As Su Xi arrived at his dorm, a young man of Asian descent suddenly walked over, followed by three other young Asian men.
The scene looked like a gangster deal straight out of a movie.
They walked toward Su Xi.
"My name is Qin Xing, and I'm really into Huang Xiaoman. I want you to stay away from her. And not only that, I want you to help me win her over," the young man, clad from head to toe in designer brands, said with an arrogant swagger. He cut straight to the chase: "I can give you ten thousand USD."
As he spoke, he snapped his fingers. One of his lackeys behind him pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and placed it in his hand.
The whole thing was just like a scene from a movie.
Su Xi found it comical and unexpected.
'Campus security is good and all, but flaunting his wealth like this in broad daylight... isn't he afraid of getting shot by some black guys?'
He looked at Qin Xing. Qin Xing was about five-foot-nine, with fair, delicate skin and an air of both arrogance and wealth. Su Xi had heard of him. He was an international student from back home, with more money than sense. Rumor had it he was crazy about Huang Xiaoman and was pursuing her relentlessly.
But Huang Xiaoman liked Su Xi.
"What makes you so confident I'll take your money?" Su Xi asked Qin Xing.
Qin Xing said, "Don't play games with me. I've done my homework on you. You're broke. Twenty thousand USD."
Su Xi shook his head.
Su Xi was indeed broke, but he had absolutely no interest in money at the moment. He knew how much wealth would come his way once he became the God of Basketball. Right now, his purpose was purer than that of a billionaire who had already achieved financial freedom and was just kicking back. 'What do I need money for?'
"Thirty thousand USD. That's my final offer," Qin Xing continued. He grabbed two more stacks of cash from his other two lackeys, piled them on top of the first one, and slapped them together. SMACK! SMACK!
Su Xi remained unmoved, not even batting an eyelid. "What do you think is more important to me: thirty thousand USD, or Huang Xiaoman?"
"The thirty thousand USD, of course," said Qin Xing.
Su Xi shook his head.
"Don't tell me it's Huang Xiaoman," Qin Xing asked, sounding unsure.
"You're wrong. Neither the thirty thousand USD nor Huang Xiaoman are important to me." Su Xi walked over and patted Qin Xing on the shoulder. "Mull that over for a while. And next time, don't go flashing cash around. This isn't back home; the security here sucks."
With that, Su Xi strode away.
Qin Xing didn't try to stop Su Xi. After Su Xi had gone, he trotted over to a small grove of trees nearby, where Huang Xiaoman was crouching and spying. "So? How did it go?"
Huang Xiaoman asked him.
Qin Xing said, "Sister Xiaoman, this Su Xi guy is no ordinary person. He actually turned down thirty thousand USD! He must have some other ulterior motive."
The moment Huang Xiaoman heard this, her eyes lit up and a captivating smile bloomed across her face.
Huang Xiaoman was stunningly beautiful—a natural, unadorned kind of beauty. She had an incredible figure, curvy in all the right places. On top of that, her face was nearly perfect. Many people said she looked like a mix between Wang Zuxian and Chiu Shuzhen in their prime.
When she smiled, it was enough to make all other beauties pale in comparison.
Qin Xing's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Sister Xiaoman, I'm telling you, this guy's not simple... Not only did he turn down thirty thousand USD, but he also said you weren't important to him..."
"No! He must be deeply in love with me.
Huang Xiaoman stood up, speaking with unshakable conviction. "I understand what's in Su Xi's heart now. For him to refuse thirty thousand USD at a time like this proves that he cares about me. He doesn't want me to be pursued by a degenerate rich kid like you. The reason he rejected me before is because he's hurting. Reggie Williams's death was a huge blow to him. I shouldn't have confessed my feelings so soon after his best friend's tragic death. It was too forward of me!"
"It looks like he wants to carry on his friend's legacy by getting serious about basketball. I should support him and do my best, so that I can be there to help him when he needs me."
Huang Xiaoman declared resolutely.
Uh...
Qin Xing was silent for a moment. "I think you might be over-analyzing things a bit," he said.
"Why you..." Huang Xiaoman raised her fist.
"Boss, can we get paid now?" At that moment, the three lackeys walked over, asking for their payment.
Qin Xing pulled out the three stacks of cash. From each stack, he pulled out the bill on the top and the one on the bottom. He paid each of his three guys one hundred USD, kept three hundred for himself, and the rest was just a pile of prop bills.
Even the rich kids were broke, huh.
...
Su Xi returned to his dorm and took another shower. Afterward, he lay down on his bed and started reading a book called *Isaiah Thomas Teaches You Basketball*.
He put it down after a few pages, the image of Huang Xiaoman appearing unbidden in his mind.
Huang Xiaoman was a cheerful and independent girl with high emotional intelligence. It was impossible not to like her.
Su Xi had even dreamt about her last night, and he had no idea why.
SLAP!
Su Xi slapped his thigh. 'How can I get wrapped up in romance? I'm going to be the God of Basketball! I can't be like that character Yang Guo. I can't have it be "a life ruined by a glance from Su Xi." That's the only responsible thing to do for her.'
He sat up straight.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
There was a knock on Su Xi's door.
Su Xi went to open it and was surprised to see a familiar face: McNamara, the guy he'd just been playing ball with at the gym.
"Hey, man! We meet again!" Su Xi said, pleasantly surprised. He then noticed McNamara was carrying several bags. "Are you...?"
"Oh, this is the dorm the university assigned me. They told me to live here," McNamara said. "What are you doing here too?"
Uh...
This was the best dorm at Syracuse University. It was technically a double, but in reality, it was two almost completely separate rooms with a living room large enough to host a party for twenty or thirty people.
The only reason Su Xi was living here was because of Reggie Williams.
Williams had been the biggest star on the Orange Team last season, so of course he got to live here.
And, of course, he could also pick his own roommate.
Su Xi had already prepared himself to move out, but he never thought the newcomer would be McNamara, his personal 'fusion accelerator'.
"I lived here with Reggie Williams last season," Su Xi said.
"Oh." McNamara nodded.
Su Xi asked hesitantly, "So, for you to be assigned here, you must be...?"
"Gray McNabala, from Pennsylvania." McNamara extended his right hand again.
Su Xi instantly understood. He must be the other five-star high school recruit, besides Cameron Anthony.
'No wonder he's such a strong player.'
"Nice to meet you," Su Xi said, shaking his hand.
McNamara gave him a hug. "Great to be your roommate."
...