Compared to Chen Yang's composure, Han Song and the others were exceptionally excited, especially Cao Xiao, who was practically ecstatic. He sprinted from the backcourt to the opponent's penalty area, grabbed Chen Yang, and shouted in his ear:
"We won! We won! We beat the school team! Third Brother! You're so damn cool!"
Han Song and the others excitedly surrounded him, and together they carried Chen Yang off the court. Everyone was extremely excited, talking incessantly about the game. No one noticed that Chen Yang's gait had become a little strange; every time his left foot touched the ground, Chen Yang would slightly furrow his brow.
Su He, who had been waiting on the sidelines, was most concerned about Chen Yang. She immediately noticed his unusual behavior and grabbed his hand, anxiously asking, "Chen Yang! How's your injury?"
The effects of the massage and stimulation of his X-ray area were gradually wearing off, and the intense activity Chen Yang had endured on the court for the past ten minutes had undoubtedly aggravated his injury. Fortunately, the match was over, so Chen Yang didn't think much of it. He smiled nonchalantly and said, "Don't worry, it's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days!"
"Oh—" Cao Xiao exaggeratedly drawled, "It feels so comforting to have someone worry about me! I want one too!"
"Haha! Third Brother's got a knack for it, quietly winning over the heart of Su He, the school beauty. Impressive!" Han Song, naturally aware of the special relationship between Su He and Chen Yang, chimed in.
Su He blushed deeply, quickly releasing Chen Yang's hand, her heart pounding. Just now, Su He had been so concerned that she had grabbed Chen Yang's hand in front of everyone without thinking. Now, realizing her mistake, she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment, unable to look at Chen Yang.
Chen Yang, however, was thick-skinned and said nonchalantly:
"You bunch of young comrades! You can't stand pure male-female relationships! When you see two people getting along well, you unconsciously start thinking about those things. Fundamentally, it's your own mindset that's flawed..."
"Tch..." Everyone unanimously expressed strong contempt for Chen Yang's two-faced behavior.
Seeing Chen Yang's serious expression, Su He couldn't help but smile. Watching the happy Chen Yang and Han Song, Su He suddenly felt that male friendships were actually quite simple. They might not be as inseparable as female best friends all the time, but when trouble came, these brothers would stand up for each other without hesitation. Thinking of this, Su He felt she understood why Chen Yang insisted on playing despite his injury.
"Hey! Don't leave even for a second! Dinner's on me tonight! Dongmen Big Plate, nobody's allowed to miss it!" Cao Xiao, who had won the competition and also earned his dignity, shouted.
"Sister-in-law... uh, no, Su He, come along too!" Cao Xiao grinned mischievously. "Without you, our third brother doesn't enjoy his meal!"
"Okay!" Su He blushed slightly and said softly, "Chen Yang has a car, I'll go with him to reserve a table first!"
"Alright, alright! Do as sister-in-law says!" Cao Xiao was overjoyed to see Su He agree, but then quickly added, "Hey! Look at my brain, I forgot you two have a 'pure relationship,' Su He, please don't mind!"
Chen Yang's gaze, however, drifted behind Cao Xiao, and he said leisurely:
"Fourth brother, we'll talk about dinner later, you still have a prize to collect, don't you?"
Last week, when Cao Xiao and Hu Tian made their duel, they agreed that the loser would have to sincerely apologize for the dispute over the venue.
Cao Xiao turned around and saw Hu Tian leading the school team members, looking displeased. Cao Xiao hesitated, glancing at Chen Yang. Chen Yang pursed his lips and said,
"Go on! They're here to apologize!"
Hu Tian approached Cao Xiao, his face grim, and mumbled,
"What happened last time was my fault, I'm sorry..."
Before Cao Xiao could speak, Chen Yang said calmly,
"An apology should be sincere. With your attitude, people who don't know better will think you're here for revenge!"
Hu Tian snorted coldly, glared at Chen Yang, took a deep breath, and said loudly,
"Cao Xiao! What happened last time was my fault, I'm sorry!"
Han Song, seeing the atmosphere getting tense, stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, we're all classmates, let's just forget about it!" said Hu Tian.
Hu Tian ignored Han Song and turned to Chen Yang, saying,
"Chen Yang, your footwork is really good! How about we arrange another match?"
Chen Yang chuckled, rolled his eyes, and said,
"What? Trying to win back your losses? A loss is a loss. Not every match gives you a chance to win back your losses! I have tons of things to do every day, I don't have time to play with you!"
"You…" Hu Tian gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly, clearly suppressing his anger.
Shen Tu Fan behind him couldn't stand it anymore. He had been inexplicably hit by the ball twice today, probably the most frustrated person on the school team besides Hu Tian, and the person he hated most was naturally Chen Yang.
People with such narrow minds never look for the cause within themselves when things go wrong. So all he would remember was Chen Yang hitting him so hard with the soccer ball that he was covered in bruises, never considering that it was clearly his own malicious foul that caused it.
Seeing Hu Tian speechless after being rebuked by Chen Yang, Shen Tu Fan glanced at Chen Yang's torn jersey and said sarcastically,
"Chen Yang, sorry, I accidentally tore your international brand jersey during the game. How about I buy you another one? We can go to that stall you know. My car's over there; it'll be quick to get to the East Gate!"
With that, Shen Tu Fan pointed to a Honda Fit parked next to the Land Rover, looking at Chen Yang with a smug expression. Although the Fit, resembling a small steamed bun, looked rather shabby next to the Land Rover, college students driving cars were extremely rare, and Shen Tu Fan felt a strange sense of superiority. As he spoke, he glanced at Su He out of the corner of his eye, thinking, "What's the use of being good at soccer? He's still just a poor country bumpkin." "Given time, Su He will naturally see clearly that following you is a dead end!"
Upon hearing this, Han Song and the others looked at the clown-like Shen Tu Fan with strange eyes. Chen Yang stared at him for a long time as if he were an idiot before saying calmly,
"I think it's best not to trouble you, Shen Tu!"
"No trouble at all! Driving is just a matter of a few steps on the gas. I can't just leave your only jersey unpaid, can I?" Shen Tu Fan put on a fake smile, but his face was swollen like a pig's head, making the smile look incredibly disgusting.
Chen Yang looked Shen Tu Fan up and down with a strange gaze, then ignored him. Instead, he ripped off his tattered jersey, grabbed a brand-new Adidas shirt he'd just tossed aside, put it on, then pushed through the crowd, opened the back door of the Land Rover, tossed the tattered jersey onto the back seat, and said to Su He:
"Let's go! Let's get a parking spot!"
Chen Yang opened the driver's side door of the Land Rover, turning to Shen Tu Fan, and said:
"By the way, Shen Tu, I advise you to go to the school clinic for a checkup! This head injury could be serious or minor; it might leave lasting damage, turning you into an idiot or a vegetable..."
After getting into the car, Chen Yang suddenly remembered a popular saying from later years, and couldn't help but lean out the window again, saying to the stunned Shen Tu Fan:
"Don't give up on treatment!"
With that, Chen Yang stepped on the gas, the Land Rover roared to life, and sped away, leaving behind wisps of smoke. Han Song, Cao Xiao, and the others exchanged bewildered glances. After a long pause, they burst into loud laughter and left the stadium arm in arm.
Hu Tian snorted coldly, not even bothering to say goodbye to Shen Tu Fan, and turned to leave. The team members looked at Shen Tu Fan with pity before quickly chasing after Hu Tian.
Shen Tu Fan's face flushed red and then paled. He stared at the lonely Honda Fit parked there, finding it increasingly irritating.
How could this be? Wasn't he just a poor kid? Driving a Land Rover to school… After the conflict at the calligraphy and painting club that day, Shen Tu Fan had specifically inquired about Chen Yang's situation. Although Chen Yang had also driven a GTR that day, Shen Tu Fan had learned that the car was parked at the bar where Chen Yang worked every day, so he assumed Chen Yang had borrowed it from the bar owner and hadn't paid much attention.
And today, it was a Land Rover. Shen Tu Fan simply couldn't connect such a million-dollar luxury car with the impoverished and down-on-his-luck Chen Yang! Thinking about his clumsy performance just now, Shen Tu Fan blushed crimson. He thought he could show off in front of Su He and humiliate Chen Yang, but instead, he became the biggest laughingstock.
Standing there dumbfounded for a long time, Shen Tu Fan sullenly drove his Honda away from the stadium, his hatred for Chen Yang growing stronger.
"Chen Yang, you just wait! I'll make you regret this!" Shen Tu Fan thought through gritted teeth as he drove.
Rongda East Gate, Xinjiang Big Plate J.
The victorious 306 dormitory team, along with three foreign players from 305 dormitory and cheerleader Su He, gathered together to celebrate their hard-won victory.
Cao Xiao picked up a piece of JR and put it in his mouth, chewing as he mumbled, "Third Brother, today was truly exhilarating! A satisfying victory! Especially that kid Shen Tu Fan after the match..."
He couldn't help but burst into laughter again, almost choking. He quickly took a sip of water and continued, "You drove away just now, so you didn't see the expression on his face... Haha, it was absolutely hilarious!"
Chen Yang took a bite of his food and said calmly, "Don't mention him, he's just a clown!"
Cao Xiao exclaimed, "Right, right! Not mentioning him is disgusting! Third Brother, you're a true friend! Unlike Second Brother, who not only didn't play, but didn't even come! Does he even consider us brothers?"
Han Song said, "You can't say that. Yunfei isn't very athletic, and he's had a lot of exams lately, so he's been studying in the library!"
Cao... Xiao waved his hand and said with a smile,
"Anyway, Third Brother is a true friend! No doubt about it, Third Brother, I'll cover all your meals this month, at the school's third canteen, how about that?"
Su He, who was eating with her head down, looked up and asked curiously,
"Cao Xiao, do you really like eating at the canteen? I've heard people say the food there isn't very good!"
Cao Xiao scratched his head awkwardly and said,
"Well, how should I put it! When I first started university, I thought the canteen food was practically pig swill, inedible. But three years have passed in a flash, and I think it's alright! Not as bad as I imagined!"
Chen Yang, engrossed in devouring a large piece of JR, said without looking up,
"That's because you're becoming more and more like a pig..."
The private room instantly fell silent, then burst into loud laughter. Even Su He laughed uncontrollably at Chen Yang's brilliant remark. The evening's gathering didn't last long, as both Chen Yang and Su He had to go to work at the bar. Chen Yang, in particular, had already taken the day off, and being late again today wouldn't be good.
So, after a few quick bites, Chen Yang and Su He left.
The two arrived at the bar in their Land Rover as usual. As soon as they entered, Chen Yang saw Zhou Weiqiang waving and calling out,
"Xiao Fang, come here for a second!"
Chen Yang walked over to Zhou Weiqiang, who put his arm around Chen Yang's shoulder and said with a smile,
"The copyright issues for those songs are almost settled!"