Chapter 280: Jean's Conspiracy and Schemes

Steady.

Jean Bas turned her head, speaking to the magician Johnson.

Her heart was filled with joy; she understood the game. At the start of the third quarter, the Lakers held the advantage everywhere, their multi‑superstar policy yielding unprecedented results, and Kuaisuan could only rely on Fan Xi to force a one‑on‑one to keep the balance.

Now, Kuaisuan's No. 2 figure once again publicly left the bench. This clearly meant that Fan Xi could not control the team, and the team's morale was severely squeezed.

What made Jean even happier was that Fan Xi and the Kardashian family got into a spat, meaning Fan Xi faced not only massive internal pressure but also external pressure that turned into a blade bearing down on him.

Fan Xi must face the backlash from tabloid news.

During the previous halftime, that scantily‑clad heiress was also a factor; Jean believed that spark had already ignited the superficial peace between Si Jia Li and Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te on the sidelines.

In Jean Bas's estimate: this game would bring the worst outcome for Fan Xi.

On the court, Fan Xi suffered a crushing defeat, the so‑called Miracle Child's golden body being trampled by the Lakers.

Off the court, his red‑haired confidante got into a fight, shattering his playboy image that had always been opportunistic.

If a double‑kill occurred both on and off the court, Kuaisuan's attempt to seize the Lakers' market in the City of Angels would be completely curbed. At the same time, as Fan Xi's personal myth shattered and his image collapsed, Fan Xi became an ordinary super‑star, his appeal and market value rapidly fading.

From then on, what could Kuaisuan still use to compete with the Lakers?

"History will give me a fair assessment, and time will return me absolute innocence."

Jean Bas's face grew increasingly confident.

Because she already had a new move.

…

Ding, the whistle sounds, the game continues.

The Lakers' possession.

Chris Paul dribbled into the frontcourt, Fan Xi pressuring the defense.

Saint Paul failed to cut into the paint, he passed to Pau Gasol, who faced Rashid Wallace; he showed off a series of footwork… Gasol attacked Wallace, and everyone thought he had the ball firmly in hand.

In fact, Rashid's defensive footwork could not keep up with Gasol.

But the Roaring Celestial, being experienced, lay in wait; when Gasol turned, about to make the final finish, a sudden slap came down… Snap!

The basketball, in the instant before Gasol's shot, was snatched by old Wallace with a slap, and he aggressively took it away.

He passed it to Fan Xi.

Gasol was still a bit slow to react.

His mind was a fog; he was wondering whether the old guy had committed a foul.

Fan Xi, however, had already launched a fierce fast break, powerfully reaching the frontcourt, diving into the paint, while Matt Barnes and Chris Paul simultaneously tried to double‑team him.

Yet in the split second before Fan Xi rose, Saint Paul's close‑out wasn't effective; Fan Xi slipped through, leapt and dunked… Boom!

Fan Xi's dunk steadied the fans' morale.

But the credit for the play undeniably belonged to the Roaring Celestial still on the floor.

Old Wallace, smugly, flexed his muscles to Yao on the sideline, saying, "Yao, I may not beat you, but I can still play in the NBA."

Yao Ming gave him a thumbs‑up on the sideline.

Before Yao Ming decided to return to Kuaisuan, he deliberately one‑on‑one'd Rashid Wallace, beating him badly enough that Wallace considered retiring again.

Now, with this ball, old Wallace had found his worth again.

However, this single play would not alter the overall strength balance on the court.

In the next possession, Pau Gasol assisted Dwight Howard for a dunk in the paint.

Howard's agility and quickness were something Kuameibulang lacked.

Although Kuameibulang made defending him painful, if someone fed Howard, the Beast's ability to devour the feed was undeniably stronger than Kuameibulang's.

But if the Beast were to take the ball and one‑on‑one Kuameibulang, his advantage would no longer be obvious.

Looking back, the Lakers applied a 'Jordan Rule' to Fan Xi, employing an almost laissez‑faire defense that focused on stopping Fan Xi from cutting into the paint and on his passing.

Chris Paul defended about half a meter in front of Fan Xi.

Fan Xi tried to pass to Carter, but found Carter tightly guarded, making it difficult to feed into the paint.

Kuaisuan's offense fell into a stalemate.

Fan Xi had to jump and shoot… it was a mid‑air shot.

Bang!

The shot rimmed out.

Howard grabbed the defensive rebound, passed to Paul to start the offense.

Paul and Howard set a pick‑and‑roll, cut into the paint, and scored with a floater.

The Lakers regained tactical initiative.

Since acquiring Howard, the Lakers' toughness far exceeds that of the Heat. The Heat's interior strength in the paint is weak, while the Lakers now resemble a hexagonal warrior with no flaws.

The only possible flaw is that they might suffer internal ball‑possession friction.

But tonight, on this crucial night, they complemented each other perfectly, working in unison.

Fan Xi was burning with impatience; the Lakers suddenly eased their defense on him, leaving him at a loss. His shooting efficiency rises with the level of defensive pressure, and only under ultra‑high difficulty defense can his efficiency stay at an ultra‑high level.

Now this lack of defense is essentially exposing his true form, isn't it?

Fan Xi launched a surge; his tremendous explosiveness, speed, and breakthrough skill let him easily cut into the paint, but he failed to seize the fleeting chance to pass the ball, ultimately having to rely on Pau Gasol to finish the shot.

Essentially, it's still superstar basketball.

Fan Xi solved it all with his individual ability.

"Kuaisuan is already at the end of a strong bow."

Bill Simmons, at this moment, made the final judgment, believing the Lakers had already won by a large margin.

Although the score gap had not yet widened.

But insiders look at the principles, while outsiders only enjoy the spectacle.

Little Robert was very excited; he was thrilled and proud of Jie Ke's performance. His father watched him quietly; lawyer Robert wanted to use this incident to teach his son a lesson. He hoped his son would become a calm, restrained, steady, wise, and discerning person like himself. Kuaisuan and the Lakers have already turned into a competition of two ideas within this family.

The game continues.

The Lakers control the pace, control the overall situation; anyone who knows a bit about basketball knows the Lakers are destined to win.

But Kobe, sitting on the bench, still feels a hint of unease.

Because the Lakers have not truly widened the score gap.

They hold the overall momentum, yet they are constantly outdone by Kuaisuan in certain details: not only Fan Xi, but also Carter, Leonard, Xiao Qiaodan, Kuameibulang… they always manage to launch unexpected attacks.

The Lakers set up a dense net, but Kuaisuan always manages to slip out at crucial moments.

The third quarter ends quickly.

97–92.

The Lakers lead by five points.

Fan Xi silently walks toward the bench; he already feels that Kuaisuan has nowhere to continue at this moment.

Nash's departure leaves Kuaisuan lacking tactical variation; although Bilupusi on the floor can stabilize the pace, Bilupusi has never been a player who drives the whole strategy with personal ability.

While passing the VIP seats by the court, another scantily‑clad woman suddenly stood up. She was sitting behind Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te. She stood and loudly declared her affection to Fan Xi: "Jie Ke, I love you so much. I want to be with you. I'm definitely more exciting than Tai and Si Jia Li; anything they can do, I can also…"

The woman looks extremely beautiful, and her figure is especially good.

Moreover, she can afford a seat here, indicating she is at least very wealthy.

This is already the second woman in this game to stand up and profess love to Fan Xi; fortunately, she didn't rush over to hug him.

Fan Xi frowned and returned to the bench.

At the same time, Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te, Si Jia Li, Johnson, and Liu Yifei all frowned.

Because before Fan Xi left the court, this woman had been loudly talking with her good friend behind him.

"…I'm very confident I'll hook up with Jie Ke tonight; if he sees how impressive I am… compared with those female stars, I'm not at all lacking. Though I don't have that much fame, I'm prettier, more graceful, and I'll serve men…"

"Jie Ke already has so many girlfriends; why would he mind adding another?"

"I love him so much; every night I sleep with his jersey as a pillow."

"I'll go to the Kuaisuan locker room in a moment; I have that privilege…"

…

The woman kept speaking loudly, explaining how she would carry out her plan; she spoke with perfect logic.

She showed no hesitation toward the two previously publicized duke's ladies.

Si Jia Li and Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te kept restraining their tempers.

Beside them, the Lakers die‑hard fan and famous director Ni Ke Er Sen also sensed their hostility, so he turned back and said to the lady, "Excuse me, could you lower your voice a bit?"

But the beautiful, curvy girl clearly didn't take Ni Ke Er Sen's hint; instead she cheerfully greeted him: "Hey, sir. The last time you were at my father's dinner, we met. You said I was very beautiful, you said I have a chance to go to Hao lai wu and become a famous actress…"

Ni Ke Er Sen regretted it then.

He wasn't sure whether he had attended that girl's father's party, but it seemed the girl was the daughter of a Los Angeles billionaire; her seat and the luxury items she wore everywhere testified to her distinguished background.

All these things made her appear like a proud peacock; she is confident about becoming the duke's woman for Jie Ke.

Of course, she will also pose a real threat to the previously mentioned duke's ladies.

Women are selfish; no one wants their man to be coveted, with people loudly scheming how to take him.

Ni Ke Er Sen stood up during the third‑quarter break; he needed a bit of quiet air, thinking it was too dangerous here.

When Ni Ke Er Sen stood up.

Jean Bas smiled.

She couldn't help but say to magician Johnson, "Erwin. My scheme worked; Jieke Fan will face his career‑ and life‑long Waterloo tonight."

Magician Johnson seemed not to understand.

He asked Jean, "What did you do?"

"Just some unique arrangements," Jean giggled.

A scent of conspiracy and intrigue.

…