Chapter 18 The Reluctance to Fight

Lao Mo could clearly sense that the boys in the class were hesitant, not because they disliked the sport.

After all, what high school student has no interest in basketball?

Moreover, since the students in this class were of the academically weaker type, according to stereotypes, they should love playing basketball even more, and be even better at it than others.

It was just that last year, he did bear some responsibility; his luck in the draw wasn't great, and in the first round, they were matched against the school's runner-up team.

And in that game, Class 18 was utterly crushed, with a point difference exceeding thirty.

Although classes hadn't been divided yet at that time, the participants in the game were roughly the same people, so it was understandable that the dark cloud hadn't dissipated.

Although Lao Mo was a fanatical believer in scores, because he usually liked playing basketball, he wouldn't just brush it off with the excuse that playing basketball didn't add points to the *gaokao* (national college entrance exam).

He coughed twice to clear his throat, and as the class teacher, Lao Mo said emotionlessly, "The school requires every class to participate. Even Class 15, which couldn't even scrape together five starting boys, still participated. So, our class must also do its best this time. Don't you usually love playing basketball? I've seen it, you're all pretty good, so this time, we not only have to participate, but also strive to reach the top eight."

Xia Hai City was a major basketball city, and the high school basketball league was very competitive. Therefore, the authorities required every school to hold its own basketball class matches to select talented athletes.

This was a teaching target, and Lao Mo should pay attention to it both emotionally and rationally.

The school had a total of seven full courts and four half courts; junior high school students especially played on half courts.

Lao Mo spoke without much enthusiasm; students in the past might not have been inspired and would instead have felt ashamed.

Just like that, a common afternoon passed in a common way.

"The basketball competition after that was also organized by this school." Seeing that everyone was discouraged, but Lao Mo was quite confident, Zhou Fu asked with some puzzlement, "Judging from everyone's tone, you lost miserably last time. But why does the teacher think our class has a chance to reach the top four? Is everyone actually… very skilled?"

Just as everyone thought he was going to get angry, and Zhou Fu was about to apologize, Zhang Chao suddenly said, "Is this the story of Wang Xizhi forgetting to eat and using ink as sauce?"

Logically speaking, a girl eating with so many boys should feel uncomfortable, or take the initiative to suggest that she has plans with other girls.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, huh? How shameful.

Ji Cong closed his vocabulary book, taking a short break.

They also quickly understood.

"I think Teacher Mo really wants you to go up; why are you unwilling?" Zhou Fu didn't quite understand. Although she didn't know how skilled Ji Cong was, she often saw him playing, and logically speaking, every girl who liked basketball should want to miss this opportunity.

That kick caused the scene to instantly spiral out of control.

"Then, let's be a little more serious."

Since you don't want a good look, then I'll make things difficult.

Then he discovered that there were also progress bars on the basketball court!

"Why did you come over too?"

In the second round, the strongest school teams were determined.

The progress of the layup, one hundred percent.

There weren't many girls in the liberal arts classes to begin with; wouldn't any class that came be a slaughter?

Chen Yuan, who was also being held back, hadn't finished speaking when a basketball swished through the net.

Actually, both of these kids could play, but thinking about the lack of a connecting point guard, he then named Xu Chen, "Xu Chen."

And that was exactly what Xu Chen had kicked away.

"Why aren't you talking? Didn't you sign up?"

The school has seventy-eight classes in total, and he matched the runner-up with us in the first round!

Ji Congchen didn't know about others, but he didn't want disharmony among his classmates.

Hearing this, the originally silent class immediately cheered up, and the girls eagerly signed up.

"Wouldn't this give off a feeling of being predetermined…"

Suddenly, Zhou Fu noticed that the girls in her class seemed to be having an argument with a group of tall girls.

Until Zhang Chao dipped his chopsticks in vinegar, then put them in his mouth, and didn't react after several times, they finally couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright."

"A liberal arts class."

"It feels like it's not as good as Teacher Zhang Liang… drawing lots."

"There won't be any games in high school third year..." Zhou Fu didn't know what he wanted to settle.

Xu Chen was right, but not entirely.

"Teacher." Class monitor Zhou Yu couldn't help but ask, "Can you first tell us how our draw is?"

"What are you laughing at?" Liu Yan, another 185 cm girl in the class, directly retorted unhappily, "We came first, and you said add another team. Then now eight teams have come, and you still won't go down? What's the meaning of this?"

Wasn't the so-called progress a process that succeeded after reaching the top?

Li Youyou felt that Ji Cong's study state these past eight weeks was particularly worrying.

"Half of the school team is in their class, right?"

"With Xu Chen, without me."

No, can this also progress?

Xu Chen and Zhang Chao also stood up at the same time, and revealed a touch of indifferent smile.

Liu Yan's "What are you laughing at?" directly annoyed Chen Yuan, who sarcastically said, "Seven-zero, seven-one every time, off in a few minutes, who can he blame for being lousy?"

Receiving such an answer, Zhou Fu was still slightly disappointed. Although he didn't understand basketball, he felt that Xu Chen and Zhang Chao fighting side by side had a bro… passionate brotherhood, which was very much in line with the school theme.

Seeing this, Ji Congchen carefully replaced his rice with a dish of vinegar.

The classmates also started laughing.

"No, can we be blamed for that?" Ji Cong blushed, turned back and argued, "In the first round, we met the second in the entire school, and there are still school basketball team members inside. It's just bad luck."

But the direction is very right.

Just like that, Lao Mo decided on the candidates, and then said to Zhou Yu, "Use the class funds to order a set of jerseys at noon, and then during PE class, bring everyone together to practice well."

The Chinese-style campus is a small society where scores are king, and academic geniuses always have more privileges and receive more attention. Therefore, in this field other than academic ability, 'underachievers' can also show themselves, and girls will have a stronger desire to perform. After all, the results of the basketball game are also publicly recognized by the school—winning.

Zhang Chao gradually realized what the principle of that superhuman power was.

After a teammate grabbed a rebound, he quickly passed it out of the three-point line, feigned a change of direction, shook off the defender, and directly shot a three-pointer.

"Zhang Chao, your eagerness to learn makes me feel disgusted!"

"Aren't you afraid to play?" A dark-skinned, buzz-cut girl mocked, "But you can't escape either; isn't the second round against Class 14?"

"Okay, Zhou Yu, and you."

But these girls…

"Alright, alright, alright."

He winked at the remaining few girls.

Doesn't this also mean that if you could see the progress bar, and the direction was right, as long as you applied different forces, and then shot when the progress bar reached one hundred, you could guarantee that every shot would hit?

"I feel that everyone is quite the bully…" The reaction of the Class 14 girls amused Zhou Fu.

Zhang Chao could see that, accompanied by the Q&A with Lao Mo, the light in the eyes of this group of *byd* flickered on and off.

"I'll play the first game against Class 1; let the brothers have fun later."

"Ah, that…" Although it was a bit unethical, Li Youyou still shamelessly complained, "I can't see how high the level is, but the other side's score is indeed very high."

With a clear "swish" sound, the basketball went cleanly through the net.

"Let's go, let's go eat."

So after dinner, they went to the playground together.

Then, the atmosphere was briefly silent.

Was it that we didn't want to play?

She was just about to turn her head and tell Zhang Chao this, and then she saw that he had already sat up straight, like nothing had happened.

So, they hurriedly rushed over.

Or was it precisely because of the girlfriend that he wanted to study hard?

Afraid that he would really test well.

Then, it was a little awkward.

But at this time, everyone basically didn't care.

"Look at their ambition."

After Li Youyou made the decision, the four of them decided like that.

"Okay teacher, what words should we print on the jerseys?" Zhou Yu asked.

Why was it said to be a bad draw?

"Isn't it our turn to go up?"

Faced with this questioning gaze, Zhang Chao said seriously, "I'm 179 cm barefoot."

But this group of Gen Z wouldn't think that way.

Ji Cong had been crushed before, so he really didn't want to get beaten up.

During lunch break, Li Youyou also called He Sijiao along. And everyone, didn't have any objections, of which Zhou Fu still smiled and accepted.

Then, you can start the battlefield副本 (fùběn, instance/dungeon) with the green tea senior and the tsundere junior!

The school has seventy-eight classes in total.

Judging from Lao Mo's tone, they didn't have a bye, but they were even luckier than having a bye.

Then no matter what, at least there was no fear of creating the top four!

Whatever, we're aiming for the top four.

Because Zhang Chao still had four hundred words left to memorize today.

Immediately afterwards, he saw the seventh person with a progress bar appear.