Veronica

Holding a glass of liquor, Chen Xi stood by the pool and watched a large group of Black men splashing around in the water. He suddenly felt like none of this was real.

Just a month or so ago, he'd been a corporate drone, trudging back and forth to a lousy job and earning three or four thousand yuan a month. He'd been more exhausted than a dog, let alone having time for basketball. After graduating, he'd only played a few times a year. A few years of that, and he'd lost all his fundamentals, gradually turning into one of those middle-aged guys at the local courts.

And now, he'd somehow become a key rotation player on an NBA team, earning over a million dollars a year and partying at an NBA star's mansion.

Amazing!

"Hey, handsome. It's not very polite to look so gloomy at someone else's party. You're bringing the whole mood down."

Chen Xi turned around. Damn! What had been blinding him all this time?

A high nose bridge, delicate features, and sky-blue eyes made her look like a masterpiece carved by a master sculptor. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, shining with a captivating luster. Her low-cut black dress was patterned with little white flowers, and its high slit reached all the way up her thigh, revealing a pair of long, dazzlingly fair legs.

Most importantly, she looked like a proper young woman, and the assets in front of her were impressively substantial.

"I guess I ate too much, and now my mind's wandering." Chen Xi smiled wryly and raised his glass.

"I thought maybe someone had dragged you here." The woman raised her glass too and gently clinked it against his, then took a small sip.

"You're standing here looking completely out of place."

As she spoke, she pointed toward the group of big guys awkwardly dancing to the music nearby.

"Veronica. Veronica Wilson. That's my name."

"Chen Xi, or you can call me Chris. I'm not really used to this. I don't go to parties like this very often."

"I've heard about you. You spend most of your life training. They say you're a workaholic, as disciplined as Kobe."

"I'm not quite as extreme as Kobe. I couldn't get up at four thirty in the morning." In his previous life, Chen Xi had been a lifelong single. He usually only flirted when he was with his buddies. When he was actually around a woman, he immediately turned into a shy young man.

"Has someone told you about me?"

"Of course. I asked Jerami about you. Oklahoma's sharpshooter—who wouldn't want to know more? I'm a Thunder fan, too. Besides, you're so handsome."

A direct approach wasn't what made it powerful. It was when a good-looking person came right out and said it.

"I wouldn't call myself a sharpshooter. I just do what I'm supposed to do on the court. That's all."

"You're so different from how you are in interviews. I thought you'd be, um... really confident in person, too."

"Hahahaha, I am confident. Very confident..."

A look of surprise flickered through the woman's eyes. This star, already practically a household name in Oklahoma, seemed unexpectedly innocent. That only made her more interested in him.

It was hard to resist turning such a sweet young man into her own little puppy!

Chen Xi got up as usual and headed to the arena for his individual workout before joint practice.

"Chris, you seem a little distracted. Did you have too much fun at Russell's place last night?" The trainer was quick to notice the change in Chen Xi.

He'd already missed ten shots in a row. It was hard not to notice.

"Uh, no, I wasn't. I went home pretty early yesterday."

Chen Xi smiled and shook his head, then refocused.

He really had had a pretty wild night, chatting with Veronica about all sorts of things for ages.

As everyone knew, it was hard for a man to say no to a fan, especially when she was gorgeous.

Poor Tom had been wrapped around her little finger. (Not really.)

Chen, who'd been smitten at first sight, and Veronica, who'd fallen in love at first sight, had only just met, but their relationship had warmed up in no time.

He'd driven her home in his Porsche last night, and early the next morning, they'd started talking on the phone again. They'd been chatting about nothing particularly interesting, but neither of them wanted to hang up.

"You're done for. You've fallen in love." The trainer pieced it together from a few stray comments and, as an experienced old hand, immediately began passing on his wisdom to Chen Xi.

"Young man, when you get a chance, take it. Just go for it! Ask her out tonight!... Wait, not tonight. You've got a game."

Chen Xi rolled his eyes at the trainer, who was all talk because it wasn't him in the hot seat.

"I came to the arena this early to train, not to gossip—especially not about myself."

"Hahahaha, fine, fine. Keep going. Next set: threes from the top of the key."

That evening, the Thunder faced the Rockets again.

The Thunder players were united in their resolve to wash away the shame of Harden having torched them in the previous game.

They showed excellent discipline and energy right from the start.

Westbrook and Odie repeatedly broke through the Rockets' unimpressive perimeter defense, then punished Capela for dropping back to protect the paint.

Westbrook and Oladipo had fairly similar styles. Both liked to create space with their drives, then finish at the rim or from mid-range. When their shots were falling, they were extremely difficult to stop. Westbrook also had excellent court vision, and when defenders double-teamed him, he could easily transfer the ball to an open teammate.

The Thunder didn't even have to wait for Chen Xi to take the court before taking a 23–10 lead over the Rockets. They ran the Rockets ragged from the opening minutes, a complete reversal of the previous game.

Then Chen Xi and Grant checked in, and the Thunder put out their most effective lineup. The Rockets were soon stretched thin, unable to cover everything.

With his shot off that day, Harden had to rely on drives and free throws to keep the score close. With none of his teammates stepping up, he couldn't make up the deficit. In the end, all he could do was watch the Thunder maintain a ten-point lead and take the win.

After the game, Chen Xi got an invitation from Westbrook.

"Chris, want to come to the club with us? James is paying."

"Maybe next time, Russell. I've got plans tonight."

"? That girl from yesterday? Look at you, kid." Westbrook immediately guessed why, then grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Chen Xi.

"No, I'm picking someone up. My grandpa came to Oklahoma City."

"Oh, okay."

Turtle Turtle had a good instinct. Veronica really had asked him out, but he'd turned her down with the same excuse.

The old man really had come.

Seeing that Chen Xi's basketball career was finally taking off, the old man was very pleased.

Chen Xi had invited him again and again to close the restaurant and come live with him in Oklahoma, but he'd refused every time. In the end, he couldn't turn Chen Xi down and agreed to visit for a couple of days.

The older he got, the more attached he was to the past. He wouldn't let go of that little restaurant, saying he couldn't bear to leave his longtime regulars.