Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

The National Day holiday had just concluded on a Friday, meaning students had to make up for lost time with classes on both Saturday and Sunday.

At the same time, the 3-011-2 Basketball Game of the College of Humanities was officially underway.

The History Department, featuring Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi, faced off against the Political Science Department for their first match.

Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi’s team from the History Department was undoubtedly the top one.

They were members of the basketball club, and Qian Quan had even received special admission into the university basketball team.

“Quan and Hongyi” was a powerhouse not only in the College of Humanities but also in the entire Seacoast Normal University.

However, once the game began, things didn’t go quite as everyone had expected.

Indeed, they performed exceptionally well, scoring effortlessly in alternating turns. However, the point gap between the two teams remained surprisingly close.

That was because the other party had a female player who also came from the university team.

The girl stood only half a head shorter than Qian Quan, roughly around 175cm tall. She had a sturdy build and her basketball skills were quite adept. She was only slightly less skilled than Ding Linlang, and it was clear she was in a different league compared to the other girls on the court.

Considering the tournament’s rules-“boys cannot guard girls,” “girls get an additional point for each basket,” and “girls can take two steps while holding the ball”-this girl player from the Department of Political Science found it no harder to score than Qian Quan and Guo Hongyi.

Moreover, a regular layup counted as 3 points for her, and an occasional three-pointer gave her 4 points.

She was a game-changer.

Ten minutes into the game, with the score almost tied, Guo Hongyi grew anxious. He couldn’t resist blocking the female player’s shot, as he incurred a foul and granted the opposition two free throws.

“Qian Quan, we can’t keep playing like this. We need to up our game.”

Guo Hongyi advised Qian Quan during the halftime break, encouraging him to unleash more of his hidden potential.

Guo Hongyi had seen Qian Quan at his best-annihilating defenses and treating defenders as if they were insignificant, including himself in practice games. With Qian Quan at just 70% of his capability, the Department of Political Science wouldn’t stand a chance.

Guo Hongyi wanted more than a narrow lead; he was looking for a decisive victory.

“They won’t catch up,” Qian Quan replied.

Qian Quan didn’t intentionally conceal his strength; it was primarily because, in such a situation, it was impossible to go all out. Even seven or eight out of ten wasn’t feasible.

For one, he was afraid of accidentally bumping into the opposing female players, who were putting up quite a fierce defense.

For another, increasing the pace would leave his teammates behind, making the game a one-man show, which would defeat the purpose.

So, to ensure a win while also allowing everyone to participate, Qian Quan chose a balanced approach.

“I’m just worried we might become complacent and lose the game,” said Guo Hongyi.

“Alright, let’s push the lead to double digits,” Qian Quan agreed.

As the second half began, Qian Quan used the skill of no passing and no breaking through, opting instead for three-pointers from the perimeter. After five rounds, he had made four, stretching the lead to 15 points.

“Damn it, 1 can’t believe this!” The female player cursed in her local dialect.

Her classmates were also shouting from the sidelines, frantically directing their team, “Guard him! Hold onto his leg! Don’t let him shoot!”

In such a heated basketball match, another female student from the Department of Political Science seemed to have lost her cool. After Qian Quan easily dodged their male defenders, she lunged at him, arms wide open, attempting to tackle both him and the ball.

Qian Quan effortlessly dodged her.

As a result, the girl exerted too much force, and the inertia caused her to fall forward onto the ground.

She was on the brink of a face-plant.

Just in time, a long and powerful arm reached out, stopping her fall by catching her between her collarbone and chest.

“Be careful.”

Qian Quan kindly advised before taking a shot that smoothly went through the hoop.

“Wow!

ii

The spectators from both classes reached a temporary consensus on their love for drama.

The girl who was saved by Qian Quan had flushed cheeks and was sweating, but she remained battle-ready.

Inside, however, she was a complete mess. The image would likely haunt her for the rest of her college years.

As expected, the Department of History emerged victorious by the end of the game.

The female student, still appreciative of Qian Quan’s help, approached him with a bottle of sports drink. “Thank you,” she earnestly said.

“You’re welcome.” Qian Quan graciously accepted.

After she left, Guo Hongyi and other male teammates from the Department of History vented:

“Damn it, Qian Quan even manages to flirt while playing ball. This is worse than losing!”

But what really frustrated them unfolded later.

On Saturday evening, screenshots of a conversation circulated mysteriously among various university chat groups.

The conversation exposed Tang Bingbing and Qian Quan as a couple.

Photos showing them hugging from various angles accompanied the text.

Especially telling was a high-resolution photo where Tang Bingbing leaned into Qian Quan’s arms, smiling as she spoke.

Tang Bingbing was the star student of Seacoast Normal University and many guys’ dream girl.

During her sophomore year, she participated in the filming of the school’s recruitment promotional video. After the video was uploaded, a sixteen-character comment from an online friend briefly became the top comment:

“Sugar with desire; extraordinary talent. Unbeatable in black stockings, she won’t let go of a mistake.”

Although this playful and somewhat vulgar comment faced unanimous criticism from the students at Seacoast Normal University, it was eventually deleted. However, many secretly agreed with its sentiment.

Therefore, when this rumor spread, not only the freshmen but also the sophomore, junior, and senior students were taken aback.

“This freshman is way too bold, just starting college and already in a relationship, and even trying to charm a senior student?”

It wasn’t until the next day that the Luminous Drama Society clarified that the photo was part of a scene from their upcoming play. “Stop spreading rumors,” they announced.

Tang Bingbing also clarified in her social media accounts.

“No cradle-snatching here. We’re genuinely discussing a script.”

Qian Quan replied “fake news” in his own chat group and paid it no further mind.

After all, he wasn’t some sort of superstar. Such harmless rumors would fade away soon.

The reason rumors spread so quickly was that they satisfied people’s hidden imaginations and their pleasure in peeping into others’ private lives.

It was quite the tale: a college freshman and a senior beauty. It had all the makings of campus gossip.

Though rumors were eventually squashed, the pictures that circulated seemed to tell a different story, making many envious and frustrated.

“Why are they so close?”

“I wish 1 were in his shoes.”

It was a Sunday afternoon.

Li Zhiyi, carrying a backpack, arrived at Seacoast Normal University.

She was there to show her Al chess program, “Two Times Nine,” to Qian Quan.

Qian Quan led her to the Chess Club.

He peppered her with plenty of questions about artificial intelligence.

These ranged from which jobs Al could potentially replace, to what the ultimate version of Al might look like, to whether a fully sentient Al could ever emerge, and whether such an Al might deceive humans for its own development.

Most of these questions had been previously explored in science fiction books and movies, but they had always seemed like distant concerns.

“Al doesn’t make choices; it merely discerns right from wrong,” said Li Zhiyi.

Qian Quan soon realized the truth of this statement.

As he played against the Al, he observed it as a dispassionate third party.

The Al made each move without emotion, calculating the pros and cons. Any chess piece could be sacrificed if it served the program’s objective.

“Could ‘Two Times Nine’ try to win without sacrificing its own pieces?” Qian Quan asked.

Li Zhiyi shook her head, “Machines can’t process contradictory instructions. That would fry the CPU.”

“What if those chess pieces represented humans?”

“The result would be the same.”

“Well, the strongest Al in science fiction often concludes that the best way to save humanity is to destroy it.”

Qian Quan said with a smile, avoiding further discussion on the somber topic. “How do we train ‘Two Times Nine’?”

“It’s you who should play against it. Each game makes it better until you lose or the system encounters an error.”

“Makes sense. It can adapt and mimic my chess style as if learning from chess manuals,” Qian Quan said.

Li Zhiyi nodded and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

“Alright.”

Qian Quan continued his game with ‘Two Times Nine,’ learning from the Al while it learned from him.

Li Zhiyi’s phone rang. The caller ID showed “Zihe”.

It must be a call from her brother Li Zihe.

After some thought, Qian Quan answered, “Hello, Mr. Li. Your sister is here with me.”

“Who are you? Qian Quan?” Li Zihe’s voice became instantly guarded.

“Yes, your sis…”

“Don’t harm my sister. Name your terms,” Li Zihe interrupted.

“What?”

Qian Quan didn’t finish saying, “Your sister went to the restroom,” when unexpectedly, the other person delivered this line.

He felt that Mr. Li’s creativity was perfect for writing online novels.

“She came today to work with me on testing her new chess program. She’s in the restroom now. What are you thinking about?” he said.

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end before the response, “Sorry, I guess 1 was being overly sensitive.”

The tone noticeably lightened.

“Don’t worry, when she gets back, I’ll ask her to call you,” Qian Quan assured.

“Alright,” Li Zihe responded. Before hanging up, he hesitated and added, “Zhiyi is introverted and not good at socializing. Please be understanding, Mr. Qian.”

“Sure.”

Qian Quan thought to himself, “Your sister actually appears more sociable than you do. At least she didn’t treat me like a kidnapper..”