Su Zhe was about to explode with rage.
He pointed at Ye Chen. "Cut the crap, get over here."
Ye Chen dribbled the Basketball a couple of times and smiled at Su Zhe.
"Ready?"
Su Zhe stared hard at Ye Chen, dropping into a defensive stance.
"Bring it on," he said confidently.
The words had barely left his mouth before Su Zhe shot forward, aiming to snatch the ball from Ye Chen's hands.
He wanted to give Ye Chen a rude awakening, to show him that the Basketball Team Captain wasn't just for show.
Faced with Su Zhe's fierce charge, Ye Chen looked at him like he was an idiot.
"That's it?"
He didn't even move—until Su Zhe was less than a meter away. Then Ye Chen jumped straight up.
What?
Su Zhe froze.
Is he shooting from there?
Gasps rippled across the court.
"Holy crap, has Ye Chen lost it? Shooting from that far?"
"No way that goes in."
"He knows he can't beat Su Zhe, so he's just chucking it and hoping."
Amid the uproar, the ball arced out of Ye Chen's hand.
Swish!
Nothing but net.
Instantly the place went dead silent.
Everyone who'd been mocking Ye Chen stood with mouths agape.
It actually went in.
Ye Chen had been standing almost at mid-court.
From that distance even a pro would find it tough.
Yet the ball somehow dropped through.
Ye Chen's fangirls clapped hands over their mouths in shock.
"Oh my god, Ye Chen is so hot!"
"It went in—he's incredible!"
The corner of Ye Chen's mouth curled in a faint smile.
Not bad for a Basketball Master skill.
Feels silky smooth.
"Sorry, guess I'm just lucky."
He said it casually to the dumbstruck Su Zhe.
Su Zhe stared blankly, unable to process how Ye Chen had sunk that shot.
He spun around, saw the net still swaying, sucked in a breath, and snorted. "Lucky break, kid. Basketball isn't about luck."
He refused to believe the shot was skill; it had to be pure fluke.
Su Zhe walked under the basket, scooped up the ball, a cold glint in his eyes.
"My turn to attack."
Ye Chen stood opposite him, completely relaxed, beckoning with a curl of his finger. "Bring it."
Compared with Su Zhe's earlier tense stance, Ye Chen looked lazy—he didn't even bother to defend.
"Wow, Ye Chen is so cool!"
"Just standing there makes my heart race."
"Ye Chen, I love you!"
"Ye Chen, go for it!"
Some girls outside the court squealed in excitement.
Su Zhe's face turned livid.
Damn—another chance for this guy to show off.
He took a deep breath.
Dribbling, he burst forward, executed a slick crossover, and blew past Ye Chen in one move.
"Tch, that's all you've got?"
He sneered at the rim, a smirk forming.
Time for him to take the spotlight.
Su Zhe took two more steps and sprang, body gliding toward the hoop.
Spectators gaped.
He's going for a dunk.
Mid-air, Su Zhe grinned.
"Let the captain of the school team show you how it's done!"
With a roar he slammed the ball toward the rim, already picturing cheers and Ye Chen's crushed expression.
A dunk is the ultimate insult in a one-on-one.
But suddenly a figure shot up in front of him—Ye Chen, jumping even higher.
Just as the ball was about to go through, Su Zhe felt a mountain crush down on his hand.
His face changed; before he could react—
Bang!
The ball was swatted away, ricocheted off the rim—
—and slammed straight into Su Zhe's handsome face.
Smack!
The impact dazed him; he plopped onto the floor.
Class Five stared in stunned silence.
"Holy crap, what a nasty block!"
"Ye Chen was so freaking cool!"
"Thought he was bronze—turns out he's king!"
Li Sitong and Xia Yingluo covered their mouths, gaping at Ye Chen standing tall beneath the hoop.
"That was insanely hot!"
"I can't believe that just happened!"
A timid voice piped up.
"Did Ye Chen foul?"
Foul?
Everyone turned to Xia Yingluo in exasperation.
Li Sitong rolled her eyes. "Have you ever watched Basketball? A perfect block like that is no foul."
Xia Yingluo blushed, then beamed. "Great—Ye Chen was awesome!"
All worry vanished; she cheered even louder.
Ye Chen picked up the ball and walked over to Su Zhe.
"Sorry, but if you've got no game, don't show off—it's embarrassing."
"You—"
Su Zhe shook with rage.
Getting stuffed was humiliating enough; Ye Chen was rubbing salt in the wound.
Su Zhe almost lunged at him in fury.
Ye Chen smiled coolly. "My turn again."
He walked to mid-court and raised a finger. "Oh, right—three more baskets and you'll be frog-jumping while shouting 'I'm an idiot'."
"I…"
Su Zhe's eyes toward Ye Chen had completely changed.
As team captain he'd never suffered such disgrace—
—especially with the whole class, and the girl he liked, watching.
News of this block would sweep the school by tomorrow.
Today was a total humiliation.
He drew a deep breath.
He absolutely could not lose this match.
Ye Chen dribbled casually. "Ready? Here I come."
This time he didn't pull up for a jumper—he charged straight at Su Zhe.
"Is he trying to bulldoze Su Zhe? Is he nuts?"
"Ahh, our Chenchen is so hot!"
"He's ours, not yours!"
Su Zhe ground his teeth at the girls' chatter.
Eyes locked on Ye Chen's dribble, burning with fight.
Ye Chen barreled toward him on purpose—pure provocation.
Did Su Zhe look like some pushover?
When the tiger stays silent, you treat it like a sick cat?
Su Zhe dug in and sprinted at Ye Chen.
Neither slowed; collision looked inevitable.
Some girls couldn't bear to watch and covered their eyes.