"My name's Zhao Dong. What about you? Here, go ahead and order first." Zhao Dong handed the menu to "Akagi Haruko."
The girl had flawless skin, stunning features, and a vibe that just pulled you in. Straight-up top-tier beauty, and her body? Damn near perfect. She was only half a head shorter than him, probably around 5'9" (175 cm) barefoot. Honestly, she felt like a perfect match for him.
"Well, thank you. My last name is Lin, and my name is Lin Min," she said softly, taking the menu.
"Yo, senior Zhao, I'm sitting right next to you, and you hand it to Minmin first? What's up with that?" The girl next to Zhao Dong teased with a grin.
"Then just pick something for me."
Lin Min's face turned red, and she quickly passed the menu to the other girl.
"What do you mean by that?"
Zhao Dong chuckled. "I think she's cute, so I wanna get to know her."
"Whoa, senior Zhao, your name rings out all over campus. You got that Big Bad Wolf rep—straight-up Wolf King status—eating up girls without leaving a single bone behind."
"That's right! Minmin, you better be careful, or the Big Bad Wolf's gonna gobble you up."
The group of girls giggled and whispered among themselves.
Lin Min blushed even harder, her head lowering as she got quieter.
Zhao Dong waved it off. "Man, don't listen to those clowns from Stony Brook. I'm being real here. I just broke up with my girl, and, well… I could use some company. Lin Min, you got a cell phone? Or at least your dorm number? Let me take you to a football game tomorrow, yeah?"
Grinding in the Lab
That afternoon, Zhao Dong hit the training base and locked in on his shooting drills.
Fourteen days of nonstop work in the books. Sixteen more to go. If his math was right, he'd be wrapping up his shooting grind around December 15th.
By then, his jumper would be sitting at level 93. Then, stacking up 4 more skill points would let him push it straight to level 95, making it straight-up elite.
With a 95-rated jumper? Even if the rest of his offensive game stayed the same for now, he'd be cooking defenders on a nightly basis.
Meanwhile, being one of the most talked-about players in New York—outside of Ewing, of course—the news of his breakup with Alice blew up. It took just one afternoon for it to spread all over the city, and by the next morning, the whole damn country was talking about it.
Zhao Dong's phone was blowing up with calls from reporters. He had no choice but to pick up for a quick interview.
"Zhao, how many girlfriends have you actually had?"
"I'm not great with numbers, man. Math ain't my thing."
"Wait, aren't you a computer science major?"
"Yeah… I kinda messed up choosing that major."
"Right… So, you got dumped this time, huh?"
"Yeah, story of my life. People think I'm a player, but I'm a loyal dude."
"Uh… Zhao, that doesn't really match up with your reputation at Stony Brook. Word is, you've dated at least 50 girls in the past two years."
"Man, rumors be flying around like crazy. Can't believe everything you hear, bro."
"Well, Zhao, you got a slick mouth. Hard to pin you down."
Zhao Dong laughed it off, and after a few more questions, the reporter wrapped it up.
Later that night, bored out of his mind, he sat at his computer, skimming through the articles about him. Then his thoughts drifted back to Lin Min, the girl from earlier.
"Man… single life's kinda ass. Might be time to start a new season."
The next day, after practice on the 26th, Ewing slid up next to Zhao Dong, speaking low:
"Zhao, I heard about your breakup. Media's been all over it. Listen, I know a spot. Real exclusive, top-tier fun. No one else from the team knows."
Zhao Dong raised an eyebrow. "What kinda spot we talking?"
Ewing smirked and leaned in. "Atlanta. Real high-class joint. Great service. We can hop on a flight tonight, chill for two days, then head back."
Zhao Dong's eyes flickered. Gold Club? He recognized that name instantly.
"Shhh! Keep it down, man," Ewing said urgently.
"Bruh… for real?" Zhao Dong muttered to himself. In his past life, he already knew what was up with this whole scene. That club had just started up, and Ewing already had his radar locked onto it?
"You know the spot?" Ewing asked, surprised.
"I've heard about it. Never been there, though," Zhao Dong replied smoothly.
"Well, we're rolling deep. Larry's coming too. You in?"
Zhao Dong shook his head. "Nah, I'm a rookie. Gotta stay locked in on training. Ain't got time for all that extra stuff."
When the club eventually got shut down, it exposed a long list of superstars and celebrities—Bill Gates, Jordan, and even the King of Switzerland were caught up in it.
Zhao Dong wanted no part of that mess.
As a Chinese player in the league, stepping into a scandal like that? Career suicide. He knew damn well he wouldn't get the same second chances as some of the others.
And besides, it was just women. Plenty of them out there. Why waste a bag in a place like that when he could just pull an Alice-type girl—one that didn't cost him a damn dime?
"You don't have to go, but don't let what you just said get out," Ewing warned.
"Of course, I'm not Russell—"
Zhao Dong almost slipped up, catching himself just in time. "Oh no, I misspoke. I mean, I'm not a big mouth."
Ewing squinted. "You're weird, man."
Shaking his head, he muttered something under his breath and walked away.
Zhao Dong scratched his head. Yeah… probably best to shut up.
The Russell he mentioned? D'Angelo Russell.
Dude was gonna be a Laker one day, and let's just say he wasn't great at keeping secrets.
Back in the day, he and Nick Young were tight. But when Nick was about to get married, Russell exposed his cheating and one-night stands online—straight-up blew up his engagement. After that, Young's marriage plans were dead in the water, and Russell got blackballed from the Lakers. Nobody wanted to mess with a snitch in the locker room.
For the next two days, Ewing and Larry Johnson took leave and flew out to Atlanta.
Zhao Dong couldn't help but wonder: Man, Ewing's almost 35, still ringless, and he's spending his time clubbing?
How many more years did he even have left? Shouldn't he be grinding instead?
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong kept busy. Every day, he made a trip to Stony Brook University, hoping to link up with Lin Min.
But that plan flopped hard.
Everyone at Stony Brook had already heard about his so-called "Big Bad Wolf" reputation. The girls? They weren't buying whatever he was selling. He barely got any attention, and honestly, it left him hella disappointed.
Knicks vs. Kings – November 30th
That night, the Knicks took on the Sacramento Kings and came out on top.
With a record of 11-3, the squad locked in at second place in the Eastern Conference.
Zhao Dong didn't get a special assignment for the game, but he and Ewing combined for 51 points. His own stat line?
23 points
10 rebounds
5 blocks
His first-ever 20+10+5 game in the league.
And it wasn't even a high-volume night—just 12 shots total. He went 8-for-12 from the field, attacking straight outta the low post, with 7-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Lethal efficiency.
That night, fans and management started seeing him in a new light.
Ewing was aging, relying more and more on mid-range jumpers. But Zhao Dong? He was a straight-up problem in the paint. His ability to dominate inside was already outshining the veteran big man.
The Knicks' front office took notice. So did the fans.
December 1st – Rookie Rankings Announced
The NBA released its latest rookie rankings, and Zhao Dong paid close attention.
1st – Allen Iverson
2nd – Shareef Abdur-Rahim
3rd – Zhao Dong
Fair ranking.
His scoring numbers were solid, but Shareef had better playmaking and assist numbers. No complaints here.
The media had completely shifted their stance on his contract.
Before? They were clowning the Knicks for signing an "unknown" rookie. Now? They were praising the hell out of the front office for locking him in without even burning a second-round pick.
As his game kept evolving, his stock was rising fast—not just within the organization, but league-wide.
Even Van Gundy, who once doubted his potential, had started singing a different tune.
The NBA also dropped its Player of the Month award.
Only one player gets it now. No more East/West split.
And, no surprise here—Michael Jordan took it home.
His November numbers?
35.9 minutes per game
31.9 points
4.9 rebounds
3.4 assists
1.5 steals
0.6 blocks
1.5 turnovers
2 fouls
50.3% FG | 37.7% 3PT
On top of that? The Bulls were sitting at 14-2, the best record in the league.
Jordan was already 33 years old, but he was still running circles around the entire league.
Zhao Dong couldn't help but respect it.
"Man… MJ really built different."
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