You Guard Me

This wasn't anyone else's fault, because Chen Jinxiong was just too accurate!

And his shots had no pattern at all, nor did he need any special conditions. He would just catch the basketball, then toss it over his head.

Sometimes, his opponents even wondered whether he had looked at the hoop, but the ball still went in!

No shooting arc, no proper hand form, no need to aim—he just tossed it, without even needing to jump.

Fang Shan watched Chen Jinxiong's game for nearly five minutes, and the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter! Chen Jinxiong hit another three-pointer, and it was already the fourth quarter. Chen Jinxiong alone had scored over thirty points!

While his opponents had only scored a little over twenty.

Class 5's defense could not be called particularly good, but their opponents could not make every shot either. Whenever the other side showed signs of closing the gap, Chen Jinxiong would shoot a three.

No—or rather, he would toss a three, and every toss went in. He never missed!

Standing on the balcony of the seventh floor of the teaching building, Fang Shan watched Chen Jinxiong, the admiration in his eyes growing stronger.

"This is an extremely promising prospect. He just hasn't received professional training, so his awareness and stamina aren't quite there. If he joins the school team and trains properly, he'll definitely become an MVP-level sharpshooter!" Fang Shan said excitedly, his lips trembling slightly.

"With these few this year, it'll be very exciting!" Fang Shan said. "But losing Xie Bin, our interior anchor, is such a shame."

Losing Xie Bin, that defensive wall in the paint, was what gave him the biggest headache right now.

On the basketball court, Zhu Zhan panted heavily as he dribbled toward the frontcourt.

Originally, with a super-talented player like Li Ke, no matter how formidable Zhang Jian was, he should not have been able to lead Class 6 to victory over Class 5.

But the outcome on a basketball court was hard to predict. Nothing was entirely within the players' control.

As Zhu Zhan crossed half-court, he turned to glance at Li Ke, who sat on the ground with two wads of tissue stuffed in his nostrils, fists clenched and face dark.

Wen Ting had arrived as well. She was crouched beside Li Ke, gently patting his back, her face full of concern.

Zhu Zhan glanced at the faint bloodstains visible on the tissues in Li Ke's nose and frowned tightly.

"I wonder if Li Ke can still play. There are only seven minutes left in the final quarter! What if we lose?" Zhu Zhan turned to look at the scoreboard again, the worry on his face deepening.

The numbers on the scoreboard were incredibly close!

35:33!

Class 5 had thirty-five points, while Class 6 had thirty-three!

At the frontcourt end, Zhang Jian stood in the paint, wearing a smug smile as he watched Zhu Zhan dribble over.

"Defend properly! As long as we lock down Number One, the rest of Class 5 are trash! We've got this!" Zhang Jian shouted.

At once, Wang Shuo, Chen Xin, Sun Xiaofeng, and the others from Class 6 focused with all their might, raising their hands as they prepared to defend.

At the sidelines, Li Xue, Class 5's homeroom teacher, and the others wore dark expressions, their faces grave.

Even referee Zhang Jun frowned slightly, looking helplessly at Zhang Jian as he strutted about.

Time returned to the second quarter.

Li Ke caught the basketball in the paint and lunged forward. Like a great bird taking flight, he soared into the air, one arm raised high, his eyes brimming with confidence as they locked onto the hoop ahead.

Time seemed to slow. Everyone present felt as though Li Ke had frozen in midair, waiting only for that earth-shaking roar—a spectacular dunk that would stun the entire court!

Just then, another shadow suddenly rose from the side.

The shadow leaped incredibly high. He stretched out both hands, blocking Li Ke's face. His palms were huge, and together with his astonishing wingspan, they looked like a giant net!

"Dream on!" the figure roared. It was Zhang Jian.

"Hmph!"

Li Ke snorted coldly. His waist and abdomen suddenly tensed in midair, his body pausing slightly. His airborne body abruptly curled in, and he pulled the basketball held high in both hands down before him, suddenly switching hands!

The ball shifted from both hands to his right hand. Still in the air, Li Ke thrust his right hand forward, and the basketball instantly slipped out from beneath Zhang Jian's armpit into open space! A smile tugged at Li Ke's lips as he flicked his wrist lightly.

Swish! The basketball spun through the air.

Clang! The basketball struck the rim and rolled into the hoop!

"Damn it!" Zhang Jian watched helplessly from midair, gritting his teeth as he cursed under his breath. As Zhang Jian fell, inertia carried his left arm outward in a swing!

Smack!

At the loud impact, Zhang Jian turned his head in shock. He felt his left elbow strike something hard, and when he looked, he was startled to see that it had hit Li Ke squarely in the nose.

Li Ke's eyes widened. He looked at Zhang Jian in disbelief, then lowered his gaze to glance at his own nose.

Several crimson drops of blood had already splattered out, spinning as they fell beneath Li Ke's stunned gaze.

Time returned to the present.

Zhu Zhan had just dribbled up to the three-point line.

"Defend properly! As long as we lock down Number One, the rest of Class 5 are trash! We've got this!" Zhang Jian's arrogant words carried over.

Zhu Zhan suddenly felt a thump in his eardrums. He heard his own heavy breathing: Control the rhythm. Watch your breathing!

Zhu Zhan immediately dribbled in place and let out a deep breath.

In front of him, Wang Shuo—the nearest Class 6 player—was still about two meters away.

Zhu Zhan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"When you're in a game, if the opposing player is two steps away from you, then you should choose to shoot!" Jiang Shi's voice echoed in his mind.

Zhu Zhan bounced the basketball.

The ball rebounded and dropped into Zhu Zhan's arms.

His body bent slightly, his toes pushed off, and he was already airborne.

"Watch the rhythm. Rhythm is important! Bend your knees, crouch slightly, jump, maintain your body posture, adjust your hand form in the air!" In an instant, Zhu Zhan ran through every detail in his mind, and his body followed accordingly.

In midair, Zhu Zhan's arm formed an L-shape. His wrist bent slightly back, and his fingertips flicked!

Swish, swish!

The basketball spun as it traced a beautiful arc through the air toward the hoop. Zhu Zhan had not even landed yet, but his hand still hanging in the air clenched tightly, his eyes filled with intense confidence!

"It's in," Zhu Zhan murmured.

The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

Class 6 immediately inbounded the ball and launched another attack.

Zhang Jian stood outside the three-point line, looking at Zhu Zhan guarding him.

"You're guarding me? Isn't that a mismatch?" Zhang Jian said arrogantly, a faint smile curling his lips. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he pointed with his right hand toward Li Ke, who sat by the sideline with a gloomy face. "And you dare guard me? See what happened to that guy over there?"

Zhu Zhan looked at Zhang Jian, grinned, and smiled faintly. Suddenly, Zhu Zhan reached out and slapped at the basketball Zhang Jian held in one hand!

Smack! The basketball fell away.

"Ah!" Zhang Jian cried out in shock as he looked toward his hand. The basketball had already been knocked away by Zhu Zhan. Almost instantly, Zhu Zhan moved.