The longest river

Chapter 42 Repayment
Given the vast difference in conditions and the dramatic change in attitude, Yang Shuai had no chance of signing with Adidas.

As Vaccaro emerged from Adidas headquarters, his eyes were filled with nothing but anger.

"I will leave here," he confided to Yang Shuai.

He was a big shot in the basketball world. It was already questionable for an American to fight so hard for a German, so this ending was extremely ironic.

"Can I know why they changed their minds?" Fraser couldn't help but ask.

"What else could it be? It's nothing more than concerns about the health of Asian players, since no Asian player has ever succeeded before." Vaccaro's tone was full of sarcasm.

Of course, it's also clear that this isn't a new reason.

This is also what angered Vaccaro: if the headquarters didn't think highly of Yang Shuai from the beginning because of these concerns, why did they agree to his previous proposal?

This feeling of being betrayed was something he simply couldn't accept.

"Anyway, Sonny, thank you." Yang Shuai reached out to thank Vaccaro.

Although the final outcome was very different from what was expected, what Vaccaro did for him was real.

Vaccaro nodded, then said goodbye to Yang Shuai and the others.

It's clear that he's in an extremely bad mood right now.

After returning from Adidas headquarters, Fraser quickly arranged another meeting with Reebok representatives.

The two parties quickly finalized a five-year, 11 million contract.

Yang Shuai finally received the $100 million check that had once tempted him so much.

He deposited the check in the bank the next day and then withdrew $100,000 in cash.

Yang Shuai finished training earlier than usual that day, and then went with Rondo to buy a lot of delicious food and rode their bikes home together.

"What day is it today?" Rondo was unaware of what Yang Shuai had gone through.

"You'll find out soon enough." Yang Shuai hadn't told Rondo beforehand, so he was keeping him in suspense.

Lin Xiulan returned home later than usual, her face showing signs of exhaustion.

She took on an extra job compared to usual and was also responsible for the family's meals, which made her look noticeably haggard.

She was a little surprised to see Yang Shuai and Rondo return earlier than usual, but she immediately said, "You guys play for a while, I'll cook something right away."

After saying that, she skillfully picked up her apron and prepared to enter the kitchen.

"Aunt Lin, you don't need to burn any more fuel today," Yang Shuai quickly called out to her.

“Yes, Mom, Yang bought a lot of delicious food today.” Rondo pointed to the dining table.

Lin Xiulan turned around and discovered that there were many unopened foods on it, including pizza, pasta, and even steak and fruit.

She was initially delighted, but then became worried, given the family's current financial situation.

"Aunt Lin, I bought all of these with my own money," Yang Shuai said, noticing Lin Xiulan's worry.

"You don't need to spend your money on these things; you should spend it on something useful." Lin Xiulan knew, of course, that Yang Shuai was spending her money, but Yang Shuai had no income yet, so every penny he spent was a penny less.

Just then, Robert returned.

Upon seeing this, Yang Shuai took out a handbag from the pile of food and placed it in front of everyone, then unzipped it.

When the colorful array of colors appeared before their eyes, Lin Xiulan and Robert were stunned, and even Rondo's eyes widened.

Inside were stacks of US dollars!
Robert quickly turned around and closed the door.

"Did you rob a bank?" the man, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask.

Yang Shuai was speechless. Although Robert Rondo was a hardworking black man, it seemed that black Americans believed that the only way to make money quickly was through free shopping.

"I've signed an endorsement contract with Reebok," Yang Shuai said, glancing at Lin Xiulan.
"Aunt Lin, I have to thank you for those Reebok sneakers you gave me back then, which made them notice me."

Lin Xiulan looked delighted. Of course, she knew that Yang Shuai was just saying nice things. If buying a pair of sneakers could secure an endorsement contract, Reebok would have gone bankrupt long ago. She was happy for Yang Shuai.

"You should deposit this money in the bank; it's not safe to keep it here," she immediately reminded him, as if remembering something.

“No, these are for you, Aunt Lin.” Yang Shuai shook his head.

Lin Xiulan and Robert were completely dumbfounded.

This bag of money might contain over a hundred thousand US dollars; they've never seen so much cash in their lives.

"Aunt Lin, this is to thank you for taking care of me over the past two years. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Yang Shuai could have given more, but more money isn't always better; people can easily lose their composure after becoming rich overnight.

One hundred thousand is just right. It can greatly alleviate the family's current financial difficulties without giving people the feeling that they can just lie down and enjoy themselves without doing anything.

Moreover, Yang Shuai didn't mean that giving the money this once would mean severing all ties with Rondo's family.

For him, the Rondo family is his family.

"This is too much." Lin Xiulan knew, of course, that Yang Shuai had always wanted to repay them, but this was too much for them.

"Aunt Lin, if you don't accept it, it means you don't consider me a member of the family." Yang Shuai also used his trump card.

Lin Xiulan looked quite troubled.

"Aunt Lin, I'll make it to the NBA and earn even more money in the future. This is really nothing." Yang Shuai had already said all this, and Lin Xiulan knew that there was no point in saying anything more.

She told Rondo not to mention this to outsiders, then grabbed her bag and some other odds and ends and went to the bank with Robert to deposit the money.

This is a Black community; if this much money were discovered, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Because they were too busy, Alex and Aria had already been sent to their grandparents' house, which saved them the trouble.

After all, children's mouths are the most prone to leaking.

Yang Shuai didn't think that much about it; he just felt that so much money could give Rondo's family the most direct sense of security.

If he had known it would be like this, he should have used a check, saving them the trouble of making this trip.

"Yang, are you going to be a big star in the future?"

That night, Rondo had trouble sleeping. Although he knew that Yang Shuai would make it to the NBA, seeing so much money for the first time still had a strong impact on his young mind.

“Then you’re the big star’s assistant.” Yang Shuai’s words successfully amused Rondo.

"I've said it before, if I ever make it to the NBA, I'll take you with me. You, Aunt Lin, Alex and Aria, you're all my family now."

Yang Shuai's words gradually calmed Rondo down. Lin Xiulan didn't adopt Yang Shuai because she thought he had a bright future; she simply thought he was a good kid.

Now it seems she was absolutely right.

After Rondo fell asleep, Yang Shuai logged into the system and started browsing.

Name: Yang Shuai

Height: 198cm
Weight: 90 kg
Arm span: 214cm
Control: 60 (60); Passing: 55 (55);
扣篮：73（73）；上篮：66（66）；近距离：62（62）；中距离：60（63）；罚球：66（66）；三分：74（74）

防守：59（59）；盖帽：69（69）；抢断：54（54）；篮板：69（69）；造犯规：50（50）

Second-level interface ①

Score: 21458
His current abilities are outstanding among high school students, especially his dunks and three-pointers, which would make him a worthy candidate even in the NBA.

But the NBA is a place where talents gather, and if he really wants to become the big star that Rondo talks about, he still has a long way to go.

However, since he has chosen to skip university, there is no turning back.

Moreover, these are just the visible abilities; skills and basketball IQ are invisible, which is why he was able to compete with Jordan and Pippen and go toe-to-toe with Jim Jackson.

The news of Yang Shuai signing with Reebok has caused a huge shock to the outside world.

It's unbelievable that an Asian player who hasn't even played a single NBA game has signed such a top-tier sneaker contract.

Amid the shock, some media figures even began to jokingly call Reebok "foolish and rich."

"I'm not saying they'll definitely lose that money, but the probability is 99 percent," NBC commentator Marv Ebert concluded when commentating on the Knicks vs. Cavaliers playoff series.

This is also the mainstream opinion. The signing of this contract brought Yang Shuai a considerable income, but it also brought a lot of criticism.

However, this is not entirely a bad thing, because it also brought him attention from the NBA.

Compared to the NCAA, the NBA doesn't focus on high school students, so Yang Shuai is still unfamiliar to them.

It's mid-May, and while the NBA playoffs are still ongoing, tryouts have already begun.

It was around this time that Fraser took Yang Shuai to Chicago.

They weren't there to watch the Bulls' playoff games, of course; the combine was being held there.

In those days, joint trials were small-scale and targeted college players; high school players like Yang Shuai were not invited.

However, since Fraser brought Yang Shuai here, he must have his own plans.

Near the end of the joint tryouts, Fraser held a presentation similar to Pro.day at a stadium in Chicago.

The main focus of this presentation was Yang Shuai alone, and there weren't many audience members, but each of them was an NBA executive.

For example, Pat Riley, who just became president and head coach of the Heat; Ernie Grunfeld, who just succeeded Pat Riley as general manager of the Knicks; and Kevin McHale, who served as vice president of operations for the Timberwolves under Sanders, etc.

Yang Shuai took a long breath when he came on the court.

He witnessed Fraser's connections and realized the crucial importance of this trial.

-Dividing line-

①: Defense: Single defense 55 (55); Help defense 64 (64)

Rebounds: Offensive rebounds 68 (68); Defensive rebounds 70 (70)

Drawing fouls: 52 offensive fouls (52); 48 defensive fouls (48)

Dunking: Standing dunk 74 (74); Sprint dunk 76 (76); Confrontation dunk 70 (70)

Layup: Standing layup 64 (64); Breakaway layup 68 (68)

Close range: Throw 63 (63); Hook shot 61 (61); Lap-up 61 (61)

Mid-range: 66 (66) open shots; 63 (63) catch-and-shoot shots; 55 (60) shots under pressure.

Three-pointers: Open shots 78 (78); Catch-and-shoot shots 76 (76); Uncontested shots 74 (74); Long-range three-pointers 68 (68)

(End of this chapter)