Chapter 043: The First Meeting
No matter how persistently Lin Lu You questioned her, Jiang Xiaohan refused to give anything away.
Dinner was a particular ordeal for Lin Lu You, who spent the entire meal trying to guess what story Jiang Xiaohan was hiding behind her evasive answers.
“Come on, let’s go for it!” Jiang Xiaohan ignored the curiosity shining in Lin Lu You's eyes, poured herself a glass of cola, and clinked it against hers.
The unspoken message was clear: Don’t ask, because I won’t tell.
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Every encounter between Wang Xiao and Jiang Xiaohan seemed to spark some measure of discord.
She could still recall their first meeting vividly. Jiang Xiaohan was leading a meeting with her club members and the Publicity Department staff in a classroom, discussing the schedule for the upcoming volleyball tournament.
It was then that Wang Xiao’s teammates burst open the door with a loud bang. A crowd of tall, muscular boys in basketball jerseys blocked the entrance. For a fleeting moment, the girls at the meeting were startled, half expecting them to shout, “Don’t move, this is a robbery!”
Instead, they tossed a bundle of something in front of the group and launched into their argument.
After a noisy exchange, Jiang Xiaohan and her companions finally pieced together what had happened: Wang Xiao’s basketball club was set to hold an intramural game in a week. Just the day before, they’d found a spot in the display area and put up their poster. But in less than a day, a brand-new poster had been slapped right over theirs. And the volleyball and basketball clubs had a long-standing rivalry, filled with constant friction. Not only were the teams’ achievements frequently compared, but the campus forum even hosted a dedicated thread for the two captains to battle it out.
The volleyball club was one of the oldest at A University, often leading members to compete as the school team in campus tournaments, and even participating in the National University Games a few years ago. But those glories were three or four years in the past; now the club was gradually fading.
The basketball club, also long-established, had only just begun to gain influence in the last two years, thanks almost entirely to Wang Xiao’s arrival.
No one could have predicted the coincidence: as the basketball club prepared for their intramural game, the Sports Department decided to collaborate with the volleyball club for a “Volleyball Week” of fun activities, scheduled for the exact same day as the basketball game.
To make matters worse, the Publicity Department staff—whether intentionally or not—had pasted the volleyball poster directly over the basketball club’s. Anyone would be furious if it happened to them. The hot-headed basketball boys, unable to contain themselves, tore down the volleyball poster and stormed over to demand an explanation.
Yet the student council was truly blameless. The “Volleyball Week” event had been discussed last semester; all they needed this term was sponsorship to launch it. As for the posters, the Publicity Department had hardly acted out of turn. The display board was specifically for student council events. Any clubs or interest groups wanting to advertise had their own boards beside the athletic field.
Once the basketball boys understood, they didn’t linger. Rubbing their hands sheepishly, they bowed in apology, grabbed their basketballs, and hurried away.
Word of their “private action” reached Wang Xiao within two days. He realized that the basketball club had never enjoyed a good relationship with the student council, and letting this escalate would only make things worse. So, he gathered his teammates, bought a heap of snacks, and once again blocked the door to their meeting room.