Chapter 45

Yang Mo subconsciously took a step back and turned to look behind him. Pat Riley and Lu Xueman ran over anxiously.

Taking advantage of Yang Mo's pause, Dwyane Wade and the others quickly moved forward to embrace Yang Mo again. They were genuinely afraid that Yang Mo would use the fire extinguisher to attack Marion, as Yang Mo's demeanor suggested he was determined to beat Marion to death.

Seeing Yang Mo being held, Marion quickly ran to the side in fear.

"What are you crazy about?" Lu Xueman scolded as soon as she arrived. "Tell me, how many troubles have you caused me in this period?"

"He called me a yellow-skinned pig, shouldn't I beat him to death?" Yang Mo shouted, his neck stiff. He almost never raised his voice in front of women, but today he was truly furious. Marion had thoroughly provoked him. Or rather, Marion had become the fuse that ignited Yang Mo's accumulated anger over the past month.

Over the past month, almost all American media had been questioning and criticizing Yang Mo. Although Yang Mo remained unmoved, the anger in his heart had been building up. When Marion used discriminatory words again today, it instantly ignited all his resentment. The consequences, of course, were far beyond what Marion could bear. If no one had held Yang Mo back just now, Marion would have ended up in the hospital with more than just a few broken bones.

"Would beating him to death do you any good? Once you're locked up in jail, they'll still call you a yellow-skinned pig. If you're a man, you should beat him on the court, not by using your fists. That's the behavior of a barbarian." Lu Xueman immediately overpowered Yang Mo with a louder voice.

The two of them spoke in Chinese, and although the people around them didn't understand, they knew that Lu Xueman was trying to calm down the exposed Yang Mo.

Clang!

Yang Mo loosened his grip, and the fire extinguisher fell to the ground. As soon as the fire extinguisher was thrown, Marion let out a deep sigh of relief. He was genuinely terrified this time. If he had known how difficult Yang Mo was to provoke at the beginning, he would have used Mario Chalmers to set an example.

Seeing Yang Mo throw away the fire extinguisher, Pat Riley instructed Wade and the others to release the gradually calming Yang Mo, then pointed at him and said, "Yang, come to my office with me."

Hearing this, Yang Mo hesitated for a moment but still followed Pat Riley.

After the incident in New York and the events from his teenage years, Yang Mo was very grateful to Pat Riley. The reason he chose to stop just now was largely due to Pat Riley.

Entering Pat Riley's office, Pat Riley did not fly into a rage but instead pointed to the seat opposite him and said sternly, "Sit!"

Yang Mo sat down as instructed.

"Your behavior today has disappointed me greatly," Pat Riley said with disappointment. "No matter what the reason, you were wrong, and you must accept the punishment."

"I accept it," Yang Mo nodded without hesitation, acknowledging the punishment.

Yang Mo's quick and sincere acceptance of the punishment surprised Pat Riley slightly, but he then said earnestly, "I have high hopes for you, which is why I took a huge risk to sign you. I hope you can become a star on the court, not a thug. Now, everyone outside is waiting to see our embarrassment. I hope you can strive for yourself and for me. We are on the same boat, do you understand?"

Hearing Pat Riley's words, Yang Mo looked at him gratefully and nodded, saying, "I understand."

"Players must have spirit, and that's right. But you can't resort to violence against your teammates, especially when you use a weapon. Didn't you know that thing could kill someone if you hit them with it? Now, Shawn can easily sue you for attempted murder, and he has a very good chance of winning."

"It was he who insulted me first, and he used racial slurs," Yang Mo argued.

After hearing Yang Mo's explanation, Pat Riley breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least Yang Mo didn't attack someone for no reason. If he had, they would have had to test him for violent tendencies. However, he still scolded, "No matter what, hitting someone is wrong."

Yang Mo remained silent. Clearly, he still didn't think he was wrong; he just felt he had let Pat Riley down and was willing to accept the punishment.

Seeing Yang Mo's silence, Pat Riley didn't say anything more but directly announced the punishment: "Given this violent behavior, I must punish you, or the whole team will have an opinion. You will not participate in any preseason games, which is a suspension. Additionally, you will be fined $20,000. Do you have any objections?"

"No," Yang Mo agreed, though he was still不服 in his heart.

"Good. Go back and reflect on your actions. I'll handle the rest."

"Okay."

Yang Mo nodded, turned, and left the office, then led the still angry Lu Xueman to the parking lot.

After Yang Mo left, Pat Riley quickly called Shawn Marion into the office. As soon as Marion entered, he began to complain loudly, "Riley, what did you do? How could you be so foolish as to bring such a thug into our team?"

"Calm down, Shawn," Pat Riley said with a slight smile.

"I can't calm down, sir," Shawn Marion became even more agitated. "I must go to court and sue him to put him in jail."

"Ha ha," Pat Riley smiled and said, "You mustn't do that. I don't want to lose two players at once."

"What do you mean?" Shawn Marion asked, puzzled.

"He assaulted you, and he might be sentenced to up to six months in jail or community service. But you, on the other hand, might be charged with racial discrimination, and then... I might have to lose a hardworking and talented forward," Pat Riley said calmly, shifting all the blame to Shawn Marion.

"He's suspected of attempted murder!" Shawn Marion shouted in protest.

"But in fact, it was just a push, and we have cameras in the training facility," Pat Riley shrugged, still protecting Yang Mo. To him, Yang Mo was much more important than Shawn Marion. Last year, bringing in Marion was just to get rid of Shaquille O'Neal's salary burden. Now... the team already had a younger Beasley, and Marion's role was not as significant.

"..." Marion, who was no match for Pat Riley in verbal sparring, was left speechless.

At this moment, Pat Riley continued, "I have already punished Yang. He is suspended for seven games and fined $20,000."

"Great!" Marion immediately gave Pat Riley a thumbs up, feeling that most of his anger had been vented.

"But," Pat Riley changed the subject, "as an old player, you didn't set a good example and instead got into a conflict with a rookie. You must also be punished."

"I..." Marion quickly tried to defend himself, but Pat Riley didn't give him the chance, announcing the punishment directly: "I am suspending you for three games and fining you $10,000."

"I..."

"Are you不服?" Pat Riley raised an eyebrow and asked.

Seeing Pat Riley's gesture, Marion quickly nodded and said, "I accept."

"Since you are an old player, you need the preseason to find your form, so the suspension will be moved to the first three regular-season games."

"Okay." Seeing Pat Riley's considerate approach, Marion's mood improved. He felt that Pat Riley still valued him as an old player, at least the punishment was lighter than Yang Mo's, and the suspension was moved to the regular season.

"Alright, you can go now."

Pat Riley waved his hand, and Shawn Marion left the office in a good mood.

He felt he had won.

But in reality, the moment he left, Pat Riley shook his head heavily and placed him on the trade list. As soon as the trading window opened, he would likely have to pack his bags and leave unless he produced astonishing data in the meantime.

The reason Pat Riley didn't suspend him during the preseason was, first, to help him recover his form, which would benefit the team. Second, to keep him away from Yang Mo to avoid any further incidents. Third, the three regular-season games he would miss would give Yang Mo enough playing time to shine, and no one would compete for his position. Yang Mo would be able to unleash his full potential.

Pat Riley was called the "Master Strategist" because he was meticulous in his actions. This time, he had clearly slapped Marion twice, yet Marion still felt he had come out on top.

...

[Second update delivered, please give recommendations and collections. PS: Thank you to "孤风№傲视√" for the 588 reward, and thank you to "背点儿" for the 100 reward.]

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