Chapter 228: (Monthly Ticket Bonus 1) I'll Never Laugh Again

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian was dumbfounded.

Damn, so you actually know I'm here.

I was wondering if bro went invisible like your old man, like some lonely ghost nobody can see, circling around your super-sized sword grave.

"The Visible Four-Eyes"

Still, Jiang Nian couldn't burst out cursing in a single second. The only one who breaks from being cursed is yourself—you can't make the other person feel bad.

So, he chose another way.

"You're badass."

Actually, although Four-Eyes Zhang Xiaofan usually pressured his teammates too, he never went that hard.

Today was purely stacked with buffs—his opponent was Big Black Bull, and his teammate Jiang Nian had just thrown in a super long three-pointer.

Hey. Question is, who's the biggest loser?

Whoever asks is the loser.

Zhang Xiaofan was a little rattled. Lies don't hurt—the truth is the sharp blade.

The fact that he could play on the school's first team meant his skills were naturally nothing to sneeze at.

The fact that he could keep pressuring his teammates was also because of the positional dominance brought by his skill and his money.

Relying on his on-court "fun guy" persona and his off-court "generous treat-payer" persona, he trained his teammates like dogs, making them completely obedient.

Even if the teammates had grievances in their hearts, the moment they thought about how Young Master Zhang would cover the whole team's expenses later, and how they might even get special attention from Young Master Zhang afterward, their minds instantly cleared.

They went straight into "I examine myself three times a day" mode.

Can he scold me more? Can he give me more? Will he scold me again next time?

As everyone knows, the bottom line is broken bit by bit, and training dogs also happens bit by bit.

On the first team, aside from a few people who had never received Zhang Xiaofan's favors, the rest either licked his boots directly or just put up with his attitude.

He's so rich and so face-conscious—what's there to fight over?

Take a step back and it's the ends of the earth. No wait—broad and boundless skies.

As long as everyone accepted Zhang Xiaofan's on-court persona as a bit reckless, even if not everyone went along with him, at least no one would go against him on the court.

The principle is similar to what those "neutral mediators" love to say when breaking up a fight: "Sure, xx likes to hit people, curse people out, and pee on them when drunk. But when xx isn't drunk, he's actually a pretty good guy. They're all bros, do it for my sake and let it go."

Jiang Nian refused to play along. Back when he had no money, he hadn't humored Four-Eyes either.

Besides, Jiang Nian was no longer on the school team now, and he had money too. Although he wouldn't go so far as to flash his bank balance in someone's face, he had far fewer scruples now.

A single "you're badass" directly stunned Zhang Xiaofan into a freeze frame.

He froze for a second, then trembled with rage.

"You're the badass, motherfucker!"

Jiang Nian remained composed and said lightly.

"Yeah, I'm badass."

Taking advantage of the moment before Four-Eyes Zhang Xiaofan could react, Jiang Nian added another line.

"Am I not badass?"

"Fuck, are you sick in the head?!" Zhang Xiaofan turned red, instantly exploding with rage, and roared, "Can you fucking play ball properly or not? If you can't, get the hell off the court!"

A normal person, if provoked once, might just stiffen their neck and step down.

Zhang Xiaofan's meaning was also crystal clear—the court listened to him. If you can't take the scolding, then get lost. Don't play here. After the game ends, plenty of people will definitely gossip about you anyway.

High-EQ reply: "Xiaofan, are you saying that out of anger or do you really mean it?" Give the other person two stairs to choose from, and any normal person would take a step back.

More rational version: "Xiaofan, don't bring your emotions onto the court. The most important thing right now is to play this game well."

The dumb version: lean close to his ear.

"For real or for fake?"

The pathetic version: drop to your knees and cry on the spot.

"Fine, I'll leave!! Why the hell are you cursing me? You have to give me an explanation today. Stop cursing me, stop cursing me. If you keep cursing me, I'll get depressed and slit my wrists, hang myself at your front door."

Jiang Nian chose none of them. Did he absolutely have to play this game today?

The answer was obviously no.

The atmosphere on the court was tense. Everyone was stunned speechless by this little interlude. Involuntarily infected by the heated atmosphere on the court, their hearts leaped into their throats.

"This is… an internal fight?" Nie Qiqi was a little scared and said softly, "Xiaoqing, you don't think they're being so aggressive—they won't actually fight Jiang Nian, right?"

Middle and high school is when collective consciousness is strongest. Although Nie Qiqi wanted to see Jiang Nian make a fool of himself, it wasn't this kind of getting-beaten-up kind of joke.

No matter what, classmates from the same class don't want to see one of their own get bullied by a group.

"Probably not." Cai Xiaoqing stood by with her arms crossed, watching. She was calmer. "Gao San doesn't allow fighting, and the school team also cares about how the leaders see them."

"What do you mean?" Nie Qiqi didn't understand.

"I mean the school actually doesn't need something like a basketball school team. Haven't you noticed the school has basically never organized any large-scale class basketball tournaments?"

Cai Xiaoqing watched coldly from the sidelines, stating flatly in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Most of the school's basketball courts are cement. A fall could mean anything from a scrape to a fracture. If you were a leader, would you want to see students getting hurt?"

"Uh—" Nie Qiqi couldn't get a word out. Her IQ was out of credit.

Cai Xiaoqing crossed her arms and gave Fox-Qi a light glance.

"If the school team publicly fights—whether it's a mutual brawl or a group beating—at the very latest by the end of the second evening self-study period, the Gao San basketball school team will be disbanded, to serve as a warning to the Gao Yi and Gao Er basketball teams."

"Oh oh, I get it. It's called killing the chicken to scare the monkey." Nie Qiqi let out a silly laugh.

Cai Xiaoqing didn't respond directly, just kept talking.

"The leaders don't care about the school team. They're starters—they should know this better than we do. Unless they're brain-dead, they wouldn't fight in front of everyone."

Jiang Nian was a former school team member. Even after the fish leaves the water, the fishy smell lingers.

How could he not know that these cowards wouldn't dare fight? A private brawl wouldn't matter much. But if they fought in an official match, the bosses would be overjoyed.

What! Even the school rules don't scare you? This isn't just a bad student anymore! (serious face) No more hesitation—we must strike hard!

I'll dissolve the entire school team and rebuild it from scratch.

Then, put yourself in his shoes—would Jiang Nian dare to strike first?

Hehe.

After shouting that line, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt a rush of satisfaction.

It's back—everything's back. That wonderful feeling of controlling the whole situation has returned.

This is my court. This is my school team.

From Gao Yi all the way to now Gao San, I've finally endured and outlasted those idiot seniors. Now, the tallest peak on Zhenan Middle School's court is me—Fan King.

Facing Zhang Xiaofan's roar, Jiang Nian wasn't angry or upset.

He didn't curse wildly, nor did he turn red and argue with him. Instead, in front of everyone, he pointed directly at Zhang Xiaofan.

As if saying to those around him: Look at him like that.

After a one-second pause, Jiang Nian shouted loudly: "Are you upset?"

Zhang Xiaofan wasn't stupid—he knew meaningless yelling only made him look foolish.

"You know you're pushing others to lose their cool, don't you?"

Jiang Nian smiled in reply.

"So focused on playing, I forgot to beat up this idiot."

"Hah, first time I've seen someone so bad they break their own composure first. If your mindset's this weak, don't play basketball—go screw screws instead. Why are you barking here?"

Zhang Xiaofan cracked instantly—he was truly flustered now.

"Who the hell are you calling bad?"

"You haven't scored a single basket in ages, and you never pass," Jiang Nian said without flinching. "I thought you were hoarding the ball for tutoring. Do you even realize how awesome you think you are?"

Zhang Xiaofan wanted to shout back: "Are you any better?"

But he couldn't—because just minutes ago, Jiang Nian had sunk a half-court three-pointer. It had crushed the opponents—and crushed him too.

But logically, it must've been luck.

In a flash, he chose to gamble.

"You're awesome, huh? Lucky shot with a three-pointer and now you're acting all big. Why don't you go play in the NBA? You're playing fine—why are you blabbing here?"

Fuck you.

Jiang Nian almost laughed out of anger, but he knew exactly what kind of person Zhang Xiaofan was.

Back in Gao Er, Zhang Xiaofan was already insane—wore the most expensive sneakers, craved attention like crazy.

After beating the Gao San team once, he bragged about it for the entire semester.

This guy loved to dominate in his own strong area, then pretend to be humble in front of others, crafting an image of quiet strength.

Jiang Nian looked at Zhang Xiaofan, then suddenly smiled.

He said nothing, turned, and walked backward, gesturing with a finger toward Da Heiniu, who had just grabbed the ball. They'd once been decent friends.

Da Heiniu grinned foolishly and tossed the ball to Jiang Nian.

Under the gaze of Zhang Xiaofan and everyone on and off the court, Jiang Nian gripped the ball with one hand, then twisted his body backward—preparing to build power.

But—one hand.

Da Heiniu Wang Zejun's eyelid twitched. He wasn't dumb just because he looked strong—he knew exactly what Jiang Nian intended.

Is he insane?

Personally, he admired Jiang Nian's approach: basketball first, talk later. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Zhang Xiaofan grew tense, thinking: No way.

A half-court one-handed shot? If he makes it, I'm done for.

But then he remembered—Jiang Nian wasn't this good back in Gao Er—and he exhaled slightly.

"What's he doing?" Nie Qiqi didn't understand basketball and watched from afar, confused.

Cai Xiaoqing replied flatly: "Shooting."

"One hand?"

"Mm."

Because it was a one-handed shot, Jiang Nian needed longer to adjust his feel.

About five seconds later.

Jiang Nian finally moved—his waist and legs unified. The ball shot from his hand with a whoosh, tracing a graceful arc through the twilight.

Everyone held their breath, watching the ball's descent.

Da Heiniu Wang Zejun, sharp-eyed and far more experienced than most, saw the arc and trajectory instantly—he knew the shot was going in.

Before the ball even landed, he couldn't help shouting.

"It's in!"

Wang Zejun's shout jolted others awake.

"Holy shit! It really is!"

"Swish!"

Hu Nianzhong stood among the crowd at the court's edge, staring dumbfounded as the ball sailed perfectly through the hoop. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he'd never believe someone could make a half-court one-handed shot.

This wasn't about skill anymore. In front of so many people, who dares attempt a one-handed heave? He'd only seen it in basketball highlight reels—but those were edited, and you couldn't tell if it was a single make.

Repeated attempts—even full-court shots—weren't that impressive. The real challenge was making it on the first try, right after an argument, under everyone's eyes—could he keep his nerve and still shoot accurately?

The ball thumped cleanly through the center of the hoop. It hit the ground with a heavy, deafening thud—then erupted into wild, frenzied cheers from everyone.

"Oh!!!"

"Holy shit, that's insane! Who the hell is this?!"

"One hand!! One hand!! What the hell did this guy eat growing up, to be this strong?!"

"When did the school team get a player like this?! If I were him, I'd definitely join the college basketball league—this guy could crush the whole damn thing."

"Which class is he from? Which class?!"

Nie Qiqi was also stunned by Jiang Nian's move. Her sister had no education, but she had eyes—anyone could understand a one-handed half-court shot.

Just two words: awesome!

Although Nie Qiqi didn't understand basketball rules, to her, shooting meant awesome. Hitting from midcourt meant extremely awesome. Doing it one-handed meant insanely awesome.

"He's from our class!" Nie Qiqi exclaimed excitedly.

"Which class are you from?"

Before Nie Qiqi could answer, Cai Xiaoqing yanked her away.

"Let's go."

"Hey hey hey, I haven't finished speaking!" Nie Qiqi struggled against her, turning back to look at the court—Jiang Nian seemed to be leaving too, saying something.

Wait, was that a spitting motion?

On the court.

Jiang Nian spat on the ground, staring at Zhang Xiaofan.

"Asshole, can you even play basketball properly?"

"Boring."

Saying that, Jiang Nian took off his basketball jersey and walked toward the hoop. He hung the shirt aside, pulled on his coat, and left the court.

Zhang Xiaofan stood frozen in the center of the basketball court, still dazed, unable to process what had just happened.

Everything he had ever been proud of in his life had just been shattered by Jiang Nian today. In his own strongest domain, he had been utterly crushed.

The feeling was like the sky had collapsed.

Even if he had more money than Jiang Nian, even if he could find better girlfriends later, even if he lived in a luxury riverside mansion, holding his girlfriends while drinking wine at parties—

At this moment, he would never smile again.

(End of chapter)