Chapter 101: Let Me Take the Stage

Li Qingying liked boys who played basketball. Even though she herself didn’t know how to play, she was determined to put on a brave front. Besides, she was smart and capable; there was nothing she couldn’t handle.

With this thought, He Haoxuan stepped forward and called out to Long Luoqing, the sports committee member, “Is it my turn to go on the court now?”

“You? How can you go on the court like that? Hurry up and change into your sportswear,” Long Luoqing said with a slight frown as he glanced at He Haoxuan.

Although He Haoxuan wasn’t wearing beach shorts today, he was still in leather shoes and jeans—hardly the right gear for running around on the court.

“Sportswear?” He Haoxuan was momentarily stunned. “I didn’t bring any.”

“Well, forget it. You’re just a substitute anyway. Just sit over there,” Long Luoqing said helplessly.

At this point, there was no way He Haoxuan could go back and change, and since he was only a substitute, no one really cared.

Seeing this, He Haoxuan reluctantly moved to the side.

The boys on the court noticed Li Qingying’s boyfriend approaching and each wore a hostile expression.

The basketball game began swiftly, and as expected, Li Qingying’s class was merely there to make up the numbers.

Not long after, they had already conceded ten points.

Xiao Dongren, the captain of their basketball team, angrily scolded player Chang Huali, “Damn it, Chang Huali, how long has it been since you last ate? Why are you playing so badly?”

“Captain, I’m not refusing to play, but Class Three is just too strong,” Chang Huali replied with a grimace.

Their class, Class Four, was truly getting crushed.

“You useless fool, not only are you incompetent, but you’re also making excuses. If you don’t try harder next time, you won’t be allowed to play on our class basketball team again,” Xiao Dongren snapped.

It was unclear whether Chang Huali was throwing the game—he clearly had chances to score but kept missing, which infuriated the captain.

Chang Huali merely smiled without responding. Hmph, it’s just the Class Four basketball team; he didn’t care. After all, it wasn’t the college team.

In fact, someone from Class Three had secretly paid him to throw the game, so he had no intention of giving his best and was deliberately easing up to let Class Three win.

This game was destined for Class Four to lose. With a key player sidelined and Chang Huali throwing the match, this was a hopeless game.

The referee blew the whistle again, and the game resumed.

Chang Huali not only stopped trying to steal the ball, but deliberately blocked his own teammates.

Before long, Class Four had conceded several more points.

Xiao Dongren shouted angrily, “Timeout!”

At his call, the referee nodded subtly, preparing to blow the whistle.

Chang Huali, anticipating another round of scolding, suddenly bent over and collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain, “Ouch, it hurts so much!”

“What’s wrong, Huali?” The other players immediately rushed over to ask.

Chang Huali grimaced and said, “I twisted my ankle just now. Ouch, it hurts so much. My body’s fine, but how can I continue playing in this match? The game can’t go on without me. I won’t let Class Four lose.”

Seeing Chang Huali’s concern for the team, the others secretly felt moved.

However, He Haoxuan smirked coldly. He had seen exactly how Chang Huali fell.

If his ankle were truly injured, he could just as well have detached his head.

In fact, He Haoxuan was secretly hoping Chang Huali couldn’t continue playing—he had been waiting for this chance for a long time.

If he didn’t perform well, how could Li Qingying know that he was also quite good at basketball?

Without hesitation, He Haoxuan ran onto the court and shouted, “I’ll substitute for Chang Huali now. Someone come and help carry him off!”

“What? He Haoxuan, why are you on the court? Get down immediately!” Long Luoqing, who had already confirmed with Li Qingying that He Haoxuan didn’t know how to play basketball, said anxiously.

If he went on court, they were sure to lose.

But the players from Class Three weren’t willing to let him leave. Since He Haoxuan had already jumped onto the court, there was no way they would send him off.

The less Class Four wanted him on, the more determined Class Three was to have him play. They had learned from Chang Huali that this external player for Class Four could not play basketball and was just there to fill the ranks.

Ha! If Class Four didn’t lose this time, it would be completely unreasonable.

The referee, who was inclined to favor Class Three, nodded immediately. “Yes, the substitute player from Class Four is now on the court and cannot be replaced. If you want to make another substitution, the next game will be the only chance.”

This was the rule for the match: only two substitutions permitted per game.

Seeing no alternative, Long Luoqing resigned himself to the situation.

Even if He Haoxuan couldn’t play, just standing there as a blocker would serve some use.

“Fine,” Long Luoqing said, retreating to the sidelines.

Li Qingying came over and asked, “Sports committee member, He Haoxuan ran onto the court. What should we do?”

“How should I know? He went up on his own,” Long Luoqing replied irritably.

Li Qingying sighed helplessly. She knew He Haoxuan loved to brag and cared about his pride. Now that he was here, he would probably try to play at least one shot.

But someone like He Haoxuan, who had only thrown on a tracksuit top over his jeans and leather shoes, looked rather comical.

Xiao Dongren stomped angrily when he saw He Haoxuan on the court. “He Haoxuan, what are you doing? Stand right in the center and when they come at you, spread your arms and block them. Don’t let them get past, got it?”

“With so many people, who should I block?” He Haoxuan asked.

“Are you stupid? Of course you block whoever has the ball,” Xiao Dongren said, then immediately dashed off as the opposing player took possession. “Teammates, be alert! Even if we lose, we can’t lose by too much!”

Xiao Dongren felt like crying. Their class had already lost by twenty points, and it was only halftime. If this continued, how many points would they lose by? How could they even face the class after this?

Especially now, with an unskilled player like He Haoxuan on the court, things looked even worse.

But no matter how much Xiao Dongren shouted, the Class Three players charged forward with the ball.

Whenever Class Four players tried to block them, the opponents simply passed the ball and evaded their defense.

Soon, a Class Four player with the ball approached He Haoxuan. When the player tried to get past him, no matter how he moved, He Haoxuan stood firm, blocking the way.

“Damn! Why can’t I get past you?” the player growled through clenched teeth, dribbling furiously.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and the basketball disappeared from his hands.

“Ah! Where did my ball go?” he shouted.

At that moment, everyone realized that the ball was already in He Haoxuan’s hands.