star high school students on the team, but they didn't want to get on their bad side either. However, their impression of Su Xi was very poor; they believed that last season he had latched onto Reggie Williams, and this season he had moved on to latching onto Carmeron Anthony.
They had even decided that as soon as Carmeron Anthony left for the NBA draft next season, they would work together to push this guy off the team.
They couldn't let a sycophant like him take up the school's resources.
Just then, as the bus pulled onto the smooth highway, Coach Jim Boham announced the starting lineup: Gerry McNamara, Jack Su, Carmeron Anthony, Hakim Warrick, and Craig Fos.
The moment the list was announced, the bus erupted with a mix of uproar and cheers.
The uproar came from the players at the front.
The cheers came from Cameron and McNamara.
Su Xi, on the other hand, was a little surprised.
He had been worried about whether he'd even get to play in this game, and then Jim gave him a surprise: a starting spot.
He looked up and saw Josh Peis glaring at him with hateful eyes. Peis felt he'd been robbed, that Su Xi had used despicable means to steal his starting position.
Starting players received a higher bonus allowance than substitutes and could charge more on their meal cards at the cafeteria.
Su Xi met Josh Peis's resentful gaze directly. He didn't flinch, show no unease, no pity, and no triumph.
There was only the glimmer of a powerful inner strength.
'Whether you live or die, what has it to do with me?'