Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 12:

Chapter 12: Shooting Hoops

Lu Jie regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Why did he care so much about Fu Jia’an’s opinion? What did he hope to see? Fu Jia’an bowing down, calling him “Daddy,” impressed by his amazing basketball skills?

He probably figured that with Fu Jia’an’s thin arms and legs, the boy had no strength and probably had never even touched a basketball. It wouldn’t be too much to make Fu Jia’an a little envious and jealous in a field where he was absolutely dominant, right? But…

Lu Jie passed between Fu Jia’an and Ye Mingyan with a huff, his gaze almost burning two holes in the back of Fu Jia’an’s head. As he stared, he was suddenly kicked.

???

Peng Yuan retracted his foot. “I think you’re better suited to teach him.”

“Huh? Teach who?” Lu Jie was about to curse but was immediately sidetracked by Peng Yuan’s words.

“Your desk mate.”

I’ve really become Fu Jia’an’s guardian now. Lu Jie said, “Do you think he and I have that kind of friendly, mutually helpful relationship?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Peng Yuan looked straight ahead. “Even if you two are enemies, I’m just here to watch the show. But not everyone stops at watching the show.”

Only when Peng Yuan said this did Lu Jie notice the surrounding whispers:

—The sick-looking one is going to play basketball?

—Look at those skinny arms. He probably can’t even lift the ball.

—Should we boo when he shoots?

—Oh my god, don’t scare him into passing out.

…

Lu Jie remembered that he had tolerated some students making snide remarks about Fu Jia’an today. It seemed he had been careless. In his view, the competition with Fu Jia’an was a personal feud, but if this struggle led to students taking sides and forming “factions,” it would become too complicated.

This shouldn’t happen in the final year of high school. Moreover, a “bullying” incident had just occurred at the high school next door.

On the other side, Fu Jia’an was still listening to Ye Mingyan’s advice: how to hold the ball, the timing of the jump, and how to use lower body strength. He indeed lacked muscle, so a girl’s shooting technique might be more relevant for reference.

Because he was younger than everyone else, the P.E. teacher even brought a special basketball for Fu Jia’an to practice on the side.

“Holding the ball like this is better,” Ye Mingyan was very diligent, demonstrating a posture with her five fingers fully spread to grip the ball.

Before she could continue, Fu Jia’an was grabbed by the wrist and dragged away.

“Hey…” Ye Mingyan cried out, afraid Fu Jia’an was being taken away to be bullied. “Lu Jie, what are you doing?”

Peng Yuan conveniently blocked Ye Mingyan. “Let the two of them communicate their feelings. Maybe they’ll make up.”

“…I guess you’re right.”

Peng Yuan had always been completely focused on his studies and spoke earnestly, giving an impression of fairness, reliability, and objectivity. Ye Mingyan was straightforward and, having heard the class monitor say that, she didn’t think too much of it and didn’t follow them.

Lu Jie took Fu Jia’an to another hoop on the basketball court and stopped. At this point, all the students from Class 1 and Class 6 who had successfully shot their hoops and were free to move around silently gathered, wanting to see what was happening.

Fu Jia’an was bewildered, but he was obedient when being led, his eyes fixed on Lu Jie, seemingly waiting for an explanation. It was as if, regardless of the reason, he would follow Lu Jie if the latter held his hand.

“I’ll teach you to shoot,” Lu Jie said. He tried to squeeze out half a smile to appear patient and easygoing, his face nearly cramping.

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but just loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic?” Fu Jia’an saw right through him.

Lu Jie gritted his teeth. “If you don’t want to be bullied later, just pretend we have a good relationship.”

To whisper, the two were very close, so close that Fu Jia’an felt the back of his head almost touching Lu Jie’s solid chest. To correct Fu Jia’an’s posture, Lu Jie was practically holding Fu Jia’an’s hand while cupping the ball.

His chin was nearly touching the top of Fu Jia’an’s head, and strands of hair brushed against the inside of his forearm, ticklishly. Lu Jie was momentarily distracted, feeling the other person’s soft hand in his palm, the skin-to-skin contact feeling cool, like holding a piece of warm, smooth jade.

“Am I seeing this right?” Someone rubbed their eyes. “Since when did those two become so close???” If viewed from behind, they looked exactly like a cabbage wrapping its heart…

“The clown is me, myself, and I. I was still arguing for our academic god this morning.”

“They are desk mates after all. What’s that saying? It’s hard for a magistrate to settle a family quarrel.”

The chatter entered Lu Jie’s ears. Even the “hard for a magistrate to settle a family quarrel” comment came out, making him so embarrassed he wanted to scream across the field. He felt he had acted his part sufficiently and stepped back a half-step, raising his hand to the P.E. teacher.

“Teacher, Fu Jia’an wants to shoot next.”

Fu Jia’an exposed him: “When did I say that?”

“Or do you want to keep hugging like this?”

Lu Jie was speechless. How could such a smart kid not know when to stop? Anyway, so many people already believed their relationship wasn’t that bad, and people would be slightly more hesitant about ostracizing Fu Jia’an in the future. The goal was achieved, so they should go back to their own business. Was that so hard to understand?

Then Fu Jia’an also raised his hand toward the teacher. “Teacher, I want to compete with Lu Jie.”

???

Now everyone was energized, including the P.E. teacher with the whistle in his mouth. The class didn’t have much educational purpose anyway; it was just to let everyone relax outdoors, and a competition was the best way to mobilize everyone’s enthusiasm.

So the teacher waved his hand, telling the few students who were still trying and failing to shoot to stop stressing. Everyone gathered to witness Lu Jie and Fu Jia’an’s “competition.”

Fu Jia’an stood at the three-point line outside the hoop, glancing at Lu Jie a few meters away. He rarely had the opportunity to look at Lu Jie from a distance. They were always side-by-side at their desks, very close. But only at a distance could he more clearly feel Lu Jie’s prominence in the crowd.

The sun was gradually setting, peeling away from the gray-blue sky like a salted egg yolk. Lu Jie was in the center of that golden light, his tall and straight figure forming a silhouette.

“One minute, self-rebound three-pointers! WHOOP—”

The teacher blew the whistle. The crowd had already divided into two groups, watching the show, placing bets. Not many favored Fu Jia’an. Besides, Lu Jie was the former basketball team captain, with a self-rebound record of 13 out of 13, setting a record for the entire high school division.

As expected, Lu Jie immediately gained the upper hand when the game started.

Lu Jie’s movements were skillful and fluid. The path between shooting and rebounding changed flexibly around the three-point line; in the blink of an eye, he could trace a five-pointed star on the court. His shots were accurate without sacrificing flair, and every jump was visually appealing.

With Jiang Yan acting as the hype man, the attention of the whole crowd was quickly drawn to Lu Jie. Cheers erupted, and many girls unconsciously started looking at him with starry eyes.

Fu Jia’an’s playing style was clearly unpolished. His first shot, a straight-on attempt, missed. He quickly ran to retrieve the ball, returned, and attempted to shoot from the same spot again. A few students who hadn’t run off to watch Lu Jie looked at Fu Jia’an with pity, shaking their heads and thinking, He’s really met his match this time… Few people can beat Lu Jie in sports.

However, they soon realized something was off.

On his second shot, the ball in Fu Jia’an’s hand traced a perfect parabola in mid-air, landing precisely in the hoop as if calculated.

He… can actually make a shot?

Everyone’s eyes involuntarily turned back, wanting to see if that slender arm could create another miracle.

Immediately after, Fu Jia’an retrieved the ball again, lightly jumped, and another three-pointer went in.

“Holy cow, is this real? I even feel like the angle of that shot was exactly the same as the last one, not a hair’s breadth off.”

“It’s right in front of your eyes, how can it be fake?” Ye Mingyan, Fu Jia’an’s biggest fan, didn’t forget to defend him amidst her shock. “Look, this is the fourth shot, and it’s still a copy-paste!”

“This learning and progress ability… is terrifying.”

“The genius really… has something going on.”

Lu Jie was progressing smoothly, but he was somewhat distracted by the commotion around Fu Jia’an. On his last shot, he missed the mark, the ball grazing the rim.

Damn it. I shouldn’t have missed. But I’m too curious. What’s going on over there? Lu Jie’s chest was still heaving from heavy breathing, and sweat was streaming down his forehead into his neck. He appeared to be in control, but the strange drumming in his heart reminded him of how nervous he was right now.

“WHOOP—Time’s up! Lu Jie, 12 out of 13. Fu Jia’an, 12 out of 13!”

“……”

When everyone went to the cafeteria for dinner, Lu Jie, drenched in sweat, went back to the dorm for a shower. His hair was still half-dry when he returned to the classroom. To his surprise, Fu Jia’an hadn’t left yet.

Doesn’t he never attend evening self-study? The only exception in the entire senior grade, he left every day after the last class of the afternoon.

Lu Jie’s heart was a mix of complicated feelings. He felt his dislike for Fu Jia’an had reached its peak. Was it because the game had ended in a tie? Did he care that much about not being the only number one, or even being surpassed?

If it were someone else competing with him, would he care this much? The answer was clearly no.

A tie was annoying, but with Fu Jia’an as the opponent, the annoyance was magnified a hundredfold.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what he disliked. Perhaps it was because everything Fu Jia’an did seemed so effortless, or perhaps it was because the things Fu Jia’an was winning were starting to increase, step by step, as if deliberately targeting Lu Jie’s areas of expertise.

There were a few students who didn’t eat dinner scattered in the classroom, chatting, doing homework, or sleeping.

Fu Jia’an smelled a refreshing gardenia scent nearby. He occasionally caught a whiff of it when sitting next to Lu Jie, but this time it was stronger than usual. Without turning around, he knew Lu Jie had sat down next to him.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Lu Jie’s tone was heavy, laced with annoyance.

Fu Jia’an said, “Ye Mingyan asked everyone to stay for a while. There’s something to announce during evening self-study.”

“Oh.” Lu Jie pretended not to care, raising his hand to haphazardly scratch his bangs, which were still slightly damp.

The scent that usually eluded him now drifted over, fluctuating between strong and weak, the most tantalizing temptation in the world. Fu Jia’an leaned in and whispered in Lu Jie’s ear: “Actually—I was on the basketball team in middle school.”

???

Lu Jie’s expression went from blankness to resentment, then anger, and finally a pitifully cute look of utter exasperation: “You? So you were pretending you couldn’t play?”