Evan Lin sat on the stone bench, watching as those guys barged in to seize the court, feeling a wave of nostalgia.
Back when Evan played table tennis, people used to steal his spot, but this was the first time he'd seen someone fight over a basketball court.
Especially that Warren Wu—just by looking at him, he was way stronger than Hank Chu and the others.
Hearing Selina Shi's voice as she walked over, Evan glanced at her. "Why should I react?"
"Hey, aren't those your classmates? Your classmates are getting their court taken—shouldn't you be pissed off?" Selina bounced the basketball, eyeing the boy next to her.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves above the bench, casting dappled shadows on the boy, with faint halos of light around him.
"If I get pissed, you guys won’t take the court?" Evan shot back.
Selina turned to look at the court. "Not really. If we want the court, we’ll still go for it. If we can’t win it, that’d be embarrassing."
After saying that, Selina lost interest in talking to the weird boy sitting beside her.
No matter how you looked at him, this guy was kind of strange, but his way of speaking felt clean and genuine.
Meanwhile, on the court—
Jason Jiang handled the inbound pass, sending it to Allen Ju. Allen didn’t look like much physically, but his skills were solid. He drove straight under the hoop, faked out a defender, jumped, and scored cleanly.
The score instantly became 1–0.
"Nice shot!"
Jason laughed out loud.
His basketball skills were trash. He’d been worried he’d embarrass himself, but as long as he was just passing the ball, he had nothing to worry about.
Off the court, Hank Chu got anxious. "Don’t panic—focus on defense, take it slow!"
Hank kept shouting instructions.
On the court, Allen Ju had the ball again. A few slick dodges, then another jump shot—another point.
2–0.
"You guys are kinda trash."
Allen Ju adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and said coolly.
"Damn, it's only just started! What's with all the cockiness?" One of the boys on the court scowled at Allen's words.
Next play, when Jason Jiang tried to inbound the ball, it was immediately intercepted.
The three boys got hyped like they'd just taken a shot of adrenaline, passing quickly and weaving around Allen Ju, ready for a jump shot.
"No way that's going in. What a waste of a chance," Selina Shi muttered, watching the court.
But just as the ball left the boy's hand, arcing through the air, a huge shadow leapt up—Warren Wu, with his massive palm, went for the block.
Midair, the basketball was swatted down hard, ricocheting off the shooter's forehead and knocking him flat to the ground.
Smack!
The boy clutched his face, sprawled out on the court.
"What the hell was that?!"
Hank Chu rushed forward and hauled the boy up from the ground.
At the same time, Warren Wu tossed the ball to Allen Ju, who casually made another shot—another point.
Three to zero.
"What did I do? I blocked him, obviously. Never seen a real block before?" Warren Wu sneered, "Big deal, he got knocked over. That's his problem, not mine. You think just because you play basketball you can win a fight too? Don't be so naïve."
"You—!"
Hank's face flushed red, burning with anger at Warren's words.
"I'm fine! Let's keep going!"
He grabbed Hank's arm, stood up with gritted teeth, refusing to back down.
"Heh, still want to fight? If you can't even play ball, what makes you think you can win a fight? Don't kid yourselves," Warren Wu laughed coldly.
"You losers," Jason Jiang piled on, "I gave you a chance to take my money and chill, but you turned it down. Regret it now?"
Two more baskets followed, and the score was five to zero.
The first trio was utterly defeated.
"Wow, they're so weak. Not even a little suspense," Selina Shi said, lounging on the stone bench, dribbling a ball and glancing again at the silent, calm-faced Evan Lin.
"Aren't you even a little mad? That was pretty lame."
"Your classmates just got stomped."
Selina's tone was more curious than mean; she just found Evan's calmness a bit odd.
After all, this boy beside her seemed way too calm, not the slightest ripple of emotion—totally not normal.
"They're not my classmates. But I do have a friend out there," Evan Lin replied coolly.
Selina didn't answer, just turned her head to look back at the court.
On the other side, Hank Chu and his two teammates prepared to sub in.
Last round was a brutal five-zero blowout.
Hank and his friends wore anxious faces.
"Watch the defense! Lock it down! Don't let your guard down!" Hank warned, then started the play.
Hank passed the ball, and after some effort, managed to score once, but as soon as Warren Wu snatched the ball and passed to Allen Ju, it was usually game over.
This round was way more intense than before.
Especially Hank—he even managed to block Allen Ju once, leaving Allen a bit surprised, but that was all.
"Nah, it's not that they're weak. It's just Allen and Warren are way too strong," Selina Shi commented, letting out a sigh. "This is how it should be—no shame in losing to these guys."
Selina got up, dribbling her basketball.
The game was down to the final possession.
Score: four to three.
Hank's side was trailing by one point.
Now, Allen Ju had the ball, getting ready for a jump shot, while Warren Wu used his big frame to screen out Hank and the others, blocking any chance to contest.
Hank's face went pale, knowing that if this shot went in, they'd lose for sure.
Jason Jiang's lips curled into a smug grin.
Evan Lin sat quietly under the trees, more than twenty meters from the hoop, watching as Allen Ju's shot soared cleanly into the basket.
Five to three.
Game over.
"You guys really suck. The court's ours now. Get lost!" Warren Wu bellowed, rough and triumphant.
Hank and his friends stood there, faces pale and unwilling, but the loss was clear.
But the facts were right there—they'd lost, and lost badly.
Heads down, the group started to shuffle away, crushed.
"It's over," Selina Shi said, stretching lazily, her graceful figure catching everyone's eye.
She was about to dribble away toward the winning side.
Hank glanced at Evan Lin, shrugged, and said, "Let's go! Time to find Ken!"
The group turned to leave.
Evan Lin slowly stood up, glanced at Selina Shi, and said, "Mind lending me the ball for a sec?"
"Huh?" Selina looked puzzled, about to ask what he meant, when suddenly she realized—the ball that had just been in her hands was gone.
By the time she snapped out of it, she saw the basketball already in Evan Lin's hand.
He was standing outside the court boundary, on the stone bench under the trees—more than twenty meters from the hoop.
In front of him, leafy branches cast shadows, and the direct line to the hoop was well over twenty meters.
Allen Ju, Warren Wu, Jason Jiang, and the others all looked over, seeing Evan Lin nonchalantly take the ball from Selina Shi.
Evan patted the ball a few times, his dribbling a little stiff—obviously a newbie.
Warren Wu frowned, just about to yell at him to stop, when Evan Lin calmly lifted his head, eyes cool and collected.
With his right hand, Evan casually flicked the ball toward the hoop from that impossible distance.
Chapter ends.