Chapter 51: The Vast Legion of Female Fans

To avoid suspicion, Lin Ling was seated in the audience on the opposite side. Seeing Geng Haoshi and the others looking her way, she flashed an OK sign, as if responding to Zhang Zhaolong’s unspoken question.

Geng Haoshi swallowed hard—could it really all be true?!

At two thirty, the basketball team from Feiling Aviation College arrived at the gymnasium.

Not long after, Yang Mimi also appeared.

Since Lin Ling was sitting across from them today, there was an empty seat next to Geng Haoshi, besides Li Shishi. Yang Mimi took this vacant spot.

Yang Mimi looked at Geng Haoshi and smiled, “Second Brother, there are so many people in the audience today!”

Geng Haoshi gazed at Yang Mimi, once again struck by the lethal charm of her dimples.

Li Shishi wrapped both hands around Geng Haoshi’s left arm, glancing at Yang Mimi. “Mimi, all those girls are our senior’s fans!”

“Fans?” Yang Mimi was puzzled.

“Mimi, haven’t you checked today’s trending topics on the Ten School Web Alliance?” Geng Haoshi felt a wave of dread—why did she have to mention that now? How was he supposed to explain this?

“Here it is, Mimi.” Li Shishi handed her phone to Yang Mimi.

Geng Haoshi sneaked a look—the screen displayed the trending post, “If you love her, carry her on your back!”

He rolled his eyes and slumped back, wishing he could disappear.

Yang Mimi scrolled through the post on the phone.

Li Shishi, practically glowing with excitement, said, “Mimi, there are tons of comments below. The fans are so sweet! They’re all sending their blessings to me and Senior.” As she spoke, she leaned her head affectionately against Geng Haoshi’s arm.

After reading a few comments, Yang Mimi looked up at Geng Haoshi, who was staring at the ceiling with a face full of despair, and she couldn’t help but giggle.

At two forty-five, it was time for the pre-game warm-up. The players from both teams took to the court and began stretching and shooting.

Suddenly, a wave of shouts erupted from the stands—“Geng Haoshi!” “Geng Haoshi!” “Geng Haoshi!” The entire chant came from “The Peerless Good Man Geng Haoshi’s Admirers Club”—the so-called “Admirers Club.”

Whether these girls had been drilled by their leader, Lin Ling, in some kind of pre-game training, or whether their enthusiasm was entirely spontaneous, the effect was overwhelming: the cheers were thunderous, yet perfectly coordinated.

The opposing players were utterly bewildered. In fact, they’d been stunned the moment they entered the gym, confronted by a sea of female spectators—whereas their own matches rarely drew more than a hundred classmates. Now, the crowd of girls easily numbered over two thousand!

Two thousand girls, all chanting a single boy’s name—what a spectacle! What an exhilarating feeling!

Geng Haoshi’s teammates looked at him with undisguised envy.

Caught off guard by the sudden ovation, Geng Haoshi stood frozen for a moment. Then, coming to his senses, he closed his eyes to savor the moment. In that instant, he forgot that his “Admirers Club” had gathered thanks to those affectionate photos with Li Shishi. Flushed with excitement, he began waving both hands and blowing kisses toward the stands, drawing another tidal wave of screams—“Geng Haoshi, I love you!” “Geng Haoshi, I want to have your babies!”

Cheers, applause, adoring fans—wasn’t this exactly what he had always dreamed of? Reveling in the attention, Geng Haoshi kept sending kisses to the crowd.

“Senior, I love you!”

Yes, yes, love me all you want! Geng Haoshi felt supremely content—wait, that voice sounded familiar. He squinted for a better look—it was Li Shishi!

Then it hit him that Yang Mimi was sitting just one seat away from Li Shishi.

What am I doing?! It’s over—Mimi must think I’m hopelessly shallow!

Regretting his earlier antics, Geng Haoshi quickly composed himself and focused earnestly on warming up.

During the fifteen-minute warm-up, the “Admirers Club” erupted into collective cheers every minute or two—a total of seven times! Meanwhile, Feiling Aviation College’s players spent the entire fifteen minutes in utter frustration. Now, the one thing they most wanted to know was—just who was this Geng Haoshi?

Player number 7 muttered, “With that many girls cheering for him, who on earth is this guy?”

Player number 10 scoffed, “They’re a bottom-ranked team. How impressive can he be? I bet most of those girls are just hired to boost their numbers.”

Player number 11 said, “Hired fans? In person? That must have cost a fortune!”

Player number 4 grunted, “Doesn’t matter if they’re real or not. All we have to do is crush them.”

Their confidence wasn’t unfounded. After all, last year they had ranked ninety-second in the national college basketball league, while Tiancheng Polytechnic was dead last. So in their eyes, defeating Tiancheng was child’s play.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the second match of the Ten School Autumn Games’ basketball finals—Tiancheng Polytechnic’s final game.

At the tip-off, Feiling Aviation College seized the ball, using their height advantage.

All their players stood at least 185 centimeters tall—a modest height by NBA standards, but a significant edge for a regular college team.

Player 11 from Feiling Aviation College received a pass from Player 4, took a jump shot just inside the three-point line, and scored the first two points.

Now it was Tiancheng’s turn to attack. Point guard Zhou Xiaoshan dribbled up the court at speed and passed to small forward Zhu Di, who drove quickly to the basket for two points of his own.

The teams traded baskets—Feiling scored, Tiancheng answered almost immediately. Neither side could pull ahead, and the score remained tight.

At the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 23 to 24, with Feiling Aviation College holding a slim lead.

From the sidelines, Yu Manman observed keenly—the opposing players were tall and strong, making high passes difficult to intercept. However, they were generally slower, while Tiancheng’s players were quicker and could break through with fast attacks.

“Meng Lang, you cover under the basket. Sun Peng and Zhu Di, you’re responsible for the perimeter of the key. Xu Gaofeng and Zhou Xiaoshan, guard the area around the free-throw line.”

“Their three-point shooting isn’t impressive—based on the first quarter’s performance. So, as soon as anyone crosses inside the three-point line, the three players nearest him should close in and trap him.”

“In this way, disrupt their offensive rhythm. As long as they miss their shots, hit them with a fast break and score.”