The Best Point Guard

They talked about marriage.

Su Xi was thrilled to be discussing it. He was very optimistic about marrying Huang Xiaoman.

This had always been his plan.

However, he didn’t know how to bring up the other female celebrities with Huang Xiaoman.

By unspoken agreement, Huang Xiaoman didn’t bring it up either.

They traveled to the Chinese countryside together, doing charity work, launching programs to bring basketball to rural villages, helping young players develop, and watching ordinary school basketball tournaments.

Su Xi savored these moments, and so did Huang Xiaoman.

Time flew by.

Summer passed, and autumn arrived.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, late autumn was setting in.

Su Xi boarded a plane back to the United States.

He had a new ring on his finger—an engagement ring. They had held a grand engagement ceremony in the Capital City.

It was a completely traditional Chinese-style ceremony.

Su Xi was overjoyed.

The night before leaving for New York, Su Xi tried to talk with Huang Xiaoman about Scarlett and the others. Huang Xiaoman didn’t get into it; she just said to Su Xi, "Set aside disputes."

Su Xi’s Chinese was mediocre, but he had plenty of stamina. He was especially energetic that night.

And so, he gave his true first time to Huang Xiaoman.

And a second, third, fourth, and fifth time.

Because Huang Xiaoman’s parents had said they wanted to hold their grandchild.

During the long flight, Su Xi took out his laptop and started searching.

He struggled to type those four characters in Pinyin on his laptop.

Then, the autocomplete filled in the rest of the phrase: "jointly develop."

Su Xi understood instantly.

He remembered what his grandfather used to tell him: ’When you take a wife, choose a virtuous one.’

’Looks like I married the right one.’

...

When Su Xi arrived in New York, his house was already spotless. Scarlett Johansson was very particular about cleanliness here; she had already started seeing herself as the lady of the house.

She quite enjoyed the role.

Su Xi flopped onto the sofa and turned on the TV.

Then he saw something unbelievable. Eddie Curry appeared on the TV screen, looking as round as a ball.

’Oh my god!’

’Is that really Eddie Curry?’

Su Xi couldn’t believe his eyes. ’I haven’t seen the guy in just three or four months, and he’s gained at least 80 pounds! What on earth happened to him?’

’Has he been binge-eating this whole time?’

No wonder the American media had been reporting that the Knicks had no chance of winning the championship next season. All the media in New York City believed the team had lost its self-discipline after their victory.

They had spent the entire offseason in the Big Apple City basking in a hero’s welcome, and they had all lost themselves in the adulation.

Su Xi had taken this team to unimaginable heights, and now, content and complacent, they had lost their ambition.

This was a common affliction for championship teams, but the Knicks were even more self-indulgent than most.

In professional sports, defending a title is harder than winning it in the first place.

Not only does every opponent have you in their sights, but you also have to confront the arrogance and decadence growing within your own team.

Eddie Curry looked like a human beach ball. A reporter on TV asked about his plans for the new season. "Other than the championship," he said, "what other goal could we possibly have?"

"I’m not worried about losing weight at all. I did it successfully last season, so I have plenty of experience. Besides, we have Tony Su. What do we have to worry about?"

’Ugh!’

Su Xi put a hand to his forehead, completely exasperated.

He was dismayed by Eddie Curry’s smug, overconfident attitude.

The program was actually titled, "The New Season Approaches: What Are the Knicks Players Up To?"

Next, Su Xi saw Crawford, who was appearing as a guest performer at a concert.

"I’ve always had a dream of making music, you know? I want to be a hip-hop artist. All us black people have rap in our blood. I released an album this summer and named it *Championship Life*."

As Crawford gave the interview, he looked like a completely different person.

He had cornrows, wore a flashy necklace, and even had a new little tattoo on his face.

’Oh, for heaven’s sake.’

’The guy was always practicing his flow in the locker room, but Su Xi never thought he’d actually go through with it. Does he really think he has the chops to be a rapper? Those producers must just be scamming him for his money.’

"So, what’s the deal with the ’weed’ on your album cover?"

"That was just a one-time thing."

Crawford said, "It’s just a gimmick."

Su Xi shook his head, feeling a profound sense of helplessness wash over him.

He had moved heaven and earth to drag these guys out of the gutter and lead them to a championship. He thought the victory would energize them, that they would go on to build a new world together.

But he never expected that after winning, tempted by unprecedented fame and fortune, all the flaws in their characters would be laid bare.

They had degenerated, becoming even worse than before.

They felt they had already achieved the ultimate dream of their basketball careers, so there was nothing left that warranted their discipline.

Su Xi’s heart sank.

Then, Zach Randolph appeared on the screen.

Randolph was in good shape. He even looked a bit thinner, but the dark circles under his eyes were more severe.

The guy was organizing his big fashion show. He had his dance team walking the runway for a new brand he’d created. His goal was to sell traditional Eastern qipaos to the wealthy women of New York.

’After seeing the last two oddballs,’ Su Xi thought, ’at least this guy isn’t completely ridiculous.’

"I love everything I have, and I’m so grateful for it all."

Randolph said, "I want to bring what I’ve learned from Eastern philosophy and aesthetics to everyone. We women should all possess this kind of graceful temperament."

’Huh?’

Su Xi was taken aback. ’We women?’

’What the hell kind of phrasing is that?’

’Did he discover a new side to himself after entering the fashion world?’

He decided he needed to have a long talk with Randolph.

Besides those three, the New York television station had also featured David Lee and Channing Frye.

These two had actually been training their butts off.

Their muscles were visibly bigger and more defined as they ran on the beach, hauling tires.

"We got to Miami in July and have been training here ever since. We have to build up our physical strength. That’s how we’ll earn more playing time next season."

"I know full well that last season’s championship didn’t have much to do with us, but we hope to contribute much more to the next one."

David Lee was a good kid.

So was Channing Frye.

They earned the praise of the New York Media.

And, of course, Su Xi approved of them too.

Ariza also made an appearance. He too showed signs of having trained. He said he spent the offseason working on his three-pointer with Reggie Miller, but the results weren’t great; he felt Reggie Miller’s shooting rhythm just wasn’t a good fit for him.

Then there were the three rookies the Knicks had drafted: Novak, Lowry, and Millsap.

They had also arrived in New York early. Their morale was high, they looked eager, and they were confident about cracking the team’s rotation.

Su Xi liked players with that kind of confidence.

The last person interviewed was Gary Payton.

He was the Knicks’ "major new signing."

"I came here for a championship ring. But a lot of people say that any team I join to ride their coattails ends up cursed and can’t win it all. I hope the Knicks can break that curse, because I really, really need a championship."

"I believe in the GOAT. Goat Su Xi is the GOAT because he can do what no one else can."

"Please, Jack! Lead me to a championship!"

Gary Payton bowed to the camera.

That was the final shot of the program.

It was clearly a deliberate choice by the producers. The shot encapsulated the hopes of the crew and the entire television audience.

They were all hoping Su Xi could continue to lead the team to another championship.

Even though the team was already showing signs of decay, and many people were doubting if this ship could stay the course.

The doubts weren’t as numerous as last season, but they were far more rational.