SSD 12. Qinghuo vs. Yangsheng: Fanming Unleashed

During halftime, the entire team sat in silence.

Captain Fang Ruihan wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel. When he looked up again, his face was serious. He spoke to the players huddled around him.

“Rebounds are the key.”

Xu Fanming looked up. Zhu Xuyao put down his water bottle.

Fang Ruihan continued his breakdown. “If we want to break through Yangsheng, we have to go through No. 9. He’s the core of their whole team. Just now, He Jiang’s tip-in worked well. It helped put pressure on No. 9.”

He glanced at He Jiang, who was still calmly drinking water, and gave him a nod of encouragement.

“Keep it up in the second half.”

So far, nearly eighty percent of Yangsheng’s points had come from No. 9, Tian Ye. Every time his teammates got the ball, their first instinct was to pass it to him.

Only now did Xu Fanming realize just how overwhelming that sense of pressure from No. 9 had been.

Tian Ye was the pillar of their entire team.

“His drives and defense are solid. He’s the all-rounder type. With no clear way to stop him yet, the only thing we can do is control the rebounds.” Fang Ruihan emphasized one last time. “Remember this. Rebounds will decide the outcome. Whoever controls the rebounds controls the game.”

“One, two, three—” everyone stacked their hands and shouted in unison, “Let’s go, Qinghuo!”

Just before stepping back onto the court, He Jiang walked over to Xu Fanming and leaned in close.

“All those chances in the first half. Why didn’t you pass to me?”

Xu Fanming didn’t answer. He Jiang circled around to face him, smiling as he reached out to ruffle his hair, but Xu Fanming dodged him with a quick tilt of the head.

He Jiang retracted his hand, still smiling. “Still mad?”

Xu Fanming didn’t look at him. “I don’t waste words.”

He Jiang knew the conversation had fallen flat. He shrugged and started walking toward the court.

Xu Fanming stared at his back for a moment, then finally called out, not quite at ease. “It’s still game time. Take it seriously.”

He Jiang took two steps back, returning to Xu Fanming’s side. He reached out and gave the Little Raptor’s “horn” a squeeze.

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

The second quarter officially began.

Since Yangsheng had possession at the start of the first quarter, Qinghuo opened the second and third with the ball.

Fang Ruihan dribbled into the frontcourt, took a quick scan of the court, and without hesitation passed the ball to He Jiang, who was positioned on the side.

He Jiang had performed well in the first quarter. Though he hadn’t taken many shots and hadn’t drawn much attention, every time he touched the ball, he delivered. Naturally, Fang Ruihan wanted to give him more opportunities to take control and show what he could do.

If that rhythm held, their situation would start to turn.

He Jiang caught the ball, and before the defenders had time to close in, he took the shot. The ball sailed in for three points.

Scoring a three off the opening play was a good sign.

They were just starting to think about riding that momentum when Tian Ye sprang into action, snatching up the ball and charging toward the basket with unstoppable force.

Fang Ruihan and Xu Fanming rushed to flank him on both sides to cut off his path.

Tian Ye flashed them a grin.

Xu Fanming suddenly realized what he was about to do, but it was too late. Tian Ye had already lifted the ball above his head, wrist curling into shooting position.

Was he really going for a three-pointer?

Xu Fanming lunged toward his side, hand reaching out to stop him. But that grin on Tian Ye’s face deepened. He didn’t shoot in Xu Fanming’s direction. Instead, with a sly twist behind his back, the ball slipped from the opposite side and landed right in the hands of a teammate who had been locking down Fang Ruihan.

That teammate caught the ball, took one step behind the three-point line, bent his knees, and launched it.

Three points. Right in.

Damn it… they were unstoppable.

Xu Fanming clenched his fists a little tighter.

As the second quarter went on, Yangsheng’s momentum only grew stronger. No matter how many times Qinghuo fought to regain control of the ball, Yangsheng always responded quickly, catching up to the score and gradually pulling ahead.

Tian Ye, their guard, really could do everything. His drives and layups were sharp, and even his stamina was frighteningly strong.

No wonder Yangsheng treated him like a god. He was the backbone of their entire team.

Just keeping up with him was already wearing Xu Fanming and the others down.

Their rhythm was completely thrown off. Tian Ye was like a nightmare, popping up in unexpected places, doing unexpected things. He made full use of the triple-threat fake, switching between passing, shooting, and driving without any pattern.

Xu Fanming had never been a patient person. Being stuck like this only made him more irritable. And after getting toyed with by Tian Ye several times, he was boiling inside.

The clock kept ticking, second by second.

“Yangsheng! Yangsheng!”

The gym erupted in waves of cheers. It was an away game for them, and naturally, the crowd favored the home team. This too was a disadvantage for Qinghuo.

On the sideline, team manager Pan Yuan watched the fiery momentum on the court and couldn’t hold back. She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, “Let’s go, Qinghuo! Push through!”

The ball came back to Xu Fanming. He dribbled forward, only to once again run into that human brick wall, No. 9, Tian Ye.

The same problem was playing out in front of him again.

Tian Ye’s defense was airtight, and the position Xu Fanming was in wasn’t suitable for a shot. That left only one option. Pass. But to whom?

Xu Fanming swallowed hard and scanned the court.

His first choice, Captain Fang Ruihan, was being locked down with his back to the defender. Another substitute was open, but his shooting wasn’t reliable, and a pass to him risked a turnover. He Jiang, on the other hand, was standing just inside the three-point line. There was a defender on him, but he still looked steady, completely in control.

What about Zhu Xuyao?

Xu Fanming turned his eyes to search for him. He was there, but heavily guarded. Even though Zhu Xuyao kept signaling with his eyes, telling him he was ready, something in Xu Fanming wavered.

It was obvious Zhu Xuyao wasn’t in top form today. He hadn’t played up to even seventy percent of his usual level. His shooting had slipped, and his usual sharp instincts hadn’t kicked in. Now that someone was pressing him so closely, it would be even harder to break free.

Xu Fanming hesitated.

“Hey.”

A voice suddenly cut in front of him. He snapped back to reality and met Tian Ye’s mocking eyes.

Then came the whistle.

“Black No. 6, violation!”

Xu Fanming froze. His face went pale.

He had committed a basic mistake.

The five-second violation. If a player is tightly guarded, they must pass, shoot, or dribble within five seconds. Otherwise, the whistle blows and possession is lost.

For someone with his level of experience, a mistake like that hit hard.

As soon as he heard the whistle, his mind went blank. Everything inside him felt scattered.

“It’s alright,” Fang Ruihan walked over and patted his shoulder. “Stay calm.”

Zhu Xuyao came up next, letting out a half-laugh, half-sigh. “The two of us are a mess today. This game’s cursed.”

He felt it too. Something was off today.

It was like they were cursed. All of them seemed to be under some kind of spell, constantly pushed down, no matter how hard they tried to fight back. The feeling was unbearable.

As his vision slowly cleared, Xu Fanming once again saw that smirking face of Tian Ye flash across his mind.

His expression darkened.

Since Xu Fanming had committed a violation, it was now Tian Ye’s turn to throw in the ball from the sideline.

Before the play resumed, Fang Ruihan gave the team a quick look. Just a brief glance, but Xu Fanming caught the message.

The captain wanted them to pass to He Jiang as much as possible.

He Jiang had only just joined the team and wasn’t close to anyone yet. Most of the players still treated him with a polite distance. Early on, he had remained somewhat on the sidelines. Fang Ruihan’s intention was clear. He wanted to push He Jiang forward and make him their ace.

Yangsheng had a devil guard.

Qinghuo needed their own all-rounder center.

But Xu Fanming still felt a trace of frustration.

Everyone on Qinghuo was strong. How had they ended up in such a sorry state, getting dominated by one Yangsheng lineup? And now, all their hopes had to rest on a loose cannon?

Was it really because they weren’t strong enough?

The referee’s whistle sounded again, and the court quickly came back to life. But Xu Fanming’s heart didn’t.

Tian Ye started dribbling, looking to get past Fang Ruihan and score on a drive.

The more Xu Fanming stared at that back, the more irritated he felt.

He clenched his jaw.

He was going to stop at least one shot.

He had to prove something. Anything.

Relying on his precise ball handling and coordinated support from his teammates, Tian Ye managed to slip past Fang Ruihan’s defense and charged toward the basket.

Xu Fanming locked onto that moment and lunged straight at him.

From the sidelines, Pan Yuan sensed something was wrong. Even He Jiang stopped what he was doing and stared at Xu Fanming in shock.

Pan Yuan covered her face. “Fanming, watch out!”

Xu Fanming’s move was too sudden and too forceful. Tian Ye, focused entirely on the play, didn’t have time to react. Just as he raised the ball to shoot, a dark shadow came crashing down from the side.

Xu Fanming had meant only to reach out for a block and take the ball away, but he had put too much force behind it. He couldn’t stop in time.

He crashed full-speed into Tian Ye. The two of them tumbled to the ground and hit hard.

The court fell silent for half a second.

Then the referee, looking startled, blew the whistle. “Black Number 6, personal foul.”

In a matter of moments, Xu Fanming had committed both a violation and a foul.

Fang Ruihan’s expression shifted. He looked toward Zhu Xuyao, whose face had also grown tense.

Tian Ye was helped up by his teammates. His face had gone pale, and he looked completely shaken. He pointed at Xu Fanming, anger flashing across his face, but there was a hint of fear behind it too.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Xu Fanming’s face had gone white. His limbs were stiff.

“It was an accident…”

“An accident?” Tian Ye’s face flushed red with rage. He glared at him. “Looked to me like you were coming straight for me on purpose.”

Xu Fanming stood frozen. “No. I wasn’t. I really didn’t mean to hit you.”

Tian Ye gave him a sharp look, then brushed the dust off his clothes and turned away.

On a basketball court, collisions and falls were nothing unusual.

But Tian Ye’s reaction felt overblown.

He Jiang stayed silent, his focus sharpening.

Since Xu Fanming had fouled during the shot, Tian Ye was given two free throws. Both teams took their positions around the paint. Tian Ye held the ball and stood at the line.

He Jiang kept his eyes on the ball, quietly watching Tian Ye’s expression. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t quite say what.

Just before the shot, Tian Ye’s eyes flicked slightly to the right.

A small movement, but it signaled nerves.

What are you thinking?

The first free throw hit the rim, wobbled, and dropped in.

The referee passed him the ball again. Tian Ye stared at the hoop, raised his arm, and released the second shot.

He Jiang’s gaze darkened. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

The second shot missed. It hit the rim and bounced off.

Players jumped for the rebound. But the ball was caught cleanly by a single hand midair.

All eyes followed it.

A black jersey rose above the crowd. The number on the back was 10.

He Jiang.

Tian Ye’s eyelid twitched. He moved to recover, but it was too late. He Jiang had already taken off. He sped across the court, cut into the paint, and launched into the air.

Then came the dunk.

The motion was clean and fast, every part of it tight and decisive.

The gym froze for a beat, then erupted in applause.