HLM – Chapter 945 Those Old Times

“Doing intense exercise and still drinking beer? Careful, or you’ll have a sudden heart attack,” Wang Bo teased a few of them.

Fan Dong picked up a basketball to feel its weight. He held it with his right hand underneath, the left hand supporting the side, his arms naturally bent. Then his wrist moved gently, and he flicked the ball with his fingers, sending it flying.

The basketball traced an orange arc through the air and finally fell into the net with a crisp swish.

Song Jiashu high-fived him and laughed, “Not bad, Da Ban, your touch is pretty good.”

Fan Dong deliberately tilted his head, striking a smug pose. “Of course. I’m a man with sharpshooter blood. Once I have the ball, my hands are hot enough to grill iron plate barbecue…”

“Who has sharpshooter blood?” Wang Bo teased. “Zhou Haojie, do you have sharpshooter blood? Are you Fan Dong’s man?”

Zhou Haojie chuckled. “I did back in the day, but not anymore. Now I’m a rebounder.”

Wang Bo wasn’t much of a basketball player, though having spent a long time in New Zealand, he could play rugby decently.

But when everyone was together, this so-called bachelor farewell party was really just an excuse to reminisce about college life. For these guys, the most valuable shared memory from university was basketball.

Unfortunately, Wang Bo had never been good at it—during college, he usually just organized things or acted as the cheerleader.

Zhou Haojie pulled him onto the court, and Wang Bo awkwardly waved his hand. “I’m not good at this. I can’t play well.”

“Yeah, we all know you’re bad at basketball. But if you were good, why would we even invite you? Flowers need green leaves to stand out, right?”

The group laughed, making Wang Bo exasperated.

There were eight of them in total, split into two teams, and no one wanted him on their side. Everyone knew he hadn’t played in college and wasn’t skilled. Wang Bo felt more irritated than ever.

But once they hit the court, the situation suddenly changed.

Wang Bo’s physical fitness had subtly improved over the years, and combined with regular exercise, compared to these white-collar guys who spent all day in front of computers, he was like a wild beast.

After graduation, everyone had started working and had little time for basketball, so their skills had declined. In this scenario, raw physical ability became far more important.

Fan Dong drove toward the basket for a layup. Seeing how slow he was, Wang Bo took two big strides, jumped from behind, and swatted the ball away like hitting a fly.

Zhou Haojie was tangled with Zhang Rui, dribbled back a step, and casually passed the ball. Wang Bo sprang from the wing, intercepted it mid-air, and grabbed the ball.

Hou Haibo tried a strong move under the basket. Seeing Wang Bo behind him, he charged, trying to shove him aside for an easy layup.

Wang Bo didn’t even move. Hou Haibo collided with him like hitting a wall and bounced back.

Everyone else was increasingly dumbfounded. Wang Bo, however, grew more confident the more he played. He couldn’t handle the ball well or shoot accurately, but he could block, steal, and grab rebounds—defensively, he was unstoppable.

Offensively, he left the plays to his teammates. Then, as a rebound came up, he leapt into the air, grabbed it single-handedly, and realized he was still rising…

The hoop was right in front of him. On impulse, Wang Bo swung his arm and slammed the ball into the basket with a loud thud.

Zhou Haojie and Fan Dong, waiting to defend, were stunned. Hou Haibo cursed, “Holy crap, Wang Bo! When did you become such a beast? A dunk!”

“Single-handed dunk, seriously! Freaking Vince Carter!”

“Could it be that this guy has been hiding his skills? He must’ve played basketball in New Zealand sometimes, right?”

“Hidden skills? Nonsense! If he had this in college, he would’ve been dunking every day and picking up girls!”

Proudly, Wang Bo landed and deliberately frowned, pretending to be troubled. “Damn, my hand hurts a bit from that dunk. Maybe I shouldn’t dunk too often…”

Fan Dong said, “If you weren’t showing off, maybe we could still be friends.”

Zhou Haojie added, “Hey, tomorrow is my wedding. This is my party. Can you let me have the chance to show off?”

Wang Bo chuckled. “How about I dunk holding you instead?”

“Don’t even think about it. Let Haozi save his first time for Li Jiayi. If you dunk with him, his butt’s going to hurt all night. He still has to walk tomorrow,” Hou Haibo said.

Wang Bo sneered. “You’re underestimating me. One night? I’ll make him sore for a week!”

“You’re ruthless. Planning to give my brother Haojie a serious butt injury?”

Zhou Haojie pushed a few people away. “Screw you guys! I’ve lived a clean life, but sooner or later, it’ll all be ruined by you bastards!”

They played just to warm up, then sat on the court drinking beer, eating snacks, and chatting.

“Time flies, huh? How many years since graduation? Six?” Fan Dong said, sipping his beer.

Wang Bo paused. Ever since moving to New Zealand, he had ignored this question. Hearing Fan Dong, he felt a sudden mix of emotions.

“We’re all pushing thirty. As the oldest, I’m almost forty!” Zhou Haojie sighed. “I mean, our group really keeps it together. Aren’t you guys rushing to get married?”

“Wang Bo, any marriage plans?”

Since Wang Bo had lived with Eva, life had been beautiful and comfortable, so he hadn’t thought much about it. In reality, they were already like a married couple.

Now, with this discussion, he felt a bit uneasy. No wonder his parents had been pressuring him to get engaged—they wanted him to settle down before he became an older bachelor.

He said, “I’ll probably do it next year. How about you guys? Has anyone at your fiancée’s family been pressuring you?”

Introverted Zhang Rui smiled bitterly. “Yes, they’re pushing me crazy. But without a career or prospects, how can I get married? Forget kids, even buying a house is tough with these prices. I need to support myself first.”

Wang Bo patted him on the shoulder. “Buying a house is small potatoes. I can lend everyone the down payment, interest-free. You just pay back the loan yourselves. How about that?”

Zhang Rui shook his head. “Thanks, brother, but I don’t want to do that. Money always messes with relationships.”

Wang Bo smirked. “That’s nonsense. Fine, let’s put it aside for now. Do you guys have any projects you want to do independently? I can invest. I recently partnered with a bank and got a fund ready for investment.”

Su Dongdong hesitated. “If possible, I have a project I want to get some investment for. You know e-commerce is booming. I designed an app I want to try.”

Wang Bo said, “No problem. Once Zhou’s wedding is over, we can discuss it.”

Tonight’s theme was reliving their university days. He didn’t want to change it. For the old times, he felt just as nostalgic and sentimental.