Strong Offense And Defense Chapter 11

Translator: Re

Editor: Mims

“No one can't be replaced, including me.” Connor patted Nie Chuan on the shoulder. 

“You really like this point guard position?” 

“Yes, I like it very much. Although there are more eye-catching positions such as power forward, small forward, and center, but I really love the point guard.” 

“Why?” 

“Because, a good point guard must have a broad vision and grasp the best opportunity. You must know, the team's victory isn't based on a gorgeous slam dunk or a three-point shot, but the timing. We are the ones who seize that timing. We grasp the routine of attack, we grasp the most important opportunities, and we pierce through the court, acting as the thread that holds the team together. And when everyone is blocked, we will go beyond our opponent's imagination and give them an unexpected fatal blow. A basketball game is like a story. There's a starting point, a climax, and an end, and we are the ones writing that story.” Connor's finger gently poked between Nie Chuan's eyebrows, “That's why I love the point guard position to death.” 

Nie Chuan suddenly felt himself trapped in Connor's world.

At this time, someone came up behind Connor with their arms crossed and said very unhappily, “Hey, Connor! How many times have I said to you, you need to rest! How come you ran out again to play basketball?” 

Connor immediately showed a panicked expression. “No! No! I didn't play basketball! It's just that my friend came. I showed him two moves! Really! You see I haven't sweated!” 

The nurse looked at Nie Chuan with suspicion. 

Nie Chuan hurriedly nodded and said, “It's true! He only showed me once!” 

“Alright. You should return to the ward now.” 

Connor let out a disappointed expression and returned the basketball to Nie Chuan. When he turned around, he casually gave him a smile. “Hey, come find me again to play when you have time. But… don't let Carlo and them know!” 

Nie Chuan held the basketball as he watched Connor go. His back was both lonely and had a kind of steadiness that could not be described. 

Reece drove Nie Chuan back to school. 

The inside of the car was quiet. 

“…I still can't fully understand Connor's love for basketball,” Nie Chuan muttered. 

“Because you are not Connor.” 

“But… I seem to like basketball again.” 

“Again?” Reece raised an eyebrow. They had just arrived at a turn which Reece executes effortlessly. "Who taught you basketball?” 

“I don't remember. My grandfather was a professor of the Chinese Department at a university. When I was little I grew up under my grandfather. In my third year of primary school, there was an international student from the United States who was learning Chinese from my grandfather. He seems to have been a retired star from the NBA. Many children liked to play basketball with him, I did too. I was particularly fascinated at that time, I would follow him to play basketball without having done my homework from school." 

Speaking of that time, Nie Chuan's lips pulled into a smile.

“Your dribble is learned from him?” 

“Yeah! At that time, he even carried me on his shoulder and asked me if I would want to go to the United States with him to play basketball when I grew up! Haha now that I've grown up, he's probably a bald, middle-aged man with a beer belly?" Nie Chuan's laugh became more and more happy. 

“And then? Looking at your appearance, you don't play basketball often.” 

“I have! When I was in junior high school, I often played against other schools. I can always intercept my opponent's ball… Except one time when my elbow accidentally b.u.mped into the school gra.s.s of another junior high and his nose bled like a fountain… the desk mate who I crushed on gave me a ruthless look and didn't speak to me for the entire school year.” Nie Chuan's voice dwindled down. 

[T/N: school gra.s.s – most handsome guy in school]

“So you didn't play basketball anymore?” Reece's eyebrow rose again, and Nie Chuan could accurately capture his emotions. 

His subtext is: Giving up basketball like this is really too stupid.

“En… but the bigger reason is that after entering high school, there was no time.” 

“En.” Reece sighed softly and then asked, “Are you good at any other sports?” 

After thinking about it for several seconds, Nie Chuan finally asked, “I took pommel horse for two months, but one time I almost fell on my neck. My mother wouldn't let me continue to practice. In addition… does Tai Chi count?” 

Reece didn't speak. 

“Tai Chi ah! It's yǐ róu kè gāng, hòu fā xiān zhì!"

[T/N: 以柔克剛 – an idiom which literally translates to "using softness to subdue the strong." An example would be how water is weak/soft but can break rock

後發先至 – finding your enemy's strengths and weaknesses before acting]

Reece still didn't speak.

“Well, in your heart Tai Chi may not count as a sport…” 

They were silent on the rest of the way back to the school. Nie Chuan got off and pa.s.sed the front of the car. The atmosphere was so terrible that Nie Chuan just wanted to leave as soon as possible. 

He didn't even take two steps when Reece's hand stretched out of the window and easily grabbed his collar, pulling him back.

“Do you want to give it a try?” Reece asked. 

“Ha? You mean… getting Coach Gordon's approval?” 

“En.” 

“…I don't know anything about Coach Gordon and I never really thought about playing in the basketball league. It's just when I was with Connor, I suddenly really wanted to play basketball.” 

“Then I wish you luck," Reece chuckled. Nie Chuan couldn't tell whether he was laughing that he was overestimating himself or encouraging him. 

Nie Chuan returned to his room. To be honest, he really didn't know what he should do. 

He searched for all the basketball tutorials, copied them into the computer, a.n.a.lyzed them over and over again, and kept in contact with Connor. 

After cla.s.s the next day, he wandered around the school while carrying his bag and found that all the public basketball courts were being used. He was too embarra.s.sed to practice under the watchful eyes of others and, most importantly, he didn't seem to have a pair of decent basketball shoes and had to buy a basketball. 

Nie Chuan looked up at the sky. He suddenly felt like he was preparing his best writing pen to *burn the midnight oil before the language test, only for it to fail him in the end.

[T/N: idiom for staying up all night to review]

What is even more of a pit is that there are many sporting goods stores near the school, but there is no suitable shoe size for Nie Chuan. 

Just when Nie Chuan was thinking about putting off practice and buying the right shoes when he went home on the weekends to start his new life, his mobile phone actually rang. 

It was a completely unfamiliar number. Nie Chuan hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to answer. 

“h.e.l.lo, I'm Nie Chuan, may I ask who you are…” 

“Where are you?” A cold voice sounded. 

Nie Chuan was stunned. “You… you… you're Reece Reddington?” 

“Where are you?” Reece completely ignored Nie Chuan's surprise and asked again in a lowered voice.

“I'm buying basketball shoes at Nike across from the east gate of the school.” 

“So have you bought them?” 

“No, here…” 

“Wait for me there.” 

As soon as his voice fell, the phone hung up. 

Nie Chuan stared at his mobile phone screen, completely unable to return from G.o.d. Why was Reece Reddington looking for him? Also, where did he get his phone number? 

Nie Chuan had already came to accept Reece's shuō yī bù èr character. He didn't go anywhere and just leisurely waited in Nike. 

[T/N: 說一不二 – an idiom for "meaning what one says"]

Until Reece's Land Rover stopped at the entrance of the store and he rolled down the window to call, “Nie Chuan, get in the car.” 

His voice was neither high nor low, but clear. Even the two words “Nie Chuan” were incomparably clear. 

Nie Chuan turned then quickly got in the car. 

“Safety belt.” This is the second time Reece reminded him. 

Nie Chuan turned to pull the seat belt. Reece waited patiently until Nie Chuan clumsily fastened the seat belt before starting the car.

From the rear window, Nie Chuan saw Celine's surprised expression. 

“Where are we going?” 

“To buy shoes. You should be wearing a size seven.” 

Nie Chuan didn't think that Reece's observation was so careful that he even knew what shoe size he wears. 

“Your feet and body are like a kid's.” 

That backhanded comment  gave Nie Chuan the feeling of splitting. 

Reece took Nie Chuan to a large shopping mall near the school where the Nike store is bigger and had a more complete selection. 

It didn't take Nie Chuan long to pick a pair of shoes. After putting them on, he took a few steps. As soon as he turned back, he saw Reece watching him coldly with his arms folded. 

“That, I'm going to go pay.” 

“Are you sure you want this pair?” Reece raised his eyebrows.

“En.” 

“The choices you make yourself, it must be worn to the end even if it rubs your feet raw.”

Reece's words gave Nie Chuan invisible pressure. 

“Wait a moment, I'm going to test it again.” 

Nie Chuan jumped in place and felt the elasticity of the shoes, then lowered his center of gravity and did two scissors steps. He faintly felt that the side was not very comfortable and changed to another pair. After nearly half an hour of trying one pair after the other, he finally left the store. 

This was Nie Chuan's most careful shoe selection yet.

“You plan to go back to the school's public basketball court to practice?” Reece asked while driving. 

“Where else can I go…” 

“Being watched, won't you drop the ball when you dribble?” Reece raised an eyebrow, and Nie Chuan suddenly felt despair. 

He is obviously not familiar with Reece, but why does this guy seem to see through him completely. 

“I'll take you to a quiet place.” 

After that, Reece began driving and took him to what looked like an abandoned factory. 

“Here?” Nie Chuan has some doubts. 

“En, or are you going to walk back to school yourself?” Reece glanced back at Nie Chuan. 

Nie Chuan can only resignedly follow behind Reece. 

When Reece opened the warehouse door and turned on the power, the entire warehouse suddenly lit up. Nie Chuan raised his hand to s.h.i.+eld his eyes. When he was able to see clearly, he couldn't help but exclaim. 

“My G.o.d–” 

In the warehouse was an entire basketball court. Brightly lit and with wooden floors, it must have been very well maintained. The edges, end lines, and restricted areas were all very clear.

“This is……” 

“This is where I practice basketball.” 

Reece took off his coat, his posture as handsome as the male models on TV. 

He grabbed a basketball, threw it in Nie Chuan's direction, and raised his chin. “You'd better warm up, otherwise you'll get cramps.” 

Nie Chuan didn't know how to warm up and can only follow Reece in doing a few moves.

“Carlo recommended you to Coach Gordon. His original words were probably that you're like Connor, you don't need any fancy dribbling but can always safely pa.s.s the ball to your teammates, can become the key of the team in opening the opponents door, and can accurately intercept the opponents while defending."

Re: So… Reece, how did you get his number? 

MadMadamMims: Can we skip back to wet dreams >< i="" need="" s.e.xy="" times="" like="" now.="">