Chapter 67

Arizona, Phoenix.

On a street we are somewhat familiar with, a not-so-large electrical store was preparing to close for the day.

"Yo~ Uncle Su, did you go to watch the game again today?"

A few white teenagers walked past the store, and seeing Boss Su pulling down the roller shutter, they laughed and asked, "You can't miss tonight's game, huh? Ha~?"

"Exactly!"

Boss Su clearly had no more heart for business. While closing the door, he said enthusiastically, "Do you remember that Chen who came to our store last time? The player you guys called the Chinese kid?"

"He's making a comeback!"

Boss Su's eyes were full of joy, and his hands trembled slightly as he spoke.

"Who would have thought that this kid still had so much to show Phoenix City. After going to Philadelphia, he's completely transformed! Scoring, rebounding, assisting, he can do it all, giving us Chinese a great face! Now I'm really conflicted, I don't know whether to support the Suns or the 76ers, hahaha!"

"Ha~"

Hearing Boss Su's words, the white teenagers laughed and said, "You can support the Suns, but also support the Chinese kid, no contradiction! As you often say, what's it called... moderation, hahaha, did I use it right??"

"I watched all his game videos!" Ignoring the white teenagers' misinterpretation, Boss Su continued, "He's too strong, too strong! On offense, he's simply unstoppable, just like Amar'e. This kid will definitely become a superstar in the future!"

"Look at our current lineup. Amar'e was supposed to return after the All-Star break, but it turned out his injury wasn't fully healed, and he might be out for the whole season. If Diaw and Tim try to defend Chen, they'll be completely overpowered!"

"Whenever you talk about Chinese people, you always exaggerate~"

The white teenager said, "His offense is good, I admit, but his defense is terrible, especially against post players or skilled big men. Look at the game against the Raptors, he was almost beaten to the ground by Bosh!"

"I bet 20 bucks that he'll be completely dominated by the Suns' skilled big men today!"

Seeing the white teenager pull out a bill, Boss Su felt a surge of excitement and also took out twenty dollars, saying, "Challenge accepted!"

Another white young man, acting as the mediator, quickly set up a small betting pool. Almost everyone, except Boss Su, was convinced that Chen Mu would be completely dominated by the Suns' big men.

Even though Chen Mu had already shown his offensive prowess in previous games, even scoring a double-double against a team like the Pistons, the white teenagers believed it was because Rasheed's mobility was insufficient.

"Our big men are all great athletes! If D'Antoni is smart, he'll assign Marion to guard the Chinese kid, and he'll definitely make him eat dirt!"

"Just wait and see...!"

Boss Su clenched his fists in frustration, for the second time since coming to Phoenix, he decided to cheer for the visiting team.

"The last time Dad cheered for a visiting team was when Yao Ming first came to the NBA~"

Behind Boss Su, Su Yin slowly walked out. When Boss Su turned around, he saw that his daughter had already changed into her going-out clothes. He asked in confusion, "Yin'er, why aren't you going home?"

"I bought a ticket, with my saved-up pocket money!"

Su Yin waved her ticket confidently and said, "I want to watch the game too~"

"You want to watch the game...??"

Boss Su felt a mix of amusement and exasperation as he looked at his precious daughter. "The sun must be rising in the west, you want to watch a basketball game? That's so rare, hahaha!"

"Hmph, what's wrong with that??"

Su Yin, dissatisfied, pulled her hands under her eyes and stuck out her tongue, making a face. "Didn't you always say, 'As my daughter, you have to love basketball'? Now that I've come to understand it, why are you unhappy~?"

"Hahaha, who said Dad is unhappy!"

Boss Su laughed and took his daughter's hand. "Dad just knows you too well, and I know you're not going to the game because you love basketball!"

Having done business for so many years and being Chinese, Boss Su was shrewd. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Are you going to see your 'Brother Mu'...?"

"Ah, Dad, what are you saying...!"

Su Yin's face turned red, and she shook off Boss Su's hand. "I, I just want to experience why this sport makes you so obsessed...! Forget it, forget it, I'm not going, I'm not going~"

"Hahaha, okay, okay, Dad was just teasing you."

Boss Su quickly pulled his precious daughter, leading her to his car. "No matter why you're going to the game, as long as you're willing to watch basketball, you're Dad's good girl!"

Opening the car door and watching his daughter get in, Boss Su's eyes twinkled mischievously. "But, if you're willing to date a fellow countryman, Dad won't object, and I'll even support you and buy you a car!"

"Dad...!"

Su Yin's face turned red, and she wanted to bury herself in the ground. After a bit of playful banter with her father, she finally went to the US Airways Center with him.

Brother Mu, you have to do your best...!

Looking out the window at the streets gradually fading away, Su Yin couldn't help but recall the moments she spent with Chen Mu in the small electrical store. Her small fists clenched tightly, and a look of anticipation and shyness appeared on her face.

At the same time, inside the US Airways Center.

The pre-game warm-up was underway. Chen Mu and his teammates were joking around while practicing their basic moves.

"Hey, nice to see you again~"

Behind Chen Mu, a somewhat familiar voice sounded. Turning around, he saw Nash's smiling face, a basketball in his hand, bouncing it continuously.

"Steve!"

Seeing his old teammate, Chen Mu was very excited and chatted with Nash for a while.

Soon, Diaw, Bell, Marion, and others also came over, joking with Chen Mu, pinching him, and nodding, saying he had gotten stronger.

"Are you here to avenge yourself in this game?"

After chatting for a while, Nash blinked and said, "Facing your old team, you must want to show off a bit, right? Make the manager regret it?"

"Well..." Chen Mu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I do have that thought."

"That's normal." Nash patted Chen Mu's arm, comforting him. "When I first joined the Mavericks and came back to Phoenix, and later when I came back to Phoenix and faced the Mavericks, I had similar thoughts."

"Don't worry, we're friends off the court, but on the court, we'll give it our all, no matter how hard you try."

Nash's eyes were sharp as he continued, "I admire you, but I won't go easy on you on the court. We're going to win this game...!"

"Um..."

Chen Mu nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his lips. "I won't hold back either. Boris, Tim, Shawn, are you ready to be dominated by me~?"

"Haha, that's the spirit! I like it!"

Marion laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious. His alien-like face looked at Chen Mu and said, "The coach said that after the game starts, I'll be the starting power forward. When you come in, I'll be guarding you."

"I won't show any mercy to an old teammate. I'm warning you, you'll be completely shut down by me...!"

Seeing Marion's determined look, Chen Mu's fighting spirit was ignited. He looked up at him and said, "With your height, you think you can shut me down? Be careful, I might dunk over you!"

After these words, there was a moment of silence, which was finally broken by Nash. "Well, see you on the court...!"

"Um."

Chen Mu's fighting spirit was boiling over. He nodded heavily. "See you on the court!"

Both turned and walked back to their respective halves of the court, the big game about to begin.

"Over here, Yin'er, come over here!"

In the stands, Su Yin and Boss Su had already entered. As an old fan, Boss Su was very familiar with the seating at the US Airways Center. Although he held front-row season tickets, he specially negotiated with the fans behind him to switch seats so he could sit next to his daughter.

"Dad, there are so many people here...!"

After sitting down, Su Yin looked around and felt the arena was packed with people.

Due to the team's impressive record and flashy style of play, the Suns' tickets were selling very well. Even Su Yin's ticket was bought at a premium from a fan classmate.

"That's right, the 76ers may be a weak team, but Allen Iverson is a popular star, so this game will definitely be sold out!"

Boss Su introduced to his daughter, "Look, that's Iverson. The big guy next to him is Webber, who used to play for the Kings, with a very flashy style. And there's Iguodala, a second-year player who has improved rapidly this season, and... "

"Brother Mu!"

Su Yin paid no attention to her father's chatter. She immediately spotted Chen Mu, who was warming up with shooting. She stood up, about to call out to see if she could get his attention.

However, due to the distance between the seats and the court, Chen Mu clearly didn't hear Su Yin's call and continued to warm up seriously.

"What's the rush? After the game, send a message to Brother Mu, and Dad will treat you to some late-night snacks! Haha!"

Boss Su wasn't surprised by his daughter's behavior. After a bit of teasing, he made Su Yin's cheeks turn red, and they started to play around.

Half an hour later, the pre-game ceremony ended, and the game, which Su Yin had been eagerly anticipating, finally began.