Yonghe Road

Chapter 16 Snow Wind
The "Xuefeng" basketball club is a well-known name among the many basketball clubs in the city. It is the undisputed champion in every basketball game held in the city. It also won the gold medal in the first-class club basketball league of the provincial National Fitness Games last year.

The club is located in a bustling area in the city center, with convenient transportation, spacious and bright venues, complete facilities, and the surrounding environment is shaded by trees and elegant and pleasant.

The members of the "Snow Wind" club are all elites in the city's basketball world. They include experienced veterans, energetic rookies, skilled shooters and rebounding champions, as well as guards who are as steady as a rock and good at defense. They are scattered in various corners of the city on weekdays, working in various positions from nine to five. Once there is a competition, these basketball players will gather together to fight for the honor of the club.

In addition to official games, informal games on weekends are also an opportunity for them to get together frequently. However, in addition to these players who can play on the court, there are more basketball fans in this city, with different ages and identities, but they all gather together because of their love for basketball.

When Wang Zian led Xie Anmin into the club, cheers and shouts were heard throughout the venue. Both the players and the audience were immersed in pure joy.

It was not an external competition, but an internal playing time for the club, so both the spectators and the two teams competing on the field were players from the "Xuefeng" club. Some players also brought their family members to watch the fun, such as An Hongdou.

An Hongdou sat in the audience seats of the stadium, her eyes closely following the young and energetic figure on the field.

The players on the court today are all basketball enthusiasts. Most of them are officials from within the system, such as directors, deputy directors, etc. Because they often play basketball, they do not have beer bellies like other officials, and can maintain a slender and good figure. However, they are generally not tall, and few are over 1.75 meters tall. This makes Zhong Ziqi's tall stature particularly conspicuous among the crowd.

Another striking player wasn't so much his size as his white hair. He was in his fifties, with a face somewhere between square and round, wrinkle-free and even rosy, giving the impression of vigor and vitality. His white hair, perfectly sized and piled atop his head like a cluster of glistening snow, became his defining characteristic.

This is Mei Wending, Chairman of the National People’s Congress.

However, in the club, he was not a director of the National People's Congress or a department-level cadre. He was just a basketball enthusiast. The directors and deputy directors who were usually there on weekdays, now on the basketball court, all turned their backs on him. One by one, two or three of them gathered around him, cooperating with each other and trying their best to snatch the ball from his hands.

"Zi Qi, the ball is yours, then—"

Mei Wending passed the ball to Zhong Ziqi accurately.

Zhong Ziqi, already wearing the signature blue "Xuefeng" club uniform Mei Wending had given him, quickly caught the basketball as Mei Wending tossed it to him, nimbly weaving between his opponents. Using his speed to his advantage, he dodged one defender after another, sprinting to an open position with the ball in his arms. He skillfully shifted direction, found the opening for his shot, leaped, and steadily slammed the ball into the basket.

There was cheering in the audience.

An Hongdou jumped up from her seat and screamed excitedly.

The young girl's scream was so piercing and sharp that Xie Anmin, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but frown and turn his body to the other side.

Wang Zian had been focusing on the field, but Xie Anmin's sudden approach made his heart skip a beat. It was like a quietly placed bottle, tipped by a sudden impact, sending ripples of the crystal-clear liquid within. An Hongdou's screams were loud, and Xie Anmin's body had tilted considerably to avoid them, resulting in a significant impact. But Wang Zian remained motionless, even holding his back straight, as if transported back to the days of sitting in meditation in the army.

Xie Anmin realized that he had been rude, and quickly sat up straight. He turned his head to look at Wang Zian again, only to see him sitting aside, staring at the field without looking away, with the posture of an upright soldier.

Perhaps feeling Xie Anmin's gaze, Wang Zian's cheeks became hot and he sat even straighter, not daring to turn his head to look at Xie Anmin. The fiery clouds on half of his face were clearly visible to Xie Anmin.

Fortunately, An Hongdou happened to come over and helped Wang Zian out of the predicament.

An Hongdou said, "Wang Boya, Ziqi is already playing, why don't you go play?"

An Hongdou followed Zhong Ziqi in calling Wang Zi'an "Wang Boya". She patted Wang Zi'an's shoulder, forcing him to turn his head to respond to her, which forced him to meet Xie Anmin's eyes.

"You should also go on the court and play for a while. Look, your face is so red. Go play and let off some steam." Xie Anmin's words made Wang Zian's face even redder, and he quickly stood up to prepare to go on the court.

Xie Anmin and An Hongdou continued to sit in the audience and watch the game. "I'm sorry about that night," An Hongdou said, handing over a cup of milk tea, a look of sincere apology on her face. "I apologize on behalf of Ziqi."

Xie Anmin thought calmly afterwards and realized that his behavior seemed quite petty, so he happily reached out to take the milk tea offered by An Hongdou. Unexpectedly, An Hongdou said, "Zi Qi bought the milk tea first. He and I will each have one. He is on the court and cannot come down for a while. Let's drink it first."

Xie Anmin paused her outstretched hand, and she still didn't want to drink the milk tea.

Xie Anmin cast his gaze toward the court, where Wang Zian had already scored. Though Wang Zian wasn't as tall as Zhong Ziqi, his shot was incredibly accurate, and he'd even snatched the ball from Zhong Ziqi's hand. They were now competing on different sides. Off to the side, An Hongdou couldn't help but jump up from her seat again after Wang Zian's goal, but this time, Xie Anmin pulled her down. An Hongdou looked confused, and Xie Anmin glanced at her, "Don't you have a boyfriend?" He then jumped up and tried to wave, but found his hands empty. So, he snatched the cup of milk tea from An Hongdou's hand and waved it in the air.

On the court, Wang Zian was a little bit incredulous. What? Xie Anmin actually cheered for his goal. Now he was even more motivated to play...

The game lasted until sunset.

Everyone came off the court drenched in sweat. The two young men, Wang Zian and Zhong Ziqi, were fine, but the other middle-aged and elderly directors and deputy directors were already panting and stumbling. This was the most exciting practice match they had ever played since the Snow Wind Club opened.

An Hongdou jumped up and down with a towel in her hand and went to meet Zhong Ziqi. "Ziqi, wipe the sweat off your face."

When Zhong Ziqi was wiping his sweat, she handed him some water.

Zhong Ziqi was very happy. He pinched her cheek and said, "I thought you would ignore me after you got angry with me that night."

An Hongdou's anger had long since subsided. She flirted with Zhong Ziqi, twisting her youthful waist and giggling, "I'm not that petty at all."

"Yeah, I'm just an idol. I can't spend my whole life with you, but I can be your boyfriend."

"How can my boyfriend spend his whole life with me?"

"Marry you, marry you."

Zhong Ziqi's words sounded like a joke and a promise, making An Hongdou giggle uncontrollably.

It turns out that even if this girl didn't scream, her voice was still piercing. Xie Anmin was in a bad mood, staring gloomily in the direction of Zhong Ziqi and An Hongdou. Zhong Ziqi's eyes accidentally met his. Xie Anmin was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do, and hurriedly took Wang Zian's arm.

Wang Zian felt as if he was electrocuted.

Xie Anmin couldn't withdraw her hand because Zhong Ziqi was watching her the whole time, clearly surprised by her affectionate behavior towards Wang Zian. Xie Anmin hadn't done it on purpose; she'd just been trying to grab onto something to mask her guilt, and Wang Zian was the only one standing beside her. Now, with Zhong Ziqi staring at her, she simply held onto Wang Zian's arm.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Xie Anmin asked Wang Zian with a smile, "I'm still fond of that beef hotpot restaurant we went to last time."

Wang Zian's brain was working very fast at this moment, but it was also stuck and he was completely unable to think. The last time they ate hot pot, Xie Anmin didn't hold his arm like this. He just accidentally touched the back of his hand when paying the bill.

"Zi Qi, Zi An, come and have dinner with us tonight." Mei Wending stood not far away, wiping his sweat with a towel while greeting the pair of good brothers here.

(End of this chapter)