Chapter 17: Seventeen, Foul Chapter 17: Seventeen, Foul “Yes, the higher the better,” Zhao Feng said with a wicked smile. He had Song Yan Ning throw the ball precisely to give Ling Yu no room for complaint—after all, Song Yan Ning was one of their own. If you couldn’t grab a ball thrown by your own teammate, who could you blame? Although the outcome of a game couldn’t be decided by the first ball, giving the opponent a blow to their morale right from the start could still be advantageous.
Song Yan Ning nodded, walked to the center spot, glanced at Ling Yu and Zhao Feng, then tossed the basketball high into the air.
The basketball flew straight up towards the sky and, after reaching its apex, began to fall rapidly.
“She really threw it high.”
“That’s a well-thrown ball.” Throwing the ball seemed simple, but there was skill involved; a throw that was off or too low could affect the jump ball.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng immediately leapt up. Noticing that Ling Yu made no move, a smug look spread across his face. This time, the ball was surely his.
But the next moment, his smile froze on his face because the basketball was just a little out of his reach. It was impossible for him to hover in mid-air, and if he tried to jump again, Ling Yu would definitely snatch the ball away.
Ling Yu’s lips curved into a slight smile, and with an effortless jump, he soared higher than Zhao Feng.
“Smack!” The basketball was slapped toward his own side by Ling Yu.
“Damn it!” Zhao Feng landed and spun around, rushing towards Ling Yu. His task was to guard Ling Yu. Li Jingyi told him that Ling Yu was best at shooting from a distance, and he had just witnessed Ling Yu’s impressive three-point shooting. As long as he could guard Ling Yu and not allow the other players to pass the ball to him, Ling Yu wouldn’t be able to shoot from afar and thus wouldn’t be able to score.
As for whether he scored himself, Zhao Feng didn’t care; he was just there to play. As a middle schooler and future basketball star, he wouldn’t take a game with a bunch of elementary school kids too seriously. But he had to admit, Ling Yu’s shooting was a bit of a surprise to him.
Zhao Feng positioned himself in front of Ling Yu, blocking his way, and shot a glance towards Fan Jianguang in the distance.
Fan Jianguang nodded in understanding and ran towards Heizi’s direction. Besides Ling Yu, Heizi was the most skilled player on the team.
Song Yan Ning sat on a chair outside the court, her face showing a playful interest in the game. Ling Yu’s skills were indeed good, but Zhao Feng’s defense was too tight; the other players had no chance to pass the ball to Ling Yu. If he couldn’t break free from this, their chances of winning the game weren’t great.
Heizi sidestepped an opponent, leapt up, and slammed the basketball towards the hoop. Dunking was his specialty.
As he approached the hoop, a hand suddenly reached out not for the ball, but for his face.
Heizi realized the intention too late to avoid it; the hand struck his face hard.
“Thud!” The sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Everyone turned to look and saw Heizi lying on the ground in pain.
“Heizi!” Ling Yu’s expression changed, and he quickly ran over to him.
The others also hurried to Heizi’s side.
“Heizi, how are you?” Ling Yu crouched down, carefully helped Heizi up, and looked at him with concern.
“Boss Ling… my back really hurts… I probably can’t play anymore… I’m sorry…” Heizi winced in pain, guilt filling his eyes. There were only five players on their team; if he couldn’t play, they’d either need to find someone else or forfeit the match. He didn’t want it to come to this, but he couldn’t move at all now.
“Let me have a look at his back,” Song Yan Ning stepped forward and said to Ling Yu as she knelt down.
“You know how to treat injuries?” Ling Yu asked, surprised.
Song Yan Ning nodded, “Both my grandfather and grandmother are doctors; they’ve taught me a few things.”
Ling Yu recalled that Yang Lisheng had visited his home to treat his grandfather’s illness. He carefully lifted Heizi’s shirt.
Song Yan Ning examined Heizi’s back closely, then took his pulse, “His bones are fine, but he’ll be in pain for a while. If you’re worried, take him to the hospital for an X-ray.”
“Okay!” Ling Yu nodded, feeling a newfound appreciation for Song Yan Ning.
Zhao Feng approached Ling Yu and the others, his smirk looking down at Ling Yu, “Are we still playing? If not, just admit defeat.”
“If it wasn’t for your guy’s foul… I wouldn’t be injured…” Heizi glared angrily at Fan Jianguang, the one who caused him to fall. If he could move, he would’ve beaten Fan Jianguang up by now.
Zhao Feng laughed dismissively, “Okay, suppose we disqualify him for the foul. We still have a substitute player, so we’d still be five. What about you guys? Will you play with four? Or is this ugly girl going to play?” They had planned all along, or they wouldn’t have fouled so blatantly.
Song Yan Ning’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stood up and looked at Zhao Feng, “I’ll play!”
“You? Hahaha…” Zhao Feng burst into uncontrollable laughter upon hearing this.
The others behind him also erupted in laughter. This was probably the funniest joke they had heard. Not only questioning whether she knew how to play, but even her small physique would probably be knocked over with a light bump.
“Little sister, don’t joke around, you? You’ll probably end up crying.”
“Exactly, it’s true that ugly people tend to seek attention.”
“Don’t go too far!” Ling Yu’s eyes flashed sharply at Zhao Feng and his group. Although Song Yan Ning was not pretty, her behavior had won his favorable impression.
Zhao Feng sneered, “Oh wow, a hero saving the beauty—no, no, no, I got that wrong. It should be saving the ugly. Ling Yu, your taste is really unique.”
“Shut up!” Song Yan Ning glared at Zhao Feng, her voice icy, “I am going to play, and I will leave you speechless in defeat.” She might not be pretty, but that didn’t mean she could be humiliated.
Zhao Feng laughed heartily again, “Good, then I’ll be waiting, just don’t cry.”
“Don’t be rash; this isn’t a joke.” Ling Yu and Ma Linjie helped Heizi up. She was his guest, and he couldn’t let her get hurt.
Song Yan Ning turned to Ling Yu and smiled confidently, “How will we know if we don’t try?”
Ling Yu was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Song Yan Ning. He actually found her smile attractive, especially her eyes—they shone brightly, like they could light up.
“Fun, so much fun, really looking forward to this, hahaha…” Zhao Feng couldn’t help but laugh again. It was his first time encountering such a situation.
Song Yan Ning turned to Zhao Feng and spoke calmly, “Since your player has committed a malicious foul, we should be awarded free throws, right?”