Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 204, Section 202: The Dilemma of Choosing a Partner
"hurry up!"

"Let's go~"

"The law school is having a group competition today, Junjun, don't you want to watch it?"

The basketball court at Nanhu University was stained with morning dew and fallen leaves, leaving it somewhat mottled.

Several tall sycamore trees embraced the field, their leaves mostly yellow, swirling and rustling in the wind, with a few occasionally drifting down onto the benches beside the field.

On the row of dark green benches by the field, many students were sitting, watching the game and the excitement.

Zhong Yujun and Zhao Xue were sitting on the edge of one of the benches.

This is a general physical education class, and the law school boys are playing in teams.

Zhong Yujun, who was bored in the afternoon, was dragged over by her roommate because there were no classes in the School of Management.

She was wearing a beige sweatshirt and a light brown decorative scarf around her neck, which almost buried half of her pretty face, leaving only her bright eyes showing.

"Oh my god!"

"You couldn't tell at all in the summer, Zhou Mingyuan has a really good physique!"

"Look at his lines!"

Zhao Xue crossed her arms and stared intently at the testosterone-fueled boys on the field, nudging her roommate with her elbow.

"Yeah, it seems like he sets aside some time to exercise every day."

It's often said that boys like to look at beautiful women, but female college students are no different.

On the basketball court, the shoes rubbed against the plastic surface, making a rapid and loud "squeak" sound, accompanied by strong and powerful slapping sounds. The high-frequency interaction and panting of the boys playing were particularly clear in the open space.

Sweat dappled his angular face, mingling with the cool air, creating a scent that belonged to the arena of youth.

Boys who love sports are the most handsome.

So Zhong Yujun also watched it carefully.

"Tsk tsk tsk"

Zhao Xue couldn't help but exclaim, "Baby~"

"With Mr. Zhou's physical condition, I feel like you're in for a treat from now on."

"Eh?"

Zhong Yujun blinked, her expression momentarily blank, before she finally reacted a few seconds later.

Turns out my roommate was making a sexual innuendo!
No wonder he's a streamer who's in the public eye every day; he can come up with jokes and memes so easily!
"Get out of here!"

She involuntarily pursed her cherry lips, her face flushed red, and her thoughts drifted off in an uncontrollable direction.

No wonder Zhao Xue would make such a joke.

Because Zhou Mingyuan was indeed the most conspicuous one on the field.

He was tall and had long legs. He wore a dark blue basketball jersey and shorts from Nanhu University. His bare arms and calves had smooth muscle lines and glistened with healthy sweat in the sunlight.

It's quite strange, though. Zhong Yujun was his high school classmate, but this was the first time she had ever seriously watched him play basketball.

In my memory, Zhou Mingyuan's athletic ability was not particularly outstanding.

Yes
When did he become so good at playing basketball?

"Old Zhou!"

The interaction on the field never stopped.

Teammate Cai Zhipeng found an opening and passed the ball to Zhou Mingyuan.

Zhou Mingyuan jumped on tiptoe to catch the basketball, his eyes sharper than ever before, as he prepared to attack.

A clean crossover dribble created half a body length of space for the defender, followed by a sudden stop and jump shot.

With a fluid, arched motion and a slight flick of the wrist, the basketball traced a beautiful arc.

Swish!
Hollow as it enters the net, crisp and clean.

"nice shot!"

"Nice!"

"Good news!"

The teammates on the field clapped their hands, and a few cheers also broke out from the scattered spectators on the sidelines.

Zhou Mingyuan landed with no particular expression on his face. He simply raised his hand to wipe the sweat rolling down his forehead, and then lifted the hem of his vest to wipe his chin.

Sweat soaked the stray hairs on his forehead, a few damp strands clinging to his full temples, rising and falling slightly with the man's breathing.

He ran back to his own half to participate in the defense, his eyes sweeping across the sidelines. When he saw Zhong Yujun, he waved to her, but his steps did not falter at all.

"So handsome!"

"Your CEO Zhou is really something!"

"Even playing ball is this cool!"

Although Zhao Xue came to cheer for Cai Zhipeng, she kept saying things offstage, and she seemed much more excited than Zhong Yujun.

"Whose house is this? Seriously, Sister Xue, can you please watch your words?"

Zhong Yujun retorted softly, but it sounded weak and listless.

I don’t know when it started, but my roommates have long since reached a consensus on the relationship between me and Zhou Mingyuan.

Every now and then, she would joke around with the two of them, and when she ran into Zhou Mingyuan in the cafeteria or on the campus street, she would spontaneously give up her spot for the two of them.

But we're not even together yet!

Just a tiny bit is missing, just a tiny bit.

She remained silent most of the time, her gaze fixed on the figure in the dark blue vest.

Watch him move swiftly and darting about, watch him focus intently on positioning and defense, watch him leap high to grab the rebound, watch him stumble after being bumped by an opponent, and then quickly regain his balance.

Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the soft tassels of her scarf, her lips curved slightly then tightened, and her eyes sparkled.

Although it was just a match between two classes at the level of a physical education class, in the eyes of the hot-blooded young boys, it was no different from a real competition.

The match was very intense.

Zhou Mingyuan from Class One, as the main player, suffered huge losses on both offense and defense.

Ring ring ring!
A brief pause whistle blew.

".Hold!"

"mine."

After missing a fast break layup, the man, supporting himself on his knees, was panting heavily under the opponent's basket, his chest heaving.

"Alright, alright, Lao Zhou, take a break."

"Come on, let's go, have some water."

Sweat dripped down Zhou Mingyuan's temples and jawline, staining the basketball court's rubber surface and spreading a small dark patch.

The team members from Class 1 and Class 2 went to the sidelines to rest, each looking for their water bottles or backpacks.

Zhou Mingyuan and Cai Zhipeng put their arms around each other's shoulders and walked in another direction.

He walked along, wiping the sweat off his face haphazardly with the hem of his vest, his breathing still not fully calm.

“We two brothers still have face. Look, we even have a special cheering squad.”

"right?"

Cai Zhipeng chuckled as he accepted the bottled water Zhao Xue offered, panting heavily.

Compared to Zhou Mingyuan, who was focused on playing the game, he noticed the two pretty girls near the bench below the table earlier.

Zhao Xue's pretty face and her sweet voice that kept cheering him on were like a shot of adrenaline to him, making him feel incredibly good.

Here, have some water too.

Zhong Yujun stood by the bench, smiling as she handed over a bottle of water.

A gentle breeze stirred Bai Yueguang's high ponytail, and her cheeks glowed with a faint blush.

"You've got some skill."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached Zhou Mingyuan's ears clearly.

"You seem much better than before."

"."

Zhou Mingyuan blinked subconsciously and looked back with a half-smile.

"cut."

"In the past, someone wouldn't go to the playground to watch the boys play ball."

"How do you know if I'm good or not?" The man grinned, revealing his neat, white teeth, and calmly reached out to take the bottle of water.

"A feeling! I already said it's a feeling!"

Suddenly exposed, and seeing the mischievous expressions on Zhao Xue and Cai Zhipeng's faces, Zhong Yujun couldn't hold back any longer.

"Go drink some water!"

Zhou Mingyuan stopped joking and tilted his head back, taking big gulps of water from the bottle.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow, and droplets of water slid down his strong jawline, rolling directly over the man's heaving chest.

"call"

Zhou Mingyuan drank more than half the bottle in one go before stopping, letting out a satisfied sigh, and then wiping the water stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"So cool!"

"Damn, so this is what it's like to have cheerleaders!"

"Back then, when we saw those dark-skinned PE students playing basketball at school, and the girls watching on the sidelines were so pretty, we were all incredibly envious."

"That's it!"

Cai Zhipeng nodded vigorously, expressing his empathy: "Physical education students are fucking infuriating."

He held the water bottle in his hand, looked at Zhao Xue with a smile, and said gently, "It's just in time, baby."

Ring ring ring~
The brief pause was over quickly.

The coach blew his whistle, urging everyone to assemble.

"Let's go!"

Zhou Mingyuan pulled Cai Zhipeng along, nodded to the cheerleaders, and then turned and strode back to the court.

The final whistle pierced the evening air, announcing the end of the match.

The sweat-drenched boys high-fived each other and laughed as they walked off the court.

Zhou Mingyuan's dark blue vest was completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his muscular back.

"Is it over?"

The cheerleaders near the bench gathered around and watched him bend down to pick up the black sports jacket at the end of the bench, and said softly.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted."

Zhou Mingyuan smiled, stretched, and his joints made a slight clicking sound.

"Shall we skip eating out today?"

"Let's just eat at the cafeteria."

"I'm all sweaty, I'll take a shower when I get back."

"Okay, either way is fine with me."

Zhong Yujun looked at his sweat-dampened bangs and bright eyes, her words lingering on her tongue, but ultimately turning into a gentle nod.

"Let's go! To the third canteen!"

Zhou Mingyuan, who had just won the game, was excited and pulled his sports jacket up even higher.

The two walked side by side on the tree-lined path leading to the cafeteria.

The streetlights come on early in late autumn, lighting up one after another, their light spreading in the damp, cold air, casting long shadows of fallen leaves.

"Isn't watching boys play basketball boring?"

"But thinking about it, it makes sense. We're not athletes or in an official competition, so there's not even a scoreboard for us."

Zhou Mingyuan spoke first, his tone tinged with a hint of excited reminiscence: "Do you know our class won?"

"Actually, it's not bad, not boring at all."

Zhong Yujun shook her head with a smile and glanced at him sideways.

The warm yellow hue outlined his well-defined profile, and his sweaty skin even looked surprisingly textured.

She certainly didn't understand the complex tactics of basketball, but as a spectator, it wasn't hard to feel the boys' dedication and excitement.

"Of course I know! I can tell who scores, and I've noticed that everyone seems to love passing the ball to you?"

"Hahaha, you found out~"

Zhou Mingyuan spread his hands, his smile widening: "There's nothing I can do, when the ball is in the ball, you can't stop it!"

On a college basketball court, no one considers the differences in social status, wealth, or class, and no one would deliberately throw the game or play with emotional intelligence.

The only respect on the court is if you play well enough.

He crunched the empty water bottle in his hand, making a cracking sound, then casually tossed it into a passing trash can, just like he had done with a basketball shot.

At that moment, it was as if his heart had returned to his youth.

The third canteen at Nanhu University is bustling with activity.

It was lunchtime, and the place was bustling with noise.

The warm, cozy air, mixed with the aroma of food, wafted over.

Bright lights, the clinking of stainless steel plates, the laughter of students, and the calls of the cafeteria ladies—it was all very lively.

After quickly ordering his food, Zhou Mingyuan, carrying a mountain of plates, noticed a newly vacant two-person table by the window. He immediately strode over and claimed it.

The two sat down facing each other.

Zhong Yujun looked at the bright red bowl in front of her, picked up her chopsticks, carefully brushed aside the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns on the surface, picked up a small piece of fish, gently blew on it to cool it down, and then put it in her mouth.

The spicy and savory flavor explodes on the tongue instantly, conquering and encroaching upon the palate.

A blush immediately rose to her fair cheeks, and tiny beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose. She couldn't help but take a soft breath.

"Eh~"

"I just heard Sister Xue say..."

She whispered, picked up the free soup bowl next to her, took a sip, and tried to suppress it.

For girls, having companions in many situations is a necessity.

Even when watching the boy I like playing ball on the playground, I'll never be lonely as long as I have my girlfriends to chat with.

That afternoon, Zhao Xue chattered away, pulling her aside to talk about many things.

From relationships to gossip, the two basketball newbies never stopped talking.

"Listen to what she said?"

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her, her brows furrowing slightly and her cheeks flushed from the spiciness, and suddenly found her quite adorable.

He put down his chopsticks and pushed the bowl of mung bean soup next to him over.

She told me two things.

Zhong Yujun blinked, rested her chin on her hand, and carefully examined Zhou Mingyuan's expression.

"One is that I heard that Jieyou Coffee won first place in the entrepreneurship competition at the University of Finance and Economics, right?"

"Ah yes."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded.

"Congratulations! You got another bonus. She said the university of finance and economics gave you 100,000 yuan more than our school!"

Zhong Yujun put down her chopsticks and gave him a light clap in celebration.

It's hard to imagine that Zhou Mingyuan, who looks so ordinary, could win first place in the whole school for two entrepreneurial projects at the same time.

If this were mentioned at a class reunion, I doubt anyone would believe it.
"This money is going to be used to expand the scale anyway. It doesn't really have much to do with me."

Zhou Mingyuan shrugged, unconvinced.

"anything else?"

"Also, I heard from Sister Xue that Gu Caiwei's birthday is coming up soon. I've been so busy shopping lately that I'm dizzy. I've been thinking about what birthday gift to prepare for her."

Zhong Yujun took a small sip of soup, her gaze fixed intently on Zhou Mingyuan.

She always felt that Zhao Xue was a bit strange.

Despite her roommates saying that she wasn't particularly close to Gu Caiwei, she still kept Gu Caiwei's birthday in mind and even prepared a birthday gift well in advance.

Is this the common habit of girls in the Yangtze River Delta region?

So, she couldn't help but want to see Zhou Mingyuan's reaction.

"You're a partner, so you must also be facing this issue, right?"

(End of this chapter)