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Then I had nothing to say to Shuai Dong, just lowering my head and counting my fingers. Pang Hao saw this and shouted, "Alright, you two shake hands. We're still good friends, so hurry up!" With that, Pang Hao took our hands and placed them together. I looked up at Pang Hao and said, "Pang Hao, there's actually something we've never had the chance to tell you, which is... Shuai Dong and I have already made up." I walked over and hugged Shuai Dong's shoulder, giving him a look to cooperate. After seeing this, Shuai Dong smiled slightly and put his arm around my shoulder. "Yeah, we’ve reconciled a long time ago. It's no big deal; I was just being childish and didn't talk to Jie. Jie, don't take it to heart." Looking into Shuai Dong's eyes at that moment, I suddenly felt very touched, almost on the verge of tears. Although it was just an act to appease Pang Hao, it genuinely moved me. After finishing our meal and walking out of the cafeteria, the three of us went to the basketball court on the playground to play. Pang Hao went over to the parallel bars and started playing; that chubby guy actually looked quite good doing it.
"Isn't the second half of the semifinals tomorrow?" Shuai Dong turned his head to ask me. I nodded, "Yeah, we lost the game at their home court last time. This time at our home court, we are pushed to a dead end; we must win by more than three points to turn things around. So... sigh! The pressure is really high." I sighed. Suddenly, Shuai Dong patted my shoulder and looked into my eyes seriously, "Jie, what I said in the cafeteria earlier was sincere. I hope you can forgive my childishness. Can we continue to be good brothers?" I was stunned at that moment, feeling my mind go blank. This was Shuai Dong? It had been a long time since I heard him speak to me like this. Tears welled up in my eyes with excitement, and then I hugged him tightly: "Silly brother, how could I be mad at you? We are brothers!" The two of us big men unexpectedly embraced and cried on that vast playground. Pang Hao watched us from the parallel bars and couldn't help but cry as well—a summer noon, three men, one playground, a moment of tears...
After resolving this issue with Shuai Dong, my heart felt much more open. For the second game, I played with a relaxed mindset. Shuai Dong and the others planned to skip class for half a day to cheer us on. When we were practicing in the gym, the door was wide open; Hejiang's team arrived really early—there was still an hour before the game started! They probably came to familiarize themselves with the venue. Rocky and Power Forward were at the front of their team; however, today was our home court, and we absolutely wouldn't let them run wild here. After a while, we each entered the locker room. Once inside and closing the door behind us, we formed a circle to discuss tactics. Teacher Qiu told us not to be nervous or impatient but to play with a calm mindset. We all nodded in agreement; however, at such a crucial moment, how could anyone maintain a calm mindset? Unless one were a deity—us mere mortals simply couldn't do it.
After a while, the game officially began. We huddled together for a cheer of "Let's go!" before stepping out onto the court. Before this game, I had specifically gone to see A Fei at the hospital; he kept emphasizing to me: "Let's give our many dreams a perfect ending." After hearing that, I felt an immense responsibility on my shoulders; however, I would fight for our dream. Soon after that, our game officially started. The referee assigned Ouyang to jump against their Shooting Guard for tip-off; Ouyang won it and passed it to me. As I held the ball ready for an attack, unexpectedly after just two steps, their point guard intercepted it! That basic mistake should not have happened! Their Point Guard received the ball and made a fast break for an easy layup.
What’s happening with us? I turned back to look at Zhou Wenming and Ouyang as well as Kobe on the bench; we were down 4-0 right from the start! This didn’t feel like our home court at all! However, our nightmare had only just begun; their offensive firepower made us feel like we were back in that dark Hejiang home court again—we lost our direction in an instant. At the end of the first quarter, we trailed by seven points with a score of 19-26. As we walked off the court, Teacher Qiu picked up the tactical board and laid out new strategies for us: "It seems like their tactics have undergone significant changes; team members shouldn't panic or rush things. Next up we'll implement a tactical reversal..." Teacher Qiu quickly assigned us emergency measures; after going into the second quarter following his strategy's implementation, we fought back hard and took the lead in scoring! Facing this deficit situation calmly without rushing were their five players who slowly closed in on our score again until we fell into what they call a stalemate. By halftime break we led Hejiang by two points with a score of 49-47.
Once in the locker room after halftime break Teacher Qiu patiently laid out more strategies for us while we four sat aside deep in thought. "Hey, what if we once again face defeat at home in the semifinals?" Ouyang said suddenly. I quickly covered his mouth: "Shut your crow mouth! Can't you say something auspicious? What do you mean 'stop in semifinals'? We are already prepared to go to Olympic Sports Center!" Ouyang really knows how to pick an inappropriate moment for such comments; how could he say such demoralizing things now? Kobe sat beside us with his head down slowly saying: "In the third quarter it looks like all four of us will be on court." "Hey hey hey! Kobe! Why are you saying such things that boost others' morale while undermining your own? Stop it!" I criticized Kobe too; however even though I spoke harshly my heart truly felt particularly uncertain.
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