There are only four people in total right now, two of whom are his friends. Henry Bibby's awkwardness came and went quickly. He quietly took a step back and said, "Relax, I'm not here to stand up for 'Little Lanbier.' I'm just curious about what kind of foreign exchange student could send 'Little Lanbier' to the hospital, so I came to take a look. Didn't expect it to be a handsome kid... Oh, right!"

As he spoke, Henry Bibby's eyes suddenly lit up and he asked, "Hey, boy, how old are you?"

Edward Thompson heard the question about his age, but blurted out, "Not yet 30."

"?"

A question mark appeared on Henry's face.

He wasn't blind! Of course he could tell this boy was under 30.

Dean Carter was speechless. As a middle-aged man who had weathered countless storms, why did he always feel like he was being led astray by a kid who had just come of age?

Thinking Edward Thompson was up to his antics again, Vivian Carter pinched him and said to Henry Bibby, "Leo just turned 18 in August, so what? You're not thinking of poaching him for our computer science department, are you?"

But Henry Bibby nodded and replied, "You guessed right."

The three of them stared in unison at the flamboyantly dressed middle-aged man in front of them.

That build, that age... Henry Bibby asked, "Boy, do you want to become a member of the great Trojan team?"

The dean and his assistant sized up Edward Thompson. Although he was slim, he wasn't just skin and bones. The slightly tight long T-shirt showed off some decent muscle lines... You need capital to fight, after all. A lean and fit body is the basic capital for winning fights.

Henry Bibby seemed to be joking, but this kid really did have an athlete's physique.

"I don't want to," Edward Thompson refused without hesitation.

"Why not?"

"In our computer science department, there's a saying—basketball, not even dogs play it."

"......"

Henry Bibby suddenly remembered that last time he was drinking with Dean Carter, Dean Carter had complained that their computer science department hadn't had anyone win a sports scholarship in years.

Edward Thompson continued, "The Trojan football team and the Trojan women warriors are both great, but the Trojan basketball team... I heard you haven't made it to March Madness in two years. Of the entire Trojan legion, your team is the worst. Even when competing with the Bruins for Davis, Davis didn't want to come and even mocked you as 'the shame of Troy.'"

(·へ·╬)Henry Bibby was furious!

This kid not only exposed the wound, but also rubbed salt in it!

He gritted his teeth and said, "You'd better think carefully. If I report your incident of injuring Jordan... I'll give you a chance to rephrase!"

Σ(⊙▽⊙“a!!

Edward Thompson immediately said, "My dream is to kick away the shame of 'the shame of Troy'! I came to this school precisely to become a great Trojan!"

Dean Teng: (ーー゛)

Vivian Carter: －_－||

Henry Bibby: "......"

Now it's 'we'?

Leaving aside the reactions of the three, Edward Thompson's eyes were now wide open.

A 'transparent' but clearly visible 'screen' appeared before his eyes, with only one line of text on it—"Basketball Dream System Activating..."

Chapter 2: Goal: School Team

Henry Bibby left in a huff, tossing out a "tryout at 9 a.m. on Saturday" as he went.

Edward Thompson asked Dean Carter, "He only said 9 a.m. on Saturday, but didn't say where the tryout is. What if I can't find the place? Would he use that as an excuse to report me for fighting?"

Dean Carter really felt that a big reason why Edward Thompson was easily targeted by the school bullies was because this kid just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

If he couldn't actually fight, he would have been beaten up a hundred times by now.

Even he wanted to hit him!

Vivian Carter, on the other hand, responded excitedly, "I know where the tryout is! I'll take you there on Saturday!"

"That's right, Aunt Vivian Carter, you're a fan of the basketball team," Edward Thompson teased, "Auntie, of all the teams you could like, you just had to pick the Trojans."

Vivian Carter retorted unhappily, "What's wrong with the Trojans? It's our school's team... At least they're better than the Clippers!"

"That's true..."

Edward Thompson agreed with Vivian Carter. Although the Trojan basketball team was lackluster compared to the rest of the great Trojan legion, when people talked about USC's strong basketball teams, they usually meant the women's team, the Trojan Women Warriors.

But it's always fun to diss the Clippers.

Not to mention, for the past decade or so, both teams have used the same arena, and the Trojans, a college basketball team, actually sold tickets at higher prices than the Clippers, a professional team.

In the entire Los Angeles basketball scene, the Purple and Gold Legion is definitely the pride of the city. In many people's minds, the Bruins and the Lakers aren't that far apart, and after that comes the Trojans.

After that, the most popular teams aren't the Clippers, but Inglewood High and Southern California High, and only then the Clippers.

"Alright, Vivian Carter, go take care of Leo's mess. Leo, get back to class!"

Seeing the two about to start chatting again, Dean Carter shooed them away.

The two left decisively. Vivian Carter went to work overtime, and Edward Thompson slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to his classroom.