Ye Lingchen raised his eyebrows slightly. “You’re not going to class?”
“What other classes can there be at this time! Such eye-catching basketball games are so rare in our university. We definitely can’t miss them!” Potato said.
By then, some people have begun to leave the class. Each person was very excited, and it was obvious that they were rushing to the game.
“The game is about to start. It’s not too late for us to catch up now!” Xiang was excited to go and was ready to rush out at any time.
“You guys go ahead. I’m not going.” Ye Lingchen smiled. It was pointless for him to watch that kind of game.
“Okay, let’s go first.” Little Gen nodded. The three of them quickly walked out of the classroom when class ended.
The classroom became noticeably cold after most of the boys went out. The teacher knew that it was a special occasion, so he paid no mind to it and continued to give the lecture.
At the same time, the stadium was already filled with people. Capital University’s students were not the only ones there. Many students from the surrounding universities also skipped classes and attended, in addition to a number of basketball enthusiasts and foreigners who were present too. They were looking forward to the next game.
On top of that, various TV station crews came too. Such a large-scale game would undoubtedly be recorded and broadcasted on television.
Down at the stadium, the Capital City Basketball Association’s players and their coach were already on the basketball court. They were all wearing white kits. On the other side were players from the Stick Nation. Donning black kits, they warmed up and raised their hands to wave at the audience.
“Ahh!!! Oppa, saranghaeyo~~~”
“Oppa, fighting!”
“So handsome! I want to have your babies!”
…
Other than the Chinese, the second-largest group of people there were from the Stick Nation. They accounted for almost one-third of the stadium. It was obvious that they came from the Stick Nation simply for the sake of cheering on their team.
At the same time, there were also many foreigners cheering for Stick Nation’s players. Some Chinese people were even on their side.
On the other hand, although there were cheers of encouragement for the Chinese players, the lack of confidence was evident. After all, China’s basketball was synonymous with rubbish and they had never won when facing the Stick Nation. Plenty of articles on the Internet were dedicated just to mock China’s basketball, making it a bane in everyone’s heart.
At that point, several people from the Chinese team were watching the situation on the basketball court. They were bureau chiefs from the Capital City Sports Bureau, so it was only natural that they had to show up in the basketball game.
“President Zhang, do you have any confidence in this game?” a bespectacled man in a suit asked with a smile.
Zhang He’s face was calm and he replied, “This year, our Capital City Basketball Association has increased the players’ training by thirty percent, and the recruits are the most talented players. It won’t be a bad game!”
“Oh? Then I’ll just have to wait and see!” said the man in the suit.
However, on one side, an old and gray-haired man groaned, evidently due to displeasure. “President Zhang, don’t make that kind of cliché statements! I’ve heard the same kind of words every day after I entered the sports bureau, but the result has always been disappointment, again and again!”
“Bureau Chief Fang, you won’t be disappointed this time.” Zhang He touched his nose and smiled bitterly.
“I hope so,” Bureau Chief Fang said plainly, then continued, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that the things you do are really disappointing! Pan Heng, you’re here today as well. Now tell me, why isn’t Chinese basketball progressing?”
Although Pan Heng had resigned from being the Capital City Basketball Association’s president, he was always present in that kind of games. Upon hearing that, his face looked ashamed and he sighed deeply. “It can’t be denied that I’m part of the reason!”
“Hmm?” Bureau Chief Fang and the others were stunned for a moment. They never expected Pan Heng to express such emotion.
“Does Bureau Chief Fang know why I insisted on setting Capital University as the game venue?” Pan Heng’s gaze was drawn out and his tone was that of a regretful man.
“Why?” Bureau Chief Fang asked curiously.
Generally speaking, an international game of that stature would be held in a more formal stadium, such as the Capital City Stadium. It was actually against the norm to hold it in Capital University’s stadium, thus piquing Bureau Chief Fang’s curiosity even more.
Pan Heng found it rather hard to speak and hesitated for a moment. He then looked firmly at President Zhang and said, “Tell him, Zhang He!”
Zhang He nodded and pondered for a moment. “There’s something you don’t know about, Bureau Chief Fang. Look at the court. We only brought nine people with us.”
As a general rule, 10 people were usually brought into that kind of game. Five would take the field, while another five would be on the bench. Indeed, the Stick Nation had ten people, but there were only nine in the Chinese team.
Without waiting for Bureau Chief Fang to ask why, Zhang He said emotionally, “We actually have a hidden ace. He’s right here in Capital University and we nearly had a missed opportunity with this ace!”
Then, he recounted what happened in the gym.
“Oh? There is such a basketball prodigy?” Bureau Chief Fang gasped, though there was a trace of disbelief at the same time. “Are you making this up?”
“Bureau Chief Fang, I can vouch for this, because I was also present,” Qin Yuan asserted from one side. “Ye Lingchen is definitely a basketball prodigy. If he participates in this game, we’ll have a much higher chance of winning!”
“I see!” Bureau Chief Fang exclaimed emotionally. “I knew that there was no way our great China didn’t have a basketball master. Many of them were probably missed opportunities! President Pan, this is indeed your responsibility!”
Pan Heng nodded and said nothing.
“Now that you’ve said all this, I’m really excited to see this basketball prodigy!” Bureau Chief Fang may be old, but he spoke with zeal and eagerness.
“Bureau Chief Fang, I don’t think you should expect too much. We’ve been lied to for so many years, and it’s not like we’re clueless about the worth of China’s sports. There was never a real rise,” the young man beside Bureau Chief Fang pursed his lips and said. He was obviously discouraged.
As they spoke, the game started with the referee’s whistle!
Nothing unexpected happened as the first ball was won by the Stick Nation’s players. They dribbled it past the players, and each of their skills were extremely superb. Furthermore, they cooperated extremely well with each other, and the coordination between passes was seamless. They quickly broke through the Chinese teams’ back court, then leaped up and dunked!
Thump!
First to score and two points obtained!
“WHOA! AH!”
Immediately, the Stick Nation’s cheerleaders became all excited as they waved and cheered.
Meanwhile, the Chinese shook their heads and could not help but sigh to themselves. It could be seen from the first shot alone that their difference in basketball skills was not a small one…
