Chapter Eighty-Six: We Are the Champions!

On the court, the coach and players of First Qinghe High were embracing one another in excitement, shouting for joy at their victory.

A miracle!

In sixty seconds, Qinghe First High’s basketball team scored fifteen points!

It might not have been as outrageous as thirteen points in thirty-five seconds, but for a group of high school students, it was still nothing short of a miracle.

And that miracle had been created by all five of Qinghe First High’s starters together.

The pick-and-roll from Ninety-Five, Lin Nan’s three-pointers and passes, the putback dunk from Screw, Zhao Zhongshi’s hook-shot three-pointer, and Captain Zhu Bo’s final game-winning three!

After this battle, the entire basketball world of the realm would know of a high school called Qinghe First High, home to a basketball team that had become national champions.

In the stands, the people from the Southern Region were in tears, overwhelmed with emotion. They were truly fortunate to have such a team in their region.

The spectators from the Eastern Region, after a brief pang of regret, still burst into warm applause for Qinghe First High.

They had watched the whole match with their own eyes. This team had indeed shown more resilience and greater unity than Yangcheng High.

Basketball was, admittedly, a sport of immense individual brilliance, but every championship team in NBA history had long proven one thing:

No one could win the final title alone as a one-man team. No matter how formidable the superstar, teammates would always play an indispensable role.

On that front, Qinghe First High had done exceptionally well.

Lin Nan believed in himself, but he believed even more in his teammates.

The match ended, and the defeated Yangcheng High left in disappointment.

Unlike the Olympics, there were no silver and bronze medals here, only a champion.

Soon, Qinghe First High’s basketball team stood in a line at center court.

Then the entire crowd saw the towering giant Yao Ming approaching from the tunnel with staff carrying the trophy and rings behind him.

The glittering championship trophy shone brilliantly beneath the arena lights. Yao Ming held it with both hands and solemnly placed it into the hands of Coach Gorilla, who stood at the front.

Looking at the coach, who was trying hard to conceal his excitement and nervousness yet could not quite hide them, Yao Ming smiled and said, “You’re lucky to have coached such a resilient team. Keep it up.”

Coach Gorilla smiled and nodded, his trembling hands gradually steadying as he slowly accepted the heavy championship trophy.

Then Yao Ming moved down the line and stood before Captain Zhu Bo, taking out the championship ring from the tray.

Gold set with crystal-clear diamonds, the value of the ring’s materials alone was already extraordinary, let alone what it meant.

This was the championship ring of the first National High School Basketball League, and among tens of millions of high school students, only fifteen of these existed.

What no one knew was that as early as yesterday, the officials had already prepared fifteen rings for each side.

And now that Qinghe First High had won the title, the fifteen rings for Yangcheng High were immediately sent back into the furnace and melted down completely.

The ring band was gold, the face diamond-studded, engraved with the two characters for Qinghe, symbolizing the honor of a championship.

It could be said that, for the perfect conclusion of this National High School Basketball League, Lin Lang had considered every detail with utmost care and gone to immense lengths.

Not only had he arranged for two sets of rings, he had also specially invited the miracle doctor Doctor Hua.

All to prevent any ankle injury from leaving these children with regrets on the court; it was only by coincidence that the one who got injured was Lin Nan.

Watching the excellent atmosphere at the venue from the VIP box, Lin Lang was basically certain that this move by Scholar Net had landed perfectly.

Yao Ming placed the championship ring into Zhu Bo’s outstretched hands and smiled. “Your last shot was excellent.”

Zhu Bo looked a little shy.

Next came Lin Nan. “Your final choice was very right. Always trust your teammates!”

Lin Nan smiled openly. He had already met this legend in the locker room.

Then it was Zhao Zhongshi’s turn. “Your hook shot opened my eyes.”

Zhao Zhongshi was a little bashful.

Then came Screw, Ninety-Five...

Until Yao Ming had placed all fifteen rings into the hands of Qinghe First High’s fifteen players.

Finally came the group photo of Qinghe First High holding the championship trophy and championship rings.

More than ten thousand spectators at the venue, and tens of millions watching on television, witnessed the perfect ending of the first National High School Basketball League.

They were proud and honored by these high school students who had fought to the very end.

That night, after finishing the free victory banquet specially provided by the hotel, Qinghe First High’s basketball team and the one hundred teachers and students who had come to cheer them on boarded a plane home.

As for Principal Zheng Zemin, he stayed behind to discuss with the officials the specific plans for transforming Qinghe First High into a basketball school.

Since it was a chartered flight, everyone on board was from Qinghe First High.

As soon as they stepped onto the plane, the captain specially came over with a pen and a jersey, asking Lin Nan and Zhao Zhongshi for autographs.

Zhu Bo and Wang Jinsong were already used to this. So what if he was the captain? After all, there were many planes, but only one championship.

But even now that they were all national champions, there were still differences among champions.

For example, no one had ever asked Wang Jinsong for an autograph, and even the starters Ninety-Five, Zhu Bo, and Screw had never been asked.

The most requests were for Lin Nan, and next after him, Zhao Zhongshi.

“Ah, this is the difference,” everyone could only say as they took out their rings and continued admiring them.

Though they had been turning them over and over in their hands for hours, they never grew tired of it; they were still as pleasing to the eye as ever.

As for Lin Nan, after signing the autograph, he asked the captain pleadingly, “Sir, may I change seats?”

The captain readily agreed to the request of the national champion. After all, it was a chartered flight. He only said gently to Lin Nan, “But you can only change once. After the flight attendants finish checking before takeoff, you can’t move around casually anymore.”

Lin Nan smiled and replied, “Thank you, sir. I understand.”

The captain marveled inwardly: even as champions, they’re still so polite. Lin Nan is completely like two different people on and off the court!

Soon, Lin Nan crossed past the hundred teachers and students from Qinghe First High and came to sit in front of Sidong.

Seated with Sidong were He Simin and another girl from the class, with Sidong in the innermost seat.

Lin Nan said with a smile, “Could you two switch seats? I already spoke to the captain. You can sit wherever you like, as long as you’re seated properly when the flight attendants come to check.”

Sidong quickly blushed and tugged at He Simin.

He Simin gently moved Sidong’s little hand away from herself, then smiled at Lin Nan and said, “We’ll do whatever the national champion says.”

Then He Simin stood up and went to sit with the other girl in the row behind.

Lin Nan immediately took the middle seat.

There was nothing one could see between the front and back rows, and the cabin was noisy anyway, so even listening would not have helped much.

But even if the two of them had heard something, Lin Nan would not have minded.

He had nothing to hide, and so he feared no ghost’s knock.

Lin Nan fastened his seatbelt and leaned back.

Turning his head, he looked at Sidong sitting beside him. She was pressed close to the seat, head lowered, her long hair draped down and completely covering her face.

Lin Nan said softly, “I saw it. You cried for me during the game, and now I’m giving you my championship ring.”

With that, he extended his right hand holding the ring.

Sidong slowly looked up at the gold-and-diamond ring and immediately shook her head, answering in a low voice, “It’s too precious. I can’t take it.”

Lin Nan’s eyes flickered as he continued, “Then I’ll just hold it out like this.”

After he spoke, several minutes passed, and Sidong still did not move.

Only then did she quietly lift her head to glance at it, instantly feeling Lin Nan’s gaze upon her, and quickly turned her face away again.

Just as Sidong was about to speak, she heard Lin Nan’s pleading voice: “Then at least wear it and let me see it. That should be okay, right?”

Sidong blushed and answered in a voice as tiny as an ant’s, “Okay.”

Lin Nan placed the ring into Sidong’s outstretched right hand.

Sidong took it, then picked it up with her left hand and slipped it onto the ring finger of her right hand, all with such natural ease.

Perhaps women are born with no resistance to diamond rings.

Though Sidong was still only an innocent little girl who liked reading, her sex gave her an innate, latent awareness of such things.

Then Lin Nan saw Sidong extend her ringed right hand. Her smooth little hand and the ring on her ring finger were both equally lustrous, though the ring was a little too large.

Lin Nan thought to himself: Next time we win, I’ll have the officials make it a little smaller.

But then he remembered he would not be taking part in a second one.

At that moment, a flight attendant happened to come to Lin Nan’s row. Seeing the scene, she smiled and said, “Do you know what it means to wear a ring on the ring finger of your right hand?”

That sudden voice startled Sidong. She hurriedly slipped the ring off and returned it to Lin Nan.

As for Lin Nan, he was thinking: Do rings on different fingers have different meanings?

Seeing the two children’s reaction, the flight attendant understood roughly what was going on. Smiling, she helped check their seatbelts and then continued toward the back.

Sidong also searched her memory: what does it mean to wear a ring on the ring finger?

But after thinking for a long time, she still could not recall which book she had seen that in.

Suddenly, Sidong remembered that she seemed to have once seen her mother’s ring on the ring finger too, though it had been on the left hand.

She could not help wondering: then what does the right hand mean?

Beside her, Lin Nan also quickly relied on his excellent memory and recalled that Ye Xinlan’s ring had likewise been worn on the ring finger, though on the left hand.

He too was pondering: what is the difference between the left hand and the right hand?

But with the plane about to take off, neither of them could take out a phone to look it up online, so they could only sit there, unable to reach any conclusion.

Soon the plane rose into the night sky. Through the window, Sidong gazed at the capital’s glittering nightscape.

Little by little, the plane entered the clouds, and the world below gradually sank into darkness.

Then Sidong suddenly felt something resting heavily on her shoulder.

She turned around and saw that Lin Nan had fallen asleep with his eyes closed, his head tilted and leaning against her shoulder.

Sidong remained utterly still. First she turned her face away, then slowly turned back again to look at Lin Nan’s face.

His clean crew cut, which had put pressure on opponents on the court, now gave her an indescribably serene feeling.

His long eyelashes, the shallow dimple that appeared naturally at the corner of his mouth.

She stared quietly for a long while. In the end, Sidong could not help reaching out her little hand, blushing as she gently poked the dimple on Lin Nan’s cheek, finding it soft to the touch.

Lin Nan stirred slightly, startling Sidong.

But after a while, she saw that Lin Nan was still sleeping soundly, and only then did she relax.

What she did not know was that Lin Nan had been pretending to sleep the entire time, and even to avoid putting pressure on Sidong’s shoulder, he had been painstakingly using all the muscles in his body to control the weight of his lowered head. This posture was far more exhausting than playing basketball.

Yet Lin Nan still summoned all his strength to hold it steady until the plane reached its destination...