Chapter 166 The Predestined Choice

"Come, Turgun, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Johnson."

The match had already ended. Although Turgun had scored an astonishing forty-seven points, Morning Glory Foreign Language School still suffered a heavy defeat by a wide margin. The opponent's overall strength was vastly superior to Turgun's team, a gap that could not be bridged by Turgun's individual ability alone.

Having lost the match, Turgun naturally wore a gloomy expression. However, since Wang Lei was the one making the introduction—even though the man was the opposing team's head coach—Turgun still offered a greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Johnson."

Having studied in high school for over two years, Turgun could manage a few simple English phrases.

"Hello, young man. Wow, I have to say, what a handsome young man! I think even if he didn't pursue a career in basketball, he could easily find a suitable job in Hollywood."

Jim Johnson was indeed very surprised by Turgun's appearance and skin tone, which were so different from those of typical Asians. Fortunately, Wang Lei had already explained Turgun's background thoroughly just moments before, so Jim Johnson did not show excessive astonishment.

Wang Lei translated Jim Johnson's praise for Turgun.

"I am a basketball player. I won't do anything else, and I have no interest in anything else."

Jim Johnson's words made Turgun feel slightly uncomfortable, so he used his native language to express his attitude.

"If you truly think that way, that's fantastic. Well then, Turgun, it was very nice to meet you. I look forward to our next meeting. Oh, one thing: you need to hurry up and learn English; communication will be crucial in the future."

Bidding farewell to the Stanford University team, Wang Lei finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, things were going quite smoothly. To begin with, the Stanford head coach was very interested in Turgun. Although they hadn't discussed details yet, Wang Lei could sense the look of discovery in the Englishman's eyes when he saw Turgun—the look of someone unearthing a rare treasure. Moreover, the Englishman seemed to harbor genuine ambition for his team's future.

Wang Lei had thought it through carefully; he did not intend to contact North American basketball powerhouse universities. For one thing, elite schools certainly never lacked so-called "talented" players. For another, prestigious universities tended to be arrogant and would hardly recognize a slender player like Turgun. Only a school like Stanford—not an elite basketball powerhouse per se, yet possessing a certain reputation—would be willing to take the "risk" of recruiting Turgun. Indeed, from the perspective of many North American university teams, Turgun currently represented a "risk," because up to this point, neither the Republic nor the entire Asian continent had produced a globally recognized star point guard.

"Don't let your mind wander. Play hard, study English diligently, and whenever you have time, try to look up information about North America."

Wrapping an arm around Turgun's shoulder, Wang Lei said to him.

"Will you go to North America? With me?"

"You already know the answer to that yourself, don't you? Learn to think for yourself, little bunny."

No matter what, Turgun held an innate reliance on Wang Lei. This dependence stemmed from trust, as well as Turgun's lack of familiarity with the outside world.

Just as Wang Lei finished comforting Turgun, his cell phone rang.

"Xiao Lei, are you in Jinling?"

The caller was Li Weihong. Her tone was worlds apart from their previous interactions; by now, Li Weihong completely approved of Wang Lei. She was determined to have him as her son-in-law.

"I am, Auntie. Is something the matter?"

"You haven't taken on any new work recently, have you? Is your position in the frontier region still on record?"

"No, Auntie. I want to wait a bit and spend more time with Meimei. Besides, given my age, the teams that want me are ones I don't care to join, and the teams I want won't have me. Haha, I can only wait for now."

"Well, it's good that you think that way. Don't rush; you're still young. Let me tell you about something: there's been some trouble over at the national youth women's basketball team. The Ministry has just investigated the matter, though it hasn't been made public yet. Their head coach, Zou Yuming, is likely to be dismissed over misconduct. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Connections truly made things easier. Once Li Weihong had accepted Wang Lei, she did her utmost to pave the way for her prospective son-in-law. This might have seemed slightly improper, but Li Weihong felt that since Wang Lei had already proven his capability, there was no harm in her putting his name forward.

Upon hearing Li Weihong's words, Wang Lei immediately grew interested. The national youth women's basketball team might seem like an inconspicuous assignment, but Wang Lei knew that if he could step into this role and achieve results, he could essentially bypass the limitations of his age. He was indeed far too young right now; no team would be bold enough to let a man under thirty serve as head coach.

The national youth women's basketball team was different. He possessed national team credentials, excellent coaching experience, and youth training expertise, making it a position perfectly suited for him. Furthermore, although Wang Lei was young, and some might question whether he was suitable to coach the youth women's team, most people certainly wouldn't think so—after all, virtually the entire country knew who Wang Lei's girlfriend was, and there was no doubt about the depth of their relationship.

"Auntie, can this matter be confirmed? If I go, are my qualifications sufficient?"

Wang Lei did not dare make bold promises to Li Weihong right away; since the matter hadn't been made public yet, there were bound to be many variables.

"It's practically confirmed. As for qualifications, you don't need to worry. The higher-ups also intend to reform domestic basketball, especially in youth training. Some of the old guard are gradually stepping down to make way for young, open-minded individuals. Besides, regardless of how you look at it, you are already part of the system; you have an advantage over others in this regard."

"Alright then. Should I return directly or wait for news?"

"It's best to hurry back as soon as possible. Meet people and get familiar with things; it will be good for you."

"Very well. I'll make arrangements here and return in a couple of days."

Hanging up the phone, Wang Lei began to ponder how to finalize Turgun's arrangements as quickly as possible. It seemed he was about to become very busy.

Over the course of a human life, virtually everyone faces countless choices, and each choice shapes their future path. Now, Wang Lei was facing yet another crossroads. The moment he put his phone down, it rang once more.

"Is this Mr. Wang Lei? We are calling from the medical center of the Yangtze Women's Volleyball Team. Well, Ma Dongmei just sustained an injury during training and is currently receiving treatment. We are notifying you first."

"Damn it!"

Wang Lei couldn't help cursing inwardly. "Notifying" him—these capitalists had absolutely no trace of humanity.

In a single instant, Wang Lei made his choice. From his perspective, this choice required no hesitation whatsoever.