novelraw Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Then he said, "I just want to fight. After fighting for so many years, I can finally fight."
Cheng Yuxin was stunned for a moment.
"So many years?" she said. "You're only sixteen."
Lin Feng didn't speak.
He looked out the window, sunlight shining on his profile.
Cheng Yuxin looked at him, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.
She looked away and stared at her hands.
The car continued driving.
Forty minutes later, we arrived at the Teachers' College Station.
The two got off the car.
The teachers' college is located in the east of Beichuan City. The campus is small but quite new. The main gate is made of iron railings, with a sign hanging on it that reads "Beichuan Teachers' College." There are several pine trees near the entrance, neatly trimmed.
Lin Feng stood at the door, looking at the sign.
Cheng Yuxin stood next to him.
"The basketball court is over there," she pointed to the east.
The two walked inside.
There weren't many people on campus—it was Saturday, and the students had all gone out to play. Occasionally, a few cyclists would pass by, their bells ringing a few times.
I walked past the teaching building, past the canteen, and past a row of dormitory buildings.
Then I saw the basketball court.
Four concrete courts stood side by side. The basketball hoops were made of iron pipes, with some paint peeling off, and the backboards were made of wood, bearing ball marks. A row of concrete stands lined the sidelines, seating dozens of people.
There are already players on the field.
Zhao Lei stood on the innermost court, wearing a red basketball jersey, black shorts, and white Nike shoes. He was warming up, dribbling, and shooting, his movements fluid and precise.
There were a few other people nearby, all wearing basketball jerseys, shooting hoops.
Cheng Yuxin glanced at it and whispered, "That's the teachers' college team."
Lin Feng nodded.
He stood on the sidelines, watching Zhao Lei shoot.
Zhao Lei stood outside the three-point line, received the ball, and shot—the ball went in. Someone next to him passed the ball to him, and he shot again—it went in too. He shot five times in a row, all of them going in.
Cheng Yuxin clenched her fists.
Lin Feng sensed something and turned to look at her.
Cheng Yuxin bit her lip, her face a little pale.
"Sister Yuxin," he said.
Cheng Yuxin looked up.
Lin Feng said, "It's nothing."
Cheng Yuxin looked at him.
His eyes were calm, not in a forced way, but genuinely calm.
Her clenched hand loosened a little.
Lin Feng put his backpack on the stands and took out his thermos and put it away.
Then he took off his coat, folded it, and put it on his backpack.
White T-shirt, dark gray pants, and Double Star sneakers.
He took the ball and walked onto the field.
Zhao Lei saw him.
The shooting motion paused for a moment, the ball slipped from his hand, hit the ground, bounced a few times, and rolled to the side.
He turned around and looked at Lin Feng.
I haven't seen him for three months, and he's changed.
It wasn't the kind of change like "growing taller" or "getting stronger"; it was a change in her entire demeanor. Standing there, her back was straight, her eyes were unwavering, and she was holding an old, brown ball with cracked skin.
Zhao Lei looked at him and smiled.
"You're here?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Zhao Lei looked him up and down.
"You've been training for three months?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Zhao Lei smiled again, but there was something else in that smile—not contempt, but scrutiny.
He turned his head and shouted towards the sidelines.
"Old Zhang, come here for a second."
A boy wearing glasses walked over, holding a whistle in his hand.
Zhao Lei introduced, "This is our team captain, Zhang Wei. He's the referee today."
Zhang Wei looked at Lin Feng and nodded.
"The rules are simple," he said. "Best of three sets. The first player to reach eleven points in each set wins, and must win by at least two points. A shot inside the three-point line counts as one point, and a shot outside the three-point line counts as two points. If a foul occurs, the opposing team serves. Got it?"
Lin Feng nodded.
Zhao Lei also said, "I understand."
Zhang Wei glanced at his watch.
"You have ten minutes to warm up."