Chapter 47: Lost the Girl and Lost the Army Too
At noon, Zhuo Feng enjoyed another hand massage.
Then he got another one that evening.
He felt so happy that it was like he was floating while he walked.
But he still wasn't satisfied. His goal at lunch yesterday hadn't been achieved, and that just wasn't perfect. So he stayed up that night and came up with another plan.
……………………
The next day.
At noon.
By Luoxia Lake.
Looking at the two disposable lunch boxes on the bench, Lin Wan asked curiously,
"Why are we eating here instead of in the cafeteria?"
Zhuo Feng picked up one lunch box with his left hand and handed it to Lin Wan.
"I had class this morning. By the time I got there, there were no seats left."
"I see. You should've told me earlier. I didn't have class this morning, so I could've bought the food first and waited for you."
"I didn't know your class schedule."
Besides, if I had told you, my plan would've been ruined.
"True."
Zhuo Feng watched as Lin Wan started eating. Then he began putting on the same act as yesterday.
His right hand shook like an old man with Parkinson's disease. He couldn't even hold his chopsticks.
When Lin Wan finished eating, he looked at Zhuo Feng's hand and started doubting himself.
Why does it look even worse than yesterday?
Did the method the Spirit taught me not work?
Or did I press the wrong spots... or use the wrong amount of force?
"If your hand is injured, why didn't you bring a spoon?" Seeing Zhuo Feng struggle to eat only a few bites after so long, even Lin Wan felt anxious just watching.
"It's fine. I can manage."
Zhuo Feng spoke with a hint of self-mockery.
"Besides, the cafeteria spoons aren't disposable. I'd have to return one afterward. Too much trouble."
Lin Wan sighed helplessly.
"How about this..."
Hearing those words, a trace of joy flashed through Zhuo Feng's eyes.
Did my good brother finally take the bait?
"I'll go get you a spoon. The cafeteria isn't far from here anyway. Wait for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Wan ran off.
Zhuo Feng watched his good brother's back.
"???"
Tsk... I miscalculated.
Next time I need to pick a place that's farther away from the cafeteria.
A little while later, Lin Wan came back, slightly out of breath, with a spoon in his hand.
"Here. After you're done eating, give it to me. I'll return it."
Sitting back down on the bench, Lin Wan watched Zhuo Feng take one big bite after another, swallowing the food as if he had a personal grudge against it.
He smiled with satisfaction.
A spoon really is useful.
Look how happily my good brother is eating!
Thinking about the massages, Lin Wan picked at his fingernail before saying, "Zhuo Feng... I don't think I should massage your hand anymore."
Zhuo Feng still had food in his mouth and forgot to chew.
"What? Why?"
"I think your hand looks even worse than yesterday. Maybe I've been doing it wrong. If I keep massaging it, I'm afraid I'll only slow down your recovery."
If they lost the competition because of my massage...
Even when I'm eighty years old, I'd probably jump out of my wheelchair just to slap myself!
"What? That's not true! Look, isn't my hand much better now?"
Zhuo Feng quickly raised his hand. It wasn't shaking at all anymore.
"You don't have to comfort me. There aren't many days left before the competition. We can't afford to waste any more time."
"I'm serious. I skipped breakfast this morning, so maybe my hand was shaking because I was hungry. After eating, I already feel much better. And every time you finish massaging it, my hand feels much more flexible. Your massage really works!"
"Mmm."
Lin Wan lowered his head with an expression that clearly said, ‘I heard what you said... but I've already made up my mind.’
Seeing his good brother acting like an ostrich again, Zhuo Feng looked up at the sky.
Why did I even come up with today's plan?
Not only did I fail to get fed...
Now I couldn't even get my hand massages anymore...
I really tried to be clever and ended up hurting myself instead.
I lost both the prize and the reward.
After that, Lin Wan stopped giving massages. Since he felt embarrassed about letting Zhuo Feng keep paying for his meals, the two of them went back to only seeing each other during team practice.
As for the elective class?
That had already ended. Now they just had to wait for the exam.
That night, Zhuo Feng hid under his blanket and slapped his own face.
Serves you right! Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut? Why did you have to cause trouble?
Now look what happened.
Not only were the hand massages gone, he couldn't even see the person anymore!
Meanwhile, Han Jinsong couldn't help but wonder why the dorm leader kept getting bitten by mosquitoes every night.
……………………
Ever since Lin Wan stopped massaging his hand, Zhuo Feng's injury really did heal much faster. In just three days, his hand was completely back to normal.
So the RSNDM team returned to their intense training schedule. Every day, they not only practiced different team lineups but also studied the teams they would face in the regional tournament.
Lin Wan also had less time to go running. On top of that, his daily missions kept becoming harder, so he finished them more slowly than before.
Just like that, June arrived.
The regional tournament would also be held in Qingnan City, at the same sports arena as before.
This time, however, things were a little different.
Each regional division had eight provincial champion teams, and every team would have its own waiting room.
The matches would be broadcast live, and spectators would also be invited to watch in person to build excitement for the finals.
The tournament used a best-of-three, single-elimination format.
In other words, the first team to win two games would move on, while the loser would be eliminated immediately.
Since every match would be streamed live, the four regional tournaments would be held at different times and were expected to last about a month and a half.
The South Region tournament, where Shannan Province competed, was scheduled for the middle of June.
That evening, there was no team practice.
Zhuo Feng brought Lin Wan to a busy shopping street.
"Good brother, our team competes the day after tomorrow. The matches will be streamed live, and there will also be an audience watching in person. Are you nervous?"
Just imagining the scene made Lin Wan's heart beat faster.
He took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
"A little."
"Okay. Next, I'm going to help you get over your nervousness. Don't blame me."
Lin Wan looked completely confused.
"Huh?"
Zhuo Feng took a deep breath, cupped his hands around his mouth like a loudspeaker, and suddenly shouted,
"Hahaha! Mom! I want roasted yams!"
"I want roasted yams!"
"ROASTED YAMS!!!"
His loud shouting immediately attracted the attention of many people walking by.
Some people ignored them and kept walking.
Others stopped to look at the two of them with curious smiles.
Lin Wan: "???"
What in the world are you doing?
His first reaction was to run away, to get as far away from the person beside him as possible.
But Zhuo Feng had already expected that and grabbed his arm.
"Come on! Shout with me!"
"WHO THE HELL IS BUYING MILLET?!"
Lin Wan shook his head like a rattle drum while trying to pull his arm free.
Unfortunately, the difference in their strength made it completely useless.
"Do you want to stop feeling nervous during the tournament and play better?"
Lin Wan nodded.
"Then shout with me!"
"I won't!"
"Be good! Think about the 100,000 yuan championship prize!"
Lin Wan froze in place. His weak spot had been hit perfectly.
"Shout with me!"
"Steamed corn bread! Four for one yuan! Hehe!"
Lin Wan lowered his head as far as it could go and mumbled quietly, "Steamed corn bread... four for one yuan..."
"Louder! You have to shout it!"
Big brother, I'm socially anxious, not a social terrorist!
"If you refuse to shout, then don't blame me if I pick you up and hide behind you while I do the shouting!"
"!!!"
"Come on! Louder!"
"Spinach for sale! SPINACH! FOR SALE!!"
Seeing that there was no way to escape, Lin Wan finally gave up.
Closing his eyes, he shouted as loudly as he could, "Spinach for sale! Spinach for sale!"
The passersby looked at the two of them as if they were complete fools.
One auntie even walked over and seriously asked if they were actually selling anything.
After several rounds of shouting, Zhuo Feng decided it was enough. He grabbed Lin Wan, who still had his eyes covered in embarrassment, and the two of them ran away as fast as they could.
During the previous tournament, he had actually dragged his other teammates out to do the same thing.
Surprisingly, it really worked.
Not only were they no longer nervous during the matches, but afterward it was as if they had discovered a whole new world.
Each of them became much more shameless and playful, with skin so thick that almost nothing could embarrass them anymore.