"Xu Gang, can"t you find any subst.i.tutes in your cla.s.s?" said the sports teacher, Wei Ping"an, the referee for the match."Mr. Wei, there are fewer boys in our cla.s.s. It wasn"t easy for us to find even five guys for this match. With Na Ling injured, we can"t find a subst.i.tute." Xu Gang said.
"Xu Gang, I know there are many girls in your cla.s.s, but you are well aware of the rules of the game. We can"t suspend the match. Since you are down to four people, you can go ahead and find anyone you want to play for your team. It"s just a friendly match, it doesn"t matter so much who wins. Friendship first, compet.i.tion second!" Wei Ping"an said with a smile.
Well, for a referee, the match was just one of many, but for the players on the court, this match was everything, and Xu Gang was an obsessively compet.i.tive man.
Though his team was fifteen points behind, Xu Gang thought they could still catch up, but with Na Ling injured, picking some random person to play would mean giving up on the match.
"Mr. Wei, can"t you bend the rules a bit?" he entreated.
Wei Ping"an sighed and slowly shook his head, looking over to Wu Haomin. He was a teacher, and his most important duty to the students was to be fair.
Wu Haomin smiled and said, "Xu Gang, why are you making a fuss? Even if Na Ling weren"t injured, your cla.s.s would have lost anyway. But..." Wu Haomin glanced at Qin Xiaomeng, "since Xiaomeng is here, I will give you a chance. Go ahead and find a subst.i.tute. Mr. Wei, is this okay?"
Qin Xiaomeng humphed and avoided looking in Wu Haomin"s, as if they were on bad terms.
Wei Ping"an nodded and said, "As long as you agree with that, I certainly have no Objections. The most important thing is to continue the match."
"I"ll hold you to your word, Wu Haomin."
Na Ling"s basketball skills weren"t among the best in the university. There were many players on the court better than him. If they could be persuaded to join Xu Gang"s team, there would be a real chance of catching up and even winning the match.
Xu Gang immediately ran to the neighboring basketball court and called over a few acquaintances.
However, those people hesitated when they saw Wu Haomin.
"What"s the matter?" Xu Gang said in amazement. "I just need one of you to join my team and help out for a little while. I"ll buy you dinner after the match!"
"Brother, I really want to help you, but Wu Haomin..." said one.
"He"s the president of the sports department of the student union. If I offend him, he"ll come after me and make my life miserable," said another.
"Besides... Wu Haomin and his team are very aggressive to other players on the court. Forget it, brother. Just give up, you can"t win this match. It"s not worth a trip to the ER."
After apologizing, Xu Gang"s friends swiftly turned around and absconded.
Xu Gang was irritated, but what his friends said was true. Wu Haomin"s position as the president of the sports department of the student union made it easy for him to make life hard for another student.
None of the students were willing to offend him for Xu Gang.
Wu Haomin cheerfully came over and patted Xu Gang"s shoulder, "I gave you your chance. If you can"t do it, just give up."
Xu Gang remained silent, his eyes sweeping across everyone on the basketball court, but everyone just lowered their heads and avoided meeting his gaze.
Qin Xiaomeng watched anxiously, like a cat in a hot pot. "What to do... What to do... Who can play basketball? Do me a favor!" she shouted.
"I can play basketball, but... it"s just a friendly match between two cla.s.ses. Is it such a big deal if your cla.s.s loses?" In Ye Fei"s view, Xu Gang had countless more games to play in his lifetime. He couldn"t win every single match.
A sportsman should have a winner"s mentality, but should also be mentally prepared for failure.
Obviously, Xu Gang could not bear to admit his failure.
"I understand, but..." Qin Xiaomeng bit her teeth, "I just don"t want Wu Haomin to win. He is such an a.s.s. Before this match, he made a bet with Xu Gang over the outcome..."
"What"s the bet?" Ye Fei asked.
"It"s me."
Qin Xiaomeng humphed. "He said that if he won, I"d have to be a cheerleader for his basketball team. I can"t stand the guys in his cla.s.s, and besides... I don"t have the time to be a cheerleader. If our cla.s.s loses, my grades will be screwed!"
"Ye Fei... If you can play basketball, just help us out, please," she imploringly grabbed onto his arm.
The other boys frowned jealously.
Ye Fei yawned noncommittally. "Oh, all right, all right, I"ll play basketball for you. Xu Gang, I can be your subst.i.tute, okay?"
"Can you even play basketball?"
Ye Fei was a little thin and not particularly tall. Xu Gang"s eyes were full of contempt.
"A little," Ye Fei replied casually and started doing some light stretches.
Wu Haomin looked at Ye Fei and snickered condescendingly. "Hah, Xu Gang, is that the best you can do for a subst.i.tute? Look at this bozo, he"s wearing leather shoes! You think he can play basketball?"
His teammates joined in: "Hah, he is wearing leather shoes to play basketball! How do you run in leather shoes? Is this a joke?"
Qin Xiaomeng leaned in with a red face and whispered, "Ye Fei... why don"t you go to the dormitory and get your sneakers or something?"
"Dormitory?" Ye Fei wave a hand and said, "Forget it, I can"t be bothered to change shoes. I just won"t run around too much."