HGTM CH90
Chapter 0090: Advancing to the Top Four of the Southeast Division
Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu turned to Zhuo Zheng once again. Zhuo Zheng’s expression was somewhat ugly.
“Were you really teammates with Zhou Zhexiao?” Yang Huaiyu pointed at the court.
This was already Zhou Zhexiao’s second assist.
What made Zhuo Zheng fall silent wasn’t Du He’s putback dunk, but the sense of teamwork Zhou Zhexiao displayed.
Could getting into a car crash and lying in a hospital bed for a month or two really completely reinvent a person?
How is that possible?
Zhou Zhexiao continued to slice through Chujiang University’s defense. Eight minutes into the second quarter, the opposing coach called a timeout.
Chujiang University’s captain, Gao Chong, received instructions from the coach—he was to guard Zhou Zhexiao one-on-one.
As Gao Chong listened to the coach’s directives, he could hear the heavy breathing of the teammate beside him. It sounded like… a dilapidated bellows that could collapse and fall apart at any moment.
He glanced over and saw it was Liu Ge, the teammate responsible for marking Xia Chiyi.
“Hey, are you alright?” Gao Chong asked.
“I’m fine.” Liu Ge took a large gulp of water, resting the cup on his knee as he tried to regulate his breathing.
When he closed his eyes, even his eyelashes were trembling.
Gao Chong knew Xia Chiyi had been running extensively in the second quarter. Maintaining sticky defense the entire time was definitely exhausting, but it had only been eight minutes. How could he be this tired?
Gao Chong subconsciously looked across the court. At this moment, Xia Chiyi was also drinking water, leaning in close to Zhou Zhexiao’s ear and whispering something. His condition was visibly much more relaxed than Liu Ge’s.
In the stands, the spectators were also chatting. Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen continued to act like conjoined twins, making Ke Yan want to beat up his own team’s ace.
This guy really forgets the pain once the scar heals. Did you forget how Liu Suchen and Lu Yingnan conspired against you?
“By the way, Xia Chiyi hasn’t really scored in the second quarter. It seems Chujiang University’s sticky defense is working,” Yang Huaiyu observed.
Liu Suchen nodded. “It looks like after our practice match, Chujiang University conducted highly targeted research on Xia Chiyi. This player guarding him must have been specifically trained by them.”
“If Xia Chiyi can’t shake off this Liu Ge by the third quarter, it’ll be equivalent to broadcasting the method of sealing Xia Chiyi to every other university team. All of our teams will just copy them.”
Liu Suchen looked at Xia Chiyi. The guy’s mood didn’t seem affected at all; he was even jumping onto Ye Zhaoying’s back and roughhousing with him.
In stark contrast, Chujiang University’s Liu Ge was visibly drained.
“Xia Chiyi… is a little monster. To completely seal him, you need the stamina to stick to him for a full forty minutes,” Liu Suchen stated.
Hearing this, Zhuo Zheng glanced at Xia Chiyi.
This boy looked like a pretty boy from an idol drama, not someone who could handle much pressure.
Even in professional games, very few athletes could endure being tightly marked by an opponent for forty minutes straight. They would almost always be subbed out halfway through to adjust their rhythm, condition, and rest to recover stamina.
With Xia Chiyi running this much, Zhuo Zheng estimated he wouldn’t last until the fourth quarter. It just depended on when Ling Huanzhen would sub him out.
Zhuo Zheng remembered a few days ago when Lu Yingnan went to talk to the coach, saying he wanted to single-mark Xia Chiyi in their match.
At the time, the coach just smiled and replied: “Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken? If there is anyone at Ningchang University who requires your single coverage, it should be Zhou Zhexiao.”
The entire Southwest Aviation U basketball team had been perplexed. What was so special about this Xia Chiyi that it made Lu Yingnan request a one-on-one marking assignment from the coach?
The timeout ended, and the match resumed.
Ye Zhaoying initiated a fast break with the ball. Zhou Zhexiao surged into the paint in one breath, caught the pass, and facing Gao Chong’s defense, executed a post-up, a spin, and a fadeaway jumper, catching Gao Chong completely off guard.
The shoulder-shake fake not only fooled Gao Chong, but even Yang Huaiyu and Liu Suchen in the stands admitted they couldn’t have predicted it. The rapid release and the high arc of the shot sent waves of gasps through the audience.
Not to mention the club scouts.
They hadn’t expected to see such an effortless, professional-style post-up fadeaway jumper in a college Division I league match.
It was a beauty that perfectly blended power, timing, and space.
At that moment, Xia Chiyi had been faking out Liu Ge. When Zhou Zhexiao took the shot, he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks, causing Liu Ge to crash right into him.
Liu Ge was just about to say “Sorry” when he heard Xia Chiyi shout, “Freaking handsome!”
After Zhou Zhexiao landed, he turned around, looked at him, and smiled very faintly.
He raised a hand and brushed his sweat-dampened bangs upward, but one strand stubbornly slipped back down.
Xia Chiyi’s heart seemed to experience a moment of weightlessness right along with that strand of hair.
By the end of the half, Ningchang University led Chujiang University 52 to 44.
During the halftime break, the spectator stands began to empty out.
Some went to buy water, others to the restroom.
Liu Suchen gave Yang Huaiyu a tug. “Let’s go, let’s step out for some fresh air.”
The two walked out just like that. Ke Yan watched their retreating backs and thought: Who knows what those two are conspiring about now.
Zhuo Zheng, however, walked down the stands step by step, arriving at the side of Ningchang University’s bench area, right where he could clearly see Zhou Zhexiao.
A teammate next to Zhou Zhexiao had knocked over a water bottle, and the spilled water ended up soaking his shorts.
He didn’t get angry; he just took the towel Xia Chiyi handed him, dabbed the water off his leg, then lifted his towel and draped the other half over Xia Chiyi’s head. Following that, he tore open an energy bar and stuffed it into Xia Chiyi’s mouth.
As if he had fed him countless times, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Hey, you shoved it into my nostril!” Xia Chiyi glared at him in annoyance.
“Then bite it with your mouth,” Zhou Zhexiao replied calmly. “If you don’t eat it, careful you don’t collapse before that Liu Ge does in the next quarter.”
Xia Chiyi gave a sly smile. So Zhou Zhexiao knows exactly what I’m plotting.
He was deliberately trying to drain Liu Ge’s stamina so he would be forced off the court as soon as possible.
While biting the energy bar, Xia Chiyi lifted a corner of the towel and unexpectedly met Zhuo Zheng’s gaze.
Zhuo Zheng’s eyes were somewhat terrifying, making Xia Chiyi associate him with a wild beast—one that would use its sharp claws and fangs to destroy the hunter’s trap and bite through the hunter’s throat in return.
Xia Chiyi nudged Zhou Zhexiao with his elbow. “Hey, that guy wearing the Southwest Aviation U uniform has been staring at you for a long time. He looks like a thug from a debt collection agency, and you owe him hundreds of millions. He looks like he might jump down with a bucket of paint and splash it all over your face at any second.”
He could understand a fighting spirit, but he couldn’t understand this hostility.
“What kind of short videos have you been scrolling lately? A debt collection agency thug?” Zhou Zhexiao took a sip of water, completely unbothered.
“Since when do I scroll through debt collection videos? The ones Ye Zhaoying sends me are all about penniless pretty boys winning over rich heiresses by cooking good meals, okay!”
He finally succeeded in making Zhou Zhexiao furrow his brows.
“Cooking good meals? Your level is just boiling instant noodles with sausage,” Ye Zhaoying chuckled heartily.
It had to be said, listening to these two chat made the tense atmosphere of the match dissipate entirely.
Just as Ye Zhaoying took a mouthful of water, he heard Zhou Zhexiao say, “I really like instant noodles with sausage.” Ye Zhaoying instantly sprayed the water out, nearly hitting Ling Huanzhen, who was walking over.
Ling Huanzhen agilely jumped back two steps, dodging Ye Zhaoying’s sneak attack.
“Come on, come on, has everyone adjusted their breathing? Currently, we hold the initiative. They will probably continue to tight-mark Xia Chiyi in the second half. Xia Chiyi, can you endure it?”
“I’ll definitely outlast Liu Ge.” The corners of Xia Chiyi’s mouth lifted slightly. He had to thank Jiao Yingfeng and Fan Qingliang for their training, which had given his physical stamina a qualitative leap.
Ling Huanzhen smiled at his brimming confidence.
Zhou Zhexiao also raised his hand and, through the towel, pressed down on the back of Xia Chiyi’s head.
“I’m waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for you to unleash a massacre,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.
“Then we have a deal, you can’t use me as a human armrest in public…”
Before Xia Chiyi could finish his sentence, Zhou Zhexiao’s hand moved to the front of Xia Chiyi’s face and clamped firmly over his mouth. At the same time, he forcefully pressed Xia Chiyi against his side, covering his mouth so tightly he couldn’t speak.
“Mmph… Mmph mmph…”
Ye Zhaoying said cheerfully, “The person who can negotiate terms with Zhou Zhexiao probably hasn’t been born yet!”
Across the court, the atmosphere on Chujiang University’s side was much heavier.
Gao Chong’s defense on Zhou Zhexiao hadn’t been very effective, so their coach decided to let Gao Chong focus purely on scoring.
When the coach looked at Liu Ge, his gaze stalled in shock.
Because Liu Ge’s breathing was extremely heavy, as if he had just run several 50-meter sprints back-to-back. His chest and back were completely soaked with sweat.
Chujiang University’s coach was quite experienced. After the practice match between the two schools, he had correctly predicted the massive threat Xia Chiyi would pose. Liu Ge was someone he had specifically hired a trainer for, grooming him precisely to counter Xia Chiyi’s skills.
The effect was obvious, but its expiration date seemed far too short.
“Liu Ge, can you still hold on?” the coach asked.
Liu Ge clenched his fists. He had suffered so much bitterness over the past two months; was he going to be subbed out after just one quarter?
Chujiang University had many bench players. His chances of stepping onto higher-level stages weren’t high. Guarding Xia Chiyi was probably his only battlefield.
“I can hold on.” Liu Ge looked at the coach with resolute determination.
The game was about to start, and the spectators successively returned to their seats. Zhuo Zheng also turned and left.
Finally no longer feeling that gaze that seemed intent on dissecting him, Xia Chiyi felt a bit more at ease.
Liu Suchen and Yang Huaiyu also returned from their chat.
As soon as they sat down, Ke Yan put Yang Huaiyu in a headlock. “Traitor, what did you and that vixen Liu talk about?”
“N-Nothing much… Just our views on marking Xia Chiyi…”
“What views?”
“Just… you can’t not mark him, but you can’t have just one person mark him… You have to consider a rotating defender strategy… Simply put, you mark him for five minutes, then swap me in to mark him, and keep rotating…”
Yang Huaiyu patted the back of Ke Yan’s hand, feeling that if he didn’t die by Liu Suchen’s hands, he’d be directly executed by Ke Yan.
“You guys went out for so long just to talk about this nonsense? So boring.”
Yang Huaiyu put on an aggrieved expression. “How is this nonsense? This clearly requires immense courage and boldness.”
Ke Yan lowered his eyes and pondered for two seconds before he had to agree with Yang Huaiyu’s perspective.
“In today’s match, Xia Chiyi hasn’t really displayed his dribble penetration abilities. A one-on-one mark is basically an extreme one-for-one trade. By keeping him locked down, it also means we lose the utility of one of our own players.”
Just one minute into the third quarter, Xia Chiyi actually made a proactive steal!
“Holy crap!” Ke Yan’s eyes went wide.
Liu Ge was still trailing behind Xia Chiyi, but it was obvious his shadowing wasn’t as tight as before.
Right in front of him, Xia Chiyi executed a wrap-around dribble. When Liu Ge turned, he nearly fell over from the momentum, while Xia Chiyi executed a side-step and prepared to dip the ball for a shot!
“Don’t go—” Ke Yan immediately realized Liu Ge was half a beat too slow.
Sure enough, the moment Xia Chiyi jumped, he was crashed into by the desperate, rushing Liu Ge. Yet, even while clearly losing his balance, his three-pointer still maintained an incredibly beautiful arc.
A loud whistle blew as the referee signaled a foul on Liu Ge, but the ball still swished into the net!
Xia Chiyi fell back and sat on the ground. He didn’t rush to get up; instead, resting his hands on his knees, he smiled at Liu Ge in front of him and said, “Rest. Take a rest.”
Liu Ge swayed slightly, lifting the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his chin with great difficulty.
Yes, he needed rest.
But a few seconds of rest was far from enough.
Ye Zhaoying was the first to run over, forcefully ruffling Xia Chiyi’s hair. “You actually stole the ball? Dragging a little tail behind you and you still did my job! You must be feeling pretty smug, huh?”
Shuai Bei swaggered over with his hands on his hips. “For making that shot, I can reluctantly call you ‘Master’.”
On the court, He Bin laughed while forcefully rubbing the corner of his eye. That shot had just elevated his perception of Xia Chiyi’s level.
Waves of applause echoed from the stands.
The referee signaled for an additional free throw.
Liu Ge stood there frozen. At that moment, he felt like he couldn’t hear any other sounds; only the referee’s whistle was slicing through his world.
He didn’t understand. How on earth did Xia Chiyi do that?
His body had clearly lost its balance, so why did the ball still go in?
Truthfully, when Liu Ge ran over, he knew he was highly likely to commit a foul.
This was also the defensive strategy the coach had instructed him on: If you foul, you foul. Xia Chiyi has consumed so much stamina, he might not have the ability to make all three free throws. Even at the cost of a foul, stop him; just minimize the points lost as much as possible.
But the reality playing out before him was completely beyond Liu Ge’s expectations.
Even Chujiang University’s coach had his lips slightly parted, doubting his own eyes.
Commentators Chen Hui and Xu Mi entered hype mode.
“He took the shot! After a quarter of silence, Xia Chiyi finally took a shot! Steal, breakthrough, sudden stop jumper, the full package! Xia Chiyi completed this shot entirely on his own, without needing anyone to pave the way for him!”
“Even when knocked over in mid-air, the shooting arc didn’t waver in the slightest! Truly, defenses flow away like water, but Xia Chiyi stands solid as iron!”
Being a shooting guard himself, Li Shunchuan swallowed hard and said coldly, “This wasn’t a coincidence. Delivering the perfect shooting arc has already become an instinct carved into his body. This guy’s ’21-point shooting’ training wasn’t for nothing… He can maintain stability in his shots even in a state of exhaustion.”
“This defense… it seems it was all in vain.” Liu Suchen pulled up the corners of his mouth. So Xia Chiyi also used the 21-point scoring training just like him.
As Xia Chiyi calmly sank the free throw, it signaled that his ultimate move’s cooldown period was officially over.
Watching his back as he made the free throw, Liu Ge finally realized that the crazy off-ball running in the previous quarter wasn’t the desperate struggle of a cornered beast; it was Xia Chiyi intentionally draining his stamina.
This guy’s daily training volume had to be greater than his own, persisting for much longer, otherwise, he wouldn’t have this kind of endurance and stability.
In the ensuing match, the interactions between Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi grew more frequent. Zhou Zhexiao often sprinted around to Xia Chiyi’s opposite side and whipped fast passes to him. Every ball was passed at a unique angle, yet Xia Chiyi managed to catch every single one.
Xia Chiyi would either dribble past Liu Ge, slash into the paint, and pass to Shuai Bei for a shot, or use various fakes to create distance and shoot himself. Two consecutive three-pointers helped Ningchang University widen the point gap further.
The club scouts marveled once again. Why is this kid always able to exceed expectations?
Zhuo Zheng’s expression was incredibly solemn. He didn’t join the ranks of those discussing Xia Chiyi; after all, Lu Yingnan had already declared he would lock Xia Chiyi down.
What he cared about was Zhou Zhexiao.
The passes Zhou Zhexiao threw to Xia Chiyi weren’t balls just anyone could catch. They required agile reflexes and mutual tacit understanding. Zhou Zhexiao’s trust in Xia Chiyi could be described as completely unreserved, making people wonder if they shared a single brain.
Was this still the arrogant, conceited Zhou Zhexiao?
Zhuo Zheng found it hard to imagine him establishing a connection with another person on the court.
Like a star that only wanted to shine alone willingly sinking into a galaxy.
Previously, when watching Ningchang University’s game recordings, the Southwest Aviation U coach and Lu Yingnan had discussed Zhou Zhexiao, saying he was a kaleidoscope on both the offensive and defensive ends. Zhuo Zheng had thought they were just intimidated by Zhou Zhexiao’s flashy American-style skills.
But what was with the five-plus assists right in front of him? What was with this rapid fallback defensive awareness? Even his teammates’ understanding of his intentions exceeded Zhuo Zheng’s expectations.
This was an entirely new Zhou Zhexiao, completely overturning Zhuo Zheng’s perception of him. As it stood right now, he didn’t even seem to have any weaknesses.
Thump—Thump—Thump— His heart began to beat violently. This was the thrill of locking onto a target.
Zhuo Zheng leaned back. Fine… at the very least, crushing this version of Zhou Zhexiao will give a much greater sense of achievement.
The fourth quarter commenced. Even though Chujiang University adjusted their tactics, they were like a large ship at sea unable to control its own direction, drifting helplessly with the current.
The two commentators also focused on the fast breaks spearheaded by Zhou Zhexiao.
Chen Hui: “Zhou Zhexiao catches the ball and rides the waves! Like a sharp dagger, he pierces straight into the enemy’s heart once again—Du He catches it for a one-handed dunk! Beautiful!”
Xu Mi: “Ningchang University’s rhythm is getting faster and faster, while Chujiang University’s exhaustion is glaringly obvious. They have already subbed out two players. Meanwhile, on Ningchang University’s side—although Xia Chiyi has been subjected to sticky defense by Liu Ge the entire time, it is obvious he has broken out of his cocoon, continuously launching threatening attacks!”
At five minutes and twenty seconds into the fourth quarter, Ye Zhaoying brought the ball just past the centerline. Unexpectedly, Xia Chiyi followed along. Ye Zhaoying teased him in his mind: Why aren’t you going back to being lovey-dovey with your opponent?
He didn’t expect Xia Chiyi to raise a hand and actively ask for the ball!
It was truly rare to see Xia Chiyi actively ask for the ball. Interesting!
Ye Zhaoying’s mouth grinned. His eyes looked toward Zhou Zhexiao, but he passed the ball to Xia Chiyi.
Xia Chiyi caught the ball, his gaze clashing with Liu Ge’s. An invisible crossing of blades hung in the air.
There were quite a few Xia Chiyi fans at the venue, and they shouted excitedly: “Xia Chiyi—bomb them!”
As he faced Liu Ge and started dribbling, cheers erupted from all sides.
“Xia Chiyi, pass him—”
“Drop a three!”
Liu Ge’s nerves were taut to the extreme. The Xia Chiyi opposite him was expressionless, his eyes locked onto him coldly. Liu Ge felt as if he were being controlled, shifting left and right following Xia Chiyi’s dribble. In one specific instant, Xia Chiyi’s knee clearly turned to the left, but he suddenly pulled back, executed a side-step to the right to create space, and went straight into his shooting motion!
Liu Ge’s heart was about to leap out of his throat as he yelled: “Rebound—”
Three-pointers demanded immense stamina; the moment the shooting motion warped, it would be a miss.
Xia Chiyi had been running non-stop just to shake him off; he wouldn’t be able to make it!
This shot captured everyone’s attention; even Chen Hui and Xu Mi forgot to commentate.
Ningchang University’s cheering squad all stood up in unison.
The basketball was pushed into the air, maintaining Xia Chiyi’s consistent high arc, traveling through the countless gazes fixed upon it.
Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head back, watching it fly away.
Under the basket, Shuai Bei and Du He had already boxed out their opponents and prepared for the rebound, but the basketball leisurely swished right through the net.
It silently mocked everyone: I dictate my own trajectory. Who do you think you are?
That moment of exhilaration made even the teammates on the bench jump up in place.
“It’s in—” Xu Mi shouted loudly.
“Extremely standard, extremely elegant, extremely… Xia Chiyi style!”
Liu Ge’s mind buzzed loudly. He had been sticking to him for nearly two full quarters, and the guy had been running off-ball the entire time… Why… why isn’t Xia Chiyi tired yet?
Gao Chong passed by Liu Ge and patted his shoulder. “You can’t possibly defend every single one of his shots. Keep dragging him down!”
Liu Ge pulled at his collar and wiped the sweat hanging from his chin.
Thump—Thump—Thump—
He could hear his own heartbeat. His legs felt as heavy as cement, and taking a single step forward produced a feeling of weightlessness.
Before Xia Chiyi even turned around, he heard gasps of shock from around him. Looking back, he found that Liu Ge had collapsed on the floor.
The Chujiang University players rushed forward to support him, and the coach hurriedly subbed him out. The onsite doctor checked him over and concluded it was likely temporary hypoxia in the brain caused by the rapid depletion of stamina in a short period, which affected his balance. He would be fine after some rest.
Liu Ge sat on the bench with a towel draped over his head, tears dripping down.
He didn’t even have the energy to ask the coach: I clearly worked so hard, my defensive running kept up with Xia Chiyi almost perfectly, so why is the result still like this?
The coach seemed to know what he was thinking and patted his head through the towel. “We can only say that we underestimated Xia Chiyi.”
“Is his talent just that overwhelming?” Liu Ge asked with a trembling voice.
“Perhaps telling you the truth will make you even more unwilling to accept it, but I must say it. The fact that Xia Chiyi could lead you on an almost non-stop run for a quarter and a half proves he was fully confident in his ability to drain your stamina. This confidence comes from daily training, not baseless arrogance.”
“Which means, the training he undergoes daily is several times more exhausting than mine, right?”
“Yes. Liu Ge, you kept him quiet for an entire quarter; we didn’t come away entirely empty-handed.” The coach let out an exhale.
The tears in Liu Ge’s eyes overflowed even more, and the constantly moving figures on the court became blurry.
So it wasn’t just talent; I couldn’t even beat Xia Chiyi when it came to hard work?
Time continued to slip away, and Chujiang University was never able to narrow the point gap. The newly subbed-in player couldn’t restrain Xia Chiyi at all.
When Xia Chiyi broke left and passed right, faking out defenders once again, the other spectating teams finally realized that Liu Ge’s defense had already been one in a million.
Shuai Bei caught the ball and charged into the paint. He boldly attempted a jump shot. If this ball went in, it would be his fifth field goal of the game.
Power forwards with mid-range shooting capabilities were highly sought after in the current CBA. Unfortunately, this shot clanked off the rim.
Just as the scouts were expressing their regret, the moment Shuai Bei landed, he charged toward the basket and personally slammed the bouncing ball back in with a putback dunk.
“Beautiful!” Ling Huanzhen applauded Shuai Bei.
Those scouts revealed thoughtful expressions.
On the court, missing a shot was completely normal. Missing wasn’t scary; the key lay in what the player did afterward.
Shuai Bei’s handling of the ball and his thirst for scoring made the scouts recognize his immense potential.
Ultimately, Ningchang University defeated Chujiang University 103 to 85, advancing into the top four of the Southeast Division.
“Congratulations to the Ningchang University basketball team for conquering another city! They have charged forward triumphantly all the way—from the Jin Province grassroots champions, to advancing as the first seed in the Southeast Division group stage, and now to the Southeast Division top four! They have used their strength to prove that none of this is a coincidence; they are a bona fide powerhouse of the Southeast Division!”
“There are too many spectacular moments to remember from this match! Zhou Zhexiao’s slashes into the paint were simply ‘Kills a man in ten paces, leaves no trace in a thousand miles’!” Chen Hui stated, quoting Li Bai.
“And Du He’s multiple driving layups were like ‘Jagged rocks piercing the sky, shocking waves crashing the shore, rolling up thousands of snowy crests’—truly impossible to defend against!” Xu Mi quoted Su Shi.
“Xu Mi, are you trying to start a relay? I can keep going! Shuai Bei’s putback dunk could be called ‘The slumbering dragon has awakened, one roar shakes a thousand mountains’! Everyone has witnessed his strength! He isn’t just a blue-collar worker who only knows rebounds and blocks!”
“Let me recall my high school literature textbook. Speaking of Xia Chiyi, his three-pointers today were as brilliant as ever; even when knocked over, he still made the shot! It’s truly ‘I will draw the carved bow like a full moon, look northwest, and shoot the Heavenly Wolf!’“
“Then Ye Zhaoying’s steals are ‘Sitting astride a horse with blade drawn, who dares to cross his path?’“
“Now that you mention it, looking at current stats, Ye Zhaoying is on track to become the Steals King of our Southeast Division!”
Chen Hui and Xu Mi had held back for a very long time. Previously, whenever they praised Ningchang University, many people would come out to doom-post and criticize them.
Now, they could finally use this victory to thoroughly express the admiration in their hearts.
On the bench, Chen Chuan and the other players were already crying.
“We entered the top four, oh my god… is this a dream? Someone pinch me awake!”
“Last year, I was too embarrassed to even tell others I was on the Ningchang U basketball team for fear they’d laugh at me! Now it’s different; I want to tell everyone!”
Xia Chiyi tilted his head back and let out a deep exhale. The excitement of the match had made him forget everything, but the moment victory was confirmed, his nerves relaxed, and exhaustion gradually welled up in his heart.
The two teams lined up to shake hands, and Xia Chiyi met Liu Ge once again.
“Can you tell me, with all that full-court running, how did you manage to remain so accurate?” Liu Ge looked at Xia Chiyi. He needed an answer.
Was it that his own effort wasn’t enough, or was Xia Chiyi simply blessed with extraordinary talent?
“Probably because my master always made me start shooting practice only after I was already exhausted.”
Liu Ge was stunned. So every time I felt I had worked hard enough, I had only just reached Xia Chiyi’s starting line?
“Thank you, Liu Ge,” Xia Chiyi spoke.
“Ah? Thank me for what?”
“Thank you for letting me know that the training I gritted my teeth and persevered through was meaningful.”
Liu Ge closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his expression was even more resolute. “Thank you too, for letting me know that with an opponent like you on the court, I don’t even have the chance to compete in talent yet; I already lose just competing in effort.”
“We are in our youth; it’s not time to draw final conclusions yet. I look forward to the National Tournament when your defense levels up,” Xia Chiyi said very earnestly.
Liu Ge smiled. “See you at the Nationals!”
Du He’s parents had already come to the sidelines, sprinting over excitedly to hug their son tightly.
“Son, you have to play basketball! You have to keep playing! Today I realized you are truly, incredibly suited for basketball!” Du He’s dad was so excited he kept repeating the words “play basketball”.
His mom also said, “Your dad and I are still young, we can work for a long time yet. As long as you want to keep playing, keep playing. Just play until you can’t play anymore! You don’t have to come back and sell sweet potatoes!”
Shuai Bei exhaled. Honestly, he was a little envious that Du He had received his parents’ full support.
Just then, Shuai Bei heard someone shouting from the first row of the stands nearby: “Shuai Bei, look over here!”
Shuai Bei instinctively turned his head and found that the person holding the camera was actually his agent from when he worked as a print model.
“Andy, why are you here?”
The man called Andy was wearing a sports outfit and said cheerfully, “Hey, you gave up my highly lucrative path of making money to choose basketball, so of course I had to come see how far you could go!”
Shuai Bei smiled. “Can you even understand it?”
“Maybe I don’t understand the rules as well as you do, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel the bursting hormones! Shuai Bei, if you become a professional player, you can still hire me as your agent!” Andy said with a laugh.
“Give it a rest, becoming a professional player isn’t that easy.”
Andy waved him over. When Shuai Bei got closer, he heard him say: “There are CBA club scouts sitting in the row in front of me, and I heard them mention your name!”
Shuai Bei froze. When he looked at Andy again, Andy nodded emphatically.
At this time, Ling Huanzhen’s phone was buzzing constantly. He thought it was Jiao Yingfeng calling on WeChat, but it turned out to be an assistant coach from a CBA club.
Ling Huanzhen thought the other party wanted to inquire about Zhou Zhexiao and Xia Chiyi again, but unexpectedly, the coach stated outright that they were interested in Du He and Shuai Bei, asking if they had time to grab a meal and chat with the two boys.
Everyone was still immersed in the joy of victory.
Ling Huanzhen pulled Du He and Shuai Bei aside and told them there were clubs interested in them, asking if they were willing to meet.
Du He’s eyes instantly lit up. He felt like all this was a dream. His mom and dad had just told him to keep playing basketball, and he originally wanted to say that he probably couldn’t continue playing after graduating college. He hadn’t expected a club to inquire about him immediately.
Shuai Bei’s expression was much calmer, perhaps because Andy had tipped him off earlier, or perhaps because Zhou Zhexiao had already laid the groundwork for them the night before… So as long as we persevere, we can still find the path we desire?
“Coach, who is our opponent tomorrow? Qincheng University or Southeast Mining U?” Shuai Bei asked.
“It should be Southeast Mining U.”
“Then instead of listening to club representatives draw big pies in the sky, we’d rather go back and study today’s Southeast Mining U game more,” Shuai Bei said.
Du He also calmed down.
“My personality easily tends to overthink things. I don’t have Zhou Zhexiao’s decisiveness, nor do I have a big heart like Xia Chiyi’s, where he can be tightly guarded yet still drag the opponent to exhaustion… What I can do right now is focus on the immediate match. If we lose the next game, they won’t be interested in us anymore anyway, right?”
An indescribable emotion surged in Ling Huanzhen’s heart.
He had expected that Du He and Shuai Bei wouldn’t be completely blinded by victory, but seeing them clearly confirm what they wanted, Ling Huanzhen knew he never had to worry about their futures again.
Du He and Shuai Bei returned to the locker room. Shuai Bei specifically walked behind Xia Chiyi and pressed his large hand down on the back of his head.
“Whatever flavor of pizza you want, you can have as much as you like, just don’t waste it.”
Hearing this, Xia Chiyi’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t expected Zhou Zhexiao’s words to act like a prophecy. A club had actually taken a liking to Shuai Bei?
“We didn’t agree to meet them. We want to play the next match well first,” Shuai Bei told Xia Chiyi while changing his clothes.
In that moment, his image in Xia Chiyi’s mind became incomparably grand.
“Shuai Bei, you really make me look at you with new eyes! Poverty cannot alter your course, power and force cannot bend your knee; you are a true man!”
Shuai Bei: “…Did you really pass your college entrance exam in Literature?”
What kind of messy analogies are these?
Zhou Zhexiao packed his sports bag with extreme calmness. “It’s better not to meet them yet. Because once we win the Southeast Division Championship, higher-level clubs will likely contact you.”
Shuai Bei: “I feel like you just planted another badass flag.”
Xia Chiyi laughed and slung an arm around Zhou Zhexiao’s shoulder. “He is our Ningchang University’s King of Flags!”
Standing in stark contrast to Xia Chiyi’s joyous mood was the Jin Province provincial team coach, Ma Hongming.
At the moment Liu Ge collapsed, Ma Hongming nearly shattered his laptop screen.
“What exactly is going on?! Even this kind of trailing defense can’t stop him?! Since when is Xia Chiyi that powerful?! Chujiang University is unworthy of being called a veteran powerhouse!”
What gave Ma Hongming an even worse heartache was his phone constantly pushing news about this match to him. This included topics evaluating Xia Chiyi for dragging down defenders.
Things like “The high-end hunter always appears as the prey,” and “Xia Chiyi — The Three-Point Shooter Who Exhausts Defenders the Most.”
Kulang even rapidly produced a video analyzing Xia Chiyi’s full-court off-ball movement, inviting an active CBA basketball player to break it down.
The player showed undisguised admiration. “I can’t even think of a single player in the CBA who could maintain this kind of running volume and still keep hitting shots. This young man used his strength to tell everyone that one-on-one single coverage is useless against him.”
Ma Hongming was utterly annoyed. Big Data was driving him insane. Just because he had searched for industry reviews on Xia Chiyi, now whenever he opened his phone, his entire screen was filled with Xia Chiyi. Following him like a shadow, constantly repeating and reminding him—Ma Hongming, you were blind, stubborn, and full of prejudice. The entire industry is waiting to laugh at you!
When Xia Chiyi and the others left the locker room, the people from Southeast Mining U also happened to be trickling out of theirs.
They had just heard that Southeast Mining U won a massive victory against Shenghai Jiaotong University, 110 to 73, and advanced to the top four.
When Xia Chiyi passed by their locker room, he poked his head in to take a peek, only to have a large hand clamp down on his head.
“Where did this little thief come from, peeking around the door of our locker room, what are your intentions?”
The moment he heard it, he knew it was Zhao Lingcong’s voice.
Xia Chiyi didn’t turn around. He just continued leaning against the doorframe and said coyly, “I came to look for that deadbeat Zhao Lingcong…”
After saying it, Xia Chiyi was so disgusted by himself he almost gagged on the spot.
“I heard you juked Chujiang University’s defending player until he fainted today?” Zhao Lingcong finally let go of his head, crossed his arms, and leaned against the same side as Xia Chiyi.
“News travels fast.”
“Mm. Right now, you’ve gained a new nickname: ‘Defender’s Nightmare’.”
When Xia Chiyi turned his face, he met Zhao Lingcong’s appreciative smile.
“Hey, Brother Cong… Could you please not smile like that?”
“What’s wrong with my smile?”
“You look like a loving father.”
“Is that so? When I was injured, I didn’t see you come show filial piety to daddy.” Zhao Lingcong’s gaze swept over Xia Chiyi’s head and saw Zhou Zhexiao standing not far away, waiting for them.
“Your partner doesn’t seem very happy.”
“My partner is dead serious every single day.” Xia Chiyi turned around, flashed a huge smile in Zhou Zhexiao’s direction, then punched Zhao Lingcong. “As long as your leg is fine, it’s good. That way, when I beat you to your knees in the official match, you won’t have any excuses.”
Saying that, Xia Chiyi swung his satchel behind him and ran toward Zhou Zhexiao.
Zhou Zhexiao turned and walked forward. The moment this guy took a step, he walked so fast he practically disowned all his relatives. Xia Chiyi tugged at his bag strap, and only then did he slow down a bit.
Zhao Lingcong watched his back and let out a deep sigh. “Truly, ‘you only see the new love laugh, and never hear the old love cry’…”
Ma Tao walked out with his hands in his pockets and nudged Zhao Lingcong’s lower back with his knee. “Why don’t you cry a bit and let me hear it?”
In another half hour, the match between Qincheng University and Southeast Water Conservancy University would begin.
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[Author’s Note]
Chen Hui and Xu Mi’s poetic metaphor commentaries are a tribute to the famous basketball commentator Teacher Yu Jia.