Su Xi didn’t get to go on a date with Scarlett Johansson. The Pacers’ team bus was completely surrounded by the media, and they only managed to leave the arena with the help of security.

"This is insane," Reggie Miller said. "I’ve only ever seen a scene like this at a Madonna concert."

Su Xi was also taken aback. He’d heard that being the All-Star top vote-getter with over five million votes was a big deal, but he never realized how big. Now, Houston was giving him a little taste of just how shocking his popularity was.

Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Duff were also swarmed by reporters.

Surrounded by a forest of cameras, they answered a flurry of questions before security could escort them away.

On the way to Memphis, Su Xi received a text from Scarlett: "At four in the morning, I saw the crabapple blossoms still awake. In this moment, I can’t help but feel you should be here with me."

’How poetic,’ Su Xi thought. ’And full of longing.’

Su Xi felt he should respond; he couldn’t just leave her hanging. So, he replied, "Oh, got it."

Just then, Ron Artest, who was sitting next to him, leaned in. He couldn’t help but ask, "Jack, can you tell me how you get women to chase after you like this?"

When Artest asked the question, everyone nearby pricked up their ears to listen in.

Although many players acted sanctimonious, claiming Su Xi spent too much energy on things unrelated to basketball, who among them didn’t secretly wish they had his kind of charm?

"I have no idea." Su Xi spread his hands. "Maybe it’s because I saved her life."

"Ron, if you had a handsome face like Jack’s, you wouldn’t need to learn any techniques," Reggie Miller chimed in teasingly from the front. "You think Jack actually has some secret playbook? Secret playbooks are for ugly dudes to figure out."

Miller’s comment sent the whole bus into a fit of laughter.

No one was asleep yet.

Artest looked a little embarrassed.

It was like a die-hard manly man getting caught secretly trying on makeup.

"I... I was asking for a friend," Artest said, trying to save face. "You think I need any help? Reggie, the second I drop my pants, women are fighting for a piece of me."

But Reggie Miller’s tongue was just too sharp. He shot back, "...You drop your pants, and a crowd of women waits for it to get hard?"

HAHAHAHA! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The mood on the bus was jubilant.

...

The next day, major media outlets all across America were reporting on Scarlett’s great victory. The entire SS Faction was in an uproar.

The wall-to-wall coverage sent Su Xi’s popularity soaring once again. In terms of fame, he was now on par with A-list celebrities.

The rivalry between the SS Faction and the SJ Faction was especially fierce online.

Even in the comments section of a completely unrelated news article, the mere mention of Su Xi’s name would instantly trigger a ’war’.

The most ridiculous part was that Su Xi even saw his name pop up in the comments of a news story about a master thief.

"His M.O. is a lot like how Scarlett stole Little Sheep Su Xi’s heart. First, she acted all vulnerable, then she swooped in when his guard was down, and finally, she flaunted her technique in public for all to see..."

Su Xi couldn’t take it anymore.

From that comment onward, the whole thread completely derailed.

"You poor SJ Faction members are just twisting the facts. Jessica Alba can’t compare to Scarlett in looks, figure, or personality. The only thing she has going for her is that she met Jack first. But how long you’ve known someone doesn’t determine the depth of your connection. Scarlett and Jack are the true power couple—a love that transcends life and death."

"The SS Faction is just trying to make themselves look good, just like Scarlett keeps throwing herself at him. Has Jack ever said he loves Scarlett? She’s kissed him twice, and he didn’t even use his tongue. The body doesn’t lie."

"Did Jack save Jessica’s life, too?"

"..."

And so the argument raged on.

Now Su Xi didn’t even dare to read the comments on general news articles.

This just went to show how incredibly hot Su Xi’s popularity was at the moment.

A lot of people said popularity was fleeting, and the hype would probably die down in a few days.

But five days later, Jessica Alba showed up in Philadelphia, sitting courtside in Su Xi’s number 33 jersey to cheer him on.

This ignited another media firestorm.

And what drove people even wilder was that Jessica Alba was photographed at the hotel where the Pacers were staying.

Although there were no photos of her and Su Xi together, it was more than enough to send the SJ Faction’s imaginations running wild. They could finally hold their heads high.

In reality, that night, Jessica was practically left breathless by Little Sheep.

It felt incredible.

It was an ’impact’ on a spiritual level.

This was why Jessica was so completely devoted to him. Ever since they got together, she’d lost all interest in other men. The most handsome man in the world could be standing right in front of her, and she wouldn’t give him a second glance.

This must be the extra bit of magic that the lightning had given Su Xi.

...

January passed quickly. On January 30, the NBA All-Star voting closed, and Su Xi had received 5.69 million votes. He had shattered the record set by Jordan in 1997, who had received 2.45 million votes back then!

Su Xi had more than doubled his total.

Despite numerous calls to reform the All-Star voting system—proposing a new model where fans, journalists, and players would all have a vote—the league office made no move. David Stern had been grinning from ear to ear for days.

In addition to making the All-Star Game, Su Xi was also voted onto the Rookie Challenge team. This was undisputed. So far this season, Su Xi was averaging 14.7 points, 9.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. Combined with the Pacers’ current 45-9 record, as the team’s recognized backcourt leader, Su Xi could have made the rookie game in any given year.

Since acquiring Su Xi, the Pacers had gone 26-4, giving them the best record in the entire league and putting them on a trajectory for the best record in franchise history.