Chapter 65: Feng Arts vs. Shizi High's Practice Game (7)

A foul?To be more precise—he was fouled?

Kai couldn't be more confused as Nuan was escorted out of the game after committing five fouls.

Jet excitedly went to where he was standing and patted his back.

"Great job!" he said. "You managed to get the ball inside the hoop despite Nuan's push."

"So, it wasn't a mosquito bite?" he absent-mindedly asked.

"Mosquito bite?" Jet asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Kai pursed his lips before shaking his head. Maybe this guy was just a weak person.

Meanwhile, Nuan, who was now sitting at the bench, stared at his hand in disbelief.

He had fouled the players of Shizi High more subtly than Ling did to avoid any suspicion, but he used his full strength when he pushed this 'Guo' guy just now.

It was almost unbelievable how his hand was the one hurting!

Kai finally went to the free-throw line in exchange for the foul. He tried channeling the energy he felt just a while back, but as the ball escaped his hand, it once again bounced off the backboard and onto the ground.

Yuze shook his head as Kai made his way back to their team, appearing upset that he wasn't able to contribute one more point to the team.

"Ah, it's refreshing," Jet said. "I thought you were pretty cool a while ago. It turns out you're still the same. You really need to work on your free-throw skills." S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Kai sighed. "I could say the same to you."

Jet was about to retaliate when Yuze interrupted him.

"It's the last quarter," he started off. "They have an 18-point lead, and I believe it's still doable. I doubt that they're going to let Kexin and Bocheng play for the last quarter since they've been playing for three quarters already. Shilei is definitely going to come back, and so will Ling and three other newbie players."

Lina nodded in agreement. "They probably want to test their new players, too, so this quarter is our chance to turn the game around. With only one starting player in the line-up, I believe we'll be able to close the gap and even possibly win."

"Are those two staying on the bench?" Kai couldn't help but ask.

"A hundred percent yes," Jet said. "Yiming rarely joins since he wants to 'preserve' his physicality. He likes observing others' playing styles and analyzing them instead. Meanwhile, Chunlei became a hot topic last year after almost becoming a part of the Elite Five, so the school only allows him to play in official games. Most times, he doesn't even play against weaker schools."

Kai quietly sighed in disappointment since he was looking forward to seeing their playing styles. Nonetheless, his main objective of the day was for Shizi to win and to prove a huge amount of people wrong.

"Am I still going to play?" Kai asked.

"You're not tired, are you?" Yuze raised one of his eyebrows.

"No," Kai said.

"Then, you're playing. Jet and Gongwen are going to stay for the last quarter, too. Kun's going to sit this one out since he's been playing for three quarters. Zeren," he said, glancing at the first-year student. "You're up."

Zeren smiled and stood from his seat. Meanwhile, Jinping tried to argue, but with one glare from Yuze, he zipped his mouth shut.

"Are you still going to play as the center?" Lina asked.

"Yes," Yuze said without any hesitation.

Dylan stared at their captain with amazement. "As expected, he's got the stamina of the bull."

"There's only ten minutes left," Lina said with a beautiful smile. "Don't lose hope, guys."

Zeren enthusiastically nodded. "I'll never lose hope as long as you're here!"

Lina rolled her eyes while Kai chuckled. He was standing next to Lina, their skin nearly touching since they were huddled as a group. As Kai chuckled, Lina felt slight vibrations run through her body, sending shivers through her spine.

Because of this, she stepped back. However, she underestimated her speed since she found herself losing balance. Fortunately, Kai was able to catch her right on time, supporting her with his hand under the small of her back.

Lina's face felt like it was about to explode, so she quickly pushed Kai away.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, evading his gaze.

Kai raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I just acted based on my instincts."

"And I'll act based on my instincts If you don't get away from her," Zeren threatened, pointing an accusing finger at Kai.

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"And I'll act based on violence if you don't stop," Yuze deadpanned. "Shut up and get to your positions. The fourth quarter is going to start."

Zeren, despite still feeling upset about what had happened, made his way to the court, all while staring at Kai with narrowed eyes.

Meanwhile, Lina got some water from the players' jug and drank it in one go.

Kun chuckled in amusement. "Are you alright?"

"Of course!" Lina exclaimed.

After calming herself down, she redirected her gaze back to the court.

As expected, Yuze's predictions were right. Only Shilei was the starting player who will play in the game for the last quarter. This meant that they had a higher chance of winning since the other players appeared to be first-year students.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, coach?" Kexin asked. "The four of us are on the bench."

"Well, seeing their performance a while back, I think these kids will be able to do it," the coach responded. "Besides, Shilei is there. He'll lead them to his best ability."

"But Shilei's a defender, though," Kexin muttered, not convinced with their coach's plan for the last quarter.

"Do you want to go in then?" the coach asked.

Kexin sheepishly smiled before leaning against his seat. "Ey, I'm fine. My legs are about to fall off from playing three quarters straight. Maybe Bocheng would like to go."

Bocheng clicked his tongue. "Shut up. I'm hungry."

Their conversation was cut short when a scream of disbelief was heard in the audience.

The players turned their attention to the front and saw that Yuze had landed a three-point shot, narrowing the gap to a mere 15 points.

"What the heck?" Kexin asked. "That guy has been playing for three straight quarters, too. Can't he let the other players play?"

"They'll lose if they don't let Yuze play," Chunlei deadpanned.

"...and I think we'll lose if this continues on," he said after observing the current set-up of the game.

Truly, with the loss of the starting players, Kai found it easier to defend those who were currently on the court.

And with Yuze in their team, who was great at both offense and defense, they were able to narrow it down to a twelve-point lead.

Along with that, another newbie fouled Yuze, which led him to have another set of free throws.

"It's going to be a ten-point lead if he sinks this one," Chunlei said.

62-52.

"Coach, this isn't working," Kexin said, sounding concerned. The new players are destroying the gap that the starting players had built!"

"There's five minutes left on the clock," Bocheng said with a frown.

"Bocheng, Kexin, you guys need to go in," the coach finally said, feeling that his strategy was totally useless.

Bocheng and Kexin nodded; however, Yiming suddenly spoke.

"They're overworked," he said. "They won't be able to play to their highest capabilities. Besides, this is just a practice game. Don't lose your energy over it."

"So what? We're just going to let them narrow the lead?" Kexin asked in disbelief.

Yiming shook his head before unzipping his jacket and removing it from his body.

"I'm going."