Chapter 116: Fan Zenghui

About ten minutes later, the Longhua players began to arrive on the court one by one. It was still quite early, and the staff preparing for the match had not even entered yet.

A sturdy young man with well-defined arm muscles led the Longhua team through their training. His shooting style was defined by one word: "speed." Before you could even process his next move, he would typically have already released the ball.

This was Fan Zenghui!

During warm-ups, his shooting percentage was incredibly high. He sank seven or eight consecutive long-range spot-up shots. With a reliable touch and the ability to dominate in the paint, figuring out how to defend against Fan Zenghui had always been the primary tactical challenge for all of Longhua's opponents.

After finishing his shooting drills, Fan Zenghui walked over to the Jinhua warm-up area alone.

Many were surprised. "Is Fan Zenghui going to provoke them?"

"Things are about to get interesting..."

The onlookers expected a heated war of words to break out. Daxu still clutched his megaphone, ready to use his booming volume to crush Fan Zenghui the moment he started any trouble. Every spectator considered Daxu a man of indomitable spirit, someone who, despite being repeatedly ejected by referees, remained at the pinnacle of eccentricity.

Lin Wei stared coldly as Fan Zenghui approached. "What do you want?"

Defeating Fan Zenghui was the common goal of every small forward in the county’s junior high schools, and Lin Wei was no exception. Naturally, he looked at Fan Zenghui with pure hostility.

Fan Zenghui spread his hands, looking innocent. "I’m just here to have a word with Yuhang."

Yuhang set down the basketball in his hands. "You know me?"

Fan Zenghui laughed. "I’ve long heard that Jinhua has a master of ball-handling, a player with a particularly flamboyant dribble. Seeing it today, it’s truly well-deserved."

Lin Wei scoffed dismissively, "Quit the nonsense! You haven’t even watched him dribble, yet you’re calling it 'well-deserved'..."

Fan Zenghui rubbed his nose awkwardly and laughed out loud. "Don't be like that, surely some polite pleasantries are in order."

Ming Han was speechless. This guy seemed a bit dim-witted! Where was the aura of the number one junior high player in the county?

The other Longhua players, noticing the commotion, gradually gathered around, only to see their leader being shunned by the Jinhua squad. Internally, they were screaming: "Boss, can you please have some presence?!"

Just then, the referee entered the court. He glanced over, saw the two teams clustered together, and assumed they were stirring up trouble. He shouted, "Break it up, break it up!"

At that moment, Daxu was sitting in the front row, chatting animatedly with a few buddies, his gestures wild and expressive. To an outsider, he looked like he was aggressively taunting the students in Longhua uniforms.

The referee suddenly pointed at Daxu and said, "Is it you causing trouble again, kid?"

Daxu was stunned. "What does this have to do with me? I was just explaining a game walkthrough to some juniors from Longhua Middle School!"

The referee wasn't interested in Daxu's explanation. He scolded, "You’re a terrible student! Always inciting conflict between the two schools. Get out!"

Daxu’s face fell, looking utterly aggrieved.

Fan Zenghui stepped forward voluntarily. "Referee, it has nothing to do with him. I know the Jinhua players; I just came over to say hello."

The referee eyed him suspiciously. "Is that so?"

Everyone nodded. Lin Shan even hugged Fan Zenghui bashfully, teasing, "This brawny brother looks just like my old desk mate!"

The crowd closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of these two rough men.

The referee pointed at Daxu. "Fine, you can stay! But behave yourself today, and I’m confiscating the megaphone."

Daxu nodded, feeling wronged, and sighed sadly, "Can I finally watch a game in peace for once?"

...

Fan Zenghui pulled Yuhang into a corner to whisper. The scene looked rather strange and invited all sorts of speculation.

One of the Longhua players sighed in frustration, "Why does the boss have such a 'ship' aura whenever he stands next to anyone?"

Fan Zenghui and Yuhang weren't actually talking about anything special. As mutual friends of the former player Tank, they were offering each other encouragement.

"Tank used to mention you often, saying your rhythm on the court was excellent," Fan Zenghui said. "He was my best opponent, and I’ve always respected him like an older brother."

Yuhang sighed; the past would never return.

"Regardless! As an expert who once beat Tank in a one-on-one, I’m truly excited to face you."

Fan Zenghui nodded. Since entering the ninth grade, he had been widely considered by online communities as the undisputed number one player in the junior high division. But unlike many other stars on the court, he was remarkably humble. He always put the team's victory first, willing to sacrifice much to achieve it.

After coaching Fan Zenghui for two years, the head coach of the Longhua school team once said with deep meaning: "Kid, you have the makings of a professional."

Fan Zenghui was indeed a good player. After discovering that his classmate Luo Datai trained diligently, defended well, and had a stable shot, he realized he fit perfectly into the school team's system. He encouraged him constantly and eventually recommended him for a starting spot on the team.

"Yuhang, this is the golden age of your Jinhua team. Do your best to beat us! I’ll show you what I’m really capable of." Fan Zenghui was very confident.

Fan Zenghui spoke loudly, attracting the attention of many.

Was this a pre-game challenge?

Daxu, not familiar with Fan Zenghui, curled his lip. "Another arrogant guy. 'Real strength'? Does he think he's that good? Even Wang Mingkang, ranked second in the county, couldn't beat our school. Can that goofy kid win? Does he think he’s number one in the county?"

Others looked at Daxu with strange expressions. Did this weirdo not read the forums?

Ah, right! Daxu really didn't like the endless nonsense on those forums.

A junior tapped Daxu on the shoulder. "Dude, he *is* the number one in the county!"

"Huh?" Daxu was stunned. "The number one basketball player in the county junior high division looks like that? He has zero presence!"

...

The game finally began!

Jinhua’s starting lineup remained unchanged. As for Longhua, all five starters were among the top twenty players ranked online.

They might not have been versatile, all-around players who could dribble, score, organize, and shoot simultaneously, but they were exceptional specialists, each being incredibly dominant in one specific aspect.

Longhua’s coach also had a professional background. He was completely different from Coach He.

Coach He liked to put two playmakers on the court, hoping to facilitate the offense from all angles, encouraging more teamwork and selfless play.

But Longhua’s coach was entirely different; he favored functional players.

For instance, Fan Zenghui was a pure scoring machine. There wasn't a way to score that he didn't know. So, the coach would never ask him to organize or connect the team's play.

Take Luo Datai, for example. His role was defined as a shooter and defender. He was usually tasked with guarding the opponent's best backcourt player, then would use screens from teammates to find open spots to catch and shoot.