Chapter 37: Refusal

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it," Sun Zhihao said with a grin. "Bayi is just a child, after all. You can't stop him from speaking, can you? Are you going to gag him? That doesn't make sense. Why don't you ask the production team if they'd do something like that?"

"Referee Chen Yang, what do you think?" Lin Shaohua turned to Chen.

"Me?" Chen Yang spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "I can't make that call. I didn't set the rules. Why not ask the director? Director Wu?"

Since this was a collective activity for all the fathers and children, the chief director, Wu Zhankui, was also on-site supervising. Hearing Chen Yang pass the buck, he had no choice but to step forward.

After silently marveling at Xiao Yao’s monstrous talent for the Nth time, Wu Zhankui decided to stick to the original program settings. He took a laissez-faire attitude toward the suddenly emerged coach, Xiao Yao. However, to appease the team led by Zhao Tao, he agreed that they could also choose one person as their team coach for sideline guidance. As for the candidates, they could choose their own children or even staff members from the production crew.

Choosing a child was naturally a joke; among the three children, Zhao Rui, the oldest, barely understood what a travel violation was. As for the staff, no one stepped forward—nobody wanted to stand next to a five or six-year-old child and be compared to him.

Forced to accept reality, Zhao Tao’s team saw their morale drop significantly once the match resumed. The final result was, naturally, a 5-2 victory for Xiao Siqi’s team, coached from the sidelines by Xiao Yao.

As soon as the match ended, Chen Yang didn't care about anything else and immediately approached Xiao Siqi. "Brother Qi, does your son attend a specialized basketball school? It's rare to see a kid his age with this level of skill." Although he hadn't seen Xiao Yao dribble or shoot, the sheer number of basketball terms he had shouted and his grasp of tactics were astonishing for a child of his age.

"Ha," Xiao Siqi felt a surge of pride at the affectionate address and replied, "Our Bayi has never been to any basketball school."

"You don't say?" Chen Yang was skeptical. "Judging by what he was calling out, even young players of his age in professional schools might not understand that much. He used them fluently to command your game. If he hasn't studied basketball, how does he know so much?"

"Probably from watching TV, or maybe someone on a film set taught him. He spent the last six months tagging along with my father on various sets and picked up a lot of skills. Maybe someone on one of those sets plays basketball during breaks, and he happened to catch them and learned a few things. In any case, he’s definitely never been to a basketball school."

"Watching TV? Taught by someone on set? That's impossible. Neither of those situations could produce a child with this level of skill," Chen Yang said, looking unconvinced.

Xiao Siqi laughed. "My son is a genius. He learns very quickly and has a sharp mind." With that, he beckoned Xiao Yao over and asked with a smile, "Bayi, you really know your basketball. Who taught you?"

Xiao Yao didn't know exactly what Chen Yang and Xiao Siqi had discussed, but he guessed it had to do with his performance. Seeing that the question was indeed about basketball, he immediately replied, "I learned from watching TV. Basketball games have commentators, and they explain things very clearly. I just understood it after listening enough."

"How many games have you watched?" Chen Yang interjected.

Xiao Yao tilted his head and thought. "I've watched five or six matches of the Chinese Basketball League and about a dozen from the American NBA."

"Less than thirty games, and you understand this much just from listening to the commentary?"

Xiao Yao shook his head and smiled. "My dad said I'm a genius."

Chen Yang wanted to say more, but Chen Lei had already gathered everyone to announce the results and the rewards and punishments. Since Xiao Siqi and Sun Zhihao’s team had won both games, they were the victors. The penalty for the losing side—Zhao Tao, Lin Shaohua, and Zhou Lixing—was to be responsible for everyone's dinner, while Xiao Siqi and Sun Zhihao could sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.

However, since the production team didn't forbid Sun Zhihao and Xiao Siqi from helping out, this penalty was essentially a formality. As a "little chef" whose reputation had spread throughout the crew, Sun Zhihao couldn't just stand by. And Xiao Siqi, who didn't know how to cook and was used to teaming up, naturally offered to help with prep work like washing and chopping.

Chen Lei announced the dismissal, and the fathers took their children home to wash up and change, with plans to gather at the winery at 5:00 PM to cook.

The fathers divided the tasks: Xiao Siqi, Zhou Lixing, and Lin Shaohua handled the initial washing and chopping, while the two older fathers chatted with Chen Yang in the hall. Once the prep work was done, Sun Zhihao and Zhao Tao went into the kitchen to cook, while the other three took over keeping Chen Yang company. Chen Yang had wanted to help in the kitchen, but the fathers wouldn't let him, jokingly shooing him out by claiming he was too tall for the cramped kitchen space.

As the fathers took turns in the kitchen and chatting with Chen Yang, the children gathered to play on their own. What were they playing? They were playing with mud, which the children loved. Zhou Lixing, who was staying at the pottery studio, had thoughtfully asked the owner for several large chunks of clay to bring to the winery for the kids. He told them that if any of them could mold the clay into a shape, the owner would fire it for them for free.

Sports and art are related; Chen Yang didn't find the conversation with the fathers boring at all. However, when chatting with Zhao Tao and Sun Zhihao, he mostly asked about anecdotes from the film industry. Once they entered the kitchen and the younger fathers—Zhou Lixing, Lin Shaohua, and Xiao Siqi—came out, Chen Yang immediately approached Xiao Siqi to talk about Xiao Yao.

"Brother Qi," Chen Yang said enthusiastically, "can I discuss something with you?"

"Oh?" Xiao Siqi was a bit flattered. "What is it?"

"It's like this," Chen Yang said, organizing his thoughts. "You said Bayi hasn't been to a basketball school. I was wondering if you had any intention of having him pursue basketball."

"Huh?" Xiao Siqi was stunned for a moment.

Chen Yang continued, "I think your Bayi has a lot of talent for basketball. I've never seen a child his age with such an understanding of the game. If you’ve ever considered letting him become a professional player, I could introduce him to my master's basketball school."

Chen Yang’s master, Chen Ping, was the former head coach of the CBA powerhouse Donghai team. Chen Yang had been scouted from the Donghai team after his outstanding performance led to his selection in the NBA draft. Currently, Chen Ping had retired from his coaching position and opened a basketball school. Because he had produced a world-class basketball star like Chen Yang, his school never lacked applicants; instead, they selected the best seeds from tens of thousands of hopefuls every year. It wasn't easy for an ordinary person to get in. Now, with Chen Yang, his prize pupil, making the offer, enrollment would be no problem at all if Xiao Siqi and Xiao Yao were willing.

"The child is still so young; isn't it too early to decide?" Xiao Siqi said with a wry smile. "I'm not bragging, but Bayi is indeed very smart. He learns everything quickly. I teach him instruments, his grandfather teaches him calligraphy, and a friend of his grandfather's teaches him martial arts—he's doing very well in all of them. Lately, he's been running around film sets with his grandfather and seems to have picked up a bunch of odd skills; he can even do carpentry now. I want him to pursue music, and his grandfather wants him to act. He’s mentioned these things to him, but he doesn’t seem to have decided what he wants to do, just dabbling in everything. Since he’s still young, I’ve been letting him be. Even if I wanted to decide for him, he might not follow the path I plan. Don't let his age fool you—he has his own mind."

"For all those things you mentioned, he at least has someone teaching him. But for basketball, he said he learned it all from watching TV. That's why I feel his potential in basketball is the greatest. I really suggest you give it a try," Chen Yang persisted, not giving up.

"Haha, alright then," Xiao Siqi said with a nod.

Just as Chen Yang was about to feel happy, Xiao Siqi added, "I'll call him over and ask. If he wants to go, I'll send him. If he doesn't, I can't force him, can I? We respect our child's wishes."

"The child is so young; are you really going to let him decide his own future?" Chen Yang felt a bit uncertain.

"Our child is special," Xiao Siqi smiled and waved at Xiao Yao. "Bayi, come here for a second."

"Oh," Xiao Yao walked over, his hands covered in mud. "What's up?"

"Bayi, do you like basketball?" Chen Yang asked, jumping in.

"I do," Xiao Yao nodded. In his previous life, Li Hao had been quite interested in sports, with soccer, basketball, and tennis being his favorites. Among the three, basketball was the only one he could play well. So, if he had to pick one, it would indeed be basketball.

"Then do you want to be a professional basketball player when you grow up?" Chen Yang coaxed. "Like your uncle here—go to America to play, and maybe even join the national team?"

"You think everyone can become you?" Xiao Siqi rolled his eyes in frustration, silently complaining to himself, but he refrained from interrupting Chen Yang.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yao looked confused. "You want to teach me basketball? You're a player, not a coach, and you're still a long way from retirement. Do you even have the time?"

"Sigh." Chen Yang offered a bitter smile. This child was indeed different. Any other kid would have happily said yes; who would even think about the logistics of being a player or a coach? Chen Yang decided to get straight to the point. "I want your father to send you to my master's basketball school. If you learn well, when you grow up, I can recommend you to play in America. How does that sound?"

"It doesn't sound like much," Xiao Yao rejected it directly. If the Li Hao of his previous life had been given the chance to enter a prestigious basketball academy, he might have been tempted. But now, with his current intellect and resources, his future held infinite possibilities. He also knew what sports schools were like—it was the same for basketball academies: endless, repetitive, boring training. Why would he throw himself into a place where he’d be stuck in monotonous drills day in and day out?

"What? Why? Don't you like basketball?" Chen Yang asked.

"I like basketball as a hobby; it's fun to play casually. I couldn't stand the boring, repetitive training. There are so many fun things in the world; I don't want to tie myself down to just basketball," Xiao Yao said honestly.