Chapter 7

Bai Jieqian walked into the center circle, hugged the basketball covered with colorful graffiti, and spun it around twice, showing off a couple of fancy moves before tossing it to Li Jingming. Regardless of the outcome, he had to make a good impression.

Li Jingming caught the ball two steps behind the three-point line, holding it at his waist, a textbook prelude to a breakthrough. The American black youth, the team captain, known as Captain America, immediately moved in to defend. It was just a performance; in an All-Star game, would they not defend at all?

Seeing the opponent move to defend, Li Jingming took a probing step with his left foot. Captain America, very experienced, held his position, slightly moved, but still stabilized himself. The force from Li Jingming's arm made him feel almost as if he had been hit by a car. Li Jingming firmly planted his foot and took a large step inside the three-point line. Knowing that he couldn't match the strength, Captain America immediately retreated to avoid losing his position. Li Jingming, seeing the opponent retreat rather than blindly charge, silently gave him a "thumbs up" in his heart. Then, he pressed his hand down, pulled the ball back, stepped out of the three-point line, and jumped, releasing a three-pointer.

By the time Captain America tried to interfere, it was too late. He barely jumped up, making a token defensive gesture. With a swish, the ball went through the net. Why a swish? In American street basketball courts, the nets are used so frequently that they break after just a few days. Some kids, unable to reach the rim, play with the net, so many places use iron chains as nets, naturally making a swish sound.

"One point," Li Jingming said, making a finger gun gesture. This gesture would have earned him a technical foul in the NBA, but here, no one felt uncomfortable, and no one felt insulted enough to start a fight. Captain America, annoyed, waved his hand and said, "No need." Except for a few specific individuals, in basketball, defending against a breakthrough is generally prioritized over defending against a three-pointer. His defensive choice was correct; he just didn't expect Li Jingming to have a three-point shot in addition to his powerful dunk.

Streetball is usually not scored by points but by balls, with a three-pointer counting as two. However, to digress, in China, the Chinese Basketball Association has its own rules, even using different courts.

Li Jingming shook his head and said, "No hard feelings, it's just that I rarely meet a skilled opponent and want to play longer." As the saying goes, "A good show is a team effort," and this American bought it. Hearing the word "skilled," Captain America immediately felt pleased and agreed, "I have no objections."

The other team took the ball, with Captain America personally handling it. Without any small talk, he immediately went after Li Jingming, one for one. Li Jingming followed, defending the perimeter. Although he had no height advantage, his strength was greater than the soul brother. Seeing no hope for a three-pointer, Captain America, out of desperation, did a fancy between-the-legs dribble and tried to break through. Li Jingming was speechless; just break through, why the fancy moves? He resisted the urge to block and let the opponent into the paint. Captain America, still excited, thought, "Young people need to show off!" After passing Li Jingming, he charged to the basket, where Jin Zairong was waiting. Captain America, without hesitation, jumped and prepared to dunk with both hands, thinking that an Asian wouldn't be strong enough. Jin Zairong, seeing the ball so low, was ready to block it, but a cold glare from Li Jingming made him shiver, and he froze, allowing Captain America to dunk successfully.

Li Jingming's eyes said, "Do you want to play or not? Relax, it's not a competition."

"Got it!" Jin Zairong nodded, responding with his eyes.

Li Jingming continued to warn with his eyes, "Only offense, no defense."

The other team was just a group of street kids, the Americans looking older, but probably none of them were over twenty except Captain America. These kids, though they played often, were not like Jin Zairong, who had years of professional training, or like Li Jingming and Bai Jieqian, who had martial arts skills. When they got serious, it wasn't pretty.

Captain America immediately shouted happily, "Oh, man! I'm a dunking machine, I'm naturally strong, I only know two things: dunking and breathing..."

Li Jingming was even more speechless. He should have had Jin Zairong block him... This guy should have been a rapper; he could come up with a whole song in the time it took to celebrate a score. All the black brothers were indeed born with racial talent and passive skills.

The spectators also cheered, sensing the excitement. At this moment, Captain America felt as if fifty cents, Nate Dogg, and even Tupac (2pac) in heaven were shining a rap light on him.

The game resumed with a center circle jump ball. Li Jingming caught the ball and dribbled, his movements reminiscent of CP3. In Korean, it's called a possession phenomenon, Paul's spirit. A glance, and Jin Zairong understood, running to the basket and jumping. Captain America, seeing the danger, shouted, "How dare you!" but it was too late. Jin Zairong was already hanging on the rim, completing an alley-oop.

The game went back and forth, with Li Jingming's team having a higher success rate. Without much defense, they relied on rebounding, and the other team had no spirit left. The three black youths were puzzled; how could these three, who were shorter, grab so many rebounds?

Although Li Jingming's team wasn't taking it seriously, they played very well, and a crowd gathered around. The people with sodas and hot dogs were the initial supporters of the other team, who had bought them with Bai Jieqian's Range Rover. After buying them, they distributed them, and the latecomers got none. Everyone was having a great time, and many passersby stopped to watch, the crowd growing larger. Americans love to watch, which is why there are so many places selling popcorn (just a joke).

After a while, Song Shizai joined in, and the other team also changed players. They had already played more than ten balls, but everyone was having fun and didn't mind. In short, the game was lively, friendly, and full of camaraderie.

After playing for a long time, Li Jingming, seeing it was getting late and thinking he had to do some serious work the next day, waved to the other team and said they would play one last ball. Li Jingming couldn't resist being a show-off. With the ball in his hands, he said they would play one last ball, and the simple-minded black youths agreed without much thought.

For the last ball, with various girls watching, Li Jingming, feeling young again, decided to show his best move. Age was just a number; he was only twenty and in great shape. He waited for a few seconds, letting everyone get into position, and then he unleashed his level six skill—the "Blue Butterfly Cloud Drift" step, created by Grandma Tie Lan, one of the two grandmothers of Nanyang.

Li Jingming, like a ghost, passed through five people (including Jin Zairong and Bai Jieqian) and moved through the half-court as if it were empty. Finally, he took a small step near the basket, calmly jumped, and gently placed the ball in.

Captain America exclaimed, "What kind of step is that?"

"Do you want to learn? I can teach you." Li Jingming, with his two lifetimes of experience, explained the concept of "showing off is annoying."

At this moment, Jin Zairong rushed over, shouting in Korean, "Bro, I want to learn, I want to learn! This move is beyond my understanding; if I learn it, I can dominate the country!" Jin Zairong, in a hurry, spoke in Korean. To please his cousin and learn the ultimate skill, he half-knelt and half-squatted, lifting one of Li Jingming's feet onto his knee and making a shoe-shining gesture. Li Jingming's Jeremy Scott Wings, with their red, blue, and white stripes, were already very eye-catching, and this made them even more visually impactful.

Li Jingming wasn't a fan of the U.S. flag; he bought the shoes because he liked the feeling of stepping on the American flag, and he had several pairs.

Before Li Jingming could kick Jin Zairong away, Bai Jieqian also joined in, pretending to be a reporter, holding his hand like a microphone and asking, "Classmate, are your family members back home aware of how awesome you are here?"

Li Jingming almost couldn't resist slapping him. It was clear he was playing the interview game, but it could also be mistaken for offering Li Jingming a banana. How could Li Jingming not be angry?

After a bit of playful banter, they said goodbye to the other team.

"Are you a USC student?" Captain America looked at the Range Rover and the subservient look on An Hanjian's face, clearly seeing him as Li Jingming's lackey. To these people, the Asians being so wealthy meant they were likely USC students. However, Li Jingming was dressed very fashionably, with a casual style that exuded a sense of "freedom," unlike Captain America's pure hip-hop style.

"I've already graduated," Li Jingming said, pointing to Jin Zairong, "That's my cousin, a freshman at UCLA. He might come back to play with you guys sometime."

Captain America, drinking the Gatorade bought by An Hanjian, nodded and said, "Welcome, tonight was great, you guys are strong." Although he didn't keep score, he knew his team was behind, and the other team's relaxed and effortless play clearly showed they weren't giving their all. This was a face-saving moment for him.

There was no fat NBA scout trying to sign Li Jingming to the Lakers, no one shouting that he had found the second basketball god. There were only scattered applause and cheers, and everyone dispersed, as it was Monday and they had to work the next day.

Jin Zairong was still excited, his cousin's strength truly awe-inspiring. Li Jingming, relying on the advantages of Wudang martial arts in power techniques, was not just a show-off. Martial arts emphasize these techniques, and Wudang is one of the extremes. Ball sports also focus on power techniques, from shooting, dribbling, positioning, to various fancy moves, all forming the most suitable actions. This applies to other sports as well, such as tennis, badminton, and golf. Others rely on constant practice to develop their skills, while Li Jingming, through his martial arts, had a sense of "mastering one technique means mastering all."

The group got into the Range Rover, which belonged to Bai Jieqian, but An Hanjian was driving. Li Jingming's Aston Martin, with only two seats, was left behind. The five of them drove through the streets of Los Angeles, bathed in the colorful lights, each with their own thoughts, but from tomorrow, they would be bound together.

<End of Chapter>