Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 46: The Loneliness of a Genius

They didn’t even glance at the hard work Chu Tianyu had put in all morning; they simply said that with their own outstanding looks, those recruiting them would surely fight over them!
Chu Tianyu had no way to deal with them, so he sat down and quietly recalled his conversation with Li Rou that morning.
Suddenly, three sounds rang out—“Oh~”, “Oh, oh~~”, “Oh, oh, oh~~~~”. Chu Tianyu came back to his senses and saw three enlarged faces staring at him, each pretending to be shocked as if they had discovered some secret.
“He must have slept with a girl!” Bao Cai blurted out.
“Looking at his dreamy, lecherous expression, it’s definitely true!” Bai Lei said firmly.
“Third brother, it’s really no big deal. Just be honest!” The tall guy advised earnestly.
Chu Tianyu wouldn’t give them any chance to make fun of him. He immediately denied it outright! No matter how they tried to force confessions or tempt him with various offers, Chu Tianyu remained firm in his decision.
“Third brother, you have to understand us. I’m facing real difficulties—just going out in the street makes me nervous, afraid of being ‘corrected for poor public appearance’ by the environmental protection team. With this experience, why not share it with us? If I don’t seize every opportunity now, when four years pass, I’ll still be alone when I go back to my hometown. How can you bear that?” Bao Cai’s strategy of feigning desperation.
“Third brother, if you have information, report it quickly. We can introduce her to us and organize a dormitory get-together so we can ‘communicate’ more. Look, someone as handsome as me without a girlfriend will surely arouse suspicions about his physical condition. If you dare to let me bear this bad reputation, then forget it—we’re not brothers anymore. I was even planning to lend you some junk from the ‘All Creatures 2’ game!” Bai Lei’s threats and bribes.
“Third brother, stop talking. I know your heart. You’re loyal and righteous. You’re probably already crafting a wonderful description for us and planning to bring in a few girls to expand our market and boost the economy, right?” The tall guy’s flattery.
Chu Tianyu remained resolute, repeating in his mind, “I’ll never tell!”

Just as the situation was at a standstill, Chu Tianyu’s phone, which hadn’t rang in 800 years, suddenly started ringing. Chu Tianyu immediately had a badpremonition; a large drop of sweat formed on his forehead. The other three had already held their breath, eagerly staring at Chu Tianyu’s pocket, and deliberately blocked the door exit to prevent him from escaping suddenly.

The gentle music now sounded extremely harsh in Chu Tianyu’s ears. After finally pulling out his phone, three pairs of eyes rushed over to see a strange number flashing on the screen.

When Chu Tianyu answered and held the phone to his ear, a clear, loud, and enthusiastic voice came through, allowing the three eager guys to hear it clearly: “Hello! Are you Classmate Chu? Hehe, I’m the president of the martial arts club. You signed up this morning, right? Welcome! Especially since you brought three others with you—thank you so much for your strong support! So, the club’s leadership has unanimously decided to give you a 5% discount on both your uniform and equipment costs. Hehe, remember to come! Definitely come! Remember…”

Chu Tianyu was overjoyed and quickly replied, “Of course! Definitely!” Then the two of them exchanged polite remarks before hanging up after a while.

Chu Tianyu put away his phone and looked at the three disappointed guys with a smirk, saying cheerfully, “Hehe, did you hear that? It was from the martial arts club I recommended. They even gave me a 5% discount! Hehe, so great…”

It was unclear whether he meant “so great” because of the discount or because he was pleased that some classmates’ attempts to spy on others’ privacy had failed.

In Chu Tianyu’s own words: “Anyway, it’s great, haha!”

……

During the afternoon club assessment, the Four Heroes of Beifu were no longer slacking off. Chu Tianyu and the tall guy from the arts club had little interest, while Bai Lei and Bao Cai were very enthusiastic, hoping this would add color to their future happy college life!

So for now, they decided to go their separate ways. Chu Tianyu and Da Ge headed straight to the basketball court to wait for their turn for the assessment. As soon as they arrived, wow, it was bustling—there were quite a lot of people. It wasn’t so much about the number of those taking the membership assessment, but rather the many who came to cheer and watch. Especially some girls who had brought their boyfriends, who naturally had to support them. And these girls, already in relationships, would at least bring a few roommates along—either for company or to expand their social circle, or maybe to meet some handsome guys. In any case, the place was noisy and lively.

The assessment took place in half of the court, with rules set for a 3-on-3 game lasting ten minutes each. There was no win or loss—only an evaluation of individual skills. Generally, as long as one wasn’t too poor, they could pass the assessment. After all, the larger the group, the greater the impact, and this assessment could also serve as a form of promotion, with its advertising effect being self-evident.

Teams for the 3-on-3 games could be formed freely or in order. Chu Tianyu and Da Ge decided to wait a bit longer, hoping to see if they could wait until Bai Lei finished first, since he had been playing basketball with them for some time now.

Although Bai Lei had never played before, he improved significantly once he started—thanks in part to the guidance from Chu Tianyu and Da Ge, and also because he was determined to become an idol who could make girls scream in admiration. So he trained hard, especially valuing Chu Tianyu’s keen sense and excellent movement skills. Bai Lei also worked hard; although he still had some gaps in shooting and ball control, his dribbling, movement, and ability to receive passes were already quite decent.

The assessment games officially began. The first two teams to enter the court were dressed like true “elites”—from their jerseys to their shoes, all were brand-name, either Nike or Reebok—very professional. But once the games started, their performance was far from impressive. In one word, they were good at showing off but clueless when it came to actual playing.

Since they had to wait for Bai Lei, they explained their situation when signing up, saying they were waiting for one more person and asked to be scheduled later. Only after settling this did Chu Tianyu and Da Ge settle down to watch the games.

“Lao San, look over there…” Da Ge, who was watching, suddenly pulled Chu Tianyu to look in a certain direction.

“Wang Shengyi!” Chu Tianyu followed the direction of his finger and saw Wang Shengyi surrounded by a group of people across the court. He too was dressed in sports attire. Could he also be here for the assessment? Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but wonder—had he never seen him play basketball before? Could it be a hobby as well? But Chu Tianyu noticed two people standing beside him, both wearing Lakers jerseys. One stood with his arms crossed, nearly two meters tall, standing straight and watching the game on the court, while the other was idly bouncing the ball. Judging from his bouncing technique, agile movements, the way he landed the ball, and its rebound trajectory, Chu Tianyu’s first impression was that he was an expert. Such standard posture and proficient ball handling skills were far beyond what amateurs could achieve.

“Notice those two in Lakers jerseys beside him? They seem like experts!” Chu Tianyu said to the tall guy.

“Hmm, quite standard bouncing technique. Where did Wang Shengyi find them? Are they also from our school? Why haven’t we seen them play before?” the tall guy asked doubtfully.

“Hehe, Big Guy, are we overthinking things? It’s not some major competition—just an assessment. There’s no need for us to worry about who they are!” Chu Tianyu said.

“Haha, you’re right. Just a game!” the tall guy laughed heartily.

The two then focused their attention back on the court, occasionally commenting that some players were amateurs, while at other times nodding in approval at someone’s good play, enjoying themselves.

Most of the game had already passed. Chu Tianyu and the others were about to call Bai Lei when they saw Bai Lei and Bao Cai coming towards them, arm in arm, singing a cheerful song: “Two tigers, two tigers, running fast, running fast… one is missing…”

The tall guy asked in surprise, “What’s going on? You two look so happy. Could it be you two actually passed the assessment? Just the two of you? One sings ‘We’re pests, we’re pests…’ off-key, and the other sings in Mandarin but makes people think it’s an English song…”

Bai Lei, with a smug expression and his face at a 45-degree angle, said proudly, “Damn it, Big Guy, you’re just a narrow-minded fool. You only see such a small world, yet you dare to question my artistic talent here. To tell you the truth, not only have I been selected, but Bao Cai has also been admitted thanks to my brilliance!”

At those words, not only Big Guy but also Chu Tianyu was filled with shock and disbelief. Just as they were about to ask for more details, Bao Cai beside them said excitedly, “It’s true! It’s true! We were really selected! After Second Brother sang ‘We’re pests’ and was immediately eliminated by the judges, he grabbed the hem of my clothes, wiping his tears and snot, and repeated one of the classic online pleas five times, finally ‘moving’ all the judges with his sincerity. To avoid being harassed like flies, they unanimously agreed to recruit the two of us as key members of the arts club—as logistics assistants, sometimes called odd jobs, floor sweepers; in ancient times, they were called servants or laborers, often given numbers like ‘9527’…”

“You actually applied for such odd jobs?!!” Chu Tianyu and Big Guy exclaimed in unison.

At the same time, Bai Lei delivered a beautiful right hook that silenced Bao Cai’s mouth, followed by a dragon’s tail swing that sent his round body flying. He snapped angrily, “Damn you, fat Bao Cai! Always bringing up irrelevant stuff—die!”

Then, with a calm face, he looked up and murmured, “The moon is nice today. Just like the basketball on the court—both the moon and the basketball are round. One to be watched, one to be tapped…”

Seeing Chu Tianyu and Big Guy staring at his “performance” in awe, he continued proudly, “Do you understand?”

Chu Tianyu and Big Guy instinctively shook their heads.

“That’s exactly it. If you can’t even understand such simple things as a round moon to be watched and a round basketball to be tapped, how can you comprehend the true meaning of enduring humiliation and overcoming obstacles to dedicate oneself to the great and glorious art world, or the lofty ideals of life?”

After speaking in one breath, Bai Lei looked at Chu Tianyu, Big Guy, and Bao Cai, who were once again on the verge of fainting from disgust, and turned away. Under the glow of the setting sun, he shook his head and sighed, “Actually, I only said one sentence. Alas, there’s no one to match me in this world. Sigh, geniuses are always lonely—since ancient times!”

On the ground lay three figures, utterly disgusted, vomiting as they lost consciousness…

…

When Chu Tianyu, Big Guy, and Bai Lei went up for the assessment, they were shocked to find their opponents were Wang Shengyi and those two guys in Lakers jerseys—Number 8, who had been watching with his arms crossed, and Number 10, who had been dribbling the ball.

Chu Tianyu and the tall guy exchanged a glance, both becoming alert—after all, good people don’t come, and those who do are not good. Bai Lei didn’t share this mindset. He walked up to Wang Shengyi with an indifferent expression and said, “Wang Shengyi, I’ve never seen you play basketball before. Can you even play? With so many girls watching, don’t blame us if you make a fool of yourself. Although you’ve always been against me, I really can’t bear to humiliate you in front of so many people. I think you’d better give up. Listen to your big brother—come on, be good…”

Wang Shengyi sneered after hearing this and said, “Hmph, a petty clown with short-sightedness. With this crappy court in our school, why would I play? I always play on indoor courts, the standard ones used in the CBA league!”

“Bluff away. Anyway, lying doesn’t incur taxes. If you’re so good, why are you here on this shoddy court, begging to take part in this assessment?” Bai Lei retorted incredulously.

Wang Shengyi’s expression turned fierce. “No one has ever dared to go against me. Only you, always opposing me. Today, I’ll show you all my strength. Don’t you love playing basketball? Don’t you love showing off in front of girls? I’ve even brought two semi-professional players from the city’s third team to have some fun with you. Haha, ‘With so many girls watching, don’t blame us if you make a fool of yourself’—ahahaha…”

Especially the last sentence, which was a direct repetition of what Bai Lei had said earlier. Only then did Chu Tianyu and the others realize why they hadn’t been allowed to play—Wang Shengyi was targeting them. Faced with his arrogance, everyone frowned. Bai Lei was filled with indignation, his face turning red. A fearless “kingly” spirit, ready to face challenges head-on, surged through his body, growing stronger by the moment, on the verge of erupting. Chu Tianyu and the others sensed his intensity and stepped back, creating space for his impending outburst!

Bai Lei finally exploded. He let out a loud roar toward the sky, then shouted at the judges, “I protest! Judges, I strongly protest! Someone is cheating—inviting professional players from outside the school to take part in this assessment is a complete disregard for you judges, an insult to the teachers and students of Beifu Academy, and unfair to us participants. So, I’m exposing this! I’m protesting! Are you going to do anything about it?”

Wang Shengyi—what a scoundrel! I thought he would confront me with some impassioned words, but who would have thought he’d be so shameless as to protest to the judges! Even Chu Tianyu, Da Ge, and Bao Cai stepped back, blending into the crowd, pretending not to recognize the person shouting “Protest!” in the middle of the arena… “Your protest is invalid. Please stop making noise, or we will disqualify you from the assessment!” “What? They even allow experts to cheat? Is there any justice left? Any laws at all?” someone protested indignantly. “Didn’t you hear the rules just now? Our assessment focuses only on performance, regardless of win or loss. To showcase your best abilities, you can form teams freely or get help from friends. We only care about your individual performance!” “Damn it, why didn’t you say that earlier? I wasted my protest. Fine, fine, I won’t hold it against you. Let’s start the game!” the person continued arrogantly. With a “bang,” the judge who had read the rules three times and carefully distributed them collapsed, unconscious from anger… …The game finally began after many twists and turns. Chu Tianyu’s team served first. Bai Lei kicked the ball from the center, and Chu Tianyu immediately spun around to get rid of Player 10’s close interference, then drove the ball at a 45-degree angle. Player 10 was shocked by the opponent’s quick reaction and speed, quickly abandoning his arrogance, adjusting his pace, and chasing after him. Da Ge was already in position under the basket, but given his height and weight, he couldn’t gain any advantage, being tightly covered by the tall Player 8. Meanwhile, Bai Lei was tangled up with Wang Shengyi. No matter how he moved, Wang Shengyi stuck close to him, preventing him from catching the ball. Chu Tianyu, who was dribbling, had a clear view of the situation—this was clearly an unbalanced match. It was also surprising that Wang Shengyi, who seemed unskilled, could perform such professional defensive moves. As for Player 10, after being briefly left behind at first, he had now adjusted his strategy, blocking Chu Tianyu’s path and keeping a close eye on him. In this situation, if Da Hu and Zhou Jie could cooperate with him, they might have a chance, but right now, it was tough.