Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai's breath got caught in the back of his throat as soon as Zeren said those words.

He had already been aware of Zeren's feelings for Lina from the very beginning.

Heck, even a blind and deaf man could probably feel that Zeren was very fond of Lina.

However, Kai had never heard Zeren so serious before, which made him feel a little bit...threatened.

"I know that I act goofy most of the time," Zeren continued, chuckling nervously.

"However, that's just my personality. Deep inside, I care about you a lot."

"I told my dad this, and it seems like he thinks it's all fun and games. I'm still young, so I'll probably grow out of it," he muttered.

"But, I don't see it as a phase. I just...genuinely like you. It wasn't the love at first sight kind of thing. However, it's been a long time since I liked you. It has only been recently since the two of us started becoming close," he chuckled.

"In fact, I'm really grateful to be on the basketball team because I get to meet you every day. However, as I said, I've liked you way before we became close." Enjoy new tales from empire

Lina didn't know how to respond. Still, she asked a question.

"Why?" she couldn't help but ask.

Zeren let out a small breath. "I like the way you direct the team," he said. "I like how passionate you are about everything in life. I also like that you're pretty. In fact, I like a lot of things about you. I can't name them all."

Kai couldn't see Lina's reaction at the moment, but he could tell that she was probably blushing like a tomato.

"I thought I could hold it in," Zeren continued. "However, seeing you with Ka—"

"I mean, with other guys, it made me feel like I'm not contented with the friendship we have," he said with resolution.

"I want us to have something more..."

"So, will you allow me to court you?" Zeren asked.

At that moment, Kai felt like he needed to leave.

So, that was exactly what he did.

As he moved closer to the front door, he couldn't hear them anymore. However, he could still hear Zeren's words ringing in his ears.

'I want us to have something more...'

Kai couldn't help but chuckle.

Zeren was so sure of what he liked...of what he wanted.

Kai was no stranger to what he was feeling. He knew that what he felt for Lina wasn't just a normal player-to-manager relationship or even that of friends. He knew she saw her as something more.

However, to this day, Kai still doesn't know what that is.

Hearing Zeren's statements made him feel even more confused.

Zeren was so certain of what he liked about Lina. He had all the right justifications.

"What does that make of me?" he muttered before shaking his head and entering the house.

"Oh, there you are!" Jet exclaimed as soon as Kai entered through the door.

"We are starving," Jet said. "We've been waiting for you for ages."

Kai scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, I was so caught up in training," he said. "You guys should have eaten without me."

Shang clicked his tongue. "Well, we can't start eating since Lina and Zeren are still outside talking."

"They've been talking for quite some time now, so let me go get them," Shang said, standing from his seat and walking through the back door.

Kai was about to stop him, but he had already interrupted Lina's and Zeren's conversation before he even could.

Kai pursed his lips and sat on the floor along with the other players instead.

However, his curiosity got the best of him as he glanced at Zeren and Lina.

The two of them had serious expressions. However, they were still hard to read.

Kai didn't know whether the confession went well or not.

Jinping frowned as he placed his plate on his lap.

"What's with the weird atmosphere?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Eat," he said, turning to Kai, Zeren, and Lina.

Lina smiled and tried to act as normal as possible. However, it was evident to Kai that she had a lot of thoughts swirling in her mind.

Kai sighed and also grabbed a plate, ready to drown his thoughts in food.

Fortunately, Jet, Shang, and Kun carried the conversation, which made the atmosphere less awkward.

"I'm so jealous of the second-string team right now," Shang whined. "I bet they're eating at a very fancy dinner buffet."

Jet clicked his tongue. "You don't have to remind us!"

Kun sighed. "I'm also jealous, though. They also probably don't have to live in a house that has a ghost."

The boys stopped eating as soon as 'ghosts' were mentioned.

Yuze gulped and shakily placed his plate down.

"Don't joke about ghosts," Yuze said.

Kun turned to him with a serious expression.

"I will never joke about ghosts. People who joke about them are the first ones to die in horror movies."

Jinping clicked his tongue and continued eating. "Ghosts aren't real, though. They're just hallucinations. It's a projection of people's fears, and they try to concretize it so they would feel less stupid and vulnerable."

Shang raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, since when did you get so smart?"

"You're the first one to die later, I believe," Kun chimed, making Jinping shake his head.

"Hey, Yuze. Pass the ketchup," Jet said, so the captain threw some ketchup packets to his teammate.

"I'm telling the truth!" Kun exclaimed. "Last night, when all of you were dead asleep, I saw what seemed to be a sentient being with eyes as black holes and an uncanny grin."

Shang felt a shiver run down his spine.

Kai, too, gulped in nervousness.

The real Kai Guo might not have a lot of fears, but Kaiden still had a lot—one of them being ghosts.

"Stop that, I swear," Yuze warned, not having an appetite anymore.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I'm just saying," Kun muttered. "I saw what I saw. We still have two nights here, so I think it's best if we move to another place."

Lina clicked her tongue. "You guys are being overdramatic," she deadpanned. "There are no available units right now. Moreover, our budget is already spent! We can't dish out any money from our pockets."

"Is money more important than our safety from ghosts?" Kun asked.

Lina let out a deep sigh.

"There aren't any ghosts in here. We've been sleeping here for nearly nights without any problem."

"If a ghost was really here, then they would give us a sign," she exclaimed, causing the entire team to gasp in shock.

Just then, like her prayer had been answered, the lights all turned off...

...and they were engulfed in complete darkness.