Chapter 0124: Xia Chiyi’s Weak-Side Drive

Ling Huanzhen put his arms around their shoulders and smiled, “It’s good that you can summarize it. I was just afraid you’d see a high-level pick-and-roll play and feel absolutely nothing; then I, as your coach, would really have a headache.”

As for Xia Chiyi… his coach this time was Li Xiaoran, formerly a top-tier point guard for the national team, plus Lu Yingnan. Hopefully, this kid could learn some useful experience.

At this moment, they were trailing Connecticut by a full eight points.

If they didn’t make changes, this point gap would only continue to widen.

Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen’s breathing was heavier than before; large beads of sweat rolled down their temples and backs.

Li Xiaoran nodded at them. “You two are playing well. That small forward named Carl on the other side is quite formidable; he’ll definitely be someone in the NCAA in the future.”

Yang Huaiyu smiled. “We’re somebodies in the CUBA too.”

Li Xiaoran looked at Xia Chiyi and asked, “What about you? Did you gain any experience from the first half that you can share with everyone?”

“Me?”

I’m getting defended by Arthur so hard I’m turning into a dog… a pitiful little puppy locked in a cage…

But since Coach Li Xiaoran asked him, he had to answer properly.

Tilting his head and closing his eyes, the details of being tightly marked in the first half flooded into Xia Chiyi’s mind.

“Ah, I got it, I got it!” Xia Chiyi’s eyes lit up. “Mo Chuang kept trying to set screens for me, but Arthur never tried to navigate around Mo Chuang’s back. Instead, he would quickly disengage, and in the blink of an eye, he was glued to me again!”

Li Xiaoran nodded. “Mhm, not bad, you caught the main point.”

Mo Chuang, who was tilting his head back to drink water, looked at Xia Chiyi; deep down, he was a little surprised.

Xia Chiyi had been riding high on success in the Southeast Division. None of the players from powerhouse schools like Chujiang University, Southeast Mining University, or Qincheng University could truly manage to completely lock Xia Chiyi down. Yet today, he met the effortlessly capable Arthur.

From his scoring to his off-ball movement, everything was restricted. Being reduced to a useless background prop on the court would cause many people to experience self-doubt.

But Xia Chiyi was still thinking.

It really was… all the opponents who knocked him down would become his experience, eventually to be knocked down by him.

At this moment, Mo Chuang seemed to understand the Big Three’s partiality toward Xia Chiyi.

“Coach Li, do you… have any guidance? Just a direct hint?” Xia Chiyi looked at Li Xiaoran, his big, round eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Li Xiaoran coughed very lightly.

“What do you want me to guide you on?”

“Just… how to break through Arthur’s defense. I’ve successfully acted as a decoy to tie him down, but I haven’t been able to score any points myself,” Xia Chiyi revealed an expectant expression.

It was like looking at a tiny bird waiting to be fed.

Li Xiaoran poked Xia Chiyi right between the eyebrows. “He’s glued to you, so you only know how to drive forward and not step back? Pull the chair out from under him! Worst case scenario, let him grab you, and draw a defensive foul.”

“Oh, right. But a dirty trick like that can only be used once before Arthur catches on.”

Li Xiaoran poked Xia Chiyi again, harder this time, poking him so much that Xia Chiyi stepped back with his eyes closed.

“Think carefully. After you get the ball, does Arthur block your left side, or your right side?”

“Oh… forcing me to the weak side! That guy is truly sinister! Forcing me to switch the ball to my weak side…”

Li Xiaoran laughed, thinking to himself, How is that sinister? There are far more sinister plays out there, like intentional fouls or foul baiting.

“What? Don’t have the skill to dribble and drive with your weak-side hand? Or lack the guts to shoot in a tight space?”

“I’ll try.” Xia Chiyi lowered his eyes, looking at his left hand.

Li Xiaoran couldn’t resist ruffling Xia Chiyi’s fluffy head, suddenly feeling a pang of envy toward Ling Huanzhen.

“That’s right, it’s just a practice match anyway. Try more things you’re not good at. Sometimes you train your skills for a year or two and remain stagnant, but a single match that pushes you to a desperate situation can make you progress by leaps and bounds.”

Xia Chiyi swallowed hard. He actually wasn’t as open-minded as he looked on the surface. The smiling Arthur wasn’t a sticky piece of candy; he was a swamp solidified around Xia Chiyi’s legs—heavy and suffocating. If he didn’t figure out a way, he would suffocate to death.

At this moment, he thought of Sheng Xingming.

When he was little, he watched one of Sheng Xingming’s regular-season games.

At the time, Sheng Xingming faced his old NCAA teammate, Wynn Rust. Three years of training together meant that this old teammate knew all of Sheng Xingming’s driving habits and fake moves like the back of his hand. Sheng Xingming was defended so well that he achieved absolutely nothing for half the game and was directly subbed out by the coach.

It wasn’t until the final 7 minutes, when the teammate playing point guard committed his fourth foul, that the coach had no choice but to put Sheng Xingming back on the court.

Returning to the court, Sheng Xingming wasn’t favored to perform well; the opposing fans booed him. Xia Chiyi was so angry he wanted to jump into the TV and fight them.

But Sheng Xingming broke through the limitations of his weak-side hand and snatched victory in that game.

Now, it was Xia Chiyi’s turn to encounter the same situation.

Arthur from Connecticut was the most technically well-rounded and patient defender he had ever met.

Sitting on his seat, Xia Chiyi closed his eyes and repeatedly pondered in his mind, recalling every detail of that match.

Since Sheng Xingming had already set a brilliant example, he just needed to work hard to catch up.

Li Xiaoran crossed his arms, observing Xia Chiyi’s calm expression, his heart also full of anticipation—What will you do next?

Meanwhile, Song Boyun hugged Liu Suchen’s shoulders and shook him vigorously. “I’m not reconciled! I’m not reconciled! I’m super un-reconciled!”

“Huh? What do you have to be un-reconciled about?” Liu Suchen asked, amused.

“Coach Li is so nice to Xia Chiyi! Kind and pleasant, patiently guiding him, not only providing technical consultation but also offering emotional value! But to me, all he does is roar! Roar! Roar! As if his period came!”

Song Boyun was so aggrieved he was about to blow snot bubbles.

Liu Suchen ruthlessly pressed down on his head. “You brat, you have the nerve to complain? Anyone could be angered to a premature death by you—I tell you but you don’t listen, you listen but you don’t do it, you do it but you do it wrong. And you still want people to be kind and pleasant, and patiently guide you?”

“I’m very obedient; my help defense ability is advancing by leaps and bounds now!”

“That’s only because before the divisional matches, Xia Chiyi gave you a live demonstration of what ‘help defense’ does.”

Song Boyun lowered his head, leaning against the wall, only short of aggrievedly drawing circles on the ground with his foot.

Liu Suchen added, “Believe it or not, in the second half, Xia Chiyi will turn the tables from a desperate situation.”

Lu Yingnan raised his head, his eyes deep and dark. “Then he better turn the tables quickly. To beat Connecticut, he is indispensable.”

The next second, Xia Chiyi stood in front of Lu Yingnan and handed him an energy bar.

“What for?” Lu Yingnan lifted his eyes.

“Tuition fee.”

“My experience is worth more than just one energy bar.”

Xia Chiyi suddenly pulled out a whole handful of energy bars and presented them to Lu Yingnan, as if offering flowers to a girl.

The gaze of the entire arena focused on them.

Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu, loving the drama, said in unison, “Yes, I do.”

Lu Yingnan choked for a second, then actually accepted the whole handful of energy bars.

“Arthur’s main strategy is to block your strong side and force you to your weak side. As a three-point shooter, you’re accustomed to initiating your shot with your strong hand, which is your right hand. So when you show an intention to score, Arthur heavily guards your right side.”

Xia Chiyi nodded. “Coach Li just said that too.”

Lu Yingnan continued explaining, “Additionally, the side with more space is also considered the strong side. Arthur has been forcing you toward the sidelines or his teammates to restrict your space. When you reach a dead end, you must seek change. In the second half, you need to flexibly utilize your left hand.”

“Oh.” Xia Chiyi lowered his eyes, staring blankly at his left hand.

Lu Yingnan stood up, bent over to grab a dry wristband from his bag, swapped it out, and then looked at Zhou Zhexiao, asking very directly: “How is his weak-side drive?”

Zhou Zhexiao answered, “Never specially trained for it.”

Liu Suchen covered his face. “Are you kidding me? Weak-side dribble drives should be a priority in training, right?”

Zhou Zhexiao walked past indifferently, dropping a line: “There is specialization in arts and professions; no one can be proficient in absolutely everything.”

A whistle blew; the second half was about to begin.

Li Xiaoran looked at Zhou Zhexiao: “In the second half, Zhou Zhexiao, you replace Mo Chuang.”

Everyone revealed expressions of surprise. Shouldn’t Zhou Zhexiao replace Liu Suchen or Yang Huaiyu, who had consumed more stamina?

The height of the opponents was right there, placing immense pressure under the basket. Substituting Mo Chuang out… could Yang Huaiyu and Zhou Zhexiao hold out?

On the bench, Ye Chaoying and Zhuo Zheng couldn’t help but look at Ling Huanzhen. As a former power forward, did he agree with Li Xiaoran’s decision?

Only Xia Chiyi felt a surge of excitement in his heart, wishing he could return to the court immediately!

Ling Huanzhen smiled. “What we lack in height, we make up for with skill.”

The tip of Zhou Zhexiao’s brow raised ever so slightly: “Lack in height?”

“You’re 1.96 meters (6’5″), and the opposing Martin is already 2.1 meters (6’11”). They have the advantage in physical confrontation and wingspan; we have to admit this innate gap.”

“I’m 1.98 meters (6’6″) now,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

Ling Huanzhen paused for a second, then immediately laughed: “It’s great to be young, still shooting up. We might as well try using offense to cover our defense. Why must we engage in a chaotic brawl under the opponent’s basket? Zhou Zhexiao’s long-range shooting is king-tier too, and Liu Suchen’s long-range shooting isn’t weak either, right? I see Yang Huaiyu has also practiced his fadeaway jumper. Plus Xia Chiyi—our perimeter scoring alone is enough for the opponents to eat a pot of bitterness.”

“I want to drive into their interior,” Zhou Zhexiao suddenly said.

Li Xiaoran’s eyelid twitched: “Being this willful, I might just let you stay on the bench.”

“What the opponent is proud of is their interior, isn’t it? If we shatter their overwhelming confidence, guess what will happen to them?” Zhou Zhexiao asked in return.

Li Xiaoran paused. That feeling came back again… as if he had returned to ten years ago, with Sheng Xingming standing right in front of him.

“Then you go and try. Jenkins over there is eager for a fight; he really wants to shatter your overwhelming confidence too,” Li Xiaoran said.

Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu smiled at each other.

“Hey, Zhou Zhexiao, if you’re going to be this arrogant, Yang Huaiyu and I are just going to slack off in the second half.”

“Slack off then, just don’t slack too far.” Zhou Zhexiao calmly adjusted his shoelaces.

Xia Chiyi took a deep breath. Finally… finally… he was standing on the same court as Zhou Zhexiao again.

He absolutely had to break through; he wouldn’t let that Arthur stay smug for too long.

Seeing Zhou Zhexiao about to enter the game, Jenkins looked excited. He probably had a belly full of trash talk he wanted to spew, but the distance was too far. No matter what he said, Zhou Zhexiao would just treat it as background noise.

The second half began. The pace was still lethally fast, and possession of the ball changed unpredictably.

Before getting double-teamed, Lu Yingnan passed the ball to Xia Chiyi. Xia Chiyi dribbled, staring intently at the smiling Arthur.

Arthur seamlessly switched between various defensive footwork. His incredibly strong sense of rhythm almost dragged Xia Chiyi into it. He followed closely, always able to slide half a second early into Xia Chiyi’s driving direction.

Xia Chiyi gritted his teeth, forced a drive, and initiated physical contact with Arthur.

The other players all broke a sweat for Xia Chiyi.

Looking at Arthur’s build—slender but muscular, with arms thicker than Xia Chiyi’s neck, and a very stable lower body—Xia Chiyi was struggling immensely in the physical confrontation.

The next second, Xia Chiyi suddenly released the physical contact, braked hard, stepped back, and made a shooting motion.

Chasing the defense, Arthur couldn’t stop in time and crashed into Xia Chiyi. Xia Chiyi still managed to release the ball. Upon landing, Arthur caught him with one arm to pull him back, otherwise, he would have crashed onto his tailbone again.

The arc of this shot was very high, dropping into the basket like an anchor sinking into the deep sea.

“Oh… God…”

Center Martin tilted his head up. Instinct urged him to rush for the rebound, but before he even reached the basket, the ball had gone in.

The referee’s whistle blew—Connecticut’s Arthur was called for a defensive foul, and Xia Chiyi earned an extra free throw!

Assistant Coach Carpenter covered his chin; his intuition told him that Xia Chiyi had deliberately induced Arthur to foul.

To still be able to make the shot while losing his balance… is there actually such an outstanding shooter here?

Arthur received a warning glare from Xia Chiyi, finally released his hand, and said with a smile, “How slender your waist is!”

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi almost exploded like an angry cat, but Zhou Zhexiao pulled him behind his back.

Zhou Zhexiao shot Arthur an icy glare: “Gutter out.”

“What?” Liu Suchen looked confused.

Lu Yingnan tugged at his collar, wiped his sweat, and said coolly, “Arthur said Xia Chiyi’s waist is very slender, and Zhou Zhexiao told him to go die.”

“What? He actually touched Xia Chiyi’s waist? Even I haven’t touched it.” Liu Suchen looked at Arthur, cracking his knuckles.

“Plus one, I haven’t touched it either.” Yang Huaiyu rotated his wrists. “This guy deserves to die a hundred times.”

Lu Yingnan looked at the back of Xia Chiyi’s head. “No need, that kid will avenge himself.”

After making the free throw, Arthur’s defense on Xia Chiyi didn’t relax in the slightest.

Xia Chiyi continued to have his space crushed by the opponent.

“Tired?” Arthur asked with a smile.

Xia Chiyi mimicked Arthur’s expression and asked back with a smile, “Tired?”

“No, you make me exciting,” Arthur replied.

Xia Chiyi shot back with Zhou Zhexiao’s words: “Gutter out.”

Arthur spread his arms, practically glued to Xia Chiyi, stripping him of the space to receive and dribble the ball. Zhou Zhexiao often practiced this kind of tight defense with Xia Chiyi; the familiar feeling of envelopment and suffocation washed over him.

The court was clearly so large, yet his space was limited to only between Arthur’s arms.

“Stuck again…”

“He’s been forced near the sideline; he has no space again in this possession.”

Xia Chiyi finally managed to shake off Arthur, but after receiving the ball, he was entangled again. He remembered Li Xiaoran’s instructions.

“Drive with your left hand, don’t hesitate!” Zhou Zhexiao shouted loudly—calm, composed, and powerful.

Xia Chiyi switched the ball to his left hand, forcing a physical confrontation with Arthur.

Although it was slower than his right hand, after three dribbles, Xia Chiyi grasped the rhythm. A half-spin fake deceived Arthur, and he nimbly passed the ball out.

“Well done—” Li Xiaoran clapped from the sidelines.

The smiling expression on Arthur’s face grew tense. This kid barely dribbled with his left hand in the first half, and now he was suddenly utilizing it.

His ball feel is way too good, isn’t it?

Zhou Zhexiao received the ball. His dribbling speed was beyond everyone’s imagination. Having saved his energy on the bench in the first half, when he passed by Jenkins, Jenkins didn’t even have time to react.

Zhou Zhexiao arrived under the basket. Facing the towering Martin, he gracefully executed a floater, scoring directly.

“Holy crap… isn’t that way too fast?” Gasps of amazement erupted from the audience stands.

The young ladies of the women’s basketball team applauded generously.

“I really love this kind of offense—efficient and straightforward, without a single wasted movement!”

“It’s pleasing to the eye and makes my heart race!”

Zhou Zhexiao turned around calmly, his eyes fixed on Xia Chiyi.

A layer of sweat formed on Xia Chiyi’s back. Arthur was following so tightly; although he could continuously dribble with his left hand, the moment he tried to drive, he would become uncoordinated.

Damn it… what do I do…

Don’t panic, Xia Chiyi.

All roads lead to Rome; you have to believe that you were born in Rome. There must be a way to make the left hand dribble continuously.

In another possession, Lu Yingnan got a steal and passed the ball to Xia Chiyi. Arthur was coming over to intercept his ball!

In that moment, a torrent of time from long ago surged forward, crashing straight into Xia Chiyi. The Sheng Xingming from ten years ago rushed into Xia Chiyi’s body. The instant Arthur was about to steal the ball, Xia Chiyi had already charged into the paint. He quickly gathered the ball and, like a little deer bounding toward the moon, leaped up. With a gentle push of his hand, the ball entered the basket again.

After landing, Xia Chiyi clenched his fists, cheering for himself.

His teammates all looked at him, and even Arthur was stunned.

“Impressive. Since his left-side driving ability is weak, he gathers the ball early and goes straight for the layup.” Yang Huaiyu looked at Xia Chiyi, revealing an appreciative smile.

“What doesn’t kill him really does make him stronger,” Liu Suchen sighed in admiration.

Xia Chiyi curled his lips into a confident smile, pointing his finger arrogantly at Zhou Zhexiao.

Others thought he was being provocative: See? Even without you, I can score.

But Zhou Zhexiao instantly understood the meaning of this gesture: Learned it from you.

Zhou Zhexiao lifted his collar to wipe his sweat, but his gaze remained fixed on Xia Chiyi.

He didn’t know how to explain this contradictory feeling.

He wanted to be the power that launched Xia Chiyi into flight, to be his nourishment, to be a part of his wings.

But he also wanted to hold onto him so tightly, worried that he would fly too high and too far away from him.

This score gave his teammates more confidence in Xia Chiyi.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the smiling Arthur… didn’t seem to be able to smile anymore.

The game continued. At the last moment when the opponent was about to dribble to the basket, Lu Yingnan executed a sudden steal. Even though he could have passed to Liu Suchen, he passed it to Xia Chiyi again.

“Why!” On the bench, Zhuo Zheng revealed an expression of “jealousy is making my cells undergo plasmolysis.”

But Xia Chiyi knew this was a test from Lu Yingnan; he wanted to see to what extent Xia Chiyi could use his left hand!

Such foresight and deep planning; even at this moment, he’s preparing for the National Tournament.

After receiving the ball, Xia Chiyi was once again tightly marked by Arthur. Arthur mercilessly applied pressure on Xia Chiyi’s offensive route, wanting to force him away from the basket.

Xia Chiyi clenched his jaw—I cannot lose my route, nor can I lose my position.

His right arm firmly braced against Arthur, initiating physical confrontation once more. Arthur’s footwork was insanely agile, and his center of gravity was incredibly low, stable as a moving wall of steel.

This guy clearly didn’t have the massive build of forwards like Mo Chuang or Du He, but he was truly so solid!

The players on the sidelines had already started a countdown for his ball possession.

Li Xiaoran shouted loudly: “What are you waiting for! Put power into your left hand! Blow past him!”

The players from Qing Da all revealed expressions of surprise; this was their first time seeing their coach act like this.

The power behind Xia Chiyi’s dribbling increased significantly, producing loud thud—thud— sounds upon impact that vibrated through everyone’s hearts.

He was like a roaring chariot, aggressively bulldozing against Arthur. Another incredibly powerful dribble aided his explosive drive. Arthur finally lost his advantageous defensive position and could only watch helplessly as Xia Chiyi tossed the ball into the basket.

“Holy shit! Xia Chiyi is freaking incredible!” Ye Chaoying clapped like a seal.

Zhuo Zheng looked astonished: “This kid looks like an elementary school student, but his left-hand dribble drive is even more imposing than his right!”

Even the Connecticut players were full of admiration for this play.

Assistant Coach Carpenter hooked a finger under his collar. This Xia Chiyi… seemed to always have unexpected performances.

The players of the women’s basketball team applauded enthusiastically.

Their captain also said very seriously, “Did you all see that clearly? We can use this powerful left-hand dribble explosive drive too!”

The young ladies of the women’s basketball team all nodded in unison.

Panting, Xia Chiyi turned to look at Zhou Zhexiao.

A trace of light seemed to flash through Zhou Zhexiao’s bottomless eyes. He smiled very faintly, as if saying: Let’s see what other skills you have.

Xia Chiyi once again became the focus of the entire court, and Arthur’s tight marking grew even closer.

Every time Xia Chiyi thought he had shaken off Arthur, the opponent’s pursuit was like a sharp arrow shot at his back; one misstep and it would pierce right through him.

Arthur’s back was already drenched in sweat.

He had been observing Xia Chiyi for a long time. This guy ran off-ball frequently, so his stamina consumption should be twice that of his teammates. But why… they were already in the third quarter, yet this little boy’s breathing remained steady and his judgments remained accurate?

At this moment, Xia Chiyi received the ball. Arthur once again sealed off his strong side; even if Xia Chiyi could adapt to dribbling with his left hand, if he wanted to shoot, he ultimately had to bring the ball up with his right hand.

Xia Chiyi once again displayed his powerful driving ability. After receiving the ball, he accelerated suddenly, dropping his center of gravity unusually low, making the people around him worry he would faceplant onto the ground. He gathered the ball early with both hands, and without warning, extended both arms forward, directly pushing the ball out from under Arthur’s arm. Immediately following that, his entire body threaded through, executing a layup in one vigorous burst!

“Holy shit!” Arthur widened his eyes, looking up at the basket. With this shot, Xia Chiyi had scored 15 points.

Carpenter was also stunned. In every game, Arthur’s defense could make opponents anxious, provoking their impulsiveness to smash him to kingdom come… but Xia Chiyi had remained patient all along, observing Arthur, feeling Arthur, and then breaking through him.

Arthur was almost dragged down by Xia Chiyi’s wave of “low-altitude flying.” He recovered his balance, only to see Xia Chiyi perform a hook shot.

If he had been a step slower, he would have been blocked by the approaching Jenkins, while Zhou Zhexiao tacitly used his positioning to screen Martin.

But this guy Xia Chiyi, he was an absolute master of timing.

Not only did the ball go in, but he turned around and hugged Zhou Zhexiao’s waist, rubbing his head furiously against his chest several times. Zhou Zhexiao’s whole body tensed up, the blood rushing down from his heart, almost catching fire.

“Hahaha, am I awesome or what!”

Xia Chiyi lifted his head, his big, bright eyes making Zhou Zhexiao’s throat tighten.

He really wanted to push him into the locker room and bully him ruthlessly.

“Mhm, awesome.”

Gathering the ball early for a layup, explosive drives with powerful dribbling, and driving with arms extended holding the ball—these were Sheng Xingming’s weak-side scoring trio from back in the day.

How many times have you watched Sheng Xingming? Exactly how much do you like Sheng Xingming?

Zhou Zhexiao couldn’t control his jealousy toward his past self.

Liu Suchen rolled his eyes at the sky, resting one hand on his hip while tugging Xia Chiyi’s back collar with the other: “Stop! You two stop it! We’re playing against Connecticut; this is Qing Da’s basketball arena!”

Yang Huaiyu swept back his sweat-dampened hair and laughed, “Is this the legendary Qing Da love story?”

Xia Chiyi instantly snapped out of it and immediately left Zhou Zhexiao’s embrace.

Unable to hold back, Carpenter called a timeout. His brows were deeply furrowed, his expression ugly, and even his voice while instructing the players was very loud.

Xia Chiyi’s wave of performance had greatly stimulated the Connecticut players.

Arthur sat in his chair, wiping his sweat; Gloomy Bro handed him a bottle of mineral water.

A single exchange of glances between the two of them, and even without saying a single word, they could understand what the other was thinking: That small potato is truly too difficult to deal with.

—Unbeatable, unblockable, unbreakable.

The only player on the Connecticut side who hadn’t taken the court yet was a Latino boy with a wreath of rose tattoos around his neck. His features were sharply chiseled, exuding a rebellious wildness. The back of his jersey read his name: Santos.

From the start of the game until now, Santos had only smiled with his teammates during the initial warm-up. Ever since Xia Chiyi made his first shot, he had been keeping a close eye on the opponents.

He sensed the crisis a step earlier than all his teammates, and even the assistant coach.

That group of opposing basketball players who looked fragile—who would be mistaken for middle schoolers on Connecticut’s campus—were no ordinary individuals.

They had flexible skills, teamwork, and drive; a single misstep was enough to plunge Connecticut into their Waterloo.

Carpenter nodded toward Santos.

Santos stood up, and the sports jacket draped over his shoulders slipped onto the seat.

Xia Chiyi couldn’t resist turning his head to look at Santos. This guy was almost two meters tall (6’6″). The muscles all over his body possessed a taut, streamlined feel; he didn’t look as bulky as Martin and Jenkins, but Xia Chiyi had a premonition that this guy’s explosive power and speed were incredibly strong.

The next second, Xia Chiyi was knocked on the top of the head by Li Xiaoran.

“Small potato, focus.”

Xia Chiyi rubbed the top of his head and muttered, “Anyone who calls me a small potato will suffer defeat.”

Li Xiaoran rarely smiled, but he did, and continued to lay out the tactics.

“We will use a 2-3 high post defense next. Having subbed Mo Chuang out, our interior isn’t as strong as theirs, so it’s better to completely empty the interior and focus our offense on baseline cuts and dribble penetrations. Zhou Zhexiao, you still have ample stamina; you are the main force for cutting in. Liu Suchen, Yang Huaiyu, you two also need to step up and shred their zone defense. Xia Chiyi, Lu Yingnan, the backcourt double blades, stab them ruthlessly for me.”

“Understood!”

Xia Chiyi extended his fist and bumped it with Lu Yingnan’s.

With three minutes left in the third quarter, the point gap between the two teams was only 4 points.

Xia Chiyi initially thought Arthur would be subbed out, but he didn’t expect the shooting guard, Rudy, to go down. This guy’s three-pointers were very accurate, and he could drive to the basket; he was a very tricky swingman. Subbing out such a scoring core—did they want him to rest well to deliver a fatal blow to them in the final quarter?

The newly substituted Santos rotated his wrists. Sensing Xia Chiyi’s gaze, he turned his face to look at him.

That patch of rose tattoos was simply too conspicuous, but staring at someone like this was definitely impolite. Xia Chiyi immediately lowered his head, pretending to tug at his T-shirt.

Who knew Santos would point at the tattoo on his neck and say calmly, “It’s OK to come nearer.”

Xia Chiyi shook his head, “No, thanks.”

That arrogant Jenkins pulled a smirk, walked over to Zhou Zhexiao, and gestured at his neck, “You are dead meat.”

Zhou Zhexiao dropped a “You are drunk” and turned away, his face expressionless, his tone cool.

Sometimes, trash talk didn’t need to be too nasty; just displaying an attitude of treating the other person like trash could also infuriate them to death.

For example, Jenkins was clearly choking on his own breath.

But less than ten seconds after the game restarted, Xia Chiyi realized that Jenkins’s words weren’t bragging about himself, but referring to Santos.

This guy’s dribbling was powerful and his speed was fast. In the blink of an eye, he bypassed Zhou Zhexiao, causing the entire arena to gasp.

He cut to the basket, took a mid-air stride, squeezed between Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen, and with a clever flick of the wrist, the ball went in.

Santos’s solo fast breaks were astonishingly strong. He intercepted Lu Yingnan’s high pass to Yang Huaiyu mid-air; his speed and jumping ability made Xia Chiyi’s mouth drop open wide enough to fit a lightbulb.

Immediately after, Santos charged under the basket again, fast and ruthless. But Yang Huaiyu was no pushover; he chased the defense all the way, and Liu Suchen and Zhou Zhexiao also rushed under the basket.

Mid-air, Santos executed a small double-clutch. Finding the perfect timing, he pulled the ball back, switched it to the other hand, sensed the threat from Zhou Zhexiao’s hang time ability, and tossed the ball in from Liu Suchen’s side.

All these judgments were made not only mid-air but in a fleeting instant.

Santos looked at Yang Huaiyu, then at Liu Suchen, and said coolly, “You two guys are good, but tired.”

“What?” Liu Suchen ran a hand through his hair.

Yang Huaiyu barely managed to understand: “Said we’re not bad, but mocked our stamina, saying we’re tired, which is why we couldn’t stop him.”

Liu Suchen’s mindset on the court was always very good; he wouldn’t feel pressured by an opponent’s spectacular goal.

However, this was the first time he had been mocked over his stamina.

Liu Suchen curled the corner of his lips and sneered.

Zhou Zhexiao glanced at Xia Chiyi, and Xia Chiyi seemed to understand something.

Connecticut clearly treated Santos as their main scorer, with the whole team revolving around him. Santos broke into the basket again; in front were Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu, and behind him was the pursuing Zhou Zhexiao. As if caught in a mid-air cage, this guy showed absolutely no intention of passing, once again forcefully making a shot.

With a massive double-clutch, he practically floated through the gaps of the cage. Hooking his hand backward, it looked like the third ball was about to be tossed in.

But before the ball left his hand—smack—it was swatted away!

Before Santos’s eyes were the focused eyes of Xia Chiyi. Why is he here?

Hasn’t this little guy been active exclusively on the perimeter?

In fact, the moment Santos drove to the basket, Xia Chiyi also ran toward it. Arthur didn’t know what this kid was planning but followed closely, only to be blocked by Lu Yingnan.

Xia Chiyi executed a beautiful time differential play, blocking the ball while Santos was descending.

This was his and Zhou Zhexiao’s most tacitly understood under-the-basket time-differential defense, specifically targeting these players with powerful hang time who loved doing double-clutch drifts under the basket.

“Zhou Zhexiao—go!”

Xia Chiyi’s pass was so fast it was a blur. The moment Zhou Zhexiao caught it, he turned and ran. His dribbling sprint speed even surpassed Santos!

Jenkins naturally refused to let Zhou Zhexiao pass; his massive body and fast-moving defense were like a city wall.

Zhou Zhexiao’s speed was so fast it seemed he wanted to crash right through Jenkins; even Jenkins’s own heartbeat almost flatlined! But Zhou Zhexiao straightforwardly executed a power dribble breakthrough right in front of Jenkins. A hop step to gather the ball with both hands, a single fake sent Jenkins flying. Following right behind, center Martin, small forward Carl, and Santos all rushed back, but Zhou Zhexiao quickly spun right in front of them. His fadeaway jumper was sharp and elegant.

This shot seamlessly integrated speed, dribbling, a fake move, and a mid-range jumper.

Assistant Coach Carpenter on the sidelines was dumbfounded.

Santos, who had still harbored some arrogance in his heart, finally revealed an expression of surprise.

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[Author’s Note]
Xia Chiyi: New skill equipped! Improvised thinking, improvised learning, I’m just a little genius!