Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"So, about Zhou Renren," Kai started off before the start of their training, causing the old players of the team to turn to him with wide eyes.

Andy's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Zhou Renren? How do you know about him?"

Kai shrugged. "Do you know him?"

"I think he was in the basketball team last year. So, there's no way you could know about him since you're a first-year student," Andy deadpanned.

Kai's eyes narrowed as he looked at the guy he had recruited. "It's only your second day here, but you're already acting sassy. I don't like it."

Andy rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, the old players' gazes were directed toward Yuze, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Andy's right," he said. "There's no way you would know about him. Unless someone told you," he grumbled, his eyes straying to Lina.

Lina sheepishly smiled before directing her gaze to the ground.

"Didn't you guys want him back to the team?" Kai asked, making Yuze frown.

The second-year players held their breaths as they waited for Yuze's response.

"We don't," he said. "We have no time asking unwilling people to join our team."

"But what if he's willing?" Kai asked.

Yuze chuckled bitterly. "Did he tell you that?"

Kai scratched the back of his head.

"Well, he didn't. But what if he wants to go back to the team?"

"That's impossible," Yuze deadpanned. "I would be the first one to know if that ever happened."

"Drop it," Lina said, walking next to Kai and patting his shoulder. "Let's just train."

Kai wanted to say something more, but with Lina's statement, he couldn't do anything except nod in defeat.

Their training was tougher than usual, with Yuze appearing to be in a bad mood.

As soon as their training was over, Yuze grabbed his bag and walked out of the door after a brief goodbye.

Then, when he was out of the court, Jet turned to Kai with narrowed eyes.

"What?" Kai asked, appearing the most relaxed out of all of them.

"It's your fault," Jet deadpanned. "Why did you have to bring up Zhou Renren?"

"Why not?" Kai asked. "It's not like you guys didn't play with him before."

Kun pursed his lips and sat next to Kai. "Zhou Renren is a pretty sensitive topic for the team."

"I know," Kai said. "He left your team when you were already bad to begin with."

Kun opened his mouth to protest but realized that what Kai said made a lot of sense.

Instead, he sighed and recalled everything that happened last year.

"Honestly, I resented him too," Kun opened up.

Kai completely focused on Kun as he continued with his story. It seemed like Kai was going to get some vital information.

"We were really good friends," Kun said. "Well, Renren wasn't really part of our friend group, but we always hung out in the court."

"I can confirm," Jet said.

"He and Yuze had a lot of things in common, especially in basketball. However, Renren has always been busier than us. Maybe it's the setback of coming from a rich family. He couldn't join practices as much, and he also missed a lot of games. However, he was great in the games that he played. All of us knew that he was talented."

"So, it wasn't a surprise when the Daxue Dolphins saw his potential. However, it was shocking when he actually decided to leave."

"We always asked him what he was doing in such a school like Shizi High," he chuckled. "He always said that it was the nearest to their house, and we believed him. We went to his mansion plenty of times after practice, and he always accommodated us well."

"I would have understood better if the Daxue Dolphins were significantly better than us, but they weren't," Kun said, shaking his head. "So, up until now, we still don't understand. Why is it that he left us to go to another school when we promised each other to stay until our very last years at Shizi High?"

"Did you talk to him after he left?" Kai asked.

Kun looked down at his hands before shaking his head.

"I never got the chance, too. It seems like he continued his track record of missing games in the Daxue Dolphins since we rarely saw him. Then, before I knew it, he wasn't part of the team anymore," Kun continued.

"Do you want to talk to him?" Kai probed further.

Kun stayed silent for a moment before shrugging.
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"I honestly don't know what to say to him," Kun said.

"However, one thing is certain—he is someone that our team could benefit from."

A small smirk emerged from Kai's lips.

That was all the reassurance he needed.

"His playing style is more aggressive than Yuze, while Yuze's is more precise," Kun elaborated. "However, when it comes to defense, I do believe that he's a great asset."

"Is he a Power Forward?" Kai asked, curious about his position.

Kun chuckled before shaking his head.

"He has the same position as me," he replied, making Kai surprised.

"A Point Guard?" Kai asked.

"Hmm," Kun said. "He was really good, too. However, I played in more games because he was rarely there. I learned a lot from him, though. He was quite a good playmaker."

"Hmm," Kai hummed, stroking his chin like an evil mastermind. It seemed like they really needed Zhou Renren in their team.

They were in dire need of an aggressive Point Guard, so he was what the team just needed.

"If I am able to bring him back, would you guys be okay with it?" Kai asked, causing the team to go silent.

Then, after a few seconds, they burst into laughter.

"Don't make me laugh, man," Andy said. "You might have been able to recruit me, but you've never even seen Zhou Renren."

"Yeah," Jet said. "Maybe I'll name my firstborn after you if that happens."

"I'll give you one of my basketball shoes," Shang chimed, knowing they wore the same size.

"I'll give up my feelings for Eva," Jinping bravely said, making Kai raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'll give you my old bike?" Andy asked, making Kai beam.

"Well, you guys sure are aggressive," he chuckled. "Don't regret the things you've put on the line, alright?"

"Sure, sure," Jinping scoffed.

Meanwhile, Kai smirked.

"I am definitely going to bring him back."