The longest river

Chapter 6 To go or to stay
"Negative energy from David Smith +313".

Smith shoved Yang Shuai on the spot, but Yang Shuai shoved him back without hesitation.

His principle remains unchanged: if you attack me with the stereotype that Asians can only do math problems, then don't blame me for attacking you with the stereotype that Black people don't have fathers.

Seeing this, the team members from both sides came over and separated the two.

After a brief clash, the match continued.

When Yang Shuai's team continued to kick off, Smith stuck close to Yang Shuai and didn't give him a chance to receive the ball.

Yang Shuai immediately started a pick-and-roll with Rondo, and thanks to his improved physicality, his pick-and-roll effectively screened the opposing guard.

Rondo was mismatched against Smith, accelerated past him and drove straight to the basket.

Smith was close behind him, waiting for the right moment to jump and block the shot.

Unexpectedly, Rondo also feinted, then turned and passed the ball straight to the middle after receiving it.

Yang Shuai had already completed the ball dismantling and follow-up, and jumped up after receiving a pass from Rondo.

Smith had just landed when he realized he had lost his chance to help defend, but when he saw Yang Shuai, he turned and jumped, trying to use his speed advantage to force a block.

However, it was too late.

"Oh!"

When Yang Shuai slammed the ball into the basket over Smith with one hand, the sidelines erupted in cheers.

Even the white people in Yang Shuai's group excitedly ran up to Yang Shuai and shouted.

"Positive energy from Benjamin Button +15".

Yang Shuai's dunk not only captivated the audience but also won over his teammates!

"Negative energy from David Smith +199".

Smith turned around and swore.

He had never heard of any great Asian player in Cleveland before. Where did this damn guy come from?!
Yang Shuai's outstanding performance successfully attracted the opponent's defensive attention. When he cut inside or popped out, he was able to distract two opponents at once.

Rondo seized the opportunity to make a layup, and Yang Shuai followed with a three-pointer, quickly bringing the score to 5-1.

At that moment, the crowd on the sidelines, whose emotions had been stirred up by Yang Shuai, began to shout "Given kill!" in unison.

This scene even attracted the attention of other people on the surrounding field, who all turned to look at what was happening.

Rondo then passed the ball to Yang Shuai.

After receiving the ball, Yang Shuai signaled to move up for a one-on-one play.

"Come on!" Smith said, bending over and clapping his hands vigorously in front of him.

His last act of defiance was to prevent Yang Shuai from scoring the winning goal.

Yang Shuai faked a three-point shot, successfully shifting Smith's weight, and then drove straight to the basket from the right side.

Smith's play fully demonstrated his mobility, consistently staying in Yang Shuai's path of attack.

After Yang Shuai broke into the three-second zone, he didn't have a direct opportunity for a layup, so he opted for a turnaround floater.

Smith jumped at almost the same time, but his faster jump speed gave Yang Shuai ample opportunity to interfere.

Yang Shuai stretched out his long arm, and the ball passed over Smith's fingertips.

"when!"

The basketball bounced off the edge of the rim.

A collective sigh of regret rippled through the crowd; Smith's explosiveness was simply too good.

But the next second, the sound of regret turned into exclamation.

Because Yang Shuai jumped again immediately after landing, he caught the ball in mid-air and made a putback.

This game is not just about speed and talent, but also about judgment and awareness.

The basketball was guided twice, tracing a small parabola in the air before falling straight into the basket.

Yang Shuai delivered the game-winning shot!

The sidelines erupted into a frenzy.

This is the first time they've ever seen an Asian player dominate this field; it's incredible!
Yang Shuai's next move was also unexpected. He raised his hands to interact with the crowd and even reached out to high-five the audience on the sidelines.

This personality trait further excited the people on the sidelines, who shouted even louder.

It was already 9:30 p.m. when they came out of the basketball court. The two boys walked back, excitedly talking about the exciting moments of the game.

"Yang, I was a little worried that you wouldn't be able to adapt to the full-court pressure, but now I can't wait to play with you in the league." Rondo's face was full of anticipation.

In this era, the division of labor on the court was clear. The main responsibility of the point guard was to organize the offense, and to be competent in this position, one had to have excellent basketball IQ.

Rondo was able to become the starting point guard for the school team because of his excellent basketball IQ and passing ability. Yang Shuai is also the type with excellent basketball IQ. The chemistry between the two seems to be innate.

"Take your time." Yang Shuai is not as impatient as before.

He was anxious before because he had nowhere to earn points, but now he has a local basketball court. Especially after playing tonight, playing local basketball not only helps him earn points, but also helps him identify and address his technical weaknesses, allowing him to prepare for the league in advance.

For example, in the game against Smith, his offense in the last round was actually unsuccessful.

Or to put it another way, if he had Smith's explosiveness, he wouldn't need a putback to make the game-winning shot.

They got home at exactly ten o'clock, and Lin Xiulan was angry that they came home so late.

"Why did you come back so late?" Lin Xiulan asked Rondo.

Just like the day she wouldn't let Yang Shuai go back, she was well aware of the insecurity of nighttime in America.

Rondo lowered his head and dared not speak.

"Aunt Lin, we're going to play ball at the court. We'll come back earlier next time." Yang Shuai had also stayed out late playing when he was a child, so he knew that children's little tricks couldn't fool their parents.

Lin Xiulan looked at Yang Shuai, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating, and finally gestured for them to go take a shower and go to bed.

Alex and Aria were already asleep. After taking a shower, they tiptoed into bed.

Rondo fell asleep quickly, but Yang Shuai tossed and turned, unable to sleep once again.

He realized that his actions tonight had caused trouble for Lin Xiulan, because she had only adopted him out of kindness, but Rondo was also returning home late with her.

If something really happens to them, Lin Xiulan might lose her son.

After a long while, Yang Shuai made up his mind: he would find an opportunity to say hello to Lin Xiulan tomorrow, and he would go live outside by himself.

He wants to change his fate, so he has to make it into the NBA no matter what, even if he faces greater difficulties than he does now, he will forge ahead.

Of course, he will always remember Lin Xiulan's kindness, and when he finally makes it to the NBA, he will definitely find a way to repay her.

Having made his decision, Yang Shuai stopped thinking about it and instead entered the system to prepare to exchange for his talent.

He scored a total of 3145 points that night.

Overall, this is a bit more than his previous one-on-one fight with Luther, but not by much.

This is mainly because although there are many people on the basketball court, not everyone can generate negative energy.

Moreover, there's a limit to how things go on the basketball court; if you go too far and a fight breaks out, it's not worth it.

He spent 2000 points to redeem a D-level explosive power physical fitness pack.

With his exchange, his layup skill in the second-level interface increased by 3 points; offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, and sprint dunks increased by 2 points; and standing dunks increased by 1 point.

As for the first-level interface, dunking, rebounding, dribbling, and layup have each been increased by 1-2 points.

The changes brought about by this improvement in physical fitness are more complex than before, and have given Yang Shuai a deeper understanding of them.

It is intuitive to see that the number of points that a physical fitness pack can increase is related to the level of ability; the higher the ability level, the less points a physical fitness pack of the same level can increase.

In other words, once your ability value increases, you need to exchange for a higher-level physical fitness pack to continue improving, which means you'll need more points.

That makes sense; otherwise, one could keep getting stronger just by farming low-level packs.

Yang Shuai got up early the next day as usual. He originally planned to chat with Lin Xiulan, but found that Lin Xiulan had already left home very early.

He could only talk to him after school.

Having converted his explosiveness, Yang Shuai changed his training focus at school today from jumping to breakthroughs.

After the afternoon training session, Yang Shuai and Rondo went home together.

Rondo continued to talk eloquently, while Yang Shuai was much more silent than usual.

Although he had already made up his mind, he had experienced the feeling of home at Rondo's house over the past month, and he was naturally reluctant to leave such an environment suddenly.

Rondo gradually realized that something was wrong with Yang Shuai. Although he didn't know Yang Shuai's decision, he gradually calmed down when he thought that going out at night would upset Lin Xiulan.

The two silent children returned home, only to find that dinner was much more lavish than usual; their staple food had been changed from potatoes to pasta.

At the dinner table, Lin Xiulan announced that Robert's factory had given out a bonus, so the meals were upgraded for the evening.

Yang Shuai was somewhat surprised.

Robert Rondo works at a machine tool factory.

Cleveland's steel industry was once booming, and working in a machine tool factory could earn a fairly good salary.

However, in the second half of the 20th century, American industry declined, Cleveland's economy slumped, and its population declined. Working in a machine tool factory was considered good enough to cover daily expenses.

Then, Lin Xiulan announced that she would use part of the prize money to buy a bicycle for each of Rondo and Yang Shuai.

"That way you can get home earlier and more safely tonight."

When Lin Xiulan said those words, Yang Shuai froze on the spot, his nose involuntarily stinging with tears.

He knew it was a white lie.

Looking at Rondo's excited face, Robert who remained silent but nodded, and Lin Xiulan with a smile on her face, he had many things to say, but in the end, only that slightly hoarse sentence came out:

"Thank you, Aunt Lin."

(End of this chapter)