Chapter 40: Winning the Game
Chapter 40: Winning the Game
By now in the first half, even though Yang Qi hadn’t scored a single point, everyone could see how much credit he deserved for the 12–0 scoring run.
Steals, assists, rebounds!
Every time he stole, he got the ball. Every pass he made reached his teammates. Every rebound he contested, he grabbed!
Yang Qi showed something more impressive than just shooting points himself.
The stats racked up by number 10 from Anderson Osborne High School in the first half were nothing in front of Yang Qi.
If number 10 dared to dribble near Yang Qi, the ball would definitely be stolen by him. When Yang Qi passed, the ball always ended up in his teammates’ hands. Those passes were so tricky but still easy to catch, like picking from a bag—they were pure magic. Anderson High’s two-meter center was nearly broken inside because though he was tall, he still didn’t get a single rebound tonight, as Yang Qi snatched them every time.
“Toot!”
Anderson Osborne High called a time-out.
If things kept going like this, forget the score—their morale would be shattered like scattered grains. It might even leave a scar on the whole team. Coach Bai Tou had never faced this kind of situation before. The change was huge.
“Your mindset tonight isn’t right, it’s really not right! Was it too easy at first? Did getting suddenly hard make you all freeze?”
Coach Bai Tou looked very serious as he spoke. “Be your best selves. How many times have I told you? Whatever happens, be your best selves! Find your usual game, do what you should do: focus on zone defense, lead the offense, everything you’re supposed to handle!”
The Anderson players stayed quiet. Yes, Yang Qi had disrupted everything for them. Their offense and defense were full of holes now. Yang Qi was good, but they had too many problems themselves—because of the shock, the pressure, and their weak mental strength.
“Smoker, get ready to take Jerry’s place.” Coach Bai Tou glared coldly at number 10. “Jerry, stay silent. Don’t say anything, don’t explain, don’t argue. Just sit there and watch quietly from now on! When you see what’s really happening, then you can play again. Today, I’m so disappointed—rash, clueless, stupid!”
Number 10, Jerry, looked up with anger in his eyes but didn’t dare talk back. He knew this coach wouldn’t tolerate being disobeyed when he was mad—not even if he was a senator’s son. He clenched his fists hard and sat aside without a word. Earlier, that black-haired guy stole the ball from him four times, each catch a total surprise. It made him feel like his taunts were a joke!
Over at Ruiyun High, Niu Fengshan looked like a blooming flower—a morning glory. But seeing Yang Qi and the others return from the time-out, he pushed down the joy and praised them. “Well done,” he said, but his pride showed no matter how he tried to hide it.
“Keep going like this. By the end of the third quarter, aim to tie the score!” Niu Fengshan announced.
“Coach Niu, dream a little higher! We’re only down by seven. We should go for the lead!”
“Our Coach Niu is unusually careful today? You always set big goals for us!”
“Yeah, King Coach Niu, don’t you always say: Set big goals, take big steps. Don’t be scared to mess up—we still have back-up plans!” Number 0, the point guard, mimicked Niu Fengshan’s tone perfectly.
“That little brat, don’t get so cocky!” Niu Fengshan flicked his forehead. Then he told them all, “Save the gloating, the chest-pumping, the cheering for after we win the game—got it?”
“Yes!”
…
The time-out ended, and the game resumed.
After changing their lineup, Anderson Osborne High looked way calmer. They didn’t rush as much anymore. On offense, they spread the ball out—fewer dribbles, more passes—cutting down on forceful plays for more outside shots. Their defense switched to a 2-2-1 zone formation, covering mostly inside the three-point arc. They weren’t just guarding Yang Qi now—they went man-to-man on everyone.
But Yang Qi was still a deadly threat. His cuts and drives were impossible to stop. Quickly, Anderson stopped guarding Yang Qi tight and focused more on the others, as if saying, “Let him score if he must, but stop his teammates at all costs.”
The pace picked up, both teams going bucket for bucket. Cheers from the crowd rolled on.
Yang Qi still shined but didn’t look as amazing as before. Those watching closely saw that even without him, the other Ruiyun players had found a flow to counter Anderson High. They weren’t flustered like before—they ran plays smoothly, offense and defense tied together. That might be the power of confidence and feeling safe.
That confidence and safety came from Yang Qi!
“From a dazzling start, he instantly shifted to setting everyone else up—like the ultimate supporting player!” Up in the fancy seats, Li Lianke and other experts or scouts overflowed with surprise, thinking, “That’s his true magic, not just being the star but the heart of the team. He gave them more than current strength—it’ll fuel them for a long time. This kid leaves a deep mark!”
“Having that kind of body, skill, and leadership at high school age? It’s unbelievable!”
“We have to track him down—he’s a rising basketball supernova!”
…
A long shot by Li Mingwei made the score 45–44—Ruiyun’s first lead!
…
With a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Yang Qi, the third quarter ended 57–50.
It was the only shot he took in the second half, leaving the crowd screaming. By now, he scored eight points. Strictly speaking, he’d only shot twice.
Before the fourth quarter started, Coach Bai Tou from Anderson Osborne High walked toward Ruiyun’s bench, drawing attention.
“Coach Niu, I believe your team is strong enough right now to challenge our top lineup. True?”
Coach Bai Tou had his translator relay the words directly to Niu Fengshan.
“Challenge?”
Niu Fengshan’s hidden swagger sparked out, his eyes blazing. “Good! Let’s battle it out for real!”
…
As the final quarter began, everyone saw the Anderson team’s shifts: number 10 was back in, and two new faces joined.
Anderson started the ball, and a new short but crazy-quick guy flew around, weaving passes that led to a killer offense. They passed to number 10; he took the shot, and scored!
Wow!
“Wow, the foreigners got better fast! Those new guys looked so strong!”
Reporters and scouts who knew Anderson’s team guessed—this was their full-strength line-up, every top player out! That broke the earlier deal to play with only two starters… but considering Ruiyun’s force now, it made sense—they had lit a fire!
In five minutes, Anderson’s best fought hard and cut the gap to 65–62—an 8–12 surge!
Number 10 sunk another shot, brushing past Yang Qi to say, “I admit, you’re strong, stronger than me. But me and my teammates will beat your whole team!”
After watching from the bench most of the third quarter, number 10 Jerry finally understood the flow and his own flaws. Right now, he didn’t hate Yang Qi—he respected him. He wasn’t jealous of strength; he admired the strong.
As he put it to himself, love had blinded him before. He was too obsessed with trying to impress Chen Xiaoxiao. When emotion overflows inside, it turns you green-eyed. Plus, he always sensed that Chen Xiaoxiao watched Yang Qi closely. Like when Yang Qi had the ball—he saw her tense up.
Now, team pride filled Jerry’s heart. About love? If Chen Xiaoxiao really liked that black-haired boy, then he would crush him fair and square—with his team beating their team first!
Yang Qi heard it and just smiled lightly.
He got it now—Anderson’s big guns were all in. The rest of the game would get much harder. He had wanted to keep it low-key to finish his task, but that seemed tough at this point.
And yeah, the energy lit a fire in his young heart too—he was just a teen full of heat to burn!
First time actively asking for the ball, Yang Qi yelled loud to his teammates, “Guys! Their line-up is way tougher. How should we face it?”
“Crush them!”
Number 0 called first, voice blasting out.
Yang Qi dribbled past mid-court and tossed an extra-long three-pointer. While everyone gaped in frozen shock, the ball sailed.
As it went in, Yang Qi raised one hand high, pointing his index finger, and declared, “Yeah—crush them!”
The ball banged down against the floor. Booms echoed. Cheers exploded instantly.
“Damn, that was too cool, too beast!”
With the gym lights catching Yang Qi’s pose after the shot? That scene froze into a timeless classic in lots of minds.
“I love him so much!”
“He’s my boy king!”
That shot—that finger? Countless people became ultimate fans of Yang Qi.
That shot—that finger? Sent the game into its wildest final act!
Both sides went blow for blow at blinding speed, making the game electric and thrilling.
In the end, Ruiyun won it—with Yang Qi dazzling like magic, igniting joy again and again.
The whole arena roared, “Ruiyun!”, “Yang Qi!”, “MVP!”
That sound hung thick and strong!