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On Saturday, the heavy snow arrived as expected. I slept in late and, after waking up, was reluctant to leave the warmth of my blankets. I curled up in bed, watching the snowflakes dance outside. Just as I was getting lost in thought, a series of urgent knocks on the door startled me awake. My mom's voice came from outside: "Jie, it's time for breakfast! It's almost nine o'clock, and you still haven't gotten up; the food is getting cold."
"Ah, Mom, I'm not eating. Let's have lunch together later; just let me lie here a bit longer," I replied, wrapping myself tighter in my blanket. I reached for my phone and logged onto QQ. As soon as I came online, Situ Yanan messaged me: "Brother Jie, are you awake yet?" This girl really has gotten addicted to calling me Brother Jie. I sent her an emoji with black glasses, and she quickly replied, "Hahaha, I knew you lazy pig would be sleeping in! It's snowing outside; it's so cold!"
"Yeah, the rooftops and ground must be covered in white snow by now," I responded. Situ Yanan sent a smirking emoji and then said, "Hehe, actually... I'm still in bed too! Hahaha." This girl is just as lazy as I am; it's really unbelievable. After chatting for a while, she finally said, "Alright, I'm logging off now. Remember our date tomorrow!"
"But it's going to snow heavily again tomorrow; it's not suitable to go out," I quickly replied. She shot back, "You have to go no matter what; otherwise, you'll face the consequences. Okay, I'm logging off." Her profile picture turned gray. This girl is really stubborn; it seems I'll have to brave the snow tomorrow. After getting out of bed, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. After stretching lazily, I went out to find something to eat.
My phone rang; it was A Fei calling. "Hey, A Fei! Are you awake? I just got up," I answered as soon as I picked up. A Fei said, "You're really lazy! Hurry up and come out; I'm waiting at the door! Jiang Lingfeng is treating us to a meal." Jiang Lingfeng! Wind God Captain! It had been half a year since we last met; it was about time for a reunion.
When I opened the door, I saw A Fei fully bundled up. It looked like he was really afraid of the cold. "Hey hey hey, A Fei! Isn't this a bit much? Why so exaggerated?" I teased him.
"Come on, it's winter! Wearing thick clothes isn't overdoing it at all. Let's go; Jiang Lingfeng is waiting!" He pulled me along as we walked out into the heavy snowfall on the main road. The visibility was quite poor due to the falling snowflakes, but it felt like stepping into a fairy tale world.
"Hey A Fei, how about we take a cab instead? This feels a bit awkward..." I suggested.
A Fei immediately shook his head: "No need for that! You wouldn't dare call a cab in this weather anyway! Besides, it's only a little over a kilometer away; we're athletes! This distance is just like running around the track." To my surprise, A Fei started running. I followed closely behind him. After about ten minutes of running, we finally arrived at the restaurant's entrance. A Fei had shed all his layers except for a sweater and a down jacket. Phew! My body felt much warmer now; life is all about movement!
"Captain! I've missed you so much!" Upon entering the restaurant and seeing Jiang Lingfeng sipping tea, I rushed over to him. Jiang Lingfeng smiled and stood up as we embraced each other tightly before heading into a private room.
"How have you two been lately? I heard you guys were competing with the Three Musketeers for the Cangzhou City Championship this summer but ended up losing in the North China Region finals..." Jiang Lingfeng lowered his voice as he spoke.
I chuckled and replied casually, "It's fine; that's normal! Who can win every year? There are 1.3 billion people in this country with plenty of skilled street basketball players. Just winning once at the National Championship is enough for us to be satisfied! Honestly, I didn't expect us to defend our title as city champions this time; we really hit the jackpot!"
I couldn't help but laugh at that thought, and Jiang Lingfeng joined in my laughter. Although my words weren't entirely sincere, I felt that having this attitude towards things was right—being optimistic when facing challenges.
"How's Wind God Captain doing with the national team?" I asked him.
Jiang Lingfeng smiled calmly: "It's alright; my position is kind of like that core player who isn't quite a core or backup."
A Fei listened enviously and said to him: "That's great! Just keep moving up slowly; you're doing well for someone who just graduated high school!"
"Yeah! If I could join the national team and serve my country even if it means being a benchwarmer playing only ten minutes per game at first—I'd work hard to impress the coach!" I chimed in playfully. Joining the national team has always been my dream; I missed out on this year's London Olympics but hope to secure my spot in Brazil next time! However, this year's performance of the Chinese men's basketball team has left me disheartened—it might be because they lack someone like Xiang Jie.
"Captain, do you think after you graduate with Thunderbolt and Zhao Ziyang along with Shangguan Leinuo from that golden class of '09 that Hejiang and Twenty-Four Middle School will fall into decline due to complete rebuilding?" A Fei asked worriedly.
Jiang Lingfeng laughed: "Haha! Isn't that good news? If that's the case, Yulin will have more opportunities!"
"That's true! In that case, we actually have an advantage!" I joked back before Jiang Lingfeng calmly analyzed that there are plenty of talented new-generation players like Kobe and Mu Yu among them.
"Especially Chu Yuetao—he's truly an incredible talent! From what I've seen this summer leading City No. 2 all the way through group stages only to narrowly lose against you guys in the semifinals—after experiencing his first City High League tournament this year he will definitely mature even more next year and might become your biggest rival..." Jiang Lingfeng's expression grew serious as he spoke.
As expected from a great Point Guard like Jiang Lingfeng—his analysis made perfect sense. Chu Yuetao is indeed City No. 2's core Point Guard who led them from qualifiers all the way through group stages successfully—next year he will surely soar higher! If we meet him during street basketball matches or if Xia Ying dates him or even if we face him in City High League competitions—could he truly be my lifelong rival? But I've never lost to him yet!
After finishing our meal together we chatted until past three o'clock in the afternoon before reluctantly parting ways. It had been such a long time since I'd relaxed like this without worries—we've gone beyond friendship through our shared struggles with Jiang Lingfeng—we're brothers who will always stand by each other no matter what.
As A Fei and I walked home through falling snow with few people on the road and vehicles moving slowly—I couldn't help but think how much I'd love to fight alongside Jiang Lingfeng again someday because playing games with him gives me an incredible sense of security."
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