C9 Becoming Famous in One Battle

Yue Feng saw the perfect opportunity to confront Xu Lin: the upcoming basketball game.

A student in Class Eight, Yue Feng was renowned as the best basketball player at Redwood High, while Class Three's basketball skills were known to be the weakest in the entire school.

The following afternoon, during the third and fourth periods, several classes would share a sports class. Yue Feng was aware that he might not outmatch Xu Lin in a physical fight, but he was confident he wouldn't lose in basketball.

True to his plan, Yue Feng approached Xu Lin as soon as sports class began.

"Xu Lin, I've heard you're the new top dog in the junior class. How about a one-on-one basketball showdown?"

"Yue Feng, what's this about? If it's a basketball challenge you want, I'm your guy. Why bother Lin with this?"

Yu Chengjun bristled when he noticed Yue Feng targeting Xu Lin.

Yue Feng's face tightened slightly as Yu Chengjun butted in.

"Yu Chengjun, stay out of this. I'm here for Xu Lin!"

"Now Lin's my leader. If you're picking a fight with him, you're picking a fight with me!"

Jiaang Shan and Zhao Sen gathered around as tensions rose between Yu Chengjun and Yue Feng.

"Why all the drama? It's just a basketball game. Whatever you want to compete in, I'm game," said Xu Lin with a grin, standing up.

"Let's do a three-point shoot-out, a hundred shots each. Whoever scores the most wins."

"Sure, that works for me. But I prefer a wager on the line—it makes things interesting. What's the bet?"

"A bet?" Yue Feng was taken aback by Xu Lin's response.

"If you're keen on betting, I'm in. How about the loser kneels and bows three times to the winner?"

"Kneeling and bowing? That's hardly exciting. I've got a more thrilling stake in mind. Are you up for it?"

"What's your proposal?" Yue Feng asked, his brow furrowed.

"The loser runs ten laps around the track naked. How about that?"

Yu Chengjun and the others gasped inwardly, thinking their boss was raising the stakes too high. The punishment for losing would be an everlasting disgrace!

Yu Chengjun and the rest weren't doubting Xu Lin; they simply had never seen him play basketball. When Xu Lin proposed the bet, Yue Feng was hesitant. He had no idea about Xu Lin's basketball prowess. Glancing over at Gu Xing, who was seated nearby, Yue Feng received a nod of encouragement to take on the challenge.

"Fine, just as you say. But don't come crying to me about being too harsh! I'll start," Yue Feng declared.

He grabbed the basketball and began shooting. To everyone's surprise, Yue Feng sank 74 out of 100 shots—a pretty impressive feat.

"Your turn!" Yue Feng said, tossing the ball to Xu Lin.

Xu Lin toyed with the ball and nonchalantly threw it, missing the hoop entirely and watching it bounce away. Yu Chengjun and the others inwardly groaned, convinced Xu Lin was clueless about the game.

Yue Feng couldn't help but scoff at the display. "I thought you had some skills, kid. Turns out your basketball game is garbage!"

But the moment his taunt ended, the court erupted in gasps of astonishment. Xu Lin had just been fooling around before, but now he was getting serious.

With a textbook jump shot, the basketball seemed to obey Xu Lin's every command, swishing through the net with unerring precision each time.

Despite Xu Lin's streak of accurate shots, Yue Feng's face was still twisted in scorn, convinced it was all just dumb luck and that Xu Lin couldn't possibly outscore him.

What unfolded next, however, plunged Yue Feng into utter dismay.

Xu Lin's performance was seamless, a display of pure fluidity with no errors or hesitations. He didn't even need Yu Chengjun or anyone else to pass him the ball; after each successful shot, the ball would roll back to him along the midline.

Halfway through, Xu Lin was flawless, each shot finding its mark in the basket.

Yue Feng's face had turned a shade reminiscent of liver, while Xu Lin remained the picture of serenity. The most thrilled were the girls in the crowd, their excitement palpable.

Aside from Yue Feng's sour expression, another face in the crowd darkened—Gu Xing's. He had hoped to see Xu Lin embarrassed by Yue Feng, but instead, Xu Lin's popularity had soared even higher than before.

After sinking half the shots, Xu Lin came to an abrupt halt.

"I've got forty-nine balls left, and I'm going to shoot them all with my eyes closed! Not for any reason other than to prove a point: a biting dog doesn't bark!"

With that, Xu Lin actually closed his eyes and resumed shooting.

Yue Feng had initially thought Xu Lin was just showing off, but to his astonishment, the basketballs kept finding the net with unerring accuracy, even with Xu Lin's eyes shut.

Out of a hundred shots, aside from the first deliberately missed one, the remaining ninety-nine all went in, taking less than a third of the time Yue Feng had used.

Yue Feng's complexion turned ashen, his whole body quivering.

Approaching Yue Feng, Xu Lin offered a smile and said, "I can tell you're not satisfied, so I'm going to give you a shot at redemption. What do you say?

Let's go head-to-head, one-on-one. Three shots each. Whoever makes the most wins!"

Perked up by the prospect of a second chance, Yue Feng's spirits lifted. "Bring it on, let's duel one-on-one!"

Yue Feng took the offensive in the first round, dribbling as Xu Lin set up his defense.

Yue Feng's dribbling was lightning-fast, and in a flash, he breezed past Xu Lin for a slick layup that sent the ball straight into the hoop.

Yu Chengjun and the others watched with astonishment. Given Xu Lin's caliber, this was unexpected!

"Alright, you've got two more shots," Xu Lin said, his face betraying no emotion.

The second shot mirrored the first; Yue Feng glided past Xu Lin with ease, the ball once again dropping through the net. If Yue Feng could nail the third shot and block just one of Xu Lin's, victory would be his.

On the third attempt, Yue Feng again outmaneuvered Xu Lin. He couldn't help but smile, confident he had the match in the bag, but as he went for the layup, a silhouette soared, positioning itself squarely in front of him.

It was Xu Lin, whose hand came down with pinpoint precision to block the ball.

"Lin's really got some hidden talents. That block was NBA-worthy!" Hsiao Dali exclaimed, visibly thrilled by Lin's display of prowess.

Yue Feng passed the ball to Xu Lin, knowing that if he could just lock down on defense, even with only two baskets to his name, he still stood a chance to win. After the pass, he crouched into a defensive stance, ready for the challenge.

Xu Lin kept it simple with his first shot, opting for a straightforward three-step layup.

Yue Feng was thrilled, confident he could block it. But as his right hand neared the ball, Xu Lin unexpectedly switched hands mid-air, a move Yue Feng hadn't anticipated, leaving him to only watch the ball sink into the net.

The second shot mirrored the first, except this time Xu Lin didn't switch hands, allowing Yue Feng's hand to slap the ball.

Hsiao Dali, Yu Chengjun, and the others braced themselves for a block.

But it never came. Xu Lin, undeterred by Yue Feng, completed his layup.

"You've got one last chance!"

With those words, Xu Lin dribbled a few times before soaring from the three-point line!

Yue Feng tried to block him but was no match. The two collided, yet Yue Feng failed to stop Xu Lin.

Shoving Yue Feng aside, Xu Lin executed a stunning windmill dunk from the three-point line, slamming the ball one-handed into the hoop.

After the dunk, Xu Lin even hung from the rim with one arm before landing gracefully.

"Now it's time for you to keep your word!"

Xu Lin said coolly to Yue Feng, who lay on the ground.

"Xu Lin, haven't you heard? It's wise to leave some room for future encounters."

A streaking dare was beyond Yue Feng's limits.

"Fine, I'll give you a break. I'll leave you your underwear, but it's not a freebie—500 yuan a pair! You buying?"

Yue Feng clenched his jaw and declared, "I'll buy it!"

He handed over 500 yuan to Xu Lin.

Xu Lin passed the money to Hsiao Dali.

"Let's go for some good food after school, what do you say?"

Hsiao Dali, Yu Chengjun, and the rest erupted in cheers.

Just then, applause broke out from a distance.

Gu Xing strolled over leisurely, appraising Xu Lin.

"Who would've thought Redwood High harbored an unassuming master like you? It's no surprise Yu Chengjun happily stepped aside!"

Xu Lin, I'm aware that you're the hotshot MC Lin on Bilibili. With the weekend coming up, I'm planning to throw a party at Cloud Karaoke KTV and I'd like you to come!

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

Xu Lin declined Gu Xing's invitation with no hesitation and walked off with his crew.

For tonight's dinner, Xu Lin intended to extend the invite beyond Hsiao Dali and Yu Chengjun to include Xue Moye and some of the other girls, which thrilled the guys.

Deep down, Xu Lin had a strategy in mind: if Gu Xing asked him again, he'd make a point of attending their gathering.

Sure enough, just as Xu Lin predicted, Yue Feng gave him a call the very next day.