Pei Chen lifted his gaze slightly. “Something you need?”
Song Anchen smiled, “After all, we were once teammates. I’m just here to check on you. I honestly thought I’d never get the chance to play against you again. It was such a pity back then.”
Back in middle school, Song Anchen and Pei Chen were on the same school team. Song Anchen had always wanted to take Pei Chen’s spot as the main player, but his skills were always overshadowed by Pei Chen’s superior talent.
Then, Pei Chen had the car accident and left the team, allowing Song Anchen to finally take his place and earn a special recruitment spot at No. 3 High.
Song Anchen remembered how Pei Chen had once been the shining star, with all eyes on him whenever he was on the team. No one paid much attention to Song Anchen as long as Pei Chen was around.
But over the past two years, Song Anchen had honed his basketball skills, no longer the player overshadowed by Pei Chen.
He had heard that Pei Chen had made a striking comeback this season, but with the injury, how could his strength compare to the past?
Song Anchen had been looking forward to this day for a long time. The thought of defeating Pei Chen on the court, showing him what it felt like to truly fail, brought him immense satisfaction.
Just as they were speaking, Xuan Xia walked over and spotted Song Anchen. “Well, well, isn’t this the famous center from No. 3 High?”
Song Anchen looked at him and smiled. “You two are still on the same team. What a coincidence.”
Xuan Xia slung an arm around Pei Chen’s shoulder and looked at him, saying, “Of course, we’re on the same team. We’ve been waiting for a chance to beat you.”
Song Anchen smirked and finally said, “I hope No. 1 High does better this year. Don’t let it end in just two games.”
“Ending it in two games for you guys is definitely possible,” Xuan Xia retorted.
Song Anchen found the idea laughable. He gave Pei Chen one last condescending glance before turning and leisurely walking away.
As Xuan Xia and Pei Chen walked toward the locker room together, Xuan Xia joked, “You know, I originally wanted to go to No. 3 High too. But when you decided to apply to No. 1 High, and that turtle Song Anchen got recruited to No. 3, I figured I’d come to No. 1 High. I thought maybe one day we could play against him, and look, it actually happened.”
Xuan Xia patted Pei Chen on the shoulder, teasing, “I didn’t expect Song Anchen to still see you as his rival after all this time. It shows just how much of a psychological shadow you cast on him back then.”
Pei Chen stared straight ahead, his expression cold, and finally said with indifference, “I never considered him a rival.”
He simply didn’t think it was worth it.
Around six in the evening, the basketball arena at the Provincial Sports Center was packed with spectators. As the final match of the biennial interschool tournament, the excitement was palpable.
Both teams entered the arena. On the sidelines, the players from No. 3 High were doing their final warm-ups. One of them glanced over at the No. 1 High players, who were joking around and said, “Looks like they’re pretty relaxed tonight.”
One of the players from No. 3 High laughed, “They’re just enjoying themselves before we crush them.”
Everyone else chuckled, “If No. 1 High loses six times in a row, that’d be seriously embarrassing.”
“Don’t worry, six losses in a row is just standard procedure for them.”
As the match was about to start, both teams finished their warm-ups and moved onto the court. Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er, having just wrapped up their tasks, quickly made their way to the sidelines and sat down in the row just behind the basketball players, their eyes filled with anticipation.
After choosing sides, the game officially began at 7 PM.
As both teams started moving on the court, the atmosphere in the arena became electric, with the crowd erupting in excitement.
No. 1 High School implemented a triangle offense strategy today, with Pei Chen, Liang Tongzhou, and Wang Weibo as the main offensive players, while Xuan Xia and Lan Zhi provided support.
Pei Chen, facing tight defense, glanced at Liang Tongzhou. With a fake move, he made a behind-the-back pass, sending the ball straight to Liang Tongzhou.
Liang Tongzhou caught the ball, quickly bypassed the defensive line, and performed a layup, smoothly sending the ball into the basket.
The crowd erupted in cheers, with Ji Fei’er on the stands waving her cheer stick excitedly, “This is the first time I’ve found Liang Tongzhou so handsome, woohoo!”
After scoring, Liang Tongzhou smiled and high-fived Pei Chen. The two had developed an impressive level of coordination by now.
Song Anchen glared at Pei Chen, his eyes cold, but he quickly helped his team regain two points.
After a few more exchanges of possession, Song Anchen got the ball again, and this time, Pei Chen was the one blocking him.
Song Anchen dribbled quickly towards the basket and was just about to shoot when Pei Chen leaped up, swatting the ball away.
Pei Chen delivered a textbook block, or as it’s known in basketball slang, gave Song Anchen a “firepot” (a powerful block).
Song Anchen’s face darkened, but soon after, possession switched again, and Pei Chen quickly counterattacked. When he reached Song Anchen, he faked a move, then reversed and performed a layup, dunking the ball into the basket.
Pei Chen and Liang Tongzhou continued to score frequently, igniting the crowd with every point.
No. 1 High’s players were in top form today, playing seamlessly. No. 3 High soon realized that the game wasn’t going to be as easy as they had anticipated. They initially believed they could defeat No. 1 High without much effort, but now, it was clear that things were different.
As Pei Chen faced off against Song Anchen’s relentless defense, he jumped from beyond the three-point line and released the ball. With a clean “swish,” the basketball went straight through the net.
The cheers echoed throughout the arena as Pei Chen took a few deep breaths, glancing at Song Anchen.
Seeing Pei Chen’s cool and indifferent expression, Song Anchen was internally furious.
How could this be possible?!
Pei Chen seemed even stronger than before…
No. 3 High’s original tactics began to fall apart under the relentless assault from No. 1 High, as they found themselves completely overwhelmed.
……
Time flew by.
As the final second ticked away, the scoreboard displayed the final scores: 85 for No. 1 High and 79 for No. 3 High.
The referee announced, “Let’s congratulate No. 1 High for winning the first game of the finals!”
“Yeah! No. 1 High rocks!”
The students supporting No. 1 High erupted in joyful cheers.
After the game, the five players from No. 1 High walked off the court, and the second team members came up to congratulate them, saying, “Amazing! You guys played so well today!”
Xuan Xia grinned, “Of course! What did you expect from us?”
Facing No. 3 High had been a lot of pressure since everyone had doubted them, saying that No. 1 High was sure to lose.
But now, they could finally hold their heads high. The tense and suppressed emotions they had been carrying were finally released.
After the game, Pei Chen and a few teammates were talking at the sidelines when several girls approached him, their faces flushed with embarrassment. “Pei Chen, do you need some water…?”
A teammate nearby teased, “Look at all the girls lining up to bring you water after just one game.”
Pei Chen, maintaining his usual cool demeanor, politely declined, “Thank you, but no.”
Everyone knew he was always distant with girls, so they were used to it. The girls left, looking a bit disappointed.
A while later, as Pei Chen was still talking, he suddenly noticed Liang Zhiyi walking towards him.
She came right up to him, her hands hidden behind her back, and let out a proud little hum. Her soft voice was just loud enough for him to hear: “I was busy with the logistics team and saw a lot of girls bringing you water. Looks like you don’t need the logistics team after all.”
Pei Chen’s gaze fixed on her face, his throat tightening slightly as he explained in a low, slightly hoarse voice from exertion, “I didn’t accept any.”
Suppressing a smile, Liang Zhiyi pulled out a water bottle and a towel from behind her back and handed them to him. “Here, take these. Do you want them?”
She was offering them to him.
How could he refuse?
His fingers twitched slightly as he reached out and took them from her, thanking her. The girl leaned in closer, a sly smile on her face, like a little fox, and whispered, “This isn’t from the logistics team. It’s from me personally.”
His thin lips pressed together, and his ears warmed slightly, making his already heated body feel even hotter.
Sun Jing walked over, smiling at the group of boys. “You all played exceptionally well today, especially you, Pei Chen. You executed our strategy perfectly…”
Everyone was laughing, and Pei Chen was surrounded by his teammates, one of them throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Do we even need to talk about Pei Chen’s skills? They’re obvious…”
The No. 1 High players chatted happily, basking in the glow of their victory.
On the other side, the coach of No. 3 High was fuming as he glared at his team. “Do you even realize what kind of game you played today? Were you all sleepwalking out there? You’ve completely embarrassed me!”
The boys were berated mercilessly, unable to muster a response. Normally so arrogant that they didn’t even consider other teams worthy of their attention, they were now feeling the sting of an utter humiliation.
Song Anchen looked at the coach, then finally spoke up, “Coach, we underestimated them in the first game. I promise I’ll lead the team to beat No. 1 High in the second game and even the score.”
“Fine, I’ll trust you this once. Don’t disappoint me.”
After the coach walked away, Song Anchen took a sip of water, his gaze shifting to Pei Chen, who was being surrounded and celebrated by his team across the court. A simmering anger burned in his eyes.
He could hardly believe that the domination over Pei Chen he had eagerly anticipated hadn’t materialized. Instead, the familiar frustration of being outplayed by Pei Chen, something that had plagued him since middle school, resurfaced like an old wound.
Since middle school, whenever Pei Chen was around, Song Anchen felt invisible. Why was Pei Chen always seen as the most talented one? Why did everyone praise Pei Chen’s natural ability, while Song Anchen was only ever commended for being hardworking and diligent?
What right did Pei Chen, with his “crippled” leg, have to steal the championship from him?
The water bottle in Song Anchen’s hand crinkled under his grip.
He stared intently at Pei Chen, his gaze lingering on Pei Chen’s knee, recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier that evening when he went to find him.
A cold smile spread across Song Anchen’s face.
Had Pei Chen’s leg really healed?