Chapter Eleven: Profound Reason

  Invited, Guan You and Shi Chengcai appeared in front of everyone. Mu Shanshan scrutinized the two men, looking them up and down very carefully, almost to the point of examining their teeth. Guan You couldn't stand the provocative glint in his eyes and let out a heavy hum, while Shi Chengcai was nonchalant, smiling and nodding at Mu Shanshan in greeting.

  After a moment, Mu Shan also stopped talking and took the basketball handed over by Meng Hao. He casually threw it to Shi Chengcai. Meng Hao smiled and said: "Shan Ge is testing you, go show off."

  Shi Chengcai responded with a "good" and lightly waved his right hand, the basketball spinning rapidly on his fingertips. Hou Qiang and Hong Hou cheered. Shi Chengcai started by dribbling in place, bouncing the ball a few times before suddenly taking off, his body moving like a fish through the half court, left and right, dribbling, driving past opponents, turning and jumping to shoot, vividly displaying various techniques. Even Bai Huan, who was clueless about basketball, could see that Shi Chengcai was pretending to compete with an opponent in the half court, sometimes advancing, sometimes defending, and amazingly creating the illusion of five players on his own. This level of skill was absolutely top-notch at No. 1 Middle School, especially leaving a deep impression with his slender build but incredibly fast speed.

  Mu Shan Mountain first applauded, and the crowd also felt that they had seen a good show. Hou Qiang patted the slightly panting Shi Chengcai on the back, laughing: "The ball was played well, although it's a bit rough, but I don't mind, follow me from now on!"

  Hou Qiang's tone and expression were like throwing a bone on the ground, and the dog that picked up the bone would inevitably be grateful. No need to doubt, this was Hou Qiang who had just been scolded by Mu Shanshan like a grandson. The others didn't bother to pay attention to Shi Chengcai, and after hearing Hou Qiang's words, they didn't react much, as if it were a matter of course.

  Inside and outside the circle, two worlds!

  For people in this circle, being able to let you join in, even if it's just as a errand runner, is a huge change compared to your previous social circle. So, you should be grateful and lick their feet, how dare you mind the tone of my speech?

  In reality, people with real power in their circle wouldn't act like this. On the other hand, these half-baked guys are at an age of 16 or 17 when they're awakening to various kinds of consciousness. They only recognize the great convenience and superior status that comes with their identity, but lack the experience and wisdom to deal with the hidden worries beneath such convenience and status. That's why in later generations, there will be special terms to represent this group: rich second generation, official second generation, and so on.

  Shi Chengcai's appearance compared to Gu Wenyan was like the difference between a clay figurine and a gold ornament. But if he were to be compared to Hou Qiang, he could also be considered handsome and elegant. After hearing Hou Qiang's words, not only did he not show any dissatisfaction, but he even bowed slightly, his smiling face hiding his eyes: "Thank you, Brother Qiang, thank you, Brother Qiang."

  Although school has only been in session for a few days, Shi Chengcai already knows that Mu Shanshan's circle is not unusual at all, after all, they are quite high-profile. But he actually recognizes Hou Qiang, who is not an important figure in Mu Shanshan's circle, which can only mean: In this world, there are really too many smart people!

  Hou Qiang was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing and patted him on the back, "Not bad, very good, hahaha!"

  Ignoring the commotion on this side, Mu Shan slanted his eyes at Guan You and said coldly: "What can you do? Come show off a few tricks?"

  Gu You carefully organized his words, not wanting to be overly humble or show any hint of arrogance or dissatisfaction. He smiled reservedly: "My ball skills can only be said to be average, the techniques are passable, but what I like most is tactical arrangement and coordination. Compared to Shi Tongxuan's aggressive and bold style, it's not worth mentioning."

  Guan You didn't want to provoke Mu Shan and his gang, but he was a young athlete from the youth team and had been admitted to Qingyi Middle School as a basketball talent. His file clearly stated that he couldn't push it off, especially since the other side had offered a high price of 500 yuan, and if they won this game, they could get 500 yuan for free. Anyone who didn't do this was an idiot.

  At this age, there are countless peers who are proud of themselves and have nothing to do with being rich or poor. 500 yuan can't crush the self-esteem and knees of young people, but Guan You is different. He comes from a poor family and has known since childhood that every penny is hard-earned. 500 yuan may be earned by his mother selling vegetables in the market for three months.

  In some ways, Mu Shan is still particular about things and doesn't entirely rely on force to bully people.

  Guan You's words were as smooth as water, not at all like a first-year high school student. Mu Shan couldn't help but look at him several times, and then said: "You don't have to be modest... Alright, you're in charge of arranging all the plans and training, get the team working together quickly, this match must be won!"

  Guan You nodded and started talking about basketball. He naturally took the lead, no longer hiding the pride in his eyes: "Winning isn't everything, I won't let them score a single point!"

  Mu Shan was overjoyed and clapped his hands together, making a crisp sound: "If I succeed, I'll give you 500 yuan!"

  Shi Chengcai stood by the side with a smile, his eyes glanced at Guan You, and a hint of jealousy flashed across his face.

  Bai Huan, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked: "Old Mu, I heard that you and the others went to Liu Zhihe's place and made a big bet?"

  Hou Qiang got excited and laughed loudly: "Isn't it? We each took 1,000, a total of 5,000 yuan, which scared Liu Zhihe to death! Bai Ge, you didn't go, so you don't know the expression on Liu Zhihe's face at that time, it was really TMD wonderful!" Hou Qiang's father is at least the head of Huashan District, and he still has the habit of calling people "brother", I don't know how to get rid of this bad habit.

  "Does he think he can use our stage to sing his own tune? I'll make him pay with his life!" Mu Shan sneered.

  "Blood debt can't be repaid? This guy is really something, he's actually willing to pay according to the odds, damn it?"

  His expression was as gloomy as a mountain, and he could fully play the role of a villain. "I don't care about others, I've taken in so many bets, and now you have to spit them out according to the odds!"

  Bai Huan shook his head, somewhat speechless: "This kid's guts are getting bigger and bigger, he actually dared to accept so much money..."

  "If you dare to open the plate, you must close it. It's not that kid who said one thousand yuan is the limit, I'll smash him to death with money."

  Hong Hou asked with a smile: "Does Bai Ge have a relationship with Liu Zhihe?"

  "The relationship is nothing special, but they all came from Ming Hua Middle School and have had some dealings. Old Mu, this Liu Zhihe is not easy to mess with, you'd better be careful."

  Mu Shan nodded, not taking it to heart. Guan You and Shi Cheng, who were standing beside him, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. 5,000 yuan! Such a large bet, if lost, wouldn't Mu Shan have to peel off his own skin?

  When Deng Wen arrived at the basketball court, he was already ranked third. Ning Xiaoyin didn't hide her dissatisfaction and said coldly: "I hate it when others are late, especially when men arrive later than women! I need a reason!"

  Xu Yao shrugged and continued to play with the ball on her own, while Wen Qian smiled and held up the four bottles of Lebaishi: "I only thought of it when I arrived, how can we survive without water in this heat? I had to turn back and buy some... isn't that a deep reason?"

  "How uncultured! Was your elementary school language class taught by a math teacher? The lesson is really profound!"

  Ning Xiao Ning's cold joke was presented to Wen Chen for the first time, and it shocked him. However, he also understood that Big Sister had accepted his reason, so Wen Chen smiled. Ning Xiao Ning seemed to be rough and cold, but in fact, she was meticulous and did things with a clear plan. She could investigate herself behind Xu Yao's back, and keenly detect the differences, then suddenly become hesitant, using her own reactions to judge what was going on. This kind of strategy, which involved careful planning and pretending to be confused, was something that someone who didn't understand human relationships couldn't do.

  However, being proficient is one thing, and whether or not she wants to do it is another. Ning Xiaoyin always looks like someone who owes her money. She can say a few words that make the Buddha's seven apertures bleed. If she didn't have a deep background, Wen Jing would suspect that she couldn't grow up to be so big.

  However, Wen Ze appreciated one thing about her, which was that when Ning Xiao Bing was willing to listen to reason, she was extremely reasonable. As long as there were justifiable reasons, Wen Ze even thought that even if you had forced yourself on her, everyone could still sit down and have a good talk.

  Of course, she didn't want to talk about it, but Wen Jie could totally imagine the scene - had he watched Jurassic Park? The scene shouldn't be much different...

  Wen Cheng followed behind her, the two beautiful and unreasonable long legs swaying back and forth in front of him, the light blue jeans wrapping around her plump buttocks, moving up and down, making his heart feel itchy. Wen Cheng turned his head to see Xu Yao, hurriedly muttering to himself: A friend's friend is my friend, can't be deceived! But thinking again, what if she was someone else's wife? Would she still be my wife?

  Xu Yao looked at Wen Qian, frowning one moment and smiling foolishly the next. Irritated, she lifted her foot to lightly kick him: "What are you looking at?" As she spoke, her eyes drifted towards Ning Xiao's back, asking with ill intent: "Isn't she pretty? Should I leave for a bit?"

  He said sternly, "Your words are too unkind. Look at that girl, her skin is not as white as yours, her eyes are not as big as yours, and her nose can hang a bottle of soy sauce on the wall, yet she still dares to humiliate others? If you have the ability, find someone more beautiful than you!" This was what Wen Jian said when he first met Ning Xiao Ying at the Top Ten Youth Awards ceremony that day. It's hard for him to remember every word without error.

  Xu Yao burst out laughing, holding her stomach and squatting on the ground, still exclaiming "aiya aiya". Ning Xiao Ying, who was walking ahead, finally couldn't bear these two treasures anymore. She suddenly turned around, her shoulder-length hair swinging in the air, revealing a few hints of playfulness.

  "Come and practice ball!"

  As the saying goes, Xiaoying is not to be trifled with when she's angry, and thieves have knives; both are forces to be reckoned with. Xu Yao and Wen Qian exchanged a glance, then followed quietly.

  Voting is underway, looking at the newcomer list makes me nervous, please recommend and collect!