Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Kai did a great job at choosing the new player," Lina said, standing next to Yuze as she observed the newcomer.

"Should we recruit him?" Lina asked.

Yuze brought out his phone and showed a text to Lina.

"I've already ordered the uniform," he stiffly said, making Lina smile.

"Such a tsundere," Lina muttered. "That's good then," she smiled, turning her attention back to the court.

The eight players were currently having a practice game, and with Andy on Kai's team, they seemed very formidable.

"Kai has truly been a blessing to the team," Lina muttered. "I can just imagine how different the past season and this season would go if he wasn't a part of our team."

Yuze smirked and turned to Lina with raised eyebrows.

"Are you saying that as a manager or as an individual?"

Lina's cheeks reddened as she pushed Yuze away.

"Shut up," she muttered.

Yuze raised his hands in surrender.

"I was just asking."

With that, the two of them continued observing the game.

"I think we've found someone who could replace Zeren," Yuze remarked.

Lina shook her head. "Honestly, with a little bit more training, he could be better than Zeren. I was shocked when he shot the ball a few inches away from the three-point line. He also hasn't missed at all since the very beginning of the game," she remarked.

Yuze chuckled. "You've even kept track of that?"

"Of course," she smiled. "I need to know these things as the Shizi Dogs' manager."

Yuze nodded with a smile. However, he sighed right after, making Lina turn toward him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think we need one more player, though," Yuze said. "We can't even have practice games because we're an odd number."

Lina sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Did he call you back?" she suddenly asked, looking up at Yuze.

Yuze's jaw clenched before shaking his head.

"No," he said.

Lina raked her fingers through her hair. "It would be nice if he came back. His defense was really good, and we need a good defender now that Shang is out. His plays were quite good, too."

Yuze shook his head. "I don't want to beg him to come back—not anymore," he muttered the last statement.

Lina pursed her lips since she didn't know what to say.

Then, Yuze blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game.

"Good job," he said to the boys. "Andy, you'll have your uniform by tomorrow."

Andy's eyes widened, and he looked at Kai with a small smile.

The latter responded with a thumbs up, also feeling proud of himself for finding someone with great shooting skills like Andy.

Kai then went to the bench, where Lina sat next to him.

"What's up?" Kai asked before gulping down some water.

"How did you even find him?" she asked.

Kai shrugged. "He appeared right before my eyes," he honestly said.

"Oh," Lina said. "That's quite lucky."

"Hmm," Kai smiled. "I didn't think he would agree, but he surprisingly joined even when I didn't ask him to."

Lina frowned in confusion.

"You...invited him normally, right?" she asked.

Kai turned to her before nodding.

"Of course, I invited him normally," he said.

"That's good," Lina said, sighing in relief. "I thought you would have threatened him or something."

"Threatened?" Kai asked with raised eyebrows. "Definitely not!"

***

Lina's dad was working overtime for today, so she didn't have a ride.

"Want me to walk you home?" Kai asked, making her surprised.

"Is that alright with you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kai said. "I need a proper cooldown, and walking does just that."

Lina smiled before nodding.

"That's cool, then," she muttered.

With that, the two of them walked through the peaceful streets of Jilin. The sun was about to set, so orange and pink hues covered the skies.

"Are you excited for the new season?" Lina asked as they continued walking.

"Yes," Kai said. He had improved significantly during the break, and he couldn't wait to see how that placed him with the competent players he met during the Winter Cup.

"Honestly, I can't wait," he continued. "I just wish that everything goes well for the team. We are still lacking one player, right?" he asked.

Lina sighed. "Technically, we can already register as nine players, but Yuze is worried that the odd number of players would affect the training. Moreover, we lost two players and were only able to replace one. I think it's best if we find another suitable man."

"Do you have a prospect?" Kai asked.

Lina pursed her lips and wondered if she should share her thoughts with Kai.

However, knowing how sincere Kai truly was about the team, she thought that he had every right to know.

She stopped for a moment and stared at a familiar house near their neighborhood.

That caused Kai to halt, too.

Then, he followed Lina's gaze, only to be met with a big house—almost like a mansion.

Although it wasn't as big as the houses in Richgate, it was still definitely a big house—much more than Kai could ask for.

"Why did you stop?" Kai asked.

"We had a teammate once," she said, still staring at the house.

"The team doesn't talk about him that much since Yuze's sensitive about the matter. However, you must have heard about the guy who left during recruitment week last year."

Kai frowned. "The one who transferred to the Daxue Dolphins?"

"Yes," Lina responded.
Explore hidden tales at empire

"He was one of our greatest defenders along with Yuze," she continued. "In fact, they were very good friends. They shared tips with one another and hung out a lot. Although the team wasn't doing so well because of their rookie mistakes, they still had a great time."

"He was someone who really loved the Shizi Dogs," she said, smiling as she recalled her memories.

"But then, before we even knew it, he had already left the team and went to Daxue Academy, similar to what Zeren had done."

"However, it was much more painful since we were already not too fond of the Daxue Dolphins from the very beginning," she bitterly chuckled.

"He played with them during the Interhigh Preliminaries, and although they got further than us, they still lost. After that, we didn't see him around anymore—almost as if he vanished in thin air. From what I've heard, he was being homeschooled, but I'm not sure."

"Yuze had tried contacting him to come back to the team, but he hasn't responded until now."

"I want to try harder, but Yuze doesn't seem to want him back. The betrayal must still hurt."

Kai listened intently to the story. If he was someone Yuze enjoyed playing with, then he must have been a great player like Yuze. Having him back on the team would elevate their chances of winning even further.

"What's his name?" Kai asked.

"Renren," Lina responded.

"Zhou Renren."

Then, she pointed at the big house.

"And he lives right there."