Chapter 82: The National Middle School Basketball Selection Tournament (3) - Narrow Road to Rivals

  Lin Xiaoyu remembered that when he first came into contact with basketball, he would run to the court with Yang Tianxiao every day to play ball. At that time, Lin Xiaoyu and Yang Tianxiao were both second-year junior high school students, and they often couldn't find a place to play on the crowded courts, so sometimes they would run far away to find a less crowded court to practice. The two children who loved basketball would always ignore the long distance on the road to the stadium for the joy of playing ball. It is this kind of persistence and love in life that makes people forget about difficulties and obstacles.

  One time Lin Xiaoyu and Yang Tianshuo ran to a ball court that was quite far from home to play basketball, also going with them were the Four Eyes of their class.

  The basketball court was in a factory on the outskirts of Feicui City that was about to go bankrupt. The court had a somewhat dilapidated feel, with small cracks appearing on the cement floor and rust covering the iron rods of the hoop stand. Even the rim, which had been pulled askew by someone, was covered in rust stains. The dirt ground around the court was overgrown with weeds that no one had bothered to clear, spilling over the boundary lines. Sometimes when the ball went out of bounds, you'd have to run into these weed piles to find it.

  This somewhat poor basketball court still made Lin Xiaoyu and the three children have a lot of fun on the court, because as long as they had the feeling of touching the ball in their hands, people who liked basketball would be happy.

  When Lin Xiaoyu and Yang Tianshuo were running and shooting on their basketball court, three boys who were a few years older than Lin Xiaoyu appeared on the court. These boys walked onto the court and wanted to join Lin Xiaoyu and Yang Tianshuo to play together. Lin Xiaoyu and Yang Tianshuo did not refuse, because having a few more people to play with was also quite interesting, even though these guys were all dressed up and much taller than the slender Lin Xiaoyu.

  These three boys, who were older and bigger than Lin Xiaoyu, played very rough. Even though there were only six people playing on the court, they didn't hold back against Lin Xiaoyu's group at all. Lin Xiaoyu fell to the ground several times due to their unreasonable collisions, but the three boys didn't apologize and continued to attack, even mocking Lin Xiaoyu's group with words. Lin Xiaoyu, Yang Tianxiao, and Siyan were really no match for these older boys on the court, and they had a strong desire to defeat these boys who lacked sportsmanship. However, when the three older boys suggested stopping the game, Lin Xiaoyu's group didn't score any more points in front of their opponents.

  One of the three boys, who was tall and fat, picked up the basketball brought by Lin Xiaoyu, patted it and said: "This ball is not bad, let me take it to play for a while."

  Lin Xiaoyu looked at this proud-looking fat man holding her ball and saying he wanted to take it away, immediately snatching the basketball back from his hand. Lin Xiaoyu hugged her basketball and said unhappily: "I won't lend it to you, I don't even know you."

  That tall and chubby boy showed a fierce look, menacingly saying: "You don't lend it to me, I must have this ball." After that, he came over to snatch the basketball from Lin Xiaoyu's arms.

  Lin Xiaoyu held her basketball tightly and refused to let go, so the fat boy called his two companions over to help. Yang Tianxiao and Siyan saw that these three boys were trying to snatch Lin Xiaoyu's basketball, and although they knew they weren't a match for them, they rushed over to help Lin Xiaoyu anyway.

  Three thin junior high school students faced three senior boys who were stronger than them, and this fight was completely one-sided. However, Lin Xiaoyu used his thin body to protect the ball tightly, and even though the three boys' fists rained down on him like raindrops, Lin Xiaoyu still refused to let go of the ball.

  "Alright, alright, this kid is stubborn, forget about the ball." One of the three boys, a tall and thin one, seeing Lin Xiaoyu being beaten by the three of them until he was covered in bruises but still tightly holding onto the ball, felt a bit uneasy and advised the fat boy who was still punching and kicking Lin Xiaoyu to stop.

  "Damn it, you're so ruthless. Next time I see you, I'll beat you up again." The fatty kicked Lin Xiaoyu hard and left with his companions.

  Lin Xiaoyu stared intently at the fat boy who was about to snatch her ball, his departing figure etched in her memory, her teeth clenched tightly as she deeply remembered that detestable face of his.

  "Are you okay, Xiaoyu?" Yang Tianxiao and Siyan walked over to ask Lin Xiaoyu, who was still lying on the ground hugging the basketball tightly. The two of them had also been beaten several times, with bruises on their faces and bodies.

  "I'm fine." Lin Xiaoyu slowly got up, using her own hands to wipe away the bloodstains on the basketball from her nose. The basketball was still in her hands, and Lin Xiaoyu let out a sigh of relief. This basketball was Lin Xiaoyu's first basketball, bought for her by her father, bringing her endless joy that she would never let anyone take it away from her...

  At first, the fat boy who wanted to rob his own basketball and beat himself up was now in front of him. How could Lin Xiaoyu's heart not burn with anger?

  Lin Xiaoyu had gone to the stadium several times after growing up, wanting to use his increasingly powerful fists to repay the fat man, but Lin Xiaoyu couldn't find that despicable guy. It turned out that the fat man had run to a neighboring county and became Lin Xiaoyu's opponent. Lin Xiaoyu knew that the moment he gave the fat man a "gift" had arrived.

  The whistle for the end of the suspension sounded, and Lin Xiaoyu slowly stepped onto the court, his eyes fixed on the fat man who was already on the court.

  The game continued, and the fat defender who controlled the ball slowly passed the halfway point. Lin Xiaoyu intercepted him just as he stepped over the midfield line, sticking close to his face.

  That fat guy saw his opponent change to a taller defender, and he looked disdainful on his face. He didn't believe that the team that couldn't even guard him with their main force would have any effect by sending a substitute up.

  Fat boy adopted his consistent way of dealing with opponents, taking the back-to-the-basket approach, using his stout body to hold off Lin Xiaoyu and slowly step by step move the ball towards the three-point line.

  At this time, Lin Xiaoyu was no longer the Lin Xiaoyu who was easily bullied by this fat boy back then. At this time, Lin Xiaoyu was slightly taller than this fat boy and his body had become stronger. Lin Xiaoyu used his own body to block the fat boy's movement towards the basket, not allowing him to move another step easily.

  This fat guy can't remember that the tall boy defending himself was a skinny kid he bullied years ago. The fat guy feels his opponent is very strong and it's hard for him to squeeze in another step after being blocked by his body. The fat guy has no choice but to turn right, trying to use a spinning move to shake off his opponent. He is very confident in this move, as countless people have been easily shaken off by it before.

  The fat man's quick turn was indeed fast and smooth, and in an instant, he had already turned his stout body to the side of Lin Xiaoyu. The fat man saw a clear path to the basket in front of him, and he secretly felt pleased with himself, knowing that he could easily score again. However, just as this thought arose, the fat man found that the basketball in his hand was suddenly touched by something and slipped out of his control. When the fat man turned back to search for the lost ball, all he could see was a figure wearing the opposing team's jersey quickly grabbing the ball that had been under his control just moments before...

  Lin Xiaoyu seized the opportunity when that fat guy turned around, and suddenly snatched the basketball from his hand. Lin Xiaoyu picked up the basketball that was bouncing on the empty court like a departing arrow, and quickly passed it to the opponent's empty backcourt.

  Lin Xiaoyu stepped into the free throw line, grabbed the ball with one hand, took two steps forward and jumped up. With the ball held high in his right hand, Lin Xiaoyu glided towards the hoop hanging from the backboard. Just as his hand was about to touch the rim, he raised his left hand to hold onto the orange ball, and at the moment when his body was about to fall, he used all his strength to slam the ball into the hoop with both hands.

  The bright orange basketball flew rapidly through the net and landed on the ground, while the basket underwent a severe deformation due to Lin Xiaoyu's powerful pull with both hands. When Lin Xiaoyu released her hands and fell to the ground, the restored basket emitted such an unusual sound as it returned to its original shape.

  "He's too handsome."

  "Good job, kiddo."

  The Experimental Middle School team's bench erupted in waves of thunderous applause. Although Lin Xiaoyu usually liked to hang on the rim for a while after training, his teammates had never seen him dunk before, and this dunk was not only in an official game but also so elegant and powerful that it couldn't help but win applause from the Experimental Middle School players.

  Lin Xiaoyu slowly pressed the basketball that was still bouncing on the floor to a stop outside the baseline, then slowly ran back to her own half-court. During this time, Lin Xiaoyu kept staring at the fat guy who came back to serve with a provocative gaze. This was the first time Lin Xiaoyu had looked at an opponent with such a gaze on the court, because Lin Xiaoyu wanted to tell this despicable fat guy, "You've provoked me, just you wait and see, the good show is yet to come..."

  Lin Xiaoyu felt a flame burning fiercely in her heart, unable to be extinguished. Lin Xiaoyu only wanted this flame to burn brighter, letting the anger accumulated in her heart burn out all at once...

  PS: I've released a new book on Starting Point, titled "I'm a Heart-Stealing Thief". Friends who are interested can go take a look. The update of "Lin Xiaoyu's Life" will not be affected, hehe.