Chapter 43: Accepting the Mandate in a Time of Crisis

  After one round, Chen Jiong had a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of both teams on the field.

  Li Yongrong's team, Fan Naipei has the best skills, and the whole team is coordinating with Fan Naipei; Li Yongrong's own skills are slightly inferior to Fan Naipei, but also very excellent. He has a strong sense of teamwork and does not compete with Fan Naipei for credit, but is willing to assist Fan Naipei.

  And several others, Bai Chenyu is strong and versatile in both offense and defense, he handled it quite well; Zhou Xun and Wan Yuan are two people with average ball skills, not good or bad; Xu Tianying's ball skills are the worst, just a fill-in.

  Du Shijiu's team, with three people whose strength can be compared to Bai Chenyu; the other two are not much different from Zhou Xun and others; as for Du Shijiu himself, he is slightly inferior to Li Yongrong.

  To sum up, the ball skills of both teams are evenly matched on average.

  However, Du Shijie's horse was much faster than Li Yongrong's. Based on this, Du Shijie and his team took the lead, so they were bound to win this victory.

  In the second game, Fan Naipei performed well from the start.

  The competition between the two sides was also fierce.

  The audience watched with bated breath, very tense.

  A few returned, Li Yongrong got the ball and passed it to Fan Naipei. Fan Naipei dribbled the ball, near the goal line, suddenly Du Shijie and his two forwards rushed up, attacking from left and right.

  Fan Naipe was isolated and unsupported, Li Yongrong and Ma Bu slowed down a few steps behind him and didn't catch up. Fan Naipe's ball fell to the ground and was snatched by Du Shijie, who scored another goal!

  "What a ball!" The spectators were excited and some shouted.

  The ball was scored somewhat unexpectedly.

  It's unlikely anyone expected that Fan Naipei would have his placard snatched away from him.

  "...Du Shijie's ball skills have improved a lot!" Someone in the audience praised. Du Shijie likes playing polo and often comes to this Wangpingge Ball Court to play, so some of the onlookers are familiar with him.

  His ball skills were indeed good, but not as good as they are today.

  Today, Du Shijie played too smoothly!

  He bought it and won, it's so cool!

  Of course, some people also have doubts in their hearts, whether Fan Naipei deliberately conceded privately?

  Du Shijie's two goals were both taken from Fan Naipei. However, they also seemed to have not seen Fan Naipei let the ball go.

  After some thought, the two factions gambled so fiercely that if they lost, they would suffer humiliation. If Fan Naipei yielded and let others benefit, wouldn't he be letting himself be surpassed by Du Shijie and others?

  Man, isn't it too humiliating to do such a thing just for some benefits?

  So, doubts were dispelled.

  "Fan Naipei's ball skills are indeed superb, and the fake balls he played were not seen by many people, which is also a real talent. How come his mind is not on the right track?" Chen Jing saw this and shook her head.

  On the field, after winning the game, Li Yongrong's eyes were cold and intimidating.

  He glanced at Fan Naipei several times.

  Fan Naipei met his gaze, even a little annoyed.

  Li Yongrong then withdrew his gaze. He was also full of doubts in his heart.

  After a brief rest, the game resumes.

  This time, Zhou Xun, one of the forwards, got the ball and, with a high degree of tacit understanding, did not pass it to Fan Naipei, but instead gave it to Li Yongrong.

  Li Yongrong didn't plan to pass it to Fan Naipei, he wanted to attack himself. Unexpectedly, Du Shijie's side didn't block Fan Naipei, but only defended against Li Yongrong.

  Li Yongrong was about to have the ball stolen, and then saw Fan Naipei making an effort to let him pass the ball. He had no choice but to pass the ball to Fan Naipei.

  "Alas!" Chen Jiong looked and sighed.

  It's terrible, we're going to lose our third ball.

  As expected, Fan Naipei's ball slipped out of his hands and Du Shijie's teammate luckily got the ball.

  Then Fan Naipei got the ball back again.

  Several rounds of back-and-forth, the audience's eyes were all blurry. Firstly, it was because they had never suspected Fan Naipei, and secondly, it was because Fan Naipei pretended to be very clever, making it difficult for the distant audience to understand what was going on.

  In the end, Du Shijie's ball-handling stole the ball and shot it into the net, scoring another goal.

  The whole audience cheered.

  Most of the spectators who bought tickets for Du Shouji's victory were relieved by this result, so no one paid attention to how unreasonable the goal was.

  Something happened on Li Yongrong's side.

  Zhou Xun pushed Fan Naipei hard and Fan Naipei stumbled.

  "......Can't afford to lose!" Some onlookers sighed. They thought Zhou Xun was anxious because he lost the game and blamed Fan Naipei. Thinking carefully, not only would they lose the horse racing competition later, but also the drilling rights, it's indeed worth being anxious about.

  "Zhou Xun is so arrogant!" someone scolded. Zhou Xun's ball skills were ordinary, and not many people admired him, his popularity was far less than Fan Naipei's. So, he pushed Fan Naipei, provoking the spectators who admired Fan Naipei, and incurred their wrath.

  "Haha." Someone saw Li Yongrong's internal conflict and was naturally delighted.

  The outcome is no longer in doubt.

  Du Shijia's team won three games in a row and became more confident.

  The spectators who had bet on Li Yong Rong winning felt embarrassed and didn't say a word.

  Cai Shuxian's little face fell.

  Shen Nanhua looked at her a few times, unsure of how to comfort her.

  "Zhou Xun just passed the ball, not to Fan Naipei, but to Li Yongrong. Now he's looking for trouble with Fan Naipei again... He's indeed quick-witted and sharp-eyed!" Chen Jing thought.

  Zhou Xun saw through Fan Naipei's deception and was so angry that he lost his temper on the spot.

  A brief internal strife was soon stopped by Li Yongrong.

  The sand in the hourglass still has a small half left, so the competition continues.

  This time, the positions of the three forwards in Li Yongrong's team were adjusted: Li Yongrong and Zhou Xun were in first and second place, while Fan Naibei, who was originally in first place, moved to third.

  Li Yongrong's heart was also crystal clear.

  But at this moment, finding trouble with Fan Naipei is also useless. Li Yongrong also wants to leave some face for Fan Naipei.

  "At this critical moment, when our comrades betray us, Pan Nian's actions are indeed despicable. What face do I, Li Yong Rong, have left?" This was probably what Li Yong Rong was thinking.

  So he could only swallow his teeth and blood!

  He moved Fan Nengbin to third place and let him assist in attacking.

  Fan Naipei remained in the front, and the guests did not understand Li Yongrong's predicament at a glance; while the third forward would be disturbed by the defensive and attacking defender Bai Chenyu, Fan Naipei thought it was not easy to make things worse.

  Li Yongrong is kind and hardworking.

  The drumbeat sounds, and the game continues.

  This time Zhou Xun and Li Yongrong cooperated tacitly, and Fan Naipei did not take the initiative to grab the ball and attack.

  Suddenly, Fan Naipe's horse's right front hoof twisted and fell to the ground, and Fan Naipe also fell off the horseback. The drumming sound stopped abruptly, and the competition was suspended.

  "Ouch!" Someone felt pain.

  "What's wrong?" The onlookers were all staring.

  It's common for someone to fall off their horse during a competition.

  Don't know how serious the injury is.

  Li Yongrong and his teammates all surrounded Fan Naipei.

  In an instant, the drummer gave a hint that Fan Naibai was injured and needed to leave the field. If Li Yongrong didn't have a substitute player, this match would be abandoned and Du Shijiu would win by default.

  Fan Naipei was on the ground, frowning and clutching his leg in agony. Li Yongrong saw him like this and gritted his teeth in anger, with bulging veins on his forehead.

  Bai Chenyu, who was originally hot-tempered and robust, also changed his face in anger, stepping forward to take action, wanting to kick Fan Naipei a few times. He deliberately passed the ball to Du Shijun, but now he's even more furious after being knocked down.

  Whether it was fake or real, it ruined the game.

  "Hey, White Brother!" Zhou Xun, who was also hot-tempered, was unusually clear-headed at this moment and hastily stopped Bai Chenyu, "Don't fight on the court anymore."

  Wangping Building Basketball Court, Fighting is strictly prohibited.

  If there is a dispute, this game will be thoroughly lost.

  Now there is only one last round left. Anyway, we must fight for it, can't give up like this, and can't afford to cause trouble.

  The stadium manager needs to come out and mediate.

  Seeing Fan Naipei was really hurt and couldn't get back on the horse, Guan Shi said: "Let's help Fan Guanyuan down to rest." Zhuang Yi asked Li Yongrong, "Does your side still have a ball player?"

  Li Yongrong and others' gaze, across the court, fell on Chen Jing in the Arrow Tower Elegant Room.

  Their hearts sank halfway.

  Their only backup is actually a weak and timid scholar!

  Originally, I came to play ball today just because of the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone was looking for fun and didn't think about competing or betting on winning or losing. But unexpectedly, at the entrance of the long ball gate, I met Du Shijie. Thinking of what Du Shijie had done before, everyone was furious, and being coldly ridiculed by Du Shijie and others, I temporarily lost my temper and agreed to compete.

  What's more, their mainstay Fan Naipei actually betrayed them.

  To be honest, they were all stunned!

  Because they are not professional polo players, playing is purely out of interest. Fan Naipei's betrayal makes them angry and hard to understand. It is unknown when Fan Naipei colluded with Du Shijiu.

  Everyone is friends and assumes they understand each other.

  The feeling of being betrayed by friends is very painful.

  No matter how hard it is to understand, the fact is that Fan Naipei has betrayed them.

  They lost three balls and injured one player.

  If there is no substitution, it is equivalent to actively admitting defeat.

  Lost the ball, the horse has to be sent out, and it also has to drill into someone's house!

  "What's going on?" Xu Tianying was the most anxious. Among several people, his ball skills were the worst, he always felt that he had not made any effort, and now it was such a dilemma, he was very worried about Li Yongrong and others.

  "Let Brother Chen go up!" Zhou Xun said. Before this, giving up would be a dead end. Fight with all one's might, even if it's futile, and do one's best!

  The competition requires six people and must have an odd number of individuals.

  "No way, if something happens to him, I'll die with my second sister!" Li Yong Rong denied.

  Polo is very dangerous. If you're not good at riding, falling off a horse isn't just a matter of spraining your leg. If you're unlucky, you can break your neck and lose your life.

  This kind of thing isn't unprecedented...

  "What's going to happen now?" Zhou Xun furrowed his brow.

  "Li Laoba, don't be like a timid housewife. Let Chen go up, where will the trouble come from?" Bai Chenyu said sternly, "He doesn't go up, do you want us to admit defeat? You may not care about losing the horse, but my waist can't bend down!"

  In addition to losing horses, we must also drill wells.

  "At that time when we made the bet, didn't you agree too?" Li Yongrong turned back, his face also looking unpleasant, "Can't you take losing?"

  They themselves started fighting.

  Seeing Li Yongrong and others like this, Du Shijie's team couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  It's really interesting.

  Li Balang and his men were really defeated in a hurry.

  Lost three balls.

  Next time, just one round, half a moment's time.

  No matter how strong they were, they couldn't score three goals in one breath. So Du Shijie won for sure.

  Du's crowd of people were in a great mood, with each person wearing a proud expression on their face.

  This was a blow to Li Yongrong and several others, piercing their eyes sharply.

  Li Yongrong made up his mind and said, "Alright, let Chen Yang come up."