Yonghe Road

Chapter 71 Losing
The semi-finals of the two white tea teams finally began.

First, the coaches and athletes entered the arena. When the host excitedly announced over the speakers that the next team to enter was the host country's local white tea team, the audience's cheers were clearly several waves higher than when the Northern Fujian White Tea team entered.

This is the home advantage, but also the home pressure.

There is no pressure from the head coach, winning is inevitable.

After the entire team, including assistant coach Luo Chuxiu and more than a dozen others, had greeted the spectators, the head coach began to call out the names of the players. First, a foreign player, then three of his own trusted players, and then, "Zhong Ziqi, go!"

Zhong Ziqi was stunned.

All the players of Baile Village, including Luo Chuxiu, were stunned for a moment, but Luo Chuxiu quickly reacted, patted Zhong Ziqi on the shoulder, and signaled him to hurry onto the court with the other players.

A whistle blows and the game officially begins.

The rest of the players watched the game from the player-only lounge chairs.

"Why are you suddenly so merciful? The sun is rising from the west?" Ye Shensu whispered into Wang Zian's ear.

On the other side, the head coach's two trusted players who were not on the field were also muttering quietly:

"How did you let them in?"

"At first, at Mr. Luo's tea shop, didn't you see the woman on the wall? Mr. Luo said she was this guy's girlfriend, a great writer."

"So he let this guy in because of his girlfriend? Damn, this also depends on women."

"You also find a girlfriend who writes books."

"Tsk, let's play ball. If you find a girlfriend who writes books, aren't you afraid of losing because of bad luck?"

Can you still pass the buck like this?

Even another close confidant kept his mouth shut.

Wang Zian and others also stopped listening and focused on watching the scene.

The score on the field was very close, you scored a goal, I scored a goal, and neither of us gave in.

The audience's hearts were in their throats, fearing that the local white tea team would be left behind by the opponent.

The head coach's brows were getting tighter and tighter.

It was a bit difficult to play this game tonight.

"We won the group stage matches easily because we were used to playing well together. We shouldn't have let that kid play tonight."

"But those few goals we scored just now were all thanks to that kid."

The two confidants started whispering to each other again.

Wang Zian listened silently, his eyes fixed on the team on the field. Whether from the perspective of the players or the audience, Wang Zian did not want his local team to lose.

"The cooperation is still tacit, but the opponent is too strong." Shao Feng muttered.

Ye Shensu's hands were sweating, and he didn't dare to speak. He could only pray in his heart that his team's players would score more goals on the field. Five goals in three minutes was not a small number, but the White Tea team from Northern Fujian scored an extra goal and took the lead again.

On the rostrum, the leaders' faces were visibly nervous. The head coach looked back at the rostrum, gritted his teeth, replaced the foreign aid "all-around warrior" with the foreign aid "inside overlord", and replaced the two trusted players on the court with his other two trusted players, but did not replace Zhong Ziqi.

The "inside overlord" should have been the dominant force on the court, but tonight he encountered strong suppression from the opponent's foreign players.

The foreign player, tall and incredibly agile, stood like a towering iron tower on defense, completely blocking the "inside overlord's" space to maneuver. Every time the "inside overlord" attempted a strong attack, he was met with stiff resistance from the opponent, unable to unleash his usual power, and his offensive methods were greatly reduced.

The "inside overlord" was replaced and the "all-around warrior" entered the court, everyone expected him to turn the tide. The "all-around warrior" was agile and well-rounded. As soon as he entered the court, he brought a fierce momentum, breaking through, passing, shooting, and scoring repeatedly, giving the team hope of victory.

The expressions of the leaders and head coach on the rostrum all relaxed, and the hearts of the audience were also briefly comforted, and they shouted "Come on" even harder.

The "all-around warrior" nimbly moved across the court, deftly circumventing the opponent's defense and creating numerous scoring opportunities for his teammates. Several impressive dunks by Zhong Ziqi quickly put the score in their favor. However, the two chatty trusted players, for some reason, were plagued by errors tonight and were making numerous turnovers. One of them inexplicably slipped while crossing half court, instantly losing possession to the opponent, who seized the opportunity for a fast break. Another lost focus on defense, allowing the opposing foreign player to easily break through the defense and score a layup.

Their performance drew sighs from the audience, and some were so angry that they hit the fence and hurt their hands.

On the rostrum, the leaders' expressions became serious again.

This time the head coach didn't dare to look back. He frowned and stared at the field. The dissatisfaction and anxiety in his eyes became more and more obvious. Later, he kept shouting and signaling on the sidelines.

Despite the frequent problems, the two foreign players, "all-round warrior" and "scoring machine" and Zhong Ziqi still tried their best to save the situation. The cooperation of five people became a team of only three people, trying to make up for the constant mistakes, but the score could not catch up with the opponent.

Suddenly, the opposing foreign players unleashed a ferocious defensive attack. They closely guarded the "all-around warrior," the "scoring machine," and Zhong Ziqi, using their strong bodies to constantly challenge and disrupt the rhythm.

At the same time, on the offensive end, the local players of the opposing team were obviously stronger than the two trusted players of the host team, and they frequently scored under the basket.

The whistle blew, and the audience was shocked as the opposing team successfully made a three-pointer into the basket.

In this round, the local white tea team lost.

This is the first time that "Cha BA" has lost since the start of the season.

The players walked off the field with their heads down, and several foreign players looked dejected. Meanwhile, the Northern Fujian White Tea team cheered and high-fived each other to celebrate their hard-earned victory.

On the sidelines, the head coach's face was so gloomy it looked like it could rain. He could only glare fiercely at his trusted aides, his voice trembling as he scolded them: "For the second game, we need to change our tactics..."

The head coach's mind was in a mess. The sudden loss hit his self-confidence.

This match was completely different from any other matches he'd led elsewhere. In other matches, it was all about performance, but this was a home game. How many people would be disappointed if they lost at home? He was the head coach, so how many would poke him in the back and curse him?
The head coach's forehead was covered with sweat from anxiety.

"Don't feel pressured, everyone." Director Mei Wending's calm voice came from behind.

Everyone looked over and saw that the players who were sitting on the lounge chairs had also stood up. Tea company bosses such as Luo Youcai were also crowded around, and everyone looked very solemn.

"Friendship comes first, competition comes second. Even if we lose, we must show the vision and courage of the host country. But, of course, I still hope that our Baicha team can win. This is also the hope of the people of the whole city." Director Mei Wending's instructions were comprehensive, giving guidance and pressure.

For the head coach and the players, it's all pressure.

As the host nation, how could they lose? Whoever loses is a joke. Leadership is a leader's job; as players, they simply can't afford to lose!

Director Mei Wending, however, had already focused his attention on the head coach: "Head coach, do you have any good strategies for winning the second game?"