69novels Chapter 26 Atlanta All-Stars Isolated
Chapter 26 Atlanta All-Stars Isolated
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, 10:00 AM local time.
As soon as the transoceanic flight door opened, Zhao Dabao rushed to the front carrying two 28-inch suitcases with stickers of Northeast Yangko dance on them. He muttered to his American agent, Harris, "Make sure you keep a close eye on that box of canned goods. These are all from our hometown, Fengtian. The yellow peaches are freshly picked. You can't buy them in America even if you have money. When we get to the hotel, we'll send two cans to Boss Yao first."
Harris held a thick file bag in one hand and tightly protected the suitcase beside him with the other, his face full of helplessness, but he dared not let go - the suitcase contained nothing but twenty-four cans of yellow peaches, which Lin Hao had specially asked his hometown to send as "military supplies" for the All-Star team.
Following behind the two was Lin Hao, the biggest dark horse of this All-Star Weekend and currently the most controversial player in the entire league.
He was dressed in a simple black tracksuit, his baseball cap pulled low, and he was carrying a shiny black cloth bag. Inside the bag was the ebony suona that had accompanied him from the halftime of the Finals all the way to the All-Star Game.
As soon as I stepped out of the arrival gate, a deafening roar of cheers and the sound of camera shutters erupted, almost lifting the airport roof off.
The passageway was packed with people. One half was filled with reporters from all over the United States carrying cameras and microphones, while the other half was filled with Chinese fans holding up Chinese national flags and signs that read "Go, Suona!" and "Northeast Big Splash, Dunk All Over the League." Some even held the suona above their heads and blew a tune of "A Man Should Be Self-reliant" through the railing, which drew laughter and cheers from the surrounding crowd.
"Lin! Look here! What are your thoughts on being the All-Star vote leader this year? Many people say you don't deserve to compete against Jordan!"
"Lin Hao! Fans all over the country are watching you! Is there anything you'd like to say to your hometown fans?"
"Will you play the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) at the All-Star Game? How do you plan to pay tribute to Jordan's final All-Star game?"
Countless microphones were shoved in front of him instantly, and flashes of light filled the air, blinding everyone. Zhao Dabao immediately stepped forward, shielding Lin Hao behind him. He would handle domestic media, while Harris would take over the international media. From the moment they landed, the division of labor between the two agents was running flawlessly.
Zhao Dabao grinned at the cameras in China, his familiar accent making the Chinese fans in the arena feel a deep sense of familiarity: "Our Haozi won the vote leader award entirely thanks to the support of everyone back home, young and old. I will definitely not let you down! As for those idle rumors, let's see who's right on the basketball court. We Northeasterners, our word is law!"
Harris, facing overseas media, calmly and firmly presented the league's official voting compliance report, responding to all the questions point by point with professionalism and toughness, deflecting all the provocative questions.
Lin Hao stood in the middle of the crowd, simply smiling and waving to the fans, then giving a thumbs-up to the fans playing the suona, without saying a single unnecessary word.
From the moment the league officially announced him as the All-Star vote leader, the doubts and ridicule never stopped. "Internet celebrity vote leader", "a farce in the Chinese market" and "a desecration of the All-Star honor" were all kinds of harsh words, but he never took them to heart.
In his previous life, he had seen many people in the county's youth training camp who relied on talking to play basketball. In the end, those who could stand firm were always those with real skills on the court.
The footage from the airport was uploaded online in real time by reporters on site. The hashtags #LinHaoBringsSuonaToAllStars# and #CannedYellowPeachGoesToAllStars# quickly rose to the top of the trending search lists in both China and the United States within three minutes. Netizens were having a great time making fun of the memes, while the NBA community was filled with indifferent laughter.
In the afternoon, at the players' hotel at the Atlanta Philips Arena.
Lin Hao had just finished stacking the canned yellow peaches from his suitcase into the refrigerator when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw Yao Ming standing there, carrying two bottles of mineral water and wearing a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile.
"Brother Yao! Come in quickly!" Lin Hao immediately stepped aside to let him in, and casually took two cans of yellow peaches from the refrigerator and handed them over. "They were sent from my hometown. Try them. They're a treasure from Northeast China."
Yao Ming took the can of food, looked at the Chinese characters printed on it, and couldn't help but laugh: "You little rascal, you never forget this taste, no matter where you go. I thought you were carrying all your training gear, but when I opened the news, it was all about your canned food and your suona."
The two sat on the sofa, not discussing the outside criticisms, but first talking about the All-Star process and rules. Yao Ming and Lin Hao entered the league together, but neither had ever played in an All-Star game, so they weren't entirely familiar with the process. They studied it together, and Yao Ming looked at Lin Hao seriously and said, "All-Star Weekend, don't worry about what others say, let's just play freely. Domestic fans are watching. The fact that two Chinese people can stand on the All-Star starting stage at the same time is history in itself."
Lin Hao nodded, his fingertips gently stroking the can. The thought, "Chinese basketball, one day," surged up in his heart once again. In his previous life, he could only watch Yao Ming stand on this stage on television. In this life, he not only stood on it, but he also wanted to fight alongside his compatriots in the world's highest basketball hall, to make a name for China.
"Don't worry, Yao," Lin Hao grinned, his eyes gleaming. "In the starting lineup, the two of us will put together a few plays to show them that the Chinese Twin Stars aren't called that for nothing."
Yao Ming laughed heartily and immediately finalized several high-low post plays with him. The two chatted enthusiastically over the tactics board, completely ignoring the rumors and gossip from the outside world.
Not long after Yao Ming left, there was another knock on the door. This time, standing at the door was Allen Iverson, the star player of the Philadelphia 76ers.
This guy, known throughout the league for his unruly attitude, leaned against the doorframe, raised an eyebrow at Lin Hao, and cut to the chase: "Kid, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Lin Hao was both surprised and delighted, and quickly ushered the man in. In the recent game between the Warriors and the 76ers, he scored 42 points to lead his team to a comeback victory, and went toe-to-toe with Iverson for the entire game. The two became acquainted through their rivalry.
"I've come here to say just one thing to you," Iverson said, sitting on the sofa and looking at Lin Hao with a serious tone. "Don't listen to what those media and idiots are saying. You deserve this starting position, you deserve this top vote. On the basketball court, being good at it is the only true measure of success. Those who haven't faced you have no right to point fingers at you."
He paused, then added, "Play well in the rookie tournament. If anyone dares to give you a hard time in the main tournament, I'll cover for you."
Lin Hao felt a surge of warmth in his heart and extended his hand to Iverson: "Thanks, here's the answer."
Iverson smiled and shook hands with him, then turned and left without lingering. He was usually a loner, so for him to make a special trip to speak to Lin Hao like this was already the highest level of recognition he could receive.
But this recognition from Iverson seemed particularly weak in the Western Conference All-Star locker room.
The next morning, during the first practice session of the Western All-Stars, the moment Lin Hao, carrying his sports bag, pushed open the locker room door, the once noisy locker room instantly fell into a deathly silence.
A dozen pairs of eyes swept over and landed on his Asian face. Their gazes held curiosity, disdain, and mockery, but no welcome.
In the very center of the locker room, Stephon Marbury sat in the middle, twirling a basketball in his hand. He glanced up and down at Lin Hao, a smirk playing on his lips, and slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the entire locker room: "Yo, the internet celebrity vote king is here. What, didn't you bring your suona and canned peaches? This is the All-Star locker room, not your stage for playing the suona."
As soon as he said that, a burst of laughter erupted in the locker room.
Kevin Garnett leaned against the wardrobe, arms crossed, his eyes icy cold, and added, "Kid, I don't care how you got the most votes in the Chinese market, I'm just telling you one thing. This is Michael's last All-Star game, and you don't deserve to be in this starting lineup, much less compete with him. If you dare to play recklessly on the court, I'll be the first to teach you a lesson."
The surrounding stars echoed him, some whistling, some imitating the tune of the suona in strange voices, some whispering among themselves. No one got up to greet him, no one gave him a seat. In the entire locker room, he seemed like a superfluous, invisible person.
Utter isolation was laid bare before him.
An ordinary rookie would have been completely flustered in this situation, standing at the door, not even daring to lift their head. But who is Lin Hao? In his previous life, in the county's youth training camp, what kind of troublemakers hadn't he seen? What kind of cold shoulders hadn't he endured?
Without changing his expression, he picked up his bag and walked to the empty seat next to Yao Ming. He put the bag in the cabinet, but the lid wasn't closed properly, and a can of yellow peaches rolled out and stopped right at Kobe's feet.
The laughter from the audience stopped instantly.
Everyone stared blankly at the can of yellow peaches with Chinese characters printed on it.
Lin Hao bent down to pick it up, wiped the can with his sleeve, and calmly put it back in his pocket, blurting out a sentence in Northeastern dialect: "Sorry, I dropped my war reserve rations."
One sentence brought the tense atmosphere to a standstill.
Kobe's lips twitched, and he was about to say something when Lin Hao looked up at him, his face expressionless, but his tone carried an undeniable ruthlessness: "Kobe, and everyone else, whether I deserve to be a starter, whether I deserve to stand on this court, is not for you to decide with your words. We'll settle things on the court later, in practice and in the game."
"As for Jordan's last All-Star game, I respect him more than any of you. I will pay tribute to him in my own way, so please don't worry about it."
After saying that, he changed into his training clothes without looking at the group of people around him again, as if the ridicule and isolation were not worth mentioning.
Yao Ming, sitting next to Lin Hao, quietly gave him a thumbs-up. Iverson, leaning against the wardrobe on the other side, watched Lin Hao's back and couldn't help but smile. He raised an eyebrow at Garnett, the meaning of which was crystal clear: This kid is much tougher than you think.
After the joint practice session, the pre-game media conference for the rookie game was held as scheduled.
At the press conference, Yao Ming, the number one draft pick of the same year, sat in the middle, while last year's top favorite for Rookie of the Year and the most famous shooting guard of the 2001 draft class, Joe James of the Miami Heat, sat on either side of Lin Hao.
Before the reporter had even finished asking his questions, Jason suddenly grabbed the microphone, looked at Lin Hao with an arrogant expression, and declared publicly: "Many people think this Chinese kid is amazing, but in my opinion, he's just an internet celebrity who relies on hype to get attention. In the rookie game, I will personally teach him how to play, so he can know that the NBA rookie game is not a stage for him to play the fool. Internet celebrities will never become real players."
The entire venue erupted in chaos!
The reporters' camera shutters went off like crazy, and microphones were shoved in front of Lin Hao in an instant, waiting for his response.
Lin Hao leaned back in his chair, picked up the microphone, grinned, and his authentic Northeastern accent carried throughout the press conference venue through the microphone:
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you on the court. Don't come crying and saying I bullied you when you're so badly defended you can't even touch the rim."
[Ding! Rookie Challenge exclusive mission triggered: Rookie Godhood!]
[Mission Requirements: Win the Rookie Challenge MVP, limit Joe James' field goal percentage to below 40% throughout the game, and lead your team to victory!]
[Mission Reward: Unlock the defensive-exclusive passive skill [Iron Blood Entanglement], permanently increasing physical combat ability by 10%!]
The moment the cold system notification sounded in his mind, Lin Hao's eyes lit up instantly.
He looked down at the ebony suona he was holding, then looked up at the brightly lit Phillips Arena outside the window of the press conference venue.
Mockery? Isolation? Questioning?
It's okay.
In his past life, he was able to fight his way from a barbecue stall in a small town to the NBA with just a suona and a basketball. In this life, he can beat all those who look down on him into submission on the All-Star stage.
Atlanta, here I come.