Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Yuze and his dad were silent all throughout the car ride.
Experience tales at empire

After Guanyu said that he was considering having Kai join the Yin Yang Knights, Yuze felt...bitter.

He had been doing everything in his efforts to get his dad to acknowledge him, yet it only took Kai one Winter Cup for Guanyu to notice him.

Guanyu pulled up to their garage and turned off the engine.

However, even then, none of them made a move to get out of the car.

Yuze, shaking his head, was about to leave first when his dad spoke.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" he asked in a strict tone, causing Yuze to sigh deeply.

He leaned against his seat and looked out of the tinted window.

"Keep what up?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"All of this," Yuze said. "You've been acting as such every since you entered senior secondary school. You didn't even go to Yin Yang High anymore."

"That's because you didn't want me there," Yuze said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You've never let me played."

Guanyu chuckled and shook his head.

"Only good players deserve to play," he muttered. "You weren't ready back then."

"So what?" Yuze asked. "You just let the other boys trample on me? Like you weren't my dad?"

Guanyu clicked his tongue. "That's how you develop a tough personality. You can't expect me to come running to your aid whenever you got into trouble."

Yuze chuckled loudly, a sense of bitterness in his tone.

"I see," he muttered. "You could have done that as a coach...but would it kill you to act like my dad even for one second?"

Guanyu opened his mouth, but found himself unable to find the right words.

"Whatever I do, you never deemed it as enough," Yuze continued. "How was I supposed to thrive in an environment where I was continuously being hindered?"

Guanyu chuckled. "And what? Are you saying that you're thriving right now? That you've done all of those things at Shizi High? That you were able to fulfill your promise of beating my team with your own hands?"

"You're already on your last year, Yuze, yet you still haven't proven anything. Take that as a reality check."

Yuze pursed his lips as he felt something tug painfully at his heartstrings.

He knew that he had done his best, but as cliche as it sounded, his best was never good enough...and he was afraid that it will never be good enough.

"So, stop playing around now," Guanyu continued, fully facing Yuze.

"I've had enough of you running around with a team you can't save."

"Your mom and I have been talking," he continued, causing Yuze to turn to him with furrowed eyebrows.

"I think it's best if you transfer back to Yin Yang High..."

Yuze felt like his entire body was being drenched by cold water.

"...and join the Yin Yang Knights."

"Your future will be better through that way."

***

The atmosphere was weird in the court after the Acquaintance Ball.

Kun arrived with a happy mood, but it instantly dampened when he saw the serious faces of his teammates.

He quickly went to where Shang and Jet was and whispered, "Is it just me or is it weird in here?"

"It's both," Shang said. "But it really is quite weird in here. Zeren's looking gloomy. Yuze appears more serious than usual. Jinping's looking at Kai with pleading cat eyes, while Kai's mind looks like it's straying somewhere. Meanwhile, Lina appears like she's plotting a very evil plan."

A shiver ran down Kun's and Jet's spines.

"You're right," Jet muttered. "What is happening?"

Just then, Lina went to where Kai was and nudged his shoulder.

Zeren followed her movement, his face falling as she got closer and closer to Kai.

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise as Lina stood next to him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I need you to do something about your popularity," Lina said, making his eyes widen.

"What?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Just...just do it for me, please?" Lina asked with puppy eyes—foolproof ones that her dad would always agree with.

Kai scratched the back of his head and looked away from her, feeling his face heat up from Lina's cuteness.

He merely nodded. "Alright," he said. "Although I really don't know how to do that."

Lian crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I'll get back to you after a while," she said, trying to come up with something.

"However, for now, let's head on with the training!" she exclaimed, clapping in excitement as the boys gathered in the middle of the court for a practice game.

Fortunately, their practice went well despite the tension-filled atmosphere.

Kai waited for his system to upgrade. However, it seemed like it was on pause until he made a decision.

He pursed his lips and sat on the bench.

That meant that he needed to make a decision soon.

However, the problem was he still didn't know the best school to pick.

Just then, Zeren went out of the court without even bothering to say goodbye, surprising the boys once more.

"What's up with that guy?" Shang asked. "He seems more aloof than usual. It's so unlike his personality."

Jet nudged Lina's shoulder. "Did you officially reject him?" he asked.

Lina glared at him, but also appeared concerned for Zeren.

"I didn't," she muttered. "I haven't said anything to him yet."

"You should talk to him, though," Kun chimed. "I think it's better to clear things out before the season starts."

Lina sighed but still nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll do it when classes start."

"Yuze," Kun said, snapping his fingers in front of his face. "What's gotten you so quiet?"

Yuze clicked his tongue before shaking his head.

"I'm not being quiet," he said, defending himself. "I'm usually like this."

Kun scratched the back of his head. "That's true, but there's still something strange," he muttered.

Kai merely listened to their conversation. Then, when they started packing up, Kai decided to leave to go on a walk and clear his mind.

He walked out of the school gates, about to put his earphones on when he suddenly heard his name being aggressively shouted from afar.

"Kai, you ugly bastard!" he exclaimed.

Kai turned around at lightning speed and saw Jinping storming over to where he was.

"Don't tell me you're really going to leave!"