My sister never calls me brother.

Fang Yong paused, looking somewhat displeased, then strode inside and said, "Do I look like the kind of person who would shirk responsibility if something happened?!"

Zhou Han glanced at Fang Yong but said nothing.

The two entered the basketball court, which was completely dark.

"Xiao Yi, turn on the light," Zhou Han instructed Elizabeth in his mind.

"Received!" Elizabeth replied.

With a series of thuds as the switches were turned on, all the lights in the indoor basketball court came on, illuminating the court as if it were daytime. This, the best basketball stadium in Zhongqing City, was now before the two of them.

The 15-story tiered seating area features a large live broadcast screen hanging overhead on all four sides, with green basketball hoops at both ends of the court, and the court floor reflecting light under the illumination of the lights.

Fang Yong stared blankly at the place where he had once fought, speechless. It was here that he suffered his Waterloo, and returning here again filled him with mixed emotions.

"Did you bring the basketball?" Zhou Han asked.

Fang Yong snapped out of his daze and said, "Oh! I brought it!"

He opened his basketball backpack and tossed the basketball to Zhou Han.

Zhou Han caught it and touched it; it felt nice, probably because it was regularly cared for.

Whether it was a sudden urge to have fun or not, Zhou Han stood beyond the three-point line and threw a three-pointer—which went completely airball…

"Brother, your basketball skills don't seem that great..." Fang Yong smiled, picked up the basketball, and also shot a three-pointer, which went in with a thud.

"I...I just don't play often!" Zhou Han pouted and said nonchalantly, thinking to herself, how embarrassing, why am I showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu?

"Want to play with me for a while?" Fang Yong suggested with a smile.

"Forget it, hurry up and deal with your business." Zhou Han blurted out without thinking, because he wasn't a masochist.

"Um... okay!" Fang Yong stood obediently at the free throw line.

Zhou Han stood opposite him with a basketball in her hand and said, "Close your eyes."

"Why?!" Fang Yong was completely confused, not understanding why he was being told to close his eyes.

"Hypnosis! Bro! Is there any hypnosis that can be done with eyes open?" Zhou Han said helplessly. Although the use of "deceptive projection" doesn't require such trouble, in order to conceal the truth, he still used the ordinary hypnosis steps.

"Hey!? I saw in the movies that people hypnotize others by snapping their fingers?" Fang Yong said something that gave Zhou Han a headache.

"Is my skill level not good enough?" Zhou Han said irritably, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Uh... okay..." Fang Yong closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, Zhou Han snapped her fingers and said, "Okay, open your eyes."

"That's it?!" Fang Yong was somewhat surprised, but he shut his mouth the next second because the situation before him had drastically changed—

The audience was full of people, just like it was two years ago.

His former teammates were cheering him on from behind, but Fang Yong couldn't hear their voices. Yet each of them was so lifelike, they were practically indistinguishable from real people.

The opposing team's captain looked at Fang Yong with disdain and a sharp gaze. Even the referee remained unchanged, just as he remembered.

All of this seemed real, as if time had reversed, taking Fang Yong back to that shameful day.

Fang Yong found it hard to believe that this was a hallucination brought about by hypnosis, but it did happen.

Because he needed to get the ball, he couldn't do it without a physical object, so Zhou Han projected himself as the referee and threw the ball to Fang Yong.

Fang Yong held the basketball, remaining silent. He knew that everything before him was fake, but the sense of reality he felt transformed into pressure, stronger than ever before.

The encouraging looks from his former teammates and the contempt from the opposing team members resurfaced in Fang Yong's mind, as if they were right before his eyes.

He recalled once again the fact that on that day, his hands carried everyone's dreams and hard work, only to be destroyed by his own mistakes.

Fang Yong felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. The poisonous vine, filled with pressure and fear, climbed up again, binding his entire body and making it difficult for him to move. Every second it was eroding his body.

Nevertheless, Fang Yong threw the basketball, and as expected, it didn't go in.

The projected illusions all disappeared. Zhou Han didn't speak, but just quietly watched Fang Yong, feeling as if he were trapped in a swamp, the more he struggled, the deeper he sank, unable to extricate himself.

After witnessing Fang Yong's series of reactions, Zhou Han understood why he was behaving this way.

Now, all that's needed is for Fang Yong to overcome the obstacles in his mind, and this commission can be completed.

Watching the basketball land, Fang Yong scratched his head and forced a smile, saying, "You really haven't changed at all... haha..."

Zhou Han looked at him silently.

"Brother, let's try again! I'll give it another shot!" Fang Yong waved his hand and said with a smile.

Zhou Han remained silent, showing no intention of engaging with Fang Yong.

"Wh...what's wrong?" Fang Yong felt uncomfortable being stared at by Zhou Han. For some reason, this look reminded him of Lin Nianwei, because the two of them gave him a similar feeling for a moment.

“Sigh…” Zhou Han sighed and said seriously, “Forget it, no matter how many times you try, the result will be the same.”

"Is...that's how it is?" Fang Yong looked down at the floor, somewhat disappointed.

"Do you feel guilty towards your teammates from junior high school?" Zhou Han asked with certainty.

"Huh!? Why do you think that?" Fang Yong asked, somewhat surprised, looking up at Zhou Han.

"Because when you looked behind you, your expression was clearly off; you were very agitated." Zhou Han tried to make her words sound plausible so as not to arouse Fang Yong's suspicion. "Isn't that where your teammates were standing behind you?"

Fang Yong opened his mouth, wanting to refute something, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.

Zhou Han picked up the basketball from the ground, looked at him and said, "I don't quite understand what you're feeling guilty about? It's a game, winning and losing are normal."

“We can lose anytime, but we can’t lose that game. We’ve staked three years of hard work on it, and I…” Fang Yong paused, hesitant to speak, but continued, “and I’ve personally destroyed everyone’s efforts and dreams.”

"Really? I also think it's all your fault..." Zhou Han said calmly.

"..." Fang Yong was stunned. He thought Zhou Han would say something comforting.

"As the captain, you couldn't even make those crucial free throws. You truly let everyone down." Zhou Han walked to the three-point line with the basketball and continued, "But... have you ever thought about why everyone always passes the ball to you in those critical moments?"

"Well... of course they all trust me..." Fang Yong replied hesitantly.

"This is just one aspect. Everyone has their own thoughts, and no one can see these things..." Zhou Han took the basketball, jumped up, and shot a three-pointer, which went in this time.

“What do you mean by that…” Fang Yong looked at the basketball that swished through the net.

"Don't get angry when I say this..." Zhou Han looked at Fang Yong and said, "What I want to say is, are you sure your teammates didn't pass the crucial ball to you to avoid taking responsibility for losing the game? In other words, what everyone usually calls...passing the buck~"

"What did you say?!" Fang Yong grabbed Zhou Han by the collar and said aggressively, "How dare you slander my former teammate in front of me?!"

"Cough! Are you sure there's not even a one percent chance of what I said?" Zhou Han felt a little uncomfortable from the tightness of her collar.

Fang Yong was somewhat annoyed. He frowned, pushed Zhou Han away, and said loudly—

"I don't know what you've been through, but it's best not to think so negatively of others! This world—"

There are definitely more good people than bad people!

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Arrogance

"Really? That's what you think. You're really straightforward..." Zhou Han said with an "I see" tone.

"Brother! We're on different paths, so let's end this conversation here. I don't want to listen to your nonsense anymore." Fang Yong picked up his school uniform jacket, grabbed the basketball, and looked ready to leave, as if the conversation was over.

Zhou Han frowned. She hadn't expected Fang Yong to trust others so deeply that he wouldn't tolerate anyone saying "no."

"You should know whether I'm talking nonsense or not..." Zhou Han said, looking at Fang Yong's back. "Don't tell me you've never thought of this possibility yourself. You can't see into people's hearts. You just don't know their true thoughts and don't want to believe it."

"I'm sorry, I don't want to talk to you anymore." Fang Yong stopped and responded indifferently.

"You don't want to talk to me, which proves I was right, right?" Zhou Han said with a smug look on his face.

"No! Absolutely not!" Fang Yong frowned, somewhat annoyed, and turned to look at Zhou Han, saying, "Winning or losing the competition is always secondary; friendship comes first. Don't bring your competitive spirit into this..."

"Hahaha..." Zhou Han actually laughed out loud after hearing Fang Yong's words.

"What are you laughing at? Did I say something funny?" Zhou Han's unrestrained laughter made Fang Yong even more annoyed.

"What do you mean, 'friendship first, competition second'? Are you kidding me?" Zhou Han wiped away tears of laughter and said, "Although I haven't participated in as many competitions as you, I know that 'friendship first, competition second' is just a pretty phrase. When everyone gets to the field, they all fight tooth and nail. Friendship... is just a fancy dress worn under the fierce competition; it's completely useless."

"Tch!" Fang Yong's anger was reaching its breaking point. He wanted to punch Zhou Han. He never expected that Zhou Han could be so good at attacking and negating a person, devaluing his values ​​to nothing.

"Calm down. Do you want to know why 'friendship first, competition second' is just a pretty but meaningless phrase?" Zhou Han reassured Fang Yong and asked.

"I don't want to hear your fallacies..." Fang Yong said angrily through gritted teeth.

"Whether it's fallacies or heresy, let me finish what I have to say first..." Zhou Han paused, "The simple purpose of the competition is to determine a winner and a loser, but the results of winning and losing are completely opposite. The winner stands in the spotlight, receiving people's praise and cheers; the loser stands in the shadows, silently leaving the stage. Do you think that's fair?"

Fang Yong remained silent, lost in thought.

"It's unfair! Right?" Zhou Han continued with a certain tone, "It's precisely because of the unfairness of the result that the saying 'friendship first, competition second' becomes a meaningless platitude. That's how competitive sports are; they have ironclad rules. Nobody wants to be the loser, so everyone will fight their hardest on the field. Who cares about friendship? Does friendship mean that the winner gets to stand on the podium and receive cheers from the crowd?"

Fang Yong opened his mouth, speechless. Although Zhou Han's words were ugly, they were very realistic.

"Throughout your basketball career, how many opponents have you trampled on? Do you think they'll even believe in the nonsense of 'friendship first, competition second'?" Zhou Han retorted, continuing, "Don't try to embellish your failed ambitions with dreams and sweat; it's truly pathetic!"

"Tch!" Fang Yong, enraged, slammed the basketball in his hand at Zhou Han.

Zhou Han didn't dodge and had a close encounter with the basketball. He felt half of his face go numb and throb with pain.

The basketball, having landed, rolled erratically on the court floor.

"Heh, you're getting angry because I hit the nail on the head? There's another thing. Do you know what I discovered during that match two years ago?" Zhou Han rubbed his face and continued, "I noticed that the whole stadium was chanting your name. Your teammates were just there to make up the numbers. Everyone was there to see you. You were the most skilled player and the one with the biggest name. Every time you scored and received cheers from everyone, I saw you smiling quite happily, even... you were very arrogant!"

“That’s not how it is…” Fang Yong was somewhat bewildered by Zhou Han’s words, but he found it difficult to find a reason to deny it.

Because while Fang Yong received many honors, he did become somewhat arrogant and thought that whichever team had him would win. Even his boastful words in junior high school were products of pride and arrogance.

"The hardest thing for a person to see clearly is themselves, especially when they are blinded by joy, indulging in praise, and ignoring the people around them. This is the most authentic you," Zhou Han said sternly.

Fang Yong felt dizzy looking at the floor. No one had ever said these words to him before. Maybe someone had, but it was likely that their words were drowned out by praise.

"What do you think of your former teammates?" Zhou Han asked.

Fang Yong was silent for a while, as if he was thinking, and then said, "They...they are all very good people, they kept encouraging me, I'm sorry to them..."

"So you're saying you feel guilty?" Zhou Han asked tentatively.

"Huh!?" Fang Yong was somewhat bewildered.

Zhou Han took out his phone and played a recording of a phone call that Elizabeth had intercepted the previous night—

"That kid Fang Yong has been getting more and more arrogant lately."

"What's wrong?"

"In the post-match interview after the last game, he actually took all the credit for himself, saying that as long as he was there, the team would definitely win."