Chapter 41

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Chapter 41: Title

Upon hearing about the basketball machine, Su Moying’s first reaction was to refuse.

"Let’s not do that," Su Moying said. "I… I’m not very good…"

Gong Yu cut her off. "It’s fine, Moying. You’ve got Brother Feng with you, right? Brother Feng, you’re decent at basketball, aren’t you?"

Gu Feng glanced at Gong Yu and replied coolly, "Passable. I just played a round with Moying and broke a machine’s record."

Gong Yu immediately brightened. "Perfect! Brother Feng can pair with Moying, and I’ll team up with Yutian. How about a competition between our groups?"

Su Moying still seemed hesitant, shaking her head. "Actually, I…"

Gong Yu chuckled dismissively. "Moying, relax—the pressure’s on us guys anyway. Just let Brother Feng carry you."

Su Moying fell silent.

Song Yutian spoke up. "Gong Yu, Moying already said she doesn’t want to play."

Gong Yu blinked. "She never said that." He turned to Su Moying. "Right, Moying?"

Su Moying hesitated under his gaze before murmuring, "If Brother Yu and Brother Gu Feng really want to… I can join…"

"See?" Gong Yu shot Song Yutian a look.

Song Yutian glanced between the flustered Su Moying and Gong Yu, sighing inwardly. "Fine," she said. "But skip the ‘teaming up’ with me."

Gong Yu tilted his head. "Want to join Brother Feng’s team instead?"

Is this woman cold toward me because she’s into Gu Feng?

Gu Feng, who had been silent until now, turned to observe them.

"No," Song Yutian stated firmly. "I’ll team up with Moying."

"What?" Gong Yu objected instantly. "That’s not fair!"

Ignoring him, Song Yutian asked Su Moying directly, "Moying, what do you think?"

"I want to team up with Sister Yutian," Su Moying answered promptly.

Gong Yu persisted, "How could Brother Feng and I bully two girls? Even if we win—"

"You’re certain you’ll win?" Song Yutian interrupted.

Gong Yu stiffened. As if we’d let you! he thought but forced a smile. Turning to Gu Feng, he pleaded, "Brother Feng, back me up here."

Gu Feng, now seeming more distracted compared to earlier, shrugged. "Either way works."

With no support, Gong Yu relented. He quickly rallied—after all, he’d excelled at basketball since school and still played occasionally with his team. His plan to impress at the arcade remained intact despite Song Yutian’s interference.

He proposed individual rounds where each team’s combined scores would decide the winner. Though two-player mode existed, playing solo suited him better without a female partner. No one contested his rules—enthusiasm for this "competition" was his alone.

Gong Yu inserted tokens into the machine for a warm-up round, casually sinking shots while claiming to "test his form."

Meanwhile, Su Moying tugged on Song Yutian’s sleeve nervously. "Sister Yutian, I barely made it past the second level earlier with Brother Gu Feng…"

Song Yutian patted her hand. "Ignore Gong Yu’s competitive nonsense. Just enjoy yourself."

Su Moying blinked. "But I thought you wanted to win…"

"What’s the prize?" Song Yutian laughed. "Relax and play freely. Did Gu Feng teach you anything earlier?"

"He… adjusted my posture from behind," Su Moying admitted.

Song Yutian snorted. "Classic him."

"But I was too nervous to remember much…"

"Just mimic Gong Yu’s warm-up," Song Yutian advised, nodding toward the practicing man. "Forget formal techniques—do what feels right."

Su Moying nodded earnestly as Gong Yu began his official round. He breezed through the levels, scoring 380 points—topping Gu Feng’s previous record by dozens.

Smugly turning to the girls, he asked, "Who’s first—Moying or Yutian?"

"Moying goes first," Song Yutian decided.

As Gong Yu stepped aside, she added, "Let her warm up properly first—like you did."

Gong Yu had no objections.

Su Moying inserted a few game tokens and pressed the start button.

Since it wasn’t an official match yet, Su Moying took her time, carefully aiming before each shot.

Surprisingly, after several attempts, her accuracy remained remarkably high—far better than during her previous session with Gu Feng.

However, her slower pace meant that despite the high hit rate, her scoring speed wasn’t particularly fast. Even so, she cleared the first stage.

Encouraged by the smooth start, Su Moying perked up. She watched the countdown timer, eagerly awaiting the next stage, when a hand suddenly grasped her wrist.

Song Yutian smiled and said, "Moying, conserve your energy. The real challenge hasn’t begun yet."

Su Moying nodded in realization. "You’re right, Sister Yutian."

The machine automatically advanced to the next stage. Song Yutian seized the opportunity to attempt a few shots herself, stopping after roughly ten tries without reaching the stage’s score threshold.

When the practice round ended, the official match commenced.

Su Moying glanced back at Song Yutian.

Song Yutian smiled reassuringly. "Enjoy yourself."

Su Moying turned back and pressed the start button.

To everyone’s astonishment, Su Moying breezed through the first stage, exceeding the required score by dozens of points.

In the second stage, the moving hoop reduced her accuracy slightly, but she still performed admirably. Though slower and scoring less per shot than Gong Yu, her strong first-stage performance carried her comfortably through.

By the third stage, fatigue likely contributed to another dip in accuracy. Yet her accumulated points from earlier stages allowed her to barely scrape through.

During the final thirty-second challenge, her accuracy rebounded. She sank fifteen baskets, locking in a final score of 298 points—over eighty points below Gong Yu’s result and slightly short of Gu Feng’s previous score, yet astonishing everyone except Song Yutian.

Gong Yu stared in disbelief. "Moying, I never realized you had talent for this."

Gu Feng looked equally shocked. "Moying, how…?" His earlier coaching session had featured clumsy movements from her.

Even Su Moying seemed surprised, repeatedly checking her score before exclaiming to Song Yutian, "Sister Yutian! I’ve discovered some techniques! Another round might definitely improve my score!"

Her childlike excitement—resembling a student surpassing their exam expectations—prompted Song Yutian to laugh and pat her enthusiastically waving hands.

Livestream viewers marveled at the dramatic improvement from someone who’d previously failed the Stage 2:

[Real? She barely broke 100 an hour ago!]

[Was Moying hiding her skills?!]

[Epic progress! Girl group training pays off!]

[Gu Feng was holding her back before—she moves freely now!]

[Shooting games aren’t real basketball—quick mastery makes sense.]

Others focused on the duo’s dynamic:

[Moying seeking praise = ultimate cuteness!]

[Ship alert: Song Yutian & Su Moying?!]

[+1! Beats Gu Feng’s cringy “emotional” act!]

When Gu Feng’s turn arrived, his subdued demeanor contrasted sharply with his earlier bravado. His 340-point score—twenty points higher than before—left Gong Yu mentally calculating: only a 430+ score from Song Yutian could threaten their lead.

Confident no untrained woman could surpass him, Gong Yu prepared mock condolences—until Stage 1 ended with Song Yutian matching his 100-point opener.

Stage 2 shattered his composure. Her accelerating shots maintained pinpoint accuracy, reaching over 280+ points. By Stage 3’s end (410 points), Gong Yu stood rigidly attentive.

As the final countdown began, Su Moying’s cheer—“Go, Sister Yutian!”—earned a brief smile from the competitor.

The last thirty seconds showcased machine-gun precision and near-perfect accuracy. The victory jingle announced:

500 points.

A hundred-point lead over Gong Yu’s best—utter domination. Had she not paused early, another dozen points might’ve followed.

Song Yutian turned around, glanced at the dumbfounded Gong Yu, and arched her eyebrow. "Shall we skip calculating the final combined score?"

Gong Yu wore an expression of disbelief. After a long pause, he forced a smile. "Yutian, you’re… truly remarkable."

At that moment, Su Moying suddenly leaped forward, embracing Song Yutian in a full-body hug.

"Sister Yutian! You were so dashing!"

[Help! Sister Song’s smile just now completely captivated me!]

[Gong Yu probably never imagined both he and Gu Feng would become supporting characters. Can’t be helped—Sister Song’s too OP!]

[Not sure whether to envy Moying or Yutian! I want pretty girl cuddles too!]

For the next hour, Song Yutian guided Su Moying through every corner of the arcade.

Having been a sheltered good girl since childhood, Su Moying found everything novel and thrilling. Song Yutian’s basic competence in all games allowed them to sample every attraction. Compared to her earlier restrained demeanor around Gu Feng, Su Moying’s constant radiant smile was a stark contrast.

[Why does Moying clearly prefer being with Yutian over Gu Feng?]

[Song Yutian actually focuses on making Moying happy, while Gu Feng’s just patting his own back.]

[When will the program group permit same-sex teams? I demand more screen time for this beauty duo!]

Trailing behind, Gu Feng and Gong Yu both wore gloomy expressions. Gong Yu intermittently attempted to interject attention-grabbing remarks but failed to produce engaging topics. Even his gaming skills paled in comparison to Song Yutian’s. Gu Feng maintained a stony silence throughout.

Initially, Su Moying kept seeking Gu Feng’s opinions during activities. But as her excitement grew, she became wholly absorbed in conversing with Song Yutian, eventually ceasing to acknowledge Gu Feng altogether. Thus, both men faded into mere background props.

By noon, the program group notified all contestants via camera crews to assemble at a sixth-floor restaurant before 1 PM. Within twenty minutes, all ten participants had gathered.

The director produced his trademark megaphone, signaling impending announcements. "Contestants!" he chuckled. "Your leisure time concludes now. This afternoon introduces our new segment—Teammate Snatch!"

"In this round, we’ll confiscate all communication devices and disperse teams across different mall levels. The snatching commences once everyone is positioned."

"When two groups meet, any member may initiate a teammate exchange, mandating roster swaps between teams."

"Three restrictions apply: First—No consecutive swaps between the same teams. Second—New teams must maintain mixed genders. Third—A maximum of three swaps per individual."

"Now enjoy lunch! The thrilling Teammate Snatch begins post-meal!"