My hometown is far away in Moscow.

010 Physical Education Class

"Huh?" Hu Yi looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong with my name? Is there anything wrong with it?"

"Well... how do I explain it to you... your name in Russian is... it's that thing." Yan Zhiwen glanced at Yu Feifei, who was looking at him with curiosity, and said slowly, "Well, to put it more subtly, if a Russian is called 'Hu Yi,' it's like an American is called 'Dick,' or we Chinese are called... 'Kiba.'"

"What?! Hahahaha!" Li Baoqing plopped down on the bed and burst into laughter. Yu Feifei blinked, then covered her mouth and looked at Hu Yi, her eyes full of smiles.

"Holy crap..." Hu Yi was so embarrassed he almost fainted. He had a vague idea that his name might have some bad meaning, but he never expected it to be something so vulgar.

Yan Zhiwen comforted him with a serious expression, "You don't need to be ashamed. Your name in Russian generally doesn't actually refer to that thing; it's used specifically to insult people."

Hu Yi pondered the implications of his words, then asked doubtfully, "Is...is this a good thing? Should I...feel fortunate about it?"

Yan Zhiwen looked at him with pity in his eyes: "I'm afraid that's not true. Whenever your name comes up, it's usually accompanied by very offensive and vulgar language."

How awful does it sound?

"It can be as awful as it gets."

Li Baoqing laughed so hard he almost choked, wiping away his tears as he said, "If we call his name on the street, won't people misunderstand?"

Yan Zhiwen pursed his lips and shook his head: "It's better to call him Anton when we go out. Sigh, he really shouldn't have come to Russia with such a name."

"No wonder the teacher wanted to change my name the moment we met." Hu Yi's face flushed red and then turned pale. "Brother Yan, why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"You just arrived yesterday, how could I say that directly!" Yan Zhiwen awkwardly scratched the back of his head, coughing a few times to suppress a laugh. "Oh, by the way, I have some scallions and ginger at home. Baoqing, come with me to get them!"

After several days of feeling down, Hu Yi gradually got used to his Russian name and became familiar with the school and dormitory environment. Most students studying in Russia come from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, primarily from African countries and less developed countries like India and Vietnam. There aren't many Chinese students in Major; although a few new students have been arriving from China in small groups, the overall number is still relatively small.

On the thirteenth floor, there were only three Chinese people—they, Peng Song, and the only other people they saw going in and out were foreigners. Unlike these self-funded students, many of the foreigners at Maji were government-sponsored students, and most of them had a good command of Russian.

Yu Feifei's roommate, Dam, was in the same class as the three of them. She was a very petite Vietnamese girl, probably a little over 1.5 meters tall, with big eyes and a particularly sweet smile. Although lively in speech and behavior, she was much quieter than other noisy Vietnamese students, possessing a rather refined air. She was also the best student among the Vietnamese students, not only receiving scholarships from the school but also receiving regular stipends from the Vietnamese embassy, ​​making others quite envious.

Peng Song's roommate next door came from Uganda. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and behaved in a refined manner, clearly well-educated. His appearance was quite handsome for an African, and his skin wasn't dark, but rather resembled that of Michael Jordan or Will Smith.

Black people are generally warm-hearted and love to chat, and this handsome Ugandan guy was no exception. Every day, he would chat with his neighbors about life and the weather. Hu Yi, relying on his junior high school English foundation, could manage a few words with him, but Li Baoqing had absolutely no talent for spoken English. He could only say "Hello," "Howl," and "Goodbye," and then he could only stare blankly and smile foolishly.

The Mongolian Bayin they met downstairs on the first day was also on the thirteenth floor. He shared a room with a broad-shouldered Mongolian man with a thick beard, triangular eyes, thin lips, a flat nose, and a flat, round face that had no three-dimensional features whatsoever, just like a persimmon.

Hu Yi had met the two Mongolians a few times, but they only nodded to each other. Their first real conversation was during a physical education class.

Physical education class was a mixed class, with Russians and foreigners. The PE teacher didn't need to explain much to the foreign students who had just learned the alphabet; he casually pointed to the various courts in the gym: "Here, basketball, badminton, volleyball, go for it!"

Dam dragged Yu Feifei to play badminton, while Hu Yi and Li Baoqing went straight to the basketball court. Li Baoqing bent down, picked up a basketball, bounced it twice, looked up at the hoop, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, why is the backboard so high?"

Hu Yi echoed the sentiment: "Yes, did they deliberately raise the price?"

"Maybe it's because the basketball hoops at our old school were too low."

The two casually threw a few balls, and then saw another group of students walk into the field. At the front were Bayin and his roommate with the persimmon-shaped face.

"Hey buddy, let's play together." Bayin smiled at the two of them, his eyes almost slits from his cheekbones.

"Okay, come on." Hu Yi tossed the basketball to him, which Bayin caught with one hand. He then patted his chest with his other hand: "My name is Bayin, I'm Mongolian. What's your name?"

"My name is... Anton, and I'm Chinese."

"Anton?" Bayin opened his squinting eyes. "That's a Russian name."

"Hmm...that's right." Hu Yi paused for a moment, then casually made up a name: "It can also be a Chinese name. My surname is Hu, Hu Andong."

"Ah, I understand." Bayin nodded, took off his coat and trousers, and jumped a few times on the spot. He was a head shorter than Hu Yi, with a slender build but long limbs. Every move he made was full of power, and his whole body was as taut as a new spring. He was obviously the kind of person with strong athletic ability.

Several more foreign students, whom they had never met before, gathered around, and the group split into two teams to play half-court. A group of short, adorable Vietnamese people also wanted to join in, but after looking up at the basket from under the rim, they retreated to the sidelines and began discussing how to shoot the ball to the height of the hoop.

Hu Yi played basketball frequently during his middle school years and even represented his class in intra-school competitions, but it was purely a hobby, and he never received professional training. Li Baoqing, on the other hand, was a sports student who often played with the school basketball team. He had more experience and better physical fitness, making him slightly stronger overall than Hu Yi.

At the beginning, the two were a little unsure of themselves, but after a few rounds, they found that their level was not bad. Apart from Bayin and Shibinglian, the other people on the field were obviously not good at this sport.

The chubby Arab man had a serious expression and a very stiff body; his movements were like those of a goalkeeper on a football field.

The skinny Indian looked bewildered and as soft as a noodle, seemingly unaware of his place from beginning to end.

The shiny-faced black man had excellent athletic ability, running fast and jumping high, but unfortunately he was a hothead with a lot of swagger. His hands were always a beat faster than his brain, he committed fouls almost every time he defended, and when he shot, it was as if he wanted to smash the backboard, always using too much force.

There was also a bespectacled Russian nerd who must have studied the basics of basketball, his movements were very methodical, but he seriously lacked practical experience. When pressed, he could only cling to the ball like a drowning person holding onto a lifebuoy, and then look for an opportunity to pass it to Bayin who came over to receive it.

Bayin was clearly a skilled player, maintaining a very low center of gravity, displaying sharp reflexes, quick dribbling, deceptive passing, and decent shooting accuracy, causing Hu Yi, who was defending the perimeter, a lot of trouble. Fortunately, Li Baoqing used his physical advantage to suppress the "Persimmon Face" under the basket, allowing their team to maintain a slight lead.

It was the opponent's turn to attack. The black guy, Er Lengzi, inbounded the ball to Bayin from the center circle, then hopped and skipped into the paint, yelling and raising his hand for the ball.

Bayin ignored him, stood outside the three-point line and gave Hu Yi, who was defending him, a sly smile. He bent down and quickly dribbled the ball a few times with his hands, then suddenly raised his arm and rushed to the right.

Hu Yigang followed suit and moved his feet, but Bayin suddenly stopped and passed the ball from between his legs to his left hand, pretending to change direction to the left.

Hu Yi hurriedly shifted his supporting foot and turned to block. Unexpectedly, this was just a feint. Bayin immediately swayed his body and changed direction again, quickly slipping past him on the right. Hu Yi, who had lost his balance, was now helpless and could only watch as he easily bypassed the dumbfounded Indian and went for a layup.

Li Baoqing, positioned under the basket, shouted and leaped high to block the ball's path. However, Bayin, in mid-air, withdrew his hands and passed the ball from behind to the man with the persimmon-shaped face. The man with the persimmon-shaped face yelled "Good!" and steadily jumped up, sinking the ball into the basket.

Bayin landed and high-fived Persimmon Face in celebration. Hu Yi, panting heavily, called to Li Baoqing, "I'll play center. You mark Bayin. That kid is too tough to deal with; he almost broke my back."