Chapter Twenty-One: The Devilish Goddess Coach with a Predatory Gaze

Oh no! Are they back already?! Geng Haoshi lay completely still, praying he wouldn't be discovered. But with the stench of filth and urine filling the room, it would be a miracle if he wasn’t found out.

“Mew~”

It was just a kitten. Geng Haoshi let out a sigh of relief in his heart. The little cat had only nudged open the half-closed door, but after catching a whiff of the foul odor inside, it bolted away… Damn it, stupid cat, if you’re leaving, at least close the door behind you! Geng Haoshi deeply regretted forgetting to lock the door earlier—now anyone could walk in at any moment.

…

Throughout the night, aside from a stray dog adopted by the guys next door who popped in for a visit, no one else entered Geng Haoshi’s dorm. He managed to survive a stinking night without further incident.

At 5:39 in the morning, Geng Haoshi finally regained some strength. Taking advantage of the absence of his five roommates—who had been out all night for reasons unknown—he dragged his exhausted body up and began cleaning up the scene.

To save time, Geng Haoshi bundled up his bedding and mattress and threw them out altogether, then opened every window to air out the stench, and hurried to take a shower…

Sitting on his now-bare bed, Geng Haoshi hung his head, utterly spent.

“…Master, are you alright?” Seeing Geng Haoshi in this state, 9527 was a little concerned he’d really turned into an idiot under the effects of “Intensive Power Gathering.”

Geng Haoshi just rolled his eyes miserably.

“Master, would you like me to sing ‘Heartbroken Pacific’ to cheer you up?”

Geng Haoshi ignored 9527, but 9527 actually started singing “Heartbroken Pacific.”

“Hey, Shi!?” Chubby Lai Dabao entered the dorm. “Shi, why didn’t you pick up your phone last night? It was Wang Wei’s birthday, he invited everyone from our dorm out for dinner and karaoke. We called you several times but you never answered.”

As he spoke, Lai Dabao plopped down next to Geng Haoshi. “We ended up singing late into the night. The others kept going even after waking up this morning, but I was too tired, so I came back early.”

At that moment, Geng Haoshi’s mind was still filled with 9527’s rendition of “Heartbroken Pacific.” He was so out of it, he didn’t even notice Lai Dabao sitting beside him.

“Hey, Shi, why is your bed empty?” Lai Dabao finally noticed Geng Haoshi’s bed had nothing but the bare boards left. “And it smells kind of weird in here.”

The mention of a “weird smell” snapped Geng Haoshi back to reality. “Oh… a rat died in my blanket, so it reeks a bit.”

“Shi, then why did you throw out your mattress too?”

“It was old. Time for a new one,” Geng Haoshi replied, then got up and left the dorm.

He walked out the school gate and headed to the student street nearby, entering a shop selling bedding.

“Nothing’s cheap here!” Geng Haoshi eyed the price tags on the bedding, thinking to himself: I only get about 600 yuan a month to live on, and buying a new mattress and blanket will cost over 100 yuan… Sigh, looks like I’ll have to pinch pennies even more.

Geng Haoshi came from the countryside. His father died when he was born, and he was raised solely by his mother. Though the family was poor, his mother made sure he grew up healthy and well-fed. Ever since Geng Haoshi got into college, he became his mother’s pride—having a college student from their little mountain village was a rare thing. His mother kept some chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep back home, and every month she sent him 600 yuan for his living expenses.

Geng Haoshi picked out the cheapest mattress and blanket, paid for them, and headed back to the dorm.

All the way back, 9527 kept looping “Heartbroken Pacific.” “9527, for god’s sake, can you shut up already?!”

“Master, are you short on money?”

“Didn’t you already know I’m flat broke? What the hell are you asking for?!”

“Master, if you and the school basketball team can win the championship at next month’s Intercollegiate Autumn Games, you’ll get a 20,000 yuan cash prize. If the twelve of you split it, that’s 1,666 yuan each.”

“1,666 yuan?!” It might not sound like much, but to Geng Haoshi, that was three months’ living expenses.

He’d almost forgotten about that! Geng Haoshi swallowed hard, secretly making up his mind: No way am I letting myself get kicked off the basketball team! I have to win the basketball championship at next month’s Intercollegiate Autumn Games!

Energized as if injected with adrenaline, Geng Haoshi dropped off his new bedding at the dorm and ran straight to the school’s sports field… Two sets of 5,000-meter runs… for Goddess Mimi… Two sets of 500 pull-ups… for the goddess coach’s 34E… Two sets of 500 sit-ups… for the 1,666 yuan prize… Two sets of 500 squat jumps.

Geng Haoshi skipped all his morning classes, finishing all his daily training tasks for “eight-pack abs in a month.”

After lunch, he took a nap in the dorm, setting his alarm for 1:30 p.m. to make sure he could check in at the Chen Zhi Gymnasium before 2:00…

Then he had a dream: in his left hand, he held the championship trophy for the Intercollegiate Autumn Games basketball tournament; with his right, he held Yang Mimi’s hand, surrounded by cheers and applause. Geng Haoshi gazed lovingly at Yang Mimi, when suddenly he heard “ah—ah—ah—”… “Damn it! 9527! What the hell are you doing?!” Once again, he was jolted awake by 90 decibels of moaning.

“Master, your alarm’s been ringing for a long time, so…”

“Oh no!” Geng Haoshi checked the time—it was already 1:56. If he didn’t hurry, that beautiful coach would blow her top again!

He threw on his shoes and raced to the Chen Zhi Gymnasium.

By the time he arrived, it was 2:05 and the school basketball team was already deep into training.

Spotting Yu Manman sitting at the coaching bench, Geng Haoshi knew there was no escaping this time.

He walked up to her cautiously, feigning breathlessness with his hands on his waist. “Coach, I had diarrhea again today, my back hurts from it… so I’m late.”

Yu Manman gave him a sideways glance, completely unfazed. “With your physique, a bit more purging could only help.”

“By the way, didn’t you say you’re an all-round player?” Her beautiful eyes fixed on Geng Haoshi. “If you’re all-round, how come you barely made any of your 2,000 shots yesterday?”

Crap, is she holding this against me?! Is she about to kick me off the team?! Cold sweat broke out on Geng Haoshi’s back—he could only keep making things up. “Well, I had the runs yesterday, you see.”

“Oh?” Yu Manman eyed him suspiciously.

She didn’t look convinced! What should he do? No matter what, he couldn’t let her kick him out!

Gritting his teeth, Geng Haoshi declared, “Actually, my real specialty is slam dunks!”