SSD 21. Qinghuo vs Shuanglan: Mama He

After failing to block the shot and getting slammed to the ground, Xu Fanming never quite recovered. Even when he walked, his steps felt light and unsteady.

In the first quarter, Qinghuo fought back fiercely, matching Shuanglan’s aggressive pace with sharp defense and relentless pursuit.

The first quarter ended with a score of 23 to 20. Qinghuo trailed by just three points.

During the halftime break, Xu Fanming sat alone drinking water. His gaze flicked toward Gao Nan and Gao Dong on the opposing side, eyes quietly flickering.

Fang Ruihan took a deep swig from his bottle, a strange and unsettled feeling lingering in his chest. At the start of the game, Qinghuo had been completely suppressed by the two forwards

Of course there was frustration, but even more than that, he wanted to find an opening in their defense. Shuanglan’s forward line was strong, but not invincible.

Besides, it was clear that aside from those two towering players, the rest of Shuanglan’s players were fairly average. Their point guard in particular still seemed stuck at a beginner’s level.

Fang Ruihan glanced at Xu Fanming, then put down his water bottle and walked over. “Fanming, are you hurt from that fall?”

Earlier, when Xu Fanming had been knocked to the ground by Gao Nan, he had landed hard on his backside. His face had gone blank, like he had been completely dazed. Fang Ruihan had noticed he had been off since the start of the game and was now understandably concerned.

“I’m fine.” Xu Fanming wiped his mouth and lowered his eyes.

Fang Ruihan gave his shoulder a pat. “Be more careful in the next quarter.”

Xu Fanming didn’t respond. He truly didn’t know what to say.

The moment he stepped onto the court, nerves had erased all the muscle memory he had built in practice. And to think he had even trained hard at the gym before the game. Just when he had finally gotten into the rhythm with that last attempted block, he was immediately crushed by the towering Gao Nan. Not only did he take a fall, but his mood had plunged to rock bottom.

He was feeling stifled and frustrated.

He Jiang’s gaze drifted for a moment, sweeping across the gym before returning to rest. He walked over and sat down beside Xu Fanming.

Xu Fanming sensed the movement beside him and looked up instinctively.

He fixed his eyes on He Jiang. “What?”

He Jiang gave a small smile. “Scared?”

Xu Fanming stiffened. “Bullshit.”

He Jiang let out a quiet chuckle.

From nearby, Fang Ruihan asked, “He Jiang, did you notice anything?”

He Jiang fell silent for a moment, then said, “That last block from Fanming was actually pretty solid. It shows he has a lot of confidence in his jumping ability and reaction speed.” He paused, then continued, “But the fact that Number 12 still went for the shot also shows how confident he is in himself.”

“Yeah.” Fang Ruihan nodded in agreement, his gaze falling on the tall pair of brothers across the court, who were drinking water and wiping away sweat. “It really is a shame that those twins aren’t playing professionally.”

He Jiang stood up. “Let’s see how things go in the next quarter.” But all of a sudden, his back went rigid and his entire body froze in place.

Xu Fanming was startled, unsure why He Jiang had suddenly stopped moving. He followed He Jiang’s line of sight and spotted a woman standing near the spectator stands.

She was holding a purse in one hand and a suit jacket in the other. Dressed in a crisp blouse and tailored slacks, she wore high heels and had her long hair neatly pinned up. She was glancing around as if looking for someone. Her features were refined, her expression slightly aloof. Though she must have been over forty, she carried herself with elegance and poise. It was Xu Fanming’s first time seeing her, but he couldn’t shake the odd sense of familiarity.

After thinking it over, Xu Fanming finally realized the reason. The woman bore a noticeable resemblance to He Jiang.

A rich young heir’s mother should indeed have the air of a dignified lady. Still, Xu Fanming found the timing strange. What was He Jiang’s mother doing here now? And judging by her attire, she didn’t seem like she had come specifically to watch the game.

He Jiang’s reaction was odd, too. It wasn’t the joy of a student being visited by his mother, nor the bashfulness of having family show up unannounced. Instead, his entire expression was clouded with discomfort and unease.

Xu Fanming had never seen He Jiang look like that before.

He Jiang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced out a stiff, hoarse “Mom.” The sound was barely audible, and standing all the way across the court, there was no way she could have heard him. As soon as the word left his mouth, He Jiang seemed to realize it himself. He wiped his mouth, face flushed.

“Hey,” Xu Fanming looked at him in confusion. “Aren’t you going to go over and say hi to your mom?”

He Jiang’s reaction right now was something Xu Fanming couldn’t understand at all. If his mom had come to watch him play, he’d be overjoyed and go all out trying to win a grand slam, just to show off in front of his family. Too bad his mom and sister never had any interest in his games, only a deeply rooted prejudice against him playing basketball.

He Jiang face turned pale, and he gave Xu Fanming a complicated, almost startled look. Xu Fanming was just beginning to feel confused when the referee suddenly blew the whistle.

The second quarter was starting.

He Jiang looked away. Xu Fanming took a few more glances at He Jiang’s mother. As they set their bottles down and prepared to get back on the court, her eyes suddenly met his.

And naturally, she also saw He Jiang standing beside him.

Now, the second quarter had officially begun.

The second quarter had just begun.
Getting blown past by a big guy felt awful. By the time Xu Fanming glanced back, Shuanglan had already scored another two points.

It felt like his defense didn’t even register.

The louder the cheers in the gym, the harder it was for Xu Fanming to stay composed. He glared at the towering brothers Gao Nan and Gao Dong, his heart pounding wildly.

The ball made its way through several hands before landing in Xu Fanming’s. As he dribbled, a pair of massive sneakers suddenly loomed into view.

Gao Nan!

Xu Fanming stubbornly lifted his head. He tried to break through from either side, but Gao Nan’s defense was airtight. The man stood there like a mountain, locking him down completely, refusing to budge.

It was almost impossible to move.

Xu Fanming glanced around at his teammates. Wen Qin was at the sideline. Zhu Xuyao and Fang Ruihan were clearly signaling that they were ready to receive the ball. And He Jiang was standing outside the three-point line, wearing a somewhat odd expression.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Fanming made up his mind to take it head-on. He feinted to the right, hoping to trick Gao Nan with a fake, but Gao Nan was sharp. Realizing the danger, Xu Fanming immediately pulled back and stepped away, planting both feet firmly. He was going for a fadeaway shot.

A fadeaway shot was a good way to get around a towering defender, but pulling it off wasn’t easy. Xu Fanming changed his move at the last second, and couldn’t quite control his strength. The ball flew off course, smacking hard against the rim with a loud clang and starting to drop.

A rebound!

In an instant, Zhu Xuyao, Fang Ruihan, and He Jiang were all on high alert, charging into the paint to box out their opponents with their backs, trying to secure the best position to grab the rebound and keep the advantage from slipping away. The three of them were the tallest players on Qinghuo’s side and had the best shot at winning the rebound. Gao Dong was on He Jiang, and Gao Nan had Zhu Xuyao covered. Every pair was locked in, all eyes glued to the falling ball.

As it came down in its arc, He Jiang, Fang Ruihan, and Zhu Xuyao all sprang into motion. But the best-positioned, He Jiang and Zhu Xuyao, were completely locked in by the Gao brothers, with no room to reach for the ball.

The air grew stifling. The defense was suffocating, leaving no gap at all.

Fang Ruihan was farther from the basket. Even though he managed to dodge the other Shuanglan players, he still couldn’t get close enough. In the end, Gao Dong grabbed the ball and quickly drove it back to their half of the court.

Xu Fanming and Wen Qin sprang into defense, but with Gao Dong’s height, Wen Qin might as well have been an ant. Gao Dong didn’t take him seriously at all. Wen Qin and Xu Fanming stood side by side in front of him, trying to keep him out of the paint. Gao Dong curled his lips into a smile, then raised the ball and forcefully hurled it over their heads to his brother Gao Nan, who was waiting nearby.

Gao Nan dunked the ball straight in.

“Let’s go, Shuanglan!”

“Go, Gao Nan!”

Cheers rang out from the stands. Shuanglan had now scored another four points in a row, and the scoreboard showed 27 to 20. Wen Qin looked down, as if deep in thought. Meanwhile, frustration was building rapidly in Xu Fanming’s chest.

There it was again. That helplessness, gnawing away at him.

Shuanglan’s forwards were overwhelmingly strong.

From midcourt, Fang Ruihan shouted, “Stay focused!” Wen Qin and Xu Fanming exchanged a glance and sprinted back. Zhu Xuyao was holding the ball and went for a three-point shot, but it missed. The ball clanged off the rim and slipped off to the side.

“Rebound!”

Wen Qin called out. Fang Ruihan snapped to attention, and Xu Fanming joined the scramble for the rebound. Under the basket, the six tallest players were fighting tooth and nail for even the slightest edge. The air felt suffocating.

In the end, it was Gao Nan who snatched the ball first. With a smug grin, he dribbled it down into Qinghuo’s half. Fang Ruihan’s eyes dimmed. This wasn’t the first time they had lost out. When it came to rebounding, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

They had been playing reactively the whole game. If this passive rhythm continued, the gap would only widen.

Fang Ruihan thought back to the disaster of their last scrimmage. In the end, he made the call to stop the bleeding.

Just as the ball dropped out of the net and hit the floor, Fang Ruihan raised his hand and signaled a timeout to the referee. The whistle blew, and the game was paused.

As Fang Ruihan and the others returned to the sideline, Pan Yuan hurried over with water and towels, asking, “Captain, why the sudden timeout?”

“I’ve got something to say.”

After wiping the sweat from his face, Fang Ruihan happened to glance in He Jiang’s direction. To his surprise, he noticed that He Jiang seemed somewhat distracted, his gaze drifting repeatedly toward the stands. Was someone important here to watch him play?

He Jiang rarely lost focus like this.

“He Jiang,” Fang Ruihan called out to him, “what are you looking for?”

He Jiang paused for a moment, then replied vaguely, “Hm? Oh… my family came.”

Fang Ruihan was a little surprised. Out of curiosity, he followed He Jiang’s line of sight and saw a woman in a dress shirt standing at the front of the stands, staring fixedly toward the court. She opened her mouth a few times, as if she wanted to come over, but never moved. It seemed she had decided not to disturb the team during the game. That was probably He Jiang’s mother.

“It’s nothing,” He Jiang said, turning back around with his back to her. “Let’s keep going.”

Fang Ruihan nodded and looked away as well. He swept his eyes across his teammates, all drenched in sweat, and after a moment of silence, he said quietly, “Our first step from here is to tie the score.”

Xu Fanming looked up at the scoreboard.
32 to 22. They really were on the edge.

“If we can’t win in defense or rebounds,” Fang Ruihan said, pausing for a breath, “then we focus on our offense.”