The gym seriously felt like standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, except the clouds were all basketballs and the rain was just—well—teenagers yelling at the top of their lungs. Floors thudded and squeaked, and coaches were already on their second round of barking orders before first period even started. Li Wei wandered onto the shiny court with this cocky little half-smirk and the old pendant burning a soft hole in his pocket. He pressed his hand over it, just for a second, like it'd jump out if he didn't, and the thing pulsed in time with his heartbeats. Almost like it was alive in its own weird way, a secret-sidekick nobody else could see.
Of course, poor Zhang Jie shuffled after him, looking like he'd spent the night running sprints instead of sleeping. Sweat already pooling at his brow, fumbling with that headband like it was a personal life preserver. "Wei, dude," his voice stuck somewhere between panic and loyalty, "you really sure it's today? Because Chen Guang's in full nuclear mode. You're basically a magnet out there."
Li Wei just flicked up a basketball, spun it one-handed—freaking showman—and grinned over his shoulder. "Come on. If they're gonna stare, might as well give 'em something, right? Hiding's not my style."
And man, he wasn't kidding. You'd think this was the NBA finals with how much side-eye Chen Guang and his "crew" were giving across the court. The guy's practically a legend already, not in a good way, and today he had that eyes narrowed, mouth twisted sort of look. Dude radiated "my dad owns half the city" energy, but also, total sore loser vibes. When he spotted Li Wei, you could see the barely-contained rage on his face—part pride, part the "this upstart is in my shot" kind of venom.
Somewhere on the bleachers, Lin Xinya made loitering look chill, even though you could practically see her using up all her fake disinterest. Her eyes did that slow, considering thing when Li Wei started warming up. She'd known him for a while, and even she had to admit: something was different. He moved with this hyper-focus, like the rest of the gym was playing on half-speed and he was the only one on fast-forward.
Refs called them in, the whistle cut the chaos, and suddenly it was game on.
Now, see, this is where things got a little wild—'cause when Li Wei got his hands on the ball, there was this instinctive, electric-shock kind of clarity. Like, seriously, if you'd sneezed, you'd have missed him nailing a pivot between two dudes that had at least a foot on him. And Zhang Jie? Judging by his expression, he'd just seen a ghost. "Bro… are we sure you're not on some secret training montage?"
Li Wei just shrugged, all mysterious, but to be honest? He felt like Spider-Man out there. Not just running on muscle—he was reading the court before things even happened. The ball zipped past his ear, and he—honest to God—caught it like he'd been expecting it. You could practically see those "woah" lightbulbs go on over everyone else's heads.
Meanwhile, Chen Guang kept getting more ticked every second. Guy started dribbling like the ball owed him money. He barreled toward Li Wei, all bluster, but got sidestepped so hard it almost looked like ballet—a very, very angry ballet. The stands erupted into those gasps and mutters that say, "Did you just see that?!"
Lin Xinya narrowed her eyes. It wasn't just luck, not by a long shot. There was some kind of glow—nothing alien or anything, but more like he was just… dialed up.
Chen Guang kept coming—trying bigger, dumber moves—but Li Wei had this uncanny way of gliding around him. At one point, he managed to snatch a rebound straight out the air, twisted, and scored before half the bleachers processed what happened. Everybody—seriously, people who never cheered—got on their feet screaming. Zhang Jie was the loudest, just straight-up losing it: "Wei, that was nuts! You're like, superhuman right now!"
Li Wei felt the pendant, hot against his chest, almost warning him. "Careful, man. This isn't just for fun." It didn't have a voice, but that's what it felt like. Still, he couldn't help but drink in the vibes—winning, floating, something he'd always wished for. Freedom, but at a price he was only starting to guess.
Eventually, time ran down, referees called it, and the herd of sweaty kids slowly trickled out, all of them buzzing. Chen Guang tried to play it cool, but he couldn't stop himself from glaring daggers, lurking to the side and muttering, "This isn't over," like a wannabe movie villain. Honestly, someone should've handed him a cape.
Out by the benches, Lin Xinya drifted over like a worried mom in disguise. "You sure you're okay, Wei?" She gave him this gentle tilt-eyed look. "I mean… you were practically on another planet out there. Not that I'm complaining."
Wei thumbed the pendant absently, looking half-lost for the first time since he walked in. "I'm alright, Xinya. Lucky charm, maybe." He tried to play it cool, but you could see the nerves—this wasn't totally a game anymore. Not really.
She caught the truth under his grin, let it slide, but gave him this look. "If you ever want to talk, I'm not going anywhere. Even if you turn out to be part alien or whatever."
That actually made him laugh. Honest, warm. Something inside him melted a little—and the pendant seemed to buzz with approval, like it was in on the secret.
Later, tucked up in bed with the city hum outside his window, Li Wei replayed every second. The sprints, the jukes, the cheers—sure—but underneath that, the weird new feeling: the pendant wasn't just jewelry. It was a key to something old, maybe even dangerous, something his old man had never explained.
That night, with those words—"Be strong, or be crushed"—lingering in his head, Li Wei finally let himself believe that he wasn't alone in this. Yeah, tomorrow was probably going to be a mess—Chen Guang wouldn't quit, life would keep throwing curveballs, and whatever was inside the pendant? It was restless, waiting.
But hey, for once? He felt ready. Like whatever this power was, it hadn't come just to mess with him—it had come because maybe, just maybe, he was meant to do something bigger.
And you know what? That was actually kind of exciting.