Three points. That was definitely three points—which would pull them to a one-point surplus.
But then, it ca crashing down with those two words.
No score.
It didn't register at first.
Kai felt a flicker of happiness in his heart, thinking they had done it. However, not long after, he felt like his heart was ripped out and torn into pieces.
"No score?" Max muttered, disbelief heavy in his voice, looking around to confirm if he had heard right.
Zheng's hands hovered in the air, still frozen from the celebratory fist pump he'd started before reality struck.
Jian, standing nearby, was already shaking his head. His sharp eyes had caught it.
"It was late," he said, his voice quiet but certain.
Coach Xu Wei nodded. "Indeed. Just a fraction of a second too late."
The sighs of relief from the veteran team were audible.
Caleb leaned over, hands on his knees, and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Dong and Muyang exchanged glances, their exhaustion masked by their feelings of embarrassnt. anwhile, Jaw-Long had a new-found respect in his heart. Seeing the youngsters play, it seed like Chinese basketball had actually advanced greatly in those years that they didn't represent the country in the Global Gas.
"Did we really almost lose to a bunch of high schoolers?" Muyang muttered under his breath.
Bam and Jie, watching from the sidelines, exhaled deeply in tandem. "Close one," Jie said. "That was way too close."
"Yeah," Bam replied, scratching the back of his neck. "But kind of embarrassing, huh? I an, it's only a two-point gap if we think about it. How did we let it even get this far?"
On the court, Kai stood motionless, his gaze locked on the scoreboard. His chest heaved with each labored breath, his body drenched in sweat, but the feeling in his heart was heavier than the exhaustion in his legs.
Jimmy stomped forward, his face red with frustration. "That's not fair!" he shouted, glaring at Bam and Jie and then back at Xu Wei. "It wasn't even a full second! He jumped before the buzzer! How can it have no score? We earned that point!"
The gym fell silent, the tension increasing as everyone waited for Coach Xu Wei to respond. But before the coach could say a word, Kai raised a hand.
"It can't be unfair," Kai said, his voice cutting through the stillness. All eyes turned to him as he stepped forward, his gaze steady despite the turmoil churning inside him.
"It might feel unfair. And sotis, it really is unfair. But that's the ga."
Jimmy's mouth opened to argue, but Kai continued. "Basketball isn't about what we feel we deserve. It's not about close calls or what might have been. At the end of the day, it's a ga of numbers. The team with the highest score wins. That's the rule, plain and simple."
The younger players sighed uncomfortably, their heads hanging slightly lower. Jian's hands clenched into fists at his sides. Even Max, who was usually the most playful, looked away, unable to et Kai's eyes.
Kai turned to face them fully, his expression softer now. "Basketball is a ga of skill, yes. It's a ga of strategy, endurance, and heart. But it's also a ga of teamwork—a group of five working together for every pass, every steal, every point. That's what matters most out there. We can argue about fairness all we want, but in the end, the only thing that counts is the scoreboard."
He glanced back at the glowing numbers, feeling quite relieved.
At a young age, they had co to nearly beat the national team—and that was with such a minimum ti of working with each other. If they were able to practice more frequently with each other or go through Coach Xu Wei's regin like the veteran players did, then who knew what they might reach.
Maybe Max was right when he said it truly was too early. It would be disheartening, not only to them but to the people in their city, if they just ca back without the opportunity to represent the country, but hey, life was also about losses, right?
"We fought hard. And we proved sothing to them and to ourselves. But the deal was clear. We lost, and we have to accept that."
Kai let out a soft breath and shook his head, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"A deal is a deal." With that, he turned and began walking toward the bench, his steps resolute.
Jaw-Long, watching from the veterans' side of the court, found himself nodding in quiet admiration.
There was sothing different about this kid—sothing beyond his undeniable skill on the court. Kai really did remind Jaw-Long of Zhu. But Kai's mindset—it was sothing else entirely.
"He's wise beyond his years," Jaw-Long murmured.
Caleb, overhearing, glanced at Kai with a raised brow but said nothing.
The younger team lingered on the court for a mont, Kai's words still echoing in their minds.
One by one, they sighed and followed him, their heads hanging lower than before.
Jimmy was the last to move, his fists still clenched as he let out a quiet curse under his breath.
"What is Dad going to say about this?" he muttered.
As they reached the bench, Kai had already slumped into his seat, a towel draped over his head. The others joined him in silence.
"Man," Max muttered, sinking into his seat and rubbing his face with both hands. "This really sucks. I feel a little bit embarrassed."
Jian said nothing, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. Zheng leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the ground.
Kai sat quietly, letting the mont sink in for all of them. He could feel their frustration and disappointnt. But he also knew they'd learn from this, just as he would.
As the team began to gather their things, preparing to leave, Coach Xu Wei's voice suddenly rang out from across the gym.
"Wait!"
The boys stopped in their tracks, turning to the old man who had asked them to stop.
Marcus saw the look in Coach Xu Wei's eyes and already knew. It took a lot for the old man to be impressed, yet these young players did it with just one ga.
"You better co in great shape tomorrow," he said, placing his hands inside his pocket.
The boys frowned in confusion, wondering if they were hearing him right.
"Coach?" Kai muttered.
"I'm a man of my word," Coach Xu Wei smirked. "I said that the losers should go ho. No exceptions."
"But from the looks of it, there are no losers for today."
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