Chapter 23: Old Han’s Hidden Prowess

Old Han stood idly with his hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his lips as he watched me. A tall, thin boy half-heartedly defended by his side.

Huang Li, however, kept his gaze fixed on me, likely thinking this game was just a casual romp with three girls, and all he needed to do was keep an eye on me, the only male player.

I glanced around. Old Han was positioned too deep, showing no intention of moving out. He slowly shuffled towards the outer line, the tall, thin boy lazily trailing behind him.

‘Old Han probably plans to go easy at first, letting me warm up before the real game begins,’ I thought.

‘But you’re giving me too much credit,’ I mused. ‘I’m no damn Air Jordan, and these guys are all on the school team. How am I supposed to drive the ball in by myself?’

My gaze shifted to Dragon Brother. She seemed eager for the ball, constantly moving around. The delicate-looking boy, however, was incredibly serious, shadowing her every move.

Dragon Brother, not entirely familiar with basketball rules, found his persistent trailing somewhat exasperating. She turned her head and demanded, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you following me?”

The delicate-looking boy clearly hadn’t anticipated Dragon Brother’s blunt question. He became flustered, his face flushing crimson as he hastily lowered his head.

Bouncing the ball, I looked over. Dragon Brother seized the perfect opportunity, darting with an arrow-like rush to the three-point line.

“Pass the ball, Lu Ren!” she yelled.

The tall, thin boy chuckled. “Can we get the ball in play, buddy?”

‘Who am I supposed to pass to?’ I sighed inwardly. Old Chu was intently focused on the hoop, her hands held in a perfect shooting form. She made two practice shots, nodded, and then turned to look at me.

No one was guarding Old Chu. She stared blankly at the basket, almost completely lacking any presence on the court.

After a moment’s thought, I passed the ball directly to Old Chu. ‘Let’s just mess around for now,’ I decided. ‘Old Han can improvise later.’

The instant I passed the ball to Old Chu, I saw Old Han instinctively take off, silently sprinting into the paint. It was a perfect position to start a drive. If Old Chu passed to him, he could easily make a three-step layup for a direct score.

However, Old Chu showed no intention of passing. She kept her eyes fixed on the hoop, raised her arm, maintaining a perfect double-ninety-degree angle, and released the ball with another flawless arc.

After all, it was Old Chu’s first time playing; her previous shot was likely a fluke. Seeing Old Chu shoot directly, Old Han sighed and immediately charged towards the basket. He probably figured it was just for exercise, and how they played didn’t really matter anymore.

At that moment, I also sprinted directly under the basket. To my surprise, the tall male player named Huang Li followed, his knees slightly bent.

Even in that stance, he was still half a head taller than me; I estimated his height to be around 185 centimeters.

The three of us poised under the backboard, ready to rebound the ball. Yet, the ball sailed straight into the hoop, brushing against the net with a soft swish.

It went in again. Another swish.

All three of us were momentarily stunned. The ball bounced on the ground for a while, but no one moved to pick it up.

We all turned our heads, staring blankly at Old Chu.

A crowd had begun to gather off the court. Witnessing this scene, a ripple of hushed gasps spread through them. A young boy, clutching a basketball, exclaimed, “Holy cow! A swish from the three-point line, that’s amazing!”

Old Chu, still bewildered, maintained her shooting posture, her hands perfectly aligned. She made a couple of release gestures, then thoughtfully lowered her hands. Looking at us, she asked, “Did I foul? Does that count as a score?”

“Yes, it does.”

Huang Li stood upright after a moment of stunned silence. He nodded, then surveyed our group, smiling as he addressed the boys behind him. “Alright, guys, we need to play properly now. Stop messing around and show some real skill.”

All the boys, except for the delicate-looking boy, nodded in agreement. Old Han merely smiled, offering no comment.

It was my turn to inbound the ball again. I was about to drive it in myself. However, Huang Li stood firmly at the three-point line, defending me relentlessly.

Streetball rules are a bit more lenient; if a team has fewer than four players, self-inbounding is allowed.

Dribbling the ball, I observed his defense. It was genuinely excellent. I swayed left and right, but no matter how I moved, I couldn’t get past him.

Old Chu still stood there blankly. This time, the delicate-looking boy was guarding her. He tentatively watched Old Chu, but she made no other moves, merely maintaining her standard shooting form, expressionlessly practicing air shots.

I tried to drive several times but couldn’t get past, almost losing the ball. With a stumble, I slapped the ball back. He didn’t follow to steal it.

I smiled at Huang Li, and he returned a faint smile. Noticing Old Han inadvertently closing in, I feigned a move to the right, then swiftly passed the ball left to Old Han.

Huang Li’s reaction was swift. The moment the ball left my hands, he darted straight for Old Han. By the time Old Han caught the ball, he was already standing, smiling, directly in front of him.

I was just about to sneak over for a screen. Old Han pulled up his hood, a cheerful smile on his face, and dribbled the ball twice between his legs.

Huang Li’s eyes lit up. “Not bad, you can even dribble between your legs—”

Before he could finish, Old Han suddenly burst left with an arrow-like dash. Huang Li chuckled, then reluctantly extended an arm to block.

The instant Huang Li’s body leaned left, Old Han executed a behind-the-back dribble, bringing the ball back. The change in direction was almost imperceptible.

Huang Li, having no real guard against Old Han and assuming he was just an ordinary girl who knew a bit about basketball, was completely faked out!

The group of boys watched, dumbfounded. They rushed over, scrambling to block Old Han.

But Old Han, with several fluid crossover dribbles and changes in direction, weaved past them as if toying with children, leaving them all in his wake.

Even the delicate-looking boy was nearly tripped up by him, his face beet red as he clumsily scrambled to his feet.

I stood at the three-point line, leaning on my knees, watching Old Han’s performance.

After Old Han’s three-step layup, he didn’t even wait for the ball to drop through the hoop. He simply turned, hands in his pockets, a cheerful smile on his face, and walked towards me.

The basketball grazed the rim, spun around, and then dropped into the net.

I chuckled, leaning on my knees. ‘A true master walks away without a backward glance, never looking at the explosion.’

‘No wonder little girls used to scream whenever he played basketball.’

Old Han’s display was truly graceful. All four boys looked utterly stunned, their eyes wide as they watched his retreating figure.

Even the court began to stir with excitement. The group of boys watching from the sidelines started to whisper, their gazes turning to admiration.

Old Han smiled and waved to the spectators.

After a moment of silence, seeing Old Han wave, someone in the murmuring crowd shouted:

“Crush him! Take down Huang Li!”

“My god, did you see that move just now? I felt myself get faked out, I couldn’t even see where the ball went…”

“What’s that girl’s name? How is she so good?”

“She’s been coming here often these past few days, I remember her. She’s incredibly good at basketball, I think her name is Han Changfeng…”

“And I’m Rukawa Kaede…”

“It sounds a bit like a boy’s name…”

Leaning on my knees, I chuckled as I watched Old Han. ‘His skills haven’t diminished at all.’

Back in middle school, he was practically the entire school team’s hope. Their bald-headed coach initially had high expectations for Old Han, urging him to push harder for the city championship.

Later, seeing how fierce the kid was, the coach constantly badgered him to aim for the provincial championship. One day, when I idly chatted with Old Han at the training ground, he mentioned that the bald coach had already told him to strive for national glory.

Seriously, during that period, X Middle School saw little girls sending him love letters every single day. He was the school’s star, and the name Han Changyun was practically a legend, known by everyone.

Then came high school.

Although Old Han still played basketball frequently, he never joined the school team again.

Everyone from middle school secretly discussed it, ultimately concluding he must have had some profound, unspoken hardship. However, one day, while I was with Old Han buying drinks, I impulsively asked him.

That rascal simply said there was nothing to it; training was just too tiring, and he didn’t want to go.

The score on the court was now two to zero. Since it was a streetball game, there weren’t many specific scoring rules; the first team to score five baskets won.

Huang Li truly had some skills. After losing two points, he no longer underestimated Old Han’s abilities, closely watching his every move.

Indeed, this group of players was quite capable. Apart from the delicate-looking boy, whose reactions were noticeably a beat slower, the others displayed good teamwork with several coordinated passes, managing to score two points themselves.

At this point, I held the ball—or rather, I was just the inbounder.

While I played basketball often in middle school, it was always just for fun; I was clearly not on the same level as these guys on the court.

And ever since Old Han revealed his true skill, almost no one bothered to guard me closely. They all played zone defense, only loosely following me once I stepped inside the three-point line. It felt like blatant discrimination.

Now I had no idea who to pass to. I initially considered driving it in myself.

But after a moment’s thought, I dismissed the idea. I wasn’t Old Han; I definitely couldn’t break through, and if the ball was stolen, we might even lose a point.

I wanted to pass to Old Han, but he was being tightly double-teamed by two players, unable to break free for the moment. He gave me a helpless smile.

Thinking it over, I dribbled the ball and called out, “Seriously, guys? You need a double-team for one girl? Are you just openly harassing her? Your double-team position is all wrong. Where are you two always looking? Are all you school team guys perverts or something?”

Old Han, hands in his pockets, narrowed his eyes, smiling like two crescent moons. By now, the crowd had grown, densely packed around the court, almost thirty people at a glance.

Seeing how tightly those two players were guarding Old Han, the spectators erupted in boos. With my “perverts” accusation, the tall, thin boy guarding Old Han hesitated, taking a half-step back.

Huang Li leaned on his knees and smiled faintly. “You don’t need to provoke me. We haven’t even touched him; we’re just defending.”

I said nothing, sighing inwardly, and continued dribbling, already pondering other strategies.

I wanted to drive the ball in myself, but as soon as I moved inward, several players would follow me from a distance. And that tall, thin kid, though not a great shooter, was incredibly fast. I had just taken a shot, and he had blocked it outright.

Now, I didn’t dare shoot carelessly; I just had to find an opportunity to pass the ball to Old Han.

I glanced around. Old Chu was also being guarded by the delicate-looking boy, who seemed a bit bored, idly tugging at his shirt hem, lost in thought.

I had intended to signal Old Chu with my eyes to move out, so I could pass the ball. However, Old Chu was staring thoughtfully at the basket, completely ignoring me.

The delicate-looking boy, looking a little dazed, happened to glance up and saw me winking at him. His face visibly reddened to his ears, and he hastily averted his gaze.

I heard the spectators whispering. “What’s up with that kid, winking at Xueli…”

“Shhh, he might be gay…”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

How can I, the Holy Son, marry someone?

BattleFemale ProtagonistMarriage

Read Now →
Not interested