Chapter 39: Complete Victory

Wu Sen made his entrance!

Amid the thunderous cheers of eight thousand passionate students packed into the basketball arena, Wu Sen finally appeared! To be fair, Wu Sen himself had always been the focus of their adoration. Before he showed up, they cheered for him as enthusiastically as they did for He Tian. But when Wu Sen strode onto the court in full “combat” gear, the crowd fell silent. Every breath was held as they watched the two figures standing in the center of the court.

Both were strikingly handsome.

Countless infatuated girls stared, eyes wide and unblinking.

“You actually dared to show up!” Wu Sen faced He Tian, his expression stern, brimming with fighting spirit.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He Tian replied with a calm, easy smile, his whole demeanor relaxed.

Seeing He Tian so at ease, Wu Sen’s anger flared uncontrollably. What a show-off! To Wu Sen, this nonchalance was the ultimate insult—an open contempt that nearly made him explode with rage.

“Calm down! Calm down! Now is not the time to lose my temper. I have to win this match—no matter what!” Wu Sen’s pride demanded victory, so he forced himself to remain composed, refusing to let any external factor shake him.

“You’re destined to lose, and to lose badly!” Wu Sen grabbed the basketball from the floor, his voice low and resolute.

“If simply saying I’ll lose made it so, then there’d be no need for us to play at all,” He Tian replied, still smiling with that same effortless air.

“You’re really going to play me like that?” Wu Sen sneered, eyeing He Tian’s casual attire.

“Why not?” He Tian grinned. “I think this will do just fine.”

“Very well!” Flames of anger leapt in Wu Sen’s eyes. It was too much—far too much contempt!

There’s a limit to what anyone can endure, and Wu Sen had reached his.

“I’ll let you go first!” Wu Sen bounced the ball to He Tian.

He Tian pushed it right back. “If I go first, you might never get the chance to go on offense. Better if you start.”

Utter, blatant disdain!

“Fine! I’ll go first!” Wu Sen could no longer restrain his fury.

“Arsen... steady yourself!” Li Qiang, watching Wu Sen’s emotions boil, called out in concern. For a basketball player, emotional swings are deadly—especially anger, which throws off all sense of rhythm and composure.

To Li Qiang, it seemed clear that He Tian was deliberately provoking Wu Sen, trying to throw him off balance.

Wu Sen glanced back at Li Qiang, took a deep breath, and nodded forcefully. Truth be told, Wu Sen respected Li Qiang a great deal. With that reminder, Wu Sen’s emotions gradually settled.

The arena had fallen utterly silent, so everyone heard the exchange between He Tian and Wu Sen clearly.

Wu Sen’s fighting spirit and He Tian’s open contempt stoked the crowd’s anticipation, their excitement simmering just below the surface, ready to erupt.

In the front row, Wang Xinrou, Lin Ying, Ouyang Bingbing, and Li Yingying felt thoroughly satisfied by He Tian’s words. Others might see this as an insult to Wu Sen, but to them, it was sheer dominance—a show of absolute confidence. Yet the rest of the crowd had no clue, which only made the girls look forward to the moment when He Tian would unleash his full strength, and everyone else would be left speechless.

All eyes were fixed on one side of the court. He Tian had taken his position, not even bothering with a defensive stance—just standing there casually.

Wu Sen dribbled, preparing to attack.

The match had officially begun.

Wu Sen’s mind was now steady; defeating He Tian was his sole objective. He Tian’s attitude was irrelevant—meaningless to him at this point.

Now, Wu Sen’s mental fortitude was on full display.

He was a small forward by position, but in truth, he could play anywhere—a true all-rounder. His handling was skillful, his feel for the ball superb.

He scanned He Tian’s defense. To Wu Sen’s eyes, it was riddled with holes. With a simple change of direction, he accelerated, already calculating in his head the perfect windmill dunk for a spectacular opening.

He bypassed He Tian, surging forward—then suddenly, something felt wrong.

The ball... was gone!

He spun around, nearly stumbling. Somehow, the basketball had found its way into He Tian’s hands, and He Tian was dribbling it lightly, smiling at Wu Sen.

Wu Sen was baffled; the audience hadn’t really caught what happened either. But Li Qiang, Liu Jian, and the other varsity players had seen it clearly. He Tian had feigned a reaction to Wu Sen’s fake, then, just as Wu Sen made his move, reached out and snatched the ball away with effortless precision. The whole move was fluid and understated—so easy it was almost arrogant.

Li Qiang and the others exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the others’ eyes. Such a steal showcased He Tian’s astonishing hand speed and flexibility. From that alone, they could already tell He Tian was a formidable player. Still, they believed Wu Sen would ultimately win. He’d underestimated his opponent this time, but there were ten possessions in the game—this was only the first, plenty of chances left. Besides, they trusted Wu Sen’s defensive skills; once He Tian was on offense, things would get interesting.

Unlike the calm, analytical mood of Li Qiang and his teammates, Wang Xinrou, Ouyang Bingbing, Lin Ying, and Li Yingying erupted in excitement at He Tian’s steal. They hadn’t seen exactly how he did it, but that didn’t matter—He Tian had succeeded!

The four of them led the crowd in chanting He Tian’s name, and soon the entire arena was swept up, shouting for him. The atmosphere soared to new heights after that steal.

Still, the crowd’s discipline held; as soon as Wu Sen dropped into a defensive stance and He Tian started dribbling, the chants ceased, and all watched the next contest in rapt silence.

Wu Sen stood less than a meter from He Tian. At that range, whether He Tian tried to drive or pull up for a shot, Wu Sen had it covered. His eyes were sharp, locked onto the ball, every sense on high alert. After being stripped, Wu Sen was now fully locked into game mode.

He Tian dribbled easily, eyeing Wu Sen with a faint smile.

Wu Sen saw an opening—struck fast.

He meant to return the favor with a steal of his own, to reclaim the momentum. But his hand never touched the ball. Instantly, a chill ran through him.

He watched as He Tian took a long stride, breezed past him, then, instead of pressing the attack, casually tossed the ball up—straight through the hoop.

“One to zero. Again!” Wu Sen took up position, letting He Tian attack once more.

“My turn, then!” He Tian replied cheerfully, suddenly springing up and shooting the ball.

Wu Sen leapt with all his might to block the shot.

He soared high; with his height and leap, he was sure he could get a hand on the ball. But to his astonishment, as he reached his apex, He Tian was still rising. The point from which He Tian released the ball was entirely beyond Wu Sen’s reach.

Landing, Wu Sen could only hope for a miss.

But with a crisp swish, the ball found the net, shattering any hope he had.

“What incredible leaping ability!” Li Qiang and Liu Jian exchanged glances, their amazement plain.

Two possessions—one had shown He Tian’s ball-handling, the other his vertical.

Now, Wu Sen had lost both.

Li Qiang and the others began to lose confidence. If He Tian kept relying on that vertical, how could Wu Sen possibly defend him?

Wang Xinrou and her friends cheered wildly once more.

“Again!” Wu Sen shouted, rallying himself.

He Tian’s smile widened—

Boom!

When He Tian soared and slammed the ball through the hoop, the entire gym exploded in jubilation.

Wu Sen collapsed helplessly to the floor, staring blankly at He Tian, utterly dazed.

It was He Tian’s tenth basket.

Wu Sen had lost.

And lost so completely.

After Wu Sen’s first attack was stolen, He Tian’s offense became relentless. Wu Sen never had another chance.

With each possession, He Tian employed a different strategy. Wu Sen gave everything he had on defense, but not once did he succeed.

Especially that tenth basket—He Tian first feinted so hard that Wu Sen fell to the court, then soared for a crushing dunk.

He Tian claimed a flawless victory.

Wu Sen, meanwhile, was left utterly defeated.

Wang Xinrou and her friends were the first to rush onto the court. Overcome with excitement, Wang Xinrou threw herself into He Tian’s arms, beaming with joy, gesturing wildly, shouting words that were drowned in the overwhelming noise.

The entire audience rose, chanting He Tian’s name.

In that moment, the spotlight belonged to He Tian alone.

No one remembered the loser.

Wu Sen hung his head, crushed by the weight of defeat.

Li Qiang and the others gathered around him, at a loss for words. They couldn’t blame He Tian for his ruthless display; after all, Wu Sen had started it, drawn the crowd himself. In truth, this was Wu Sen reaping what he’d sown.

Yet, seeing Wu Sen’s spirit so thoroughly broken, Li Qiang and the others were filled with worry. Such a promising talent—would he be destroyed by one setback? That would be a tragedy.

He Tian gently disentangled himself from Wang Xinrou, then searched the crowd for Wu Sen and walked straight over.

He Tian’s victory was brilliant, and his conscience was clear—he hadn’t used a trace of inner strength, relying solely on his natural ability to win.

Still, Wu Sen’s fighting spirit left a deep impression on him. Wu Sen’s basketball talent was undeniable.

He Tian had no wish for this defeat to cast a shadow over Wu Sen. That was never his intention...