Kuroko's Basketball: I'm not the boss?

Xiangyang flexed his wrists, and with a mix of anticipation and nervousness, opened the gift box.

Judging solely by size, this box is the smallest of all the gifts.

Subconsciously, Xiangyang's movements as he opened the gift box became much gentler.

Lingzi found his actions amusing, but also a little envious.

That's wonderful.

"Let me see what Ms. Masako gave you. Wow! It's... a bill?"

Reiko was just planning in her mind that no matter how ordinary the gift from Miss Masako was, she would try her best to put on a surprised and delighted expression for her cheap best friend.

However… when she saw that the gift was a bill, even Reiko couldn’t hold back her emotions.

"Ha... Haha, Xiangyang, let me explain. From childhood to adulthood, Yazi has never been in a relationship, and probably has never given anyone a gift. This bill..."

Lingzi wore an awkward smile. It wasn't that she, as the wingman, was incompetent; it was just that her team's main force was too outrageous!

Sending someone a bill as a birthday gift? Is that a blessing or just messing with their mind?

Without saying a word, Xiang Yang picked up the bill, which recorded all his expenses and expenditures at Shark Gym since he met Ya Zi last year, including the gas money Ya Zi paid for picking him up and dropping him off.

At the very bottom of the bill, there was a note.

If you don't return all the money and then run off to another country and never come back, I will call the police.

The handwriting is neat and simple, unlike the typical handwriting of a girl who doodles on a birthday card.

Xiangyang held the bill and sensed that there was another layer inside. He unfolded the bill and saw a bank card sandwiched in the middle, with a sticky note on it that read a string of numbers: 2000000.

(P.S.: Two million yen is approximately equal to one hundred thousand yuan.)

As soon as the bank card appeared, Lingzi, who had been chattering incessantly, immediately quieted down, and the expression on her face became much more relieved.

Thankfully... this silly girl isn't completely hopeless.

Xiang Yang glanced at the bank card and put it aside, then looked at the bill again, a slight smile creeping onto his lips.

"Honestly... every time you see me off, you make my emotions go through all sorts of ups and downs... Ms. Masako."

"I'll take the bank card. As for the bill, don't worry, I have no intention of paying it back!"

Gifts and luggage

Everything was sent for baggage check-in. Xiangyang boarded the plane with Lingzi. After reminding Lingzi to wake him up at mealtimes, Xiangyang took out an eye mask from his pocket, said goodbye to the outside light, tilted his head, and fell into a deep sleep.

Not long after, the plane took off and began its journey to China.

……

……

The other side of the world

Inside a stadium in the United Kingdom

The two teams are locked in a heated match, and the fans and spectators off the field are having a blast, as if they are completely captivated by the game!

However, the score on the scoreboard indicated that the game had already entered garbage time.

96:41, in just three quarters, the score difference has reached more than 50 points.

On the court, a blond man dribbled the ball with a gloomy smile on his face. He looked at the five opponents who seemed to have given up hope, and his inner pleasure intensified.

Beep beep beep—

The Dragons team requested a timeout.

"Nash, Thibodeau, why don't you two come down and rest for a while?"

A bald coach, holding a tactical board, spoke to a blond man and another person. Strangely, despite being the coach, he seemed rather unconfident when speaking to his players.

Upon hearing this, the blond man frowned, seemingly somewhat displeased. The other player's response was even more direct; he immediately stood in front of his coach, looking down at him with an arrogant expression.

In an instant, the coach felt that the sky had darkened considerably, because the player's physique was so exaggerated that he was like a small mountain blocking the light from many coaches' eyes.

"Sibe".

Seeing that the coach's legs were trembling with fear, the blond man spoke up.

"I'll take a break if I want, I've had a lot of fun anyway."

"Alright, Nash, since you've said so, I'll take a break."

For some reason, Thibo, who had just been disobedient to the coach's instructions, listened to Nash. He plopped back down on the bench, crossed his legs, and admired the lifeless look on the opposite bench.

The game wasn't even over yet and they were already down by more than fifty points. No matter how good someone's mentality is, they would feel very negative in this situation.

Nash glanced at his coach, who looked quite shaken. Nash smiled slightly, as if he was pleased with his coach's current state.

Just then, the coach's phone rang.

"Hello…"

"What? You mean seriously? What's the price?"

"Okay, okay, I understand. I'll think about it and call you back in a while."

After hanging up the phone, the coach had a strange expression on his face. He walked over to Nash, leaned down, and whispered something in his ear.

Nash, who had just been focused on the game, was interrupted by the coach and looked somewhat displeased. However, before he could react, he clearly heard what the coach said.

"What? A team wants to play against us? What kind of team is this that's asking for trouble?"

Nash's expression was somewhat amused. In his view, actively seeking out them for a game was just asking to be beaten up.

"Uh, it's a call from people in Japan. They want..."

The coach was interrupted by Nash before he could finish speaking. Nash said disdainfully, "Neon? Playing with those yellow-skinned monkeys and breathing the same air makes me feel disgusted. I'm not going!"

“Um, Nash, I think you should reconsider, because they offered this price…”

The coach, with a mysterious look on his face, held up five fingers and waved them in front of Nash.

Nash's pupils contracted, and after confirming the coach's meaning, he stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

"That's interesting. Let's go over and play with them."

"Neon... I really wish there were more decent players."

Chapter 184 Hai Lao's Apprentice

"Brother Tree!!"

China Airport

Xiangyang and his companion had just finished their flight and reached the arrivals gate when they met Brother Shu.

Having just returned to China, Lingzi was still excited, but not as excited as before. When she saw Brother Shu again, she simply greeted him warmly, unlike last time when she immediately hugged him.

Xiangyang smiled and waved to Brother Shu. Judging from their previous encounter, Brother Shu was a kind-hearted person, even though they had only met once.

Fortunately, Xiangyang didn't dislike being around people like Brother Shu.

"You two are here! Hey, Xiangyang, have you lost weight? You look thinner than last time. You haven't been eating well, have you? Let me tell you, basketball players have to eat a lot! They have to gain weight, otherwise they'll fall apart during a game..."

As soon as the three met, Brother Shu continued his previous enthusiasm. Regardless of whether Xiangyang could understand or not, he grabbed Xiangyang's hand and started rambling on.

This is probably a common problem among the older generation in China. They have to go up and fawn over any younger generation they see. If Lingzi hadn't seen the situation and stopped them in time, Brother Shu would have had a lot more to say!

"I'll take you to eat first. Old Hai specifically instructed me to take you to a very famous restaurant around here. Their Huaiyang cuisine is absolutely fantastic! The quality of the dishes is exceptional..."

"Hey, stop, stop, Brother Tree!"

Just as Brother Shu was about to start talking again, Lingzi quickly waved her hand to interrupt him and asked Brother Shu, "Did Elder Hai specifically instruct you to do this? Is he here too?"

"Oh, not only is Elder Hai here, Coach Sun is here too. He specially arranged this dinner for Xiangyang!"

Brother Shu scratched his head and looked at Xiangyang meaningfully.

China's basketball industry is just starting out, and with such a high demand for quality players, the sudden addition of a talented foreign guard to the team is no small matter for the top officials of the Chinese Basketball Association who are focused on the future of sports!

On the very first day that Xiangyang left China, Hai Lao started counting on his fingers, wondering when the team's cornerstone, whom he had personally chosen, would finally be in the team.

On several occasions, Hai Lao couldn't help but call Lingzi directly to ask when Xiangyang would come to plant flowers. However, in order to maintain her family's image, Lingzi did not tell Xiangyang about this embarrassing matter directly.

Of course, even if she told Xiangyang, he wouldn't mind. In his heart, from the day he decided to return to China to play ball, he had already repositioned himself in China.

"Tsk... Old Hai is here too."

Lingzi frowned. Her excitement about returning to China was suddenly dampened, as if she had been doused with buckets of cold water.

She didn't like Ebi; that stubborn old man with a rigid personality always made Reiko feel uncomfortable.

Xiangyang didn't have any particular opinion on this. Compared to having lunch with Hai Lao, he was more concerned about the other person that Brother Shu mentioned.

"Coach Sun? Who is he? Have I seen him before?"

Xiangyang glanced at Brother Shu who was driving, and decided to ask in Japanese.

After several practice sessions, Xiangyang can now barely speak.

He spoke to people using the flower language, which was spoken with a halting pronunciation, but to avoid being too shocking or unconventional, he still planned to gradually reveal his literary skills.

After all, the last time he came, he couldn't understand anything. Now, in less than half a year, he can have a conversation with people directly? This story would be made into an episode of "Approaching Science".

Fortunately, Xiangyang had no intention of becoming famous in any field other than basketball.

"Oh, Coach Sun is the current head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team. In Japanese terms, he's the national team's head coach!"

Lingzi glanced at Xiangyang and decided to explain in more detail: "Do you remember when I told you that Hai Lao was a national team coach before he stepped down to focus on developing younger players?"

"After Hai Lao retired, one of his apprentices took over the head coach position. That Coach Sun was his apprentice, and the two even look somewhat alike..."

They all had an extremely rigid demeanor.

Lingzi paused, leaving the rest of her sentence unsaid.

Besides Xiangyang, only Brother Shu was in the car. Although Brother Shu was unlikely to inform Elder Hai, he couldn't escape a lecture after hearing Lingzi's disrespectful remarks to her senior.

Along the way, Brother Shu enthusiastically introduced the street scenery to Xiangyang. Even though Xiangyang had just been here a few months ago, he listened intently.

As for Lingzi, she was drowsy. Shu Ge's emotionally charged words sounded to her like a tour guide explaining history to the group members, which was very boring and tedious.

Not long after, Reiko fell asleep.