"Chen Xin, huh? I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll try to handle the ball as much as I can later, but you guys can’t be like Class 3 and lose track of where I’ve run off to," Fei Cheng said, laughing at his own remark. "Honestly, if Brother Cheng hadn't been perfectly in sync with me just now, I wouldn't have known what to do even if I’d managed to steal the ball. For real."
Seeing him smile, Cheng Yifei couldn't help but grin as well. "Luckily, I’ve been keeping my eyes on you the whole time."
Yu Qing raised his hand. "Me too! I’ve been watching Cheng-cheng too! But..."
Fei Cheng gave him a long, meaningful look. "But?"
Yu Qing sheepishly lowered his hand. "But you run so damn fast. In the blink of an eye, you just vanish into the vast sea of people..."
"Hahahaha! Yu Qing, you idiot, there are only ten people on the court! 'Vast sea of people'? Were you looking for Cheng-cheng in the crowd outside the court?" Li Haoran laughed, his white teeth flashing in a bright, hearty grin.
Yu Qing gave a slightly mischievous, cheeky chuckle. The rest of the teammates couldn't help themselves either; they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Li Xiuxiu wasn't there, but as the class monitor, Liu Yiyang naturally wouldn't miss this.
He was standing right behind them. Seeing Fei Cheng getting along so well with Li Haoran and the others, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossed his mind. He stepped forward and patted Li Haoran on the shoulder as a reminder. "There are only ten minutes left in the game. The score is only tied right now; we can't afford to be careless."
The smile hadn't yet left the corners of Fei Cheng’s mouth when he looked up at Liu Yiyang. He could feel the warning in the other's gaze.
He found it quite baffling.
But it didn't matter.
The referee’s whistle blew, and the five of them stacked their hands together to cheer. "Go, go, go!"
Back on the court, the person defending Fei Cheng had changed from Ye Zhilong to Chen Xin. Fei Cheng knew this meant they were coming for him. When their eyes met, Fei Cheng wore a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, while Chen Xin looked slightly uneasy, feeling as though his intentions had been seen through.
But there was no time for second-guessing. Fei Cheng had already bolted five or six paces away, and Chen Xin hurriedly gave chase to keep him marked.
The ball was currently with Yu Qing. Fei Cheng wasn't in a hurry to shake Chen Xin off. As they ran close together, Fei Cheng whispered in a low voice behind Chen Xin, "If you're planning to use the same trick to get me kicked off the court, I'm afraid you're running out of time."
Startled, Chen Xin whipped his head around to look at Fei Cheng, but there was no one behind him! He looked left and right, only to find that Fei Cheng had already darted ahead to block his teammate and cover for Yu Qing.
Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing had years of chemistry; they could understand each other with a single glance. Cheng Yifei moved a few steps to the left, drawing his defender with him. Yu Qing whipped the ball to the right. Cheng Yifei took a few quick steps back to his original position, leaped, caught the ball cleanly, dribbled twice, and shot. It went in!
A two-pointer.
The score was now 14:12.
Fei Cheng let out a whistle. Yu Qing looked back and winked at him, and everyone dispersed once more.
The players from Class 3 didn't look happy.
Chen Xin caught up to Fei Cheng again. Fei Cheng arched an eyebrow and said, "I'm afraid you won't be scoring another single basket from here on out."
"Bullshit!" Chen Xin nearly threw a punch at Fei Cheng’s face, but remembering it was a game, he held back!
Fei Cheng didn't care. When he said he wouldn't let them score, he meant it. He wasn't just talking trash.
Five minutes later.
The score was 17:12.
If this continued, they were going to lose. The Class 3 captain shot a meaningful look at Chen Xin.
Understanding the signal, Chen Xin located Fei Cheng and sprinted toward him.
Fei Cheng was dribbling the ball, his attention split as he watched his teammates. He saw that every one of them was being tightly marked. It looked like he would have to take this ball to the hoop himself.
Cheng Yifei kept moving, trying to shake off the defender who was stuck to him like a burr. He caught Fei Cheng’s eye and signaled for him to be careful.
Fei Cheng understood and gave a slight nod. He began a serpentine drive toward the basket, but Chen Xin cut him off halfway.
Fei Cheng looked up, staring directly at Chen Xin, who had his arms spread wide to block him. Was he going to make a move? If Fei Cheng didn't jump, what other tricks could the guy possibly have?
Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing were both closing in on Fei Cheng’s position.
Chen Xin stared fixedly at Fei Cheng, not even looking at the ball in his hands. Faced with this, Fei Cheng was forced to focus more of his attention on his opponent.
The basketball bounced rhythmically between Fei Cheng’s fingertips and the ground. Spotting the split second when the ball left Fei Cheng’s hand, Chen Xin lunged forward. He wanted the steal!
Fei Cheng instinctively turned with the ball, preparing to spin around him. But the moment he moved, Fei Cheng knew he’d made a mistake. Before he could even look at his feet, he was tripped and sent crashing to the ground. Before hitting the floor, he used his shoulder to buffer the impact.
"Cheng-cheng!"
Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing were the first to rush to his side. Seeing that Cheng Yifei was already supporting Fei Cheng, Yu Qing stood up and shoved Chen Xin back, knocking him to the ground. He cursed, "You motherfucker! Haven't you had enough? Are you a damn dog? If you can't play fair, don't play at all! Always pulling dirty tricks behind people's backs—are you even a man?"
"Fuck off! He tripped while dribbling, what the hell does that have to do with me? Teacher! Class 1 is being sore losers! Number 8 is cursing at me and hitting me!" Chen Xin stayed on the ground, refusing to get up, and turned to look for the referee.
Yu Qing’s face was flushed with rage. How could someone be so shameless?
Cheng Yifei checked Fei Cheng’s shoulder and ankle, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. "Where does it hurt?"
Fei Cheng shook his head and got up on his own. He rotated his ankle; it was fine. His knee stung a bit, likely a scrape, but it didn't seem serious. He shrugged his shoulders to make sure everything was in working order before whispering, "I'm fine. Did you see how he tripped me?"
Cheng Yifei’s lips thinned into a hard line, his frown not easing. "I was only looking at you just now; I didn't catch what he was doing with his feet."
Fei Cheng sighed. "So, in everyone else's eyes, I just lost my balance and fell on my own."
Cheng Yifei squeezed his shoulder, his silence an admission.
The referee came over. Seeing that Fei Cheng wasn't seriously injured, he asked a few questions before going to settle the dispute between Yu Qing and Chen Xin.
Yu Qing was fuming. He pointed at Chen Xin and shouted, "Teacher, he’s been using dirty tricks this whole time! Are you just going to ignore it?!"
The referee blew his whistle. "What are you shouting for? If Number 3 really fouled, do you think we’d ignore it? As for you, calm down. Getting physical and swearing like that before the game is even over—what kind of behavior is that?"
"I..." Yu Qing wanted to argue further, but Cheng Yifei stopped him.
Fei Cheng and Cheng Yifei walked over to Yu Qing, each placing a hand on one of his shoulders to calm him down.
"Cheng-cheng?" Yu Qing looked at Fei Cheng from the side, his expression full of worry.
Fei Cheng gave him a small smile and shook his head to show he was okay.
Since Li Xiuxiu wasn't there and Liu Yiyang hadn't come over, Cheng Yifei acted as the representative and spoke to the referee. "Teacher, that should count as a foul by Number 3."
The referee recognized Cheng Yifei as a top student. Seeing his polite attitude, the referee softened his tone, but before he could speak, Chen Xin yelled out, "I didn't! I didn't even touch him! He was just in such a hurry to get away when I tried to steal the ball that he tripped himself. If that counts as a foul, why even play? If we aren't allowed to steal the ball, we might as well just stand under the basket and see who can make the most shots!"
The two referees: "..."
Chen Xin remained seated on the ground. The referees exchanged a look. To be honest, they hadn't seen Chen Xin touch Fei Cheng either.
After a few minutes of back-and-forth, the referees did not rule it a foul.
The students from Class 1 were extremely dissatisfied with this result. They shouted from the sidelines, "Are the teachers blind? Class 3 keeps fouling and no one cares! What's the point of playing?"
The Class 3 supporters weren't about to back down. "You guys are pretty impressive, claiming we're fouling just because you can't win!"
Seeing that the two classes were about to start a full-blown argument, the teachers quickly stepped in to stop them.
Li Haoran and the others were furious, but it was useless. They gathered around Fei Cheng, looking defeated and worried. "Cheng-cheng, are you really okay? If you're hurt anywhere, don't force yourself. We're in the lead now. Even if we don't go on the offensive, we should be fine if we just play solid defense."
Fei Cheng stretched his arms in front of them and jogged in place twice. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he assured them. "I just wasn't paying attention that time. I'll be more careful from now on. There are only ten minutes left. Let's go!"
"Let's go!" Li Haoran and the others shouted in unison, their morale instantly restored.
The game resumed.
The person defending Fei Cheng was still Chen Xin. Compared to before, Chen Xin’s expression was much more confident.
Fei Cheng spared him a glance and began to move rapidly.
During the play, Li Haoran got the ball and passed it to Yu Qing. Yu Qing dribbled a few times before passing it to Li Donghai under the basket. Another point!
The score was now 18:12.
Fei Cheng watched the ball go through the hoop and then looked at the Class 3 players. Their expressions... they had completely lost their rhythm. Class 3 now seemed unsure of who they should be defending; they were completely on the defensive.
A team that has lost its rhythm is like a heap of loose sand.
Fei Cheng shook off Chen Xin, using the other players on the court to obscure his movements. When his teammates had the ball, he helped block for them. If Class 3 had the ball, he would steal it. His relentless interceptions began to break the opponents' spirits.
As the minutes ticked away, the game drew to a close. Class 3’s defeat was now a certainty.
Fei Cheng made one last steal from a Class 3 player. He dribbled for a few paces and noticed Cheng Yifei. He raised his hand to pass, but then he saw the tense look on Cheng Yifei’s face.
*Dodge!*
He instantly read Cheng Yifei’s meaning. He couldn't help it; a shadow had already appeared on the ground beside him, looming over him. He lunged to the side, watching as Chen Xin missed his mark and sprawled onto the floor.
...
Fei Cheng didn't stop to look. He passed the ball directly to Cheng Yifei. Cheng Yifei caught it and took a shot from beyond the three-point line.
He didn't even wait to see if it went in; as soon as the ball left his hands, he ran toward Fei Cheng.
Fei Cheng looked past him, watching the ball trace an arc through the air. Then, with a *clack*, it hit the rim, spun around a few times, and slowly, slowly, dropped in!
At that exact moment, the final whistle blew.
Fei Cheng let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. He threw his arms around Cheng Yifei, who had run up to him, and said with suppressed excitement, "Brother Cheng! We won!"
The moment Fei Cheng hugged him, Cheng Yifei’s heart skipped a beat. He was stunned for a second, but he didn't dwell on it. He naturally returned the hug, caught up in Fei Cheng’s joy. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "We won."
"Whoo!" Yu Qing cried out, lunging forward to hug the two of them. Li Haoran and Li Donghai also rushed over, and they all huddled together in a big group hug. They were all grinning like idiots, having lost all the calm and composure they’d shown during the game.
To outsiders, this was just an ordinary school basketball game. But to them, it was a hard-won battle—a chance to prove themselves and let out all their pent-up frustration.
***
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