Chapter 0110: Shut Up

“What you said makes so much sense, I cannot refute it. But I have to ask the team members. Even if Xia Chiyi and the other two agree, the other players must be willing too.”

“Alright, I’ll await your good news,” Gao Jinshu lifted his beer and clinked it against Ling Huanzhen’s.

“You should drink less beer! It was so hard for you to lose weight, what are you going to do if you get a beer belly again?”

“What’s wrong with a beer belly? Doesn’t it make me look honest and sincere?”

During the team practice the next day, Ling Huanzhen informed everyone about what he and Gao Jinshu had discussed.

“I know this sounds like a personal squabble between coaches out of spite. We also can’t get in touch with other schools for practice games in the short term, and I honestly don’t know what the current level of the provincial team is. The banner for this game is also set up as ‘the provincial team guiding our basketball team to help us prepare for the Nationals’. It sounds very nice, so even if we lose, we won’t lose face.”

Ling Huanzhen looked toward Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao, but unexpectedly, Ye Chaoying was the first to raise his hand.

“But if we win, Ma Hongming will lose all face! Not even being able to beat college students proves he has no ability, right?”

Ling Huanzhen smiled helplessly and nodded. “That’s right.”

He Bin remained very silent. Even though the Jin Province provincial team had always been at the bottom nationally, it was still a provincial team. The level of games they participated in was higher, their players’ physical attributes were stronger than theirs, and their training was more professional. Could they really win?

Or would they get completely obliterated, which would inversely affect their self-confidence going into the Nationals?

At this moment, Shuai Bei lifted his chin and asked arrogantly, “Is that Coach Ma from the provincial team Ma Wenhua’s backer?”

Ling Huanzhen felt awkward; how was he supposed to answer that?

Who knew Zhou Zhexiao would reply: “Yes.”

Xia Chiyi added: “Ma Wenhua is Ma Hongming’s cousin! They are from the same nest!”

The “same nest” as in the idiom “snakes and rats in the same nest” (birds of a feather flock together/cut from the same cloth).

Shuai Bei replied: “Then count me in.”

Du He swallowed hard. He thought about the time he gifted dried sweet potatoes and was ridiculed by Ma Wenhua, who even said he would never have a future in basketball. That heart-stabbing feeling returned.

If it weren’t for this provincial team coach, how could Ma Wenhua have wantonly judged and hurt other team members at Ningchang University?

“I… I also want to try,” Du He said.

“What about you, Captain? What do you think?” Ling Huanzhen looked at He Bin.

He Bin opened his mouth: “That is the provincial team. To put it bluntly, compared to them, we are the head of a chicken, and they are the tail of a phoenix. I’m only worried that blind optimism will affect the whole team’s psychological state after we lose the game.”

Ling Huanzhen nodded: “This is also what I’m worried about. Therefore, this game follows the principle of voluntary participation. Those willing to go can come with me; you can also choose to stay behind for independent training. Everyone knows what kind of person I, Ling Huanzhen, am. I won’t deprive you of your chance to play in the Nationals just because you stay behind for independent training.”

What Ling Huanzhen hadn’t expected was that the entire team unanimously agreed to go to the provincial team to expand their horizons.

Now it was Ling Huanzhen’s turn to scratch his head. He had to dig up the provincial team’s games from the past two years to watch, so they could have a targeted approach and not direct blindly.

Gao Jinshu got game videos from the past few years from a friend on the provincial team and arranged to watch them together in Ling Huanzhen’s faculty dorm.

Smacking his forehead, Ling Huanzhen realized that researching the provincial team simply couldn’t be done without calling Jiao Yingfeng. Jiao Yingfeng had also once been shut out by Ma Hongming. What was the reason again?

It seemed to be the exact same reason Xia Chiyi was rejected—a thin and weak physique with insufficient confrontation ability.

He really used the same excuse for nearly 20 years. Times were changing, but Ma Hongming’s country bumpkin mindset remained exactly the same.

Right as Gao Jinshu transferred the videos over, Ling Huanzhen handed him a broom.

“What for?”

“Jiao Jiao is coming over in a bit, hurry up and help me clean!”

Gao Jinshu revealed a look of disbelief: “I am a guest!”

“When Jiao Jiao throws a fit, he doesn’t care whether you’re the guest or the host.”

“I don’t think your doghouse… is very dirty…” Lifting his foot, Gao Jinshu stepped on a piece of cardboard from an express package. Turning around, he saw Ling Huanzhen’s clothes—which hadn’t been washed since he returned from leading the team at the tournament—thrown messily near the bookshelf.

“I… don’t think you are sloppy…” Gao Jinshu said sincerely.

“I don’t care what you think, I care what Jiao Jiao thinks!”

“After all these years, how are you still Jiao Yingfeng’s simp!”

“After all these years, Jiao Jiao is still just as handsome, unlike you, who is nearly perfectly square.”

Resting his hands on his hips and looking up at the ceiling, Gao Jinshu remembered that he had a favor to ask of this guy. He could only let out a breath and tidy up the dorm room with the speed of wind scattering the last clouds.

Just as the two of them shoved all the messy things into the closet, the dorm door opened.

Standing outside with one hand in his pocket, Jiao Yingfeng frowned as he looked at the two men with their butts sticking out, holding the closet doors shut. “You two… how about you continue, and I’ll come back later?”

“No need, no need! No matter what we are doing, you can join in!” Ling Huanzhen spoke up.

Gao Jinshu: …No he can’t…

As Jiao Yingfeng walked in, Gao Jinshu leaned close to Ling Huanzhen’s ear and asked, “How does he have the key to your dorm?”

“He’s had the key to my dorm ever since we first met.” Ling Huanzhen looked completely matter-of-fact.

Gao Jinshu smacked the back of his own head. I asked for nothing.

The three of them sat in front of the computer. Ling Huanzhen frowned, looking very serious, while Jiao Yingfeng took out a pair of black-framed glasses from his pocket and put them on. This exam-like atmosphere inexplicably made Gao Jinshu nervous.

The first game they studied was the group stage match of last year’s National Games: Jin Province Men’s Basketball vs. Fu Province Men’s Basketball. Fu Province Men’s Basketball won the game with a massive 35-point lead.

When the players took the court, Ling Huanzhen narrowed his eyes and looked at the player introductions. “These players actually fit Ma Wenhua’s selection criteria perfectly. The average height is 1.94 meters, and even the point guard is 1.90 meters tall.”

Resting his chin on his hand, Jiao Yingfeng nodded: “Yeah, he places heavy emphasis on cultivating the frontcourt. Both the power forward and the center are 2.10 meters tall and physically robust. Even for Du He and Shuai Bei, the tallest in our team, they probably wouldn’t have an advantage in sheer strength confrontations under the basket.”

Taking a deep breath, Gao Jinshu asked, “Then what should we do? Should we ask Li Xiaoran to help take a look? Small playing big, maybe he has more experience?”

Jiao Yingfeng said faintly: “Sure, ask Li Xiaoran.”

Just as Gao Jinshu took out his phone, he felt the atmosphere turn strange again.

Sure enough, Ling Huanzhen continued: “I think we need to assemble an Olympic lineup for you. Do you want me to call Sheng Xingming for you too?”

Gao Jinshu shuddered all over, and the flab on his belly that he hadn’t had time to suck in trembled along with it. “Let’s not make jokes like that. If the Great Demon King really came back, he’d mock me for being worthless.”

The group stage game in the video started. The three of them stared fixedly at the screen. In less than three minutes, their serious, ready-for-battle sitting postures changed.

Gao Jinshu rubbed his chest forcefully: “Fuck! I’m so pissed! I’m so pissed! Is that shooting guard a dead person? Why doesn’t he go to the corner? If he guarded the corner, he could just catch the ball and shoot an open shot!”

Ling Huanzhen was also getting angry watching: “That point guard is truly a piece of work. His biggest use throughout the entire game is getting fouled while attempting a layup. And he even manages to miss one out of two free throws. What a talent!”

“You have the nerve to talk about others?” Jiao Yingfeng asked.

Ling Huanzhen revealed a surprised expression: “Are you kidding? Although I am the King of Iron (missing shots), I am also the King of Clutch Shots. My clutch shots hit with a hundred percent accuracy!”

After finishing watching, the three of them let out a breath.

Gao Jinshu sighed with emotion: “Truly amazing—”

“Ah? Who’s amazing?” Ling Huanzhen asked.

“The Fu Province Men’s Basketball team, of course. They swapped in their bench players for the second half and still managed to crush the Jin Province Men’s Basketball team by 35 points. Isn’t that amazing?”

Next, they studied the second game: Jin Province Men’s Basketball vs. Shenghai Men’s Basketball.

The Jin Province Men’s Basketball team was suppressed and beaten from start to finish. In the final quarter, Shenghai Men’s Basketball even sent out their second-string team, ending in a slaughter of 98 to 61.

After watching it, the three men went from righteous indignation to being as quiet as chickens.

Gao Jinshu took a deep breath: “Truly amazing…”

“Yeah, whoever you compare against the Jin Province Men’s Basketball team looks amazing.” Jiao Yingfeng smiled coldly.

“It really is time to let college students go rectify Jin Province’s basketball.”

Jiao Yingfeng stood up, hung his black-framed glasses on his collar, and stretched lazily: “I’m leaving. Old Fan and I still have to study Xia Chiyi’s finals performance and formulate a new round of training plans.”

Grabbing the hem of his shirt, Ling Huanzhen asked eagerly: “We are comrades-in-arms, and you’re just abandoning us like this?”

Jiao Yingfeng ruthlessly batted his hand away. “That’s it? You should have a good chat with Zhou Zhexiao.”

“Chat about what?” Gao Jinshu asked curiously.

Ling Huanzhen immediately caught Jiao Yingfeng’s meaning: “To make sure Zhou Zhexiao doesn’t get so bored on the court that he falls asleep.”

---

Upon learning they were going to play a game against the provincial team, Ye Chaoying got fired up, searching everywhere for game videos of the provincial team. Unexpectedly, he managed to get them from Ke Yan of Qincheng University.

It was because back then, the Fu Province provincial team had wanted to recruit Yang Huaiyu, so they specially showed him this game where Fu Province completely crushed the Jin Province basketball team. Who knew that after watching it, Yang Huaiyu lost all interest in joining the provincial team.

—With opponents this weak, it’s not even as good as the Elite Eight of the college Nationals.

“Why are you looking for this?” Ke Yan asked Ye Chaoying curiously.

“Oh, didn’t we make it into the Nationals? So our coach invited the provincial team to play a friendly match to give us some guidance!”

Ye Chaoying chose to keep a low profile, too embarrassed to say anything about wanting to make Ma Hongming feel like ‘what he discarded like a worn shoe yesterday, he cannot climb high enough to reach today’.

Ke Yan’s voice dragged out long: “Ah? Your Jin Province provincial team? Then you might as well invite us over! As long as you’re willing, we can practice with you until the Nationals begin!”

Yang Huaiyu’s voice also popped up from the side: “Let them go broaden their horizons. Then they’ll know that no matter how good the provincial team is, it isn’t as good as our Qincheng University.”

Ye Chaoying’s face was covered in black lines. He thought to himself, If I had known, I would have just acted arrogant.

After getting the game videos, the four guys in the dorm moved their desks and stools together to watch.

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying sat on small stools in the front, while Zhou Zhexiao and Pang Shuai sat at the small table in the back. They looked like elementary school students determined to take their homework seriously, casting aside all distractions; they didn’t even order milk tea.

The projector turned on. By the time the game finally reached halftime, Xia Chiyi twisted his waist, feeling unable to sit still. Behind him, Zhou Zhexiao simply slumped forward, hanging his arms over Xia Chiyi’s shoulders and resting his chin on top of Xia Chiyi’s head. Xia Chiyi could faintly hear him yawn. It wasn’t even eight o’clock in the evening yet, but this guy had gotten sleepy just from watching a game.

Even though Pang Shuai didn’t play in the games, having watched so many Division I league matches, he felt that watching the provincial team’s games really required pairing it with milk tea. Ideally, some barbecue or spicy duck necks too, otherwise it was truly unwatchable.

Ye Chaoying finally spoke up: “How about… we order some milk tea?”

Pang Shuai: “Get some barbecue too?”

Hearing they were going to order takeout, Zhou Zhexiao rubbed his chin against the top of Xia Chiyi’s head and slowly woke up.

“Bro, you don’t even need to speak. I know what you need. Super large cup of milk tea, double boba, full sugar.”

Half an hour later, they gave up watching the drowsiness-inducing game and started playing Zhou Zhexiao’s recent true love, Pokémon.

Ye Chaoying sighed with emotion, never expecting there would be a day when his eyes would be saved by Pikachu.

---

Catching wind of this news, Ningchang University’s former coach, Ma Wenhua, immediately called his older cousin.

“I heard the provincial team is going to play against Ningchang University, is it true? Big Cousin, you can finally deflate Ling Huanzhen’s momentum! I’ve been waiting for this day for so long!”

Watching Ningchang University fight all the way to become Kings of the Southeast, Ma Wenhua couldn’t even describe how red with jealousy his eyes were. That coaching position should have been his, but it was snatched away by Ling Huanzhen out of thin air!

Some people even deliberately forwarded official Division I league messages and Ningchang University’s public account news to him, just to add to his vexation.

Hearing his younger cousin’s voice, Ma Hongming had no expression on his face, but his heart was incredibly irritable.

Why isn’t there a single person with a working brain around me? This is clearly the higher-ups hinting for me to step down as soon as possible.

“If the provincial team beats Ningchang University, it’s considered a given. But if we lose, my, Ma Hongming’s, spine will be poked until it breaks, and I will become a laughingstock in the industry.”

With belated realization, Ma Wenhua felt the immense pressure radiating from the other end of the line. In his heart, his cousin had always sat firmly on the fishing platform of the province’s basketball world. Resources and connections all belonged to him; his word was law, and everyone had to defer to him.

But why did it seem like everything had changed ever since Ling Huanzhen came to Ningchang University?

“Big Cousin… the provincial team playing college students is just like college students playing middle schoolers. It’s impossible to lose.”

“Did you watch the game between Ningchang University and Qincheng University?” Ma Hongming asked in return.

“N-No, I didn’t watch it. It’s too aggravating to watch.”

“Heh.” Ma Hongming sneered and hung up the phone.

He had covered for his relatives and friends for so many years, but now that he was tottering and on the verge of collapse, not a single one of them could offer any help.

Treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, Ma Hongming called the few players he had meticulously cultivated into his room.

This was a battle with their backs to the wall; he had to win.

---

Two days later, the time for the friendly match between Ningchang University and the provincial team was officially set.

Led by Ling Huanzhen, the group took a bus to the training base where the provincial team was located. Journalists from the student union’s school newspaper accompanied them, including Pang Shuai.

After driving for a long time, the school bus finally arrived at the entrance of the basketball arena.

The person who came out to receive them was surprisingly the basketball team’s assistant coach, Zeng Fan.

Wearing thick black-framed glasses, a blue Polo shirt, and casual black pants, he immediately went up to shake hands when he saw Ling Huanzhen.

“Coach Ling, I’ve looked forward to meeting you for a long time! Ningchang University really played exceptionally well this year! You’ve brought glory to our Jin Province!”

“Ah… thank you.”

Ling Huanzhen searched for the name ‘Zeng Fan’ in his memory. He seemed to have heard Gao Jinshu mention him.

This assistant coach had been with the provincial team for three years and had always been suppressed by Ma Hongming.

Zeng Fan’s concepts were closer to modern basketball. He believed that Ma Hongming relied too heavily on the inside, and that the players’ dribbling wasn’t flexible enough, causing the inside players to develop the bad habit of standing still and waiting for the ball.

However, modern basketball had blurred positions long ago. The players on strong teams were almost all hexagonal warriors (all-around players). Ma Hongming’s concept of ‘the inside is king’ was already outdated.

Previously, Ma Hongming never gave Zeng Fan a chance to speak, suppressed many of his reports, and even reassigned him to do basic training for the players.

But this time, during the province’s seminar studying Ningchang University’s game against Qincheng University, the higher-ups specifically requested everyone to attend, asking the young coaches to voice their opinions.

Zeng Fan finally had the opportunity to express his views in front of the leadership.

He stated publicly: “The Ningchang University team led by Ling Huanzhen, whether in configuration or playstyle, already demonstrates very obvious characteristics of modern basketball.”

Ma Hongming tried to cut Zeng Fan off, but the leaders told him to continue.

“First is the blurring of positions. The position Zhou Zhexiao plays is small forward. In traditional basketball, his role is the terminator on the offensive end. He possesses various layup techniques, double-clutches, post-up turnaround fadeaway jumpers, and so on. He uses every means possible; he is an ultimate killing machine for racking up points.”

The leaders nodded frequently as they listened. Ma Hongming kept a taut face the whole time, and the other young coaches broke out in a cold sweat for Zeng Fan.

What a reckless youth. The provincial documents haven’t come down yet, who can be certain if Ma Hongming is really going to ‘step down’? Even if he retreats to the second line, his connections are still there. Why offend him?

But Zeng Fan didn’t care at all. Turning a blind eye to Ma Hongming’s gloomy expression, he continued to express his opinions, sparing no effort to poke at Ma Hongming’s spine.

“But everyone, don’t forget, when the team’s point guard loses line of sight and passing lanes, Zhou Zhexiao can immediately assume the duties of a point guard. Dribbling past half-court, distributing the ball, and so on are no problem for him. Even when the team’s shooting guard is double-teamed, he can immediately launch a long-range shot with an extremely high accuracy rate, drawing out the opponent’s inside defense! This goes far beyond the functions of a small forward!”

Many leaders were nodding.

One of the leaders directly asked: “Such a hexagonal warrior… I remember the provincial team considered him, right? Why wasn’t he recruited?”

This question had already been asked many times. Asking it again now was actually the leaders’ way of showing disapproval for Ma Hongming’s player selection methods, which was why they used the same question to repeatedly beat a dead horse.

Ma Hongming explained once again: “Because he was in a very severe car accident and was in a coma for a period of time. After waking up, he had issues like amnesia and cognitive confusion, so he did not meet the criteria to be recruited into the provincial team.”

Although this was the truth, the others couldn’t help but think: If he really had lingering effects, could he play so brilliantly in the Division I league? It’s not just once or twice that your, Ma Hongming’s, eyesight has had problems.

The leaders remained noncommittal, merely signaling for Zeng Fan to continue sharing his views.

“Then there’s their shooting guard, Xia Chiyi. He is already the sharpshooter of our Southeast Region. But his role isn’t just limited to perimeter scoring. He possesses very strong breakthrough abilities and dribbling speed, serving as another ball-handling point for the team besides the point guard. In other words, Ningchang University has three ball-handling points: Zhou Zhexiao, Xia Chiyi, and Ye Chaoying. They can infinitely cut the ball and switch defenses internally, making the team’s tactics even more varied and unpredictable.”

After Zeng Fan finished speaking, another young assistant coach also couldn’t help but speak up: “Moreover, Xia Chiyi doesn’t just play as a dual-threat guard; he can swing between forward and guard anytime, anywhere. Don’t underestimate him. He also knows how to execute double-clutch layups, appears and disappears unpredictably, and blocking the forwards of other teams has become a common occurrence for him. This is the exact type of talent our provincial team needs the most!”

At this point, the leader asked again: “He participated in the provincial team selection, right? Why was he eliminated as well?”

Once again, a previously asked question was brought out to beat the dead horse.

Without changing his expression, Ma Hongming explained: “At that time, his physical build was not advantageous compared to other candidates. His confrontation ability was very weak, too fragile.”

“Oh… is that so.”

The leaders exchanged meaningful smiles.

This kind of tacit smile was too glaring for Ma Hongming.

“Then let’s organize a game. Let the provincial team players experience the playstyle of these young people. It hasn’t been easy for Ningchang University to make it this far, so the provincial team should lower their stance and help Ningchang University train.”

And just like that, this game came to be.

When Zeng Fan heard that Gao Jinshu might be coming to take over as head coach, he was overjoyed.

Given the provincial team’s current state, there could be no construction without destruction. But they had long treated losing games as a common occurrence, using the excuse that Jin Province was a ‘struggling student’ in basketball, so losing was normal. They had long lost all sense of shame.

But losing to college students from the same province was another matter entirely.

The Ningchang University basketball team was the exact knife the leaders were using to pierce through the provincial team’s shamelessness.

Seeing Ling Huanzhen, Zeng Fan treated him as one of their own, spending the whole walk telling Ling Huanzhen about the provincial team’s current weaknesses and problems.

It seemed that the person who had sent the provincial team’s game videos to Gao Jinshu was undoubtedly Zeng Fan.

Ling Huanzhen had long received news that many of the provincial team players were Ma Hongming’s direct disciples and harbored immense hostility toward the Ningchang University school team. To prevent any incidents, aside from on the court, they were to minimize any opportunities for contact between the two sides.

Therefore, the basketball team members got off the bus already wearing their jerseys, not planning to borrow the provincial team’s locker room.

Stepping off the bus, Xia Chiyi raised a hand to block the sunlight. Coming to this place now truly filled him with mixed feelings.

After all, during his middle school years, he had yearned for the provincial team so much.

After failing to make the provincial team, he couldn’t lift his head among his relatives for quite a while. His grandmother constantly said things like “Playing basketball is impractical, studying hard is the right path,” and his Second Uncle and Second Aunt bragged in the family group chat all day about their daughter studying abroad, telling Xia Chiyi to study English well in college so he might also have a chance to go out.

Time had passed, circumstances had changed, and looking back now… the provincial team didn’t seem like that big of a deal after all.

His shoulder was poked, and Zhou Zhexiao’s voice sounded.

“Let’s go in, the sunlight is hurting my eyes.”

Sounding muffled and soft, Zhou Zhexiao lowered his head, pressing the top of his head against the back of Xia Chiyi’s head to hide from the sun.

Anyone would probably never imagine that the Zhou Zhexiao who commanded the wind and clouds in the Southeast Region could be this childish.

“Mn, let’s go in.”

As they walked, Zhou Zhexiao said, “I need to buy sunglasses.”

It’s over, this guy found another excuse to spend money. Xia Chiyi could already picture his phone receiving ten or twenty delivery locker notifications.

Entering the tunnel, they walked a short distance before the space suddenly opened up.

The basketball arena had four basketball courts, and many players were doing basic training.

An elderly man with graying temples and wrinkles carved like knives on his cheeks stood on the sidelines.

The moment Ling Huanzhen appeared, he drew the attention of almost everyone. Even a player who was practicing his shots threw an airball.

With a stern face, the elderly man cast a harsh glare at the player who missed, and the player immediately lowered his head.

Everything about the provincial team was very novel to Du He. Looking left and right, he accidentally bumped into someone.

“S-Sorry…”

Upon lifting his head, Du He was stunned.

Good heavens, just how good is the food at the provincial team? Every single one of them looks like they could go to an anime convention and cosplay as Transformers.

The player in front of him was a full half-head taller than Du He, and his wingspan was even more ridiculous.

“What are you doing? Do you think the provincial team is a circus?”

“N-No.”

“Hmph.”

The tall guy walked past Du He and practiced rebounding and boxing out with several teammates. With a loud bang—, he snatched the basketball, leaving Du He stunned on the sidelines.

Shuai Bei pushed Du He’s shoulder and said in a low voice, “Let’s go.”

“Don’t… don’t you think he’s very impressive?” Du He lifted his head and asked.

“All show and no substance. Purely relying on strength, singular technique,” Shuai Bei whispered. “Isn’t Meng Ting from Qincheng University much more badass than him?”

This brought back Du He’s memories of the Southeast Regional finals and the fierce battle for supremacy under the basket. However, Du He himself wasn’t entirely certain… Is Meng Ting really more impressive than that guy just now?

Ling Huanzhen had already walked to the side of that elderly man, but the man continued to watch the players training, not sparing a single glance for Ling Huanzhen.

Even though he had anticipated this situation, Zeng Fan still felt slightly awkward.

He looked apologetically at Ling Huanzhen, but unexpectedly, Ling Huanzhen unceremoniously pulled over a chair, sat straight down, and even crossed his legs.

All the provincial team players continued their practice; not a single person came over to say hello.

It seemed Ma Hongming still commanded a lot of prestige here; his “ruling status” wouldn’t be shaken so easily.

A full five minutes passed. Ma Hongming didn’t move an inch and didn’t say a single word.

Leaning close to Shuai Bei’s ear, Du He asked, “Why does it feel like… the provincial team is treating us like air?”

Shuai Bei sat down cross-legged indifferently, took out his phone, and started playing a game. “Air is very important. Without air, they’d all suffocate to death.”

Having never seen a scene like this before, Chen Chuan and He Bin exchanged a look and fell completely silent.

Resting his chin on his hand, Ye Chaoying glanced at Ma Hongming and said coolly, “The provincial team is already dead cold like this, yet Ma Hongming is still putting on airs. Who is he showing off for?”

“Or maybe he’s lost all face, so only his airs remain,” Fu Chenxue replied in a small voice.

“Little Xue? Are you still the Little Xue I know? When did you learn to be so passive-aggressive?” Ye Chaoying asked with a look of astonishment.

“You’re my teammate, of course I’m siding with you.”

Leaning back, Zhou Zhexiao looked at Xia Chiyi with expectant eyes and said, “I want to play on my phone for a bit.”

“Don’t play Pikachu out loud here… you’ll get mocked by the crowd,” Xia Chiyi said with earnest eyes as he handed him the phone.

“Mn,” Zhou Zhexiao nodded, put on his Bluetooth earphones, tilted his head, and leaned against Xia Chiyi. Staring at the phone screen, his focused expression was exactly like the little kid next door to Xia Chiyi.

Incredibly quiet once the cartoon started.

And just like that, the entire Ningchang University basketball team entered a state of leisure and entertainment, as if this were the waiting hall of a high-speed rail station.

Unexpectedly, another ten minutes passed. Ma Hongming still had absolutely no reaction, and the other players continued to treat them like air.

Shuai Bei frowned: “Is this little kids playing the silent treatment? Do they think that by ignoring us, they won’t have to play this game?”

“So what if they’re the provincial team? After losing games for so many years, have they finally found the face they lost through us?” Chen Chuan was getting a little impatient. Sitting for so long without anyone even offering a chair was making his butt hurt.

Holding his camera, Pang Shuai also couldn’t help but complain: “I was actually a bit nervous originally; after all, they are the provincial team. No matter how badly they play, they still represent our Jin Province. But now I just find it annoying. Is wasting other people’s time fun? With an attitude like this, no wonder they can’t win games.”

Turning his head, Xia Chiyi gave Pang Shuai a hug: “I think this must be Ma Hongming’s psychological warfare. He feels that we’re riding high on momentum right after winning the Southeast Regional Championship, so he wants to create an atmosphere that in front of the provincial team, we are nothing but farts. To make us doubt ourselves and destroy our calm state of mind.”

After Xia Chiyi pointed this out, everyone seemed to get a bit annoyed.

Resting his chin on his hand, Ye Chaoying thought for a moment, “Isn’t it just psychological warfare? It’s not certain who will be playing who yet.”

“How do you want to play?” Xia Chiyi got excited.

“Heckling, who doesn’t know how to do that.” Ye Chaoying turned to the other teammates, “Follow my lead, everyone together!”

“No problem, this sounds fun!”

Xia Chiyi smiled, his eyes lighting up and revealing two small canine teeth.

The provincial team had already started their dribbling practice. Foam cones were placed on the court, and the players dribbled through them.

After watching for a moment, Ye Chaoying figured out their dribbling rhythm and counted out the beat: “One—two—three—”

Everyone together: “Oh—yo—too slow!”

The tall guy who was currently dribbling was just about to change direction. Startled by the sudden shout, he subconsciously tried to speed up, breaking his body’s coordination, and ended up losing the ball.

Applause from Ningchang University erupted: “Clap clap! Clap clap clap!”

The dribbling rhythm of the players behind him was completely thrown off.

Ye Chaoying was even more arrogant, directly shouting out loud: “Oh my, is this dribbling meant to absorb the essence of the sun and moon in preparation for becoming an immortal? At this speed, you might need another five hundred years!”

Dozing off with his legs crossed, Ling Huanzhen tilted his head, opened one eye, and looked at Ye Chaoying. He initially wanted to say, ‘Always leave a way out, so you can face each other in the future,’ but on second thought, ‘Do not persuade others to be kind if you have not suffered their hardships.’ Furthermore, Ling Huanzhen knew exactly how suffocating this felt.

Expressionlessly, Ma Hongming made a ‘continue’ gesture toward the players.

But that tall guy couldn’t take it anymore. Taking large strides, he came toward Ye Chaoying and grabbed Ye Chaoying by the collar, only to have his hand blocked by Shuai Bei beside him.

The tall guy demanded: “And how fast can you be? Can your dribbling acceleration launch you into space like a rocket?”

“I can’t launch into space, but I’m definitely faster than you…” Ye Chaoying pointed at the tall guy, and then pointed one by one at the group of people who had been selected for the provincial team back then. “…and you, and you, and you!”

Among those pointed out were Gao Qing and Lu Hang.

Last year, the two of them had lost a two-on-two terribly against Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao. Although they weren’t “laid off,” they had already been marginalized within the provincial team.

Gao Qing felt anger in his heart, but seeing that Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao were both there, he dared to be angry but didn’t dare to speak. After all, if Xia Chiyi brought up that game for review again, it would only make Gao Qing lose face once more.

As for Lu Hang, he had always been very clear on how strong Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao’s abilities were. In that two-on-two match, he was dragged down by Gao Qing. After hearing about this practice game, his greatest wish was that Xia Chiyi wouldn’t call him out, just letting him peacefully enjoy his days as a substitute on the provincial team.

He just didn’t expect that the person calling him out wasn’t Xia Chiyi, but Ye Chaoying.

However, holding his breath in anger, the tall guy pointed at the foam cones: “Fast? Just how fast can you be? If you have the ability, go try it!”

“Haha, try it then.” Ye Chaoying stood up with a whoosh, raising an eyebrow. “You probably don’t know this, but during the provincial team selections last year, my dribbling speed was already the fastest.”

Just as he said this, a man wearing casual clothes and glasses walked in, followed by a young man holding a thermos cup for the man in front.

Zeng Fan immediately went up to greet them, “Secretary He, Secretary Qiao! What brings you here!”

Secretary He chuckled, “Isn’t there a game today? Of course I had to come watch. But wasn’t the game scheduled for ten o’clock? I thought I’d only get to see the last quarter, I didn’t expect the game hadn’t even started! Were you waiting for me?”

Zeng Fan smiled: “You have to warm up before a game, too.”

Secretary Qiao turned and looked at the Ningchang University players huddled together sitting on the sidelines playing on their phones. “Then why aren’t they warming up?”

Zeng Fan immediately said: “They are going to warm up right now!”

“Good, good, good, warming up is good! Young people need to protect themselves well and avoid getting injured.”

Secretary He turned to Ye Chaoying: “Little student Ye, after getting knocked down in the game, have your injuries healed?”

Ye Chaoying was stunned, never expecting that this Secretary He would actually know about his injury.

“They’re healed, completely healed. Thank you very much for your concern.”

Ling Huanzhen finally stood up and walked over to greet Secretary He, casually telling Ye Chaoying: “When you were injured and taken off the court, Secretary He personally called me to inquire about your injury.”

So this Secretary He had watched the live broadcast of their games. Ye Chaoying and the other Ningchang University players immediately felt their affection for him max out.

“Weren’t you going to warm up? Come on, everyone go dribble, go shoot some hoops, loosen up. Don’t just sit there scrolling on your phones.”

With his hands behind his back, Secretary He walked up behind Zhou Zhexiao. Taking a look, he couldn’t help but smile: “My grandson also loved watching this last year.”

“What about this year?” Zhou Zhexiao asked.

“Still this.” Secretary He smiled amiably.

Zeng Fan clapped his hands and called out: “Then let the Ningchang University players warm up too!”

Finally no longer having to stay seated, everyone stood up one after another, sharpening their knives as they aimed at the provincial team.

Ye Chaoying went first. He dribbled the ball, nimbly weaving through those foam cones. Watching his smooth and swift dribbling, Xia Chiyi nearly shouted out loud, “Charge, Pikachu!”

The provincial team players gathered on the side. At first, they had a ‘watching a spectacle’ expression, chatting with various signs of disdain. But after Ye Chaoying passed just two foam cones, they all uniformly fell silent.

The assistant coach responsible for timing looked at the stopwatch and paused.

When he read out the time, a collective gasp sounded from the provincial team players.

With an expression of not understanding, Secretary He asked Zeng Fan: “How is this dribbling speed?”

Revealing an ashamed expression, Zeng Fan said: “It’s 0.8 seconds faster than the provincial team’s best record.”

“Oh, I’ve wanted to ask this since the last meeting: with a speed this fast, why wasn’t this Ye Chaoying recruited into the provincial team either? Do we not need flexible point guards?”

Ma Hongming’s expression management was outstanding; he could use the exact same reason to reply to all sorts of questioning: “His physical build is insufficient; his confrontation ability is lacking.”

“Ha, if Li Xiaoran heard that reason, he’d jump up and fight you to the death. He isn’t even as tall as Ye Chaoying, but that didn’t stop him from leading the Shenghai basketball team to win the National Games championship several times.”

With his hands in his pockets, Ling Huanzhen wore an incredibly punchable “I didn’t say anything” expression.

“People with poor physical attributes who can still make a name for themselves are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Not everyone can become Li Xiaoran.” Ma Hongming said coldly. “Naturally, I must give the opportunity to those with more potential.”

A certain someone sitting on the floor playing on his phone suddenly threw in a sentence: “It’s not that Ling Huanzhen couldn’t catch Coach Ma’s eye, it’s that Coach Ma had self-awareness and let you go venture into the NCAA. Otherwise, if you had stayed in the provincial team, the title of Asia’s top power forward might belong to someone else.”

“What did you say, Zhou Zhexiao—” Another provincial team player grabbed him from the ground by his collar.

Unrushed, Zhou Zhexiao unzipped the sports bag slung across his body, put his phone inside, and then looked the other directly in the eyes, saying: “Why don’t you ask Coach Ma, which sentence of mine was incorrect?”

After speaking, Zhou Zhexiao even tilted his head and looked at Ma Hongming.

This cold, utterly empty gaze made Ma Hongming’s heart palpitate.

This was his first time feeling such an aura from a teenager.

Ma Hongming still wanted to say something, but the player holding Zhou Zhexiao said: “Isn’t it perfectly normal for Ye Chaoying to be fast? Smaller people are just more flexible when dribbling!”

Hearing this, Ye Chaoying nearly shot straight up into the air. “Who are you insulting? Who are you calling small! Are Yang Huaiyu or Liu Suchen small?”

Xia Chiyi hurriedly grabbed Ye Chaoying by the waist, terrified he was going to poke a hole through the basketball arena’s ceiling. “Calm down! Calm down! Nowadays, finding an excuse is always easier than improving one’s actual skills.”

Zhou Zhexiao swatted away the other person’s hand, put down his sports bag, and walked to the edge of the court.

With one burst of acceleration, he made everyone around him shut their mouths.

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[Author’s Note]

Zhou Zhexiao: The provincial team truly isn’t as interesting as Pokémon.

Xia Chiyi: Duh! Does any of them look as cute as Pikachu!