Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

He Ziyu took the phone that Jiang Chengyu handed him, somewhat confused.

The phone screen displays an open document with a prominent title.

"Anti-humanity strategy...guidebook?"

"To put it simply, it's about teaching you how to deal with pretentious people step by step," Gu Wang added from the side.

The document was very long, detailing what each team member needed to do at each stage, and included a list of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses at the end.

Seeing the bold, red, and enlarged word "show-off" following Lan Yuan's name, He Ziyu chuckled. "Who wrote this? It's pretty spot on."

"Of course, it's us—the brilliant, resourceful, cunning, and shrewd ones..."

Before he could even utter the words "Brother Yao," Gu Wang received a slap on the back of the head.

Bei Yao: "When are you going to stop this habit of overusing idioms? Didn't your mom scold you enough last semester?"

Gu Wang: "..."

Gu Wang's Chinese language grades have never been very good. Last semester, the essay topic for the final exam was maternal love. He started with the sentence "My mother, whose maternal example still remains" (meaning "maternal example still remains" is usually used in eulogies). When Gu's mother saw this, she kicked him in the butt, and he was unable to get out of bed for three days.

"In short, this is our strategy," Gu Wang said. "To exacerbate the internal conflicts within the Deep Sea team, destroy Lan Yuan's mentality, and make him relapse into his old ways in the second half, leading to his own destruction."

He Ziyu stared at the dense text and clicked his tongue in admiration.

The core of this strategic plan is actually very simple: to create opportunities for Liu Wen in the first half so that he can score more points, thereby stimulating Lan Yuan.

But this is easier said than done.

First of all, Liu Wen plays a conservative style of basketball and is also Lan Yuan's lackey. Given the opportunity, he will definitely pass the ball to Lan Yuan first.

Secondly, Lan Yuan is an offensive player, especially skilled at low dribbling, making it very difficult to steal the ball from him.

Based on these two points, Bei Yao assigned tasks to everyone.

How detailed is the task?

He Ziyu glanced at it and saw that it mentioned: so-and-so missed a shot at a certain time, so-and-so mistakenly passed the ball to Liu Wen at a certain time...

Even the shot that Gu Wang hit on the backboard at the start of the game was pre-planned.

He Ziyu felt that he had gained a new understanding of the world.

Gu Wang: "Lan Yuan must be furious right now. After all, Liu Wen scored nearly 20 points in the first half. Do you think he'll grab Liu Wen's head and beat him up after the game?"

"That's great! If he's beaten half to death, Lan Yuan can just resign." A boy next to him chimed in.

"No way," Bei Yao interrupted the boy's terrible thoughts, "Lan Yuan is someone who needs to feel important. He'll work harder on the field if he feels important. For the sake of the team, we still need to let him be the captain."

"Brother Yao is right. Once we leave the school gates, we represent No. 8 Middle School. Collective honor is the most important thing..."

He Ziyu listened to their conversation quietly from the side, and before he knew it, he had developed a new perspective on Bei Yao.

Gu Wang previously said that he didn't become the team leader because he was too lazy to deal with the team's miscellaneous affairs. Now it seems that he wasn't too lazy to deal with it, but rather he was considering the overall situation.

This also shows that Bei Yao is very responsible.

No, wait a minute.

Why is he thinking about this?

He Ziyu was a little confused by his suddenly erratic thinking until he saw the lollipop in Bei Yao's mouth and suddenly found the answer.

He's helping Jing Xiaoran make a selection!

Although Jingran seems carefree, he actually has a very soft side. He doesn't want to, and won't allow, people of bad character to get close to Jingran, whether they are men or women.

"Everyone performed well in the first half, and no one messed up. As for the second half, Lan Yuan will definitely find an opportunity to overtake Liu Wen. Gu Wang and Jiang Chengyu must keep a close eye on him in midfield and not give him any chances."

Watching Bei Yao issue orders like a strategist, He Ziyu felt both admiration and curiosity.

"How can you be sure that Lan Yuan and the others will follow your script?"

"This isn't a script; it's a high-probability event analyzed based on past experience." After saying this, Bei Yao gave Gu Wang a wink. "You, give Young Master He an example."

Gu Wang cleared his throat upon hearing this, "For example, if there's a dog that loves to eat poop, and you always see it eating it, then one day when you poop fresh poop in front of it, do you think it will eat it?"

Bei Yao: "..."

Why does the lollipop in my mouth suddenly not taste sweet anymore?

"Holy crap, you're disgusting! Can't you give a normal example?" The teammate mimicked gagging.

"Wasn't my example apt? You're treating Lan Yuan like a dog, and his series of outrageous actions like eating shit... Also, can you please stop calling me 'woof woof'? I can tolerate my sister-in-law's rudeness, but who do you think you are?"

Gu Wang had just finished speaking when he felt a large hand pat his back, followed by Bei Yao's deep voice: "Who are you calling ignorant?"

Gu Wang: "I was wrong, I am Wangwang, Wangwang is me."

He Ziyu was amused by Gu Wang's cowardly appearance, and then he looked at Jiang Chengyu... such a calm and composed person, but now he was also showing signs of losing his composure.

"Gu Wangwang, with your cowardly attitude, don't ever call yourself a top again."

"Damn it, whether I'm a top or not is none of your business. What, you want to try my big stick?"

As their conversation became increasingly risqué, Jiang Chengyu subtly raised both hands and covered He Ziyu's ears.

He Ziyu was enjoying the conversation when he suddenly felt his ears being covered and was momentarily stunned. After realizing Jiang Chengyu's intention, he was immediately charmed by him.

This guy is actually worried that he'll be corrupted by dirty talk?

If he knew that his soul was already an adult and so much older than him, would he faint?

While they were pondering, the team's power forward suddenly spoke up slowly: "I think Gu Wang is right."

Gu Wang was busy with his verbal sparring when he heard the power forward mention his name, and he was a little confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Power Forward: "I think you're absolutely right to describe Lan Yuan as eating shit."

The air froze as soon as the words were spoken.

The power forward for the Lightning team is a somewhat goofy guy. Although he's dashing on the court, he's always a step behind in life. Like now, Gu Wang has already moved on to the next step, while he's only just received the previous message.

If we're talking about unexpected cuteness, this is the real deal, isn't it?

……

Five minutes before the start of the second half, Bei Yao called everyone except Jiang Chengyu away, ostensibly to give them final instructions.

But He Ziyu knew that he was creating a private world for him and Jiang Chengyu.

In the empty locker room, Jiang Chengyu sat on a lounge chair, his slender fingers pinching a mineral water bottle, making a crisp sound from time to time.

He Ziyu stood opposite him, wiping his sweat and fixing his messy hair, just like a diligent little assistant.

In fact, their relationship had already begun to subtly change after they moved.

He Ziyu undoubtedly treated Jiang Chengyu as his boyfriend, taking care of his life and his emotions in every way. The final push was his confession just a few days later.

Jiang Chengyu's emotions, however, are probably more complex.

He enjoyed the ambiguity He Ziyu gave him, but dared not make it clear, fearing that He Ziyu was just after a moment of novelty and that they would lose each other after he confessed.

And so, he walked the tightrope carefully amidst his happiness.

It was exciting, but also a little uneasy.

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose. In the eyes of those fangirls, you'll be cool even if you dunk the ball into your own basket." He Ziyu finished fixing Jiang Chengyu's hair, patted his shoulder, and said, "And to be honest, you look pretty good in pink."

"Really?" Jiang Chengyu asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"Of course it's true," He Ziyu said earnestly. "Like Bei Yao, it doesn't suit him quite well, there's something about it that's hard to describe. Gu Wang is alright, but you look really good in it, like a giant pink lollipop, making people want to..."

Realizing he was about to blurt out something inappropriate, He Ziyu quickly swallowed his words.

Jiang Chengyu looked at him, and seeing that he didn't continue, she asked anxiously, "What are you thinking about?"

"I want to..." He Ziyu's legs went weak under Jiang Chengyu's deep gaze, and he subconsciously confessed, "I want to...I want to lick it."

Jiang Chengyu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and his face turned red at a visible speed.

He Ziyu was immediately a little embarrassed.

He meant to say it looked like a lollipop and he wanted to lick it, but why did it sound so strange coming from him...?

"Ayu..."

"Uh-huh?"

Is there any water left?

Jiang Chengyu shook the empty mineral water bottle, his expression somewhat indescribable.

He'll be on the court in a few minutes. If he shows up in front of Bei Yao with that tomato-like face, Bei Yao will definitely misunderstand what the two of them did in the locker room.

"Uh, that's all." He Ziyu spread his palms. "How about I go buy you another bottle?"

"It's too late." Jiang Chengyu glanced at the time and decided to accept his fate.

Just before going on stage, He Ziyu gave Jiang Chengyu a final pep talk and encouragement.

By the way, he told Jiang Chengyu about the bet he made with the two guys in the back row.

"Although I'm saying it's okay if you lose, it'd be better if you won, otherwise I'll have to treat about twenty people from No. 5 Middle School to dinner."

Jiang Chengyu didn't say anything after hearing this, but just rubbed his head and said, "With me here, I won't let you lose."

……

Soon, the second half of the game began.

Before the jump ball, Bei Yao indeed noticed the blush that had not yet faded on Jiang Chengyu's face, and said meaningfully, "It's good to be young."

Jiang Chengyu looked at the referee and retorted in a low voice, "It seems I need to lend Xiao Jing that USB drive you gave me yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Bei Yao immediately backed down.

His USB drive contained the wealth he had accumulated over the years. If Jingran were to see it, their happiness... ugh, their blissful life would probably be over before it even began.

The whistle blew, and both sides quickly got into the game.

Lan Yuan was indeed much more aggressive than in the first half, and once he got the ball, he wouldn't let go.

However, perhaps because he was too impatient, his first jump shot missed and the Lightning team grabbed the rebound. Fortunately, his teammates were quick and managed to steal the ball during the defensive transition and pass it back to Lan Yuan.

Lan Yuan, who had been harboring resentment, could no longer bear it and, as if awakening his fighting spirit, frantically pushed past his opponent into his area.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Chengyu stopped him again.

This was the Nth time Jiang Chengyu had tried to steal the ball from him in today's game.

Lan Yuan felt an urge to kill.

He stared intently into Jiang Chengyu's eyes, lowered his voice, and threatened, word by word:

"If you dare touch this ball, I'll make you regret playing this game with me."