pjbooks Chapter 51 Flowers in Full Bloom
Chapter 51 Flowers in Full Bloom
"Oh, the whole forest..."
Under the clear autumn sky and the midday sun, Xu Kai looked out the window at the graceful figures on the playground, still beautiful despite being bound by school uniforms.
It's completely different from when I was at Tie Er Middle School.
They've fully grown up and reached the age where they care about their appearance. Every little detail they put into their outfits reveals their pursuit of beauty. This love of beauty isn't limited to academic performance; it's an instinct at this age.
Find a tailor to shrink the legs of your school uniform pants.
The earlobes, hidden by hair, have pierced ears. Normally, she doesn't wear earrings, studs, or earrings; instead, she uses small wooden sticks to keep the piercings visible, concealed by her hair. On holidays, however, they become a highlight, a way to adorn herself.
I got my hair styled at a trendy hair salon.
I've started to walk with my back straight, and I no longer feel burdened by certain things. Instead, I confidently show them off, and that's what real strength is.
Especially the female seniors in their final year of high school, they have already begun to get restless. It seems that the mark of adulthood, such as turning eighteen, is opening the door to a beautiful world for them. If it weren't for the final restraints imposed by schools and parents, and if it weren't for the pressure of the college entrance examination, they might have already begun to completely let loose.
Dong Bin and Bai Rui, one on each side, leaned against the windowsill in the same posture as Xu Kai, looking out at the youthful scene.
Since getting to know Bai Rui and Fei Wenxin, Dong Bin's schoolbag has gradually been replaced with martial arts novels without covers or even missing pages, and traditional Chinese magazines hidden under book covers.
As Dong Bin read the martial arts novel, he would occasionally mutter a curse under his breath: "Damn it, which bastard tore out a page?"
He has grown up.
That's why she's standing next to Xu Kai now, admiring the beautiful scenery on the playground together and discussing it with him.
Hearing Xu Kai's sigh, Bai Rui quickly turned around and nudged Xu Kai's elbow with his own: "You little rascal, aren't you afraid of being overheard by the boss?"
Xu Kai stood up, returned to his seat, put his hands behind his head, hooked his feet on the table, leaned his body backward, supported by the two back legs of the chair, and swayed back and forth in a small range.
He didn't mean anything by it; he was just enjoying this reborn life, which was so comfortable that he started to have some random thoughts. Yunshang was great, but Xu Kai, who was used to eating regular meals, was now eating half meat and half vegetables, and sometimes his emotions would be a little 'negative'.
Dong Bin looked around, then leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Kai, can you get me a few DVDs? Nobody's at Lao Bai's house this weekend."
Bai Rui's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "My parents aren't home, so you can come to my house to watch the video during the day."
Xu Kai rolled his eyes: "Is this interesting?"
Dong Bin's eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly: "Interesting, very interesting."
Bai Rui curled his lip: "You're a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of an starving man. You have practice every day, unlike us, who can only learn the theory first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that Xu Kai and Dong Bin were looking at him with pity. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine. The faint scent of perfume wafted over him, and his clever mind realized what was going on. He quickly changed his tune: "Brother Kai, your wife has so many girlfriends. Why don't you help her make some connections and go to the roller skating rink this weekend? I'll treat you."
Dong Bin gave him a thumbs up, saying, "You're amazing, your reaction was really quick."
Yunshang walked past Bai Rui without even glancing at him, and handed the lunchbox containing fruit to Xu Kai. She had been a little more restrained at school recently, but when it came to her own desire to be good to Xu Kai, no one could stop her. She had specially gone outside the school to have someone cut fresh fruit for her at noon and brought it back for him to eat.
"Bai Rui, are you sure you want us all to join in?"
Bai Rui nodded repeatedly when he saw that the leader of the gang had responded to him.
There were some students in the classroom at the moment. Yunshang rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "Then you guys organize a class gathering this weekend and go out to play together. I'll also organize my classmates to go hiking, have a picnic, go rollerblading, and play claw machines in the afternoon."
Bai Rui beamed with joy, as did Dong Bin. The other students in the class who heard this also looked up. The academic pressure at No. 1 High School was immense, and everyone longed for some relaxation. This kind of thing, done by a boy and a girl together, often made many people more enthusiastic.
What's missing is a charismatic organizer.
What's missing is a well-planned party organization.
Before afternoon classes, there is a short period of self-study time in the classroom. Sometimes the teacher comes and sometimes he doesn't. Bai Rui is jumping around and has already started his organizational journey.
Xu Kai chuckled inwardly. Two years older, but lacking in experience. Yun Shang is excellent, and Bai Rui is not bad either, but look at them now.
He didn't mention that the senior and freshman group gatherings were Bai Rui's way of connecting with more friends. It was the best opportunity for the senior to take care of the junior.
After more than a month in high school, the classmates had become familiar with each other. For the first class gathering off-campus, many people responded. Before Xu Kai went to training in the afternoon, Bai Rui counted nearly thirty people in just two class periods.
Although Xu Kai prefers to go it alone, as he gradually enjoys high school life in this era, he does not resist similar group activities. He is readjusting to and learning to enjoy the atmosphere of youth again.
Simplicity is something you won't have once you truly grow up.
Dressing up doesn't necessarily mean having something happen with someone; it's just that boys and girls at the right age express their instincts in front of the opposite sex.
………………
Making it to the national competition is not a remarkable achievement for a high school. They were already firmly in the top three in the province. Now, they have entered the national competition as the first place winner, which raises expectations and the level of logistical support. More importantly, Xu Kai and his team need to achieve even better results.
In sports with high public attention, the better the results, the more benefits a school can bring. This is somewhat similar to the current state of sports, where the same Olympic champion can have vastly different future prospects, personal fame, and earning power.
The school provided each member of the basketball team with a toiletries kit. The kit wasn't very expensive, but the total value of over a hundred yuan was still a reflection of the value the team members earned as students through their own abilities.
The school provides each student with a meal card and a monthly subsidy of 100 yuan.
For the upcoming national competition, the players' accommodation and transportation allowances upon arrival in Yanjing have been upgraded. The school has arranged soft sleeper compartments for everyone traveling from Songcheng to Yanjing.
Inside the school gymnasium, basketball training is currently the highest priority among all sports activities used in the school gymnasium.
These days, the basketball team is training with all the players screaming with excitement. Right now it's just a three-on-three challenge, but what about next year? By then, it won't just be a national event, but also a provincial one, or at the very least, a city-wide university or college competition. The quality of these high school basketball team members will definitely have corresponding "exchange" value, not just as much as some math competition bonus points, but also not much less.
How did these changes come about?
Xu Kai's value has been recognized by everyone.
In the provincial joint finals, Xu Kai competed against the final two teams from the Provincial Experimental School. His departure from the court completely freed up Dong Bin and Fei Wenxin, who were struggling. Against a school like the Provincial Experimental School, their height advantage was no longer an advantage, as the school was not lacking in exceptionally talented players.
But Xu Kai was the real X-factor. In just five minutes off the court, he crushed the opposing team, hitting three consecutive three-pointers in a row that left them stunned. By the time they realized what was happening, Xu Kai's off-ball movement had completely demoralized the opposing players.
In half-court offense and defense, if you give me a non-stop running routine within the half-court area, who can keep up? If you're just two steps behind, a three-pointer will completely collapse the game.
Park In-ji has brought back definite news: the provincial professional basketball team, which has just been officially renamed the Northeast Tigers Club, has already been contacted by someone from the school and has expressed that they will pay attention to several players. At present, they are just busy competing for a spot to return to the CBA from the A-League and cannot spare the time. Otherwise, all the players who performed well in this provincial competition would have the opportunity to go to the club for professional short-term training.
One pie after another was presented, and everyone listened with great enthusiasm. However, Park In-ji was not very satisfied. The guy he really wanted to smash remained calm and showed no emotion whatsoever.
Xu Kai wasn't without emotional fluctuations, but he was aware of his own situation. Recently, the speed at which his reborn physical fitness improved had been slowing down. Even with adequate nutrition, he no longer had the same frenzy as before.
He knows he is very strong, almost overwhelming his peers, but he doesn't know if his current growth rate can match that of truly top-tier peers. He has no interest in becoming a professional player without standing on the best stage and only competing domestically.
It's a profession.
That's not something you can just talk about. Years of monotonous training and matches require far more sweat than you can imagine. He doesn't think that kind of life is what he wants. Unless he can actually stand on the NBA stage, he'd rather be a wealthy man in his hometown.
I've thought about it for a long time, and I actually have the answer—let nature take its course.
If he has the ability to match it, he will work hard; if he is not, he will treat it as an educational stepping stone so that he can have a good academic resume without relying on his brain.
As for its use?
I just wanted to fulfill a dream of mine and my mother's dream, and in reality, to complete my long-cherished wish and truly enjoy university campus life.
Before that, you don't need to have a lot of money in your pocket, but you must have enough to get by.
After training ended, Xu Kai didn't go to evening self-study. Now he can openly skip class under the guise of training, carrying his schoolbag, with his two henchmen Fei Wenxin and Dong Bin by his side. The two of them also skipped class.
"Brother Kai, do you think cavalry looks better, or infantry?"
Xu Kai kicked Fei Wenxin, who didn't seem to care and immediately leaned close to Dong Bin's ear, revealing a lewd smile. The two were completely birds of a feather.
"Brother Kai." As soon as he entered the arcade, Ma Xin saw Xu Kai and immediately came over to greet him.
When the video arcade was sold, Xu Kai didn't let Ma Xin leave immediately. He saw through Song Jun's character, and sure enough, Song Jun fired Ma Xin in less than a month.
In this way, Ma Xin no longer needs to worry about what others will say when he goes to work at Xu Kai's arcade.
Xu Kai glanced at the two henchmen behind him: "Get these two bastards some good cards."
At first, Ma Xin didn't understand why he didn't break ties with Song Jun. He had already completely sided with Xu Kai and didn't think there was anything wrong with breaking ties.
Xu Kai's words made him realize that having more friends means having more options. Although Song Jun was stingy, miserly, and greedy, he felt somewhat guilty about firing Ma Xin, and he kept showering him with compliments to maintain his reputation for benevolence.
After that, Ma Xin went to rent DVDs. He rented them at double-fold prices. Ma Xin also had his own small circle of friends. Respecting Xu Kai's wishes, he didn't compete for business around the video arcade. When he got to the arcade, which was quite far away, if a new person he met wanted to watch a DVD but didn't know where to rent it, he would rent or buy it for them, which was a kind of extra income.
Even if it's just one more dollar, it shows that Brother Kai is more benevolent than that bastard Song Jun.
With an extra hundred dollars, I've finally found the right person to work with; my job is comfortable and my life is comfortable.
No more, damn it, that bastard Song Jun is a piece of trash, he doesn't deserve to be called brother.