Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yes?" he asked, surprised that Chaoxing was spontaneously speaking with him.

Chaoxing continued to observe him, causing Kai to scratch the back of his neck.

"Is—Is something wrong?" Kai asked. However, Chaoxing remained silent, just looking at him up and down.

The oversized clothes Kai wore hung loosely on his frame, making him look almost frail. Yet, there was something about his posture and the way his shoulders were squared that made Chaoxing pause and take a closer look.

Aside from that, when he bumped into him just now, Chaoxing felt remarkable force.

Kai was definitely hiding something beneath those baggy clothes! Chaoxing's eyes narrowed as he studied Kai.

Then, his gaze shifted upwards, measuring Kai's height. It matched what he had suspected.

The realization clicked into place. This had to be him—the mysterious player everyone had been whispering about and the same player that he lost slept over!

Chaoxing's heart started to race with the thought that he might have just stumbled upon the answer to the questions that had been in his mind for the last couple of days.

But before Chaoxing could open his mouth to confirm it, Jet appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Kai by the arm.

"Come on. Renren says that he's going to cook us some meat if you refill the grill with charcoal," Jet said, not even bothering to look at Chaoxing as he began to pull Kai toward the grilling area.

Kai bowed his head at Chaoxing before joining his teammate.

Chaoxing watched them go, feeling a bit frustrated since his curiosity wasn't satiated. He wanted to ask Kai so many questions! This was the first time he had been curious about a player ever since he met Jian during their first training at Juren High.

Just then, Jimmy came over, his expression one of annoyance.

"Man, it's such a pain dealing with the first-years. I told you that I didn't want to interact with them. They have premature brains," he grumbled, shaking his head. "All they can talk about is that guy. It's driving me nuts."

Chaoxing, still watching Kai being dragged away, didn't even look at Jimmy. "It's him," he muttered, more to himself than to his teammate.

Jimmy stopped in his tracks, following Chaoxing's line of sight. His gaze landed on Kai, who was now standing by the grill, waiting as Renren flipped over the meat.

"Who?" Jimmy asked.

"The guy I'm looking for," Chaoxing smirked.

"Even you?" Jimmy groaned, rolling his eyes. "I thought we were done with this. What is with him that people can't stop talking about?"

However, even as he dismissively spoke, he couldn't help but take a closer look.

Kai was drawing a lot of attention, more than a player in oversized clothes should be. Girls from the other teams were glancing his way, whispering to each other, and a few guys were watching him, too—some with curiosity, some with jealousy, and a tiny portion with respect.

"What's so great about him, anyway?" Jimmy asked, his tone tinged with bitterness.

"He's tall and has a great build for a basketball player," Chaoxing replied, still keeping his eyes on Kai. "And pretty handsome, too, if you ask me."

Jimmy scoffed, but there was no denying the truth in Chaoxing's words. Kai stood out, even though he wasn't trying to.

There was something about him that drew people in, even if they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was.

"Fuck that," Jimmy whispered. "If he's not anything on the court, then those are useless."

Chaoxing turned to the younger player with amusement.

"Is little Jimmy jealous?" he asked, trying to pet the taller and younger boy.

Jimmy clicked his tongue and pushed his hand away.

"I hate you."

Meanwhile, over by the grill, Kai had just received a freshly cooked slab of meat from Renren.

"Pretty girl!" Jet suddenly exclaimed, causing Renren to place the hot slab of meat on Kai's bare skin instead of his plate.

"Ah!" Kai hissed, wincing as the searing heat spread across his arm.

He quickly snatched the meat off his skin and placed it on his plate, not wanting to waste it.

However, the damage was already done, with his skin reddening from the burn.

"Guys!" Kai exclaimed, trying to capture their attention, but they were all focused on a group of girls who were practicing some figure skating poses on the grass.

Kai sighed and looked at his reddening arm.

[Pain scale: 5]

[+5 XP]

"Oh, come on," Kai muttered, in disbelief that he only got such measly points from a first-degree burn!

***

After they had eaten, the group made their way over to the bleachers, settling in to relax and digest.

Kai sat down bitterly, a fresh pack of iced peas pressed against the burn on his arm.

"Sorry about that," Renren said. "Jet distracted me." Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

"Clearly," Kai said, shaking his head.

"You'll live," Jet exclaimed. "It's far from the heart. You won't die."

Kai chuckled as he pressed the bag of peas closer to his skin.

Across the field, the Feng Foxes were gathered in their own group. Kexin nodded at their group, a brief acknowledgment of their presence. The others followed, some throwing them curt smiles. However, Zeren, their past teammate, didn't bother to look their way.

Jinping shook his head. "That guy is still not acknowledging us, huh?"

"He must regret leaving the team now that we're qualified for the Nationals."

"Damn right!" Jet exclaimed, giving Jinping a high-five.

Kai leaned back against the bleachers, letting his eyes wander over the field. The afternoon had cooled off, and a gentle breeze swept across the grass, bringing with it the scent of barbeque and fake grass.

Just then, his gaze settled on Lina, who was sitting alone on the grass, her knees drawn up to her chest.

She was quiet, unusually so, with a sullen look on her face. The cheerful yet strict girl he knew was nowhere to be seen. She seemed lost in thought, her expression distant and almost sad.

Kai frowned, concerned.

He watched as she suddenly stood up, brushing off her clothes. There was something in the way she moved that made Kai's heart skip a beat.

"Wait," he muttered, rising to his feet without a second thought.

Maybe this was the right moment to have that conversation they had been avoiding for so long.

As Kai moved to follow her, Kun, who had been quietly observing from a distance, narrowed his eyes. He wasn't the only one who had noticed Lina's sudden departure.

Zeren, too, had risen from his seat, his gaze fixed on Lina as he began to make his way towards her.

"Wait," Kun muttered under his breath as he noticed Zeren's movements.

With that, the older player also stood, wanting to stop one of the two from getting to Lina.