Chapter 91

"Whistle!"

"The halftime is over, everyone take a five-minute break, then we'll start the second half!" the referee said, glancing at the time.

Of course, the school match wouldn't be divided into quarters like a major competition; there were only the first and second halves. With the referee's whistle, the first half's score was frozen at 38 to 9!

Everyone walked to the sidelines to rest and drink water. Bao Xiangxin personally handed a bottle of water to Li Yi, then remembered what Li Yi had said about her, and her face turned red.

"Everyone, play well in the second half, be more united, don't let others laugh at us!" Luo Xiaoyao said.

Qiu Chengwang glared at Li Yi and said, "Li Yi, you're not playing in the second half!"

"Why can't Li Yi play?" Bao Xiangxin asked from the side.

Xun Hong answered for his best friend, "Class monitor, you saw it yourself, this guy just messes things up on the court. If it weren't for him, would we be so far behind?"

Luo Xiaoyao said, "I think Li Yi played pretty well, it's you guys who..."

"Teacher, you don't understand. Li Yi never practices with us. This time, he messed up our tactics and dragged the whole team down!" Qiu Chengwang explained hurriedly.

"That's right, teacher, don't think Li Yi is great just because he scored two goals. It was all luck, I know him too well!" Xun Hong exclaimed loudly.

"Yang Decai, you'll play in a bit, do your best!" Qiu Chengwang said.

Yang Decai was about the same height as Xun Hong, but his skills were even worse. He couldn't shoot or defend. In the last game, he played as the starting small forward for the class, but he never touched the ball. His only role was to defend the opposing players.

"Really, I'm playing?" Yang Decai asked loudly.

Although he couldn't touch the ball, he was still happy to play for the class.

"Yes, you're playing. Just like last time, focus on defense!" Qiu Chengwang encouraged him.

Cen Gang and Shao Yong saw that Qiu Chengwang had really taken Li Yi out of the game and stared with wide eyes. This guy was the only one who performed well, and you don't let him play? Isn't this just nonsense?

Shao Yong was about to say something, but Cen Gang pulled him back.

Li Yi was known as the "Iron God," and today he was just occasionally accurate. Who knows what will happen in the second half? If his iron nature returns, speaking up for him would just invite trouble.

Shao Yong glanced at Cen Gang and sighed. In normal circumstances, he would have said a few words for Li Yi, but the first half was so chaotic, with everyone fighting for the ball. Speaking up for Li Yi would probably offend Qiu Chengwang.

Qiu Chengwang was the class point guard and the second-best player. If he held a grudge, Shao Yong, who already rarely got the ball, would never receive a pass again.

Seeing that Qiu Chengwang and others didn't want him to play, Li Yi smiled slightly and said nothing. Pursuing self-interest and avoiding harm is a natural instinct of all intelligent beings, not just humans but other species as well.

People like Qiu Chengwang and Xun Hong could only see their immediate interests, living mediocre and ordinary lives. There were too many such people in the world, and Li Yi wouldn't bother with them.

"No, Li Yi played so well, why can't he play?" Luo Xiaoyao objected first.

Qiu Chengwang said very委屈地 (very reluctantly), "Teacher, you saw it yourself, Li Yi was grabbing the ball from our own teammates! We can't play with him on the court!"

"That's right, he ignored the whole team just to show off!" Xun Hong chimed in.

Luo Xiaoyao blinked and shook her head, "No, Li Yi must play!"

Then she turned to Li Yi and said, "Li Yi, in the second half, you need to work well with your teammates and not grab the ball from others, understand?"

Li Yi smiled lightly and said, "Teacher, that's impossible. We can't win with Qiu Chengwang and the others!"

"See, Teacher, he's always so arrogant! We didn't pass him the ball before because he couldn't score, but he kept shooting! This time, he grabbed our ball and managed to score two by luck. In the second half, he'll probably miss again!" Qiu Chengwang complained loudly.

"Teacher, if Li Yi plays again, Qiu Chengwang can't play, I can't play, and the whole team can't play. Let him play by himself!" Xun Hong said.

"None of you want Li Yi to play?" Luo Xiaoyao asked.

Qiu Chengwang and Xun Hong nodded, while Cen Gang and Shao Yong remained silent.

Seeing the situation, Luo Xiaoyao's face turned cold, "Li Yi, although you play well, your attitude has been wrong from the start! People should prioritize the collective interest. Are you playing just to show off? You should..."

"Teacher!" Li Yi interrupted her as she started to lecture, "Don't talk to me about these childish things. I'll give you two choices. First, I play, and the whole team follows my strategy to win. Second, let these incompetent people control the ball, mess things up, and do whatever they want. It's none of my business!"

"How can you be like this! You have no sense of collective honor!" Luo Xiaoyao felt she couldn't tolerate it anymore, "Sit over there and reflect! Don't think the world can't function without you! Yang Decai, you play!"

"Yes, Teacher!" Yang Decai was delighted to hear his teacher also wanted him to play.

"Play well and show your spirit!" Luo Xiaoyao said to Qiu Chengwang and the others.

Qiu Chengwang and the others knew they couldn't beat Class 6, but they couldn't back down at this moment, so they patted their chests and said, "Teacher, don't worry, we'll play well!"

"Whistle!" The referee blew the whistle, and the second half began!

Li Yi sat on the sidelines, watching the Class 3 team with interest. In his eyes, this small five-person team was a microcosm of many civilizations.

Struggling for fame and profit, shirking responsibility, not using capable people, and eventually falling apart. Even if they lost badly, these decision-makers probably wouldn't admit their mistakes, only saying things like, "I had a bad day, my teammates didn't perform, the opponents were too strong," etc.

"Hey, Kobe is actually sitting on the bench?" Ren Qiaoyi, who was about to watch Li Yi's performance, opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Ha ha ha!" Qi Minzhi laughed happily when he saw Li Yi wasn't playing. He was really afraid Li Yi would have another impressive performance and attract Ren Qiaoyi's attention.

The Class 6 players, seeing Li Yi on the bench, all breathed a sigh of relief. Kou Xingyuan even pounded his chest and shouted, "Damn it, watch me crush them!"

"Right, we have to win by fifty points!" Man Dezhe nodded.

Class 3 started with the ball. As soon as the ball was passed to Qiu Chengwang, the Class 6 point guard came up to him!

Behind him, the Class 6 shooting guard quickly joined in to double-team!

Qiu Chengwang panicked and lost the ball!

It turned out that seeing Li Yi grab the ball from Qiu Chengwang, the Class 6 players thought they could do the same. During the break, they had decided on a full-court press strategy, which proved effective right from the start!

The Class 6 shooting guard scored, making the score 40 to 9!

"Everyone, keep it up!" Man Dezhe shouted.

In the next play, Class 3 lost the ball again. Class 6 got possession and passed the ball to Kou Xingyuan!

Kou Xingyuan, who had been blocked all game, finally had a chance to shine. He executed a beautiful back-to-the-basket move and scored two points!

The score was now 42 to 9!

"Right, that's how it's done!" Man Dezhe said, defending quickly and blocking Class 3's attack, then launching a counterattack!

"Pass to Xingyuan again!" Qi Minzhi shouted from the sidelines.

The Class 6 point guard did as he was told and passed the ball to Kou Xingyuan again!

Kou Xingyuan scored again with a single move!

In a few plays, Class 6's momentum grew stronger, while Class 3 completely collapsed!

The score on the court was now 50 to 9!

"Fifty points! Keep it up, crush them!" Man Dezhe shouted.

"Right, don't give them any face!" Kou Xingyuan shouted, then gave a middle finger to Li Yi sitting on the sidelines, "SB, watch and see!"

Seeing the one-sided game, Ren Qiaoyi sighed, "Class 3 is really funny. They're already weak, and they can't use their Kobe! How can they not lose?"

Qi Minzhi quickly said, "Kobe wouldn't have helped much either!"

Ren Qiaoyi said, "At least it would be better than this. In the first half, they didn't pass him the ball, so he had to grab it himself. Then four teammates went to defend him, making him play one against nine. In the second half, they didn't even let him play! Hilarious!"

Luo Xiaoyao heard Ren Qiaoyi's comments from a distance and her face turned red.

Was my decision not to let Li Yi play wrong? But this kid has no sense of collectivism. Letting him play would just cause chaos! But without him, the game is even worse...

After much hesitation, Luo Xiaoyao walked to Li Yi and said, "Li Yi, you're playing now, replacing Yang Decai!"

Li Yi looked at the beautiful teacher with interest, "Are you sure?"

Luo Xiaoyao bit her lip, "Just play!"

Li Yi smiled, "Teacher, I can play, but I need full control of the ball. The score is so far apart, I don't have time to take care of Qiu Chengwang and the others, nor do I have time to maintain your so-called collective honor!"

"You... you..." Seeing Li Yi's arrogant attitude, Luo Xiaoyao was so angry she couldn't speak.

Li Yi ignored her expression and pointed at the score, "Make a decision quickly. It's too late for me to turn things around. Some mistakes can be corrected, but some cannot."

"Some mistakes can be corrected, but some cannot?" Luo Xiaoyao frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that." Li Yi shrugged.

Luo Xiaoyao was so angry she could hardly breathe. She really didn't want to deal with this guy, but when she turned around, she saw that Class 6 had scored another four points, making the score 54 to 9!

"Timeout!" Luo Xiaoyao shouted.

She had decided to let Li Yi play because the difference between him playing and not playing was too significant.

Class 3 quickly called a timeout. When Qiu Chengwang heard Luo Xiaoyao wanted Li Yi to play, he immediately objected.

"Teacher, if he plays, we can't play!"

"Right, Yang Decai is playing well!" Xun Hong chimed in.

Luo Xiaoyao hesitated, then looked at Li Yi to see what he would say.

Li Yi said bluntly, "Teacher, take Qiu Chengwang and Xun Hong out! Yang Decai, you keep playing, Liu Tian, come over and replace them!"

"Boss, I'm here!"

Liu Tian was a lively person. After writing a self-criticism and a pledge in class, he had sneaked out to watch the game. Although he loved watching games, his actual skills were almost zero. He couldn't even hit the backboard when shooting, and Li Yi just needed him to fill a spot.

When Qiu Chengwang and Xun Hong saw Li Yi wanted to replace them, they panicked. Xun Hong shouted, "Teacher, Qiu Chengwang is our best ball handler and needs to organize the offense! He can't be taken out!"

Liu Tian cursed, "You guys haven't scored a point and are getting crushed. What kind of offense are you organizing? Get out of here!"

"Liu Tian, no cursing!" Luo Xiaoyao glared at him.

Liu Tian, who had just been through a joint exercise with parents and teachers, stuck out his tongue and didn't dare speak again.

"Take a break for a bit, let Li Yi and Liu Tian play!" Luo Xiaoyao said to Qiu Chengwang and Xun Hong.

---

Some people say I write too many basketball chapters, but I have no choice. With the current tight atmosphere, officials can't be corrupt, society can't be dark, and even romantic interactions are limited to holding hands. What else can I write? Do you think I don't want to go to the city and embarrass everyone, but instead stay in school to play basketball?

Don't tell me others are writing without issues. They are either big names or have slipped through the cracks. My several books have all disappeared, and I don't want this one to disappear either. Safety first, comrades.

So, let's understand each other. Playing basketball may be a bit watered down, but at least it won't be censored. Once I find a way to skip the urban plot and start the sci-fi part, it will be better.

Finally, I'm this watered down, so please recommend and collect.

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