Chapter 46: The Villain Succeeds
Yang Mo drove Lu Xueman home. Lu Xueman looked very serious along the way, which made Yang Mo a little nervous. He wondered if this was a sign of a volcanic eruption, so he kept his mouth shut, fearing that he would say something bad.
Yang Mo was cautious and kept silent. After the car drove for a while, Lu Xueman finally spoke. Her tone was not angry, but very earnest: "Yang Mo, you are twenty years old this year, you are not a child anymore. Look at how much trouble you have caused during this period of time. Now all the media think you are a troublemaker. Do you think it feels good to be the enemy of the whole world?"
"I enjoy it very much." Yang Mo answered seriously, "I said at the talent show that I would use the stones thrown at me to build the most luxurious castle. Now I have too many stones, which means I can build the most luxurious and magnificent castle in the world."
"Then do you know what your current commercial value is?" Lu Xueman said angrily. She was very disappointed with Yang Mo's answer.
"I don't know." Yang Mo shook his head with an indifferent attitude.
"It's zero, or even negative. Originally... as a Chinese player, your market was very good, and you were a lottery pick. But now you have successfully messed yourself up through a series of actions. Big brands won't consider you at all, and you don't like small brands."
"Remember, a basketball player won't be screwed by anything unless he performs poorly on the court. Look at Iverson , he's not in all kinds of trouble, but at the same time, he's a very commercially valuable player. For example, the great basketball god Michael Jordan, he also had a lot of trouble off the court, but who can deny his miracles on the court?" Yang Mo shrugged his shoulders and turned around to educate Lu Xueman: "I know that as an agent, you are very disappointed that you can't sign a commercial sponsorship contract, but... this is just the beginning. Believe me, things will definitely get better in the future."
"Let's not talk about the future first, let's talk about the present." Lu Xueman shook her head, took out a stack of newspapers from her bag, handed them to Yang Mo, and said, "These are some of the most famous sports newspapers in the United States. Take a look, there is not a single news report that is optimistic about you. Even in our country, few people are optimistic about you. Everyone thinks that you will fail after fulfilling your first contract."
"Haven't you ever seen me play basketball?" Yang Mo asked, and then he slapped his head and said, "Yes, you have indeed never seen me play basketball."
"To be honest, after reading these analyses, I don't think you can achieve good results." Lu Xueman said pessimistically.
Seeing that the people closest to her were affected, Yang Mo couldn't help but ask herself: Am I really that bad?
The answer is no. Yang Mo doesn't think he is bad. After more than a month of professional training, he feels that he can definitely gain a foothold in the NBA. Several of his coaches are also very confident in him. Shooting coach Rick even told him that he can compete for the best rookie. Although Yang Mo also knows that this is a joke, it also proves his strength.
"Then let's wait and see. Anyway, the regular season will start in less than half a month." Yang Mo smiled and said confidently.
"I hope you can put up some great numbers." Lu Xueman still looked pessimistic.
In response to Lu Xueman's pessimism, Yang Mo could only respond with a helpless smile. Apart from silently cheering himself up in his heart, he could only look forward to the arrival of the competition. Only then could he truly be proud of himself. No matter what he said now, it was all empty talk and was far less powerful than a thrilling game.
Yang Mo was waiting for the regular season to start, but he didn't expect that someone was waiting for him in the preseason. This person was Brook Lopez of the Nets, the Lopez who was kicked hard in the butt by Yang Mo in the Orlando training camp.
To some extent, the focus of the Nets vs. Heat game was the Chinese derby, Yi Jianlian vs. Yang Mo. However, Brook Lopez, for some reason , jumped out and stole the show: "Yes, I will kick the ass of China Yang in the game. I don't think he deserves to be ranked ahead of me. He doesn't even have the qualifications to be selected. I will humiliate him with data!"
Brook Lopez spoke out to the media. Yang Mo is a hot topic now. Anyone who provokes him can make the headlines. Lopez is certainly unwilling to give up this opportunity, not to mention that he and Yang Mo have an old grudge.
That afternoon, the Heat officially announced that Yang Mo would not participate in the preseason trip to Europe, citing poor health as the reason given.
After hearing this news, Brook Lopez became even more arrogant, and continued to speak to the media without restraint: "Haha, that Chinese kid is a loser. He is a useless guy. He avoids the game because he is afraid of me. He can avoid the preseason, but he can never avoid the regular season. When the time comes, I will teach him a lesson and let him know what an American center is."
Yang Mo was so angry at Brook Lopez's smug face that he called Pat Riley immediately after watching the video and asked for the suspension to be lifted so that he could participate in the preseason.
However, Pat Riley rejected him: "Let him be arrogant for a few days. The higher he climbs now, the harder he will fall. I believe you can beat him to a pulp."
Pat Riley refused, and Yang Mo could only endure it.
The next day, on the way to the training hall, Yang Mo was intercepted by a bold reporter. After repeated questioning, Yang Mo finally broke the habit of not talking to reporters and took the initiative to say: "Tell that stinky boy from the Nets that I can deal with him anytime and anywhere, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, whether in Miami or New Jersey. Also, remind him not to forget who beat him to a pulp in the Orlando training camp. Finally, the second game of the Heat regular season is against the New Jersey Nets. Although it is an away game, I will still beat him so hard that he cries and calls for his mother at home."
After saying this, he stepped on the accelerator and sped away.
