Razor-Sharp

He suddenly lunged forward with his left foot and slapped the basketball still flying through the air with his left hand.

Smack! The basketball rolled even farther away, and Zhu Zhan quickly ran toward the frontcourt.

Like a cheetah on the grasslands, Zhu Zhan nimbly slapped the ball, lengthened his stride, and raced toward the other end of the court.

"Way to go, Zhu Zhan! Keep it up!" Li Ke sat by the court with his head tilted back to keep his nose from bleeding again. Seeing Zhu Zhan steal the ball, he shouted his encouragement.

"Go, Zhu Zhan!" Wen Ting, wearing a cute pink baseball cap, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as well.

"Go, desk mate! Go, desk mate!" Tian Chen, Zhu Zhan's deskmate, cheered loudly. As she cheered, she kept stuffing huge handfuls of snacks into her mouth, leaving the people beside her speechless.

"Hey, you're too despicable!" Zhang Jian chased after Zhu Zhan at full speed, roaring as he ran.

"You talk too much!" Zhu Zhan said as he dribbled toward the frontcourt.

"Hm?" Zhu Zhan, who had been dribbling with his head down, was suddenly startled.

When he casually glanced to the side, he was shocked to discover that Zhang Jian, who should have been at least three or four meters behind him, had somehow closed to less than two meters away.

This guy is insanely fast! Zhu Zhan was deeply startled. His body slowed slightly, and Zhang Jian gained on him again.

Surprised or not, Zhu Zhan had been a member of the school basketball team and had played in competitions since childhood. His game experience, grasp of timing, and ability to handle unexpected situations were all far beyond Zhang Jian's.

Zhu Zhan immediately accelerated toward the basket. At this point, he was only about eight meters from the hoop.

Zhang Jian had great confidence in his running.

At the same time, he was furious at Zhu Zhan for snatching the basketball away while he had been showing off his "work."

Having trained in track and field since childhood, he often ran the hundred meters in around eleven seconds. Short-distance running was his specialty to begin with, and anger, talent, and professional training combined to make his current speed terrifying.

He lengthened his stride like a powerful cheetah chasing prey, his arms pumping as he quickly drew level with Zhu Zhan.

They were now only two meters from the basket.

Zhu Zhan's heart skipped a beat.

Zhang Jian's terrifying jumping ability made him hesitate for a moment. His body paused slightly.

Just as he was wondering how to play this ball, a loud shout suddenly rang out!

"Zhu Zhan, go for the layup and draw the foul! He already has four fouls!" Class 5's homeroom teacher, Li Kejun, had a normally gentle face that was now flushed red with tension. He put both hands around his mouth and shouted.

It was as if a flash of light had crossed Zhu Zhan's mind. He planted his feet and gathered the basketball into his arms.

"Don't even think about making a layup!" Zhang Jian shouted as he pressed tightly against him, though both his arms were raised high.

Zhang Jian might not know much about basketball, but he knew that five fouls meant getting sent off the court!

The reason Zhang Jian knew even a little about basketball was that he had once heard his classmates talk about an NBA star called "Zhang Twenty-Thousand."

Whenever he discussed Zhang Twenty-Thousand and Old Man Qiao's less-than-child-friendly past with his classmates, Zhang Jian picked up bits and pieces of basketball rules.

"As long as my hands don't touch you, it isn't a foul!" Zhang Jian held both hands high and used his body to press against Zhu Zhan.

Damn it! Zhu Zhan cursed inwardly.

Zhang Jian was thin, but it was the kind of thin built from solid muscle. With his body pressed tightly against Zhu Zhan, he put enormous pressure on the comparatively frail Zhu Zhan.

A layup or shot might get blocked. What should I do? The instant Zhu Zhan stopped dribbling, doubt suddenly arose in his heart.

Draw a foul? Will he fall for it?

If he doesn't, will I waste this rare offensive chance?

What should I do? Countless voices seemed to burst into Zhu Zhan's mind at once, filling his thoughts.

"Play at your own rhythm instead of letting your opponent control it!" Jiang Shi's words suddenly surfaced in his mind again.

Zhu Zhan, struggling under the pressure of Zhang Jian's body, suddenly moved. Holding the basketball, he bent his knees slightly, then abruptly extended his arms in a perfectly standard shooting posture.

He wants to shoot? Zhang Jian was overjoyed. What he feared most was Zhu Zhan drawing a foul, but if Zhu Zhan shot from this close, how could he possibly fail to block it?

As Zhang Jian thought this, he pushed off the ground and soared into the air.

Whoosh! Zhang Jian flew up, and his airborne body rose more than half a head above Zhu Zhan's. Smiling faintly, he looked down at Zhu Zhan.

"Hm?" He suddenly froze, because he found that Zhu Zhan also wore a faint smile.

Zhu Zhan watched Zhang Jian hanging in the air, tapped off the ground, and soared up gracefully.

With a slight fadeaway, Zhu Zhan swiftly adjusted his shooting form in midair, his eyes shining as they locked onto the rim.

Oh no! I fell for it—it was a fake! Zhang Jian cried out in despair. Still airborne, he slowly descended and futilely stretched out an arm to block Zhu Zhan, but it sank lower and lower with his falling body.

"Go in!" Zhu Zhan's gaze sharpened. He bent his wrist back, supported the basketball with his left hand, and lightly flicked it with the fingers of his right!

The basketball spun rapidly as it flew toward the hoop.

Swish! The ball dropped cleanly through the net, then hit the ground still spinning fiercely.

"Yeah!"

The Class 5 spectators erupted in cheers. Zhu Zhan waved to them, then immediately ran back toward the other end of the court, not even looking at Zhang Jian, who was glaring daggers at him from the side.

Damn it! Zhang Jian's eyes nearly spewed fire. Watching Zhu Zhan's retreating back, he wished he could elbow him like Li Ke had been elbowed, leaving Zhu Zhan to sit at the sidelines with a helpless, monkey-like scowl and watch the game.

One pretty-boy monkey left, and now another skinny monkey has come to get in my way! Zhang Jian glanced at the cheering Li Ke, then looked at Zhu Zhan and thought bitterly.

So what if he's a little more handsome than me? That doesn't change how irritating that pretty-boy face of his is. Zhang Jian glanced at the exceptionally eye-catching Wen Ting beside Li Ke and comforted himself inwardly.

Next time I play, if I see a pretty boy, I'll definitely elbow him! Zhang Jian stared at Li Ke, jealousy flashing in his eyes as he thought viciously.

Zhang Jian had no idea that the angry words he was muttering to himself at that moment would actually come true in the future.

Moreover, it would become his signature move when he later fought alongside Li Ke, Zhu Zhan, and the others in the national tournament, as well as the source of the nickname that would later become famous across the country.