Chapter Forty-Six: First High vs. Third High (Part One)

A week slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Each day, Lin Nan devoted himself to classes and homework, but all his remaining hours belonged to basketball. Occasionally, he and his desk mate, Si Dong, would exchange a few inexplicable words, as if in a world completely their own.

There were a few love letters lying quietly in his desk drawer. After reading the first one, Lin Nan never bothered with the rest.

Unlike other boys at this age, surging with hormones, Lin Nan’s mind was filled only with basketball; nothing else could fit.

Especially after he learned about the upcoming “National High School Basketball League.”

According to Coach Gorilla, this tournament was massive—almost every high school across the country would participate. Their own Qingshui First High was but a tiny, inconspicuous team among countless others.

After all, they came from an ordinary county-level city, where the basketball environment and resources were limited. In places like Lingnan City, many schools combined junior and senior high; their basketball teams began specialized training as soon as students entered junior high—sometimes even earlier, from elementary school. Qingshui could never compete with that.

Yet even Lingnan’s basketball reputation was only above average nationwide.

Thirty thousand high schools across the country, and only one champion!

The tournament’s full schedule and details were already posted online, along with a photo of the coveted “champion’s ring.”

Countless young, passionate basketball players longed for this supreme glory!

It was the first time such a grand-scale tournament was held. “The strongest high school in the country!”—what a title to aspire to.

Many recent graduates, born in the nineties, exclaimed in awe when they saw the scale of the event. Why couldn’t it have happened a year earlier—just as they’d left their high school days behind?

They had watched the fiery scenes in “Slam Dunk” and fantasized countless times about a nationwide tournament happening in real life.

Now, the website had made it reality, but they could only look on from afar...

For Zhu Bo and the others, this year was their last in high school.

Although the championship seemed a distant dream, who on the court didn’t long to win? There might be another tournament next year, but they would not be here.

This battle—they would give it everything.

Sunday, 1:00 p.m.

Lin Nan and Zhu Bo stood at the school gate, waiting for the school bus to arrive.

Fortunately, besides Lin Nan and Jiu Wu from the first-year class, Wang Jinsong had also been selected for the basketball team. Chen Shan and Zhao Qiang were eager to join, but their skills were just shy of the mark.

But they were only freshmen—there would be another chance next year.

Lin Nan counted heads carefully and found the team had only fourteen members: eight seniors, three freshmen, and three sophomores.

Curious, Lin Nan asked Zhu Bo, wasn’t the maximum fifteen?

God of Bo smiled mysteriously, saying they’d reserved a spot for someone special, who might join them later.

Lin Nan was puzzled. Was there a hidden basketball talent at school? Why would he arrive later?

He didn’t ask further. Soon, a blue bus rolled gently toward them.

When it stopped, the team quickly boarded, finding Coach Gorilla already waiting.

They also noticed Qingshui First High’s principal sitting at the back.

Zhu Bo and the others had long heard that Principal Zheng was fond of basketball and quite skilled, though none had played with him.

Lin Nan followed everyone’s gaze to the back of the bus and exclaimed, “Old Zheng!”

The shout startled Coach Gorilla and Zhu Bo. Seeing the principal aboard was one thing, but calling him “Old Zheng” so excitedly?

But soon they saw Principal Zheng smiling kindly at Lin Nan.

To their amazement, Lin Nan walked over and bumped fists with him.

After some conversation, they learned that Lin Nan had played basketball with “Old Zheng” for nearly two months during the summer after his entrance exams.

Coach Gorilla immediately guessed it must have been at the county’s cultural-sports plaza, as he often played there himself and knew Principal Zheng did too—but this summer, he’d been traveling, so he’d missed witnessing Lin Nan’s rise as a “genius youth.”

Zhu Bo and the others looked on with envy and shock.

They envied Lin Nan’s ease with the principal—a figure always stern and distant to them.

And they were shocked to learn that Principal Zheng was not just skilled, but exceptional.

According to Lin Nan, Old Zheng earned the nickname “Iron Man” because when he got hot on the court, he rarely missed, always sinking fadeaway jumpers that no one could defend.

His stamina was remarkable—he could keep the ball and play solo, often scoring five in a row to finish off opponents.

This meant neither teammates nor opponents truly got to play.

But since he led the team to victory, no one could blame him for hogging the ball.

Opponents often barely touched the ball before being taken off the court.

So, “Iron Man” became Old Zheng’s title.

On the street courts, more terrifying than a selfish player is one who’s selfish and scores every time.

Whether teammate or opponent, there was no game experience to be had...

Fifteen minutes later, the bus arrived at QS County Sports Arena.

The arena stood on the outskirts of town, covering over thirty thousand square meters, twenty meters high, with more than 3,200 seats.

Though it was a small venue, having hosted only one martial arts competition and one table tennis match, Lin Nan and Zhu Bo felt their hearts race as they stood before it.

Especially after they entered.

The white ceiling lights, hardwood floors, thousands of seats, the commentary booth with sound equipment being adjusted, the medical team beside the court—all told them: this was a “real” game.

Seeing Lin Nan and the others still absorbed in the new surroundings, Coach Gorilla tossed them several regulation balls and shouted, “Go train on the court! Indoor basketball is nothing like outdoor.”

They took the balls and strode onto the court.

Since the weather hadn't cooled yet, everyone wore the blue team jerseys without needing the changing room.

Lin Nan dribbled the ball on the hardwood floor, immediately sensing the difference—more bounce, a sharper sound, less slipperiness.

He quickly adapted with rapid dribbling, running, spot-up shots, jump shots, and three-pointers.

The others did the same, everyone pushing themselves for the upcoming match.

Soon, the team from Third High entered from the other side, all in red jerseys.

Their coach, a thin man with glasses, saw First High practicing and immediately instructed his players to grab balls and train as well.

Zhu Bo glanced at the opponents’ jersey numbers, exchanged looks with Coach Gorilla, nodded, and gathered his team in a circle.

“We played Third High last year in a friendly,” he said. “We know their strengths. Pay special attention to their number 4 and 5—fast and very well coordinated. Don’t let them run their plays.”

The freshmen and sophomores nodded silently, reassured by the targeted, tactical approach. No one would be lost on the court.

Seeing the somber mood, Zhu Bo smiled, “As for whether they have any freshman like Lin Nan, I don’t know.”

He glanced at the other team and added, “I didn’t see anyone like Jiu Wu, anyway.”

Laughter erupted.

A thirteen-year-old who could dunk, another at thirteen standing 195 centimeters tall—such freshmen were rare indeed.

With everyone looking at them, Lin Nan and Jiu Wu grinned with youthful innocence.

Coach Gorilla watched from the sidelines, pleased. Zhu Bo was the captain he’d always admired—not only solid in fundamentals and technique, but also physically tough, tactical, able to unify the team and bring out their best.

Crucially, he wasn’t one for showboating—a perfect captain.

On the other side, Third High’s players looked over at the laughter, many noticing Jiu Wu’s imposing height and growing wary.

So damn tall...

Their captain kept shooting, the coach sat quietly, confident in his squad. Only numbers four and five—named by Zhu Bo—were conferring together.

In the stands, Zheng Zemin found a prime spot behind the commentator’s booth, wiped his seat with tissues, and settled in to await the match.

The arena was nearly empty, aside from staff and a few dozen students from both schools who’d made their own way here to watch.

Though it was Sunday afternoon—a school holiday—the school hadn’t organized a cheer squad.

A cheer squad would not only lift players’ spirits, but also foster collective honor among students.

But this was the first time; improvements would come.

As for spectators, if the game proved exciting, local TV and online coverage might draw bigger crowds for future matches.

Lin Nan and the others weren’t thinking about that. They knew only that this was a BO1 match—a single chance. Win, and they advanced!