Chapter 18: The Rival!

Ming Han suddenly realized: at this moment, Qiang might be seeing him as a true opponent.

In the world of basketball, there's a certain tolerance for newcomers. When playing a pickup game, if you're a rookie and make a mistake, the others will reassure you, “It's alright, it's alright, I used to be worse than you!” But this friendliness is reserved only for beginners.

Once people acknowledge that you can actually play, there's only one belief in their hearts: I must outplay you, by any means necessary.

From this moment on, Qiang began to admit that Ming Han was no longer a basketball novice.

Because in the very next possession, as soon as Qiang got the ball, he bulldozed straight through Ming Han, drove to the basket, and nailed a layup.

An exclamation swept through the crowd below!

This was the perfect blend of strength and skill.

Ming Han touched his stomach—he’d been hit there during Qiang’s drive—and found it hard to catch his breath.

Yuhang signaled to the referee, calling a timeout.

Ming Han pressed his hand to his abdomen, his face twisted in pain.

Chen Li, who had been quietly watching from the stands, rushed down, clearly worried. “Ming Han, are you okay?”

Ming Han merely grunted and buried his head in his knees, obviously in agony.

Yuhang switched Chen Bao back in. “Rest for a bit, Ming Han. See if you can play the last quarter. But your health comes first—the game doesn’t matter if we lose.”

Chen Li sat beside Ming Han. “Maybe you shouldn’t play anymore,” she said cautiously.

Ming Han lifted his head and shot her a fierce look. “Impossible,” he said coolly.

After a brief respite, Ming Han began warming up again on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Qiang played comfortably; if it hadn’t been for Daxu’s heroic efforts and his repeated cuts to the basket, the outcome of the game would already be decided.

The third quarter finally ended.

Ten minutes remained, and they trailed by seven points.

“There’s still hope,” Zheng Yuan encouraged the team.

Yuhang glanced at Ming Han, asking silently about his condition. Ming Han nodded, signaling he could play the final quarter.

The group bumped fists together. “Class Thirteen, Grade Eight—unlike any other!” Their voices rang out, firing up everyone present.

“Yuhang, we can win. Absolutely!”

Wu Jianhao brought the ball up and passed it to Qiang.

Still focusing on this matchup?

Just as the ball was about to reach Qiang, Ming Han darted out, intercepting it in midair.

Daxu immediately sprinted the other way!

Ming Han’s outlet pass was swift—Daxu finished with a layup!

“Hey! Bro!” Daxu shouted in excitement.

Qiang was visibly displeased with Wu Jianhao’s careless pass and scolded him.

On the next play, Qiang received the ball at mid-range.

He backed Zheng Yuan down, posting up.

If he got close enough to the basket, their defense would be useless.

As Qiang shoved his way in, Ming Han quickly doubled him; Qiang immediately went for a jumper. It clanged off the rim!

Ming Han wasn’t much shorter than Qiang, so he was able to contest the shot.

On the next possession, Yuhang handled the ball. To everyone’s surprise, Ming Han called for it at mid-range.

Even Yuhang was a bit taken aback—Ming Han rarely called for the ball, even in pickup games.

Thinking Ming Han was setting up a high-low play, Yuhang bounced the ball to him.

Ming Han faked, then, facing Class Seven’s power forward, pulled up for a jumper and sank it.

In the following possession, after Wu Jianhao missed a layup, Ming Han called for the ball again—caught it, shot without hesitation, and scored!

The Class Thirteen cheering section erupted! Was Ming Han on fire?

Qiang’s expression darkened. “I’ll guard him!”

But right after Qiang drained a jumper of his own, Ming Han faced him, looked ready to shoot, then suddenly fired a bounce pass to a cutting Yuhang for an easy basket.

Ming Han held up five fingers toward Qiang. “This is a five-on-five game…”