Chapter 19

From the moment Yang Mo stepped onto the court, the outcome of the game was already clear. Although Yang Mo's participation in the NBA was uncertain, and he might become an average player with no particular advantages in the NBA, in China, he was a versatile player who could play both inside and outside. Moreover, the run-and-gun tactics completely stifled the Mingyang team's lifeline, leaving them no choice but to lose.

In the end, the game entered garbage time with more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and both teams replaced their players with youth team members to pass the time.

Yang Mo's sudden appearance tipped the balance of the game. When he left the court, the entire audience stood up and applauded for him. Tonight, Yang Mo was undoubtedly the hero. His performance also successfully won over the national team players. Although Yang Mo was arrogant, his arrogance was justified. People with talent always have a place wherever they go. Those without talent can only pick up scraps wherever they go.

After Yang Mo left the court, Powell quickly turned off the DV. To him, recording the rest of the game was pointless, and Mr. Riley would definitely not be interested in these terrible scenes.

After turning off the DV, he hurriedly walked down from the stands to the Jinding team's bench. At that moment, Yang Mo was receiving compliments from Harris. Harris kept saying in Yang Mo's ear, "Brother, I'm one hundred percent sure you can make it in the NBA. You are a natural basketball player. I think, on the basketball court, belief is more important than skills..."

"That's right, Mike is right," Powell joined in, walking up and smiling as he handed a business card to Yang Mo, saying, "Sir, I am the senior director of the Miami scouting department. I would like to invite you to try out for our Miami team."

"Wow, Mr. Powell." Yang Mo hadn't reacted yet, but Harris was already exclaiming in surprise.

"Is he very famous?" Yang Mo turned to Harris and asked.

"Very famous. Dwyane Wade was discovered by him. It was his idea for Miami to pick Dwyane with the fifth overall pick. At that time, Dwyane wasn't very promising. His college stats weren't outstanding, his physical condition wasn't good, and his height wasn't ideal. Now he's the Finals MVP," Mike Harris said with admiration.

"Is that true?" Yang Mo looked at Powell, somewhat surprised.

"It's true," Powell nodded and said, "I very much admire Dwyane's on-court demeanor. In fact, he forgot to mention that in 2003, I also recommended Udonis Haslem to Mr. Riley, and now he is the captain of Miami."

"You mean that short power forward?" Harris gestured to his nose, somewhat dismissively.

"Height is important in basketball, but it's not the only factor. I have high hopes for this gentleman. Although his height isn't outstanding, I believe he will achieve success in the NBA," Powell said firmly.

Yang Mo looked at the business card, finally understanding what was happening. It turned out that the Miami Heat's scout had taken an interest in him. At that moment, he was very surprised. He had previously thought that participating in the draft was uncertain, but now a team had actually approached him.

He then remembered the surprise Zhou Yiyi had mentioned the day before. It turned out to be this.

He looked up at the stands, but Zhou Yiyi was nowhere to be seen. Not finding Zhou Yiyi, Yang Mo didn't think much of it, assuming she had gone to the restroom.

"Sure, sure, I will definitely go," Yang Mo quickly extended his hand to shake Powell's.

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you in Miami," Powell patted Yang Mo's shoulder and then walked away. He was very optimistic about Yang Mo, but according to league rules, he couldn't interact with Yang Mo too much. Some things could only be hinted at. He couldn't say, "Come on, buddy, we'll definitely pick you," because with so many people around, if it got out, it would be considered a backroom deal, and the damn Jewish businessman Stern would surely issue a hefty fine and revoke Miami's draft rights.

After Powell left, Yang Mo still couldn't believe it. At that moment, Harris had already put his arm around him, excitedly saying, "Yang, congratulations, you're about to be an NBA player. But before that, you need to find an agent. NBA managers are all ruthless businessmen who would eat you alive."

"An agent?" Yang Mo frowned, not having thought about it before, feeling it was too far-fetched.

Ding!

At the same time, the game ended, and the Jinding team won 100-82.

After the game, the Jinding team ran back to the locker room amid the cheers of the fans. When they returned to the locker room, the general manager of Jinding Group was already waiting. He smiled and shook hands with each player. After shaking hands, he opened a large travel bag in the center of the table, revealing stacks of RMB. Everyone gasped in surprise; nothing was more direct than cash as a reward.

Seeing the players' reactions, the general manager smiled and said, "Here is five million, the bonus for winning this game. If we win again tomorrow and take the championship, there will be another five million."

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

A round of applause.

"Now, we will distribute the rewards based on merit. Who was our biggest hero today?" the general manager asked loudly.

"Yang Mo!"

Everyone, without any hesitation, shouted Yang Mo's name.

The general manager smiled and took out ten bundles of RMB, saying, "This is one million, the reward for tonight's MVP."

Yang Mo had never seen so much money before, but he didn't feel the least bit unworthy. He stepped forward, shook hands with the general manager, and found a woven bag in the box, stuffing the one million into it.

"Next are our five national team players and Harris, each getting five hundred thousand. The coach gets three hundred thousand, and the remaining seven hundred thousand will be evenly distributed among the rest of you," the general manager quickly planned the distribution.

Everyone agreed, finding it fair to distribute the money based on skill.

After the money was distributed, the general manager gave a few more words of encouragement for the next game. Now everyone was busy counting their money, who had time to listen to him?

After he finished his speech, everyone dispersed.

As Yang Mo walked out of the locker room, Zhou Wenhai, dressed in a black Armani suit, approached with a smile and said, "Are you Yang Mo? I am Zhou Wenhai, Yiyi's father. I would like to have a private chat with you."

Zhou Wenhai's proactive approach made Yang Mo feel uneasy, but out of politeness, he nodded and agreed, "Sure."

The two walked to a quiet corner of the corridor, and Zhou Wenhai spoke first, "Yang Mo, I hope you can leave Yiyi. In my opinion, the gap between the two of you is too great."

Zhou Wenhai's opening words, urging Yang Mo to break up with Yiyi, made Yang Mo very uncomfortable, but considering he was Yiyi's father, he held his temper and replied calmly, "Why?"

"Because you are a basketball player," Zhou Wenhai answered bluntly, clearly looking down on basketball players.

"What's wrong with playing basketball?" Yang Mo defended himself, "Playing basketball well can earn money."

"But that's only a few," Zhou Wenhai said with a light laugh, his tone filled with disdain, clearly not believing that Yang Mo's skills could earn much money.

Zhou Wenhai's arrogant attitude made Yang Mo very angry, but he still held back his anger, took a deep breath, and asked, "I want to know what Yiyi thinks."

"What she thinks doesn't matter; I'm making the decision," Zhou Wenhai said forcefully, then pulled out a black card from his pocket, a sneer on his lips, "I know what you want from Yiyi. This is a Citibank VIP black card with one million US dollars. Take it and leave here, and never see Yiyi again."

Slap!

Yang Mo slapped the card out of Zhou Wenhai's hand, and before Zhou Wenhai could react, Yang Mo's finger was already in his face, followed by a cold voice, "Remember what you did today."

With that, he turned and walked away.

"Don't act tough. If I see you纠缠不清 with Yiyi again, don't blame me for being ruthless," Zhou Wenhai shouted in anger.

"Before I achieve success, I won't appear in front of you," Yang Mo's words were icy, "When I appear in front of you again, you will suffer my humiliation."

With that, he paused for a moment, turned back, and added, "Tell Yiyi that I'm going to America and won't say goodbye to her."

With that, he walked away.

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[Modified a bit, the previous dramatic tension was too weak. PS: Please give me a recommendation vote.]

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