Chapter Eighty-Nine: Can We Play Peacefully?

Last night, how did you sleep, Old Cai? And where is that brother of Wang Chaohui’s? Why is he nowhere to be seen?

In the hotel buffet restaurant where the Frontier Province Youth Team was staying in Shengjing City, Ningliao Province, Ha Wule set down his tray and took a seat beside Cai Aihong.

Though the two had once had a bit of friction, after so long together, Cai Aihong and Ha Wule, both of them rather forthright in temperament, had come to get along well enough. They often bickered as they talked, yet to everyone’s surprise, within two days they would be reconciled as if nothing had happened. Wang Chaohui described this as the conduct of enemies from a previous life, and it truly startled quite a few people.

“That guy went off to hand out tickets to his friends and relatives. He even took all the tickets our team was issued. Nothing to be done about it—who told him to be a local? Hey, where’d you get that stir-fry? Looks pretty good.”

“The halal restaurant next door. Looks decent enough, but it tastes like a mouthful of cumin. You think they figure anyone from the frontier province only eats cumin?”

“Heh, and there are even more outrageous ones. My cousin sister studies in the capital, and one of her classmates from the south actually asked whether we in Long Province ride camels to school, haha.”

“Ha, what era is this? And there are still such people. Hey, is the coach still not here today?”

Cai Aihong and Ha Wule chatted very happily. They were both young, both stubborn, and both straightforward by nature. People like that might find it hard to get along at first, but once they did, they were more likely to open their hearts to each other.

“You’re asking a pointless question, aren’t you? Even the sister-in-law is here—how could our Wang head of team get up early? If he doesn’t wake up with his legs weak today, that’s already impressive.”

It was often said that living together long enough would influence one another, and so Cai Aihong had lately been growing more and more shameless and talkative. All of that was under Wang Chaohui’s influence.

“What are you all talking about? So happy.”

As they spoke, Tuergon also came over to join them.

“Nothing for children’s ears, heh. Little bunny, I’ll tell you all this when you’re grown.”

With his white hair and pale skin, Tuergon could never escape the nickname Little Bunny, and he was just like that on the court as well—spry and quick-witted.

When Wang Lei got up that morning, his legs really were a bit weak. Because the university league had made way for the new season, the women’s volleyball league had also gone into a half-month pause. Ma Dongmei had come directly to Shengjing to wait for Wang Lei and the others, and this hotel had been booked with her help. After all, the team had many minority players, so their dietary customs had to be taken into account. The home team had no obligation to arrange such things for the visitors, which was why Wang Lei and the others were staying in a hotel they had booked themselves.

They had not seen each other for two months, and Ma Dongmei and Wang Lei were both as fervent as fire—like lovers reunited after a short separation. Yet those truly in love could ignite a consuming ardor at almost every moment, let alone when separated by such distance.

“Brother Lei, Brother Pao wired over some money—nearly three hundred thousand. Quite a lot. What is it for?”

The moment they met, the two were already consumed by love, and there was no time to say much of anything. Only the next morning did Ma Dongmei bring up business.

Because of the experiences of the previous two years, Wang Lei had given his bank card directly to Ma Dongmei, and even now it was still the same. He never intended to hold the reins of the household finances himself. In his view, handing all the money over to Ma Dongmei was the most fitting choice. First, it would place a limit on any spending of his, so he would not squander things recklessly. Second, Wang Lei felt it was also a way of keeping Ma Dongmei firmly by his side. Hearts were made of flesh. This girl had given so much for him; now it was only right that he show something in return.

“Oh, Brother Pao told me about that. It’s the online earnings from those few songs. Just keep it. Hey, how many days can I stay this time? We head back to the frontier province after the next match. Do you want to come with me?”

“I can’t. There isn’t enough time. It’s all your fault—you coaxed me into eating and drinking recklessly over New Year’s. You have no idea how badly Old Fu Yan scolded me when I went back after the holiday. Now he’s only given me one week off, and then I have to return to training.”

After being loved by him, Ma Dongmei looked as beautiful as a flower in bloom. Though she was tall and broad-shouldered, just a slight bit of coquettishness from her was, to Wang Lei, a deadly temptation.

“Hey, do you have confidence for this match? The Ningliao side is no joke. Their senior team has won the National Games championship for several consecutive editions.”

Whenever the subject turned to the match, Ma Dongmei could not help worrying. After all, Wang Lei’s work now concerned their future happiness. Though it seemed that Li Weihong was no longer obstructing things much, both of them felt they at least owed her an explanation.

“A strong senior team doesn’t mean their youth team is strong too. To be honest, I have confidence in this squad. Our style is innovative; teams that play the current fashionable style can’t withstand it.”

When he spoke of the match, Wang Lei appeared extremely confident. Indeed, as he said, the tactics he had built for the team really did counter the fashionable style dominating the modern basketball world.

Just as Wang Lei had said, when the Ningliao Province Youth Team finally met the Frontier Province Youth Team in actual competition, their performance was no better than that of the earlier Lingbei Youth Team.

When the Ningliao Province Youth Team was assembled, they had indeed recruited quite a few promising newcomers from professional clubs. Their style was, as Wang Lei had said, a fashionable one. Compared with the Lingbei Youth Team, the Ningliao Youth Team, which had long upheld a tradition of championships, favored more traditional play. Though they had studied the Frontier Youth Team’s style, once the game began they still found themselves unable to stop the Frontier Province Youth Team’s lightning-quick attack.

Although the Ningliao Province Youth Team made corresponding adjustments after the game began, aiming at the Frontier Youth Team’s perimeter-heavy approach, and even started by double-teaming Tuergon and Cai Aihong, what truly surprised them was that the player actually controlling possession for the Frontier Youth Team in this game was not Tuergon.

Wang Chaohui was the captain of the Frontier Province Youth Team. His prior performances had always been balanced in every respect, but today Wang Lei had changed his style of play.

Once they entered half-court offense, Wang Chaohui directly took over ball-handling duties. Tuergon began running without the ball, Cai Aihong frequently cut into the paint, and on the high post only the physically strong Ha Wule was there to set screens for Wang Chaohui.

Wang Chaohui’s dribbling might not have been outstanding, but his passing awareness was excellent, and the work he had to do now was not complicated: keep his eyes on Tuergon’s movement. The rest of the Frontier Province Youth Team constantly set screens to free Tuergon. Whenever Wang Chaohui felt Tuergon had an opening, he would immediately pass the ball to him, and Tuergon would not dribble much either—he would catch and shoot at once.

This simple yet baffling style from the very start threw the Ningliao Province Youth Team into panic. They had no way to contain this chaotic yet authentic approach, and at one point even their own defensive positioning became completely disordered.