Chapter 19 - 19 19 Unexpected
My Unpopular Neighbor Girl Has Hidden Identities
Chapter 19: 19, Unexpected Chapter 19: 19, Unexpected Chen Jun grabbed the ball and sprinted toward the opposing court, passing it to Lu Bin when he saw someone blocking his way.
Lu Bin had just snatched the ball when a player from the other team blocked him. Frowning and turning to look at Ling Yu, he realized that not only was Zhao Feng guarding him, but now Fan Jianguang had joined as well, clearly determined not to let him have the ball.
Scanning his surroundings, Lu Bin clenched his teeth and made a decision. He looked at Song Yan Ning and tossed the ball to her, âLittle girl, catch!â Now he had to play the hands he was dealt, hoping for a miracle once again.
When Zhang Ju saw the ball flying toward Song Yan Ning, he sneered and ran in her direction. With him there, that ugly girl wouldnât stand a chance at catching the ball, and he hadnât even had the chance to teach her a lesson yet. Now was the perfect opportunity.
With this thought, Zhang Ju deliberately collided with Song Yan Ning under the guise of going for the ball. He was strong, and a little girl could surely not withstand it. Even if she didnât fall, the collision would hurt. Moreover, he had already planned to fake stumbling if she didnât fall and push her to the ground. After all, the game was almost over, and it didnât matter if he fouled; they had surely won.
Song Yan Ning saw through Zhang Juâs intentions, sidestepped to avoid the collision, caught the incoming ball with one hand, took a step back, and shot toward the basket.
âWhat does she think sheâs doing?â
âHas she lost her mind? Shooting from that far?â
âDoes she think itâs as close as it was before? Dream on.â
Ling Yu watched the basketball fly off, giving a wry smile. From such a distance, not even he could make the shot; it seemed they had lost the game.
Zhao Feng glanced at the basketball and scoffed with a smile, looking at Ling Yu, âYouâve definitely lost this game. From now on, you are not allowed to come here ever again.â Their prior agreement was that the winner would take over the basketball court.
âItâs not over until the last moment,â Ling Yu snorted coldly, his figure flickering as he broke past the two defending against him and ran forward. He didnât have much hope for that ball, but as long as the last moment hadnât arrived, they still had a chance.
Zhao Feng and Fan Jianguang quickly followed and soon tightly guarded Ling Yu again.
âChen Jun, Lu Bin, go for the rebound!â As he was guarded by Zhao Feng and his teammate, Ling Yu anxiously shouted to the still dazed Chen Jun and Lu Bin.
Chen Jun and Lu Bin snapped back to reality and hastened toward the opposing court.
Lu Bin deeply regretted passing the ball to Song Yan Ning at that moment. If he hadnât, the ball wouldnât have been wasted. If they couldnât grab the rebound, the game would be over, since there was only half a minute left.
The basketball quickly flew toward the basket, unchallenged by Zhao Fengâs side. They had already written it off as a miss.
But as the ball neared the basket, it suddenly dropped in a beautiful arc.
âSmack!â With that sound, it fell through the hoop.
Seeing this, everyone on the court was stunned, dropping into an eerie silence. A basket? How could that be possible? How could it make it in from such a distance?
âWe scored, we won!â
âWe won, hahahaâ¦â Ling Yu and his teammates came to their senses, overflowing with joyous cheers. They truly hadnât expected such an outcome.
âDamn it!â Zhao Fengâs face turned an ashen blue with anger. He hadnât anticipated that despite all his calculations, they would be defeated by a little girl.
Ling Yu walked up to Song Yan Ning and happily said, âThank you!â If it wasnât for her, they wouldnât have won the game.
Song Yan Ning smiled and shook her head playfully, winking, âI didnât expect it would go in either. I guess Iâm just really lucky.â She didnât want the spotlight. Except for free throws, she hadnât tried shooting before; the reason she shot this time was because Ling Yuâs grandfather was friends with her grandfather, and Zhang Juâs actions had angered her. So, she too had made some moves on Zhang Ju.
Ling Yu laughed heartily and patted Song Yan Ningâs shoulder, âWhen you start school, join our basketball team. We still need an assistant.â He found he couldnât quite figure her out; she didnât seem like just a seven or eight-year-old.
Song Yan Ning smiled, âIâve heard school has lots of homework. I donât want to join the basketball team.â Sheâd rather spend the time practicing in Emperor Realm than playing basketball.
âOuch!â All of a sudden, Zhang Ju clutched his stomach in pain, staggering toward the nearby restroom.
Song Yan Ning glanced at Zhang Ju as he headed off, her lips curling in a mischievous smile. He was going to have a tough time getting out of the restroom today. She was never one to be bullied; anyone trying to bully her should be prepared to get bullied back.
âSo, who was it that was going to eat the basketball? You can eat it now,â Chen Jun said, spinning the basketball with one hand and walking over to Zhao Feng and his group.
âIt seems someone also said theyâd quit playing basketball forever,â Lu Bin and the others joined in, looking mockingly at Zhao Feng and his team.
âDonât get cocky, letâs go!â Zhao Feng glared furiously at Chen Jun and the others before leading his squad off the court.
âKnew youâd play dirty. Shameless.â
âHey, why are you leaving? Canât face the music, huh? Not man enough? Why so cowardly?â Chen Jun and his friends laughed tauntingly.
As Zhao Feng and his team walked away, Chen Jun and the others withdrew their gaze with laughter. Nothing was more satisfying than watching their opponents flee in disarray.
They approached Song Yan Ning and Ling Yu.
âLittle girl, thanks for this time.â
âDidnât think you were such a good player, making it from that distance.â
âCan you share your secret with us?â Everyone looked at Song Yan Ning with hopeful faces. Initially, they hadnât been fond of her; after all, everyone is drawn to those who look good. Now, not only did they have a good impression of her, they were also curious.
Song Yan Ning smiled, âIâve never played basketball before. It was just good luck this time.â
âAre you serious? Youâve never played basketball?â
âThat canât be.â The crowd showed disbelief. No matter how good oneâs luck, it couldnât possibly result in consistent scoring. They played basketball two to three times a week and never achieved such a high success rate.
Song Yan Ning nodded, âThis really is my first time playing basketball.â
Everyone turned to Ling Yu, who just shrugged, indicating he was just as clueless. He had only met her that day.
Song Yan Ning turned to look at Ling Yu, âLetâs go back; my grandfather will start worrying soon.â
âOkay!â Ling Yu nodded with a smile, then looked at the others, âWeâll be going now. Youâll see her again; sheâll be coming to our school in September.â