Yao Ming invited Su Xi to have dinner at his home in Houston.

Yao Ming was a very humorous, humble, and motivated person. He had now completely adapted to the NBA, and his rhythm both on and off the court was getting better and better.

"This time, you’d better not get traded again," Yao Ming teased Su Xi.

They communicated in Chinese. Su Xi’s Chinese was about on par with Yao Ming’s English; they could both understand it and express most things, but some grammatical and phrasing errors were inevitable. After all, he had come to the United States when he was nine, without even finishing the third grade.

Yao Ming’s mother and members of the Yao Team prepared a lavish meal for Su Xi and Mike O’Connor. After dinner, O’Connor and the head of the Yao Team went to the backyard to discuss business. O’Connor was becoming more and more reliable, so Su Xi decided to give him a commission.

His drive was even stronger. In his own words, "As a bachelor, I don’t really care about the money. What I enjoy is this line of work that lets me look down my nose at people."

He found an unprecedented sense of accomplishment in this job. He loved lifting his chin in front of rich people and saying haughtily, "You think you can get me to work for you with this little bit of money? No way!"

Yao Ming and Su Xi didn’t talk about the next night’s game. Yao talked with Su Xi mostly about the national team.

He wanted Su Xi to join the national team, hoping to fight alongside him. "If you were with us at the Athens Olympics, we definitely could have made the top eight, maybe even the top four. What we lack compared to top international teams right now is a guard. With you there, who would dare to put a full-court press on our guards? You could run over those burly European and American guys."

Su Xi wanted to play for his country too, but he brought up a rather sensitive issue. He said that some people back in China actually wanted him to pay a "sponsorship fee"...

Yao sighed. On this matter, he had more of a right to speak than Su Xi. Thank goodness for the NBA Players Association; otherwise, things would be even more difficult.

The two looked at each other, speechless. At that moment, a guest on an ESPN basketball analysis show started talking about them.

"I have no interest in this ’Chinese Derby.’ It’s just a marketing ploy by the NBA to pander to the Chinese market. Yao and Su are both being heavily promoted by the league. Based on their skills, what right do they have to be in the All-Star Game? With all due respect, they’re just decent elite players, nowhere near star level."

"Little Sheep Su Xi being the top All-Star vote-getter is even more ridiculous. He has more teenage girl fans than basketball fans right now. His All-Star votes are half from China, half from gossip fans. It’s a disgrace to the NBA."

"I suggest all the elected All-Stars this year boycott the game and let Little Sheep Su Xi and Yao Ming play one-on-one."

"..."

Recently, because of the All-Star voting, the basketball media had been aiming its fire directly at Su Xi, and Yao Ming was getting caught in the crossfire.

Such comments were common on ESPN. The basketball world had even invented a brand-new term just to describe Su Xi: "idol player."

Su Xi didn’t care.

He was very mentally tough. At first, Kobe had even called Su Xi to teach him some techniques for releasing pressure, but he later discovered Su Xi didn’t need them.

Because Su Xi believed: for a public figure, no news is the worst news.

Kobe gave a wry smile on the other end of the line. "Kid, you haven’t seen what real bad news is."

However, as 2004 began, Kobe’s hard times were almost over. "That incident" of his had already entered out-of-court settlement proceedings—paying for peace.

"Xiaosu, a lot of people are targeting you lately," Yao Ming said. "Our ancestors had a saying, ’The tree that stands out from the forest is sure to be toppled by the wind.’ That’s exactly your situation right now."

Su Xi replied, "Don’t our ancestors also have another saying? ’They are a flock of chickens, and I am a celestial crane.’"

Yao Ming thought for more than ten seconds before he understood what Su Xi meant. He then burst out laughing, doubling over.

But after laughing, he still offered some earnest advice, encouraging Su Xi to make his fortune quietly and not make too many enemies. Especially, he should cut down on publicly mocking his opponents in the media.

He said he had broken out in a cold sweat for Su Xi many times.

However, Su Xi told him not to worry. But he wouldn’t change, because provoking opponents helped him further integrate his super talent. Besides, his way of doing things was also one of the ancestors’ ways.

Yao Ming followed the path of being gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal, making his fortune in silence. But Su Xi followed a different kind of ancestral wisdom: the path of ’repaying grievances with directness,’ ’subduing others with force,’ and ’anyone who offends a mighty Han, no matter how far, will be vanquished.’

...

On game day, the Rockets’ home court was roaring with noise, and attendance hit a new high for the season. Looking around, the arena was a sea of Asian faces.

No matter how sour those ’experts’ on TV sounded, Su Xi and Yao Ming were heroes in their eyes. They were showcasing the prowess of Asians in a league dominated by black players. Asians were a minority group in the United States with little social influence. Yao Ming’s, and especially Su Xi’s, strong image benefited them all.

A ’ridiculous’ phenomenon occurred: because of Su Xi’s good looks and masculine charm, the dating rates of handsome Asian guys on campus had all gone up.

If you can’t get Su Xi, a substitute is better than nothing.

The Houston Rockets changed their head coach this year, hiring Jeff Van Gundy, who had made a name for himself with the New York Knicks. Jeff Van Gundy brought his own staff with him. Thibodeau and Ewing were now both assistant coaches for the Rockets, with one in charge of the team’s defense and the other primarily responsible for Yao Ming’s technical development.

Jeff Van Gundy was a cerebral coach who had studied under Pat Riley. He had his own unique understanding of big centers, and upon his arrival, he immediately made technical adjustments to Yao Ming’s playstyle. He required Yao Ming to operate more in the paint, gain weight, and focus on ensuring powerful output in the low post.