Chapter Fifteen: SM Whipping Training

Geng Haoshi was once again “awakened” by the old, damp, 90-decibel moans…

Expressionless, Geng Haoshi stared ahead, his gaze vacant.

“Master, you look so deflated.”

…Listening to the old man’s groans yet unable to muster any energy, you damn pit system, how could you ever understand what I’m feeling?

“Master, you’d better learn how to dribble first, or your chances tonight aren’t looking good.”

Geng Haoshi stood up listlessly and resumed the up-and-down patting of the basketball.

After some time, watching Geng Haoshi finally manage to dribble with some semblance of skill, 9527 said, “Master, now try dribbling back and forth.”

Geng Haoshi attempted to dribble back and forth, but the ball kept slipping away, vanishing without warning. After twenty-two tries, he finally managed not to lose the ball.

Panting heavily, Geng Haoshi grumbled, “9527, why is this back-and-forth dribbling more exhausting than running five thousand meters?”

“Master, when running you only need to focus on running, but when dribbling back and forth, you must pay attention to running, your hands, and the ball… If Kobe’s talent is rated at 100, yours is at -100… So, it’s indeed difficult for you.”

“Damn it, why is my talent a negative number?! Haven’t you heard the saying? There are only bad teachers, never bad students… The reason I’m learning so slowly must be because you’re teaching too poorly!” Truthfully, Geng Haoshi always believed he had great athletic talent—based on his astonishing hand speed when watching short videos…

“…Master, if a student’s talent and intellect are so low they’re practically dust, no matter how cool and brilliant the teacher is, it’s hard to achieve anything.” 9527, stuck with such a pitifully twisted master, felt the urge to cry or die.

“You? Cool and brilliant?” Geng Haoshi scoffed at the system’s sarcasm. “What’s next?”

“…Master, next is alternating dribble. Use your left hand to bounce the ball off the ground, then use your right hand to bounce it back.”

Geng Haoshi followed 9527’s instructions—left hand bounced the ball up, right hand… swatted it back into the left hand mid-air.

“…Master, your IQ is truly a fatal flaw!”

Time slipped by quietly, as Geng Haoshi practiced slowly and 9527 kept up its barrage of snark…

“Huh? Why is it dark?” Geng Haoshi finally noticed.

“Master, it’s already six thirty-seven in the evening.”

“Damn! Why didn’t you say so earlier! I’m supposed to report at the gym at seven, and I haven’t had lunch or dinner yet!”

Geng Haoshi rushed to the cafeteria near the sports field, gulped down dinner at lightning speed, then dashed all the way to the Chen Zhi Gymnasium.

When he entered, it was six fifty-eight. A row of players stood on the basketball court, and the devil-goddess coach, Yu Manman, faced them.

Geng Haoshi jogged to the lineup, panting, and said to the teammate beside him, “Thank goodness I made it on time.”

That teammate’s face was stone-cold, ignoring him. Geng Haoshi figured it must be due to yesterday’s removal incident, making him wary.

“Fatty, you seem to have a sense of punctuality—more so than the others. You’re the only one who arrived right on time!” Yu Manman was clearly furious.

Yet Geng Haoshi’s soul was elsewhere… It had drifted right to the coach’s chest!

The beautiful coach was still wearing short leather shorts, a cropped leather jacket, high-heeled boots, but the color was different: today, white. Even her whip had changed to white.

Yesterday, she was the black dominatrix—I liked it. Today, she’s the white goddess—I like it even more… Who knows how many different SM outfits she owns? Clearly, this is her thing. Hehe… Such were Geng Haoshi’s thoughts.

Seeing Geng Haoshi staring lasciviously at her chest instead of listening, Yu Manman’s rage flared. She raised her whip and struck his arm. “Crack!” A purplish-red welt appeared instantly on Geng Haoshi’s plump arm.

“Ah!—You, you, how could you hit me?! That’s corporal punishment! It’s illegal!” Geng Haoshi clutched his arm, trembling from pain.

Yu Manman extended a finger, gently lifting Geng Haoshi’s chin. Her stunning face, laced with menace, drew nearer… “What? You have a problem?” Her voice was soft and seductive, yet carried a chilling threat.

If this were any other situation—a gorgeous woman getting so close—Geng Haoshi would be overjoyed. But seeing Yu Manman’s gaze, as if she’d drain his life in the next second, he could only shake his head in terror.

“No problem then!” Yu Manman shot him a glare and turned back to the front.

“I’ll let you all off today. Tomorrow I’ll have everyone’s class schedule. If anyone dares not report here when they have no classes…” She cracked her whip beside her. “I’ll whip them first, then kick them off the school basketball team!”

“Did you hear me?!”

“We! Heard! You!” The whole team, faces grim.

As it turned out, not a single member had reported during the day—because, just like Geng Haoshi, they all wanted to buy more time to prepare, afraid of being eliminated tonight.

Geng Haoshi looked at the purple-red welt on his hand, then at the coach in her SM outfit, shook his head and sighed, remembering a song: “You cried to me that all those short videos are nothing but lies.”

“Today, I’ll give you your first lesson—one every aspiring top basketball player must master.”

“The secret to becoming a top basketball player is: Keep your eyes on the ball!”

The players exchanged confused glances.

Just keep your eyes on the ball and you’ll become a top athlete? Geng Haoshi didn’t believe it.

Yu Manman ignored their reactions and continued, “Eyes on the ball! That means every second on the court your mind must be sharply focused. Your eyes must never leave the basketball!”

Geng Haoshi scoffed and interjected, “So, beautiful coach, according to you, we just need to stand still and stare at the ball?”

“You. Are. An. Idiot!” Yu Manman glared at Geng Haoshi, itching to whip him again.

“You! Not only must your eyes stay on the ball, your actions must follow closely!”

She shot Geng Haoshi another furious look. “If anyone dares interrupt me again, I’ll whip them to death!” She cracked the whip fiercely at the ground.

The sound made Geng Haoshi’s heart race. Still, he stuck to his principle of respecting teachers—and kept his eyes locked on the “ball”… staring fixedly at Yu Manman’s chest.

“Now, let’s start a round of one-on-one training!”

Yu Manman pointed at the captain, Meng Lang. “You, come demonstrate the training rule with me.”

She had Meng Lang stand, holding a basketball, five steps away.

Yu Manman raised her whip and lashed it toward Meng Lang.

“Crack!”

The basketball in Meng Lang’s hands dropped to the floor under the whip’s strike.

“This is today’s one-on-one training rule. Pair up in twos, just like I demonstrated. Each person hits the ball a hundred times, then switch so the other does the same. Start pairing up!”

So, the box Yu Manman brought was filled with dozens of whips.

Using whips to strike basketballs! What kind of training is this?! Geng Haoshi was utterly bewildered, shocked, and scared.

So this is how she uses the SM outfit! Geng Haoshi wanted to shout, “Have you considered how the outfit feels about this kind of play?!”

Even the experienced 9527 was dumbfounded.

When Geng Haoshi came to, he realized all the other players had paired up, leaving him alone.

The school team originally had twelve members, in line with international competition standards. Yesterday, one was removed for laughing at Geng Haoshi’s comment. Now, only eleven remain.

“I’ll pair with you.” Yu Manman walked up to Geng Haoshi.

She took a ball and stood five meters away. Geng Haoshi held a whip, eyes on Yu Manman, his hand trembling uncontrollably. He thought: Damn it, if I accidentally hit the beautiful coach, she’ll whip me to death and kick me off the team!

“This training is to hone your concentration. Keep your eyes fixed on the ball!”

“To be qualified, you must reach the point where you see only the ball, think only of the ball!”

“If you miss and hit a person, I’ll make sure you taste the whip!”

“Alright, begin!”

Geng Haoshi stared straight at Yu Manman. Truly, he saw only the “ball,” thought only of the “ball”—in fact, two “balls”… Unconsciously, two streams of nosebleed trickled down.

“You damn fatty! What are you bleeding for?! Hurry up and start!” Seeing Geng Haoshi’s lecherous look, Yu Manman couldn’t contain her anger, desperate for a reason to kick him off.

Geng Haoshi took a deep breath, sucked the nosebleed back in, calmed himself, and focused on the basketball in Yu Manman’s hand.

He watched the ball for a long time, finally summoned his courage, raised his arm, and swung the whip toward the ball…