Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The sun was already setting when the Shizi Dogs finished eating. With a total of twelve large pizzas and a whole lot of strategizing, the owner sighed in relief as soon as the team went out of his shop.

"Goodness," the owner muttered. "Those guys ate like trucks."

Yuze went out of the restaurant with furrowed eyebrows, glaring at his teammates as they all looked at him with bright eyes.

"You made me spend so much money," Yuze grumbled.

"It's okay!" Jet exclaimed. "You can just ask your dad for more money," he said.

Kun pursed his lips and stepped on Jet's foot, causing the latter to exclaim in pain.

Yuze shook his head and placed his wallet inside his pocket.

"Well, I need to go to the school to arrange some things," he said.

Kun pursed his lips and stood next to Yuze. "Well, it looks like I'll be joining this guy!"

"Let me come with you," Jet said.

"I'll be meeting up with Eva. I guess I'll head out with you, guys," Jinping said with a proud smile, gazing at Kai.

Kai shook his head. He couldn't care less about that!

"My dad's going to pick me up," Zeren said.

"Well, I guess I'll be the only one heading the opposite way," Lina said. "My house is nearer if I walk here," she pointed in the other direction.

"You're going on your own?" Yuze asked with a concerned tone.

"Yeah," Lina said. "It's no big deal. The sun's still out."

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"Barely," Kun said. "Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

Lina shook her head. "My house is really near here. Don't worry. I'll text you once I get home."

Kai hesitated for a moment before standing next to her. "I'll go with you, then."

"Oh, is your house in this direction too?" she asked.

Kai merely nodded.

It definitely wasn't. His house was near the school, so he would be better off going with Yuze and the others. However, something compelled him to join Lina on her walk.

"Oh, okay!" she smiled. "Let's go then."

Lina turned to the other players with a small smile. "I'll be heading with Kai then."

Zeren glared at Kai with clenched fists. "Don't you dare do anything to her!" he warned.

Kai sighed and shook his head, ignoring the immature player.

"We'll be going now."

With that, the two teams went their separate ways, with Lina and Kai walking in peaceful silence.

After a while, Lina spoke, breaking the silence between the two.

"You did a great job out there, you know?" she said, causing Kai to halt.

It was the first personal compliment he got after the game, so he felt touched.

"You're joking," Kai said.

Lina chuckled in amusement. "I'm not, though. I even feel like we would have lost if you weren't there."

Kai felt his cheeks warming up as he continued walking. He kept his gaze on the ground, unable to meet her eyes.

"Although, if I have to nitpick what you've done wrong, then there would also be a lot. You were too rushed. You took too long to adjust when you first entered. You were so excited during the slam dunk that you neglected the ball. Your dunking form was awful, too. You could have injured yourself because of it, you know?"

Kai chuckled as Lina criticized his skills. It was something he was aware of, but hearing it from another perspective was also refreshing.

They passed by the scenery while conversing like old friends; however, they stopped when they came across a familiar face.

"I can't believe I'm lost," Suzy said, looking around the noisy area. It seemed like she was lost in a red district area, where pubs and gambling areas were seen.

Kai and Lina also halted when they saw that the pubs were already open.

"It's too early for them to open," Lina muttered.

"It's Saturday," Kai said, familiar with how they operated. He lived in a red district area in his past life, so scenes like these didn't surprise him. It seemed like Lina wasn't used to it, though, so he scooted closer to her.

As they walked, Lina suddenly bumped into a dainty figure, causing the two of them to halt.

Her eyes widened when she met gazes with a familiar girl.

"Suzy?" Lina asked.

Suzy's eyes widened when she saw the two of them, becoming even more shocked as she met eyes with Kai.

"What are you doing here?" Suzy asked.

Lina scratched the back of her head. "I could say the same to you. We're actually on our way home. We just didn't expect the pubs to be open so soon."

"How about you?" Lina asked.

Suzy shyly placed her hands behind her back. Somehow, Kai's gaze made her a bit conscious.

"I got lost," she honestly said. "I was also on my way home and decided to walk, which I usually never do, and so I got lost."

Lina chuckled in amusement. "Well, I guess you can come and join us."

Suzy glanced at Kai.

"Are you guys okay with that? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked.

Lina's cheeks reddened when she realized what Suzy might have meant.

"Oh, no, it's not like that," Lina quickly clarified. "We're friends."

"I see," Suzy said, glancing at her feet. "I guess I'll join you until we reach the safer part of town."

"Yeah, let's go," Lina said.

Meanwhile, Kai's palms were sweating as he strayed behind the two pretty girls. He had just started getting used to the presence of a singular pretty girl, yet now, he was being accompanied by two?

Being with pretty girls in this area wasn't good news, though. There were a lot of men around, most of them around their age or only a few years older. With Lina's cute looks and Suzy's dazzling persona, they grabbed attention wherever they went.

So, when Kai saw a group of boys hanging around in one corner, Kai quickly stepped to their side, hoping to shield the two from malicious eyes.

However, just as he did that, he came across a set of familiar eyes—one he wished he would only see on the court.

His eyes were bloodshot, and it seemed like he was still dressed in his basketball uniform.

"Chuyi," he muttered.

Chuyi's glare hardened once he saw Kai, and he quickly straightened his spine while pointing at him.

"That's the bastard I was talking about!" he exclaimed, making his companions turn to them.

"...and he's with pretty girls too," one of them added with a smirk.

Kai calmed his erratic heart and did what he thought would be the best course of action.

To run.

So, with that, he reached out for Lina's and Suzy's hands and ran away.