Chapter Forty-Four: I Can’t Help But Give You a Thumbs Up!

"Chen Feng, you won’t be going on the court for the second half,” Coach Chen Ping suddenly announced in the locker room.

“What did you say?” Chen Feng paused in surprise, his gaze settling on Chen Ping’s face. His voice was cold as he said, “Say that again?”

“Chen Feng, what’s with your attitude?” Chen Ping raised his voice. “What, are you questioning my authority as coach? This is a tactical decision. There’s no need for you to play in the second half.”

“How much did Luo Wenhao pay you?” Chen Feng asked abruptly.

“100,000… uh!” Chen Ping caught himself, glaring coldly at Chen Feng. “What are you talking about? Chen Feng, I have no idea what you mean.”

“Tsk, coach, stop playing dumb,” Lin Hang sneered. “Don’t think nobody else knows what’s going on. Luo Wenhao is loaded—he gave everyone on the team a hundred grand, including you. You’re a teacher, a role model, and this is how you act?”

In the past, Lin Hang might have enjoyed seeing Chen Feng getting put in his place, but after Chen Feng helped him once, Lin Hang’s attitude changed completely—he treated Chen Feng like a big brother, running around for him like a loyal sidekick.

“Chen Feng, this is the coach’s decision. You have a problem with that?” Chen Ping, now furious and no longer hiding his intentions, tried to leverage his authority. What could Chen Feng do?

But Chen Feng smiled. He had changed. The old Chen Feng was timid and compliant, never daring to resist. Now, he was entirely different.

Bang!

When Chen Ping collapsed to the ground, everyone was stunned. They stared blankly at Chen Feng as he stretched his limbs, looking at the shell-shocked basketball team. His voice was calm and indifferent: “I know you’ve all received your share. I let it slide in the first half, but let me make this clear: don’t provoke me. Never, ever provoke me. Otherwise, I truly don’t know what I might do.”

Bang!

As his words fell, Chen Feng smashed his fist into the iron locker, leaving a deep dent with his terrifying strength.

Seeing this, the group collectively swallowed hard, fear written in their eyes.

A faint smile appeared on Chen Feng’s face—a smile that sent chills deep into everyone’s bones. He shook his hand, as if recounting a trivial matter. “Take money, solve problems—I understand that. But don’t ever cross me again. Otherwise, I really don’t know what terrible things I might do.”

Everyone stared at Chen Feng in silence. In that moment, they felt a profound fear. This seemingly gentle guy had such a violent side. No one doubted his words—he was no longer the bullied, chubby kid he once was.

Second Half!

Chen Feng walked onto the court at a leisurely pace. Luo Wenhao was momentarily taken aback to see him, glancing instinctively at the coaching bench, but Chen Ping was nowhere to be found.

“No need to look,” Chen Feng said calmly to the exhausted Luo Wenhao. “I knocked him out. The second half will be free from interference. I’ll widen the score even further, Luo Wenhao. Even if I’m alone, you won’t win.”

Dream on!

Luo Wenhao roared, and the Seventeenth High School team pressed forward against First High. Chen Feng watched the onslaught indifferently, then darted into motion. At this point in the game, everyone felt the exhaustion, but Chen Feng seemed unaffected—still full of energy, his movements as crisp as they’d been at the start.

Smack!

Chen Feng snatched the ball from a Seventeenth High player and, with just a few strides, stormed under their basket. With a simple, brutal dunk, he hammered the ball through the hoop.

Clang!

Letting go of the rim, Chen Feng glanced at Luo Wenhao, a mocking smile on his face.

Gritting his teeth, Luo Wenhao barked, “Give me the ball!”

Whoosh!

Luo Wenhao charged toward Chen Feng’s basket. Taking advantage of Chen Feng being out of position, he leaped with all his might and slammed the ball into the hoop.

Bang!

The ball crashed through the basket.

Chen Feng only smirked coldly, not rushing to attack but continuing to tangle with Luo Wenhao. After Chen Feng’s earlier threats, his own teammates dared not press him too hard. With Lin Hang’s cooperation, Chen Feng racked up points with swift layups.

Luo Wenhao kept pace as best he could, but he was spent—utterly exhausted—while Chen Feng’s stamina seemed limitless.

Ah!

With less than five minutes left, Luo Wenhao mustered his remaining strength for another dunk.

But at that moment, his expression changed drastically. He distinctly felt a crack in both arms, followed by a wave of searing pain that surged into his mind.

Agh!

A blood-curdling scream escaped Luo Wenhao as he collapsed in agony, his body curling on the floor. His left arm twisted unnaturally—he had dislocated it.

The pain pierced to his marrow.

The entire arena erupted in commotion.

Chen Feng strode over with a smile, twirling the basketball in one hand, his voice full of mockery: “Luo Wenhao, you really are something. Most people play basketball to build strength and show sportsmanship. But you? You’re the first I’ve seen to break your own arm in a dunk. I can’t help but applaud your accomplishment!”

Luo Wenhao could only groan in pain. He desperately wanted to retort, but the words caught in his throat, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

Everyone was stunned by the scene.

Luo Wenhao’s repeated outbursts were already pushing his limits. Especially after being injured by Chen Feng’s nunchaku, his arm hadn’t healed, yet he kept pushing it until it finally gave way under the strain.

Medical staff rushed onto the court, quickly lifting Luo Wenhao onto a stretcher and carrying him off to the hospital.

The atmosphere grew strangely quiet. No one knew how to react. Although Seventeenth High substituted another player, none of them had expected this. Without Luo Wenhao, they’d lost their anchor—both teams suddenly adrift.

The rest of the game was a foregone conclusion. Despite being double-teamed by his own teammates and the opposition, Chen Feng still managed to score over a hundred points by himself in the second half. The final score was 242 to 168.

The game ended in a landslide.

The title of Best Player in the city once again went to Chen Feng.

After each game, Chen Feng’s average score exceeded two hundred points—a feat unprecedented in high school basketball. Moreover, his physical prowess left everyone in awe.

This match earned Chen Feng more than a hundred achievement points, bringing his total to 232.

Holding the scholarship awarded by the city officials, Chen Feng’s face broke into a deep smile.

It was thirty thousand yuan—a paltry sum for someone like Luo Wenhao, but for Chen Feng’s family, it was a fortune.

“Chen Feng, I hope you continue to excel and achieve even better results!” the city official said, presenting the scholarship with a formal air.

“Yes, I will work even harder to achieve better results!” Chen Feng replied earnestly.

Afterwards, Chen Feng took photos with the officials, followed by the entire First High basketball team. The only slight regret was that Coach Chen Ping was absent—he was to receive an Outstanding Coach certificate.

With thirty thousand yuan in hand, Chen Feng calmly rejoined the school delegation and took the school bus back. Chen Ping had regained consciousness, never expecting Chen Feng would dare to knock him out.

The bus was eerily silent, with no trace of victory’s joy.

But holding the thirty-thousand-yuan check, Chen Feng’s heart blossomed with happiness. How should he spend this windfall?