Chapter 373 - Come On, Try Again!
Zhao Ritian looked at Ye Lingchen’s silhouette and was momentarily dazed.
Of course, he did not think that the three presidents invited Ye Lingchen because their brains had short-circuited. He played against Ye Lingchen before and knew of the latter’s strength. He proceeded to whisper silently, “I hope you’re able to achieve glory for the sake of China’s basketball world!”
The Stick Nation’s people frowned at Ye Lingchen and were unsure of what his background was.
At that moment, the Stick Nation player who had earlier been blocked by Ye Lingchen on the basketball court looked at him with an unsightly expression. He then raised his hand and gesture thumb-down to Ye Lingchen in an extremely provoking manner.
Upon seeing that, the Stick Nation’s people came to their senses and began to cheer wildly to put pressure on the Chinese.
“I didn’t expect you to be a member of the Capital City Basketball Association, but that’s good. You were brave enough to prevent me from dunking, so let me teach you a good lesson now!” When Ye Lingchen came to the front, the player’s eyes narrowed and he remarked coldly to Ye Lingchen.
He was wearing a number 10 jersey, and from everyone else’s reaction, he was surely the core of the team even if he was not the captain.
Ye Lingchen glanced at him faintly, as if he did not hear the player’s words, and walked straight past him.
Ignored!
Ignorance was a far greater insult than any word!
That behavior made the number 10 player’s face even gloomier. He raised his hand and made a gesture, signaling for his teammates to return quickly to their positions.
“This little guy. He seems to have a good aura.” Bureau Chief Fang looked at Ye Lingchen with approval and could not resist smiling. In any case, at least Ye Lingchen’s aura calmed the scene.
“It’s not just his aura. His ball skills can completely crush Qian Sen’s!” Pan Heng returned to his original seat and said.
“Oh?” Bureau Chief Fang raised his eyebrows slightly. Qian Sen was the current captain, and it was surprising that his skills—which were recognized by everyone—would be crushed.
He looked at the court again and noticed that Capital City Basketball Association’s players had looks of reverence toward Ye Lingchen!
Zhang He laughed too and was very much looking forward to it. “Hahaha, Bureau Chief Fang, the show is about to begin!”
“You seem to be brimming with confidence!” Bureau Chief Fang could not resist laughing too. “Is there any hope for us to make a comeback?”
“I’m afraid it’s a bit difficult to make a comeback!” Qin Yuan sighed. “There still would’ve been hope if he played since the beginning of the game, but there are only twenty minutes left in the game now. It’s too difficult…”
The score fell behind by far too wide a margin, and the opponent was an internationally-acclaimed professional team. Catching up to them was possible only in one’s wildest dreams.
“Even if we can’t win, at the very least we won’t let the Stick Nation’s people look down on us!” Pan Heng asserted.
The referee started to count down and everyone’s heart sank. They watched the game nervously as it was about to continue!
It was obviously the Stick Nation who kicked-off the restart. They winked at each other and shot mocking looks at the calm Ye Lingchen.
“Kid, would you believe that we can stop you from ever touching the ball?” Player number 10 sneered at Ye Lingchen.
“You can try.” Ye Lingchen’s reaction had been extremely calm from the very beginning. That kind of arrogance and calmness was as if he did not take his opponent seriously at all, which made the Stick Nation’s players extremely pissed.
Preet—
The whistle was blown.
The game continued!
The Stick Nation served and the ball was passed directly to player number 10.
Thump, thump, thump!
Player number 10 dribbled but did not sprint or pass the ball. He merely moved forward slightly, and the entire stadium could only hear the basketball thumping against the ground.
Not moving?
Those eager Chinese spectators looked at Ye Lingchen and were slightly stunned.
He was still standing calmly and motionlessly in the same spot.
“BOOOOO!”
A chorus of boos was heard from the Stick Nation’s crowd.
“BWAHAHAHA, I thought he was some amazing guy. Turns out he’s just a pretentious fella.”
“F*ck! What’s this guy doing? Posing? What does he take this place for?”
“I know, this guy is here for laughs! Is this an entertainment program provided by the Chinese?”
“I can’t! I’m going to laugh myself to death!”
…
Contrary to the Stick Nation, China was silent, and they felt rather puzzled.
Aside from them, even the Stick Nation’s players were equally as dumbfounded. Soon after, they could not resist but utter a loud chuckle. They made plenty of mental preparation, but it turned out to be just a bluff.
Player number 10 laughed too. He dribbled the ball and approached Ye Lingchen slowly.
“Kid, if you still know what’s best for you, you should know that resistance is useless,” he remarked sarcastically. Then, he lowered his body sharply and quickened the pace of his dribble, like a cheetah about to sprint. He then passed Ye Lingchen at lightning speed.
However, at the exact moment that he passed Ye Lingchen, his entire body froze and the sound of dribbling stopped. His rhythm had been interrupted abruptly as if the power was suddenly cut off while watching a movie. Everyone’s heart skipped a beat and slowed down by half a beat.
Player number 10’s pupils contracted extremely. He only felt that his hands were empty and his brain had been short-circuited. To be honest, he did not even know what happened.
When he looked again, Ye Lingchen had already taken the basketball. He still maintained the movement he made earlier, and if it were not for the fact that he had a basketball in his hands, no one would have thought that he moved.
“What is…going on exactly?”
“The ball was dispossessed? Pardon me, but can we rewind time? I didn’t see anything.”
“A-a-a-a-amm-mmazingg!”
“He’s too formidable. He’s almost divine!”
“Don’t say anything, I can no longer express my admiration in words!”
…
The Chinese suddenly erupted with great fanfare and all of them instinctively stood up. They felt goosebumps all over their body, and although they could not understand anything, it was enough that they saw Ye Lingchen stealing the ball!
They have been suppressed for too long, far too long! It was rare for them to see a counterattack, and it was as refreshing as pouring a basin of cold water on their head in summer.
The Stick Nation players were initially still mocking Ye Lingchen, but their smiles froze instantly. They could not help but stare right at him as if they saw a ghost.
However, Ye Lingchen snatched the ball and stood still without dribbling, as if he was doing something trivial and ordinary. Under everyone’s constant gaze, he raised his hand and lightly tossed the ball back to the number ten player.
“Come on, try again!”
…