Chapter 41

One day later, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At the 76ers' operations center.

Behind a not-so-large desk sat a black-skinned man.

This man exuded an extremely shrewd businessman's aura. Chen Mu, sitting on the other side of the desk, glanced at him and even thought he saw a hint of his own agent, Duffy, in his eyes.

Billy King, the current 76ers' manager and president, had been in the sports world for many years. Since leaving ESPN and joining the Pacers as Larry Bird's assistant coach, this manager, who had a poor reputation for various reasons, had never left the NBA circle.

"Mr. King," Chen Mu said, "my ten-day contract..."

"Right, right."

Billy King waved his hand slightly, somewhat impatiently, and said to Chen Mu, "It's expiring today, I know."

"So the reason you asked us to come here today must be to sign my client formally, making him a part of the 76ers' long-term plan, right?"

Duffy, Chen Mu's agent, who hadn't been seen for a long time, appeared very excited. He speculated about Billy King's intentions and said, "In the five games with the 76ers, my young man Chen averaged a double-double. Although he's still the sixth man, everyone can see that he's the team's interior pillar in these games, isn't he?"

Before Billy King could speak, Duffy spread his hands and smiled, continuing, "In the last game, although the young man was a bit overwhelmed and fainted in the second half, your team's doctor checked him afterward and found no serious injury, just excessive fatigue."

"That day you were also at the game, I'm sure you noticed how my young man Chen performed against Tim Duncan!"

Duffy spoke eloquently, his saliva flying, causing Chen Mu to secretly smile wryly.

Although he trusted Duffy and believed that he would certainly get the best contract and team for him, seeing Billy King's clearly impatient expression, Chen Mu hesitated, wondering if he should remind Duffy to shut up.

"First, Duncan, who was outscored 14-7 by my young man in the first half. In the second half, they switched to Bowen. Ha, you noticed, right? That damn guy even tried to kick my young man."

"But it was all for nothing! My young man still scored 11 points in a row, all shots made, leaving Bowen helpless, hahaha..."

As Billy King's frown deepened, Duffy also sensed something was wrong, reined in his overly excited speech, and said seriously, "I know your team has the Weber and Dalembert frontcourt, a good offensive and defensive combination, not bad in the East."

"But you know better than I do about Weber's injury situation. As for Dalembert, he's a good blue-collar player, but don't expect him to score and take over the game."

"In the last game, against one of the best defensive teams in the league, my young man scored 25 and 10! 25 and 10!" Duffy emphasized Chen Mu's performance, continuing, "And this kid is just 18, with a lot of room for improvement. Given time, he can definitely become the team's pillar... no, even a symbol of Philadelphia after Iverson! Chen Mu..."

"Hmm, cough, cough..."

Billy King finally couldn't hold back, pretended to cough, and interrupted the talkative Duffy. He then looked at Chen Mu and nodded slightly, "Yes, with Chen's current talent and ability, he can certainly be called a rising star. But to become a symbol of Philadelphia, that's still a long way off..."

"Ha, ha, yes, yes, you're right~"

Duffy agreed, "After all, the symbol of Philadelphia will always be the son of Philadelphia, Allen Iverson, ha ha..."

"No, you're wrong."

Billy King shook his head slightly and sighed, "The future of the 76ers, even I don't know yet..."

After a moment of awkward silence, Billy King finally said what Chen Mu and Duffy most wanted to hear, "ANYWAY, that's not the purpose of my inviting you two here. Our primary goal is to reach an agreement and extend the contract to the end of the season."

"YES!!!"

Chen Mu secretly cheered, so excited he wanted to jump out of his seat.

From the draft to now, Chen Mu had endured too many blows and underestimations. Despite his excellent performance with the Suns, he couldn't convince the team to extend his contract.

Since joining the 76ers, Chen Mu had been imagining every day how happy and joyful he would be if the team agreed to extend his contract to the end of the season.

From last summer to now, after half a year, Chen Mu's various skills had improved. Countless times of positioning and rebounding, countless hours of practicing mid-range shots, sweating in the training room, and endless strength training in the gym...

All of this was for this moment!

"Smart!"

Duffy was also very excited, glancing at Chen Mu and patting his shoulder, "He's like L'Oréal, you're worth it!"

Ignoring Duffy's random remarks, Billy King's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "I don't need to explain the contract details, it's mostly a standard contract. Rookie minimum salary, calculated daily, with the league's minimum as the limit."

"Although it's unlikely, I'll say it anyway. If the team makes the playoffs, the salary and bonuses will continue to be calculated. You can't be traded during the season, but if the team believes you're no longer a significant asset, they can send you to the lower league, the D-League (NBDL), or..."

A cold look flashed in Billy King's eyes as he stared at Chen Mu, "Or... cut you...!"

"Ha, don't worry, don't worry~"

Duffy quickly smoothed things over, "My young man won't let you down! Let's sign the contract right away!"

With a few quick strokes, the pre-prepared contract was signed, and a heavy burden was lifted from Chen Mu's heart. He no longer remembered what Billy King and Duffy said afterward, only that another exciting thing happened.

"Beep"

The system notification sound, which Chen Mu had become familiar with, sounded. A notification bar appeared in the corner of his vision, and the text on it made Chen Mu instantly excited.

"Completed career task: Sign the first long-term contract."

"Unlocked virtual training camp: Eye of Insight"

"!!!"

This news was even more exciting for Chen Mu than the contract extension. After confirming it was correct, Chen Mu couldn't wait to enter the training camp.

Just over a month ago, Chen Mu's first virtual training camp journey gave him a mid-range shooting ability that was above average and close to star level.

This ability greatly increased his presence on the court, making him a player that the opposing team had to focus on.

"Eye of Insight... what kind of training camp will it be? What improvements will it bring me?"

Chen Mu was filled with anticipation. Although his last training camp experience in the fear room was torturous, with Jordan pushing him to the brink, the improvement he gained was incredibly sweet.

"This time, even if it's a thousand times harder than the last training camp, I will still choose the hell difficulty...!"

Chen Mu made up his mind, quickly ended his meeting with Billy King, and declined Duffy's invitation to "celebrate." He immediately returned to his rented apartment, closed the door, and prepared everything.

"The team has no games for the next two days. Although time in the virtual training camp doesn't seem to pass in the real world, leaving the training camp will leave you mentally exhausted, requiring some time to recover."

Looking at the notification bar, Chen Mu took a deep breath and said to himself, "I'll take this opportunity to work hard and continue improving myself...!"

"Beep"

Just as Chen Mu was about to press the button to enter the training camp, his phone rang.

"Almost forgot, I'll turn off the phone first, and deal with it when I come out."

Chen Mu picked up his phone and was about to turn it off when he saw a message and suddenly paused.

"Hi~ Brother Mu, everything okay? If I remember correctly, today is the last day of your ten-day contract with the 76ers. How's it going? Have you had any good luck?"

The message was from Su Yin.

"Um..."

Chen Mu thought for a moment and then replied:

"Thanks for remembering, everything is going smoothly. They've extended my contract to the end of the season!"

At the end, Chen Mu added a smiley face.

Soon, Su Yin's reply came, and Chen Mu hurriedly took out his phone to read it, but was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"Really? Congratulations! But... you won't be able to come to Arizona often anymore..."

After this line, Su Yin added a sad face and continued, "I feel a bit lonely..."

Chen Mu's heart was suddenly in turmoil, unsure of what to do.

Recalling the wild night in the bar after his first game for Philadelphia, Chen Mu didn't know why he had thought of Su Yin.

In terms of appearance and figure, the girls in the bar were no less attractive than Su Yin, and some were even more seductive. But when Chen Mu was with them, he couldn't help but think of Su Yin.

Could it be that he had fallen for Su Yin...?

"...Sigh, I won't think about it anymore, I'll enter the training camp first...!"

Unable to find an answer, Chen Mu shook his head, instantly casting his worries aside. He took a deep breath and pressed the "Enter Training Camp" button.

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