Black-Faced Fang

Zhu Zhan found it a little strange, but he only wondered about it for a moment before starting his own practice.

He took off his jacket, revealing his beloved number-one jersey. Zhu Zhan first dribbled the basketball, warmed up, then jogged around the court in small steps while handling the ball.

After two laps, Zhu Zhan took a deep breath and began stretching his ligaments and pressing his legs.

After a while, Zhu Zhan patted the basketball and began practicing layups.

He made five from the left side, then started doing layups from the right after sinking them all.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The nearly empty basketball court was filled with the sound of the young man dribbling alone.

At some point, the middle-aged man sitting beside the court had opened his eyes. A faint smile rested on his lips as he watched Zhu Zhan practice, his gaze carrying a hint of appreciation.

My strengths are driving to the basket and mid-range shooting. But compared to Li Ke, my shot isn't as accurate, Zhu Zhan thought.

He raised the basketball over his head, pulled up directly, and flicked his wrist. The ball spun through the air.

Swish!

The ball went cleanly through the net.

"Whew..." Zhu Zhan let out a long breath and prepared to retrieve the ball, intending to rest for a while.

"Young man, you really like basketball, huh?" A voice suddenly sounded behind him. Zhu Zhan turned around and saw that it was the middle-aged man who had been sitting at the edge of the court.

So tall! Zhu Zhan cried inwardly.

The middle-aged man before him had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, lean frame. He wore an old tracksuit and stood at least one meter ninety-five. His slightly narrowed eyes were weathered by life, and though his face was lined with wrinkles, he looked exceptionally spirited. His body seemed as vigorous as a young man's.

The middle-aged man was now looking at Zhu Zhan with great interest.

"Yeah. Why?" Zhu Zhan asked doubtfully as he looked at him.

"Do you want your basketball skills to improve by leaps and bounds?" The middle-aged man suddenly smiled at Zhu Zhan.

"What?" Zhu Zhan did not understand what he meant for a moment.

"Well, I can see you really love basketball. I used to be a basketball coach. Why not take me as your master? If I train you every day from now on, you'll definitely become much stronger!" the middle-aged man said seriously as he looked at Zhu Zhan.

"Heh, and what makes you qualified to teach me?" Zhu Zhan held the basketball at his waist and sized up the middle-aged man with interest.

Seeing the teasing look in his eyes, the middle-aged man's lips curved slightly as he shouted, "This!"

The middle-aged man lightly reached down with his right hand, and the basketball Zhu Zhan had yet to pick up was easily palmed in his hand.

Zhu Zhan stared at the basketball in the middle-aged man's hand in surprise. Holding it one-handed, the man glanced at the hoop, backed up a few steps, then stopped and looked at Zhu Zhan. "Watch carefully!"

He had originally been three or four meters from the basket, yet this unremarkable middle-aged man's eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light. He lifted his right leg slightly, then charged forward like a bull launching an attack!

When he was about a meter from the hoop, the middle-aged man took a huge stride and soared into the air. As though he had defied gravity, he held the ball in his right hand and, in a pose similar to Jordan's, hung in the air for an instant before viciously slamming the ball through the hoop.

Boom!

It was a heart-shaking assault on the rim! The hoop and basketball collided violently, and the impact slammed just as fiercely into Zhu Zhan's heart. His eyes fixed on the middle-aged man before him, suddenly blazing bright!

He was no ignorant child who had never seen the world. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked at the middle-aged man.

"It's just a dunk!" Zhu Zhan shrugged.

"Good!" A gleam flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes. He picked up the basketball and smiled at Zhu Zhan. "Let's play one-on-one. If I convince you, you'll take me as your master!"

"Bring it on!" Zhu Zhan, whose hands had long been itching for a game, answered crisply. He raised his head to look at the middle-aged man, excitement and hidden fighting spirit glimmering in his eyes.

"You check it, Uncle!" Zhu Zhan's gaze shifted as he spoke softly.

Three minutes—three short minutes that had passed so quickly they caught him completely off guard...

"Six to zero!" The middle-aged man tossed the basketball to the ground and looked at Zhu Zhan with a faint smile.

"Whew..." Zhu Zhan looked at the middle-aged man and recalled that astonishing drive from earlier.

The middle-aged man had taken one powerful stride, pulled the ball across, and flashed right past him before ruthlessly dunking! It was nothing like what someone his age should have been capable of.

Shaking his head, Zhu Zhan frowned. "I admit you're better than me right now, but that doesn't mean you'll still be better than me in the future!"

"Oh?" The middle-aged man froze for a moment and looked at Zhu Zhan. "You seem to look down on me quite a bit. But I like that!"

"I want to become stronger. I want to win this year's National High School Students League championship. Can you help me achieve that?" Zhu Zhan looked at the middle-aged man before him and spoke slowly, word by word.

"The National High School Students League championship? So you're from Jinghai No. 2 High School. No wonder you looked a little familiar, kid. Heh, as long as you're willing to endure hardship, I guarantee you can become a basketball player above the level of others your age! But I can't guarantee you'll truly win the championship. In competition, too many factors affect the result. The only thing I can guarantee is that you'll definitely become stronger than you are now!" The middle-aged man met Zhu Zhan's eyes and spoke with absolute certainty.

"Mm, I agree!" Zhu Zhan lowered his head to think for a while, then looked up at the middle-aged man.

"Good! But kid, let me tell you this: I can help you improve, but only if you can endure hardship. You look like you don't care about anything. You don't seem like someone who can suffer through it," the middle-aged man said with a teasing hint in his voice.

"Uncle, what should I call you?" Zhu Zhan directly ignored the middle-aged man's words and asked.

"Hahahaha!" The middle-aged man burst into laughter. Looking at Zhu Zhan, he said, "You've got quite the personality, kid. You've watched plenty of Slam Dunk, haven't you? Are you imitating Rukawa Kaede? My name is Jiang Shi! From now on, call me Uncle Jiang!"

"Uncle Jiang." Zhu Zhan nodded.

"Kid, you've got a solid foundation. You must have received systematic training before, right?" Jiang Shi asked Zhu Zhan.

"Yes. My name is Zhu Zhan. My classmates and family call me Little Zhan. I was on the school team in elementary school, and now I'm a senior at Jinghai No. 2 High School. In two months, I'll be participating in the National High School Students League for the last time!" Zhu Zhan said softly.

"I know. Your school's basketball coach is Black-Faced Fang!" Jiang Shi said with narrowed eyes and a smile.

"Black-Faced Fang? Our coach is named Fang Shan, but... he really does have a dark face. Could it be that you know him?" Zhu Zhan's eyes flashed.

Jiang Shi's eyes flickered as he said, "How would I know him? I've only heard of him!"

Zhu Zhan nodded. "Coach Fang used to be a member of the national team's second squad. It's normal that you've heard his name!"

Jiang Shi was speechless inside. If this kid learned who he really was, wouldn't his jaw drop? Ah well, he was retired and bored anyway. Training this kid properly would be a fine way to pass the time.