Actually, the attention was just as high. Old Zai was determined! Gao Liang was furious. He pulled out his signature move—the slam dunk. Leaping into the air, though slightly shorter than Tom, his vertical leap was excellent, so this shot landed beautifully, earning enthusiastic applause from the crowd. Mei Ji and Chen Huizhen shouted, "Go! Gao Liang! Go! Gao Liang! I really believe in you!" Tom was annoyed—this was clearly a challenge to his authority. He stepped up, trying to take the ball from Gao Liang, but Gao Liang was so agile that no matter how hard Tom tried, he couldn't secure it, wasting energy in the process. Then, facing away from the audience, Gao Liang gathered his strength and loudly declared, "In!" As soon as he said it, the ball soared through the air, tracing a graceful arc. Tom jumped up, but just missed by a centimeter, watching helplessly as the basketball flew forward. "Clang!" The shot was perfect—made! "Great shot! Great shot!" The entire audience of students and teachers erupted in cheers. "Chinese people! Amazing! Outstanding! We're behind you!" The cheers rose and fell continuously, never ceasing. Meiji and Chen Huizhen watched the splendid scene, exchanged smiles, and clapped at each other. While the crowd was still applauding, and as Gao Liang raised both hands to wave to the audience, Satoru's eyes sparkled with a clever idea. He gave a subtle signal to Tom, who immediately understood. So, they continued their final game match, determined to settle the outcome in one decisive match. Gao Liang found his rhythm and received enthusiastic applause. As he steadily advanced toward the basketball hoop, he stepped on a small glass bead—oh, there it was!—and slipped, falling to the ground. The ball landed smoothly in Tom's hands, who then made a simple and easy shot. Meiji rushed to the court and helped Gao Liang up. With the crowd's expressions of disappointment, the referee announced the result everyone had hoped to avoid: Tom won. Tom and Satoru were overjoyed, while Gao Liang naturally wasn't satisfied. He turned to them and said, "We'll meet again in the finals!" "Haha! Gao Liang, no need for a final match then! Just remember our agreement!" Tom said right in front of Miki. But Gao Liang's response deeply saddened Miki: "Tom, you're mistaken. I'm not actually Miki's boyfriend! It's perfectly fine if I lose—so in that sense, I've still won!" Yet, with tearful eyes shining in her deep blue gaze, Daina said, "You won't even be able to help! Then, there's no point in going at all!" And with that, she walked away without looking back, and Gao Liang called after her, but couldn't stop her. What was going on? Gao Liang wanted to find out, so he called Mike, only to find his phone was off—why was it always off? He felt something was wrong. Today he had a class, and with his heart full of worries, he went to class. Still, he remained listless throughout the lecture. Today, Miki seemed completely transformed She was busy writing assignments and taking notes, while Tom stared at her chest with a dazed, admiring gaze. She seemed completely unaware, though her blouse neatly covered the prominent white rabbit shape, so even with Tom’s keen eyes, he might not have been able to catch a glimpse of the charm beneath. "High-light! Please stand up and answer this question!" Professor Owen, holding his book firmly and looking serious, stood at the lectern and said, "Could you discuss the current status of Sino-Japanese trade?" "Oh!" High-light had never expected such a question. With his mind preoccupied and his thoughts swirling, he momentarily stammered. The whole class burst into laughter, and a voice rang out—Tom’s: "Hey! He’s still Chinese, isn’t he? Doesn’t even know the status of Sino-Japanese trade! And now he wants to study business here? I think he simply doesn’t belong!" "Exactly! A Chinese student doesn’t even understand trade relations with our country! That’s truly amusing!" another Japanese male student added. "China-Japan trade has entered a period of fatigue, with bilateral trade showing a state of stagnation at a high level." This remark struck highlights. Professor Owen nodded and made a gesture of invitation, asking him to provide specific data to support it. However, Highlight had never seriously studied business—this very statement had simply been the headline of a magazine left behind by Dian Mengna in his room yesterday. How could he possibly remember the specific figures? After all, an old scholar isn't a living god; what good is it to remember such unremarkable data? So, he openly admitted, "Honestly, I can't recall it!" "Does anyone else have an answer?" Professor Owen asked the group. The students exchanged glances, shook their heads, and looked puzzled. The Japanese student who had been called upon also stammered, unable to clarify his point, which caused a ripple of laughter throughout the class. "Professor Owen! Your question is truly quite sharp—because, in fact, no one could answer it!" Highlight proudly stated directly to Professor Owen in front of the students. "Is that so?" Highlight, don't let your hesitation mean no one else can answer!" Before Professor Owen could speak, a beautiful female student in a school uniform raised her hand and stood up, confidently, at the nod of approval from the professor. "Wow! It's Mei-ki! Our top-performing and most beautiful female student!" The class's attention immediately turned to Mei-ki. With a warm, pleasant smile, Mei-ki responded in fluent English, slightly surprising Highlight: "According to statistics, between 2005 and 2008, the average growth rate of Sino-Japanese trade was around 12%, significantly lower than the approximately 22% growth rate of China's overall foreign trade during the same period, as well as the growth rates of trade with the U.S., Europe, and Korea. In 2009, Sino-Japanese trade experienced a sharp double-digit decline. Over the long term, the Sino-Japanese trade growth rate has consistently lagged behind China's overall foreign trade growth, resulting in a declining share of Sino-Japanese trade within China's total trade volume." This share declined from 21% in 1996 to 12% in 2005, 11.8% in 2006, 10.4% in 2008, and further to 10.36% in 2009. Despite this, Japan remained China's third-largest trading partner in 2009, while China was Japan's largest trading partner. The sustained high level of Sino-Japanese trade reflects the maturation and stabilization of the bilateral trade relationship, as well as indicating that the trade relationship has entered a period of fatigue or stagnation. The most critical factor behind this phenomenon is the lack of major projects driving growth. Ongoing issues include a persistent widening of China's trade deficit, an increasing number of trade frictions, and a continued sluggishness in Japanese direct investment into China. Since 2002, China has consistently run a trade deficit in its trade with Japan. Between 2002 and 2009, the cumulative trade deficit reached USD 180.59 billion. The main reason for the trade deficit lies in the fact that "the volume of trade in the production sector between China and Japan is substantial, with China importing a large number of high-end components from Japan." For Japan-China economic relations in the post-crisis era, two major opportunities now present themselves: first, the global economy is on the path to recovery, and second, Prime Minister Hayashi has once again emphasized the vision of establishing an "East Asian community." How detailed and well-presented those figures are! The way she answered so fluently and naturally left everyone in awe. Professor Owen nodded enthusiastically throughout. At that moment, the president of Stanford University was just conducting a classroom tour, accompanied by a reporter from Stanford Television, who captured the highlight of Meiji's response. Through television broadcasts and satellite networks, Meiji's youthful, radiant, and accomplished image reached audiences across the entire United States. Meiji, an outstanding student at Stanford Graduate School of Business, has become a household name among students and faculty alike due to her compelling insights on China-Japan issues, now recognized as a rising star among campus leaders. More and more people have been pursuing her. As soon as she appears on campus, a large crowd of fans follows her, and her popularity surpasses even the most prominent figures. Tom and Satoru launched passionate romantic campaigns, which were truly intense. Yet strangely, Miki had changed completely—she not only accepted the flowers and gifts brought by them, but also offered them warm, charming smiles, leaving everyone in awe. One day, Satoru, holding a bouquet of flowers, addressed Miki, who was dressed in her elegant school uniform, directly on the sports field in front of many students: "Miki, I've followed you from Japan to the United States, enduring countless hardships. Please promise to be my boyfriend right here!" "Miki! You're both beautiful and talented—highly impressive. If you'd like, let's be friends!" Tom also launched his own equally determined campaign.