Chapter 120: The Past of the Black-Clad Man

Though disappointed, they had to accept the outcome.

The players from both sides began to exchange greetings. Fan Zenghui threw a light punch at Ming Han’s shoulder, saying, "You jerk, you scared the life out of me."

Fan Zenghui had participated in the Challenge Cup for the past three years. In his opinion, this had been his most difficult match to date, and Ming Han, in particular, had left a deep impression on him. Neither of them knew that their paths would cross again in a significant way long after this day.

With this defeat, Jinhua High School’s journey in this year’s Challenge Cup came to an end.

As everyone left the court, Da Xu walked down from the stands, looking at Ming Han with a face full of sorrow. Indeed, Da Xu had lost again—his living expenses were gone!

Ming Han sighed. "Da Xu, this is the first time I’ve felt guilty toward you."

"Although losing money is painful, man, you gave it your all today," Da Xu encouraged him. Ming Han was touched; although Da Xu could be bizarre at times, he was quite warm-hearted in critical moments.

"However..." Da Xu paused. "Stepping on the three-point line during a game-winning attempt? You really are a talent!" Da Xu shook his head, looking as if he were lamenting Ming Han’s lack of progress. "After hanging out with me for so long, how did you not learn to be meticulous? You’re always so careless when doing things."

At that moment, Ming Han felt the urge to give Da Xu a sound beating.

Yuhang walked over and said, "Ha, don't take Da Xu’s words to heart."

Although their shared goal had always been the championship, it didn't mean that missing out on it was the end of the world. The end of this journey marked the beginning of a new one.

***

After the match, Coach Hei specifically gathered everyone together.

"The mission for this school team has come to an end. Although we haven’t spent much time together, honestly, these days spent preparing and playing in the Challenge Cup have been the happiest times since I retired," Coach Hei said with emotion.

This time, no one interrupted him.

Lin Shan, usually the most carefree guy, had the reddest eyes. It looked as if he might throw himself onto the coach’s shoulder and weep at any moment.

"I won't be embarrassed to tell you that because of certain things, I almost gave up on basketball. I was in a very low place during that time and wanted to quit this job. But the love and passion for basketball that you kids showed during the inter-class games made me realize that I had even less courage than you."

Coach Hei was usually a man of few words and was particularly strict during training. Sometimes the students would crack jokes at his expense, and he would only respond with a simple, honest smile. No one had known that Coach Hei had once endured such great turmoil.

"Coach, you must have been a real badass back in the day, right?" Ming Han asked.

"It was alright, just alright! Haha..."

At that moment, the coach from Longhua High School saw them and walked over to say hello. When he heard them discussing Coach Hei’s past, a look of admiration appeared on his face. He laughed, "That’s not just 'alright'! That was incredibly impressive!"

"Xiao Li!" It turned out that Coach Hei and the Longhua coach were old acquaintances.

"Old Hei, do you mind if I tell these kids about your glorious past?"

Coach Hei waved his hand. "It’s all just empty fame, haha..."

Everyone thought, *Coach Hei is so humble!* Then, they heard him say eagerly, "Xiao Li, hurry up and tell them! I’m almost forgetting my own glory days."

Everyone was speechless. *He’s actually rushing him?*

By now, the Longhua students had also gathered around, curious about this basketball tactical master who was famous throughout the county. Even their own coach held him in such high regard!

"As the first player from our county to join the provincial youth basketball team, he led the provincial team to victory in the national league, reaching the final four. In the final match against the defending champions, he scored 31 points by himself, keeping the suspense alive until the very last minute before narrowly losing. In his prime, he was a small forward who could rank in the top ten in the history of our provincial team."

It was a brief introduction, yet it left everyone’s jaws on the floor. That resume was quite something!

Coach Hei laughed heartily. "Xiao Li, you remembered wrong; I scored 33 points in that game."

Everyone was speechless again. *Coach, didn't you just say you had forgotten those days?*

"He was on the verge of joining the national team, but retired at 28 due to injury," the Longhua coach sighed. For a basketball player, 28 is the age where technique and experience combine perfectly. Players like Kobe and LeBron all reached their peaks around that age.

"What kind of injury could be so severe that it directly ended a professional career?" someone asked.

Coach Hei replied, "You saw that injury today."

It turned out that the way Coach Hei had been injured was exactly the same as Luo Datai’s injury. Ming Han finally understood why Coach Hei had such a painful expression when he saw Luo Datai get hurt. That must have been the pain of a lifetime.

"But unlike that kid, when I was injured, I was sabotaged by my own teammate," Coach Hei said, his tone indifferent, yet full of profound sorrow.

These rumors had circulated on the internet for a long time. There were many complex interests involved that were difficult to explain in a few words. Joining the national team and signing with the top commercial league—everyone wanted those opportunities. It meant becoming a millionaire in a very short time.

Coach Hei turned to Yuhang and Ming Han. "Remember, anything involving vested interests is never as beautiful as it appears on the surface." Although they were still young, Coach Hei knew they would soon enter that circle where profit was king. After all, this world was still driven by money. Those who controlled the most wealth had the power to manipulate the rules of the world.

"Then why did you come to be a teacher, Coach? A monthly salary of four or five thousand must be insignificant compared to the past," someone asked again. Indeed, because Coach Hei had made a name for himself in the provincial team so early, his endorsements and activities must have been lucrative. His current income was truly a drop in the bucket compared to before.

Coach Hei continued, "A year later, I tried to make a comeback, but my form had plummeted. My speed and explosiveness had dropped significantly. Opponents I used to easily dominate were now leaving me in the dust. Even though the club wanted to fulfill the remainder of my contract, I had lost my heart for basketball and sought a buyout."

Everyone was surprised; seeking a buyout usually meant suffering a massive financial loss.

"Coach, why not just finish the contract and earn more money?" Lin Shan’s thinking was simple—why not take the money?

Coach Hei replied, "If you ever find that playing basketball has become a grueling chore, then no amount of money can bring you the joy and satisfaction of the game itself."

"Although life is much more ordinary now than it used to be, teaching students basketball skills and tactics has allowed me to find that initial joy of playing all over again."