September 8, 1996, Sunday. Gao Xinglang returned to school shortly after seven in the morning, as today marked the first gathering of the new senior boys' basketball team of Xiaoda Middle School.
As Gao Xinglang passed by the outdoor basketball court, he saw Lu Zhenming was playing basketball with a few other boys. So he walked over to say hello and asked with a smile, "Ming, are you guys back for training today too?"
"No, we're just here to play," Luo Zhenming replied, and then cordially invited, "Brother Lang, join us for a game."
"I'll take a rain check. I'm here for training today," Gao Xinglang explained with a smile.
"Then, Brother Lang, good luck!" Luo Zhenming raised his fist in a gesture of encouragement.
"You too, Captain Ming!" Gao Xinglang smiled broadly and gave Lu Zhenming a high five. He then said goodbye to everyone and turned towards the gymnasium.
As he walked, Gao Xinglang felt a mixture of emotions, and somehow he also felt uneasy.
Gao Xinglang arrived at the gymnasium. It was probably still early, so the gymnasium hadn't opened yet. Only four or five boys were standing at the entrance, chatting and laughing. Gao Xinglang recognized one of them as Shen Yitian from the same class, but the others were all unfamiliar faces.
"Hi, everyone!" Gao Xinglang walked towards the boys, greeted them with a friendly smile, and then said to Shen Yitian, "Prince Tian, you're here so early."
"Yeah, Prince Lang, I don't want to be late," Shen Yitian replied with a smile, showing his bright white teeth. He then pointed to the boys next to him and said, "They are also recruited students from other schools, just like me."
He then introduced Gao to the boys, "This is Gao Xinglang, the former captain of the junior boys' basketball team of Xiaoda Middle School."
The boys listened with admiring smiles on their faces, and one after the other they said, "So you are Gao Xinglang." "I have heard a lot about you." "Please show us the ropes in future." "We'll be counting on you at Xiaoda."
Gao Xinglang returned with the traditional fist-and-palm salute and a smile, "No need for formalities. Let's learn from each other in future."
Then Gao Xinglang had chit-chats with those boys to get to know more about each other. For a moment, he felt as if he were still the beloved captain of the junior boys' basketball team.
After a while, a few tall boys walked towards them. Leading the way was a boy with a diamond-shaped face, triangular eyes and thick lips. He wasn't handsome, just average, but his height was impressive. Even among a group of tall boys, he stood out.
"That guy must be at least 2 meters tall," Shen Yitian whispered to Gao Xinglang next to him.
Gao Xinglang gave a "hmm" and then whispered, "That's Qiao Zisheng (pron.: ch'iao tze sheng), the captain of senior boys' basketball team."
"So that's Qiao Zisheng, the 'Basketball King'!" Shen Yitian said in surprise and delight.
At that moment, a boy who had originally been standing next to Gao Xinglang had already walked up to Qiao Zisheng and his party, bowed slightly, and said with a flattering smile, "Good morning, Captain. Good morning, dear senior brothers. I'm Shang Zhongxia (pron.: shang chung sia), a new recruited athlete. Please take care of me in future."
"Shang Zhongxia? Doesn't that mean 'upper, middle and lower' in Chinese? Your name is really funny," Qiao Zisheng laughed heartily with the boys around him. He then added, "Okay, okay, from now on we're teammates."
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