Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Max didn't even bother glancing at Kai as he joined his friends on one of the tables. At that moment, Kai felt invisible, only standing at the sidelines.

"You guys took too long," Max grumbled, hurrying to eat the breakfast that Miss Meixue placed on their table.

"The school is literally just in front of your restaurant," one of the students said.

He had a ball in his hand, so it didn't take a genius to conclude that he was a basketball player. Moreover, the small backpack and the big duffel bag were a dead giveaway. The way they walked, too, screamed that they played the sport.

"Yeah," another chimed. "Besides, school starts late today because of the assembly in the playground. We can come later than usual."

"Max is set on giving extra training to those first-years," one of them chuckled. "That's why he wants to come earlier than usual.'

"Oh, Max," his mom sighed. "You should give those boys a break. You already train every day after school."

Max clicked his tongue. "They're not as hardworking as we were during our first year in the team. We can't afford to slack any further since the Winter Cup is approaching soon."

"With how Max is acting, you would think that he's already in his last year," his friend said.

"Relax a bit, bro."

"Shut up," Max said, shoveling food inside his mouth like a hungry caveman.

Max Zhou.

How could Kai not know him?

He was a second-year student from Yin Yang High. He was the shooting guard of the team, one who managed to successfully pull off three full-court shots in his entire career.

He was the newest addition to the Elite Five and is the very first player in Jilin to ever join the Elite Five.

In the first half of the year, he was practically non-existent. However, during the Interhigh Nationals, where Yin Yang High participated, his talent was highlighted. Then, when they went over his stats in the previous games, they saw how the first-year student dominated the games in his province.

Even though they didn't win the nationals, Max Zhou won the hearts of many.

Once summer kicked in, when the national high school basketball committee decided on the official 'Elite Five,' Max quickly became a part of the roster, replacing one of the members who had graduated.

Kai saw his interview saying it was a shame he didn't become a part of the Elite Five during his first year, attributing it to the fact that he was a player in a lesser-known province.

However, it was still amazing how he became a part of the Elite Five so early into his career.

Meanwhile, Fang Liu, the tenacious player of Huolan High, was one of the two people who made it into the Elite Five during his first year. The first and only other person who was able to enter during his first year was Zheng Zhang.

Kai didn't realize that he was staring at the boys and that they were already looking at him with strange expressions.

Meixue was preparing the boys' desserts, so they were left alone in the dining area.

"Umm, is he asking for food?" one of them whispered.

"I'm sorry. We don't have any money," another said to Kai.

"Yeah, it's the reason why we're living off of our friend over here," they gestured to Max.

"Max, give him some money."

Well, maybe this wasn't so bad of an idea. Kai truly needed any money.

"I need 300 yuan," Kai jokingly said. However, it seemed like they didn't think of it as a joke.

"Beggars these days have modern mindsets. They even set the price for what they want to take."

Kai scratched the back of his head. "I was joking. I don't need any money."

He was only less than a hundred yuan short of his goal!

By scratching the back of his head, the logo of Shizi High was shown, surprising the young men.

"Oh, you're from Shizi High!" one said, standing from his seat.

Kai saw his nameplate, reading 'Ailun.' Then, he nodded in response.

"Woah, dude. You're pretty tall," Ailun said. "You're even taller than Max!"

Kai pursed his lips and didn't know how to respond. So, he ignored Ailun and directed his gaze to Max.

"Max Zhou," he said his name, surprising the player.

"You know me?" he asked.

Fabin, another one of his friends, slapped the back of his head. "Of course, he knows you!" he exclaimed.

"You're a local celebrity in Jilin!"

Then, Fabin turned to Kai.

"Are you also a fan of Max's? Is that why you came here to their restaurant despite being from the Southern part of the city?"

"Eyy," Ailun teased. "Give him your signature, Max. He must be an aspiring basketball player. Your height is definitely suitable for a basketball player. Although you're from Shizi," he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know if that will turn out well."

"Ailun," Max clicked his tongue.

"Sorry, man," Ailun raised his hands in surrender. "I never played with them before, so I don't know much about their skills. That one guy is good, though—Yuzu?"

"That's a fruit, idiot," Fabin said. "It's Yuze."

"Right—Yuze," Ailun chuckled. "Anyway, like I said, you can probably make it into their basketball team! Don't give up on your dreams," he said like a motivational speaker, causing Kai to shake his head in disbelief.

Max sighed and turned to Kai.

"I apologize for these idiots," he said.

"It's alright," Kai said, shaking the nervousness away from his heart.

"It's true that Yin Yang doesn't know of Shizi's skills," Kai started off, making the group of boys look at him in confusion.

"However, I'll make sure that you guys do."

"What are you talking about, man?" Fabin asked.

Kai stood tall as he looked everybody in the eyes, his gaze settling on Max Zhou at the very end.

"I'll see you this Winter Cup," Kai said.

"We're going to play against each other, and you're finally going to see what Shizi is made of."

Just then, Meixue came out from the kitchen with a plate of candied sweet potatoes in her hand.

"Oh, Kai! You're still here. Do you want to take some of this home?"

However, even then, Kai didn't pay attention to Miss Meixue and kept his gaze on Max Zhou.

"I'll definitely make sure of it."

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