363: Win the first game

During the final attack of the first quarter, Lin Zifeng easily performed a three-step dunk, drawing a wave of cheers.

The score was fixed at 23 to 10, with Lin Zifeng and his team ending the first quarter with a large lead.

Everyone rushed to high-five the five of them in celebration. Li Yanran was the first to bring him a towel and mineral water, whispering beside him, "Zifeng, you were amazing."

After thanking her, Lin Zifeng drank half a bottle of mineral water in one go and then went over to Li Jiaqiang and the others. Looking at the four of them drenched in sweat, he suggested, "Teacher, let the other students take turns on the court for the rest of the game and let everyone get a feel for it! We've won this match, but there's still a final this afternoon. Our main players shouldn't exhaust too much energy; we still need to prepare for this afternoon's final!"

Hearing his proposal, the other four nodded in agreement. Li Jiaqiang thought for a moment before saying, "The first quarter has only just ended, and there are still three quarters left! Although we are leading class four by thirteen points, it's not safe to pull all the main players off right now and replace them with substitutes! I see you haven't even broken a sweat, and you're not even out of breath. Others can come off, but you need to stay on the court. You can only come off once the victory is completely secured. What do you think?"

"I don't mind; I can handle it even if I play the whole game," Lin Zifeng said readily.

And just like that, the matter was settled.

Lin Zifeng and Yang Zhongqiang then returned to the side of the three to rest. "Brother Lin, you were like a nimble flying man on the court; that dunk just now was absolutely cool," Li Dongliang said excitedly, fanning him diligently.

"Xiao Liang is right. Zifeng, you are the brightest star on the court," Li Yanran said with eyes shining.

"You two siblings, please stop praising me like that. Don't you know that praising someone to their face makes them embarrassed? If you keep praising me, I won't know how to play the game later," Lin Zifeng joked.

Soon the break time was over, and Lin Zifeng led the four substitute players back onto the basketball court.

During the second and third quarters, several batches of substitute players were rotated in. By the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, everyone in class three had been on the court.

The score reached 77 to 52, with Lin Zifeng and his team leading by a full twenty-five points. Having locked in the victory, Lin Zifeng was finally substituted off the court.

To ensure all students could take turns on the court, Lin Zifeng played for three and a half quarters and had worked up a sweat.

Normally, official matches do not allow for so many substitutions, but this was just an intramural recreational competition, so unlimited substitutions were allowed to ensure everyone could participate.

The match ended quickly, and class three won the game as expected.

Amidst the cheers of class three, everyone dispersed happily.

Meanwhile, the other match taking place simultaneously also ended with a victory for class one.

The final in the afternoon will be between class one and class three. To ensure the players get sufficient rest, the afternoon match will be held at three o'clock.

Lin Zifeng and Yang Zhongqiang led the three of them toward the dormitory building.

They agreed to visit the classroom and library later and then have lunch together, so they separated in the hallway.

Zhao Rulin went with Yang Zhongqiang to his dormitory, while Li Yanran and her younger brother went with Lin Zifeng to his dormitory.

As the three of them entered the dormitory, Li Yanran said, "Zifeng, you're drenched in sweat; go take a shower and change your clothes quickly!"

"Then you two make yourselves at home; I'll be done quickly."

After saying this, Lin Zifeng took his change of clothes and walked into the Bathroom.

Li Dongliang sat on the desk. Li Yanran looked around and sat on Lin Zifeng's bed. Looking at her brother sitting on the chair, she couldn't help but think that she had miscalculated a bit today.

If Xiao Liang hadn't been tagging along, wouldn't she have had some time alone with Zifeng?

But if Xiao Liang hadn't followed, she and Zifeng would be alone, and people would gossip; Zifeng wouldn't let such a thing happen anyway.

How could she keep Xiao Liang around but make him invisible?

Just as Li Yanran was racking her brains, Li Dongliang felt a chill down his spine. He turned around to look at his sister and said, "Sister, why are you looking at me like that? Why do I feel like your gaze is as if you want to eat me alive?"

Li Yanran realized what was happening and replied, "What nonsense are you talking about!" She then picked up her phone and started playing with it, ignoring Li Dongliang.

More than ten minutes later, Lin Zifeng finished his shower, changed his clothes, and walked out of the Bathroom, looking refreshed.

The three of them chatted in the dorm for a while, and then the couple, Yang Zhongqiang and his wife, came to find them.

The group of five left the dormitory building, visited the classroom, then toured the library, and walked around the Party School courtyard. Seeing that it was almost time for lunch, they headed toward the cafeteria.

To host the students' family members and friends, the food in the Party School cafeteria today was much richer than usual, and they even provided fruit after the meal.

Each of the five got their lunch and sat around a table, chatting while eating.

"Zhongqiang, the food here is really good! It's even better than the food at home," Zhao Rulin said, putting down her chopsticks and wiping her mouth.

"The food is usually about the same as at home. But since so many family members and friends came today, the cafeteria added extra dishes," Yang Zhongqiang explained.

After finishing their meal, they all got up and left the cafeteria.

"Zhongqiang, Zifeng, you two go back to the dorm and get some good rest! You still have a match this afternoon! You need to get enough rest. I've booked two hourly hotel rooms nearby; we'll go there to rest, and we'll come back when it's time for the match in the afternoon."

Walking out of the cafeteria, Zhao Rulin said considerately.

Although Li Yanran felt a bit reluctant, thinking of how Lin Zifeng had been sweating buckets that morning, she nodded and said, "Sister Rulin is so thoughtful. You guys go back and rest!"

Lin Zifeng and the other agreed, and after bidding each other farewell, they went their separate ways.

Lin Zifeng returned to the dormitory, set his phone alarm, and lay on the bed, completely relaxed. Before long, he was asleep, breathing evenly.

When the phone alarm went off, Lin Zifeng woke up immediately.

After getting up, Lin Zifeng washed up, put on his clean and dry shorts and tank top again, walked out of the dormitory, went downstairs, and quickly headed toward the basketball court.