"Socializing"

As the saying went, the student had surpassed the master.

After spending so much time around Chen, Westbrook's sharp tongue had grown more vicious by the day.

"So what are you doing here? If you don't need anything, I'm going back to training." Chen couldn't win the verbal sparring, so he decided to send Westbrook on his way.

"Nothing much. I was just discussing tactics with the coach in his office, and I happened to be passing by."

Damn it! That made him even madder! Wasn't Westbrook supposed to be here to encourage them?!

"Turtle Turtle, you've really broken my heart. What happened to the Russell who used to train hard every day and practically live in the gym?"

"Are you okay? I'm injured, you know. What the hell am I supposed to train for?" Turtle Turtle gave him a look like he was an idiot.

"..."

"Forget the facts for a second. Don't you think you're even a little bit at fault here?" If he couldn't win the argument, he'd try the formula!!

"Nope. See ya, I'm heading home. Good luck, and don't brick it next game. Try not to break the basket." Sadly, after nearly half a year of trading barbs with Chen, Turtle Turtle was no longer the boy he'd once been. Now, Turtle Turtle was terrifyingly strong.

Damn it!!! You're the last person who has any right to say that to me!! At least I've never smashed a shot clock!!!

Chen Xi watched Turtle Turtle walk out of the arena and felt utterly miserable.

I'm always the one making other people miserable. Since when did I become the one getting made miserable!!! Unforgivable!!!!

Crushed by Turtle Turtle's verbal skills, Chen felt awful. He turned around and glared at Grant.

"Uh, Chris, I just remembered I've got something to do. I think my girlfriend asked me to dinner tonight. I'd better get going." The clever Jerami turned and left without a moment's hesitation.

He looked back at Little Sabonis.

The other half of the court was empty. The guy had slipped away even faster than Grant.

"Hey!! What's with them?! I'm not some kind of team tyrant." Chen angrily dribbled the ball, deciding to vent his frustration on the basket.

Maybe he'd work on his dunks today!

Yeah! A weak dunk still counts!!

On the evening of February 13, the Thunder visited Washington to take on the Wizards.

The Wizards were currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, with a respectable record that more or less met management's expectations.

With John Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, Otto Porter Jr., and Marcin Gortat in the starting lineup, they looked pretty well-balanced.

Wall was in his seventh season, averaging 23.1 points, 10.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Beal was also averaging 23.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.

Judging by the numbers alone, the Wizards' Backcourt Duo didn't seem much worse than Portland's, and their records were about the same.

What? You're saying Portland was only eighth in the Western Conference? Oh, well, never mind.

But a Backcourt Duo with no defense was still pretty weak!

The game began.

Chen Xi took the ball Adams had bounced to him and leisurely dribbled up the court. Facing John Wall, he didn't try to force his way past him. Instead, he raised a hand to call for Butler's pick-and-roll, targeting Beal.

Beal's defense was a little worse than Wall's, though Wall wasn't exactly great himself.

Against Beal, Chen used a simple triple threat, then a lateral step-back jumper. His three-pointer went in with ease.

Chen's game was getting simpler and simpler.

The Wizards' offense was even simpler: Wall drove and kicked the ball out—or, put another way, he drove if he could, and passed if he couldn't. Against the Thunder's four-wing lineup, that approach clearly didn't get them very far. The Thunder easily shut them down with constant switches.

Though the Thunder weren't much better than the Wizards in the chaos of the game, at least they could execute their plays.

With Westbrook out, Chen Xi had been playing off the ball much less and handling the offense more. Only when his stamina began to fade would he hand the ball to Little Sabonis to run the offense and start making off-ball cuts himself.

After two and a half quarters, Chen called it a night and slowly walked off the court, exchanging high-fives with Payne and Morrow as they came over. Then he returned to his seat and looked at the stats on the big screen, grinning.

He'd gone 11 for 19, with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. It'd been a while since he'd recorded a double-double. Putting up a stat line like that really did feel great. He could finally understand Turtle Turtle's joy.

Then he looked at Wall on the other side: 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, with a poor shooting percentage—just 7 for 21. There was a clear difference between them.

Tsk, but Wall was making $17 million this year!

Chen thought about his own wallet and suddenly felt like winning wasn't quite so satisfying anymore.

He could join a weak team, become the leader, rack up stats however he wanted, and have no pressure to win—plus a high salary. If it were a big-market team like the Knicks, that'd be even better. Just look at Melo next door. Tsk, what a winner.

Unexpectedly, after the game, Wall came over to exchange jerseys with Chen Xi and told him he really admired him.

Wall, man, I'm gonna cry.

Moved, Chen exchanged game-worn jerseys with him, then they swapped contact information. Chen decided he'd have one more favorite player to talk about in the media from now on.

Wall grinned and said he'd take him clubbing that night. Hilarious. Did he think Chen Xi was that kind of guy? He had a family, okay!

Brilliant lights flashed in a kaleidoscope of colors, casting hazy beams across the dance floor. The thumping music was deafening, its heavy beat making people sway along without even thinking.

The air was thick with alcohol and cigarette smoke, mingling with the scent of perfume. Men and women danced freely on the floor, pressed close together and lost in the rhythm.

The club was decked out in luxurious, trendy decor. Huge screens hung on the walls, playing popular music videos and adding to the lively atmosphere.

Behind the bar, the bartenders skillfully mixed all kinds of cocktails. Flames danced inside the glasses, drawing cheers from the crowd. Some stylishly dressed people sat in the lounge area, chatting quietly or watching the lively dance floor. In a place like this, people could let loose, shed their stress, and enjoy the thrills and pleasures of nightlife.

In the booth, "gentleman" Chen sat "on pins and needles."

He clinked glasses with Wall, Beal, Grant, and the others, trading trash talk as they drank.

Sometimes male friendships formed easily. All it took was someone saying, "My treat!" and he'd have a whole bunch of sworn brothers.

As time went on, the men started getting tipsy and talking nonsense.

Then Chen heard all kinds of incredible stories and couldn't help marveling at how wild Americans were.

Morals were in decline! People's hearts weren't what they used to be!! I, Chen, strongly condemn these people's moral depravity when it comes to love and relationships!! It's absolutely shameful!

While he was at it, he happily got the contact information of a few beautiful women at the table. Don't get the wrong idea—he just wanted to talk them out of going any further down this wrong path.

Driving good women into prostitution and then urging prostitutes to reform—that was a timeless bad habit of men.