Chapter 193: Basketball Game

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Basketball Game

"El... El..."

Vivian Lowell heard these faint murmurs as she turned to leave. Her heart skipped a beat. She instinctively thought she had misheard and wasn’t entirely sure.

Was Henry Sterling groaning in pain, letting out an incoherent murmur, or was he calling out "El" because he knew Eleanor Rhodes was here?

Vivian wasn’t sure.

But in all fairness, Vivian hoped it was the former.

If it was the latter, who knew how much trouble it would bring Eleanor? Vivian didn’t want that to happen.

Vivian paused slightly in her steps.

Beside her, Eleanor also stopped. The faint smile on her face froze, and her expression grew complicated as she instinctively glanced back at the hospital bed.

Mrs. Sterling was also a bit surprised.

She looked at Henry, then at Eleanor. Her eyes shifted as if she understood something, and she took the initiative to ask her to stay. "Um, Eleanor!

"You’re Henry’s friend. He’s sick and definitely uncomfortable right now. He’d probably want someone familiar by his side. How about... could you stay here a little longer?"

Mrs. Sterling’s tone was very gentle, not at all forceful.

But inevitably, Eleanor still felt put on the spot.

Should she stay?

Eleanor didn’t know either.

She looked at Vivian, seeking her opinion.

Vivian furrowed her brows and sighed. She signaled for Julian Faulkner to wait for her a little longer, then returned to the side of the bed to look at Henry.

Henry Sterling still had his eyes closed.

He seemed to be having a very unpleasant dream. His hand reached out from under the blanket, gripping the bedsheets, and he looked somewhat in pain.

Eleanor Rhodes sighed softly.

"Henry Sterling."

She spoke slowly, looking earnestly at this man she had liked for many years. "I came to see you. I hope you get better. It’s getting late, and I have to go."

Eleanor gave herself two minutes in her head.

If two minutes passed and Henry still hadn’t woken up, she would just leave.

Time trickled by.

Henry remained unresponsive on the bed. Eleanor didn’t want to wait any longer and stood back up.

But coincidentally, just as Eleanor stood up, the stool made a slight scraping noise, and Henry opened his eyes right at that moment.

His mind was still a bit foggy.

When he saw the ceiling above him, he didn’t seem to process it immediately, but soon, he noticed Mrs. Sterling and Mr. Sterling by the bed.

"Dad, Mom. Why are you here? I..."

Halfway through his sentence, Henry furrowed his brows in pain. He thought carefully and then remembered.

Right.

A few nights ago, something had happened at Aethelburg University.

There was a basketball game at Aethelburg University.

He was invited to attend as a referee. He had also wanted to go and see the youthful vigor of the current Aethelburg University students, treating it as a way to relax and decompress.

Henry Sterling had seen Caleb Quinn at the basketball game.

For a moment, an inexplicable sense of displeasure flashed through Henry’s heart. It was because, aside from Caleb, he also saw Eleanor Rhodes standing beside him.

Caleb Quinn was the president of the basketball club. This was a friendly match between Aethelburg University and a neighboring school, so Caleb, as the captain, was naturally playing.

And Eleanor must have been invited by him.

Eleanor had entered the court together with the basketball team members. They were talking and laughing, and some members seemed to be joking around, making Caleb’s cheeks turn red as he looked at Eleanor.

Henry noticed Caleb’s gaze.

He keenly sensed that Caleb’s look was one of affection.

Caleb liked Eleanor. It was just that Eleanor seemed oblivious to it; when she looked at Caleb, it was more like she was looking at a cute junior.

"..."

Perhaps because Henry had been staring at the two of them for a bit too long, a female teacher beside him couldn’t help but lean in and follow his gaze.

"Professor Sterling, are you looking at President Quinn? He really is outstanding! Our department is already planning to recommend him for grad school! He’s handsome, and a lot of girls in the school like him."

The female teacher herself was quite fond of this type of sunny, cheerful, and handsome boy. Most importantly, he excelled in both character and academics, making it impossible to find any faults with him.

After praising Caleb for a while, she noticed Eleanor beside him and asked curiously, "Huh? Who is that girl next to Caleb?

"Is she his girlfriend? That’s rare. I heard that even though a lot of girls at our school like Caleb, he’s always been single and has never had a girlfriend.

"This kid has finally figured it out! His girlfriend is really pretty, and they look like a great match. She has a great aura too; with so many people here today, she’s still so poised and elegant."

The female teacher continued to praise Eleanor.

Henry, however, closed his eyes briefly and said, "She isn’t his girlfriend."

"??"

The female teacher had been speaking with great relish, but Henry’s sudden, cold remark caught her off guard. She looked at him and noticed that his expression didn’t look too good.

He seemed grave and rather unhappy.

"Professor Sterling, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" The female teacher’s tone softened.

Someone as outstanding as the professor always commanded a bit of gentleness; she really couldn’t bring herself to be stern with him.

"It’s nothing."

Henry shook his head and said no more, silently withdrawing his gaze.

The basketball game soon began.

Tonight’s match was intensely competitive. The opposing team from the neighboring school was formidable, having even won the national college basketball championship before.

Aethelburg University struggled a bit against them. Fortunately, Caleb’s skills were exceptional. After turning the tide several times, the score remained neck-and-neck.

Finally, it came down to the last few minutes of the second half.

The neighboring school’s team made a small mistake. Caleb seized the opportunity, stole the ball, and sank a clean three-pointer, completely turning the tables!

At that exact moment, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game.

In that instant, the students inside the Aethelburg University gymnasium erupted into cheers. They stood up, shouting in celebration, while the team members on the court lifted Caleb into the air.

Caleb was their hero!

For so many years, Aethelburg’s basketball team had consistently lost to this neighboring school. They were the top two universities in the country and had always been secretly competing in every aspect.

Winning this friendly match was a massive boost to their morale!

Down in the stands, Eleanor was also clapping for Caleb.

She had received the invitation from Caleb a few days ago, asking her to come watch him play in the friendly match between Aethelburg and the neighboring school.

Eleanor had agreed almost immediately.

Truth be told, Eleanor wasn’t a fragile, delicate girl. Despite her petite, cute appearance and slight baby fat, she actually loved sports.

She knew how to play basketball, too.

It was just that her short stature put her at a bit of a disadvantage on the court!

Being invited by Caleb to watch the game, Eleanor naturally hoped that Aethelburg would win and bring glory to the school.

She didn’t expect them to actually pull it off!

Her junior, Caleb, was truly impressive. Not only was he responsible and diligent, but he was also incredible at basketball. She had even heard he was up for a graduate school recommendation. His future looked extremely bright!

Unlike her.

Back then, Eleanor had only managed to get into Aethelburg University thanks to her local Aethelburg residency. In school, her academic performance was far from top-tier; she hovered somewhere in the lower-middle range, just scraping by.

After graduation, she had no intention of becoming some corporate elite. Instead, she chose to do charity work and opened her own pet hospital.

She suddenly felt that it would be a pity if Caleb stayed to help her at the pet hospital in the future. He was capable of so much; he didn’t have to limit himself to her clinic.

Her work mostly involved hard, physical labor, and there wasn’t much for him to learn there.

As Eleanor was pondering this, one of the basketball players walked over and smiled at her. "Mr. Rhodes! The president said he prepared a gift for you."

Huh?

Eleanor was a bit surprised.

Wasn’t Caleb the one who led the basketball club to the championship?

Logically, she should be the one giving him a gift. Why was he suddenly giving her something?

Although puzzled, Eleanor didn’t overthink it. She nodded, stood up, and prepared to follow the student. She asked, "Where is Caleb? What is he giving me?"

As soon as she spoke, music began to play throughout the basketball arena.

It was a lyrical melody, a foreign song. Eleanor recognized it the moment she heard it.

It was a tune she loved. A few years ago, during a university music competition, she had played this exact piece and won third place in the whole school.

The ranking wasn’t incredibly high, but Eleanor had been very satisfied with her performance.

She wasn’t an art major, so being the best among the regular students was already a great achievement!

Just...

Eleanor remembered that when she played the piano, Caleb must have just been a freshman. Had he attended that music competition back then?

Eleanor wasn’t entirely sure.

But now, accompanied by this melody and the teasing cheers of the basketball team, Caleb walked out from behind the crowd, holding a massive bouquet of roses.

There were probably ninety-nine of them.

It might not seem like a huge number, but back in university, someone had given Vivian Lowell a similar bouquet.

Eleanor had helped throw it away, and she had found it to be incredibly heavy, almost weighing as much as a sack of rice!

"..."

What was Caleb trying to do?

At first, Eleanor was a bit confused. But as she watched Caleb approach her step by step, a shy blush on his face, she slowly began to understand.

No way, right?

Did Caleb actually like her?

Eleanor had never even considered this possibility!

Before this, she had always thought they were just friends. She assumed Caleb’s willingness to help her was simply because he wanted to work at the pet hospital to earn tuition money.

After all, Eleanor took good care of him. She could provide him with internship certificates, and she even paid him a higher salary than most standard internship jobs.

Caleb was strong, and he never complained about the hard work. Eleanor really liked having an "employee" like him.

She just hadn’t expected...

"Caleb."

Eleanor sighed silently. She accepted the roses from Caleb. Considering their relationship, she really didn’t want to humiliate him in front of so many people.

"Thank you for the roses." Eleanor smiled politely, her tone polite but distant. "Rest assured, if you ever want to come back for an internship, you are more than welcome. You don’t need to buy me flowers.

"In my heart, you’re just like a younger brother to me. Although I don’t actually have a brother and don’t quite know how to treat one, I think...

"It’s only right that we maintain a proper distance as siblings, don’t you agree?"

Eleanor didn’t speak very loudly. Aside from Caleb, only a few basketball players standing close by could hear her.

Those players were stunned.

What did Mr. Rhodes mean by that?

Caleb, however, understood immediately. His expression suddenly turned a bit pale. He forced a bitter smile and said, "I haven’t even said anything yet.

"Mr. Eleanor, you’re not even giving me a chance to speak. I had planned..."

Caleb had planned so much.

By the campus lake, behind the competition venue, he had...

A sharp pain pricked Caleb’s heart. He scratched his head and sighed. "I originally thought we had a chance. I’m sorry, Mr. Eleanor, for causing you trouble.

"It’s all my fault for making such a big scene today."

"It’s okay."

Eleanor shook her head.

Seeing that Caleb had at least accepted it gracefully, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Congratulations on winning first place today and bringing glory to the school.

"Who knows how many junior girls are looking up to you right now. I’m sure you’ll meet someone who truly likes you."

Caleb merely offered another bitter smile, unsure of how to respond.

Junior girls?

Caleb thought back to that fleeting glimpse at the music competition years ago and felt that such a ’junior girl’ might truly never appear again.

At least for the foreseeable future, Caleb genuinely had no thoughts in that regard.

The two of them fell into a slight silence.

Meanwhile, the crowd cheering from the sidelines only saw Eleanor accept the roses. Assuming she had agreed to Caleb’s confession, they started hollering again.

They were chanting for kisses, hugs, and being lifted up into the air, eagerly waiting to see if anything romantic would happen next.

But at that very moment, Henry arrived.

He had seen everything from the stands.

Given Eleanor’s distant expression, she definitely hadn’t accepted Caleb.

"Break it up. The basketball game is over, and it’s getting late. There will be dorm checks soon. Everyone head back, or go save a seat at the library."

Henry ordered the surrounding crowd to disperse.

The students were right in the middle of their excitement, so Henry’s interruption left them a bit baffled. But seeing that it was Professor Sterling, and noticing a female teacher walking over with him, they had no choice but to slowly scatter.

Once the crowd dispersed, Henry saw Caleb and Eleanor standing there.

They stood face-to-face. Caleb was still in his basketball uniform, looking every bit the bright and cheerful youth, while Eleanor looked so petite and cute...

Henry shook his head, trying to cast these thoughts from his mind, but his feet refused to obey his commands and wouldn’t walk away.