Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 126 Who does Zhao Menghua think he is! (743)

What do you mean by "the indoor electronic basketball court has been booked out"?

Zhao Menghua frowned slightly. He had made an appointment with a friend. This was related to his future "plans," but now it had been thwarted before it even began.

"You look alright, but why do you talk in such strange ways?"

The administrator glanced at Zhao Menghua twice, then continued eating sunflower seeds and browsing the news.

"It's a package deal, a whole month's worth. You didn't call ahead to ask, how was I supposed to know you wanted to order this?"

"..." Zhao Menghua knew he was in the wrong. He turned around, took out his phone, and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

As the setting sun shone through the golden path paved with doorways, a handsome young man, whose looks appealed to men, women, young and old alike, walked into the basketball court.

Lu Mingfei.

Zhao Menghua recognized it at a glance, because he had seen the photo on the campus forum before.

But at the time he felt that the photos must have been beautified to some extent. After all, some people are just photogenic, but in reality they are just average... Rather than admitting that Lu Mingfei is good-looking, he would rather admit that he is just photogenic.

As for why so many of Lu Mingfei's classmates in real life didn't stand up to refute him, he deliberately controlled himself from thinking about it.

But no matter how self-deceptive the act may seem, it loses its meaning at this moment.

Zhao Menghua couldn't help but lower his head, because the boy's appearance was too dazzling, so dazzling that just one glance made him feel ashamed of himself, thinking, "I am not as good as him!"
Ordinary people who appreciate beautiful things would not go to such lengths, but Zhao Menghua is different. In his heart, Lu Mingfei is still that loser, someone who is inferior to him in terms of knowledge, appearance, and connections. Naturally, he has the thought of "comparison".

But reality, like the scorching setting sun, pierced through all the illusions he had subconsciously embellished!
"What is this person doing? There are flowers on the floor."

Lu Mingfei thought to himself, then glanced curiously at Zhao Menghua, who was looking down.

Before he entered, he was still thinking about how he should respond if Zhao Menghua greeted him.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Zhao Menghua would owe a large sum of money in three days. This large sum of money was all related to important people in his life, so he could barely be considered half of Zhao Menghua's creditor.

Creditors should be more lenient with borrowers. If things get too tense and they break off relations, what if the other party refuses to pay?
Looking back now, it seems there was no need to think so much. Zhao Menghua is quite aware of his role as a "millionaire in debt," and he's already started to avoid it!

So Lu Mingfei chose to ignore the other person's presence, calmly walked past, his mind already drifting to the basketball training that was about to begin.

The footsteps approached, then gradually faded into the distance, until they were almost silent... Wasn't that the direction they were heading towards the indoor electronic basketball court?

"Lu Mingfei!"

Zhao Menghua suddenly turned around and spoke.

Just those three words seemed to have taken a lot of his effort.

Lu Mingfei paused for a moment, but quickly continued, albeit at a slower pace, without turning around.

Since Liu Miaomiao was electrocuted, it was somewhat understandable. As the saying goes, "To die under the peony flower is to die a romantic death"... Although the process was unpleasant, Lu Mingfei felt he could accept it.

Could it be because of Zhao Menghua?

Who does he think he is!
"what's up?"

Lu Mingfei's calm voice came from behind Zhao Menghua. He was taken aback. In fact, he hadn't thought about what he wanted to say to Lu Mingfei, but he just spoke up subconsciously.

In that instant, he had a feeling. If he bowed his head silently this time, he would never be able to hold his head high in front of Lu Mingfei for the rest of his life!
How can you compete with someone who makes you feel ashamed just by looking at them?

Yes, Zhao Menghua felt that he really should correct his attitude—Chu Zihang was indeed quite far behind, while Lu Mingfei was now a "latecomer who had surpassed him" and was "slightly" about to overtake him... If he didn't face the facts, he might really be overtaken!

Zhao Menghua muttered to himself, "Competition, yes, it's competition... I admit you're my rival, but I will definitely win!"

He quickly remembered what he wanted to say when he stopped Lu Ming.

"That private indoor electronic basketball court, is that one you're using?"

Zhao Menghua guessed, "Did Senior Brother Chu Zihang pack this for you?"

On January 19, 2009, at that time, commercial indoor basketball courts were just emerging in major cities in China, and electronic basketball courts were extremely rare, practically nonexistent, and extremely expensive.

Zhao Menghua didn't think Lu Mingfei had the money to support this kind of consumption... but if you include Chu Zihang, everything makes sense. Chu Zihang also likes to play basketball, and his first comment on the opening was to support Lu Mingfei.

The two clearly have a close relationship!

"How about a game? If I win, you can have that basketball court!" Zhao Menghua said.

Zhao Menghua was confident in making this bet. He was one of the key players on the Shilan Middle School team. Although he hadn't managed to become a key player on the city team or even play in the national league like Chu Zihang, his basketball skills were still quite good.

As for Lu Mingfei? This kid has never exercised much before! Even if he starts playing basketball recently, and has a master like Chu Zihang personally guiding him, how much improvement can he make?

Ultimately, exercise depends on one's physical condition!
Moreover, there was another reason why he proposed this bet—if Lu Mingfei didn't agree, even if he used the excuse that "the basketball court was booked by Chu Zihang and I have no right to make decisions," he could take it as Lu Mingfei being afraid... If he agreed, that would be even better, as he was confident of winning.

In short, it's a win-win situation no matter what!

Lu Mingfei stopped in his tracks, turned around, and stared at Zhao Menghua for more than two seconds.

Zhao Menghua was taken aback.

Why did he feel that there seemed to be a hint of... expectation in Lu Mingfei's eyes?
[Warning, electric shock countdown, three, two, one...]

Just as the sound of "one" was about to fade and the electric shock was about to be released, Lu Mingfei finally got the answer.

The expectation in his eyes quickly turned into deep disappointment—it seems that Zhao Menghua is also at the "who does he think he is" level in the schedule, and he can't even trigger the "fit the strongest and most awesome man" mission!

He turned and left, ignoring the warning of the electric shock that had been timed to the limit.

"Hey... what do you mean!"

Zhao Menghua was getting a little anxious. He clearly saw Lu Mingfei's expectation turn into disappointment... After that, Lu Mingfei looked at him as if he were looking at a scallion on the side of the road! He took two steps forward, wanting to chase after him and demand an explanation, but before the administrator could make a move, he stopped in his tracks.

Because he saw Lu Mingfei casually pull out two basketballs from a basketball cart that was full of them in the aisle, through a small, unlocked opening about the size of a basketball hoop.

That thing wouldn't feel good if it hit you!

But Lu Mingfei didn't stop walking at all. He seemed to just casually take two basketballs from inside, without doing anything fancy, and continued walking towards the end of the corridor.

It seems we've overlooked Zhao Menghua, and also overlooked his statement.

"Are you... scared?"

Seeing that Lu Mingfei was about to reach the end, Zhao Menghua couldn't help but resort to this somewhat crude method of provocation.

Lu Mingfei continued walking, but he slightly weighed the basketballs in his hands, squeezed them, and tried to determine which one was more inflated.

After successfully identifying it, he tossed the one in his left hand behind him!
The basketball traced a silent, perfect arc through the air, covering a distance of nearly ten meters, precisely passing through the unlocked opening, and then with a "plop," it got stuck in the gap between the balls!

There were no unnecessary collisions.

Left hand, 10 meters, back throw... and that's not even the height of the basketball hoop that you can estimate based on experience and feel!

But Lu Mingfei just "scored" the goal like that.

He didn't turn his head, as if he had expected everything. No, it should be said that he turned the doorknob with "absolute certainty," pushed the door open, went in, and closed the door.

Throughout the entire ordeal, apart from Zhao Menghua calling out to him and asking "What's the matter?", Lu Mingfei didn't say anything else.

But this silent action was more powerful than any sharp word. Like an invisible slap, it struck him hard across the face!
Zhao Menghua stared blankly at the basketball sitting quietly in the basketball cart, feeling a burning pain on his face.

Thoughts like "Maybe this is what he usually practices, not shooting" flashed through his mind... so pale and ridiculous that he couldn't convince himself anymore.

For a fleeting moment, he even wished that it wasn't Lu Mingfei who had accomplished all this, but Chu Zihang. That way, he could comfort himself and tell himself that it was normal for him to be inferior to Lu Mingfei.

But that figure seemed to be etched into his mind, constantly reminding him—yes, that person was Lu Mingfei, the former loser who had now reached a level where he could completely ignore him!
Just nine days!

"Pfft~"

The administrator, who had been munching on sunflower seeds and watching the show, finally couldn't hold back his laughter. Meeting Zhao Menghua's gaze, which seemed to have just woken up from a dream, he cleared his throat and put on a serious face.

"Ahem! I just remembered something happy. What, do you still need a basketball court? I still have an outdoor one with empty seats!"

Zhao Menghua left without a word, looking somewhat lost and dejected. After walking quite a distance, he suddenly shivered in the sunlight.

He even felt that Lu Mingfei's casual toss was something even Chu Zihang couldn't do!

If basketball can improve so much in just nine days, what about academics?
That persistent, insidious "what if" resurfaced, like a cold snake crawling up the spine.

This time, however, it has evolved from "what if" to "possible," as if it has grown two deadly fangs.

"No, I have to be prepared..." Zhao Menghua thought to himself, and hurriedly took out his phone to make a call.

……

"Brother!"

Lu Mingfei had just closed the door when he shouted.

In the center of the court, Chu Zihang completed a powerful slam dunk with an extremely graceful and powerful posture. His body was like a taut bowstring, and he landed lightly, looking back at him calmly.

"what's up?"

"Now I know why you always have that poker face and don't talk much. It actually feels pretty good!"

As Lu Mingfei changed his clothes, he spoke with great enthusiasm.

"It's okay once in a while, but I can't stand it if it happens often. If I don't say something, I always feel uncomfortable holding it in..."

Chu Zihang's eye twitched slightly. Why did this rubbish sound so indecent?
"I practice Tai Chi in the evening."

He waited until Lu Mingfei finished rambling on before getting down to business.

"Teacher Zhang said he'll teach you practical skills this time."

"what?"

Lu Mingfei froze instantly, staring blankly at Chu Zihang... for two seconds before, under the threat of the electric shock countdown, he had no choice but to continue his actions as if in a daze.

He stared intently at Chu Zihang's eyes, which remained completely unmoved, as if trying to find some flaw in them, but ultimately to no avail.

"Senior brother, don't make jokes like that that could kill someone..."

Lu Mingfei looked miserable; the little bit of smugness he felt from silently crushing Zhao Menghua earlier had long since vanished.

"I hit Teacher Zhang, is that true?"

"It shouldn't be, Teacher Zhang is too far behind you."

Chu Zihang thought for a moment and comforted him, "It's not me, it's probably Ye Sheng."

"Thank you for your comfort, senior brother."

Lu Mingfei grumbled, his face showing a kind of resigned acceptance of death.

"Now my Gatling gun's strafing execution has been changed to burst fire..."

(End of this chapter)