Basketball System: Hate Makes Me Unstoppable-Chapter 402: The Choice I Never Expected.*

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

(Side Story-4, right after Han's Decision.)

Anjali sat in her Sacramento apartment, scrolling through her phone as her inbox flooded with messages.

Some were from colleagues. Others from family. A few from reporters fishing for a reaction.

But all of them revolved around one thing.

Han Sen chose the Kings.

She had always hoped. Always wished. But never—not in a million years—did she expect it to actually happen.

It had been barely a month since she suggested it.

That night, after the championship parade in Cleveland, when he had finally allowed himself to unwind, she had made her pitch. Half-joking. Half-serious.

"Come to Sacramento. Make this your team."

She remembered the way he had looked at her then. The exhaustion in his eyes, the weight of another season on his shoulders. But also something else. Something she couldn't quite place.

"I'll consider it," he had said.

At the time, she had taken it as nothing more than a polite response. A way to avoid shutting her down outright.

But now? Now he was here.

It wasn't like she hadn't seen the rumors. She knew Sacramento was on his meeting list. But so were teams like the Lakers, the Knicks, the Warriors—franchises that made far more sense for someone like him.

Yet he had chosen this.

This struggling, forgotten franchise that hadn't made the playoffs in over a decade.

And she couldn't shake the feeling that she had something to do with it.

Anjali exhaled, setting her phone down as she walked toward the window. The city stretched before her, bathed in the fading light of evening.

She wasn't naïve. She knew basketball decisions were rarely made for personal reasons. Han wasn't the type to make a career-altering move for anyone but himself. There had to be more to it—ownership equity, control, long-term business plays.

But still.

She couldn't help but feel a quiet, private kind of warmth at the idea that, maybe, just maybe, she had been a part of his decision.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

She didn't need to check. She knew who it was.

Opening it, she found Han standing there, hands in his pockets, looking at her with that same unreadable expression from that night.

"You gonna invite me in, or are we standing in the hallway all night?" he teased.

She smirked, stepping aside. "Depends. Did you come here to gloat?"

He walked in, glancing around her apartment. "What would I be gloating about?"

She crossed her arms. "That you actually did it. That you made me think my little suggestion was just a passing comment—only to turn around and blow up the league."

Han tilted his head, considering her words before meeting her gaze. "You wanted me to come to Sacramento. I'm here."

Anjali scoffed. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

He grinned. "You say that like it's new information."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the smile tugging at her lips. Because despite everything—the insanity of it all, the whirlwind that was Han Sen—there was something undeniably thrilling about this moment.

"So," she said, arms still folded, "does this mean I get to say 'I told you so'?"

Han shrugged. "You can say whatever you want. Doesn't change the fact that I'm here."

Her gaze softened for a fraction of a second before she turned away, moving toward the kitchen. "Well, if you're here, you might as well stay for dinner."

He followed, leaning against the counter as she pulled out ingredients. "You cooking?"

She shot him a look. "Who else?"

He smirked. "Good. I missed your cooking."

She paused, her hands still for just a beat too long before she went back to chopping vegetables. "Don't get used to it."

Han chuckled but didn't push further. Instead, he just stood there, watching her move through the kitchen, the unspoken weight of the moment settling between them.

Neither of them said it aloud.

But they both knew.

This wasn't just about basketball.

It never had been.

---

Translator's note:

Anjali's reaction—just as many of you requested! I went through three or four drafts for this one, and honestly, they all turned out great. Had a tough time choosing, lol.

Also, apologies for the delay and the missed updates last week—had some personal matters that kept popping up, but thankfully, they're finally sorted.

I'll be moving this Chapter right after Han's Decision in 48 hours so no one misses it. Thanks for your patience and support!