Chapter 034: Something Is Wrong

Northern City Sports Arena.

The Northern City team had just finished their pre-match warm-up, and the venue was now open to the media.

At this moment, Wang Chunsheng was surrounded by several reporters for an interview.

“Coach Wang, what are your thoughts on the rumors about Lin Feng?” one reporter asked.

“I don’t have any comment on players’ private affairs,” Wang Chunsheng replied officially.

“Then what do you think about Lin Feng skipping preparations and going alone to Beijing to meet his girlfriend?” The reporter changed tack.

“Lin Feng is a player for the Jiangning team. That question should be directed to Coach Shen. However, I can say that such things would never happen within the Northern City team. Our club holds very strict standards for our players, especially before a major tournament—going out without permission is absolutely forbidden.” Wang Chunsheng paused, then continued, “Moreover, as far as I know, Lin Feng went to Beijing not just to see his girlfriend, but also to participate in ‘Original Songs.’”

“What? Lin Feng went to take part in ‘Original Songs’?!” The reporters were all stunned.

For the past two days, the media had only reported that Lin Feng left the team before the finals to meet his girlfriend in Beijing, but no one knew he had also participated in ‘Original Songs.’

So when Wang Chunsheng revealed this, the reporters were genuinely shocked.

A basketball player going to compete in ‘Original Songs’?

And right before the championship finals—wasn’t this madness?!

“Coach Wang, is what you’re saying true?” The reporters were still skeptical.

“I heard it from a friend who works with the ‘Original Songs’ production team,” Wang Chunsheng said with a smile, then added, “I must say, I really admire the tolerance of the Jiangning Jaguars club. They actually allow a player to mess around like this—to play in the finals while also appearing on a music show. This is truly unprecedented in the world of basketball!”

…

After the reporters finished interviewing Wang Chunsheng, news about Lin Feng’s participation in ‘Original Songs’ quickly hit the internet.

“Neglecting His Duty! Lin Feng Joins ‘Original Songs’ Right Before the Finals!”

“Dating His Girlfriend! Competing in a Music Talent Show! Jiangning’s New Star Really Knows How to Have Fun!”

“Lin Feng May Miss Game 7 Because of ‘Original Songs’!”

“Jiangning Fans in Tears! Lin Feng Skips the Finals for a Music Show!”

…

News of Lin Feng’s participation in ‘Original Songs’ immediately caused an online sensation!

Jiangning’s fans, in particular, were dumbfounded.

After the first two games of the finals, Lin Feng had already become the savior in the eyes of Jiangning’s fans, a true superhero!

Yet now, their savior was abandoning the finals to take part in a music talent show!

This was something Jiangning fans simply couldn’t accept. Many began to scold Lin Feng for being irresponsible, while most simply refused to believe it was true.

A basketball player going to compete in ‘Original Songs’—it had to be a joke!

But soon, the news of Lin Feng’s participation was confirmed by the ‘Original Songs’ production team, with Qian Jinlai personally verifying it in an interview.

Additionally, many audience members who attended the recording also stated in related news articles that they had indeed seen Lin Feng at the ‘Original Songs’ studio.

With confirmation from both the production team and eyewitnesses, Jiangning fans had no choice but to believe it.

In a flash, Lin Feng’s social media comment section was flooded by fans.

“With the finals coming, you go on a date and join a music show? Unbelievable!”

“Go sing and stop playing basketball.”

“So disappointed, so heartbroken. Lin Feng, you’re just too irresponsible!”

“That’s it, I’m no longer a fan!”

At six o’clock sharp, the Jiangning team arrived at the Northern City Sports Arena, and sure enough, Lin Feng was not among them, further confirming the news.

However, the head coach of Jiangning, Shen Ziqiang, remained silent on the matter, refusing all media interviews while the team proceeded with their usual pre-game warm-up.

…

Yanbei Expressway.

Lin Feng and Qin Ruolin had already been stuck for half an hour.

The highway patrol had arrived and was now handling the accident.

The first traffic officer on the scene was Li Xueming. He was investigating the scene and questioning the driver responsible.

After fifteen years on the job, Li Xueming felt this accident was odd. Normally, a large truck taking a turn at high speed could easily roll over, but judging from the scene, this truck must have been moving slowly before it flipped—there were no skid marks indicating the truck scraped along the ground after overturning.

By all logic, a speeding truck that overturns would slide a certain distance due to inertia. Clearly, this truck had not flipped while speeding.

That was strange. No blown tires, no speeding—so why did it overturn?

Moreover, Li Xueming noticed that the driver was unusually calm, not anxious at all, and didn’t seem at all concerned about the loss of his cargo.

Everything was just too abnormal. Li Xueming suspected this was a staged “accident,” but he couldn’t figure out what anyone stood to gain from orchestrating it.

Inside the car.

Lin Feng kept checking the time and trying to stay in contact with the team via his phone, but, unfortunately, his battery was about to die.

“Looks like you won’t make it to the game. Without a crane, there’s no way to move that truck, and since we’re in the middle of the Yanbei Expressway, rescue teams from any city will take at least an hour to get here,” Qin Ruolin analyzed the situation, complaining in frustration, “We’re really out of luck. It’s as if all this was deliberately arranged—of all the places for an accident, it had to be here.”

“Yeah, don’t you think it’s all a bit too convenient?” Lin Feng was struck by her complaint.

And when he connected this to the fact that it was Wang Chunsheng who had leaked his participation in ‘Original Songs,’ his suspicion only grew.

“Could someone have deliberately caused this accident?”

With that thought, Lin Feng pushed open the car door and walked over to the accident scene. At this moment, Li Xueming was questioning the driver. When Li Xueming caught sight of Lin Feng approaching, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

“You’re… Lin Feng?” Li Xueming stared for a moment, then asked in delighted surprise.

Lin Feng nodded. “That’s me.”

“It really is you! Ha, what a coincidence—my whole family are your fans.” Li Xueming excitedly shook Lin Feng’s hand. “We’re counting on you tonight. You have to win that championship!”

“Wait… something’s not right!” Li Xueming paused. “Shouldn’t you be at the game right now?”

Lin Feng shrugged, frustrated. “Well, I’m stuck here, aren’t I?”

“Ah! Isn’t this a mess!” Li Xueming slapped his thigh, checked his watch—it was already 6:10—“You’re not going to make it to the game!”

“Exactly.” Lin Feng sighed, glancing at the driver responsible, who, at that moment, was also watching him, looking entirely unperturbed.

“Sir, how much will you lose from all this cargo?” Lin Feng asked, sounding casual.

The driver paused, then replied, “Not much.”

“Oh? How much did you pay per kilo for these watermelons?” Lin Feng continued.

“Um…” The driver hesitated again, then forced a laugh. “I’m just the driver, I’m not sure.”

He didn’t know the total value, nor the unit price—this driver was definitely suspicious!

…