Wang Ke had been closely observing Xiao Xian and his crew, and saw Xiao Xian staring at a team not too far away. Following his gaze, Wang Ke was taken aback. How could it be him?
"Xiao Xian, there’s a handsome guy right next to you, why aren’t you looking at him?" Qu Yang blocked Xiao Xian’s line of sight, casually flipping her hair as if showing off a treasure. She fully expected Xiao Xian to throw some snark her way, but instead, Xiao Xian seriously took another few glances at her: "Hmm, I am looking at a handsome guy, that guy over there is better-looking than you."
Qu Yang’s hair-flipping hand froze, looking over her shoulder with displeasure.
After crossing a few teams, stood three individuals wearing sleeveless AND1 black vests, three-quarter ripped jeans that showed their knees, and black and gold AND1 sneakers. Both male players were over 1.85 meters tall, and the female teammate was around 1.8 meters too. They were the only ones at the event uniformly dressed. One of the males and the female were twins with similar features, broad noses, and square jaws, each wearing an earring in both ears. They weren’t bad looking, both arms adorned with an AND1 tattoo.
As for the other teammate, his attire was much simpler compared to the other two, but it was this simplicity that made him stand out, for his face was quite extraordinary.
Xiao Xian figured it out; a good-looking face trumps everything else.
A clean and clear face, thick eyebrows diving straight into the temples, a pair of slightly delicate phoenix eyes perfectly balanced by a high nose bridge and lips of moderate thickness, created an indescribably comfortable sight. It’s just a pity that although he is good-looking, he was not one to smile nor chat much with his two teammates.
"Phoenix Man, there’s actually someone even showier than me," Qu Yang crossed her arms and gestured crudely at the Phoenix Man in the AND1 group, discontented. Clearly attracting everyone’s attention and yet with a stone-faced expression, if this isn’t showy then what is.
"Keke, isn’t that the person you invited last time?" Wang Ke’s team’s MVP also recognized the man in black—it was the same guy who dressed like a corporate employee last time but now looked like a rapper ready to perform on stage.
"Hmph, how should I know, dressed up like a peacock. I just hope his skills are as pleasing as his face," Wang Ke was very narrow-minded, especially in her terrible mood today. She just wanted to get on the court and vent out big time. Whether it was the Holy Heart Three Musketeers or the peacock show-off man, she intended to take them all down.
The Knei Cup organizers also looked awkwardly embarrassed—it was almost like providing free advertisement for another sports brand during their own competition. AND1 was designed by three college students in their twenties, known as a niche brand created "for people who truly play basketball." In China at the time, its fame was quite limited, but in the United States, it had earned massive popularity among basketball stars and aficionados right after its launch.
Having inexplicably become the center of attention, Zhou Ziang, with a face as flat as the bottom of a pot, found that upon his arrival, the twins—Fang Xin and Fang De—who at first seemed decent, took out that glaringly unified outfit and declared they were top-tier AND1 enthusiasts, pleading with Zhou Ziang to cooperate in wearing the unified attire. It was more of a demand than a request, and if Zhou Ziang refused, the twins threatened to withdraw from the contest. As the competition was at a critical juncture, Zhou Ziang had no choice but to don the sports kit that earned him the Phoenix Man title.
"Really handsome. Bro, didn’t I say, just the two of us wearing this, it doesn’t achieve the advertising effect. But it looks good on him," The twins, who just happened to have returned from studying in the United States and had recently acquired the domestic distribution rights for AND1, were both university basketball players, hence the idea for this free promotion opportunity.
Nobody likes being threatened, so after giving in, Zhou Ziang chose to protest in another way, soon the money-eyed twins would taste their own medicine.
"Pfft, even if a beggar wears a dragon robe, he looks somewhat princely. Xiao Xian, watch me," Qu Yang, clearly intent on defending his crown of basketball prince, made a horizontal steal and snatched the basketball from the hands of a nearby team. Then flipping his wrist, he palmed the ball, extended the index finger of his right hand, and held the ball with his left.
Xiao Xian noticed, Qu Yang’s nails were deliberately trimmed short and even. His left hand flicked lightly, and the center of the ball was lifted by his index finger; the ball spun increasingly faster with its weight and the initial flicking force. The basketball seemed to stick to Qu Yang’s hand, not falling for a good five minutes.