That Nameless Summer Chapter 33

sports meeting

Qiuyang made the plastic track hot in the sun, and as soon as the hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony subsided, the radio started urging the inspection of the men’s three-on-three basketball game.Song Li put his school uniform jacket on the railing of the stands and walked to the court with the basketball twirling on his fingertips. As he passed the class area, his peripheral vision swept across the first row – Ling Qingye was looking down at the competition questions, the tip of his pen against the page, but when his figure passed by, he glanced up for a moment, then quickly dropped it back to the paper, and gently pinched the penholder with his fingertips.

“Brother Li, there are two physical education students in class three. The ten-minute contract system has no timeouts. We have to play fast breaks and don’t compete with them in the paint.” Teammate Zhao Peng muttered while flexing his wrists. There were already many people around the court. The tall sports student from class three was slamming the ball and dunking. He deliberately smashed the rim, which was a clear provocation.

Song Li didn’t respond. He just bent down and pressed his legs. His fingers brushed the rubber patterns on the soles of his shoes. His eyes swept across the field, and he had already planned the strategy in his mind.As soon as the whistle blew, the game started directly. Class 3 took the lead to serve. The tall sports student received the ball and rushed inside. Song Li slid sideways and blocked his position. His arms were firmly pressed against his back and his feet were planted firmly, forcing him to pass the ball horizontally. Zhao Peng had quick eyes and hands to steal the ball and threw the ball to Song Li with his backhand.

The whole process lasted less than three seconds. Song Li dribbled the ball straight into the frontcourt. Another sports student from the opponent chased him from behind and reached out to grab the ball.He lowered his center of gravity, dribbled with his right hand and changed directions continuously, kicked off the defense with his left foot, rushed one step inside the three-point line, took off, pressed his wrist, and the basketball scraped the rim and entered the net. When he landed, he looked back at the first row. Ling Qingye’s eyes fell on him, his elbow resting on the edge of the table, and the pen in his hand resting on the exercise book.

In the first two minutes, the Song Li team relied on fast breaks to score six points in a row, but the third team quickly adjusted their tactics and no longer rushed forward. Instead, they used fast passes to stretch the defense. They took advantage of their defensive gaps to score consecutive layups, and the score was instantly tied.In the ten-minute game, the pace was breathless and no one dared to slow down. Song Li’s forehead was quickly covered with sweat, and the back of his jersey stuck to his body. Every time he sprinted, blocked, or grabbed the board, he could feel the muscles under his ribs aching, but he didn’t even have the time to raise his hands to wipe the sweat.

In the fifth minute, the score was already two points ahead.When Song Li broke through with the ball, the opponent player deliberately hit his ribs with his elbow. He groaned in pain and almost lost the ball. He gritted his teeth and passed the ball to his teammates. He bent down and held his knees to catch his breath. He looked up and saw Ling Qingye standing up from the stands. He frowned slightly and locked his eyes on his ribs. He seemed to want to come over, but was blocked by the people in the front row. He could only stand there, his fingers unconsciously holding the edge of the table.

Song Li straightened up and made a zone defense gesture to Zhao Peng. He no longer took shots for merit, but focused on grabbing rebounds and distributing the ball.Relying on his flexible movement, he grabbed two offensive rebounds in a row, scored a tip-in, and passed the ball to Zhao Peng from the outside for a three-pointer, leading the score again.The noise on the sidelines of the arena grew louder and louder, but in his ears, he could clearly hear his own heartbeat, as well as Ling Qingye’s eyes not far away that were always chasing him.

In the eighth minute, everyone’s physical strength reached the limit, their steps were wobbly when running, and they began to make mistakes in passing the ball.When Song Li landed once after grabbing a board, his knee hit the plastic floor, and a dull pain came from him. He didn’t say anything, but stood up quickly while holding on to the ground and continued to defend.This scene happened to be seen by Ling Qingye. His brows furrowed even more tightly and his body leaned forward, as if he was about to rush over at any moment.

In the last minute, the score was even and Song Li had the ball.He slowly advanced with the ball, deliberately slowing down the pace until there were only ten seconds left on the timer, then suddenly accelerated, made two consecutive changes of direction, threw away the two defenders, and rushed to the basket.The opponent’s last player rushed to block the shot, but he suddenly threw the ball behind him – Zhao Peng had already been waiting outside the three-point line, catching the ball, taking off, and shooting in one go.

The moment the basketball hit the net, the final whistle sounded at the same time.

“Win!” Zhao Peng rushed over and patted Song Li on the shoulder, but he staggered. The pain in his knees became more and more obvious. When he lowered his head, he saw that his trouser legs were a little frayed and oozed a light red color.He pushed his teammates away and was about to move to the sidelines when he saw a cold figure squeezing through the crowd and walking over. Ling Qingye held a towel and a small tube of iodine in his hand. Without saying anything, he directly reached out to support his arm and led him to the shade of the tree.

“Don’t hold on.” Ling Qingye’s voice was low, and his fingertips gently lifted up his trouser legs. The scratches on his knees were not deep, but they were red and bloodshot.He tore open the iodophor cotton piece and moved very gently. When he wiped the wound, he saw Song Li flinch. He paused again and blew gently with his mouth before continuing to wipe.

Song Li didn’t speak, just looked at his side face. The sunlight fell on his eyelashes through the gaps in the leaves, casting a shallow shadow. His usually cold eyebrows were full of concentration at the moment. The coolness of his fingertips brushed against his skin, but it made his heart feel hot.

“Do you still have the strength to stand?” Ling Qingye packed up the iodine and looked up at him with an imperceptible smile in his eyes.

“This little injury is nothing.” Song Li said harshly, but let him help him walk to the stands. As soon as he stood still, the announcement of the men’s 1,500-meter inspection came over the radio.Ling Qingye patted his arm: “I’ll go check it out. Just rest here and don’t move around.”

“Don’t drop the chain.” Song Li called out to him. Ling Qingye turned around, curled up his lips, and said “no”, then turned around and walked to the inspection area, his back straight, blending into the crowd in the arena.

Song Li leaned on the railing, his eyes locked on Ling Qingye’s figure.

The 1,500-meter gunshot rang out. Ling Qingye didn’t start quickly, and settled firmly in the middle echelon. His steps were even and steady, and his breathing rhythm was very good. This was the rhythm he had developed by himself when training together before self-study these days. He didn’t want to lead at the start, but only wanted to exert strength in the second half.

After three laps, many runners were exhausted and their steps were wobbly. Some even slowed down and started walking. However, Ling Qingye still maintained a steady pace. The school uniform on his back was soaked with sweat, showing his thin back lines, but he never slowed down his pace.As the gunfire sounded in the last lap, he suddenly increased his speed, swinging his arms more widely and stepping faster. He rushed forward from the middle position like a gust of wind. One, two, three… he passed the players in front one after another, and rushed to the first place in the blink of an eye.

The noise in the stands suddenly escalated. Song Li’s knuckles gripping the railings turned white, and his heartbeat accelerated with his pace.The moment Ling Qingye crossed the finish line, his body swayed. Song Li rushed over almost immediately and held him steady: “Slow down and breathe well.”

“First.” Ling Qingye gasped and leaned against him. The sweat on his forehead rubbed against Song Li’s shoulders, bringing warmth with it, and there was a hint of youthful pride in his tone.

“I saw it, it’s amazing.” Song Li smiled, handed him the towel, and helped him slowly walk to the shade of the tree. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. His movements were so natural that he didn’t even notice it.

In the high jump area on the side, Xu Jiangyou was standing outside the cordon, watching Qin Jiangwen practice his jump.His movements were still stiff, his strides were fast and slow, and he couldn’t find the right point to exert force when taking off. The crossbar was knocked off time and time again, but he didn’t give up. He picked it up, set it up again, and continued practicing.Xu Jiangyou didn’t shout, nor did he come closer. He just took out his mobile phone from his pocket, called up the high jump stride chart, walked to him and handed the mobile phone over: “You should follow this stride during your approach, and push the ground with the last step. Don’t tiptoe, and keep your weight forward.”

Qin Jiangwen looked sideways at her, with the tips of his ears turning red. He took the phone and whispered “Thank you” in a low voice. His eyes fell on the annotated map, and he glanced at her side face secretly, and quickly looked away.He tried it once according to the stride in the picture, running, kicking, and taking off. His body stretched a little in the air. Although he still didn’t cross the crossbar, he was much better than before.

Xu Jiangyou looked at him, curled his lips, said nothing, just handed over a bottle of water, turned and walked back to the class area, leaving Qin Jiangwen standing there, holding the water bottle, the tips of his ears were still red, but he clenched his fists and repeatedly practiced his approach steps.

The setting sun gradually sank below the teaching building, dyeing the sky a warm orange color. The ten-minute basketball game, four laps of 1,500 meters, and the first day of competition ended in such a compact manner.The four walked side by side to the school gate. Song Li and Ling Qingye walked in front. Ling Qingye helped Song Li’s arm from time to time, reminding him to slow down; Xu Jiangyou and Qin Jiangwen walked behind. The girl lowered her head and kicked the pebbles on the ground. The boy followed her, occasionally passing a freshly picked sycamore leaf. The atmosphere was quiet but not awkward.

When he reached the fork, Ling Qingye stopped and looked at Song Li’s knee: “Go back and wipe it with iodophor again. Don’t let it get wet.”

“I know, you should go back and rest. Don’t mess around after running 1,500 meters.” Song Li responded, watching his back disappear at the entrance of the alley, then turned around and walked home with Xu Jiangyou.

The evening breeze brought with it the coolness of autumn, blowing away the heat of the stadium, but not the warmth in my heart.The ten-minute non-pause basketball game, the four-lap endurance run, there is no vigorous shouting, but the most delicate concerns of the young people are hidden – it is the eyes that are always chasing after the sidelines of the game, the gentle movements when wiping the wounds, the towels and water that are handed over, and the silent sparring every evening.

And this is just the beginning of the three-day sports meeting.