Chapter 69: Enemies Cross Paths

Time slipped by in a blink, and soon the day arrived for the showdown with Hope High School.

Liu Qingyan, in the end, did not join the school basketball team. Zhang Pu knew it was because she feared he might uncover some secret of hers.

This Liu Qingyan stirred Zhang Pu’s curiosity completely; he resolved that after the basketball game, he would find a way to probe what lay behind her.

But even without Liu Qingyan’s participation, Modern High School had defeated other schools during this period and finally reached the decisive match against the legendary Hope High School, whose basketball prowess was said to be formidable.

Historically, Modern High School had never won against Hope High School in any school basketball tournament. Sometimes, Modern High School couldn’t even make it to the finals. This time, the school had surged forward, unstoppable, largely thanks to Zhang Pu.

Now, Zhang Pu had stepped out from his own Senior Three (10) class; in fact, throughout the entire grade and school, everyone knew him as the rising star of basketball—newly ascendant, yet dazzling and brilliant beyond compare.

On the day of the rivalry with Hope High School, although Liu Qingyan hadn’t joined the school team, she came to watch and cheer for her school’s athletes.

From afar, her gaze settled on Zhang Pu. And Zhang Pu, as if by chance—and as if their minds were mysteriously connected—turned his head, meeting Liu Qingyan’s eyes.

Zhang Pu smiled at Liu Qingyan, a smile carrying a subtle, profound significance.

Liu Qingyan responded in kind.

She had a special purpose that day: now, facing Hope High School, the competition had reached an elite level. She believed she might discern some clues about how Zhang Pu managed to dominate the court so effortlessly. After all, she herself possessed certain magical abilities.

During previous games, especially the initial qualifying rounds, for a player of Zhang Pu’s caliber, pulling off some small tricks to win would have been easy, and Liu Qingyan doubted she could have detected them.

But now, it was a battle among true experts, especially since the perennial champions of Hope High School boasted several genuine student basketball stars. Liu Qingyan knew that, overall, Modern High School’s basketball strength could not compare to Hope High School’s. Yet now, with Zhang Pu’s sudden emergence, the outcome might be unexpectedly reversed...

Liu Qingyan believed Zhang Pu understood her real purpose for being there: perhaps, like the proverb, her intentions lay elsewhere.

She wasn’t simply there to support her school or cheer for Zhang Pu; she was likely there to discover the secret behind his legend.

At this moment, Liu Qingyan wasn’t afraid that Zhang Pu might guess her intentions—after all, the match was imminent, and she had seized the opportunity to study him.

Zhang Pu, of course, truly understood Liu Qingyan’s thoughts—he didn’t need to recall past events to analyze her; it seemed he could see through her heart just from her eyes.

Facing Hope High School, Zhang Pu knew: these opponents were all skilled, not easy to deceive, unless he performed his cultivation world’s small spells with exceptional finesse. Yet even if ordinary people might be fooled, someone like Liu Qingyan, who shared a mysterious story, would likely spot traces.

Still, Zhang Pu was unconcerned. He knew Liu Qingyan was already aware that he was extraordinary, and today she merely hoped to study him in greater detail.

Even if she uncovered something, it hardly mattered; unless he told her, she wouldn’t be able to solve the riddle.

He felt entirely at ease: Liu Qingyan would never expose anything on the spot—not simply because she was part of Modern High School, but also because her character would never allow it.

Soon, the match with Hope High School began amid Zhang Pu’s fleeting musings about Liu Qingyan.

“Hmm?”

When the teams from Modern High School and Hope High School entered the court, two people, upon seeing a familiar face among the opposing side, both reacted with a silent “Hmm?” in their hearts.

One was Zhang Pu. The other—remarkably—was Wu Yu!

Zhang Pu had reached a stage where he never forgot a face.

For Wu Yu, Zhang Pu was an unforgettable figure in his life.

This Wu Yu was, of course, the wealthy second-generation youth whom Zhang Pu had left in dire straits at Weiming Lake Resort.

Zhang Pu hadn’t expected that Wu Yu, the privileged son, could play basketball so well—look, he was part of Hope High School’s team.

And for Wu Yu, seeing Zhang Pu on Modern High School’s team, facing Hope High School, was even more astonishing.

Frankly, since that incident, Wu Yu had viewed Zhang Pu as a mouse views a cat, grateful that they didn’t attend the same school. Since then, he had scarcely seen Zhang Pu again.

But he hadn’t anticipated meeting him once more, face to face, in this interschool basketball match.

Honestly, even now, Wu Yu was still afraid of Zhang Pu, whether it was his physical prowess or his connections—both made Wu Yu feel utterly powerless.

He had no way to resist, and along with fear, a secret resentment simmered within him.

Yet he had found no opportunity for revenge.

Now, Wu Yu began to analyze Zhang Pu, feeling as if Zhang Pu’s presence completely overshadowed the game itself: Zhang Pu could play basketball? How strange!

As one of Hope High School’s top basketball players, Wu Yu was familiar with talented players from other schools. He had never heard of Zhang Pu among Modern High School’s skilled athletes.

In truth, after the incident at Weiming Lake, though Wu Yu had been thoroughly suppressed, he still had people secretly investigate this previously unknown Zhang Pu.

He discovered Zhang Pu was a transfer student. As for Zhang Pu’s relationship with Zhou Yu, Wu Yu’s investigators hadn’t dared to delve too deeply, since Zhou Yu’s influence far exceeded that of Wu Yu’s father.

Previously, Modern High School had never had a basketball star named Zhang Pu, likely because he had transferred in unexpectedly. Wu Yu smiled bitterly at the thought.

Yet beneath the bitter smile, a flicker of hope suddenly emerged in Wu Yu’s heart.

He thought to himself: in terms of fighting, no matter how much he trained, he could never match Zhang Pu. But could the other really surpass him in basketball?

On the court, only skill mattered; Zhang Pu couldn’t possibly lay a hand on him, nor would he risk his reputation by acting recklessly in front of everyone.