Only Li Zheng was still lying on the ground.
Lin Yujing looked at Li Zheng with a conflicted expression, feeling a rare twinge of guilt.
She struggled for a long time before tilting her head down and reluctantly extending her right hand.
"Ugh..."
Li Zheng was still debating whether to forgive her when Jiang Qinghua rushed over and pulled him up.
"Li Xueba, how could you fall like that from just a bump? Fortunately, Liu Xin was quick-witted," Jiang Qinghua said while dusting off Li Zheng's clothes with a laugh.
"Sorry." Li Zheng felt deeply that he was dragging the team down, and he found the basketball court very dangerous. "That was my ball."
He could see that the relaxation rate was gradually decreasing.
With increasing pressure, Lin Yujing's forcing was now just 0.8.
Lin Yujing succeeded, and he felt terrible about it.
And the system had gifted him ten Game Coins, seemingly to enhance his experience.
Considering that basketball was the best sport for relaxation besides flirting.
Li Zheng began to hesitate about whether to use the coins.
Seeing that Li Zheng was fine, Lin Yujing naturally exposed her true nature, squinting and smiling condescendingly: "Tch."
The slight guilt she felt earlier had vanished, and her annoying side resurfaced.
Jiang Qinghua laughed upon seeing this: "Heh, Yu Jing, let our Li Zheng off this time; it's his first time playing."
Lin Yujing turned her head and made a bye-bye gesture: "~"
Seriously...
So infuriating.
Morality doesn't match her talent!
What, did she feel like she'd successfully defended her territory?
"I'm fine, let's continue." As Li Zheng spoke, he mentally threw a Game Coin.
Basic basketball skills, precise shooting, uploaded.
Guiding tips appeared accordingly.
[Detection: basketball skill level increased]
[Relaxation rate cap raised to 10, (currently 0.7)]
[Daily recovery cap raised to 75 minutes]
Li Zheng just realized that the Game Coins were meant to be used this way.
Only by improving his skills could he enjoy the game.
This perfectly aligned with what Lin Yujing had been doing.
Hmm, he's gotten the hang of it now.
Li Zheng excitedly started warming up and running, his steps noticeably changed.
It used to be a stroll, but now it was positioning.
Positioning like a professional athlete.
He began moving unpredictably, frequently turning around while keeping an eye on his teammates' positions.
His vision and mindset completely transformed.
Li Zheng was finally truly engaged in the game.
His vitality recovery rate was steadily increasing as well.
Yes, this is how you play basketball.
The current score was 2-0. The losing side served, and the ball was passed to Lin Yujing again.
Lin Yujing glanced at Li Zheng and decided to let him off this time, planning to score one point first.
She then started dribbling around Liu Xin on the perimeter.
Liu Xin said he'd stick to her like glue, sparing no effort, but since his opponent was a girl, he had to maintain a proper distance.
On Li Zheng's end, he could guard a typical girl with minimal effort.
The typical girl also cooperated, not resisting at all, just wandering around symbolically.
Their interaction was quite peaceful.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qinghua was gradually being dragged into the trenches by Qiao Bixia.
Jiang Qinghua knew well that if the Tank got the ball, she would definitely use her body to back him up and push towards the basket.
This was the Fierce Tiger Style, using her body to dominate.
If it were a guy doing this, Jiang Qinghua wouldn't be afraid.
But if the Tank's hips bumped against him...
He couldn't withstand it.
He feared he'd develop a mental block and wouldn't dare to face a girl's back again in the future.
Thus, he had to stay in front of Qiao Bixia at all times, not allowing her to get the ball easily.
But could the Tank be so easily controlled?
The two began frequent collisions, fighting for positioning.
During the tussle, Qiao Bixia managed to create a half-body space, raising her arm for the ball.
Lin Yujing saw it clearly and leapt to throw the ball.
Just then, a common figure flashed by.
The ball was intercepted!
Was it Li Zheng?
"Huh??" Lin Yujing exclaimed in surprise.
The sidelines erupted in cheers as well. Li Zheng, who had seemed so frail before, suddenly came alive.
They didn't know that Li Zheng had been observing for a long time, waiting for this moment.
Once Li Zheng got the ball, he wasted no time, dribbling past the three-point line in an instant.
His movements were sleek, his steps graceful.
From the power he put into dribbling, it was clear he was no novice.
The typical girl froze on the spot; she felt this average guy had betrayed their mutual understanding.
Lin Yujing was entangled with Liu Xin, unable to assist in defense.
Li Zheng, the unguarded three-point shooter beyond the line.
"Shoot!" Liu Xin shouted.
"Pass!" Jiang Qinghua freed himself from Qiao Bixia, raising his hand for the ball.
Li Zheng weighed his options and decided that shooting was the best choice.
He eyed the basket.
Breathed.
Aimed.
Jumped.
Released.
Even while still in mid-air, Li Zheng was confident the shot would go in.
Swish.
A perfect three-pointer.
Solid as a rock.
This was true relaxation.
[Relaxation rate: 8.2↑]
4-0.
"Holy crap!!" Liu Xin shouted, "Brother Li, you've been hiding this deep."
Jiang Qinghua was stunned too: "When did you practice this..."
Li Zheng just shook his hand and smiled: "Just a fluke, just a fluke."
Even the two fangirls were speechless.
Deep down, Li Zheng's form was even more charming.
A few meters away.
Lin Yujing.
She was about to explode.
She glared at Li Zheng, feeling humiliated and toyed with.
Her entire face turned red, her fists clenched tightly.
"Ugh..."
If she was hard to deal with before, now she was untouchable.
The girls' team served, match point.
Lin Yujing organized the attack again.
At this moment, Liu Xin's steps started to falter, struggling to keep up with Lin Yujing's speed.
After a simple zigzag maneuver, Lin Yujing spun to shake off Liu Xin, breaking through.
Jiang Qinghua hurried to block her.
Using the same method, Lin Yujing passed the ball accurately to Qiao Bixia.
Qiao Bixia had been holding back for a long time.
"Ah!!" She roared, making it seem like she was about to dunk.
But in the end, she had to settle for a layup, feeling stifled.
Even though the ball easily went in, her frustration was not alleviated at all.
"Defense, defense!" Qiao Bixia shouted.
4-1, Li Zheng served.
At this moment, Liu Xin was gasping for breath, resting his hands on his knees.
Jiang Qinghua, however, ran out of the three-second zone, raising his hand for the ball.
Liu Xin had been chasing Lin Yujing for so long, his stamina was almost depleted, so handing the offense to Jiang Qinghua wasn't a bad idea.
Li Zheng passed the ball to Jiang Qinghua.
Jiang Qinghua received the ball and with a simple arm movement, directed Liu Xin to move inside.
Coach Jiang's latest tactic—position switch.
Qiao Bixia hurriedly instructed Lin Yujing to guard Jiang Qinghua.
Jiang Qinghua finally got his wish.
Facing Lin Yujing, he calmly started showing off his ball-handling skills.
Through-the-legs dribbling, low dribbling, quick left-right shuffles, continuous spins.
One meaningless fancy move after another, giving off serious street ball vibes.
He couldn't help it; he had been holding back for so long, now he could finally show off.
The two fangirls went crazy cheering as well.
"Awesome, awesome, show us your moves!!"
"Break her ankles! Break her ankles!"
After a series of flashy moves, Jiang Qinghua suddenly changed direction and sped up, easily shaking off Lin Yujing and driving towards the inside.
Jiang Shuai was indeed Jiang Shuai, and girls were girls in the end.
Seeing this, Qiao Bixia rushed over to help on defense, as usual.
At the same time, Li Zheng managed to shake off the typical girl, creating space on the outside.
An unguarded Liu Xin was raising his hand frantically for the ball inside.
If Jiang Qinghua passed it, they could win by passing to anyone.
But Jiang Qinghua didn't look at them. Facing the Tank, he charged ahead.
He chose to make the layup himself.
Under the Tank's pressure, he forced a jump shot and blindly hooked the ball.
Clang, it hit the backboard.
"Mine!" Qiao Bixia roared, turning and pressing down on Liu Xin to grab the rebound, quickly passing it to Lin Yujing.
Lin Yujing, feeling a bit irritated, took the shot as soon as she caught the ball.
Just as she was in mid-air.
A hand blocked her line of sight.
"Ugh..." Her mind blanked.
But her motion couldn't be stopped.
The ball was already released.
Flying upwards.
However.
That hand blocked the sky.
And fiercely smacked down.
Bang!
A block!
Li Zheng had slapped the ball out of the court with his hand.
Lin Yujing staggered as she landed, her legs buckling, and she sat down.
Li Zheng, on the other hand, was light on his feet.
He hopped around, glancing at Lin Yujing with a slight smirk, mirroring her earlier smile.
[Relaxation rate: 10↑↑↑]
Good triumphs over evil, kid!
"..." Lin Yujing stared blankly at Li Zheng, her face puffing up more and more, with tears welling up in her eyes, her ponytail almost coming undone.
Qiao Bixia was on the verge of breaking down too: "Who the hell are you, so strong!"
"Not someone, it's our Brother Li." Liu Xin gasped for air and laughed, "Basketball, wow..."
The onlookers were all silent.
"Are you okay..." The typical girl ran over to help Lin Yujing up, "It's not over yet... we serve."
"No... no more... never again..." Lin Yujing suddenly raised her arm to cover her face and ran to the sidelines.
"Jingjing..." Qiao Bixia hurried over, "We're just getting started..."
"Quizzes, in the gazebo, in the library, on the basketball court..." Lin Yujing wiped her tears and grabbed her backpack, "I'm so weak..."
With that, she ran off the court, crying.
The onlookers, turning their gaze back to Li Zheng, couldn't help but feel some indignation.
"Who is this guy, being so harsh on a girl?"
"Seems like she bumped into him first."
"A girl bumping into you is not a bump, it's a gift!"
On the court, Li Zheng stood tall, arms behind his back, looking defiantly at the crowd.
Lin Yujing brought this upon herself.
As someone who had mastered study tactics, she should have been improving with her classmates, marching to the college entrance exams together.
But she always wanted to hog all the limelight, pushing competitors away.
Sinister motives.
Hmm, she won't learn the final big question now either.
Just when he was basking in his victory, a mountain blocked his way.
"Jingjing said... she'll never play basketball again..." Qiao Bixia glared with tiger eyes, "Li Zheng, I'll remember you."
[Flirt: Qiao Bixia]
[Relaxation rate: -19.8]
Damn you, why!
I haven't even spoken a word to her.