On a nice day, you just want to play ball. Thinking back, it’s been a few years since I last played. Back then, standing at 1.81 meters, I was among the tallest in my class. With no choice, I was forced to play center, turning a decent three-point shooter into a mobile little tower under the basket.
But Zhou You’s true love was the three-pointer. He was a three-point shooter—a phantom assassin who struck with one hit and vanished far away.
“Big Head, get up and play ball,” Zhou You said, wanting to test out how his younger body held up.
After changing into basketball gear, the two of them arrived at the court. It felt incredibly familiar.
Watching the groups of hormone-fueled youths on the court made Zhou You, that aging soul, feel young again.
“Big Head, take a look and see if you know anyone.” Why didn’t Zhou You look himself? What was the point? He couldn’t recognize half the people, so he had to rely on Big Head—or just be thick-skinned.
“That skinny guy from the management school is over there. Let’s head that way.”
Following Big Head’s gesture, Zhou You spotted a tall, skinny guy with a trendy haircut. He couldn’t remember his exact name.
All he knew was this guy’s legendary story: he wasn’t good at studying, didn’t bother finding a proper job, quietly applied to some airline, and ended up becoming a pilot. What could you say about that? The guy wasn’t nearsighted, was healthy, and easily pulled in a few hundred thousand a year.
“Hey, Dayuan, how come you’ve got time to play ball?” Big Head knew him pretty well.
“The company hasn’t sent me for training yet, so I’ve got nothing to do. Came to play. Come on, let’s shoot around together.”
“Sure, we’ll chat while we play. I’m just picking some random company to work for now, figure things out later.”
These guys weren’t exactly old, but on campus, they were basically seasoned veterans.
Zhou You watched them chat without saying much. He picked up the ball, dribbled a few times, and tested his touch.
Back when he practiced basketball, he once sank seven three-pointers in a row, blowing everyone away. Too bad his shooting in actual games wasn’t up to par, or he wouldn’t have ended up playing center.
While they talked, Zhou You did some light stretching—a self-protective habit learned the hard way. You had to warm up before exercise, or you’d easily get hurt: pulled muscles, sprains. When you’re young, your body recovers fast, but eventually, you learn the hard way.
“You Ge, rebound!” Big Head shouted.
Zhou You stood still. Rebound? No way. He was playing health-conscious basketball now, leisure basketball, technical basketball. Violent board-grabbing wasn’t for him.
“Big Head, remember my three-pointers?”
“What three-pointers? You’re a guy who lives in the paint, and you’re talking about threes?”
Forget it, I won’t argue with you. From now on, I’m an outside shooter. Intense collisions aren’t for me.
Zhou You still remembered going to the hospital for an MRI and finding out he had a grade 2 meniscus tear. The quack doctor’s first words were: “You could get arthroscopic surgery for this.” At that moment, he felt like the sky was falling. How was he supposed to go on?
He was still young, wanting to run, jump, and play. But the doctor had just handed down a death sentence—strenuous exercise was no longer for him.
The worst tragedy was that it practically declared he wasn’t young anymore. Or rather, he had to compromise with life and fate, admitting his own decline and shortcomings.
Now, asking him to do such intense exercise? No way.
“Bro, what’s up with you? Not feeling well? Drive to the basket!” Dayuan called out.
“Yeah, I’ve been off lately. Can’t do intense stuff.”
“Alright, health comes first. Don’t wreck your body. My company won’t even let me do strenuous exercise now, or it’d be a hassle if I got hurt.”
See? Sometimes, healthy people have a point. At least they know to take care of themselves.
The whole court watched Big Head charging around like a wild boar, sweating up a storm. Who would believe that in just a few years, Big Head wouldn’t be able to run anymore? Sales ruined people, especially traditional sales.
Zhou You grabbed the ball, set his feet, released, and shot. So casual, so carefree. Whether it went in or not wasn’t his concern—he’d gotten his exercise.
After sweating it out on the court all afternoon, Zhou You realized his body was the same as before. No special treatment from the heavens—still a mortal frame, a college-level sub-healthy body. It looked like getting in shape really needed to be a priority.
In the post-pandemic era, Zhou You had learned Baduanjin, following videos online. It seemed simple and continuous. After a few months of practice, he found his spirits had indeed improved. The main thing was, when doing the “Two Hands Hold the Feet to Strengthen the Kidneys and Waist” move, he started only able to reach his knees, but gradually, he could touch the ground.
As the old saying goes, “An inch longer sinew, ten years longer life.” Zhou You wasn’t aiming for longevity—he just wanted to live long enough to retire.
Modern society was so stressful that people were worn out while still young. A thirty-something might have a body worse than a fifty-year-old.
Zhou You used to dread physical exams the most. Every time, a bunch of issues would pop up, none of which could be fixed quickly.
He used to not understand why some of his parents’ generation refused check-ups. In his mind, go early, find problems early, treat them early.
But after experiencing it himself, he realized it wasn’t that simple. Many illnesses couldn’t be cured, or were a huge hassle to treat.
Plus, with modern medicine becoming more and more specialized, every hospital and every expert had different opinions, different conclusions, and different treatments. What was a patient supposed to do?
When he had that grade 2 meniscus tear, he visited three hospitals. One said surgery was needed, another said it wasn’t a big deal, and a third suggested trying Chinese medicine.
Forget it, don’t dwell on that. “Big Head, let’s head home.”
Wearing clothes soaked in sweat, they returned to the dorm. What to do now? Washing in the bathroom had no hot water, and going to the washroom was a hassle.
After thinking it over, he decided to go to the washroom and fill two thermoses of hot water while he was at it.
The washroom at Luzhou University was something else—you swiped a water card and paid by the second.
The only downside was that if you left your thermos outside, someone might walk off with it.
Just bear with it a little longer. Graduation was coming soon. Whether he rented a place or used the school’s temporary housing, there’d be a shower.
He’d wash a few more times, as a final experience. After all, it was almost June, and it was so hot he didn’t need hot water anyway.
Big Head led the way to the bathhouse. Zhou You had already forgotten how to use it.
After coming back, time felt so slow. Before, it flew by in a blink, each day repeating over and over.
That’s how youth and passion got drained away.
In school, time passed by the day. After graduation, it passed by the week. After having kids, it passed by the year.
Think about how terrifying that was—in a blink, you’re old, and then you’re gone.