Chapter 013: The Smoke Before the Battle

The next day.

The scandal involving Wang Chunsheng’s infidelity continued to escalate, unsurprisingly dominating the front pages of all major newspapers. Dozens of national television stations reported on the incident during their morning news segments. In no time, Wang Chunsheng’s name was known throughout the country—even people who had never paid attention to basketball now recognized this “cheating coach.”

Yet, as the central figure in the storm, Wang Chunsheng remained silent.

It wasn’t until noon that the official social media account of Beicheng High-Tech Basketball Club finally released a statement regarding the incident. The message, however, was brief: The club was investigating Wang Chunsheng’s marital infidelity, and the results of any disciplinary action would be announced after the finals.

As soon as Beicheng’s official statement appeared online, it was met with a torrent of criticism. It was clear to everyone that the club intended to protect Wang Chunsheng.

In truth, though, Beicheng’s hands were tied. With only two games left in the finals, replacing the head coach at such a critical moment would have been unwise. The board decided to settle accounts after the championship was decided. If Wang Chunsheng could lead Beicheng to the title, his punishment would be light. If not, the board’s decision was clear: Wang Chunsheng would be dismissed immediately.

This message from the club’s board was delivered to Wang Chunsheng by General Manager Jin Shikai.

Hearing this, Wang Chunsheng, who had spent the previous night in anxiety, finally felt a measure of relief. As long as the club didn’t fire him now, there was still hope.

...

Evening.

Jiangning Sports Arena.

The sixth game of the 2015–16 CBA Finals was about to begin.

An hour before tip-off, Lin Feng arrived at the arena with his team for pre-game warm-ups. Although the match was still an hour away, the arena was already nearly 80% full.

As soon as Jiangning’s players stepped onto the court, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers. Many fans chanted Lin Feng’s name at the top of their lungs.

Lin Feng waved politely to those calling his name, and only then did he realize that a significant number of fans in the stands were wearing his number 11 jersey. By a rough estimate, there were nearly as many of his jerseys as there were of Harris’s number 14.

And Harris was the team’s star—a foreign MVP in the regular season.

“Hey, Lin, you’re just about to surpass me in popularity,” Harris remarked with a playful grin as he noticed the same thing.

“You’d better work hard, or I’ll leave you behind,” Lin Feng replied with a shrug.

“Of course. Even as teammates, I’m not about to give up easily,” Harris laughed, clapping his hands and calling for a ball from an assistant coach. Standing just beyond half-court, he launched a deep three-pointer.

The ball traced a strange arc through the air and fell straight in.

“See that? Ha!” Harris crowed, delighted with his long-range shot.

Lin Feng pursed his lips, then stepped to the same spot and fired his own three-pointer—nothing but net.

“Well? Didn’t lose to you, did I?” Lin Feng grinned.

“Nice job. Let’s hope we’re this accurate during the game,” Harris said, giving Lin Feng a playful slap on the lower back before sauntering off.

This impromptu shootout was caught by the television broadcast cameras. The commentator, Duan Wei, was in the middle of announcing the lineups when he saw Harris and Lin Feng both drain long threes from near midcourt. He was so stunned, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “My goodness, did you see that? Harris and Lin Feng are having their own three-point contest right from the center line—and both shots went in! Their shooting is absolutely on fire tonight. Beicheng better watch out.”

“Harris and Lin Feng are both in great form,” added the guest commentator, Liu Nan. “I’ve heard Lin Feng hit over twenty consecutive threes in practice. That game-winning shot last time was no fluke.”

Last game’s guest commentator, Xu Dacheng, had been replaced due to his overly enthusiastic commentary at the end. Ironically, his passionate style had made him famous, and he was now covering tonight’s game for Jiangning Television.

...

Suddenly, the arena was filled with loud boos.

Beicheng’s team had entered.

Wang Chunsheng walked with his head bowed, surrounded by his team, their faces heavy and lacking the ease they’d shown before the previous game.

“Here comes Beicheng. I wonder if Coach Wang’s bad press will affect them. They don’t look in great shape right now,” observed the commentator.

“Wang Chuan isn’t with the team; looks like he’s really injured.”

“Yes, things aren’t looking good for Beicheng. Their head coach is mired in scandal, and now they’ve lost their starting small forward. It’s going to be tough to win this one.”

“Maybe, but Jiangning’s injury list is even longer. On paper, Beicheng actually isn’t at a disadvantage.”

As the host and guest exchanged their thoughts, reporters on site swarmed around Wang Chunsheng, quickly surrounding him.

Since the news of his affair broke yesterday, this was his first public appearance.

“Coach Wang, can you tell us about your relationship with the online user Night Song?”

“Coach Wang, do you know Liu Yajing? How is your marriage?”

“Coach Wang, is it true that Wang Chuan was injured by you, and that’s why he can’t play?”

“Coach Wang, do you think your team can win tonight?”

“I’ll only answer your question,” Wang Chunsheng said, pointing to the last female reporter. “We will definitely win this game. We’re going to celebrate winning the championship right here in Jiangning!”

“And where does your confidence come from?” the reporter asked.

“Confidence comes from strength. Our team is the strongest—no doubt about it!” Wang Chunsheng replied boldly.

“Do you have anything you’d like to say to Lin Feng?” The reporter’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“No,” Wang Chunsheng snorted. Then, after a pause, he added, “But tonight Randall will be guarding him closely. Randall has promised me that he will hold Lin Feng to under ten points.”

“Is that so?” The reporters immediately turned their cameras toward Randall, who was slipping on his warm-up jersey.

“Randall, Coach Wang says you’ll be holding Lin Feng to under ten points tonight. Is that true?” one reporter asked.

“Absolutely,” Randall replied with conviction. “I’ll do everything I can to stop him. I won’t let him score in double figures. And tonight, we’re taking back the championship that belongs to us!”

“Thank you for your time.”

The reporter withdrew her microphone, then sought out Lin Feng, who was practicing his shooting at the other end of the court.

“Lin Feng, may I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Lin Feng replied with a slight shrug.

“Randall just said he’s going to hold you to under ten points tonight. What do you think about that?”

“Ten points?” Lin Feng smirked. “Tell him I only need five minutes.”

“Maybe even less.”

With those words, Lin Feng launched a three-pointer—and hit nothing but net.

...