"No one is irreplaceable, including me." Connor patted Nie Chuan on the shoulder.

"Do you like the point guard position?"

"Yes, I like it very much. Although there are other cool and eye-catching positions such as power forward, small forward, and center, I love point guard very much."

"Why?"

"Because, a superb point guard must have a broad vision and grasp the best opportunity. You have to know that the team's victory does not rely on gorgeous slam dunks or three-point shots, but on timing. We are the ones who grasp that opportunity. We master the offensive routines, we grasp the most important moments, we run through the whole court, and thread the needle. When everyone is blocked, we will exceed the opponent's imagination and give them an unexpected fatal blow. A basketball game is like a story, with a cause, a boiling point, and an ending, and we are the ones who write the story." Connor poked Nie Chuan's finger lightly at the center of his brow, "So I love the point guard position."

Nie Chuan suddenly felt that he was trapped in Connor's world.

At this moment, someone came up behind Connor with his arms folded and said unhappily, "Hey! Connor! How many times have I told you that you need to rest! Why are you playing basketball again?"

Connor immediately showed a panicked expression: "No! No! I didn't play basketball! It's just that my friend came and I showed him a few moves! Really! Look, I'm not even sweating!"

It was a nurse, and she looked at Nie Chuan suspiciously.

Nie Chuan nodded quickly and said, "It's true! He just gestured!"

"Okay. You should go back to the ward now."

Connor showed a disappointed expression, returned the basketball to Nie Chuan, and turned around to smile at him: "Hey, come and play with me when you have time.

But... don't let Carlo and the others know!"

Nie Chuan held the basketball and watched Connor walk away. His back was lonely and yet had an indescribable determination.

Reese drove Nie Chuan back to school.

The whole carriage was silent.

"...I still can't fully understand Connor's love for basketball." Nie Chuan murmured.

"Because you're not Connor."

"But...I seem to like basketball again."

"Again?" Reese raised his eyebrows. They just passed a corner and Reese turned with ease. "Who taught you basketball?"

"I don't remember. My grandpa was a Chinese teacher at the university, and I grew up with him when I was a child. When I was in the third grade of elementary school, there was an American student who studied Chinese with my grandpa. He seemed to be a retired NBA star. Many children liked to play basketball with him. So did I. I was so fascinated at that time that I followed him to play basketball before finishing my homework at school." Speaking of that time, Nie Chuan smiled.

"Did you learn dribbling from him?"

"Yeah! At that time, he carried me on his shoulders and asked me if I wanted to go to the United States to play basketball with him when I grew up! Haha! By the time I grow up, he will probably be a bald middle-aged man with a beer belly, right?" Nie Chuan laughed more and more happily.

"What happened next? You didn't play basketball very often from the looks of it."

"I did! When I was in junior high school, I often played against other schools, and I was always able to steal the ball from my opponents... But one time, my elbow accidentally hit the school hunk from another middle school, and his nose bled like a fountain... The girl I had a crush on glared at me fiercely and didn't speak to me for the entire school year." Nie Chuan's voice lowered.

"So you never played basketball again?" Reese raised his eyebrows, and Nie Chuan could accurately capture his emotions.

His subtext is: It would be stupid to give up basketball like this.

"Well...but the bigger reason is that after entering high school, I just don't have the time."

"Yeah." Reese responded softly, and then asked, "Are you good at other sports?"

After thinking for more than ten seconds, Nie Chuan finally asked, "I did the pommel horse for two months in a row, but I almost broke my neck once, so my mother didn't let me continue practicing. Also... does Tai Chi count?"

Reese said nothing.

"Tai Chi! It's about using softness to overcome hardness, and being the last to strike and the first to arrive!"

Reese still said nothing.

"Well, Tai Chi may not be considered a sport in your mind..."

They returned to the school in silence. Nie Chuan got out of the car and walked around the body of the car. The atmosphere was extremely awkward and Nie Chuan just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

But before he had taken two steps, Reese's hand reached out from the car window, easily grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back.

"Would you like to give it a try?" Reese asked.

"Huh? You mean... got Coach Gordon's approval?"

"Um."

"...I didn't know anything about Coach Gordon, and I really hadn't thought about playing in any basketball league. It was just that when I was with Connor, I suddenly wanted to play basketball."

"Then I wish you good luck." Reese chuckled, and it was unclear whether he was mocking Nie Chuan for overestimating his own abilities or encouraging him.

Nie Chuan returned to his room. To be honest, he really had no idea what he should do.

He searched for all the basketball tutorials, copied them into his computer, analyzed them over and over again, and kept in touch with Connor.

After class the next day, he strolled around the school with his schoolbag and found that all the public basketball courts were in use. He was too embarrassed to practice under the gaze of others. And most importantly, he didn't even seem to have a decent pair of basketball shoes, and he had to buy a basketball.

Nie Chuan looked up at the sky. He suddenly felt that this was just like preparing the best writing pen before a Chinese language test and planning to study late into the night, but always failing to persevere in the end.

What's even more annoying is that there are many sporting goods stores near the school, but none of them have shoes in Nie Chuan's size.

Just when Nie Chuan was thinking about postponing his practice and waiting until the weekend to go home and buy suitable shoes before starting his new life, his cell phone rang.

It was a completely unfamiliar number. After hesitating for two seconds, Nie Chuan decided to answer it.

"Hello, I'm Nie Chuan, may I ask who you are..."

"Where are you?" came a cold voice.

Nie Chuan: "You...you...you are Reese Reddington?"

"Where are you?" Reese completely ignored Nie Chuan's surprise and asked again in a low voice.

"I bought basketball shoes at Nike across from the east gate of the school."

"So did you buy it?"

"No, the one here..."

"Wait for me there."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone was hung up.

Nie Chuan stared at his phone screen and couldn't come back to his senses. What did Reese Reddington want him to do? And where did he get his phone number?

Nie Chuan had experienced Reese's decisive character, so he didn't go anywhere and just hung out in Nike.

Until Reese's Land Rover stopped in front of the store, the window rolled down, and he shouted, "Nie Chuan, get in the car."

It was neither high nor low, but it was clearly audible. Even the two words "Nie Chuan" were clear.

Nie Chuan turned around and quickly got into the car.

"Seat belts." This was the second time Reese reminded him.

Nie Chuan turned sideways to pull the seat belt, and Reese still waited patiently until Nie Chuan fastened the seat belt in an unexperienced manner, and then the car started.

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

"where are we going?"

"Buying shoes. You should be a size seven."

Nie Chuan didn't expect Reese to be so observant that he even knew what size shoe he wore.

"Your feet are as childlike as your person."

The following comments made Nie Chuan feel torn apart.

Reese brought Nie Chuan to a large shopping mall near the school. The Nike store here was larger and had a more complete range of styles.

Nie Chuan picked out a pair of sneakers in no time. After putting them on, he took two steps. When he turned around, he saw Reese folding his arms and looking at him coldly.

"Well, I'll pay the bill."

"Are you sure you want these shoes?" Reese raised his eyebrows.

"Um."

"I made this choice myself, so I'll wear it until my feet are worn out."

Reese's words put invisible pressure on Nie Chuan again.

"Then wait a moment, I'll try again."

Nie Chuan jumped on the spot, feeling the elasticity of the sneakers, lowered his center of gravity and did two scissor steps, then felt that the sides were not very comfortable, so he changed to another pair. After trying for nearly half an hour, he finally left the store.

This was the most careful time Nie Chuan had ever chosen shoes.

"Are you planning to go back to the school's public basketball court to practice?" Reese asked while driving.

"Where else can we go..."

"If someone is watching you, you'll drop the ball when dribbling, right?" Reese raised his eyebrows, and Nie Chuan suddenly felt desperate.

I'm obviously not familiar with Reese, so why does this guy seem to see through him completely?

"I'll take you to a quiet place."

After Reese finished speaking, he started the car and took him to a place that looked like an abandoned factory.

"Here?" Nie Chuan was a little skeptical.

"Well, or you can walk back to school by yourself?" Reese turned around and glanced at Nie Chuan.

Nie Chuan could only accept his fate and follow Reese.

When Reese opened the warehouse door and turned on the power, the entire warehouse suddenly lit up. Nie Chuan raised his hand to cover his eyes. When he saw clearly, he couldn't help but exclaimed.

"OMG--"

There is a basketball court in the warehouse. The floor is made of wood and it is very bright under the light. It must be well maintained. The sidelines, end lines and restricted areas are all clearly visible.

"here it is……"

“This is where I practice.”

Reese took off his coat, and his posture was as cool and handsome as a male model on TV.

He grabbed a basketball and threw it in Nie Chuan's direction, raising his chin: "You'd better warm up, otherwise the injuries and cramps will be your own fault."

Nie Chuan didn't know how to warm up, so he just followed Reese and did a few moves.

"Carlo recommended you to Coach Gordon. His original words must be that he felt that you have the same qualities as Connor. You don't need fancy dribbling, but you can always pass the ball safely to your teammates. You can be the key to the team, open the opponent's offense and defense, and be able to accurately steal the opponent when defending."