Chapter 107: Chapter 34: [Flexibility Talent Max Level, Double Blessing Package]

As Los Angeles fell into the dead of night, the sun was high in the sky in China on the other side of the Pacific.

The Cavaliers’ preseason matchup against the Lakers was broadcast live nationwide by CCTV. Su Xi’s triple-double performance on the court instantly triggered a nationwide debate, which raged even more fiercely on the internet.

In this era, most people who could afford to be online were relatively well-off and knowledgeable.

"A triple-double! And a steal-based one, the most valuable kind! If he had gotten a few more rebounds, he could have gotten a quadruple-double. We’d have struck gold! There have only been a few of those in the entire history of the NBA."

"Su Xi is on the path to becoming a top-tier defensive player. His defense today looked a lot like Gary Payton, but he’s stronger than Payton and can hold his ground better. I have a feeling he could make an All-Defensive Team..."

"It’s a shame. It would be great if he were a scorer like Tracy McGrady or Kobe. The Chinese Team doesn’t need a defensive stalwart; they need a superstar scorer who can create space and win one-on-one matchups on the perimeter."

"But players like him are highly sought after in the NBA. The league isn’t just a stage for superstars. If your defense is top-notch, you can still land a big contract."

"The Cavaliers’ situation is a bit like the Chinese Team’s—neither of them plays much defense. Su Xi doesn’t really have a future with the Knight. It would be fun if he got snatched up by the Lakers or the Knicks."

"Go to the Lakers? He’d have a hard time even getting on the court. Being a third-stringer is pointless. The Knicks are a dumpster fire right now. They only got a few assets by trading Su Xi’s draft rights, but they’re still a mess. The Knight is the next worst choice. But I saw on a foreign site... the Chicago Bulls really wanted Su Xi before. Going to the Bulls would have been pretty good. But they chose Syracuse. They’ll regret it sooner or later!"

"Su Xi probably won’t be able to go to Athens. The basketball association said they won’t call up players who aren’t registered domestically. Dammit..."

"..."

On a forum called ’Hupupu Basketball Forum’, some hardcore NBA fans were discussing Su Xi. At this point, there weren’t really any stans or haters; everyone was just sticking to the facts, and the atmosphere was relatively friendly and objective.

But then, a domestic website published an article: "SHOCKER! Su Xi Directly Challenges Chris Webber!"

It detailed the history between Su Xi and Weber, and even posted the stats from their last encounter, where Su Xi was crushed. And now, Su Xi had issued another direct challenge.

More and more people, searching for keywords, flooded into this small forum.

"Su Xi really doesn’t know his place. He has one good game—where the Lakers’ starters didn’t even play—and now he thinks he can take on Weber? Is he even worthy? Weber was one of the Michigan Five, a superstar who nearly eliminated the Lakers in their prime."

"When you’re abroad, you should keep a low profile. Why are you going head-to-head with foreigners? Su Xi is definitely going to suffer for this. No wonder Chinese people are looked down upon by foreigners in the United States; it’s because of people like Su Xi. Why provoke someone for no reason?"

"To the person above, I read the news. Didn’t Chris Webber mock Su Xi first?"

"He’s a superstar who’s been in the NBA for so many years. Su Xi is a rookie; shouldn’t he be more humble? He’s clearly never been beaten down by the real world. When he gets taught a lesson, we’ll get looked down on along with him."

"I support Su Xi. If you get provoked, you should fight back. Are you just supposed to take it when someone is cursing you to your face?"

"You above must be from the 80s generation. You people are so naive, a spoiled generation that always thinks you can change the world."

"What’s wrong with being from the 80s? I support Su Xi, he should fight back! Besides, isn’t it our responsibility to change the world?"

"Wake up, kid. Stop dreaming about being a hero. Some things can’t be changed. They’ve been a hundred years ahead of us. Do you really think you can surpass them in a year or two?"

"We have to surpass them eventually. Someone has to step up! I support Su Xi. Yao Ming has a great personality, but Su Xi is more my style. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

"..."

After this news was published, the small basketball forum became a cesspool. An astonishing forty to fifty percent of the comments were criticizing Su Xi.

This is why the place with the most ’Yao Black’ in the world is within China itself.

Su Xi was now getting the same treatment.

In fact, Su Xi was also being mocked and ridiculed on television in the United States.

The news of Su Xi’s triple-double was a mere flash on the screen, but the basketball programs on sports channels like ESPN, TNT, CBS, and Fox Sports were analyzing and discussing Su Xi’s provocation of Chris Webber at great length.

They had already designated this season opener as one of the year’s main events.

Because the San Antonio Spurs versus the Brooklyn Nets matchup was honestly not that interesting. The Lakers versus the Detroit Pistons was also expected to be a one-sided affair.

But this game involved the debut of "The Chosen One," as well as the rookie Su Xi’s attempt to "pass judgment" on Chris Webber.

What was this equivalent to?

"Little Sheep Su Xi challenging Chris Webber is like Gambia declaring war on the United States and vowing to fight to the last man."

"I guarantee you, Su Xi is going to have a worse time in the opener than Stackhouse did against Michael Jordan. Weber will definitely put him in his place, dropping thirty or forty points on his head and grabbing fifteen or sixteen rebounds. It’ll be easy. He’s only 193cm. Don’t even mention that he played center in the NCAA finals; Collison and Weber are not in the same league."

"This little guy is in way over his head. I know he’s trying to replicate the hype of Yao Ming versus the Shark, but don’t forget, Yao Ming is 226cm. Plus, Yao Ming isn’t as arrogant as him; Yao is very low-key. Most importantly, does anyone really think Yao Ming defeated O’Neal? He just proved he was worthy of competing against the Shark, that’s all."

"This poor kid is going to become a laughingstock because of this. His nickname is ’The Law’? Hahaha, let me laugh for three minutes straight. He should take a look in the mirror before trying to pass judgment on anyone."

"..."

It was all mockery and ridicule, without a single expert on Su Xi’s side.

Lying on the two beds in their double room, Carlos Boozer and Jason Kapono watched these basketball shows, growing more and more worried.

Soon, they saw Chris Webber appear on TV. Weber made an exaggerated gesture for the camera. "I’m so scared, guys! That kid is ’The Law,’ and he’s going to find me guilty!"

He spoke in a mocking, sarcastic tone, making the other King players next to him burst out laughing.

"He said I offended him? Oh, little guy, that wasn’t an offense. That was just an appetizer. In the season opener, I’ll show you what a real offense is. To all our viewers out there, the game of tiger catching a sheep is about to begin."

Chris Webber flexed his muscles for the camera. "Listen up, Little Sheep Su Xi. Right now, Lord Chris Webber is speaking to you from a position of strength. You will obediently accept my humiliation."

Weber’s face was brutal, his eyes growing more and more vicious.

You could feel his dangerous aura even through the screen.

Ah Ka and Ah Bu looked at each other, genuinely worried for Su Xi.

The scene changed to an interview with the King’s head coach, Adelman. "I don’t want to comment on this stupid news. I watched some of his highlights against the Lakers, and honestly, they put me to sleep. He’ll learn a few things in this game. I wish him well. He’s still young, with plenty of chances to correct his mistakes."

Carlos Boozer paused the TV and turned to ask Jason Kapono, "Ah Ka, is Jack back yet?"

"Yeah, it’s almost ten-thirty. If he’s not back at the hotel by midnight, I guarantee you Paul will flip out. The Cleveland community is also worried that Jack will cause big trouble for the team in the opener. After all, provoking Chris Webber is not a good thing. If they end up slaughtering us because of it, the entire city of Cleveland will be embarrassed," Kapono said.

"Some people also think Jack is overshadowing LeBron’s NBA debut." Boozer shrugged and complained, "They only ever care about LeBron’s performance. Jack got a triple-double; I think he played better than LeBron."

Neither of them were from Cleveland, so they didn’t understand the city’s extreme adoration for LeBron James.

...

Su Xi ran into LeBron James in the hotel lobby. He had returned to the hotel at 11 AM; last night, he had stayed in another hotel less than 300 meters away.

It had been a wild night.

Su Xi had been taken to dinner by Jessica Alba. Afterward, Alba had insisted on feeding Su Xi dessert, which was very sweet.

She asked Su Xi what flavor he liked, and Su Xi said blueberry.

Then she took a bite of the blueberry cake and kissed Su Xi.

Su Xi was completely stunned...

He liked the sweet taste and the warm feeling, but he didn’t like being so passive. So, he asked Jessica, "What flavor do you like?"

"Strawberry."

Su Xi ordered a strawberry cake, took a bite, and kissed her back.

"Now we’re even." After the kiss, Su Xi told Jessica Alba, "I’m happy that you thought of a way to please me like this. But I don’t like that you’re trying to use it to take the lead."

Jessica Alba, her heart pounding with sweetness, said cautiously, "So, could Lord Su Xi take me to this hotel now? I’m lost."

Hmph!

’What terrible acting.’

"Which room!" Su Xi asked.

Jessica Alba quickly looped her arm through Su Xi’s. "808."

...

After leaving the hotel, Su Xi’s Super Flexibility talent jumped from 95 to 99. His body now felt more resilient than ever before. And because his Super Flexibility talent had almost reached its maximum level, it also boosted his Agility talent from 74 to 76 and his Coordination talent from 71 to 73.

At this moment, Su Xi’s talent values were:

Explosiveness Talent: 95, Super Domain.

Strength Talent: 93, Top-Tier Domain.

Speed Talent: 89, Top-Tier Domain.

Vertical Leap Talent: 76, Excellent Domain.

Agility Talent: 76, upgraded from Elite to Excellent.

Flexibility Talent: 99, Peak of the Super Domain.

Coordination Talent: 73, Peak of the Elite Domain.

Stamina Talent: 75, Excellent Domain; recovery speed is super-fast, in the Super-Super Domain.

With his Flexibility talent reaching its peak and nearing the maximum level, Su Xi’s control over his body took a qualitative leap. He was confident he could make things even more uncomfortable for Chris Webber. His confidence was now sky-high.

"Jack, you’re just getting back now?" LeBron asked Su Xi.

Seeing James, Su Xi quickly walked over and said, "Yeah, I got permission from Stephen yesterday."

"You were out with Jessica last night?" LeBron James asked.

"Yeah." Su Xi nodded.

James sucked in a sharp breath. He asked, "Are you pursuing her?"

"No. She wrote me 17 sonnets and a 20,000-word love confession. It was pretty sincere." Su Xi pulled a stack of exquisite, flower-scented notebooks from his small bag and said, "So, I gave her a chance for a date. She cherished it, and I was genuinely moved."

Hearing this, James’s breathing became erratic. A bitter taste filled his heart, and his jealousy was about to explode. He couldn’t help but think: ’Why? Why? Why didn’t she write poems for me? Am I not charming enough? To think she’d use me as a stepping stone to pursue Jack! Oh my god! Does she not know the value of The Chosen One!’

James felt worse and worse. He asked Su Xi one last question: "Last night, did you two..."

He stopped mid-sentence because Su Xi’s neck was covered in hickeys. Looking down past his collar, there were so many scratch marks!

So wild! So dramatic!

James could already imagine what a passionate scene that must have been.

"Jack, let’s play one-on-one. I seriously can’t wait to crush you!!" James said, practically grinding his teeth. "You’re such an irritating guy."

"Really? Ah Zhan," Su Xi was pleasantly surprised. "Are you going to go all out this time?"

"I’m going to use two hundred percent of my strength to crush you!!!" James roared in his heart. ’Jessica Alba is supposed to like me, you bastard!’

Su Xi clapped his hands. "You’ve got a deal."

’A double blessing!’

...