Chapter 102: Taking Responsibility to Make the Boy Grow Up (Part 1)

Li Weihong and her husband, Ma Pingdong, sat in the stands of the Nine Pine Gymnasium. Their prospective son-in-law was leading his team back to the capital to compete, and there was no reason for them not to come and watch. In fact, Li Weihong had even considered visiting Wang Lei at his team’s lodging—after all, she was the one who had sent him off to the frontier—but in the end, her husband had stopped her. Now, the two of them hadn’t told Wang Lei they were here, choosing instead to go directly to the gym to watch the game.

“Hey, I have to admit, this kid really looks the part. You’re in sports too—what do you think?”

It was halftime, and the Frontier Youth Team had maintained the lead throughout, something few had expected, Li Weihong included. As a veteran in the sports industry and someone who had worked for years in the management of professional athletes, Li Weihong knew well what Liu Sicheng’s team was made of: essentially, a squad of reserve players from various professional teams. That Wang Lei could lead a student team to such a performance was completely beyond her expectations.

“Hmm, not bad. But it’s only halftime—the second half could still hold surprises,” Li Weihong replied, not pushing the issue too hard. After all, anyone could see that the two teams were evenly matched on the court.

Beside her, Ma Pingdong couldn’t help but smirk. He knew his wife was trying to play it cool. He’d noticed that whenever the Frontier Youth Team took the lead, Li Weihong couldn’t suppress a smile. She was clearly proud—Wang Lei was, after all, the young man she had “exiled” to the frontier.

During halftime, Liu Sicheng lost his temper. He felt his players weren’t taking the game seriously, nor their opponents, and now found themselves trailing at the half.

Liu Sicheng berated his players, but ignored the fact that he himself hadn’t taken the opposing team seriously before the match.

“Get your heads in the game and treat this match with the seriousness it deserves! The opposition won’t be easy to handle. Be decisive when you need to be. We have to keep our undefeated record. If we can’t advance with a perfect record, it’s a disgrace for both you and me.”

In contrast, Wang Lei’s side was far more relaxed. Though the game wasn’t over, after a half of play everyone realized their opponents weren’t as formidable as imagined. Wang Lei also recognized that his players had truly matured—perhaps they still had many flaws, but in some key aspects they were now on par with many semi-professional or even professional players.

Wang Lei always emphasized a relaxed atmosphere within the team. He disliked tense environments, believing that his players should focus on enjoying the joy that basketball brings. This allowed them to play to their potential—just as in the previous three games, Wang Lei’s players performed as soon as they took the court, never needing to “find their rhythm.” All of this reflected Wang Lei’s excellence in managing the team.

After the second half began, the Capital Youth Team clearly ramped up their defensive pressure, but their previously tight defense on Turghun began to loosen. After all, Turghun had shown little in the first half, scoring his first three-pointer only as the half was about to end.

Perhaps seeking to close the gap, Liu Sicheng eased up on Turghun and switched to man-to-man defense.

Because Turghun had hardly attempted any shots in the first half, his shooting touch was ice-cold in the third quarter. Even when Cai Aihong and Hawule provided screens to get him open, he missed shots he should have made.

The Capital Youth Team seized on Frontier Youth’s drop in shooting percentage, and by the fifth minute of the third quarter, not only had they caught up, they’d taken a five-point lead.

Turghun began to waver mentally. He’d always been supremely confident in his shot, but now that confidence was shaken.

Seeing Turghun’s self-doubt, Wang Lei immediately called a timeout. He knew he couldn’t let the young man lose faith in himself; even if they lost today, Turghun needed to rebuild his confidence.

Turghun’s teammates, for their part, didn’t blame him for his slump—after all, the “little rabbit” was the youngest on the team, and he had an extraordinarily beautiful sister. Risking Hawule’s teasing or Aziguli’s complaints to give Turghun a hard time in such a situation was unwise. Even the straightforward Cai Aihong knew that unity was what mattered most now.

“Don’t worry, little rabbit, just go for it. Take a few more shots and you’ll find your rhythm,” said Captain Wang Zhaohui, the first to comfort Turghun. He understood just how much pressure the not-yet-seventeen-year-old was feeling.

“Yeah, you should shoot more. The more you shoot, the more chances I have to grab rebounds. Their center’s tough, but he doesn’t like to fight for boards—haha,” Hawule added, only to be jabbed hard in the side by Cai Aihong. The guy didn’t realize his words might make Turghun feel even worse.

“You guys are actually playing really well today—I’m very pleased with your performance. At the very least, you’ve shown me this is a united team, and that’s something to be proud of. Turghun, don’t overthink it, and don’t dwell on why your shots aren’t falling today. You have just one task now: shoot. If you miss one, take the next. Keep shooting until you find your touch. The outcome of this game no longer matters to me; winning or losing isn’t important anymore. So play freely, as you always do,” Wang Lei said.

No one on the team had expected Wang Lei to say such things. Xue Yongjiang, though used to Wang Lei’s “unconventional” ways, was still surprised this time. For a head coach to say something like that—either he was truly magnanimous and genuinely cared about Turghun, or he must have been a little crazy.

Turghun glanced gratefully at Wang Lei, saying nothing. He knew that actions spoke louder than words, and he could only show his appreciation with his performance.

After the timeout, the Frontier Youth Team inbounded from the backcourt. The Capital Youth Team suddenly switched to full-court press, but Turghun’s ball-handling was outstanding and he quickly brought the ball up.

The Capital Youth Team returned to man-to-man defense, focusing on disrupting the Frontier Youth Team’s rhythm.

But what surprised everyone was that the previously tentative and conservative Turghun, from about a meter beyond the three-point line, suddenly pulled up for a quick shot. The release came so suddenly that the defender was caught off guard; there wasn’t even time to contest, because the shot was simply too fast.