Chapter 131

Two minutes before the end of the second quarter, some of the key players from both teams were sent off to rest again, while Andre Iguodala, who had performed well in the second quarter, was brought back onto the court. At that point, the score between the two teams was 52:61.

Chapter 325: Injured

Time kept passing. With only two minutes left before the end of the second quarter, it was the Pistons who held the ball. Zhou Yi controlled the ball, moving outside the three-point line, while Brandon Roy defended him, moving slowly alongside him. These two talented young players faced off against each other—Zhou Yi did not attack, nor did Brandon Roy try to steal the ball from him. As a result, the cameras on the court kept focusing on them, capturing every subtle movement they made. All the fans in the arena were on edge, tensing every nerve, with tens of thousands of anxious and eager eyes fixed on the two players on the court, cheering for Zhou Yi, who held the ball. After both Zhou Yi and Brandon Roy reached the 45-degree angle on the right side outside the three-point line, they stopped moving and stared coldly into each other’s eyes, filled with fierce determination. Time passed slowly, and Zhou Yi’s rhythmic bouncing of the ball gradually accelerated. As the rhythm changed, Brandon Roy’s vigilance also increased. A sharp glint appeared in Zhou Yi’s eyes, and he moved. He suddenly sped up, using the purest, simplest, most direct, and perfect form of “speed” to take his first step to the right, followed by quick subsequent steps, aiming to use his speed to break through Brandon Roy’s defense. Zhou Yi’s speed was truly remarkable—so fast that many fans compared him to “The Speed King” Allen Iverson. As Zhou Yi moved, Brandon Roy also started moving. He accelerated almost simultaneously with Zhou Yi, staying close to him, tightly surrounding him to prevent him from reaching his maximum speed or getting a chance to shoot. After entering the paint, Zhou Yi realized he still couldn’t shake off Brandon Roy, so he stopped and turned his back on him. After bouncing the ball a few times with his back to Brandon Roy, the latter relaxed slightly and lessened his defense. But it was precisely this relaxation that led him to face a severe consequence.

Zhou Yi moved again. He quickly turned to the right, using his body and subtle movements to block Brandon Roy behind him, then accelerated to his maximum speed in the shortest time possible, heading straight for the Trail Blazers’ basket. Seeing Zhou Yi approaching the basket, the Trail Blazers’ power forward, LaMarcus Aldridge, who was closest to him, had no choice but to release Greg Monroe and rush back to defend, trying to stop Zhou Yi. Once in front of LaMarcus Aldridge, Zhou Yi didn’t hesitate. With a strong push from his right hand, he sent the ball toward the floor beneath Aldridge’s legs, causing it to bounce up and land in Greg Monroe’s hands, who now had a chance to shoot. “Great pass, Zhou!” Greg Monroe exclaimed in ecstasy after catching the ball. As he said this, he jumped up and, with a fierce roar, drove the ball hard into the basket. “Thud!” The sound of the basket echoing along with Greg Monroe’s roar filled the entire court, making the fans’ hearts race even more and prompting them to erupt in loud cheers. For a moment, various shouts came from different fans—old and young, men and women—all excited by this brilliant teamwork between Zhou Yi and Greg Monroe. “Zhou!” Swift rushed over to Zhou Yi with a triumphant smile, using a simple gesture to express his joy and high-fiving him to celebrate. Brandon Roy stared intently at Zhou Yi’s retreating figure, his face expressionless and calm. Outside the three-point line, facing the basket, Brandon Roy received a pass from his teammate LaMarcus Aldridge. After catching the ball, he immediately lowered his center of gravity, ready to attack, while his other teammates moved around to create space for him, giving him ample room to showcase his skills. Zhou Yi spread his arms again, watching Brandon Roy like a lurking predator, his face unchanged. Brandon Roy narrowed his eyes, then suddenly widened them, shooting two icy glances at Zhou Yi. At the same time, his body made a move that surprised Zhou Yi. With a slap of his right hand and a step forward, he and the ball broke through Zhou Yi’s defense, leaving Zhou Yi staring in shock.

Because Brandon Roy directly slammed the ball under Zhou Yi’s legs, allowing the basketball to easily pass through beneath them. Brandon Roy cut past Zhou Yi’s defense from the left, caught the ball at the same time, and drove toward the Pistons’ empty paint. This breakthrough by Brandon Roy was similar to the quick pass Zhou Yi had just made to Greg Monroe—except that Zhou Yi passed the ball while Brandon Roy drove with the ball himself. “Damn it, I was careless…” Zhou Yi realized something was wrong and quickly turned to chase after Brandon Roy, while the other Pistons players also rushed toward the paint, all trying to stop him. But how could Brandon Roy, who had already broken through, let others catch up to him so easily? So by the time the other Pistons players started moving, Brandon Roy had already accelerated to full speed, crossed the free-throw line, and headed straight for the Pistons’ basket. The only person close to Brandon Roy was Zhou Yi, who had reached his right side. Brandon Roy casually glanced at Zhou Yi out of the corner of his eye, a cold smirk forming on his lips. Gritting his teeth, Brandon Roy took three big steps, leaped into the air under the basket, and raised his hands to catch the ball as he soared. At this point, it was impossible for Zhou Yi to block Brandon Roy using normal methods; the only way to stop him was by committing a foul. So Zhou Yi, who hadn’t committed a foul yet, chose this only option without hesitation. Zhou Yi jumped up along with Brandon Roy, raised his arms high in the air, and pressed his body against Brandon Roy. “Bang!” Their bodies collided in mid-air, and both Brandon Roy and Zhou Yi lost their balance and fell to the ground. The basketball in Brandon Roy’s hands also flew out of bounds due to the impact. After landing, neither of them could stand steadily, but they were treated differently. Brandon Roy was supported by Greg Oden and didn’t fall; whereas Zhou Yi, having no one to support him, simply collapsed to the ground right away, his hands still covering his left forehead. “Ding!” The referee blew his whistle and made the call. “Home team player number 37, foul!”

The referee made a call, but no one cared about what it was at that moment. All that mattered was Zhou Yi, who lay on the ground, pressing both hands to his forehead. When Zhou Yi gently moved his hands away, bright red blood immediately flowed out, sliding down his head and dripping onto the floor, forming a pool of dark red liquid. Seeing this, everyone who cared about Zhou Yi grew worried. They all realized one thing: Zhou Yi was injured! “Zhou!” The Pistons players quickly gathered around him, looking at him with concern and worry, filled with panic. They were truly afraid that Zhou Yi might have to leave the game due to this injury. Brandon Roy frowned, feeling a hint of guilt. He could swear he hadn’t intentionally hurt Zhou Yi; it was completely an accident. Brandon Roy felt guilty and also a bit disappointed, knowing that Zhou Yi had to leave the game, which meant he would lose a strong opponent who could inspire him to give his best. The Pistons’ team doctor rushed to Zhou Yi and conducted a quick check. All the fans present and those watching on TV watched in horror as Zhou Yi lay there, bleeding profusely, fearing the worst and praying silently for him. Meanwhile, in a large house in China’s capital, a beautiful, delicate girl watched Zhou Yi on TV, clenching her hands tightly, her eyes filled with anxiety, worry, and pain, as if she wanted to take his place and suffer in his stead. “Zhou Yi, please, don’t let anything happen to you…” After the doctor finished his examination, Zhou Yi used a towel handed to him by a teammate to press on his bleeding forehead. Under the concerned gazes of the fans, he left the court quietly with the doctor, accompanied by Xiang Yun, who left the stands, and an assistant coach from the Pistons’ locker room. “Ladies and gentlemen, Zhou Yi has left the game due to injury. While Brandon Roy is taking his free throw, let’s take a look at the slow-motion replay of what just happened.” As Yu Jia spoke, the five screens in the stadium and the large screen inside the arena immediately switched to the replay.

Zhou Yi and Brandon Roy collided in the air. Due to Zhou Yi’s angle, his head was directly facing Brandon Roy’s right elbow. As a result of the intense impact, Zhou Yi’s forehead was broken—indicating that his injury was an accident rather than something done on purpose by Brandon Roy.
“Friends, I think everyone saw that Zhou Yi’s injury was purely accidental. It seems he only has a broken forehead, nothing serious. I’m sure he’ll return to the court soon, so let’s give him some time! I believe our ‘Chinese Flying Man’ will definitely come back!”
After hearing Yu Jia’s commentary, the fans on the field who were dissatisfied with Brandon Roy quickly dismissed their resentment. Of course, they still felt a bit upset, as Zhou Yi being taken off the field was still related to Brandon Roy.
Will Bynum glanced at the hallway where Zhou Yi had gone and got up to leave, but McGrady called him back.
McGrady shook his head, signaling to Will Bynum not to follow.
Will Bynum frowned. “But Zhou…”
At that moment, Taylor Hansbrough also pulled on Will Bynum, saying, “Sit down, Will. The coaches and Miss Xiang have already gone. It’s useless for us to follow. Besides, Zhou’s injury isn’t serious. As you heard, he might return soon.”
“But…” Will Bynum was still worried.
McGrady smiled at Will Bynum and said, “Will, don’t worry. Let’s wait here. Zhou Yi will definitely come back!”
After hearing this, Will Bynum slowly sat back down, quietly watching his teammates on the field, waiting patiently for Zhou Yi’s return.
In the Pistons’ locker room medical room, the team doctor applied a patch to temporarily stop Zhou Yi’s injury. After examining him carefully, he said, “Zhou, your injury isn’t serious. A few stitches will do. But I advise you not to play in this match. It could get worse, and you still have many games left this season.”
After hearing this, Zhou Yi pondered for a moment before asking, “Doctor, is my injury really not serious?”
“Yes!” the doctor nodded.
“Then thank you,” Zhou Yi said with a smile before turning to leave.
“Zhou Yi, where are you going?” Xiang Yun called out to him right away.
“Where else?” Zhou Yi was surprised for a second before answering naturally, “Of course, to the game. Where else could I go?”

“But your injury…” Xiang Yun frowned.
“Don’t worry! It’s nothing serious,” Zhou Yi said, touching his forehead nonchalantly. “It’s just a minor injury. I’ve had similar injuries before and was fine anyway. I’m sure I’ll be okay!”
“No!” Xiang Yun insisted. “The team doctor said this injury could worsen. I won’t allow you to play!”
Zhou Yi smiled indifferently. “I told you, don’t worry. Look how healthy I am now. How could anything happen? So just be at ease.”
“What if it gets worse?” Xiang Yun persisted.
“Well…” Zhou Yi was speechless.
Xiang Yun declared firmly, “Anyway, you must not play. Under no circumstances. If your injury worsens, future matches will be at risk. So rather than risking it by playing through this match, it’s better to give up. Besides, the next match is right after this…”
“Okay, Xiang Yun, I understand your concern, but I won’t give up this match. To be honest, as long as it’s not a serious injury, I won’t miss any match. Since the start of this season, I’ve never missed a single one. I’ve been injured before too, but I still played. So this time too, I won’t miss it. And I believe my teammates are waiting for me.”
“But your injury…” Xiang Yun said anxiously.
“Xiang Yun!” Zhou Yi interrupted before she could finish. “You don’t need to say more. I know you care about me, but…” He looked deeply at her and smiled warmly. “Trust me, I’ll be fine.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yun immediately shut her mouth and stopped talking, though worry still filled her face.
Xiang Yun frowned again, but eventually conceded. “Alright! I get it! But to prevent your injury from worsening, you can only play through the last quarter—just the last quarter! Understand?”
“Okay! I understand. Just the last quarter then!” Zhou Yi smiled and pretended to sigh helplessly. “Ugh, really. I can’t believe you act like a housekeeper, stopping me from doing anything. It’s so frustrating…”
Hearing this, Xiang Yun blushed instantly, turned away, and couldn’t meet Zhou Yi’s gaze, which made Zhou Yi smile awkwardly.

The team doctor looked at the two young people, sighed helplessly, and said to Zhou Yi, “Zhou, the third quarter has already started. Don’t you need to go back quickly?”
“Ah!? The third quarter has already started?” Zhou Yi exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes!” The team doctor nodded. “You didn’t know? It took me about ten minutes to check your injury earlier, and you and Miss Xiang argued for a few more minutes. By the time we left the court, the first half was almost over, so the third quarter had already begun.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yi didn’t dare to stay any longer. He hurriedly left the medical room and ran back to the court, with Xiang Yun having no choice but to follow behind him.
When Zhou Yi returned to the court, the fans immediately gave him warm applause to express their admiration and affection for him playing despite his injury.
Sure enough, Zhou Yi was truly the new king of Detroit—he would never be defeated by a minor injury.