At 7:30 the following morning over breakfast, Wang Changhai kept shooting suspicious looks across the table at his son.
“Zelin, be honest with me,” Wang Changhai said, setting down his chopsticks.
“Did you and Old Fan set up that viral video on the internet?” “Not me!
Couldn’t be!
Don’t talk nonsense!” Wang Zelin delivered the classic triple-denial without missing a beat, preserving his innocent image while silently letting Coach Fan take the heat.
Before his father could press further, Wang Zelin scarfed down the remaining food—including his father’s braised beef and water chestnut cakes—and grabbed his gym bag.
“Gotta head to training, Dad!” Arriving early at Jinjiang Zuchang Gymnasium, Wang Zelin greeted the security guard, Uncle Li, and ducked straight into a private stall in the gym restroom to access his system interface.
Focusing his mind, he summoned the lottery panel.
His Fan Value balance, which had hovered at 4,588 after his initial Bronze Draw, had shot up to 54,188.
The viral clip featuring Will McDonald as his stepping stone had generated nearly 50,000 Fan Value overnight.
Looking at the numbers, Wang Zelin felt the itch of a gacha gambler.
He could pull five Bronze Draws right now, or hold out for a Silver Draw at 100,000 Fan Value.
Ultimately, logic won out.
Bronze draws capped his talent ceiling, whereas a Silver Draw guaranteed higher-tier attributes.
Patience, he told himself.
Hold out for 100k.
Exiting the stall, he bumped into Zhang Wei, a friendly youth team reserve who routinely frequented the restroom due to poor dietary choices.
After weathering Zhang Wei’s enthusiastic chatter, the two walked out to the main gym floor.
Several youth players immediately surrounded Wang Zelin, offering congratulations on his official promotion to the first team.
“Zelin, that video of you cooking McDonald is blowing up everywhere!” one teammate cheered.
Sensationalized headlines across Weibo and domestic sports forums were already running wild.
Chinese media outlets eagerly hyped the story of a seventeen-year-old local prodigy dismantling a veteran European import, instantly making Wang Zelin the most talked-about name in domestic basketball.