Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 293 Illuminate Yourself, Illuminate China

June 26th, sunny and cloudless.

Both on the field and indoors, there are large-displacement fans blowing air in the four corners, and four rows of seats outside the two sidelines, with the coaches on the right and the players on the left.

Twenty coaches acted as scouts, scoring the players in each match.

Remove the highest and lowest scores, and divide by 18 to get the player's rating.

There are 20 teams, randomly mixed together, with each team playing four matches, each lasting 10 minutes, ensuring fairness and impartiality.

None of the players and coaches knew the draw results; they would only know after a match was over when the podium would announce which team would be playing.

An invisible pressure weighed on every player. The 18 teams sat there in an orderly fashion, watching the battle on the field.

For these teenagers, who average 16 years old, saving face is more important than anything else. No one wants to be eliminated. Although they may feel like giving up during the arduous training, when the time comes, everyone will choose to fight on.

"Team 8 against Team 4!" The loudspeaker's announcement startled Qin Changzheng.

There was no coach today, so we had to rely entirely on our own performance.

There's nothing to argue about, everyone's a starter. Walking onto the court, Qin Changzheng looked around, rubbed his hands together nervously, and then touched the dust off his shoes.

"Go, Long March!" Xi Shilun, sitting high up, shouted loudly, not caring what others thought.

Qin Changzheng grinned and raised his fist in response.

But he didn't realize that many coaches perked up when they saw him come up.

A simple rock-paper-scissors game was used to determine possession; 8 teams lost, and 4 teams went first.

The common formation in amateur basketball is 2-2-1, with the center positioned near the edge of the penalty area, the two forwards positioned slightly below the flanks, and the two defenders spread out in a line at the top of the key.

Team 4 came up quickly. The guy facing Qin Changzheng was a tall, thin man who was 190cm tall. He wanted to put up a fight, but he didn't expect Qin Changzheng to be so uncooperative. With a push, he staggered back several steps.

Seeing this, the point guard with the ball changed his mind and passed the ball to his teammate in the paint.

The guy who caught the ball was a chubby guy, probably around 190cm tall. He always positioned himself with his back to the basket, and as soon as he received the ball, he would desperately try to get inside. When he saw the paint, he would turn around and smoothly execute a half-hook shot.

Unexpectedly, Qin Changzheng had already retreated to help. This was also a habit of Qin Changzheng. He couldn't stand seeing his teammates suffer losses and always felt that they couldn't do without him. Seeing that Pangdun had turned around and his back was a blind spot, he jumped forward and bounced up as soon as he touched the ground.

Just then, Fatty hooked his hand, and Qin Changzheng saw the ball appear, roared, and slapped it across the face.

"boom!"

The basketball made a dull thud and flew straight out.

The noisy stands fell silent instantly, and the sound of the basketball bouncing on the ground echoed from afar.

"A volleyball hat?"

"The Blood-Red Cap?"

That ball was excellent; the key was that the sound of the slap, cutting through the air, was like the finishing touch, stunning everyone.

Fatty was stunned. After searching for a while, he found Qin Changzheng acting as if nothing had happened.

"You slapped me?"

"Who told you not to pay attention?" Qin Changzheng was very unrestrained on the court, and he glared back at her.

Overwhelmed by Qin Changzheng's imposing manner, the chubby guy walked out with a dark face.

Team 4 served the ball from the baseline. Perhaps out of resentment, or perhaps by chance, Fatty suddenly raised his hand and squeezed in from the outside. The moment he received the ball, Qin Changzheng was right next to him, and the two were instantly pressed together.

Fatty used the same trick again, dribbling the ball closer to the inside. When he dribbled, he liked to lift both feet off the ground at the same time, so that he could use his body weight to squeeze the ball more.

But today he really had a run of bad luck.

They met Qin Changzheng, who was known as the bulldozer in town.

As soon as his feet left the ground, he felt as if he were floating on clouds, drifting away.

He missed the ball and hurriedly went to find it. As he turned around, he felt a gust of wind. Looking back, he saw a person wearing number 42 on their back disappearing into the distance.

That is Qin Changzheng.

"Was there a foul?" Fatty wanted to argue with the referee, but the referee had already run far away after chasing 42, leaving him standing there all alone, looking extremely pitiful.

Qin Changzheng pushed the fat guy aside with force, and the ball bounced in front of him. He picked up the ball and rushed forward. The change was too fast. Before the others could react, Qin Changzheng had already crossed the halfway line by himself.

In the past, Qin Changzheng would push the ball forward to avoid losing possession, so he especially liked fast break opportunities with open space in front of him. He would push the ball forward again, then take a quick step to catch up, pick up the basketball with both hands, and take three steps.

With a leap, Qin Changzheng watched the basketball hoop approaching rapidly, and habitually roared as he slammed the ball into the basket.

"Clang!" The entire basketball hoop tilted.

The basketball flew through the net, splashed on the floor, bounced again, and surprisingly soared into the sky.

And echoing this is the image of Qin Changzheng falling.

The stunning scene was captured by the dedicated photographers from Azure.

Song Yuanshan was extremely excited. He stood up and clapped, then looked proudly at the others, as if to say, "Look, this is what a genius is."

Their talent shines through in both offense and defense!
In just two rounds, every coach scored full marks on Qin Changzheng.

Qu Shaobin's eyelids twitched. He seemed to see Chen Fang. Three years ago, Chen Fang conquered everyone with his explosive dunks.

Although Qin Changzheng's speed and gliding distance are far less terrifying than Chen Fang's, he has a unique style in terms of power and momentum.

This kid's playing style is as impressive as his name.

After Qin Changzheng orchestrated this round, almost no one in Team 4 dared to mess with him. On the other hand, Team 8's morale soared, and they played more relaxed. Those who made it this far all had some skill, and after several consecutive scoring runs, Team 4 was completely crushed.

Qin Changzheng didn't fight for the ball; he was very enthusiastic about defense, rebounding, boxing out, and taking over all the work in the paint.

The coaches in the stands also noticed some of the habits and characteristics of number 42.

Every time they double-team or rush the rebound, they look for blind spots and the opposite corner of the shooter.

What is meant by "diagonal"? It refers to the angle at which the shooter releases the ball, perpendicular to the plane of the shot. Although the backboard is unpredictable, if the shot misses, it is highly likely that the ball came from the opposite direction, and the angle of the shot will not exceed 60 degrees, unless it is a very unusual shot.

Even when the frame is off-center, the angle will not exceed 160° above the horizontal plane.

Most backboards will appear within the 90° arc area in front of the basket.

This is why centers should stand slightly centered on either side of the basket, as this maximizes their chances of grabbing rebounds.

Qin Changzheng often cuts across the paint and rushes for rebounds in the paint, grabbing the rebound before the center can even reach out.

In addition, his vertical jumping height is outrageous, which makes the visual effect very impactful.

Throughout the game, he still only scored two points from that dunk, but he had already grabbed 10 rebounds and added 3 blocks, playing exactly like a power forward.

"What a pity!" Many coaches shook their heads.

If his bone age is measured to be over two meters tall, he would definitely be a great power forward prospect.

And it's absolutely not available in China; it's the rarest model.

A rim-protecting power forward is a rare find.

The whistle blew, the referee signaled the end of the match, and Qin Changzheng was drenched in sweat, but he didn't feel tired. Slightly disappointed, he asked, "Is it over already?"

The teammates nodded in agreement. It was just one game, and everyone was convinced. They knew that without Qin Changzheng, they might not have won today.

After they left the field, it happened to be the team that was playing for Xi Shilun, and the two met on the sidelines.

"It's up to you! Good luck!" Qin Changzheng reverted to his childlike self.

"Watch closely!" Xi Shilun, disregarding his astonishment at Qin Changzheng's displayed skills, was immediately filled with competitive spirit.

Back in his seat, wiping his sweat, he boasted to his teammates, "My brother's amazing!"

His teammates nodded in agreement, but in their hearts they were thinking, "Are you as good as me?"
Three minutes into the game, Qu Shaobin became interested in number 73 from team 14.

He and his assistant were muttering to each other: "This one is good. He's technically skilled, plays nimbly, has a good shot, and looks like a former youth player."

This was also the first time Qin Changzheng had seen Xi Shilun play a full game. He had a good body proportion, long legs like mosquitoes, and was particularly agile. His dribbling rhythm was excellent, and he could often beat people with a change of direction.

There are many options after a breakthrough, and both breakthrough shots and jump shots are possible.

Under his leadership, Team 14 completely overwhelmed Team 10.

Qin Changzheng was very envious; this was exactly the kind of playing style he dreamed of. Then he comforted himself, saying that his current style was also pretty good, full of swagger and dominance.

I spent the whole morning watching and playing the game.

Qin Changzheng played two games. The opponent in the second game was very strong, so he took the initiative to take the offensive role. He dribbled and then took a step back and made four consecutive jump shots, which made the coaches in the stands drool and look at Song Yuanshan.

"Old Song, you're amazing! He actually learned your sniping technique?"

Song Yuanshan used to be on the GD provincial team. His specialty was to suddenly shoot a shot while dribbling, which was impossible to defend against. He was known in the basketball world as Song the Cold Gun.

"Hehe!" Song Yuanshan just kept laughing, looking smug.

As noon approached, the competition came to a temporary end. Qin Changzheng and Xi Shilun were the most outstanding players in the morning, and being from the same city of Zhaoqing, they immediately gained a good reputation.

Zhaoqing Double Guns!

They're all players who can drive and shoot!

One has a rhythm that's as fast as lightning, another drives like a grizzly bear, one shoots like a beautiful painting, and another releases his shot like a flying knife—all are quick and accurate.

During lunch with the coaches, when they shared their thoughts, they all agreed that the two players had already made it into the final 20-man roster.

"It's possible that our Guangdong division will have to rely on the Zhaoqing duo to save face!" a coach predicted.

“One is extremely yang, the other extremely yin; their styles really complement each other,” an old man chuckled.

The afternoon's game remained unchanged. Qin Changzheng became increasingly familiar with the game and took over the offensive mantle. Whether shooting from the outside or attacking the basket, his style was highly individualistic.

Xi Shilun, on the other hand, was somewhat lackluster. Although he performed well, he did not reach the next level.

Qin Changzheng's speed of adaptation was so impressive that it dazzled everyone.

At the debriefing meeting, the coaches expressed their feelings.

"He still has a lot of potential. He is definitely the best talent that Guangdong has discovered in recent years. My God, thank you, Azure. If it weren't for this event, this kid would have been buried." Coach Jiang, who is over fifty years old, said with emotion.

The old man was deeply moved after learning about Qin Changzheng's basic personal information.

"Without this program, this kid would have gone to high school and then college. When he first came, he couldn't even dribble properly or play basketball. We would never have noticed him anywhere."

Everyone in the industry nodded in agreement after hearing this. Qu Shaobin also understood that the selection process used to involve parents recommending themselves, which caused a lot of delays. In addition, considering height and physical attributes, no one would want someone like Qin Changzheng who was almost 16 years old.

“Wei Lan’s idea makes sense. I was a little unconvinced at the meeting that day, but now that I think about it, this kind of event is held once a year, and it can discover a lot of talent across the country.” One coach said excitedly.

He is also deeply involved in youth training. As a youth training coach, what he hates most is not having any promising young players in his team who can make it into the first professional team. If no one makes it in more than ten years, he will start to doubt his life.

"China is so big, how could there not be good prospects for playing ball? Now that Weilan is willing to take the lead and organize a national competition, this at least gives my family another reason and motivation to support my playing ball."

Qu Shaobin listened, and he shared these sentiments. He was also reflecting on whether professional clubs could do more and better in terms of operations.

While the coaches were expressing their opinions, Qin Changzheng and Xi Shilun were taking a walk at the training base.

They said it was a walk, but it was really just a place to whisper secrets.

"You played well today!" Xi Shilun was a little envious. After all, he hadn't thought Qin Changzheng was that good at first, and after seeing him today, he hadn't adjusted to the disappointment.

Qin Changzheng, on the other hand, was quite pleased with himself. He couldn't keep his mouth shut, so he said, "The coach said I'm the strongest here. I didn't believe it yesterday, but after today's match, haha!" Xi Shilun was speechless and said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, there's another person here. Please consider other people's feelings."

"Oh, I got too excited. It's my fault. I'm sorry, Lao Xi. I didn't mean to."

Qin Changzheng's frankness made Xi Shilun feel petty. He waved his hand and said, "You're right, you are indeed the strongest, but there's still a long time. I will catch up!"

"Keep chasing me, I won't stop!"

"Look, the sun is about to set! Another day has passed!" As Xi Shilun watched the fiery red sun slowly sink, he suddenly felt a little sad.

"It's beautiful, but I prefer watching the sunrise."

The two boys, bathed in the afterglow, quietly admired the scene.

"On the Long March, will we really be able to see Prince Chen?"

"Yes, it must be possible."

"As long as we work as hard as King Chen, we'll have a chance to meet him sooner or later!"

Xi Shilun couldn't help but turn his head to look; the afterglow of the setting sun had dyed Qin Changzheng's cheeks a fiery red.

As if seeing a raging fire, Xi Shilun secretly told himself: Don't be discouraged, be like Changzheng, and always be optimistic.

※※※

The two boys' idols, who were the focus of their hearts, sat on the mountain peak with bitter faces, gazing into the distance. Even though Chen Fang strained his eyes, he still couldn't see the city of QD, but he could hear the sound of the waves crashing in the sea.

This is Laoshan Mountain.

I've been completely fooled. I went into the mountains with Old Master Zhao to cultivate myself, hoping to completely cure his old habit of getting excited when he gets agitated.

Firstly, I wanted to avoid the ever-present media; secondly, I was drawn in by Mr. Zhao's words.

Do you want to be physically strong and immune to all diseases?

So she followed the old man into the mountains alone and was taken to a place called Ningzhen Temple.

He practices boxing, breathing exercises, and meditation with the old man every day, and does medicinal steaming every night. He has been staying on the mountain for almost three months, from late April until now. He must be really bored.

Wang Zhen would come once a week, firstly to replenish supplies according to the prescription provided by the old man, and secondly to report on the progress of the Blue Cup and business developments in North America.

He returned to the Taoist temple dejectedly and saw Old Master Zhao chanting Taoist scriptures. It is said that chanting scriptures is the most authentic way to practice breathing exercises, but because Chen Fang has not formally entered the sect, he does not know the proper method.

Patiently encouraging him from the sidelines, Chen Fang waited until the old man finished chanting the sutra before asking with a bitter face, "When can I leave?"

"It'll be soon." The old man sighed. Chen had been gone for two years, and now that he was back, his temperament had deteriorated a lot, which was somewhat disappointing.

Considering he's a big celebrity now, with so many responsibilities, I can understand.

“I also learned about basketball and know that the waist, knees, and ankles are the most important. The medicated steam and essential oil massage over the past two months have strengthened these areas. Just pay more attention in the future, and there won’t be any major problems.”

King of Endurance?
Chen Fang was pleasantly surprised and asked, "What are the effects?"

"It just means faster recovery. The US has a lot of restrictions on traditional Chinese medicine. Otherwise, you could stay there and keep the medicine steaming, and you would have far fewer injuries when playing ball."

"That shouldn't be a problem; I have the channels."

Old Master Zhao glanced at him and found the boy increasingly irritating. He flicked his sleeve and said, "Get out of here tomorrow, you who don't cherish opportunities!"

Hearing this, Chen Fang felt ashamed and scratched his head in silence.

At night, the two ate vegetarian food and sat on the cliff overlooking the sea.

"I am very pleased that you have brought honor to the country. The more prominent your position, the more humble you should be, understand?"

"I know, I haven't changed." Chen Fang felt wronged.

"Will you come back next year?"

“We come back every year, not just to see you, but to return to you.”

"You're all talk and no action, fine. There are some things that aren't the right time yet, and I don't need to bring them up now. I'm still in good health, but if I send you a message, you absolutely have to come back."

Chen Fang felt that this sounded like he was giving his last words, so he quickly knelt down and said, "Grandpa, don't scare me."

"Get up! How old are you? Still kneeling? Have you remembered what I said?"

"remember."

"Go down the mountain tomorrow morning and take good care of yourself. I'm very grateful that you were able to stay for three months." The old man was also somewhat saddened by the impending separation.

Chen Fang's eyes reddened, and he remained silent for a long time.

A private plane landed at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.

Three luxury cars drove up from a distance and stopped right next to the plane.

Chen Fang, wearing sunglasses, was the first to walk towards the boarding stairs, followed by Wang Zhen and Lu Yun.

The three of them got into the middle Alphard. As soon as they got in, Chen Fang smiled at Lu Yun and said, "Without your private jet, it really is a bit inconvenient."

"Don't give me that, it's all fake!" Lu Yun rolled his eyes.

“He’s actually not qualified to use it. If it weren’t for you, he would have just taken a passenger plane!” Wang Zhen revealed Lu Yun’s true colors.

"Oh, I see!" The three of them chuckled.

After the jokes, we started talking about business.

"Is everything arranged?" Chen Fang asked.

"Yes, all eight teams from the North and South have been selected. Our promotion started in April, and we've been continuously building momentum. Now the whole country is paying attention to this Blue Cup."

"I've read some reports, and they're quite good, but the variety show effect is a bit lacking. There's still a lot of room for discussion and research on how to achieve a perfect balance between competition and variety show elements, so that the audience doesn't feel awkward while still creating stars," Chen Fang expressed his opinion.

"Yes, there are indeed some problems at the moment. We are actively improving and adjusting. This quarterfinals are being filmed in the style of a documentary. Because it is a group portrait of all people, it is difficult to maintain a balance," Wang Zhen explained.

"That's the problem," Lu Yun interjected. "Trying to have both at the same time is very easy to cause problems."

Chen Fang fell into deep thought. He did have some responsibility for neglecting personnel matters for the past three months.

"Since it's already like this, let's cut out the unnecessary parts and jump straight into the competition. We'll show the audience from multiple angles the emotional changes of the players and coaches before and after the competition, focusing on the star players and their psychological journey."

"That's what we thought too. With your arrival this time, we're sure to take this hot topic to new heights."

Chen Fang was well aware that at this stage, as long as he came out, he would definitely generate a lot of buzz.

"No rush. Kobe will be here in three days. I'll hide behind him and cheer for these younger players." Chen Fang had his own plans.

"By the way, what promising talents are there right now?" Chen Fang asked.

Wang Zhen immediately opened his laptop and turned the screen so Chen Fang and Lu Yun could see it more clearly: "This time there's a surprise. There are some very good talents in both the north and south. With a little training, they can enter the professional ranks."

"Oh? Playing in the CBA?" Chen Fang became interested.

"Pretty much. There's a good chance he'll make it into the first team as a rotation player, because several clubs have expressed their desire to sign him."

"This is really great! I didn't expect the campus to be so interesting!" Chen Fang immediately felt that his hard work had paid off and became happy.

“One of them is particularly good, known as Little Chen Fang!” Wang Zhen revealed a strange smile.

"That's not surprising. I've seen a lot of people like that on forums, like Chen Fang from Northern Jiangsu, Chen Fang from Nanning, and Chen Fang from Guijie Street." Chen Fang didn't find it strange.

"No, that's not true at all. This one truly has your style!" Wang Zhen then recounted Qin Changzheng's story, including his physical attributes, family background, academic achievements, and so on.

Chen Fang was truly shocked, thinking to himself, "Could this person also be a time traveler, or perhaps someone with a built-in system?"

But Wang Zhen's next sentence shattered Chen Fang's conjecture.

"Qin Changzheng started playing basketball because he admired you. He had never received proper training and had been playing casual basketball until the Guangdong qualifiers this time, when he was discovered."

“Just like you, a Leo, my birthday is just a few days away, I’ll be 16!” Wang Zhen smiled. “To be honest, I’m way more daring than you!”

"Really?" Chen Fang awkwardly touched his nose.

"He'll only be a freshman next year, and he's already made rapid progress after just one summer of intensive training in Guangdong. His role model is Westbrook + Mitchell. Can you believe how fierce that is?"

"I really don't believe it," Chen Fang asked. "Do you have a video? Let me see!"

"I knew you'd be convinced, so I prepared this for you a long time ago!" Wang Zhen opened the video and showed it to the two of them.

Ten minutes later, Lu Yun nodded seriously: "Much more powerful than Chen Fang!"

"Damn!" Chen Fang retorted, rubbing his hands together. "Back then, I had a filming team like that, I was a force to be reckoned with, okay?"

"Look at you, I knew you'd make up excuses." Wang Zhen wanted to tease his brother who had abandoned him to train in the mountains: "His physical condition is really explosive. He grew a lot this summer and is already 186 cm tall. His vertical jump is 113 cm. He's taller than you, right?"

Chen Fang's face darkened, and he muttered, "I didn't use much force, I was afraid of scaring you!"

"Can you bench press 80KG 10 times without getting out of breath?"

Chen's face darkened even more, and he didn't believe it for a second: "Is this some kind of gimmick you're using to create a star?"

"Of course not, he's born with superhuman strength, completely different from you!" Lu Yun also noticed this and took the opportunity to mock him.

The opportunities to mock Chen Fang are dwindling, so we must seize them.

"There really are people like that!" Chen Fang had no choice but to believe it.

"I'd like to remind you, you haven't touched a ball in three months. Don't get beaten up when the time comes!" Lu Yun said in a sinister tone.

Chen Fang shivered, but forced a dismissive look: "Heh."

But then he turned to Wang Zhen and said, "Quickly find a private sports field, I need to go into seclusion!"

"Haha!" The two burst into laughter.

Not minding the embarrassment, since they were all his closest relatives, Chen Fang turned his attention back to the video that was playing on repeat.

“If he’s really that strong, then take him to America. I’m going to send him to Chaminard.”

Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: "Actually, that's what I think too."

"I just didn't expect you to do it too. It seems you've got your eye on it."

"If he could follow my path again, the whole game would be won." Chen Fang said seriously, pointing to Qin Changzheng in the video, who dribbled into the penalty area and delivered a powerful one-handed dunk that sent everyone in the penalty area sprawling.

“He’s been waiting for you!” Wang Zhen suddenly said.

Seeing Chen Fang's puzzled face, Wang Zhen explained, "The reason he's going to such lengths is that he wants to see you in person and get your autograph."

"Although it has never been announced whether you will make an appearance, he has always firmly believed that he will be able to see you."

"A sentence he said himself." Wang Zhen then played a new video.

In the video, Qin Changzheng appeared shy in front of the camera, even stuttering a bit. But when asked why he was working so hard, the young man replied, "I want to use my efforts to illuminate myself and let Prince Chen see me. I have always firmly believed that as long as I give it my all, we will meet."

Chen Fang froze, and after a long while, he looked at Wang Zhen.

"I feel the significance of creating Blue Ocean. One Qin Changzheng will inspire millions of Qin Changzhengs. Perhaps before long, China will be able to produce many NBA players, instead of relying on God's blessings as we are now."

"Light up yourself, light up China!" Lu Yun exclaimed.

“Go ahead and make the arrangements. I want to train with him!” Chen put aside his concerns and continued, “Arrange the entire shoot, and make this episode an exclusive blockbuster!”

"Understood!" Wang Zhen immediately understood Chen Fang's intention, which perfectly echoed Qin Changzheng's wish.

(End of this chapter)