Stepping into the Past

The next morning...

"Welcome aboard, young man."

Lian Dao found himself shaking hands with a middle-aged white man extending his right hand in welcome. It was Tim Floyd, the coach of Lian Dao's college basketball team.

Lian Dao was taken aback. "How did I end up at USC? Just yesterday, I was at home in New York. And why does Tim look younger?"

Confusion filled Lian Dao's mind as he struggled to make sense of the situation.

At that moment, Lian Dao didn't realize that he would be reborn as a college student. He thought he was sleepwalking back to his alma mater, Southern California University.

"Hey, Sickle, feeling a bit overwhelmed?" Tim asked with a smile, noticing Lian Dao's subdued expression.

Tim had witnessed countless high school students' surprised reactions upon being admitted to prestigious basketball schools, assuming Lian Dao's subdued demeanor stemmed from overwhelming surprise.

"Sickle" was the English name Lian Dao had chosen for himself, derived from the Chinese word for sickle. He adopted this name upon arriving in the United States for school, finding the pronunciation of his given name difficult to accept.

Lian Dao corrected their pronunciation repeatedly, only to find it futile. The complexities of Chinese pronunciation were too much for Americans to grasp, so he adopted the name "Sickle", which mirrored the sound of his given name while also carrying its Chinese meaning.

"I... what am I... Yes, I'm a little excited!" Lian Dao began, but his words caught in his throat. A sense of unease washed over him as he realized something was amiss. Nevertheless, he continued speaking. He had intended to ask Tim how he ended up at USC, but as he spoke, he noticed his voice sounded younger and he felt lighter. Moreover, he sensed a slight reduction in height.

"And my skin is lighter too!"

"Huh? What's happening? My tan from summers in Miami is gone".

"Why am I at USC? And why do I look so young? Could it be that I've been reborn? But I shouldn't qualify for reincarnation". Lian Dao was taken aback, his mind racing as he tried to recall his memories.

Before this, Lian Dao was already a well-known basketball coach and choreographer in the United States, enjoying financial stability and a high status.

Introduced by friends after graduation, Lian Dao embarked on a career as a basketball trainer for numerous NBA stars, earning considerable renown within the industry. His training programs garnered praise from many NBA players.

Several NBA teams even offered lucrative contracts to hire Lian Dao as their exclusive basketball trainer. However, Lian Dao declined these offers because he felt that becoming an exclusive trainer would limit his freedom.

This was also directly related to Lian Dao's substantial income at the time. When both freedom and financial security were within reach, he chose not to sacrifice his freedom for additional wealth.

Ironically, Lian Dao was somewhat lazy.

Furthermore, his screenplay "Dark Night" gained favor among Hollywood directors, leading to its production and global box office success over 22 years. He was hailed by the media as a "genius screenwriter".

To avoid media attention, he had previously visited Harlem and also paid a visit to a master in New York's Chinatown, but he hadn't expected this.

Before his rebirth, Lian Dao was already established with a house, car, savings, and fame. Notably handsome, he epitomized the stereotype of tall, rich, and handsome.

Moreover, Lian Dao's parents were still alive. They had immigrated to New York, USA in 1998 and founded a company there. Later, due to business opportunities, they moved to Silicon Valley in San Francisco. In 2007, Lian Dao's father, Lian Guochang, had recognized China's rapid development and discussed with his mother, Zhao Ruoyun, deciding to relocate the company's headquarters back to China for further growth.

They had left Lian Dao alone in the United States, stating it was to foster his independence.

Ironically, Lian Dao had believed it at the time!

Before his rebirth, Lian Dao's father had wanted him to return to China to take over the family business. However, due to Lian Dao's stubborn nature, he had never agreed. This had led to several arguments between them, and there had been very little communication until Lian Dao's rebirth.

Caught between father and son, Mother Zhao Ruoyun also found herself in a dilemma. Lian Dao knew his mother had always wished for him to return to China; after all, what mother wouldn't miss her son? But before his rebirth, he had never considered things from his parents' perspective.

Reflecting on it now, his earlier insistence seemed justified. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a basketball trainer, a celebrated screenwriter, or found himself waking up in the USC basketball team's training arena.

"Sickle, what's wrong?" The coach asked with concern, noticing Lian Dao's peculiar expression.

"Uh, it's okay, coach. I'm just excited about getting to play in the NCAA soon". Lian Dao quickly waved his hand, a particularly enthusiastic expression lighting up his face. His ability to shift expressions would have impressed even the top students at the Academy of Film and Television Arts.

"Alright, son, it's good to be excited. Just remember the team meeting the day after tomorrow. I don't like guys who aren't punctual". Tim reminded him, noting the slight peculiarity in Lian Dao's demeanor. However, he attributed it to typical rookie enthusiasm for college basketball.

"Got it, coach. I'll be there on time", Lian Dao assured Tim confidently.

After saying goodbye to Coach Tim, Lian Dao made his way to the school dormitory, relying on his memory. He arrived at the dormitory door, but with it closed, he suddenly realized he didn't know where the key was. He remembered that he used to keep things like keys in his coat pocket.

He quickly put his hand in his coat pocket and felt the cold, familiar outline of the dormitory key. His habits prevented him from being locked out.

He opened the door to the two-bedroom dormitory. His roommate was DeMar DeRozan, another talented guard Coach Tim had mentioned. However, at this time, DeRozan had not yet arrived to report to the school, so he would likely come later.

Because DeRozan had mild depression, he seemed to have a reserved personality and didn't communicate much with others. However, his performance on the court was a stark contrast to his quiet demeanor off the court. DeRozan idolized Kobe Bryant, and his playing style reflected that admiration. He had an excellent mid-range shot and always embraced challenges.

Although he appeared reserved, once you got to know him, you would find that beneath his cold exterior lay a warm heart; he just needed the right spark to melt his icy shell.

Later, Kyle Lowry of the Raptors became that spark. Fans affectionately called them the "garbage brothers," and during that time, DeRozan had the most smiles on his face.

DeRozan highly valued loyalty and had stayed with Toronto for ten years. However, he never expected the team to use his loyalty as a bargaining chip.

After entering the room, Lian Dao hurried to the bathroom to splash water on his face.

Unfortunately, after washing his face, Lian Dao did not return to his mansion in New York.

Instead, he found himself still in the USC dormitory. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he noticed that aside from his fairer skin, he still looked handsome but less mature. His features were still sharp and angular, but they revealed the immaturity of youth. Lian Dao supported the edge of the sink with his hands, staring at his reflection.

"Click."

The sound of keys opening the door interrupted Lian Dao's self-reflection.

He turned his head and walked out to see DeRozan opening the door and dragging his box into the dormitory.

"Hey, it's you, Sickle. Why are you here? Did you also choose USC?" DeRozan seemed surprised to see Lian Dao, his normally reserved demeanor momentarily giving way to a hint of enthusiasm.

"Yes, DeMar, we meet again! We'll be teammates from now on!" Lian Dao said, grasping DeRozan's outstretched hand. The two bumped shoulders in a familiar gesture.

Lian Dao had met DeRozan in high school when DeRozan was attending Compton High School. Although he didn't develop into a big muscle-bound player like some in the NBA, in high school, DeRozan was considered quite formidable among his peers.

As a senior, DeRozan averaged 29.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3 steals per game, earning the MVP of the Moore League and the McDonald's slam dunk champion title. He was quite famous among American high school students.

Since Compton High School and Whitney High School, where Lian Dao studied, were both in California, the two teams often played against each other. However, Whitney High School, Lian Dao's team, usually ended up on the losing side.

Despite this, Lian Dao's impressive three-point shooting left a lasting impression on DeRozan.