On the bus ride back, Nie Chuan was still sitting next to Reese.
Reese appeared calm, resting his chin on one hand as he gazed out the window. With his other hand, he pulled Nie Chuan’s head over and let it rest gently on his shoulder. “Get some sleep. It’ll take more than two hours to get back to school.”
In the past, Nie Chuan would’ve tilted his head and immediately fallen into a deep sleep. But now, he had no trace of drowsiness at all.
The moment he closed his eyes, he would see the scene of Reese getting injured.
Somewhere between waking and dreaming, the bus finally arrived back at school.
Nie Chuan carried Reese on his back all the way to their dorm, with Heishan, Carlo, and Ewin following closely behind.
When Nie Chuan opened the door, he suddenly realized—there was no hiding the fact that their beds were pushed together.
Oh well, he might as well be open about it. Nie Chuan simply placed Reese onto the bed, knelt on one knee beside him, took off his basketball shoes, and sprayed medicine on his ankle as per the doctor’s instructions.
Carlo whistled. “Damn, you guys practice together, live together, and now you even sleep together?”
Nie Chuan replied matter-of-factly, “Isn’t it great? No matter how much we roll around, neither of us will fall off.”
Ewin casually sat down on the edge of the bed—thankfully, it was Nie Chuan’s bed. Otherwise, Reese’s eyebrows would probably have twitched in displeasure.
“The only one rolling around is you. Reese definitely sleeps like a saint.”
Nie Chuan rubbed the tip of his nose and chuckled twice.
“Actually, the three of us came here because we have something to discuss with you,” Heishan, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already accepted Reese’s injury. I will—”
Before Nie Chuan could finish, Carlo interrupted him. “Accepting it is hard. Even now, we’re still struggling to digest the reality of it. But the fact is, we have to face KSU without Reese. So, the three of us have reached an agreement regarding the upcoming match.”
“What agreement?” Nie Chuan lifted his head.
“They need you to take my place and play as the small forward,” Reese said.
Nie Chuan was stunned. He looked at Heishan and the others, only to see them nodding in agreement.
“Me? Play small forward? I don’t have that kind of ability! I—”
“What do you think it takes to be a small forward?” Reese leaned his head back, looking at Nie Chuan.
“Speed, cutting into the basket, scoring, and physical confrontation…” Nie Chuan struggled to come up with anything more specific.
“Besides me, you’re the fastest ball-handler on our team,” Ewin said.
“As for cutting in, you drive into the paint way more than either me or Ewin,” Carlo added.
“And when
“Yes.” Reese’s fingers touched Nie Chuan’s nose tip, sliding down his nose bridge to his brow, gently kneading but leaving just as Nie Chuan lingered in the warmth of his fingertips. “You know me best, and everything I’ve taught you, you’ve brilliantly recreated, even doing better than me.”
Nie Chuan looked into Reese’s eyes, a gaze that could turn ice to boiling heat.
“I… I’ll think about it… I’m not sure I can reach that level…”
“Don’t worry, just use your speed and agility to compete with Raven Harvey. As for the battle under the basket, leave it to me and Heishan to handle him.” Carlo patted Nie Chuan’s shoulder.
“Alright, let’s not disturb Reese’s rest, and I’m sure Reese and Nie Chuan have a lot to talk about.” Ewin clapped his hands, pulling Carlo by the back of his collar.
They left Nie Chuan and Reese’s dorm room.
Walking down the hallway, Ewin kept his head down.
“What’s up, Ewin?” Carlo asked.
“I guess Nie Chuan must be more at a loss than us. I don’t know if it’s right for us to ask him like this…” Ewin whispered.
“At a loss? No way! Didn’t you see how amazing he was in the last few minutes today? Even Jonathan and Manning together couldn’t stop him!”
“Nie Chuan and Reese are usually the passing and attacking duo, with Nie Chuan bringing the ball into the half-court and Reese cutting in to score. Now the roles are reversed, and he’s lost Reese, the one who’s always trained him. It’s natural for him to feel uneasy. But it’s better we tell him what Coach Gordon is considering now than for him to find out suddenly on the last day before the game… At least he has three days to mentally prepare.”
At this moment, Nie Chuan exhaled forcefully, falling back onto the bed.
“Raven Harvey, huh? Just thinking about his dunks makes me a bit scared…”
Reese turned to the side, his fingers lightly brushing Nie Chuan’s bangs. “You weren’t even afraid of Owen Wishaw, and Larvin praised you endlessly, yet you say you’re scared of Raven Harvey?”
Nie Chuan curled up, deliberately bumping his knee against Reese’s. “So you’re saying Raven isn’t as tough as Owen or Larvin?”
“Didn’t you block someone’s shot today? You’ll get more used to competing for strength under the basket.” Reese smiled gently, leaning closer.
Nie Chuan suddenly felt that Reese’s mindset was excellent.
Everyone else was worried, maybe even losing their appetite over the game in three days, but Reese was so calm, as if KSU wasn’t a formidable opponent.
“But I’ve never blocked your shot… not even once. Raven Harvey is a rival on par with you.”
“You actually have strong shoulder and back strength; you just haven’t realized it or done specific training for defense under the basket.”
Reese’s face got closer, and Nie Chuan closed his eyes, waiting for the moment his lips would touch his.
Soft and warm, his tongue slipped in with a hint of dominance.
He slowly sucked on Nie Chuan, his tongue moving as if Nie Chuan’s mouth was a wine glass.
Nie Chuan instinctively curled his knees, and Reese completely covered him.
“How do you know my shoulder and back strength is strong?” Nie Chuan felt Reese was completely encouraging him.
“When you sat on me and held me tight, I knew.” Reese’s hand wandered over Nie Chuan’s body, his palm hot, and Nie Chuan knew this guy was getting emotional.
Nie Chuan, of course, understood what Reese was referring to, and his face immediately turned red.
“Why do you get shy so easily? I haven’t even mentioned how strong your core is.” Reese laughed, not a sharp laugh, but rather intelligent and gentle.
Nie Chuan felt a bit uncomfortable with Reese pressing on him and tried to turn to the side, but Reese held him down.
“And down there, when you hold onto me, it’s so strong, like you’re going to take my life away.”
Nie Chuan felt like there was a bomber buzzing in his ears.
“You… you’re just talking nonsense!”
“We agreed, after this game, we’ll spend a whole day together.” Reese kissed Nie Chuan’s brow, his cheek, then nibbled on his ear, his tongue teasing the earlobe.
Nie Chuan’s mind started to wander, his nervous and low mood lifted, and he just wanted to feel Reese’s presence.
“Your ankle’s injured, can’t you just stay put?”
Reese laughed, rolling over to lie beside Nie Chuan, turning his face to say, “You can do the moving, I’ll enjoy.”
“Hey!”
“As deep as you want me to go, I’ll go.”
Nie Chuan looked at Reese, knowing he was serious.
As Reese wished, Nie Chuan sat on him. At first, Nie Chuan was scared, not knowing what to do, but eventually, Reese supported his waist, and by the end, his voice was so hoarse he couldn’t speak.
What strong shoulder and core strength?
Clearly, Reese was the strong one!
Nie Chuan lay on the bed, frustrated, with Reese holding him, chin resting on his head, kissing him.
“I’ll always be by your side, not just in your sight, but in your heart.”
“You’re so full of yourself. What makes you think I’ll always be looking at you? Always thinking of you?”
Reese rubbed Nie Chuan’s ear. “Probably because I want you to always look at me, always think of me.”
“What if we lose to KSU? What if I’m really not a match for Raven?”
“Then we’ll accept that result. Fight again next year.”
Nie Chuan realized that Reese had not only persistence but also openness. Once all efforts were made, he wouldn’t cling to the past.
“But Nie Chuan, you must realize one thing, your skills are definitely not inferior to Raven Harvey.”
“Is it because you love me that you blindly trust me?” Nie Chuan asked.
“Because I’m the one who practiced with you, because you have the courage to face Owen Wishaw, because you can score against Larvin, because you can learn Sethston Lind’s signature moves. He’s just Raven Harvey, not much tougher than those you think are formidable.”
“Yeah…”
“And aren’t you curious to know what kind of small forward you’d be if you became one?”
