Arrogant!
That was the only word Zhang Chengyi and his two friends could think of to describe the boy standing before them, a full head shorter than each of them.
They were elite players on the school basketball team, after all. To be mocked so openly by a nobody was an insult they could not possibly abide.
"You've got quite the mouth on you, kid. We'll see if you're still begging for mercy on your knees later." Zhang Chengyi sneered, his eyes blazing with suppressed fury.
"We'll see who ends up begging." Fang Yu spoke, deliberately raising his voice.
Tension crackled in the air, thick and volatile.
The spectators nearby could not make out the exact words exchanged between the two sides, but from their sharp postures and icy glares, it was clear that hostilities had already ignited between them.
"Lightning Flyer, show that punk your signature dunk!"
"Yeah, we're with you! Teach this reckless fool who he's messing with!"
Cheers erupted one after another from the stands, nearly all in favor of the so-called Lightning Flyer.
That nickname belonged to Zhang Chengyi. During a previous inter-school match, he had slammed ten dunks in just ten minutes, cementing his legendary status across Jingcheng High.
Because of this, Fang Yu's challenge against him was widely seen as nothing more than a moth flying suicidally into the flame.
At the roar of the crowd, Zhang Chengyi curled his lip into a cold, triumphant smirk.
Suddenly—
"Kid, I don't care what tricks you pulled to get the homeroom teacher to make you class president. But I'll tell you this: on the basketball court, I am the king." Zhang Chengyi snorted, an air of domineering authority radiating from him like an invisible aura.
"Ahhh… Zhang Chengyi, I love you!" The scene descended into chaos once more, as female students screamed wildly, overcome with infatuation.
"What a bunch of groupies." Fang Yu smiled bitterly. He glanced toward Yan Ting and the others, catching their impatient expressions, then said, "Let's stop wasting time. Let's just begin."
"Fine, kid. Let's settle this one-on-one." Zhang Chengyi waved a hand dismissively. The two tall boys beside him nodded and stepped off the court.
One-on-one.
This was where Zhang Chengyi truly excelled.
"Let's start, then." Fang Yu smiled faintly. "Who goes first?"
"You can have the first move. I don't want you claiming I bullied you." Zhang Chengyi tossed the basketball to Fang Yu, and the match officially commenced.
To his credit, Zhang Chengyi was indeed a formidable basketball player.
The moment Fang Yu took possession, he dropped into a tight defensive stance, ready to shut him down.
The legendary basketball star Kobe Bryant once said: Anyone who wants to break me down will break first.
A faint, confident smile played on Fang Yu's lips. Staring at Zhang Chengyi ahead, he moved with the swiftness of the wind, dribbling the ball with effortless grace and precision.
"Not bad, kid. Hiding your skills well." Inside the three-second lane, Zhang Chengyi smirked coldly. He bided his time, waiting for Fang Yu to drive inside so he could swipe the ball away.
But his plan was quickly dashed. Instead of rushing to attack, Fang Yu continued dribbling just beyond the perimeter, as if deliberately toying with him.
"You bastard." Provoked beyond patience, Zhang Chengyi suddenly lunged forward, charging out of the lane.
In that instant, Fang Yu seized his opening, darting past him in a blur and slicing straight into the paint.
Basket—good.