Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 9 A Miserable Christmas

"Still not working?"

"Yes, as soon as I start dialing your number, I start forgetting it. Why don't you write it down, and I'll call it from where I see it?"

"Are you an idiot? Where am I right now? If I could get out, would I need you to call me?"

"Then why don't I just go to Los Angeles and find you now? Your goal is to tell him not to take helicopters anymore, right?"

"What I'm worried about is that you'll forget phone numbers again, just like you did when you made the call."

"Worrying about this and that, are you even Kobe Bryant?"

"OK! We'll give it a try during the Christmas holidays."

Since the incident in Los Angeles, although Lao Ke didn't say it outright, Wang Kai knew that Lao Ke was actually very anxious. Although he often poked Lao Ke in the back, after several years of getting along, Wang Kai had already regarded Lao Ke as his own family.

Having faced life and death, Lao Ke is indeed a bit hesitant now. Moreover, what Lao Ke doesn't realize is that subconsciously he can't let go of Wang Kai.

Having won five championships in his past life, his retirement game was incredibly glorious. In fact, it could be said that even Jordan's retirement didn't receive as much attention as Kobe's. Even their arch-rivals, the Celtics, played a documentary about Kobe at their home arena.

However, now Kobe has another chance. Although he is not coming in person, he has already placed his hopes and dreams on Wang Kai.

As Christmas 2001 approached, Wang Kai led the Montverde Hawks to a 12-game winning streak.

Coach Kevin Boyle was naturally very satisfied with the team's performance. Although the team's zone defense system was inevitably challenged by some top-tier high school players, the team's offense was simply too advanced. Wang Kai's playing style at this time was the ball-handling core style that would emerge more than ten years later. At the high school level, Wang Kai's playing style was extremely advanced and ahead of its time.

With the Christmas holidays approaching, Coach Kevin even invited Wang Kai to his home for Christmas, but Wang Kai declined, wanting to try again in Los Angeles.

On Christmas Day, when airfares were at their cheapest, Wang Kai, along with his anxious friend Ke, flew to Los Angeles once again.

As the plane began its descent across North America and landed at Los Angeles International Airport, Wang Kai noticed that Lao Ke's body was trembling again.

"Damn, it still doesn't work? Does that mean I can never come to Los Angeles again?"

"No, no, this time it's much better than last time, haha, you little rascal, I have to thank you. Come on, let's try again after we land and leave the airport."

Old Ke, inside Wang Kai's soul space, seemed to sense something different from last time.

After the plane landed, Wang Kai immediately walked out of the airport. Lao Ke's body was trembling more and more violently, but it never completely stopped.

When Wang Kai tried to make the call, Lao Ke's figure had faded considerably, but it hadn't completely disappeared.

However, when Wang Kai picked up the phone, he still couldn't remember the phone number that he had memorized perfectly.

Old Ke's pale figure trembled, his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"Fine, Kobe, just bear with it, I'll just wait for you at Staples Center."

Upon hearing what Wang Kai said, Lao Ke almost started dancing disco in Wang Kai's soul space.

Wang Kai tried to return to the airport area, and Lao Ke finally spoke.

"You bastard, you almost killed me. Don't go to Staples Center, I'll disappear completely if I go there."

"How did you know? Weren't you in such a hurry to find your current self before?"

"I think I've figured it out now, kid. You need to increase your fame. The more famous you are, the closer I'll get to who I am now. I think if you start getting closer now, I'll definitely disappear, and you'll forget everything about me."

"When we first arrived in Los Angeles, you were virtually unknown, and I disappeared as soon as I landed. But this time you're not nobody anymore; you've gained some recognition in Florida, which is why I was able to stay at the airport. You see, the logic is very clear."

"So you mean I need to become famous as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes, you need to become famous, and very famous, but there's no rush. I estimate that even if you become the NBA number one draft pick, you still won't be able to get me close to who I am now. So, no rush, we need to take it one step at a time."

"Shall we go back now?"

"I have to go back, damn it, this is the worst Christmas I've ever had."

Although Lao Ke complained about how miserable he was, he was actually quite satisfied. He was satisfied with Wang Kai's execution ability, and he was even more satisfied that he could find hope this time.

The rather miserable couple spent the night at Los Angeles airport before taking a flight back to Florida the next day.

After the Christmas break, the Montverde Hawks suffered their first loss of the season.

Wang Kai caught a bad cold after spending the night at Los Angeles airport, so Coach Kevin Boyle had to let him rest. In addition, Eddie El twisted his ankle while defending against the Blanchard Alligators.

The Hawks, missing key players, suffered a crushing defeat, finishing the game trailing by 21 points.

Coach Kevin Boyle wasn't too angry after the game, but he still outwardly appeared furious.

The team's winning streak before Christmas inevitably made some players feel proud.

Some of the Hawks' regular players, such as Richard, Eddie El's former number one lackey, thought that with Eddie El and Wang Kai on the team, they could easily win the state championship, so they indulged themselves a little during Christmas.

This crushing defeat serves as a wake-up call for these people.

So when Wang Kai returned to the team after recovering from his cold, he saw everyone being punished by Coach Kevin Boyle.

Although Coach Kevin Boyle did not physically punish these slacking players, he used extremely humiliating words to make these naive young men understand the power of "language".

Meanwhile, the high-intensity defensive tactical drills basically drained these young men of every ounce of their physical strength and hormones.

"Hey guys, what's wrong? You've all become spineless after not seeing each other for a whole holiday. Did you film too much during the holiday? You need to be more careful. I don't want to be competing with a bunch of girls."

Wang Kai stabbed these guys in the back again.

A series of international gestures emerged.

"Very good, you can still raise your fingers. That means my training isn't enough. Hmm, next time I'll try to make sure you can't even raise your fingers."

"Coach Kevin, we were wrong. I can't lift it up right now. Please forgive us."