Chapter 39: Real Fun is When Everyone Has Fun
Chapter 39: Real Fun is When Everyone Has Fun
He missed the free throw, then followed it up, and scored with a dunk that shook the entire stadium!
A Chinese high school student around 1.75 meters tall grabbed the ball over the head of an American center who was over 2 meters tall and dunked it, what kind of jumping ability was that!
The way Yang Qi soared made everyone instantly think that was the posture of a human flying!
There were many basketball professionals among the spectators. They were even more shocked, fully aware of what that shot and free throw just represented. This dunk forcefully turned a rare “three-point play” into an even rarer “three-point play plus dunk,” scoring 5 points in 4 seconds. This stat was truly terrifying.
They finally understood why the Ruiyun team had called that timeout earlier. So they had such a trump card! It looked like the next part of the game was going to be quite a show!
“That kid did it on purpose, absolutely on purpose! He missed the free throw on purpose to get the rebound and score!”
Niu Fengshan’s face was full of excitement right now, and his not very pleasant brow showed pure triumphant pride.
Du Sisi’s little face was flushed red with excitement, her whole being immersed in Yang Qi’s soaring dunk just now, and she couldn’t help but shout Yang Qi’s name. The girls next to her also started shouting, extremely thrilled.
Chen Xiaoxiao’s clenched fist tightened even more, and following the voices around her, she also softly murmured the name.
Yang Qi’s classmates almost simultaneously also started shouting loudly.
The sound of this same name being shouted spread like wildfire, rapidly spreading and igniting the entire gymnasium.
“Yang Qi!”
“Yang Qi!”
“Yang Qi!”
…
Everyone in the entire gymnasium, whether they knew him or not, couldn’t help but shout this name loudly, almost lifting the roof off the gym.
No one expected the Ruiyun team to suddenly unleash such a god-like teammate. He had only been on the court for 4 seconds, yet scored two incredible baskets and earned 5 points. Those who understood basketball didn’t need an explanation; they knew very well what this meant. Those who didn’t understand basketball at least knew about dunks, and it was such a real, flying-like dunk. How could they not be excited!
Besides, although these two basketball teams were just playing a friendly match, they still represented two countries. Earlier, their own country’s team had been humiliated so badly by the opponent. Now their own country finally had such an inspiring moment. Who wouldn’t cheer!
Yang Qi also hadn’t expected to cause such a big sensation. It seemed people’s curiosity was very strong, and the sense of honor deep in the bones of the Huaxia nation was still very intense.
He scratched his head, grinned, and walked off the court.
At this moment, the first half ended, the score was 18:37!
“Ah! His smile is so cute!” A girl in the stands saw Yang Qi’s grin and immediately became lovestruck.
“It’s so sunny and brilliant, okay? He’s definitely a warm guy! I like him!” Another, even more lovestruck girl was next to her.
“Yang Qi, Yang Qi? Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“I remember! He’s the Yang Qi who got first place in the last Ten-School Joint Examination. The Yang who suddenly became smart, Fool Yang!”
“You’re the fool, your whole family are fools! He must have been playing dumb all along!”
“You’re the pig, your whole family are pigs!” “Yeah, that’s him. He was on the main stage during Monday’s morning assembly. I heard he even saved a girl who was going to jump off a building. So domineering! I thought he was super handsome even then, I really liked him! I kinda want him to save me too!”
“Wow, good at studies and so handsome playing basketball. He’s my crush!” Another lovestruck fan appeared.
…
The spectators in the stands, especially the students from Ruiyun High School, naturally tried to find out who Yang Qi was right away, creating a deafening buzz of discussion.
Yang Qi now walked off the court to Niu Fengshan’s side, and the other team members also gathered around, each one extremely excited; they had finally vented their pent-up anger!
“Coach, I didn’t let you down. Mission accomplished smoothly,” Yang Qi said with a smile.
Right before going on the court, Niu Fengshan had given Yang Qi a task: he must score a basket before the first half ended to boost morale. That was also why Niu Fengshan put Yang Qi in with only 4 seconds left.
“Exceeded expectations!”
Niu Fengshan laughed heartily, feeling incredibly pleased right now. He deeply admired his own decision and couldn’t help but give himself a thumbs-up. If not for his own wise, decisive, and all-around brilliant move to send Yang Qi onto the court, how could they have had such a magnificent scene… well, alright, all of this relied on Yang Qi.
“Oh man, Yang Qi! That dunk of yours was way too cool! You missed that free throw on purpose, right? I knew it, you’re just too awesome!”
Among the players, a hardcore fan of Yang Qi suddenly appeared, stars in his eyes. Especially the point guard wearing number 0, with his sturdy build, made a worshipful pose that was kind of creepy.
“You finally came on, it’s so great! Help us crush the foreigners in the second half!” Li Mingwei showed a smile and said sincerely.
“It’s we who’ll crush them together!”
Yang Qi smiled brightly and radiantly.
“Right! Crush them!”
The players were instantly energized by these words.
Niu Fengshan felt even better inside, and thought even more highly of Yang Qi. This guy wasn’t just a monster in skills; even his way of boosting morale was so aggressive, and he had great ability to mobilize and lead.
“Gather around, let’s discuss the strategy for the second half.” Niu Fengshan called the players together to outline tactics: “In the second half, try to pass the ball to Yang Qi as much as possible…”
After explaining, Niu Fengshan asked: “Do you have any other questions?”
This was always Niu Fengshan’s style; he would ask for the players’ opinions, then quickly come up with countermeasures, a skill he was best at.
“Coach.” Yang Qi raised his hand and said, “Can we do this? While giving me the ball more often, also…”
Over at the Anderson Osborne High School side, their middle-aged white-haired coach saw his players’ spirits were low. He said: “The new guy on the other team is very good, but it’s just him being good! As long as you guys defend him, we can still maintain our advantage! We still have a nineteen-point lead. Winning the game is just a matter of time!”
The white-haired coach arranged tactics, instructing two of their best defenders to guard Yang Qi. Everything else remained the same, staying adaptable.
“Coach, I request to guard the black-haired kid!” Number 10 spoke up, making the request.
The white-haired coach looked at Number 10 and nodded. “Alright, you and Ferkel go defend him.”
“I’ll guard him alone!” Number 10 shook his head and objected.
“No, Jerry! You’re a shooter, you know? You’re responsible for scoring! If you guard him alone, forget whether you can stop him, it will definitely drain your stamina and affect your shooting.”
“Coach, I want a one-on-one with him!” Number 10 Jerry was very stubborn.
The white-haired coach thought for a moment and said, “Fine, I agree! But, you only have this chance for the first three minutes. If the situation continues to worsen, Ferkel will come in to double-team!”
Number 10 didn’t say anything, his eyes had long since turned towards Yang Qi’s side.
…
The halftime break ended. A whistle blew, and the second half began. Players from both sides took the court, and immediately cheers erupted again in the stadium.
Because Anderson High School won the jump ball at the start of the game, the second and third quarters started with Ruiyun Team’s possession. The possession for the final quarter would return to Anderson High School.
Number 0 passed the ball in, and the ball went directly to Yang Qi. Even before he crossed half-court, the opponent’s Number 10 came up to pressure him tightly.
“Black-haired kid, I’ll show you that you’re not good enough!”
Whether Yang Qi understood or not, Number 10 clearly stated his stance: he was going to shut Yang Qi down. Aren’t you the one everyone’s cheering for now? Then I’m going to defeat you!
Yang Qi ignored him and dribbled the ball calmly. Suddenly, he spun around and, at an angle that seemed effortless yet hard to imagine, slipped past Number 10, driving into the three-point line. Seeing this, two of the opponent’s inside players immediately closed in, trapping Yang Qi. But Yang Qi made a bounce pass between the defender’s legs, passing the ball to the undefended point guard, Number 0.
Number 0, who caught the ball, was slightly stunned, then immediately jumped to shoot. How could he miss such a great opportunity? He was, after all, a member of a provincial high school basketball championship team. He had that basic basketball sense at least.
Clang!
But the ball bounced off the rim. It didn’t go in.
Yang Qi, who had somehow already rushed under the basket, leapt high, grabbed the rebound amidst several tall foreigners, and immediately passed it out again, right back into Number 0’s hands.
“Shoot again!”
Encouraged by Yang Qi’s shout, Number 0 shot again, and this time the ball went in. The score changed to 20:37!
The stands erupted in cheers again, applauding Number 0’s shot, and even more for Yang Qi’s rebound and assist!
Yang Qi ran over and high-fived Number 0, whose face was full of excitement.
“Get back on defense!”
The Ruiyun Team returned to their half of the court, all filled with confidence now. Rebounds were an important guarantee for winning, and Yang Qi’s rebound just now was truly uplifting.
“Give me the ball!”
A visibly annoyed Number 10, Jerry, called for the ball. He dribbled it outside the three-point line, his eyes fixed on Yang Qi, his meaning unmistakable. Seeing this, Yang Qi moved forward to guard him. Facing Jerry’s feints left and right, Yang Qi stood firm as a rock, then suddenly moved like a crazed rabbit, his hand like lightning, reaching in and stripping the ball from Number 10. He sped towards the opposite basket.
Seeing the fast break, the entire Anderson team scrambled back on defense. Yang Qi entered the paint, faced with a double-team, and suddenly passed the ball backward into the hands of Li Mingwei, who was following closely. The pass was fast and accurate, as if delivered right into his hands. Li Mingwei caught the ball, took three steps, and layed it up for the score!
Under the opponent’s basket, Li Mingwei and Yang Qi high-fived, both breaking into smiles.
One sunny, one brilliant.
One was originally the captain of Ruiyun High’s basketball team with many fans, the other a new generation idol who could top the Ten-School Exam with a pen and whose steals, assists, and flying dunks were unmatched.
The high-five between these two instantly ignited endless cheers from the Ruiyun High students. Especially among a certain group of fujoshi, their eyes immediately sparkled, feeling a warmth below their bellies!
For several consecutive possessions, Yang Qi successfully stole the ball every time, and each time he made a god-like assist, delivering the ball to the most open player for the shot. His awareness and rhythm gave goosebumps and chills to the professionals watching.
Three minutes into the second half, the score was pulled to 30:37, a 12:0 run!
“Awesome, so awesome!”
Every player on the Ruiyun Team except Yang Qi had scored. Even the point guard, Number 0, had made two baskets, and he kept cheering.
“Real fun is when everyone has fun!”
Hearing Yang Qi’s words, everyone laughed heartily.