Chapter 21

*****

She pulled him along with a big grin on her face. "Come, I want you to meet my friend; maybe she can help you take on the role," she urged.

Ye Bai staggers after her, surprised by her sudden excitement. "Is it Zifeng?" he asked curiously.

Zhao Jinmai stopped her walk and turned around. "How did you know?" She was surprised by his guess.

"Of course, only Zifeng is the person you worked with on the crew," Ye Bai explained.

As they reached Zifeng, "Sister Zifeng, this is my friend that I talk to; Ye Bai, this is my friend, Sister Zifeng," Maimai said, introducing them. She happily moved to their side to have a space for them to meet.

In front of her stood a girl with short hair, donning an orange polo shirt. With her cute and sweet appearance, she exuded a charming aura that immediately caught Ye Bai's attention. "Hello, I'm Ye Bai." He offered a friendly handshake, feeling a bit nervous.

Zifeng's eyes shone when she saw Jinmai's friend; he's handsome and tall. She reaches out her hand and says, "Hello, I'm Zhang Zifeng, Jinmai's friend." She smiles.

*****

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Ye Bai couldn't help but burst into laughter as he watched Miaomiao downing a bottle of water, her determination evident in every gulp.

Once she finished, she shot Ye Bai a glare before taking her seat.

Jiang Tianhao: "Miaomiao, don't leave! Let's play again."

With an uncomfortable expression, Miaomiao hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, I can't do it anymore."

Deng Xiaoqi looked at her with concern. "Are you alright?"

Lin Miaomiao started massaging her stomach full of water. "I'm fine. I just can't handle any more drinks. I can't even calculate properly. I don't even understand the game," Miaomiao replied.

Ye Bai chuckled. "You knew you couldn't understand it, yet you still played."

Miaomiao turned around, shooting Ye Bai an annoyed look, but she swallowed her anger.

Both Deng Xiaoqi and Ye Bai were taken aback by Miaomiao's uncharacteristic restraint.

Deng Xiaoqi quickly reached out to feel Miaomiao's forehead. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Miaomiao's face flushed with embarrassment and swat Deng Xiaoqi. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Deng Xiaoqi eyed her suspiciously. "It's strange you're not losing your temper."

"Do I usually lose my temper?" Miaomiao asked, feeling embarrassed.

"Sometimes," Ye Bai chimed in.

Rolling her eyes at Ye Bai, Miaomiao turned her attention to Qian Sanyi, who was focused on his scientific calculator.

"Hey, Sanyi, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to spray water at you."

Qian Sanyi didn't respond, engrossed in his calculator. When Miaomiao peeked at his screen, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, Sanyi, you're playing CS on your calculator!"

The boys nearby, engrossed in their own games, turned to watch Sanyi in awe.

Sun Chuanchu chuckled. "Sorry, Haozi, but that's CS."

With that, they left Jiang Tianhao to his game.

Jiang Tianhao looked at the half box of bottled water, once again Sanyi stole his limelight.

...

Miaomiao watched enviously as her friends easily operated the device, playing games with ease. Turning to Ye Bai, she pleaded, "You promised to teach me how to use this thing."

Ye Bai grinned. "Alright, come here. I'll show you."

Excitedly, Miaomiao sat beside him as Ye Bai demonstrated the basic functions of the calculator. Initially bewildered, Miaomiao's confusion gave way to amazement when Ye Bai executed a series of commands, summoning a snake game on his calculator.

"Whoa, did you do that? Teach me!" Miaomiao's enthusiasm surged.

Ye Bai patiently guided her through the steps to play the game. Despite initial failures, Miaomiao persisted until she succeeded. She excitedly showed it to Ye Bai, who rewarded her with a thumbs-up.

"Xiaoqi! Xiaoqi! Look at this snake on my device!" Miaomiao exclaimed, showing Deng Xiaoqi, who was equally impressed.

Ye Bai chimed in, "If you explore more, you'll find even more games."

At the mention of more games, Miaomiao's focus sharpened, eager to uncover the device's full potential.

...

Lin Miaomiao, Deng Xiaoqi, Jiang Tianhao, and Ye Bai were engrossed in a study session at the library. Ye Bai took the lead in explaining various calculator operations, showcasing a quicker and more efficient way to solve problems.

"By following this operation, it's much easier and faster," Ye Bai explains in detail and, demonstrates a more efficient approach to problem-solving.

Jiang Tianhao was genuinely impressed, realizing there were alternative methods to solving problems. "That's awesome! I never knew you could do it this way. I've learned something new today."

Deng Xiaoqi nodded in agreement. "Yes, this operation seems much easier than what the teacher taught us."

Meanwhile, Lin Miaomiao was deeply focused on solving a particular problem. She knew that Ye Bai had promised to teach her another game on the calculator if she could successfully solve this equation.

Ye Bai understood Miaomiao's motivation—a reward system. He remembered how she had worked harder when rewarded with money for academic progress.

"Done! Check my answer, Ye Bai," Miaomiao exclaimed, handing her calculator to Ye Bai for verification.

Jiang Tianhao leaned in to observe how Miaomiao solve the problem. When Ye Bai confirmed that her answer was correct, he applauded Miaomiao's achievement.

"That's great! You've really improved, Miaomiao. You can operate this device without encountering a 'logic error'," Ye Bai praised Miaomiao's progress.

"Okay, now teach me another game on this calculator," Miaomiao requested beamed with excitement at the prospect of learning a new game. Ye Bai gladly obliged, keeping his promise and rewarding Miaomiao for her efforts.

...

During self-study time, Zhang Rongbao entered the room and began writing and explaining math problems directly. Ye Bai observed Lin Miaomiao, who appeared to be listening attentively. He couldn't help but smile, fully aware that Miaomiao wasn't particularly fond of studying, especially math.

"Alright, students, I'll give you a problem to solve," Zhang Rongbao announced, presenting a trigonometric function for the students to work on.

Qian Sanyi, eager for a challenge, glanced at Ye Bai, expecting him to compete. However, he was surprised to find Ye Bai not actively solving the problem. Qian Sanyi completed his calculations, however, when he finished and raised his hand to answer, he was surprised to find Lin Miaomiao doing the same.

Zhang Rongbao acknowledged Miaomiao's participation. "Alright, let's hear Lin Miaomiao's answer and compare it to Qian Sanyi's."

Confident in the method Ye Bai had taught her, Miaomiao found the problem relatively easy. Miaomiao shared her solution. "I calculated 0.3199, 0.3100, and 31.3201."

Zhang Rongbao turned to Qian Sanyi. "And what is your answer, Qian Sanyi?"

"My answer is the same as Lin Miaomiao's," Qian Sanyi replied. He is also surprised that Miaomiao correctly answered the equation.

Deng Xiaoqi couldn't hide her pride as she applauded Lin Miaomiao's success.

Sun Chuanchu looked on in disbelief. "Miaomiao has improved so much in just one day."

...

After Zhang Rongbao left the classroom, Jiang Tianhao hurriedly stepped forward.

"Don't go yet, everyone, quiet down for a moment," he called out. "As the Sports Vice-Monitor of the class, I have something to announce. There's an upcoming Elite Classes Basketball Competition, and every class is forming a basketball team. So, Class 1 can't fall behind, right?"

"Right!" the students chorused.

"Anyone interested in participating can come to me to sign up," Jiang Tianhao continued.

A student in the front eagerly raised his hand and stood up. "Me!"

There were snickers in the room due to his height not quite meeting the standard.

"You can sit down now," Jiang Tianhao said before turning to Ye Bai. "Ye Bai, you said you would join."

Ye Bai nodded in agreement. "I'm ready when you need me, Captain."

Jiang Tianhao was pleased with Ye Bai calling him captain. "Of course, we'll proceed with a fair selection process. Raise your hands if you want to join."

Suddenly, Qian Sanyi raised his hand. The girls in the class, especially Deng Xiaoqi, exclaimed in surprise at the academic student's decision.

Seeing Deng Xiaoqi's ecstatic face, Jiang Tianhao's smile faded. "Do you even know basketball? You might lose your teeth on the court," he warned.

Qian Sanyi responded confidently, "Let's give it a fair shot. You never know until you try, right?"

"Alright, those who've signed up, let's head to the court," Jiang Tianhao declared. "We'll have a tryout."

...

Miaomiao stood on the side of the court with Deng Xiaoqi and Ye Bai beside her.

"I didn't know you play basketball?" Miaomiao glanced at Ye Bai.

"It's been a year since we last saw each other. I used to play basketball at that time," Ye Bai lied.

During his time on Bluestar, when Wu Lei wasn't in the crew, Ye Bai often joined him and his dormmates play basketball.

Meanwhile, Jiang Tianhao and Qian Sanyi were engaged in a fierce competition on the court. The girls on Miaomiao's side were cheering and clapping enthusiastically as the two boys showed off their skills. Ye Bai clapped for both, acknowledging their skills and benefiting the class.

After wiping the sweat from his forehead, Qian Sanyi asked, "How was my play? Can I join now?"

Jiang Tianhao, despite his dislike for Qian Sanyi, acknowledged his performance. "Every Friday afternoon, there's practice after school."

Then, turning to Ye Bai, Jiang Tianhao signaled, "You're up next."

Ye Bai stepped onto the court, eliciting cheers from Miaomiao and Xiaoqi.

Ye Bai spoke to Jiang Tianhao. "I don't want to steal your limelight, Haozi. But I need to be serious too."

Jiang Tianhao fought the urge to punch Ye Bai's handsome face. "Let's play seriously then."

When Ye Bai took the ball, he swiftly shot it from the 3-point line, surprising the students with his fast and accurate shot.

SWISH

"Wow!" The girls began to scream, impressed by the handsome shooting.

Miaomiao and Xiaoqi, despite their previous disagreements, now cheered unanimously for Ye Bai. Earlier, Miaomiao was cheering for Jiang Tianhao, and Xiaoqi was cheering for Qian Sanyi. Now, both were rooting for Ye Bai.

Jiang Tianhao was equally amazed. He passed the ball to Ye Bai and said, "Try shooting again. If you make it, you're in. We need a shooter."

Ye Bai didn't hesitate. With each shot, his muscle memory kicked in, and his body moved almost instinctively.

SWISH

"Waaah!" The boys even joined in the excitement because it was an exceptionally cool shot. Qian Sanyi nodded in acknowledgment of the great shot.

With a wide grin, Jiang Tianhao patted Ye Bai on the shoulder. "Thanks to you, we're one step closer to the championship."

"For those who made it, we'll have practice every Friday after class," Jiang Tianhao announced.

...