Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The entire venue became silent as they comprehended what just happened.

The buzzer resounded, but they were still pondering whether to count the point or not.

"Well, it did technically go in."

"Yeah, but it bounced on Yiming's head."

"BWAHAHAHA! Just saying it out loud makes it hilarious."

"What are we going to do with this guy? He seems really funny."

"Well, it doesn't really matter whether they count it or not. It's still our win anyway."

The people turned to the referee, curious about his decision.

Yiming's face had gotten redder as the situation progressed, disliking how the ball bounced off his head. He was praying inside his mind that the referee would not count it as a basket.

His pride was on the line, and he didn't want to give the Shizi team any more points.

The referee scratched the back of his head.

"I don't get paid enough for this," he muttered.

Then he showed two fingers high in the air, signifying that the basket did, in fact, count for their score.

The players at Shizi's bench cheered like they had just won the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the students of Feng Arts High wondered whether they had gone crazy.

"This feels like Deja Vu," Peng Yang muttered. He found himself transported back to their game in 'League of the Legends' where the Shih Tzus rejoiced when they were losing during the first half.

"Maybe it's a Shizi thing," one of his teammates said.

Yiming sighed and made his way back to their bench to congratulate their team for the win.

"Congratulations to everyone," he said without much sincerity.

Chunlei chuckled as he stood, rubbing his friend's buzzed, tender head.

"Did it hurt?" he asked.

"Shut up," Yiming said, pushing his friend away. Then, he glared at Shizi's bench, where the players were acting like they had still won.

The other starting players started packing up, too, appearing unhappy despite their win.

Chunlei chuckled loudly as he pointed at all of them.

"What's gotten your boxers in a bunch? We won the game, didn't we?" he asked.

"It doesn't feel good that it's only a 12-point gap, though," Kexin muttered.

"Ah, I see," Chunlei smirked. "You guys needed me to play with you, didn't you?"

Yiming sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. His brows furrowed when he realized that his fingers were coated in sweat. He only played for five minutes, and with the Shizi players at that, but why was he so sweaty?

"We didn't need your help, idiot," Yiming said.

Chunlei placed his hand under his chin. "I don't know. I'm sure that there would be a 50-point gap if I played."

Shilei chuckled. "Don't exaggerate now. Besides, we did a pretty good job—especially during the first half. These newbies just ruined it."

Kexin clicked his tongue. "Tell me about it. I'll have them train extra hard by next week since they seem to not be at par," he said, causing the newbies to cast their heads to the ground.

Yiming sighed. "Let's just go. We already won."

With their captains' words, the players started making their way to the locker room. However, the starting players still couldn't find themselves to leave the court.

Yiming glanced one more time at their bench, finding one of their players particularly strange.

"What do you think about them now?" Chunlei asked.

Yiming sighed and turned his attention back to his teammates. They all waited intently for his answer.

"At first, I thought that they were still the same as before. We already know that Shizi doesn't have any stand-out players except for Yuze. Aside from that, their training system is quite lacking."

"But," Chunlei said, already getting ahead of Yiming.

"But, they've improved this year," Yiming concluded.

Kexin clicked his tongue out of bitterness.

"I still don't see any other players that are as good as Yuze, but at least they can now keep up with his pace."

"What do you think of that 'Guo' guy?" Chunlei couldn't help but ask.

"I didn't feel him at all during the third quarter," Bocheng said.

"What do you mean?" Kexin asked. "Your rebounds were cut by half once he was on the court."

Bocheng scratched the back of his head. "I think I did a better job, though," he muttered.

"I didn't get to face him that much," Shilei also remarked. "However, I brushed past him one time, and I have to admit that his muscles felt strong."

"There we go again with Shilei's obsession with muscles," Bocheng teased.

"Shut up," Shilei snapped.

"Yiming," Chunlei said, capturing their attention. "I want to hear your opinion."

Yiming sighed before answering. "I don't know. That last play still has me enraged. He was aiming for a slam dunk, but he aimed it at my head instead."

Chunlei smirked. "Didn't he jump higher than you just then?" he asked.

Yiming froze as he thought back on what happened just a while ago. Indeed, it felt like the guy's jump was everlasting.

He merely pursed his lips before placing his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Let's go. Our teammates are waiting."

Chunlei smirked and nodded in agreement.

However, before they could take another step forward, the Shizi team passed by them.

At that moment, it seemed like the tension increased on the court. Yuze, Jinping, Kun, Zeren, and Kai were at the front of the team. The two were face-to-face, and none of them said anything, yet the atmosphere spoke for the situation itself.

"Let's go," Yuze said while his gaze was locked with Yiming's.

The Shizi players nodded and walked ahead of the Feng Foxes.

However, Chunlei couldn't contain himself and called for their attention.

"Wait," he said, causing the Shizi players to halt.

As Kai turned around, he was surprised when he saw Chunlei staring straight into his eyes.

"You," he said.

Kai pointed to himself.

Chunlei chuckled before nodding. "Yes, you. What's your name?"

"Kai," he responded, still unsure where the conversation was going.

"Kai," Chunlei muttered. "I have a question for you."

The other players stayed silent, waiting in anticipation of Chunlei's question.

"When did you start playing basketball?"