The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

"We must unite against external threats."

Zhang Wen nodded, then, remembering something, lowered her voice: "But I'm telling you, I heard... just heard, someone from the No. 1 High School in the city has spread rumors..."

They said they would focus on protecting Lin Bei. They knew Fu Youchuan was the captain and would definitely guard him, but Lin Bei was a rookie, and they might want to use fouling tactics to disrupt his rhythm.

Fu Hua paused, then asked, "A fouling tactic?"

"It's the kind of thing where you use a lot of subtle tricks that the referee doesn't easily notice."

Zhang Wen scoffed, "Things like this happen all the time on the basketball court. Some people will use any means necessary to win, especially with the sports committee members present this time; the game is bound to be intense."

As the two turned the corner, they could already see the outline of the school gymnasium.

Although it's Sunday, a lot of students have already gathered outside the gymnasium.

The red and blue school flags fluttered in the cold wind.

Red represents Minghua High School, and blue represents the No. 1 High School of the city.

The stadium was packed with people; the noise was so loud it almost lifted the roof off.

Fu Chaochao led a group of girls, all wearing red sweaters, holding a banner that read "Victory is assured for the tour of Sichuan."

They shouted slogans until their faces turned red.

Fu Youchuan warmed up in the center of the field and waved towards the stands.

Fu Chaochao immediately jumped up in response, the brother and sister making quite a splash.

"Fu Hua! Zhang Wen! Over here!"

Chen Zhe squeezed his way over from Class 6 and managed to make room for them with two seats.

The atmosphere was much more relaxed since everyone here was from my class.

Zhang Wen plopped down and started rummaging through her bulging backpack.

Roasted sweet potatoes, melon seeds, peanut brittle, and fried dough twists wrapped in oil paper.

"I just don't feel right if I don't eat something while watching the game."

She broke off half of a twisted dough stick and gave it to Fu Hua, while she started eating it herself.

"You didn't have breakfast?"

Fu Hua accepted it.

"Yes, I ate! I drank two bowls of porridge, my mom made pumpkin porridge. That kid Xiao Lei drank more than me!"

Zhang Wen's mouth was stuffed full. "The atmosphere's just right..."

Fu Hua's lips curled slightly as she glanced around the room.

Lin Bei was practicing three-pointers, his movements clean and crisp, and he made several in a row.

He looked over here, and their eyes met.

Fu Hua nodded slightly in encouragement.

Lin Bei's eyes lit up for a moment, then he quickly turned back to dribbling the ball, his ears turning slightly red.

A tall teammate next to him nudged him with his elbow.

He grinned slyly: "Hey, the one in the white down jacket in the stands? Is that your girlfriend? Not bad, Lin Bei, she's pretty hot."

Lin Bei nearly knocked the ball away: "Don't talk nonsense, we're just ordinary classmates."

He dribbled the ball with his head down, but the image of him saying goodbye at the racetrack yesterday flashed through his mind.

A mature man is adept at everything he does.

Lin Bei felt inexplicably uneasy.

Compared to that kind of man,

I think I'm still too inexperienced.

Will Fu Hua like him?

Lin Bei's gaze involuntarily fell on that figure, his heart heavy.

Chen Zhe and Zhao Meng and a few others gathered around to chat.

"That No. 6 student at the No. 1 Middle School, see it? It's like a mountain."

Zhao Meng clicked his tongue, "They destroyed our inside game last year."

"What's there to be afraid of? We have Brother Chuan this year!"

Chen Zhe was quite bold; he had witnessed Lin Bei's strength firsthand.

Of course, he's much better than those newbies.

After all, they couldn't even make it onto the school team.

"I think this year will be interesting to watch."

Zhang Wen cracked sunflower seeds, her eyes fixed on the players on the field.

His earnest expression made Fu Hua smile.

"Huahua, last time we played basketball on the playground, I found that you are quite good at it. If you play, you might be able to beat Lin Bei."

Zhang Wen leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "Who do you think will win today?"

Fu Hua smiled and said, "We'll only know once the competition starts."

Chen Zhe belatedly realized, "Zhang Wen, what did you just say? Fu Hua can play ball?"

Zhao Meng and Li Qiang also looked over, their eyes full of curiosity.

"Don't you know?"

Zhang Wen then remembered that they had played basketball after school that time.

After tutoring sessions, Lin Bei would sometimes suggest playing basketball for a while.

They stood under the rack and threw the ball.

"Huahua is really good at playing basketball, her form is way cooler than yours guys."

"Yes or no?"

Chen Zhe clicked his tongue twice: "Then, when we have the chance, could you give us a few pointers, Fu?"

Despite saying that, Chen Zhe didn't take it seriously.

Zhang Wen doesn't understand basketball, so how could she distinguish between good and bad?

Zhao Meng and Li Qiang also felt that Zhang Wen was interested in Fu Hua.

It's like an old mother looking at her little brat; she finds him pleasing to the eye no matter what.

As the group was talking, a muffled thud was heard on the field.

Immediately, things erupted into chaos.

"Good heavens! A fight has broken out!"

Everyone in the stands craned their necks.

In the center of the arena, Fu Youchuan punched the man opposite him in the face.

The man was wearing a blue thermal undershirt, had a buzz cut, and was a member of the team from the city's No. 1 Middle School.

The other person staggered back several steps, then angrily rushed over and threw a punch back.

The players on both sides rushed up to pull him away, and the referee blew his whistle shrilly.

"What's going on?!"

The principal jumped up from the podium, his face turning green.

Director Liu of the Sports Commission and several other leaders frowned as they looked at the field.

Soon, a student ran up, panting, and said, "Principal, it was someone from No. 1 Middle School who had a loose tongue... making jokes about Fu Chaochao, saying pretty vulgar things... Brother Chuan heard it and couldn't help himself..."

Principal Gao nearly choked on his breath, and muttered in a low voice, "That brat! He was too impulsive!"

He quickly turned to Director Wang with a fawning smile, "Sir, please don't misunderstand. Fu Chaochao is Fu Youchuan's sister. This guy is usually very protective of his own, he's not like this usually, he's just very protective of his sister."

"Young people, they're hot-tempered..."

Director Wang chuckled twice at the people around him: "I understand, I understand, just don't let it affect the competition."

The two sides were quickly separated on the field.

Fu Youchuan, still stubbornly refusing to speak, yelled back, "You try spouting that rubbish again?!"

Several teammates held him tightly.

Minghua, the boy with the buzz cut, covered his face and cursed under his breath.

Fu Chaochao's eyes welled up with tears on the stands, and she bit her lip, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.

The girls around her all surrounded her and comforted her.

Lin Bei stood on the sidelines, but his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Fu Hua.

She simply watched the chaos unfold calmly, her face expressionless.

Fu Hua was indeed very calm.

Fu Youchuan was pulled away by his teammates, while Fu Chaochao was wiping away tears.

What a touching story of brotherly and sisterly love!

Zhang Wen leaned closer and whispered, "Your second brother is a real scoundrel. All he does is protect that Fu Chaochao, that imposter."

"Who can argue with that?"

Fu Hua broke off a small piece of twisted dough and put it in her mouth, chewing it slowly.

It's sweet and tastes good.

The referee is handling the situation urgently.

Principal Gao had already jogged down and pulled Fu Youchuan aside to reprimand him: "Fu Youchuan, you've really grown some guts, huh?! Fighting in front of the sports committee leaders?! Do you still want to be selected?!"

Fu Youchuan turned his face away and said stiffly, "His mouth is too dirty."

"You can't use force!"

Principal Gao was panting with anger. "I'll remember this. I'll deal with you after the competition!"

On the other side, the coach from the No. 1 Middle School was also scolding the boy with the buzz cut.

Director Wang stepped in to smooth things over: "Young people, it's normal for them to have some conflicts... Let's get ready for the competition and not let it interfere with our business."