radicalducati Chapter 174
Chapter 174
July 9th, 9:40 PM.
After the tactics lesson, Lin Feng didn't go straight back to his dormitory. Instead, he stood on the steps at the entrance of the training hall, looking at the streetlights in the courtyard.
The orange glow seemed especially quiet on the summer night, and flying insects circled under the light, their wings reflecting dappled light.
The lights of the track and field stadium in the distance had been turned off, with only a few safety lights still on, casting dim spots of light at the end of the track.
He's a little tired today.
It wasn't physical exhaustion—his body had gotten used to this intensity, and the muscle soreness was manageable. It was mental exhaustion. The scrimmage had gone on for three quarters, and the white team was down by fifteen points. He scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, and had one assist, but also committed three turnovers. One of those turnovers was particularly egregious—Zhang Lei stole the ball from behind while he was dribbling, and it rolled out of bounds; he couldn't even catch up.
Coach Li didn't scold him, but during the tactical review, he pointed to the video and said, "Lack of concentration. You didn't have the awareness to protect the ball when dribbling. There was someone behind you; you should have used your body to block him."
Lin Feng remembered it. But there's still a long way to go between remembering and doing it.
He took a deep breath; the air smelled of locust blossoms.
There are more locust trees in the provincial capital than in Beichuan. The old locust trees in the courtyard are in full bloom, and the fragrance is so strong it's almost cloying, wafting over in gusts of night breeze.
"Lin Feng".
He turned his head.
Chen Hao walked out of the training hall, holding the "New Concept English" book and a bottle of mineral water. He stopped next to Lin Feng, unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, took a sip, and then screwed it back on.
"Aren't you going back yet?" Lin Feng asked.
"I'll be waiting for you," Chen Hao said, his voice soft but clear.
Lin Feng glanced at him. Chen Hao's face was expressionless, and the lenses of his glasses reflected the light under the streetlight, making it impossible to see his eyes.
The two stood in silence for a while.
"How far have you gotten with your English?" Lin Feng asked.
Chen Hao glanced down at the book in his hand. "I've finished Book Two. Time to move on to Book Three."
"Is there an exam?"
Chen Hao remained silent for a few seconds.
"I want to go out," he said.
Lin Feng looked at him.
"America." Chen Hao said these two words very softly, as if afraid of being overheard.
Lin Feng remained silent. He knew what Chen Hao meant—studying abroad. In this era, few people could afford to go abroad, especially athletes. Even fewer athletes had a strong academic foundation.
"Does your family support you?" Lin Feng asked.
Chen Hao nodded. "My dad is a university professor, majoring in English. He taught me English. He said, 'You can't play ball forever, but the knowledge you gain can.'"
Lin Feng thought of his parents. His father, Lin Jianguo, was a civil servant in another province, and his mother, Lin Cuiping, ran a clothing business in Guangzhou and Hangzhou. In the original owner's memories, his parents didn't have any plans for his future—not that they didn't care, but they were too busy to pay attention.
"So when do you plan to leave?"
Chen Hao thought for a moment. "Next year. I'll finish high school first and take the TOEFL."
"Are you still playing ball?"
"Let's play." Chen Hao's tone suddenly changed, no longer the calm narration, but with a firmness Lin Feng had never heard before. "We'll play even when we get there. American universities have varsity teams, and I want to give it a try."
Lin Feng looked at him. The streetlight shone on his face, revealing a rare seriousness in his young face—not the kind of seriousness forced upon him, but one that grew from the bottom of his heart.
"Then you need to practice your English properly," Lin Feng said.