Chapter 10: A Moment of Madness, a Moment of Pleasure

At that moment, the team's assistant coach, Cheng Qing, walked over to them, his eyes lighting up when he saw Xia Chiyi and Zhou Zhexiao.

"I was planning to visit both of you before the freshmen training started. I didn’t expect Ye Chaoying to bring you here! With you two on the team, our school squad will definitely break through the grassroots competition this year!"

Cheng Qing enthusiastically extended his hand toward Xia Chiyi.

As soon as he said that, Xia Chiyi felt several sharp gazes pierce through him like arrows, almost turning him into a sieve.

“Ye Chaoying, you’re on the school team too. Since you’ve reported, why aren’t you practicing?” a tall player shouted at Ye Chaoying.

Ye Chaoying snorted and leaned against Xia Chiyi. “Let me introduce you all properly — this is Ma Wenhua’s right-hand man, Chen Chuan.”

“What? Chen Chuan? Ma Wenhua picked him as his confidant? That’s so unlucky!” someone mocked.

Ye Chaoying stood up, supporting himself with one hand on the railing, then effortlessly leapt down to Chen Chuan’s side.

“What’s the point of practicing? Even if I’m better than all of you, I won’t be a starter. It’s a waste of time.”

Chen Chuan sneered and arrogantly jabbed Ye Chaoying’s chest several times. “The university’s top-tier league isn’t like those childish games in your high school! Your little tricks in the high school league won’t cut it at the university level!”

“Oh, really?” Ye Chaoying smiled. “I thought it was your dribbling that was kindergarten-level.”

“What did you say—”

Other players gathered around, seemingly ready to gang up on Ye Chaoying.

Xia Chiyi covered his face. They hadn’t even officially joined the team, and Ye Chaoying was already racking up enemies.

“Even if you brought people onto the team, whether you start is up to Coach Ma!”

Ye Chaoying showed a nonchalant expression. “Oh? Then where is Coach Ma? Do you really believe he’s hospitalized because of health issues? He’s obviously just worried that Ningchang University won’t advance in the provincial grassroots competition in September, so he’s just playing the absentee manager.”

“Nonsense! The seniority rule is Coach Ma’s regulation! Whether you’re a prized recruit from America or have tried out for the provincial team, Coach Ma decides who starts!”

Ye Chaoying scratched his ear, glanced at Xia Chiyi, and shrugged, as if to say: This is the school team.

In short, starting spots are Coach Ma Wenhua’s tool to dominate the basketball team. Winning doesn’t matter; obedience does.

Xia Chiyi looked at Cheng Qing seriously. “So, Coach Cheng, although you said with Zhou Zhexiao and me joining, the team can break through the grassroots competition, whether we start depends not on skill but on Coach Ma’s decision?”

Cheng Qing exhaled awkwardly. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to convince Coach Ma to give you starting spots!”

Ye Chaoying spread his hands and, in front of everyone, kept poking at Coach Ma’s reputation: “Try to convince? I heard last year a senior player secured a starting position as center by treating Coach Ma to lobster and abalone every day for a month. The original center was ‘immature’ and only brought a huge sack of dried sweet potatoes from his hometown for the New Year. That sack was promptly thrown out by the respected Coach Ma’s cleaning lady. That sweet potato guy sat on the bench until Ningchang University was eliminated.”

Who wouldn’t smirk inside? A month of lobster and abalone—Coach Ma must not be afraid of gout.

“No wonder Ma Wenhua’s ‘sick.’ What if the garbage collectors show up instead?”

“What did you say—” Chen Chuan, hearing Xia Chiyi’s remark as though gifted with super hearing, suddenly grabbed a basketball and hurled it fiercely at Xia Chiyi.

Xia Chiyi was caught completely off guard. Zhou Zhexiao quickly reached out and caught the ball with a loud “bam.”

The air trembled slightly. Xia Chiyi’s heart nearly stopped. Had that ball hit him, who knew if he’d have a concussion?

“Which part did you not hear? I can say it again.”

A cold, oppressive voice rang out.

No one expected Zhou Zhexiao, the quietest of the group, to have the strongest presence.

Chen Chuan was stunned, his legs feeling cemented to the spot.

The seniority rule favored them greatly, and they had already cultivated good relations with Coach Ma, letting favoritism decide outcomes. Why bother with skill?

They didn’t even care if the team could break through the grassroots competition. Or maybe they didn’t believe the team could. They were just playing for a few games. These people were truly resigned to defeat.

Assistant Coach Cheng Qing quickly eased the tension. “Although Coach Ma said seniority rules, I believe if you have undeniable skill, he will prioritize you as starters. I…”

“Seniority rules are useful? Chinese football already won the World Cup long ago,” Zhou Zhexiao retorted, raising his chin. The remark hit the other players like a bombshell, leaving them speechless.

Chen Chuan was about to rage impotently, but Ye Chaoying spoke first, his voice sharp and penetrating.

“I have three people here. If anyone’s unhappy about losing opportunities because of seniority, you can join us.”

Suddenly, the gym fell deathly silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked at Ye Chaoying as if he were crazy.

Xia Chiyi was stunned. Ye Chaoying, are you trying to stage a coup? The queen is the queen!

Ye Chaoying put his hands in his pockets and looked around. “Military training starts next Monday, so how about a showdown this Friday morning? Winners start, losers sit the bench. No exceptions—refuse, and you’re out.”

Chen Chuan shouted back, “Bring it on! I want to see who dares to join you! Three versus five, let’s see how arrogant you are!”

Zhou Zhexiao leaned forward against the railing, his voice quiet but powerful. “Tell Coach Ma the wind’s blowing too strong lately. His coffin lid might not stay shut.”

Chen Chuan gritted his teeth but lacked the courage to chase after them.

“You’re pretty arrogant today. Is that the style over in America?” Xia Chiyi looked at Zhou Zhexiao in confusion.

“Basketballs are supposed to go into the hoop, not hit people,” Zhou Zhexiao replied.

Apparently, Chen Chuan’s act of throwing the basketball at Xia Chiyi crossed Zhou’s bottom line.

“Not sure who said they’d slam the basketball into Coach Qingda’s face…”

Ye Chaoying made a “let’s go” gesture to Xia Chiyi.

As they reached the gym’s entrance, Xia Chiyi finally snapped out of the intense atmosphere. “Ye Chaoying, where did you get the guts to talk like that?”

“You two,” Ye Chaoying suddenly threw an arm around Xia Chiyi’s shoulder. “Give it a shot, and your bike turns into a motorcycle.”

“So thrilling,” Xia Chiyi clutched his chest. “I used to be a respectful student.”

“If you respect Ma Wenhua, you probably have no future,” Zhou Zhexiao answered.

The three of them, even if they were a pirate ship, were just wildly reckless and wildly enjoyable.

No sooner had Ye Chaoying let go than Assistant Coach Cheng Qing caught up.

“Wait, wait for me…” Cheng panted, hands on his knees. Catching his breath, he tugged his collar and sighed. “You guys are way too impulsive. Even if someone’s unhappy with Coach Ma’s rules, no one would risk offending him to join you. You’ll only have three.”

Xia Chiyi smiled, hands in his pockets. “Three is enough.”

“Even if you win and the veterans give up their starting spots, without Coach Ma’s approval, it’s useless!” Cheng continued.

Xia Chiyi gave Ye Chaoying a playful kick. “Right? You thought of that already? No solution, so you drag Zhou Zhexiao and me into this?”

Having been rivals for years in high school, Xia Chiyi knew Ye Chaoying wouldn’t act without full preparation.

“Coach Cheng, you know I wasn’t picked by Coach Ma but was specially recruited by Principal Feng, right?” Ye Chaoying said with pride.

Cheng Qing paused. “Is that so?”

“The match on Friday, Principal Feng will bring school leaders to watch. Hopefully, those sycophants can beat us,” Ye Chaoying said with a smile.

Hearing this, Xia Chiyi finally understood Ye Chaoying had backing.

They say new leaders light three fires; Principal Feng must want to get rid of Ma Wenhua. But since Ma is faking illness, firing him outright is tricky. Plus, other leaders want to protect Ma for the sake of Provincial Coach Ma Hongming.

If the three of them can defeat the veterans in front of the leaders, at least Principal Feng can legitimately demand Ma Wenhua keep their starting spots.

Cheng Qing laughed. “Not bad. They say young people clean up the workplace; looks like Ma Wenhua’s about to get cleaned up by you.”

“Want to join us?” Ye Chaoying quietly asked Cheng, “Help convince some skilled players? Even though three versus five, we can still win, but incomplete lineups are embarrassing.”

“Besides Vice Captain He Bin, I don’t think others are worth recruiting. Last year, He Bin’s father broke his leg and was hospitalized. Coach Ma organized donations to cover the medical bills. He’s indebted to Coach Ma. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t join you.”

Cheng picked up the roster board and wrote down two names and phone numbers.

“I think these two are what you need.”

Ye Chaoying took the list, nodded, and thanked him.

After Cheng left, Xia Chiyi leaned in.

“Who are they?”

“How would I know? Find out when we get back.”

Just as they opened the dorm door, the chubby guy who had just returned from club sign-ups called out loudly.

“Hey! Did you see today’s Weibo trending? Our Asia’s top power forward, Ling Huanzhen, is holding a press conference tonight to announce his retirement!”

“What!” Xia Chiyi exclaimed, and Zhou Zhexiao, following behind, was stunned as well.

“Is it because we didn’t even make the top four at the Asian Championship? Ling Huanzhen lost hope?” Ye Chaoying pulled out his phone and sat down.

Ling Huanzhen and Sheng Xingming were stars of the same era. At that time, Chinese men’s basketball produced a batch of NBA-level talents, like Jiao Yingfeng, Li Xiaoran, Ji Bo, and Gao Jinshu.

Back then, Chinese basketball ruled Asia. Unfortunately, with Sheng Xingming’s decline and others retiring due to injury or age, Ling Huanzhen was the only one still holding on.