Chapter Thirty-One: Rise to Fame in One Battle

  The situation in the second half was a big reversal. The Lakers were back-to-back, but the players were excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and the Celtics' three giants had physical problems.

  The three giants only needed to play 35 minutes per game to solve the problem, but in this game, their playing time was around 40 minutes. The absence of Leon Powe and Tony Allen affected the rotation of the lineup. They had already spent a lot of energy defending Kobe and Odom, and when Ye Fung appeared as an unexpected factor, the Celtics couldn't hold on. Neither Glen Davis nor Brian Scalabrine could keep up with Ye's speed in the interior, and only Haus and Posey were left to substitute.

  The Lakers' bench players directly dragged down the Celtics, with a maximum lead of 15 points in the fourth quarter. The final score was 87-80, ending the Celtics' winning streak.

  Ye Feng played 33 minutes, 10 shots 7 in, free throws 3 in 2, got 16 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks 1 steal. Although there were no assists, this did not affect the experts' praise for him. Jackson also asked him to attend the post-match press conference together.

  The "hungry wolf" who was crazy on the court became easy-going and smiling at the press conference. When mentioning his feelings, he smiled: "I feel very excited, my body is full of energy, the Celtics are the best team in the league, it's a great achievement to help the team win. When I'm on the court, I tell myself not to care about being a low-paid rookie and not to fear the Big Three, I want to do my best."

  Reporter: "Today you scored 16 points and 6 rebounds, and made several exceptionally brilliant dunks, including a violent dunk on Garnett. Is this feeling beyond your imagination? Was it beyond your expectations?"

  "I'm this kind of player, I like dunking, and I've tried many times in practice. This is the way I score best."

  The reporter asked again: "Everyone says you are the Lakers' winning key today. Now that you're on fire, how does it feel?"

  "It feels very good."

  "When you're making that high-difficulty dunk, what's going through your mind? Can you talk about it?"

  "I just want to score, nothing else. I must give my all." He mentioned "give my all" twice, in order to leave a good impression on the coaching staff. Between him and Radmanovic who plays with his life on the line, will the coach choose the "skiing guy"?

  Reporter: "I'm afraid no one expected you to play at such a high level so quickly after joining the NBA. In the Lakers, who helped you the most? How did your coaches and teammates help you learn to play in the NBA so quickly? What's the secret to adapting so fast?"

  Yue Feng smiled and said, "Divac has been helping me all along. He taught me how to attack from the low post and stayed with me after training to practice shooting. And my teammates, Kobe, Odom, Bynum, Fisher... they are not only my friends but also my teachers. They have taught me a lot of experience and skills, which has saved me from taking many detours. I am very grateful to them."

  The four people he mentioned happened to be the main players of the team, and he eagerly hoped that he could become the fifth one.

  Reporter: "What did Garnett say to you on the court? You two had a lot of intensity today, each getting a technical foul. What were you thinking when you were going back and forth with him?"

  "As long as someone provokes me, I will definitely fight back, no matter who he is. As long as you provoke me, you will definitely pay the price, that's the kind of person I am."

  Jackson on the side wanted to applaud for Ye Feng's words, he is indeed the hardest one in the Lakers. Such a declaration will also increase his deterrent power on the field.

  All five of the day's best plays were created in the Celtics vs Lakers game, with Ye Feng occupying four of them.

  The fifth ball, Ye Feng dunks - "Flying Knight connects with the hungry wolf, dominating the air relay!"

  Fourth ball, Garnett dodges Ye Feng's block and dunks - "Yesterday's Wolf King, today's Green Giant, violent dunk."

  Third ball, Ye Feng steals, Kobe assists Odom to score - "Hungry wolf pounces on food, flying knight cleverly passes, fast break classic."

  The second ball, Ye Feng's big windmill slammed Garnett - "Ultimate Wolverine vs Green Giant, brave warriors meet on a narrow road!"

  The first ball, Ye Feng flew over the basket - "A night of gathering stars, a super substitute left a legend of hungry wolves in North Shore Garden."

  Ye Feng took a private jet back to his home in Los Angeles, and it was already midnight when he arrived. He slept for a while and woke up after noon.

  He walked out of the bedroom to find two hamburgers on the living room table, with a note next to them that read: "I didn't think you slept so soundly. The beef hamburger is made by myself, at most worth $4, this is my heart's intention, hope you like it." - Ailier

  It turns out that she remembered what I said. Ye Feng laughed and picked up a hamburger, took a bite, and the taste was not bad. Maybe Fast Boat tried to train CJ Watson. Giving up a car and getting two hamburgers as gifts, why am I still so happy? I'm probably the stupidest person in this city.

  After finishing dinner, he took out his mobile phone and dialed Ailier's number. The background music of Saw when the mystery was revealed came from Gabriele's room. Ye Feng's face suddenly fell, isn't that a bit too much?

  "Hey?" A lazy voice came from Eliya, and Ye Feng could vaguely hear it standing in the living room.

  "What are you doing in Gabriella's room?"

  "You waited and got sleepy, so I took a little nap." Eliya came out of the room wearing slippers, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

  Two people holding phones looking at each other, Aili asked: "Are you back?"

  Ye Feng said: "Right, didn't we... hang up the phone?"

  "I'll hang up first." Ellie hung up the phone, rubbed her eyes and smiled. "Hey, what's with that expression?"

  Ye Feng suspected something had happened between her and Gabriella, swallowed his saliva and asked: "Given your special situation, I have to ask tactfully, did you sleep with Gabriella?" (Wipe, where was the tact?)

  "She went to try on glasses, just me alone." Aili looked him up and down, laughing: "Haha, you're not jealous, are you?"

  Ye Feng rolled his eyes. "What am I jealous of?"

  "I can go sleep in her room, but you can only be next door."

  Ye Feng sighed, nothing had happened between the two girls, and he felt a little disappointed. This feeling was contradictory, and he didn't want to mention it again. "You should thank me, is it about Watson's matter?"

  "Yeah, Kaep and Watson signed a base contract. He did well in the tryout, so we cut Nate."

  Watson's strength is definitely stronger than Blevin Knight, Ye Feng is very clear about this, he smiled and said: "Hamburgers are delicious, such a way of thanking is indeed more like a couple than sending a car."

  "Please don't say things that give me the chills in the future." Eriel shuddered and smiled, "Let's go out and meet someone."

  "Who is it?"

  "Airi said seriously: 'You should have a financial backer now. After this game, many advertisers are optimistic about you, and you can endorse several products at will, and you don't need to live in such a small apartment anymore. How about it, are you interested?'"

  How could Ye Feng not be interested in this kind of thing? Now, the technical foul fines are making him extremely painful, and his salary for this season won't be paid to him all at once. He needs money. Moreover, he understands that as long as he plays well, there will be more and more things outside the court, and he must have a qualified agent to take care of them for him.

  The NBA has many examples of rapid rise to fame, the most impressive one for Ye Feng is Jeremy Lin, a Taiwanese-American player who suddenly exploded in Knicks in 2012 and became the darling of the league. His Chinese identity can bring him more attention. In the US, once you have a name, you will definitely have money.

  In the afternoon, Ye Feng met a middle-aged white man in a Starbucks cafe through Ellie's introduction. His name was Leon Rose, and his clients included top players such as Allen Iverson and LeBron James, with great reputation. After the introduction, Ye Feng agreed without saying much.

  Ellie laughed and said, "You shouldn't have agreed so quickly. Many NBA agents are vampires who will try to exploit you in every way possible. You should read the contract carefully, consult with others, and make a decision after thinking it through clearly, or else you'll regret it later, you fool."

  "I don't know him, but I trust you. Since it's someone you introduced, how could they possibly harm me?" Ye Feng said with a smile as he looked at Ailier. Although they hadn't known each other for long, he just trusted Ailier, perhaps simply because of two hamburgers and a note. He was just that kind of sentimental person.

  "Hmph, good for you." Eriol hummed softly and turned her head away.

  "I thought the news was exaggerated, but it turns out your feelings are really good." Ross looked at the two of them and smiled: "Ye, you're really lucky. I'm an old friend of the Stirling family, and I've never seen Aileen care about any man's affairs like this before."

  Airi remained silent, with an air of indifference.

  Ye Feng smiled and said: "What should I do next?"

  "Leave the business to me, after signing, you are my employer, I will be responsible for all your business operations and help you maximize your interests." Ross handed over a contract filled with details to Ye Feng's face, saying lightly: "In the NBA, commercial value determines everything. Behind every super giant star, there is a very strong media effect at work. For example, Brand's strength may not be worse than Kobe's, but his commercial value is far behind Kobe's, and it's even difficult for him to enter the All-Star Game. You have an advantage because you are Chinese, with the huge Chinese market behind you, now all the media in China has begun to pay attention to you."

  "Should I accept endorsement offers now?"

  The answer is affirmative. Among many endorsement offers, Rose suggested that Yi Jianlian only participate in some small activities and not sign long-term contracts with large companies. If he can continue to improve in the first season and become a starter for the Lakers, his commercial value will increase further. If the Lakers make it into the playoffs and pass the first round, then it's the best time to talk about big contracts with advertisers. Rose has watched Yi Jianlian play and thinks very highly of him. The first thing Yi Jianlian needs to do is build a good relationship with Chinese journalists.

  After gaining fame from his first battle, his life outside of the arena also became busier.