Picking Up Fragments in PUBG

"Kid, I heard you’re pretty cocky. You defeated a CBA-selected youth training player and even made him streak in public. Impressive, huh?"

Zeng Wending had already walked up to Jiang Siming, slightly lowering his head to look down at him. At 1.95 meters tall, he could indeed lower his head to see Jiang Siming.

However, no matter how tall or bulky he was, he couldn’t gain the upper hand in aura before Jiang Siming.

Jiang Siming casually dribbled the basketball in his hand and asked nonchalantly, "So, it looks like you’re here to stand up for him? An active CBA player?"

"Heh, as long as you understand. I don’t want to bully you, but Ah Hao is a youth trainee I’ve taken under my wing. He’s practically part of the CBA. By insulting him, you’ve insulted the CBA."

Zeng Wending pointed at Huang Yuhao behind him and said to Jiang Siming, "I won’t make things difficult for someone like you. Just like him, take off your clothes and run 20 laps, and this matter will be settled."

"Why? Just because you’re big and brawny? An active CBA player? Sorry, I really don’t take you seriously," Jiang Siming retorted smoothly.

This statement made the music academy students admire Jiang Siming even more. "Brother, you’re my brother now. Just for daring to say that, for this confidence, I have to bow to you!"

Zeng Wending laughed, a hearty, mocking laugh.

"Since you’ve said that, I have no choice. Let me see what you’ve got, then. Same stakes as with Ah Hao—dare to take me on, big shot?"

Zeng Wending issued a challenge to Jiang Siming.

A proper CBA player, one of the best basketball players in China, was now actively challenging an ordinary person.

This sounded like outright bullying, akin to Jiang Siming challenging a casual gamer with less than 2,000 points in PUBG—it was a one-sided contest from everyone’s perspective.

"Damn, this guy’s shameless!"

"A pro basketball player wants to compete with a gaming streamer? How thick-skinned can you be?"

"If you’ve got the guts, challenge someone in the NBA! Why show off here and act like a big shot?"

"Already tagged the CBA Basketball Association to see if they’ll feel embarrassed for Zeng Wending."

"I’m a CBA fan, and even I feel secondhand shame for him." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

...

The livestream viewers were furious, standing up for Jiang Siming. They also assumed Jiang Siming wouldn’t accept—anyone agreeing to this would be a fool.

"Alright, let’s see how good the CBA’s skills are. Aside from Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, do they have any players worth mentioning?"

But Jiang Siming’s response was completely unexpected.

Zeng Wending concluded that Jiang Siming was an idiot—a wildly arrogant idiot who needed a serious lesson to understand his place.

The two returned to the court.

"No free throws; I’ll let you have the first ball," Zeng Wending said, repeating the same words Jiang Siming had used earlier.

"Don’t steal my lines. If you don’t want my offer, then let’s do free throws," Jiang Siming shrugged.

Zeng Wending chuckled and said, "Fine, free throws it is. How about from the three-point line?"

Free throws from the three-point line were much harder than from the two-point line.

"Sure," Jiang Siming replied without hesitation.

The two stood on either side of the three-point line.

Zeng Wending went first. After dribbling twice to get a feel for the ball, he decisively took the shot.

Swish!

The basketball went cleanly through the hoop!

The surrounding students cheered.

Huang Yuhao and Zhang Wei shouted, "Beautiful!" and acted as ball boys, retrieving the ball from under the hoop and tossing it hard at Jiang Siming.

Their intent was clear—to make Jiang Siming suffer a little.

But Jiang Siming effortlessly caught the ball without even glancing at them. Without dribbling to get a feel for it, he casually took the shot.

The basketball arced through the air and went cleanly through the hoop as well. The students’ cheers grew louder.

Since both had scored, the game would continue until one missed.

Zeng Wending grabbed the ball again, took a shot, and scored!

Jiang Siming followed, took his shot, and scored again!

The two of them each consecutively made six three-point shots, all hitting their mark. However, compared to Jiang Siming, whose shots were all clean swishes without touching the rim, several of Zeng Wending’s shots relied on the backboard or rim before going in. ȑ𝙖𐌽𝙤ＢĚṨ

The difference between them was so evident that even students who didn’t understand basketball very well could see it. As a result, cheers for Zeng Wending’s successful shots diminished, while Jiang Siming’s shots were met with roaring applause.

Zeng Wending noticed this as well. Determined to save face, he forced himself to adjust his angles, trying to make clean swishes like Jiang Siming. However, his shot hit the rim and bounced out.

Now it was Jiang Siming’s turn, with hundreds of eyes eagerly fixed on him. Jiang Siming remained calm, casually tossed the ball, and after a few rotations in the air, it landed perfectly through the hoop.

The crowd erupted with cheers, nearly shaking the night sky and scaring away the clouds.

"What’s there to be so proud of? It’s just a free throw win," Zeng Wending muttered sourly as he walked to the paint.

Jiang Siming ignored him, leisurely making his way beyond the three-point line. To Zeng Wending, it seemed deliberate.

With an unfriendly look, Zeng Wending threw the ball to Jiang Siming and gestured for him to come forward. Jiang Siming cooperated, dribbling swiftly toward the paint. His movements were lightning-fast, and his ball-handling was even faster, seamlessly switching between behind-the-back and between-the-legs dribbles.

The basketball seemed magnetized to Jiang Siming’s hands, never leaving his control. Zeng Wending watched Jiang Siming’s every move intently, lowering his stance and spreading his arms in a textbook defensive posture.

Jiang Siming’s initial steps were all anticipated by Zeng Wending, preventing him from advancing further inside. Zeng Wending felt confident he had blocked Jiang Siming’s path to the basket.

However, in a split second, Jiang Siming suddenly made a lightning-fast dash forward. Zeng Wending leaned in to block, but Jiang Siming hooked the basketball with one hand just above the ground.

As soon as he hooked the ball, he spun on the spot, his sneakers producing a sharp squeak on the court floor. While spinning, the ball left Jiang Siming’s hand and bounced in an entirely new direction.

Zeng Wending instantly realized he was in trouble and scrambled to recover, forcing his large frame to pivot in the opposite direction. But Jiang Siming seemed to be toying with him, spinning again and darting back in the original direction.

Zeng Wending tried to recover again, but his body’s momentum, coupled with the earlier forced change of direction, left him unable to stabilize. His legs wobbled twice before he crashed heavily to the ground.

The crowd, both on the court and in the livestream, was utterly stunned. Jiang Siming had just faked out a CBA player so badly that he fell? It sounded like a joke, but the evidence was right in front of them.

Zeng Wending had been completely fooled by Jiang Siming’s string of fake moves, ultimately ending up on the floor. Meanwhile, Jiang Siming easily approached the basket, leaped, and finished with a slam dunk, scoring the first point.

On the court, getting faked out and falling is as humiliating as getting your shot blocked. Zeng Wending had suffered a massive loss of face but suppressed his anger as he got up and moved back to the three-point line.

Grabbing the ball, Zeng Wending charged at Jiang Siming with all his might. He clearly wanted to teach him a lesson.

Standing at 1.95 meters tall and weighing 190 pounds, Zeng Wending was like a human tank. Playing as a center, his charging presence was immensely intimidating.

Many spectators began to worry for Jiang Siming, fearing he would get knocked flying if hit.

"This time, Jiang Siming will probably dodge," they all thought.