Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai halted as soon as he said those words.

Were the Yin Yang Knights trying to recruit him?

Kai could already imagine the amount of XP he could get if he transferred to the Yin Yang Knights.

Under Coach Guanyu's supervision, the Yin Yang Knights were most probably unbeatable in Jilin City.

Moreover, they had gone to the Interhigh Nationals plenty of times, so they had more games under their belt. Explore more at empire

Kai expects that his rank would jump to almost two places if he actually joined them.

"What do you say, huh?" Max asked.

Kai turned to Max at such a fast speed that he found himself getting dizzy.

Then, Max chuckled, making Kai even more confused.

"That's what I wanted to ask you if I was the one in charge," Max said. "However, our coach calls all the shots when it comes to recruitment, so I can't really do anything about it."

Kai pursed his lips and nodded, not knowing what to feel about the situation.

"I see," Kai muttered.

Max chuckled. "Were you disappointed?" he asked.

"Oh no," Kai said.

He definitely wasn't disappointed. However, there was something nagging at his heart—one that he couldn't quite point his finger at.

"To be fair, I really tried to convince our coach to recruit you," he said. "I told him that you were very in demand."

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I just figured," Max smiled. "You were bound to be recruited by the Xing Stars and the Feng Foxes."

Kai shook his head.

"Well, have you made up your mind?" Max asked.

Kai shook his head once more.

"It's going to be tough," Kai said. "If I were you, I would join the school that would lead me to victory."

"Hmm," Kai hummed. "I'll take that into mind."

Max let out a deep sigh as he leaned his elbows against his knees.

"I really wanted to play with you on the same team, though," he muttered. "I wonder why the coach is so against it."

Kai chuckled. "Well, if you can't recruit me into the team, then why don't you join the Shizi Dogs?" he asked.

Max's eyes widened, and he quickly turned to Kai.

For a second, it almost seemed like he was thinking about it, but then, he shook his head.

"That's crazy," Max said.

Kai smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You still don't believe that we can win this, huh?" he asked.

"I'm not going to deny it," Max said. "You're very talented, but it's still too early. Besides, your team has such a small number of players."

"You barely substitute your players, and your starting players aren't up to par yet," he continued.

Kai pursed his lips. "So, mind joining us?" he asked, causing Max to shake his head once more.

"The Yin Yang Knights is perfect for me," Max said.

Kai nodded in understanding. Well, it was the school that made him into who he was, so he completely understood.

"I hope you find the perfect school for you, too," Max said, making Kai even more confused.

"Hey," Kai said. "If you were in my shoes, then would you stay or leave?"

Max turned around. "Leave," he smirked.

"But then again, you're not me," he continued. "So, the decision is still in your hands."

With that, Max stood.

"I'll be going now," he said, making Kai nod.

He was about to leave but quickly turned around.

"By the way," he said. "This weird dude keeps on looking at you. I think he wants to talk to you or something."

Kai looked around and saw Justin Liang standing behind a post, just staring at him from a distance.

Kai sighed and massaged his nose bridge.

"Don't mind him," he said.

Max shrugged. "Fine then. I'll see you."

"Hmm," Kai hummed and waved goodbye.

Meanwhile, Fei and Lina had a completely different conversation.

Fei nodded towards Kai. "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked, making Lina's eyes widen.

"What?" Lina exclaimed. "What even made you say that?"

"Oh, nothing," Fei said. "You guys just seem awfully close. If you're together, that's good for you, though. I could never do it."

"We're not together," Lina deadpanned, causing Fei to chuckle.

"I see," she said. "Nevermind then."

"No, enlighten me," Lina said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"What do you mean by 'you could never do it?'" she asked.

"It's nothing serious," Fei said. "I just can't date ugly guys, that's all."

Lina's frown deepened. She was about to say something more, but Fei continued speaking before she could do so.

"It's not that I'm shallow," Fei said. "I just don't see anything special about him."

"Max seems to like him a lot. He even wants to recruit him into the team."

Lina's eyes widened in surprise.

"But then again, Coach Guanyu calls the shots, so it doesn't really matter what Max wants," he said.

"Kai is even wanted by the Yin Yang Knights?" Lina muttered, feeling her world turn upside down.

Her thoughts were already a mess after her conversation with Yuze.

The captain was fully convinced that Kai was going to leave the Shizi Dogs to join another team.

At that moment, Lina realized that Kai had so many opportunities before him.

It wouldn't be strange if he accepted one of the offers and left Shizi High.

"Anyway," Fei said. "Why don't we make a bet, huh?"

Lina snapped back to reality, frowning deeper after hearing Fei's suggestion.

"What bet?" Lina asked.

"Well, you have to admit that the Shizi Dogs are more popular now, right?"

"Hmm," Lina said, not wanting to deny it.

"As team managers, the two of us are responsible for the team's merch. Why don't we make a bet on who will have the most merch sales this season?"

Lina shook her head. "What do you take me for? You guys have been popular for years."

"Why? Are you not confident?" she asked. "I believe that Max will continue to have the most sales this year. Last year, it was crazy! We were able to go to such a good training facility because of it."

"If you don't want to do it, then it's okay," Fei said, obviously taunting her.

"I know that you guys don't sell a lot, so it probably won't be any different this time."

Lina clicked her tongue, feeling a fire ignite within her.

Then, she faced Fei with her chin held high.

"Fine," she said. "What's at stake?" she asked.

Fei shrugged. "Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" Lina muttered.

"Then, I bet that Kai will have more sales this year," she bravely said.

Fei's eyebrows raised in surprise, and her eyes showed that she found the situation humorous.

"That guy? Really?" she asked.

Lina smirked. "Yes, that guy."

"I'll make sure of it."