Chapter Forty: Sophomores Versus Seniors (Part One)

How could first-year students ever compete against third-year students? Lin Nan stood at the edge of the bustling basketball court, puzzled. Gradually, through the conversations of nearby classmates, he learned the origin of this match.

It was, as it turned out, merely a warm-up game.

Qingshui No. 1 High School held an unwritten tradition whose beginnings were lost to time. Every year, the Monday afternoon of the week following the arrival of the new first-year students—the last period, when the entire school was occupied with a major cleaning—would see the freshmen challenge the third-years in a 5v5 basketball friendly.

Because the third-year team was usually vastly superior, the match always began with the seniors conceding a 0:20 lead to the freshmen. Yet, despite this twenty-point advantage, history consistently favored the senior class, with games often ending in overwhelming victories.

Lin Nan also learned that, since this tradition began, only once had the freshmen turned the tables—when a student named Zhu Bo, almost single-handedly, led the first-years to a narrow win over their senior rivals.

This legendary player, known as "Bo the God," was now a third-year himself. The throng of basketball enthusiasts crowding the sidelines had come to catch a glimpse of him.

Unfortunately, the outcome of this warm-up match was never in doubt.

Lin Nan watched as the first-years on the court were utterly outmatched on both offense and defense, unable to offer even the slightest resistance. As for "Bo the God," he didn’t even set foot on the court.

Lin Nan observed carefully for a while longer, quietly evaluating the relative strengths of the two sides. He stifled his own urge to join the game, recalling his father’s words—words he had heard more than once and understood deeply: basketball is a team sport.

He knew at that moment that he could not carry this team to victory on his own.

With that thought, Lin Nan decided there was no reason to linger. He headed to the track for his warm-up training. Under the curious gazes of others, he began with a three-kilometer run, followed by explosive sprints of 100, 200, and 400 meters, and then plyometric exercises like frog jumps.

Only when his entire body was drenched in sweat did he return to the dorm for a hot, soothing shower. Watching his light-footed departure, members of the school team warming up on the field couldn’t help but marvel: Are all freshmen these days this intense?

That night, all students were required to self-study in their classrooms. A few flipped through their newly issued textbooks, but most whispered quietly with those around them; some secretly played with their brand-new smartphones.

Si Dong propped her chin in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" on her desk, lost in the mysteries of the deep.

Lin Nan’s brow furrowed and smoothed in turn as he pondered how the freshmen might snatch victory in the upcoming basketball game against the seniors.

As a true basketball fan, he knew he wouldn’t miss this match for anything.

But—oh, these teammates left much to be desired.

Just as Lin Nan was at his wits’ end, he overheard two boys whispering a few rows back.

"I heard there’s a freshman in Class 17 who’s one meter ninety-five tall!"

"No way! That tall? He must be amazing at basketball!"

"I’m not sure, but I heard he can play..."

The moment he heard this, Lin Nan’s eyes lit up with a golden gleam.

One ninety-five! The tallest of the third-years was only about one eighty-five. Even if this one-ninety-five player wasn’t especially skilled, his height alone would be a massive advantage.

After all, basketball is a sport where height truly matters.

Lin Nan could already see victory waving at him from afar, could practically picture it: a powerful center like a mountain, paired with a nimble, versatile genius point guard, laying the foundation for a historic second victory for the freshmen of Qingshui No. 1 High.

Little did he know, a grueling battle awaited him...

After the first evening study session ended, Class 8 of the first-years welcomed their acting homeroom teacher for the week of military training—a student teacher. All twenty first-year classes were under similar arrangements, part of a partnership with a prestigious normal university, and all these acting homeroom teachers were fresh graduates.

Class 8’s student teacher was named Li Mengmeng—a name that sounded feminine, but as he entered, everyone realized he was male.

After Yu Xianglin introduced the new teacher, he left the class in Li Mengmeng’s care for the week.

The students watched the "student teacher," who was barely older than themselves, with quiet curiosity. Dressed in a black T-shirt, sporting a buzz cut and a chubby face, tall and stocky, he looked nothing like a teacher—more like someone from the streets. But when he spoke, his voice was exceptionally gentle, his Mandarin impeccable—a striking contrast.

Li Mengmeng didn’t say much. When the bell for the second evening session rang, he left briefly and returned with a laptop, turning on the classroom projector.

For most students, this was their first time seeing a projector, and each watched the screen with wide-eyed fascination.

Soon, the familiar desktop appeared on the white screen, growing clearer as Li Mengmeng switched off the lights. He opened a folder, and "The Shawshank Redemption" appeared.

The film told the story of Andy Dufresne, a promising young banker wrongly imprisoned, who, after years of adaptation, spent twenty years carving a tunnel through his cell wall, finally escaping Shawshank, exposing the corrupt warden, and reuniting with his friend on the outside.

The film’s themes were many, but above all, it spoke of hope and perseverance.

Though they’d all watched movies before, this was the first time seeing one together with the whole class in the classroom—and so everyone watched with rapt attention.

Over two hours passed as the film unfolded.

When it ended, Lin Nan didn’t know what his classmates felt, but for him, his resolve to pursue basketball only grew stronger.

As an old saying goes: Life is precious, love is dear, but if for freedom, both can be forsaken.

The pursuit of life, love, and freedom is unparalleled. Yet, for Lin Nan, as a man, there was one more thing—victory.

Just as in the NBA legends he admired: Kobe in Los Angeles at four in the morning, fighting on with injuries; Tracy McGrady’s thirteen points in thirty-five seconds; and his idol, Allen Iverson, who single-handedly faced the formidable KO duo...

Countless stories and heroes have graced the court—why do they fight so hard?

Simply for the hunger for victory, the pursuit of glory.

On the court, under the gaze of thousands, what could be more worth chasing than that final stage, that singular glory?

Lin Nan was now filled with anticipation for the match against the third-years, one week away.

Si Dong, meanwhile, felt nothing so momentous. "The Shawshank Redemption" had long been a classic in her eyes—she’d watched it years before. A lover of books, she treated films the same way.

Throughout the entire day, apart from the initial "Dongdong," she and Lin Nan hadn’t exchanged another word.

One loved to quietly read; the other had barely ever spoken to a girl...

Si Dong even took the initiative to move her chair far forward, so Lin Nan wouldn’t have to squeeze past her every time he entered. Both were slender enough, after all.

After evening study, Lin Nan once again headed to the track for explosive strength and jumping practice. Looking up at the stars, he noticed their number and brightness seemed to be fading, but each night’s silence remained unchanged.

He loved training at night—running freely under the moonlight. He believed that so long as he persisted, so long as his love for basketball never wavered, one day he would shine on the court.

No matter how grand the stage became, he would strive to be the brightest star upon it.

When his roommates saw Lin Nan return, soaked in sweat yet again, they were finally convinced of his devotion to basketball.

Still, was basketball really that much fun? Didn’t he like his phone? Wasn’t the new generation of smartphones exciting enough? Games like Temple Run and Three Kingdoms Kill—weren’t they entertaining?

As the smartphone era dawned, many freshmen had begged their parents for one. Those with good family conditions or more lenient parents got their wish. Those who didn’t, either saved up to buy one themselves or settled for a basic phone.

Cheap and convenient—an hour to charge, a week of reading novels!

The wild worlds of online fiction were endlessly fascinating.

So, after lights out, seven of eight beds in the dorm glowed faintly with the light of screens—some chatting, others gaming, reading, or...

Only then did Lin Nan remember he hadn’t even taken his phone out of his luggage. He was about to call his parents to let them know he was safe, but thought better of it—it was late, they were probably asleep. He’d call tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

Elsewhere, at home, Lin Lang dialed his son’s number, only to hear the phone was switched off.

He smiled with satisfaction, for he knew the phone couldn’t be out of battery or credit—there was only one explanation: Lin Nan hadn’t even turned it on.

It seemed Lin Nan truly lived up to his hopes, pouring all his energy into basketball.

He comforted his wife, Ye Xinlan, telling her not to worry—their son was grown now. Surely, he’d just forgotten to switch on his phone. What could possibly happen at school?

Afterwards, Lin Lang pulled his wife into his arms, letting her rest on his shoulder as she fell asleep. He himself stared at the NBA on TV, lost in thought.

He knew that the NBA’s rise to the pinnacle of basketball was due to the system, to scientific training, but above all, to the emergence of the god of basketball—Michael Jordan.

An icon inspires a movement, drawing countless young people to follow in their idol’s footsteps.

Always imitated, never surpassed.

What a bold declaration!

Now, the next step for Chinese basketball was about to be taken. It was not only a trial in building a basketball system, but also an attempt to reform the educational system.

Could Lin Nan, in the upcoming National High School Basketball League, become the star that leads the way?