Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Are you sure you want to come back with us?" Lina asked, looking up at me. They were on their way to the Beijing airport the day after the closing ceremony.

Kai smiled at her and nodded. "I'm sure," he responded.

"But you still have some interviews next week," she said. "Oh, and you and the other athletes who secured a medal are being awarded in the imperial garden, too."

"Yeah," Kai said. "But I can just come back next week. Besides, I have to fetch Aiden, too. So, it's better to prepare his room first."

"I still can't believe you two are really brothers," she chuckled.

"Oh-ho," Jet said, joining in on their conversation. "We have Mr. Big Shot right here! Back then, we had to sell mugs with your face just to go to Shanghai, and now you're flying back and forth from Jilin to Beijing without any problem!"

Kai sighed and shook his head. "It's sponsored," he said.

"Even if it isn't," Shang joined in, placing one arm around Kai's shoulder. "This guy is going to be loaded! Imagine the incentives of winning the medal! Oh, and the fact that so many brands are contacting him already!"

"Yeah, a Mike representative approached him a while ago," Andy excitedly said.

Kai shook his head in amusement.

It was true that the Global Games did not merely bring him a medal. It had brought him plenty of incentives—a condo apartment and a car were the guaranteed ones. Although, he doubted he could use them in Jilin since their house didn't have any parking slots.

Aside from that, a lot of brand representatives approached him after the game. He didn't even know if he could advertise so many brands at the same time! Basketball was familiar to him, but the fame that came with it was something he wasn't used to.

"What are you going to do with this newfound fame?" Jinping asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Kai didn't respond for a while before shrugging. "I don't know," he said. "I'll keep playing basketball, I guess."

The others shook their heads in amusement. Meanwhile, Lina ruffled his hair, looking at him fondly.

As they continued to converse, the new players trailed behind them, having their own conversation.

They praised him for his looks and talents, causing Mingze to smirk.

Mingze then turned to Caishen, who was awfully quiet and nudged his shoulder.

Caishen snapped out of his thoughts and subtly glared at Mingze.

"What?" he asked.

"There's Kai," Mingze said, nodding toward his direction. "You wanted to challenge him, right?"

Caishen clicked his tongue, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I'm tired," he muttered, causing Mingze's smirk to widen. He highly doubted that was the real reason why Caishen wasn't provoking Kai.

***

They finally arrived at Jilin after a few hours. Kai felt his body get heavier as he wheeled his luggage along with Lina's. Grandma Bingbing's bag was also on his shoulders.

"Let me do it," Lina softly said, about to take them from him. However, Kai shook his head.

"I can do it," he winked. However, the tiredness was unmistakable in his eyes.

Just then, he felt the weight get lighter when Mr. Huang snatched the two pieces of luggage from him. Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I can do it, sir," he insisted.

Mr. Huang shook his head. "You've been through a lot, boy. Your body is still growing, so you must be in a lot of pain. Let the old man handle this."

Kai softly smiled.

"Oh, and don't call me 'sir' no more," Mr. Huang quickly added. "Just call me pops."

"Pops?" Kai asked.

"Yes, son," Mr. Huang said, turning around before Kai could even react.

"Dad," Lina muttered, not expecting such words to come from him at all!

Kai and Lina glanced at each other before bursting into chuckles.

"Welcome to the family, I guess?" Lina asked.

Kai smiled and bowed his head. "Happy to be here."

The two of them walked out of the airport, and Kai could see there was something boggling Lina's mind.

"Hey," he said, causing her to look at him. "Is something bothering you?"

Her eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. Kai could tell that she wanted to say something. She opened her mouth but closed it again, making Kai frown. In fact, it seemed like she had been wanting to say something to him since the final game ended.

Kai thought she must not be ready, so when she responded, he didn't push the topic deeper.

"I'm still processing everything," she said.

Kai smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Don't think about it too much," he said.

"I just feel like a lot will change," she muttered.

"I know," he said. "But, it's up to us if it will change us for the better or worse."

They stepped out of the airport, and Kai was immediately bombarded with his supporters. His eyes widened when he saw the scale of the support his city had given. Everyone filed in an organized line, holding up banners that had his photos and name.

Max decided not to come back this early on, so all of the supporters were here just for him.

He then heard a whirring sound above them and saw multiple drones spelling out his name.

"What the heck," he muttered. "Who arranged all of these?"

Lina smiled. "The mayor," she said. "You know he's very fond of you, right?"

"Yeah," Kai chuckled. "I didn't think it would be to this extent, though."

Lina shook her head. "The mayor was the one who arranged the drone show. However, he didn't call all of these people," she explained.

"They came here just for you," she softly said.

Kai felt his heart skipped a beat. He had seen their support when he won in the Interhigh Nationals. However, this was a different scale. It seemed like people from nearby cities had also come just to show their love and support for him.

"I'm home," he muttered, the smile not leaving his lips.