Chapter 13: 5 to 0

The next day marked the final day of the sports meet. Ming Han arrived early at the basketball court to warm up. Even if he wasn't in it to win, he had to give it his all for the sake of that MP4 player.

Yesterday had been his first game, where he came off the bench and racked up an impressive 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. After the match, Da Xu joked, "A triple-double in your first game—impressive, my man."

Da Xu’s performance yesterday had been dismal—he hit only 2 out of 7 shots, scoring 5 points, despite playing a full thirty minutes. Ming Han patted Da Xu on the shoulder and said, “Watching you shoot really makes me anxious for you.”

Some things simply come down to talent. Ming Han could barely dribble at this point, nor did he have much in the way of basketball skills, but his shooting touch was excellent. During practice, Da Xu rarely managed to beat him.

With uncharacteristic seriousness, Da Xu declared, “Ming Han, today I’ll prove myself.”

It was worth noting that Class Six’s small forward had quite the reputation. Ming Han had played against him in street games before—he was truly formidable, with no obvious weaknesses. He could handle the ball, shoot, drive, and even organize the offense.

“A long and arduous road ahead…” Ming Han muttered.

The game was about to begin!

Ming Han glanced around—Zhang Xiaozhen was absent today. But Chen Li was still seated in her usual spot, surrounded by a crowd of boys vying for her attention.

Ming Han went over to greet her, “You sure have a lot of free time! You show up even more punctually than I do!”

Chen Li shot him an exasperated look but didn’t argue—perhaps she was simply used to Ming Han’s irreverent style by now.

As Ming Han turned to leave, he overheard a boy next to Chen Li say, “Isn’t that the guy who sits behind you? So rude!”

“That’s right!” Chen Li replied, raising her voice.

The label of “the guy who sits behind her”—such is the fate of sitting behind a pretty girl, to be defined by a tag both absurd and inescapable. Did no one realize he had a name of his own?

After the warm-up, the game began quickly.

Class Six’s small forward was named Hai Ming. He stood 175 centimeters tall, was solidly built, and averaged twenty points a game without breaking a sweat.

At the tip-off, Zheng Yuan secured the first possession. Yu Hang took control, faced the opposing point guard, signaled for the floor to open up, and with a crossover dribble, drove straight to the basket.

Yu Hang went up for a layup, sure he had it—only to have the ball swatted away by a figure emerging from behind.

It was Hai Ming! His speed was almost unreal.

Class Six’s center grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Hai Ming. Without hesitation, Hai Ming took off on a fast break.

Da Xu simply couldn’t keep up with Hai Ming’s frightening speed, lagging a full stride behind. However, Zheng Yuan and Chen Bao had already taken position under their own basket, making it tough for Hai Ming to force his way through.

Yet Hai Ming seemed to disregard their presence entirely, barreling straight ahead as if nothing stood in his way.

“This guy is just too cocky!” Xiao Yu called out from the sidelines. “Both of them are bigger than he is!”

Everyone was puzzled.

Hai Ming went up for the layup. Zheng Yuan and Chen Bao jumped to block him; from this angle, the rim was all but invisible.

But unexpectedly, Hai Ming shifted his grip and passed to Li Tian, who had been lying in wait beyond the right-side three-point line.

Li Tian, the sharpshooter from Class Six, wasted no time. The ball left his hands like a flash—three points, clean.

A cheer erupted from Class Six’s section.

Zheng Yuan inbounded the ball, Yu Hang took control, signaling to everyone, “Stay calm, let’s run a play.”

Once they crossed half-court, Yu Hang passed to Wang Chaoyang, who feinted, then tried to drive forward.

“Watch your back!” Yu Hang called out.

But it was too late. Hai Ming had already circled behind and successfully stole the ball.

He sent a long pass to Li Tian, who finished the fast break with a layup.

5–0!

Barely two minutes into the game, and Class Thirteen’s morale was already shattered.