Chapter 11: A Promising Talent

[Thank you, alon7799, for your generous donation.]

That night, the five of them drank until they were tipsy, sharing heartfelt words and shedding many a manly tear.

Over the next three days, Monkey went to Northeast China, where his father had arranged a job for him at a government agency. Crab returned to Hainan, saying he would become a physical education teacher. Crow went to Beijing, vowing not to return to Donghua until he made a name for himself. Haozi, a local, also left Donghua to start a company in Guangdong.

Yang Mo spent these three days in pain. Each time he bid farewell to a brother, it felt as if a knife had stabbed his heart, unsure if they would ever meet again.

On the fourth day, with Zhou Yiyi's help, Yang Mo applied for the NBA 2008 draft. He wanted to take a gamble, even though he had been rejected by the CBA youth team last year for being too weak. Now, Yang Mo's strength was at the top level, even in the NBA. So, he decided to give it a try.

Yang Mo submitted his draft application and was quickly approved. It was a straightforward process; as long as he paid a deposit and met the age requirements, he could apply, though there was no guarantee he would be selected.

Thus, Yang Mo's participation in the draft did not cause any stir, not even a ripple. People were more focused on who would be the top pick: the data monster Michael Beasley, the physically gifted and potentially limitless Derrick Rose, or O.J. Mayo, who was compared to LeBron James in high school.

Before leaving for the United States, Zhou Yiyi arranged for Yang Mo to join the Jin Ding Group's corporate team.

Although it was a corporate team, it was filled with big names. Donghua had a passionate basketball atmosphere, and several companies were willing to spend money. Every year, the corporate cup featured national team players and even some NBA players. For these big names, it was a way to earn extra income during the off-season, with millions of yuan for a few games. Who wouldn't do it?

When Zhou Yiyi brought Yang Mo to the Jin Ding Group's internal gym, he was surprised to see the group of big shots training there. These players were usually only seen on TV: Zhu Fangyu, Wang Shipeng, Chen Jianghua, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue, and Mike Harris, whom Yang Mo had beaten a few days ago. The others, though not as famous, were clearly talented youth team players.

"You guys at Jin Ding Group sure know how to spend money," Yang Mo said with a smile, turning to Zhou Yiyi.

Zhou Yiyi smiled and whispered in Yang Mo's ear, "There are things you don't understand. This is a surefire business. Many of the city leaders enjoy watching basketball, so my father and others are keen on organizing basketball events. Plus, there are subsidies for winning, which supports cultural and sports work."

"I see, no wonder these businessmen are so generous. It's because the leaders like it," Yang Mo said sarcastically.

"Enough, don't be a cynic," Zhou Yiyi said, pulling Yang Mo's sleeve and leading him to the center of the court. She then clapped her hands to gather the players.

These players were no strangers to Jin Ding Group and immediately gathered around, recognizing her as the boss's daughter. The coach also approached.

"This is our new player. I hope everyone can get along well and work together to win this championship," Zhou Yiyi said, not mentioning that Yang Mo was her boyfriend, knowing he had pride and didn't want to be seen as getting a favor.

"Yang Mo, introduce yourself," Zhou Yiyi said after a brief introduction.

Yang Mo nodded and looked around. He noticed that no one was paying much attention to him. If Zhou Yiyi weren't there, they probably wouldn't have given him the time of day. To them, Yang Mo was just an unknown player.

Suppressing his annoyance, Yang Mo introduced himself, "My name is Yang Mo. I play small forward, and sometimes power forward."

As soon as he finished, someone burst out laughing, and the laughter quickly spread, turning into a chorus of laughter.

Yang Mo didn't find anything funny about his introduction, but to these professional players, it was a huge joke. Yang Mo looked too small; at his height, he could barely play point guard in a professional team, let alone small forward or power forward. In China, a power forward needed to be at least 2.10 meters tall to be taken seriously.

"Hey, what are you laughing at? This guy is really strong. I lost to him," Mike Harris, who didn't understand Chinese, heard the mocking laughter and immediately defended Yang Mo.

However, his words were in English, and only Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue understood, giving Yang Mo a second glance.

Zhou Yiyi wanted to explain, but Yang Mo stopped her, signaling her to be quiet. He believed that actions spoke louder than words. He would show them his strength and see if they still laughed.

With Yang Mo's intervention, Zhou Yiyi remained silent. Her phone rang, and she quickly stepped out.

After Zhou Yiyi left, the coach from the Guangdong youth team, Wang Yuhuai, immediately gathered everyone and announced a team scrimmage.

The players were quickly divided into two teams: the five national team players as the main team, and the other youth team players, including Mike Harris, as the reserve team. The Jin Ding Group's corporate team, including Yang Mo, had twelve players, so he was naturally left out. To the coach, Yang Mo was just an unknown kid, and he didn't want to embarrass himself by putting him on the court.

The game was no contest. The five national team players, facing Mike Harris and four youth team players, dominated, scoring 20-5 in less than ten minutes, with all five points coming from Harris.

Frustrated by the poor performance, Mike Harris called a timeout. He thought about the humiliation he suffered a few days ago due to his teammates and didn't want to lose again.

He pointed at Yang Mo and said to Wang Yuhuai, "Coach, take this guy out. I want him."

Wang Yuhuai didn't fully understand Mike Harris's words but got the gist. Since it was just a practice game, it didn't matter who played, so he agreed.

Yang Mo, now on the court, immediately told Mike Harris, "You focus on scoring. I'll handle the inside defense."

"Okay," Mike Harris agreed, knowing Yang Mo's defensive skills. A few days ago, Yang Mo had given him a tough time. In his opinion, Yang Mo was the best inside player in China after Yao Ming.

While Mike Harris knew Yang Mo was strong, the other players didn't. They only heard him speak fluent English, assuming he might be from abroad, and slightly increased their attention.

The whistle blew, and Yang Mo passed the ball to Mike Harris, then quickly ran to the inside.

Once inside, Yang Mo stood firm, not moving. Zhu Fangyu, defending him, found it amusing, thinking, "This guy's positioning is terrible. How can he play power forward like this?"

At that moment, Mike Harris shot from the three-point line, shouting "Rebound!" as he released the ball.

Clearly, he lacked confidence in his shot, and with Chen Jianghua and Sun Yue double-teaming him, it was unlikely to go in.

Sure enough, the ball hit the front of the rim and bounced high between Yang Mo and Zhu Fangyu.

Zhu Fangyu, thinking he had a good chance, jumped to grab the rebound but was suddenly pushed by Yang Mo, flying out of bounds... *thud*.

He fell heavily to the floor, completely caught off guard.

Before he could react, Yang Mo had grabbed the rebound and leaped high... *boom*!

He slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!

"Great shot!" The youth team players watching from the sidelines stood up, clenching their fists and cheering for Yang Mo.

Mike Harris quickly ran over, bumped chests with Yang Mo, and proudly shouted at the five national team players, "Didn't I tell you he's strong?"

Hearing Mike Harris's loud declaration, Wang Yuhuai was taken aback, muttering to himself, "Is this kid really a promising talent? Zhu Fangyu isn't weak, but he was pushed away so easily... His long arms are truly impressive, even longer than Wang Zhizhi's!"