Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Ouyang is still running a fever today, so he can't join the team to play the away game in the north of the city. Everyone, pack up and let's get going," Teacher Qiu said to us. When we walked out of the school, the bus hadn't arrived yet, so we waited at the school gate. "A Fei, what if we lose this time and get eliminated by Twenty-Four Middle School?" I chatted with A Fei. He took out the Eagle pendant hanging around his neck and said, "Then we'll just start over next semester!" I thought A Fei would say something like "I won't accept defeat against Twenty-Four Middle School" or "If I'm eliminated, I won't play basketball anymore," but unexpectedly, he calmly suggested starting over next season. Not bad.
After a while, the bus arrived. We boarded and settled down. I chose a seat by the window, took out my newly bought headphones, listened to music, and turned to look at the scenery outside. The weather was quite clear today, and the sun wasn't too harsh. I hoped that good weather would bring us good luck at Yulin High School.
After dealing with traffic lights and congestion, we finally arrived at our destination: Twenty-Fourth Middle School. As we walked toward the gymnasium, it felt so familiar; just over ten years ago, we had lost a match here. This time, we were determined to win it back! Upon reaching the gym, Thunderbolt and several key players were warming up. "Hey! Cheng Fei, Jie!" Lu Lei smiled as he walked over to greet us. We approached him as well. "This time you guys won't be able to leave so easily!" Lu Lei laughed. "Then we'll try our best; let's show all our strength and not hold back. Let's go!" I responded with a smile. After a brief chat, we returned to our respective teams.
"This time Zhongqi and Ji Fang will handle the outside shots; Zhang Jun will start at position three; inside will still be Yan Bing and Rui Zhi..." Teacher Qiu began arranging our strategy. I glanced over at the seating area for Twenty-Four Middle School; Song Huajing was also looking our way. Our eyes met briefly before the referee blew the whistle to officially start the game. The opposing team sent out their starting lineup: Song Huajing, Lu Zhendong, Lu Lei, Li Wei, and Mu Yu. The referee designated Zhang Jun and Lu Lei for the opening jump ball. As they stepped into the center circle, the referee blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air. Zhang Jun and Lu Lei both jumped high; Lu Lei managed to grab it first for Twenty-Four Middle School. Lu Zhendong received the pass from him and quickly passed it to Song Huajing, who began organizing their first attack of the game. After bringing the ball to our half of the court, Song Huajing made a long pass from the left wing to Lu Lei waiting on the right wing. Lu Lei caught it and cut in for Li Wei following closely behind; Li Wei received it easily for a layup.
After we inbounded, Zhongqi Senior passed to Ji Fang. Ji Fang ran around on the right side beyond the three-point line while Zhang Jun broke free from Lu Lei to receive a pass from Ji Fang. After passing it to Zhang Jun, Ji Fang went to defend Lu Lei while providing a screen for Zhang Jun. Zhang Jun attempted a mid-range shot but missed; Bing Ge grabbed the rebound and scored on a putback.
After their inbound play, Song Huajing brought the ball up court and turned to back down Zhongqi Senior. Suddenly, Song Huajing spun around for a jump shot but elbowed Zhongqi Senior in the forehead while he was focused on defense. Zhongqi Senior immediately crouched down holding his forehead as the referee's whistle signaled a timeout in play. Zhongqi Senior slowly walked off the court as medical staff rushed over to assist him. Teacher Qiu signaled for Zhou Litong to substitute in for Zhongqi Senior at point guard. When Zhongqi Senior moved his hand away from his forehead, I saw a large bump forming that was red and purple; medical staff were urgently attending to him—Zhongqi Senior must not go down under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, on-court action continued fiercely as we finished the first quarter trailing Twenty-Four Middle School 18-0. "A Fei replaces Zhang Jun," Teacher Qiu announced. "Zhongqi's unexpected injury has significantly impacted our outside shooting and coordination; Yingjie will replace Zhang Jun while Xiang Jie substitutes for Ji Fang—we need to engage in a war of attrition against them." Teacher Qiu picked up a tactical board: "Xiang Jie, your explosiveness is better; focus on finding opportunities from outside this position to attack inside—your efficiency will affect our rhythm." I nodded; with Zhongqi Senior out, who among us could step up?
The second quarter began with all of us taking our positions on court again. Lu Lei inbounded to Song Huajing before quickly retreating back into defense against Zhang Yingjie. Lu Zhendong was making frequent off-ball movements that kept me on my toes trying to keep up with him when Song Huajing passed him the ball. I quickly moved forward to defend as Lu Zhendong drove straight towards the basket; when he jumped up for an attack, his knee collided with my abdomen knocking me down. The referee's whistle blew as he lost his balance upon landing and tripped over my body—his knee nearly hit my chest.
"What are you doing? Trying to stomp me out?" This infuriated me as I stood up yelling at him. "I didn't do it on purpose! What are you shouting about?" Lu Zhendong wasn't backing down either: "Damn it! You think you can just get away with that? What kind of dirty play is this..." We started exchanging insults and even began shoving each other until Bing Ge and others rushed over along with Song Huajing and Lu Lei who hurriedly pulled us apart while the referee came over to issue warnings.
We glared at each other as we returned to our respective teams; what was even more infuriating was that the referee only called it a common foul for charging—a clear case of home-court bias! It felt like enough evidence for an intentional foul.
The game continued with us inbounding again; Zhou Litong received it quickly making tactical adjustments for an offensive strategy by passing it to me on the left wing. After stabilizing myself with the ball, I began plotting my attack route but looking at that bastard Lu Zhendong made me feel pent-up frustration rising in my chest. Suddenly recalling Ouyang's behind-the-back dribble move from before inspired me—I executed an almost perfect imitation of Ouyang's move scoring effortlessly against him! Seeing his face turn sour after being played like this made me laugh—this was exactly what I wanted! Humiliating him on court was just perfect! Lu Zhendong, today I'm going all out against you! You'll see that your grandpa Xiang Jie isn't just better than you off-court but also stronger on-court! I will make sure you acknowledge my skills right here in your own backyard!
Comment 0 Comment Count