In the bedroom of the Hamptons villa, the afterglow of passion gradually dissipated.
Beth had fallen into a deep sleep, a tired smile still lingering on her delicate face, her long hair spread out on the white pillow.
Lin Qi, however, was not sleepy at all. He gently lifted the thin blanket, put on a silk robe, and walked barefoot to the French windows.
Pushing open the glass door, the moist Atlantic Ocean sea breeze rushed in, carrying a slightly salty scent. It was already Late Night, and the distant coastline was hidden in the thick darkness, with only the monotonous and profound sound of waves crashing against the rocks.
Lin Qi lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
In the quiet of the night, far from the hustle and bustle of Boston, far from the basketball court and the office, this traveler finally has time to examine everything he has done over the past few years.
Four consecutive championships.
This is a feat that even the " God of Basketball," Michael Jordan, could not achieve in the original timeline.
He not only did it, but he also personally trampled the "god" who had returned to the league under his feet in last season's NBA Finals.
Because of the storm stirred up by Lin Qi, the course of history has already deviated significantly. When Michael Jordan made his second comeback, he did not go to the Washington Wizards as was originally expected. The desire to win, which was completely ignited by Boston's pursuit of a four-peat, led Jordan to join the Los Angeles Lakers last summer.
What a crazy season it was. But in the end, Jordan and the Lakers were defeated by the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
This championship carries a strong symbolic meaning.
Breaking Jordan's myth, the Boston Celtics, with their four consecutive championships, became the new legend.
"This feeling of being at odds with the world..." Lin Qi murmured to himself, looking at the flickering light of the cigar between his fingers.
It all started in the summer of 1994 when he forcibly changed the team's history...
He has been going against the "original trajectory" of this world.
He was like a Chicago Bulls that stormed into a china shop, smashing the course of history into pieces.
But he also sensed more than once that this world possessed its own incredibly powerful "inertia."
"Necessity and contingency..." Lin Qi frowned slightly, lost in thought.
In the world of basketball, some people's success seems to be an irreversible "inevitability," a destiny woven from personality and obsession.
Take Kobe Brian, for example. In this timeline, due to Lin Qi's intervention, the once-famous " OK Duo " broke up prematurely. The proud Kobe didn't stay in Los Angeles but went to the Chicago Bulls. And the result? Freed from O'Neal's shadow, Kobe's almost abnormal scoring desire was completely unleashed, and his personal statistics became even more spectacular and terrifying than in the original history.
Take Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, for example. In the original timeline, O'Neal, after winning three consecutive championships, became extremely complacent and completely indulged his weight gain, ultimately ruining the tail end of his prime. But in this timeline, because Lin Qi's Boston Celtics are like a Mountain pressing down on him, O'Neal has yet to win his own championship ring. This extreme resentment and humiliation has forced the Big Shark to be extremely disciplined in controlling his weight, even achieving a better physical condition than at the same stage in the original timeline.
Kobe is still the Black Mamba, O'Neal is still the dominant force in the paint, and Jordan is still the obsessive player who will stop at nothing to win.
This is inevitable. As long as their personalities remain unchanged and their abilities allow, they are destined to leave their mark on this league.
But what truly horrified Lin Qi were the "chances" that were carelessly crushed under the turbulent wheels of history.
He recalled a tragedy that had occurred a few months earlier.
In the original timeline, the Houston Rockets had a dismal performance in the 2001-2002 season and failed to make the playoffs.
But in this timeline, due to the butterfly effect caused by Lin Qi in the league, the Western Conference landscape has changed dramatically, and the Rockets have miraculously made it into the playoffs with a winning streak in the final stages of the regular season.
However, it was the night before the first round of the playoffs began.
In preparation for the playoffs, the Houston Rockets ' talented power forward... Eddie Griffin, who was only 20 years old and had a bright future, was practicing Late Night in the gym.
That night, Houston was hit by a rare downpour. Eager to get home, Griffin was involved in a serious car accident on the wet highway.
Fortunately, he didn't die. But tragically, his legs, which should have been dominating the paint, suffered a devastating injury, forcing him to say goodbye to basketball forever.
When Lin Qi saw the news in the newspaper, he sat in his office for a full half hour without saying a word.
"If the Rockets hadn't made the playoffs, he wouldn't have gone to the training facility for extra practice that night, and that car accident wouldn't have happened..." Lin Qi exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes becoming extremely complicated.
Is this a coincidence?
Or perhaps, because he forcibly altered the course of history, a certain gear in the world shifted, thus triggering a tragedy that should never have happened?
He defied fate, saving Wade's meniscus and Grant Hill's ankle. But he couldn't foresee or control the butterfly effects lurking in the shadows, or the fates of those innocent bystanders.
"Will this world eventually become unrecognizable because of the flapping of my butterfly wings?"
As Lin Qi gazed at the dark sea, a sense of awe welled up within him for the first time.
If he continues to interfere so recklessly, what will happen in the future? Will a team he's never heard of suddenly emerge as a force to be reckoned with? Will a superstar who was destined to dominate the league be brought down by some unexpected butterfly effect?
"What role should I play between going with the tide and going against the tide?"
Lin Qi stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray by the stone railing, the sea breeze ruffling his hair.
He knew that David Stern's suspension, while seemingly a blow to Boston, might also be a form of rejection from the world of a "rule-breaker" like him, on a higher level.
Lin Qi turned around and glanced at Beth sleeping peacefully on the large bed, as well as everything else in the villa.
His heartbeat gradually calmed down, and that fleeting moment of confusion was sealed away again by his extreme ambition and rationality.
"No matter how much the future changes." Lin Qi walked to the bedside and gently tucked Beth in, his eyes hardening again.
Since he has already changed Jordan's fate and forced Kobe and O'Neal to their strongest forms...
Even if the wheels of history truly veer off course, I will still be the one holding the steering wheel.