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Some exist with pride, others struggle with pride, some compete with pride, and there are those who fail with pride, but very few can walk away with pride. Congratulations, for as you read these lines, you have witnessed the whole lives of many great basketball players. This pronunciation was embodied when Stephen Curry, after facing defeat in 2021, claimed that no one would want to face them the following season; When Tim Duncan was convinced before the start of the 2014 Finals that they would not mess up; When Kobe Bryant promised at Old Buss's memorial to take the Lakers to the playoffs; When Nowitzki, shedding his label as a soft player, retreated to the locker room in tears at night; When Kevin Garnett let out a skyward howl after holding the championship trophy; When the 2004 Detroit Pistons won and the F4 Lakers lost… Our story begins in an era when pride still mattered.
"You've been moping around for days, what's on your mind?"
Outside the classroom, Lin Kaiwen stared curiously at his friend.
Right now, this guy was leaning against the wall with a look of utter despair. Despite his expression resembling that of a clueless teenager contemplating suicide, Lin Kaiwen still wanted to persuade him to sit down somewhere.
Because the guy was so damn tall!
The other party had to lower his gaze to look at his friend, "How could I possibly be happy at a school like this?"
"Are you crazy? Isn't this the school of your dreams?"
"The school of my dreams?"
"This 'hilltop prison,' a high school ranked beyond 1500 in the nation, with an alumnus who played baseball in the 1930s, earning 150 US Dollars per game, with only one bus stop, and the only fast food within 2 miles is McDonald's, is this my dream school?"
Lin Kaiwen wiped the stray spit from his face and nodded gently, "Yeah, that's what you told me before, Ah Fei, what happened to you?"
Yu Fei was stunned.
Two days had passed, and he still couldn't believe everything that had happened to him.
Why?
This question swirled in his mind.
Why did he transmigrate? Why did he transmigrate into this person named Yu Fei? Why was Yu Fei's school so shitty?
Before the transmigration, Yu Fei had a carefree life. His family was well-off, with parents who were businesspeople and a very smart twin brother. It seemed he didn't inherit the family's business acumen but had loved basketball from a young age, being one of the first beneficiaries of the ambitious little basketball program under Chairman Yao's regime.
With excellent fundamentals and coordination, Yu Fei had been a prominent rising star until 14, in an era of social media explosion where searching for his highlights reel on video apps like Mars Sound and Low Hand was easy. However, his journey in basketball faced a Waterloo after the age of 14—he stopped growing taller.
On August 1, 2023, just before he transmigrated, he had turned 18 but was only 172 centimeters tall. This effectively cut off his prospects for a professional career, but he wasn't discouraged. At that time, various grassroots basketball organizations in China were flourishing, and even if he couldn't play professionally, he could still make a living playing streetball or, at worst, go back home and live off his parents. The future was bright, and then he transmigrated.
Yu Fei spent a day confirming the fact of transmigration and then another half a day digesting it.
Until now, when Yu Fei complained to Lin Kaiwen about his school, eliciting his friend's astonishment.
And then, Yu Fei said, "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"The volleyball team."
This body could be considered the biggest reward Yu Fei received after transmigrating.
In his previous life, Yu Fei had always wished to grow taller, consuming many expensive but useless nutritional supplements for this purpose, but now, height was no longer an issue—in fact, he felt it was a bit too much.
This year, the 17-year-old Yu Fei stood at 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm) tall, with a wingspan that also looked impressive. Although he hadn't measured it yet, by estimation, it should be at least +12 or even +15 in length.
Yu Fei, inheriting this body, was a volleyball player. Given his physical attributes, basketball would be a better choice for personal development and future prospects. But there was one problem: Yu Fei's character was too weak, without the courage to confront others head-on on the basketball court, so any sport that involved physical confrontation was not suitable for him. After weighing options, only volleyball seemed right.
And what Yu Fei had to do today was quit the volleyball team and then join the basketball team.
He wasn't sure if his body was suited for basketball, but when he casually dribbled at home, he felt no different from before. He could do everything he had been able to do in his past life and now could easily execute some moves that were impossible before.
With his past-life foundation and this body, professional basketball might no longer be a dream.
Without any issues, Yu Fei smoothly left the volleyball team.
Because even with his visibly excellent physical attributes, Yu Fei was not an outstanding volleyball player.
Some senior team members had sarcastically said, "Apart from height, wingspan, and jumping ability, you're good for nothing."
Height, wingspan, and jumping ability are the most important natural talents in volleyball, yet Yu Fei, possessing these, was still "good for nothing," which showed just how low his level was.
After leaving the volleyball team's training ground, Lin Kaiwen sized up Yu Fei as if he were a paleontologist studying dinosaur fossils.
"Ah Fei, are you troubled by something?"
Having quit the volleyball team, Yu Fei had solidified his goals. The stress brought on by the unfamiliar environment after his time travel had significantly subsided. "You noticed?"
"Do I need to notice?" Lin Kaiwen hated that each time he had a serious conversation with Yu Fei, he had to look up due to the latter's height. "You're the tallest person in the whole school, with mediocre grades, and no second friend besides me. A freak like you should naturally join a sports team. Now that you've left the volleyball team, do you want to become the number one freak in Kent Meridian High School history?"
Yu Fei reminded Yu Fei of a dead buddy from his previous life, who was introverted, a bit secretive, ordinary-looking, with average grades, and a low-key personality. If he had a height of 206 centimeters and a heroic face, then he would be Yu Fei himself.
"That's why I've decided to make a change. Volleyball isn't for me; I prefer playing basketball."
Lin Kaiwen felt that the Yu Fei before him was all the more a stranger.
"Do you remember why you chose volleyball at first?"
"Not really,"
"You thought basketball was too intense and not suitable for you."
"That was before," Yu Fei said with a smile. "I'm no longer who I was."
※※※
Since Kent Meridian High School is situated on a hill, students usually stay at school to rest during lunch after school lets out in the morning.
In the afternoon, Yu Fei had Lin Kaiwen help him obtain the school basketball team's roster.
After school, Yu Fei and Lin Kaiwen took the bus home.
Yu Fei's home was located in the East Mountain area of Kent City, in the Arlington Community. It was just at the second bus stop below the East Mountain where Kent Meridian High School was situated, so Yu Fei quickly bid Lin Kaiwen goodbye.
Yu Fei's mother, Yu Fenglin, ran a Chinese restaurant in Kent City. Since the restaurant was in the West Mountain area, Yu Fenglin often wasn't at home to take care of the business.
As for Yu Fei's father, his relationship with Yu Fenglin had fallen apart before Yu Fei had clear memories. After the two separated, Yu Fei's biological father met with a car accident on an unremarkable morning and succumbed to his severe injuries.
In the following years, Yu Fenglin raised Yu Fei on her own. Although she had dated a few times, none blossomed into a serious relationship.
Yu Fei returned home, as usual, to an empty house.
Yu Fenglin hadn't come back for two days—of course, that wasn't entirely accurate, she had come back, but at that time Yu Fei was in class.
Yu Fei saw the note his mother left on the refrigerator, written in Chinese: "Fulai, there's $30 under the sofa cushion, take care of dinner yourself."
Take care of it himself? Well, first, he'd need a 2023 smartphone with apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. Only then could he satisfyingly arrange a dinner for himself.
Now, however... A post-2000s kid who had accidentally stepped into the early years of the new century had no choice but to go out, buy some noodles, tomatoes, and beef from the supermarket, and cook for himself.
Yu Fei was not skilled in cooking, but tomato and beef noodles were hard to mess up.
After a hasty meal, Yu Fei went back to his room to analyze the school basketball team's roster.
The results did not surprise Yu Fei.
Kent Meridian High School's sports teams had a grand team name—Royal Team. However, the overall strength of each school team matched the school's national ranking very well.
Among them, the boys' basketball team suffered from a dearth of talent, with the center standing only 6 feet 5 inches tall.
Yu Fei was aware that with his height, joining the team would surely mean playing as a center, but he preferred playing forward. In his past life, he was primarily a point guard, adept at ball control. Although he wasn't sure if his body could adapt to his past life techniques, playing as a ball-handling forward would definitely be more to his liking than being in the paint.
The current problem was he didn't know what level his abilities would equate to in the U.S. high school basketball scene. Conveniently, the lackluster school team would serve as a good test of his skills.
