Chapter Fifty: For the Sake of Basketball

Upon returning to school, Lin Nan and his friends, their clothes soaked through with sweat, dashed back to the dormitory for a hot shower. September’s weather was still warm enough that, in previous years, after a basketball game, Zhu Bo and the others would simply leave their sweat-drenched clothes on and let them air dry. After all, they were young and healthy; catching a cold was rare. But today was different. Not one of them was willing to risk missing the upcoming matches, not even for the smallest chance of falling ill.

During evening study hall, boys from every class at Qingshui No. 1 High School were abuzz with discussions about the basketball statistics posted on Teachers’ Network. Unsurprisingly, Lin Nan once again became the talk of the school—a figure of legend. Wang Jinsong, too, was eagerly describing Lin Nan’s performance on the court to those around him. To be ranked eighth in the nation! He was truly envious. Yet, he had no choice but to acknowledge Lin Nan’s strength. After all, there must be only a handful of thirteen-year-olds in the country capable of dunking.

At the same time, similar scenes played out in high schools across the country. Basketball had, for one night, become the universal topic among students. Countless classmates, newly introduced to the sport and falling in love with it, felt an even fiercer passion ignite within them. Perhaps they would not be able to join this year’s basketball league, but next year, they were determined to earn that chance.

Even Lin Nan himself had secretly brought his phone into class, hiding it beneath his desk as he quietly gazed at the top of the composite score leaderboard: Yangcheng High School, Wang Shiying.

Lin Nan didn’t watch the CBA, so the name meant little to him. But he saw Wang Shiying’s stats from the first match:

Wang Shiying:
Average points per game: 50
Rebounds: 10
Steals: 11
Assists: 2
Blocks: 10
...
Overall score: 99

An unbelievable performance. Lin Nan knew it might be due to facing weaker opponents, but even the weakest teams consisted of the best basketball players from their respective schools. The achievement still carried weight.

At that moment, many others gazing at this name shared Lin Nan’s thoughts. Their eyes burned with fighting spirit, impatient to surpass him in the next match.

Yet Wang Shiying himself remained calm and unruffled.

...

In Class 1, Grade 11 at Yangcheng High School, Wang Shiying sat in the back row, quietly browsing Teachers’ Network on his phone while girls in the front rows frequently glanced back at him. He was entirely immune to their attention. As the child of a basketball star, he had been playing with toy basketballs since the age of three. Now, not touching a basketball for a day left him feeling restless.

The moment he saw the announcement for the National High School Basketball League, he knew his stage had arrived. He was satisfied with his first game. As for those ranked below him, he would not underestimate them, nor would he dwell on them. His father once told him: treat every game as if it’s the final, see every opponent as an equal in strength—only then will you continue to unlock your potential.

That was why Wang Shiying had managed to score fifty points and achieve a triple-double—because from the very start, he had given it his all.

...

10:00 PM.

With no evening study session scheduled tonight, Zhu Bo had long used basketball as an excuse to request leave from his homeroom teacher. The teacher, having received notice from the school administration emphasizing the importance of the tournament, readily agreed.

So, Zhu Bo returned early to the dormitory and began his usual strength training routine.

Dumbbells, barbells, weighted vests...
Weighted squats, presses...
A specially purchased training mat...

After two hours of training, Zhu Bo felt no fatigue. He knew exactly what he needed to do and understood his own physical limitations. At 180 centimeters tall, he was average on the school team, but on the national stage, his height wasn’t enough. Even within their own region, the teams they would face in the next round could easily have players taller than him.

He wasn’t like Lin Nan, who, at just thirteen and a first-year student, was still growing. Zhu Bo was already in his final year, on the verge of adulthood—this was his last chance to compete in a national tournament.

He understood that his advantage lay in strength, so he had to maximize it. Besides, he knew Lin Nan had trained morning and night, every day since the start of the term, without missing a session. Zhu Bo himself had been training like this for a year. If his younger teammate could be so dedicated, how could he, as team captain, do any less?

For basketball! Zhu Bo pressed the barbell upward with all his might.

...

Out on the athletic field, Luo Si gritted his teeth as he did frog jumps forward. He felt the soreness in his muscles, but compared to a week ago, he had improved greatly. He knew what he lacked most was time. He had wasted too much of his precious high school years on playing around, when those were the best years for training his body.

Regret was useless. All he could do now was seize every moment. Stamina, vertical leap, core strength—he had to train them all! He admired Lin Nan for scoring thirty points for the team today and was amazed that the person topping the leaderboard had scored fifty.

But Luo Si understood clearly: even if he had been in Lin Nan’s position today, with his teammates feeding him the ball and giving him free rein to shoot, could he have scored that many points with his current physical and technical abilities? The answer: it would be very difficult. Even if possible, it would require an exceptionally high shooting percentage.

So he knew he wasn’t ready to be the team’s core player yet. And as for Jiu Wu, the future center, he hadn’t fully grown into his role. The only thing Luo Si could do for the team now was to partner with Jiu Wu under the basket and secure the rebounds.

For basketball! Luo Si pushed himself forward.

...

After the first-year evening study session, Jiu Wu headed to a small restaurant outside the school. Plenty of students were there for a late-night snack, and some would sneak glances at him—something Jiu Wu had already grown used to since middle school.

He thought for a moment, then ordered stir-fried pork with green peppers and two large bowls of rice from the owner. The owner took one look at him and quickly went to get the food, secretly wondering if two bowls would be enough for someone so tall.

In truth, Jiu Wu had never been a big eater, yet he had still grown to 195 centimeters. He couldn’t help it. But after today’s game in the national league, he realized his own shortcomings—he was far too skinny. If Bo Shen charged into him, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

He had to toughen up physically. For basketball! Jiu Wu called out to the owner, “Make it three bowls of rice!” The owner smiled, thinking, “Now that’s more like it.”

...

Dormitory 310, Building Seven.

Lin Nan had just returned. Though he’d showered that afternoon, he was getting ready to strip down for another bath. His roommates were long accustomed to this routine. They’d all heard about the national high school league from their classmates, and Lin Nan’s impressive ranking—eighth in the country—seemed entirely normal to them.

Since the start of term, his discipline had been unmatched. None of them, nor any adults they knew, had ever seen someone their age so dedicated. Every morning, Lin Nan rose before six o’clock—never late, always early. At noon, he always took a ten-to-twenty-minute nap. Evenings, he’d come back drenched in sweat and shower before going to bed by eleven.

Watching Lin Nan climb into bed early and fall asleep, his non-basketball-playing roommates found themselves wondering: Is basketball really that alluring? Isn’t scrolling on your phone appealing enough?

If Lin Nan could hear their thoughts, he would surely answer: He had persisted for a year already, and this was only the beginning of his basketball journey.

...

At Qingshui No. 1 High School’s Lingchuan campus, a boy named Zhao Zhongshi was training alone on the dark court, using the moonlight as his guide. His demeanor was as unadorned as his name suggested—simple and honest. But his shooting practice was anything but ordinary.

With his left hand, he skillfully dribbled to the basket. Standing directly beneath the rim, he executed a left-handed hook shot, banking the ball off the backboard and into the hoop. The move was effortless, as if he’d done it countless times, flawless in execution.

Then he stepped two paces to the left, increasing the distance. Again, a left hook—another bank shot, another perfect score. The movement was just as graceful.

Anyone witnessing this would have thought he trained hook shots exclusively. In fact, he did. But what was truly astonishing was that Zhao Zhongshi then moved several more steps to the left, now quite a distance from the basket. Yet, he still used a left hook. The ball left his hand in a beautiful arc, kissed the backboard, and dropped in.

Words failed to capture this shot—he was sinking what most would consider a long-range shot with a hook. And he wasn’t finished. Incredibly, he took a few more steps left, reaching the three-point line. This time, he paused, carefully gauging the basket’s position and feeling for the shot. After a few seconds, he swung his arm; the round ball drew a semicircle in front of him and, at its apex, left his hand.

Another bank shot—scored.

Hearing the familiar swish of the ball against the net, sweat streaming down his face, Zhao Zhongshi finally smiled. His percentage from that spot was still low, but he believed that with enough practice—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of attempts—his three-point hook would become reliable.

He picked up his ball and walked back to the dorm, pulling out his phone to glance at the leaderboard, pausing thoughtfully on Lin Nan in eighth place.

For basketball, perhaps it was time for him to transfer campuses...