Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai was silent as they settled on the table.

Officer Huang was plating the food in the kitchen while the players talked among themselves.

"I missed your dad's cooking," Kun said.

Jet turned to Kun with raised eyebrows. "I'm going to tell your mom."

Kun clicked his tongue and sighed in frustration. "You've been getting on my nerves since earlier."

Jet raised his hands in surrender. "Oh no! Don't kill me! I still don't know what ass smells like!"

Kun slumped on his chair, feeling drained because of Jet.

Meanwhile, Zeren remained proper, even placing a bib over his shirt.

Kai shook his head in disbelief. He obviously wanted to impress Officer Huang!

Meanwhile, Lina nudged Kai's shoulder. She sat next to him, and Kai was thankful. However, he also feared for his life since Officer Huang appeared like he wasn't too fond of their seating arrangement.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Kai nodded stiffly and wordlessly, causing Lina to chuckle.

"You seem very nervous," she remarked.

"Don't be," she advised. "My dad may look tough, but he's very kind on the inside. I think he just has a prejudice against you because you've been at his station multiple times."

"Yeah," Kai said. However, that still didn't take away his nervousness.

"But you've changed, right?" Lina asked. "You're not the same as before."

Kai nodded. "Yes," he confidently said. "I'm not the same as before."

Lina patted his shoulder. "Then, there's no reason to be afraid."

Kai nodded once more, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be okay.

Then, he reached out for the cup of water before him. However, because his hand was so shaky, some of the water spilled over to Lina, some of it splattering on her chest.

Kai's eyes widened, and he quickly took a napkin to wipe her chest.

"Wait, Kai. I can do it," Lina said, but Kai was too focused on the task at hand.

Just then, he felt a menacing presence behind him, causing him to halt his movements.

However, just his luck—his hand was perfectly placed on Lina's chest, making Officer Huang look at him with a deathly glare.

"Hands off," he said with clenched teeth.

Kai quickly snapped back to reality and removed his hand from Lina's chest.

Then, he looked apologetically at the girl.

"I—I didn't mean to," he whispered.

Lina nodded in understanding despite her blushing cheeks.

Officer Huang, obviously in a bitter mood, placed the food on the table.

"I can already smell it even though it's covered," Jet excitedly exclaimed.

"I'm so excited!" Kun chimed.

"I cooked this really well," Officer Huang smiled, already in a better mood because of their compliments.

Kai, on the other hand, felt that something bad was going to happen.

Just then, Officer Huang revealed his masterpieces.

"Sichuan Mapo Tofu!"

"Hot and Sour Glass Noodles!"

"And my specialty—stir-fried chilis!"

Kai held his breath as the spicy scent wafted off his senses.

Undoubtedly, they smelled very delicious.

However, there was one thing about Kai that you wouldn't expect from his big and tall physique.

He couldn't handle spicy food.

The only spicy food he could handle is the cooked onions that Grandma Bingbing prepared.

"These are all my favorites!" Zeren exclaimed, already digging in.

Officer Huang chuckled in amusement. "Eat as much as you want. There's still plenty more in the kitchen."

Jet and Kun didn't seem to have a problem with spicy food, too. They ate with gusto, their lips puckering up with every sip.

Yuze, on the other hand, seemed to be able to eat just anything. He ate the stir-fried chilis with a straight face.

Jinping, too, ate as happily as Zeren, exclaiming in delight as the flavors hit his taste buds.

Kai, however, hesitated to take the first bite.

Zeren noticed this and quickly verbalized his observation.

"I think Kai doesn't like your cooking, Father," he said, his lips already swollen from all the spicy food.

Officer Huang turned to him with sharp eyes, causing Kai's breath to get caught in the back of his throat.

"Do you not appreciate my cooking?" Officer Huang asked.

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Kai quickly shook his head.

"No," he denied.

"It looks delicious."

"Then, eat up," Officer Huang deadpanned. "Be thankful that I even prepared you food."

Lina, noticing his awkwardness, took the initiative to fill his plate.

"Here," she said. "My dad makes Sichuan specialties since he's from there. They all taste good, so you don't have to be afraid."

Kai nodded, his eyes slightly widening when he saw Lina piling on a lot of chilis onto his plate.

Much to Lina's defense, Kai looked like he could take a bear in a fight! He would be able to handle a little bit of spice, right?

Wrong.

With the first bite, Kai felt like he was going to explode from the inside—maybe even spontaneously combust.

However, feeling Officer Huang's gaze on him, Kai ate the food with gusto and without any complaints.

'The faster I eat this, the faster the suffering will end.'

But, it seemed like his mindset betrayed him as he choked on a spicy chili, causing him to cough out loud.

They all turned to Kai with raised eyebrows. Lina, on the other hand, quickly filled his cup with water and gave it to Kai.

She even patted his back, which made Kai feel better.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"Can't you eat spicy food?"

He was about to respond when Officer Huang spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"What kind of man can't handle this much spice? It's not even that spicy, right?"

Yuze shrugged. Jinping nodded. Jet and Kun continued eating while Zeren agreed enthusiastically.

Kai, despite his burning mouth, denied the accusation.

"It's not that," his voice already hoarse. "Something just got stuck in my throat."

Officer Huang pursed his lips before letting the matter go.

Then, they continued eating, with Kai silently suffering.

After a while, Kun opened up a new topic.

"Are you ready for Lina to have a boyfriend now, sir? You were against it last year," he asked.

Lina looked at Kun with wide eyes. "Why are you even asking that?"

"Well," Kun shrugged. "A lot of people are curious."

Lina massaged her nose bridge while shaking her head. Zeren, on the other hand, placed down his utensils to listen intently to his response.

"I guess I will always be against it somehow," Officer Huang said.

"She is my one and only precious daughter, after all," he cheesily said, making Lina cringe.

"However, I won't oppose it as much as before. She has gotten older, and she can make her own decisions."

"But!" he quickly said. "I have some things I don't want from her partner."

"What is it, father?" Zeren asked before anyone could even react.

"First," Officer Huang said, staring off into the distance.

"They need to look well-kept."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kai pursed his lips and wiped his mouth, where he felt his pube-like facial hair.

"Second, they need to like spicy food!"

Kai felt himself getting smaller and smaller under the gaze of his teammates.

"And lastly," Officer Huang said, now focusing his gaze on Kai.

"They shouldn't have been at my police station."