Chapter Thirty-Seven: We Have Won!

“Give it to me!” Dong Yanyan snatched the item without a second thought, frowning as she began treating Lin Feng’s wound.

“He pushed on purpose! That was a foul! How can you not call such an obvious violation?!” Leng Haoyang shouted angrily, hurling the basketball far across the court.

Teacher Liu, who had only recently graduated and stayed to teach at the school, was barely older than the students and had a temper to match. Seeing Leng Haoyang’s behavior, her face darkened with anger.

“Leng Haoyang, what kind of attitude is that? Lin Feng, can you keep playing or not? If not, hurry up and substitute!” The grade director, Mr. Tang, strode over, his expression grim. Dong Yanyan’s heart sank. Teacher Liu Qing had been Mr. Tang’s favorite student, and it was he who had recommended her to stay at the school. Now Leng Haoyang had certainly offended both teachers.

Leng Haoyang looked aggrievedly at their homeroom teacher, Mr. Chen, but when he saw no reaction, he turned to glance at Lin Feng. Lin Feng was frowning, supporting his injured leg, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stand.

By then, Xu Cheng had changed into his jersey and walked over. He shot a glare at Mr. Chen, then said coldly to Leng Haoyang, “He can’t go back in, he twisted his ankle too. I’ll play! Lao Liu, swap Liu Qiang out as well and put Jiang Fan in! I don’t believe it—with so many guys in our class, we can’t outrun them!”

Dong Yanyan was genuinely surprised. Since when did her ex-husband become so spirited? He even dared glare at the teacher now. Usually, asking him to argue was like asking for his life—when had she ever seen him so feisty? Truly, brothers are like limbs, women like clothes. Hmph!

“Fine! You two go in! Liu Qiang is useless today—a girl would do better than him!” Leng Haoyang shot Liu Qiang a disdainful look. The referee’s whistle blew, and the group ran to the center of the field.

The game resumed.

Dong Yanyan handed Lin Feng a towel to wipe his sweat, then asked Xiaohan to bring a bottle of iced mineral water for his injury.

“This leg is really in bad shape,” she said as she squatted beside him, her heart aching as she looked at the injury.

“It’s not that bad. I just need some time. I can’t stand because I twisted my ankle, but the ice is helping a lot.” Lin Feng bent over to massage his injured foot. “Once it’s back in shape, I’ll go back in. Otherwise, our class’s third place is at risk.”

“Let me massage it for you! Save your strength. I’m counting on your moment of glory!” Dong Yanyan laughed. But her voice was soon drowned out by a cheer from the girls.

She looked back. The moment her class’s two substitutes took the court, chaos broke out on both sides. Xu Cheng’s energy exploded first. He charged at the ball with wild eyes, snatching it and tossing it toward the basket without hesitation. His teammates thought he was going to pass, but before they knew it, the ball was already in the hoop for two points.

When the other team inbounded the ball, Xu Cheng rushed in again without a care. Leng Haoyang was almost knocked over by him and was about to curse, but Xu Cheng had already passed the ball back. Just as he was about to shoot, Jiang Fan appeared out of nowhere, stole the ball, and passed it to Song Mingcheng, who was tightly guarded by two defenders. Song was stunned for a second, then leapt up, caught the ball, and, in one swift motion, launched it from beyond the three-point line. Afraid of fouling, the defenders held back and could only watch as the ball sailed through the hoop.

In less than two minutes, they had scored five points, greatly boosting the morale of their classmates. Leng Haoyang, thrilled, found his rhythm and began showing off.

Watching Xu Cheng dash madly across the court, Dong Yanyan felt a surge of emotion. So he hadn’t always been timid. Perhaps life had been too harsh, forcing a boy from a poor family like him to become smooth and cautious. Or maybe she herself had been too domineering, grinding down his spirit. But then again, wasn’t her willfulness something he’d indulged? And her sharp tongue, hadn’t his mother trained her well? If not for necessity, what woman wouldn’t want to live with grace and elegance? Who would choose to be shrewish if she could help it?

She wiped her eyes and pulled herself back to reality. On the court, the boys from the production class were clearly caught off guard. Xu Cheng’s style was completely chaotic—he just crashed into them head-on. As a substitute, he wasn’t afraid of fouls or injuries. If they tried to stop him, they risked getting hurt or penalized; if they didn’t, he’d snatch the ball away. Then there was Jiang Fan, who looked gentle and frail but moved around the court with ease, displaying an unflappable calm and an occasional enigmatic smile. He was so unpredictable that even his own teammates never knew where he’d show up next, or when he’d suddenly burst into a sprint. His speed was impossible to defend. If you covered him, he rarely got the ball; if you didn’t, he’d steal yours at any moment.

Amid the chaos, the second quarter ended in a tie.

But the price was steep: Xu Cheng fell several times and was benched for reaching five fouls in the final second. Jiang Fan, on the other hand, strolled off the court as if nothing had happened.

Dong Yanyan knew that Xu Cheng had poor balance—he always fell flat, and likely picked up more than a few bruises. As soon as he came off, she had Gu Xiaohan grab the first aid kit and rush over. Xiaohan, always a bit scatterbrained, pinned him to a chair and dabbed every bruise and scrape with antiseptic, then wrapped him in bandages, leaving his limbs looking like a patchwork map. Dong Yanyan’s heart ached at the sight.

“Everyone, over here! Let’s talk strategy!” Leng Haoyang said, wiping away sweat and grinning. “Xu and Jiang were great just now! I overheard the other team—they’re putting in substitutes too. What’s our plan?”

“If they’re using subs, we’ll bring back our main players,” Xu Cheng replied with a laugh. “Don’t let the chaos fool you—that was all part of my and Jiang Fan’s plan to catch them off guard. The next quarter is crucial, though. We’re good at sneak attacks, but not at defense, especially against Gao Jian. He’s their key player. If we want to win, we have to shut him down.”

“Let Liu Qiang go in first. The rest of us, grab the rebound and shoot. Don’t hesitate—got it, Liu Qiang? Once we get possession at midcourt, always pass to Song Mingcheng for the three-pointer. Is that clear, Song Mingcheng? I’ll guard Gao Jian! He’s not taller than me. If he tries anything, I’ll block him!” said Leng Haoyang.

Dong Yanyan thought he was getting carried away by this small victory. Had he forgotten how fawning he usually was around their senior? Sure, he might block him now, but after the match? Still, even as she thought this, she cheered him on.

“Let’s do it! I believe in you!” she said, full of enthusiasm.

In the last ten minutes, Lin Feng returned to the game. The team played with perfect coordination, and in the final two minutes, they reversed the score and won!

The girls in the class erupted in cheers. The scene was a joyous frenzy as everyone crowded around their players and led them back to class, not even waiting to watch the final between the Audio-Visual Class of ‘95 and the Distribution Class of ‘96.