Chapter 12: The Basketball Game

It was Friday, and Ming Can, for once, had some free time. She lounged on the sofa, scrolling through her phone while keeping Miaomiao company as he watched cartoons.

After carefully choosing her words, Ming Can sent a message to Xu Jiayun: 【Do you remember my little cousin? He’s been staying with me recently. He really likes University A and keeps asking me to take him there. How about I bring him along with you to watch the basketball game next week?】

Xu Jiayun: 【Sure, sure! I get to see the little cutie～】

Xu Jiayun: 【No wonder you’ve been so busy lately—you’ve been babysitting at home too.】

What Xu Jiayun imagined as “babysitting” was simply providing companionship for the child. The Ming family was wealthy, after all, and there were surely plenty of nannies and servants to take care of the kid. Ming Can probably didn’t have to put in much effort.

Ming Can replied with a sticker of someone lying on the ground, wriggling.

Xu Jiayun: 【Just a heads-up, the game is going to be super crowded. You two should mentally prepare yourselves.】

Ming Can: 【？？？】

Xu Jiayun: 【It’s Computer Science vs. Architecture. Both teams have three or four well-known handsome guys, not to mention a campus legend like Senior Chi Xiao. The stands are definitely going to be packed.】

Ming Can pretended to be clueless: 【Senior Chi Xiao is on the team too… Oh, I just noticed him.】

Xu Jiayun: 【You’ve got some serious eye problems, hahahaha.】

After putting her phone down, Ming Can gestured to the little boy sitting beside her and said:

“Let’s make a plan for the day of the game…”

–

December arrived in the blink of an eye.

Winter in the northern city was dry and cold, but the heater and humidifier worked tirelessly to keep the indoor air comfortable. The bright morning light streaming through the windows made it hard to guess the temperature outside.

Ming Miao crawled out of bed and washed his face and brushed his teeth on his own.

Ming Can had come into his room half an hour earlier, neatly folding his school uniform and placing it at the foot of the bed.

As Ming Miao got dressed, Ming Can came in again to check on him.

She had already taught him how to dress neatly, so she didn’t intervene, just stood by to supervise.

Today, Ming Miao had to wear four layers: thermal underwear, a white shirt, a light blue sweater vest, and a windproof dark blue jacket. The last three were all part of his school uniform.

The uniform of Morning Star Elementary School was quite stylish, with a British academic flair, fresh color schemes, and beautiful school emblems on the sweater and jacket.

“Make sure the shirt buttons are aligned, the collar is straightened… tuck the hem into your pants before putting on the sweater…” With so many layers today, Ming Can couldn’t help but give a few pointers as she watched him struggle.

The jacket could wait until they were heading out. Once Ming Miao had the sweater on, he smoothed out the wrinkles, looked up with his fair little face, and bounced over to Ming Can: “I’m all dressed.”

Ming Can: “Great job!”

She reached out and pinched Ming Miao’s cheek, looking him up and down, unable to get enough.

He’s definitely my son—so handsome!

Ming Can’s lips curled into a wide smile.

But the next moment, she suddenly saw a glimpse of someone in Ming Miao’s features, and her smile froze.

Auntie Zhang had prepared breakfast outside. Ming Can told Ming Miao to go eat first while she returned to the master bedroom and walked into the walk-in closet, stopping in front of a full-length mirror.

In the mirror, the girl’s face was bare, her hair slicked back into a plain, mid-height ponytail. She wore a white sweater and a beige cotton jacket, both solid-colored and without any patterns, paired with jeans and sneakers. From head to toe, she looked utterly plain.

Ming Can stared at her reflection for a while, then sighed quietly—

Sigh, even dressed like this, I can’t hide my stunning beauty.

Ming Can turned around and grabbed a pair of large, non-prescription black-framed glasses from the accessory shelf, putting them on.

Hmm, now I look much more ordinary.

This afternoon, Ming Can was taking Miaomiao to University A to watch his dad play basketball.

She was quite well-known at University B and had a bit of a reputation on the forums. Since students from both universities often mingled on the forums, there were probably quite a few people at University A who knew her too.

Ming Can didn’t want to see some ridiculous gossip on the forums like, “Shocking! University B’s top student brings a kid to University A to watch a game, and the kid leaps into the arms of University A’s hottest guy…” So, she decided to tweak her outfit a bit to blend in and avoid drawing attention.

Today was Wednesday, and Miaomiao got out of school at 3 p.m. Ming Can had fewer classes in the afternoon but still finished later than him, so she told him to wait quietly in the classroom until she could pick him up.

At 3:15 p.m., the bell rang. Ming Can had already booked a ride on her phone and arranged to meet Xu Jiayun at University A’s basketball gym. She quickly walked out of the classroom.

The distance from the teaching building to the school gate wasn’t short, but by the time Ming Can reached the gate, the ride-hailing car still hadn’t arrived.

Thinking of Miaomiao waiting alone for her, Ming Can couldn’t help but feel anxious.

The driver called to say he was stuck in traffic and would be a few minutes late.

At that moment, Ming Can’s desire to learn how to drive reached its peak.

She pulled up the information for a few driving schools near the university town that her roommate had recommended and quickly reviewed them while standing on the sidewalk.

Getting a driver’s license from scratch typically took about three months on average, and even the fastest wouldn’t be less than two months.

Given how busy Ming Can was now, it might take even longer.

Just then, the ride-hailing car arrived. Ming Can got in, fastened her seatbelt, and continued researching the driving license process.

University B wasn’t far from Morning Star Elementary, so Ming Can quickly picked up Miaomiao. The two then took another ride to the south gate of University A.

“Wow, this is Brother’s university!” Miaomiao, with great foresight, had already adapted to the new way of addressing. “Sister, let’s go in!”

Ming Can held back a laugh, put on her black-framed glasses, ruffled Miaomiao’s hair, and took his hand as they walked in.

When they entered the basketball gym, there were still about twenty minutes before the game started, but the place was already packed.

Even though Ming Can had mentally prepared herself, the sight before her still made her head buzz.

This was only the first elimination match, but at first glance, it looked like the finals.

Xu Jiayun was waiting at the entrance for the two of them.

The moment she spotted the little kid, she hurried over. Although she called out “Cancan,” she didn’t even glance at Ming Can, her eyes fixed on the handsome little boy beside her.

“Good afternoon, Sister Jiayun. I’m Ming Miao,” Miaomiao greeted politely, not seeming the least bit shy.

Xu Jiayun crouched down and poked his cheek, her heart melting on the spot: “Hello, Miaomiao! You look so much like your sister!”

Standing back up, Xu Jiayun whispered in a voice only Ming Can could hear: “Your brother is too adorable. If I were born a decade later, who’d care about Cheng Xiuyan!”

Ming Can shot her a look: “It’s not too late to give up now.”

Xu Jiayun: “…”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Xu Jiayun said. “Let’s hurry in, or we won’t get a good spot.”

The basketball gym wasn’t very large, and there were no seats—spectators had to stand by the court to watch the game.

Xu Jiayun led the way, with Ming Can holding Miaomiao’s hand tightly as they followed.

Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young is a traditional virtue. Since they had a child with them, they didn’t get jostled much along the way and easily secured a spot right by the sideline.

The gym was well-heated, so Ming Can helped Miaomiao take off his jacket and stuffed it into her bag. She then took out a wet wipe to dab the sweat on his forehead.

Xu Jiayun watched as Ming Can effortlessly took care of the child, finding it quite fascinating.

Before she could ask anything, a wave of noise erupted from the northwest side of the gym, near the locker rooms. The Computer Science team had entered to warm up.

Amid the moving figures, flashes of bright red swept by like flowing, vibrant blood.

The bright lights shone down, and the noisy chatter rose and fell like ocean waves. The excitement was almost tangible, like the white mist rising from the sea under the blazing sun.

Finally, the players in red basketball jerseys stepped onto the court, fully visible.

It had to be admitted—some people were just naturally eye-catching. His towering height, his tall and well-built frame, his skin so pale it seemed to glow, and that strikingly handsome face with a pair of amber eyes that seemed to look down on everyone.

The moment Chi Xiao appeared at the end of the line, half the eyes in the gym instinctively turned toward him.

Including Ming Can’s.

And the little hand she was holding.

Miaomiao’s palm suddenly became sweaty. He tightly gripped his mom’s fingers, doing his best to resist the urge to run out and shout “Dad!”

The Computer Science team’s rest area was diagonally across from them, with a few crates of water bottles and two chairs on the ground.

The players were scattered across the court in front of the rest area, some jogging to warm up, others practicing positioning, passing, and shooting to get a feel for the game.

Chi Xiao was the most low-key among them, standing at the very back of the group, leisurely drinking water.

There were still over ten minutes before the game officially started. While the starting players didn’t seem particularly nervous, the spectators around them were all on edge, their hearts racing.

Miaomiao stared intently in that direction until a cool hand rested on his forehead.

Looking up, he met Ming Can’s calm eyes.

“Sister, can I make my move now?” Miaomiao whispered.

Ming Can bent down and nodded.

“Do you remember what we agreed on?” Ming Can repeated. “You run over and pretend to bump into him because you didn’t see the way clearly. If he gets angry and pushes you away impatiently, it means he’s a bad person, and I won’t let you come see him again.”

Miaomiao had full confidence in his dad: “I got it!”

Ming Can: “The big brothers are all warming up on the court. You should go around the outside to avoid getting bumped into. Be careful when you run, and don’t fall.”

Miaomiao: “I’m really good at running. I definitely won’t fall.”

Seeing how eager he was, Ming Can didn’t delay any further. She just held up two fingers, pointed at her eyes, then at him, signaling: I’ll be watching you.

Miaomiao: “Then I’m going!”

Ming Can nodded: “Go, Pikachu!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Miaomiao nimbly slipped into the crowd and ran along the sideline toward the other side.

Ming Can’s gaze followed him. At first, she was a little worried, but the more she watched, the more she thought—

This kid’s got a low center of gravity, moves like a snake, and runs so fast. He’s really good at this!

At the player rest area.

Chi Xiao finished his water, twisted the bottle cap, and tossed it accurately into the trash can.

“Old Chi, come up and take a shot,” someone called from the court.

Chi Xiao raised his chin slightly, bent down to adjust his compression pants, pulling them lower to tightly wrap around his knees and upper calves.

Just as he straightened up, something darted out from the side and bumped into his leg with a soft thud.

Chi Xiao froze, and so did the teammates who had called out to him.

Where did this kid come from?

Of all people to bump into, why did it have to be this cold, unfeeling statue? Wasn’t he going to scare the kid to tears?

“Ugh…” Ming Miao rubbed his nose, which had been bumped and was now sore, while his other hand clung tightly to Chi Xiao’s leg.

The child’s body was soft. Chi Xiao bent his knee slightly, trying to shake him off but not daring to use too much force.

Ming Miao didn’t budge—in fact, he clung even tighter.

Chi Xiao: …

He was utterly speechless and had no choice but to bend down and grab the little guy by the back of his collar.

At that moment, Ming Miao looked up, his eyes wide and round, his lips curling into what he thought was his most well-behaved expression. In a sweet, childish voice, he said, “Brother, sorry for bumping into you.”

Chi Xiao’s gaze met Ming Miao’s eyes.

Those dark, shiny eyes, like black grapes.

And that adorable oval face, small mouth, slightly curved eyebrows…

This kid looked…

a lot like a certain girl he knew.

Chi Xiao bent down even further, his grip on Ming Miao’s collar tightening slightly.

His expression was cold, and his voice carried no emotion: “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Ming Miao was stunned.

He had never seen Dad treat him with such a cold expression before.

He felt like, in the next second, Dad might really grab him by the collar, lift him up, and toss him away like trash.

No way!

Ming Miao was utterly heartbroken, but then he saw this familiar yet distant, aloof brother lean in even closer. The hand that had been gripping the back of his collar suddenly let go, only to slide under his armpits.

In the next moment, the 1.2-meter-tall little boy was lifted off the ground, scooped up into Chi Xiao’s arms.

Ming Miao’s mood instantly soared like a rocket—

Woo-hoo! Flying high!