Chapter 151: Going to See Xie Linfeng

Roar……!

Lin!
Lin!
Lin!

Madison Square Garden erupted once again!
The crowd wildly chanted Lin Feng's name at the top of their lungs!
This was the game they had been longing for; this was the playoff dream they had envisioned!

"He sinks it again! Lin Feng maintains his blazing hot shooting touch from the opening tip. Three for four from beyond the arc, plus that aggressive and-one play—Lin Feng has already scored 12 points! Out of the team's total 13 points, only Jones contributed 1 point from a free throw," said CCTV commentator Xu Jia excitedly.

"We're only four and a half minutes into the first quarter, and Lin Feng has already poured in 12 points. Heavens, is my pre-game joke actually going to come true? If Lin Feng can keep up this shooting form, he absolutely has a chance to break Michael's record!" Liu Weiping was also extremely excited, a rare, vibrant light flickering within his slightly clouded eyes.

"Look at that, a steal... A steal by Lin Feng! Devin's cross-court pass was way too obvious. Let's see what Lin Feng does with this..."

The situation on the court changed in the blink of an eye. The moment Lin Feng drained that go-ahead three-pointer, all the pent-up momentum the Cavaliers had built up since the tip-off completely deflated.

When Devin tried to pass the ball to Thomas, Lin Feng intercepted it cleanly. Lin Feng swiftly dribble-drove across half court, leaving not a single Cavaliers player ahead of him.

Deafening cheers rang out across Madison Square Garden once more, as the crowd eagerly anticipated Lin Feng's showmanship.

This time, Lin Feng did not choose a pull-up three-pointer—after all, that wasn't the safest option—and instead prepared for another explosive slam dunk.

However, just as Lin Feng went to take off, he was pulled down from behind by a chasing Devin.

Beep~!
The referee's whistle blew.

Since there were no defenders ahead of him, it was called an unsportsmanlike foul. Lin Feng was awarded one free throw, and the Knicks would retain possession with a sideline inbound.

Lin Feng stepped up to the free-throw line and calmly swished the shot.

Shortly after, Chris inbounded the ball to Jones, who lofted it into the paint for Deco, and the latter hooked it in.

16:11!
The Knicks led by 5 points, capping off a blistering 9-0 run.

Cavaliers head coach Brown was forced to call a timeout.

Cool music reverberated through Madison Square Garden as the sizzling hot Knicks dance team took the floor to perform a high-energy routine.

Back home...

This match tipped off at nine o'clock on Saturday morning, Beijing time. Since it was the weekend and fell at such a prime hour, the production crew of *NBA Live* was filled with confidence regarding the broadcast's viewership ratings.

Program Director He Congwen, who should have been resting, arrived at the station bright and early. After all, this was their very first attempt at sending a live broadcast team directly to the front lines for the first round of the playoffs; naturally, he wanted to witness the results firsthand.

As the game got underway, He Congwen became completely captivated by the thrilling action, only snapping back to reality when Brown called the timeout.

"Xiao Liu, go check how the ratings look. I reckon we can definitely crack the top five," He Congwen lit a cigarette and said to his assistant, Liu Lu.

Normally during this Saturday morning timeslot, major satellite television stations rerouted Friday night or previous week's variety shows—such as Blue River TV's ace variety program *Running Man*, or Eastern TV's flagship show *Laughing Out Loud*, and so on. Even though these programs were reruns, their viewership remained astonishing, frequently breaking the 1.0 threshold. After all, people just wanted to relax on the weekend, and curling up on the couch to watch variety shows was a solid choice.

Meanwhile, *NBA Live*'s previous ratings of 0.3 or 0.4 usually meant it was completely invisible, though last week's 0.8 had managed to squeeze into fifth or sixth place. Therefore, He Congwen held a glimmer of hope for this week's ranking.

Before long, Liu Lu returned, her delicate face flushed bright red.

"Xiao Liu, what's wrong with you? Did those guys down at the data center tease you again?" He Congwen teased.

"No, Director. I'm just a little too excited," Liu Lu stammered.

"What is it? Did our ratings actually break 1.0?!" This was the ultimate wish in He Congwen's heart.

Liu Lu nodded heavily.

"Holy shit. Holy, holy shit! It really broke 1.0?! How many years has it been, how many years... Basketball broadcasts have finally broken 1.0 again!!" He Congwen leaped out of his chair in excitement, letting out a profanity without even realizing it.

In truth, before the live broadcast of this game, he had briefly wondered if they could pull off a miraculous 1.0 rating. Yet, he quickly shook his head in resignation—when had basketball broadcasts ever broken 1.0, especially in the early morning timeslot?!

Yet, to his utter disbelief, this very moment had arrived so quietly and suddenly!!

"Director, I haven't even finished speaking yet!" Liu Lu whispered a reminder.

"What do you mean? You nodded just now, wasn't that a confirmation?!" He Congwen looked at Liu Lu, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion.

"No, it was a confirmation! Aiyah, my mind is all over the place, I'll just tell you the exact rating directly," Liu Lu took a deep breath.

He Congwen stared at her with wide eyes.

"Our viewership rating is 1.51%..." Liu Lu blurted out.

"What?!!"
"Xiao Liu, you—you say that again!" He Congwen was stunned stupid by the number.

"Director, our rating is 1.51%, ranking first nationwide in the same timeslot!!" Liu Lu shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Holy shit!!"
"1.51!!"
"First in the entire country for the same timeslot?!!"
"Our show is about to take off!!"

He Congwen stared wide-eyed, swallowed hard, and then excitedly scooped Liu Lu up in his arms, spinning her around in circles several times.

Witnessing this scene, the rest of the production crew were dumbfounded.
Are office romances these days really this brazen and unmasked?!

"Director, Director, put me down..." Liu Lu's face turned beet red. She and He Congwen certainly weren't involved in any illicit relationship; rather, they were actually distant relatives.

"Apologies, apologies, I'm just too excited!"
Realizing his lack of composure, He Congwen quickly set Liu Lu down. Then, scanning the staff members who were staring at him, he scolded, "What are you all looking at? Didn't you hear what Xiao Liu just shouted?!"

"Sounded like something about 1.51."
"Is that last night's rating for *Original Good Songs*?"

Everyone wore a puzzled expression; they had only paid attention to He Congwen spinning Liu Lu around.

"A bunch of blockheads!"
He Congwen cleared his throat and announced in a booming voice, "Liu Lu just said that the real-time viewership rating for our program is 1.51%, ranking first nationwide in the same timeslot!!"

"1.51?! Is that really our rating?"
"It's so high, am I dreaming?"
"First in the country for the same timeslot—does that mean it's even higher than the rerun of *Running Man*?"

People murmured amongst themselves, though they didn't quite possess He Congwen's frenzied level of excitement.

"You really are a bunch of blockheads!" He Congwen frowned and raised his voice. "Do you have any idea what a 1.51% rating means?! It means our viewership can now rival first-tier variety shows! It means we will have a steady stream of sponsorships! It means our title sponsorship fees will multiply N-fold! It means your bonuses will multiply N-fold! It means all those agonizing hours of overtime will finally yield the greatest possible reward..."

"Roar~!"
"Oh damn!"
"I love 1.51!"

Hearing this, the production crew finally erupted, cheering with unbridled excitement.

"Thank you, Director!" everyone shouted in unison.

He Congwen was amused to tears by these blockheads. "What are you thanking me for? I didn't boost the ratings. If you want to thank someone, go thank Lin Feng!!"