Basketball: Starting from Defeating LeBron James

　　Boom——!

　　Lin Feng's face instantly flushed bright red! He nodded vigorously, his voice trembling with excitement:

　　"Perseverance? No problem, I've got plenty of that."

　　Long Yi, standing beside him, stared with wide eyes: (⊙ˍ⊙)???

　　The ointment in his hand "plop" fell to the ground.

　　Basketball... team?!

　　This Lin Feng—who'd developed PTSD at the mere mention of "basketball," whose idea of a dunk was slamming his face into the backboard, whose "star athlete" persona was all hot air—was going to join the basketball team?!

　　Long Yi felt his brain short-circuiting.

　　The world was too bizarre! Was this script for "Lin Feng Plays Basketball" mixed up with the wrong one?!

　　Meanwhile, Lin Feng, enveloped in overwhelming happiness, gazed at Taylor—smiling brightly as she cheered him on—his consciousness floating off to cloud nine...

　　"Ahhh! Taylor! How can you be so cute! An angel! You're my angel!" The little voice in his heart screamed and rolled around frantically.

　　An epic "admirer's declaration" exploded in his mind:

　　"As long as I can walk to and from school with you every day! Forget playing basketball—even if I get hit by basketballs every day, clean toilets every day, sit on the bench every day—I'd be willing to!!!"

　　...

　　No sooner had Taylor Swift stepped out of the classroom than a female classmate grabbed her and yanked her into the shadows!

　　The classmate glanced nervously around, making sure no "terrorists" were chasing them out, then patted her flat chest—looking at Taylor with the same admiration one might give the heroine of Jurassic Park:

　　"Whoa! Taylor! You're way too brave, you know?"

　　"Huh?" Taylor Swift looked blank, tilting her head slightly.

　　"Brave about what?"

　　(A stray golden hair bobbed with the movement.)

　　The classmate smacked her chest, wearing a "don't play dumb" expression, leaned in, and whispered mysteriously—glancing toward the classroom door as if Godzilla were locked inside:

　　"Quit pretending! Obviously, talking to those guys!"

　　She swallowed hard, her voice trembling,

　　"I heard from someone who transferred from Heguang High that those guys are pretty terrifying. I don't really get the world of thugs, but that red-haired one—apparently, he was infamously bad back in high school. Aren't you scared of them?"

　　After listening to this vivid description, Taylor Swift only grew more confused!

　　She tilted her little head, golden hair sliding off her shoulder, and frowned slightly—trying to connect the red-haired giant in the classroom: the one with the silly smile (a bit goofy, sure), who blushed, who puffed out his chest to make promises, even a little awkwardly cute... with the "ripping people apart alive" villain her classmate described...

　　It didn't work! They were totally different species!

　　Her small mouth parted slightly, revealing an expression of extreme confusion yet utter sincerity. Her voice was soft,but carried an unshakable certainty:

　　"But... Lin Feng... he's clearly very kind, very gentle?"

　　Taylor Swift thought back to Lin Feng's efforts to seem reliable, always with a touch of silliness, and the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her (even if they were a little too intense sometimes).

　　A sweet smile curved unconsciously at her lips:

　　"He's the first person... who makes me feel so relaxed, like I can chat without overthinking..."

　　She looked up at her classmate, whose face screamed "you're hopeless," her eyes as pure as fresh snow. She declared her "final verdict" firmly:

　　"So! I think Lin Feng is definitely a good person!"

　　...

　　Inside the classroom, Lin Feng was still immerse in the pink bubbles of "Taylor signing me up for the basketball team."

　　He slouched in his chair, eyes glazed over, a silly, infatuated smile hanging on his lips, as if there were tangible pink flowers floating above his head:

　　"Ah~~~ This is spring~ The sour smell of love~ No! It's the sweet scent of happiness! I declare! I, Lin Feng! am the happiest man in the world!!"

　　 (Hands clasped over his chest, he let out a soulful aria.)

　　"Stop it! Lin Feng! Rein it in! Your drool's dripping on my homework!"

　　Long Yi tossed a tissue over, looking disgusted.

　　"Lin Feng, I advise you not to get too carried away, or the blow later will be even harder."

　　Lin Feng, jolted out of his daydream, turned his head blankly: "Huh?"

　　Long Yi crossed his arms, wearing that annoying "I'm doing this for your own good" expression:

　　"Fine! I admit it! Taylor Swift is unbelievably cute! Angelic face! A heart of gold! Temper as sweet as cotton candy! "

　　Lin Feng nodded in agreement.

　　"But!" Long Yi suddenly changed tone, his words cutting into Lin Feng's heart like a cold blade:

　　"Do you really think! A treasure girl of SSS+ level! would be an unclaimed island?!Wake up, kid! Men aren't blind! Top-tier resources like that are already being watched! Got it?!"

　　"Boom!"

　　Lin Feng felt a bolt of lightning strike directly on the top of his head! The sweet pink bubbles from just a moment ago instantly turned into shards of ice!

　　A sense of foreboding, like a Siberian cold front, swept over his entire body in an instant! He froze!

　　Swish! Swish! Swish!

　　Long Er, Long San, and Long Si, like sharks catching the scent of gossip, instantly closed in around him!

　　All three wore the same solemn expression that screamed "Hang in there, bro (we're here for the show)."

　　Long Si pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing off the lenses, and stated firmly: "Do we even need to guess? She's definitely taken!"

　　Long Er and Long San nodded in silent agreement, chiming in together to twist the knife: "Exactly! It's a done deal!"

　　Lin Feng, confused by the commotion, snapped: "Hey! You guys! What the hell are you on about?!"

　　Long Si jabbed a finger sharply into the air, as if pointing at a wanted poster of Rudy Gay:

　　"Case solved! That Rudy Gay guy! He's definitely her boyfriend!"

　　Long Er and Long San turned into parrots, their tones unwavering: "Right! It's that damn Rudy Gay!"

　　"Rudy Gay...?"

　　Lin Feng's brows knotted into a twist. Why did that name sound so familiar? In a flash, memories came flooding back—

　　Scene A: The day he first met his goddess, Taylor had tilted her head curiously: "You're so tall! I wonder who's taller, you or Rudy Gay?"

　　Scene B: In the basketball gym, Taylor's cheeks had flushed pink as she added softly: "A... and Rudy Gay too... his dunks are super amazing..."

　　Boom——!

　　A blaze of jealousy and murderous rage erupted in Lin Feng's chest!

　　He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, his back teeth grinding so hard they might spark. Through gritted teeth, he hissed a dark curse:

　　"Rudy Gay!... Dammit! I swear, I'll never rest until I've settled this with you!"

　　Long Er, Long San, and Long Si: "(◕ᴗ◕✿) Exactly! Never rest until you've settled it!

　　(Nodding frantically to fan the flames!)"

　　Long Yi rubbed his temples in resignation: "Don't jump to conclusions yet! If you want the truth—"

　　He pointed toward the classroom door, "Just go ask her yourself."

　　...

　　Outside the classroom, the sun was shining brightly (but Lin Feng's mood was on a rollercoaster).

　　Lin Feng took a deep breath (as if he were about to defuse a bomb), mustered all the courage he'd ever had in his life, and asked the fatal question that had kept him tossing and turning, drowning in a sea of jealousy, to the golden-haired Taylor in front of him:

　　"T-Taylor! Th... that Rudy Gay! Is... is he your... your..." (His voice trembled with nervousness, his eyes darting away, too afraid to meet hers, as if awaiting a final verdict!)

　　"Huh——?!"

　　Taylor Swift instantly turned into a confused little rabbit, her big blue eyes widening into circles, her small mouth forming an adorable "O" shape.

　　It was as if a string of tangible golden question marks were floating above her head:

　　"Rudy Gay??? Wh... what about him??? "

　　Lin Feng was caught off guard by her innocent rhetorical question,his heart leaping into his throat. He could only force himself to repeat (his voice shaking even more):

　　"I... I mean... is he... your boyfriend...? "

　　 (He felt like he was going to suffocate any second!)

　　Not far away, in the bush by the teaching building's flower bed...

　　Four heads popped up "whoosh whoosh whoosh" like mushrooms after rain! Eight eyes, peeking through the gaps in the leaves, sparkled with the green light of "gossip radar MAX"!

　　Long San: "Damn! Red Hair is so nervous he's almost walking with his hands and feet in sync! His sweat drops are bigger than the soybeans at my grandma's house!"

　　Long Si pushed up his glasses, the lenses glinting: "Tsk! Look at Taylor's little surprised and confused expression... Oh no, oh no! Chances are that Rudy Gay guy... is really her secret boyfriend! That reaction... it's not right!"

　　Long Er: "Absolutely! A hundred percent sure! No doubt about it! Look at Lin Feng's face... it's so dark it's almost dripping ink! Total signs of an impending breakup! Brothers, get the first-aid kit ready (melon seeds and cola)!"