Chapter 163: Easily Handled

Turgun did not harbor many grand ideas about his future. He simply wanted to play basketball, to play every single day, and it did not matter to him where that might be. He firmly believed that Wang Lei would never deceive him.

When he first met Wang Lei, Turgun had indeed felt a sense of apprehension and unease. He feared that this coach might discriminate against him just like others had, or perhaps harbor improper intentions toward his sister's beauty. Later, however, Wang Lei proved his intentions and vision through his actions, which inspired in Turgun a level of trust that defied imagination.

Accustomed to the tight and rigorous schedule of daily training and matches, Turgun felt somewhat out of place upon returning to the campus environment. Although the discriminatory gazes were gone, they were replaced by looks of awe and adolescent infatuation from his fellow classmates.

Inside the classroom, the teacher's lectures rang out loud and clear, yet Turgun sat in a daze. Flashes of his training sessions and matches continued to flicker across his mind. This was, in fact, a unique training method of his own: replaying his past performances in his mind repeatedly, comparing them with match footage he had watched and video compilations of top-tier players, identifying his own flaws, and then working to correct them in subsequent training sessions.

This method of training was not something Turgun had invented. Growing up, he had often been left to himself, and after watching various highlight reels, he would slip into immersive fantasies. Such vivid imagination is common among many children who love basketball or soccer. The difference, however, was that while most people treated these mental exercises merely as daydreams, Turgun quietly and boldly practiced them on his own.

After meeting Wang Lei, Turgun grew accustomed to drifting off into these trances. Eventually, Wang Lei noticed this habit and encouraged Turgun to focus on replaying the actual matches he had participated in, rather than just fantasizing about the performances of others.

The result was unexpected: while Turgun's physical skills did not immediately surge, his passing vision and tactical comprehension improved dramatically. This eventually evolved into Turgun's exclusive, personal training routine.

Back at school, Turgun had already begun preparations for his transfer. He was merely waiting for Wang Lei to complete the handover procedures before heading to Jinling. A brand-new life awaited him.

While Turgun looked forward to this new chapter, Wang Lei was experiencing the first "cold war" since his awakening—perhaps even the first silent treatment with a girlfriend in both of his lifetimes.

Having weathered the argument, neither Wang Lei nor Ma Dongmei continued to press the issue. Wang Lei was the first to rein in his desire to further convince his girlfriend, while also reflecting on whether he had perhaps gone a bit too far. Ma Dongmei, on the other hand, felt a lingering sense of unease. This was the first time she had ever lost her temper with Wang Lei. After the harsh words left her mouth, she was filled with regret. She could not fathom what had come over her or why she had suddenly blurted out those things without a second thought.

At just twenty-two years old, serving as the team captain, she had to navigate a daily grind consisting solely of training and matches, all while leading by example to hold the entire team together. Anyone else might have collapsed under the pressure long ago, yet Ma Dongmei persevered. Although the team's slide in the standings had not completely halted, the lingering hope of championship contention remained alive.

Aside from these pressures, Ma Dongmei constantly had to worry about Wang Lei. She was crystal clear about her feelings for him; he was the person she intended to spend the rest of her life with. Since they were bound for a lifetime together, she could not help but fuss over every detail concerning him—his health, his career, and even whether he had eaten enough each day. Despite her youth as a woman in her early twenties who could not yet see through the complexities of the world, all she knew was to understand everything she possibly could about Wang Lei.

Yet, separated by thousands of kilometers, even the smallest misunderstandings were magnified by the distance. Between matches, Ma Dongmei was constantly consumed by anxiety—worried about herself, and worried about Wang Lei.

Under the weight of pressure from all sides, a deep reservoir of resentment had long accumulated in her heart. Combined with the overly solemn tone of Wang Lei's words, the normally sweet and naive young woman had suddenly erupted.

After the argument, Wang Lei did not say anything more. The two of them simply lay down in the same bed to sleep, yet a considerable distance remained between their bodies.

When Wang Lei woke up the next morning, Ma Dongmei had already left for the training base. After pondering the matter, he decided it was best to give both sides some breathing room to cool down. As for the hidden risks of Ma Dongmei's injuries, Wang Lei currently had no ideal solution; rushing to approach the people at the Yangtze River Women's Volleyball Team privately would be counterproductive. If Ma Dongmei found out, she would undoubtedly become even angrier, and he knew the team management certainly would not grant her a rest at this critical juncture.

That being the case, Wang Lei decided to focus on handling Turgun's affairs first. As for Ma Dongmei's injury risks, he could only monitor the situation as best as he could, praying that the young woman would escape any severe harm this time.

Turgun's school transfer was not overly complicated. Once a receptive school in Jinling was secured, things on the Xinjiang side would proceed smoothly. The Xinjiang Sports Administration Center naturally wanted to keep Turgun, but Wang Lei and Turgun had already communicated with them during their time in Ürümqi. Sending Turgun directly to North America for higher-level training was a mutually acceptable solution. Moreover, since Turgun was still a student rather than a professional athlete, he did not fall under the direct management of the sports center. Allowing him to go to North America might even pave the way for the emergence of a world-class player, which would ultimately reflect well on Xinjiang. Therefore, the transfer would not face excessive obstruction on the Xinjiang front.

As for finding a school in Jinling, that was also easily resolved. Whether a public middle school or a private institution, enrolling an ordinary student might require significant effort, but welcoming a student who had just won the MVP title at the National Games Youth Basketball tournament would be met with open arms by any administration. Private schools, in particular, might even be willing to pay to have Turgun attend, given the prestige such an association would bring.

Thus, in less than two days, Wang Lei successfully settled Turgun's transfer.

The school Wang Lei chose for Turgun was a private institution. Not only did it boast the finest facilities, including professional-grade courts and training equipment, but more importantly, it had financial ties to North American investors and operated as a joint educational venture with North American high schools and universities. This would provide immense advantages for Turgun's future transition to North America.