Starting with Rookie of the Year: Taking Down Emperor Zhan

On the way, Li Chen asked somewhat nervously, "Avril, I'm a little nervous meeting your parents for the first time. Should I bring a gift or something?"

Seeing Li Chen's uneasy expression, Avril's previously low mood improved considerably, and she chuckled.

My parents won't be coming over until tonight. My grandfather is a very kind person and won't mind these things. Besides, he knows about our relationship.

Even so, Li Chen was still somewhat uneasy.

A short while later, the two arrived at the floor of the intensive care unit, where a little girl was walking towards them.

"Michelle, why are you out here? Who's looking after Grandpa?" Avril questioned sternly.

Michelle sounded a little aggrieved. "Grandpa told me to call you and ask if your brother-in-law has arrived yet."

Then, when she saw Li Chen, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother-in-law!"

Li Chen: "..."

He looked at Avril speechlessly.

Avril was also a little embarrassed. "Chen, this is my sister, Michelle."

"Hello, Michelle, you're such a beautiful girl, you'll definitely be prettier than your sister when you grow up."

Hearing this, Michelle was overjoyed and asked, "Really?"

"Of course," Li Chen said firmly.

A short while later, the three entered the ward.

A gaunt old man lay on the hospital bed. He opened his eyes, looked at Avril and Michelle, and said, "You two go out. I have something to say to Chen alone."

A short while later, the two women left, Avril then tried to sit up.

Li Chen quickly stepped forward to help the old man, saying, "Grandpa, you can talk while lying down, there's no need to do this."

The old man was slightly taken aback by Li Chen's words, then asked, "What did you call me?"

Li Chen frowned, wondering, "Did I say something wrong?"

After thinking about it, he realized he hadn't said anything wrong!

It was a test; he asked again, "What's wrong with me calling you grandpa?"

"What? Say it again."

"Grandpa," Li Chen called out again, albeit strangely.

"Didn't hear you? Call again."

Li Chen: "..."

Even if Li Chen was stupid, he would understand that the old man was taking advantage of him!

Seeing Li Chen's humiliation, the old man laughed heartily, but his laughter was filled with weakness.

After a short while, the old man became serious and said, "Chen, I have a favor to ask of you."

Seeing the old man become serious, Li Chen also became serious, "Please speak."

"Please take good care of Avril for me."

Li Chen was slightly taken aback. "Don't be so pessimistic. Medical technology is so advanced now, you'll be fine."

He shook his head and said, "No, I have a feeling I won't live long."

Li Chen scratched the back of his head, unsure how to respond.

At this moment, the old man spoke up, "Perhaps you don't know, but I know for sure that my little Avril likes you. Maybe she doesn't even know it herself, but she is always very happy when she mentions you."

Hearing this, Li Chen was a little confused and asked uncertainly, "Grandpa, you must be mistaken! Avril is looking for a like-minded partner who can talk about music with her and create music together. My criteria for a partner are completely different from hers!"

The old man rolled his eyes and said, "What does a little girl like her know? She doesn't even know what she wants."

Li Chen: "..."

Then, to Li Chen's further dismay, the old man started promoting his granddaughter.

He even patted his chest and guaranteed that Avril liked him Li Chen.

Li Chen had to admit that the old man's eloquence was truly extraordinary; for a moment, he even believed that Avril really liked him.

However, Li Chen found Avril's grandfather quite interesting.

After thinking it over, he made up his mind.

So he took out the Chinese herbal medicine from his suitcase.

Then he said, "This is traditional Chinese medicine from our country. It has significant effects on strengthening the body and resisting diseases. Would you like to give it a try?"

The old man was taken aback, then thought for a moment and said, "Alright!"

This time, it was Li Chen's turn to be stunned.

The old man seemed to know Li Chen's thoughts and offered an explanation. "Haha! What do I, an old man who's not going to live much longer, have to fear? It's just a matter of dying sooner or later."

Li Chen: "..."

Li Chen stayed with Avril's grandfather at Toronto General Hospital for seven days, and his spirits and complexion improved considerably.

For the past seven days, the elderly man has been drinking one dose of traditional Chinese medicine preparation each day.

That day, Li Chen smiled and said, "Grandpa, I'm leaving now. You heard the doctor say that your condition is stable, and with proper care, you won't be in any danger."

The old man stared intently at Li Chen for a moment, then suddenly gave a lewd smile and said mysteriously, "Don't worry, my little Avril is yours, and no one can take her away."

Li Chen: "..."

Now Li Chen is swayed by his confidence and believes he can really win Avril.

He then dismissed this confidence, saying, "What's yours will be yours, and what's not yours can't be forced."

After watching Li Chen disappear, Avril's grandfather muttered to himself, "Traditional Chinese medicine is really something!"

What he didn't know was that the Chinese medicine he was taking had been laced with something; every day, Li Chen would mix Functional Drink into the herbal decoction.

Li Chen was also surprised when he discovered the uses of Functional Drink; at the time, he had only thought of trying them out.

The function of Functional Drink is not to treat diseases, but to increase the body's immunity and resistance to viruses.

Therefore, it is foreseeable that Avril's grandfather's health will improve day by day.

Li Chen wasn't worried; if this matter were exposed, he could easily deny it to traditional Chinese medicine.

As for why other people's Chinese medicine didn't have the same effect, he could say that he consulted someone who was a 70th-generation descendant of Hua Tuo, or something like that; he could come up with many excuses.

Besides, Avril's grandfather is a smart man and wouldn't tell anyone.

After saying goodbye to Avril's parents, brother, and sister, Li Chen prepared to leave Toronto.

"Honey, what do you think of this Asian man?" Avril's mother asked.

Avril's father thought for a moment and said, "Not bad. Let's observe her a bit more. Athletes are restless. If she doesn't have any scandals in three years, we can consider it."

On the bus.

Avril said sincerely, "Chen, thank you so much. Grandpa has been very happy these past few days, and his condition has stabilized."

Avril was very happy, really happy.

Grandpa was very important to her.

Li Chen joked, "No need for that, I'm still your boyfriend in name only!"

"Hehe! Your boyfriend is pretty good. If you behave any better, I might actually fall for him."

"Really?" Li Chen asked, feigning excitement.

Ivy wrinkled her nose and said, "It's fake, of course it's fake. My future lover must share my hobbies."

Li Chen curled his lip.

Back in Los Angeles, Li Chen immediately called his two underlings. But he discovered they were slacking off, so...

An hour later, while watching Harden and DeRozan train gruelingly, Li Chen called Kobe and bragged about it.

"Kobe, you have no idea, I'm incredibly awesome in Asia."

"I can too," Kobe said calmly.

"You can, but you can't play!" Li Chen said dismissively.

Kobe "..."

"Hmph! No ambition at all. Just watch, the Lakers will win the championship today," Kobe said confidently.

Li Chen curled his lip. Even F4 couldn't win the championship, let alone now.

"Coincidentally, the Clippers will also be aiming for the championship this year."

"Very good! See you in the Western Conference Finals."

"Hmph! I'm afraid your Lakers will get eliminated by the Spurs again, and then someone will cry again."

Li Chen fully displayed his sharp tongue.

Kobe immediately lost his composure and hung up the phone.

Seeing Kobe hang up the phone without a word, Li Chen felt incredibly relieved.

Now he's dealt with Kobe, and then he's dealing with his two little fans.

"James, I just don't understand why you're still so fat. You need to do extra training tonight."

Harden "..."

DeRozan immediately sped away from Harden to avoid being caught in the Harden.

"Boss, this isn't fair, Demar already has a girlfriend."

Harden chose to drag his brother DeRozan.

DeRozan Harden, calling him a bastard and saying he was too malicious for spreading rumors.

DeRozan hurriedly explained, "Boss, don't listen to James's nonsense, that's not true at all."

Hearing this, Li Chen was taken aback, then chuckled strangely. He didn't care whether it was true or not, so...

"James, I'm cutting ties with you, you bastard!" DeRozan yelled.

"Hehe! We're brothers, we should share the hardships together."

Hearing this, Li Chen's lips twitched. Harden is really ruthless!

In the following days, Li Chen urged Korver to practice.

Korver knew that this young man, who was about his age, was the team's leader, and he dared not say no.

In mid-October, David Stern met with Li Chen.

Li Chen sat quietly in the reception room, wondering what this important figure wanted to see him about.

A moment later, David Stern entered the drawing room. "Haha! Sorry, Chen, I'm a bit busy today."

"It's alright, Mr. Stern. Your contributions to the NBA are evident to all, and even if it takes a long time, it's worth the wait."

David Stern stared intently at Li Chen, thinking that there weren't many young players who could speak so eloquently.

Lost in thought, David Stern smiled and said, "Come, sit down."

Li Chen nodded his thanks.

After a short while, Li Chen saw that David Stern seemed unsure of where to begin. He spoke frankly, "Mr. Stern, please speak plainly."

Hearing Li Chen say that, David Stern smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, then I'll get straight to the point."

Li Chen listened attentively.

After organizing his thoughts, David Stern said, "Actually, I initially chose Yao Ming to open up the Eastern market, but I didn't expect you to be so outstanding. Last season, you even almost won the championship."

Li remained silent and continued to listen.

Stern continued, "So, I think you and LeBron James both have the potential to become the next Jordan."

Li Chen was taken aback at first, then said solemnly, "Mr. Stern, thank you for your high regard. I will work hard."

Although he said that, he was thinking to himself, "This old guy wants to see me and James fight! But beating the so-called Chosen One, Emperor Zhan, wouldn't be bad either."

Teasing Kobe, beating up Emperor Zhan, training Harden DeRozan —this life is pretty good, and maybe it will get even more exciting in the future.

Yes, yes, life is so wonderful.

The two then chatted about the Chinese market.

Li Chen gave a long, rambling reply, which David Stern found fascinating.

"Chen, so you're saying my decision was right?"

By this time, David Stern had come to regard Li Chen as a confidant, and Li Chen's words were exactly to his liking.

"Of course, Mr. Stern."

After thinking for a moment, Li Chen, fearing it might not be convincing enough, added, "Although our country qualified for the World Cup in 2002, we didn't score a single goal, which greatly disappointed the fans. Therefore, the rise of Chinese basketball will definitely attract more viewers."

David Stern nodded repeatedly; Li Chen had struck a chord with him, as he felt the same way.

"Chen, what do you think I should do next?" David Stern asked expectantly.

Although he already had a draft in mind, he still wanted to hear Li Chen's opinion, given his insightful nature.

Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "If we want to firmly grasp the Eastern market, we need to ensure that our domestic fans have a long-term sense of identity. Therefore, we need to have a team for people of Chinese descent or Chinese people."

David Stern stared at Li Chen in shock. This Eastern Kid was terrifying; he had somehow come to the same conclusion as him.

Two hours later, Li Chen left the NBA headquarters with a smile on his face and in a good mood.

He had just stepped out of the NBA headquarters when his phone rang.

Li Chen took out his phone and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. He frowned slightly, then thought for a moment and answered the call.

Hello! May I ask who you are...?

"Haha! My name is Dolan, and I'm the owner of the New York Knicks."

"Oh, it's Mr. Dolan!"

Then...

On October 31, the Clippers will play against the Supersonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) on the road.

Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Assist Master].

Then he went on to Pull-up Jumper, a Divine Shooter, a Miracle Shot, Open Three-Pointer, and Rebounding Monster.

This match marked the first time Malone partnered with Li Chen.

At first, he hadn't yet integrated into the Clippers' system.

However, to welcome his new teammate, Li Chen kept passing the ball to Malone.

At the end of the first half, Malone had already scored 20 points.

Li Chen also scored 15 points.

In the previous game, the Clippers led the SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) 60-50 by 10 points.

This surprised Malone, because Li Chen's passes were always very comfortable for him, even more so Stockton's passes.

During halftime, Li Chen smiled and said to the expressionless Malone, "Carl, do you think we can win the championship this year?"

Malone thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "It should be possible."

"Hey hey hey! We can definitely do it. If it weren't for the Spurs' shameless dirty tricks last season, we would definitely have beaten the New Jersey Nets."

Elton Brand emphasized.

Li Chen ignored their conversation, sat down in front of Korver, and then put his arm around him, saying, "Kyle, do you want to win Rookie of the Year?"

Korver stared at Li Chen with a bewildered expression, as if to say, "Are you kidding me? Me, the only one who can become Rookie of the Year? You really don't respect James, the Chosen One!"

Lost in thought, Korver chuckled and said, "Chen, you're really joking."

Li Chen glanced at Korver and said calmly, "If I say you can do it, you can, even if you can't."

This was a bit of a mouthful, and it took Korver a while to understand its meaning.

At this moment, Li Chen smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, just keep making runs. As long as you shake off the defender, I'll pass the ball to you."

Korver stammered, "Chen, I really can't!"

Do you know what my nickname is?

"Huh?" Korver was taken aback by the question.

Li Chen spoke nonsense with a straight face, "My nickname is Wizard, so if I say you can do it, you can do it."

Korver "...

However, as a rookie Korver had very little playing time, and he had to persuade Alvin Gentry to give Korver more playing time.

Li Chen's lips curled up.

Dethrone Emperor Zhan starts with winning Rookie of the Year.