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墨書 Inktalez
“Jianfei……” I and A Fei hesitated to speak, not expecting the encounter between Situ Jianfei and Sha Xiaomei to be so dramatic. “We’re going to be late for school, let’s go.” Situ Jianfei said without looking back. A Fei and I picked up our bicycles and headed to school. I vaguely sensed that Situ Jianfei was not the kind of delinquent or bully; he was just more independent and solitary than the average student.
After arriving at school, Shuai Dong and Pang Hao were playing rock-paper-scissors. “You two really have a lot of leisure time,” I joked. “When’s the competition?” Shuai Dong came over, “Big Back, it’s not your turn, cheer for me and A Fei instead.” I replied proudly, but Shuai Dong dismissed me, saying, “I don’t care about representing the school in competitions.” You might want to care, but there’s no chance.
It was time for basketball class again, and everyone was practicing basic moves as usual. I could no longer contain my confusion and secretly ran over to Teacher Qiu, asking, “Teacher Qiu, what did you talk about with A Fei?” Teacher Qiu paused for a moment and slowly replied, “The academic office hopes to have Cheng Fei temporarily withdraw from the basketball team.” “What?! How could this happen?! Why would they do that?! A Fei is the future star of the school!” I couldn’t believe the school would make such a decision. “I’ve always believed in Cheng Fei’s future; he is a key player on the team. His departure would significantly reduce the overall strength of the team, but he needs to rest for a while,” Teacher Qiu said helplessly. “What’s the reason? They can’t just cut a key player without any reason!” I knew basketball meant everything to A Fei, so something serious must have happened. “Because… during your last fight when you went to the hospital for a check-up, it was discovered that Cheng Fei’s retina…” Teacher Qiu paused before continuing, “They found abnormalities in A Fei’s retina. If not treated promptly, there’s a risk of retinal detachment, even… potential blindness.” “What?!” I suddenly felt like lightning struck me. How could this be possible?! For all these years, A Fei had always had good vision; how could he have an eye problem? “Then… how long does he need to rest?” “The recovery period after surgery will take about two months.” Wouldn’t that mean missing the citywide high school league?! The citywide high school league is set to start next month! “Cheng Fei doesn’t want to rest; he feels his vision is fine right now,” Teacher Qiu added. “But we don’t want him to miss the best treatment window. It’s good that you know; please help me persuade him.” “Do A Fei’s parents know about this?” “Yes, as soon as the examination report came out, we called his parents immediately. They have already contacted a hospital and can schedule surgery at any time, but they can’t convince Cheng Fei due to his stubbornness.” A Fei, how can you be so foolish!
At noon after school, I went with A Fei to the cafeteria for lunch. We found a corner to sit down. “A Fei, I already know.” At first, he was taken aback but quickly regained his composure and smiled: “What do you know?” “I know you have eye problems; I hope you can take some time off.” The expression on A Fei’s face froze: “How do you know my eyes aren’t good? Aren’t they fine? Did they joke with you again?” “Stop pretending!” I shouted uncontrollably as classmates around us looked over. “Keep it down,” A Fei awkwardly pressed me back into my seat and sighed slowly: “Jie, do you remember what I told you my dream was? It’s to lead my team in fierce battles and ultimately win championships. The spring challenge is about to start, and the citywide high school league will kick off next month. As long as we reach the finals, we’ll have a chance to participate in provincial or even national championships. I absolutely won’t give up even an ounce of opportunity to pursue my dream; do you understand?” “I understand, but if you lose your eyesight, how will you lead the team in battle? How will you help them win championships?” My emotions were getting heated. “I have my eyesight; Teacher Qiu once told me this year’s Team has one of the most cohesive lineups in recent years with both outside and inside players being strong enough for a shot at the top four. So I don’t want to give up…” “This isn’t giving up!” I interrupted him. “What you need to do now is ensure your health.” “I’m full; I’m leaving first.” Since A Fei didn’t want to argue with me anymore, he left me alone in the corner of the cafeteria deep in thought…
Time flies; today is our away game against City No. 1 High School. We boarded the bus one after another, and on the way, I was very worried about A Fei. He seemed dazed; when we arrived at City No. 1 High School and got off the bus, he missed a step while getting down from the last row and almost fell. I hurried over to support him—wow! I didn’t expect his eyesight to deteriorate so quickly.
During warm-ups before the game, I clearly saw that when A Fei aimed at the basket, he took a long time to focus. Teacher Qiu noticed too; his expression was serious. The game was about to start; Teacher Qiu arranged the starting lineup: “Zhongqi, Xiang Jie, you two are responsible for outside play; Yan Bing, Rui Zhi, you two handle inside play; Yingjie plays forward.” “What about me?” When A Fei saw he wasn’t mentioned, he asked. “You stay on the bench for now,” said Teacher Qiu. Though reluctant, A Fei obediently sat on the bench.
The game began smoothly for us; first,Zhongqi assisted Zhang Yingjie with a mid-range shot followed by himself driving in for a foul shot! We started strong against our opponents with a score of 50-0 initially. However, as the game continued, it seemed like our opponents gradually regained their home court advantage; especially in the latter half of the first quarter when they launched a 9-0 run against us. Teacher Qiu called for a timeout: “Yan Bing, when defending against their inside players, stay close; they are relying on both inside-outside strategies now; Ouyang Shangqiang, replace Xiang Jie, play shooting guard…” While listening to Coach Qiu's instructions beside him,A Fei appeared dazed as if he had guessed something…
Back on court,Bing Ge's defensive intensity increased somewhat but although it limited their center's performance somewhat, it also led to more fouls being committed—by the end of the first quarter,Bing Ge had already accumulated three fouls while we barely led by two points.
As the second quarter began,Teacher Qiu changed some tactics using a big-small combination of Bing Ge and Zhang Jun, hoping to attack inside while maintaining speed and agility—this strategy worked well! After missing an attempt,Zhang Jun assisted again for another score by Zhang Yingjie. Young players like Ouyang Shangqiang, full of energy yet lacking defensive reliability were substituted back into play by Coach Qiu. The opposing players were particularly aggressive defensively during this offensive possession—I dribbled past one defender who lunged for a steal before suddenly passing it out to 45-degree angle where Zhongqi. "Zhongqi Senior, it's all yours!" With a fake-out move,Zhongqi Senior tricked his defender into jumping before attempting a three-pointer! The whistle blew—he drew a foul successfully! Everyone's eyes were glued on that basket—the ball went in! +1!! I rushed over high-fiving with him—he truly is our team's soul! This under-six-foot player repeatedly pulled us out of tough spots during crucial moments.
I noticed that A Fei still seemed lost in thought with vacant eyes—it’s no wonder since not letting him play basketball is like denying an alcoholic their drink! I ran over and patted his shoulder encouragingly before returning back onto court where,Zhongqi Senior's free throw went in successfully making it four points scored forcing our opponents into calling another timeout: "Good job!" said Coach Qiu smilingly. "When playing basketball don’t just think about how to beat your opponent—keep your mindset balanced; being too eager will create openings." In this quarter we managed an impressive 114 against them extending our lead by nine points.
During halftime we discussed strategies for third quarter in our locker room.A Fei, who had been silent earlier suddenly joined in: "If I'm not mistaken their team will definitely come back fiercely in third quarter—they’ll fight hard so we just need to hold them off or extend our lead further during this period then their morale will drop leading them into chaos..." Coach Qiu engaged everyone intensely discussing tactics: "Coach let me defend their small forward position—I’m confident I can contain him," suddenly volunteered.A Fei. "Cheng Fei, you know I'm counting on you," Coach Qiu replied sternly. "Coach no—please let me play one quarter if I feel like I'm dragging down our team then I'll listen..." said.A Fei, his voice trembling slightly but determined nonetheless: "But..." Coach Qiu still hesitated somewhat until teammates unaware of details chimed in urging him: "Yeah coach let him play he's our rookie king..." Everyone chimed together encouragingly towards Coach Qiu: "Alright then you'll replace.Zhang Jun. Are you sure you're ready?" "Yes no problem!"
As third quarter began,A Fei, just stepping onto court appeared particularly excited—his shooting touch felt hot! He first assisted.Zhang Ruizhi. Then scored twice consecutively driving through defenders! "A Fei, great job!" I shouted towards him while he smiled back at me—it all felt so joyous until unexpected events occurred with three minutes left in third quarter:A Fei, attempting an aggressive drive inside passed off quickly back out towards.Zhongqi. As he moved swiftly towards free throw line position,Zhongqi returned pass right back towards unguarded.A Fei. Everyone shifted focus onto.Zhongqi. Leaving.A Fei. Open for scoring opportunity—he lifted ball up only suddenly froze—I clearly saw him blink hard twice as defenders rushed back into position causing him hurriedly release shot which ended up missing completely! Coach Qiu immediately called timeout: "How are you feeling?" Concerned coach asked.A Fei. Rubbing his eyes he nodded slightly—I watched feeling distressed seeing.A Fei. Like this—it’s hard imagining just one month ago he was dominating courts as "Ai II" now reduced down like this—it felt too sudden why would fate play such cruel jokes on.A Fei!
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