Chapter 1

Thunder rumbled, and a heavy rain began to pour, as if the sky was draped with a series of beaded curtains. The night view of New York in the rain was incredibly enchanting.

Soaked to the skin, Yang Rui hurriedly ran into an old apartment building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. After trying several keys, he opened the door to the fourth-floor apartment and stared blankly at everything in front of him.

This was a tiny room, no more than 8 square meters, with a two-tier iron bunk bed. One had to be careful when getting out of the top bunk, as it was easy to hit one's head on the ceiling. The bottom bunk was now used as a desk, neatly arranged with some books and clothes.

Next to it was an old desk, on which there was only a toaster, a pot, a few small plates, a bowl, two pairs of chopsticks, and a spoon.

Miraculously, the apartment had a bathroom. When sitting on the toilet, one's knees could touch the door. It was so small that once you moved in, you would never gain weight again.

Shivering, Yang Rui changed into dry clothes, wrapped himself in a blanket, and muttered to himself, "I almost froze to death out there... Have I been reborn?"

He walked to the door, where a small mirror hung. In the mirror, he saw a stranger's face.

He stared at it for a while, then accepted the reality with a mix of surprise and joy.

In his previous life, Yang Rui was 33 years old, a college graduate in computer science. He was a member of the school basketball team during his college years, which made him particularly knowledgeable about basketball and sports news. After graduation, he was hired by a large sports website as an administrator, responsible for updating the NBA section, including player statistics, team salaries, performance rankings, and various honors.

He did an excellent job and quickly became a white-collar worker at the sports website, with a high salary and a relatively easy job. He worked there for twelve years, but in the blink of an eye, he found himself in June 1997, in New York, in the body of a drunk man, awakened by the rain.

He had no idea how he had ended up here. It was broad daylight, and there had been no accident.

His last memory was very clear. He was sitting in his office as usual in the afternoon, and his newly bought Samsung "never explode" phone had just been fully charged. He called a friend to make plans for dinner that evening... and suddenly, he was in America.

Memories flashed through his mind, and he found his way home by merging with the memories of the person he had become.

This person was named Jerry Yang, a 23-year-old Chinese American. His name was given by the orphanage director because he loved watching the cartoon "Tom and Jerry" as a child and would laugh heartily whenever Jerry appeared.

At the age of 8, Jerry was adopted by a Chinese American man surnamed Yang. When Jerry was 17, his adoptive father passed away due to illness, leaving little inheritance. Jerry had to work hard with his childhood best friend, Thomas Bentley, to make ends meet.

The memories played like a movie, one scene after another, and Yang Rui gradually became excited.

He was not only ten years younger, but Jerry had also attended a five-star training camp and obtained a basketball coaching certification this year, qualifying him to apply for coaching positions at various levels of the league.

Unfortunately, after four months of effort, running to hundreds of schools across the country, Jerry had not succeeded in getting a job, whether as a head coach or an assistant.

Reality was harsh. Most schools did not even give him a chance, and the responsible persons treated him like a beggar, dismissing him outright.

After exhausting his savings and feeling mentally drained, Jerry returned to New York. Last night, he was invited to a party in the industry, where he was disheartened to find that all his peers from the training camp had found jobs, regardless of their quality.

At the party, Jerry heard many harsh "concerns."

"Don't rush, you need to rest. How can you make a good impression with dark circles under your eyes?"

"You won't succeed dressed like that. People might think you're applying for a janitor's job. Listen to me, buy some good clothes, and then try again."

"Weren't you doing well at the restaurant? Why did you take a coaching course? I told you, you can't succeed without focus."

"Jerry, I'm just being honest. Give up on your dream. You can't be a basketball coach."

As an observer, Yang Rui was furious. Was this encouragement? This was blatant discrimination.

In the future, with the internet, many dark aspects of society would be exposed, and America was far from a paradise.

Jerry's coaching fundamentals were solid, and he had no problem arranging player training or setting up offensive and defensive tactics. The reason he couldn't even get a job as a junior high school team coach was racial discrimination.

Look at how American cities were divided into residential areas. Besides economic status, they were also divided by race, ethnicity, and ancestry.

"Chinatown," "Puerto Rican District," "Italian District," "Black District," "Latin District," and so on... Each district had its own system, with distinct architectural styles, welfare organizations, and even their own criminal gangs.

Job discrimination was even more evident. A typical example was the U.S. legal system's refusal to recognize many third-world countries' academic credentials. As a result, many doctors and technical professionals from other countries found it difficult to find jobs in the U.S. and had to switch careers, taking on simple manual labor and auxiliary roles.

In the U.S., the most discriminated against were Black and Asian people, followed by Latin Americans. It seemed that the degree of discrimination was proportional to the darkness of their skin, making it extremely difficult to find a prestigious job.

Yang Rui was very unhappy receiving these memories. If it were him, he would have fought back and not given these classmates any respect.

Jerry, however, chose to endure. He drank a lot of闷酒, left the party drunk, walked a long distance, and finally fell asleep on a lounge chair by the roadside.

Jerry was not a fragile person. On the contrary, his perseverance was astonishing, which is why he managed to obtain the coveted certification. However, facing repeated rejections in job interviews, even the strongest nerves could not withstand the pressure.

The person who most stimulated him was actually his best friend, Thomas.

Thomas was outstanding, a top student from a young age. During his four years at the prestigious Columbia University, he consistently won first-class scholarships. Moreover, he invested his time, energy, and attention in paid work, never missing an opportunity to earn money.

Compared to his best friend, Jerry seemed like a failure.

This year, Thomas graduated from Columbia University and interned at a company in Los Angeles, while Jerry had only $8 left in his pocket, and even the rent for this tiny apartment was paid by Thomas.

Jerry owed Thomas a lot. He had missed Thomas's graduation ceremony because he was out looking for a job and did not witness his friend receiving his bachelor's cap from Columbia University.

Yang Rui took a deep breath, carefully took out the precious certificate from the drawer of the old desk, and examined it repeatedly. His frown gradually eased, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Poor guy, I will continue your life, and I will help you achieve your dreams!"

Yang Rui was very willing to become a basketball coach. Making money was secondary; the important thing was the prestige and the connection to his previous job, proving that his past life was not in vain.

Starting from scratch? No problem. He came from the future and knew many major events, including future NBA data. His insight was unmatched. No one wanted him at the schools, but there were opportunities nearby. Jerry had not even tried applying to NBA teams yet.

If Yang Rui were involved in team recruitment, he could assemble a team of potential stars. Given a chance to coach, he would definitely become a qualified coach.

No, he would become the best basketball coach!

PS