Chapter 043: We Are the Champions

Back from the game.

The CCTV live broadcast camera stayed fixed on Lin Feng. At this moment, there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, a smile of absolute confidence.

It was as if he had already sealed the victory for this match...

Zhou Mingxuan stood just outside the sideline, getting ready to inbound the ball. The four Jiangning players on the court lined up along the free-throw line—a formation many teams adopt at critical moments for inbound plays.

The referee’s whistle blew.

Harris was the first to break from the line, immediately drawing away a defender. Unexpectedly, Zhou Mingxuan passed the ball directly to Harris.

At that very instant, Lin Feng burst into motion, sprinting from the lineup to beyond the three-point arc. Thanks to his pre-game speed training, he left his defender half a body length behind from the start.

Harris wasted no time and tossed the ball to Lin Feng.

“Lin, it’s all yours!”

Lin Feng caught the ball without a trace of hesitation. He leapt high and released a three-pointer!

“Damn it!”

“No way!”

“How could they let Lin Feng get the ball?!”

“This is over, again!”

In the very moment Lin Feng took the shot, the home fans seemed to foresee the outcome, unleashing a chorus of curses.

Nearly twenty thousand fans in the arena held their breath, hearts suspended with the ball as it sailed through the air.

On the sideline, Wang Chunsheng’s mouth hung open. Letting Lin Feng take the final shot was the last thing he wanted. He’d even crafted detailed defensive schemes to prevent Lin Feng from getting the ball, but Lin’s speed had been utterly unexpected—his defenders simply couldn’t keep up.

All Wang Chunsheng could do now was pray for a missed shot.

For him, this single shot determined not only the championship, but his own fate. If he could secure the title, even with a thousand faults, the club wouldn’t do anything drastic. But if he lost, all bets were off. His future looked grim.

In front of their television screens, millions of Jiangning fans were likewise tethered to Lin Feng’s final throw.

Would they remain perennial runners-up, or would they break the curse and claim the crown? Everything hung on this shot.

At that moment, countless Jiangning fans even knelt before their TVs, hands clasped in silent prayer.

Many others couldn’t bear to watch the outcome, closing their eyes in tension.

In the stands, Qin Ruolin’s beautiful eyes shimmered with tears. As a diehard Jiangning fan, she had waited for this moment far too long. Now that it was finally here, her excitement was overwhelming, and she was on the verge of tears.

If the shot went in, they would be tears of joy; if it missed, tears of sorrow.

On the court.

As soon as Lin Feng released his three-pointer, he made a victory gesture, certain the ball would drop.

And sure enough—

Before the gaze of an entire stadium, the basketball seemed enchanted, flying straight through the hoop...

Swish!

The net rippled, sparkling like crystal-clear water.

The shot was good!

114 to 113!

In the dying seconds, Lin Feng had once again sealed the game with a buzzer-beater!

...

“It’s in! Game winner! Yet another game winner! Lin Feng, with his signature three-pointer, has clinched this game—and this entire series! Congratulations to the Jiangning team! After reaching the finals for the eighth time, they have finally achieved their championship dream!”

“Another buzzer-beater! This game is almost a replay of Game Five! Congratulations to Jiangning! They have finally claimed their long-awaited championship and made history, becoming the first team in finals history to come back from a 1–3 deficit and win it all! And let’s thank Lin Feng for bringing us such an electrifying finals!”

Duan Wei and Liu Nan delivered their impassioned closing remarks.

On the court, as Lin Feng’s winning shot dropped, every player on the Jiangning bench charged onto the floor.

“Champions!”

“Champions!!”

“We are the champions!!”

The players shouted with exhilaration.

Harris was the first to reach Lin Feng, enveloping him in a huge hug.

“Well done, Lin! I ****ing love you, man! Hahaha, we’re champions!!”

Harris expressed his joy in awkward, broken Chinese, then planted a kiss right on Lin Feng’s cheek.

“Damn it!”

Lin Feng cursed, pushing Harris away and wiping the slobber from his face in mock disgust.

Then the rest of the team rushed over. As if they had planned it in advance, they hoisted Lin Feng into the air and tossed him up again and again.

Lin Feng!

MVP!

Lin Feng!!

MVP!!

Lin Feng!!!

MVP!!!

After tossing Lin Feng, they grabbed head coach Shen Ziqiang and tossed him skyward as well.

Jiangning was awash in jubilation.

On the other side, the Beicheng team was crushed. Head coach Wang Chunsheng, upon seeing Lin Feng’s game-winning shot, collapsed to the sideline, his legs giving out. His players had to help him back to the locker room.

Most of the home Beicheng fans filed out, and in an instant, the massive arena was half empty. Only a handful—mostly Jiangning fans—remained for the upcoming awards ceremony.

During the game, the overwhelming numbers of Beicheng supporters had completely drowned out the Jiangning fans; the players hadn’t even been able to hear them. Now, their cheers resounded loud and clear.

These Jiangning fans called out the names of every player, their happiness palpable as they witnessed the team’s crowning glory in person.

In the midst of the chaotic celebration on the court, someone suddenly hugged Lin Feng from behind.

With all the excitement after the victory, Lin Feng couldn’t even recall how many people had hugged him, but this embrace sent a jolt through him, as if he’d been shocked by electricity.

He felt a soft, supple body pressed against him, accompanied by a faint, delicate fragrance.

“Qin Ruolin?!”

He was very familiar with her scent—he’d been surrounded by it the whole way to the arena.

Sure enough, turning around, Lin Feng found himself face to face with the stunningly beautiful Qin Ruolin.

“Congratulations!” Qin Ruolin smiled as she let go of him.

When the embrace ended, Lin Feng felt a tiny pang of disappointment.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I might not have made it in time for the game.” Lin Feng smiled, then teased, “But I never expected the great Queen Qin would have a father who’s the sports commissioner.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know.” Qin Ruolin pouted. “If they hadn’t pushed me so far, I wouldn’t have called my old man! I’ve actually been giving him the cold shoulder lately!”

“Because of the matchmaking business?” Lin Feng asked.

“That’s right.” Qin Ruolin nodded, then a mischievous smile flashed across her exquisite face. “But it might get resolved soon. My dad said he wants to find a time to invite you to dinner.”

“Invite me to dinner?” Lin Feng was dumbfounded.

Now that the rumors about him and Qin Ruolin were everywhere, and the two of them had appeared together at the gym, Qin Weiguo was bound to take their relationship seriously. Was this the classic meet-the-future-son-in-law moment?