Chapter 98

At the capital airport of the motherland.

“Don’t push, don’t push! People haven’t even come out yet, why are you pushing?”

“Hey, be careful with my camera, you’re blocking the lens!”

“Move, move, didn’t we agree that the early bird gets the worm? Why are you rushing?”

Near the international flight exit, many media reporters were waiting, holding their cameras and microphones, afraid of missing any crucial moments or interviews.

April 23, 2006, 2 PM Beijing time.

On this day, many passengers coming out of the airport were quite puzzled. They hadn’t heard of any superstar visiting, yet there were many reporters at the exit, seemingly waiting for someone to appear.

“Sports channel...?”

Someone noticed the microphone labels in the reporters’ hands and stopped to look curiously.

“Is a sports star coming? Judging by the setup, it must be at least someone of Henry’s level!”

The media’s presence drew the attention of the public, especially sports fans who were eagerly waiting together. Soon, a crowd gathered around the exit, speculating about the identity of the sports star coming to China.

“I heard it’s Henry!”

“Nonsense, it’s Baggio!”

“What are you talking about? If Henry or Baggio were coming, fans would definitely be here to greet them! There are only media here, so it must be a star from a niche sport, probably Agassi!”

Amid the discussions, a few reporters suddenly stirred, and the flashlights began to flicker rapidly.

“He’s here, he’s here!”

A tall figure appeared at the exit, immediately drawing the attention of all the media reporters, who surged forward, surrounding the person tightly.

“He’s so tall! He must be over two meters... no, almost two meters and ten centimeters!”

“Is it Yao Ming? He’s so tall, it must be Yao Ming!”

“Nonsense! Is Yao Ming that skinny? Yao Ming is much more muscular now! It must be Yi Jianlian, they say he’s going to the U.S. for NBA training this year!”

Everyone strained to look up, and some even jumped to see who was causing the commotion.

In fact, with the person’s height, even those at the back could easily see his face. However, he wore sunglasses, and his sportswear was unremarkable, and his face was not familiar, so no one could identify him.

“Chen Mu, welcome back to the country! Your rookie season was impressive, what are your thoughts on the NBA?”

“Chen Mu, winning the Rookie of the Week award, will it put pressure on you?”

“Chen Mu, how did you spend your time in the U.S.? Did you make friends with your teammates, and was the language barrier difficult?”

“Chen Mu, I heard the 76ers are offering you a high-salary contract for next season. After the playoffs, will you consider other teams for new opportunities?”

“Chen Mu...”

Questions came in rapid succession, leaving Chen Mu momentarily stunned. Seeing the microphones and recorders held high in front of him, he didn’t know which question to answer first. After a moment, he finally spoke: “Thank you all for your concern and encouragement. The NBA is at a very high level, and the competition is intense. I am still adapting and striving to perform better. As for the contract...”

Before Chen Mu could finish, the reporters started a new round of questions.

“This time, you’re back to participate in the U18 Asian Youth Championship training. Everyone has high expectations for you. Can you lead the team to reclaim the championship trophy?”

“Some say that due to ball distribution and tactical position issues, there’s a conflict between you and Chen Jianghua. Is this true?”

“Can you predict your performance in this tournament? Will you average 20+10 or 30+10+5?”

...

Endless questions and endless inquiries. Chen Mu answered one, and another popped up. He was at a loss for what to do.

“I recognized him, I recognized him!”

In the crowd, someone recognized Chen Mu and exclaimed, “It’s Chen Mu, the undrafted rookie! When he was undrafted, many people online criticized him, saying he was overconfident. But he ended up making a name for himself in the NBA and is now a key player alongside Allen Iverson!”

“Right, right, I recognized him too, it’s him! Ha, I also criticized him online back then, saying he didn’t know his own strength and had no offensive skills, so he deserved to be undrafted. But it turns out he was just playing it cool, his mid-range shooting is excellent!”

“The tide has turned! Now fans online are praising him, calling him the future top power forward and a leader in the new generation of versatile big men. In my opinion, his skills are far behind Yi Jianlian! Once Yi Jianlian joins the NBA, he’ll make Chen Mu cry!”

As the reporters surrounded him and the crowd watched, Chen Mu was at a loss, not knowing how to “break through the encirclement.” Then, a familiar voice rang out.

“Thank you all for your support. Chen Mu is still growing, and many things are still uncertain. He’s back mainly to participate in the U18 Asian Youth Championship training and to integrate with the team. Our goal, of course, is to win the championship!”

Chen Mu looked up and saw a man, about 1.7 meters tall, slightly overweight, around sixty years old, standing outside the crowd with a smile, deftly shifting the reporters’ attention. After a few well-crafted words, he winked at Chen Mu.

“Old Hu...?!”

Chen Mu was amazed. The calm old man in front of him was none other than his coach from the regional youth team, the one who led him into basketball, Old Hu!

“Coach Hu, by coming to greet Chen Mu, does it mean the team will focus its tactics around him?”

“Coach Hu, I heard there was a conflict between you and the former national youth team coach due to differences in tactical philosophy. Is it true that after you and Coach Liu took over, the decision to increase the team’s inside attack led to the former coach’s departure?”

“Coach Hu, it’s said that you will serve as the offensive assistant coach to help Coach Liu organize the team’s offensive tactics. Now that you’ve welcomed back your former protégé Chen Mu, does it mean the offense will revolve around him?”

With Old Hu’s appearance, the reporters’ questions immediately shifted. From these questions, it was clear that Chen Mu would be spending the next period of time with this experienced basketball coach.

After a brief response to the reporters, Old Hu came to Chen Mu and chuckled, “You rascal, you finally came back?”

“Yeah, I’m back!”

Chen Mu nodded heavily, and the memories of playing under Old Hu gradually returned to his mind.

Old Hu, a true academic coach, had never played professional basketball but possessed extensive basketball knowledge, making him a rare figure in the domestic coaching circle where most coaches were former players.

Due to his traditional mindset, Old Hu’s basketball philosophy was quite conventional: inside players should attack from the post, and both offense and defense should start from the inside, with outside players serving as accelerators for fast breaks when the opportunity arose.

This approach was somewhat outdated compared to modern basketball, but Old Hu still earned the favor of the national youth team, thanks to his keen eye for talent.

In the regional youth team, Chen Mu was promoted by Old Hu due to his remarkable physical talent. Despite years of hard training, Chen Mu’s understanding of the game remained limited, though his physical abilities improved significantly.

Old Hu was not surprised by this outcome, repeatedly telling Chen Mu that as long as he continued to work hard, once the tactics were ingrained in his mind, even a fool could play by instinct.

Though harsh, Chen Mu now appreciated the old coach’s unique insight.

After all, before his soul’s transmigration, the original owner of this body was indeed not very bright.

“If it weren’t for Old Hu’s persistence, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today. If it weren’t for his strong recommendation during the national youth team selection, I wouldn’t have had the chance to shine!”

To Chen Mu, Old Hu was a true mentor.

“You brat, you haven’t called me once since you went to the U.S.! Your conscience has been eaten by a dog!”

Old Hu scolded Chen Mu with a smile. Chen Mu knew this was Old Hu’s usual style and responded with a sheepish grin, “There’s a time difference, I didn’t want to disturb you, ha ha!”

Chen Mu thought to himself: I can’t tell you that I’m from another time and couldn’t remember your phone number before meeting you!

“You’re such a talker!” Old Hu rolled his eyes at Chen Mu and smiled, “Let’s go, the car is waiting at the entrance. But be careful, I heard some fans organized a welcome party on FoxNet and are waiting to... well, as you young people say, ‘intimate contact’ with you!”

“Old Hu, that’s called the internet!”

Chen Mu was amused by Old Hu’s words but then frowned, “What did you say? Fans are at the airport? How did they know my flight information?”

“They don’t know!” Old Hu looked around as they walked, afraid that fans might suddenly appear and surround them again. “It seems someone leaked the information, and they guessed you’d return today, but they don’t know the specific flight details. I heard they plan to wait here all night for you to appear!”

“No way?!”

Chen Mu was stunned. In the U.S., he had seen domestic forums online where fans expressed admiration and anticipation for him.

However, fans willing to wait all night were still hard for Chen Mu to believe.

Exiting the airport hall, they were relatively safe. Old Hu pulled Chen Mu and ran to a bus.

“Quick! Get in the car and go! We’ll talk more at the training center!”

Seeing the old man’s quick steps, Chen Mu couldn’t help but laugh. This was the same Old Hu he remembered, always in a hurry.

Just as Chen Mu was about to get on the bus, a group of people suddenly appeared and surrounded him and Old Hu.

“Chen Mu, we’ve been waiting for you!”

“Chen Mu, can we take a photo? Cheese~ Yay~”

“Chen Mu, can you sign my shirt? I won’t wash it!”

Before Chen Mu could react, the fans had already completed the photo, handshake, signature, and hug. When he finally came to, he saw Old Hu’s helpless look.

“You see, I told you waiting by the bus was the right move! Ha ha!”

One of the fans, clearly the leader, high-fived the others and then, as if remembering something, mimicked Chen Mu and Allen Iverson’s on-court fist bump, causing the other fans to cheer.

“Wait, wait, you’re... my fans?”

Chen Mu was flattered and couldn’t believe he had such a following.

“Exactly! We are your fans, your supporters!” The leader said, “We call ourselves ‘Wood Shavings,’ ha ha, isn’t that funny!”

Chen Mu was speechless, not knowing what to say.

Wood Shavings? That’s too low, it’s better to call ourselves sheepdogs!

“Where do you all connect? Why haven’t I seen it online?”

“Oh, you don’t know yet!”

In response to Chen Mu’s question, the young man quickly wrote down a website on a piece of paper and handed it to Chen Mu, “We created a website for you called ‘Chen Mu’ with a forum called ‘Wood Shavings Headquarters’! Remember to interact with us when you have time!”

Under Old Hu’s and the driver’s urging, Chen Mu almost stumbled into the bus.

Waving goodbye to the “Wood Shavings” outside the window, Chen Mu was still in a daze as the bus drove onto the airport expressway.

I have my own fan website...?!

“Super rookie, how does it feel?”

Old Hu, sitting in the front, turned around and looked at Chen Mu with interest, smiling, “Don’t get too cocky, I’ll train you to the ground during the training camp, ha ha!”

Chatting with Old Hu, Chen Mu gradually calmed down.

A journey of dominating lesser opponents is about to begin! For mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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