Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

23-12.

The first quarter ended with a two-digit gap between the two teams.

As the Feng Arts players went back to their bench, Kexin couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. He stretched out his limbs and muttered, "What a shame" under his breath.

Shilei clicked his tongue and pushed Kexin's limbs away.

"Could you stretch in a wider space?" he asked. "You're taking up all the space with your long ass limbs."

Kexin smirked and exaggerated his stretching to aggravate Shilei further.

"You're just bitter that you have short legs," Kexin teased before chugging down some water.

Shilei shook his head and also took a sip from his water.

"Why does Bocheng look so disappointed?" Yiming suddenly asked.

"Oh, you know, same old," Kexin responded. "He's still hung up on the fact that he can't beat Yuze after all those months of extra training."

Yiming clicked his tongue before glaring at Bocheng. "Find your own rival."

Bocheng shook his head. "It's not only that. I wanted to finish the first quarter with their score still being a single digit."

"You've all become so cocky," Yiming said.

Chunlei smirked, nudging their captain's shoulder.

"Where do you think we got it from?"

Yiming finally smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Me," he proudly said. "Don't be too disappointed, boys. The second quarter is just a couple of seconds away. Let's go with the same lineup."

"You guys aren't going to play?" one of the extra players asked.

"Nope," all five starting players responded.

"With how the game is going, I don't see the need for Chunlei and me to join the game," Yiming said.

Bocheng nodded in agreement, standing from his seat.

"And it would be shameful if they needed to join," he said.

"We got this," Kexin confidently said. "You guys just stay in your seats."

The referee blew the whistle once more, signifying the start of the second quarter.

Kai observed the Shizi players and saw the determined looks on their faces. Yuze didn't say anything when they got back to the bench, which made Kai more curious about his objective.

Lina, too, seemed to be less proactive this time. She gave more suggestions during their training than the actual practice game itself.

"Is it normal to feel like I'm about to piss my pants?" Dylan asked.

"Yes," Tony responded, gulping as Yuze passed the ball to Kun.

Zeren and Jinping didn't really understand Yuze's silence. However, it seemed like Shang and Kun did.

As the second quarter began, Kun and Shang played significantly better. It felt like they were only getting used to the game during the first set, and now, they could keep up with Feng Arts' plays.

Kun went closer to Shang and whispered in his ear.

"I think Yuze is telling us to back off from the three key players. Let's focus on their weaknesses instead," he said, glancing at the two unknown players who filled the spot of Chunlei and Yiming.

Shang nodded in agreement. It seemed like Kun's idea was a great call. The two newbie players were around the same level as Jinping's skills, so they were able to suppress them, leaving the three key players with fewer open points.

Zeren passed the ball to Yuze while Shang and Jet suppressed the two. Meanwhile, Jinping served as a distraction for Shilei, leaving their captain open.

Without any hesitation, Yuze dribbled across the court and soared through the air. He felt like it was the perfect time to show the players and students of Feng Arts that Shizi High didn't deserve their pity.

With that, Yuze slammed the ball into the ring, successfully pulling off a slam dunk and scoring the first point of the second quarter.

23-14.

The audience couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as Yuze descended to the ground. Yiming felt his heart race inside his chest while Bocheng gulped since Yuze's strength nearly knocked him away.

"He's a monster," some of the students said.

"It's really a shame that he's in a school like Shizi."

Kai's heart jumped as Yuze nonchalantly jogged his way to the other side of the court, ready to defend the Feng Foxes.

"So…good," he muttered, feeling admiration swell inside his heart. As much as he thought Yuze acted too coldly to the team, he couldn't deny his skills. He was the most talented player in the entire team and probably among all of the players on the court at the moment.

Yuze's adrenaline continued pumping through as he swatted the ball away from one of the extra players before dribbling it toward their side of the court for a fast break.

23-16.

"It's only a seven-point lead!" Dylan shouted. "Almost there, guys!"

The students who were initially bored frowned and started cheering louder for their team when they saw that Shizi High was nearing their score.

The other players of Shizi praised Yuze; however, Yuze remained focused on the game.

"It's our chance to turn the game around," he said to his teammates.

Kexin clicked his tongue and shot the ball out of desperation to widen the gap. However, due to his hasty actions, he missed by a short fraction, causing Shang to get the rebound.

"Run!" Bocheng instructed as Shang dribbled the ball over to their side.

"Let's go!" Lina exclaimed, her gaze focused on their play, excited for them to turn the game around.

Shang passed the ball to Yuze, who was waiting at the three-point line. His eyes narrowed at the ring, feeling adrenaline rush through him.

However, the Shizi team soon encountered another obstacle in their quest for victory.

The two players who weren't part of the starting lineup weren't afraid to use physicality to disrupt the flow of the game.

With the ball in his hands and their shot clock ticking down, Yuze squared up for a three-point attempt.

However, just as he released the ball, a sudden jolt rocked his body, throwing off his balance midjump.

"Yuze!" Line called.

The player with the surname 'Ling' forcefully pushed Yuze's chest, disrupting his shot and sending him hurtling to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Then, the crowd turned silent.