Five Million Contract

Zhou Ling'an asked Wang Yi a second question:

"You said before that you came to conquer the NBA, what did you mean by that?"

As she spoke, she repeated the question in English.

Her intention was obvious.

She wanted Wang Yi to explain himself.

What Wang Yi had said before had offended too many people.

If he could offer a good explanation now—like, "I'm here to conquer the NBA fans," or "What I meant by conquering was gaining everyone's approval, and people misunderstood me"—she believed people's impression of Wang Yi would change.

She was giving Wang Yi an out.

Wang Yi understood her meaning.

However, he didn't explain.

Instead, he simply said:

"It means exactly what it says."

Zhou Ling'an was taken aback and secretly shook her head.

It seemed Wang Yi was determined.

Having ideals was good, but in the current situation, for a player on a ten-day contract to say such a thing was truly out of place.

However, Zhou Ling'an found herself secretly admiring Wang Yi.

He dared to speak his true thoughts, defying universal condemnation.

She had imagined such a scenario before.

But she hadn't dared to do it.

Few people in the entire world would dare to do so.

Thinking of this, her gaze towards Wang Yi held a different kind of spark.

Next, she asked a simple third question.

After the interview ended, she asked Wang Yi:

"Are you free? Let's have a meal together. Consider it my thanks."

Wang Yi shook his head:

"After I go back and take a shower, I have to fly to Portland overnight. I'm afraid I won't have time."

Zhou Ling'an said with a hint of regret:

"Then next time."

Wang Yi nodded: "Next time."

Meanwhile, in China, at a certain city's No. 1 Middle School.

It was noon, twelve o'clock.

Wang Yi's father, Wang Jianhua, was walking towards the faculty canteen.

He was in a good mood today.

He had been unwilling for his son to play basketball before because he knew how deep the waters were.

He himself had played professional basketball and had suffered greatly from it.

When his son had joined the NBA, the entire school had erupted in excitement.

But he alone had been gloomy all day.

Because he was keenly aware that basketball was a sport that relied heavily on talent.

With Wang Yi's talent, joining the NBA would only lead to him sitting on the bench.

At that time, the domestic media, initially excited, would gradually turn to disappointment, mockery, and sarcasm.

And the fans, initially excited, would turn to disappointment, ridicule, and curses.

All of this would have to be borne by Wang Yi alone.

The following two years unfolded just as he had predicted.

Even some of the teachers at the school, while not saying anything on the surface, had started gossiping behind his back.

But in the last few days, Wang Yi had played three good games in a row.

The attitude of the people around him had begun to change.

However, Wang Yi's arrogant statement earlier had caused the attitude of the people around him to cool down again.

But today, defeating the Wizards and beating the player living a good life was truly satisfying.

On the way to the canteen, students kept greeting him:

"Hello, Teacher Wang!"

"Teacher, Brother Yi is too amazing."

"Teacher Wang, can you get me Brother Yi's autograph sometime? I'm a huge fan."

They arrived at the cafeteria and got their food.

Several physical education teachers were already calling out to them:

"Old Wang, Old Wang, come, come, come, sit here."

"Old Wang is in a good mood today. Look at his face, there are even more wrinkles."

"Of course. Seeing his son perform well, a father naturally feels happy."

Another physical education teacher asked:

"Hey Old Wang, your son is playing this well, his guaranteed contract for this season should be quite substantial, right? Why are you still a physical education teacher? If I were you, I would have quit long ago to enjoy life."

Wang Jianhua shook his head:

"NBA contracts have too much tax, so not much is left after taxes. Besides, no matter how much he earns, it's his money, what does it have to do with me?"

Wang Jianhua said it, and he meant it.

He had never thought of relying on his son to support him.

His own monthly salary was over 7,000 yuan, which was enough to support himself and his wife.

At this moment, the head of the physical education group also came over with his plate.

Seeing Wang Jianhua, he said:

"Old Wang, I have something to discuss with you."

Wang Jianhua asked, "What is it?"

The head of the physical education group said:

"During the NBA offseason, can you ask Wang Yi to come to our school to train the school team members?"

Wang Jianhua directly shook his head and refused:

"He likely won't be back during the offseason; he'll be training over there."

Actually, Wang Jianhua felt some resentment.

When Wang Yi hadn't made a name for himself yet, these leaders hadn't treated him very well.

Now that he had played a few good games, the leaders were coming to him.

The world is fickle, and human relationships are cold; nothing could be more true than this.

Wang Jianhua had seen through all of this.

He didn't blame these people.

But since Wang Yi now had the potential to make it big, he naturally needed to train well during the offseason to improve his skills.

Instead of wasting his time on these social niceties.

Even if Wang Yi returned for a few days during the offseason, he would still need time to rest properly, not participate in some miscellaneous activities.

The surrounding physical education teachers saw Wang Jianhua so readily refuse the leader.

They all secretly shook their heads.

Wang Jianhua was capable, but he was too straightforward and didn't know how to play the game.

That's why after so many years, he hadn't even become the head of the physical education group, let alone a leader.

The head of the physical education group saw Wang Jianhua publicly reject him, and the smile on his face slightly faded.

He said, "Wang Yi's training is important; he's bringing glory to the country. We shouldn't bother him with our trivial matters."

There was already a hint of displeasure in his words.

The other physical education teachers all shook their heads.

Wang Jianhua naturally heard the implied meaning in the leader's words.

But he was too lazy to bother with managing human relationships.

As long as his son could truly make it, nothing else mattered.

Wang Yi, on the bus heading to the airport, received a call from his agent.

The agency Wang Yi signed with was the newly established CN Agency.

The behind-the-scenes boss was of Chinese descent.

However, this Chinese boss had clearly underestimated the importance of connections in the NBA.

Therefore, this CN Agency wasn't doing very well.

The players it signed were almost all players who couldn't get playing time.

Wang Yi's agent, Luo Lin, was also of Chinese descent and a rookie agent at that.

She had neither connections nor money.

Only the most desperate players would sign with such an agency and agent.

The players under her management are currently mostly on short-term contracts.

At this moment, Luo Lin's phone rang:

"Wang Yi, Pelinka just called me. He said that through these four games, you've proven yourself. He wants to convert your contract to a guaranteed one early, a $5 million guaranteed contract."

There was a hint of suppressed excitement in Luo Lin's voice.

$5 million, she would get 4% commission, which was $200,000.

How could she not be excited?

Luo Lin continued to ask:

"However, your performance has exceeded expectations. Do you want to wait for offers from other teams? I believe other teams with salary cap space will definitely be able to offer higher bids."