The referee seemed to be blind, not calling a foul and not even blinking.
"How can this be considered a foul?" Henry immediately revealed a smug look. "Kid, you need to understand, this is our school basketball team, so you have to follow my rules as the captain. You were the one who agreed to the game in the first place, so don't make excuses now."
Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces became somewhat subtle.
After all, not everyone is blind to these things. Some students clearly disapproved of their actions, saying, "Isn't this cheating and dishonest? Winning the game by injuring others is not fair at all."
"Exactly! They're really shameless!"
This was immediately countered by more students: "Are you even students of Rhodes College anymore? It's one thing to not help your own basketball team, but you're helping two Asians instead."
"I think Henry is right! If you want to win the game, it all comes down to skill. It's just that Xu Zhe isn't good enough!"
"This society is inherently unfair. Since you've already participated, don't back down! Otherwise, you're just a piece of trash."
Yi Tianran realized that these people from V country were inherently prejudiced against people of Asian descent.
Is it to uphold the school's honor through shameless means?
She scoffed softly, walked up to Xu Zhe, and extended her hand to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Xu Zhe stood up without her help.
As a Chinese, he also had a deep-seated pride, and he couldn't afford to lose this match no matter what.
Yi Tianran had no right to stop him.
The game continued, and Henry and his teammates clearly had Xu Zhe figured out. They seemed to have a long-standing grudge against him. As soon as the ball was passed to him, they immediately surrounded him and started bumping into him with their bodies.
Xu Zhe is a tough guy; he gritted his teeth and persevered, managing to put the ball into the basket despite the impact.
I've won several times.
The score went from 1-0 at the beginning, to 3-0, and then to 5-3. The side that gets 10 points early wins.
Seeing his incredible perseverance, the three idiots exchanged glances. As Xu Zhe got up and threw the ball into the basket, the moment he landed, all three of them simultaneously stepped on his instep.
The ten fingers are connected to the heart.
"Ah—" In an instant, excruciating pain swept through my entire body.
Xu Zhe suffered spasms and convulsions all over his body, and collapsed to the ground in pain.
Yi Tianran's face darkened, and she stepped forward.
The three fools, wary of the power of her serve and fearing retaliation, immediately scattered in all directions.
Yi Tianran ignored them and instead helped Xu Zhe to a rest chair and asked to pause the match.
"I...I can compete again," Xu Zhe said stubbornly, enduring the pain in his feet.
"Who said you can't compete?" Yi Tianran glanced at him indifferently. "Don't worry, since you accepted the challenge, I won't stop you."
"and you……"
Yi Tianran said in a serious tone, "I'm too hot, I need to change my clothes before going on stage."
Xu Zhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the competition wasn't over, he wouldn't give up.
Five minutes later, Yi Tianran returned to the field.
The three idiots burst into laughter at her outfit: "Hahaha, she's covered herself up from head to toe, is she afraid we'll run into her in the second half?"
"Thinking that this way you won't get hurt is just burying your head in the sand."
Xu Zhe was speechless.
Didn't I say it was too hot? Why is he dressed so warmly? I always feel like this kid isn't quite right in the head.
Yi Tianran raised an eyebrow and gave him a meaningful smile.
...
The second half of the game resumed.
Having been thrashed in the first half, Xu Zhe was covered in injuries and could barely run, let alone handle the ball.
His teammate wanted to dribble past him and then shoot to lighten his load.
Xu Zhe, however, was unmoved and instead said in a deep voice, "Pass it on to me!"
He felt it was his responsibility to get the doll back and that he didn't need anyone else's help.
His teammates immediately looked troubled.
Yi Tianran then said, "Give him the ball."
She was the tactical captain, so her teammates naturally had to listen to her.
As soon as the ball landed in Xu Zhe's hands, the three idiots surrounded him again, saying, "You really deserve to be tortured!"
Before they could completely surround Xu Zhe, Yi Tianran rushed up like a ghost and blocked their way.
Henry's expression changed. "What? Do you want to die?"
Yi Tianran defiantly challenged, "Try it if you dare!"
Xu Zhe was stunned and froze on the spot for a moment.
"What are you still standing there for? Go shoot a basket." That was the last thing Yi Tianran said in her cool voice.
Xu Zhe immediately snapped out of his daze, disregarding everything else, and rushed past the three idiots to throw the ball.
"Damn it!" Their carefully laid plans were ruined, and the three idiots were furious. They decided to use the same ramming technique on Yi Tianran.
They can do that on the court, but if Yi Tianran retaliates, it will be considered a foul and she will be disqualified.
Therefore, this is the basis for Henry and his gang's arrogance.
The next moment, they rushed forward at the same time, one hitting her back with his elbow, one hitting her shoulder, and one hitting her abdomen.
The moment they touched her, all three of them felt a sharp, stabbing pain in their elbows.
"Aaaaaah—" Pig-like screams rang out simultaneously.
It felt as if a thousand silver needles were piercing every acupoint in their bodies, causing them excruciating pain. With a "thud," they collapsed to the ground, rolling around in agony.
"My elbow—" The three idiots simultaneously clutched their elbows, as if they had been broken.
This appearance is really exaggerated.
"Hey, hey, hey, the competition is still going on, what are you guys acting for!" Yi Tianran said with a disdainful expression.
As she finished speaking, Xu Zhe's ball went into the basket.
The game is suspended.
The referee rushed over to check on them, "Henry, Carl, Matt, are you alright?"
"Pain... Ah!" The fine, dense pain felt like thousands of ants gnawing at my bones, tearing my heart apart and beyond words.
They were covered in cold sweat and rolled around on the spot.
Henry, with all his might, pointed a trembling finger at Yi Tianran: "It's her, there's something wrong with her!"
The referee's suspicious gaze immediately fell on her.
Yi Tianran's face darkened: "What's wrong with me? Your hands are perfectly fine, no fractures or injuries, what are you trying to pull to extort money from me! Do you expect me to go out in a suit of steel and let them run into me?"
The referee thought it made sense, but what exactly was going on? Could the game continue?
There was a commotion at the scene, and no one knew why.
"What, are you trying to use this tactic to escape the outcome of the competition? You know you can't beat us, so you're just playing dead?" Yi Tianran crossed her arms and mocked from above.
"I didn't—" Henry's eyes widened in anger, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
Yi Tianran clicked her tongue in annoyance and kicked each of them, "Get up and continue!"
The blow was quite forceful, causing them to tremble violently, their lips to turn purple, and they to howl in pain.
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