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 also an opportunity for him.

"My name is Tang Tian. You can call me Tang or Tian, but don't call me Tian Tang. That means heaven in Chinese, and you know that isn't exactly a great word."

The moment Tang Tian spoke, the reporters below burst into laughter.

Cahoon laughed as well.

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

"Someone said during the game that you were the team's ball boy. Is that true?" a reporter pressed.

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

"I was, but Coach Cahoon recruited me to the team two months ago. I'm now an official member of the varsity squad," Tang Tian replied calmly. He had faced far too many situations like this in his previous life and handled them with ease.

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

The school website only listed scholarship players, which was an unspoken convention. There was clearly more to the reporter's question.

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

"I'm the team's secret weapon. If I'd been listed there, we might not have won tonight," Tang Tian replied with a smile.

The reporters below broke into laughter again.

That answer was full of wit.

Cahoon could not help turning to look at Tang Tian again. Why did he feel that this eighteen-year-old kid was as composed at a press conference as he was?

"Just kidding. I only joined the team recently, so it's perfectly normal that the website hasn't been updated in time," Tang Tian continued.

The answer was neither arrogant nor servile, leaving the reporters speechless.

"Coach, what was the key to the team's victory tonight?" After finishing with Tang Tian, the second reporter called on shifted his attention to Cahoon.

"Defense. Our opponent scored 39 points in the first half, but only 22 in the entire second half. Tang brought us energy on the defensive end, and we played team defense as well," Cahoon replied smoothly. He had expected the reporters to ask that question.

As soon as he finished, the reporters aimed their cameras at Tang Tian and snapped away.

Cahoon had singled out Tang Tian by name, which showed just how satisfied he was with his performance!

The reporters asked a few more questions one after another.

After they finished questioning Cahoon, they turned their attention to Walker.

"Twenty-six points, six rebounds, and 6 Assists. What allowed you to play so well tonight?"

"I knew the team needed me to score and perform on the offensive end, and that's what I've always done. I've always wanted to lead the team to victory. Whether it's tonight, tomorrow night, or any other night, it's the same for me," Walker answered seriously. This was also his attitude toward the game.

"Your performances in the previous few games were just as impressive, but the team won tonight," the reporter followed up.

"Yes, just as Coach said, our defense was very good tonight. Tang brought us energy on the defensive end, and he inspired us too. Yes, he was the key to the team victory tonight," Walker said with a smile.

Walker had mentioned Tang Tian too!

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

Camera flashes went off below once more.

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

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

The teammates had not left yet. When they saw them return, they shouted and cheered. The outgoing Napier even rushed over, jumped onto Tang Tian, and demanded a princess carry.

The locker room was filled with laughter, completely different from the grim atmosphere in the Training Facility earlier.

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

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

Over the past two months, aside from training with the team, he had been following his own method to build his stamina.

Although he now possessed the system's basketball skills, without sufficient stamina, he could not bring out their full power.

Even though there had been a game today, some extra training was still necessary.

After finishing his run, he wiped away his sweat and crossed the now-silent campus back to his dorm.

But the moment he entered, he was met with a round of piercing screams from his roommates.

"Tang, you're on the varsity team? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Tang, you looked so damn cool defending Butler! How did you do it?"

"Tang, you came back so late. Did you go on a date with some girl?"

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

Hearing that, his roommates turned around and shut the door before continuing to ask in quieter voices.

Only then did Tang Tian begin answering them.

"I couldn't even get on the court before. If you'd known I was on the varsity team, wouldn't that have been embarrassing?"

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

"Dating doesn't exist. I'll never go on a date in this life. If I'm interested, I'll just get a room directly."

"..."

Tang Tian's answers left his roommates drenched in embarrassment. They suddenly realized that Tang Tian was much more humorous today than before.

"Alright, I'm just messing with you. Butler had an off night tonight, so I can't get too full of myself. That's why I ran more than ten laps around the track to remind myself who I am. Look, I'm still sweaty. I need 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 added me on Instagram! I'm finally going to end my single life!" While he was showering, Tang Tian heard a roommate yelling outside.

Tang Tian was speechless. Americans had such poor manners. They loved yelling in the middle of the night, and they just wouldn't listen.

"Uh, she asked me for Tang's contact information..."

"Haha~"

"Shh, my girlfriend's calling. Keep it down."

The only roommate with a girlfriend spoke up, and the dorm immediately grew much quieter.

"Fuck!"

More than ten minutes later, he came back from the balcony swearing.

"What happened?"

"My girlfriend asked me for Tang's contact information!"

"Haha!" A burst of pig-slaughter-like laughter erupted.

Tang Tian could not help laughing from inside the bathroom.

He had spent his entire previous life as a coach and had never experienced what a player's life was like. Only after coming to campus did he realize how interesting it was to be a basketball player, especially with the NCAA's basketball atmosphere. It was truly a wonderful experience.

He had not signed a contract yet, so updates would be a little less frequent for now.

Once it got recommended, there would be more updates. Once it was put on the shelves, there would be a huge burst of updates.