Chapter 82: Professional Ethics and Temptation (Part One)

“Old Cai, do you think I’ll be suspended?”
Although there had been a minor conflict between them at the very beginning, both Cai Aihong and Hawule had long since forgotten about it. In fact, after the incident during the match against Frontier University, Cai Aihong felt that Hawule was truly a man of character—just like himself, someone worth befriending deeply.

Cai Aihong had been the most aggressive one just now. Although he was on the lean side, his long limbs gave him remarkable fighting prowess. And once the wolfish nature of a northwestern man is stirred, it’s not something that can be easily quelled. If he hadn’t seen Wang Lei fall to the ground, Cai Aihong might have charged straight to the opposing team’s bench.

Hawule was worried about being suspended or otherwise punished, and Cai Aihong was no less anxious. After the heat of the moment, regret was inevitable, so all Cai Aihong could do was pat Hawule on the shoulder and fall silent.

On the bus ride back to the training base, the entire team was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere. No one spoke, and Tuerhong, in particular, buried his head in his arms in shame, believing the whole mess had started because of him.

Wang Lei was fitting his prosthesis with Xue Yongjiang’s help. The prosthesis had a slot mechanism and usually wouldn’t fall off during normal daily activities, but during such intense action as before, accidents were bound to happen. Life for the disabled was, in truth, riddled with inconveniences unimaginable to the able-bodied.

“What’s wrong, everyone? Why the long faces? Weren’t you all quite formidable just now? From what I saw, we had the absolute upper hand. If we hadn’t been stopped, who knows—we might’ve scored a perfect rout.”

There was a hint of humor in Wang Lei’s words, but this very levity made everyone uneasy. Wang Lei rarely lost his temper, sometimes even joking with the players, but no one felt there was anything funny about what he’d just said.

“Lei, don’t be too hard on these young men. Honestly, I think those bastards had it coming—what a disgrace, calling themselves finalists in the national league. Utter shame, the lot of them.”

Usually strict with his players, Xue Yongjiang now spoke in their defense. In his eyes, these young men were exceptional; achieving what they had was already rare enough, and now was the time to protect them.

If, in the past, he had doubted Wang Lei’s coaching ability, now he held him in the highest regard. He truly believed the young man had his own unique approach.

“Xue, I disagree with you. I have no comment on our opponents’ behavior, but I believe our own actions today were unprofessional.”

“It’s not that I’m belittling us—truly, I feel that most of our country’s players lack proper professional ethics. Once you step onto the court, you’re a player. Your duty is to compete, to put on a show with the basketball in your hands, not to display your strength with fists.”

“Look at games in the West—yes, there are fights, sometimes even fiercer than ours. But think carefully—do their players ever start throwing punches over a few words? True, their opponents’ remarks might target their beliefs or families, but none of that is a reason to get violent. Once you’re on the court, your identity is that of a player, and you must respect the profession. Resorting to violence only makes you look weaker, because you can’t win respect with your skill.”

“Now look at our own games—today you take a shot at me, tomorrow I retaliate. Even the media stirs the pot, but no one focuses on the game itself. Let’s be clear: we are playing basketball, not a brawl. Swinging fists only shows a lack of class.”

“The fact that you’ve endured such tough training shows your love for basketball. So from now on, concentrate all your energy on the game. I won’t ask you to provoke your opponents; your job is to play good basketball. Everything else is my responsibility. If I fail, you can curse me to my face, call me a coward, whatever you like. But in future games, I hope you’ll restrain yourselves. Don’t let violence sway your love for this sport.”

Wang Lei’s words resonated with most of the team. He was right: in competitive sports, many athletes have quick tempers, but true superstars are those who can master themselves. When insulted, they reply with points and fierce defense on the court, forcing their opponents to truly understand basketball.

Having finished admonishing his players, Wang Lei already had a follow-up plan for this disrupted match. He didn’t intend to let the matter slide. Though he asked his players to restrain themselves, Wang Lei himself wanted to make sure Frontier University would not forget this episode.

Though a scrimmage, Wang Lei had brought two cameras to every match—one to film the front court, one the back—so he could later explain the team’s weaknesses and tactical flaws in detail. Two assistant coaches operated the cameras throughout, striving to capture every moment.

Thus, the entire incident should be on tape. Wang Lei planned to find someone who could read lips to decipher what the Frontier University players had said. He intended to escalate the matter—make it as public as possible, so Frontier University would be forced to reckon with their actions.

This might cause trouble and make Wang Lei some enemies among his peers, but he was determined. No matter the cost, he would get to the bottom of things. He would not let his players be both insulted and punished.

Even in a scrimmage, any chaos on the court would be punished by the authorities. This was a commendable policy of the Republic’s sports administration, but in practice, it was often hard to determine blame in exhibition games—especially since not every match was recorded. Usually, the authorities would simply punish both sides equally and call it done. But this was the Frontier region, and the comments from the Frontier University players touched on sensitive ethnic issues. If the story became big enough, even if Wang Lei himself gained nothing, Frontier University would have an unforgettable lesson.

This was Wang Lei’s promise to his players: on the court, they played basketball; off the court, he would handle everything else.