Chapter 96: Not Online

Chapter 108: Not Online

“Update? Well… no, no, no, no, I’m not talking to you about re-signing, Halley Wells.”
“So then, what do you want?”
“I know my contract with the club is unrelated, and I have no right to interfere. But… do you know Rudy Kobe Bryant, the young center playing in Ligue 1? If possible, I hope you watch him before the draft starts. Su Feng is modest. In fact, right now he could ask the front office to bring in his favorite teammate, but Su Feng has always been the same. He never asks. Even if he brings a good teammate to the club, he does not hesitate to speak to management.”

At first Kuban thought Su Feng did not want to renew with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet as he listened, sweat running and tense nerves tightening, he suddenly felt as if the world had straightened itself.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You nearly scared me to death! You mean you want us to pick Rudy Kobe Bryant in this year’s draft, right? Come on, open your mouth. Your opinion matters greatly to the team, Kobe Bryant.”
“It is Rudy Kobe Bryant, Halley Wells. I do not want you to choose him because I know too little about him and cannot guarantee he can adjust to top-league speed. I only hope you, who know how to score and read teammates, will watch his basketball footage.”
“That name is in my books too, Rudy Kobe Bryant, Halley Wells. Don’t worry. Our scouts should have already known of him, but Rick and I haven’t seen him yet. Hey, come back earlier. We prepared a contract and champagne for you.”
“Don’t worry, Halley Wells. I’ll return home eventually.”

When he heard Su Feng use the word “home,” Kuban felt unexpectedly at ease. But Su Feng’s words also reminded him, as if a bell ringing, that it would be hard for a super-star to win an Obrien Cup for the club. The summer plans had to be put on the agenda quickly.

Su Feng had won the honor of Best Defensive Teammate for a stretch of games, and that suddenly brought Bill Duffy dozens of business offers. He was busy finding the next home for Jenkins.

Yet in his talks with Duffy, Su Feng refused every new endorsement deal. From now on, he only wanted to spend his free time with Livia Vigna.
A whole year later—just summer. That is when they could truly be together. So every holiday, Su Feng treasured his time vacationing with Victoria.

After the commercial basketball war in Sibaya, Vena and Su Feng left old Europe and went to their dream resort in Sibaya.
Lying on the beach, enjoying the extraordinary sun and jewel-blue sky, he felt how free this place was—far freer than England and Europe.

Copacabana Beach—almost the first stop for every Sibaya visitor headed to Rio de Janeiro. Compared with the beaches of Los Angeles, the tropical coast was even more beautiful.

Su Feng, in sunglasses, was reclining on the sand when sudden darkness passed before his eyes. It was Victoria, fresh from the water, stepping toward him in a three-piece swimsuit.

A few cold drops slid from her hair onto Su Feng’s face, but they could not cool the fire in his heart.

Sibaya was a feverish place, and that did not mean only temperature. On those beaches one could see girls lying in the sun without anything above a bikini, tanning freely. A young couple, not far from him, hugged and kissed. He could read everything with a sidelong glance.

So when Vigna climbed onto Su Feng, it was not a shocking scene. In Sibaya, it was normal.

“What are you thinking, Mr. Top League? Isn’t the girl in front of you as beautiful as the one by your side?” Victoria muttered, irritated. Su Feng quickly closed his eyes. He did not look elsewhere because other girls were more beautiful. He only could not bear to keep staring at Victoria’s eyes.

After all, Su Feng did not want to stand on a beach with only swim trunks and no pretense.

He turned and looked back blankly; she laughed, then leaned her whole body over him. He felt two soft shapes separate from his shirt, and of course his swimwear was pushed up against its will.

Su Feng brushed off the sand from her hair, then gently ran his fingers through it, tucking stray green-tinted strands behind her ears.
“Hey, how could I feel uneasy?” Victoria laughed, and Su Feng swallowed hard.
She rested her head against his broad chest and enjoyed their private peace.
“Happy to be with you…” she murmured there.
“Mm.”
“Come on, let’s go back and do something at the club. This afternoon we’ll go to a barbecue in Sibaya!”
“Come on, Shak. When you are the league’s MVP, I don’t think any old warrior has any business bothering you.”
“That’s because people are scared to oppose me. I always show real dominance,” Kobe Bryant said proudly.

Though Kobe Bryant played with Su Feng, in truth Su Feng had already surpassed Chris Paul in basketball, both in personal numbers and team impact. You see, Paul was surrounded by Griffin, Little Jordan, and Crawford. Su Feng, on the other hand, had no one to match him except an old duck of a name.

So on the last day of May, when the MVP was announced, Kobe Bryant took another hard hit.
Chris Paul’s name appeared on the Second Team—which meant that Su Feng, not yet done with his rookie contract, had become the first Chinese teammate to be named to the Top League First Team.

In fact, this news did not stir the world, because Su Feng had won the top club honor and the championship. Worried you might not even make the top lineup? For him, such honors had become routine.

Up to now, in this season alone, Su Feng had taken three individual awards with the Top League: Most Improved Player, Best Defensive Teammate, and Finals First-Team honor. Many great names would never earn these in their entire lives. He had achieved all of them in just three games.
Now Su Feng had only three personal honors: Most Improved, Best Defensive Teammate, and Top-League Finals champion. Yet his career had only just begun. It seemed only a matter of time before he collected every possible individual award.

When Su Feng won the honor again, Cavaliers officials deliberately celebrated his election. They even hung a special poster, showing the best lineup built around Su Feng at the Engolan Route Center Club. Even though Su Feng was no longer in Dallas, the Cavaliers celebrated him with all their effort.

The moment the news was out, a good club owner from the Cuban circle called Su Feng in Sibaya. First, Kuban personally congratulated him and thanked him for everything he had done for the Cavaliers. Second, he wanted to discuss re-signing in advance.

Next year is Su Feng’s contract year. After this basketball war, Su Feng will become a restricted free agent. Kuban could not even imagine how wild things would get if he were put on the free-agent market. The owners of the other 29 clubs would throw all their assets at him.

Of course Kuban would never give other clubs a chance. There was no doubt that Su Feng was Dallas’s future cornerstone. As long as he stayed, the Cavaliers would not have to endure any more godforsaken rebuilding. Kuban had already decided—he would offer Su Feng the best contract.

Su Feng’s Top League recognition this year also activated his Roth clause. Kuban was willing to spend heavily to keep him. If other teams tried to get close, it would be impossible.

Just as Kuban was imagining the bright future of the Dallas Cavaliers, the phone rang through.
“And also—you know you were selected as the top pick!” he exclaimed, excitedly, without a word of preparation.
“Mr. Duffy just told me. I’m happy to have won honors with the club,” Su Feng replied calmly. His tone made it seem as though it was Kuban, not Su Feng, who was the better teammate in that room.
“We put up a brand-new poster for you outside the Engolan Route Center Club! You should really come back and see it. Because of you, the whole club is shining, Kobe Bryant!”
“Fine, Halley Wells… what you said made me awkward. Hey, I just want to tell you one thing, Halley Wells. Do you have time?” Su Feng’s words made Kuban shiver.
“Hey, I know what you’re about to say, but listen first. Don’t worry about the extension. When you return, we can talk about your next contract. We decided to re-sign you in advance. Under your Roth clause we will give you the highest salary contract. We’re on vacation in Sibaya, and we’ll have the contract ready.”

Kuban thought Su Feng wanted to discuss early renewal, but Su Feng looked confused by everything Kuban said.

“Back to the club?”
“That is impossible. You don’t want to do that here, do you?” Victoria whispered by Su Feng’s ear and gave a soft whistle. It seemed to hit a switch, and he leapt up on the sand.
“You must watch your public image, Top-League sir.” Victoria pointed at the unmistakable bulge on him. Su Feng flushed and covered himself.
“Hey, hey, let’s go.” Victoria agilely clambered onto Su Feng’s back.

I have to admit, in the Engolan club scene, Sibaya wine is far better than whisky—hundreds of times better. At least by morning, Su Feng and Victoria felt no discomfort at all.

They rose early, walked around the river once, then drove in a car to join Adidas’s convoy. When they arrived, they would go together to the Shaolai Blue Team’s club.

When Su Feng, a Top-League star teammate, appeared in Shaolai, the Adidas squad was ecstatic. In this exhibition alone, Su Feng would receive a $200,000 appearance fee, excluding other incentive payments. Though calling him in for ten points was costly, Adidas believed his arrival would make the Shaolai squad look complete in every legal sense.

When Su Feng and the other European star names hired by Adidas stepped onto Shaolai’s landmark court, many teammates and even coaches came for signatures; after all, they would be rivals soon enough.
One of them caught Su Feng’s eye: while all the Shaolai teammates gathered for photos, a giant in a Shaolai jersey was warming up beneath the basket.
Though it was only an exhibition game, that fellow had prepared like he was ready for battle. Su Feng smiled, silently looking forward to the show he would put on.

The Basketball War started quickly, and the Shaolai club naturally filled. It is worth noting that this game was broadcast live on many Sibaya channels. In Sibaya, basketball was still a rare spectacle.

“Ha! You think he’s good, right? That young man—yet we are all proud to be Shaolai men. I knew he was a good prospect when he was still in Shaolai’s youth team!” the Shaolai manager said with a satisfied smile.
That was exactly how Stevens and the others spoke when they talked about Su Feng.

“Sorry, Mr. Ye, I forgot to answer your question. That kid is Rudy Kobe Bryant. By the way, he’ll enter this year’s Top-League draft. If all goes well, this won’t be the last time you and he argue! Kobe Bryant.”
“Enter the draft!”
Su Feng suddenly saw a glimmer of light. This trip to Sibaya was full of surprises.

Su Feng gave an outstanding exhibition in Sibaya and met Rudy Kobe Bryant, a young player. Yet no stir reached the outside world. As always, Su Feng won all the showcase games, and Rudy Kobe Bryant remained a completely unknown name to the crowd.

The Top-League finals were still underway, and the fans rejoiced at the decisive match-up between Duncan and James. Even though only two top clubs were still fighting for the World Best Teammate trophy, that did not mean all other stars had vanished from view.

On the last day of May, top officials announced this year’s best lineup. Every year, the announcement of the best lineup draws attention; it is a great honor for any teammate to make it. This year everyone’s gaze fixed on one man: Su Feng.
“Maybe he will be the second player since Russell to win top-league honors, but not the best teammate this season.” The day before the results, the famous “Big Mouth” Kobe Bryant again made fierce comments on the program.

“Ha-ha-ha—ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,” William Adams Miller laughed. But Buckley not being there today was a blessing. Otherwise they would have had an unavoidable exchange and a whole speech.