On the Road with a Teammate

Back in the Chinese livestream studio.

"Congratulations to the Clippers on winning tonight's game. Li Chen was impressive once again. Although he didn't take home Player of the Game, he was the one who stepped up and taught Marbury a lesson, which helped Elton Brand find his groove and play like an NBA star. If Brand makes it big someday, Li Chen will deserve a lot of the credit."

Sun Zhengping then turned to Zhang Weiping. "Coach Zhang, would you like to add anything?"

Zhang Weiping looked a little wistful. "It would've been great if Da Yao had had Li Chen by his side back then!"

Sun Zhengping fell silent, and the fans watching at home felt a pang too.

But then they couldn't help complaining about Zhang Weiping. How could he be so good at killing the mood? They'd been having a perfectly happy moment, and he'd turned the studio gloomy.

"Heh! You could say Chen got revenge for Da Yao this time," Sun Zhengping said with a strained smile.

The fans nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Li Chen's crossover that sent Marbury sprawling, along with his move on Joe Johnson, had become highlights of the game. The two men had made the perfect background.

The next day, after practice ended and Wang Zhizhi had finished his extra workout and left,

a figure poked his head in, sneaking inside like a thief.

Li Chen was a little surprised to see who it was, though he could also understand. It was none other than Michael Olowokandi, whom Coach Alvin Gentry had benched.

Li Chen tossed the ball in his hands. Swish—it went straight through the net.

Then, with a teasing smile, he asked a question he already knew the answer to. "Well, if it isn't Michael! What can I do for you?"

Li Chen's teasing made Michael Olowokandi scratch his head self-consciously. "I was hoping you could teach me how to box out and get rebounds."

Michael Olowokandi figured that since Li Chen could rack up so many rebounds in a game, he must be great at boxing out and grabbing boards. There was no better person to learn from.

Li Chen, however, grumbled inwardly. That's all thanks to my skill.

Even so, he could teach Michael Olowokandi the theory behind it.

Li Chen could describe how he'd felt going after rebounds when his S-rank Skill, "Rebounding Monster," had been active.

He was sure that would help Michael Olowokandi quite a bit.

The original owner of this body had actually been a very smart person. Otherwise, his parents wouldn't have sold everything they owned to send him to the States to study.

You could say he was a genius held back by rebounding.

As his inheritor, Li Chen had an excellent memory. He still remembered the finer details of what it had felt like to have the S-rank Skill "Rebounding Monster" active.

Coming back to himself, Li Chen nodded. Of course he wouldn't turn Michael Olowokandi down when he wanted to improve.

This way, he'd also have someone to practice rebounding with.

Unlike Li Chen, Michael Olowokandi would need long-term practice to make the fundamentals second nature, even after he learned the key points. It wouldn't be easy.

When James Harden and DeRozan arrived, the two youngsters warmed up and began taking turns shooting. Then Li Chen and Michael Olowokandi worked on rebounding drills.

After an extra hour of practice, Michael Olowokandi headed out.

Li Chen trained with James Harden and DeRozan until dark, then drove them home in his Hummer.

After dropping them off, Li Chen started driving home.

But halfway back, he spotted someone staggering toward him, with several young men chasing after him and brandishing baseball bats.

The staggering figure looked familiar, but his face was covered in blood, so Li Chen couldn't make out who he was.

Li Chen furrowed his brow. Could that be one of my teammates? He grumbled inwardly. You go to a nightclub and wind up beaten like this? What did you do to make everyone hate you so much?

Li Chen wasn't sure whether the figure was one of his teammates, but after a moment's thought, he decided to take a look.

As soon as Li Chen stopped the car, the figure reached him.

When the man saw Li Chen, he froze. He never would've expected that, just as he was being chased and feared for his life, the man he hated most would show up to save him.

Then he suddenly thought of something, shoved aside his complicated feelings, and shouted, "Li Chen, run! They have guns!"

Li Chen was stunned too. He never would've guessed that the blood-covered man was actually his teammate—and one he'd never gotten along with. It was Odom.

At Odom's warning, Li Chen paused. Guns? If they've got guns, why the hell are you running, you idiot? Are you completely out of your mind? Aren't you afraid they'll shoot you? Li Chen couldn't understand Odom.

A moment later, he said, "Guys, let's talk this out. You just want money, right? Name your price. There's no need to pull a gun."

Odom opened his mouth at that, but no sound came out.

"Eastern Kid, mind your own business. This isn't about money. Keep sticking your nose in and you'll regret it," one of the thugs said, pointing his bat at Li Chen.

Li Chen blinked in surprise, then looked at Odom. "Hey, what the hell did you do?"

Odom looked embarrassed. He stammered for a long time but couldn't explain himself.

"That bastard slept with our sister-in-law! Our boss said he'd make him regret ever being born," one of the thugs snarled.

Li Chen sucked in a breath. Odom, you dog! You've already fallen this far?

Actually, Li Chen was largely to blame for Odom's early downfall. Because of him, Odom got targeted whenever he played, so he'd given up.

"Fuck, I slept with her, sure, but I didn't know she was your boss's woman. And..."

Odom wiped the blood from his face and yelled, "You've already beaten me up this badly! Isn't that enough? Why are you still chasing me?"

Odom sounded aggrieved.

Li Chen wanted to cover his face. Damn it, you slept with the guy's woman and still think you're in the right. I've never seen anything like it.

The thug with the gun raised it and pointed it at Odom, roaring, "Enough talk. You're coming with us. Don't make us get rough."

Odom's whole body tensed.

Li Chen figured that in this country, anything could be settled as long as you had enough money.

"How about this? Take us to meet your boss, and I'll talk to him."

"Well..." The three men hesitated.

At the same time, Li Chen wondered whether he could snatch the gun if he caught them off guard.

Just as Li Chen was about to make his move, headlights drew closer in the distance, illuminating the whole deserted street.

The three thugs saw a convoy approaching and lost their nerve. After exchanging glances, they bolted down a nearby street and vanished.

When Odom saw that the thugs had run off, it was as if all the strength had left his body. He collapsed against Li Chen.

Li Chen was shaken too, but he had a stronger nerve than Odom and didn't fall apart like he had.

Li Chen scowled and mocked him. "Scared now, are you? Where was that fear when you did it?"