I'd rather die here than lose this game.
Zhao Jiwei's words were picked up by the courtside microphones and played over the speakers.
When all the Chinese fans heard him and saw his face covered in blood, they couldn't help but be deeply moved.
"I'm crying..."
"Keep it up, China Men's Basketball Team! You're the best."
"Win or lose, I'll be a fan for life."
"Let the men's soccer team learn from them. They play terribly, and you can't even criticize them."
"You're giving the men's soccer team too much credit. They don't believe rumors, and they don't spread them."
On the screen, Director Zhang's voice trembled slightly.
"This is the spirit of competition. This is the spirit of sports. How could anyone not love a basketball team like this?"
Yu Jia nodded. "What does 'Though defeated, still glorious' really mean? If China Men's Basketball Team loses today, they can leave with their heads held high. Then they'll truly deserve to be called 'Though defeated, still glorious.'"
At that moment, in the fifth row of seats at Bercy Arena, a Chinese man suddenly stood up.
He held up his national flag.
Waving it, he shouted, "China Team!"
"Let's go!!"
Hundreds of Chinese fans joined in.
"China Team!"
"Let's go!!"
Hundreds more fans joined the chant.
All the Chinese players turned to look in that direction.
Wang Yi recognized the man. He was the middle-aged fan who had followed China Team throughout last year's Men's Basketball World Cup, waving the national flag from start to finish.
All the Chinese players were deeply moved.
Wherever China Men's Basketball Team went, he followed. He hadn't missed a single game.
He hadn't shown up today, and the players had assumed he wasn't there. They never imagined he'd been there all along, simply holding back