My sister never calls me brother.

However, he was unaware that he was executing the fifth step of the plan.

Gu Bai always held a certain fondness for Lin Nianwei and greatly admired her calm and composed personality.

But whether it's to the point of liking someone, only Gu Bai probably knows the answer.

Gu Bai snapped out of his daze and inwardly cursed himself for being a bit out of line.

In those few short seconds of his distraction, Wang Qianqian noticed everything. She looked at Lin Nianwei, her hatred growing even stronger.

"So, who's going to volunteer to be the three team members for this afternoon's competition?" Gu Bai asked with a smile.

In an instant, the classroom, which had been filled with chatter, fell silent.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke; they remained silent.

The entire classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"You guys..." Gu Bai was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect everyone to back away. The excitement he felt earlier came and went quickly.

It's not anyone's fault. Everyone knows that Class 7 is too strong in sports, and the chances of winning the game are very small. If they lose, no one wants to take the blame.

"Um... Gu Bai..." Feng Jiarui asked tentatively from below, "Are you participating?"

"Of course I'll participate," Gu Bai nodded.

"Count me in!" Feng Jiarui shouted loudly as soon as she heard Gu Bai was there.

Feng Jiarui had her own little scheme. During the game, she just wanted to pass the ball to Gu Bai as much as possible, especially on crucial balls. If they lost, she would hardly be the one to take the blame, and she could also show everyone how brave she was.

"This has really been a huge help..." Gu Bai smiled and looked at the others. "Is there anyone else? We're just one short."

The audience below the podium was deathly silent.

Feng Jiarui raised an eyebrow, feeling that it was time to show off and elevate himself.

"Don't you guys have any sense of collective honor?!" Feng Jiarui said loudly, with great confidence. "Now is a time when the class is in trouble, how can you be cowards? I've stepped forward, can't you learn from me?"

Feng Jiarui felt incredibly satisfied after speaking, and her status in the class continued to rise.

However, this way of belittling others and elevating oneself has made many people dissatisfied.

Because it gives people the feeling of being too low-class.

Chapter 131 Realizing Value

"Who would dare to participate? That's Class 7, famous for its sports. Fang Yong and Tao Yuanwu from the basketball club are both there. They're known as the twin stars, the favorites to win the high school league." A student muttered, his voice just loud enough for the whole class to hear.

"What are you saying?" Feng Jiarui frowned. "Is this the time to boost the morale of others while diminishing our own?"

“That’s right…” Liu Yue wasn’t afraid of Feng Jiarui at all, and said in a low voice, “Class 7 is strong, our class has the worst sports performance, and there aren’t many people who can play basketball, so how can we expect to win?”

"Who said there aren't a few?" Feng Jiarui retorted without thinking. "Gu Bai has one, I have one, and there are..."

Feng Jiarui was speechless. Suddenly, she realized the problem: to win, she had to bring in the class's elite. Usually, there were three people who were good at sports, but now there were only two left.

“And Zhou Han…” Gu Bai added for Feng Jiarui.

"Tsk!" Feng Jiarui said awkwardly, "Why bring him up now?"

"I know Zhou Han isn't popular in class, but he also has his own value. All I can say is..." Gu Bai paused, looked at everyone, and said—

"There is no such thing as a useless person in this world."

The students in the class remained silent. Everyone had their own thoughts, which differed, but they all shared a common inclination: the competition needed someone to participate, and Zhou Han was a suitable candidate.

Airi Miyazaki is not as happy as she was yesterday.

However, she still recalled the fifth step that Lin Nianwei had mentioned in the club—

Lin Nianwei wrote the final step on the white paper with sharp strokes and held it up for everyone to see.

"The fifth step is to make Zhou Han needed by others."

"Hmm..." Miyazaki Airi frowned and asked, "Understanding the literal meaning, but what about the specific method?"

“When external pressures become irreconcilable, we try to resolve them through sports competitions. But when selecting team members, they find that very few people from our class are capable of participating.” Lin Nianwei tilted her head, pondered for a moment, and said, “From my observation, there are only three people in our class who are slightly better at sports, and Zhou Han is one of them.”

"By then, everyone will realize that Zhou Han is not someone who is dispensable in the class, but has his own role. When faced with a crisis, they will have no choice but to rely on Zhou Han, right?" Miyazaki Airi looked like she suddenly realized something.

“That’s right, you understand it very quickly.” Lin Nianwei nodded.

------

Miyazaki Airi puts away her memories; although she succeeded, she can't be happy.

Because last night, I learned that Zhou Han had her own plans.

It is very possible that all of everyone's efforts over the past few days will have been in vain.

Miyazaki Airi had no idea what Zhou Han was thinking.

So even though the whole plan had succeeded, many people realized Zhou Han's role.

If Zhou Han doesn't come to school today, all of this will be meaningless.

It seems there are only two possible outcomes in the end.

afternoon--

The gymnasium of Jinteng Academy.

The basketball court in the center of the stadium has been divided in two, becoming a half court.

Since it's a 3V3 street match, only one half-court space is needed.

Many students from Jin Teng Academy who were not in class or had finished their classes came to the audience, including third-year students.

Many people came just to join in the fun, and some even hoped to see a fight break out on the spot.

The match is about to begin.

The outcome of the competition will determine many things.

The Seigaku Agency's behind-the-scenes manipulation will also bring this match to a close.

at the same time--

At the entrance of Zhongqing No. 8 Middle School.

Zhou Han stood in front of the school gate, holding her application for admission.

His face was still somewhat blank as he stared at the large black iron gate, hesitant to move forward.

"Master, have you made a decision?" Elizabeth's voice rang in his mind.

"Yes, is there anything else you want to say?" Zhou Han replied.

"No, it doesn't matter to me where you go to school," Elizabeth stated her opinion.

"Is that so..." Zhou Han didn't say anything.

Although Elizabeth's thinking is similar to that of a human, she is not human after all and has limited understanding of human emotions.

So she doesn't quite understand why Zhou Han has been so conflicted lately.

"Creak—" The iron gate of No. 8 Middle School of China Youth University was opened.

Sun Qi and his men came to greet them.

Zhou Han hesitated for a moment, then gripped the application form in her hand tightly.

It was as if they were making a final decision, and it didn't take long.

Zhou Han sighed and followed them into the gate of Zhongqing No. 8 Middle School.

Jinteng Academy Gymnasium —

The match started early and was very intense.

Fang Yong, Tao Yuanwu, and Xu Zheng from Class 7.

Gu Bai, Feng Jiarui, and... Li Yang from Class 3!?

Li Yang didn't say a word when selecting team members, and didn't even dare to breathe loudly. As a result, he was pushed forward by a group of people.

The reason is simple: most classes need a punching bag. Zhou Han used to be in that role, but now that he's not here, it's Li Yang's turn to take the fall.

Those people didn't even ask Li Yang's opinion; they just forced him to go on stage.

If they win, all is well; if they lose, they'll be blamed and condemned by everyone, ending up on a path even more tragic than Zhou Han's. No one will blame Gu Bai and Feng Jiarui.

Because both of them were doing much better than Li Yang in the class.

So if Zhou Han really doesn't come, Li Yang will become the scapegoat for the loss, giving everyone a way out.

Li Yang is now missing Zhou Han terribly; this desire is even stronger than his longing for pretty girls.

From the start of the game, Class 3 was completely suppressed. Fang Yong and Tao Yuanwu, the twin stars inside and outside, were indeed worthy of their reputation. Their teamwork and tactics were varied and they were adept at various passing and cutting tactics.

Defensively, Gu Bai had no good way to deal with Tao Yuanwu's height in the paint, and was also completely dominated on the boards.

Xu Zheng faced off against Li Yang, a clueless novice, and he was prepared to just be a bystander.

"You..." Li Yang covered his left eye, "Do you know what's sealed in my left eye!?"

"Huh?" Xu Zheng had been listening to Li Yang rambling since the start of the competition, and was now numb to it.

"Hmph hmph hmph~" Li Yang snorted coldly, his expression serious, "The power to destroy the world is sealed here—Lucifer's grimoire!"

"Oh." Xu Zheng remained expressionless; he had already ignored Li Yang.

"Idiot! Catch the ball!" Feng Jiarui threw the basketball to Li Yang and then drove towards the inside.

"Ah!? Oh oh oh!" Li Yang caught it in a panic and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You idiot, pass the ball!" Feng Jiarui shouted, frowning.

"Oh!" Li Yang was about to pass the message when Xu Zheng easily interrupted him.

He drove straight to the basket and easily scored two points.

"Ugh~ Class 3's ball skills are really bad~" Xu Zheng said a nasty remark after scoring.

Feng Jiarui was furious, so she took it out on Li Yang.

He walked up to Li Yang, grabbed his jersey, and yelled, "Are you a b*tch?!"

Chapter 132 A One-Sided Situation