The press conferences for both teams lasted about forty minutes and wrapped up around the same time. When we stepped out, we ran right into each other.
"Zhao Dong, Jordan just said you can't compare to him. He's got too many hard-earned accolades, and you got nothing."
Thomas, the team reporter, was right there too. Like it was second nature, he blurted it out, then stepped back, ready to watch the fireworks.
"I'm not even 20 yet. My career is just getting started," Zhao Dong said with a smirk.
Jordan scoffed, his voice ice cold. "Age don't mean shit. Plenty of guys talked big, but they all faded away. A meteor can't compare to the sun."
Zhao Dong nodded but grinned with confidence. "You're right, your career is legendary. But mine? Mine ain't no shooting star. Michael Jordan, you can't stop me. Malone's elbow ain't stopping me either. This season, I'm stepping over you to start my legacy."
"Ohhh!"
Thomas let out an excited yell at the straight-up challenge.
Jordan's sharp eyes locked onto Zhao Dong like a blade. "Rookie, I don't care how strong you think you are—my offense will—"
"You lost Game 1," Zhao Dong cut him off.
"You—"
Jordan stopped mid-sentence, his face twisting in frustration. "Can you at least let me finish, man?"
"Zhao Dong!" Thomas shouted again.
Both Zhao Dong and Jordan turned to glare at him. Damn, this dude just couldn't quit.
But Thomas didn't give a damn about their looks. He yelled, "Coach Phil Jackson just said you and Jordan are the absolute cores of your teams, equally important. What's your take on that?"
"Clever bastard," Zhao Dong muttered, side-eyeing Phil Jackson, whose hair hadn't even turned gray yet.
That statement was a straight-up mind game, probably meant to stir shit in the Knicks' locker room by leaving Ewing out of the equation.
Zhao Dong glanced at Ewing, and sure enough, the big man's face was tight.
"He's playing chess. We just gotta hold strong. If we take out the Bulls, we take the whole thing," Zhao Dong whispered.
"I know," Ewing nodded.
Truth be told, Zhao Dong's insane playoff run had already won Ewing over. He wasn't even trying to fight for control of the team anymore. Sure, Phil Jackson's words stung a bit, but that was just normal for an aging superstar.
After making sure Ewing was cool, Zhao Dong turned back to Thomas. "The Bulls got Jordan, we all know that. But here in New York, basketball's a five-man game. It's not just me and Ewing—we got a whole squad. Everybody matters, even the guys on the bench."
"Haha!"
Thomas laughed out loud.
Knicks management and Ewing looked satisfied.
Meanwhile, the Bulls' front office, Phil Jackson, and Jordan all had sour looks.
"Michael, don't underestimate that rookie. He's a leader, just like you," Phil Jackson warned as they headed back to the Bulls' locker room.
Jordan nodded but didn't hide his irritation. "I know what to do. But Phil, I'm not losing Game 2 again. Figure it out."
"I got it, I got it," Jackson replied.
The next day, headlines everywhere screamed about the Knicks taking down the defending champion Bulls. The media couldn't get enough of it.
Zhao Dong's 40+ point triple-double and Jordan's 69-point explosion were plastered all over the news.
Every TV station kept replaying Zhao Dong's buzzer-beater and early celebration on a loop.
And just like that, "superstar" got tacked onto Zhao Dong's name in every major publication.
The New York press even started calling him "Magician II."
Of course, not everyone was buying into the hype—it was mostly just New York media hyping up their guy.
That morning, Knicks legend and Hall of Famer Willis Reed did an interview.
"Willis, some media outlets are calling Zhao Dong the next Magic Johnson. Do you agree?" a New York Sports Daily reporter asked.
Reed chuckled. Weren't these the same media guys pushing that narrative?
He grinned and said, "It's a little early for that. But if the Knicks win it all this year? Then yeah, that comparison starts making sense."
"What do you think are the Knicks' chances of winning the title?" the reporter asked eagerly.
"Uh…" Reed hesitated. "Even though the Bulls dropped a game, nobody underestimates Jordan. Getting to the Finals is still gonna be tough. And out West? The Jazz and the Mavericks are both stacked. It's hard to call."
But the New York media wasn't trying to hear all that.
At noon, New York TV announced their own title odds:
Knicks—71% chance of winning it all.
Bulls? Less than half of that.
Jazz and Mavericks? Even lower than Chicago.
"New York media just hyping themselves up. Whatever keeps 'em entertained," Jordan said bluntly during a phone interview over lunch.
Zhao Dong also got a call from the media while he was chilling in Lindsay's car.
"This projection is too conservative. They should be bolder," he said.
"Pfft!"
Lindsay, who was driving, burst out laughing.
Zhao Dong glanced over and saw her gorgeous smile. That was way more interesting than some media interview. He said a few words and hung up.
Lindsay had brought out a regular Mercedes SUV today to make sure Zhao Dong was comfortable. The AC was off, windows down, and the wind whipped through, making her long hair dance.
Zhao Dong casually grabbed a strand and played with it.
Lindsay noticed, gave him a playful glare, but just smiled and let him do it.
"Zhao Dong, did Jordan's check get to you yet?"
"Yeah, it came right before you picked me up. Gotta give him credit—he's got that gambler's spirit. He took the L like a man," Zhao Dong said, grinning from ear to ear.
"By the way, Zhao Dong, since you're into investments, have you dabbled in anything serious?" Lindsay asked.
"I do some financial investing. What about you?" she followed up.
Zhao Dong thought about the massive profits he made during the Asian financial crisis. His grin stretched even wider. "I hit the foreign exchange market recently. Made a little something."
"Forex?"
Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "Since February, the Thai baht's been swinging like crazy—down 30% already. The big players set that up early, bringing in a ton of hot money. That's been the most profitable forex play this year. Is that where you made your money?"
Seeing her surprise, Zhao Dong nodded proudly. "Yup. Started with two million, used 100x leverage. Now? I'm sitting on twenty-one million."
Lindsay's jaw almost dropped.
A thousand percent return?
She had five million in, same leverage, but only cleared five million in profit. How the hell did he do that?
Once they got to the restaurant and settled in, Lindsay couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Zhao Dong, did you make these moves yourself, or did your broker handle it?"
"I set the big picture, and my broker executes. Heh, right now, dude thinks I'm the god of forex," Zhao Dong said smugly.
"The forex market's dangerous. Even the smartest guys on Wall Street take dives. You better be careful," Lindsay warned.
"Relax. This was a one-time play. I'm done with forex after this," Zhao Dong reassured her.
Lindsay nodded. "Tenfold profit on 100x leverage? Given how the Asian markets have been moving, that's actually not reckless. The top broker this round reportedly turned one million into sixty mil."
"Damn, that's some crazy shit," Zhao Dong said in surprise.
"Watch your mouth," Lindsay shot him a glare. "Don't be jealous. Your strategy is better. That extreme play has no safety net. One wrong move, and he's jumping off a building next."
Zhao Dong nodded. "Yeah, true. I wanna try, but I ain't about to take that kinda risk."
Lindsay looked at him curiously. "You got deep into Asian finance? You entered the market in February—right when the Thailand crisis hit."
Zhao Dong scratched his head. How the hell was he supposed to explain this? Should he just tell her he got reborn?
He played it off. "Nah, not really. I didn't do much research, and I got no inside sources. Just overheard two brokers talking about it while I was out eating."
"Are you insane?" Lindsay frowned. "You went into forex just 'cause you overheard something? That market's a beast. What if you lost everything?"
Zhao Dong chuckled. "C'mon, I ain't that reckless. I didn't bet my whole bank account, and I don't have credit, so I ain't going bankrupt. You into this too, Eve?"
"A little, but I focus more on long-term stock investments," Lindsay replied.
"How much you bag this time?" Zhao Dong asked.
"Five million. Doubled up," Lindsay said casually.
Zhao Dong raised an eyebrow. He already had an edge 'cause he knew the general situation, but if Lindsay pulled off that kind of profit, she definitely had solid intel.
"You got a source?" he asked straight up.
Lindsay sighed. "Since I became an adult, I cut ties with my dad. I'm on my own. His family wouldn't help me, even if I wanted it.
"My intel comes from my godmother, Mrs. Dolores. Her husband was a credit manager at a Swiss bank. My forex account is at the Swiss bank's headquarters, and Mrs. Dolores runs my investments."
Zhao Dong thought back to his past life. He knew Thailand would announce on July 2 that they were ditching the dollar peg, and their currency would crash—hard. A 20% nosedive in a day. That would set off the whole Asian financial crisis.
This was it. He was about to go all in.
High leverage, quick cash-out. No hesitation.
But he wasn't dumb—he had to keep reserves for margin calls. He planned to throw $10 million in and keep another $10 million on the side. That'd let him eat a 2% fluctuation without getting wiped. He had another seven or eight million, so his safety net was solid.
A 20% drop with 400x leverage on $10 million? That's an 80x return. If he played this right, he'd be looking at $800 million. Even at half, that's still $400 million. Worst case, he takes 80%—that's $600 million easy.
Of course, this was just him dreaming big. He wasn't about to go full maniac mode. Max he'd go was 100x leverage—20x profit was plenty.
One good move, and he'd never have to worry about money again.
"Evelyn, I don't think Thailand's done bleeding. Their economy's drowning. There might be another huge wave. Wanna move some funds and run it together?" he asked.
Zhao Dong liked Lindsay. She was smart, real, and had zero bullshit. Too bad she was Catholic, and he wasn't about to convert. Plus, he wasn't thinking about settling down anytime soon.
Would he regret it later if someone else snatched her up? Who knew? But one thing was clear—he didn't want to lose her.
Lindsay hesitated, then said, "I already pulled the five million I made this round. I'll shift it over. Your agent handling it?"
"Nah, I'll open an account at a Swiss bank. How about letting Mrs. Dolores manage my funds?" Zhao Dong asked.
No way was he putting all his eggs in one basket. Hoffman was solid, but no shot he'd let one guy see all his profits. He needed multiple accounts—in Switzerland and the U.S. for safety.
"Of course, that's her job," Lindsay said with a grin.
"Appreciate it."
Zhao Dong wasn't dumb. UBS was one of the safest banks in the world. They just merged this year and became a giant. Second biggest private asset manager globally. A bank like that had all the inside intel.
And Lindsay's godmother? Head of their investment department? That was gold. Without Lindsay's connection, he wouldn't even qualify to have someone like her handle his money.
"Evelyn, you and Mrs. Dolores tight?" he asked.
Lindsay nodded. "Her family and my dad's go way back. She and my mom were classmates—best friends.
"When my mom passed away, she quit her job to take care of me until I was twelve. She's my godmother—basically my second mom. She's the closest family I have left. I trust her completely."
Zhao Dong nodded. That was the kind of person you wanted watching your back.
Then Lindsay smirked. "You know, the U.S. media's been eating up the rumors about us. Mrs. Dolores found out and blew up my phone—ten calls back-to-back, telling me to stay away from you. She was even thinking about flying here herself."
Zhao Dong coughed. "Hey, I ain't a bad guy."
"You're not a bad guy. You're just a damn playboy." Lindsay grinned.
"That's BS! Since I got into the NBA, I've only had Alice. After we broke up, I haven't been with anyone."
Lindsay squinted. "What about that Korean chick? You and her were all over the news a while back."
Zhao Dong waved it off. "Ain't got time for that now. And I didn't touch her, Evelyn. I haven't been with a woman in months…"
Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Why the hell are you telling me this? You're so annoying."
After lunch, they decided to have dinner together. No fancy restaurants—just a home-cooked meal.
They hit the supermarket for groceries, then headed to Lindsay's place.
When she opened the door, she froze.
A middle-aged white woman, looking like she walked straight out of an upper-class gala, sat on the couch. She had an air of elegance, but her sharp gaze showed she was nobody's fool.
Lindsay's jaw dropped. "Ma'am? When did you get here?"
Zhao Dong stopped in his tracks. Was this Mrs. Dolores?
He took a good look—yep, this lady was definitely the real deal.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Do you want to read Advanced Chapters?
Visit this link:
Påtreon.com/Fanficlord03
Change (å) to (a)