Chapter 41

The fourth quarter began, with both teams playing mostly their reserve lineups. Pistons: Greg Monroe, Taylor Hansbrough, Dahue Ansumanos, James Posey, and Will Bynum; Lakers: Derek Carrick, Paul Gasol, Mark Barnes, Shannon Brown, and Steve Blake. Paul Gasol exerted significant pressure on the Pistons in the paint, and Greg Monroe and Taylor Hansbrough were unable to contain him. However, Greg Monroe’s offense was equally sharp; though not as intense as Gasol’s, it still posed a considerable threat to the Lakers’ front line. Both teams focused on battling inside, and after nearly 5 minutes, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called a timeout. At that point, the Pistons were still 14 points behind the Lakers. After the timeout, both teams switched to their starting lineups, except that Paul Gasol left the court due to 5 fouls, while McGrady, who had been out earlier due to an injury, returned to the game. “Are you okay?” Kobe asked anxiously as he watched McGrady come on. “Heh, I’m fine,” McGrady replied with a smile. Hearing this, Kobe said nothing more and focused entirely on the game, just like McGrady. Zhou Yi’s two consecutive dribbles under his arm didn’t fool Derek Fisher, a veteran who had been in the league for many years. After all, he was a seasoned player—how could he be tricked by a rookie? So Zhou Yi had to bring out his best skills. “You have experience, so I’ll use the speed you fear the most against you,” Zhou Yi thought to himself. Zhou Yi stepped forward, taking a huge stride that forced Derek Fisher to back up two steps. “This is my chance.” Zhou Yi pulled sharply to the left, dribbling with his left hand past Fisher’s left side. Since training his left-handed skills with McGrady, Zhou Yi’s left-handed ability had improved greatly. Just as Zhou Yi was about to charge toward the basket, the ball suddenly disappeared from his hands. Shocked, he saw Kobe to his left rushing forward, snatching the ball from Zhou Yi’s hands and driving it toward the Pistons’ half-court. With a thud, Kobe slammed the ball into the basket. Zhou Yi’s pupils contracted sharply as he realized just how strong Kobe was.

On the Pistons’ offensive end, Zhou Yi broke through and passed the ball to Tashaun Prince, who was in an open position. After catching the ball, he steadied himself before shooting a three-pointer, which swished through the net.

On the Lakers’ side, Kobe pushed his way past McGrady and took a jump shot from beyond the three-point line, also hitting it cleanly in response to the opponent’s three-pointer.

In the subsequent attack, the Pistons failed to capitalize, but that didn’t mean the Lakers did either. It was Kobe again, who, despite being double-teamed by Zhou Yi, managed to hit a backdoor jump shot.

As the score gap seemed set to widen to 20 points, the Pistons’ head coach, John Kuester, grew anxious. Instead of calling a timeout, he suddenly stood up from the coaching bench.

“The Lakers are just too strong—this is the gap,” Kuester muttered to himself.

“Yes, it seems our roster needs improvement,” Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ general manager, said calmly, having appeared beside Kuester at some point. After hearing Kuester’s words, he added nothing further.

Kuester turned to look at him and nodded slightly, saying regretfully, “It’s not too difficult for our team to make the playoffs right now, but achieving success in them is extremely challenging.”

“Mm,” Dumars replied, staying silent—after all, this wasn’t the place to discuss such things.

Chapter 157: Home Loss, End of 7-Game Win Streak

With just over 3 minutes left in the game, the Pistons were still 15 points behind. Yet, the players didn’t give up; they fought hard, none wanting to lose at home or end their 7-game winning streak. Since even these players weren’t giving up, John Kuester certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to demoralize them.

When Zhou Yi single-handedly took on Derek Fisher and narrowed the score gap to 10 points, the Lakers’ star, Kobe, stepped up again. Despite being double-teamed, he managed to hit another three-pointer.

“Truly a superstar—his shooting gets hotter in critical moments,” Hong Ming said admiringly and excitedly.

“Which side are you on?” Hearing Hong Ming’s words, Mo Keer immediately got angry, grabbed Hong Ming’s ankle, and twisted it, causing him to scream in pain.

Lin Chixiao gave Hong Ming a cold look and sighed inwardly, saying, “You really can’t tell which side you’re on.”

Hong Ming pursed his lips in frustration, wanting to say something, but upon seeing Mo Keer’s angry expression, he swallowed his words.
Mo Keer was extremely nervous at that moment, watching Zhou Yi struggle on the court with her fists clenched tightly. Unconsciously, she had begun to like basketball and the intense atmosphere it brought.
Zhou Yi drove past Derek Fisher’s defense, rushed to the basket, and completed a layup despite Kobe’s resistance, even forcing a foul on Kobe.
“Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi…” The fans in the arena were excited to see Zhou Yi execute a two-plus-one on Kobe and began shouting his name. This scene made Hong Ming and the others extremely envious.
“This kid is pretty good,” Kobe said, standing beside McGrady and smiling at him.
“Yeah, Zhou has great potential and a high level of basketball talent,” McGrady replied with a smile.
“Oh? Even you praise his talent? It seems this kid is indeed outstanding,” Kobe said, slightly surprised after hearing McGrady’s words, then smiled.
In the NBA, no one could help but admire McGrady’s talent—even “The God of Basketball” Michael Jordan had high praise for him. It could be said that McGrady’s talent ranked among the best in NBA history. Now that even McGrady was praising Zhou Yi’s talent, it wasn’t surprising that Kobe was surprised.
Zhou Yi took free throws and made both, and the home crowd once again cheered loudly for him.
However, the rest of the game disappointed the home fans.
It was Kobe again—through shooting and free throws, he scored 7 points in less than 40 seconds, essentially destroying the Pistons’ chances of winning.
The home fans became disheartened; the chances of winning this game seemed slim, as there was less than 2 minutes left in the game.
But the Pistons players still refused to give up, so head coach John Kuester didn’t substitute his starters. Yet just because the Pistons didn’t substitute didn’t mean the Lakers wouldn’t—after all, this was a back-to-back game, and both were away games. So, seeing that they led by 13 points with only 1 minute and 31 seconds left, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson substituted Kobe. But just to be safe, Jackson kept all his other starters on the court, even bringing back Paul Gasol, who had been taken off earlier, since the outcome was still uncertain.

As Phil Jackson had predicted, after Kobe left the court, the Pistons’ counterattack became even more fierce, especially from that Chinese player who scored 5 points in a row. But after all, a 13-point lead isn’t something that can be easily closed, especially with so little time left, and Paul Gasol, who came in, was no pushover. In the end, the Pistons failed to turn the game around and lost 92–87. It wasn’t a crushing defeat, just a 5-point loss. But no matter by how many points, it was still a loss. However, Zhou Yi’s outstanding performance at the last moment caught everyone’s attention—this was the Pistons’ only bright spot in the game. Zhou Yi also performed well throughout the match, especially in the final moments, which made fans across the country recognize this young Chinese player from the Detroit Pistons. Thanks to this game, Zhou Yi became quite famous, and several business people began to take an interest in him. Of course, that’s for later. The entire Pistons team wasn’t discouraged by the loss, as they had tried their best; if they lost, it was only because their skills weren’t enough, since they had given their all in terms of attitude. Still, they were somewhat disappointed, as their efforts didn’t yield the desired results. Pistons general manager Joe Dumars and head coach John Kuester weren’t angry at all; instead, they praised the players highly and told them that team owner Bill Davidson was very satisfied with their performance. After receiving such praise, the Pistons players felt much better. After the game, Kobe and McGrady hugged each other, then walked over to Zhou Yi. Of course, Zhou Yi knew Kobe’s intention and went over to him, giving him a warm hug. “Kid, keep working hard. You’ll definitely make it big—I have high hopes for you!” Kobe said with a smile. “Thank you, Kobe. You’re my role model,” Zhou Yi replied politely. Hearing this, Kobe smiled faintly, then bid farewell to the Pistons team and headed with his teammates to the visiting team’s locker room. After the game, the press conferences for the Pistons and Lakers were very lively. Zhou Yi’s performance was outstanding—he scored almost as many points as Kobe. At the press conference, Zhou Yi became the star, not as much in the spotlight as Kobe, but still envied by the other Pistons players.

“Zhou is the best rookie I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame my form was so good today—so good that even I can’t believe it, haha. Otherwise, I think we would have lost the game,” Kobe said with a smile, jokingly. Honestly, his form was indeed excellent today, especially in the final moments.

Zhou Yi also gave interviews to many media reporters. Having accumulated plenty of experience dealing with reporters, it wasn’t difficult for him to answer their questions.

“He’s very steady. You can see that he already has the qualities of a seasoned player. He plays very calmly and wisely; he never takes risks by attacking alone when his teammates are available. I don’t think there’s any other rookie who plays better than him, except that rookie ‘Beast’ Blake Griffin,” Phil Jackson replied with a smile to reporters’ questions about Zhou Yi. It was clear from his answer that he had high expectations for Zhou Yi. Honestly, if he hadn’t decided not to continue coaching after this season, he might have tried to bring Zhou Yi over from the Pistons.

Chapter 158: An Unexpected Invitation

Early the next morning, actually, even on the night after the game against the Lakers, headlines for various sports news outlets had already been drafted. Zhou Yi, naturally, was the focus of all the news, thanks to his performance and the praise from Kobe and “Philosophy Coach” Phil Jackson. But Zhou Yi, as the main character, seemed unfazed by it, continuing his daily routine of eating and sleeping as if it weren’t a big deal.

It’s no wonder Zhou Yi reacted this way. When a person realizes there are always those better than them, no matter how much praise they receive, they still feel unwilling to settle and strive to become stronger. That’s exactly how Zhou Yi is—a man with a strong desire to get better.

“I need to get stronger. I’m still too weak now and can’t help McGrady fulfill his promise!” That was Zhou Yi’s assessment of himself at the time.

The Pistons’ next opponent was the Washington Wizards, led by Phillip Sanders. Regarding the Wizards, Pistons head coach John Kuester believed his team still had a good chance of winning. After the game against the Lakers, the Pistons had three days off, but the players still had to attend team training. Knowing how tired the players were, head coach John Kuester gave them two days off, which made the players very happy, and they praised him for being wise and considerate.

For Zhou Yi, the game against the Washington Wizards is special because it’s a real Chinese derby, where he will face another Chinese player, Yi Jianlian, whom he had already played against in preseason games. While the other Pistons players only have two days off, Zhou Yi gets three days. He was slightly surprised by this. When he asked Pistons head coach John Kuester for the reason, Kuester replied that it was to spend more time with his parents and friends during these days. After hearing Kuester’s answer, Zhou Yi was deeply moved and had to admit that John Kuester is a very humane coach. It also shows that Kuester values Zhou Yi greatly. Zhou Yi didn’t get up very early in the morning, as the game the previous night had been intense and exhausting. By the time he woke up, it was already 9:30 a.m. By then, everyone else had gotten up, even Hong Ming, who usually likes to sleep in, had already had breakfast. Knowing that everyone else had eaten, Zhou Yi went to the cafeteria by himself to get his breakfast. After breakfast, Zhou Yi went hiking to the city center with Mo Keer and the others, while Zhou Yi’s parents were shown around their company by Blake. Now, Zhou Yi is somewhat of a celebrity in Detroit; many people on the streets recognize him, ask to take photos with him, or request autographs. He always responds with a smile and is very cooperative. In Detroit, Zhou Yi’s fame can even compare to that of some star players. Although he’s far from comparing to superstars like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, he is still considered a rising star. As a result, people are very enthusiastic about him. Even some polite and understanding fans simply greet him warmly when they see him with his friends, without disturbing him. For Zhou Yi, this enthusiasm is also a recognition of his skills, so he’s happy to fulfill people’s requests. However, to avoid interfering with his time with friends, Zhou Yi put on black sunglasses and a sun hat so he wouldn’t be recognized by the enthusiastic fans. Just as Zhou Yi, Mo Keer, and the others were taking a taxi to an attraction, Zhou Yi’s phone suddenly rang, which surprised him, as the number was unfamiliar to him, though it was a local number.

“Could it be Xiang Yun?” Zhou Yi glanced at the unfamiliar number, a hint of confusion appearing on his face. He then glanced at Mo Keer before pressing the answer button.
“Hello? May I ask who this is?” Zhou Yi picked up the phone and politely asked in English.
“Is this Zhou Yi?” A male voice came through the phone. The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Zhou Yi, and surprisingly, the man was speaking in Chinese.
“Oh? This is Zhou Yi. May I ask who are you?” Zhou Yi asked in even greater surprise.
“Hehe, we just met, and since I’m using my home phone, it’s no wonder you recognized me. I’m a friend of Xiang Yun’s. We even had dinner together last time. I’m…”
“Oh, I remember now. You must be Zhao Hui, right?” Zhou Yi listened, thought for a moment, then said in surprise and slight embarrassment. He never expected Zhao Hui to call him, as they had only met once.
The other end of the phone chuckled and replied, “Yeah, I’m Zhao Hui. Hehe.”
“Hehe, Zhao Hui, what brings you to call me?” Zhou Yi asked with a smile.
“Actually, it’s nothing special. I just wanted to invite you to my house. After all, you’re a friend I just met, and we seem quite fated. Besides, my parents also want to meet you—they’re huge fans of yours!” Zhao Hui said, a bit embarrassed.
After hearing Zhao Hui’s words, Zhou Yi was both amused and conflicted. After pondering for a while, he replied, “I’m sorry, Zhao Hui. I’m currently hanging out in the street with friends who flew in from China. I might not be able to visit your place. Sorry about that! I’ll definitely come by next time if I have time!”
There was a brief silence on the other end before the voice said, “It’s okay. You can bring your friends along. We’d all be happy to see them. It’s rare for us to get together with fellow Chinese. Come on, it’s a great chance to catch up.”
Zhao Hui’s words made Zhou Yi even more conflicted. He said to Zhao Hui, “Wait a moment. I’ll consult my friends first.”
“Okay, sure.”
Zhou Yi recounted the entire conversation with Zhao Hui to Mo Keer and the other three. Qin Tian and the others had no objections and agreed readily, as they were also in Detroit for fun—anywhere was fine to them. However, Mo Keer was skeptical. Frowning slightly, she asked Zhou Yi, “Will we be bothering them if we go?”

“Hehe, it’s okay. It was Zhao Hui who invited us to go together,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
“Yes, anyway, we’re here to have fun. It’s just for a few days, so it’s good to meet more friends,” Hong Ming added.
Seeing that everyone agreed, Mo Keer didn’t know what else to say and nodded.
Seeing Mo Keer in agreement as well, Zhou Yi smiled, picked up the phone, and said apologetically to Zhao Hui on the other end, “Sorry for keeping you waiting so long.”
“Hehe, it’s okay,” Zhao Hui replied with a smile.
“Hehe, then let’s go bother you at your place!” Zhou Yi joked.
“Welcome,” Zhao Hui replied promptly.
Zhao Hui insisted on picking up Zhou Yi and his group himself, so Zhou Yi had no choice but to tell him their location and waited there for his arrival.
“Xiang Yun didn’t happen to go to Zhao Hui’s place, did he?” Zhou Yi suddenly thought of this, his heart pounding, and he glanced nervously at Mo Keer.
“That’s not good.”
Chapter 159: Zhou Yi’s Concerns
After about ten minutes, Zhao Hui arrived in an Audi R82. Surprisingly, behind his Audi R82 was a luxury extended Lincoln limousine.
“It seems Zhao Hui’s family is quite wealthy!” Hong Ming said, looking at the Audi R82 and then at the Lincoln behind it, before whispering something to Lin Qixiao.
Lin Qixiao simply nodded slightly without saying anything. His family’s financial situation wasn’t bad either, so he could afford such a car, but since they were still students, their family usually provided them with cars like the Honda Accord. So, seeing a young man around their age driving an Audi R82 with a Lincoln behind it, Lin Qixiao and Hong Ming naturally felt a bit envious and curious about Zhao Hui’s family background.
“I’m sorry for making you wait,” Zhao Hui said hurriedly as he got out of the car, expressing slight apology to everyone.
“Hehe, it’s okay,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile, and the others also smiled slightly, showing no dissatisfaction.
“Who are these people?” Zhao Hui asked curiously.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce them. This is my girlfriend, Mo Keer,” Zhou Yi said, wrapping his arm around Mo Keer’s waist as he introduced her to Zhao Hui.
“Hello, Miss Mo,” Zhao Hui said politely to Mo Keer before extending his right hand.

Mo Keer was also the kind of well-bred lady, so she knew many etiquettes. “Hello, Mr. Zhao. Since you’re Zhou Yi’s friend, please stop calling me Miss Mo. Just call me Keer!” After saying that, Mo Keer extended her right hand and shook it with Zhao Hui.
Zhao Hui smiled faintly and said, “Okay, then you don’t need to call me Mr. Zhao either. It’s a bit awkward. Just call me Zhao Hui directly.”
Mo Keer nodded, while Zhou Yi watched the two with a smile. Then he pointed to Qin Tian and the other two and introduced them to Zhao Hui, saying, “These three are all my good friends. This is Qin Tian, this is Lin Qixiao, and this is Hong Ming. They all came from China specifically to see me along with Keer.”
Zhao Hui shook hands with Lin Qixiao and the others one by one to get to know them better. Zhao Hui invited Zhou Yi to sit in the passenger seat of his car, while the others were invited to ride in the luxury extended Lincoln.
“Zhao Hui, to be honest, I really didn’t realize your family was so wealthy,” Zhou Yi said curiously.
It wasn’t surprising that Zhou Yi hadn’t noticed. Zhao Hui usually dressed and ate in a modest way and didn’t have high demands for material things, so outsiders naturally didn’t know much about his background.
“It’s not as good as you think!” Zhao Hui replied with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi didn’t press further and instead began to examine the Audi R82 carefully. “Hey, why is this car so strange? Oh, I remember now! In Iron Man, Iron Man drives exactly this car!” Zhou Yi slapped his forehead in realization.
After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, a smile appeared on Zhao Hui’s face as well. He replied with a laugh, “Hehe, this car isn’t mine. It belongs to my dad. He’s a big Iron Man fan. When he saw this car, he thought it looked really impressive, so he bought it. That car behind is the company’s welcome vehicle. Since we knew there would be many of you, we had someone from the company drive it to pick you up.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yi’s face lit up with excitement. “I didn’t expect my uncle to be so trendy! Hehe!”
“Yes, maybe my dad has been influenced by the local culture, so he’s quite open-minded,” Zhao Hui said. Seeing a red light ahead, he slowly slowed down and stopped at the light.

Zhao Hui isn’t really the kind of person who talks much in front of strangers, but anyone who knows him well knows that he’s actually quite lively and fun around friends. Zhao Hui didn’t know why either—although he wasn’t very familiar with this young person born on the same day, month, and year as him, having only met once before, he felt comfortable talking to her. Maybe it was fate, he thought.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you—Xiang Yun is also coming to my place today. She’s probably already there. Of course, there are some other friends of mine too; I’ll introduce them to you later,” Zhao Hui said thoughtfully as he saw the traffic light turn green and glanced at Zhou Yi.

“What? Xiang Yun is really at your place?” Hearing that Xiang Yun was indeed there, Zhou Yi became panicked. He really didn’t know what to do with that sly girl Xiang Yun—she was extremely cunning, and he was afraid she might do something. After all, his girlfriend Mo Keer would be there too.

Hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Zhao Hui frowned slightly and asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with Xiang Yun being at my place?”

“Uh, nothing. Just a bit surprised. But now I get it—you two are good friends, so it’s understandable that you invited her. Hehe…” Zhou Yi tried to calm himself down and gave an awkward explanation.

“Hehe, yes. We’ve known each other for a long time. We’re close friends who can talk about anything,” Zhao Hui said with a smile.

Zhou Yi didn’t say much in response, just nodded slightly before falling into thought. Zhao Hui observed Zhou Yi’s reaction carefully and thought to himself, “It seems Xiang Yun really likes Zhou Yi! Otherwise, Zhou Yi wouldn’t be so afraid of meeting her at my place. Sigh, Xiang Yun has a rival now—Mo Keer isn’t easy to deal with… Well, fate will decide.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi was also thinking about Xiang Yun. Glancing at the scenery outside the car window, he sighed inwardly, “This is really bad. If Xiang Yun… What should I do? I hope Xiang Yun will back down after seeing Keer and try not to let Keer know she likes me.”

Amidst his worries, Zhou Yi and his group finally arrived at Zhao Hui’s house. With a bitter smile, he got out of the Audi R82. Seeing the luxurious villa ahead, a shadow crossed Zhou Yi’s face.

“Hey, Zhao Hui’s family invited me over? Why does it feel so insincere? Could it be Xiang Yun’s idea again?” Zhou Yi immediately thought of how Xiang Yun had been behind the scenes when Bynum invited him to his house last time.
“It doesn’t seem that way. Zhao Hui said it was his parents who invited me; it probably has nothing to do with Xiang Yun. Anyway, fortune favors the brave! I can’t avoid what’s meant for me!” Zhou Yi made up his mind, stopped overthinking, and along with Mo Keer and the others, followed Zhao Hui into the villa.
Chapter 160: Family Gathering (1)
As soon as they entered the villa, a middle-aged man rushed forward.
“Young master, your friends have arrived?” the middle-aged man asked Zhao Hui with a smile.
“Mm, Uncle Wang, where are my parents?” Zhao Hui nodded and asked in return.
Uncle Wang led them inside while answering, “Your father and mother are in the living room. Some of your friends have already arrived and are chatting with them there!”
Zhao Hui said “Oh,” then smiled as he entered the living room with Zhou Yi and the others.
“Mom and Dad, I’m back. This is Zhou Yi and his friends,” Zhao Hui said to a slightly overweight middle-aged man and a kind-looking woman.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hui’s father, Zhao Tianxing, immediately stood up, walked over to Zhao Hui, and said to Zhou Yi, “Zhou Yi, I’m your fan! Please sign something for me and take a photo!”
“Uh, Uncle Zhao, just call me Xiao Yi. I’ll sign and take a photo without problem,” Zhou Yi said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Old man, you’re already asking for a signature and photo as soon as they walk in—what kind of hospitality is that?” Zhao Hui’s mother, Chen, teased him.
This time, it was Zhao Tianxing who felt awkward. He forced a smile and then said, “Aren’t I Xiao Yi’s die-hard fan? Of course I get excited when I see him. Don’t take it personally, Xiao Yi!” His words immediately dispelled the awkward atmosphere, even making Zhou Yi smile.
“Of course not! I’m really flattered by Uncle Zhao’s enthusiasm!” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.
“Alright, everyone, come in and sit down. Stop standing at the door,” Chen said hurriedly as she saw everyone still standing at the entrance.

After hearing Chen’s words, Zhao Hui quickly led Zhou Yi and the others into the living room to sit down, while Zhao Tianxing returned to his own seat. As soon as Zhou Yi entered the room, he saw Xiang Yun; he simply nodded slightly as a greeting, and Xiang Yun winked at him without saying anything.

Zhou Yi glanced around. Besides Xiang Yun and his group, there were three other people in the living room. All three were young, around the same age as Zhou Yi and his friends. One of the girls was quite beautiful, petite in build, and of Asian descent; Zhou Yi guessed she was likely Chinese as well. The other two were one white man, thin with very delicate features, exuding a gentlemanly aura that made him very pleasant to look at; the other was a black man, bald and very muscular, with sharp eyes. Seeing them looking at him, Zhou Yi smiled slightly and nodded as a gesture of goodwill, to which the three also nodded politely in return.

This kind of gathering wasn’t the first time for Zhou Yi. Back home, he had held many similar family gatherings with his parents’ permission. After coming to the United States, he had also attended a few family gatherings, usually at the invitation of his teammates.

Before the gathering, Zhou Yi called his parents at the Blacks’ house and told them that he and Mo Keer had some matters to attend to and might return later. Zhou Miao and his mother were talking with the Blacks at the time. After hearing Zhou Yi’s call and learning about the situation, they simply gave him a few instructions to be careful before hanging up.

Introduced by Zhao Hui, as Zhou Yi had expected, the girl with yellow skin sitting across from them was also of Chinese descent—though now an American Chinese citizen named Wang Yun. She was a close friend of Zhao Hui and also very close to Xiang Yun. The white man’s name was Lot Hill, but he had chosen a Chinese name for himself: Luo Xi. Hearing this name, Zhou Yi frowned slightly, wondering why Lot Hill would pick such a name. It reminded him of a book he had read before titled “Summer of Bubbles,” whose male protagonist also went by Luo Xi. Though he only frowned briefly, Zhou Yi said nothing but glanced at Lot Hill a few more times. From Zhao Hui’s introduction, Zhou Yi also learned that Lot Hill spoke Chinese quite well. Then, Zhao Hui introduced the tall black man to Zhou Yi and the others. The black man’s name was quite ordinary but very funny—Michael Pipon. Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Isn’t it a combination of the names of “the God of Basketball” Michael Jordan and Scott Pipon, known as “Batman” and “the most versatile small forward in history”? Seeing the skeptical expressions on most people’s faces, Michael Pipon also felt a bit awkward and said with a smile, “Although my name is Michael Pipon, I really can’t play basketball. I just really like watching others play.” Michael Pipon’s words immediately caused everyone to laugh, especially Hong Ming, who was laughing so hard he could barely stand. Qin Tian didn’t react much, as he wasn’t very interested in basketball, so he reminded Hong Ming to maintain a proper image. After being reminded by Qin Tian, Hong Ming calmed down a bit but still couldn’t suppress his laughter. After introducing the other three, Zhao Hui finally introduced Xiang Yun. Zhou Yi already knew Xiang Yun, so he didn’t listen to Zhao Hui’s introduction but instead secretly watched Mo Keer’s reaction. When she saw Xiang Yun, Mo Keer was shocked and thought to herself, “Why does this girl look a bit like me?” Not only Mo Keer but also Lin Qixiao and the others had the same feeling. Therefore, Lin Qixiao, the others, and Mo Keer paid closer attention to Xiang Yun. The rest of the people present, including Zhao Hui’s parents, also noticed this and couldn’t help but show a hint of confusion on their faces.

Zhao Hui also took a few extra glances at the two beauties, Mo Keer and Xiang Yun. When picking up Zhou Yi and the others earlier, he had noticed that Mo Keer resembled Xiang Yun to some extent, but since he was very familiar with Xiang Yun, he immediately distinguished between them, though he still paid extra attention. Now that both of them were present, Zhao Hui naturally paid even more attention.

After introducing Xiang Yun, Zhao Hui then introduced Zhou Yi and the others. There was no need to introduce Zhou Yi in too much detail—everyone present knew him, and they also had some understanding of his background. After giving a brief introduction to Zhou Yi, Zhao Hui introduced the rest. When it came to Mo Keer, he hesitated for a moment before introducing her as Zhou Yi’s girlfriend.

The others didn’t show any reaction, including Xiang Yun, who hid her jealousy deeply.

After introducing everyone, they began chatting casually, with the topic being NBA-related, and Zhou Yi naturally became the focus of the conversation. Zhou Yi answered their questions with a smile.

Chapter 161: Family Gathering (Part 2)

“Hehe, Xiang Yun and Keer look quite similar. If you didn’t know them, you might think they were twin sisters!” Zhao Hui’s mother, Mrs. Chen, saw that everyone was chatting and glanced at Xiang Yun and Mo Keer before smiling at them.

“Yes, when I saw them just now, I really thought they were twin sisters! Haha… It really proves the saying that fate brings people together from afar, haha…” Zhao Tianxing laughed heartily.

The others agreed, while Xiang Yun and Mo Keer simply said a few polite words before falling silent. Although Mo Keer was gentle, soft-spoken, shy, and obedient—traits that made men feel a strong desire to protect her, giving her a somewhat Lin Daiyu-like vibe—she was also extremely intelligent. As soon as she met Xiang Yun, she had an intuition that Xiang Yun must know Zhou Yi, and not just casually. Sure enough, through brief conversations with the others, Mo Keer learned that Xiang Yun indeed knew Zhou Yi.

After learning this, Mo Keer subtly observed Zhou Yi and Xiang Yun. Although Zhou Yi and Xiang Yun had little conversation during this time, Xiang Yun often kept her gaze on Zhou Yi. Though it seemed like casual glances that lasted only a few seconds, Mo Keer, who was paying close attention, could discern some meaning in Xiang Yun’s eyes.

Mo Keer immediately understood a few things. A trace of sadness flashed in her eyes as she thought to herself, “He won’t abandon me, will he?”
“What are you thinking about, Keer?” Zhou Yi gently patted her and asked with a smile.
“Ah? Oh, nothing… I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Mo Keer stammered in response.
Zhou Yi frowned slightly, puzzled, but since there were so many people around, he didn’t dare ask further and turned to chat with others. After chatting for a while, Zhao Tianxing checked the time—it was already 2 p.m. He then glanced at the butler, Uncle Wang, and seeing him nod, knew that lunch was ready. So Zhao Tianxing said loudly to everyone, “It’s almost time for lunch. Let’s all go to the dining room to eat!”
With that, Zhao Tianxing stood up and gestured invitingly at everyone. Seeing the host speak and invite them so politely, they didn’t hesitate and stood up as well. Led by Zhao Tianxing, they went to the dining room. Zhou Yi glanced around and noticed that Zhao Hui’s dining room was much larger and more luxurious than Blake’s and his own home, which made him sigh inwardly and arouse even more curiosity about Zhao Hui’s family.
“Don’t be polite—treat it like your own home. Eat freely; there’s no need to hold back,” said Zhao Hui’s mother, Mrs. Chen, smiling at everyone.
“Your aunt is right. Treat it like your own home. Come on, let’s start eating!” Zhao Tianxing echoed her words.
…
After lunch, everyone returned to the living room to rest for a while.
“Everyone, I have some entertainment facilities at home—there’s a swimming pool back there, as well as a billiard room, a table tennis room, a game room, and some other entertainment options. If you want to play, feel free to do so. Don’t be shy. Zhao Hui, take them to have some fun. Well, I’m getting older, so I’m too embarrassed to play with you young people, hehe,” Zhao Tianxing said casually after taking a sip of green tea.
“Got it, Dad!” Zhao Hui replied with a smile.

After hearing Zhao Tianxing’s introduction, a few people among them were eager to give it a try. Zhou Yi wasn’t very interested, but since he had been warmly invited, he certainly couldn’t appear too indifferent, so he also said he wanted to go to the billiard room to play a few games. Zhou Yi actually had some interest in billiards; even before coming to the United States, he often played billiards with Lin Qixiao and the others. Qin Tian wasn’t interested in basketball but was very fond of billiards and had excellent skills at it. Among the four of them, Qin Tian was the best at billiards, followed by Zhou Yi, then Lin Qixiao, and Hong Ming. Zhou Yi’s billiard skills were slightly inferior to Qin Tian’s; he could usually win 4 out of 10 games.

So, Zhao Hui first took those who wanted to play billiards, including Zhou Yi, to the billiard room closest to the living room, and then took the others to where they wanted to play.

Mo Keer naturally went into the billiard room with Zhou Yi and the others. Coincidentally, Xiang Yun also entered the billiard room. Mo Keer glanced at Xiang Yun and then turned away.

“Wow, this billiard room is quite big!” Hong Ming exclaimed.

“Yes, the decoration here is also great. I never thought Zhao Hui’s family was so wealthy!” Lin Qixiao was also full of admiration.

Zhou Yi looked around the entire billiard room and found it to be truly enormous. He counted the billiard tables inside—there were six in total, four American eight-ball tables and two snooker tables. These six tables were extremely well-maintained, as if they had just been made, probably because Zhao Hui’s family took good care of them!

“Sigh, it’s been so long since we’ve played billiards together!” Hong Ming sighed and continued, “Zhou Yi and I will play American eight-ball. Qixiao, didn’t you say you’re good at snooker? You and Qin Tian play snooker then. Be careful, Qin Tian is a pro.” Hong Ming walked over to the nearest American eight-ball table, picked up a cue, and smiled at everyone.

Lin Qixiao gave Hong Ming a disdainful look and said helplessly, “Fine, I’ll play snooker with Qin Tian. Hong Ming, can’t you see through your little schemes? You just want to see me fail, huh!”

“Who knows? Maybe you can even win one game from him!” Hong Ming laughed mischievously and handed a cue to Zhou Yi.

Lin Qixiao ignored Hong Ming’s words and smiled at Qin Tian, “Qin Tian, let’s start!” Qin Tian nodded with a smile. Billiards could be considered his favorite sport, so he was naturally delighted to have someone to play with him.

Zhou Yi took the cue, weighed it a few times, glanced at it again, nodded in satisfaction, and walked over to Hong Ming. Then he suddenly remembered Mo Keer and Xiang Yun standing at the entrance of the billiard room. Frowning slightly with a hint of embarrassment, he asked them, “Do you two want to play?”
“I… I can’t… I don’t know how to play. You know that!” Mo Keer replied in a low voice, giving Zhou Yi a slightly annoyed look.
“Uh, right, I forgot about that,” Zhou Yi said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Hehe, it’s okay. Let me teach Keer how to play billiards!” Xiang Yun suddenly interjected, affectionately calling Mo Keer “Keer” to bridge the distance between them.
Zhou Yi looked at Xiang Yun in surprise and asked, “You know how to play billiards?”
“Sure, of course. I might even beat you!” Xiang Yun said with a smile.
Zhou Yi glared at Xiang Yun gloomily, then looked at Mo Keer concerningly and asked tentatively, “Keer, how about letting Xiang Yun teach you?”
“Is that… really okay?” Mo Keer asked hesitantly.
“Sure, of course. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach you,” Xiang Yun said confidently. He then walked over to an American eight-ball table, picked up a cue, and smiled at Mo Keer, who stood frozen in place. “Come on, Keer!”
“Go ahead,” Zhou Yi said to Mo Keer with a smile.
Mo Keer looked at Zhou Yi for a moment, then sighed inwardly before walking over to Xiang Yun.
Chapter 162: Mo Keer’s Thoughts
“Here.” Xiang Yun handed the cue to Mo Keer, who was walking toward him, and then asked, “Keer, is this your first time playing billiards?”
Mo Keer shook her head thoughtfully and replied, “I’ve played a few times with Zhou Yi before, but I never learned how.”
“Oh, I see. Then let’s get started! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach you how to play billiards so you can play with Zhou Yi often in the future.” With that, Xiang Yun gave Mo Keer a sweet smile.
Seeing this, Mo Keer thought about what Xiang Yun had said earlier, and her fondness for him grew a bit more.
Zhou Yi had been observing the interaction between the two girls. Seeing that they got along fairly well, his worries lessened a bit. So, he focused on playing billiards with Hong Ming.

It has to be said that Zhou Yi is quite talented in these ball games. Basketball goes without saying; besides that, table tennis, billiards, soccer, tennis, and so on are also sports in which Zhou Yi excels. After playing 6 games against Hong Ming, Zhou Yi won 5, and the one he lost was actually a deliberate loss—otherwise, Hong Ming would have lost face.

After the 6 games with Hong Ming, Zhou Yi played another 6 games against Qin Tian, but his record wasn’t good—he only won 2 games. However, this was expected, as Qin Tian is known throughout their circle for being good at billiards.

To Zhou Yi’s surprise, under Xiang Yun’s guidance, Mo Keer actually learned how to play billiards. Though still unskilled, it was a huge improvement compared to before.

“Xiang Yun, I didn’t expect you to really teach Keer how to play billiards,” Zhou Yi said, walking over to Mo Keer, putting his arm around her shoulders, and smiling at Xiang Yun.

“What are you doing? Everyone’s here!” Mo Keer gently tapped Zhou Yi’s arm on her shoulder and whispered a reminder to him, her face turning slightly red.

“Uh…” Zhou Yi froze for a moment before realizing he had indeed been a bit bold. If they were alone, it would be fine to hug her; maybe even kissing wouldn’t be a problem. With Qin Tian and the others around, it might be okay to show some affection by hugging her. But the key issue was that Xiang Yun was still there, so Zhou Yi felt a bit self-reproachful.

It’s no wonder Zhou Yi reacted that way. Having not seen Mo Keer for so long, his longing had grown strong. Living in Detroit for so long and being influenced by its culture had also changed his personality, making him more outgoing and lively, less reserved and simple than before. Spending time with friends like Bynum, who had very open personalities, had made him more aware of and eager for romantic relationships.

“Hehe, of course! I said before that I might be able to beat you!” Xiang Yun, seeing how Mo Keer and Zhou Yi interacted earlier, felt pleased and smiled at Zhou Yi.

Hearing Xiang Yun’s words, Zhou Yi didn’t take it seriously and replied jokingly, “Sure, why don’t we have a game then?”

Zhou Yi’s response was exactly what Xiang Yun wanted, so she promptly said, “Alright, let’s have a game then.”

Seeing Xiang Yun truly take it seriously, a hint of doubt crossed Zhou Yi’s face, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded. Thus, Zhou Yi and Xiang Yun began to compete.

You don’t know until you try; once you do, you’re surprised. Zhou Yi hadn’t expected Xiang Yun’s billiard skills to be so good, and Xiang Yun’s skills had even been praised by Qin Tian, which showed just how excellent they really were. But Zhou Yi didn’t panic; instead, he became even more focused. Although Xiang Yun’s skills exceeded Zhou Yi and the others’ expectations, it was still very difficult to beat him.

Mo Keer watched Zhou Yi and Xiang Yun play billiards with full concentration, feeling a bit uneasy. But she wasn’t the kind of girl who got jealous easily, so she simply stood there quietly, watching the two engage in their intense competition, a strange sadness rising in her heart.

In the end, Zhou Yi, putting in 80% of his strength, won the match.

“How about it? Now you can’t say anything, right? Hehe…” Zhou Yi placed his cue on the table, rubbed his hands together a few times, and smiled at Xiang Yun.

“Okay, I admit defeat. But I’ll practice hard and try to beat you someday!” Xiang Yun pouted, but her face showed no sign of anger, instead carrying a playful tone.

“Great, I’ll be waiting for you to beat me!” Zhou Yi laughed.

“Okay, I’ll challenge you again in the future. Don’t cheat!” Xiang Yun’s words carried an even stronger playful tone.

“Mm,” Zhou Yi, not noticing anything, replied readily.

Zhou Yi didn’t realize anything, but someone else did. Mo Keer, who had been observing Xiang Yun and Zhou Yi, had already picked up on the playful tone in Xiang Yun’s first sentence, and it became even more obvious in the second. Besides Mo Keer, another person also noticed this—Lin Qixiao. Lin Qixiao was an expert in matters of love, so he understood emotions very well. He had already sensed that Xiang Yun had feelings for Zhou Yi before, and after their conversation, his suspicion grew stronger.

“I need to find a chance to remind Zhou Yi,” Lin Qixiao thought to himself, sighing softly. Then he glanced at Xiang Yun, then at Zhou Yi, and finally at Mo Keer.

“Hehe, having fun?” At that moment, Zhao Hui entered the billiard room and asked everyone.

“Hehe, it’s great and fun. Thank you for the kind invitation!” Hong Ming replied happily.

Seeing that everyone nodded, Zhao Hui also nodded in satisfaction.
“Then how about we go to other places to have some fun? Make sure to enjoy yourselves. If you get tired, you can rest here; there are sofas over there,” Zhao Hui said with a smile.
“Okay, let’s go to other places and take a look!” Hong Ming led the way.
Everyone was still eager and wanted to explore more places. Besides the two of them, there were Mo Keer and Zhou Yi.
“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well. I’d like to rest here for a while,” Mo Keer said apologetically to everyone.
“What’s wrong? Is it nothing serious?” Zhou Yi asked concernfully.
“It’s nothing. Maybe I’m just tired. I’ll be fine after resting a bit!” Mo Keer shook her head.
“Alright then. Keer, you rest here for now. Zhou Yi, stay here and keep an eye on her. If she feels better, come look for us. It’s not far anyway,” Zhao Hui said to Zhou Yi.
“Hmm, go and have fun. I’ll take care of Keer.” With that, Zhou Yi helped Mo Keer over to the sofa inside and gently guided her to lie down on it.
Seeing this, the others left the billiard room under Zhao Hui’s lead and headed to other places. As Xiang Yun stepped out of the billiard room, he glanced back inside, sighed, and then left.
Zhou Yi closed the door to the billiard room, went over to the sofa, knelt down, and asked concernfully, “Keer, is everything okay?”
“No, it’s fine. Zhou Yi, I have a question for you,” Mo Keer said hesitantly.
“Huh? A question? What question? Go ahead and ask. I’ll tell you anything I know,” Zhou Yi replied.
“Will… will you leave me someday?”
Chapter 163: A Touching Moment
“What?” Zhou Yi was stunned and asked again.
Mo Keer was shy and hesitant, her face turning red once more. But for the sake of future happiness, she stuttered again, “Will… will you leave me in the future?”
Hearing Mo Keer’s words, Zhou Yi burst into laughter, touched her forehead, and joked, “You’re not even feverish!”
Seeing this, Mo Keer raised her small pink fist and gently punched Zhou Yi’s arm, saying indignantly, “Ugh, I’m not joking with you!”

“Hehe, Keer, how could you ask such a silly question? Alright, I’ll answer you!” With that, Zhou Yi adopted a serious tone and said to Mo Keer, “No matter what happens in the future, I will never abandon you. You’re the girl I’ve chosen, and I will take care of you for life.”
Zhou Yi spoke with utmost seriousness and sincerity, without the slightest hint of joking—this was indeed his genuine intention. Hearing his reply, Mo Keer nodded in satisfaction, then kissed his cheek before resting her head on his chest.
“Hehe, Keer, I won’t make you wait too long. Once I achieve my dreams, I’ll be with you wholeheartedly. Trust me, that day isn’t far away,” Zhou Yi continued.
“Mm, I believe you!” Mo Keer said affectionately.
Seeming to notice that Zhou Yi was uncomfortable crouching like this, Mo Keer worriedly said, “Sit on the sofa instead. Anyway, I can lie down while you sit there.”
Zhou Yi smiled and nodded, sitting down on the sofa so that Mo Keer could comfortably lie in his arms.
“It seems like it’s been a while since we’ve done this, right?” Mo Keer looked up at Zhou Yi and said, recalling the times they spent together in the past.
“Yes, about three months,” Zhou Yi replied gently, stroking her hair with tenderness.
Mo Keer lay quietly in his arms when suddenly she remembered something and sat up, staring intently at him. Zhou Yi felt uneasy under her gaze. Already worried, he quickly thought, “Has Keer figured something out? I must not ask about Xiang Yun. I’ll just act clueless—probably she won’t overthink it.”
His concerns were justified, as Mo Keer’s next question indeed involved Xiang Yun.
“Zhou Yi, that Xiang Yun—you must have known her for a long time, right?” Mo Keer asked calmly, her tone indifferent.
“Mm, we have known each other for quite a while,” Zhou Yi replied in a similar tone, trying to sound normal.
Mo Keer nodded with a faint smile, then lay back in his arms, holding his arms with her delicate hands as she said nonchalantly, “I have a feeling that Xiang Yun is interested in you.”
“Huh? Interested? In what way?” Zhou Yi pretended to be curious.

“Hehe, it’s just that I like you!” Mo Keer blurted out these words without holding back.
Zhou Yi pretended to be shocked, eyes wide open, and smiled awkwardly at Mo Keer, saying, “This… this can’t be true, right? I’ve only met her a few times. Although I might look a bit handsome, I still don’t think Xiang Yun would like me.”
Hearing this, Mo Keer stared at Zhou Yi thoughtfully, then sighed inwardly, thinking, “An environment really can change a person. The old Zhou Yi wouldn’t have spoken like this. But maybe it’s not a bad thing either. He used to be too reserved, which made it hard for him to interact with others. But he mustn’t develop in a negative direction!”
“Tch, you’re way too narcissistic! What you said earlier makes sense, but I still feel that Xiang Yun has some feelings for you. The way she looks at you is quite ambiguous.” Earlier, Mo Keer’s words had been emotionless, but now they carried a hint of jealousy.
Zhou Yi realized that Mo Keer was testing him and didn’t know that Xiang Yun had feelings for him, so he showed his true emotions. Therefore, Zhou Yi hugged Mo Keer tightly and said earnestly, “Don’t worry. I won’t abandon you. I’ll do my best to love you, protect you, and make you the happiest person.”
“Mm.” After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Mo Keer quickly nodded, looking up at the man she loved so much.
Zhou Yi, on the other hand, admired the beauty in his arms, feeling the urge to kiss her passionately. But since they were in someone else’s home, such intimate gestures were out of the question. Still, he couldn’t resist and gave Mo Keer a light kiss. Mo Keer was startled by this sudden gesture, but seeing that no one else noticed, she relaxed and gazed at Zhou Yi affectionately, her eyes slightly blurred.
“By the way, Zhou Yi, how did you meet Xiang Yun?” Mo Keer suddenly asked again.
Zhou Yi frowned slightly before relaxing. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “She used to be a sports reporter for Detroit. She interviewed me once during the preseason, and that’s how we got to know each other.”
Worried that Mo Keer might still misunderstand, Zhou Yi explained in detail how he and Xiang Yun met and how she became a reporter for the Pistons. Of course, he didn’t tell Mo Keer that Xiang Yun liked him, nor did he mention that she had hinted she had feelings for him.

After listening to Zhou Yi’s detailed account, Mo Keer nodded and stopped thinking about those matters.
“Keer, I’ve alreadypreliminary achieved my dreams. Of course, I’m still far from my ultimate goal. But what I’ve accomplished now is enough to make some people envious! Hehe…” Zhou Yi felt somewhat proud of his current achievements.
“Keer, trust me. I’ll definitely complete my dreams soon and then be with you, never to part again,” Zhou Yi said, looking at Mo Keer affectionately and making a promise.
Mo Keer nodded, burying her head even deeper, filled with happiness. But as she enjoyed this happiness, she thought of other things.
“Zhou Yi, your achievements might grow even greater in the future. But you must take care of yourself—your health is the most important. Also, be careful about your safety and avoid provoking others. Some people might harm you out of jealousy, or extreme fans from other teams might retaliate. Such things could happen, so you really need to be careful!” Mo Keer’s beautiful face was filled with concern.
Hearing Mo Keer’s words, Zhou Yi’s heart was filled with emotion—a genuine sense of gratitude that made him want to protect the girl in his arms at all costs.
Chapter 164: Long Live Understanding
Zhou Yi never expected that a casual remark of his would cause Mo Keer such concern! Yet it was precisely her extreme worry that deeply moved him. Mo Keer truly cared about him, in a selfless way. Usually, when people hear their lover about to achieve great success, their first reaction is joy, hoping for even greater success. But Mo Keer’s first concern was Zhou Yi’s health and safety!

Many people watch to see how high you fly, but how many care whether you’re tired from flying? To be honest, while most people focus on how high you fly, only a few care about your exhaustion. Often, aside from those closest to you, no one else does. People tend to be indifferent to things that are easily available to them; they don’t realize how to cherish them because they’re not rare. By the time they lose them, everything has changed, and over time, everything is “filtered out,” leaving only regret and sorrow, along with those brief, irrecoverable memories. Once they pass, they’re best left to drift away with the wind. How many people truly care whether you’re tired? Yet many watch to see how high you fly. If you fly well and high, they come closer; if not, they either distance themselves like avoiding plague or even make things worse, which is truly disheartening. In life, how many true confidants, true friends who treat you with sincerity and honesty will still care whether you’re tired, even when the whole world is watching how high you fly?

While most people focus on how high you fly, only a few care about your exhaustion. And those who truly care about your fatigue are your mother, your lover, your closest friend—those worth entrusting your life to.

Thinking of this, how could Zhou Yi not be moved? For a man to have a lover like Mo Keer, who only seeks to give without expecting anything in return, is what a great fortune!

In fact, when Zhou Yi decided to go abroad to pursue his dream, Mo Keer was very sad and resentful. She even complained that Zhou Yi didn’t love her deeply enough, even comparing herself to basketball. But later, when she saw Zhou Yi fighting hard in competitions on TV, his joy in victory, and his disappointment in failure, she truly understood how powerful a dream can be. It wasn’t that Zhou Yi didn’t love her deeply—it was that love and dreams cannot be compared, especially since this was a dream Zhou Yi had pursued since childhood. It’s easy to imagine how important this dream was to him.

After understanding this, Mo Keer began to gradually understand Zhou Yi, until she even started to like basketball herself. Even out of fear that Zhou Yi would worry and it would affect his playing, she didn’t tell him about her serious illness, which still hadn’t fully recovered by now. It wasn’t that Mo Keer wanted to hide it, but she truly didn’t want Zhou Yi to worry or face any more setbacks on his path to pursuing his dreams. Perhaps this is what it means to love someone wholeheartedly!

Zhou Yi held Mo Keer tightly, his eyes filled with tenderness. Mo Keer also noticed Zhou Yi’s sudden change and thought he might be feeling affectionate, so she tilted her head up, wanting to kiss him as a reward.

But unexpectedly, Zhou Yi kissed her passionately…

“No… it’s someone else’s house…” Mo Keer blushed as she broke free from his embrace, then said softly, “I’ll give it to you, but not now.”

After saying that, her face turned even redder, and it started to heat up. She buried her head deeply in Zhou Yi’s arms, not daring to look at him.

Zhou Yi naturally understood what Mo Keer meant. After spending time with guys like Bynum, he wasn’t as naive about relationships anymore.

“What will you give me?” Zhou Yi teased deliberately.

Mo Keer looked up and saw the smile in his eyes, realizing he was teasing her on purpose. So without hesitation, she opened her cherry-like lips and bit his arm, showing her white teeth.

However, she didn’t bite hard, so Zhou Yi didn’t feel any pain at all. Instead, he felt the atmosphere become even more intimate. Suppressing the impulse in his heart, he patted Mo Keer’s head and said with a smile, “Have you rested enough? Let’s go find them. Otherwise, they might think we’re doing something shady here!”

“Hmph…” Mo Keer pouted, looking very cute. Zhou Yi couldn’t help but kiss her again, then said, “Okay, is it okay if I admit I was wrong? Stop being angry. Let’s go!”

“Hehe.” Mo Keer smiled playfully at Zhou Yi, nodded slightly, and climbed off his lap.

Zhou Yi led Mo Keer out of the billiard room. As soon as they stepped out, Zhao Hui came walking towards them.

“Is Keer okay?” Zhao Hui asked concerningly.

“Hehe, Keer has rested for a while and is fine now. Zhao Hui, thank you for your concern,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile.

Hearing Zhou Yi say that and seeing Mo Keer nod slightly, Zhao Hui finally felt relieved. He said, “Hehe, it’s good that nothing happened. Come on, let’s take you to other places.” Zhou Yi and the others nodded and followed Zhao Hui to other locations.
…
The group stayed playing until evening, then returned to the living room to rest for a while. At Zhao Tianxing’s kind invitation, they gathered again for a sumptuous dinner. Everyone was very grateful for Zhao Tianxing’s generous hospitality.
It wasn’t until 8:30 p.m. that they left Zhao’s villa. Before leaving, everyone exchanged contact information so they could stay in touch in the future.
Michael Pippen and the others had come by car, as did Xiang Yun, so Zhao Hui suggested driving Zhou Yi and the five others home. Seeing Zhao Hui’s enthusiasm, Zhou Yi and the others couldn’t bring themselves to refuse and agreed.
Zhou Yi got into Zhao Hui’s Audi A8, while the other four remained in the Lincoln limousine. Watching Zhou Yi and Mo Keer being affectionate, Xiang Yun felt extremely uncomfortable, but what could she do? With a sigh, she drove away alone.
It wasn’t long before Zhou Yi and the others returned to the Black family’s house. After thanking Zhao Hui and seeing him drive away, they entered Black’s villa together.
As soon as they entered, Zhou Yi and the others saw Zhou Yi’s parents and Black sitting in the living room chatting. They went in, greeted the three elders, and sat down to rest. After chatting for a while, they went back to their respective rooms to rest.
Mo Keer’s room was next to Zhou Yi’s, so they walked side by side. At the door, taking advantage of the others’ distraction, Zhou Yi quickly kissed Mo Keer on the lips and whispered “Good night” in her ear before rushing to his own room.
Stunned by this sudden moment of sweetness, Mo Keer stood there, smiling foolishly. It took almost a minute before she, prompted by Zhou’s mother, hurriedly ran into her own room.
Chapter 165: Ambiguity
The sound of the alarm woke Zhou Yi. He turned over and sat up from the soft, comfortable bed. He had slept exceptionally well—thanks solely to Mo Keer.

Zhou Yi glanced at the time in a daze—it was 7 a.m. He sat on the bed, lazily stretching before pouring himself a cup of hot water. Letting the steam fill his face, he finally fully woke up.

He then jumped down and did dozens of push-ups, hearing the creaking of his bones as he moved. After tidying up his bed a bit, he put on the T-shirt hanging by the door and rubbed his face hard to relax his facial muscles. Then he left the room to wash up.

Once done, he slowly went downstairs to have breakfast. As soon as he reached the bottom, Blake rushed up to him in a hurry.

“What’s so urgent, Uncle Blake?” Zhou Yi asked curiously, noticing Blake’s anxious expression.

“Oh, there’s an important meeting with the team. I stayed up late yesterday, so I woke up a bit late this morning. I’m going upstairs to get some documents. By the way, your parents and friends are in the living room chatting. Go down and have breakfast quickly! I can’t talk anymore—I’m going to be late!” Blake said hurriedly before rushing back upstairs.

Zhou Yi shrugged and quickly went downstairs to the living room.

“Hehe… Good morning, Mom, Dad, Keer, Qixiao, Qin Tian, Hong Ming. Why are you all up so early?” Zhou Yi smiled at them.

“Hehe, we just woke up too. We haven’t had breakfast yet. We were about to go call you when you came down,” Zhou Miao replied with a smile.

Zhou Yi scratched his head and smiled innocently. Suddenly remembering his conversation with Blake, he said to Zhou Miao, “Let’s have breakfast then! By the way, Uncle Blake seems to have an urgent meeting. He probably won’t be having breakfast with us.”

“Yeah, we know. He already had something to eat earlier, so we don’t need to wait for him,” Zhou Yi replied as he stood up and headed toward the dining room.

Everyone else also stood up and headed there. Zhou Yi walked at the back, right behind Mo Keer. He gently tapped Mo Keer’s shoulder. Realizing it was Zhou Yi, she turned around, made a face at him, and quickened her pace. Zhou Yi easily caught up with her and whispered in her ear, “Did you sleep well last night?”

Mo Keer nodded, her cheeks turning red, and asked back, “How about you?”

“I? Of course I slept well! It’s all thanks to my lovely Keer!” Zhou Yi replied ambiguously.

Mo Keer hummed and said, “When did you learn to talk so much?” After saying that, she ignored Zhou Yi and headed straight for the dining room. Since the two of them had just engaged in an intimate conversation, they both stopped in their tracks, leaving the others far behind. Meanwhile, Lin Qixiao and Hong Ming turned around to look at Zhou Yi and Mo Keer. Zhou Yi quickened his pace to catch up with Mo Keer, but suddenly tripped over something, stumbling forward and falling on top of her. As expected, Zhou Yi fell and knocked Mo Keer to the ground, pressing down on her. Mo Keer was lying on her back, with Zhou Yi’s legs on hers and his head almost touching her full breasts. At that moment, Mo Keer’s pretty face turned red as she tried hard not to speak, fearing it would attract the attention of those ahead. Her face was filled with shyness, her eyes watery, with a hint of anger. The air seemed to freeze for a moment; Zhou Yi could smell Mo Keer’s delicate scent, and the beauty before him made him feel dizzy. Mo Keer’s eyes showed some panic, but mostly shyness. Finally, she gently bit her lip and said in a slightly reproachful tone, “Zhou Yi… why don’t you get up quickly?” Zhou Yi coughed and quickly stood up, being careful not to touch her again, especially since his parents were still there. Hong Ming wanted to come back and ask what was going on, but Lin Qixiao gave him a gentle kick, making him realize his mistake. Both of them wore ambiguous expressions. Zhou Yi was no longer as naive as before, so it was easy to guess what those two were thinking! He just didn’t want to waste words on them. Just as Zhou Yi was about to say something, he heard a coughing sound behind him. Mo Keer, facing Zhou Yi, naturally saw Blake behind him, causing her face to turn even redder as she lowered her head. Zhou Yi turned around and also looked embarrassed, stammering, “Uncle, you… you still haven’t left?” Blake was also awkward and smiled sheepishly, answering, “I… I didn’t see anything.” Then he quickly ran out of the living room and headed outside the villa. “It’s all your fault,” Mo Keer reproached. “Uh, I didn’t mean to. I think I tripped over something,” Zhou Yi said, looking down and indeed seeing a small toy. He picked it up and showed it to Mo Keer.

Mo Keer glanced at him and realized she had wronged Zhou Yi. But because of the sudden incident earlier, she felt too embarrassed, so she just huffed and ran away.
Zhou Yi angrily threw the small toy in his hand onto the sofa and followed her.
After breakfast, Zhou Miao and Zhou’s mother went out due to some matters, while Mo Keer returned to her room to rest as she wasn’t feeling well.
“Zhou Yi, it seems I accidentally knocked that small toy to the ground just now,” Hong Ming said to Zhou Yi, looking embarrassed.
Hearing this, Zhou Yi glared at Hong Ming and snapped, “You bastard, you’re so vile.”
“Hehe, well, didn’t you let it happen that Keer got a free advantage?” Hong Ming said in a lewd tone.
Zhou Yi completely dismissed Hong Ming’s words with disdain. He sighed and turned to Lin Qixiao, asking, “What do you want to play today?”
Before Lin Qixiao could speak, Hong Ming interrupted, “Let’s play basketball. There seems to be a basketball court in this villa. Hehe, being able to play basketball with a future superstar—how many people would be jealous?”
“Uh…” Zhou Yi was utterly baffled.
“Hmm, I want to play basketball too. I haven’t played in days. It’s a good chance to see how much of a gap there is between me and Zhou Yi now,” Lin Qixiao said.
“Alright then, let’s go play basketball. By the way, Qin Tian, are you coming?” Zhou Yi suddenly asked Qin Tian.
Qin Tian pondered for a moment before nodding and answering, “I’ll go take a look!”
Hearing this, the three of them were initially surprised, then their faces lit up with smiles. Everyone knew Qin Tian wasn’t interested in basketball, so it was strange that he suddenly wanted to watch them play. But still, it was a happy thing that the brothers could get together to play, so all four of them happily headed to the basketball court.
Chapter 166: Good News
“Hehe, it’s been a long time since we’ve played basketball this thoroughly!” Lin Qixiao wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a bottle of drink from Qin Tian, gulping it down eagerly.
“Yes, it’s truly delightful that we brothers can get together to play basketball again. I hope we can keep doing this in the future,” Hong Ming also put aside his previous frivolous attitude and sighed sincerely.
Zhou Yi didn’t say anything. He just wiped his sweat while thinking about what the two had just said. Qin Tian came over and handed Zhou Yi a bottle of drink. Zhou Yi smiled and took it without thanking him, as they didn’t need such formalities at all.

Qin Tian handed Hong Ming another bottle of drink and then sat down next to the three of them. At that moment, all four of them were sitting on the ground, their faces filled with happy smiles as they chatted openly without any restraint. At Hong Ming’s request, Zhou Yi talked non-stop about his time with McGrady, his encounters and rivalries with Kobe, and many other little-known interesting stories from the NBA. These stories naturally brought laughter to the other three as well. Eventually, all four of them quieted down and lay on the ground, enjoying the moment of joy.
…
After the game, the four of them were exhausted and supported each other as they returned to the living room. As soon as they entered, Mo Keer happened to come down from upstairs. Seeing them all sweating profusely, she asked with a smile, “Why are you all so tired?”
“Hehe, it’s not easy to get together like this, so of course we need to have fun,” Zhou Yi replied with a laugh as he plopped down on the sofa.
“Yes, who knows when we’ll get together again!” Hong Ming sighed.
“Who cares? As long as we have time, we’ll get together again,” Lin Qixiao said.
Qin Tian took a sip of water and smiled at the others, “Why act like we’re going to part again? We should make the most of every second we’re together. Don’t waste these hard-earned moments talking about sad things.”
“Qin Tian is right. We should seize the present,” Zhou Yi said with a smile.
“Mm,” they all replied in unison.
They chatted in the living room for a while longer, then Zhou Yi and the others went upstairs to take showers, while Mo Keer sat alone in the living room watching TV.
After Zhou Yi and the others went upstairs, Zhou Miao and Zhou’s mother happened to walk in from outside the villa.
“Uncle and aunt, you’re back?” Mo Keer quickly greeted them.
“Mm, Keer. Why are you sitting here alone? Where are Zhou Yi and the others?” Zhou’s mother asked with a smile.
Mo Keer glanced upstairs and replied with a smile, “Zhou Yi and the three others just finished playing basketball and are upstairs taking showers!”
“Oh, hehe. Then go watch TV. Your uncle and I are going upstairs,” Zhou’s mother said.
“Mm, okay,” Mo Keer nodded in response.
Zhou’s mother and Zhou Miao nodded and headed upstairs.
After taking showers, Zhou Yi and the three others gathered in Zhou Yi’s room because it had a computer. They chatted and played on the computer in Zhou Yi’s room. Just as they were having fun, a knocking sound came from the door.

Zhou Yi quickly walked to the door and opened it. Upon opening it, he saw Blake standing at the door with a smile, holding some documents in his hands. Blake entered the room, smiled at Lin Qixiao and the others, then sat down on Zhou Yi’s bed. Zhou Yi closed the door, walked over to Blake, glanced at the documents in his hands, and asked curiously, “Uncle Blake, what’s the matter?”
“Hehe, there’s some good news. Do you want to hear it?” Blake said mysteriously to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi frowned slightly and replied gloomily, “Who wouldn’t want to hear good news? Uncle Blake, stop teasing me and tell me quickly!”
“Hehe, take a look yourself!” With that, Blake handed the documents to Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi took the documents from Blake out of curiosity, glanced at Blake’s excited expression, and began reading them with a frown. As he read, an indescribable joy arose in his heart, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
Lin Qixiao and the others were also drawn over by Blake’s mysterious behavior earlier. Seeing the change in Zhou Yi’s expression, they realized the documents in his hands must be related to his situation in the NBA—and they were definitely good news.
After reading the documents, Zhou Yi read them again before passing them to Lin Qixiao and the others. After reading them, they too smiled.
“Uncle, is this true?” Zhou Yi asked Blake.
Blake gave Zhou Yi a look and said jokingly, “Would I lie to you? Of course it’s true. I went to a meeting this morning precisely because of this. I didn’t know about it beforehand; I only found out during the meeting. How about that? Happy?”
“Hehe…” Zhou Yi didn’t answer but just kept smiling foolishly.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s silly smile, Blake shook his head smilingly and then analyzed, “Actually, this isn’t really surprising news. It was within expectations, considering your performance. It’s the most sensible choice for the team to convert your contract into a guaranteed one—this will help unleash your potential even more. It’s also a way to show you favor!”

Listening to Blake’s analysis, Zhou Yi also nodded. Blake was right. Since joining the Detroit Pistons, Zhou Yi’s performance had been evident to all. Although he sometimes underperformed, he was still a rookie and hadn’t even participated in any major competitions before joining the NBA, which showed just how remarkable his performance was.
“Congrats, Zhou Yi,” Qin Tian said sincerely.
“Yes, Zhou Yi, we’re all happy for you. We hope you can bring glory to us Chinese in the NBA,” Lin Qixiao and Hong Ming added.
“Thank you, thank you all!” Zhou Yi said, nodding gratefully.
Blake smiled slightly and said, “Well, do we really need to thank each other? But as you move toward glory, you also need to take care of your health. Without health, everything else counts for nothing.”
Hearing Blake’s words, Zhou Yi suddenly remembered what Mo Keer had said to him the previous day, which deepened his gratitude even more. He smiled at Blake and the others and said, “I understand.”
Blake nodded, stood up, and said to Zhou Yi, “Alright, you guys go on playing. Today is a great day—celebrate properly tonight. Oh, by the way, the team has a press conference tomorrow at noon. Besides other matters, they’ll announce this news as well, so you need to attend.”
“Oh, I know,” Zhou Yi replied with a nod.
After Blake left the room, excited shouts filled Zhou Yi’s room. Blake glanced back at Zhou Yi’s room and left with a smile.
Chapter 167: Press Conference
On November 20th, local time in the United States, the Detroit Pistons held a press conference to officially announce to the media that they would extend Chinese player Zhou Yi’s contract until the end of this season, turning it into a guaranteed contract. After the season, Zhou Yi would become a restricted free agent.
Pistons owner Bill Davidson, general manager Joe Dumars, head coach John Kuester, and other executives attended the conference. Naturally, Zhou Yi also participated in this very important conference for him. At the conference, John Kuester answered questions about Zhou Yi. He said he really liked Zhou Yi, calling him a smart player and expressing his hope to coach him going forward. However, whether they could continue working together in the future wasn’t up to him to decide.

“Zhou is the best candidate for the team’s development at the moment,” said Pistons owner Bill Davidson frankly. “You need a player who can lead the team to victory, who fights hard in every game, who knows how to organize the team’s offense, who steps up when the team needs him, and who knows how to turn the Pistons into a great team.”

“If Zhou can keep performing like this, we’re certainly happy. I hope he can continue playing in this way,” said general manager Joe Dumars, also praising Zhou Yi. “I think he’ll perform even better. His effort determines his future performance. Who in Detroit wouldn’t like Zhou? He’s a hero of Detroit, able to score those crucial shots and connect the team. I really want to say he’s the leader of this team, but it’s undeniable that he isn’t yet. However, I believe he will grow into a leader for this team. But right now, that’s not within our control; we can only wait and see.”

“Zhou is a very talented, hardworking player who listens to his coaches and executes their plans. He’s still not at his peak, right? He’s still young, with a lot of potential and room for growth. I believe he’ll get better. If you don’t believe it, let’s wait and see!” said head coach John Kuester to the media.

Pistons owner Bill Davidson also said that since Zhou Yi joined the Detroit Pistons, he has helped the team open up parts of the Chinese market, something both sides had considered when signing the contract, and Zhou Yi had even analyzed it for Blake. Since the start of this season, there have been many Chinese advertisements around the Pistons’ games.

“Zhou, Yao, and Yi are all symbols of China. All three are outstanding athletes. Yao helped the Rockets successfully open up the Chinese market, and Yi helped the Wizards do the same. This has been a great inspiration for us. In our first game this season against the Nets, hundreds of millions of people watched that game. That’s Zhou’s influence. I believe Zhou will continue playing in the NBA and bring more help to the team, both in terms of performance and business,” Bill Davidson told reporters.

Then, the media asked some questions to Zhou Yi, the star of this press conference.

“I’m looking forward to having a successful season,” Zhou Yi replied to the reporters’ questions. “I’ve never thought that just because I earn less, I should be considered a below-average player. I want to clarify this right from the start—I believe the salary I receive gives me the opportunity to prove that I’m better than others, and I’ll do my best to prove it.”

Zhou Yi answered this question perfectly, also implying that one doesn’t have to be a poor player just because of their salary. He answered all subsequent questions well.

Soon, the press conference came to an end smoothly.

It was exactly 1 p.m. when the press conference finished, and the Pistons players were gathered in the gym training. Zhou Yi wanted to train with his teammates, but head coach John Kuster refused, saying that Zhou Yi’s parents and friends had taken time out to visit him, so he should spend more time with them. Coach Kuster also said that after his parents and friends left, Zhou Yi’s training intensity would need to increase to make up for the lost time. Zhou Yi agreed to this.

With no choice, Zhou Yi simply said goodbye to his teammates and returned home with Blake.

“Xiao Yi, we’re going back to China tomorrow,” Zhou Miao said kindly to him.

Zhou Yi was surprised and asked curiously, frowning, “Why so soon? Can’t we stay a few more days?”

“Hehe, as you know, your dad is very busy. It wasn’t easy for me to take time off from work to fly here and celebrate your birthday. Besides, your mom needs to go back to work, and Keer and the others have only taken a week off. So, there’s nothing we can do! Do you think we don’t want to spend more time with you? Here, you only have Uncle Blake to take care of you. Although we’re not worried, we’re afraid you might feel lonely, which is why we planned to come and celebrate your birthday,” Zhou Miao replied with a smile.

Zhou Yi pursed his lips, looked at everyone, and nodded after a while before asking helplessly, “When are we leaving tomorrow?”

“I and your mom bought the tickets yesterday. It’s a flight at 9 a.m. tomorrow,” Zhou Miao replied, also sounding a bit helpless, leaning back on the sofa.

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll see you off tomorrow.”

“Hehe, don’t worry, Zhou Yi. We’ll come to see you during the winter break. Maybe we’ll even come and celebrate the Spring Festival with you!” Hong Ming said with a laugh.

“Hehe, Hong Ming is right! If you can’t make it back to China during the Spring Festival, we’ll fly over to spend it with you,” Lin Qixiao added.
Hearing their words, Zhou Yi suddenly felt a wave of warmth spread throughout his body. “Just having your words is enough,” he said sincerely.
“I… I’ll also come,” Mo Keer stammered, her face turning red.
Although Mo Keer’s voice was soft, everyone could hear her, and they all started laughing.
Zhou Yi nodded in satisfaction and replied, “Okay!”
Zhou’s parents also nodded in relief, looking at Zhou Yi and the others with deep emotions. After chatting for a while, everyone went back to their rooms.
“It’s fortunate for Xiao Yi to have such friends!” Zhou’s mother said to Zhou Miao, who was lying in bed.
“Yes…”
“Do you think Keer and our Xiao Yi are a good match?” Zhou’s mother asked suddenly.
Zhou Miao sat up, pondered for a moment, and replied, “I think Xiao Yi and Keer are quite a good match. As long as they’re happy, we don’t need to worry. After all, Xiao Yi is already grown up.”
“Mm, I know…”
Chapter 168: Seeing Them Off at the Airport
On November 21st, local time in the United States, it was drizzling in Detroit. Zhou Yi and Blake were at Detroit Airport to see Zhou Yi’s parents and friends off.
The airport was bustling with people, extremely noisy. Even Zhou Yi, who usually didn’t mind being noticed, wore black-rimmed sunglasses to avoid attracting the media and affecting the farewell.
But there are many things in life that are unpredictable, such as Mo Keer’s presence.
Mo Keer had a slender figure, her long hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders. Her face was delicate and beautiful. Wearing a simple long-sleeved tight sweater and jeans, she still looked incredibly fresh and attractive, with perfectly proportioned figures. Her long legs, clearly visible beneath the jeans, exuded youthful vitality. She was like a beautiful sight, completely capturing everyone’s attention at the airport. Many people stopped to admire her beauty, making the already crowded airport even more chaotic.
“Xiao Yi, if you and Blake have time, remember to come back to see us,” Zhou Miao instructed.
Zhou Yi smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

“Zhou Yi, we all believe you’ll succeed, so don’t disappoint us! Oh, and make sure to let us know if you want to come back—we’ll definitely go to welcome you. Keer, right?” Hong Ming said to Zhou Yi, giving Mo Keer a teasing look with his eyes.

Mo Keer, who had been feeling sad, shot Hong Ming a resentful glance upon hearing his words, then turned to Zhou Yi and said, “Go chase your dreams. Don’t be afraid of anything—we’re here for you!”

Hearing Mo Keer’s words, Zhou Yi felt inexplicably moved. He smiled at her and said, “I know.”

At that moment, an announcement over the airport speakers announced that boarding was about to begin.

“Alright, you guys go back. It’s time for us to check in too. Blake, Xiao Yi, take care of yourselves!” Zhou Miao said earnestly.

“Hehe, are Xiao Yi and I still children? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him. You guys hurry up, or you’ll miss the flight,” Blake said seriously to Zhou Miao and the others.

“Hmm, then we can rest easy. We’ll come visit you if we have time. But you should also come visit us when you can!” Zhou Miao said with a smile.

“Hehe, got it,” Zhou Yi and Blake replied in unison.

“Xiao Yi, no matter whether you succeed or become famous in the future, Dad hopes you’ll stay healthy and happy. As long as you’re healthy and happy, Dad and Mom will be satisfied,” Zhou Miao said, patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder.

“Dad… Mom…”

Another announcement over the loudspeaker announced the final boarding time. Zhou Miao and the others exchanged a few more words with Zhou Yi and Blake before reluctantly heading toward the airport. Suddenly, Mo Keer turned around and said softly to Zhou Yi, reluctant to leave, “I’m going.”

“Hmm, call me when you get home!” Zhou Yi also felt emotional and said it with a hint of sadness.

Mo Keer nodded slightly, turned around, and walked toward the check-in counter. But every few steps, she would look back at Zhou Yi. Finally, just before reaching the check-in counter, she suddenly turned around and ran toward him.

Seeing Mo Keer rushing over desperately, Zhou Yi understood what she meant and ran toward her as well. Eventually, the two lovers hugged each other tightly.

“Hurry up, or we’ll miss the flight,” Zhou Yi said to Mo Keer, his voice hoarse.

Mo Keer emitted a “hm” sound, and tears finally streamed down her face, though Zhou Yi didn’t see them. Mo Keer quickly left Zhou Yi’s embrace, ran back to the ticket checkpoint while crying, and handed her ticket to the staff without hesitation.
Zhou Yi stood there in shock, watching Mo Keer run away. Zhou’s parents and Lin Qixiao watched this heart-wrenching scene with a sense of melancholy. They had certainly seen the tears on Mo Keer’s face, but what else could they do but watch helplessly?
Zhou Yi didn’t see Mo Keer’s tears, but he saw his own. Zhou’s parents, Mo Keer, and Lin Qixiao waved at Zhou Yi and Blake in the distance before turning to leave. As his parents, girlfriend, and best friend gradually disappeared from sight, Zhou Yi’s tears flowed again.
“It’s okay, we’ll see each other again soon,” Blake said, patting Zhou Yi’s shoulder with a smile.
Zhou Yi responded with a “hm” and wiped away his tears. After standing there for a while longer, Zhou Yi and Blake left Detroit Airport.
After leaving the airport, Blake drove Zhou Yi to the Palace of Auburn Hills.
At 6 p.m. that evening, there was a game at the Palace of Auburn Hills—a match against the Washington Wizards. The Pistons had done extensive promotion for this game, as it was a true “China Derby.” So, before the game, the Pistons created a lot of hype to attract many fans.
When they arrived at the Palace of Auburn Hills, it was only 9 o’clock, and aside from Zhou Yi, who had just arrived, there was no other player in the arena. Initially, Blake wanted to take Zhou Yi straight home, but Zhou Yi insisted on coming to the arena early to train and make up for the missed sessions, so as to prepare for today’s game. With no choice, Blake agreed.
Zhou Yi trained alone in the arena for four hours straight, sweating profusely. It wasn’t until 1 p.m. that his teammates began to show up one after another. After all the players arrived, head coach John Kuester appeared before them.
By 5:20 p.m., the Palace of Auburn Hills was packed to capacity. When the lights on the court were turned off and the noisy crowd quieted down, a bright spotlight guided everyone’s gaze as the home team’s players entered the court. The Washington Wizards’ players, led by their head coach Philip Sanders, were already on the court waiting for their teammates to appear.

For the Wizards, playing away from home, there was bad news for this game, as their starting power forward, Andre Blatche, had missed two games recently due to injury. And in this game as well, Andre Blatche would be unable to play. In the previous two games, it was Chinese player Yi Jianlian who started in place of Andre Blatche, and he performed quite well in those two starts, so it’s possible that Yi Jianlian will start again in this game.

Soon after, the Pistons players appeared on the court introduced by the on-site DJ.

Chapter 169: Zhou Yi Derby

“Now, let’s give a warm round of applause and cheers to our defensive core, our old friend with strong defensive skills—Ben Wallace, 6’9” and 240 pounds!” With the host’s shout, Ben Wallace stepped forward, waving his arms continuously, with arm guards marked as “no-fly zones” on them. As the host cheered and Ben Wallace appeared, the atmosphere in the arena instantly became lively, with continuous cheers.

“Next, let’s welcome with applause our rookie from Georgetown University—Greg Monroe, 6’11” and 250 pounds!” With another call from the on-site host, Greg Monroe ran out second. Although he was still a rookie, he had performed exceptionally well since the start of the season, so the home team’s fans liked this rugged-looking rookie quite a bit. After he appeared on the court, another wave of loud cheers erupted.

“Next is our ‘Little Prince’—Tyshawn Prince, 6’9” and 215 pounds!” As the host finished speaking, Tyshawn Prince also ran out from the tunnel, but he was more reserved—after high-fiving his teammates, he went to one side.

“The fourth player to appear is our T-MAC, Trae… Mc… Greg… Reddy!” Hearing the host’s shout, most of the fans in the arena repeated McGrady’s name. Then, with his signature smile, McGrady slowly walked out from the player’s tunnel. It was clear he was in a good mood today, and he high-fived Tyshawn Prince enthusiastically.

“The last to take the court is our new favorite idol from Detroit—6’2” and 155 pounds, Zhou… Yi from China!” Hearing the announcer’s introduction, Zhou Yi felt both excited and reluctant. He was excited because he had finally earned a good spot through his performance, as it was usually the team leaders who appeared last. But he didn’t want to draw attention, so he was still placed as the last player to start, which made him feel a bit overwhelmed. Despite his strong previous performances, he was still just a rookie.

Nervously, Zhou Yi ran out through the player’s tunnel and shook hands with his teammates one by one. When he finally appeared on the court, the crowd erupted in unprecedented cheers as fans shouted his name loudly. Seeing the enthusiastic fans, Zhou Yi became excited and waved his arms vigorously at them.

“Hi everyone, I’m Kenny Smith, and I’ll be covering today’s live broadcast of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. Sitting next to me is Sir Charles, someone I really hate having to work with, but I have to. Of course, there’s also Mr. Clyde Drexler, known as the ‘glider.’ What you’re watching right now is a live broadcast brought to you by us!” Kenny Smith introduced himself to the camera from the commentary booth.

For the Detroit Pistons, this game was their second live broadcast this season. The first was against the Lakers. Although they lost that game, the Pistons still attracted the attention of countless fans and earned praise from many industry insiders.

Due to their poor performance in the past two years, the Detroit Pistons have had very few opportunities for national broadcast, with none at all last season. People assumed the Pistons wouldn’t do well this year as well. Yet, things took an unexpected turn—so far this season, the Pistons have a record of 9 wins and 3 losses, suddenly becoming the focus of conversation. They even rose to first place in the East with a strong 9 wins and 2 losses record before facing the Western Conference leaders, the Lakers. Although they fell to the Lakers and were overtaken by the Boston Celtics to take second place, everyone’s attention remains on the Pistons. Now, they are seen as dark horses, a rising team, and it’s not veterans like Ben Wallace or Tracy McGrady’s arrival this summer that has driven their success, but rather a rookie—a relatively unknown rookie from China.

That rookie is Zhou Yi. With impressive performances including 48 points in last week’s game against the Kings, averaging 25.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 3 rebounds over three games, helping the team achieve a 2-1 record, Zhou Yi was once again named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Week. This is the third time he has received this honor since the start of the season, even though only four weeks have passed. Zhou Yi has now become a role model for lower-ranked rookies, as he, a player who didn’t go through the draft, has already shown the ability to compete with this year’s top pick, John Wall, and even surpass him. Among the rookies who can match Zhou Yi’s performance, only last year’s top pick, Blake Griffin, comes close. Blake Griffin has also been named Western Conference Rookie of the Week three times and even Player of the Week once.

It can be said that Zhou Yi and Blake Griffin represent the rookies in the East and West respectively. Of course, many believe Blake Griffin’s achievements are expected, as he is last year’s top pick, while Zhou Yi’s success is largely due to luck, and his performance will likely decline as the season progresses.

Such comments are not uncommon online, so Zhou Yi often sees them. However, he isn’t annoyed by them; instead, they fuel his determination. He wants more people to recognize him, to remember him and the achievements he’s made. This isn’t by chance but is inevitable, as it’s the result of his own hard work, not luck.

This match against the Washington Wizards is not only a Chinese derby but also a showdown between Zhou Yi and John Wall. He wants to use this game to prove that he truly deserves to compete for Rookie of the Year and has the ability to earn recognition.

Currently, the Detroit Pistons rank second in the East with a record of 9 wins and 3 losses, just behind the Boston Celtics. Their record also ranks fourth in the entire league, which is quite impressive. The Wizards, on the other hand, have a record of 4 wins and 7 losses, significantly worse than the Pistons. Moreover, this game is played on their worst home court, so most people believe the Pistons have a great chance of winning.

Chapter 170: The Derby Begins, Wall Takes Center Stage
“The game is about to start. Let’s take a look at the starting lineups!” Kenny Smith said to the camera with a smile.
“You stole my line again,” Charles Barkley rolled his eyes at Kenny Smith before introducing the teams: “Pistons: Center is Ben Wallace, power forward is rookie Greg Monroe. Honestly, I’m quite optimistic about Greg. Shooting forward is Tashaun Prince, point guard is Tracy McGrady, and the point guard—well, of course, it’s our most popular rookie, Zhou Yi.”

Next, Clyde Drexler introduced the Washington Wizards. As expected, Chinese player Yi Jian played as the starting power forward again. The other positions were filled by center Javale McGee, shooting forward Al Thornton, and the backcourt duo of “Agent Zero” Gilbert Arenas and first-round draft pick John Wall.

Soon, the starting players from both teams arrived at the center court, with Greg Monroe and Javale McGee ready to start the game.

As the referee blew the whistle, both teams took their positions, staring intently at the ball in the referee’s hand.

Although he had a clear advantage in physical fitness, the gap in jumping ability was undeniable. Despite Greg Monroe doing his best, the ball was easily pulled back to their own half by Xavier McKey, the “spring man,” who was right there with John Wall. But before John Wall could get to the ball, he felt a gust of wind pass by, giving him no time to react at all—the ball had already been snatched by the Pistons, leaving only the glaring number 37 in his sight. Due to several days without training, and despite orders from head coach John Kuester, Zhou Yi was worried that his status among the higher-ups might decline. Since his contract had just been changed to a guaranteed one, he needed to prove himself through his performance. So from the start of the game, he focused all his energy, making quick and decisive moves to intercept the ball Xavier McKey tried to pass to John Wall, then rushing toward the Wizards’ front court like the wind. Taking advantage of the Wizards’ players not being fully positioned, Zhou Yi scored a lightning-fast layup, giving the Pistons the first two points of the game. “Hehe, Teacher Yu, Zhou Yi’s reflexes are really fast!” In the studio across the ocean, Teacher Sun was live-broadcasting this Chinese derby with Teacher Yu. “Yes, Zhou Yi’s speed has improved even more,” Teacher Yu explained with a smile. At the game site, Sir Charles and the others also praised Zhou Yi’s performance highly. John Wall gave Zhou Yi a cold look, filled with resentment. It was just a rookie who hadn’t even participated in the draft, yet he was competing with him for the Most Improved Player award, even for Rookie of the Year. How could this not anger John Wall? But despite his anger, after facing Zhou Yi before, he understood that Zhou Yi was no ordinary player—he had to bring out his best to defeat him. So this time, John Wall wasn’t underestimating him at all and carefully matched up against him. John Wall broke through from the left wing. When he saw Zhou Yi closing in, he immediately leaned back against him and used his right hand to block, breaking through on Zhou Yi’s left side. Clearly, Zhou Yi couldn’t be easily shaken off. But just as Zhou Yi tried to step back to follow John Wall, John Wall took a quick step back and then launched a backboard jump shot.

With a swish, the basketball went through the net hollowly. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and John Wall had clearly practiced for a long time, so his series of moves were extremely skilled and flawlessly connected. Even though Zhou Yi had been guarding him very carefully, he still couldn’t stop him.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s helpless expression, John Wall felt a sense of pride. Though proud, he didn’t become complacent. Zhou Yi’s strength was well-known in the league after observing him for some time; even the league’s best player, Kobe Bryant, spoke highly of him, showing just how strong he was.
The Pistons’ next offensive attempt was carried out by Greg Monroe, but it failed, as Yi Jian grabbed the rebound.
Zhou Yi stared intently at John Wall, determined not to fall for his tricks again. John Wall wasn’t a fool—he knew he couldn’t use the same tactic repeatedly and had to use it cleverly to catch his opponent off guard. So, he didn’t plan to use the same move this time.
John Wall glanced at Javale McGee, who immediately understood his intention. Pretending to move, McGee suddenly crossed to Zhou Yi’s right side, while John Wall broke through from McGee’s right. When Zhou Yi tried to follow, he suddenly collided with a solid wall. Without caring who was blocking him, Zhou Yi stepped back quickly and chased after John Wall. But John Wall had already found an opening, and as Zhou Yi rushed at him, he threw the ball.
With a series of thuds, the basketball bounced a few times on the rim before reluctantly falling in—4:2.
“Be careful with pick-and-rolls,” Zhou Yi whispered to his teammates, who nodded in response.
McGrady controlled the ball, broke through at the baseline, and passed it to TaShawn Prince, who cut from the middle and easily scored, leaving his defender, Al Thornton, fuming.

Due to Gilbert Arenas’ presence, John Wall didn’t dare to hold the ball too long. So after controlling the ball for over half a court, John Wall passed it to Gilbert Arenas outside the corner three-point line. Arenas shot a three-pointer, but it missed and the ball bounced back to the floor, where Zhou Yi grabbed it for a rebound. Yet as soon as Zhou Yi got the ball, he lost control of it, and John Wall took it away. Zhou Yi instinctively tried to grab it back, but John Wall picked it up and aimed at the basket, getting ready to shoot. Zhou Yi was shocked and immediately rushed forward to try and block the shot. A cold smirk appeared on John Wall’s lips.

Chapter 171: Analyzing the Situation
“I was waiting for you to rush in.”
John Wall waited until Zhou Yi was about to tackle him before shooting the ball toward him. The moment the ball was released, Zhou Yi’s body collided with John Wall’s, and his hand hit John Wall’s hand as well.
“Ding,” the referee’s whistle sounded at just the right time. Zhou Yi realized he had been fouled. Fortunately, John Wall’s shot hadn’t gone in; otherwise, he would have been given a two-plus-one penalty.
“What a shame—I got fooled. It’s my fault for not staying calm enough!” Zhou Yi blamed himself silently.
“Pistons, player number 37, committed a foul. Wizards, player number 2, two free throws,” the referee signaled to the scoreboard before going back to execute John Wall’s free throws.
“Heh, you’ve already got a foul at the start of the game—this isn’t a good sign!” John Wall whispered beside Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi pursed his lips and smiled faintly. “Thanks for the reminder. But as you said, the game has just begun, and we don’t know what the outcome will be.”
John Wall smiled awkwardly, shrugged, then returned to the free-throw line to take his shots.
John Wall’s free throws were accurate—he made both.
While holding the ball, Zhou Yi thought about the situation on the court.
The Pistons’ biggest advantage, and the only one, was the matchup between Teyshawn Prince and Eric Gordon. Although Eric Gordon was good at attacking, he was no match for the strong defender Teyshawn Prince. Blocking him wasn’t difficult at all. Since Eric Gordon already had defensive weaknesses, combined with Teyshawn Prince’s strong offensive skills, it shouldn’t be hard to gain the upper hand if they could make good use of this advantage.

For the remaining four positions, although the Pistons don’t have a huge advantage, they do have some edge.
John Wall is facing himself. Thanks to his excellent physical condition and solid defensive awareness, John Wall is a very good defender. As for his offense, it’s all-around and fast, but he also has many flaws—too much time holding the ball leads to frequent mistakes, and his ability to coordinate the team’s offense is inferior to Zhou Yi’s. On the other hand, Zhou Yi believes his defensive skills are superior to John Wall’s. Although his physical condition isn’t as good as John Wall’s, his defensive awareness is far above his. As for his offense, Zhou Yi admits he can’t match John Wall’s, in fact, he’s quite far behind. But Zhou Yi is aware that his organizational skills are definitely better, as shown in previous matches. Moreover, he had watched many of John Wall’s game videos before the match, so he’s confident about this. Therefore, in terms of overall strength (not just individual ability but also contribution to the team), Zhou Yi believes his strength is at least on par with John Wall’s, maybe even slightly better.
Greg Monroe is facing Yi Jianlian. Zhou Yi thinks Greg Monroe and Yi Jianlian are at least evenly matched. Greg Monroe is much stronger in both offense and defense than Yi Jianlian, but the reason they’re tied is simply due to experience.
At the center position, the Pistons have Ben Wallace, who is the team’s only defensive core and the last line of defense in the paint. Ben Wallace is facing the athletic Javier McGrady. Although Javier McGrady is quite strong, especially this season, with his second-highest number of blocks behind Andrew Bogut, it shows just how skilled he is. But Zhou Yi believes Ben Wallace should be able to contain Javier McGrady. However, considering Ben Wallace’s age, he’s still a bit worried. So, Zhou Yi thinks Ben Wallace can barely keep up with Javier McGrady at the center position.

At the shooting guard position, Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas have many similarities: both were former superstars, both are strong offensively but weak defensively, and both have suffered serious injuries and have just recovered. Their matchup is predictable, with both likely to give their all; the only difference is that McGrady has a clear physical advantage, especially in height, being somewhat taller than Arenas. However, Arenas has speed as an advantage, though McGrady is not slow either. Since they are around the same age and have both recovered from injuries, Arenas’ advantage isn’t very significant.

Therefore, from a comprehensive perspective, McGrady has the upper hand over Arenas. Zhou Yi believes that when comparing the two, it’s at least a 50-50 split, or even 6-4 in McGrady’s favor. Of course, that means McGrady holds the 6.

If Zhou Yi can identify such a clear advantage, then Pistons head coach John Kuester and Wizards head coach Philip Sanders surely can as well. Before the game, John Kuester didn’t seriously analyze the situation between the two teams because he thought the Pistons were stronger than the Wizards. But after the first few minutes, he realized he was wrong, so he quickly analyzed the situation and drew conclusions, planning to explain them to his players during timeouts.

Philip Sanders, on the other hand, had already analyzed the situation before the game and explained his findings to his players, hoping they would pay attention to it.

As if to prove Philip Sanders’ point, when Al Thornton was about to be beaten by Taishan Prince, Gilbert Arenas rushed over to Taishan Prince but didn’t let go of McGrady either. Both Thornton and Arenas were watching Prince and McGrady to prevent them from seizing an offensive opportunity.

But Thornton’s defense was terrible; he was easily bypassed by Prince, allowing Prince and McGrady to gain distance. With no choice, Arenas had to let go of McGrady and chase after Prince, leaving Thornton to guard McGrady off position.

Prince also knew Thornton was a weak point, so the moment he got away from him and Arenas closed in, he passed the ball to McGrady. After catching the ball, McGrady rushed from the right wing into the paint and completed a smooth layup. Thornton tried his best but couldn’t stop McGrady.

McGrady easily scored with a layup, followed by a “beep” sound, and also drew a foul on Al Thornton.
Chapter 172: Hehe, I Want to Take the Spotlight Too
“Nice shot,” Charles Barkley laughed.
“Charles, can you stop being so dramatic? Being with you always makes me worry about my heart,” Kenny Smith glared at Charles Barkley before adding, “Although his physical condition isn’t what it used to be, his skills and experience remain. Tracy is now playing purely with his head.”
Clyde Drexler nodded and smiled, “Hehe, yes. Tracy is a player with great basketball talent. It’s a pleasure to watch him play.”
Philip Sanders shook his head helplessly, glanced at Nick Young, and then shook his head again. He knew Nick Young was basically a liability, his defense even worse than Al Thornton’s. However, Nick Young’s offense was better than Al Thornton’s, though he was a shooting guard, which wasn’t quite suitable for the small forward position.
“Nick, go in and replace Al,” Philip Sanders thought for a moment before deciding to let Nick Young use his offense to gain an advantage.
McGrady took a free throw, but unfortunately missed it. Yi Jian quickly grabbed the defensive rebound.
John Wall attempted a mid-range jump shot, but was disturbed by Zhou Yi, causing the ball to bounce off the rim and go out of bounds. The Wizards’ defense wasn’t very strong. After receiving a pass from Zhou Yi, Taishan Prince hit a backdoor jump shot, not even giving Nick Young a chance to defend him.
However, Nick Young’s offense was indeed good. He returned and scored 2 points with a solo move against Prince.
Zhou Yi wandered outside the three-point line, looking for an opportunity. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—the basket was empty, and Taishan Prince gestured upward at him. Zhou Yi was delighted. Pretending to drive hard, he actually threw the ball toward the upper left corner of the rim on the first step of his drive.
Taishan Prince easily shook off Nick Young’s defense, rushed straight into the paint from the left wing, leaped high, caught the ball, and scored with a dunk.
“Ta…i…sha…an, Zhou…” Loud cheers erupted from the crowd, naturally directed at both Prince and Zhou Yi.
“It seems they’re focusing their attacks on Taishan Prince!” Philip Sanders stood on the sidelines watching the game, his serious face furrowed.

Watching John Wall continuously driving with his dribble, Zhou Yi’s focus gradually sharpened—he wasn’t going to let John Wall slip past him so easily. Seeing John Wall’s muscular build, Zhou Yi was also somewhat impressed. Among his previous opponents, John Wall had the most exceptional physical condition, even better than Derrick Rose’s.
“How can there be such a monster on the defensive end?” Charles Barkley said helplessly, looking at the stark contrast between John Wall and Zhou Yi. Clearly, Barkley was rooting for Zhou Yi. Indeed, compared to John Wall, Zhou Yi’s physical condition was in a completely different league. Although Zhou Yi had improved significantly through intense training, it still paled in comparison to John Wall’s.
“Oh? Charles, do you still have the right to criticize someone else’s physique? Pull your butt in!” Kenny Smith joked with Barkley.
“Hmph, you always tease me. To be honest, not to mention my butt, I once made a living off it!” Barkley joked back. His big butt played a significant role in his becoming an All-Star.
Looking at Zhou Yi ahead, John Wall suddenly changed direction to the left, cutting toward Zhou Yi’s left side. Zhou Yi immediately followed closely. John Wall accelerated forward before suddenly stepping back. Zhou Yi knew John Wall was about to take a step-back jump shot and quickly jumped up to try and block it. Unbeknownst to him, this was just a feint. After stepping back, John Wall only pretended to shoot but didn’t actually take a shot. Seeing this, Zhou Yi inwardly cursed.
John Wall knew he couldn’t use that move at the start of the game again, as Zhou Yi would definitely be on guard for it. But precisely because Zhou Yi was so focused on this, he would assume John Wall would actually shoot when he stepped back. That’s why John Wall used this tactic once more—his goal was to trick Zhou Yi into committing a foul.
It had to be said that John Wall played very cleverly. Only when Zhou Yi rushed at him did he throw the ball in line with Zhou Yi’s body.
As the two collided, the referee’s whistle blew mercilessly with a “swish” sound. Even worse, John Wall’s shot went in.

Zhou Yi was extremely frustrated, blaming himself for being so careless. He had already been tricked once before, and now he fell for it again. Zhou Yi clenched his fists as he watched John Wall prepare to take a free throw.
“Will, go replace Zhou,” John Kuester said calmly from the coaching bench, arms crossed, addressing Will Bynum.
“Oh, okay.” Will Bynum quickly took off his jacket and headed toward the court.
Seeing Will Bynum approaching, Zhou Yi knew he was about to be substituted and walked toward the bench.
“Be careful with that guy,” Zhou Yi said seriously, patting Bynum’s shoulder.
“I know. I’ll avenge you, hehe,” Will Bynum replied with a smile, patting Zhou Yi’s back.
John Wall watched Zhou Yi leave the court with a cold smirk before focusing on his free throw. With a swish, the basketball went through the net, completing the two-plus-one play.
“Zhou is out. No wonder—after accumulating two fouls in less than half of the first quarter, leaving him in a foul trouble situation, it’s the best choice to take him off now. Hopefully, he can adjust his game rhythm in the rest of the match,” explained Clyde Drexler.
Bynum controlled the ball and, after half a quarter, passed it directly to McGrady. McGrady grabbed the ball with one hand, but several feints failed to deceive Ariza. With a hum, McGrady tried to drive hard, but as soon as he took the first step, he jumped high and flicked the ball, sending it flying. With another swish, the ball went in!
“T-MAC, T-MAC…” The fans enthusiastically called out McGrady’s nickname.
“Thud”—Yi Jian missed his jump shot from deep, and Big Ben secured the rebound.
Bynum broke through at the baseline, feigned a shot before passing the ball truthfully. McGrady, who was defending John Wall, easily caught the ball and completed a classic reverse layup to score!
Time flew by, and before long, the first quarter was over! After Zhou Yi left the court, the Pistons easily took the lead under McGrady’s unstoppable offense, entering the second quarter with a score of 31:23. In the first quarter, McGrady played nearly 10 minutes and scored 13 points, the highest in the game. Meanwhile, Zhou Yi, due to fouls, only played for 5 minutes and 11 seconds, scoring 2 points, with 1 steal and 1 rebound.
“Tracy, you’re in good form today, huh?” Zhou Yi said to McGrady with a smile.

“Yes, Tracy, it seems like you were trying to steal the show just now. Don’t you know this is a Chinese derby? Hehe…” Will Bynum joked as well.
Maddie shrugged and replied helplessly, “You saw it yourselves—John was also trying to steal the show, so I just wanted to show him who’s in charge. To be honest, I wanted to steal the show too, hehe…”
Chapter 173: Sparking a Sensation (Part 1)
Hearing Maddie’s words, Zhou Yi and Will Bynum were both amused and puzzled. Zhou Yi asked curiously, “Tracy, what do you mean by saying you wanted to steal the show? What were your intentions? But I’m not blaming you for trying to take center stage.”
“Hehe…” Maddie smiled and replied mysteriously, “It’s precisely because this is a Chinese derby that I wanted to make a statement. Think about it—this game will surely attract a lot of fans’ attention. After getting injured, I haven’t done much and gradually faded from the public eye. I wanted to use this game to announce to the world that I, Tracy, am back. Although it’s unrealistic to return to my peak form, I believe I still have the ability to start as the starting point guard.”
After hearing Maddie’s words, Zhou Yi and the others nodded in agreement. Indeed, as Maddie said, he had lost a lot of fans’ attention during his injury period. If he could use these highly publicized games to showcase himself, he might attract everyone’s attention again, which would greatly help his basketball career. After all, with more fans’ support, players play with even more passion.
In the first few games of the season, Maddie played limited time as a substitute. However, after being evaluated by head coach Koost and several assistant coaches, it was determined that Maddie’s injury had healed, and his performance in the previous dozen games showed that he was capable of playing as the starting point guard. Based on his performance in those early starting games, he seemed to be about 50% of his peak form. John Koost and the other assistant coaches believed that with more time to recover, he could reach at least 70% of his peak form. So, they were very optimistic about Maddie’s future.
“I see, haha. If that’s the case, I want to try stealing the show too,” Bynum said, laughing as he hugged Maddie.
“Great, if you all perform well, we’ll definitely win this game,” Zhou Yi said with a smile.

“Zhou, don’t worry. We won’t take too much spotlight either. After all, there are so many Chinese fans watching you. Going forward, we’ll create more opportunities for you, but you better not get into trouble with fouls again,” said Maddie cheerfully.

Zhou Yi looked at their sincere expressions, thought for a moment, and nodded with a smile.

Soon, the second quarter of the game began.

For the Pistons’ current lineup, the point guard was replaced by Will Bynum, James Posey took over as the shooting guard, Charlie Villanueva was the small forward, while Taylor Hansbrough and Samuel Dalembert formed the frontcourt duo. This was the Pistons’ second lineup. Although its offensive capabilities were slightly weaker, its defensive level was no less than that of the first lineup.

When Will Bynum moved to the frontcourt, the Wizards didn’t have much of an advantage in defense. Nick Young continued to focus on James Posey, assigning Carlisle Martin to guard Charlie Villanueva. This was also one of the Wizards’ weaknesses—their frontcourt players were too short. Nick Young was 6’6”, while Carlisle Martin was only 6’7”. This was indeed quite short, considering that James Posey was 6’8” and Charlie Villanueva was 6’7”. However, the Wizards did have an advantage: speed.

John Wall was tasked with defending Will Bynum. He had rested for almost two minutes during the first quarter and came in at the start of the second. Will Bynum found Wall’s defense troublesome. While he sometimes had an edge in strength, it wasn’t significant, and his speed was even worse than Wall’s. So Wall’s defense posed quite a challenge for Will Bynum.

With no other choice, Will Bynum signaled to his teammates in the frontcourt. Seeing his signal, Taylor Hansbrough, who was in the frontcourt, immediately rushed over. Without waiting to see if Trevor Booker followed, he stood to Will Bynum’s left, allowing Will Bynum to break through to the left.

The outcome was predictable. Without Wall’s defense, Will Bynum easily penetrated into the Wizards’ frontcourt and scored a layup.

“Sigh, the Wizards’ overall defense is really poor!” Will Bynum thought to himself, pleased.

John Wall looked at his teammates gloomily, lamenting in his heart why the team couldn’t achieve much. But then he thought again that it was better not to achieve much, as it would be more conducive to his own development.

Nick Young is poor defensively but quite excellent offensively, especially in the past two seasons. After catching a pass from John Wall at the baseline, Nick Young rushed into the Pistons’ paint and, despite being covered by Taylor Hansbrough, scored with a nice pull-up shot, even earning a free throw.

Nick Young excitedly rubbed his hands, took the ball from the referee, tapped it a few times, then crouched slightly to shoot. He thought the shot would go in, but the ball rotated a few times inside the hoop before bouncing out and being grabbed as a defensive rebound by Samuel Dalembert.

Both teams mainly played with their bench players, and the game proceeded like this for nearly 6 minutes. Neither side had any standout performances to excite the fans. The Pistons’ offense was slightly better than the Wizards’ because the Wizards’ defense was truly disappointing.