YPSSS Chapter 34

When Xia Shiruan and Yi Junya arrived at the basketball court, their other Omega friends were already there.

They had secured a spot with a great view and waved from afar for Xia Shiruan and Yi Junya to join them.

Although it was early, there were already quite a few people, many of whom had just finished walking around outside, with sweat still beading on their foreheads.

As people stood close together, the mingling scents of Alphas’ and Omegas’ pheromones mixed with various perfumes wafted into Xia Shiruan’s nose.

After standing in the crowd for just a moment, Xia Shiruan’s nose began to itch, and he felt like sneezing.

Seeing him repeatedly scratch his nose, Yi Junya asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Xia Shiruan nodded. “A little, but it’s fine.”

Yi Junya relaxed.

An Omega friend standing behind them offered Xia Shiruan a drink, asking if he wanted some.

Just as Xia Shiruan was about to politely decline, he noticed the young Omega’s gaze drift past his head and fix on a point behind him, their eyes widening. “Ahhh!”

“…”

The air froze for two seconds before a chorus of “Ahhh!” erupted.

Sometimes Xia Shiruan thought Omegas were like a wolf pack when they get together. Once one started howling, the others would join in.

But Xia Shiruan didn’t turn around because he already knew who had arrived.

The moment the two scents reached him, he recognized one as the spicy-sour aroma of hot and sour noodles, standing out like a clear stream amidst the sea of floral and fruity fragrances. It was oddly appetizing. The other scent, however, was the one that made the skin on the back of his neck prickle the instant he caught it, sugary sweet.

Xia Shiruan suddenly felt that the aftertaste of the milk tea he had just drunk was still lingering in his mouth.

The next second, an arm draped over his shoulder, and Chen Rongxin’s voice sounded near his ear, “Xiao Ruan-ge, you guys got a pretty good spot here.”

Xia Shiruan turned around and looked past Chen Rongxin, meeting Xie Ji’s eyes.

For some reason, Xie Ji had changed into a different jersey with the number 8. He had a basketball tucked under his wrist against his hip, standing casually.

Seeing Xia Shiruan look over, he raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his narrow eyes. “You’re standing pretty close to the front.”

When Xia Shiruan didn’t respond, Xie Ji asked, “Just arrived?”

From the moment Xie Ji and Chen Rongxin appeared and walked over, Yi Junya had been pinching a small patch of skin on the inside of Xia Shiruan’s arm, gripping tighter and tighter.

Xia Shiruan endured the pain while trying to maintain a neutral expression. “Mm… you’re playing today?”

He clearly remembered Xie Ji saying in the group chat that he wouldn’t participate.

Xie Ji tossed the basketball from his left hand to his right, answering nonchalantly, “Yeah, our department team captain invited me too many times. I couldn’t really refuse, so I’m just here to play around.”

Hearing this, Chen Rongxin gave him a look of disbelief. “How come I didn’t see you having trouble refusing? You clearly just…”

Xie Ji shot him a warning glance, and Chen Rongxin immediately shut his mouth, but couldn’t help whispering in Xia Shiruan’s ear, “Xie-ge had already refused them. Their captain even came crying to me about it. We thought it was hopeless, but then this guy suddenly said he’d come.”

“But your department is really strong this year,” Chen Rongxin glanced at the court. “See that guy? The tanned one? He played in national competitions in high school. Tsk, you can tell he’s strong just by looking at his body.”

Xie Ji scoffed beside him. “Basketball isn’t just about brute force.”

“Oh, right!” Chen Rongxin suddenly got excited, wrapping an arm around Xia Shiruan’s neck. “Xiao Ruan-ge, who do you think will win today?”

Xie Ji’s hands paused their movement with the ball and looked over.

“One is your department, and the other… has Xie-ge, right?” Chen Rongxin said. “So who are you cheering for today?”

Xia Shiruan froze for a moment.

He didn’t really come to cheer for anyone. He didn’t even have much interest in basketball. If it weren’t for accompanying Yi Junya, he wouldn’t have even walked in the direction of the basketball court.

But now that Chen Rongxin asked like this, it felt as if he came specifically for someone.

“Well…” Xia Shiruan carefully considered his words. “I don’t really know anyone from our department…”

“Mm-hmm, so you’ll cheer for Xie-ge then?”

“…”

Xia Shiruan choked. He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either. The question left him with no good way to answer.

When he looked up, he met Xie Ji’s dark eyes, and for some reason, his tongue suddenly felt tied. “You… play well.”

Xie Ji raised an eyebrow slightly, saying nothing, and just continued to pass the basketball between his left and right hands, the muscles in his arms clearly defined with each movement.

“Hey, what kind of response is that?” Chen Rongxin thought Xia Shiruan’s answer was rather perfunctory. Just as he was about to make a joke, Xie Ji tugged at his sleeve.

“Let’s go,” Xie Ji tilted his head toward the court. “It’s about to start.”

As Xie Ji dragged him away, Chen Rongxin called back to Xia Shiruan, “Xiao Ruan-ge, don’t leave later! Let’s have dinner together!”

Xia Shiruan was jolted back to reality by another sharp pinch to his inner arm.

“They’re both quite nice,” Yi Junya’s ominous voice sounded beside his ear. “The one in white with the cap is bright and cute, a sweet Alpha. The one in the jersey… he’s really something else… Look at the sisters next to me, they’re practically drooling.”

Xia Shiruan turned around to see Yi Junya’s Omega friends watching Xie Ji and Chen Rongxin’s retreating figures like hungry wolves. Once the two were gone, they all turned to look at Xia Shiruan, their faces practically screaming “please give us their contact info.”

Xia Shiruan: “…”

…

The Military Engineering Department had many top Alphas, but they weren’t very united and lacked team spirit, so they never got many participants for these group activities.

Even so, they had made it to the finals by rotating their substitute players.

The basketball team captain had known Xie Ji since high school and had been trying to persuade him to join as a guest player for the past month, but Xie Ji had firmly refused, saying he was busy.

The captain had given up and warned the team to focus on friendship over winning and not to complain if they lost.

But a few days before the match, Xie Ji privately messaged him saying he suddenly had time.

On the court, both teams gathered around their respective hoops, warming up.

The captain made a three-point shot, then nodded at the others to retrieve the ball before walking over to Xie Ji.

“Thanks, man.” The captain patted his shoulder, smiling. “I’ll treat you to dinner later.”

Xie Ji was strapping on his knee guards without looking up. “Don’t thank me yet, we haven’t even started playing.”

The captain chuckled. “I know you… just play casually. Your high school level will be enough. The Department of Particle Physics got a strong rookie this year, but I secretly scouted him. He’s nothing special… compared to your high school days, he’s just okay…”

The captain kept heaping on praise to boost morale, but as he rambled on, he noticed his target looked rather disinterested, as if not really listening, his gaze fixed elsewhere.

The captain’s voice trailed off as he followed Xie Ji’s line of sight.

A group of pretty boys dressed in eye-catching clothes.

The captain instantly understood and leaned in close. “Checking out the Omegas?”

Xie Ji didn’t respond. The captain looked again, but from this distance, he couldn’t make out their faces clearly and wasn’t sure who specifically Xie Ji was looking at. After thinking for a moment, he commented, “They’re fashionable.”

Xie Ji seemed to finally spot what he was looking for and smiled, glancing at the captain before running a hand through his hair. “Let’s go, it’s starting.”

The captain shook his head with a smile and followed, thinking no amount of talking could compare to an Omega’s influence.

The basketball game was divided into four quarters, and from the first quarter, the atmosphere never died down.

The Military Engineering team had Xie Ji as their trump card, and a top Alpha’s speed and explosive power were incomparable to ordinary Alphas.

He wore black jersey with the number 8 outlined in gold, his skin fairer than the other Alphas on the court. His long legs in athletic shorts cut through the air like a gust of wind, drawing the loudest cheers wherever he went.

Finally getting their fill of eye candy, Yi Junya and the others near Xia Shiruan were almost hoarse from screaming.

Their section had the most Omegas, and their voices were so loud that they were clearly heard by everyone on the court.

After sinking a three-pointer, Xie Ji lifted the hem of his jersey to wipe his sweat, revealing his toned abs, and cast a glance toward the crowd, fixing on a certain spot for several seconds.

Xia Shiruan, like a thief caught in the act, hurriedly lowered his eyes.

A moment later, he thought, It’s a game. Everyone’s watching him. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.

Xia Shiruan raised his eyes again.

Just in time to meet Xie Ji’s gaze, which had just shifted away but seemed to sense something, flicking back toward him.

Caught red-handed.

Xia Shiruan: “…”

The section with the best view suddenly erupted in ear-splitting screams.

“Ahhhhh!” One Omega screamed, clutching their friend’s clothes so excitedly their voice shook. “Did number 8 just look at me!! He looked twice!!”

Xia Shiruan felt his eardrums might burst. He took a breath and stepped forward, slightly removing himself from the packed crowd.

Another Omega friend scoffed, “Look around you, we’re all packed in here like sardines. As if he’d look at you in that ugly red and green outfit.”

“I don’t care! He definitely looked at me, we made eye contact for at least five seconds, and my clothes aren’t ugly…”

Feeling a bit drained by the high-pitched screams of the omegas, Xia Shiruan rubbed his ears and quietly covered them for a while.

Yet despite this, every sound containing Xie Ji’s name still pierced through crystal clear into his ears, impossible to avoid.

By the second quarter, the score gap had widened, with the Military Engineering team holding a significant advantage.

By halftime, the Physics team was struggling.

During the halftime break, both teams were drinking water. The energy on the court hadn’t died down, and the spectators’ chatter remained lively.

The Physics team seemed to take this game seriously, huddling together to review the first half and discuss their strategy.

Something must have been said, because their prized player, the dark-skinned Alpha with dreadlocks, known for his high pheromone levels and exceptional talent, turned livid. He threw back half a bottle of water, then violently hurled the remaining half.

Meanwhile, the Military Engineering side was quite relaxed.

They were a hastily assembled team. Except for the captain, most of them barely knew each other’s names outside of class.

After playing half a game together, they’d gotten familiar with each other. One player wrapped an arm around Xie Ji’s shoulder, pointed somewhere in the crowd’s direction, and whispered something in his ear.

Xie Ji responded with a striking half-smile.

Most of the Omegas in the crowd who had their eyes fixed on him predictably erupted in screams at that smile.

These screams successfully ignited someone’s irritation.

Dreadlocks attempted a long-range three-pointer, but his anger affected his control. The ball slammed against the metal railing and bounced hard, flying straight toward the group of Omegas.

The screams instantly turned to shrieks of alarm.

Xia Shiruan was in the front row. The ball arced down from the sky, the sun blinding him as it hurtled toward his head. But with people pressed tightly on either side, he couldn’t move.

He raised his arms uselessly—

THUD.

A black blur streaked across his vision, intercepting the ball midair with a sharp smack before hurling it back onto the court, where it landed neatly in the Military Engineering captain’s hands.

The person who blocked the ball stood with his back to Xia Shiruan, breathing heavily.

He shouted toward Dreadlocks, “What the f… what are you randomly throwing at?”

The number 8 on his back showed clearly, his black jersey marked with sweat stains that clung to his heaving spine.

The dreadlocked Alpha shrugged, spreading his hands. “Oops. My bad.”

“If you’d hit someone just now,” Xie Ji lifted his elbow to wipe the sweat from his face, “you’re done for.”

“What an asshole!” Yi Junya gasped, clutching Xia Shiruan’s sleeve. “That had to be on purpose! How do you miss that badly?! And I actually thought he was hot earlier—!”

Xia Shiruan snapped back to reality.

He woodenly tore his gaze from Xie Ji’s back, feeling his thoughts were somewhat inappropriate.

He understood the logic of the situation.

But Xia Shiruan felt his thoughts just then weren’t even directly related to the questions that had been bothering him for days.

They were just… a bit too… erotic.