Chapter 115: One More Pursuit

As the semifinals drew nearer, several members of Jinhua Middle School began to dedicate themselves fully to preparing for the competition.

Besides completing the training assigned by Hei Ren, Ming Han also practiced countless shots at the basketball court in his neighborhood. But he was no longer alone; for most of the time, Luo Datai accompanied him.

According to Luo Datai, "Know yourself and know your opponent, and you will never be defeated." He was using physical training to probe Jinhua's strengths. After all, his main role on the team was defense, unlike Ming Han, who both scored and organized plays.

Despite his words, Ming Han clearly felt the benefits of training with Luo Datai. Luo's exceptional defensive skills undoubtedly enhanced Ming Han's ability to handle physical confrontations.

Had Ming Han’s offensive skills reached perfection? Not at all—far from it. He was an excellent shooter, which made him reluctant to drive to the basket. Although his dribbling skills were sufficient to shake off defenders and attack the hoop, Ming Han preferred to solve problems with quick stop-and-jump shots.

This was partly due to his confidence in his shooting ability and partly because he disliked physical contact.

As for Yu Hang, after the devastating loss of Tank, he did not sink into despair. He earnestly told Ming Han, “From now on, I’m not just playing for myself.”

There was a legendary NBA point guard known for his explosive athleticism, who charged forward like an unstoppable train. When asked by reporters about the secret to his success, he always said, “I’m not playing alone; I play to carry on the basketball legacy of another.”

His name was Westbrook. In college, his best friend and teammate passed away, and from then on, he regarded basketball as a mission worth fighting for.

Longhua! Some say it is synonymous with the Challenge Cup, holding seven championships in hand.

A poll was held online to predict the outcome of the upcoming match, with around twenty thousand netizens participating.

Eighty percent believed Longhua would win. Nineteen percent thought the result was hard to predict. Only one percent supported Jinhua to break through Longhua.

In front of Ming Han, Da Xu confidently bet on Jinhua to win.

“I think I’ve seen through it. Our school has this unstoppable momentum this year. Hopefully, I can win back my meal money this time.”

This was the most discussed Challenge Cup match in history. Many self-proclaimed data experts conducted complex calculations and comparisons, unanimously concluding that Longhua would defeat Jinhua by twenty points.

Some even wrote ten-thousand-word essays with detailed charts to explain their reasoning.

When Ming Han saw these, he sighed, “These netizens still have too little homework!”

He knew many who could write such long posts struggled even to produce an 800-word essay.

But one day before the match, someone came to see Ming Han.

Huang Ying!

Since breaking up with Yu Hang, she had thrown herself wholeheartedly into preparing for the high school entrance exam, sometimes skipping lunch breaks to stay in the classroom practicing exercises.

Ming Han still vividly remembered the tragic scene of their breakup. Yet he vaguely felt their fate had not yet run its course.

Both were determined to get into City No.1 High School. Was this really the end of all contact?

Sometimes, Huang Ying would casually message Ming Han on QQ, pretending to be indifferent:

“Has your company arranged any events lately?”

“Did you win the basketball game yesterday?”

“Did anyone on the team get hurt?”

...

Ming Han was nearly at his wit’s end. All these questions boiled down to one: How is Yu Hang?

“Could you be any more obvious?” he wanted to ask. “I thought you two had truly prepared to let go, like in the dramas!”

Huang Ying had a simple purpose in coming to Ming Han. She knew Tank had passed away. She also knew the place Tank held in Yu Hang’s heart.

“Is he alright?” This was the only time she directly named Yu Hang in her many questions.

Ming Han shook his head. “Not really. I’m afraid he might break down emotionally.”

For Yu Hang, Tank was a guiding light on his basketball journey. Tank had taught him many techniques, hand in hand.

“What can we do then?”

Seeing Huang Ying anxious like an ant on a hot pan, Ming Han reassured her, “You have me!”

Indeed, although Yu Hang’s mood was low, at least he had a good brother by his side, urging him to carefully and seriously keep moving forward.

The match was scheduled a week before midterms.

Logically, Huang Ying wouldn’t come—she hadn’t come the previous two times, and the exams were looming.

But she came.

At first, she sat quietly with Chen Li in the audience. Yet, when she saw Yu Hang, she hesitated a moment, then took her thermos and walked over to him.

They hadn’t spoken for a long time...

Everyone knew Huang Ying was a chatterbox, talkative and hot-tempered.

For a long time, Yu Hang had been like her trash can—patiently listening to all her complaints and gossip. Then he would ruffle her hair and smile, saying, “You’re such a know-it-all.”

...

When Yu Hang saw Huang Ying, his eyes lit up, but he didn’t take the initiative to approach her.

Huang Ying bit her lip, summoned courage, walked up to Yu Hang, and handed him the thermos.

“Drinking warm water can make you feel better too!”

Many mocked the phrase “drink warm water” online, calling it perfunctory and low in emotional intelligence.

But in truth, warm water is the most comforting thing for a person, in many situations.

Yu Hang nodded and accepted the thermos.

Huang Ying suffered from menstrual cramps and would grimace in pain, bent over her desk.

Yu Hang would wake early to boil water in the dorm, let it cool in the sink for three minutes after boiling, and when it dropped to 60 degrees Celsius, pour it into the thermos to bring to Huang Ying.

The warmth you once gave me, I want to give back to you.

“Play well in the game. You’ll definitely win,” Huang Ying smiled, revealing her small, white tiger teeth.

Ming Han used to tease her about her crooked teeth.

But every time, Yu Hang proudly said, “Girls with tiger teeth are cute. That’s what I like about her.”

Yu Hang glanced at Huang Ying suddenly and said, “Huang Ying, you’ve become more beautiful!”

The words made Huang Ying blush as red as the setting sun.

Girls reach an age when they suddenly care deeply about their appearance. Like Huang Ying—she had replaced her thick glasses with contact lenses, looking fresh and adorable.

“Mhm!” Huang Ying replied sweetly.

Yu Hang turned and said, “I’d better warm up now.”

Watching Yu Hang head to the court, Huang Ying suddenly called out loudly, “Yu Hang, when you’ve earned enough money, will you chase me again?”

She spoke loudly enough for many in the venue to hear, prompting cheers and applause.

“Well done!”

“A true heroine!”

Yu Hang paused noticeably, stunned for a moment. Then he turned back, nodded firmly at Huang Ying, and said, “Mhm!”