Trade rumors

Wade was ultimately getting older, and with his knees carrying a long history of injuries, he was no longer the Flash who could blaze past defenders. These days, most of his scoring came from off-ball movement, post footwork, and floaters near the basket. His layup attempts had dropped significantly.

As for Butler, despite taking on more ball-handling duties this season compared to last, his production hadn't seen a major spike, falling short of the team's expectations. As a wing player who built his reputation on defense, his limited finishing options and inconsistent offense made him a poor fit as the franchise cornerstone.

Add in some simmering internal conflicts this season, and Rajon Rondo—sitting on a hefty $14 million contract—had become a locker room headache, seriously destabilizing team chemistry.

Even though it was still early in the season, the Bulls' management was already toying with the idea of a rebuild.

Not surprisingly, the Pacers found themselves in a similar boat.

The team that once challenged James in the Eastern Conference Finals was now scraping the playoff bubble year after year, unable to break through. Their best result in recent seasons was forcing a Game 7 against the Raptors in the first round last year, only to get blown out and eliminated.

This season, they sat at a dismal 14–18 record, worse than the neighboring Bulls.

On top of that, George, who once fancied himself a top-three small forward in the East, had grown frustrated with management's lackluster trades and the limited support from his teammates, signaling a desire to leave.

And once George left, without any promising rookies in the pipeline, the Pacers would have to tank for a high draft pick or trade for a potential star to rebuild around.

As luck would have it, the Thunder happened to have one.

Behind-the-scenes talks were quietly underway.

On the court, the games went on.

Whether it was the weather or just bad luck, Chen came down with a fever and took several days off, missing the team's final three games of December.

Without their key spacing option, the Thunder barely beat the Heat before losing back-to-back games to the Grizzlies and the Clippers, finishing December with a 1–2 record.

Meanwhile, voting for the 2017 All-Star Game opened up.

Notably, the voting rules underwent a major overhaul. Fans used to have 100% say in the starters, but that share was cut to 50%. The remaining 50% was split evenly between media and player votes—25% each. Clearly, the league wanted to prevent another situation like Yao's rookie season, when he bumped O'Neal out of the starting lineup. It also protected stars who were elite on the court but less marketable.

The new rules also limited the influence of Chinese fans. Seeing another Yao—a rookie straight into the All-Star starting five—was pretty much out of the question.

Besides, the only Chinese player in the league right now was Zhou Qi, who was holding down the bench for the Rockets.

Both Jeremy Lin and Chen Xi were Chinese American. Lin could barely even speak Chinese.

Fans back home just didn't have the same fire.

Yao at least had the skills to back it up. Zhou Qi? Let him get off the bench first.

Naturally, Chen wasn't holding out much hope for making the All-Star Game this year. He just wondered whether or not he'd get an invite to the Three-Point Contest.

If his shot was on, maybe he could knock out that quest.

Of course, it was way too early to think about that. The All-Star break was still over two months away.

He didn't celebrate Christmas, but New Year's Day was a must.

Chen had already requested time off from the team and hopped on a flight to Dallas. He was skipping the January 2nd game against the Bucks and would fly straight to Charlotte on the 4th to rejoin the squad.

Arriving in Dallas on the 31st, Chen had a solid four days... to help out the Old Man.

New Year's Day was the busiest time for the restaurant, and Chen showed up just in time. Before he could even put his luggage away, the Old Man roped him into working as a temp waiter.

With Chen Xi's decent fame these days, a couple of customers recognized him, and the crowd swelled even more.

Chen helplessly switched into work mode—taking orders, posing for photos, signing autographs, running around until he was drenched in sweat.

"Ughhh!! I should've never come back!!"

It wasn't until 10:30 PM, when the restaurant closed, that Chen finally collapsed into the small chair behind the register, questioning his life choices.

"This is more exhausting than playing a full game!!"

"New Year's Day and you don't come back?! Where else would you go? Think you've grown wings, huh?" The Old Man grinned at his grandson and handed him a drink.

"When your dad was little, he had to study and help me out here. Look at you—one night and you're already like this. Useless."

"Old Man, be reasonable, okay? Without me, who'd come to this little dump of yours? They're all my fans!"

"Heh! I've been running this place for years. I've got plenty of regulars. Who needs your fans?" The Old Man bristled, glaring and puffing out his beard.

"Look at you! Acting all high and mighty! Keep that tail up, and I'll tan your hide today!"

"..." Chen kept his mouth shut.

Who gets this, family?

Almost 20 years old, and still getting threatened with a beating at home!

So annoying! Total downer!

Ignoring Chen's muttering from the corner, the Old Man finished tidying up the last bit of the restaurant, then went back to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of noodles, handing one to Chen.

"Your dad loved this since he was a kid. Every New Year's, when I asked what he wanted to eat, he'd say he was craving these pickled vegetable and shredded pork noodles. That little brat—never had the luck to enjoy the good life!"

The Old Man then pulled out a family photo and set it on the table.

Chen didn't say a word, quietly eating his noodles. Now was the time to just listen.

The Old Man rambled on, jumping between memories of the past, until he saw Chen finish the last bite. Then he shooed him off to his room and cleaned up the dishes himself.

Over the next four days, Chen slipped back into his old life—scrolling through his phone, browsing social media, helping out at the restaurant, barely even hitting the nearby outdoor courts.

On the afternoon of the 4th, Chen boarded another plane to rejoin the team.

That night, they had a game against the Hornets.

After missing four consecutive games, Chen couldn't afford to slack off in his comeback game.

However, upon arriving in Charlotte and joining the team for joint practice, he found that his teammates didn't seem to be in good form.

After some probing questions, he learned that trade rumors had already spread through the team.

"It's said that Victor is the main piece in the trade, but it's still unclear who the target is."

Grant, who had a good relationship with Chen Xi, shared his inside scoop with Chen Xi on the sly during a break on the sidelines.

With no confirmed personnel but rumors already circulating, everyone was naturally on edge and uneasy.

In response to reader requests, the VIP member ad-free function is now available.

Click to view