Chapter 14: The Friendly Game Officially Begins

Evening. Streetball court. Ming You arrived earlier than everyone else, intending to explain the plan and rules of the game.

"Hello, Taek Jung, not bored yet?" Ming You said sarcastically to him.

"Haha, well, spill it, what else have you concocted?" Taek Jung was intrigued.

"I'll start with the game plan. The game will be played with five players against one. And I'd like to ask you and the others to place bets on one player who will play against the five." Ming You began to explain his plan.

"Why are you so sure about one winning against five? Are you planning to set up a game against one-year-old girls?" Taek Jung and the others laughed at his plan.

"This is already related to the game rule that I'm going to establish. One point for the five players equals one point, while one point for one captain, meaning one player, equals two. For the five players, three-point shots count as two, just like in regular streetball, but the three-pointer from one player on my team will also be doubled. Simply put, for one captain, a three-pointer will equal four. Based on this advantage, I recommend betting on one player." Ming You explained calmly.

"With such rules, one player will have an obvious advantage, and that's pretty boring. So if you want to change the rules of the game, you need to make a contribution." Taek Jung's eyes sparkled with greed.

"No problem, is one million won enough to change the rules?" Ming You pulled out a stack of money.

"Two million." Taek Jung smiled greedily.

"One and a half." Ming You was greedy too.

"One and six million won." Taek Jung was not going to back down.

"Alright, but if you and your buddies are going to bet on one of my captains." Ming You's eyes also sparkled with greed as he pulled out another 600,000 won.

"Okay, we've settled the rules. But keep in mind," Taek Jung's expression became more serious after handing the money to one of his lackeys, and then he continued, "if your captain loses after we all bet on him, don't expect to get off easy, like you usually do." After saying this, Taek Jung adjusted his leather jacket.

"By the way, these rookies are already your debtors, so it's in your own interest to increase their debts." A sly grin appeared on Ming You's face.

The group of thugs began to laugh at his shamelessness.

"When will I ever get used to your shamelessness?" Taek Jung sighed after calming his laughter, "Alright, it's a deal, we're betting on your player."

This time, Taek Jung was the first to extend his hand, which Ming You shook, and they agreed.

After some time, closer to night, Taek Jung and his companions had everything organized. The lights illuminated the court, and a small group of people, besides the organizers, awaited the arrival of the players.

Five captains, led by Ming You, approached the first hoop, throwing their backpacks a couple of meters from the hoop. Then, at the opposite hoop, twenty-five experienced rookies from the Yoshido basketball club, led by So Ho, arrived.

"These untouchable bastards…" Jian Ryu clenched his teeth, looking at the thugs and spectators.

"I completely agree, but we still have to beat these bastards." So Ho agreed with him, looking towards Ming You's team.

"Just look at them, these scumbags are still placing bets on the game." Mei Yu said disdainfully, watching how the crowd eagerly placed money and handed it to the game referee, Sung Wo.

On the other side of the court.

"So, Lu Shen will play first, be confident in your victory, as you have a huge advantage." Ming You encouraged him without any tricks.

"What advantage? I'm alone, and there are five of them!" Lu Shen was slightly nervous.

"Since you're alone and they are five, your points will double, including three-pointers." Ming You stretched his smile.

"So my three-pointers equal six? I really do have an advantage, heh-heh." Lu Shen cheered up.

"Fool, in streetball, a three-pointer equals two. And with your advantage, it will be four points." Haru Lin chuckled lightly at Lu Shen.

"Damn it!" Lu Shen's confidence slightly crumbled.

"Idiot! It's still a huge advantage, so go out there and beat those losers!" Hong Ren encouraged him.

"Yeah, I would beat them like children even without my advantage." Lu Shen's confidence reached a peak again.

After that, the team laughed at him, and Lu Shen, filled with confidence and eager to show who was better, stepped onto the court. The five rookies, among whom Mei Yu was captain, also confidently stepped onto the court, unaware of the changed rules of the game and thinking they had an advantage in numbers.

When Lu Shen stood opposite Mei Yu, waiting for the jump ball, Mei Yu decided to mock him:

"Haha, you're the dumbest one on this team! The first victory will definitely be ours." He said confidently.

Veins bulged on Lu Shen's forehead, and he irritably replied:

"I'm the most experienced among them! Who's the dumb one here, huh? You're the loser here!"

"Idiot, idiot, heh-heh." Mei Yu sang out.

Lu Shen:

"…"

His face turned red with anger:

"Who do you think you are…"

"Bets have been placed. And… Jump ball!" Song Wo announced the start of the game.

Before Lu Shen could finish, Mei Yu intercepted the ball during the jump and quickly passed it.

"Damn it!" Lu Shen shouted angrily.

The tall player who received the ball was already standing at the three-point line. Lu Shen, gritting his teeth and getting even angrier, chased after the ball. But it was too late; he couldn't catch up, and the ball was scored in his hoop from the corner of the free-throw line.

"I told you you're dumb!" Mei Yu laughed with the player who scored, giving each other a high five right after mocking Lu Shen and ran towards their hoop.

"I'll show you who's really dumb here!" Lu Shen shouted.

"Haha, come on, show us your stupidity!" Mei Yu and his team laughed at him out loud.

Lu Shen:

"…"

Main Yoshido team:

"…"

Twenty remaining rookies on the bench:

"…"

Spectators, referee, and organizers:

"…"

After a minute of laughter from the rookie team and a minute of silence, Lu Shen dribbled the ball to the center, and when he approached the three-point line, he was surrounded by two players: Mei Yu and the one who scored first in the first round.

"Do you think we'll let you through? Idiot!" Mei Yu laughed.

"Heh-heh." Lu Shen also laughed confidently, leaving the two defenders confused: Is he really that dumb or is this absurd?

But when he took the ball in his hands and stepped back, he threw the ball from a position between the center line and the three-point line.

"Well, you're an idiot…" Mei Yu laughed before seeing the ball go through the hoop.

"Well, who's the idiot now, huh?" Lu Shen smirked as he ran back to his hoop.

Lu Shen led the score, but the rookies hadn't seen the score yet and thought they were only one point behind.

The game continued, and Lu Shen kept using his advantage. He made long shots, and almost every time the ball went in. However, the rookie team led by Mei Yu also didn't give up. They scored more balls, creating the illusion that they were leading. Lu Shen sometimes missed, but his ability to score from under the hoop and from the free-throw line made him an unpredictable and dangerous opponent.

Once, when Lu Shen intercepted the ball at the opponent's free-throw line, Mei Yu and another player immediately surrounded him. Lu Shen made a fake move, causing the defenders to jump, and at the last moment, he ran past them. He jumped to the hoop and made a shot from underneath. The ball flew through the hoop effortlessly.

"You're such idiots!" Lu Shen exclaimed, running back.

Mei Yu, irritated, passed the ball to one of his teammates, who quickly ran to attack. They scored, narrowing the gap. But the truth was that the rookies thought they were winning with a lead since no one had told them the rules.

"We're ahead!" shouted one of the rookies. "Lu Shen isn't as strong as he seems!"

Lu Shen smiled but didn't say anything. He received the ball again and was met with even tighter defense. Lu Shen made a feint, allowing him to bypass the defender, and ran to the hoop. The other defenders couldn't coordinate in time, allowing the ball to fly into the basket again.

"Got it!" Lu Shen raised his hands, looking at his team.

Yoshido team:

"…"

The rookies didn't give up and continued to attack. They scored again, objectively tying the score. However, Lu Shen didn't lose concentration. When he received the ball again, he was met with tight defense. Lu Shen made several moves, trying to find open space, and ended up getting knocked down when one of the players accidentally elbowed him in the nose due to his height. The referee, despite his love for toughness in the game, immediately blew the whistle, awarding a free throw.

"Free throw!" Lu Shen shouted as he got back on his feet. "Let's see how you handle this."

"Don't get cocky, idiot!" Mei Yu interrupted him.

Lu Shen approached the free-throw line and calmly shot the ball. The ball flew through the hoop without touching it.

Lu Shen smiled at Mei Yu. "How do you like my free throws?"

Mei Yu, gritting his teeth, passed the ball to one of his teammates, who again tried to attack. However, Lu Shen intercepted the ball again and ran to attack. This time he made a shot from under the hoop, and the ball went into the basket again. The other players began to be puzzled but accepted the scored ball easily until they saw the score on the scoreboard near the referee.

"What the…?" Mei Yu also noticed the score.

"We clearly scored more balls! What the hell!?" The rookie team was completely baffled.

"16:12!" Lu Shen raised his hands, celebrating his success. "Who's the idiot now, huh?"

The rookies began to realize that Lu Shen was playing by the rules they hadn't considered. They exchanged glances, realizing that Lu Shen was using the rule whereby the captain's points were multiplied by two. This gave him a significant advantage.

"You're cheating!" one of the rookies exclaimed.

"This isn't cheating; those are the rules," Lu Shen replied calmly. "You just didn't know the rules."

Mei Yu and his team were furious but couldn't do anything. Lu Shen continued to score, despite the fact that the rookies were clearly scoring more balls than he was. And his advantage kept growing.

When the final whistle blew, the score was 21:14 in favor of Lu Shen. The rookies were stunned, realizing that their confidence in victory had been misleading.