Chapter 46

Yang Mo drove the car, taking Lu Xueman home. Throughout the journey, Lu Xueman's face was heavy and very serious, making Yang Mo somewhat nervous. He wondered if this was a sign of an impending volcanic eruption, so he kept his mouth tightly shut, fearing that he might bring disaster upon himself.

Yang Mo was very careful and remained silent. After a while, Lu Xueman finally spoke, her tone not angry but very earnest: "Yang Mo, you're twenty this year. You're not a child anymore. Look, how much trouble have you caused recently? Now all the media think you're a troublemaker. Do you think it feels good to be at odds with the whole world?"

"I enjoy it very much," Yang Mo replied seriously. "I said at the talent show that I would use the stones others throw at me to build the most luxurious castle. Now there are so many stones, which means I can build the most luxurious and grand castle in the world."

"Do you know what your current commercial value is?" Lu Xueman said, frustrated by his lack of progress, deeply disappointed by Yang Mo's response.

"I don't know," Yang Mo shook his head, showing an indifferent attitude.

"It's zero, or even negative. Originally... as a Chinese player, your market was very good, and you were a lottery pick. But now, through a series of actions, you've messed yourself up. Major brands won't even consider you, and you look down on the smaller brands."

"Remember, a basketball player can only be ruined by poor performance on the court, not by anything else. Look at Allen Iverson; he's always been in trouble, but he's still a very valuable player commercially. And take the great basketball god Michael Jordan; he had a lot of problems off the court, but who can deny his miracles on the court?" Yang Mo shrugged and turned to educate Lu Xueman: "I know you're very disappointed as my agent for not getting commercial sponsorships, but... this is just the beginning. Trust me, things will get better in the future."

"Let's not talk about the future. Let's talk about the present," Lu Xueman shook her head, took out a stack of newspapers from her bag, and handed them to Yang Mo, saying, "These are the most famous sports newspapers in the United States. Look, there's not a single piece of news that looks good for you. Even in our own country, very few people are optimistic about you. Everyone thinks you'll return home in disgrace after your first contract."

"Haven't you seen me play?" Yang Mo asked, then slapped his head, "Right, you haven't seen me play."

"To be honest, after reading these analyses, I don't think you'll perform well either," Lu Xueman said pessimistically.

Seeing that even the person closest to him was affected, Yang Mo couldn't help but ask himself: Am I really that bad?

The answer was no. Yang Mo didn't think he was bad. After more than a month of professional training, he felt he could stand his ground in the NBA. His coaches were very confident in him, and even his shooting coach, Rick, told him he could compete for Rookie of the Year. Although Yang Mo knew this was a joke, it also indirectly proved his strength.

"Let's wait and see. The regular season starts in less than half a month, anyway," Yang Mo smiled confidently.

"I hope you can put up impressive numbers," Lu Xueman still looked pessimistic.

Faced with Lu Xueman's pessimism, Yang Mo could only give a helpless smile. Besides silently cheering himself on, he could only look forward to the games, which would truly boost his morale. Talking about it now was just empty talk, far less effective than a satisfying game.

Yang Mo was waiting for the regular season to start, but someone was waiting for him in the preseason, and that person was the Brooklyn Nets' Brook Lopez, the same Lopez who had been kicked in the buttocks by Yang Mo at the Orlando training camp.

To some extent, the focus of the Nets vs. Heat game was the China Derby, Yi Jianlian vs. Yang Mo. However, Brook Lopez, for some reason, jumped in to steal the spotlight: "Yes, I will kick the Chinese Yang's butt hard in the game. I don't think he deserves to be ranked ahead of me; he doesn't even deserve to be selected. I will humiliate him with my stats!"

Brook Lopez made bold statements to the media. Now that Yang Mo was a hot topic, anyone who provoked him could make headlines. Lopez, of course, didn't want to miss this opportunity, especially since he had a grudge against Yang Mo.

That afternoon, the Heat officially announced that Yang Mo would not participate in the preseason trip to Europe, citing health issues.

Hearing this news, Brook Lopez became even more arrogant, continuing to make bold statements to the media: "Ha, that Chinese kid is a coward. He's useless, and he's avoiding the game because he's afraid of me. He can avoid the preseason, but he can't avoid the regular season. I'll still teach him a lesson and show him what an American center is like."

Brook Lopez's smug face made Yang Mo grind his teeth in anger. After watching the video, he immediately called Pat Riley, requesting to be released from the suspension to participate in the preseason.

However, Pat Riley refused: "Let him be arrogant for a few more days. The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall. I believe you can beat him to the ground."

With Pat Riley's refusal, Yang Mo had to endure.

The next day, on his way to the training facility, Yang Mo was intercepted by a bold reporter. After repeated questioning, Yang Mo finally broke his silence and spoke to the reporter: "Tell that little punk from the Nets, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, whether in Miami or New Jersey, I can handle him anytime, anywhere. Also, remind him not to forget who beat him to the ground at the Orlando training camp. Finally, the Heat's second regular season game is against the New Jersey Nets. Even though it's an away game, I'll still make him cry and call for his mom."

After saying this, he stepped on the gas and sped away.