SSD 23. Qinghuo vs. Shuanglan: The Silence Before the Storm

He Jiang led his mother a few steps away from the team’s bench, to a quiet spot where no one else was around. Then he turned and looked at her. “Mom.”

His throat tightened. Part of him had wanted to ask if she had seen him play just now. But the moment the thought came to mind, it felt too strange, too out of place, so he held his tongue.

To his surprise, she spoke first. “I just arrived. I saw a bit of your game. But like I always say, make sure you stay safe.”

He Jiang gave a dry chuckle and nodded. “Alright.”

Ever since he had spotted his mother in the stands at the end of the first quarter, he had not been able to calm down.

After all, it had been a long time since his mother last came to watch one of his games. Just imagining her sitting there in the stands made He Jiang feel off. No matter how he tried to think about it, it just felt strange, uncomfortable even. With his state unsettled, every move he made on the court felt off, and the shots from his hands no longer landed cleanly.
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It was as if the gaze behind him wasn’t cheering him on but judging him. He Jiang knew well that his mother had never cared much for his interests. If she had, she would not have remained indifferent all these years while he played basketball through middle school and competed in professional-level games since high school. In truth, she had never even bothered to ask what he spent his days doing.

Perhaps, in her eyes, basketball was always just a childish distraction, something too trivial to matter.

He Jiang kept his back straight and was about to cautiously ask when she planned to leave, but before he could speak, his mother seemed to read his mind.

“I still have work later. Today’s meeting was tiring, so I’ll head back to the hotel first. I’ll be free tomorrow. I’ll get in touch with you then.”

He Jiang let out a quiet sigh of relief and quickly put on a smile. “Alright. Mom, take care on your way back.”

“Mm.”

She turned away, but before leaving, gave her son a long, scrutinizing look from head to toe. He Jiang felt as if his entire body had just been scanned by an X-ray. A chill crept over him, leaving him cold to the bone.

“Mom,” He Jiang called out, giving a little wave, “I won’t walk you out. The next quarter is about to start.”

She smiled, but her face held little warmth. After a brief pause, she turned and walked away. The click of her heels echoed softly as she disappeared through the doors of the gymnasium.

With the Great Buddha finally gone, He Jiang returned to the team feeling as if a great weight had been lifted. As soon as he sat down, he heard Xu Fanming angrily biting down on the mouth of his water bottle, eyes fixed on the backs of the twin brothers.

“Grinding your teeth?” He Jiang sat beside him and reached out to pull the bottle from his mouth. Xu Fanming was in no mood to humor him, his chest brimming with agitation. Now biting down on air, he grew even more irritated.

“You’re toxic!” Xu Fanming reached out to snatch it back, but He Jiang held the bottle even farther away. Xu Fanming simply gave up and went still. After a glance at the gymnasium entrance, he muttered, “Your mom left?”

“Yeah.”

Xu Fanming gave him a sideways glance. “So now you can finally play properly?”

He Jiang’s heart gave a jolt. So Xu Fanming had noticed too.

Of course Xu Fanming wasn’t an idiot. The nature of the game demanded that he stay alert to his teammates’ condition at all times. Starting from the second quarter, He Jiang had been out of sorts, clearly distracted. Xu Fanming figured it must have had something to do with He Jiang’s mother suddenly showing up.

“Yeah.” He Jiang took a few gulps from the bottle Xu Fanming had just been gnawing on, wiped his mouth with his forearm, and said, “Now, this game is only just getting started.”

Xu Fanming thought he was full of it. The game was already halfway through and you’re only now getting serious? What nonsense.

Just then, team manager Pan Yuan walked over and offered everyone a warm smile. “The rhythm in the second half just now was solid. Keep it up. The score gap isn’t big. There’s still plenty of room to turn this around.”

Zhu Xuyao clapped his hands first and grinned. “Got it! Yuan Yuan, this is our first game. Be sure to get a good shot of me looking cool.”

“Alright,” Pan Yuan lifted the camera. “I’ll get you a few close-ups in the second half. Make sure you play well.”

Zhu Xuyao wiped under his eye in an exaggerated motion, then pinched his voice and said, “Oh no, I’m so touched. Yuan Yuan, I like you even more now~~”

The whole team booed.
“Ew, so cheesy!”
“Yao-ge, you’re too much!”
“Flirting with the team manager again!”

But thanks to Zhu Xuyao’s joke, the tension among the team eased considerably. Everyone broke into relaxed smiles, and their movements becoming more natural. Only Xu Fanming and Wen Qin sat to the side, both wearing serious expressions, saying nothing at all. Their somber faces stood in stark contrast to the lightened mood.

Xu Fanming was stuck in his own head, spiraling in frustration. Wen Qin, on the other hand, was drowning in guilt.

He had been preoccupied ever since the last play. He didn’t even dare lift his head, afraid of meeting Fang Ruihan’s disappointed gaze. If only he had held his ground on that possession, they might have closed the score gap and stabilized the team’s morale. Things wouldn’t have ended with everyone feeling so deflated.

When it came down to it, the problem was his weak fundamentals. He had embarrassed himself in front of the crowd and brought shame to the team.

He was a rookie. It was only because of the seniors’ trust that he was allowed on the court during an official match. But his performance had been so disappointing.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He was nearly ready to give up on continuing the game. That was when a hand gently tapped his shoulder. Wen Qin looked up in a dazed and met Fang Ruihan’s calm, gentle gaze.

His back stiffened. But Fang Ruihan just smiled and said warmly, “You scored five points in the second quarter, including a three-pointer. That’s a solid result for your debut. Keep it up.”

Wen Qin lowered his head and rasped, “Senior, I…”

“You’re thinking about the ball that got intercepted by No. 5 just now?” Fang Ruihan sat down beside him. “You’re feeling frustrated, aren’t you?”

Wen Qin’s hands slowly curled into fists. The moment kept replaying in his mind. Disappointment, guilt, regret, and frustration all tangled together. He bit his lip and slowly exhaled.

“…Yeah.”

Fang Ruihan looked at the side of his face and gave a gentle smile.

“Frustration is perfectly normal. But Wen Qin, you need to understand that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Just like everyone has things they’re good at and things they’re not.”

Wen Qin froze. He blinked and turned his head toward Fang Ruihan. Those steady, calm eyes held no disappointment or blame. Only warmth.

“You’re the shooting guard I picked. Trust yourself,” Fang Ruihan said with a smile. “Play to your strengths. Avoid your weaknesses. Focus on what you’re good at, and leave the rest to your teammates.”

Wen Qin bit his lower lip. His fingers trembled slightly, eyes growing red as if something were about to spill over.

Yes. This was the kind of person Fang Ruihan was. Gentle, dependable, and full of quiet strength. He loved his team and believed in his players. When things got tough, he stood at the front and shouldered the pressure without flinching. When someone made a mistake, he never scolded them. Only comforted. As a captain, he took care of everyone’s emotions and held the team together.

“Listen up—” Fang Ruihan finally stood, facing everyone with a smile. “The game’s not over yet, so anything is possible. Pull yourselves together. No matter how, just get that ball in the basket. This match, we give it everything we’ve got!”

Break time was over. The game continued.

Shuanglan had possession at the start of the third quarter. Gao Nan held the ball. He hadn’t gotten far before realizing that the players from Qinghuo were full of energy, seeming to grow even more aggressive under pressure.

“Tch.” Gao Nan turned his head and kept dribbling as he crossed half-court. Suddenly, a figure in black appeared before him. Looking closely, he saw it was the opposing captain.

Number 12, Fang Ruihan.

Still defending? Didn’t they get enough of a beating earlier? Gao Nan had always taken pride in his offense. Standing over two meters tall with refined skills, he was a player most opponents feared. Once the ball was in his hands, it was nearly impossible to take it away.

Gao Nan curled his lips into a grin. He crouched slightly, aiming to break through on Fang Ruihan’s right. But just as he moved, Zhu Xuyao stepped in from the other side, as if he had already predicted Gao Nan’s plan. He took two big strides and blocked Gao Nan’s path. Now both his left and right sides were sealed off by two men standing over 1.8 meters tall.

Gao Nan’s brows knitted together. He glanced over at his brother Gao Dong, only to see that he was tied up by the opponent’s number 10 and couldn’t break free. He vaguely remembered that this number 10 had some serious skill. From the looks of the game so far, he was likely the most technically proficient player on the team. But for some reason, he had been holding back in the first two quarters, playing very conservatively.

Fine. I’ll handle this myself. Just the two of them weren’t enough to stop him.

Gao Nan glanced at Fang Ruihan and Zhu Xuyao, then quickly assessed his position on the court. He was near the three-point line, still within range. Even if he missed, they could probably secure the rebound.

So, he raised the ball, bent his knees, and jumped for a shot. With his towering frame, he soared like a mountain rising into the air.

But perhaps it was that very pride that caused a moment of carelessness. What he didn’t expect was that just a split second before he leapt to shoot, Fang Ruihan had already read his move and jumped even earlier.

By the time Gao Nan realized what was happening, it seemed it was already too late. But the situation wasn’t entirely beyond saving. Fang Ruihan’s leap reminded him of that earlier match, when No. 6, Xu Fanming, had suddenly sprung up in an attempt to block his shot. That time had indeed startled him. No. 6 had impressive verticals and quick reflexes. But in the end, even he had been overpowered by Gao Nan’s sheer strength.

This guy, though, didn’t jump as high as Xu Fanming, and his reaction was a beat slower. Stealing the ball was nearly impossible.

What he hadn’t expected was that Fang Ruihan wasn’t aiming to steal the ball. Instead, he shot his hand up and nudged the ball gently on the side as it left Gao Nan’s fingertips, pushing it backward with a quick flick. The ball’s path veered off course and slipped away from Gao Nan’s palm.

Gao Nan’s eyes flew wide.

The ball dropped behind them and hit the floor, just within reach of Xu Fanming, who had charged over. His face lit with excitement. Just as he was about to dribble into Shuanglan’s half, Gao Dong appeared right in front of him.

“…Shit.”

Xu Fanming swallowed hard. Gao Dong, towering at nearly two-point-one meters, was downright terrifying to face. In the back, Gao Nan let out a quiet breath. Even if they had fumbled the ball, Shuanglan could still take it back.

Xu Fanming shifted once, then twice, but couldn’t break through. Gritting his teeth, he flung the ball to Wen Qin, who was standing just outside the three-point line. The other Shuanglan players, seeing that it was Wen Qin who had received the ball, relaxed slightly and slowed their pace on defense. Gao Nan and Gao Dong exchanged a glance, the tension in their eyes beginning to ease.

They remembered this short kid. In the first half, he had been the most invisible player on Qinghuo’s side. Small stature, unremarkable skills. During that one-minute face-off with their No. 5, Wen Qin’s fatal flaws had been fully exposed.

Wen Qin, quiet and unremarkable. Wen Qin, the smallest on the team. Wen Qin, always lingering at the edges. Wen Qin, still a basketball novice.

No one had high hopes for this one-meter-seventy player, the weakest presence on the court, with the weakest skills.

What was he trying to do? Pass? Drive? Whatever it was, Shuanglan was fully prepared to counter it. If Wen Qin wanted to pass, every Qinghuo player near the paint who could take the ball was already tightly guarded. If he wanted to break through, his fundamentals weren’t solid enough to get past two or three bigger and more experienced defenders. There was almost nothing he could do.

So what would Wen Qin do, standing almost nine meters away from the basket?

“Senior told me I had an accurate shot, smooth ball handling, and great potential. That’s why I joined the campus team.”

“I want to train hard, play well in the coming matches, so I won’t let him down.”

“You’re the shooting guard I brought in. Trust yourself.” A gentle voice rang by his ear. “Play to your strengths. Lean into what you’re good at, and push it to the limit.”

Wen Qin’s eyes flew open.

Under the gaze of every player on the court, the quietest, smallest figure slowly straightened up. Standing two meters outside the three-point line, he bent his knees slightly and raised the ball over his head.

His eyes locked onto the high hoop, and with a powerful snap of his wrist, he released it.

The ball hit the floor with a dull thump. The court was dead silent, the only sound the faint, restrained breathing in the air.

A few seconds later, the entire gym erupted.

A three-pointer beyond anyone’s wildest expectations!

The last time Pan Yuan saw someone hit a shot from that far out was when she had first met He Jiang. He had casually thrown one from deep right in front of the team.

But she knew that He Jiang’s long-range accuracy came from a solid foundation and refined touch. Wen Qin, though, was just a rookie. How could he pull off such an incredible shot?

Suddenly, Pan Yuan began to understand why Fang Ruihan had insisted on bringing Wen Qin onto the team in the first place.

This rookie’s talent might be far beyond anything they could have imagined.

Maybe…

The real game was only just beginning.