“Missed! He missed!” An exaggerated voice immediately rang out! That piercing sound seemed like a sharp sword piercing Cao Nan’s eardrum; he glared fiercely at the speaker, his teeth grinding.
But Sun Dacheng, in his excitement, paid no mind to these details; he had gone all out. “Boss Cao… cough… Cao… cough… one ball… cough… Cao… cough… Cao, Cao, Cao Can’t Score!” The match supervisor Sun Dacheng shouted exaggeratedly, using all his might, his voice hoarse, initially intending to say “Boss Cao didn’t score a ball,” but the cough replaced half the sentence, resulting in just “Cao Can’t Score” being heard.
Boss Cao didn’t score! At such a sensitive moment, everyone was extra cautious; though excited and joyful inside, they refrained from loud shouting, fearing to provoke Cao Nan or his ever-watchful lackeys, who might seek revenge later. When the basketball hit the ground, it was not only Sun Dasheng who noticed. Intimidated by Cao’s past tyranny, the onlookers had been tense, not daring to make a sound. However, with the sudden turn of events, when someone started to mock with a witty remark, the suppressed urge to laugh burst forth. Laughter erupted, spreading like wildfire. Some who hadn’t heard Sun Dasheng’s shout were frantically asking around what was so amusing, and upon learning, they too joined in with knowing laughter. “Cao Can’t Score!” a few bold ones shouted out. The crowd immediately burst into mocking laughter! Cao Nan clearly heard the shouts and angrily ‘looked’ in the direction of the noise. Provocatively, he extended his middle finger towards the crowd, showing contempt for those hiding in the masses and shouting randomly. His rude gesture immediately provoked discontent, and the chant of “Cao Can’t Score!” grew even louder. Cao Nan, in defiance, stretched out both middle fingers…
“Cao Can’t Score! Cao Can’t Score! Cao Can’t Score!…” Instead of intimidating others as usual, Cao Nan’s vile actions only attracted more voices to join in, and more people began chanting this newly coined nickname. The students watching were getting excited; the boys roared, and the girls screamed, no longer suppressing their emotions, letting them out freely. Cao Nan had missed his seventh shot, and given Lin Feng’s current hot hand, the outcome was predictable… Cao Nan was losing his composure. Seeing more and more people disregarding their leader, Cao Nan’s lackeys also panicked. “Fuck! What are you yelling about… Ah…” A loyal follower in the crowd suddenly tore off his shirt, revealing a ferocious black eagle tattoo on his back, wildly gesturing with left and right dragons and tigers, baring his teeth at the surrounding people! He wanted to maintain his boss’s authority through intimidation, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was hit on the back of the head with a brick, screaming as he fell to the ground. The crowd’s momentum was at its peak, with no one paying attention to him. Other lackeys, seeing this, tried to come to the rescue, loudly shouting to boost their morale, but as soon as they approached, someone shouted “Hit him,” and they too were kicked by a mysterious foot from somewhere. In less than three or five moves, several lackeys were hit, and seeing the situation was not in their favor, they called out and fled. The poor guy on the ground, dazed, got up, hands on hips, pointing randomly, still trying to find his attacker to seek revenge, but the crowd dispersed, leaving him standing alone, having suffered a hidden loss.
The chaos below did not stop the ongoing duel above. Cao Nan was struggling to score, but his opponent, Lin Feng, was relentless, his precision like a robot executing a program, following up with another identical swish. It seemed Lin Feng was deliberately applying psychological pressure on Cao Nan; every time Cao Nan paused, Lin Feng would immediately shoot, leaving no room for hesitation, and without any mistakes. Those not paying close attention might easily mistake the shots as Cao Nan’s. “Lin Feng! Lin Feng! Show your might! Yeah!” Sun Dasheng, inspired, came up with new words. This time, as soon as he finished speaking, a uniform roar followed, everyone momentarily forgetting the fresh ‘Cao Can’t Score’ chant to sing praises for Lin Feng: Lin Feng! Lin Feng! Show your might! Lin Feng! Lin Feng! Show your might…
The shouts from the students were like tidal waves, each one louder than the last, shaking Yushan High School to its core, as more students rushed to the playground. What was happening? Was there some major competition at school today that they hadn’t heard about? They ran while inquiring about Lin Feng, who this figure was at school. However, the most excited at the moment were undoubtedly Sun Dasheng, the game supervisor inside the court, and two other boys, who meticulously announced the scores after each round, their serious demeanor and authoritative tone making them seem like the referees of the match.
Cao Nan missed his seventh shot, overtaken by Lin Feng, and he was in a panic. Although he thought losing money was no big deal, losing in basketball, something he prided himself on, and in front of so many people, was something he couldn’t accept. In the next three rounds, Cao Nan’s performance deteriorated with each shot, and on his last attempt, he didn’t even hear the backboard, thinking he had finally scored a swish, but after a brief silence, a thunderous shout erupted: “Three Misses! Three Misses! Big Cao, Three Misses!…” The chant soon simplified to just “Cao Misses.” Losing face on the last shot, Cao Nan was filled with shame and anger. What was worse, when he pulled down his blindfold, he saw the same familiar, seemingly clumsy but actually deadly… an atypical fadeaway jump shot, followed by another familiar swish, cleanly ending the game.
Fuck! He, who usually preyed on geese, was now pecked blind by one! Cao Nan kicked the basketball like a soccer ball, sending it flying high into the sky, landing far away in a corner of the playground. This damn guy, ten shots, none touched the rim, eight were swishes, fuck, he must have been blindfolded the whole time, even among professional players, there wouldn’t be many as impressive… An 8-point difference! This time, Cao Nan was deeply hurt. Especially when he glanced around the court and saw that seductive figure also cheering, his heart was filled with mixed emotions. If he had known this would be the result, he, Cao Nan, would never have done such a foolish thing. The kid in front of him, not even worth a slap, had the guts to pull off blindfolded shooting tricks, clearly having prepared in advance. “Calculating against me, huh? Damn, looks like I need to show some real force, or things will turn upside down!”
