Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

[Number of audience members who supported the Shizi Dogs: 53]

[Actual number of people enjoined: 38]

[Official match win: 10]

[XP: +48]

[Current rank: Rising Rookie (89)]

Kai smiled to himself when he saw that he was near another progression. His current level was definitely not enough to surpass the Feng Foxes, so he had to work extra hard from now on if he wanted to beat them.

"Are you guys done?" Yuze asked as he placed his duffel bag on his shoulders.

His teammates nodded, so they went out of the small holding room.

The Shizi Dogs had just finished changing in their holding room when they suddenly bumped into the Xing Stars.

Zedong's eyes were still red and swollen, so Kai inferred that he must have cried because of their loss.

Coach Yixing had a sharp look in his eyes as he bowed at the Shizi Dogs, feeling more wary about their presence now that they had beaten their team.

Yuze acted professionally as he stood before the coach. He bowed his head and offered his hand.

"It was a great game, coach," Yuze said, shaking hands with the strict coach.

"Indeed," Coach Yixing said. "It seems like your team has finally found its balance. I know that you've been waiting for a long time, Yuze."

Yuze smiled as he let go of his hand.

Coach Yixing also tried recruiting Yuze into their team when he was in his second-year. However, Yuze couldn't bear to leave his teammates at that time.

"We still have a long way to go, coach. We lucked out today."

Coach Yixing's expression stiffened. "Luck—yes, you do need luck when it comes to games."

Luck usually didn't exist in the Xing Stars' vocabulary. They didn't believe in luck; however, after this loss, Coach Yixing might start to believe in it, too.

"Well, we're looking forward to playing with you again," he said.

Yuze and the other Shizi Dogs nodded. "Contact us whenever you want to set up a practice game," Yuze said.

With that, the two teams went their separate ways.

However, Kai couldn't miss the look that Zedong was throwing his way.

He was at the very last of the line, and so was Zedong, so he held his gaze for a couple of seconds.

Then, much to his surprise, he suddenly felt a calloused hand hold onto his forearm, causing Kai to halt.

"You had us there," Zedong said, finally admitting defeat.

"If I had realized it even a minute earlier, then we would have won," he continued.

Kai raised one of his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'll see you again on the same court," Zedong sternly said. "You won't be able to beat us next time."

With that, Zedong finally let go of his arm and followed after his teammates.

Kai, too, despite being confused, went after his teammates.

As he arrived near the exit, he saw that Lina and some of his teammates still hadn't exited the venue. Jet, Kun, and Yuze were waiting for him right outside.

"There you are," Kun said, walking over to Kai.

"What's going on?" Kai asked as he looked at them with curiosity.

"Are you doing anything today?" Lina asked, her tone sounding a bit cold this time.

He was a bit surprised since she was quite excited a while ago. Why did her attitude suddenly shift?

"I guess not," Kai responded. "I already helped my grandma this morning, so I'm free in the afternoon."

"What does your grandma even do?" Kun asked.

Kai was about to respond when they heard the sound of the buzzer coming from the main court.

"It's starting," Lina said.

"If you don't have anything to do, do you want to come and watch the game of Yin Yang Knights against the Stellar Rams?" she asked.

Without any hesitation, Kai nodded, ignoring the sound of his stomach grumbling.

"Let's go then," Yuze said, leading his teammates inside the venue.

As they entered through the audience's entrance, Kai was baffled by the number of fans inside the court. It was as if the Shizi Dogs played in a different court earlier.

Despite the game being an ordinary one, meaning it wasn't really the finals or even the semi-finals, the bleachers allotted for the Yin Yang Knights were filled to the brim.

In fact, there were even students wearing blue on the side of the Stellar Rams.

"I don't think we'll be able to find a seat here," Lina said. "Let's go to the Rams' side."

The four boys nodded as they followed Lina to some vacant seats on the side of the Stellar Rams.

The game had already started, so other people didn't notice them that much.

Kai glanced at the scoreboard and saw that the Knights were already leading by ten points.

"I can't believe this," Kun said. "It's only been three minutes, yet they've already surpassed them by ten points?"

Jet scratched the back of his head. "Sometimes, I feel like the Yin Yang Knights aren't supposed to be confined in the borders of Jilin. They're just as good as the players on the mainland!"

"Well, they have a lot of resources. Their coach is even the best in the entire city."

Kai looked at their bench and found a familiar man sitting at the very end, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He appeared serious and calculating, and it also seemed like he had all the answers to the players' questions.

"I've seen that guy before," Kai said, making the others turn to him with wide eyes.

He was the tall guy who lived in the gated neighborhood—Guanyu Chen.

"You have?" Kun asked. "Where?"

"Was it during the league?" Yuze suddenly asked.

"Yup," Kai answered. "However, I've also been to their house before."

Once again, the others were shocked. Meanwhile, Yuze remained silent.

Kai looked at them with confusion. "Why is that so surprising?"

Experience tales with empire

"Why did you even go to their house?" Kun asked, still in disbelief.

Kai shrugged. "I had to deliver something," he muttered.

Yuze shook his head, his eyes focused on the game.

Meanwhile, Kai turned his attention back to their bench once again.

However, he was surprised when he saw that Guanyu seemed to be looking toward their way.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he wondered if he was just seeing things. However, as he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, it became more apparent that the famous coach was looking toward their way.

He then nudged Lina's shoulder, who still appeared hostile after their hugging incident a while ago.

Fortunately, Lina still paid attention to Kai.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What?" Lina asked.

Kai ignored the tone of her voice and nodded toward Coach Guanyu's direction.

"Is it just me, or is he looking at us?"