Half an hour later, at a very secluded and upscale private steakhouse on the outskirts of Milwaukee.
Lin Qi sat in the private room, raising an eyebrow slightly as he watched the guest enter.
Wearing a slightly oversized tracksuit, Wade appeared somewhat reserved. Beside him was his high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn.
She was wearing a heavy coat, but it couldn't hide her prominent belly, clearly indicating she was several months pregnant.
"Hello. This is my fiancée, Siohvaughn." Wade rubbed his hands a little awkwardly, pulled out a chair for his girlfriend to sit down first, "The coach said it's inconvenient for him to be there in this situation, and the rest of my family isn't really available either..."
Hearing the word "coach," Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat. Thank goodness he didn't come; if he had, it would have been all over.
"It's alright, it's best if your family can come. Please have a seat." Lin Qi smiled and gestured to the waiter to remove the red wine and replace it with water. "Congratulations, it looks like your due date is approaching?"
"Less than three months, due date is next February," Siohvaughn replied somewhat awkwardly, touching her belly.
Lin Qi looked at the young Black couple in front of him. The phrase "heavy family burden" in the scouting report became a tangible reality at that moment. For a sophomore who had just been released from suspension, the impending birth of a child meant enormous economic and psychological pressure.
"Let's order, the steaks here are quite good." Lin Qi didn't rush to get to the point, but instead chatted casually like a generous "rich football fan".
Halfway through dinner, Wade initially thought he had just met a wealthy, knowledgeable basketball fan. But as Lin Qi displayed an almost obsessive understanding of the tactical details of various college teams across the United States during their casual conversation, and even casually pointed out several fatal weaknesses in Marquette University's pick-and-roll offense, Wade's doubts grew heavier.
He glanced furtively at the black sedan parked outside the window, then at the composed Asian man across from him, who exuded an air of authority.
Suddenly, Wade recalled a documentary he'd seen on TV a few days ago about the Boston Celtics' championship win. The young owner standing behind Garnett and Pierce on the championship parade float...
Wade froze abruptly. His knife and fork clattered against the plate with a sharp sound.
"Mr. Lin Qi... Lin Qi..." Wade's voice trembled slightly, and a sudden, barely concealed panic welled up in his eyes. "You're Mr. Lin Qi, the owner of the Boston Celtics?!"
Siohvaughn was startled and looked at her fiancé, somewhat at a loss.
Wade's breathing quickened. He was just a sophomore in college who had just been released from his academic suspension! If it were discovered that he had privately accepted a dinner invitation from an NBA team owner, it would be an extremely serious violation.
"Mr. Lin Qi, we can't meet like this!" Wade stood up abruptly, even grabbing Siohvaughn's wrist to leave. "This violates NCAA rules. If the school finds out, my scholarship will be revoked, and I'll be suspended again! I was already suspended for a year in my freshman year; I can't..."
"Sit down, Dwyane Wade."
Lin Qi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an imposing aura that instantly subdued the entire room.
"This private room was booked under the name of 'Ms. Siohvaughn's distant cousin.' The waiter didn't recognize me, and the bill was in cash. Nobody else besides the three of us knew the Celtics ' owner was in Milwaukee tonight." Lin Qi picked up a napkin and slowly wiped his mouth. "Deep breath, calm down."
Wade hesitated for a few seconds, looking into Lin Qi's calm eyes, before finally sitting down slowly, his body tense, but his hands still tightly protecting his pregnant fiancée.
"You specially invited us to dinner today... what is it for?" Wade's voice was wary, and there was also a hint of stubbornness that belonged to the Chicago slums.
"Over the past two weeks, I've watched dozens of tapes of college guard games across the United States. You're one of the most special ones." Lin Qi looked into Wade's eyes, his tone finally becoming serious.
"I know how the scouts are evaluating you right now. Because you didn't play in your freshman year, they're focusing on your inconsistent jump shot and predicting you'll be a late first-round pick. In their eyes, you're just an 'energy guard.' Plus..." Lin Qi glanced at Siohvaughn's belly, "Many people think the upcoming baby will drag you down."
Wade's eyes dimmed slightly, and he gripped his fiancée's hand even tighter.
"But I flew all the way from Boston today, not to see a late first-round pick." Lin Qi leaned forward slightly, dropping the bombshell. "In my eyes, you have the qualities to be a starter in Boston. That instinct to use your body as a weapon, to fight tooth and nail in the paint, is something you can't teach."
Wade was stunned, Siohvaughn also looked shocked. Boston's starting lineup? That was the promise of the defending champions!
"But that's just a premise." Lin Qi changed the subject, his gaze slowly moving down to Wade's left knee, which was resting under the table.
You know we signed Grant Hill last summer, right?
Wade nodded mechanically. Hill's name was legendary in the basketball world; he was once considered " Jordan's successor."
" Grant once had what was called the fastest first step in the entire league, just like the one you just showed on the court. But do you know why he almost ruined his career in Detroit?" Lin Qi's voice turned cold.
"Because of a misdiagnosis by the Detroit team doctor, and because he was eager to return and prove himself, he played through his injury with pain-relieving injections. This almost ended his career. After we signed him, he had surgery and spent over a year recovering in Boston. But the good news is, he will be back in a few months, and he will be healthy."
Seeing Wade's increasingly pale face, Lin Qi continued, "I see a bit of him in you. Players like you who rely entirely on explosive first-step power are the type of players who put the most strain on their joints."
Lin Qi pointed to Wade's broad shoulders. "I've seen your high school physical test data. You gained a lot of weight this season to adapt to the physicality of college, right? This kind of haphazard weight gain is the most fatal. Your muscle strength has gone up, but your meniscus and ligaments haven't kept up at all. It's like putting a V8 engine on a beat-up Ford sedan; the axle will break if you step on the gas even slightly."
Wade's pupils contracted sharply.
"Videos don't lie. When I was watching the game just now, I noticed that your knee made a slight compensatory movement when you landed. I guess it's been a little sore after training lately?"
Wade instinctively touched his left knee, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
This is his biggest secret. He didn't even dare tell head coach Crean, for fear of affecting the playing time he had worked so hard to earn, and even more so, for his future opportunity to earn a living. He had even been secretly inquiring about which hospital in Milwaukee had the fastest recovery rate for meniscus removal surgery.
"Mr. Lin Qi, what's wrong...?"
"I have one of the top sports medicine teams in the country. I've seen too many talented people ruin their careers because of ignorance and short-sightedness, and you, now, have a baby on the way. You can't afford to lose."
Lin Qi stood up, took a thick brown paper envelope from the inside pocket of his coat, placed it on the dining table, and gently pushed it in front of Wade.
The envelope was unsealed, and from Wade's angle, he could clearly see a thick wad of hundred-dollar bills and a white card inside.
"There's $10,000 inside." Lin Qi's voice remained calm, without a trace of emotion. "There's a private medical appointment number on that card. Tomorrow morning, call that number and get yourself a full-body checkup, especially an MRI of your knee."
Wade recoiled as if electrocuted, extreme panic resurfacing in his eyes.
"I absolutely cannot take it!" Wade shook his head vigorously. "Mr. Lin Qi, I appreciate your reminder, but I absolutely cannot touch this money! This is bribery! If the NCAA investigators or the media find out, I'll be completely ruined!"
"I don't need this money. I'll take good care of myself." Wade gritted his teeth, maintaining the last vestige of pride a slum boy could muster.
Lin Qi neither took back the envelope nor tried to persuade him; he simply watched him coldly.
But just then, a slightly rough hand, swollen from pregnancy, reached out and pressed down on the thick kraft paper envelope.
It's Siohvaughn.
Wade turned around incredulously to look at his fiancée: " Sio? Are you crazy?! Put it back!"
Siohvaughn didn't look at Wade. She clutched the envelope in her hand, her eyes slightly red.
"You have a basketball scholarship from school, Dwyane Wade. But I don't."
Siohvaughn's voice trembled slightly as she touched her protruding belly and looked directly into Wade's eyes. "We can barely afford the heating bill and milk for our apartment next month! You work your butt off on the court every day, earning ticket revenue for the school, and all you get is a little scholarship, but the NCAA won't even give you a damn health insurance! If your knee is really ruined, who will support us? Who will support this unborn child? Your head coach? Or those alumni who will only cheer from the stands?!"
Wade was completely stunned. He opened his mouth, but felt as if his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't say a word.
Lin Qi looked at the extremely lucid girl, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"She understands survival better than you, Dwyane Wade. Overly naive and kind people don't survive."
Lin Qi put on his coat, turned around, and walked towards the door of the private room.
"I'm not here to recruit you today. To be honest, your current level and inconsistent shooting don't qualify you for any draft commitments from me." Lin Qi's tone returned to its initial coldness. "Take this money and get the checkup done tomorrow."
Lin Qi pushed open the door, turned up his collar, and left with his last words.
"Don't wait until you're a useless person to realize you've gained nothing."