Chapter 159: Rewards and Rewards

Do not go away, dear viewers. After a brief intermission, we will continue our live broadcast of the awarding ceremony for the National Games Youth Basketball Tournament. Following the ceremony, this station will live-stream the Women's Senior Basketball Finals right here at eight o'clock this evening. We warmly welcome your continued viewing.

After the match, the arena was rather noisy. A portion of the spectators had already begun to leave, while some supporters of the Frontier Youth Team remained in their seats, eagerly awaiting the upcoming awards ceremony.

On the court, the players of the North American Youth Team had already retreated to the locker room. Reluctant as they were, they still had to return for the presentation.

Gao Ming had not received a definitive reply from Wang Lei, but he had already made up his mind. He knew that his subsequent actions might draw ridicule from many, but in truth, Gao Ming cared little for such opinions. In his eyes, a comprehensive data analysis report was perhaps far more important than a front-page headline.

Having made his decision, Gao Ming embraced Wang Lei and did not forget to seek out Turgun for a brief chat. Regarding this genuine prodigy, while Gao Ming envied Wang Lei's good fortune, he also harbored greater expectations for his own future path.

The players of the Frontier Youth Team were still celebrating on the court. This was the first major achievement of their lives, and every single one of them had sacrificed immensely for it; now, they could give free rein to their overflowing excitement.

Hawuler ran to the edge of the stands, taking his six-year-old sister from the arms of his parents who had traveled from afar to watch the game. Though the little girl did not yet fully grasp the rules of basketball, she was immensely happy that her older brother had won first place. Hawuler's parents, meanwhile, were already shedding tears of joy; though they possessed considerable wealth, it paled entirely in comparison to the success their son had attained.

Security guards maintaining order by the courtside saw a Frontier Youth Team player carrying a child down from the stands. One young and inexperienced guard wanted to step in and stop them, but an older, more sensible colleague immediately held him back. After all, these were the champions, and besides, a little girl could hardly cause any trouble.

Seeing Hawuler approach with a remarkably pretty little girl in his arms, the players of the Frontier Youth Team were slightly stunned.

"Damn it, Hawuler, don't tell me this is your daughter."

Cai Haihong, who usually enjoyed sparring verbally with Hawuler the most, said with mild astonishment.

"Stop talking nonsense, this is my sister. Come on, Aynur, say hello to your big brothers."

Six-year-old Aynur showed not a shred of stage fright. Having been trained by her parents in dance from a young age, she had already performed on stages in grand auditoriums holding ten thousand people.

"Hello, big brothers. I am Aynur, and I congratulate you on winning first place."

The lovely little girl made the sweating young men present feel instantly bashful.

"Oh my, Hawuler, I never expected your sister to be so pretty and cute."

"Hello, Aynur. Now that your big brothers have won first place, what reward do you have for us?"

Wang Lei could not resist teasing the little girl in Hawuler's arms.

"Hello, Coach Uncle. My big brother often says you are amazing. How about Aynur dances for you all, okay?"

To Wang Lei's surprise, the little girl was entirely devoid of shyness.

Shortly after, amidst the ring of remaining spectators, the adorable Aynur performed a dance to the music playing from Xue Yongjiang's mobile phone. The beautiful and charming Aynur even caught the attention of the television cameras, and this unique celebration by the Frontier Youth Team gave the audience before their screens a profound sense of novelty.

Following the lively commotion, everyone returned to the locker room. Waiting for them inside were the head of Qilin Films, the sponsor of the Frontier Youth Team, and the leaders of the Frontier Sports Delegation participating in the National Games.

Ying Guoxiong, the head of Qilin Films, had never imagined that his original, casual venture would yield such magnificent results. Setting aside the tremendous financial returns brought by the blockbuster success of *Goodbye, Mr. Loser*, today's championship victory by the Frontier Youth Team brought considerable glory to him as their sponsor. Moreover, he knew that in the wake of this triumph, many members of the team were destined for prosperous futures; investing in these individuals early on was, in Ying Guoxiong's view, a completely risk-free endeavor.

The leaders of the Frontier Sports Delegation were equally ecstatic over Wang Lei's championship run. The delegation had performed poorly overall in these National Games, and upon returning home, the leadership would undoubtedly face severe criticism. However, this youth basketball tournament championship alone was more than enough to justify everything to their superiors.

Since he had decided to invest in the future, Ying Guoxiong proved remarkably generous. As soon as Wang Lei and the players entered the locker room, he directly had a million-yuan cash reward brought in. The neatly stacked bundles of cash resting inside the security briefcases brought broad grins to the faces of the Frontier Youth Team players. Having fought hard for a full year—previously receiving at most a modest stipend—this one million-yuan cash reward was critically important to several of them. To say nothing else, it provided a concrete explanation to their families who had once opposed their joining the team.

Stimulated by Qilin Films' chief Ying Guoxiong, the leaders of the Frontier Sports Delegation immediately announced that upon returning to Wrumqi, the provincial government would likewise bestow substantial rewards.

"Thank you, President Ying and esteemed leaders, for your care and concern. Securing this championship is the result of our collective effort. We hope to receive even greater support in the future, and we will repay your generous affection with even better performances."

Though Wang Lei spoke these words, he was well aware that once the National Games concluded, this team would likely disband. Already, numerous professional clubs had begun approaching his players, and naturally, he himself had garnered significant attention.

Concluding the celebrations in the locker room and changing into their championship jerseys, the players of the Frontier Youth Team returned to the court. The awards podium had already been erected, awaiting the arrival of the champions.

The North American Youth Team, which finished second, and the Capital Youth Team, which took third, had also arrived on the court. Reluctant as they might have felt, participation in the awards ceremony was mandatory.

Standing on the sidelines, Wang Lei watched as his players bounded one by one onto the podium, accepting their gold medals from Song Wenyuan, a former legendary player of the Republic and current president of the Chinese Basketball Association. His heart was filled with gratification, alongside the deep satisfaction of self-validation—an intoxicating sensation.

Just as Wang Lei remained immersed in his sense of accomplishment, the players of the Frontier Youth Team collectively hoisted him up onto the podium. Typically, coaches did not ascend the stage during awards ceremonies of such major tournaments, but the players insisted on carrying Wang Lei up.

"Young man, well done. Keep pushing forward, and the future belongs to you all."

Now past fifty years of age, Song Wenyuan did not stop the players' antics; instead, he personally handed the championship trophy directly to Wang Lei. This trophy was a novel innovation for these National Games: a gold trophy was crafted for every team-sport champion, rotating with each successive Games, and the names of the winning teams would be engraved upon it permanently.

"Thank you, President Song. I believe I can keep walking down this path."