Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 141 Basketball Game

On the first day of club recruitment after the start of the semester, Shi An arrived at the basketball club's registration point early.

The surrounding area was plastered with cool basketball posters, showcasing the school team's dashing figures on the court. Shi An filled out the registration form without hesitation, eagerly anticipating the start of his basketball journey.

A few days later, the club notified new members to gather. Shi An excitedly changed into his brand-new basketball uniform and arrived at the basketball court early. The sunlight shone on the court, giving it a warm glow.

The new members arrived one after another, all brimming with enthusiasm for basketball, and excitedly chatting with each other.

Training began with the coach leading everyone in warm-up exercises, followed by an explanation of some basic basketball skills and tactics.

Shi An listened intently and carefully imitated every movement of the coach.

However, during the group passing practice, an accident occurred. A basketball slammed straight into the back of Shi An's head like a cannonball. Caught off guard, he staggered forward a few steps and almost fell.

Shi An turned around in surprise and saw several upperclassmen looking at him with grins. One of them, Zhao Yu, crossed his arms and said with a disdainful look, "New guy, your ball skills are terrible. You can't even catch the ball."

Shi An rubbed his aching head, a mix of grievance and anger welling up inside him. He knew this was no simple mistake, but rather something the other party had done on purpose.

Similar incidents occurred frequently during subsequent training sessions. When Shi An was dribbling, he would often be deliberately tripped; when he was shooting, someone would suddenly rush over to interfere.

Once, while Zhao Yu was stealing the ball, he deliberately elbowed Shi An hard in the stomach. Shi An clutched his stomach in pain and fell to the ground. Some of the surrounding classmates looked distressed but dared not speak out; others pretended not to see it and continued training.

Shi An endured the pain and got up from the ground. A wave of grievances surged in his heart. He couldn't understand why the basketball club he loved had become such a malicious place.

But his inherent stubbornness prevented him from giving up easily. He thought of his love for basketball and his dream of sweating it out on the court, and he secretly made up his mind to persevere.

Back home, Shi An tried hard to hide his unusual behavior. Jiang Man, however, noticed something was wrong with her son.

"Shi'an, what's wrong? Did something happen at school?"

Jiang Man asked with concern. Shi An hesitated for a moment, then shook his head in the end, "It's nothing, Mom, it's just that training is a bit tiring."

Not wanting his parents to worry, he decided to face everything alone.

The next day, Shi An arrived at the basketball court on time for training as usual. However, the bullying by the upperclassmen did not stop.

Zhao Yu and his group went even further, even verbally insulting Shi An.

"With your small frame, you think you can stay in the basketball club? You should just go home."

Faced with these taunts, Shi An clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, but he still suppressed his anger and did not lash out.

After training, Shi An remained alone on the basketball court. He practiced dribbling and shooting over and over again, each successful shot a declaration of his determination to those who had bullied him. Sweat soaked his clothes, but he was oblivious. He held only one belief in his heart: he must become stronger and make those who looked down on him look at him with new eyes.

As the days went by, Shi An's skills continued to improve. His hard work and perseverance were noticed by the coach. During an internal club competition, Shi An was assigned to play by the coach.

At the start of the game, Zhao Yu and others put Shi An under tight defense, trying to suppress him again. But Shi An was not afraid at all. He nimbly moved among his opponents, relying on his solid fundamentals and excellent skills to break through the defense time and time again and score.

Shi An's outstanding performance amazed everyone present. The students' initial surprise gradually turned into admiration and appreciation.

Even Zhao Yu and the others were shocked by Shi An's strength, and their defense became increasingly difficult.

After the competition, Shi An's team won. His classmates gathered around, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Shi An, you're amazing!"

"Yes, I didn't expect you to be such a good player."

These words of praise filled Shi An with a sense of accomplishment. He had finally proven himself with his abilities.

Zhao Yu stepped forward, a hint of embarrassment and guilt on his face. "Shi An, we were wrong before, we shouldn't have bullied you. Your ball skills are really great, let's play ball together from now on."

Shi An looked at Zhao Yu, and the resentment in his heart instantly vanished. He smiled and extended his hand, "Okay, from now on we're teammates."

The afternoon sun shone warmly on the basketball court. Physical education teacher Mr. Li, arms crossed, looked intently at Shi An and the basketball team members, and said loudly, "Students, listen up! Our school is about to play a basketball game against No. 3 Middle School. This is a rare opportunity, but also a considerable challenge!"

The team members instantly perked up, whispering among themselves, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. Shi An, in particular, stared intently at Teacher Li, his eyes shining.

Teacher Li continued, "Shi An, and everyone else, I've seen how much you've improved through your training these past few days. But our opponents in this match are very strong, so we can't let our guard down. From now on, we need to increase the intensity of our training. Every day after school, be on time at the field. Anyone who's late will have to do extra practice!"

"From today onwards, we will focus on practicing teamwork. When on offense, the pass must be quick and accurate, without any hesitation. Shi'an, as the main scorer, in addition to improving your own offensive ability, you also need to motivate your teammates and create opportunities for them. We can't let our guard down on defense either. Everyone needs to know their defensive position, actively fight for rebounds, and not let the opponent score easily."

"Physical training is also crucial. These next few days, you will need to do long-distance running and strength training every day to enhance your endurance and explosiveness. Only by maintaining good physical fitness can you persevere on the field until the very last moment."

"This competition is not only for our personal honor, but also for the honor of our school. You represent the entire school, so you must give it your all. I believe that as long as we are united and train hard, there are no difficulties we cannot overcome, and we will definitely win! Do you all have confidence?"

"Have!"

The team members shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the basketball court, filled with fighting spirit and determination.

Shi An clenched his fist and secretly vowed to perform well in this competition and bring glory to the school.

"Next, I will divide you into three teams for training!"