Basketball miracles

Chapter 43 [No one believes the truth]

Xiao Tu's confident demeanor made Madonna laugh so hard she bent over. "Hehehe, I'd like to find another place to chat with you. Are you free today?"

"Of course, I'll go change my clothes first." Xiao Tu went into the bedroom and quickly came out, having changed into jeans and a casual jacket.

Their clothing styles are somewhat similar; they usually dress comfortably with a slightly rebellious edge. Madonna currently favors ripped jeans, creating a trendy look.

The two set off immediately. After going downstairs, Xiao Tu got into Madonna's 1980 blue Porsche 911. It was a bit cramped for him, but fortunately, he was able to adjust the seat.

Xiao Tu didn't see anything wrong with Madonna being his driver, but it seemed like he had forgotten something.

Madonna asked, "Is there anything else?"

Xiao Tu couldn't remember what it was and shook his head. "It's nothing, where are we going?"

"Just come with me."

(Chris: "I didn't get on the bus. I didn't get on the bus.")
Madonna had completely forgotten about Chris, including his name. She wouldn't remember him unless Xiao Tu mentioned Eastwood.

Even if Xiao Tu remembered, he would never bring Chris along as a third wheel.

Chris sat on his sofa at home and sighed, completely losing confidence in his appearance. He held no attraction for Madonna, while Xiao Tu could easily seduce the music superstar with just a few words.

So what if you're handsome? Does being handsome mean you can do whatever you want?
The good news is that he may soon have two superstar friends, which is something to be very proud of.

The two first went to a Western restaurant that Madonna frequented, ordered a table full of dishes, and chatted over lunch. Madonna found it amusing just watching Xiao Tu eat, and chuckled to herself.

"Do all athletes eat this much? Do you usually eat this much too?"

"Pretty much. If players don't eat enough, it will affect their performance. Basketball games are very demanding." Xiao Tu ate a piece of pork leg and gestured with his hand: "I can eat six Big Macs."

Madonna's mouth formed an "O" shape, completely bewildered. She used to hang out with people in the music industry, some of whom were shorter than her at 162cm and barely ate.

Xiao Tu was referring to the average appetite of NBA players, and it wasn't an exaggeration. Let alone a power forward like him, many guards eat a lot.

The 216cm tall Shaquille O'Neal is the most outrageous, boasting the largest appetite in the NBA. He participated in a competitive eating contest, devouring 36 hot dogs in 5 minutes, defeating a professional competitive eater who ate 35.

Madonna asked, "Why are you sharing an apartment with other people? You must make a lot of money playing basketball, right?"

“When I met Chris, I was very poor. I only had a few thousand dollars in savings, which was the salary that the team had paid in advance. Before signing with the team, I lived in an old apartment in the suburbs and had nothing.”

Madonna asked curiously, "Don't you have a good relationship with your parents?"

“My family has all passed away, and I have to rely on myself. If I can’t play basketball well, I will have trouble making a living,” Xiao Tu said frankly about his past.

Madonna immediately conjured up a heart-wrenching picture of someone so poor they were practically starving, kneeling and begging for their parents at the start of the game.

Good heavens, this handsome young man is even worse off than me.

When I first arrived in New York, I was also dirt poor, but I ate less and could endure hunger more than him.

No, wait, my apartment was so run-down it had rats and cockroaches, and I was so poor I had to take nude photos... Who could be worse off than me?!

Good grief, my dead memories are attacking me like crazy.

Madonna's eyes lit up as she thought about it. "I can understand your pain. My mother died of cancer when I was six. I didn't get along with my stepmother, and when I was 20, I moved to New York alone. I lived in a run-down apartment and even scavenged for garbage when I was at my poorest, but I made it through."

As the saying goes, failure is the mother of success, and setbacks are the father of success. Don't give up on yourself.

"Uh..." Xiao Tu was talking about the original owner's experiences, which were only memories, so the sense of immersion wasn't strong.

His life wasn't tough. He transmigrated to the day of the draft, and then went to negotiate a contract and get an advance on his salary.

Madonna, however, seemed to have found a kindred spirit, believing that hardship made them more focused and stronger, and she chattered on and on, unable to stop.

What could Xiao Tu do? He might as well just go along with her. The two hit it off more and more as they talked; they did have some things in common, such as a longing for freedom. Both of them were the kind of people who weren't controlled by their elders, living freely and doing whatever they wanted, and they were both single.

Being single is obviously very important; they both "unconsciously" said it three times.

After chatting about their lives for a while, they started talking about movies. Madonna earns a lot of money, but her life is quite boring; when she's not working, her main pastime is watching movies and TV series.

Xiao Tu maintained a smile throughout, while inwardly he was ranting and raving.

You say you're very career-oriented, never drink carbonated beverages, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol. I believe you.

You said you have no bad habits, that you exercise, run, work out, and dance every day, and that you go to bed early and wake up early, living a very regular life. I believe you.

You're making yourself sound like some innocent, homebody girl... Are you kidding me? You're Madonna!
Xiao Tu didn't expose Madonna, but he happened to know a lot about the movies, mainly from what Chris had told him.

After the meal, Xiao Tu offered to pay the bill, saying he didn't want the lady to pay, which greatly increased Madonna's goodwill towards him.

There's a widespread belief in China that Americans like to split the bill (AA system), but this isn't actually true. If you ask Americans, they'll likely be completely clueless about the concept of "splitting the bill."

If the person dining with you is a woman, American men usually pay, though there are exceptions. It's very common in the US for friends to take turns paying at meals; one person pays today, the other next time.

Xiao Tu enjoys treating people. His current income is certainly less than Madonna's, but he's not poor either. Moreover, he knows he'll earn a lot of money in the future, so he doesn't spend much.

He doesn't even live in this world often, so what's the point of saving money?
In the afternoon, Madonna suggested going to the movies. "I want to see the latest sci-fi movie, 'The Terminator.' I've been too busy lately to have time. I heard it's really exciting, it's about future robots..."

Listening to Madonna introduce the movie, Xiao Tu had another pent-up grumbling stuck in his throat.

The latest sci-fi movie—what a boring era.

James Cameron's "The Terminator" is indeed a new film, having been released less than a month ago, and it's currently the most talked-about sci-fi blockbuster. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays the "Governor," rose to fame with his role as the robot assassin, marking a significant turning point in his acting career.

Although Xiao Tu knew the plot, he still bought two movie tickets, just to relive a classic. There weren't many movies showing at the time, and the rest were obscure dramas that neither of them liked.

Fortunately, the movie wasn't boring. Even though Xiao Tu knew the plot and thought the special effects were fake, he still watched it with great interest.

Madonna was constantly startled during the movie. When the governor, burned to a metal skeleton, stood up again, she was so frightened that she wanted to burrow into Xiao Tu's arms. She had never seen such a terrifying villain before, an unkillable robot that kept chasing the female lead.

The male protagonist was only made of flesh and blood; he died protecting the female protagonist. The female protagonist crawled desperately to escape, and at the last moment used a machine in the factory to crush the Terminator.

The movie's ending is classic: the female lead becomes pregnant and takes a photograph, which is the very photograph that the future male lead, Carl Ries, uses to get to know her, thus creating a closed loop in time and space.

This film not only showcases a future world filled with science fiction elements, but also profoundly explores the relationship between humans and machines, as well as the impact of technology on human destiny.

After leaving the movie theater, the two took a walk and chatted in a nearby park.

Madonna, still buzzing with excitement, started discussing the movie's plot. "With future technological advancements, will Skynet and these super robots really exist? That's terrifying!"

"No," Xiao Tu said with certainty.

"why?"

“Because I traveled from the early 2020s, I know what the future is like.” Xiao Tu shrugged.

"Walter?"

Xiao Tu continued, "Although the internet is very developed, people mainly use it to download pornographic videos and send each other lewd pictures. China has indeed built a lot of robots, not as weapons, but for performing dances. Ordinary people are too lazy to even leave their homes, usually order takeout for meals, and are completely inseparable from their computers, watching short videos every day." Xiao Tu then recounted his past life.

"Hahaha...you're so funny, haha...I can't take it anymore." Madonna laughed so hard she could barely walk. She didn't care if the bench next to her was dirty, and just sat down.

No one believes him when he tells the truth, Xiao Tu said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.

(End of this chapter)