Chapter Fifty-Eight: Such a Fortune!

"Unless you’re an outstanding player in one of the basketball clubs, you can’t sign up for the national team’s Super Rookie Selection Tournament. Only players who perform exceptionally in that tournament have a chance to join the national team," Manman Yu explained.

Song Zhongji stuck out his tongue. "That’s right. I’m the unlucky guy who didn’t catch the eye of any national scouts, so my only way into the national team was to compete in the Super Rookie Selection."

Geng Haoshi, still captivated by that over eight-million-yuan Lamborghini, couldn’t resist his curiosity. "Senior, do you make a lot of money at your club?"

Song Zhongji chuckled. "It’s all right, I suppose." He thought to himself, This junior certainly gets straight to the point.

Geng Haoshi mused, If he says it’s just all right, he must be raking it in!

He pressed on, "So if you’re already making so much at the club, why bother with the national team?"

Song Zhongji replied, "Because only by joining the national team do you get the chance to represent the country at the Olympics."

Geng Haoshi grinned, "You really are patriotic, aren’t you, senior?"

"Well, it’s not entirely about patriotism," Song Zhongji admitted. "After all, the Olympics is the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Every athlete dreams of standing on that stage."

Geng Haoshi thought, That makes sense. The more chances to become famous, the better. With fame, money will follow. If someone could play for both the national team and a club, the earnings would be through the roof.

"Usually, national team players are also signed with well-known clubs. When they’re not representing the country, they play for their clubs in the domestic CBA league," Manman Yu added.

"Whether they’re playing for the country or the club, as long as they achieve a top ranking, there are massive bonuses," she continued, seeming to see right through Geng Haoshi’s thoughts.

Hearing this, Geng Haoshi’s eyes sparkled. "Roughly how much?"

Manman Yu smiled slyly, like a fisherman sensing a bite. "In the CBA, the top three teams each receive a club bonus, generally between five and ten million per player…"

Five to ten million! That much money! The Tiansheng Institute of Technology team members gaped in astonishment.

In fact, when Manman Yu first started coaching, she had intended to use the lure of money to motivate them to train harder. But, seeing how they kept losing, she decided to wait until they’d won a few games and gained some confidence before deploying the "money temptation."

Now, the timing was perfect.

Manman Yu pressed on, "If you represent the country in the continental basketball league and make the top three, the bonus is between five and fifteen million."

"If you go to the Olympics, as long as you finish in the top eight, you’ll get a bonus—usually five to twenty million."

The players’ eyes gleamed with dreams of unimaginable wealth, each lost in their own visions of fortune. Manman Yu’s "money temptation" had almost achieved its purpose; all that was left was to stoke the fire a little more at the right moment.

Song Zhongji watched Geng Haoshi and the others, struck by a sense of déjà vu—he remembered when Manman Yu had used this very tactic on him and his teammates.

That’s right, Manman Yu had once been Song Zhongji’s coach.

Ling Lin, now intrigued, looked at Song Zhongji. "Senior, since you became a club superstar, how come the national scouts never noticed you?"

Manman Yu answered for him, "He was injured at the time, had to stay in the hospital for over a year, and just missed the scouts’ visit to the school."

Li Shishi looked at Manman Yu. "How do you know that, beautiful sister?"

Song Zhongji followed up with a laugh, "Your beautiful sister was my coach back then."

Manman Yu shook her fist in front of Song Zhongji’s face. "You haven’t had a beating in a while, have you? Getting a bit cocky?"

"Coach, I surrender!" Song Zhongji cried for mercy.

Ling Lin, ever the big sister, finally voiced her burning question. "Coach, is Song Zhongji your boyfriend?"

Song Zhongji nearly jumped out of his seat. Whoa, this girl is bold!

Manman Yu pointed at Song Zhongji. "Him? He’s still too green."

At that moment, waitresses in cheongsams began bringing out delicious dishes, one after another.

"Hey! Stop daydreaming and dig in," Manman Yu ordered. "Once you’re done, back to training!"

Ling Lin picked up a piece of classic Chairman Mao’s braised pork and put it in her mouth. "Delicious! This is the best braised pork I’ve ever tasted!"

"Eat as much as you like, and order more if you want," Manman Yu said, nodding at Song Zhongji. "He’s loaded. Don’t be shy."

"Yeah, order anything you want!" Song Zhongji said, beaming at Manman Yu. "As long as coach is happy, that’s all that matters."

Geng Haoshi, watching Song Zhongji’s fawning expression, thought, Looks like this guy suffered plenty under our beautiful tyrant coach too.

The meal lasted a full two hours, and by the end, the players were so stuffed they could barely straighten up.

"Meng Lang, take them back first," Manman Yu said, surveying the team. "I’ll be back soon. Don’t slack off while I’m gone!"

Once they’d all left, Song Zhongji asked, "Coach, which one did you mean by ‘Number Two’ earlier?"

"The shortest one," she replied. Apart from Li Shishi, who was only 151 centimeters, the shortest among them was Geng Haoshi. Naturally, she meant him.

"Oh, the one who asked if I made a lot of money," Song Zhongji mused. "Coach, the bet you made with the boss… are you really putting it all on him?"

"Why, you don’t think he’s up to it?"

"Not exactly," Song Zhongji hesitated. "But he’s only about 170 centimeters tall. Even with talent, there’s a limit to how far he can go."

"That is a problem," Manman Yu admitted. "But right now, he’s the most promising player on the school team."

"I made the bet with Old Chen on this year’s basketball team, so at the moment, he’s my best option."

"But your captain is pretty tall, over 190 centimeters, right? Wouldn’t he be a better bet?"

"He’s all right," Manman Yu said, "but he lacks the grit. I don’t like that."

That’s the reason? Song Zhongji sweatdropped. Coach is still coach—some things never change.

…

Back at the Zhi Chen Gymnasium, the team slumped in the stands, all stuffed to the brim.

Geng Haoshi leaned back, still picturing that yellow Lamborghini and those millions in prize money…