Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai stood in front of the mirror, smiling with confidence. Tonight, he was determined to give Lina the perfect date. After a week of being in Beijing in preparation for his move to the L.A. Lions, talking to different brands, and claiming his incentives, he was back in Jilin.

In fact, he had been here for three days already. However, it was only today that he got some free time to take Lina on a date.

He had the entire afternoon planned out. First, a meal at a cozy restaurant, a walk by the harbor, and a trip to the aquarium. He even made reservations days in advance!

But as he stepped out of the cab, his sneakers met with an unfortunate squelch.

"Are you kidding me?" Kai groaned, lifting his shoe to find a smear of dog poop on the sole. He grimaced, trying not to gag as he looked around for a solution. Spotting a public restroom nearby, he jogged over, muttering under his breath.

"It's okay. It's okay," he said, trying to calm himself down. "Nothing can ruin this day."

With that, he continued cleaning his shoe through the hose behind the public restroom.

By the time he emerged with a clean shoe, he was already running late. He checked his watch and cursed softly. Lina was always punctual, too, and he hated the thought of making her wait.

When he finally arrived at the meeting spot, Lina was standing under a streetlamp.

She was stunning. She wore a simple emerald green dress that hugged her torso and flowed down to an inch above her knees. Her hair was swept back into a loose braid, too. Kai felt his breath hitch as he approached her.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I, uh, had an incident."

Lina tilted her head, a teasing smile playing on her lips. She looked at her boyfriend and couldn't help but feel amazed. It has only been less than a month since he became a sought-after athlete around the world, but he already looked like a superstar.

She shook her head in amusement. "If this was basketball practice, I would have scolded you," she said, "But it's a date, so it's okay."

"Isn't that worse?" Kai sheepishly asked.

Lina glanced at her watch and shrugged. "It's only five minutes. I understand."

He chuckled in relief. "Yeah, well... you look amazing, by the way."

Her cheeks flushed lightly as she looped her arm through his. "You're fully forgiven now."

They began walking toward the restaurant, but before they could reach the entrance, a group of people nearby started pointing. Someone called out, "Is that Kai Guo?"

Kai sighed, glancing at Lina apologetically. She squeezed his arm reassuringly, but the crowd quickly grew, snapping pictures and shouting questions.

"Kai, here, please!"

"My daughter loves you very much. Can you give her an autograph?"

"You're so kind, Kai! I will order more of your Grandma's onions."

Kai smiled through it all. However, he quickly excused himself and went to where Lina was.

"Are you hungry?" Kai asked quietly, leaning closer so only she could hear.

"It can wait," Lina replied with a smile.

Kai nodded, taking her hand and leading her away from the growing crowd. As they walked, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I actually have reservations for the aquarium for today. Do you mind if we go there first?" he asked.

"That sounds nice," Lina said, still appearing happy.

When they arrived, however, a large sign greeted them at the entrance.

Closed Indefinitely – Animals Relocated to Natural Habitats.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Crap. I didn't know."

Lina stepped closer to read the sign, her expression softening. "It's better now that they're free in the sea, right?" she said.

Kai nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right."

He glanced at her, noticing how her eyes lit up even in disappointment.

Determined not to let the evening go to waste, he spotted a food truck nearby.

"How about we grab some food and find a nice spot in the park?" he suggested.

Lina's face brightened. "That sounds perfect."

They ordered tacos and sat down on a secluded bench under the trees. It definitely wasn't his ideal date, but it somehow came to this.

"I'm sorry," Kai said after a moment, breaking the silence.

Lina looked up from her taco, puzzled. "For what?"

"For everything going wrong. Honestly, I wanted this to be perfect. This wasn't how I planned it."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Are you kidding? This is perfect. We have Mexican food, we're dressed up all fancy, and the weather is amazing."

On cue, a raindrop landed on Kai's nose. He blinked, looking up as more droplets began to fall.

"You jinxed it," he muttered, standing as the rain quickly turned into a downpour.

Their eyes widened in unison, and they bolted to a nearby pavilion. By the time they reached it, they were both soaked, their clothes clinging to their skin.

Kai ran his fingers through his wet hair. "This is a disaster."

Lina laughed, brushing water off her dress. "Why would you say that?"

"Because nothing is going right," Kai said. He turned to face her, looking genuinely upset. "I really wanted tonight to be special for the two of us."

Lina stepped closer with a soft gaze. "Hey, it's alright." She reached out, cupping his cheek. "Honestly, we could've stayed at home in sweats, and I would've appreciated it just as much."

Kai's lips parted, but he didn't know what to say.

"I know we'll meet again, but it's going to be a while," Lina continued, "So I'm just grateful for the time we have now."

He pursed his lips, the thought of him leaving feeling all too real.

Lina chuckled softly, leaning in. "You know this isn't goodbye, right?"

Kai managed a small smile. "Yeah."

"Good," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

When she pulled back, the rain was still pouring outside the pavilion, but neither of them seemed to notice.

"See you soon," Lina said.

Kai nodded. "See you soon."