Chapter 420: I Gave You Freedom, Then Set It on Fire

Huaiti Seda and Mili Xiqi are completely opposite; he signed together with Mili Xiqi, but he still maintains a cautious stance, and his body has gained some muscle since the signing.

This shows that he has been training hard during this off‑season.

Of course, Mili Xiqi must have been working out too, otherwise he wouldn't have slimmed down.

Little Jordan has put on a layer of fat, and Nowitzki has also gotten fat; even Han Mi Er Dun has gotten fat.

A long off‑season always brings some indulgences, which is perfectly normal in the NBA. Hence there are pre‑season training camps and preseason games.

These games are for players to find their rhythm.

Fan Xi also met Deng Tai Qiong Si; he seemed a shy fellow, not as fierce as rumors suggested, and even the toughest defenders have a less talkative side.

Fan Xi greeted Deng Tai Qiong Si, welcoming him to the Kuaisuan.

Li Ji Lu Bi Ao is an old acquaintance of Fan Xi, but he isn't as close with the other players; he also appears shy, even a bit aloof… this is a common issue for international players, a cultural and geographic gap.

Butler and Leonard are both in excellent shape; Leonard has become stronger, and Butler's face is starting to show a double chin.

"ESPN is the most disgusting media I've ever seen." Jimmy ran over to discuss this with Fan Xi: "They actually ranked me in the eighties and you in third. I don't see any way Le Bu Lang Zhang Si and Du Lan Te are better than you; they're just wearing a black skin."

Only Ba Le Te could say that; if Fan Xi said something like this, he would be spewed on and forced to leave the United States.

Fan Xi didn't respond to him, just said, "Jimmy, I heard you've been dating Mai Li Sai Le Si lately?"

Ba Le Te chuckled, saying, "Yes, we're seeing each other; I like white girls."

Butler never hides his preference; he's dated many blond‑eyed women, and Fan Xi has seen him many times with a white "milk cow."

Ba Le Te is more of a romance‑talking type off the court, whereas fellow Gemini Leonard rarely makes any moves in relationships.

Mai Li Sai Le Si is Disney's little princess, a breakout star of the new generation, and debuted in the same batch as Sai Lin Na.

"Keep within the limits," Fan Xi reminded Butler.

Then he started chatting with Leonard.

Leonard isn't a good communicator, but he's willing to discuss his vacation with Fan Xi; he feels a familial bond toward Fan Xi and trusts him deeply.

He talked about the huge fish he caught while vacationing in Hawaii, the RV he bought for his uncle, and, of course, spent most of the time discussing his post moves and mid‑range jump shots.

Fan Xi told him, "You'll have plenty of time in the new season to hone your skills."

Fan Xi decided to play shooting guard in the new season.

The Clippers' players and coaching staff quickly shot a new‑season family portrait and some individual promotional photos.

Then they organized a media‑open shoot, with the players running a full‑court drill for the reporters, mostly form over substance.

Then the players began taking interviews.

Fan Xi, of course, was surrounded by the most reporters.

And the most frequently asked question was still about the Olympic gold medal from over a month ago.

That gold medal is a disgrace to American basketball, a repeatedly painful scar.

"To me, that was a victory of great significance; my teammates and I earned the highest honor for our country, and my compatriots went crazy for basketball again. I'm glad I could be part of it."

"But that honor is now in the past for me. My eyes are on the upcoming new season; I hope to solidify existing honors while achieving new feats in the new season."

Fan Xi answered these questions with steady composure.

His emotions remain absolutely stable; he won't be thrown off by prickly questions from ill‑intent journalists. Fan Xi's psychological threshold is now extremely high, as if his brainwaves haven't been lit up in ages.

When faced with reporters' questions, Fan Xi is accustomed to spouting the right kind of nonsense.

The 15‑minute interview ended when a reporter asked Fan Xi, "Jie Ke, do you think Zhan Ni Fu An Ni Si Dun is hinting that she wants to have a child with you?"

Fan Xi said he wouldn't answer such a basketball‑irrelevant question.

Then the reporter added, "Jennifer said she wants to buy a stake in an NBA team; do you think she's aiming to buy shares of the Kuaisuan?"

Fan Xi waved his hand and left the boring reporter.

Zhan Ni Fu An Ni Si Dun did collaborate with Fan Xi; Fan Xi's first on‑screen kiss was with her, but the age gap is considerable. Fan Xi holds no grudge against Jennifer; rather, he thinks… such a scenario would make him look like a full‑blown stud.

"Oh, right, Jie Ke. Someone in New York is asking me whether the Kuaisuan's shares are for sale," Fan Xi said as he entered the locker room, receiving a call from Lu Yuan.

"It's Zhan Ni Fu An Ni Si Dun."

The name Lu Yuan mentioned made Fan Xi freeze; he quickly said, "Not selling, not selling! No one's buying!"

"Even at a $3 billion valuation for a 5% stake, still not selling?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Um…" Fan Xi calmed down.

The price she offered was just too high.

Fan Xi originally spent only a modest sum to buy the Kuaisuan; now someone is willing to spend $150 million for a 5% stake—what a profit! Fan Xi could clear all his original debts and still have surplus.

"Continue negotiations with them," Fan Xi said calmly.

Lu Yuan on the other end kept affirming and, before hanging up, said, "Jie Ke, you're becoming more and more entrepreneurial."

Hm?

Is that an insult to me? Or is it an insult to me?

…

The new season's preseason arrives on October 29.

During this not‑so‑long period, Fan Xi's brief training‑camp interview was interpreted as: Fan Xi not only aims to defend the championship, but also to win Finals MVP, regular‑season MVP, All‑Star MVP, Most Valuable Player, and Defensive Player of the Year…

Fan Xi not only has no respect for Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, his ire points directly at the even more distant Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan. Evil basketball forces from the East have already begun plotting a new scheme…

Sometimes, Fan Xi finds these reports amusing.

Yet these pieces are detailed, and someone even interviewed Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan. Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan, now playing golf, said impatiently, "If I were on the Dream Team, we wouldn't have lost the gold medal this year."

"The Dream Team didn't lose to Jieke Fan; they lost to themselves."

Jordan's words can be interpreted any way.

The media loves to read it as: Jordan is dissatisfied with Fan Xi, yearning to return to his youth to duel Jieke Fan to the death.

Fan Xi, arms around Tai Lei Si Wu Fu Te's waist at the MTV Awards, marked their first publicly intimate moment in the media.

Although the recording gate controversy has already passed, when the two appeared so intimately on the award stage to receive the award for their duet… it still sent the entire Nokia Theater into a frenzy.

Jimmy Butler in the audience clapped wildly; he had come with Mai Li Sai Le Si, and he even stood up to whistle.

The atmosphere throughout the theater was extremely lively.

Here, there aren't that many annoying basketball experts.

In the realm of music, Fan Xi is still respected… because he truly cannot dominate the American music scene.

Fan Xi and Taylor stood on stage; who wouldn't say they were a match made in heaven, a golden boy and jade girl pair?

Even their heights matched perfectly, allowing them to pull off poses that ordinary people can't comprehend, no wonder they could crash into a nightstand.

"I'm delighted that MTV awarded us Best Single; thank them for the recognition, thank the fans for their support. Of course, I must also thank my best partner beside me." Taylor Swift spoke first.

Fan Xi added afterward, "Taylor is one of the most musically talented female singers I've ever seen; she can fully lead this era."

At that moment, the audience below began to heckle, demanding they kiss each other.

Even the host was smirking while keeping time.

Fan Xi was still hesitating, then Taylor Swift turned around; in front of everyone at the ceremony, she tightly embraced Fan Xi and then kissed him.

And

She also stuck out her tongue.

Oh my God!

It was a romantic, thirty‑second French wet kiss.

The crowd on site went wild.

Oh my God!

All of America went crazy over this kiss.

At that moment, the camera cut to Sai Linna in the audience.

Her expression was visibly stiff; she became very upset.

The renowned Time magazine described Sai Linna's expression with a classic line: "Winter is coming, the war has begun!!"

Taylor Swift's kiss is considered to have broken the balance among duchess ladies; before this, no one had ever displayed affection so publicly, and they seemed to have formed some strange equilibrium.

But now, at this critical moment, Taylor announced her sovereign status to all of America and the world.

Know that within the past half‑month, Kobe Bryant's wife Wa Ni Sha said in an interview, "Jie Ke is now yearning for marriage." That remark stirred many people.

It is considered the reason why Taylor Swift made such an impulsive move at the ceremony.

Honestly, when Fan Xi was force‑kissed by Taylor, his mind went blank.

He even felt a strong surge… if Taylor could have lasted a bit longer, Fan Xi thought his brainwaves would be triggered.

But she ended it quickly just as Fan Xi began to feel something, leaving him with a sense of "that's it."

"Do you find it exciting?" Taylor whispered to Fan Xi as she left the stage, with a hint of a victor's swagger.

Fan Xi gave no answer.

He decided it wasn't enough; he still hadn't attained true satisfaction.

That night, Fan Xi spent time at Sai Linna's house; while driving home, Sai Linna kept calling the songwriter to complain, angry that it wasn't her song that won and that she gave the chance to Taylor Swift.

The songwriter was also puzzled, politely saying, "If you think you can do it, go ahead."

Sai Linna clearly wasn't up to it; she wasn't a creative prodigy.

She also had to devote some energy to acting.

Then she began to complain, claiming Taylor Swift might have deliberately leaked the recording; now she's the victim, she received hundreds of millions in compensation, she got the trophy, and she even did that…

Fan Xi saw the concrete shape of a woman's jealousy for the first time.

Then, that night, Sai Linna asked him to perform many unexpected actions.

Fan Xi felt an unprecedented thrill.

He enjoys this kind of healthy competition.

"You may no longer have any intimate actions with her in public, Jie Ke!"

Fan Xi returned to the arena bearing Sai Linna's instructions.

On basketball media, experts have already penned various articles analyzing how Fan Xi is an evil, manipulative woman‑player‑toying bad man.

A writer named Huo Ling Ge wrote the following, effectively pinning Fan Xi down: "Jie Ke's tactics in love are the same as on the court; he always crafts a 'genderless' image, alternating between assists, crashing for rebounds, and breaking through defenses. Most importantly, he loves clutch shots, shows endless tricks, never knows satisfaction; his on‑court flirtation is reflected only in his varied stats. Off the court, however, he directly harms those radiant female stars, turning them into his own statistics…"

Amid such revelry and criticism, Fan Xi's 12‑13 season began.

Frankly, even before it started, Fan Xi already foresaw a season full of vanity and illusion.

The Clippers' first preseason opponent was the Sart Mento Kings.

Typically, preseason games involve NBA teams from neighboring states playing each other to find form.

The Kings' current leader is Kao Xin Si, a highly promising center praised as the best technically among the new generation. Strictly speaking, he's a rookie from Fan Xi's class; he and Yue Han Wo Er were college classmates, yet their attitudes toward Fan Xi differ sharply.

Kao Xin Si even admires Fan Xi quite a bit.

He even lists Fan Xi as his idol, because his most despised player is Chris Paul, and Fan Xi always makes Paul scream.

Kao Xin Si carries the Kings' hopes for revival.

Thus, in this game, he only played 15 minutes.

Fan Xi played 22 minutes, entering the starting lineup as a shooting guard, while Lu Bi Ao became the core point guard.

Lu Bi Ao's playmaking is very strong, and his defense is above average; he distributes ball possession reasonably. When Fan Xi, Leonard, and Nowitzki—the three scorers—are on the court together, they play vividly.

After the game, Fan Xi couldn't stop praising him.

Another who earned Fan Xi's praise was Mili Xiqi.

Mili Xiqi recorded 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists.

He also committed 4 fouls.

It was indeed very balanced, with no moment.

Mili Xiqi's current style is very strange; on defense he fights for his life, just like when he goes crazy pole‑dancing in a nightclub. When the opponent's guard drives in, he follows like a tail and blocks powerfully from behind, only blocking from the rear; he avoids the front and just plays.

On the offensive end, he shows off his footwork.

Various kinds of footwork.

In this game he was called for traveling three times.

Arenas mercilessly teased him: "Dako, we all know you were the second pick of the 2003 class; please stop showing off. You can't surpass James."

Mili Xiqi rolled his eyes at him, then used a super‑dazzling Dream Step to shake Kao Xin Si in the paint, went for a left‑hand reverse layup… missed.

Huai Te Sai Te quietly followed up from behind and dunked it in.

Head coach Mike Brown was a bit troubled; he asked Fan Xi, "Is this guy being too indulgent?"

Fan Xi also wondered, "Could it be that we gave him too much freedom?"

…