Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Kai, don't leave, alright?" Jet asked from far away, causing Kai to shake his head in amusement.

"Bye, Jet!" he exclaimed, waving his hand goodbye before walking in the direction of his home.

He usually walked swiftly, but this time, he felt like he needed to take his time.

Jet's words rang in his mind.

'Isn't that the normal thing to do?'

Truly, it was.

Only an idiot would pass up the chance to reject an offer from the top schools within their district.

To make matters worse, his system popped up right above him, causing him to halt his steps.

[You have a new mission]

[Duration of the mission: three weeks]

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise. Well, that was a first. He has had weekly missions ever since he transmigrated to Kai Guo's body!

[Make a decision]

[The host's school is a reflection of his skills]

[Join a team that will help you improve to your best capacity]

[There are no failures for this particular mission]

[However, XP will vary based on the team that the host will choose]

[XP will be equal to the amount of official wins that the chosen team has for the past five years]

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"In the past five years," he muttered.

The Feng Foxes definitely won a lot more games than the Shizi Dogs. The Xing Stars, too.

On the contrary, Kai was already aware of the Shizi Dogs' reputation in the past years. It felt like their wins didn't even surpass 30 at that point.

The mission, lasting for three weeks, suddenly made a lot more sense.

By that time, the list of teams would have been finalized.

Kai sighed and shook his head in amusement.

Well, his system had definitely made it harder for him to decide.

***

"Honey! The food is ready."

Justin Liang trudged down their stairs with his suit on, making his parents coo at the sight of their huge 18-year-old son.

"Well, you look very handsome."

Justin cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

"I can't eat with you, guys," he said. "I'm attending the Acquaintance Ball."

"Well, of course," his mother said. "I know that. You go every year! What I meant is—the food is ready. You can take some of it to give to your friends."

"Oh," Justin muttered. "Thanks, mom."

"Hmm," she hummed, packing the food into a bag and handing it to Justin.

"Does your coach have an eye on someone this year?" she asked.

Justin scratched the back of his head. "I have someone in my mind," he responded.

His mom's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That's new," she said. "I hope everything goes well for you."

Meanwhile, in a bustling restaurant in the northern part of Jilin City...

"Max! Your friends are already waiting for you," Meixue exclaimed, clicking her tongue as she heard something chaotic upstairs—where Max's room was.

"Sorry for that, boys," she apologized to Ailun and Fabin. "You know how Max is—he takes too long to get ready in the morning. More so in these types of events," she chuckled.

Ailun shook his head. "It's alright, Ms. Meixue. "The party hasn't started yet, I believe."

"Oh, that's fine then," she said. "But Max really takes too long to get ready. Tell me—does he have someone he's courting?"

Ailun and Fabin turned to each other before bursting into laughter.

Meixue frowned in confusion. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"I'm just curious. You have that very pretty manager. Fei, right? I believe she's in the same year as Max. Is she the one?"

"Fei used to like him," Ailun chimed, making Meixue's eyes brighten.

"Oh, so I'm really right," she said. Discover more stories at empire

Fabin shook his head. "However, I think the closest Max had been interested in someone is with Onion Boy."

"Onion boy?" Meixue asked, her head tilted to the side.

Ailun nudged Fabin's side, causing the latter to shake his head.

"Forget what I just said, ma'am," Fabin awkwardly chuckled.

"Max is a good boy. He's not courting anyone. He's just very interested in basketball."

"Oh," Meixue said, a bit disappointed. "Well, I just hope he's happy."

Just then, Max went down the stairs with furrowed eyebrows. "I heard my name."

The three of them turned to him and smiled widely.

"Well, of course," Ailun exclaimed. "You're the star of the show! It's only normal that we talk about you."

Max clicked his tongue. "I know, you're lying."

"We're not!" Fabin said. "You're really going to be the star of the night! I bet everyone would want to recruit you again."

Ailun shook his head. "Will he take the bait, though? Max would be crazy if he left the Yin Yang Knights for another team."

On a big, red mansion in a gated community, a family had just finished with their new year's dinner.

Yuze came down the stairs looking as dapper as ever.

Her mom, Gwen, stood as soon as she saw her son.

"Goodness, Yuze, you look stunning," she exclaimed, walking over to her son and squeezing his cheeks.

Yuze groaned and lightly pushed her mom away.

"Mom," he whined. "You're making such a huge deal about this."

"No, I'm not!" Gwen exclaimed. "This is my first time seeing you in a suit. Let your mother indulge in you for a while."

Just then, Xiaobo went out of the kitchen with a pack of gummy bears in his hands.

Yuze raised his eyebrows. "Is he supposed to be eating those? He gets too energetic if he eats too much."

Gwen waved him off. "Let him be. It's new year's eve."

Yuze shrugged and fixed his collar.

"Do I really look alright?" he asked.

"Of course," Gwen chimed. "I'm happy that your father's old suits fit you well."

"Hmm," Yuze hummed. "It's my first time attending one of these, so I didn't know I needed a suit."

"It's alright," Gwen said. "Your father has a lot of extra clothes that will fit you just as well."

"Speaking of dad," Xiaobo chimed. "Weren't you supposed to go with him?"

"I am," Yuze said. "We're going to the same place anyway."

Xiaobo scratched the back of his head. "Well, he's already gone."

Yuze's eyebrows raised. However, he wasn't really surprised.

With that, he sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

"I'll just take the train then."

Gwen clicked her tongue and grabbed the keys to their other car on the table.

"I swear—your father never listens."

"Come on," she said. "I'll take you there."