Chapter Ninety: Insulted (Second Update)

Afterward, the reporters turned their attention to Yu Hang and began firing questions at him. “May we ask what preparations you made for this match?”

Yu Hang answered without hesitation. “We simply followed the plan arranged beforehand. We execute our tactics, stay solid on defense, and play our own style.”

His reply was flawless, polished like that of a professional athlete. Fang Ping, standing nearby, thought to herself, “These two kids really do sound like officials when they speak.”

At that moment, one reporter recognized Yu Hang and Ming Han. “Hey! Aren’t they the two from that ‘Conquering Great Flying Mountain’ post?”

Once he said it, the crowd came alive. Compared with these solemn official proceedings, the video that had gone viral on the forum lately was obviously far more intriguing.

In an instant, a forest of microphones was thrust before them.

At that point Fang Ping stepped forward and laughed, “All right, they still have a game to play in a moment. That’s enough for the interviews.”

The reporters were disappointed, but there was nothing they could do. After all, the match would begin in half an hour, and the officials would all be watching from the main viewing platform. Then the journalists would take photographs of them sharing in the joy of the people, presenting an image of perfect harmony and good cheer.

As for the opposing team, Qianyang Company had already provided their information. They were all students from the junior division of County No. 1 Middle School. In events like this, public schools naturally enjoyed the advantage of proximity and access.

County No. 1 Middle School was the best public school in the county, but in recent years it had grown weak, and its results on the entrance examination for secondary school had fallen sharply. The top two positions in the county had long been dominated by Jinhua Middle School and the private schools.

Private schools, after all, were flush with money and spared no expense when it came to recruiting good students. When Ming Han was in sixth grade, a whole swarm of private-school teachers had already come knocking at his door, inviting him to entrance exams with promises of bonuses and tuition waivers if his scores were good enough.

Among the players in this match, there was one particularly famous opponent. His name was Ke Fu, nicknamed the Show God. He played with dazzling flair, outrageously stylish, and his behind-the-back, hand-switch layups were almost famous across several junior divisions.

“I’ve played him before on an outdoor court. He’s a streaky player. And compared with catch-and-shoots, he prefers to dribble himself into tough shots. He likes to gamble, and if he’s in the mood, he’ll just keep hurling threes without warning,” Yu Hang analyzed.

Ming Han felt a quiet admiration. Yu Hang’s years on the court were no joke. He had even played with students from County No. 1 before, and he knew their style inside and out.

“As for the rest of them,” Yu Hang said with complete confidence, “they’re at best the level of Class Twelve.”

After practicing together with Ming Han for so long, no one knew better than he did how much Ming Han’s skills had improved. Now, when the two of them went one-on-one, it all came down to their individual condition on the day. Yu Hang no longer had the ability to toy with Ming Han the way he once had.

So with the two of them together, there really was no reason they should lose.

As for the teammates on Yu Hang’s side, they were students from another public school.

It seemed that in order to insert the two of them into this event, the Azure Sun Club must have gone to considerable lengths. In official activities like this, private-school students were usually excluded outright.

Soon after, a heavyset middle-aged man brought Yu Hang, Ming Han, and three others together. They had never met before and knew nothing of one another’s ability.

One of them, a dark-skinned boy with curly hair, glanced at his four clean-cut, fair-skinned teammates with obvious disdain. “Just lock down the defense and grab the rebounds later. I’ll carry you.”

He acted extremely arrogant, believing his skills were decent enough that he ought to take responsibility for leading these four pretty boys.

He gave Ming Han instructions. “You’re the tallest, so remember to grab the rebounds and pass them to me. Don’t dribble yourself; you’ll turn it over. Set more screens for me too. Once I get inside, they won’t be able to stop me.”

Ming Han was a little stunned, but he still nodded.

Yu Hang wore an amused smile, as if watching a show.

“Whatever happens, we have to beat those County No. 1 kids. When we go back to school afterward, we’ll definitely have face.”

“Let’s go!”

They encouraged one another.

Building high morale before taking the court was very important.

As for who would be captain, neither of them cared much. They were only working together for a single game, so there was no real basis for anything. Chemistry and coordination had to be built slowly over time.

Take Class Thirteen, for example. Their overall skill might not have been the best in the grade, but their ball movement and mutual screening were the envy of many classes.

After a while, a staff member came in to notify them. “Students, the match is about to begin. We have many leaders here today, so make sure you perform well.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll carry them,” the curly-haired boy said with great confidence.

Once they took the floor, the game did not begin immediately. First, the host delivered an opening speech.

In a speech of less than five hundred words, more than four hundred and eighty were used praising the leaders. Only at the very end did he casually add, “Now, let us welcome with warm applause the proud competitors entering today’s match. They are the flowers of our nation, and even more, our pride.”

Ming Han looked at the host speechlessly. Truly impressive, brother—he could even turn manure into something fragrant.

Still, he had genuinely never seen such a spectacle before. There were three devices filming video, along with more than ten large cameras.

The referee had also been specially dispatched from the city sports bureau. He wore a stern expression and hardly ever smiled.

He blew the whistle to signal the opening tip. Ming Han and County No. 1’s center leaped for the ball.

That player was quick-eyed and quick-handed. The moment he heard the whistle, he sprang upward and tapped the ball to Ke Fu.

Ming Han ran back on defense, somewhat dispirited. The curly-haired boy patted him on the back. “It’s fine. Watch me crush him.”

Ha! This guy was actually pretty decent.

Just so happened that the defender Ke Fu faced was none other than the curly-haired boy.

The curly-haired boy settled into his defensive stance and taunted Ke Fu. “Remember this, big brother’s name is Lin Ruofu. I’m going to blow you away today.”

Lin Ruofu’s words dripped with swagger, instantly filling the air with a tense, knife-edge atmosphere.

The county magistrate on the platform kept nodding. “Young people these days, they have real fire in them!”

The others nearby nodded in agreement.

Ke Fu gave a cold laugh. With a crossover between his legs, he dribbled the ball through and, when Lin Ruofu wasn’t paying attention, sent it under his crotch, then flashed behind him and burst to the rim for a quick layup. It was pure swagger, breathtakingly showy.

Lin Ruofu froze on the spot, not yet reacting.

The crowd burst into laughter.

Ming Han muttered under his breath, “Damn, that was just brutal.”

Yu Hang nodded.

Though Ke Fu loved to play flashy and reckless, getting crossed up like that in an official match was still extremely rare.

Seeing everyone laugh at him, Lin Ruofu’s temper flared. He motioned for Ming Han to inbound the ball to him.

Lin Ruofu dribbled past half court and, facing Ke Fu, backed him down while pounding the ball low. “From here on out, you’ll be bearing the wrath of the reaper.”