My Favorite Ship Became My Sister-in-Law - Chapter 9

I Am Laughing Because You Look Especially Handsome When You Care About Me

Li Chao’s older brother “invited” the other people on the court to rest on the sidelines. To ensure fairness, he would act as the referee.

Everyone on the court had changed into basketball uniforms and taken their positions. Li Chao’s team wore red uniforms. His brother only knew how to fight and did not know how to play the game, but he insisted on being the referee regardless.

Shi Yue’s team wore white uniforms, which Ji Chenchuan had just purchased at the gymnasium. The team consisted of Shi Yue, Ji Chenchuan, and three of the men Li Chao’s brother had brought along. Before the game even began, the air was already thick with an irreconcilable, murderous aura.

“What do you want him to do if we win?” Ji Chenchuan asked Shi Yue intentionally in front of Li Chao.

Shi Yue understood immediately. This was a tactic to mess with Li Chao’s state of mind. With five players on their team, three of whom belonged to Li Chao’s brother, discussing a victory so openly showed how much they looked down on Li Chao. Given Li Chao’s explosive temper, he would be desperate to win. The more he wanted to win, the more anxious he would become; the more anxious he was, the more mistakes he would make, leading to a miserable defeat.

“I think making his brother kneel and call me ‘Daddy’ three times would be quite nice,” Shi Yue said, pretending to ponder the idea. “Yes,” Ji Chenchuan nodded. “I think that sounds good too.”

Li Chao was instantly provoked. He glanced at Ji Chenchuan as if he were an idiot. “You still think you can win? I think you should get your own knees ready instead.”

In Li Chao’s view, Ji Chenchuan and Shi Yue were the biggest fools on earth. They did not even have enough players and were seeking death by using his brother’s men. His brother’s men would obviously help him, and with his brother as the referee, victory was guaranteed.

“Hey,” Shi Yue ignored Li Chao and spoke provocatively to Li Chao’s brother. “Your younger brother told you to get your knees ready. I see you are getting on in years; perhaps you should practice first, or I am afraid you will not be able to kneel and call out to me later.” “Shi Yue, you mother!”

Enraged, Li Chao grabbed Shi Yue’s collar, intending to hit him. However, his raised fist was caught in a death grip by Ji Chenchuan. Unable to move, he was forced to lower his hand, though his fierce expression looked as if he wanted to devour Shi Yue.

“Listen well, Li Chao,” Shi Yue said, poking Li Chao’s shoulder with his finger. “My brother is someone who will always speak while standing tall.”

Li Chao could not find any words to strike back. He spat forcefully on the ground, shook off Ji Chenchuan, and walked back to his team, signaling his brother to blow the whistle. His brother blew a sharp blast and then ignored the game, sitting aside to watch how they would play it out.

Li Chao’s team won the jump ball. He started the play, and the battle officially began. Stealing, intercepting, and scrambling—the intense and fierce scene drew people from all over the gymnasium to watch. They expected a balanced match, but instead, they witnessed an absolute, one-sided slaughter.

By the end of the first half, the score between the Red and White teams was 13 to 2.

Shi Yue was drenched in sweat. He gulped down a bottle of water and used his jersey to wipe his face. Perhaps because of his doll-like, handsome face, Shi Yue always gave off a fragile illusion that made people want to protect him. No one would imagine he was capable of fighting or physical violence.

It was only now, as Ji Chenchuan saw the powerful, lean abdominal muscles Shi Yue revealed, that he realized he did not know Shi Yue well enough. Only Ji Chenchuan knew how shocked he had been when Ji Zhiruo called to say Shi Yue was in a fight. Two years had truly transformed this well-behaved child.

Noticing Ji Chenchuan’s gaze, Shi Yue grinned at him. However, he was internally confused. In his memory, Ji Chenchuan was excellent at basketball, yet his performance in the first half was difficult to describe. Shi Yue had to watch for teammates tripping him while struggling to pass three balls to Ji Chenchuan, but Ji Chenchuan had failed to make a single shot. Those two points had been earned by Shi Yue alone.

Shi Yue was extremely frustrated. He guessed that Ji Chenchuan simply had no time for basketball after entering university and had grown rusty, but surely he should not be this weak.

With an eleven-point deficit, there was no chance of a comeback in the second half if things continued this way. They could only wait to lose. He was not afraid of losing, but he did not want Ji Chenchuan to have to kneel to that bastard Li Chao. It was too insulting.

“Chenchuan-ge, we definitely cannot catch up in the second half. After the game, promise me you will not interfere, okay? I will settle this with Li Chao myself,” Shi Yue whispered to Ji Chenchuan.

Ji Chenchuan was drinking water, and his hand froze on the bottle. It seemed the boy did not trust him. Just as he was about to speak, Li Chao walked over triumphantly and bumped Shi Yue hard with his shoulder.

“If you admit defeat now, I can let your brother call me ‘Daddy’ one less time.” “It is not settled yet who will be calling whom. Are you that eager to find a new father for your brother?” “Shi Yue, you have no real skill, but that mouth of yours is certainly impressive.” Li Chao was fuming, looking as if he wanted to tear Shi Yue apart. “There is still the second half. Keep your eyes open and see if I have skill or not,” Shi Yue said, refusing to back down.

“Fine. I will wait. If you can win the second half, I will call you ‘Boss’ whenever we are at school. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west.” After saying this, Li Chao gave a contemptuous smile, whistled, and went to talk to his brother.

As soon as Li Chao turned his back, Shi Yue’s confidence vanished. His face was knotted with worry, and he regretted his big talk. If they were going to lose, it did not have to be this embarrassing. Just then, Ji Chenchuan’s warm, sweaty hand rested on Shi Yue’s head. His palm was hot, but his voice remained cool and calm.

“I said we would not lose, and we will not. In the second half, just follow my rhythm. Your Chenchuan-ge guarantees you will gain a new follower.” “Really?” Shi Yue looked at him skeptically. “When have I ever lied to you?” Ji Chenchuan asked with a smile. “I suppose you have not.” “What do you mean ‘suppose’? I never have.”

The gloom on Shi Yue’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a “hehe” laugh. He asked, “So you were faking it in the first half?”

Ji Chenchuan smiled without answering, which was a silent admission. He had not played seriously in the first half because he was busy observing the opponents and the three other players on their own team. He used his eyes to point out each of Li Chao’s players and their own three teammates, telling Shi Yue about their preferred styles and the dirty tricks they liked to use. He taught Shi Yue how to counter them and how they would coordinate.

The halftime break ended, and the second half began. Because they had won the first half so easily, Li Chao’s team did not swap any players, just as Ji Chenchuan had predicted.

This time, Shi Yue won the jump ball and passed it directly to Ji Chenchuan. Given Ji Chenchuan’s weak performance in the first half, no one thought much of him. They viewed him as a large but useless decoration who could not make a shot anyway. Consequently, Li Chao and his team lost interest in intercepting him, only to watch helplessly as Ji Chenchuan executed a high-difficulty three-point “swish” shot.

The crowd erupted into a deafening cheer. Li Chao’s brother did not understand the game. Hearing the massive roar, he asked a subordinate, “Was that shot very impressive?” The subordinate looked on with worship and said the difficulty was immense—that was the kind of “nothing-but-net” shot NBA players made.

“If he is that good, tell Xiao Chao to play properly. I do not want to kneel and call that little brat ‘Daddy’,” Li Chao’s brother said lazily, adding that he would swap players if they played poorly. The subordinate said he could not just swap people unless there was a foul or violation. Before he could finish, Li Chao’s brother lost patience and told him to shut up, as he was getting sleepy.

Ji Chenchuan’s goal was like a bolt from the blue, waking Li Chao and his team from their stupor. No one dared to be careless anymore, and the tension on the court reached a breaking point. Li Chao saw the tide turning; he did not care about scoring anymore and ordered his team to focus solely on interceptions to prevent Ji Chenchuan from scoring. At the same time, he signaled to the three men on Shi Yue’s team. They understood and began making intentional “mistakes” to pass the ball to Li Chao’s team.

Since the referee was one of their own, they were even more unscrupulous. However, Ji Chenchuan used his superior height to intercept a pass mid-air and landed another three-pointer. The score was suddenly 13 to 8. Shi Yue and Ji Chenchuan looked at each other and smiled, bumping shoulders as they ran past.

Li Chao was furious enough to kill. He grabbed the ball and feigned a pass, but he actually intended to smash the ball into Shi Yue’s head. Ji Chenchuan had already warned Shi Yue about such dirty tricks. Shi Yue immediately pivoted away, and while Li Chao’s teammate was dribbling, he lunged from the left like a flash of lightning to seize control of the ball.

The other players rushed to block him, but they hit empty air. Shi Yue dodged them with a through-the-legs dribble and followed up with a spectacular dunk. With Shi Yue and Ji Chenchuan scoring repeatedly and coordinating so perfectly that the others seemed like useless props, the score quickly reached 13 to 12.

Li Chao’s composure crumbled. He wanted to hit people rather than play. He repeatedly tried to trip Shi Yue to break their coordination and even took shots at Shi Yue when he was not looking. Shi Yue was no pushover; he skillfully avoided Li Chao every time and made unexpected interceptions. Together with Ji Chenchuan, their perfect cooperation dominated the game. By the time it ended, the score was 13 to 21.

This meant Li Chao’s team had not scored a single point in the entire second half.

The crowd let out an even louder cheer that woke Li Chao’s brother from his nap. He asked if it was over. The subordinate said yes. He then asked who won. The subordinate said the other team. “What?” Upon hearing this, Li Chao’s brother exploded in rage. This was a massive embarrassment.

In the face of his brother’s fury, Li Chao’s face turned deep red with suppressed hatred. Shi Yue looked at Ji Chenchuan. Ji Chenchuan smiled and said, “I know you do not want to make things more complicated. Do what you feel is right.” After all, who would want to be hounded by a mad dog?

“Hey, you ‘big brother’ from the streets, stop glaring at your brother. I am so young that I hate being called ‘Daddy.’ Just make sure your brother stays out of my way from now on.” After saying that, Shi Yue grabbed Ji Chenchuan’s arm and said he was hungry. He wanted to eat “Silk Dolls” and asked Ji Chenchuan to take him.

Ji Chenchuan agreed. Before leaving, he gave Li Chao’s brother a deep, meaningful look. Li Chao’s brother’s subordinates were indignant and asked if they were really just going to let them walk away.

“All of you shut up! Do you think we have not lost enough face? Do not think I was actually asleep. You used dirty tricks and still lost to them. Now that they are not holding a grudge, what else do you want? To kill them? Or do you want to see me kneel down and call that little brat ‘Daddy’?” Li Chao’s brother cursed his men fiercely. After that, he scolded Li Chao and told him never to provoke Shi Yue again.

This matter was finally considered settled.

Not far from the gymnasium was a hospital. Ji Chenchuan was insistent and firmly took Shi Yue to the hospital to have the wound on his cheek examined. The doctor cleaned the wound with water; it was only a slight scrape and was not a major issue. However, Ji Chenchuan was still uneasy and worried about scarring. He insisted the doctor prescribe a stack of scar removal creams for Shi Yue.

Leaving the hospital, Shi Yue looked at Ji Chenchuan and could not help but smile. “What are you laughing at?” “I am laughing because you look especially handsome when you care about me.”

Ji Chenchuan smiled and gently rubbed Shi Yue’s head.