Returning to '97, creating a new life

"Hmm?" Zhang Peng's dark, chubby face and squinty eyes behind thick glasses ruined his overall image, even with his physique.

"My name is Xu Kai, and I graduated from No. 14 Elementary School."

Zhang Peng was still recalling how much Xu Kai had changed, so much so that even though he was familiar with the name and the school, he still couldn't place him in the same person's shoes.

At that moment, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor accompanied a figure entering the classroom, instantly silencing the room considerably. Zhang Peng nodded to Xu Kai and returned to his chosen temporary seat.

Holding a folder in her hand, the round-faced middle-aged woman stood on the podium, placed the folder on the podium table, straightened her body, looked straight ahead, and surveyed the entire classroom. Under her gaze, the entire classroom fell silent.

"My name is Huang Jian, I am your homeroom teacher and also your English teacher..."

A person's temperament is just like their name; who says women are inferior to men?

Holding the student information sheet, he called out names, without showing any discrimination against specially admitted students like Xu Kai and Dong Bin, nor did he show any favoritism towards any student with exceptional entrance exam scores.

In the class, only the two of them were admitted through special sports programs, and because of their height, neither of them moved their seats.

In high school, boys and girls have a natural advantage in height, so Teacher Huang didn't insist on separating boys and girls. When they first met, she tried her best to arrange seats fairly based on height.

Xu Kai was very low-key, but unexpectedly, the new homeroom teacher still called him and Dong Bin to the door.

Huang Jian glanced at Dong Bin. It was better that he wasn't standing up; his 206cm height was too imposing when he was standing. However, based on her experience in judging people, she quickly realized that the leader of the two was Xu Kai.

"Teacher Park specifically told me that you can attend training sessions as scheduled. My requirements here are simple: keep a low profile and follow the rules. Can you do that?"

Xu Kai nodded solemnly: "Teacher Huang, we also cherish the opportunity to study at No. 1 High School."

Huang Jian's eyes softened slightly: "I've seen your grades. Xu Kai is doing a little better. If he pays more attention in class, even if he can't pursue a professional sports career, he can still get into a good university through a special sports admission program. As for you, Dong Bin, you have good natural talent, and you'll definitely go for a professional path in the future, perhaps even becoming a professional player. But I hope you won't completely give up on your studies..."

Clearly, Ms. Huang was also influenced by her own experience. After all, Dong Bin's height was too tempting. In her mind, Dong Bin could make a living by playing basketball, while Xu Kai still needed to improve his academic performance in order to have better options in the future. Otherwise, the glory of No. 1 High School would be the end of his life.

Xu Kai certainly wouldn't argue, but Dong Bin wanted to say a few words for him, but Xu Kai stopped him. What Teacher Huang said was right; he really didn't intend to pursue a so-called professional sports career. The purpose of all this was to experience university life. He hadn't even thought about which prestigious university to attend; his goal was a local university, or at most, the one in the provincial capital, so that he could balance his business development.

Xu Kai understood the purpose of Teacher Huang's private conversation with the two of them. As the saying goes, the dominant position of sports students in the school is passed down from generation to generation. First of all, as the homeroom teacher, he must keep them in check, prevent them from becoming troublemakers, and also prevent them from causing any trouble in the class.

"Don't worry, Teacher Huang, Dong Bin and I are willing to be your trusted allies. Class 4 is my home, and that will never change."

Huang Jian gave Xu Kai a deep look and nodded. Of course, she hoped that the two students would keep their word. The use of force to deter students is an important part of all teachers’ teaching. Every homeroom teacher would like to befriend the troublesome students in the class or completely suppress them in order to deter all the students in the class.

Just as Teacher Park said, Xu Kai is precocious and has high emotional intelligence.

Since Park In-ji greeted her and talked about her two beloved students, how could Huang Jian not take the opportunity to learn more about these two tall and strong athletes?

"Let Dong Bin do it; he was the sports representative in junior high!"

When Teacher Huang made this request, Xu Kai immediately betrayed Dong Bin.

Dong Bin didn't resist. His simple-mindedness was just his personality. When he really put on a serious face, as the captain of the basketball team of Tieyi Middle School and the sports committee member of the class, he did not lack the prestige he should have. Even if he didn't, his physique was the best form of prestige.

"You two are very good. You volunteered during the previous floods, and the letter of commendation was sent to the school. Keep it up; this will be recorded in your files."

Under Huang Jian's arrangement, Dong Bin, the sports committee member, took office ahead of schedule. There was no rush to select other class officers. What was needed immediately was a sports committee member and a labor committee member, so for now, the two were combined into one.

Get the books, get the school uniform, and clean up.

Nowadays, no parents come to the school to help students clean; the students do it themselves. Starting from elementary school, every student is used to it, and even if someone is lazy, everyone can still do their job.

Xu Kai didn't try to stand out or slack off; he did whatever Dong Bin asked him to do and was very supportive of the work.

After everything was arranged, while cleaning up, Teacher Huang still instructed Dong Bin to watch over everyone and lock the door before leaving.

With the teachers gone, the group of boys and girls, who were bursting with energy, had a great opportunity to get to know each other and become familiar with one another. They formed small groups to take charge of a cleaning area and quickly found common topics to talk about.

Yunshang is here again. Now that she's in her final year of high school, there's not much to do on her return to school day. Even cleaning the classroom is a quick and easy task with everyone doing their part. As soon as the teacher says school is over, everyone rushes downstairs to Xu Kai's class.

She arrived at the back door of Class 4. The front door was near the other side of the stairs. Park In-ji walked up quickly and stood directly at the front door of Class 4. Without looking into the classroom, she saw Yunshang first.

Seeing her, Park In-ji no longer needed to look for anyone; the person she was looking for was definitely in this class.

"coach?"

Xu Kai and Dong Bin walked out of the classroom and saw that Park In-ji's forehead was covered in sweat. They were curious about what was wrong and why he was in such a hurry.

"It's here, it's here!"

Then Park In-ji held up a fax document, her face full of excitement.

Looking at Park In-ji's face, the scene in front of him reminded Xu Kai of a special forces TV series he had watched. Miao Lian was holding up the special forces selection documents, and he looked just like Teacher Park now.

The inaugural National Youth 3x3 Basketball Challenge!

Xu Kai had heard Teacher Pu mention it a while ago, but he didn't take it seriously at all, because he knew that this kind of competition was held nationwide, and the first national champion was still the team from his own province in 2003 or 2004.

This……

Was it the butterfly flapping its wings, or was there something wrong with what I had previously known?

Park In-ji was a little excited: "Let me tell you, this year's event is just a trial. Do you know why? It's for the National High School Boys' Basketball League. Once this event is successfully organized, it's very likely that the official competition will start next year. 3x3 basketball has fewer players, making it easier to manage, and the margin for error is higher in the first year..."

He talked for a long time, and many students from the classroom and surrounding classes gathered around to listen. Although No. 1 High School is a provincial key high school, it is located in a fourth-tier city in Northeast China. Suddenly, the school he attended was connected with the concept of "national". Everyone's curiosity was piqued. In the past, apart from the Mathematical Olympiad, the concept of "national" was very far away from everyone.

I am small, my school is small, but China is vast.

"You'll be the captain..."

Park In-ji knows Xu Kai's current abilities better than anyone else. He also has ambitions. If he can achieve corresponding results, who would want to stay in a high school as a physical education teacher and basketball coach? It's too early to say how far he can go in his career. But if he can achieve enough results and enter a higher-level functional department in this city, his life may change. So he is very positive, and some words just came out of his mouth.

The students around them were confused. They had always thought Dong Bin was the "deep-sea giant" in this "tall man" sport because of his height and build. They never expected that the teacher's words would suggest that this handsome, sunny guy was actually the strongest.

Dong Bin was very excited, as was Fei Wenxin, a second-year high school student who came downstairs. The sudden good news gave them more opportunities. In the past, there were no large-scale national youth competitions, and the career path for those pursuing professional advancement was very narrow. Children from ordinary families had very few opportunities to see or access these paths.

Now, there is another bright path ahead.

Professional basketball opened doors to them for more opportunities that matched their expertise.

The two looked at Xu Kai at the same time. Strength determines status. Although they were well-known figures in Songcheng Middle School, under the grand theme of "national", with a powerful figure by their side, their excitement instantly shifted to the enjoyment of being carried to new heights by that powerful figure.

Upon seeing Xu Kai, who didn't immediately show excitement, the quick-witted Fei Wenxin immediately spoke up: "Brother Kai, Brother Kai! What are you thinking about? All the beauties in the country are waiting for us to make them cheer with joy."

Yunshang kicked him, and Fei Wenxin's features tightened. He clasped his hands in apology to her, blinking repeatedly to convey his true intentions: "Big sister, I did this to motivate Brother Kai!"

"Coach, my little Calomi, of course you can do whatever you want with him." Xu Kai winked at Park In-ji, who was startled and glared at him: "You brat, just say what you need. I guarantee you'll make it to the national championships, and I'll give you whatever you want. If you don't make it, you can expect me to give you extra training for the next two years."

Young and impetuous, youthful and impetuous, the blossoming of youth is always accompanied by countless beautiful memories. Xu Kai initially came from the hesitation of an adult when faced with a situation, but at this moment, he is also excited by the people and atmosphere around him.

Who wouldn't want to be prominent in public?

With these conditions, what are we hesitating for? Living life again and having the chance to fully unleash the sweat of youth, shouldn't we be like Dong Bin and Fei Wenxin?