SAYE [Run Freely]

Chapter 19

"Okay," Jiang Cheng caught the ball, bounced it twice to get a feel of the ball's elasticity before he dribbled the ball head-on toward Wang Xu.

Wang Xu stood at the same spot without moving; by the time he reached out to block him, Jiang Cheng had already flown by his left side and made a three-step layup[4] - scoring beautifully.

"Not bad!" Guo Xu shouted.

"Hold on!" Wang Xu looked a bit displeased, "I didn't say 'start' yet, you sneak attacked."

"Oh," Jiang Cheng took the ball and returned to standing in front of him.

Wang Xu once again put on his posture and lifted his chin: "Come!"

As soon as Jiang Cheng moved, he rushed over and waved his arms to not only block him but also attempt to snatch the ball. Jiang Cheng hesitated though then he directly took a jump shot[5] for the basket - scored again.

"Three points," Gu Fei said while sitting on a stool to the side.

"Awesome! There is hope for our class this time!" Someone shouted excitedly.

The expression on Wang Xu's face was a bit unsightly, and just as he was about to speak, Gu Fei interrupted him: "Just hurry up[6], it's cold."

The central heating system in the gymnasium was no good; now with everyone having had taken off their jackets, leaving just their shirts on, Wang Xu could only nod: "How about this, let's split into two teams and try for a half-time[7] to get a sense of things?"

Everyone expressed their agreement.

Lao Xu, who had been watching from the sideline, came over at this exact moment: "Have Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng on either side."

"Why?" Wang Xu asked, "The two are great, let them cooperate."

"It's not difficult for them to cooperate but the point is that if they're together, there is literally no need for us to play ah," Lu Xiaobin said. "With both of them split into either team, everyone can practice."

"Alright, geez." Wang Xu did not put on a captain's attitude this time as he split the members evenly.

Lu Xiaobin, Guo Xu, and two others that Jiang Cheng did not know; on Jiang Cheng's side were himself, Wang Xu and three others that he also did not know.

It was then that Jiang Cheng finally understood how bad his recent emotional state was - such a long time had passed, yet he did not recognize any of those people, at all.

With ten people on the court and five of which he did not recognize, he relied solely on their clothes, and it didn't help much that he had just distinguished two of them today....[8]

∞　

Lao Xu grabbed a whistle and walked to stand at the sideline: "I'll be the referee then."

"What's there to referee in a half-time game," Gu Fei said.

"A half-time game also needs to abide by the rules," Lao Xu had one hand on his hip and the other holding the whistle. "From the start of the 'jump ball'[9], it's a very brief moment, everything else will work accordingly."

"Okay," Wang Xu called the people on his side together. "Man-to-man defense[10], and also keep an eye especially on Da Fei. If you have the ball, give it to Jiang Cheng, don't hold onto it yourself. Once Da Fei approaches, pass the ball immediately, he's fucking great at steals[11]."

"Okay," several people nodded.

"Scoring points will depend on you." Wang Xu raised his hand, intending to pat Jiang Cheng on the shoulder, but just as it was about to land, he pulled back. "I forgot that you have a problem with not being patted."