Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The atmosphere between the two teams was definitely awkward.

Even Jet and Shang, the ever-talkative duo, stopped conversating as soon as the Yin Yang Knights sat beside them.

Meanwhile, the students surrounding them couldn't help but glance at the two teams, whispering with each other.

"I can't believe they're sitting together."

"The reigning champions and the rising underdogs!"

"The aura is immaculate! It would have been fun to see these two teams play together, right?"

"It would have been legendary!"

"The Yin Yang Knights would have definitely won, though."

Amidst the awkward atmosphere, Max patted Kai's shoulder, his arm bypassing Jet.

Kai turned to him in surprise. Jet saw this and presented to switch positions.

Kai shook his head, but Jet was already standing, so he had no choice but to sit next to none other than Max Zhou.

With the two of them sitting together, Max decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, you guys were eliminated."

Kai shook his head in amusement. "That's all you're going to say?"

Max chuckled and leaned back against his seat. They were still waiting for the Feng Foxes and the Xing Stars to arrive at the court, so they had some time to talk.

"Well, you were confident about seeing us in the finals," Max chimed.

Kai smirked. "It might not be now, but we're definitely going to see you guys...maybe even sooner than you think."

Max Zhou shook his head. "I'm looking forward to it again. Make sure your words aren't empty promises this time around."

Kai nodded. "You'll see."

Meanwhile, Lina felt uncomfortable since she was sitting next to Fei, the famous manager of the Yin Yang Knights.

As expected, she was dressed very prettily for a sporty event. It seemed like the cold weather didn't work for her, too, as she was wearing a blue sundress that represented the color of their school.

"It's been a long time, Lina!" Fei exclaimed in her fake, sweet voice. "How have you been?"

Lina smiled in a tight-lipped manner.

"Good, I guess. The team's doing much better this season."

"I see that," Fei chuckled. "You guys still didn't reach the semi-finals, though."

Lina's fake smile immediately dropped.

"But, the fact that you got this far is a good achievement for Shizi High. Congratulations!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks," Lina said through gritted teeth.

With that, Fei turned around, her eyebrows raising in surprise when she saw Max and Kai speaking with each other.

"Well, it seems like those two are close," she remarked.

Lina turned around for a second and nodded. "I think they've met before."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Hmm," Fei said, continuing to look at Kai.

Lina's eyebrows furrowed when she saw that Fei's gaze lingered longer on the first-year player.

"Kai Guo is interesting, isn't he? I can't quite decipher whether he's a good or a bad player!"

"He has such a nice height and body, too," Fei smiled. "Very fitted for a basketball player."

Lina's frown deepened with her comment.

Fei noticed this, causing her to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh," Fei exclaimed. "Do you not like me speaking about him like that? Is it that the two of you are dating?"

Lina's eyes widened, and she immediately shook her head.

"No," she denied. "It's not like that."

"Hmm," Fei hummed, glancing at him one more time. "Well, you don't have to worry. He's very interesting, but I only like handsome boys."

Lina sighed and shook her head.

Well, Kai did look pretty unkempt. Lina didn't even know why her heart beats faster whenever he was around.

Her thoughts were cut short when a loud scream erupted in the venue.

"The last game for tonight is finally going to start!" Mark Li exclaimed.

"On the right side, we have the Xing Stars!"

"...and on the left is the Feng Foxes!"

"Two very strong teams from two prominent schools. These two had been considered rival schools in the South, and now, we are finally going to see them play against each other."

"Their last game is dated back in the Interhigh Preliminaries. I am curious who will be the victor for tonight's game!"

The two teams warmed up, and Kai observed if Chunlei was going to play. He was on their bench along with Yiming. However, he was the only one who was wearing their team's jacket.

Just then, his system popped up before him.

[Incoming weekly mission!]

[Take a bet: Guess the winner of the semi-finals and the finals game]

[XP at stake: 10]

[10 XP for every successful guess]

[Place your bet before the game begins]

"Hmm," Kai hummed, analyzing the situation once more.

"It seems like Chunlei isn't going to play again," Max said, amusement heard in his voice.

Kai turned to him. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I just have a feeling," Max shrugged. "He has been keeping his skills since the start of the tournament. I'm curious as to what he's hiding."

"I was even surprised that he played during your game. He must have been quite startled. He wouldn't have played if he didn't deem it completely necessary."

Hearing such words from Max Zhou somehow made Kai feel honored. So, that meant that Chunlei thought they were going to lose if he didn't play!

However, with Max's hunch that Chunlei wasn't going to play, Kai had a harder time predicting the game.

If Chunlei was going to play, then the Feng Foxes were definitely going to win.

However, with the Xing Stars' improvement and his absence, it would be hard to decipher.

Just then, the buzzer resounded in the entire court, signaling the start of the game.

[Place your bet]

Kai clicked his tongue and watched as the starting players of each team walked to the court.

He observed every one of them, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.

The Shizi Dogs had lost to both of them, and there was no denying that the two of them were great teams.

However, even then, Kai had a hunch that this year's Winter Cup wouldn't be too different from last year's.

With that, he finally placed his bet.

[The Feng Foxes] Continue your story on empire