Chapter 133.1: What Will Senior Sister Do in the Future?
With Su Huaizhou’s cheer, all the students of Accounting Class 2 joined in to cheer loudly.
“Go, Accounting Class 2, go!!!”
Since most of the students in the class were girls, the cheers were loud and crisp. Upon hearing the girls’ support, the players on the court immediately became energetic, as if they had been given a boost of adrenaline.
The students of Financial Management Class 1 and Class 2 weren’t to be outdone. Their cheering from the opposite stands was so thunderous that it overshadowed the enthusiasm of Accounting Class 2, thanks to their larger numbers.
The tall, lean boy in jersey Number 11 from the financial management team waved cheerfully to the stands, already looking like victory was in his grasp before the match even started.
The boy wearing jersey Number 8, the one in the corridor earlier, tugged at Number 11’s sleeve and reminded, “Don’t get distracted. Keep an eye on that skinny man guy in jersey Number 1 later. I’ll handle Number 8.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Liang.” Number 11, Cao Ling, placed his hands on his hips and grinned. “I’ve watched them play. Number 1 is only a bit fast, but he lacks techniques. I can take him down easily one-on-one.”
“Just be careful not to get carried away showing off.” Zhang Yuliang was quite steady in front of his teammates. He turned to the other three members, who were making up the numbers. “Just mark your man. Don’t let their other three players disrupt us.”The three slacker players nodded and focused on the three slacker opponents across the court.
In this first-year tournament, there wasn’t much at stake. Although the ten players on the two teams all knew how to play basketball, only four of them were genuinely skilled.
So, even though they were somewhat tense, it wasn’t a heavy burden on their shoulders, and they weren’t overly anxious. They each picked the person they needed to guard later.
But just as they confirmed their game plan, Jiang Miao approached Xun Liang and Brother Monkey and whispered, “If we get the ball and Brother Monkey is tightly marked, you can pass it to me.”
“Huh?” Xun Liang was surprised. “Brother Jiang, can you do it?”
“Let’s just try and see.” Jiang Miao shot a look at him before turning his gaze to the stands and easily spotting Senior Sister in the crowd.
Just moments ago, she had cheered for him in front of everyone. His entire body was boiling with adrenaline now.
He felt his body trembling slightly, not from nervousness but from an exhilarating rush he couldn’t contain.
Senior Sister’s cheer was like a burst of fire that ignited him completely.
After locking eyes with her encouraging and supportive gaze, Jiang Miao turned around and sighed.
At first, he had planned to slack off like before, but now, he really wanted to win the finals.
Just the thought of Senior Sister’s joyful smile after he won made it all worthwhile.
Forget it. It’s fine to be drained dry. Jiang Miao accepted his fate.
It was rare for him to be serious.
With this thought, he looked at the opposite hoop, stretched his body, and exhaled a deep breath.
It had been a long time since he had played basketball seriously, and he wondered if his body had gotten rusty.
…
As the time approached 3:20 p.m., the crowd in the stands focused their attention on the court.
Sun Yumeng, sitting beside Song Huanhuan, asked, “I didn’t watch the games before. Is the opponent good?”
“I didn’t watch either,” Song Huanhuan replied. Then she turned her head and asked Wang Xin, “Are they good?”
“I don’t know.” Wang Xin shook his head. “This is my first time seeing them play.”
“Is Xun Liang good?” Zhou Qin, sitting nearby, rarely spoke up to inquire.
“He should be pretty good.” Wang Xin nodded. He often heard Xun Liang brag in their dorm room, so he had some understanding of the team’s strength. “He and Number 1 are the main force.”
The beautiful Zhou Qin only asked this question before falling silent again.
Her gaze landed on her younger brother, following his every move without leaving for a moment.
“Ah, I got some info,” Sun Yumeng said while holding her phone. “My friend from the sports association told me that the financial management team scored 54 to 22 in their last game.”
“The score is more than double?” Song Huanhuan was surprised. Then she asked, “What about us?”
“Our class scored 47 to 35 in the last game,” Sun Yumeng said.
Although the advantage was obvious, it was evident that they were inferior to the financial management team.
“So that means the other team is stronger than us?” Song Huanhuan asked worriedly.
“Not necessarily,” Sun Yumeng reassured. “Maybe the other team just happened to face a weaker opponent.”
Even so, the score didn’t instill much confidence.
When Su Huaizhou heard this, she couldn’t help but feel worried as well.
After all, as a class assistant of Accounting Class 2, she hoped her class would win.
It was definitely not because Junior Brother was playing.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister. We might be able to win,” Ding Ning encouraged Su Huaizhou softly.
Hearing her encouragement, Su Huaizhou smiled. “Ding Ning, aren’t you from a different class?”
“Ah…”
“But you can be considered one of us.” She glanced at Chen Haoshang.
“Senior Sister~” Ding Ning blushed and immediately felt shy.
Beside her, Chen Haoshang smiled slightly but quickly repressed it. He reached out and gently tapped Ding Ning on the head. “Watch the game. It’s about to begin.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the referee called for both teams to take their positions.
Xun Liang and Zhang Yuliang entered the center circle and stood on either side of the referee.
Jiang Miao stood closer to the opponent’s basket and glanced at his defender, who was wearing jersey Number 2.
Number 2 wasn’t tall, just a little over 1.7 meters. Standing beside Jiang Miao, he was half a head shorter.
Jiang Miao looked at Number 2 and then at Number 11, Cao Ling, who was standing with Brother Monkey. His expression calmed, and his knees bent slightly as he silently focused on the jump ball at the center circle.
The referee, holding the basketball, checked his watch and nodded at the players on both sides.
The next second, with a sharp whistle, the referee tossed the basketball high.
Number 8 on both sides jumped simultaneously, but Zhang Yuliang was still better. With a quick flick of his fingertip, he directed the ball towards Cao Ling.
Cao Ling had been waiting for this moment. He swiftly caught the pass in the air, made a quick pivot, and charged straight for the accounting team’s basket.
Brother Monkey followed closely behind, wanting to intercept.
But Cao Ling’s speed, even while dribbling, was almost as fast as Brother Monkey.
Before Brother Monkey could catch up to Cao Ling, they had already crossed the three-point line.
With a soaring three-step layup, the basketball swished neatly through the net.
Cao Ling raised his hands triumphantly, pointing at the sky and flashing a smile towards his class’s cheering section.
The girls from the financial management side erupted into cheers.
Jiang Miao watched Cao Ling’s antics and felt a little awkward. He quickly looked away and happened to make eye contact with Senior Sister in the stands.
Su Huaizhou: Is everything okay? Can we win?
Jiang Miao: Don’t worry. It’s just the beginning.
After their silent exchange, his teammate Number 4 was ready to inbound the ball and pass it to Brother Monkey.
The accounting team launched its attack on the financial management team’s basket.
However, under the tight man-to-man defense, it wasn’t easy to break through. Brother Monkey wasn’t known for his ability to burst through defenses. He passed the ball a few times, but his teammates would pass the ball back, too intimidated to take a shot on their own.
But just as Brother Monkey was being closely guarded by Cao Ling, he suddenly noticed Jiang Miao’s movements.
Taking advantage of the positioning of Xun Liang and Zhang Yuliang blocking the middle, Jiang Miao slipped past these two burly figures to the other side from the baseline.
The Number 2 defender was obstructed by the two larger players and failed to keep up with him.
Brother Monkey’s eyes lit up. He made a feint to shoot, and the next moment, he passed the ball to where Jiang Miao was heading.
The basketball shot through the air in a straight line and reached Jiang Miao just as he crossed the baseline.
Without waiting for the Number 2 defender to catch up, he jumped effortlessly, using the gap created by Xun Liang’s screen. With a gentle flick of his wrist, he sent the basketball bouncing off the backboard.
Swish~
The smooth sound of the ball swishing through the net rang out.
The score quickly evened up to 2-2.
“Jiang Miao! Let’s go!!!”
When Su Huaizhou saw Junior Brother score, her face lit up with joy, and he couldn’t help but cheer.
After shouting, she returned to her senses, her cheeks turning red.
Fortunately, the other girls didn’t think much of it and shouted along with Senior Sister, not wanting to be outdone by the financial management girls on the opposite side.
Moreover, since the most handsome Jiang Miao was the one who scored, everyone cheered him on happily, their voices ringing louder than when they had shouted the names of the other boys.
Jiang Miao wasn’t as showy as Cao Ling. After scoring, he calmly jogged back to his basket to prepare for defense.
Only when he heard the cheering in the stands did he wave his hand and smile at Senior Sister.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
“Jiang Miao smiled at me~” A girl in the back row giggled and covered her face.
“You’re so vain.” The girl beside her laughed at her.
“I’m just thinking about it. What if he really smiled at me?”
“Why don’t you say he smiled at me?”
“Are you getting vain too?”
While the girls in the stands joked and teased each other, the financial management team had already inbounded the ball and started their attack.
However, they didn’t have a third strong player, the defense was tight under man-to-man coverage, and the three slackers didn’t understand proper positioning.
Thus, under Brother Monkey’s close guard, Cao Ling could only helplessly attempt a jump shot inside the three-point line.
The basketball bounced twice on the rim but didn’t go in!
Xun Liang and Zhang Yuliang jumped to grab the rebound.
But this time, Xun Liang’s positioning was clearly better. He successfully secured possession of the ball and threw it the moment he landed. “Brother Monkey!”
Brother Monkey steadily caught the ball just outside the three-point line and launched a fast break towards the opponent’s basket.
This was his forte. He had scored most of his points throughout the tournament this way.
But this time, he had clearly miscalculated.
Earlier, when Cao Ling was dribbling the ball, Brother Monkey had been unable to stop him.
Now, starting from just outside the three-point line, the distance was greater. Cao Ling chased closely and managed to overtake Brother Monkey before he entered their three-point line, ready to block his path to the basket at any time.
With his preferred direction for a layup blocked, Brother Monkey found himself in a difficult position.
But at this moment, a white figure appeared on the other side of the basket and called out, “Over here!”
Brother Monkey executed a three-step layup. Although Cao Ling jumped to block his shot, he gently threw the ball to the side in midair. The basketball flew past Cao Ling and landed in the hands of another figure.
Jiang Miao caught the basketball steadily. Aside from Cao Ling still in the air, the other opponents were outside the three-point line.
He jumped effortlessly for another bank shot, and the basketball smoothly swished through the net.
A sharp whistle blew, and the score changed to 4-2.
Cheers erupted from the stands again.
Cao Ling landed and turned to look at Jiang Miao, who had suddenly appeared. He was stunned as the sound of the basketball bouncing on the floor echoed.
What the hell?
Isn’t this guy one of their team’s three slackers?
How did he suddenly make it here?
And even if he did make it, where’s my teammate who’s supposed to be marking him?
With this thought, Cao Ling immediately looked at his Number 2 and saw him sheepishly trotting over from beyond the three-point line.
“What’s going on? Can’t you even keep an eye on one person?” Cao Ling asked with a frown.
“Sorry, I was distracted…”
Watching as Number 1 and Number 12 from the opposing team returned to their half of the court, Number 2 scratched his head, still at a loss.
Earlier, when Number 1 caught the ball and made a fast break, Cao Ling had naturally pursued him.
The other slackers had merely jogged to the half-court.
After all, none of them were professional basketball players. If they sprinted all over the court, they’d likely be exhausted by the end of the first quarter.
So, during fast breaks, they mostly just jogged to keep up appearances, planning to either defend or attack based on the ball possession afterward.
But Number 12 from the other team didn’t play fair. Number 2 had kept a close watch on him, and they jogged over together tacitly.
Suddenly, while his attention was on the fast break, Number 12 darted away like he was flying.
By the time he accelerated to catch up, Number 12 had already received the pass from Number 1 and made a jump shot.
Only after the ball entered the net did Number 2 finally reach the three-point line, but all he could do was look at Jiang Miao’s departing figure with resentment.
They had agreed to slack off together, but why did this guy suddenly turn into
a shark?
“Keep an eye on Number 12. Don’t follow the ball. Follow that person. Don’t get distracted again,” Zhang Yuliang instructed as he backed up to Number 2. “As long as you can prevent him from running around, Cao Ling can deal with Number 1.”
“Got it,” Number 2 replied gloomily. Man, I can’t slack off anymore.