At the scene, Zhao Dong was being interviewed by CCTV.
"Zhao Dong, congrats on your 20+10 performance! You were straight-up cooking out there!" Zhang Lili said cheerfully.
"Eh, it was alright. Just hope the fans back home enjoyed it," Zhao Dong replied with a modest shrug.
"You know, Zhao Dong, our station's hotline has been blowing up with fans hyping up your game," Sun Zhenping chuckled.
"For real? That's dope," Zhao Dong grinned.
After a bit more small talk, Zhao Dong headed back to the locker room. He wasn't called for the post-game press conference—Van Gundy only brought in Ewing and Oakley—but he didn't really care. After showering, he grabbed his bag and hopped on the team bus.
"Man, I'll have money in a few days. I should get Wells to buy me a car—make it easier to pull some girls," he thought to himself. With no cash on hand, he had already applied for an advance on half a year's salary—$400,000. After taxes, that left him with about $245,176.
From broke to ballin', not bad at all.
And let's be real—when a dude starts making money, he starts moving different. Suddenly, women start looking better, and thoughts get wilder. Zhao Dong was no exception.
---
Back at his dorm, the first thing Zhao Dong did was call home.
"Hello?"
"Dad, it's me. Where's Mom?"
"Zhao, what now? You still a kid or something? Spit it out. What's up?" Zhao Yuancheng sounded half-annoyed, half-concerned.
Zhao Dong chuckled. "Didn't I promise to buy you a Santana? But with that attitude, I might just get you a Xiali instead."
"You little punk, feeling yourself now, huh? You getting cocky with your old man?" Zhao Yuancheng barked, pretending to be mad.
"Move, let me talk to my son!" Li Meizhu's voice interrupted.
"What? He's only your son now? That how it is?" Zhao Yuancheng shot back.
"Just step aside!"
"Mom, I signed a huge contract—over $10 million!" Zhao Dong announced excitedly.
"$10 million?! How you planning to spend it?" Li Meizhu asked, equally hyped.
"Spend it? Hell no! Why don't you ever think about saving? Always thinking about spending!" Zhao Yuancheng scolded.
"My son can make money, so I'm just thinking about enjoying it. What are you gonna do about it?" Li Meizhu fired back with a smug tone.
"Alright, alright, you win," Zhao Yuancheng surrendered.
"Mom, did you catch the game today?" Zhao Dong asked.
"Of course! Your dad and I took the day off, moved the TV outside, and invited the neighbors over. They couldn't stop praising you," Li Meizhu said proudly.
---
The next day, the team had no practice. Zhao Dong still put in some work, knocking down 800 shots in his solo shooting session. Meanwhile, the New York media was on fire, clowning the Bulls and Jordan.
"He's an aging troublemaker who ran the team like his own kingdom. To keep control, he pushed away a future All-Star. The Bulls could've signed Zhao Dong for nothing," The New York Times wrote.
"With a 20+10 game in his debut, even if Zhao Dong never improves, he's already worth a four-year, $12 million deal," New York Sports reported.
Over in Chicago, Jordan was swarmed by reporters again, but this time, he shut it down. He knew the deal—until Zhao Dong cooled off, the heat was gonna keep coming. His only way out? Dominate.
That night, Jordan went nuclear against the Heat, dropping 44 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in 47 minutes, leading the Bulls to a win. That quieted the noise—for now.
---
In the afternoon, Zhao Dong borrowed Wells' car and headed to Long Island. He had unfinished business at Stony Brook University—Alice.
Couldn't let his girl get poached.
As soon as he pulled up outside the dorms, some students spotted him.
"Yo, Zhao Dong!"
"Wolf King's back!"
"Nah, he's former Wolf King. Back to steal some meat?"
"Shit, even pro players out here taking our girls?"
Zhao Dong smirked. "Y'all should know by now—all the fine ones at Stony Brook? They're already in my vault. Been that way, always will be."
One of the black students roasting him laughed. "Man, I hope you enjoy your Viagra soon!" he shot back, flipping Zhao Dong off.
Zhao Dong just shook his head. "I'll be having fun while y'all stuck here trying to figure out why your life's so damn boring," he muttered, heading up the dorm stairs.
Fourth floor. Second room on the right.
He knocked.
The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a tall, blond dude with a sharp face. As soon as he saw Zhao Dong, he froze for a second before turning away without a word.
Zhao Dong's heart skipped a beat. "Alice?"
The sight of her hit him like a fast break dunk. Twenty years. It had been twenty years since he last saw her. Seeing her young again? Damn.
He stepped inside, shut the door, and took a look around.
Alice shot him a sharp glance. "Zhao Dong, why you sneaking around?"
She grabbed a cloth bag off the sofa and tossed it at him.
"Haha..." Zhao Dong caught it, feeling a little awkward. "Alice, I thought you might be hiding something good in here."
"Oh, really? You insecure now?" Alice folded her arms. "What do you wanna drink?"
"Just water." Zhao Dong leaned back on the couch. "It's not about insecurity—it's just that you're a treasure, and there are too many wild dogs out here tryna snatch you away."
Alice handed him a glass before sitting right on his lap. "Aren't you the Wolf King? You worried about wild dogs now?"
"It's not fear. It's facts. Rare treasure? If you don't lock it up, some fool will break in and take it," Zhao Dong replied smoothly.
"So what?" Alice raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, I'll be real. I don't care about wild dogs—I just wanna love you when I love you the most." Zhao Dong grinned.
"Oh, you dirty scumbag!" Alice snapped. "Tell me, how long is that supposed to last?"
Zhao Dong smirked. "I admit it. I'm a scumbag, and even the best antivirus can't fix me."
Alice narrowed her eyes.
"But don't worry. From now on, I'm your exclusive firefighter." Zhao Dong pulled her closer, whispering, "And you're the fire."
"You're such a damn scoundrel!" Alice huffed. But before she could say more, Zhao Dong lifted her chin and kissed her.
---
Two hours later, Zhao Dong strolled out of Stony Brook, feeling refreshed.
Life was good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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