My sister never calls me brother.

Fang Yong had blocked out the cheers from the audience; he was so nervous that he couldn't hear anything around him.

Can we win in overtime? Can we keep up this level? Fang Yong's mind was filled with self-doubt. Our three-year dream was all on this, and now I've ruined it...

Fang Yong looked at the basket and shot the last ball.

The immense pressure caused him to hallucinate, and the basketball hoops in front of him multiplied into five.

The final free throw was another airball.

When Fang Yong began to doubt himself, the game was already lost completely.

Yes, I am the culprit of the school basketball team...

This was Fang Yong's last thought.

------

When everyone left the Zhongqing City Basketball Gymnasium, Fang Yong did not leave; he hid alone in the locker room.

The sound of metal clanging echoed through the corridor.

Fang Yong looked pained as he frantically pounded on the already twisted wardrobe in the locker room, making loud banging noises.

His fists were already a bloody mess, but he didn't stop.

Chapter Ninety-Three: The Entrustment of Dreams

Fang Yong took a free throw, but under the watchful eyes of Xu Zheng and Tao Yuanwu, it was an airball.

"Sigh..." Fang Yong sighed, sounding somewhat dejected, and said, "It's still the same as before..."

"What exactly is going on?" Xu Zheng frowned, scratched his head in confusion, and said, "I've been practicing for so long, but there's been no effect at all."

Tao Yuanwu remained silent, unsure of what was going on. With the competition approaching, this incident had caused him some concern.

Fang Yong put his hands on his hips, looked at the basketball rolling on the ground, and shook his head.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zhou Han carrying a trash can out by herself.

Fang Yong was stunned for a moment, then ran towards Zhou Han without thinking much. He turned back to Xu Zheng and Tao Yuanwu and said, "Wait for me, I'll be right back."

Xu Zheng and Tao Yuanwu were puzzled and confused. They also saw Zhou Han.

"Huh!?" Xu Zheng's eyes widened. "Tsk! How come it's him?"

"You know him?" Tao Yuanwu asked in a low voice.

"We don't really know each other, do we?" Xu Zheng thought for a moment, then said with a bitter face, "But he's my rival in love..."

"A love rival?" Tao Yuanwu didn't quite understand.

"Sigh..." Xu Zheng sighed, a disappointed expression on his face, and said sadly, "My goddess likes him, but not me..."

Tao Yuanwu blinked a few times, looking as if he understood but not quite.

"Do you know who my goddess is?" Xu Zheng thought of Miyazaki Airi and their idol-drama-like encounter that day, and felt a little excited.

Tao Yuanwu didn't respond; to be honest, he didn't want to know at all.

"It's Miyazaki from Class 3!" Xu Zheng was still talking to himself, completely absorbed in the story.

"I've heard a little about her. I heard she's the vice class monitor and very capable," Tao Yuanwu said sullenly.

"Right! Right!" Xu Zheng seemed to be recognized and was very happy.

Xu wanted to pat Tao Yuanwu on the shoulder, but the height difference was too great, so he could only pat his strong back instead.

"Hey! Brother!" Fang Yong called out from a distance.

Zhou Han had been lost in thought for a moment, but Fang Yong's call snapped her out of her reverie and made her look at him.

"Hey bro! Why are you taking out the trash at this hour?" Fang Yong ran up to Zhou Han and said.

This guy is such a social butterfly, calling me "brother" all the time. Has no one told him that this is awkward? Zhou Han thought to himself, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Because people who are naturally outgoing don't care about what others think; they just do whatever makes them comfortable. You can't criticize such enthusiastic people.

"The trash can is full, so I'll help empty it..." Zhou Han said vaguely. He didn't want anyone to know that he was only emptying the trash because he had no other choice. He was going to hold onto his last bit of face, even though it wasn't worth much.

"Let me help you! It's not far anyway." Fang Yong readily helped Zhou Han lift the trash can without asking for his permission.

"Wait..." Zhou Han was about to refuse, but then she realized that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to resolve the case.

"What's wrong?" Fang Yong asked, puzzled.

"No, it's nothing." Zhou Han nodded expressionlessly and said, "Let's go!"

The two walked down the street carrying trash cans. Fang Yong was very enthusiastic, asking all sorts of questions, while Zhou Han looked preoccupied.

"I remember you're from Seigaku Agency, right?" Fang Yong asked, but before Zhou Han could answer, he continued, "What's your name?"

"Zhou Han..." Zhou Han replied irritably, inwardly complaining, "He doesn't even know my name, yet he keeps calling me 'brother'."

"Hmm!?" Fang Yong seemed to remember something and said bluntly, "I think I've heard your name before. Were you the one who got into a fight at the gym a while ago?"

Zhou Han glanced at Fang Yong indifferently, then turned her head away, saying with some displeasure, "Yeah..."

"Ah...brother, I didn't mean anything by it..." Fang Yong was a little embarrassed. Seeing Zhou Han's unhappy expression, he regretted asking.

Zhou Han did not speak or respond.

A silence fell between the two, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Fang Yong was thinking of saying something when Zhou Han thought it was the perfect time to discuss the commission, so she spoke first.

“That…” Zhou Han paused, hesitating, and said, “About your request…”

"Oh!?" Fang Yong didn't wait for Zhou Han to finish speaking before quickly asking, "You have a solution?"

"Can you let me finish what I have to say?" Zhou Han said, somewhat annoyed. "And I want to emphasize one point: it's not that we have a way, it's that I have a way."

"You... have any ideas?" Fang Yong was somewhat skeptical, because no matter how he looked at Zhou Han, she didn't seem intelligent. The person he remembered most vividly from the Seigaku Agency was Lin Nianwei.

"The problem lies with you," Zhou Han replied with absolute certainty.

"What problems could I possibly have?" Fang Yong smiled.

“I watched that basketball league game you played in junior high. It was exciting the whole time, but the last free throw…” Zhou Han didn’t finish her sentence.

Fang Yong had stopped walking and was facing Zhou Han, remaining silent.

Zhou Han didn't say anything either. If he kept talking at this time, it would sound like he was mocking Fang Yong, so he could only wait for him to speak first.

After a while, Fang Yong finally spoke first.

"How did you know?" Fang Yong asked, a forced smile on his face, his tone wavering.

Zhou Han avoided eye contact several times before making up a random excuse, "I was there at the time."

"Really..." Fang Yong pondered for a moment, then took off his sports headband and said, "So, I really played terribly in that match, didn't I?"

"He was good throughout, but his last free throw... was absolutely terrible." Zhou Han spoke frankly without beating around the bush, but then suddenly changed the subject, "It's understandable that he underperformed in that situation."

“You don’t know what that match meant to us…” Fang Yong looked at Zhou Han, his smile somewhat bitter, and said, “All our efforts over the past three years of junior high school were gambled on that one match, and as the captain, I destroyed everyone’s dreams in an instant.”

"Is this... a burden you willingly took on?" Zhou Han discovered that beneath Fang Yong's carefree exterior lay a strong sense of responsibility, much like herself.

"I guess so. After all, I was the culprit who killed my teammates' dreams, the sinner of the team." Fang Yong said softly, recalling the past. "Thinking back to those times, we put in so much hard work and sweat on the basketball court, only to end up with defeat. I don't think someone like me should be forgiven..."

"So, your free throw shooting suddenly went awry closer to the game because of this?" Zhou Han thought for a moment and then asked.

"That's probably true. I actually know myself pretty well." Fang Yong paused, then continued, "The closer the competition gets, the more pressure I feel, and I'm also a little scared. If I lose again, I don't know what I'll become. Maybe saying goodbye to basketball... is the best choice for me?"

"You don't have any other special skills besides basketball, do you? After all those years of youth spent on the court, are you really planning to give up halfway?" Zhou Han asked, frowning, because Fang Yong's words were incredibly unambitious.

Fang Yong remained silent. He knew that Zhou Han's words made sense, but the basketball club's rules were very strict: whoever was strong would play, and whoever was weak would leave. It was because of this system of survival of the fittest that the basketball club had always made outstanding contributions to the school.

"Don't just stay silent..." Zhou Han said with a helpless smirk, "I'll just ask you one question: do you really want to give up? If you do, I won't say anything more, I'll just leave right now. If you don't..."

Zhou Han pointed to himself with a thumbs-up and said confidently, "Your commission is entirely entrusted to me!"

Fang Yong was stunned, somewhat lost in thought. He didn't know where Zhou Han's confidence came from.

"Speak up..." Zhou Han was getting impatient.

"Do you really have a solution?" Fang Yong swallowed hard and hesitated before saying, "No matter how I look at it, I think that cold girl from your club yesterday is more reliable."

“Okay, I admit Lin Nianwei is more capable than me, and she sees things more clearly, but…” Zhou Han’s face fell, and she honestly admitted it, but then she suddenly changed the subject and continued, “You hesitated to tell the truth yesterday because you didn’t want more people to know about your past, right? Now I happen to be in the know and have the ability to help you solve this. I guarantee this matter is a secret between you and me, so entrust it entirely to me, that’s right!”

"You... have any ideas?" Fang Yong was still suspicious because Lin Nianwei had easily touched his heart and left a deep impression on him.

"If time could turn back and you were given another chance, could you make the free throws?" Zhou Han asked seriously.

"Pfft—!" Fang Yong chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Brother, I'm not a child. How could something like time travel be possible?"

Zhou Han also felt that what he said was a bit far-fetched. He just wanted to use Elizabeth's "deceptive projection" to project the scene from that day, making it look like he had returned to that day again.

"Um... I know a little hypnosis. I can recreate everything from that day with very realistic illusions." Zhou Han made up an excuse because hypnosis can indeed create illusions, which would be perfect for concealing and deceiving the projection.

"Really?! You can hypnotize people?" Fang Yong was somewhat surprised.

"Of course it's true. Do you want to try it?" Zhou Han asked with a very serious expression.

Fang Yong looked at Zhou Han, who was so serious, and felt a little lost, not knowing what to say.

“Maybe I don’t seem like a very reliable person, but I’m definitely the hardest working one in Seigaku’s office. I hope you can believe in me, just like your teammates believed in you back then…” After Zhou Han finished speaking, he picked up the trash can and slowly left.

Fang Yong watched Zhou Han's figure gradually disappear into the distance. He didn't know that the choice he made now could really determine his fate. If he missed this opportunity, it would be difficult to have such an opportunity again.

"All right!"

Fang Yong's voice came from behind, and Zhou Han stopped and turned to look at him.

"I'm entrusting my dream entirely to you! Even if there's a cliff ahead, falling to my death is my own choice!" Fang Yong shouted in a loud voice, "What do you say we do?"

“Wait for me at the school gate after school, and we’ll go to the Zhongqing City Basketball Gymnasium together!” Zhou Han replied.

"Why go there?!" Fang Yong didn't quite understand.

"Is that even a question?" Zhou Han paused, then said loudly—

"If you fall down, you have to get up from there!"

Chapter Ninety-Four: Repairing Relationships Isn't That Simple

After school, without even asking Zhou Han's opinion, Feng Jiarui greeted him with a grin and dumped all the duties of the student on duty onto him.

The students retreated like a receding tide, none of them turning back to look at Zhou Han sitting in her chair, leaving the classroom empty.

Before leaving, Miyazaki Airi frowned and glanced at Zhou Han, then shook her head without saying anything. She felt that Zhou Han was going against the grain, and the situation hadn't changed at all.