Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 290 Charging Towards the Dream!

"Changzheng, this is my New Year's money, 120 yuan in total!"

“This is mine, 50 yuan, I didn’t use a single penny of it.”

"Brother Qin, I only have 30 yuan, I'll use it to buy skins."

Looking at his three good classmates, Qin Changzheng didn't know what to say. He could only solemnly promise, "I will definitely pass the audition in Guangzhou this time."

"Of course, Changzheng is a natural at basketball, and he will definitely bring glory to our Class 3 this time!" The three were full of excitement. In their eyes, Qin Changzheng was a super master who could fly and dive, and at 182 cm tall, he could dunk on the rim. His jumping ability was simply godlike.

With 200 yuan in his pocket, plus what he had saved up himself, Qin Changzheng was full of confidence for his trip to Guangzhou.

He pulled a poster folded into a square from his pocket and then unfolded it.

【Azure starry sky, with you as my companion】

The large, artistic font is very eye-catching.

Below is a nationwide selection plan to recruit top basketball players under the age of 18 to compete for 50 spots to go to the United States.

"Chen Wang also started to make a name for himself at 16, and I'll be 16 soon, which is the perfect time to forge ahead!" Qin Changzheng's eyes were full of confidence. His idol is Chen Fang. Two years ago, after watching a video of Chen Fang playing basketball, Qin Changzheng started to get involved in basketball and fell in love with it.

Although his town middle school didn't have a school team, Qin Changzheng could only practice his skills by playing pickup games. But he really didn't think he was any worse than others. Even when he represented the town's pickup team in the county, he was still the focus of attention on the court.

Tomorrow is the weekend, and Qin Changzheng, without telling his family, called on his best friends from his class to pool their money to help him go to the provincial capital to participate in the preliminary selection.

At night, after finishing dinner, Qin Changzheng hid in his small room, repeatedly checking his backpack, his change of clothes, and his charger.

"A-Zheng," his father called from outside.

"Coming, coming!" Qin Changzheng ran out. His family was a single-parent family; his mother died early, and his father raised him alone.

"dad!"

“You said you were going to a classmate’s house in the city tomorrow and wouldn’t be back until the day after. Here’s a hundred yuan. Use it sparingly, but don’t be stingy. Call me if you run out.” Father Qin Hanyong took out a hundred-yuan bill.

"Got it, Dad."

They are not locals; they immigrated from Chongqing. Qin Changzheng's family was among the million migrants from the Three Gorges Dam project. Wealthy provinces like Guangdong and Zhejiang were the main recipients.

Twenty years ago, the Qin family settled in Sihui City, Zhaoqing.

Although he knew his son was a bit wild, the father was still worried and repeatedly told him how to take the bus and where to wait for it when he came back.

"Okay, Dad, don't worry. I'm a grown-up, I won't get lost! I'm going back to my room to do my homework."

Looking at his son's broad back, the father, Qin Hanyong, felt very gratified.

My son lost his mother when he was five. He is very sensible and his studies are not a concern. Apart from being a bit wild and always getting into trouble and having people come to complain to our home, he really has no flaws.

Knowing that my son likes playing basketball, I bought him a pair of Nikes for Chinese New Year. My son was so happy that he jumped up to the ceiling.

In Qin Hanyong's heart, if his son were to be admitted to Sun Yat-sen University, he would be satisfied and have the face to go to his wife's grave and say: I, Hanyong, kept my promise and did not fail my wife's dying words.

Late at night, Qin Changzheng kept browsing posts in a Chen Wang fan community. Rumors were circulating that Chen Wang would return to China and host the audition. The source of the information was an employee of Weilan, and the rumors were highly credible.

Qin Changzheng's heart pounded at the thought of seeing his idol.

I'm sure I'll pass the audition, I definitely will!
Early morning, with the fog still lingering and the sun still hazy, Qin Changzheng had already embarked on his journey to the city.

Taking a long-distance bus from the city to Guangzhou is actually the most cost-effective option. The ticket price is 30 yuan, and the journey takes an hour and a half. The auditions start in the afternoon, so there's plenty of time.

The imagination is rich, but the reality is harsh.

Qin Changzheng missed the bus, and when he learned that the next bus was at 10:30, he was completely stunned.

"Where to?" A car stopped in front of the boy. Before Qin Changzheng could answer, the driver shouted, "Guangzhou ridesharing, 60 yuan per person, anyone want to go?"

"Let's go!" the boy exclaimed happily.

After getting in the car and paying the fare, the driver said the second half of his sentence.

"We're offering a rideshare, so we have to wait for one more person before we can start."

"Ah!" The boy was dumbfounded.

"No need to rush, there are many people going to Guangzhou, I'll just call out a few more times and there will be someone." The driver was very calm, but ten minutes later, the last person to share the ride still hadn't arrived, and the boy kept checking the time on his phone while sitting in his seat.

A tall man, carrying a Nike backpack, appeared on this side of the platform.

The driver yelled, and the man turned around to look, then turned back.

Qin Changzheng had a sharp eye. He noticed that the person was about his age, wearing sneakers, basketball shorts, and a baggy T-shirt, so he called out, "Hey, are you going to Guangzhou for the Blue Ocean auditions?"

The man turned around again, looking suspiciously at Qin Changzheng, who was leaning out of the car window.

"I'll go too, let's go together. The next bus isn't until 10:30, we'll miss it."

The man finally moved his foot. Seeing this, the driver started the car and shouted, "Just one more. Get in and we're leaving. We'll be in Guangzhou city in an hour."

Seeing the man carry his bag, close the car door, and sit down, Qin Changzheng felt relieved.

"My name is Qin Changzheng. You're going to participate in the audition, right?"

“Xi Shilun!” The man extended his hand, and the two shook hands.

They were both slightly taken aback because they felt that the other's hands were very large.

"Your surname is Xi? You're a local!"

“Your name is also very nice, and you don’t have a local accent.” Xi Shilun sized up the other person; they were very fair-skinned and had a broad frame. He then asked, “How tall are you?”

"I'm 182cm, and you're 1.9m, right?" Qin Changzheng asked enviously.

“192,” Xi Shilun replied calmly.

After saying this, the two fell into a brief awkward silence. If the middle-aged woman in the passenger seat hadn't woken up and asked them which school they went to, the awkwardness would have continued.

"I'm from my town," Qin Changzheng said, showing no sign of inferiority.

"Overseas Chinese High School!" Xi Shilun's answer surprised the middle-aged woman: "Oh my, such a good high school! I heard that you can't get in without a score of 650!"

"700 points!" Xi Shilun corrected.

"Tsk tsk!" Even the driver clicked his tongue in amazement.

"What's the use? Even the high-level athletes can't get in!" Xi Shilun said expressionlessly.

Qin Changzheng laughed, and Xi Shilun asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Despite the other party's serious expression, Qin Changzheng was not afraid at all. Even though he was born in a foreign land, he had perfectly inherited the Sichuanese character.

"What's so enviable about the Nike High School League? Everyone's playing in the Blue League now. Next year, our town will organize its own team to play in the Zhaoqing Blue High School League!" Qin Changzheng said proudly.

Xi Shilun was surprised; he really didn't know that.

Seeing his expression, Qin Changzheng asked, "You don't even know this? Why did you come to participate in the audition?"

Xi Shilun felt awkward. His handsome, sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and he hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm bored this weekend, so I'll go take a look."

The truth is that he had a conflict with his teammates during training last week. They mocked him, saying he was only good at bullying his own people and that he was nothing outside of Sihui. They even used a blue poster as a bet.

And so, today, he came to the long-distance bus station and met Qin Changzheng, who was sharing a ride to Guangzhou.

Being a young man, Qin Changzheng didn't keep anything to himself, and he told Xi Shilun everything he knew about Weilan.

"So, Azure can participate by forming its own team, without needing the school's name?"

“Yeah, schools are so troublesome. They have to deal with school leaders and the education bureau. It’s not as free as forming our own team.”

"Will Azure really give us a share of the profits?"

"Yes, three years ago, Azure started the Azure Weekend Elite League in Shandong. Every team that plays in the main competition can participate in the revenue sharing of advertising sponsorships, and there is also a prize sharing in the playoffs. This is absolutely true. It may not be a lot, but it will definitely cover our own equipment purchases and travel expenses."

As he spoke, Qin Changzheng took out his phone, opened the Blue Ocean website, and showed it to Xi Shilun.

After watching, Xi Shilun noticed that his phone's screen saver was a poster of Chen Fang, and the phone case also had a close-up of Chen Fang's face on it, so he asked, "Are you a fan of Chen Wang?"

"Of course, aren't you?"

Xi Shilun took out his phone, and the screen lit up, revealing a beautifully designed wallpaper of Chen Fang dunking on LeBron James.

The two men burst into laughter, having found common ground. By the end of the hour-long drive, they had become good friends. The driver was very considerate, dropping them off at the subway station and telling them how to get to Haixinsha Asian Games Park.

"It's a pity we can't team up!" Xi Shilun said with some disappointment.

"The preliminary selection is based on individual strength, with random matching based on position. There are many scouts on site. If you have the strength, you can stay. As long as you are strong, we will definitely meet in the final 100!" Qin Changzheng encouraged.

The Guangzhou auditions will select promising and skilled young talents from thousands of participants through a ten-minute competition. This four-on-four close-quarters competition is the easiest way to distinguish skill levels. After two days, 100 people will be selected to advance to the next stage.

Azure's ultimate goal is to select the top 50 students from across the country to go to the United States for special training. This process will also help each of them get into a strong American high school and provide them with a scholarship guarantee.

The full name of this program is "NCAA20 People", which is similar to the Cai Scholarship.

The Blue Sky Project plans to spend ten years cultivating hundreds of D1-level players for the country, enriching the pool of fresh professional players.

Therefore, this program is only open to junior and senior high school students aged 14-17.

At this moment, Qin Changzheng, who went to Haixinsha Park for the preliminary selection, was 15 years old and would be a first-year high school student in the second half of the year, while Xi Shilun was 16 years old and a first-year high school student.

※※※

Song Yuanshan is a basketball youth training coach at Guangzhou Sports School. He has trained several batches of promising young players and is one of the best in the school's basketball program. Today, he was invited by Blue Ocean Company to serve as a scout for the Guangdong regional selection.

High fees, positive work, and strong background.

Based on these three things alone, Song Yuanshan was determined to do his best without hesitation.

He walked alone around each makeshift field, using his twenty years of experience in youth training to search for promising young players.

Actually, people aged 14-17 are no longer considered promising talents; many have already reached a point where their skills are largely set and their potential for further development is limited.

In Song Yuanshan's view, Weilan's plan was still wishful thinking, after all, they were not experts in sports and had entered the field halfway through.

However, he remained loyal to his duty and hoped to select a few people for Azure.

"Good shot!" A cheer erupted from the spectators on the adjacent court. Song Yuanshan went over, but since he was wearing work clothes, many people tactfully made way for him.

I squeezed in a few steps, and when I looked up, I saw a fair-skinned boy wearing a number 21 dribbling the ball a few times.

At first glance, Song Yuanshan could tell that the boy was a self-taught dribbler, with a high dribbling point and stiff footwork, but a few seconds later, his eyes widened.

Seeing that he couldn't shake off the defender in front of him, number 21 passed the ball to his teammate at the top of the arc. He faked a run, shook off the defender, and drove into the paint, yelling, "Pass!"

The player at the top of the penalty arc immediately threw the ball in.

His passing skills were terrible, too high and too low, but number 21 jumped up and caught the ball with one hand while facing away from the basket.

He jumped so high that the onlookers gasped in surprise.

But even bigger gasps were yet to come. Number 21 turned around in mid-air, and with an unbelievable hang time, made a standard shooting motion in mid-air, gently flicking the ball, demonstrating what it means to hang in mid-air like riding a horse and shooting an arrow.

The ball hit the square in the center of the basket and bounced into the hoop.

"So amazing?" Song Yuanshan rubbed his eyes frantically. What kind of physical ability is this? It's incredible!
But the impact of number 21 on him went far beyond that.

In the next possession, the opponent attacked, the rebound bounced high, and number 21 took off from the ground, scooped the ball up with one hand, dribbled it to a three-pointer, and then turned and drove to the basket.

With two opponents blocking his way, he jumped high into the air, and in that instant, Song Yuanshan felt his eyeballs bulge out.

The number 21's toes were actually at the height of the opposing defender's stomach.

What an incredible leap! Song Yuanshan has been training young players for twenty years and has seen all kinds of talent, but this is the first time he has ever seen a pull-up jump shot this high.

There are many hidden masters among ordinary people!
He deeply understood this statement.

Suddenly, Song Yuanshan understood why Weilan insisted on holding open auditions in private schools instead of focusing its efforts on clubs and sports schools.

To be honest, if this number 21 had come to the Guangzhou Sports School two years earlier, I would have cherished him like a precious gem.

Because of the strict screening of household registration, those who can be selected in Guangzhou must be local residents of Guangdong.

Song Yuanshan sighed, "There are so many promising talents in Guangdong who are discovered too late. This land can nurture super-small, fast, and agile talents with high sensitivity, high speed, and high elasticity."

He quickly pulled out his notebook to search, and based on the location, color, and number, Song Yuanshan knew the name of this number 21.

Qin Changzheng!
What a powerful name!

Song Yuanshan immediately took a liking to the boy!
When writing his reasons for recommending the player, he did not hesitate to include his scout comments.

Xiao Chen, please release!
As the preliminary rounds continue, talented young players are being discovered by scouts. They will know immediately that they have been selected for tomorrow's semi-finals, which means that they have passed the initial stage and can now face more challenging tasks.

At 5:30, the setting sun was still burning and releasing its heat. May is already very hot, let alone outdoors.

Sweating profusely, Qin Changzheng found Xi Shilun sitting in the rest area.

"How is it?" Qin Changzheng asked.

"Of course, no problem, what about you!" Xi Shilun was very proud. He had played well today, scoring repeatedly and putting on a wonderful offensive and defensive performance. After the game, several scouts stopped him and asked about his basic physical data.

"I've passed the test too. We might run into each other tomorrow!" Qin Changzheng chuckled foolishly.

"Let's go celebrate!" Both of them were very happy and picked up their backpacks to leave.

"Should we stay together tonight? What kind of hotel should we get?"

"I like to sleep well, do you have any recommendations?"

"Um, I actually want to sleep on a hard bed. I heard that hotels that charge 50 yuan a night have very hard mattresses."

"Fifty dollars? That's too dirty. I'm in a good mood today, I'll cover your food and lodging."

"Oh, that's not a good idea."

"What's wrong with that? A real man shouldn't be so hesitant."

On Sunday, Haixinsha Park was just as crowded as it was yesterday, and the twenty half-squads that were set up yesterday were converted into ten full-squads.

Today we'll be playing the full game, with each team having 7 players, playing 20-minute matches, for a total of five games.

The best-performing players will be retained, and a total of one hundred people will become lucky ones. They will go through various difficult challenges and eventually form two teams to represent the Guangdong region in the first Blue Ocean National Tournament.

The Blue Ocean team will select the top 50 students from this national competition to go to the United States and become members of American high schools.

"Come on, we'll definitely become teammates!" Qin Changzheng raised his fist.

Although they weren't on the same team yet, Xi Shilun wasn't discouraged. Just as Qin Changzheng said, they would become teammates sooner or later.

"Definitely!" He reached out and made a fist, then touched it.

Time flew by, and amidst the cheers that echoed through Haixinsha Park, the sun began to set, its afterglow illuminating each of the sweat-soaked boys in their jerseys with a golden glow.

"Now, let's announce the final list of one hundred people." The host stood on the stage, looking at the five hundred people below the stage, and smiled.

"Students whose names are called, please go to Section A on my left to register."

"Okay, let's begin."

"...!"

"Qin Changzheng!"

"To!"

Although Qin Changzheng was confident, he couldn't help but feel happy. He pushed through the crowd, enduring the envious glances of his peers, and arrived at Area A. However, he didn't immediately sign the papers but instead looked back at the crowd.

"Wash Shi Lun!"

"Here!" a loud voice rang out.

"Yes!" Qin Changzheng jumped high on the spot and shouted happily.

When Xi Shilun came out, the two boys happily shook hands and bumped shoulders.

Under the setting sun, hands clasped tightly together represent not only friendship and youth, but also the most vibrant colors of hope for the future and dreams.

Just like what Chen Fang said when he was painting a magnificent blueprint for Wang Zhen.

"We want to create a project that truly strives for basketball dreams, a project that truly understands the dreams of every young person who loves basketball."

"Charge towards your dreams!"

(End of this chapter)