Chapter 34: A Stunning Goal

Soon, the murmurs of confusion on the court grew louder and louder. Liu Qianqian stood confidently in place, showing not the slightest hint of surprise. Qin Xuan could tell at a glance that she was doing this on purpose. Just as everyone was about to lose patience, someone suddenly pointed to the sky.

"Look, the ball is up there!"

Everyone focused their gaze. The basketball, which had initially been thrown straight up, was now drifting in the wind, heading directly toward one of the baskets.

Thud!

With a crisp sound, the ball landed precisely in the hoop.

"Score counts! Marketing Department gets three points!" Liu Qianqian shouted excitedly.

Qin Xuan slapped his forehead. Good heavens. He knew nothing good would come of letting this girl be the referee. As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd erupted in astonishment. Behind Zhou Xiaoyu, a muscular boy immediately grew angry.

Who ever heard of such a thing? The referee tosses a jump ball and it counts as a score?

The muscular boy, his face marked by fierce lines, was about to step forward and protest, but Zhou Xiaoyu quickly pulled him back. "Xiaogang, you really have no culture, no wonder you haven't had a girlfriend yet. Now that a beauty is the referee, we have to listen to her, got it? Be smarter, or you'll never win a girl."

Xiaogang thought it over and his face lit up with delight. "Xiaoyu, you make sense."

"Of course. As for the outcome, I believe in our captain's skills. Even without those three points, we won't lose." Zhou Xiaoyu whispered, his faith in Qin Xuan unwavering.

The muscles on Xiaogang's face twitched. "This game is about the honor of our Business Class One. I trust you, Xiaoyu, but if Qin Xuan isn't as strong as you say, I'll lose my temper."

"Don't worry, not a problem," Zhou Xiaoyu patted him on the shoulder, though he was also feeling a bit uneasy inside.

By now, everyone was stunned by Liu Qianqian's dazzling shot. Dongfang Wenhao's mouth hung open. "Did we really get three points?"

Yang Guang, seeing this, burst into laughter. "Even the beauty and heaven are on my side. I must play well so I don't let her down!"

Had this been an official game, the situation would have been handled seriously. But this was just a private grudge match, and since the players themselves were silent and the spectators were eager to see the action, the game continued.

"Serve."

Zhou Xiaoyu took the ball and began to organize the offense. Although the members of Business Class One had only known each other for a couple of days, their cooperation was quite methodical. After a few passes, they easily penetrated the opponent's three-point line.

Yang Guang blocked Qin Xuan fiercely, denying him any chance to touch the ball. Dongfang Wenhao kept a close eye on Zhou Xiaoyu; both were point guards, evenly matched.

The two strong opponents focused on their own muscular teammates, making for a balanced confrontation. Meanwhile, a basketball recruit was marking the tall, thin player. In their eyes, this tall, thin one was undoubtedly the weak point in Qin Xuan’s team.

In no time, Business Class One found themselves at a disadvantage. Zhou Xiaoyu controlled the ball but could not find a chance to pass, nor an opportunity to shoot.

"Xiaoyu, over here!"

Qin Xuan called out. Zhou Xiaoyu glanced over—Qin Xuan was being tightly marked by Yang Guang, the basketball recruit; passing the ball there was hopeless. Surveying the rest of the court, he quickly passed the ball to Xiaogang.

Smack!

Xiaogang caught the ball steadily, his facial muscles twitching again. With a fierce glare toward the hoop, Xiaogang charged forward with the ball.

The opposing strongman was no less formidable, blocking Xiaogang relentlessly. Xiaogang reached the basket and forced a shot. The ball rolled around the rim, then slipped out.

Smack!

The recruit easily outjumped the tall, thin player, grabbed the rebound, and casually passed the ball to Yang Guang.

Yang Guang’s eyes lit up: his chance to shine had come! With two recruits on his team, he could control the paint with ease, and controlling the paint meant controlling the game.

Smack!

Yang Guang reached out to catch the ball, but suddenly, a mysterious hand appeared in front of him and intercepted the pass!

"Thank you."

Qin Xuan smiled slightly, took possession, and shot.

Swish!

A beautiful shot! Shooting requires control of power and angle; for a swordsman, mastery of force is essential, so scoring wasn't difficult. Though he wasn’t familiar enough to be perfectly accurate every time, his success rate was far higher than most.

"Nice one, boss!" Zhou Xiaoyu looked at him with newfound respect. Although he'd trusted his own judgment, he still had doubts about Qin Xuan’s basketball skills. Now it was clear that their captain was truly a master, able to steal the ball from two basketball recruits.

Yang Guang was stunned. Damn!

"I underestimated him. Focus!" Yang Guang shouted, and Dongfang Wenhao served the ball. Their opponents were still strong, but Qin Xuan watched Yang Guang calmly, fully aware of the situation.

If he played purely on physical strength, he could easily lead Zhou Xiaoyu and the others to victory, but he couldn't be too flashy. He hadn’t forgotten his real purpose—not to play, but to protect Dongfang Qingwan.

If he attracted too much attention, that would be troublesome...

What he didn’t realize was that he already had plenty of eyes on him.

Swish! Dongfang Wenhao scored a layup. Zhou Xiaoyu, unwilling to be outdone, launched a beautiful counterattack, teaming up with Xiaogang for another basket.

Though Zhou Xiaoyu was short and a bit sly in appearance, he had solid skills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have led the team to victory yesterday.

Yang Guang had thought he would be the star of the match, but Qin Xuan easily kept him in check, leaving him annoyed. The most prominent players were Zhou Xiaoyu, Dongfang Wenhao, and the other recruit.

Qin Xuan only intervened when the situation demanded, pulling the score back at critical moments. His deliberate restraint kept him from attracting too much attention, though true experts could not fail to notice him.

"Qin Xuan is amazing. That recruit is being shut down by him, his positioning and footwork are superb."

"Right, and did you notice his shots? All at key moments, and almost never missing. I think he's purposely hiding his strength."

"I agree. If he went all out, the gap would already be huge."

The crowd grew larger. Many pointed at Qin Xuan, not to watch his basketball skills, but to admire the legendary "Dao Brother." And seeing the referee was that red-clad beauty made them even more surprised.

"Foul! Qin Xuan hit someone!"

Liu Qianqian suddenly shouted.

Qin Xuan helplessly raised his hands. He’d merely had a normal brush with Yang Guang, yet she called a foul? Of course, he wasn’t about to argue with a young girl; he obediently admitted fault.

Seeing Liu Qianqian's triumphant smile, Qin Xuan shook his head, thinking she was still too mischievous.

Yang Guang took the free throws, making both.

The score between the teams was now seven points apart. Zhou Xiaoyu organized another attack, and once again the ball found its way to Qin Xuan. After ten minutes, everyone’s suspicion of Qin Xuan had turned into trust.

"Foul! Qin Xuan hit someone!"

Just as he was about to shoot, Liu Qianqian cried out again. This time it wasn’t a mistake, but a deliberate inversion of truth. Yang Guang was the one who’d fouled, so why was Qin Xuan to blame?

Qin Xuan glared fiercely at Liu Qianqian.

"Hmph." Liu Qianqian smiled smugly, unmoved.

With Liu Qianqian’s chaotic officiating, the twenty-minute first half quickly ended, Qin Xuan’s team trailing by fifteen points. No one else had committed any fouls, while Qin Xuan had already racked up four—all for hitting people.

During the break, Zhou Xiaoyu sidled up to Qin Xuan, asking slyly and mysteriously, "Boss, what’s up with that beauty? Why is she always targeting you? Did she find out you’re pursuing Dongfang Qingwan from our class?"

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