The man waved his hand. "No, no, go ahead and use it. If my bike can help you put on a dunking show, it's an honor for our whole family. My son will have something to brag about for a while."
The community where Wang Yi lived was the most upscale in Toronto, if not all of Canada.
Every family with a child attending preschool here was fabulously wealthy.
It was just a bike. They wouldn't think twice about it.
Even if it was clearly a high-end model, it was probably worth tens of thousands of dollars.
The portly man retreated to the sidelines, leaving the half-court open for Wang Yi's performance.
Wang Yi straddled the bike and began dribbling as he pedaled.
First, he held the handlebars with his right hand and repeatedly crossed the ball back and forth with his left. Then he switched, holding the handlebars with his left hand while crossing the ball with his right.
Then he let go of the handlebars with both hands and performed five consecutive crossover dribbles between his legs.
The ball left his right hand, passed beneath the bike's frame, then between Wang Yi's legs, and into his left hand.
Then it left his left hand, passed beneath the bike's frame and between Wang Yi's legs, and returned to his right hand.
The spectators watched in astonishment, erupting in another round of gasps.
"That's the first time I've ever seen a move like that!"
"Doing a crossover between your legs while riding a bike—that's a world first!"
"Forget the dunk! Just that crossover dribble on a bike was worth the price of admission!"
"Did you buy a ticket?"
"No."
"Then how can you say it was worth the price of admission?"
"I'd have been happy to buy one!"
These parents