Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Wait, Kai!" Lina exclaimed as Kai continued to hold onto her hand and ran to a safer place. His legs were really long, so she was unable to keep up with his pace.

Meanwhile, Suzy stared at their hands and found that Kai's hand was much larger than hers. It felt very warm, too. It was a little bit wet, probably from nervousness. However, Suzy didn't mind at all.

However, as she glanced at Lina, she couldn't help but feel worried when she saw her restless expression.

"Kai," Suzy called, making him halt for a moment to look at how the two of them were doing.

As soon as he saw Lina's face, he knew she couldn't run any further. So, he quickly dragged them to a narrow and dark crevice, which could serve as a good hiding place.

He led Lina and Suzy in first before looking back to see where Chuyi and his bastards were. When he saw that they were near, he quickly compressed their bodies together, placing both hands on top of the wall and caging the two pretty ladies in place.

Lina was still restless while Suzy was frozen in place.

'Biceps,' she thought, looking up at Kai's body. She could also smell his scent, which was a mixture of sweat and laundry detergent.

As Lina calmed down, she also started noticing Kai's scent. His arm was also awfully close to her cheek, and his chin was almost touching her forehead.

Lina blushed as this was the closest she had ever been to a boy. However, she felt a sharp pain go up her leg, causing her to buckle down and hold onto Kai's bicep for support.

Suzy continued looking up at Kai, his face unnoticeable due to the darkness of their hiding place. However, just then, a ray of light came through from a small hole, illuminating Kai's face just as he took one step back.

At that moment, the light shone down on Kai's eyes, causing a small gasp to escape from Suzy's lips.

'What the heck!' she exclaimed in her mind.

'Why the hell does he have such pretty eyes?'

"I think they're gone," Kai said. However, Suzy couldn't hear anything as her gaze was still focused on his eyes.

Kai frowned in confusion and snapped his fingers in front of Suzy's face, all while Lina was holding onto him for support.

"They're gone," Kai confirmed, internally sighing in relief since he knew he couldn't fight against those guys—especially not in front of Lina and Suzy.

Well, he couldn't really fight them all alone too.

'He must be holding himself back,' Suzy thought, having already heard rumors about Kai. He was rumored to be able to fight against ten people without breaking a sweat, but he must have held himself back because Suzy and Lina were there!

That was definitely not the case.

"Where do you live?" Kai suddenly asked, causing Suzy's eyes to almost bulge out of her head.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"So, I can send you home," Kai said. "It's not safe for you to be out here by yourself."

"Oh," Suzy said. For a moment, she thought he was asking for another reason.

"I'll go with you," Lina said despite the pain she was feeling in her leg.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Lina nodded. "I think Suzy's house is near here already."

Suzy nodded. "Yeah, it's only a few blocks away."

"Let's go then," Kai said, leading the two ladies.

They walked in silence, with Kai in the middle of Suzy and Lina. Unconsciously, his hands reached out to both of them, so the three of them walked hand-in-hand under the setting sun.

Meanwhile, the second-string team, who had just won another mini-league, decided to hang around the park to celebrate their win.

"We beat them again!" Dylan chuckled proudly, standing on the picnic blanket that Mingze had provided.

Mingze scratched the back of his neck. "It does make me feel a bit guilty that we joined a league primarily for those in Junior Secondary School, though."

"They didn't specify the age limit," Dylan said. "So, it's not our fault. We're just doing our best!"

"Wait, wait!" Sunny exclaimed when he saw a familiar person walking through the streets.

"Is that Kai?" he asked while pointing in their direction.

The others all turned in the direction that Sunny was pointing in and gasped.

Kai had his back turned away from them, but it was obvious that it was him. His jersey and the name on his back were already enough proof.

By his side were silhouettes of two beauties, both appearing to be holding his hand.

Tony clapped loudly, shaking his head in admiration for the younger guy.

"Really," he said. "That guy doesn't look physically attractive at all, but he has some unusually charming traits."

Mingze nodded in agreement. "I can't believe he's holding two women's hands at the moment, though."

Dylan stared at him with wide, shining eyes. "My idol," he muttered.

Meanwhile, Kai quickly let go of their hands when he realized what he was doing.

"Sorry," he muttered, causing the two women's cheeks to warm up. It seemed like they, too, didn't mind his touch since it felt natural.

"Well, this is mine," Suzy awkwardly said once they arrived at a large house.

Lina waved goodbye. "See you in class, Suzy."

Suzy smiled at Lina and merely glanced at Kai. "Yeah, see you."

With that, she went inside her house and left the two alone.

As the two of them walked, however, it became increasingly obvious that Lina was still uncomfortable with walking.

Kai stopped for a moment and tapped her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Explore more at empire

Lina turned to him and nodded. "Yeah," she muttered. "My legs are just sore."

Kai scratched the back of his head and went in front of her, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Do you want to get on my back?" he asked.

Lina's eyes widened, and she quickly stepped back. Kai turned around when he didn't feel her weight on top of him.

"N—no," Lina stammered. "Don't do that."

"You're having a hard time walking," Kai sighed. "Come on," he said, coming closer to her. However, she placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him away.

"No," she firmly said. "I can walk."

Sensing the firmness in her voice, Kai stood and adjusted his steps instead.

"Alright," Kai said. "Lead the way. I'll take you home."

Lina pursed her lips and nodded, the two of them walking in complete silence once more.

When they finally arrived at her house, however, Kai couldn't shake off the feeling that it was familiar—too familiar.

"So, this is where I live," Lina said, pointing at the humble home.

Kai glanced at the house and saw their family name—'Huang.'

…and that's when he finally realized who lived in this particular house.

"Lina, you're home?" the familiar voice of Officer Huang called.

"Yes, Dad!" Lina exclaimed.

Kai froze as he stared back and forth at the house and Lina. What would Officer Huang think if he saw that Kai was the one who brought his precious daughter home?

It appeared like he didn't even have to think about the answer.

Because right then and there, the gate opened, revealing the officer who had apprehended Kai plenty of times.