A brilliant basketball journey, a dazzling spectacle.

Chapter 181

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me." Cheng Yuxin's voice lowered, as if she was embarrassed.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"How was training today?" she asked.

"We won the scrimmage. I scored eight points and had four assists."

"Is that good?" Her voice was tinged with laughter.

"It was alright. When defending, I guarded Liu Yang—he's a 1.98-meter small forward and the provincial youth team's top scorer. I couldn't stop him, but later I limited him for a few possessions by fronting him."

Cheng Yuxin didn't understand basketball terminology, but she could hear the excitement in Lin Feng's tone.

"Then you've improved."

"Hmm. Sister Yuxin, is there anything I can help you with?"

Cheng Yuxin thought for a moment. "Liu Jian came by today and took away twenty floppy disks, saying someone had subscribed. He also said the payment for your article in 'Computer Weekly' has arrived, one hundred and sixty yuan, which I've put in the tin box for you."

"it is good."

"Also," Cheng Yuxin paused, "your mom called."

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment.

His mother. Lin Cuiping.

"What did she say?"

"She asked if you're going back home for summer vacation. She's in Guangzhou, and said if you want to visit Guangzhou, she'll buy you a plane ticket."

Lin Feng remained silent for a few seconds.

In the original owner's memories, his mother, Lin Cuiping, was a capable woman. She ran a clothing business, with stalls in Guangzhou and Hangzhou, and spent most of the year traveling. She rarely came back, but every time she did, she brought things—clothes, toys, food. She spoke like an adult, not a child. The original owner missed her, but didn't know how to express it.

Lin Feng wasn't the original owner of this body. But he knew he should return the call.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I told you you're in the provincial capital for training. I'll ask you first and then tell her," Cheng Yuxin said calmly.

"Okay. I'll call her tomorrow."

"Um."

There was another moment of silence.

"Sister Yuxin."

"Um?"

"What else was in my room when you were washing the curtains?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "What?"

"Just asking."

Cheng Yuxin was silent for two seconds. "There's a piggy bank on your desk. There's a stack of books on the windowsill. The wardrobe door wasn't closed properly, and I saw that navy blue shirt hanging inside."

Lin Feng held the microphone.

She still remembers that shirt.

"That's all," Cheng Yuxin said, her voice a little tense. "I didn't go through your things."

"I know," Lin Feng said.

"Then you should go to sleep early. You have training tomorrow."

Okay. Goodnight, Sister Yuxin.

"Good night."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Feng stood in front of it, not leaving.

The lights in the corridor went out. He stood in the darkness, holding a microphone in his hand, which emitted a busy tone.

He put the microphone back.

Then he stood in the darkness and thought about something.

That navy blue shirt. Cheng Yuxin bought it the first time she took him to pretend to be her boyfriend. He said, "Wait for me to come back, let's go to the hair salon together." She said, "You cut my hair."

He touched his hair. It had grown long; his bangs were almost covering his eyes.

He thought that after the training camp ended, he would go back to Beichuan and go to the barbershop.

Go with her.

He turned around and walked back to his dormitory.

The voice-activated light came on, casting an orange glow and a shadow on the wall.

Pushing open the door, I saw Gao Yuan playing chess with Chen Hao. The two sat cross-legged on the bed, a cardboard chessboard between them. The chess pieces were cut from cardboard, with characters like "chariot," "horse," and "cannon" written on them in ballpoint pen, their edges curled up. Chen Hao played red, Gao Yuan black. Chen Hao played chess like he played ball—unhurried, thinking long and hard about each move. Gao Yuan played chess just like he played ball—impatient, capturing any piece he could, regardless of whether it would result in checkmate later.

"Lin Feng, you've come at the right time. Help me take a look at this move." Gao Yuan pointed to a horse on the chessboard, his tone urgent.

Lin Feng walked over and took a look.

Chen Hao's chariot was facing Gao Yuan's horse. If Gao Yuan's horse jumped away, the middle lane would be open, and Chen Hao's cannon could fire directly at it. If it didn't jump, the horse would be captured.

"Jump horse, then fly elephant," Lin Feng said.

Gao Yuan did as instructed. Chen Hao glanced at Lin Feng, said nothing, picked up the cannon, and fired. Gao Yuan's Flying Elephant blocked the shot.

After three moves, Gao Yuan counterattacked Chen Hao with a single shot.

"Haha!" Gao Yuan slapped his thigh, causing the cardboard chessboard to bounce and two chess pieces to roll away. "Lin Feng, you can play chess?"

"I know a little."

Chen Hao set up the chessboard and looked up at Lin Feng. "Next game?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Tomorrow then. I'm tired today."

Chen Hao nodded, not pressuring him.

Gaoyuan put the chess pieces into a tin box, which also contained a few glass marbles, a crumpled movie ticket, and a few five-cent coins, which jingled together.

The three of them washed up and lay down.

Turn off the lights.

The room darkened, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains.

Soon, the sound of snoring from the plateau could be heard.

Chen Hao's breathing was very light, as if it didn't exist.

Lin Feng stared at the ceiling.

Thinking of Cheng Yuxin. Thinking of that navy blue shirt. Thinking of what she said, "Your curtains haven't been washed in ages, they're covered in dust." Thinking of what she said, "I didn't go through your things."

He knew she hadn't looked through it. But she also said that the closet door wasn't closed properly, and she had seen the shirt.

She saw it.

She memorized what that shirt looked like.

He rolled over.

I'll call Lin Cuiping tomorrow.

His mother.

He didn't know what to say. The original owner's memories included her image—short hair, thin, large eyes, and dimples when she smiled. She spoke quickly, acted quickly, and walked with a brisk pace.

He had never seen her—not that he had never seen her, but that he had never seen "his" mother. His mother was the original owner's mother, not his. But he was now the original owner, and the original owner was him.

This mother is also his mother.

He closed his eyes.

Blood ties are something you can't have just because you want them. He didn't have them in his past life, but he has them in this one. No matter how busy she is, no matter whether she comes back or not, she is his mother.

This fact cannot be changed.

He took a deep breath and pulled the blanket up to his chest.