My Deskmate Chapter 23 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 23.2
The two of them were no strangers to Xu Guangqi’s office. Chi Ye used to visit here quite often.
When they entered, Xu Guangqi set down his copy of Mathematics and Human Civilization. "You’re here? Have a seat."
Chi Ye: "Old Xu, just tell us what you need to say. We don’t want to sit. It makes us feel uneasy."
Xu Guangqi, holding a thermos cup, raised an eyebrow. "The chairs are there for you to sit on, why do you have to stand?"
Chi Ye nodded. "Yeah, under the eight or nine o'clock sun, we don't deserve to sit."
"Alright, enough with the jokes," Xu Guangqi said with a smile. "I’ve heard from a few of the girls that you two are pretty good at basketball?"
Wen Xiao glanced at Chi Ye. "He’s the one who’s really good."
"He’s on the same level as me," Chi Ye replied, puzzled. "But why are we hearing about how good we are at basketball from the girls?"
Xu Guangqi chuckled. "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding? Of course, you only hear the truth from the girls. If you pull any of the boys in the class aside and ask them how they play basketball, each one would put on a show, claiming to be a little basketball king!"
Chi Ye found this reasoning somewhat convincing. After all, guys like Shangguan Yu and Zhao Yiyang were known to boast about being the basketball MVPs of their middle school.
"I called you two here because there's a basketball game for teachers at noon today. The second year team is playing against the first year team, and we’re allowed to bring in some outside help." Once he had their attention, Xu Guangqi smoothly continued, "The first year team has a lot of young teachers, while we, on the other hand, are a bit past our prime. Osteoporosis is already creeping up on us. Plus, the Director of Discipline is in our group, but because of his height, he's really just there to make up the numbers."
Chi Ye and Wen Xiao exchanged a glance, understanding immediately. "So, we’re the outside help?"
Xu Guangqi beamed. "Exactly!"
To figure out who was the best basketball player in the second year, Old Xu took to strolling the halls every day, eavesdropping on the girls' gossip and private conversations. And sure enough, he managed to piece together a few clues.
Xu Guangqi glanced at Wen Xiao. "How’s your cold? If you can’t play, Chi Ye will have to cover for both of you."
The cold had come on quickly, but it was also fading just as fast. Wen Xiao didn’t have any obvious symptoms left. "I can play."
Although they’d been told they were "outside help," it wasn’t until noon that Chi Ye and Wen Xiao realized they were practically the main players on the team.
The basketball court was surrounded by a couple of rings of people. Xu Guangqi and Cheng Xiaoning had both suited up in basketball gear, but after a brief warm-up and a wave to the students and teachers watching, they limped off the court — one holding his waist, the other favoring a leg.
They still needed five players, so Wen Xiao and Chi Ye were called in to play.
Watching them take their positions on the court, Cheng Xiaoning sighed, observing the excited screams of the surrounding girls. "Ah, the charm of the young and handsome! Back in my day, I was the talk of the school too. Whenever I stepped onto the debate stage, the female debaters on the opposing team would instantly become my fans!"
Xu Guangqi glanced at Cheng Xiaoning. He believed the first part of his statement about the debate, but the latter claim seemed... questionable.
Immediately, Xu Guangqi also sighed with emotion. "The reason my wife married me is that, back in college, she was captivated by the way I looked while solving math problems."
The two exchanged a polite, restrained smile.
On the court, the atmosphere felt different from their previous game. This time, Wen Xiao and Chi Ye were playing together on the same team. They didn’t discuss any tactics or designate roles. Usually, whoever got the ball would shoot, and the other would assist.
Both of them were tall, agile, and in perfect sync. As they sprinted and jumped across the court, they exuded a youthful energy that was both unrestrained and flamboyant, attracting a lot of attention.
Chi Ye was wearing a loose, deep red basketball jersey. Sweat soaked his forehead and neck, glistening under the sun and giving him a healthy, sun-kissed glow. He took long strides, moving closer to Wen Xiao. "Our lead's getting a bit big."
Their skills were already impressive, and now their coordination was on point. Playing against the first year teachers was like cutting through butter, and before long, their lead had grown quite large.
Wen Xiao understood immediately. "Drain the water?" (T/N: In sports, drain the water means throwing the game.)
Chi Ye wiped his thumb across the corner of his mouth and grinned at his deskmate. His smile was mischievous and a little wicked. "Not draining the water. It's more like... opening the floodgates."
With that, he pretended to make a mistake, and the ball was quickly stolen by the opposing team.
To make it seem more convincing, Chi Ye even exaggerated his reaction, putting on a look of frustration.
Wen Xiao watched this scene from the sidelines and felt like laughing—
Such terrible acting.
True to their plan, they really did start to "open the floodgates." Their energy seemed to wane, and their once-crisp execution became sloppy. Several times, when they reached the basket, the ball would be snatched away by the other team. Other times, they failed to sync up properly, missing each other's cues.
Off the court, Cheng Xiaoning watched in concern. "Are those two wearing themselves out? Their hands are slipping too much!"
Xu Guangqi had a good sense of the situation. "They're seventeen or eighteen year old, how could they tire so easily? Let them play. Ah, my back... it hurts!"
The match continued until the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end. "78 to 67! The second year team wins!"
Chi Ye supported himself on his knees and panted, sweat dripping onto the court. He spoke softly to his deskmate, "The first year team didn’t do too well. We opened the floodgates, and they didn’t even hit seventy."
Wen Xiao caught two bottles of water tossed in from the sidelines. He pressed one to Chi Ye’s face. "Drink your water."
Chi Ye twisted the cap of the second bottle, but it wouldn’t budge. "I’m drained, deskmate. Could you open it for me?"
Wen Xiao stared at him for two seconds. Seeing how thick-skinned Chi Ye was, he just handed over the bottle after opening it. "Here, you hand-cramped."
Chi Ye, feeling no shame, drank from the bottle, then commented, "This water is sweet."
Xu Guangqi saw the two of them coming off the court and quickly handed them each a towel. "Not bad, not bad. Friendship comes first, but you played really well!"
Wen Xiao took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face. Half of the towel was soaked through.
Cheng Xiaoning watched Chi Ye, and the more he looked, the more he thought he was handsome. "Your homeroom teacher is right. You guys played excellently! You represented the second year team’s spirit, showing our level of play!"
Facing such a friendly and approachable Cheng Xiaoning, Chi Ye unconsciously moved closer to his deskmate.
After winning the match, the following events had little to do with the reinforcements.
As spring warmed up, the sun shone down, creating a comfortable heat. Covered in sweat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable, the two of them went to the bathroom in the science building.
The restrooms in the second academic building were always crowded, the air thick with a pungent smell. Spending just half an hour inside would be enough to make anyone faint.
The science building was different. Since it was rarely used, it was clean and free of any unpleasant odors.
After turning on the faucet, Chi Ye splashed some water on his face. The water soaked his forehead, water droplets dripping down his hair. He didn't mind — the cold water felt refreshing.
Opening his eyes and looking in the mirror, Chi Ye ran a hand through his short hair. His gaze shifted to Wen Xiao and saw that he had removed his glasses. His face was wet from the water, his face devoid of the rosy glow from exercising. Instead, it was a bit pale due to his recent illness.
The basketball jersey was loose. As Wen Xiao bent over, Chi Ye couldn't help but see his lean waist and abdomen from his neck down.
Suddenly feeling a bit strange, Chi Ye looked away and grabbed the hem of his own basketball jersey, wiping it across his face.
By the time Chi Ye wiped the water from his face, he saw that Wen Xiao had already finished and was leaning against the tile wall, waiting for him.
The basketball jersey was hanging loosely on Wen Xiao's frame. He was slender yet tall, with proportions that were perfectly balanced. Standing there casually, with a cold expression, he looked like he was posing for a fashion magazine.
Chi Ye's gaze lingered on the line of Wen Xiao's shoulder and neck. With his hands still damp, he pressed them against Wen Xiao's neck, “Isn't it cool and refreshing?”
Wen Xiao frowned in disgust. “You stink.”
Chi Ye didn’t pull back. Instead, he took a step closer.
The two of them were so close that the heat from Chi Ye’s body enveloped Wen Xiao, making his skin suddenly hypersensitive.
Chi Ye cornered Wen Xiao between himself and the wall, his gaze intent on him with a teasing smile in his voice. "Want to smell again? I'll give you a chance to change that description."