Chapter 40
“En . ”
At that moment, Carlo clapped his hands together, got up, and said to everybody, “Hey, guys! Let’s go all out today! Montenegro, don’t lose sight of the ball!”
“It’s not your turn to say that to me yet,” Montenegro thumped Carlo’s chest with his fist .
Every person on court was staring at the basketball that was about to be thrown into the air .
Just when the ball was about to fall, Montenegro and Thomas both jumped . Montenegro’s burst in that instant was astounding . He was quicker than Thomas by half a palm and steadily pushed the ball in Nie Chuan’s direction . As Wright was defending near him, Nie Chuan was wary of his speed . After judging the direction of the ball, he jumped to get the ball then ran without any hesitation .
As soon as it began, the rhythm of the game was driven by Nie Chuan . Everyone thought that he was going to penetrate through the defensive zone of the other team . However, he made a very fast long pass that passed the opposing small forward and power forward and was accurately delivered to Carlo who was almost under the other team’s basket .
Carlo smashed the ball in, the sound resounded through the stadium . DK had taken the first goal of the game .
The team members watching from around the court were all stunned .
“Wow…… wasn’t that only a couple seconds? DK’s offense is too fast, isn’t it almost impossible to defend?”
“The truly fast one is that black haired one right? Our point guard couldn’t even catch up to him . And his long pass…… my god, it passed by our small forward and power forward’s shoulder!”
“Yeah, that height was very subtle . It requires people to turn to be able to intercept it but by the time they do, it’s already too late . ”
Carlo happily double high-fived Nie Chuan . “Ah so happy! Allen’s first pass in the game was for me!”
Ewing pushed Carlo’s head away and said with distaste, “Enough already! Keep playing!”
Wright stroked his chin and watched Nie Chuan’s figure with a smile .
Thomas came over and patted Wright on the shoulder . “Hey, keep that kid under control . ”
“Of course . ” Wright bent over and supported himself on his knees, “I almost let him experience our CBU’s speed . ”
When the game resumed, Nie Chuan spared no effort in running, bringing the ball into the opponent’s area before sending it to Ewing who was standing outside the three-point line .
“No good! It’s Ewing!”
However, just when Ewing was about to take off, he heard a “pa” sound as someone pushed the ball out of his hands from below . Reece’s shout of “Defense!” made Nie Chuan suddenly react . It was the other team’s point guard, Wright .
Wright’s speed was astonishing . Nie Chuan ran with all his might but could only follow behind him, unable to find any opportunity to intercept the ball .
Qlat j yegra bo rqffv, Effmf gjc jcv olcjiis yibmxfv Qgluta .
Qgluta jygeqais rabqqfv jcv abbx j rwjii rafq yjmx . Lf vlv la nfgs cjaegjiis, wjxlcu qfbqif ecjyif ab vfofcv jujlcra la lc alwf . Ktf yjii kjr qjrrfv ab Ktbwjr ktb tjv ab ojmf atf vbeyif vfofcrf bo Zbcafcfugb jcv Jjgib ktfc tf abbx atf yjii ab wjxf j ijs eq . Vfflcu atja Zbcafcfugb kjr ublcu ab yibmx atf yjii, Ktbwjr gfagjmafv atf yjii jcv, yfobgf ijcvlcu, qjrrfv la ab tlr afjw’r rwjii obgkjgv ktb atfc abbx boo jcv rmbgfv klat j pewq rtba .
The coordination of this offense was much more complicated than the one that DK had made previously yet, from beginning to end, it was controlled to be within five seconds, as if countering the quick offense that Nie Chuan had made just before .
As Nie Chuan was exhaling, Wright had already come up to him and smiled . “Not bad . However, that wasn’t my full speed just now . ”
Nie Chuan knew that Wright wasn’t bragging . During last year’s match, his quick passes and cuts combined with the offense of Owen Wishaw completely obliterated DK’s defense . Speed is Wright’s edge .
Wright got the ball again and pivoted twice to change direction . The more Nie Chuan tried to keep up with the other’s rhythm, the more obviously he was shaken off .
He had the feeling that he was being played around with by Wright .
Wright had already sped up and bypassed Ewing but Reece caught up and quickly defended against him . Wright’s speed didn’t weaken at all . Rather, he cut into Reece’s left before instantly switching back to the right, his movements fluent and nimble . However, in that instant when he was about to break past Reece, nobody was able to clearly see how Reece was able to unexpectedly flash in front of Wright once more and cut off the ball before quickly rushing to the basket on the other side .
“Defense——” Thomas shouted .
Unfortunately, Reece had already entered unmanned territory . Like an arrow, he passed the double defense of the opposing power forward and small forward . Everyone thought he was going for a dunk but he didn’t even jump . Instead, he turned and passed the ball to Ewing who was on the three point line .
Ewing took off . With practically nobody to defend against him nor anybody to interfere, his three-pointer entered the basket without any suspense .
Nie Chuan stood in place, watching Reece’s figure in a trance .
The one who accompanied him in dribbling practices everyday was precisely Reece . At that time, he already felt that Reece’s speed and reaction time was very fast . Through this match, he realized that Reece wasn’t just fast, he was inconceivably fast . When accompanying him during practice, Reece didn’t bring out his full strength .
Nie Chuan had originally thought that Reece would also receive tempering when spending time practicing with him . Now, he realized that it was only one-sided guidance .
When Reece looked at him, Nie Chuan tensed .
It’s not that I didn’t give it my all! I’m just not Wright’s opponent ah!
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“Carlo, time out . ” Reece glanced at Carlo .
Carlo understood Reece’s intention and made a timeout gesture .
Everyone returned to the sidelines and began drinking water while discussing how to cooperate next .
Nie Chuan dug out a piece of chocolate from his bag but before he could open the wrapper, his fingers were held by Reece .
Everyone was looking over . Ewing was a little worried that Reece would criticize Nie Chuan, he was about to go over when he was stopped by Carlo .
“The one who has been practicing with Allen is Reece so the one who understands Allen’s technical characteristics the best among us is also Reece . ”
Nie Chuan met Reece’s eyes as soon as he looked up . His eyes were calm, without any trace of waves, but there seemed to be a force brewing within them that threatened to overturn everything .
“Xiao Chuan, your performance wasn’t bad . ”
“Thanks . ”
Reece kneeled in front of him on one knee, his eyes which were level with his made Nie Chuan feel like a child who needed to be coaxed by an adult after a defeat .
A pair of warm hands suddenly enveloped Nie Chuan’s ankles and Nie Chuan’s heart abruptly stopped .
“But you forgot who you were and got overtaken by Wright’s rhythm . You haven’t played as the real you yet . None of the advantages that belong to Nie Chuan have been brought out . ”
“My advantages . ”
“Your jab steps . ”
Reece’s palms slowly moved up along Nie Chuan’s ankles and came to his calves . “Your sense of space and distance when facing a defender . ”
Nie Chuan’s blood rushed to the places that Reece’s hands touched and all his lax nerves seemed to intertwine at that moment .
Reece’s hands arrived at Nie Chuan’s knees . “And your control over your inertia . These are what we have practiced for a long time, it’s where you and I are the most similar . ”
Yes, stop when you want to stop, this was what Reece had specifically taught him during their practices .
“What does it matter if it’s similar…… I’m a long way from you,” Nie Chuan smiled helplessly .
“No . Your sudden stops are within my expectations the majority of the time but one out of ten will surprise me . ”
Nie Chuan swallowed, Reece’s words were very serious .
“En……”
“There’s also your bilateral directional changes as well as your ability to cut in with both your left and right hands . I’ve been watching you . You have no fixed orientation, you’ll make Wright spit blood . ”
He didn’t know if it was an illusion but Nie Chuan thought he saw a faint smile on Reece’s lips .
“En,” Nie Chuan nodded .
Reece’s hands loosened before moving to both sides of Nie Chuan’s ears . “There’s also your field of vision as well as everybody’s positioning in your mind . ”
“I won’t forget . ”
“Very good . ”
Sitting on the opposite side of the court while wiping off his sweat, Wright looked suspiciously in Reece and Nie Chuan’s direction . “What are they doing? Teaching that newcomer by hand?”
“That kid plays basketball pretty well but he lacks maturity and many aspects require experience . For a promising seed like this, however, it’s best to prevent it from sprouting . ”
“I know . He should feel lucky that the one he ran into wasn’t Owen or he’d lose even worse . ”
The whistle sounded and the game continued . Wright flexed his wrists and stepped forward .
As soon as the game resumed, CBU succeeded in seizing the ball again . When Wright cut in with the ball, Nie Chuan closely followed after him . Wright wanted to break through the other side with the ball but Ewing was defending one of his teammates while occupying a favorable position . He stopped in a hurry and was about to jump and shoot directly but as soon as he lifted the ball in his hand, Nie Chuan intercepted it .
Nie Chuan was in possession of the ball while Wright followed closely to defend .
His lips pulled into a smile . “You want to get past me?”
The one I need to pass is you!
Nie Chuan took a step back, widening the distance between them, before immediately doing a cross dribble to quickly cut to the right while staring into Wright’s eyes .
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Wright was about to intercept the ball but Nie Chuan controlled his movement and took a step back before abruptly stopping and taking the position for a jump shot .
It was impossible to shoot from this distance but before Wright could respond, Montenegro had already received the ball and quickly brought it to CBU’s three-point line . In the face of Thomas’s defense, he passed the ball to Carlo who then scored again .
“Hey, did you see that! That black haired guy was so fierce just now! Wright got cheated by him!”
“Wasn’t it just a coincidence?”
There was another fierce round of attacks . Within 30 seconds, there were three consecutive rounds of offense and defense which made the spectators off the court sigh at the sight .
With the ball, Nie Chuan once again penetrated into the opponent’s zone . Wright’s speed was extremely fast as he came to defend Nie Chuan .
Nie Chuan watched the other coldly, the positions of every person on the court as well as their possible movements were all in his mind .
With a quick left then right, Nie Chuan made two consecutive shuffles then accelerated again before making another sudden stop which was completely out of Wright’s expectations . He then passed the ball to Ewing who scored with another three-pointer .
“Haha!” With a huge smile, Ewing turned and patted Nie Chuan on the shoulder . “Allen! Ever since you started playing at a higher level, the success rate of my shots has also risen!”
Nie Chuan exhaled . At this time, he deeply understood the importance of a point guard .
Wright gritted his teeth as Thomas patted him on the shoulder . “You’re a veteran, don’t let that guy fool you . ”
“Veteran…… haa……” Only Wright himself knew that his speed was suppressed in the face of Nie Chuan’s ability to control the ball .
The two confronted one another again . Nie Chuan’s speed didn’t slow down, but Wright couldn’t be completely sure what he would do next . Would it be a stop followed by a change in direction or would he directly attempt to break through either side? Nie Chuan ran closer and closer, just when Wright thought Nie Chuan was going to cut through the side, Nie Chuan suddenly stopped in front of him and jumped to shoot .
With this height and arc, it’s impossible for the ball to go in!
Wright was thinking this inwardly when he heard a “pēng——”, Montenegro had caught the rebound and directly smashed it in .
As Wright watched Nie Chuan release the breath he was holding, he realized that Nie Chuan wasn’t even making a jump shot just then but to pass the ball to Montenegro by bouncing it off the backboard!
I got fooled by this kid again!
Wright gritted his teeth, he had the urge to give Nie Chuan a beating .
“Hey, calm down,” Thomas pressed a hand on Wright’s shoulder .
Wright lifted his shirt and wiped his chin . “This kid was able to let DK replace Connor with him, he really isn’t average . ”
Thomas didn’t say anything more . When Nie Chuan dribbled past him just now, Thomas was able to feel Wright’s anger .
Is it left or right?
Is it a side step or a sudden stop?
Because of this kid’s existence, DK’s positioning as a whole had become more flexible .
The match continued . When Wright faced Nie Chuan who was in possession of the ball, Thomas moved to Nie Chuan’s left, as if to force him to dribble to the right in order to reduce his variability .
“Oh! Are you seeing this? Thomas and Wright are guarding that black-haired guy!”
“So cool!”
“Like this he won’t be able to be arrogant anymore, right?”
The pace of the game was just too fast . Nie Chuan didn’t even have the time to think about how many people were watching him, all that was in his mind was where his teammates were and where his opponents were .
Nie Chuan darted to the right with a posture of heading straight to the restricted zone but, in an instant, he stepped back with the ball while dribbling, instantly lowering the game’s originally rapid tempo . After avoiding Wright’s hand that was attempting to steal the ball, he abruptly sped up again . When Thomas came forward to defend, Nie Chuan stopped and evaded to the side, causing Thomas’ hand to brush past his shoulder . Then, with a change of hands, Nie Chuan passed the ball to Reece beside him .
Reece brilliantly bypassed the two and shot the ball .
Everyone was stunned .
“…… Glv sbe cbalmf atflg obgwjalbc? Kkb lc ogbca jcv akb yftlcv klat atja yijmx-tjlgfv xlv jr atf mfcafg!”
“Tfjt! Zbcafcfugb jcv Jjgib jgf lc ogbca ktlif atfgf’r Sklcu jcv Effmf bearlvf atf atgff qblca ilcf! Snfc lo Qgluta bg Ktbwjr ygbxf qjra bcf bo atf ilcfr, atja ues mbeiv pera lwwfvljafis rklamt ab jcbatfg rlvf! Pa’r lwqbrrlyif ab uejgv jujlcra!”
Just as Nie Chuan was looking back at Reece’s efficient yet beautiful movements, who knew Reece would actually turn around and rub Nie Chuan’s head .
“Wa! Reece actually rubbed that guy’s head? Are they on good terms?”
“Wasn’t Reece always a lone wolf? Did you find that in this practice match he’s been cooperating with his teammates?”
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“Eh, that’s true!”
The spectators couldn’t help discussing in low voices . Meanwhile, the cheerleading team began cheering while shouting catchphrases .
At the edge of the court, a tall figure stood with his arms crossed watching Nie Chuan’s back coldly .
Nie Chuan shivered, feeling as if his back had been slashed with a blade .
He turned to the side and saw Owen Wishaw standing outside the court with a cold smile on his lips .
“Owen’s here?”
When Nie Chuan and Owen’s eyes met, the killing intent in the other’s eyes made Nie Chuan’s knees unexpectedly go soft .
Without any qualms about the game that was still ongoing, Owen came onto the court step by step, heading in Nie Chuan’s direction .
The match had no choice but to pause .
“Hey, Owen! You actually came so early, the first half isn’t even over yet . ” Wright walked over to Owen .
Owen’s eyes were still on Nie Chuan . “The first half isn’t even over yet you let the team fall behind this much, Wright?”
Wright was speechless .
Owen continued walking over . Under the lighting of the basketball court, his beautiful facial features were very distinct .
“I remember you said you’re from St . Clair middle school, isn’t that right?”
Owen’s voice was very gentle, similar to that first time he spoke to Nie Chuan like an English gentleman .
But Nie Chuan felt a profound threat .
“My…… my middle school really is in St . Clair……”
“Then did you know that I went to St . Clair last week in order to see you and spent a whole weekend looking for you?” Owen asked again .
Nie Chuan shook his head and unconsciously took a step back .
Someone supported Nie Chuan’s back .
“Owen, what’s the matter?”
The sound of Reece’s voice let Nie Chuan suddenly have a feeling of being saved .
Owen looked at Reece with a somewhat sarcastic smile and said, “Oh—— I was just feeling as if my treasure was stolen by someone else was all . ”
Huh? What kind of terrible analogy was that?!
“If you had told me last time that the middle school student you were interested in was Nie Chuan then I’m sorry, he is DK’s student . It’s already been two months since he joined our basketball team . ”
With a sneer, Owen reached over and rubbed Nie Chuan’s head as if he was rubbing a small pet . “Eh…… ah…… how could this be? How could someone so cute not be a middle school student?”
Just when Nie Chuan was about to retort with “Who’s cute! Who told you cute means a middle schooler!”, Owen suddenly grabbed Nie Chuan’s hair and forced his head up .
His scalp felt both sore and numb . As soon as Nie Chuan looked up, he was met with Owen’s sharp gaze .
“I say, how are you so familiar with your sudden stops and accelerations? Did Reece teach you that?”
Nie Chuan felt all the blood in his body almost stop . It was as if his heart had been lifted high up . He didn’t dare let it fall because it would get pierced by the point of Owen’s spear the moment it did .
“Hey, what are you doing!”
Carlo came forward but was stopped by Owen’s other hand .
Ewing was also anxious . “Owen! You want to fight on the court?”
The spectators who didn’t understand what was going on were discussing spiritedly and even the cheerleaders had stopped their performance and were watching Owen .
“Owen, there’s a game, let him go . ”
Reece clasped Owen’s wrist and pinched his wrist bone with force, compelling him to let Nie Chuan go .
Nie Chuan stumbled back a few steps and was supported by Carlo .
“Allen, are you okay?”
For a long time, Nie Chuan couldn’t reply . He had been in this country for such a long time but this was the first time he felt that someone truly wanted to beat him up .
His shoulders jerked as he made a muffled noise .
Carlo was stunned . “Allen…… are you hiccuping?”
Nie Chuan looked at Carlo and hiccuped again .
Ewing quickly came over and patted Nie Chuan on the shoulder . “Don’t be scared! We’re here! I don’t know what happened but Owen can’t hurt you, you know?”
Nie Chuan nodded, but he was still hiccuping .
It’s no use, he was really scared!
“How about eating some chocolate?” Carlo hurried over to Nie Chuan’s bag and searched for a while . He found Nie Chuan’s underwear wrapped in a plastic bag and even found his ham sausage, but he couldn’t find his chocolate .
By this time, Owen had already returned indifferently to his side of the court and was taking off his jacket . He said to the original shooting guard, “Substitute me in . ”
“You really want to go in?” The other asked uncertainly .
“Of course . ”
As Owen walked onto the court, he glanced at Wright, “Hand that kid over to me, I’ll sort him out . ”
Wright sighed . He didn’t know how Nie Chuan provoked Owen but this could also be considered good .
Owen wasn’t someone an inexperienced newcomer could withstand .
If his luck wasn’t good, he’ll give Nie Chuan a bit of a psychological shadow ba .
Wright narrowed his eyes at Nie Chuan who was being comforted by Carlo and said faintly, “Hey, Owen . ”
“What’s up?”
“Break that seedling . ”
Owen chuckled, “I’ve always only taken good care of my own little seedlings . ”
With the addition of Owen, CBU’s cheerleaders became even louder .
Carlo couldn’t help regretting not inviting Lily and them to come with them .
Wright was in possession of the ball . Because Owen had joined, he was much more assured of his own speed . When Carlo and Montenegro quickly rushed back to the basket, Wright passed the ball to Owen . Owen bypassed Ewing with ease and arrived before Nie Chuan . His Euro step was large to a degree that Nie Chuan found unimaginable . Nie Chuan was so overwhelmed by the other’s speed that he couldn’t even control his own inertia and fell down to the ground . That kind of feeling was like being hit by a meteor; he couldn’t come back to himself for a long time .
The force of Owen’s impact and his undisguised speed were like demonic magic to Nie Chuan .
Owen continued moving forward with Reece following closely after him . Owen then did a sudden stop and pulled a jump shot, shocking everybody watching .
“Woah! Did you see how hard that ball was spinning just now?”
“No kidding! How else would a jump shot that was made without any preparation whatsoever be able to make it into the basket if it didn’t have enough spin!”
Nie Chuan sat on the ground as he watched Owen’s figure in midair that was both elegant and unrestrained .
“You alright, Allen?” Montenegro came over to pull Nie Chuan up .
“I’m fine……” Nie Chuan hiccuped again .
“…… Then why are you still hiccuping . Looks like there’s only one cure!” Carlo grabbed Nie Chuan and, in a flash, threw a punch at Nie Chuan’s face .
Montenegro and Ewing were both startled . Nie Chuan watched foolishly as Carlo’s fist stopped at the tip of his nose .
“I heard that a scare can stop hiccups! Seems like it really does work!” Carlo helped Nie Chuan stabilize .
“You’re insane!” Ewing cursed . (tn note: 神經病 was used here but it doesn’t translate into English that smoothly . Literally, it’s neuropathy but it can also be a derogatory term for calling someone a mental case)
Nie Chuan shrugged and hiccuped again .
After a few seconds of silence, Thomas laughed from not far away, “You guys can just temporarily sit him out……”
“We’re not substituting him!” Carlo glared at Thomas .