Basketball Terminal

Chapter 88 Inside
In the morning, Li Wei woke up to the wake-up call from Truth. But as always, she politely declined Li Wei's request to come again, saying that she was no longer able to.

Last night, Li Wei came to Mari's house as agreed. Having gone through their initial adjustment period, this time their passion was even stronger. Mari's display of madness was astonishing; perhaps Japanese Americans are more repressed than Chinese Americans? No wonder she always goes to the gym to release that repression through strength training.

Unlike Kim Mi-won, when Lee Wei was with Jin-ri, he could sense the immense energy contained within her body and emotions, like a dormant volcano. Suddenly, an astonishing eruption of flames caught Lee Wei completely off guard.

The silence that follows the fervor is exhausting and also a little unsettling.

"You did it on purpose, teasing me and then rejecting me."

"No, no, I just had no other choice."

"What do you mean there's no way?"

"I can't help but be attracted to you, yet I can't satisfy you."

Li Wei got up and took a cold shower, waking up from this intoxicating tenderness.

They ate noodles together, slurping and slurping, in a quiet house. Truth ate one bowl, Li Wei ate three. Li Wei finished his, but Truth still had half a bowl left.

"You shouldn't eat so slowly."

Truth kicked Li Wei under the table. Li Wei smiled, then suddenly became serious and said, "Truth, is there anything you particularly want? Don't tell me it's me. I'm not flirting or joking with you. I'm not asking for a gift either. I'm asking you what you really want."

Truth lowered her head and ate her noodles. She asked Li Wei, "What about you? You tell us first."

Li Wei was very honest and said, "A contract big enough, honors enough, and... a stage big enough."

"Aren't there enough women?"

"Women are not something I can have, no one will belong to me, people are just people who go through life together. But money, honor and platform, those are things I can have."

Truth quickly finished the last of her noodles, looked up at Levi, her eyes bright and clear, quite alluring. Her smile was warm as she said to Levi, "Victor, you're absolutely right. It's exactly what I was thinking. We really are a perfect match."

Once they started talking, Li Wei asked, "My path is very clear: play, become famous, get a contract, it's all very clear. So, Zhenli, what are your specific goals? To become the best NBA reporter? There are actually many difficulties for women to be sports reporters."

"Actually, I wanted to work in journalism, not just sports journalism. But because of my family connections, starting with sports journalism is a good approach. The American sports industry is huge, and the news media is very developed."

"That makes sense, it's a good choice. May I ask another question, why start with me? Besides my handsome looks and excellent martial arts skills, are there any other considerations?"

Truth chuckled and said, "Victor, you can be really shameless sometimes."

"You're really hurting me to talk like that. I'm just being honest. Going around in circles is exhausting. I'm already very tired from playing, so being direct is much better."

Truth nodded in agreement, just like on their first date when Li Wei bluntly said, "I want to fuck you," a truly touching confession. Growing up in an environment rife with intrigue and hidden agendas, the arrival of this "savage" was certainly amusing.

“At first I didn’t think much of it, you were really rude in the gym. But I didn’t expect you to be a basketball player. I used to be a player on the school team, so I know how good you are at basketball. When I met you at Disneyland, I thought maybe it was a reminder that I should go down the path of sports journalism. I was very hesitant at the time.”

"It seems you have a choice. You just happened to meet me, so you've gained both wealth and beauty."

Truth kicked Li Wei again and continued, "The sports industry is a man's world, especially the NBA. Women are mostly just decorative. And the NBA is dominated by Black people. It's too difficult for Asian women to develop here. So, I originally just wanted to do an internship and then try to switch to the finance section. But after meeting you, I want to give it a try."

Li Wei nodded. It was pretty much what he'd thought. Sure enough, if someone has value, they'll be discovered and used. Li Wei didn't care about being used; if others didn't use you, how could you use them?
"Does saying this make you feel any better?" Truth suddenly asked.

"What?" "If I said that I fell in love with you after seeing you, would you avoid me?"

After a moment of silence, Li Wei suddenly stood up, took Zhenli's hand, and said, "If you love me, then let's get married. Now, let's go to Las Vegas. It's the easiest place to get married. I'll buy the tickets right away."

Truth withdrew his hand, patted Li Wei, and said, "You're crazy~ You should find a few more women, I can't satisfy you. Basketball games are 5 vs 5, you can have teammates to share the pressure, who can handle it if you just have to shoot alone."

"When it's your turn to shoot, you should shoot. You can't just pass the ball to your teammates at crucial moments."

"So what? Maintaining good stats is the only way to stay at the top... Stop it, I really can't keep going..."

The two engaged in another round of back-and-forth fighting, but Zhenli was simply too exhausted to compete with Liwei and had to beg for mercy. She changed the subject, saying, "You... forget about buying tickets to Las Vegas, just buy tickets to Atlanta instead."

"Atlanta? You mean the All-Star Game? I'm a long way from being selected for the All-Star Game."

"You're a very popular player in the league right now, so of course you'd go to the All-Star Game, a place where you can ride the wave of popularity. But I'm sure someone will invite you."

"But this year's All-Star Game is closed to the public; there are no spectators, and no one else can go in. If we go... I don't know either. Maybe I should listen to you. I need to find out more about the situation."

Due to the impact of the virus, the Atlanta All-Star Game has been repeatedly postponed. Originally planned to be held in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis All-Star Game was moved to 2024 due to local policies and other factors, and this year's All-Star Game was temporarily held in Atlanta.

Without the large-scale fan and player activities of previous All-Star Weekends, all competitions, including the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest, have been compressed into a single day. Furthermore, the Rising Stars Challenge only announced the roster; no actual competition took place. The entire All-Star schedule and activities were minimized.

The city of Atlanta was also unhappy about taking over the hosting rights for Indianapolis. Their mayor urged players and fans to avoid attending if possible, and if they did come, to stay in their hotels and watch TV, avoiding gatherings and group activities. Atlanta police are prepared to work overtime to disperse any potential illegal groups to prevent the spread of the virus.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement ahead of the All-Star Game, saying, "There will absolutely be no social events, no ticket sales, and no parties. This All-Star Game is a televised event, and we hope everyone will follow the testing and quarantine guidelines to play in a safe and healthy manner."

After learning about this news, Li Wei said, "It seems that the All-Star Game doesn't welcome people like me who are just passing through. I might as well train at home."

"I suggest you go. Do you know why Atlanta was chosen as the venue this time?"

"do not know."

"Because Turner Television's headquarters are in Atlanta. I have insider access, and if you come with me, you'll meet some important people, some of whom are very interested in you. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, Inside is planning to do an episode on you, they're a step behind ESPN."

Inside the NBA is Turner Television's flagship sports program, which has been airing for over 30 years since 1989, making it one of the longest-running NBA programs. Since Charles Barkley joined the show in 2000-2001, it has been very popular with fans and has created many memorable NBA moments.

This includes a bet by Barkley that if Yao Ming scored more than 19 points, he would kiss Kenny Smith's buttocks. Yao Ming quickly surpassed this achievement, and Kenny Smith substituted a donkey for himself, making Barkley kiss the donkey's buttocks instead.

This became a classic moment for Barkley and the show, and a very important event in Yao Ming's rise to fame, serving as a powerful catalyst. A rookie scoring more than 19 points is hardly news, but Barkley etched it into history.

"But Barkley will never kiss a donkey's ass for me again."

"In this day and age, Barkley has to kiss your ass."

"Oh, forget it. Let Barkley hire you to replace him, I can consider it."

"I'd be willing to hire you right now, without him even needing to hire me!"

(End of this chapter)