At that moment, the atmosphere inside the Foresthill Kindergarten gym had become unbearably tense.
The coaches had fallen silent. The team leaders had fallen silent. Both groups of parents sat utterly still.
The only sound in the gym was the squeak of sneakers against the floor.
Everyone's heart was in their throat.
No one had expected a game between two kindergartens to be this tense, intense, and exciting.
On the sidelines,
Nicole gripped Wang Yi's hand tightly. He could feel the sweat on her palm.
Even Wang Yi himself, who was used to high-pressure situations, felt a little nervous.
When he played, he never felt nervous in the crucial moments. He was only excited.
But watching his children play had him on edge.
It was like people who never got carsick when driving themselves but felt sick as passengers in someone else's car.
The game continued.
Dale Kindergarten had the first possession.
Their coach had called a timeout. On their first possession after returning to the court, they ran a set play and got the ball under the basket. But perhaps the little player was too nervous, because he missed the layup.
The ball rolled around the rim and came back out.
That gave the Foresthill Kindergarten parents a scare.
After the miss, Foresthill Kindergarten got the ball. This time, it went to Wang Shiying, who was wide open. She gritted her teeth and pushed up a two-handed shot.
But the ball hit the rim and bounced out.
That gave the Dale Kindergarten parents a scare.
Over the next minute, the two kindergartens had three possessions between them, but neither side scored.
It was as if God had put a lid on the basket. Wang Shiyu missed his shot for Foresthill Kindergarten, and the opposing team's two leading scorers missed