NBA: Rising Superstar!-Chapter 172 - 132, Reporting LeBron for throwing magnesium powder.
Under Song Xue’s lead, the two of them took the elevator to the third floor of the Chaoshan Cuisine Restaurant.
"Xingyang, I’ve been here with Xiaoqi and the others a few times, they all say it’s authentic here."
"Is it that good?"
"Haha, you’ll know when you try it."
Walking in, they saw many waiters and chefs busy, and there were dozens of diners, mostly Chinese faces, with a few Caucasian ones.
The two were about to find a spot to sit.
Zeng Xingyang admired the entrepreneurial spirit of his fellow Chinese, it seemed like you could find them doing business or working in countries all over the world.
Zeng Xingyang, wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a down jacket, hadn’t attracted much attention while walking in the mall, after all, without wearing a jersey, foreigners would have face blindness towards him.
But once he arrived at the hot pot restaurant, he was immediately recognized.
"Xingyang!"
"It’s really Xingyang, hey."
"Come to eat, Xingyang."
Once a Chinese customer recognized Zeng Xingyang, the diners quickly got excited and greeted him one by one.
Zeng Xingyang took off his sunglasses and greeted everyone with a smile and a wave.
The owner, hearing the commotion, quickly ran out from the kitchen and personally led the two to a table.
"Xingyang, welcome! What do you want to eat today? It’s on me."
The owner was a man in his forties with a very bright smile, apparently recognizing Zeng Xingyang too.
Zeng Xingyang might not be a household name among locals in Denver, but in the Chinese community, nearly every adult and student knew him.
Even those Chinese who didn’t watch basketball would sometimes buy tickets to the Pepsi Center in Denver just to watch Zeng Xingyang play.
Zeng Xingyang seemed to represent their pride.
Since Zeng Xingyang was drafted, many locals in Denver would often bring him up as a topic of conversation when chatting with Chinese people.
Especially as Zeng Xingyang performed better and better, several Chinese restaurants saw an increase in customer flow.
"Bro, don’t. You run a business, if you do this, I won’t dare come next time."
"If you spend money when you eat here, it would seem like you’re not giving me face."
"...."
The nuances of Chinese etiquette could also give Zeng Xingyang a headache, but after some polite pushing away, the owner finally stopped insisting and went back to the busy kitchen.
While waiting, fans came over in batches asking for a photo and signature.
Zeng Xingyang wasn’t pretentious and obliged them all.
Before long, various cuts of beef were served, along with two classic Chaoshan dishes.
Song Xue picked up some with her chopsticks, blanched it for a few seconds, and then put it in Zeng Xingyang’s well-prepared dipping sauce bowl.
Zeng Xingyang took a bite and gave her a thumbs up.
Song Xue smiled, "How is it? Tasty, right?"
"Yes, very fresh, and the flavor is amazing, better than any hot pot I’ve had before."
"See, my recommendations are never bad."
The two quickly dived in with little care for appearances.
The surrounding diners were polite, refraining from disturbing the two while they dined.
"Do you really like food?" In Zeng Xingyang’s impression, a girl like Song Xue didn’t seem like she’d be a foodie.
"Yes, I love all kinds of food, but I have to control myself, can’t eat too much."
"It’s fine, eat as much as you want, I don’t mind."
"Men’s words are deceitful, once I get fat, you’ll leave me."
"....."
Song Xue’s appetite wasn’t huge, most of the beef was finished by Zeng Xingyang.
After finishing the hot pot, Song Xue took cash from her bag to settle the bill.
"Ms. Xue, how much are you earning now?"
"With allowances and all, it’s over ten thousand."
"Is that enough?"
"It’s fine, expenses are higher here, but I can still save a bit."
"Okay, let me know if you need money."
"Save it yourself, I won’t be spending your money. Let’s go, check out that clothing store, I’ll pick some for you, your clothes aren’t photogenic."
.....
Zeng Xingyang wanted to give Song Xue some expensive bags and jewelry, but she refused. Compared to luxury items, Song Xue valued practicality more.
So, Zeng Xingyang brought a lot of his clothes, along with two frying pans he gave her, back to Song Xue’s place.
He was going to spend the night playing basketball at her place.
This shopping day gave Zeng Xingyang some more insight into Song Xue.
...
On the evening of January 2nd.
The Nuggets, at home, welcomed the challenge from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Before the game, Zeng Xingyang, dressed in training gear, received the Rookie of the Month trophy.
Zeng Xingyang thought that if he were to buy a villa here in the future, it would need a dedicated honor room, as he already had quite a few trophies at home, with more to come.
Afterward, Zeng Xingyang was interviewed courtside.
When asked about his thoughts on tonight’s opponent, James.
Zeng Xingyang thought for a moment and replied, "LeBron’s physique is impressive."
"Yes, indeed, his physique is really impressive."
Zeng Xingyang confirmed again.
The reporters could feel that Zeng Xingyang’s answer was very perfunctory.
This was all you had to say at such a status? Just that he has good physical attributes?
Shouldn’t you show some admiration for him?
Perfunctory.
Yes, indeed.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t really know how to praise James.
Praise his basketball skills?
That’s nonsense.
With Zeng Xingyang’s current high standards, players like Kyrie Irving and Curry were where he’d draw the line for technical prowess...
Praise him as "Gote"?
That certainly wasn’t possible; Zeng Xingyang couldn’t force himself to do that. Maybe once he scatters Curry and Durant’s team he’ll reconsider.
The reporter asked, "What do you think is the hardest aspect of the Cavaliers to restrict?"
Zeng Xingyang said, "Kyrie Irving."
Zeng Xingyang didn’t mention the Cavaliers’ tactics, James, or their defense, just Kyrie’s name.
Due to some injuries, Irving only averaged 20 points and 5 assists this season, but no one would ignore his offensive capabilities.
Zeng Xingyang’s dribbling attribute was trained to the top level, which is LV10, and Kyrie’s dribbling ability is a concrete manifestation of LV10.
In almost every player and fan’s consensus, Kyrie’s dribbling ability is the best, seemingly achieving a state of unity with the ball.
Dribbling is a fundamental skill that all basketball enthusiasts and professional players encounter initially, and mastering it to the extent that everyone is impressed isn’t easy.
But Kyrie achieved that.
Watching Kyrie play often felt like watching a stage performance, every dribble and drive was like a beautiful painting.
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up as a background in one of his highlight reels.
....
So far, the Cavaliers had a record of 23 wins and 9 losses, ranking second in the East.
The Cavaliers’ roster boasted three All-Star players: James, Irving, and Love, along with strong players like TT and JR Smith.
This was the Cavaliers team that earned the Warriors the title of losing in the finals despite a 73-win season.
Their finals against the Warriors were thrilling, especially with their incredible comeback from being down 1-3.
The Warriors were unstoppable in the regular season, but ultimately fell in the finals to the Cavaliers.
Only after the Warriors acquired Durant did the Cavaliers struggle to compete in subsequent finals.
The current Cavaliers were undoubtedly strong, and it would be very challenging for the Nuggets to win.
The Pepsi Center in Denver was packed to the brim; this was a nationally televised game.
TNT, Penguin Sports, and the major streaming platforms from both China and the US were ready to go.
The camera constantly focused on James, as many Nuggets fans shouted at him.
James thoroughly enjoyed this star treatment, even though it wasn’t his home court, he still approached the scorer’s table, cupped some chalk in his hands, and threw it high into the air.
"Cough cough!"
"Cough cough!"
.....
"LeBron, you got powder on the audience, someone reported you."
The staff member said as James turned and was about to warm up.
"OK, I’ll apologize." James was briefly stunned, it was the first time he’d encountered something like this.
Reported? 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Who reported him?
James was bewildered.
As it turned out, Zeng Xingyang noticed home team fans in the front row coughing after being dusted with powder. Unable to watch anymore, he asked the staff to act as a go-between and tell James.
Definitely wasn’t to mess with James’ mindset on purpose.
