Chapter 40: One Against the Whole Team

He Tian strode toward Wu Sen. Li Qiang, Liu Jian, and the others all stood up, watching He Tian with unfriendly eyes. The whole group of basketball players, tall and imposing, did indeed look intimidating—but it had no effect on He Tian whatsoever.

Li Qiang and his friends parted their lips, as if about to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. He Tian approached Wu Sen, sitting directly on the floor, right across from him.

“If you’re a man, lift your head and look at me!” He Tian said, seeing Wu Sen with his head bowed. Gone was the arrogance, gone the swagger—and even that stubborn refusal to admit defeat had vanished, replaced by utter despondency. He Tian frowned deeply.

“What do you want?” Wu Sen raised his head, glaring at He Tian in anger. “Isn’t beating me enough? Are you trying to humiliate me further?”

He Tian smiled gently. “Hahaha, for a moment I thought you’d lost all emotion. Thankfully, you still know how to get angry—that means there’s hope yet!”

“What do you mean by that?” Wu Sen asked coldly.

He Tian laughed. “Who doesn’t like beautiful women? You had every right to pursue the girl you liked, there’s nothing wrong with that! On the contrary, you set a trap, using your strengths to challenge me—that shows you’re clever. Refusing to give up until the very end, unwilling to accept defeat, that proves you’re resolute and tough-minded.”

“Bullshit! In the end I still lost—and so badly, too! No chance to fight back!” Wu Sen gave a bitter laugh.

“That’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m too strong…” He Tian said, brimming with confidence.

Wu Sen was speechless.

“Stand up. Failure isn’t frightening—the most frightening thing is losing your fighting spirit. You’re a promising talent for basketball! If you sink into despair now, that’s a real crime on my part! I know you’ve got a knot in your heart. Here’s what we’ll do: these are your teammates, right? The five of you join forces, try to defend against me! Let’s see how it turns out!” He Tian proposed with a smile.

“Don’t get too cocky!”

At first, He Tian had come to comfort Wu Sen, seemingly unwilling to let him wallow in defeat. Li Qiang and Liu Jian were actually happy about it, feeling a newfound respect for He Tian.

But now, He Tian suggested taking on their entire team, single-handedly!

Li Qiang and the others were instantly furious. They’d seen arrogance before, but never anything this outrageous! Did he think he was Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Even if Jordan or Kobe were here, Li Qiang and his teammates were confident that no one could take on all five of them alone!

“What, you don’t believe me? Then come on, all of you!” He Tian was determined to pull Wu Sen back up. His method was simple: show them that He Tian’s level was simply on a different plane. When they looked up to him, their sense of defeat wouldn’t sting so much.

“Fine! Let’s go! What, you think we’re scared?” Xiang Yang shouted.

“I just hope someone hasn’t lost the courage to face me!” He Tian looked at Wu Sen, still sitting on the floor and smiled.

“Sen, get up!” Li Qiang said in a low voice.

“We’ll see how you beat the five of us!” Wu Sen stood up, giving He Tian a gloomy stare.

“Let’s do it!” Seeing Wu Sen stand up again, He Tian felt very satisfied. Wu Sen was indeed a good guy.

He Tian was simply too kind-hearted. If someone else had so thoroughly crushed a rival, they’d surely gloat, parade their triumph, or at least leave him to stew and sneer about not being able to accept defeat. How dazzling would that be?

But He Tian insisted on restoring Wu Sen’s spirit. See how kind-hearted he was—a truly good man!

The gym quieted again. Everyone stared in disbelief at the unfolding scene.

The entire core of the university basketball team was on the court. And their opponent was just He Tian, alone.

He Tian was challenging the whole university team single-handedly!

Of course, this was He Tian on offense; had he been defending, it wouldn’t be comparable at all. Still, the sight made countless people open their eyes wide.

The basketball team of Tianhai University—fifth place in last year’s collegiate league!

Their strength was formidable. Despite several senior players moving on, leaving the team, the maturity of Wu Sen, Li Qiang’s leadership, and the emergence of strong newcomers like Liu Jian and Xiang Yang, everyone believed that Tianhai University’s basketball team was stronger than ever.

Yet now, He Tian was facing the entire team alone. It was unbelievable.

“What on earth is He Tian doing? This is madness!” Lin Ying watched the scene, speaking in a low voice.

“I wonder if he can win. If he does, hahaha, just imagine what that would mean!” Li Yingying laughed.

“He Tian will definitely win! He’s not trying to humiliate the team—he just doesn’t want to see Wu Sen lose hope!” Wang Xinrou saw through it, understanding He Tian’s thoughtful intentions.

“Oh my, Xinrou, is your heart fluttering now? Are you already eager to confess?” Lin Ying chuckled.

“Yes, yes, Xinrou, you’d better hurry up!” Li Yingying giggled.

“Please, I wouldn’t take him even if he threw himself at me!” Wang Xinrou insisted, though her words belied her feelings.

Lin Ying and Li Yingying rolled their eyes at Wang Xinrou—so contrary!

Only Ouyang Bingbing seemed a little downcast.

Wang Xinrou happened to notice Ouyang Bingbing’s expression and her heart was troubled.

Ouyang Bingbing had fallen for He Tian. Wang Xinrou could sense it.

That made Wang Xinrou especially conflicted. Should she compete with Ouyang Bingbing, or cut off her hopes completely?

Unable to find an answer, Wang Xinrou put everything on He Tian.

It was all because of He Tian. Otherwise, things wouldn’t be like this!

He Tian was getting caught in the crossfire without even trying.

On the basketball court, the most exciting scene was unfolding.

The basketball seemed almost like an extension of He Tian’s body. His speed, flexibility, and athleticism were on full display.

Li Qiang and his four teammates formed a tight defensive net. One against five.

Yet He Tian evaded them one by one, finishing each attack with a ferocious dunk.

The five refused to accept defeat—so they tried again.

He Tian continued the same way, always waiting until he had eluded all five before shooting or dunking.

During the process, Li Qiang, Wu Sen, Liu Jian, Xiang Yang, and Qian Hu couldn’t even touch the ball.

Ten times in a row, every attempt was the same.

The crowd went wild.

Li Qiang, Wu Sen, and their teammates exchanged helpless looks. Aside from bitter smiles, they had no other thoughts.

He Tian’s strength had surpassed anything they could comprehend.

People are strange. When someone is roughly your equal but gets more than you, you feel envy and resentment. But when someone is so far above you, utterly unattainable, those negative emotions fade away.

It’s a peculiar phenomenon.

Now, that’s exactly how He Tian made Wu Sen, Li Qiang, and the others feel—so strong they couldn’t even muster jealousy.

――――

“To friendship!” In a private room on the second floor of Lin Ying’s restaurant.

Although the place was still being renovated and hadn’t reopened, there was space for a meal and gathering.

Present were He Tian, Wang Xinrou, Ouyang Bingbing, Lin Ying, Li Yingying, and Li Kai, along with the five main players from the university basketball team—Wu Sen, Li Qiang, Liu Jian, Xiang Yang, and Qian Hu.

The large table was packed.

“This toast is to He Tian! We admit defeat, fair and square!” Wu Sen raised his glass, and Li Qiang and the others joined him in honoring He Tian.

“I’ll drink to that!” He Tian said, wasting no words as he downed the glass in one gulp.

“He Tian, I’m really curious—how did you hone your basketball skills? Why don’t you join our team? With you, we could sweep every university team in the country!” Qian Hu exclaimed, deeply impressed by He Tian’s abilities.

“Hu, you’re mistaken! With He Tian’s skills, he could play in the CBA without a problem—even in the NBA, he’d be a legend!” Li Qiang said with a laugh.

“Brothers, please don’t say that. I’m just playing for fun—my ambitions lie elsewhere. If we’re friends, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s eat and drink together. If I haven’t left you with any psychological scars today, that’s enough!” He Tian smiled.

“Why? You won’t play basketball, won’t go pro? Isn’t that a waste?” Wu Sen asked, baffled.

He Tian could never reveal the real reason. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play—it was that he really couldn’t. If he went pro, judgment would soon follow. He had no intention of challenging the limits of the world’s inner power users. It was a matter of principle.

“Wu Sen, you’re actually my senior, aren’t you? Our wager still stands! From now on, stay away from Xinrou!” He Tian refused to answer directly, instead shifting the topic with a grin.

“I wouldn’t dream of it! Wang, I apologize for any offense in the past—this glass is my penance!” Wu Sen could see He Tian truly had no interest in basketball, and felt a deep regret. But he couldn’t force the issue.

“From now on, you’re all my friends! No need for apologies. You don’t know it, but us girls actually quite like being pursued!” Wang Xinrou said with a smile.

Her words made everyone burst into laughter.

Lin Ying took the opportunity to invite Wu Sen and his teammates to come support the restaurant once it officially opened.

Wu Sen and the others, hearing about Lin Ying’s big restaurant, were deeply impressed. It was a huge undertaking!

They immediately promised they’d definitely show up.

The meal ended with everyone enjoying themselves.

Only, when Wu Sen and his teammates returned to campus, all they heard was how He Tian had single-handedly dominated the entire basketball team.

Wu Sen and his friends could only smile bitterly.

There was no anger—only resignation.

They knew exactly how vast the gulf was between them and He Tian.

People were just stating the facts—what was there to argue about?

Still, being young and ambitious, the five secretly resolved to train harder and make a name for themselves.

In this way, He Tian’s efforts were rewarded…