After playing games all afternoon plus a whole day, by Monday of the second week, he had already adjusted his mood. He got up a little after 6 a.m., and his sleep quality was excellent.

After a good night's sleep, his mood was pretty much back to normal.

After getting up, he drank a big glass of water, then went for a morning run. At 6:30, he returned to the apartment's communal gym and did some weight training.

The thing he was most grateful for after coming to America was sticking to his workout routine after crossing over. Although he didn't have the huge muscles of those who specialized in bodybuilding, it all depended on who you compared him to. Plus, with his ruthless fighting style, he could truly believe that "might makes right."

After half an hour of exercise, he went back to his room, took a shower, and went to the kitchen at the dorm assistant auntie's house to make breakfast.

Every Monday morning, Vivian Carter had a whole morning of work to do and had to get to school on time. This was Edward Thompson's weekly carpool time.

When breakfast was almost ready, Vivian Carter, drawn by the delicious smell, came to the kitchen door and exclaimed in surprise, "You're making scallion pancakes today! I want three!"

Edward Thompson glanced back at her and quickly turned his head away. "I made four, that's enough for you. Auntie, hurry up and get dressed!"

Vivian Carter looked down at her pajamas, the corners of her mouth lifting.

Actually, she was wrapped up quite conservatively; her pajamas were very modest and not see-through at all. But she didn't like wearing a bra to sleep, and her full figure pushed up the pajamas, making the outline stand out—even poking out a bit.

But with a young man and woman alone in a room, it wasn't appropriate to keep teasing the boy; something might happen. She went back to her bedroom, changed into sportswear, and came to the dining room, where Edward Thompson had already placed a big glass of hot milk and three scallion pancakes at her seat.

Vivian Carter had already learned about his failed tryout the day before yesterday and wasn't surprised. Although she had been very enthusiastic and excited at the time, she also knew the chances of passing were slim. She just wanted to encourage him—after all, you never know! Not passing was the normal outcome.

Edward Thompson's life returned to its usual rhythm: working out, going to class, chatting about risqué topics with Liam Pike, playing games... but it didn't last long!

By Thursday, as the lunch break was about to end, Edward Thompson was carrying his backpack to the classroom. Just as he reached the door, he saw the dorm assistant auntie rushing toward him at full speed, unable to stop herself. He quickly reached out with both hands to steady her.

"Leo... huff... huff..."

"Slow down, don't panic. What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

After catching her breath, Vivian Carter said, "Big news! Of course it's big news, Henry called us!"

"That middle-aged flirt sent a message? What message? Wait, he didn't go and report me, did he? I already went to the tryout!" Edward Thompson felt like a thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

This question left Vivian Carter stunned. "Report you for what?"

"For putting his player in the hospital! I heard it was even a starting player."

"Wasn't that matter already settled? Don't worry about that... Where was I? Oh, you made the team! He called the dean to inform us that you made the school team!"

"Ding... Congratulations to the host for successfully passing the Trojans basketball team tryout. System successfully activated."

"Congratulations to the host for receiving the activation gift pack, pending opening."

"Achievement mode activated, training mode activated..."

Even with the dorm assistant auntie telling him he passed the tryout, Edward Thompson still couldn't quite believe it, but with the system notifications, he had no choice!

Looking at Vivian Carter's excited expression, Edward Thompson held back for several seconds before blurting out in Mandarin, "Even with my crappy performance, I made the school team? Just how bad is the Trojans basketball team?"

Chapter 4: So Bad It's Unbelievable

On Thursday, August 26, 1999, at 4:30 p.m., Edward Thompson officially became a member of the USC basketball club.

After finishing his afternoon classes, Edward Thompson went with Vivian Carter and Liam Pike to the Memorial Sports Stadium to complete the procedures for joining the basketball club.

Although he had serious doubts about the strength of this team, becoming a member of the school team still made Edward Thompson very pleasantly surprised.

Vivian Carter and Liam Pike were even more excited.

Edward Thompson himself thought there was zero chance of making the school team and had already given up hope. As more clear-eyed bystanders, Vivian Carter and Liam Pike had lost hope even earlier.

But he actually made it! How could they not be thrilled!

After joining the basketball team, Edward Thompson followed the expressionless head coach to choose his jersey number. Looking at the remaining numbers, he chose number 0.

Vivian Carter asked, "Leo, why did you pick number 0?"

Edward Thompson replied, "Compared to the others, my basketball skills are like a blank sheet of paper. I chose number 0 to symbolize my basketball journey starting from scratch."

Actually, it was because number 1 was taken, number 3 was taken, numbers 23 and 24 were also taken, and as a Chinese person, he thought 8 was lucky, but according to the rules, he couldn't pick it. So he just chose one that looked pleasing.

Henry Bibby, who hadn't said much all along, showed a slight change in his expression when he heard this answer.

He actually quite liked this answer.

Henry Bibby wasn't very willing to talk to Edward Thompson, but Edward Thompson took the initiative to ask, "Coach, with so many people trying out, what did you see in me? Did you spot that I'm a hidden gem with extraordinary talent?"