Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"So, when are we going to play?" Kai asked, already excited.@@novelbin@@

They were currently in the 'suites' of the court. They were designated for the players or for other 'VIPs' to watch the games from

Meanwhile, Andy couldn't contain the shakiness of his hands.

"You're actually excited about this?" he asked, his face becoming pale.

"Yeah," Kai said. "Our first game is with the Faith Weavers."

"Oh," Andy muttered, yet he was still nervous. The fact that they were playing in the big leagues was something that still hadn't registered in his mind.

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"Well," Lina muttered. "We're the second on the match-ups. Each bracket will have two games today, and we're in the last bracket so that technically makes us the last game."

"Therefore, our game is in eight to ten hours!" she exclaimed, sounding way too happy for a game that would happen late in the night.

"What?" the others exclaimed in shock. "We're the last game of the day?"

"Yup," Lina said, crossing his arms in front of her chest. "Well, we can't do anything about it."

"Can we leave?" Jet asked, already feeling bored.

"We can," Lina said. "But I don't want to miss our cue. We would instantly get disqualified if that happens."

Renren shook his head and massaged the bridge of his nose. "You've said so yourself—it's eight hours from now! Come on, let's head back to the hotel for a bit."

He turned to Yuze for help, but the taller player remained rooted in his spot.

"No, we can't miss the game," he said, fiddling with his fingers.

Renren's eyebrows furrowed, and then turned to Kai.

"I want to watch the other games," he said, causing their team to sigh.

"Ah," Renren said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I'm in the wrong team."

Meanwhile, Kai suddenly felt someone's arm around his neck.

"Dogs!" he exclaimed.

Kai turned to him in surprise. "Calvin," he said.

"Long time, no see. We met each other briefly in the hotel, but then a commotion happened," he recalled. "You guys have a game today, right?"

"Yeah," Lina responded. "What about you guys?"

"Nope," he said. Then, he pointed to the right, where his team currently was. "We're just waiting for our coach, then we'll be heading back to the hotel."

"Sorry, we can't watch your game. I saw on the schedule that it's in the evening," he continued.

"Well, we could always come back, but the people here are insane," Renren muttered.

"I'm looking forward to our game, by the way!" Calvin said with a wide smile, specifically glancing at Kai. His gaze hardened for a mere second before it went back to normal.

"I better head back. Guri's getting jealous," he joked.

With that, he waved his hand and walked back to his teammates. Guri glared at Kai from afar, but the latter couldn't care less. His eyes immediately focused on the court, where the first teams were already getting ready.

The Ying Eagles vs. the Guangzhou Central Hawks

Both birds.

However, their talons were definitely different.

Zheng Zhang, despite knowing that the team they were facing was relatively on the weaker side, still decided to play. That was how dedicated he was to the sport. Unlike Jian, he believed that hard work could beat natural talent any day.

The game started, and it was obvious from the get-go that the Ying Eagles were dominating the game. Not even five minutes in, and the Hawks were already out of breath.

Meanwhile, Zheng continued to play to the best of his ability. He was an open book—but one that was so well-written.

"He's really the textbook definition of a basketball player," Kai muttered.

Lina, who was also paying attention to the game, nodded in agreement.

"Out of everyone in the Elite Five, Zheng Zhang is the one I admire the most. He doesn't have natural talent, so he got to where he was with his hard work only," Kai continued.

"Really?" Lina asked, turning to Kai with wide, curious eyes.

Kai nodded with a small smile. Even then, when he was still a waterboy for the Huolan Guardians, he still admired Zheng Zhang the most.

Although Kai wanted to be a player like Fang Liu, it was undeniable that Zheng's values were the best among those he had seen play before.

He started in the second-string team, much like Kai—although he was in the second-string team when he was in junior secondary school, as opposed to Kai, who wasn't even on the varsity team at that time.

"He's a real-life representation of starting from the bottom and reaching the top, and even now that he's on the top, he's still playing like he's at the bottom," he smiled.

Lina observed Kai and also smiled. "You really like him a lot."

"Yeah," Kai smiled. "I can't wait to play with him."

Lina nodded, also excited for that day to come.

They continued to watch the game, with Kai analyzing Zheng's moves. It has been a while since he saw him play, yet he was still as great as ever.

As the fourth quarter neared its end, the score was a staggering 116-74, with Zheng having the most points at 38.

The court cheered for the star player, to which he bowed kindly in response.

Jet and the others, who were already sleeping on the cushioned bleachers, jolted awake as soon as they heard the loud cheers.

"W—what?" Jinping blinked his eyes awake while wiping the drool from the side of his face.

"The first game's over," Lina responded, leaning against her seat.

"FIRST GAME?" Jet asked, also stirring awake. "I've already married someone in my dreams, and yet only the first game is finished? I thought three games would have passed by now!"

Renren groaned. "This is going to take a long time, isn't it?" he muttered.

Meanwhile, Yuze, who was standing at the farthest seat, still hadn't spoken ever since.

"He's definitely nervous," Jet claimed.

"Don't bully him," Kun chimed. "He's just taking in the moment. He can't believe he's here."

"And that's why he wants us to stay here for seven more hours without doing anything," Renren groaned.

"That's right," Lina smiled. "Only seven more hours, and you guys are finally going to play!"