Chapter 39

"Where did Taehee go?"

Yang Mo stood up and looked around. At that moment, his phone rang. He grabbed it and saw that it was a long-distance call from Lu Xueman. He quickly pressed the answer button.

As soon as the call connected, Lu Xueman's furious voice came through: "Yang Mo, what did I tell you when I left? How could you still cause trouble?"

Faced with Lu Xueman's angry questioning, Yang Mo seemed a bit confused and countered, "What's wrong? What trouble did I cause?"

"Look at the news yourself," Lu Xueman said irritably. "The media back home is in an uproar, and some people are even saying you've disgraced the country."

"Hey, what did I do?" Yang Mo, hearing the severity in Lu Xueman's words, felt a bit angry and said, "I didn't do anything!"

"You didn't do anything, and you've already been expelled from the rookie training camp, the first Chinese person ever."

"What?" Yang Mo exclaimed in shock.

"Look at the news yourself. You'd better give Pat Riley an explanation quickly. I believe he's furious right now. This year, he picked three problematic rookies, and he's probably been criticized by the media to no end." Lu Xueman hung up immediately after saying this.

Look at the news?

Yang Mo hurriedly put on his clothes, opened his phone's browser, and entered a sports website. Sure enough, the first prominent headline read: "Miami's Three Rookies All Expelled, League Issues Ban."

Huh?

Yang Mo quickly clicked on the link and read the news. It said that last night, service staff smelled marijuana outside Michael Beasley's room and immediately called the police. After the police cleared the area, they found Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers nodding their heads. Although no marijuana was found, they were still taken to the police station for investigation on suspicion of harboring marijuana. Another Heat rookie was not found in the hotel, violating the league's curfew rules. This morning, David Stern personally announced the punishment: all three rookies were expelled from the rookie training camp.

The last paragraph of the news couldn't resist teasing Pat Riley: "As is well known, Mr. Pat Riley is a renowned general manager known for his keen eye, but this year he seems to have developed some kind of old-age disease, choosing three problematic rookies. Is he planning to turn Miami into a second Portland prison?"

Damn! I was definitely dragged down by those two idiots.

Yang Mo cursed angrily. Violating the curfew would have at most resulted in a fine. Who knew those two would get high in the hotel? That's a classic case of screwing over your teammates. If they hadn't gotten high, the league might not have even known I wasn't in the hotel. Now, all of Miami's rookies have been expelled.

Pat Riley must be in a panic right now.

Yang Mo thought to himself and quickly called Pat Riley.

The call was soon answered, and before Yang Mo could speak, Pat Riley had already brought up the matter: "Yang, I know you didn't use marijuana, and you are also a victim in this. So, come back to Miami as soon as possible and don't talk to any reporters."

"..." Yang Mo was completely surprised that Pat Riley didn't blame him and was even considering his well-being. He couldn't help but feel touched: "Yes, sir."

"You shouldn't travel around this summer. The shooting coach said he has nothing to do and plans to train you all summer. The coach of the frontcourt is also interested in you. I think... you'll be busy."

"No problem." Yang Mo agreed without hesitation. It's just training, right? Pat Riley was so fair and didn't blame him; more training wouldn't hurt. After all, it's good for him.

"Alright, report to the training facility by noon tomorrow." Pat Riley briefly said and hung up.

Yang Mo hung up and let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, Pat Riley was reasonable; otherwise, he would have been truly screwed by those two.

Yang Mo got through this ordeal easily, but Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers didn't. Pat Riley took drastic measures, adding several harsh clauses to their contracts, which their agents had to agree to. Now that this scandal has broken out, they can only accept being undervalued.

Speaking of which, it's a good thing Yang Mo had already signed a contract with the Heat. Otherwise, Pat Riley would have treated him the same way he treated Beasley and Chalmers. Pat Riley is not someone to be trifled with.

Just as Yang Mo was feeling relieved, Jin Taehee returned with a basket of vegetables. Seeing that Yang Mo was up, she quickly said, "Mo, you're up?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'll make you breakfast." Jin Taehee said gently and hurried to the kitchen.

Her walk was a bit unsteady, a result of last night's intense activities. Looking at Jin Taehee's virtuous appearance, Yang Mo couldn't help but admire: Korean women are great, they are family-oriented and respect their husbands. Unlike modern Chinese girls, who always want to be on top of men, turning household chores like washing dishes and mopping the floor into men's duties, and even calling it feminism. A professor from Peking University said it well: Chinese feminism is essentially about getting something for nothing.

Yang Mo deeply agreed with this professor's view.

Soon, Jin Taehee had prepared a sumptuous breakfast, which, although Korean, was still acceptable to Yang Mo. He enjoyed the meal.

After finishing the meal, Yang Mo said, "I'm going to Miami tonight. What about you?"

"Ah? Leaving tonight?" Jin Taehee said with a hint of disappointment.

Yang Mo smiled and gently pinched her nose, saying, "I have to earn money, can't just be a kept man, right?"

"That's fine, I can earn money too," Jin Taehee said virtuously.

"But I don't want that," Yang Mo said a bit seriously. "How can a man let a woman support him?"

"But..." Jin Taehee pouted, her face full of reluctance.

Yang Mo leaned in and kissed her, saying, "I'll be waiting for you in Miami."

"I'll be back in Seoul in a couple of days. I have to shoot a TV drama and a movie, so I might not be able to be with you for a while," Jin Taehee said apologetically.

"I can come to Seoul to see you," Yang Mo said confidently, raising his eyebrows. "When I have money, I'll buy a plane and fly to Seoul every day."

"Okay!" Jin Taehee stood up and hugged Yang Mo happily.

Seeing Jin Taehee's contented and happy face, Yang Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of masculine satisfaction. For a man, having a woman unconditionally depend on him is a very fulfilling thing. Men come into this world to conquer women; their careers are just a side matter.

In the afternoon, the two reluctantly parted ways. Jin Taehee personally saw Yang Mo off to the airport. They had wanted to have one more round, but Jin Taehee was too exhausted, so they just shared a deep kiss and promised to meet again soon.

The next day, Yang Mo reported to the training camp in Miami. When he arrived, Pat Riley was already there with five training coaches.

"Yang, this is shooting coach Rick, ball-handling coach Bender, rebounding coach Blake, defense coach Dudley, and strength coach Curry. Your summer starts now," Pat Riley said with a smile.

Looking at the five coaches all smiling at him, Yang Mo suddenly sensed a hint of conspiracy.

This... is going to be an unusual summer.

[First update delivered, four more to come. Please recommend, collect, and click. PS: Thanks to "孤风№傲视√" for the tip and "焰火十三" for the evaluation.]