Tianjin, Binjiang Road Commercial Street.
Outside the Li Fei Flagship Store, the line stretched from the entrance all the way to the street corner, turned, and kept going.
A delivery guy wearing Li Fei V sneakers stood in the middle of the line, phone in hand, video-calling his family. Over his work uniform, he wore a Knicks jersey, with his helmet tucked under one arm.
"Mom, look, I'm in line to buy Li Fei's shoes. He scored 77 points last night, did you know? Seventy-seven! How many deliveries would I have to make to earn enough for these shoes? But it's worth it."
A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other end of the screen. "Aren't you cold? You're not wearing much."
The delivery guy smiled. "I'm not cold. I'm burning up inside."
Xi'an, beside the Bell Tower.
In the Li Fei Flagship Store window, the championship edition of Li Fei VI sat in the most prominent spot. Its pure white upper was trimmed in gold, reflecting the northwestern sunlight in a dazzling gleam. Beside it was a huge poster—a shot of Li Fei passing the ball to Sprewell in Game 5. A line of text was printed along the bottom: "One game away from the throne."
A boy in a school uniform crouched beside the line, holding a pair of Li Fei IVs. The soles were worn smooth, and the uppers were coming apart, but he couldn't bear to throw them away. He'd bought them with three months' worth of breakfast money in his final year of middle school, and they'd been with him when he got into a top provincial high school. Someone nearby asked, "Are you getting in line?"
The boy shook his head. "I can't afford to. I don't have enough money. I just wanted to