The four players from No. 2 High School Class 1 thought the same way.
However, Lin Mo did not do that. His right foot stepped on the center court logo.
He bent his knees and rose onto his toes!
He jumped up and flicked his wrist!
The entire sequence flowed like running water!
The basketball drew a graceful arc through the air, flying toward the hoop.
The court fell completely silent, countless gazes converging on the basketball.
Would it go in?
Chapter 21: Consecutive logo three-pointers!
"Clang!"
Under everyone's gaze, the basketball smashed heavily into the rim.
Three-pointer made!
Gasps of astonishment erupted around the court.
Inbelief was plastered across everyone's face.
A three-pointer, and a logo three-pointer at that!
Just luck, right?
In the corner, An Youyu stared at Lin Mo on the court, her eyes wide as saucers. "So amazing..."
She didn't understand the rules of basketball, nor did she know what a logo three-pointer was; she only knew that Lin Mo had just shot from very, very far away from the basket, yet still managed to sink the ball right into the hoop.
"Holy shit—"
Gu Fan screamed at the top of his lungs, "Mo-ge, you are my god!"
Gao Hang wore a look of utter disdain. "Just dumb luck, what's there to brag about?"
Gu Fan wasn't going to coddle him. "If you have the guts, shoot a logo three-pointer yourself. If you don't, shut your stinking mouth!"
Gao Hang's face turned gloomy. "Fast break, keep going!"
Through skillful passing and coordination, the basketball crossed the midline once again.
"Captain, catch!"
A Class 1 player passed the basketball to Gao Hang near the three-point line. The next second, a figure appeared right in the passing lane.
It was none other than Lin Mo.
He easily intercepted the ball, dribbling quickly toward the Class 1 half of the court.
"Damn it!"
Gao Hang cursed under his breath.
Like a ghost, this Lin Mo was everywhere!
Despite his thoughts, he didn't dare hesitate, quickly falling back to defend.
Yet before Gao Hang could run more than a few steps, Lin Mo, holding the ball, stood once again on the center court logo and leaped upward.
He bent his knees and rose onto his toes!
He jumped up and flicked his wrist!
The exact same motion as before, a perfect replica!
Whether it was the players on the court or the students watching from the sidelines, their reactions were identical.
Mouths agape, eyes wide!
Again?
This wasn't an ordinary three-pointer; this was a logo three-pointer!
The basketball in mid-air seemed equipped with GPS positioning, precisely drilling into the basketball hoop.
The colorful net flipped upward, proving that none of this was an illusion.
Another logo three-pointer scored!
The entire basketball court fell into an eerie silence.
A shot of the logo three-pointer caliber, even in NBA games crowded with superstars, could be considered top-tier!
Aside from a few elite sharpshooters, almost no one dared to attempt such a crazy shot.
One could only imagine just how difficult such a shot was.
Furthermore, the match right now was not the NBA, but an ordinary high school class basketball tournament.
Lin Mo's consecutive logo three-pointers stunned all five Class 1 players, as well as the students watching from both classes.
Even Gu Fan, his seatmate, found it hard to believe.
After a brief shock, he held his head in his hands, his voice soaring high.
"Omg!"
The other three Class 2 players clicked their tongues in secret.
Lin Mo had always been pretty good at basketball, but nowhere near this exaggerated.
What was up with him today?
Did he take some kind of performance-enhancing drug?
Gao Hang stood frozen in place, his expression quite a spectacle.
Just one minute into the game, the score was already 8:0!
Class 2 had 8 points, and they had 0!
In particular, Lin Mo's two logo three-pointers heavily shattered the morale of the Class 1 players.
At that moment, a dazed look filled the eyes of the Class 1 players.
It was only natural for them to be completely dazed; they were just half-grown kids who had never witnessed consecutive logo three-pointers before.
Influenced by this, the rest of the Class 2 players performed with exceptional ferocity during the subsequent play.
The five Class 1 players, including Gao Hang, sank into low spirits.
Consequently, the match took on a completely one-sided trend.
At the end of the first quarter, the score reached 28:7!
A 21-point lead in a single quarter!
The referee's whistle blew, and Gu Fan rushed over to Lin Mo immediately.
He wanted to give Lin Mo a hug, but before he could reach him, Lin Mo sidestepped and dodged out of the way.
"Hold it right there!"
Gu Fan didn't mind at all, his face plastered with excitement. "Mo-ge, you are simply too awesome!"
Without a trace of exaggeration, he had genuinely been completely conquered by the basketball skills Lin Mo had just displayed.
In the first quarter of the match, Class 2 scored 28 points, 25 of which were tied to Lin Mo.
He carried the team so hard his back hurt!
Lin Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your goal was achieved in just a single quarter, so tell me, can we have a little more ambition in the future?"
"Huh?"
Gu Fan dropped his jaw.
Only now did he understand the true meaning of the word "ambition" in Lin Mo's mouth.
After a brief moment of surprise, he sidled up to Lin Mo with a cheeky grin and winked. "Mo-ge, the water delivery thing is scheduled for after the second quarter. You better mentally prepare yourself in advance."
Lin Mo smiled indifferently. "What's there to prepare?"
Gu Fan curled his lip. "With so many people watching, An Youyu is going to bring you water. How do you think the guys on the court are going to react?"
"What reaction?"
"We're gonna beat you to a pulp, you little punk!"
"..."
Lin Mo's face darkened as he suppressed the urge to beat someone up right then and there.
If he hadn't promised An Youyu to avoid physical altercations as much as possible, he definitely would have greeted this guy properly with his fists.
Gu Fan coughed awkwardly. "I'm just analyzing it from the perspective of the majority of guys. Who told An Youyu to be so pretty? Even those little brats in the first and second years are gossiping about her."
Lin Mo was well aware of the situation and simply smiled indifferently.
One minute before the start of the second quarter.
Gao Hang clapped his hands. "Pull yourselves together! If we lose this match looking this pathetic, Class 1 will be nailed to the pillar of shame!"
Soon, the hundred-day countdown sprint to the college entrance examination would begin.
This match was the final showdown between the two classes.
Whoever won this match would have the last laugh.
A Class 1 boy wore a bitter expression. "Monitor, that Lin Mo is too slippery. I can't even touch him."
"That's right."
"Me too."
"Like an oiled eel, seriously fucking annoying!"
Once one person took the lead, the other three began to complain as well.
During the first quarter, they had tried every possible means to get close to Lin Mo and resort to some underhanded tricks.
Unfortunately, before they could ever get close, Lin Mo would pass the ball to other Class 2 players, giving them zero opportunity to close the gap.
They couldn't just charge blindly at him and pick a fight when Lin Mo wasn't even holding the ball, could they?
Even if the referee was from Class 1, pulling a stunt like that wouldn't fly.
Gao Hang swept his gaze across the four of them and made a decision in his heart. "Cancel the plan targeting Lin Mo. Just play a normal game—we cannot afford to lose this match!"
"Got it!"
The other four nodded in succession.
The referee's whistle blew, and the second quarter commenced.
Led by Gao Hang, Class 1 adopted a steady, step-by-step strategy, easily driving in for a layup.
Class 2 launched a quick counterattack, with Gu Fan still charging at the very front.
Gao Hang glued himself to Gu Fan, denying him any chance to catch the pass.
Playing as the point guard, Lin Mo leisurely dribbled the ball up to the center court logo.
"Mo-ge, pass!"
Gu Fan shouted as he ran.
Holding the ball in one hand, Lin Mo flicked it hard with a powerful toss. "Catch!"
A wave of joy washed over Gu Fan. In the first quarter, Lin Mo completely overshadowed everyone, denying him any chance to shine.
Now, he finally had a chance to flex his muscles!
Yet before he could revel in his joy for long, a question mark popped up on his forehead.
This pass...
Was a bit crooked, wasn't it?
Chapter 22: Ancient tactics always win hearts
Gu Fan was standing outside the three-point line near the baseline, but the direction of Lin Mo's pass was aimed squarely at the free-throw line.
Crooked didn't even begin to cover it!
The crucial part was that there wasn't a single Class 2 person in that spot.
Seeing this, Gao Hang yelled, "Intercept the ball!"
The two Class 1 boys stationed near the free-throw line leaped upward swiftly.
Even though they used all their might, their height still fell short.
The two of them watched helplessly as the basketball flew right over their heads, filled with utter perplexity.
Can you really pass a ball that high?
The next second, the two suddenly realized something, their expressions changing drastically.
The direction the basketball was flying towards was none other than the hoop!
Compared to before, the arc of the basketball this time was much flatter, which was the main reason why the Class 1 players had mistaken it for a pass in the first place.
"Boom—"
"Swish—"
Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Logo bank shot three-pointer, good!
The entire court fell dead silent!
As the physical education teacher at No. 2 High School, Yi Guoliang led a very leisurely life and always went around smiling at everyone on weekdays, which earned him the nickname "Smiling Tiger" among the students.
For some unknown reason, he had been suffering from diarrhea since noon today, and so he had rushed straight to the sports field the moment he stepped out of the restroom.
He cherished this leisurely job very much.
If the school leadership found out that during gym class, he—the PE teacher—was actually nowhere to be found, he would definitely be in for a thorough scolding.
Seeing the basketball court surrounded by a sea of students, Yi Guoliang finally remembered that the senior science classes Class 1 and Class 2 had a class basketball match today.
As he approached, he instantly felt that something wasn't right.
This shouldn't be happening!
It was too quiet—quiet in an eerie sort of way!
Yi Guoliang tapped a boy on the sidelines. "Kid, what's going on? Why is this basketball game being played in such dead silence?"
The boy swallowed hard. "T-Teacher, a logo three-pointer!"
Yi Guoliang's face was full of bewilderment. "What logo three-pointer?"
The boy stammered without making any sense, prompting Yi Guoliang to wave a hand. "Never mind, I'll see for myself."
On the court.
Gu Fan stood motionless near the baseline, the corners of his mouth twitching wildly as he looked at Lin Mo with eyes full of resentment.
What happened to passing the ball?
How did it inexplicably turn into a logo three-pointer?
Freak!!!
After more than ten full seconds of silence, someone let out a gasp of astonishment, instantly triggering a chain reaction.
A chorus of uproar erupted all around.
"Crap! Three logo three-pointers? Is he hacking?"
"Is he really that strong?"
"With luck that good, he could totally go buy a lottery ticket!"
"Luck? That's three already! Is that still luck?"
...
In the corner.
An Youyu rubbed her eyes, refusing to believe everything she had just witnessed.
Standing behind her were two girls of above-average appearance—precisely Zhao Tiantian and Xiao Yu, whom Gu Fan had mentioned earlier.
Zhao Tiantian exchanged a glance with Xiao Yu, who instantly caught on, her voice drifting out leisurely.
"Tiantian, how come I never noticed before that Lin Mo is so outstanding? The way he shot just now looked so cool!"
"Right? I think he looks super cool too!"
Zhao Tiantian lowered her voice just enough for An Youyu standing in front to hear. "During the halftime break later, I'm planning to go give Lin Mo some water."
"Oh?"
Xiao Yu smiled meaningfully. "Are you finally making your move?"
"Of course!"
Zhao Tiantian said it as if it were only natural. "You have to strike early for good resources. That's called preemptive strike!"
"Tsch, it's senior year right now, you know."
"Of course I know that. Who said anything about doing *that*?"
"Then what do you mean?"
"Planting seeds is the only way to get a harvest!"
An Youyu heard every single word of the two girls' conversation clearly, and her fingers instinctively pinched the hem of her clothes.
Unawares, a very obvious look of tension welled up in her eyes.
Xiao Yu chuckled softly. "Well, I suppose that's true."
Then, her tone shifted. "I've noticed that An Youyu has been getting really close to Lin Mo lately. When it comes to looks and temperament—not to tear down my own sister here—you really can't compare to An Youyu."
Zhao Tiantian dismissed it with disdain. "So what if she's pretty?"
Xiao Yu glanced at An Youyu in front of them. "Have you ever heard of beauty that feast the eyes?"
Zhao Tiantian pursed her lips into a smile. "I might not be as pretty as An Youyu, but my academic grades are good, and I'm enthusiastic. Guys don't like an iceberg; they like a volcano!"
Xiao Yu silently gave her a thumbs-up and played along. "Fine, I wish you success."
"Obviously!"
Zhao Tiantian giggled. "For guys who play basketball, if a girl brings him water during halftime, there's a hundred percent chance he'll fall for her."
"Just wait, once Lin Mo accepts my water, it'll be as if he's made an agreement with me."
"What agreement?"
"After the college entrance exams, he's mine!"
Hearing this, An Youyu's lowered eyelashes fluttered.
Before she could dwell on it, Zhao Tiantian grabbed Xiao Yu and pulled her away. "Break time is almost over, come with me to buy some water."
An Youyu bit her lips tightly, her delicate brows knitted into a tight knot.
If he took Zhao Tiantian's water, Lin Mo would become hers?
In an instant, she made up her mind.
To hell with it!
Having made her decision, An Youyu slipped out from the crowd and jogged away from the sports field.
Noticing this while playing, the corners of Lin Mo's mouth curled up uncontrollably.
Ancient tactics always win hearts—the ancients never lied to me!
Returning to the game.
Following that last logo three-pointer by Lin Mo, the morale that the Class 1 players had just managed to gather vanished instantly.
During the remaining time, Class 2 completely took over the game.
The gap between the two scores widened even further.
When the second quarter came to an end, the score was locked at 54:18!
As soon as the whistle blew, the watching Class 2 students burst into wild cheers, their jubilant appearance forming a sharp contrast to the Class 1 students.
During the first semester of senior year, the two classes had played a basketball match.
In that game, because Lin Mo was sick and absent, Class 2 suffered a crushing defeat.
Ever since then, Class 1 students often used that incident to take passive-aggressive jabs at Class 2 students.
Now, they finally had a chance to hold their heads high and breathe a sigh of relief!
On the sidelines, Yi Guoliang was completely baffled.
What about the logo three-pointers?
Yet when he saw the scoreboard showing both teams' scores, he couldn't help falling into deep thought.
Right at that moment, a girl with twin ponytails walked past the crowd right up to Lin Mo under the gaze of countless people.
It was none other than Zhao Tiantian. A pleasant smile hung on her pretty face as she handed a bottle of mineral water to Lin Mo. "Drink some water and take a rest."
Looking at Lin Mo covered in sweat, she suddenly got a strange feeling.
How come she never noticed before that Lin Mo was actually this handsome?
This scene stirred up a wave of jealousy among the boys, their gazes turning increasingly hostile as they looked at Lin Mo.
It was one thing that he came to the sports field with An Youyu earlier, but now a girl was actually bringing this guy water in public?
How utterly aggravating!
The Class 2 boys were a bit better off, considering they were currently on the same team as Lin Mo.
The Class 1 boys, however, held nothing back, cursing aloud one after another.
"So what if he's good at basketball? It's not like you can eat it!"
"Who knows if these girls are blind or what, bah!"
"I heard this Lin Mo is a slacker; he only scored 18 points on the last math test. He probably can't even get into a tier-three university, let alone anything better than a vocational school. No need to be jealous—after the college entrance exams, he won't even be living in the same world as us!"
...
At this moment, everyone was disparaging Lin Mo, yet everyone secretly wanted to be Lin Mo!
Chapter 3: Of course, it depends on the person
The boys of Class 1 thought this moment was the peak of Lin Mo's life.
Little did they know, this was only the beginning.
Lin Mo glanced at Zhao Tiantian, his thin lips parting slightly: "Thanks for your hard work, wait a little longer."
An Youyu hadn't shown up yet.
Zhao Tiantian smiled, her smile as sweet as her name.
"Classmate Lin Mo, I brought you water with all sincerity. How about showing me some face?"
Lin Mo paused. Meeting Zhao Tiantian's gaze, he instantly realized something. "Sorry."
Zhao Tiantian's smile faltered. "You won't consider it at all?"
"Not considering it."
Lin Mo shook his head. "This is just a transaction. You played your part, and I'll pay."
Crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.
Zhao Tiantian wore a complicated expression, her eyes carrying a fair bit of disappointment. "It was so hard for my heart to flutter, only to find out it was just a transaction in the end."
"Sorry about that."
Lin Mo offered an apologetic smile.
Zhao Tiantian sighed. "A transaction it is, then. By the way, is An Youyu really that clumsy? Does it take this long to buy a bottle of water? My arm is getting sore from holding it up."
Lin Mo frowned almost imperceptibly.
An Youyu had run off the sports field earlier. Logically speaking, since Zhao Tiantian had been back for so long, An Youyu should have returned by now.
Yet she still hadn't appeared. Could this girl be planning not to bring him water after all?
That wasn't entirely out of the question!
Thinking of this, Lin Mo bent down to apologize. "Classmate Zhao, forget about the water."
With that, he hollered at Gu Fan not far away: "You four hold the fort for a moment, I'll be right back."
Amidst countless surprised gazes, Lin Mo simply walked away.
The match?
Put it on the back burner for now!
Leaving the sports field, Lin Mo headed straight for the small convenience store located at the south end of the school.
Arriving at the entrance of the convenience store, An Youyu's voice, carrying a hint of pleading, drifted out from inside.
"Auntie, I really will bring the money tomorrow."
"Little girl, it's not that Auntie doesn't trust you, but ever since the store opened, the rule has been no credit. We've kept it up for so many years; surely we can't break the rule just for a bottle of mineral water, right?"
The middle-aged woman's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Besides, you won't even say what you're buying the water for. I can't let you buy it on credit."
An Youyu bit her lip tightly, her eyes turning red.
At that moment, her mind was flooded with the image of Zhao Tiantian delivering water to Lin Mo.
She was terrified...
"Boss, I'll pay for the water."
The familiar voice by her ear made An Youyu freeze instantly. She turned her head and ran right into Lin Mo's gaze.
An Youyu was both nervous and surprised. "Y-You... aren't you in the middle of a match?"
"Doesn't matter."
Lin Mo fished out the money and handed it to the store owner, holding the mineral water in his left hand while his right fist tapped lightly on An Youyu's head.
An Youyu shrank her neck out of habit, her red lips parting and closing again.
The look of someone wanting to speak but holding back was glaringly obvious.
The store owner grabbed a handful of melon seeds and leisurely cracked them open, playing the absolute part of a bystander enjoying the drama.
Lin Mo glanced at the owner and his mouth twitched.
Paying no heed to whether An Youyu was willing or not, he grabbed her sleeve and pulled her outside.