Chapter 54 Completely Clueless About Basketball?

Chapter 54: Completely Clueless About Basketball?

Cheng Feng was walking to the basketball gym while sending a message to Butler Liu, giving a detailed report on how the young master was doing today. At the end, he added that he had joined the basketball team and would be participating in training next.

He pushed open the gym door and immediately saw a group of about twenty boys standing in the corner, all wearing identical purple basketball jerseys.

That shade of purple was bright and luxurious, and it oddly made their skin look fairer.

Each of these boys was exceptionally good-looking and stood tall, particularly eye-catching under the gym lights.

Standing in the middle of the group was Li Anmo, and next to him was a middle-aged man with a whistle hanging around his neck, who must be the coach.

Cheng Feng quickened his pace and ran over.

The sound of his footsteps caught everyone's attention. Li Anmo turned, saw him, and immediately waved. "Hurry up, we've been waiting for you."

As he ran, Cheng Feng's mind was rapidly calculating: thirty million in prize money, how many people were on the team? If split evenly, how much could he get?

When he reached the group, Li Anmo smiled and introduced Cheng Feng to everyone.

Cheng Feng gave a slight nod as a greeting.

His teammates sized him up, their eyes filled with curiosity and unfamiliarity.

However, in this school that gathered young masters and ladies from wealthy families worldwide, children from prominent families were a dime a dozen, so not knowing each other was quite normal.

The coach looked him up and down a few times.

"Cheng Feng, your build is a bit on the thin side. Eat more."

Cheng Feng looked down at himself. His arms and legs weren't particularly slender or weak. Was he really considered thin?

He thought he was okay. But compared to his teammates with their clearly defined muscle lines, his physique did seem somewhat slight.

Originally, Li Anmo had praised Cheng Feng to the skies within the team, talking about how amazing he was at basketball, so everyone had high expectations for him.

But once they actually started playing, they discovered that Cheng Feng didn't know how to play basketball at all. The only thing he was good at was stealing the ball.

Everyone was stunned, murmuring in shock as they watched Cheng Feng.

It was beyond their imagination that someone who completely didn't understand basketball rules—essentially a basketball idiot—could crush Li Anmo's original team just by stealing the ball.

Li Anmo was also dumbfounded. He truly hadn't expected Cheng Feng to have absolutely no basketball foundation.

This meant Cheng Feng had a lot to learn. The coach simply called him aside, letting the others break into teams for free practice first. He then stood to the side, patiently explaining the basic rules and gameplay of basketball to Cheng Feng.

To be honest, Cheng Feng wasn't very interested in playing basketball. But the thought of that thirty million immediately made him focus with all his might.

He had a habit of carrying a small notebook with him. Whenever the coach explained too much or too quickly, he would immediately pull out a pen and notebook, jotting down the key points one by one.

Seeing this, the coach was slightly taken aback. It was the first time he had seen such a serious kid.

Nobody dislikes a kid who's hardworking and eager to learn. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a surge of satisfaction from being taken seriously. So, he explained even more meticulously, wishing he could cram everything he had ever learned into Cheng Feng all at once.

By the end of the two-hour training session, Cheng Feng had filled an entire notebook and had gained a basic understanding of basketball.

The coach even specifically taught him shooting form. However, considering he hadn't even built a foundation yet, he wasn't allowed to join the formal team practice for now.

Around eight in the evening, training ended, and everyone gradually dispersed.

Walking back to the dormitory, Cheng Feng looked down at his densely written notebook, feeling an unprecedented sense of fulfillment. Even his steps felt lighter.

"Cheng Feng!" Li Anmo's voice came from behind.

He ran over and slapped Cheng Feng on the shoulder.

"Want to grab dinner together?"

Cheng Feng was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at him.

"Where to?"

"There's a pretty good restaurant outside. Let's go eat at a nearby place," Li Anmo replied casually.

Hearing the word "restaurant," Cheng Feng instinctively shook his head. Dining out was far too expensive for him; he simply couldn't afford it.

"They've already prepared dinner at my place. I'll go home and eat with my family," he answered after a moment's thought.

Li Anmo nodded, didn't press further, just waved at him, and turned to leave.

Cheng Feng stood at the school gate, looking around.

Under the night sky, his other basketball teammates were picked up one by one by private cars parked by the roadside. Only he remained standing alone, with no car coming for him.

He had come with the young master by car in the morning, so he hadn't ridden his motorcycle.

After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone, called a ride, and returned to the Shang family villa.

By the time he got back to the estate, the cafeteria was already closed.

Their villa in the dormitory area didn't usually stock ingredients, so cooking was out of the question.

Cheng Feng had no choice but to get back on his motorcycle and go out to find something to eat.

Out of habit, he went to the busiest snack street and ducked into a noodle shop he frequented.

The noodles at this shop tasted good, the portions were generous, and the price was cheap—only about ten yuan. He really liked it. After finishing a bowl, he even drank all the soup.

After eating the noodles, he stopped by a nearby supermarket, picked out some fruits his mother liked, and then rode his motorcycle to the hospital.

It was already past nine in the evening when he arrived at the hospital.

The light in the ward was still on. His mother wasn't asleep, just sitting propped up against the headboard, her gaze somewhat vacant, not really looking at anything.

Hearing the door open, she slowly turned her head to look.

"Mom," Cheng Feng called out with a smile, placing the fruit on the bedside table.

His mother still had that dull expression, her eyes a bit vacant, her fingers unconsciously playing with her own hair.

Cheng Feng didn't mind. He picked up an apple, carefully peeled and sliced it, talking to his mother as he worked.

"Mom, I've been doing really well at the Shang family lately. My classmates are all very enthusiastic and really nice. I even joined the school basketball team. If our team wins the competition, I estimate I could get a share of several hundred thousand. Then we'll definitely have the money for your treatment, and for your head too. I'll work very hard to earn money, to make our lives better and better..."

He talked a lot about things at school.

His mother just continued playing with her hair, not saying a word.

Cheng Feng fed the apple slices to his mother one by one. After she finished, he tucked her in and gently coaxed her to sleep.

Until his mother's breathing evened out and she fell asleep, he quietly got up, turned off the light, and left the ward.

It was already half past eleven at night when he returned to the Shang villa.

Fang Xuran was still up. Seeing him come in, he asked offhandedly, "Where have you been? You're back so late."

Cheng Feng gave a brief rundown about going out to eat and visiting his mother.

Fang Xuran was silent for a moment before asking,

"With you playing basketball now, won't it affect your studies?"

Cheng Feng shook his head. "I finish most of my homework at school and even preview in advance. Most of my time at home is spent reviewing. Basketball training only takes about three hours—it's not a problem."

Fang Xuran looked at him, sighed, and spoke with gravity,

"Don't push yourself too hard. Your life is your own—you have to take care of your health first. Only then can you earn more money, protect your mother, and wait for her to recover so you can both live a good life together."

Cheng Feng nodded, taking these words to heart. After chatting a bit more, he went to take a shower. After showering, he carefully hand-washed his clothes as usual, wrung them dry, and hung them up.

Once all that was done, he sat down at his desk, took out his books, and memorized a few English words.

After finishing, he lay down on the bed but didn't fall asleep right away. Instead, he silently reviewed what he'd learned about basketball and his classroom knowledge from that day in his mind, making sure he hadn't missed anything, before finally drifting off to sleep in exhaustion.