Chapter 396: Higher Is Definitely Better

Fan Xi, before leaving the United States for Asia, submitted his new national team roster to the basketball association leadership, head coach, and coaching advisory team.

Center: Yao Ming, Zhang Zhaoxu, Han Dejun.

Power forward: Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhiji.

Small forward: Ding Yanyuhang, Zhu Fangyu, Zhou Peng.

Shooting guard: Wang Shipeng, Xi Re.

Point guard: Fan Xi, Guo Ailun.

This roster was clearly a bit unexpected; in fact, Fan Xi made some tweaks, adding Lao Wang, whereas his original list didn't even include Lao Wang.

However, now he still removed two guards who played in the 2008 Olympics and made outstanding contributions to the national team.

Fan Xi gave no explanation for his actions; he simply believed the lineup was more suitable and reasonable.

Mike Brown and Bilupusi fully agreed with Fan Xi's approach; they are not entangled in Chinese domestic personal relationships, and their judgment was based on team chemistry and overall style of play.

As for how to explain this matter going forward, that will be left to the national team's leadership.

Of course, they could also make changes.

But they won't do so.

Fan Xi's opinion is the final guidance for this national team. Read the book.

It will certainly spark some public opinion.

But Fan Xi can't manage all that; he's about to set off for Asia to start his business trip, and many tasks await him.

…

As Fan Xi's plane crossed the entire Pacific toward the island nation to begin his business trip, the Dream Team's roster also emerged early.

The Dream Team training camp, lacking Kobe, clearly suffers from insufficient cohesion.

The root cause is that the Super Platinum Generation cannot hold the arena.

Before Kobe retired, his words carried weight; whether it was James's generation or the newer generation, when disputes arose, Kobe could step in as an arbitrator.

Now, James can't hold it down. Although he is the recognized Heaven's Chosen Son and has a group of good brothers—the Banana Boat brothers are all present.

However, precisely because he forms a small clique, some of the new generation's superstars are displeased.

Moreover, because James repeatedly lost the finals to the new generation's superstar Fan Xi, the new generation's superstars' filter on him has already shattered.

According to rumors, during a training session, Rosa came from behind and gave James a soaring block, slamming both James and the ball down; the scene was extremely shocking.

However, after being blocked, James walked over to the Rosa team on the sideline and demanded they hand over the video tape… At that moment, the Rosa team was filming a documentary to record his first national team journey.

They were allowed to film by the Dream Team and the authorities.

But James broke that tacit agreement after the block, forcibly trying to seize the tape.

This caused some setbacks.

Although the final report was vague, even resembling a street‑tabloid style.

However, Fan Xi and Rosa spoke on the phone; he learned this was the reality. The final mediation was that Rosa agreed to cut the footage of James being blocked from the final documentary.

This sounds extremely unreasonable, and Rosa was very upset.

And what upset Rosa even more occurred with the announcement of the final roster.

Rosa was omitted.

The Dream Team ultimately selected two point guards: Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

The Dream Team explained that because Kobe Bryant is not participating, they needed to strengthen the shooting guard position, so they only chose two.

This left Rosa and Westbrook very dissatisfied.

Westbrook indeed sprained his ankle during training, but authoritative doctors said he wouldn't miss any games and only needed a week of rest.

"Why let that weakling go?"

Rosa was truly angry; he is usually taciturn, but this time he had his brother speak publicly in the media.

His gun pointed at Deron and also at Paul: "They fell behind long ago; who still treats them as superstars? The league's top three point guards now are Derek, Jie Ke, and Russell!"

"Just because those two want to avenge American basketball? Dream on, Jie Ke will blow them up inside and out!"

Rosa's brother said it bluntly.

And this selection indeed raises questions; originally three point guards should have been chosen, but only two were selected. You say it's because Kobe is injured, which is a plausible explanation. Picking Chris Paul is fine; he indeed meshes well with James and the others and has great court vision. But picking Deron? After his serious injury, Deron clearly fell behind—both Westbrook and Derek Rose are better than him.

The American basketball community harbors considerable doubts about this roster.

But the Dream Team offered no further explanation.

Aside from the point guards.

The shooting guard slots are filled by James Harden, Andre Iguodala, Dwyane Wade, and Joe Johnson.

The small forward positions: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, LeBron James.

The interior: Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis.

The emergence of this lineup is not surprising; the current American basketball scene has entered a middle‑generation era led by James.

However, some critics think the Dream Team's front line is overly strong, while the #1 and #5 positions appear somewhat weak.

The weak interior has long been a tradition; the U. S. basketball world hasn't produced top‑tier big men for many years.

Especially this year, Dwight Howard did not make the U. S. team training camp.

Yet the #1 position choice still raises some concern.

Even more worrisome is that without a veteran of Kobe's stature presiding, the Dream Team might repeat the pre‑2008 fiasco.

Although James's generation dominates the NBA, they are the ones pulling the strings.

However, on the international stage they can be described as repeatedly falling in defeat… If not for the veteran additions of Kobe, Kidd and others in 2008, the proclamation of the ultimate Dream Team would not have emerged.

Will this time in London revert to the pre‑2008 nightmare?

Some concerns have arisen within the United States.

However, James quickly told the media: Our trip to London this time is nothing but victory. Only a gold medal can match our strongest lineup.

James's proclamation steadied the uneasy hearts.

After all, the Dream Team's strength is indisputable; how could so many superstars be outmatched on the international stage? Their sheer talent can outclass the combined players of every nation except the United States.

Otherwise, why would they be called the Dream Team?

…

Fan Xi garnered support in the island nation that emptied the streets, and his arrival left the airport paralyzed.

Wherever Fan Xi went, crowds swarmed, and everyone looked forward to meeting him.

Several of Fan Xi's events here were halted midway because the crowd was too dense.

The TV station that interviewed Fan Xi saw its ratings soar past the annual record.

"To be honest, these seemingly demure Asian girls are crazier than those punk girls from the West," Lu Yuan said to Fan Xi, still trembling.

Moreover, he suggested Fan Xi visit here a few times each year. "The money here is just too easy to make."

Fan Xi may not be someone who falls into a money pit, but he is extremely happy now.

At this earning rate, he could repay the loan for buying Kuaisuan well before the end of next year.

In fact, Kuaisuan's market value now exceeds $2.6 billion, nearly tripling. Winning the championship is one factor; the 20‑year contract with Time Warner is another crucial factor.

After Time Warner announced its partnership with Kuaisuan, Si Telin reportedly fainted from anger and was taken to the hospital.

The attending physician told the media: He kept shouting… "This is robbery, this is blatant robbery; Jie Ke Fan swaggered into my house and took $2 billion."

For Si Telin, this was clearly an unprecedented loss.

Basketball has wounded his heart.

When the Bass family bought the Lakers, they borrowed his money.

Then, just as he finally saw Kuaisuan's rise, a tape ruined him; he watched helplessly as tens of billions of dollars slipped away. His current net worth is still $2.6 billion.

Put yourself in his shoes; who wouldn't be furious.

Honestly, when the tape of Fan Xi and Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te surfaced, he once imagined the NBA forcing Fan Xi to sell his shares. But the NBA did nothing, and the media and those crazy women continued to idolize him, which broke the old man's heart into pieces.

…

Fan Xi lay in his luxury home in Gangnam, Seoul, explaining the tape to Yun Er.

He said it was just an accident.

Yun Er is a smart girl; she certainly knows what an "accident" is, but she won't waste her precious time on such trivial matters. She opened her arms and embraced Fan Xi, like a crabapple blossom in a sudden storm.

Fan Xi gave his all, pouring his whole being into it.

It was a pleasant evening.

In Hanguo, Fan Xi's fame is immense, and his rumored romance with Yun Er is known nationwide. Usually, Hanguo is very strict about idols dating, but dating Fan Xi is something they feel proud of… a strange mentality.

So when Fan Xi appears beside Yun Er, both the agency and the public rejoice, as if celebrating a victory;

Even a reporter asked Fan Xi, "Would you join the Hanguo team after winning a gold medal for the Zhongguo team, if you marry quickly?"

Um…

Fan Xi truly didn't know how to answer.

The next morning, Yun Er asked him, "I want your championship ring from this year as a gift."

Fan Xi felt embarrassed; it wasn't that he was stingy, but because the ring had already been reserved by another woman—Si Jia Li—since he saw Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te with Fan Xi's last year's championship ring.

That probably explains why Yun Er sought the championship ring from Fan Xi.

Watching

Yun Er continued, "Alright then. If you win this year's Olympic gold medal, would you be willing to give it to me?"

Olympic gold medal?

Fan Xi wouldn't even dare imagine such a thing.

Yun Er, however, dared to think about it.

Fan Xi couldn't help but smile and said, "Alright, if I get the gold medal, I'll give it to you—at least half of it. I'll cut it with a knife."

"Okay, I love this idea. 'Broken mirror reunited,' does that mean the same in Chinese? This is truly a special token of love, so Jie Ke, you must keep it up!!"

Yun Er said loudly and excitedly;

Fan Xi underestimated Yun Er; he thought she was exhausted, but she still managed to produce such a loud voice—her energy is strong.

Fan Xi pulled the blanket over his head….

…

Fan Xi's trip to Hanguo was quite fruitful, and Lu Yuan was also more relentless. If last year they only signed cooperation contracts with international big names, this time Lu Yuan even targeted local home‑appliance brands, car ads, telecom equipment… even kitchenware.

Because he found that filming videos wasn't necessary; a few photos holding the products and a short tagline would suffice.

Money comes so easily; who would refuse?

Chen Ye said, "Fan Xi, I admire you so much. In the past only Japanese and Korean stars came to Zhongguo to make money, but now you're basically looting. Your deeds should be a lesson for domestic stars. To earn money, go abroad and earn!"

It's clear that Chen Ye despises the inaction of domestic stars.

Before heading to the United States for bit parts as a martial‑arts advisor, he had also worked in Zhongguo; he once aspired to be an action star like Jackie Chan or Jet Li, and in his words, even ending up as Wang Baoqiang would be fine.

But fate didn't grant his wish.

"…I'm now returning home in splendor. Who could have thought I'm now a millionaire in the United States. Dollars!" Chen Ye shook his Armani suit, which Dr. Lei Si had prepared for him before he left.

"If your training company keeps expanding, I think becoming a multimillionaire isn't especially hard," Fan Xi encouraged Chen Ye.

Chen Ye laughed heartily: "That's what they call when one person attains the Dao and his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

"Are you a chicken or a dog?" Lu Yuan teased him.

"Either works, I accept both," Chen Ye said cheerfully. "Anyway, if I'm the chicken, you're the dog."

Lu Yuan also laughed along.

They indeed made a lot of money following Fan Xi.

…

Fan Xi returned domestically, and just like before, there was a massive crowd picking him up. Fan Xi's popularity was extremely high, but fortunately, there were also many male fans picking him up domestically, unlike in Japan and Korea, where they only stared at Fan Xi's looks and kept shouting 'bedside table bedside table'.

Compared to that, domestic is still more normal.

Fan Xi finally got into the car with difficulty, and then the car drove all the way to the hotel.

Under the coverage of long and short guns, Fan Xi entered the elevator under the protection of security personnel, went up the floor, and directly accepted media interviews.

The schedule was very tight, fortunately the time difference had been adjusted in the two neighboring countries.

And the first question in the interview was also very direct.

The reporter asked: "Fan Xi, what results do you think our national team can achieve this year under your and Yao Ming's leadership? Quarterfinals? Semifinals? Or the medal that fans have long been hoping for?"

Fan Xi thought for a moment and said: "Of course, the higher the better."

…