Chapter 56: Enraged

The second round of the qualifying tournament began quickly, and Class Thirteen was once again set to face Class Twelve.

Though Class Thirteen was now an undisputed powerhouse, Class Twelve’s strength had also been on the rise. Moreover, when an unremarkable team faces a dark horse, they always muster their full strength, eager to prove themselves. This is a common phenomenon even in the NBA: championship-caliber teams often lose regular season games to weaker opponents. Once you are labeled as a title contender, you instantly become the league’s public enemy, and everyone is fired up to beat you.

Yuhang was assigning tactics to Class Thirteen. “Minghan, you’ll take care of Yang Wanli. Besides my role as the primary ball handler, you’ll focus on orchestrating from the high post. Remember, we have the two best passers in our grade…”

At first, everyone thought Minghan should develop into a solid center, honing his hook shot and post moves. But clearly, Minghan had already become a second Yuhang—only in a taller, longer frame.

Bao’er was a new transfer to Jinhua Secondary this year, formerly from the town’s middle school. His parents had sent him here for a better educational environment. His dribbling and passing had always been impressive. Hearing that their opponents were last year’s runners-up, he was itching to test himself.

Boys always have a sense of vanity; they crave the recognition and cheers of pretty girls. Many girls would applaud a boy for a handsome shot or a beautiful pass.

Bao’er’s looks were quite ordinary, but he was confident he could win over the girls with his uncanny passing.

“Look at that guy—his zit is bigger than his nose,” Daxu whispered to Zheng Yuan beside him, both snickering.

Minghan shot Daxu a look. “Don’t joke about that.”

Bao’er heard Daxu’s mockery, his face turning crimson. The pimples on his face were his sore spot. He often sighed in front of the mirror, “I’m so good-looking, why do I get pimples? That guy’s ugly as sin, but his skin’s whiter than a baby’s.”

“Hmph! I want to see just how strong Class Thirteen really is—don’t end up as the laughingstock,” Bao’er said coldly, clearly stung by Daxu’s remark.

Tip-off!

The referee today was the Black coach. He patted Minghan on the shoulder. “You played well last week. Show us what you’ve got today!”

After all, Minghan was his own player, and the Black coach always paid close attention to his progress. He even felt that Minghan’s skills might one day surpass Yuhang’s. Yuhang was already one of the most instinctive players he’d ever seen.

Yang Wanli won the tip!

Bao’er brought the ball up court, moving slowly. Yuhang defended intently, cutting off every possible driving lane.

Today’s defensive strategy was switching on all screens. In other words, mismatches were allowed, but no double-teaming would be offered.

Last year, Yang Wanli could still rely on his experience against Minghan, but now it was much more difficult. Minghan’s real-game experience probably already exceeded his. And after two months of the Black coach’s training, Minghan’s tactical awareness had become exceptional.

Bao’er and their small forward set a pick-and-roll. Daxu switched onto Bao’er, who then accelerated and tried to drive. But it was clear that Class Thirteen had not lost their defensive shape, and Bao’er had no choice but to force a shot over Daxu. Daxu had the advantage in size and successfully defended the play.

Minghan grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court himself.

The others followed quickly, clearly already comfortable with Minghan acting as the primary playmaker. Apart from Class Twelve’s shooting guard, no one could keep up with Yuhang and Minghan’s fast break.

Minghan pushed the pace, sprinted in different directions with Yuhang under the basket, then threw a behind-the-back pass. Yuhang banked it in!

The crowd cheered at the beautiful play, but for Minghan and Yuhang, it was almost routine—they’d practiced it countless times.

Many spectators applauded from the sidelines, which irritated Bao’er, especially the chorus of girls admiring Minghan. “So tall and handsome!”

“I heard Chen Li used to have a huge crush on him.”

Bao’er had never met Chen Li, but he knew she was exceptionally beautiful. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He’d never been particularly favored by girls.

Bao’er signaled for an isolation play.

In the next possession, he performed a hesitation move, then a crossover, blowing by Yuhang.

At this point, Class Thirteen was sure to rotate defensively, and Bao’er made a slick behind-the-back pass to Yang Wanli, who finished for two.

Yang Wanli’s performance was steady, but his efficiency was not as high as the first round—Minghan’s defense had clearly disrupted him.

Bao’er, however, was playing up to his potential. At the end of the first quarter, after a switch put him against Daxu, he faked a drive left, then suddenly dribbled behind his back, sending Daxu sprawling, and tossed in a floater!

Daxu hit the floor hard and felt utterly humiliated.

Bao’er shot him a cold look. “Trash. Can’t play to save your life, yet you run your mouth.”

He spat pointedly to the side.

Seeing Bao’er insult him like that, Daxu snapped and rushed forward, ready to throw a punch.

Sensing trouble, Minghan quickly grabbed Daxu.

If Daxu had landed a punch, he’d have been immediately ejected, and possibly even disciplined by the school.

Daxu roared, “I’m done playing—I’m going to beat you to a pulp!”

The Black coach’s whistle blew. “Number 6, technical foul.”

Minghan used all his strength to drag Daxu to the bench.

Daxu kept muttering angrily, but Bao’er grinned triumphantly from across the court.

“Still young—can’t take a little heat!” Clearly, Daxu had lost all interest in playing and only wanted to fight.

Yuhang suddenly barked, “Quiet!”

Daxu was infuriated, standing up. “What’s your problem, Yuhang? Just going to let your buddy get humiliated?”

Yuhang replied in a low voice, “You started it with your foul mouth, now you’re blaming him for insulting you? If you don’t want to play, don’t. Xiaoyu, you take his spot. The best revenge on the court is to beat him, not to waste time with pointless talk.”

Yuhang rarely lost his temper like this, and the atmosphere grew tense and awkward.

Bao’er laughed out loud and said to the Black coach, “Ref, looks like Class Thirteen is falling apart today—shall we just call the game?”

At this point, Class Thirteen still held the lead.

The Black coach shook his head. On the basketball court, team unity is everything. Only a team bound together is truly unbeatable. If Class Thirteen kept this up, he wouldn’t hesitate to disqualify them.

He glanced over. “Decide now—make a substitution or forfeit. Don’t waste my time.”

He was clearly upset.

Xiaoyu stood up, ready to sub in at small forward.

Daxu stopped him, fixing Bao’er with a cold glare. “I’ll do it. I’ll beat him…”