Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

After Kai's conversation with Max, he wandered around the place, trying to look for the bathroom.

"What kind of place is this confusing?" he muttered, feeling like he was going in circles.

Finally, after a long search, he finally arrived at the bathroom.

Kai finished his business and washed his hands. He was about to leave when someone came out of one of the cubicles—someone unexpected.

"Kai," Yiming said, making Kai halt.

He turned around and bowed at Yiming.

"Captain," he said.

Yiming chuckled in amusement. "You're calling me that so naturally. Are you going to join our team?"

Kai scratched the back of his head since he didn't know how to respond.

"I'm guessing you haven't made up your mind yet," Yiming said, walking to the sink to wash his hands.

Meanwhile, Kai leaned against the wall, feeling like Yiming still had something to say to him.

"You should really consider it—joining our team," he said, wiping his hands with a paper towel.

Then, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the sink.

"You might think that you owe the Shizi Dogs, but you only started playing there because you didn't have a choice, right?"

Kai frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Mad Dog," Yiming said, looking at his nails.

Kai froze as soon as he heard the nickname.

"You were an infamous troublemaker when you were in secondary junior school, and Shizi High was the only school that would accept you with your reputation," he started off.

Kai frowned since he didn't know that his story had reached the other schools.

"So, in short, you joined the Shizi Dogs because you didn't have a choice," Yiming continued. "However, now, you have other options—much better ones. The Feng Foxes will welcome you with open arms, even if you dunked the ball on my head."

Kai couldn't help but chuckle when Yiming mentioned the incident.

"The Feng Foxes are working harder than ever this year," Yiming continued.

"Somehow, we always fall behind the Yin Yang Knights by only a few points—just a few margins."

"Chunlei is a talented player, but we need another powerful player on our roster. I believe that it's you," Yiming said, looking deep into Kai's eyes.

Kai pursed his lips as he felt his breath get knocked out of his lungs.

"School is starting next week," he continued. "However, you don't have to make a decision just yet since the registration doesn't happen in the second week."

"I know that you're already enrolled with Shizi High," he continued. "But Feng Arts High accepts late enrollees—and they offer sports scholarships, too. You don't have to worry about that."

"So," Yiming said, finally standing straight.

"Come join us," he firmly added. Experience more content on empire

"We believe that we'll finally beat the Yin Yang Knights with you in our midst."

With that, Yiming went out of the bathroom, leaving Kai to ponder upon his statements.

Then, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, feeling that he was stuck in a dilemma.

He clicked his tongue and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Whatever," he muttered, about to leave the bathroom when someone popped up from behind the wall.

"We believe in you, too," Justin said with wide eyes, startling Kai.

"What the heck?" he exclaimed. "Since when have you been there?"

"Since the beginning," Justin said. "This is how desperate I am to have you on our team."

Kai shook his head and swiftly bolted to the door.

"You're crazy."

"Wait! Give me a chance," Justin exclaimed, following Kai out of the door.

The seemingly empty bathroom was silent for a couple of moments.

However, after a few seconds, one of the cubicles opened, revealing a tall figure.

He sighed and went to the sink, resting his palms against the granite surface.

Then, Yuze sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Is he really leaving?"

***

The party was finally over, and the boys were already waiting for their respective rides.

"Where's Zeren?" Jinping asked, looking around.

Kun also looked around. "I don't know," he said. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since earlier."

"I saw him with Kexin for a moment," Lina said. "But then, he didn't come back."

"Hmm," Jet hummed. "He must have gone home. His dad probably picked him up."

The others nodded.

Just then, a cute, pink car pulled up, revealing Jinping's mom.

The tall guy quickly went inside and urged his mom to drive quickly to save him from the embarrassment.

The next one was Officer Huang, who drove a black SUV.

Lina turned around for a moment. "How are you going to get home, Kai?" she asked.

"I'll take the bus," he said.

As the black SUV pulled up in front of them, Lina opened the door and asked her dad a question.

"Dad, can Kai—"

"Come in," Officer Huang firmly said.

Lina pursed her lips and apologetically looked at Kai. However, the latter merely shook his head and waved goodbye.

With that, Lina drove away with her dad, leaving Yuze and Kai all alone.

Kun and Jet had already driven off with the car that Jet had borrowed.

"I'll be heading home then," Kai said, to which Yuze just nodded in response.

"See you tomorrow," Kai muttered.

Once again, Yuze silently nodded.

Kai was about to head to the waiting shed when he saw a familiar and luxurious car pick Yuze up. He looked at the plate number and saw that it was customized.

'CHEN,' it read.

Kai shook his head as he watched the car drive off.

"He's really loaded," he muttered. "I wonder what he's doing in a school like Shizi High."

Meanwhile, inside the car, the atmosphere was heavy and daunting.

Yuze turned to look at Kai, who was walking by himself.

"Kai Guo," his dad said, causing Yuze to look at him.

"A lot of my players want him on my team," he continued.

Yuze bitterly shook his head. "So what, dad?" he asked. "Are you planning on recruiting him?"

His dad smirked as he continued driving.

"I'm thinking about it," he muttered.

"As the coach of the Yin Yang Knights, I have the sole power of recruiting new players into our team, after all."