Where the noise did not reach

Chapter 110 The Morning of the Kingslayer
The next morning, Xu Ling received a message from the alliance.

Kobe, who was determined to win the championship, refused to comply with Nike's wishes and insisted on withdrawing from the competition. As a result, Xu Ling naturally became the starter of the Western Conference All-Star team.

For Xu Ling, this won't change his reputation; he'll still be that finger-wagging bastard, and the villain that the media is so eager to portray.

However, being selected as an All-Star starter in his rookie season is still something Adidas should promote with all its might in marketing.

Xu Ling participated in various activities prepared for him by Adidas, but the media soon noticed that there was a beautiful woman by Xu Ling's side. Moreover, sports reporters could easily recognize her as Ariane Celeste, the most popular ring girl in the UFC. She has a beautiful figure, hot curves, and a pretty face with exotic features. How did she get involved with the Kingslayer?

This doesn't seem to be that important.

But the fact that a woman appeared by the side of the regicide is a piece of gossip worth digging into.

Moreover, thanks to Ariane's support, Xu Ling's enthusiasm and mood for participating in activities were significantly better than before. He smiled more, his interaction became more active, and he even responded to enthusiastic fans.

Are women really the best medicine to change men?
That afternoon, Xu Ling was also invited to serve as a judge for the All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game.

Generally speaking, the participants in the Celebrity Game are entertainment stars, crossover stars from various leagues, singers, actors, plus a few WNBA players and retired NBA legends, so the quality of the game is just so-so.

Xu Ling was seated behind a long table covered with a red cloth on the sidelines, next to several local celebrities and retired stars. He idly twirled the scoreboard in his hand, watching the celebrities from the entertainment and sports circles engage in comical warm-ups.

The game began in an entertaining atmosphere. Rapper Master P made a dribbling error and fell flat on his face, eliciting laughter from the crowd; former NFL superstar Dion Sanders even broke into a celebratory dance after a steal. Xu Ling occasionally raised the "10 points" sign as instructed by the director, but his face remained expressionless, as if he were completing a task.

However, this harmonious atmosphere of the exhibition match was broken by the appearance of one person – Terrell Owens (TO for short).

TO is an NFL star wide receiver known for his amazing athleticism and rebellious personality. He is also a good friend of LeBron James. As a star from another major league, now that his friend's enemy is sitting right in front of him, he must consider whether this is his only chance to help his friend get revenge.

During one offensive play, he used his physical advantage to overpower an actor. After scoring, he roared at the camera, pounded his chest, and displayed a strong desire to perform.

Then, TO's gaze fell on Xu Ling, who was sitting on the judges' panel.

"Hey, Finger Boy!" TO actually challenged Xu Ling, "How long are you going to pretend? Don't you like this match? Do you dare to step onto the field? I guarantee the intensity of this match is much greater than those lousy matches you've played!"

The people around laughed, and the camera immediately zoomed in.

Xu Ling raised her eyelids and glanced at him, not wanting to pay him any attention.

Seeing that Xu Ling didn't react, TO wasn't satisfied and took another step forward, shouting directly at Xu Ling, "Hey, Eli! Isn't being a judge much easier than playing ball? That way you don't have to worry about being knocked away by a 'real athlete' like me! What's wrong? Are you going to wag your finger at me?"

This remark was clearly provocative, and even if it was meant to be a performance, it went too far. The audience started to heckle, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Xu Ling looked at Owens's expressive face and suddenly laughed. It wasn't a polite smile, but a smile that carried a hint of amusement and a "you're asking for it" attitude.

Xu Ling slowly stood up, exchanged a glance with Ariane behind him, and nodded slightly.

One of the things men find most intolerable in this world is losing face in front of their female companions.

Xu Ling walked to the sidelines and said to the bewildered organizer, "Give me a jersey."

The person in charge was stunned: "Wh-what?"

“I said, give me a jersey.” Xu Ling’s tone was calm but unquestionable. “Since this NFL superstar has invited me, I’ve decided to personally go down on the field and play with him.”

Is this in accordance with regulations? Judges playing on the court?
And he's an active NBA All-Star starter?
The on-site director was shocked when he heard the request through his earpiece, followed by ecstasy! This was a rare climax in the Celebrity Game! The Celebrity Game was originally a niche event, and although the celebrities who participated were interesting, few fans would pay attention to it. Now that Xu Ling and TO were arguing, wasn't this a rare climax? He immediately asked the person in charge to agree through his earpiece.

Soon, a temporary jersey without a name on the back was handed to Xu Ling. Xu Ling, standing on the sidelines, in front of the entire audience and all the cameras, took off his jacket and put on the jersey. "!#￥!@￥@!"

The entire arena erupted! The cheers, whistles, and screams nearly lifted the roof off! Nobody expected that coming to watch a celebrity game would lead to seeing one of the NBA's hottest stars actually playing!
At that moment, the satirical and comedic effect of the celebrity match reached its peak.

It has a similar feel to Stephen Chow's cameo in "The Tricky Master 2000" but was edited into the main character by that fat guy Wong Jing.

Xu Ling stretched his limbs, walked straight to the scorer's table, and requested to be substituted. The referee was a little confused, but with the organizer's tacit approval, the substitution procedure was completed.

TO was stunned; he hadn't expected Xu Ling to be serious. But the die was cast, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it, forcing a "come on, kid" expression on his face.

In the next round, Xu Ling's team will be on the attack.

The ball went straight to Xu Ling. Owens stepped up to defend, adopting a standard defensive stance, muttering to himself, "Come on, rookie, let me see what you've got."

Xu Ling didn't use any fancy dribbling techniques; he simply made a slight change of direction, followed by a rapid acceleration, and swept past the TO (To) completely in one step! His speed was so fast that this NFL star, known for his physical prowess, looked like a wooden stake!

Xu Ling drove straight to the basket and easily scored a layup.

As Xu Ling passed by TO on defense, he casually remarked, "The NFL isn't that strong either."

TO's expression instantly turned ugly.

The next few minutes became Xu Ling's personal coaching session. He seemed to be playing this celebrity game like a playoff game. On the defensive end, he repeatedly stole the ball from Owens; on the offensive end, he either used his speed to overpower opponents, or used a turnaround jumper after a post-up move, and even completed a powerful tomahawk dunk on a fast break.

TTO was completely crushed by him, with no chance to fight back.

U. The scene, which started as entertainment, turned into a one-sided "massacre." The audience was stunned, followed by even more frenzied cheers!

The dramatic effect reached its climax within minutes.

The on-site director also knew that this serendipitous drama should not be overly focused on effect, and that some face should be left for the guests present, so he made adjustments again.

Several staff members and referees surrounded Xu Ling with smiles, coaxing and persuading him to return to the bench, and then "expelled" him from the competition for "violating the competition rules".

Xu Ling didn't argue, accepting the result with a smile, as if he hadn't been the one who had just dominated the game. As he left the stage, he received a standing ovation and roars of laughter from the audience, becoming the biggest star of the night.

However, despite Xu Ling making the Celebrity Tournament unusually fun and interesting, it still couldn't stop the media from treating him harshly.

The afternoon match had just ended when the news broke that evening: "Crazy Xu Ling actually treated the Celebrity Match like the Grand Final!"

The King Killer, the Little Finger Man, the Madman.
Xu Ling feels he may become the player with the most nicknames in NBA history.

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"Vince Carter may be the next star to leave New Jersey." — The New York Times

"Kobe Bryant's absence did not diminish New Orleans' star power; Eli Xu followed in Yao Ming's footsteps, becoming only the third rookie since the 90s to be selected as an All-Star starter in his rookie season." — Los Angeles Times

"From today onward, no one like TO will ever provoke Eli again." — Memphis Business Journal

"LeBron reiterated that he will not comment further on the finger-wagging incident." — Associated Press

(End of this chapter)