He Became a Heartthrob

"Let him introduce himself," Cahoon said, moving the microphone in front of Tang Tian.

This was Tang Tian's first public appearance, and it was an opportunity for him.

"My name is Tang Tian. You can call me Tang, or Tian, but please don't call me Tian Tang. In Chinese, that means 'heaven,' and you know that's not a very good word."

As soon as Tang Tian spoke, the reporters below burst into laughter.

Cahoon chuckled along.

He had been worried Tang Tian would be too nervous to speak, but he hadn't expected his self-introduction to be so humorous. It seemed his worries were completely unnecessary.

"During the game, someone said you were the team's ball boy. Is that true?" a reporter pressed.

The question was a bit sensitive, and all the other reporters turned to look at him.

"I was, but Coach Cahoon recruited me to the team two months ago. I'm an official member of the school team now," Tang Tian replied calmly. He had faced countless similar situations in his past life and handled them with ease.

"But we didn't see you on the school's website," the reporter pointed out.

The school's website only listed players with scholarships; it was an unspoken rule. The reporter's words clearly carried an ulterior motive.

Cahoon was about to take the microphone to block the reporter's question.

"I'm the team's secret weapon. If I were listed on the website, we might not have won tonight's game," Tang Tian replied with a smile.

His response sent the reporters below into another round of laughter.

His answer was full of wit.

Cahoon couldn't help but glance at Tang Tian again. How could he feel that this young man, only 18 years old, was acting as composed at the press conference as he was?

"Just kidding. I only joined the team recently, so it's normal for the website not to be updated promptly," Tang Tian added.

His words were neither arrogant nor servile, leaving the reporters speechless.

"Coach, what was the key to the team's victory tonight?" After asking Tang Tian, the second reporter to get a chance turned their attention to Cahoon.

"Defense. The opponent scored 39 points in the first half but only 22 in the entire second half. Tang brought energy to our defense, and we played team defense," Cahoon answered smoothly, having anticipated the question.

After he finished speaking, the reporters turned their cameras and microphones on Tang Tian, snapping photos furiously.

Cahoon had specifically mentioned Tang Tian's name, indicating his satisfaction with his performance!

The reporters asked a few more questions one after another.

After finishing with Cahoon, they turned their gaze to Walker.

"26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. What led to your outstanding performance tonight?"

"I know the team needs me to score, needs me to perform on offense, and I've been doing just that. I've always wanted to lead the team to victory, whether it's tonight, tomorrow night, or any other night, it's all the same to me," Walker replied earnestly, reflecting his attitude towards the game.

"Your performance in the previous few games was indeed excellent, but tonight the team won," the reporter interjected.

"Yes, just like the coach said, our defense was great tonight. Tang brought energy to our defense, and he motivated us. Yes, he was the key to our team's victory tonight," Walker said with a smile.

Walker had mentioned Tang Tian too!

And he called him the key to the team's victory!

Below, the flashes of light flickered again.

It was easy to imagine that Tang Tian's name would appear in the most prominent position in the major newspapers after the game.

After the press conference ended, Tang Tian and Walker went to the locker room to shower.

Their teammates hadn't left yet. They shouted and cheered when they saw them return. Napier, who was outgoing, even rushed over and jumped onto Tang Tian, demanding a princess carry.

The locker room was filled with laughter, a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere in the training facility earlier.

In basketball, winning has always been the most effective way to solve problems.

After leaving the locker room, Tang Tian didn't immediately return to the dorm. Instead, he went to the stadium and ran more than ten laps around it.

For the past two months, in addition to training with the team, he had been training his stamina using his own methods.

Although he now possessed systematic basketball skills, without the physical fitness, he couldn't exert their full potential.

Even though there was a game today, extra practice was still necessary.

After finishing his run, he wiped off his sweat and then walked across the now quiet campus back to his dorm.

However, as soon as he entered the dorm, he was met with a chorus of ear-piercing screams from his roommates.

"Tang, you're on the school team? Why didn't you tell us sooner!"

"Tang, you defended Butler so coolly! How did you do it?"

"Tang, you're back so late, were you on a date with some girl?"

"Shh, keep it down. It's late, and everyone else is asleep," Tang Tian made a shushing gesture.

Hearing him, his roommates turned and closed the door, then continued to ask in hushed tones.

Only then did Tang Tian begin to answer.

"I couldn't even get on the court before. If you guys knew I was on the school team, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"As if I'm not handsome when I'm not guarding Butler."

"Dating is out of the question, I'll never date in this life. If you're interested, just book a room directly."

"..."

Tang Tian's reply made his roommates break out in a cold sweat. They suddenly realized that Tang Tian was much more humorous and witty than before.

"Alright, I was just kidding. Butler wasn't shooting well tonight, so I can't get too cocky. I ran over a dozen laps on the track to keep myself grounded. Look, I'm still sweating. I need to take another shower."

Tang Tian said with a smile before heading straight into the bathroom to shower.

"Tch~"

His words immediately drew a chorus of disdain from his roommates.

"Whoa, a girl just added me on Insta! I'm finally going to end my single life!" While showering, Tang Tian heard his roommate shouting from outside.

He was speechless. Americans really had low standards, shouting loudly in the middle of the night. They wouldn't listen even if you told them to stop.

"Uh, he wants Tang's contact info..."

"Hahaha~"

"Shhh, my girlfriend is calling. Be quiet."

The only one with a girlfriend among the roommates spoke up, and the dorm became much quieter.

"Damn it!"

After about ten minutes, he came back from the balcony cursing.

"What's wrong?"

"My girlfriend wants Tang's contact info!"

"Hahaha!" A pig-slaughtering-like burst of laughter.

Tang Tian couldn't help but chuckle from inside the bathroom.

Having been a coach his entire life in his previous existence, he had never experienced what it was like to be a player. Now that he was on campus, he realized how interesting it was to be a basketball player, especially with the NCAA basketball atmosphere. It was truly a great experience.

I haven't signed a contract yet, so I'll update less. I'll update more when I get recommended, and I'll go all out when it's officially published.