Love Me in Another Universe

Chapter 35. Lang's Worries (Part 2)

After lunch, Guan Xuchen smiled at Gao Xinglang and suggested, "Lang, how about we take a stroll in the botanical garden?"

Noticing Gao Xinglang's reluctance, he insisted with a smile, "Come on, just come for a walk with me."

With that, he took Gao Xinglang's arm and walked towards the botanical garden.

The two arrived at a tranquil spot in the southeast corner of the campus. They followed the path next to the stone engraved with the words "Botanical Garden" and entered a quaint little garden.

It was the lunch break, and though a few students were chatting in the biology garden, it was relatively quiet with not many people around.

Guan Xuchen walked to the middle of the small garden, pointed to the small pond, and said excitedly to Gao Xinglang, "Lang, look, there are a lot more goldfish here, and the little turtles have grown up! Look, Lang, that turtle seems to be the one that wished me 'Happy Birthday' last time!"

Gao Xinglang saw Guan Xuchen's cheerful face and a smile gradually appeared on his face. He walked over, looked at the goldfish and turtles in the pond, and then laughed and said, "The turtles are all similar, and you can actually recognize a specific one? Soupy, I've noticed you always seem particularly thrilled when you come to the botanical garden."

"I feel especially happy when I come here, as if all my worries would just disappear," Guan Xuchen said with a smile, and then suddenly asked, "Lang, do you remember when we came here to sketch the canna lilies when we were in Junior Two?"

"Of course I remember. I can't believe a year has passed so quickly," Gao Xinglang reminisced with emotion, "I remember that at the time you also said the canna lily should be called 'canna buxom' instead. And when class was over, I hadn't finished the drawing, so you helped me complete it."

"You remember it all," Guan Xuchen laughed happily. He pointed to the bench under the big tree not far away and said to Gao Xinglang, "Lang, let's go over there and sit for a while."

After the duo sat down, Guan Xuchen said to Gao Xinglang with a bashful smile, "Though I'm not good at drawing, I was still very happy to be able to help you."

Gao Xinglang replied with emotion, "Thank you, Soupy. You're my best friend."

"Lang, you're my best friend, too." Guan Xuchen said with a sincere face, "So I'm really worried seeing you so down all morning. You said it was because you didn't do well in the midterm exams. But you also seemed angry with Ming just now. Lang, if you have any worries, can you tell me? Whether it's about studies, or the basketball team, feel free to talk to me. Though I may not be able to do much, you may feel better if you share your worries."

Gao Xinglang replied with emotion, "Thank you, Soupy."

Then, with a soft sigh, he began to unload his innermost thoughts,

"In fact, after the midterm exams, I felt my performance was just so-so. I was worried that my ranking in the entire grade would drop below 200. Soupy, you know what, the Xiaoda basketball team requires not only excellent skills and team spirit, but also good academic results. We players must be at least in the top half of the grade, which means ranking in the top 200.

"Coach Yang has emphasized this over and over again. Xiao Liheng (pron.: hsiao lee heng), one of my teammates, ranked 199th in the grade in the final exams last semester. Coach Yang sternly warned him in front of everyone. Coach Yang said that if Xiao Liheng's academic performance didn't improve, there would no longer be a place for him in the team, even if he were as good as an NBA player. The Coach would at most write a recommendation letter to the NBA for him.