Chapter 473: Life Victory Group
After shaking off the boring reporter, Yang Mo headed straight for the locker room, fearing he'd be disturbed. As soon as he entered, he heard his cell phone ring. Ding-ding-ding-ding, it was the most boring and uncharacteristic ringtone of any Knicks player. Tracy McGrady had even teased him, saying, "Man, your ringtone makes me think you're still in the '90s. I can't believe you're the one being so arrogant and domineering on the court."
In everyone's impression, people like Yang Mo should have a superior ringtone, or at least not be so old-fashioned.
But even if he's old-fashioned, he's also unique and never looks like anyone else. Besides, isn't the point of a cellphone ringtone to alert you to a call? So, what could be simpler and more direct than a ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding?
Yang Mo took out his phone and glanced at it. He had already guessed who was calling, but after confirming the name, he couldn't help but feel a surge of negativity. He took two deep breaths and finally pressed the answer button: "What's up? Xue Fei!"
"What do you think?" Lu Xuefei on the other end chuckled and deliberately kept the question in suspense before saying, "Guess if I have something to talk to you about tonight."
"I don't know, just tell me directly." Yang Mo took a deep breath. He seemed to have made some preparations.
"Brother-in-law, why do I feel like you're ready to die?" Lu Xuefei asked in a teasing tone, "Could it be that you're already prepared to die on the battlefield?"
"I don't feel like joking today," Yang Mo said sternly. He knew that if he softened his tone even slightly, Lu Xuefei would take advantage of the situation and stir up a storm. Only by taking it seriously would she discuss the matter objectively.
"Okay!" As expected, Yang Mo's tone hardened, and Lu Xuefei softened on the other end: "I called you just to tease you. I'm not good friends with Jessica Alba yet, and Scarlett. I don't want to make preparations twice. I think we can handle the European and American affairs in one go. Fighting two battles is a torture for you. For me, it's also a waste of money and manpower. When the time comes, we can form a group, you can handle the matter, and then we can treat each other sincerely. How great!"
"You...you...you're being unreasonable. I'm telling you, don't mess around. I'm the only one here, Christine. The others don't matter!" Yang Mo said in a low voice. Even though he was speaking Chinese, he was afraid that someone nearby might overhear. After all, if someone who understood Chinese heard it, it would be explosive news that would shock the whole world.
"Brother-in-law, you are so fierce. What am I supposed to do with just Christine? How can she, an American all alone, integrate into the Asian family? We must create a European base. In this way, she won't be lonely and can better accept the fact of the harem. Besides, you should not be racist. Westerners are also human beings. You should treat everyone equally. You should create a harmonious harem and a harmonious society. Do you understand?" Lu Xuefei on the other end actually started to teach Yang Mo a lesson, with an attitude that the world is for all.
Yang Mo was furious when she heard this and quickly shouted, "What kind of crooked logic are you using? How can you do things like that? I'm telling you, stop it immediately. Even if I break up with Kristen, I won't let you do this."
"Impossible, brother-in-law. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. The plan has been launched and we can't listen to it anymore. And brother-in-law, haven't you heard that a general is not subject to military orders when he is away from the army?" Lu Xuefei said this and hung up the phone directly.
Hearing the beeping sound coming from the phone, Yang Mo slammed the cabinet hard: Is it the other way around?
Yang Mo's slamming of the cabinet immediately attracted everyone in the room. Seeing Yang Mo's angry look, they quickly became more cautious in their movements, fearing that they would offend Yang Mo and end up getting into trouble by puncturing the oil and gas barrel and killing themselves.
Everyone avoided Yang Mo, fearing she'd be the one getting into trouble. But Milicic couldn't hold it in any longer. He cautiously walked over to Yang Mo and said, "Yang, tonight... can you go on a date with me? You know, I can't get Paris, but you're the only one who can."
Milicic's words were pitiful and humble. For love, he truly would risk everything. Seeing his pitiful appearance, Yang Mo felt he was unmanly, but then she realized he was truly infatuated. She pulled out her phone and called Paris Hilton.
Hilton quickly answered the phone after it rang twice, as if she had been waiting for it. After the call was connected, Paris Hilton on the other end ecstatically expressed her longing for Yang Mo. Yang Mo had no choice but to reiterate his attitude, saying that they were not destined to be together and it was better not to talk about love.
Paris Hilton, however, was completely infatuated. She even offered to be his lover over the phone, even offering occasional friendly sex. Yang Mo, of course, refused. He wasn't the type of man to accept casual hookups. While he had a lot of romantic interests, he still considered love sacred. How could he possibly desecrate it?
So, Yang Mo flatly rejected her invitation and then invited her out for dinner, stating that it was Milicic who invited her. Paris Hilton was initially excited to accept the invitation, but when she heard it was Milicic, her interest waned. Ultimately, Yang Mo had no choice but to agree to appear at the date, and Paris Hilton finally agreed.
Paris Hilton was clearly attending the event out of respect for Yang Mo, but even so, Milicic was incredibly happy, as if he'd received a great reward. He looked like a complete loser.
After waiting for Milicic to take a shower and come out dressed in formal clothes and sprayed perfume several times, Yang Mo took him to the agreed restaurant. When they arrived at the restaurant, Yang Mo sent Milicic in and immediately turned around and left. When he left, he gave Milicic a wink, meaning that he should seize the opportunity.
Yang Mo didn't want to get involved too much. Regardless of whether Paris Hilton had a special liking for him, even if he was just an ordinary friend, he shouldn't get involved in other people's dates. After all, it was unreasonable to be a third wheel.
Yang Mo returned home and slept soundly. The next morning, he rushed to the training hall for another session, again training with tennis balls. This morning, he seemed to be in excellent form, starting to sink five balls, sometimes even six, one or two. This was undoubtedly very good news. After all, the playoffs were coming up, and if Yang Mo's passing ability could be improved, it would definitely be beneficial.
However, what surprised him was that Milicic hadn't shown up at the training grounds all day. When Stein called to inquire, he had also requested leave, citing illness as an excuse. After Stein finished the call, he said to Yang Mo, "This guy sounds really sad. Did something happen to his family?"
Yang Mo thought about it and frowned. Perhaps there was no accident in their family, but Paris Hilton had caused it for him.
He had originally hoped that Paris Hilton would create some sweetness for Milicic, so that he could fully rise to become an excellent inside player. But now, looking at this posture, I'm afraid Milicic has completely wilted.
If Milicic completely collapses, the difficulty of the playoffs will undoubtedly increase by several levels. After all, he is the only center on the Knicks who looks like a center.
Soon, the Knicks faced their third-to-last regular season opponent, the Dallas Mavericks. Sadly, the Knicks lost at home, failing to reach their goal of an eleven-game winning streak. The reason for the loss was simple: inferior skill. The Mavericks displayed a formidable offensive power from the outset, maintaining a commanding lead from the first minute. Even with Yang Mo's desperate attempts to score, he could only close the gap, unable to pull ahead.
In the end, Yang Mo scored 51 points, but his team lost by 5 points.
Yang Mo felt helpless. He finally understood what it meant to be isolated and helpless. The Knicks' players weren't bad, but they either had overlapping roles or were functional players. They didn't have a single reliable player at the all-important center and power forward positions. In fact, the Knicks only had a bunch of small forwards, and many of these small forwards had overlapping roles.
Honestly, reaching sixth place in the Eastern Conference with this roster is already a remarkable feat. In the playoffs... no one expected them to go far. In fact, no one within the Knicks believed they could make it far either, except for Yang Mo.
In the penultimate game, the Knicks visited Atlanta, and...still lost. They lost in the paint. With only center Milicic scoring only 3 points and 2 rebounds, it's a wonder the team could win, even with Yang Mo's desperate 32 points and 21 rebounds. Some things simply can't be accomplished by one person; basketball is still a five-person competition. The amount of water a bucket can hold isn't determined by the length of its longest plank, but by the shortest.
After the game, Yang Mo finally couldn't help but talk to Milicic. Milicic kept his head down and nodded no matter what Yang Mo said. He seemed sincere, but in fact he was just being perfunctory.
Yang Mo couldn't stand his perfunctory attitude and finally couldn't hold back and roared, "Are you still a man? Your restricted area was stabbed into mud. The opponent easily grabbed the rebound from your head and arrogantly dunked on you, and you... didn't react . You don't even care about your self-respect. What's the difference between you and a piece of shit?"
Yang Mo scolded Milicic like a piece of shit, but Milicic didn't get furious. He actually sneered, then slowly stood up and looked at Yang Mo leisurely. With a very casual attitude, he slowly said, "You think I'm a piece of shit, that's because you're Super Yang. You're the boss of the Knicks. You have billions of dollars in assets. You're more famous than any other man on earth. You're also a big boss in the entertainment industry. Countless beauties revolve around you. All women want to sleep with you."
Milicic paused for a moment, then raised his voice slightly: "You're so high and mighty, you're a member of the winners group in life. But have you ever thought about how I feel? You know I'm a loser, a piece of stinky shit, but do you know why I became a loser, why I became a stinky shit? I came to the NBA with high spirits and was selected second by the Pistons. At that time, I thought I could change the world. In the end, the coach scolded me every day and never gave me playing time, not even in garbage time. Then, the whole world started to laugh at me and called me a fake. Is this fair?"
"I'm sorry, there has never been any so-called fairness in this world. This world only appreciates hard-working people, and only those who love to fight can win. If you continue to degenerate like this, you will get worse! You will stink even more!" Yang Mo said without mercy. He didn't like men who made excuses for themselves.
But at this moment, Milicic seemed a little irritated by Yang Mo's indifference. He suddenly raised his voice and roared at Yang Mo, "I will be worse, but so what? You even took away the woman I love most. What else can I lose? I already have nothing!"
