Chapter 18: A Man's Impulse

Scoring 35 points in just three quarters of the first game of the season had the league’s owners sitting up and taking notice. They immediately began scrutinizing the rookies they had drafted that year, wondering whether any of them had the same potential as Lin Fei. Perhaps it was Lin Fei’s influence, but this year’s draft had seen a real demand for players who were quick and accurate shooters.

After the first game, every team began showing off its rookies. And, to be fair, some of them were genuinely impressive. Take Lucas, the third pick, for example. Compared with Lin Fei, he was even more athletic, stood 188 centimeters tall, and was fast. In his first game, he also showed a knack for shooting from long range. But somehow, none of these rookies seemed to have the same presence Lin Fei had back then. No one could quite explain why. Lin Fei was incredibly fast, yet his shot was exceptionally steady and soft. He was also superb at breaking down defenders, slipping past them when they least expected it, then shooting almost immediately. This new crop had plenty of fast players and long-range shooters, but few seemed able to do what Lin Fei could.

Lin Fei had changed the way scouts looked at the draft. And that was hardly all he had changed.

The style of offense across the league. With Lin Fei’s arrival, almost every team had started trying to borrow a few tricks from the Warriors, except for a handful of defense-first teams like the Spurs, Celtics, and Bulls.

The way players played the game. Many players had begun expanding their range farther out toward the perimeter, including quite a few big men. This infuriated the old guard. The tradition of building an offense around the interior had been around for who knew how many years. Even after Jordan—His Airness—won six championships, plenty of people still believed that the team with the best big men would rule the league. Now Lin Fei was pushing players farther and farther outside, and those people were having none of it. They said that the farther players went from the basket, the less physical the game became; without that physicality, the sport lost its excitement.

The way coaches thought. Perhaps many coaches still wondered how Chamberlain, Bird, Magic, Jordan, and O’Neal had been so unstoppable, how they had reached such heights. Perhaps they had never had the chance to see those players in person, and all they understood was the kind of unstoppable brilliance displayed in flashes by players like Kobe, Iverson, and a prime McGrady. But now, one player’s arrival had forced them to take another look at how their systems could cope with someone who was simply impossible to stop.

The balance of power across the league. Back when Stoudemire, Anthony, and Deron Williams moved east, many people had already seen the Eastern Conference steadily rising. As it grew stronger, the West’s old powers—the Spurs, Mavericks, Suns, and Rockets—began to fade. But the Warriors, led by Nelson and Lin Fei, had emerged from nowhere, injecting fresh energy into the West and giving it a team fully capable of standing up to the East.

That was the kind of shock Lin Fei’s first game had delivered to the league. But Lin Fei himself clearly wasn’t too concerned with any of that. What mattered to him was the first person who called after the game.

“You didn’t even get me tickets! Some friend you are. So many of my friends have been asking me for tickets to your team’s games, and you didn’t give me a single one. Hmph!” Her voice even carried a hint of playful pouting, sweet enough to melt any man’s heart.

“Heh. You should’ve said something sooner! All right, I’ll ask the owner tomorrow. Heh! I promise you’ll get the best seats in the house!”

“Haha! I knew you were a good friend! Fine, since you’re being so nice, do you want tickets to my concert? Front row, with a special guest pass.”

“Oh, my God! My angel! How did you know exactly what I was thinking?” In truth, Lin Fei hadn’t remembered to set aside tickets for Avril Lavigne, nor had he planned on going to her concert. But when you were friends, things like that felt important.

“Tomorrow night, I’ll treat you to Italian food! We’ll see which of us can make ourselves less recognizable with makeup, then go to that place on the corner. Whoever gets recognized pays the bill. What do you say? Hehe.”

Lin Fei smiled faintly. They had known each other for a while, and he had discovered that Avril, who had once seemed like an older sister, was actually playful and carefree, as innocent as a child.

“Of course. But I’m no professional like you! You’re such a beautiful girl, and you can make yourself look like a witch. I’m already ugly, and no amount of makeup is going to turn me into Tom Cruise!”

That made Avril burst out laughing. Even though they had known each other for quite a while, Lin Fei had hardly ever complimented her on her looks. Everyone in the world knew Avril was beautiful, but she still liked hearing it from someone.

The next day, after practice, Lin Fei came out and saw a red sports car parked in the lot. He was just about to go take a look when it pulled up beside him.

The door opened. A blonde beauty stepped out, wearing very dark sunglasses. Calling her a beauty was perhaps a stretch; only a faint hint of it showed beneath the heavy makeup.

Lin Fei stared at her, eyes wide as a thief’s.

“Oh!” Lin Fei cried out loudly.

It was none other than Avril.

Avril stuck out her tongue and made a face, clearly very confident in her disguise. They both laughed at the same time.

“There’s nowhere to put on makeup in my locker room. Besides, I don’t know how to do it myself.”

“No problem! Look!” Avril pointed to the back of the car. Good heavens—there was a mountain of bags. “I brought everything. I can take care of you right here in the car.” Avril laughed, evidently certain Lin Fei wouldn’t refuse.

Lin Fei got in, and Avril began her experiment.

With a snip-snip, she cut several tracks into Lin Fei’s hair, leaving little paths behind. Perhaps she had meant to give him the kind of cornrows so many NBA players wore, but his hair wasn’t suited to the style. Instead, it ended up looking like a flower garden.

Lin Fei couldn’t see what she was doing to his hair, but Avril was working on him from the front, so all he could see was her face. He had never been this close to her before. A man’s instinctive desire stirred. When the face of a girl so rare and beautiful in the world was right there in front of you, so close, how could you not react?

Lin Fei closed his eyes. But all he could picture was Avril leaning toward him. If he moved just a little, he could kiss her—her lips would be so soft and sweet.

In the end, Lin Fei couldn’t hold back. Just one kiss would be enough to satisfy him. Not that it was anything to be ashamed of, but Lin Fei was probably still a virgin. He had never had the time, and there had never been anyone.

But when Lin Fei closed his eyes and leaned toward her, he didn’t touch the lips he had imagined. There was only empty air. When he opened his eyes, he saw the most captivating face in the world gazing at him, utterly absorbed—perhaps admiring the disguise she had created and her own makeup skills.

Lin Fei was a little stunned. What a perfect opportunity, wasted! But maybe it was for the best. Heh. At least they could be friends in the open. If he had gone through with it, things might have turned out differently. Besides, as far as Lin Fei could tell, that moment had been nothing more than a physical urge stirred by the most beautiful woman in the world.

Watching Avril smile, Lin Fei smiled back. He liked seeing her smile, too. She wasn’t exactly young anymore, but she still had a little girl’s innocence, and that was something he liked about her.