Chapter 440: Will He Really Become the New Era's Leading Figure?

From any angle, Fan Xi stands at the very center of the Western team's promotional photo.

This matter became even more unquestionable after Kobe Bryant announced that he injured himself by picking up a soap.

Although the media nitpick in every way, saying that Fan Xi is lacking here and there.

But wherever Fan Xi stands, the All-Stars automatically know how to position themselves—even someone as defiant as Chris Paul.

When appearing in Houston, Fan Xi was also the last to take the stage; after Fan Xi raised the MVP trophy twice and the Olympics defeated the Dream Team, there was no doubt about it.

The official game began quickly.

Fan Xi's first ball drove into the paint and assisted Durant, who made a three‑point shot.

Originally, Fan Xi intended to pass to Leonard.

But Leonard was a bit nervous in his first All-Star appearance.

He didn't move to his assigned spot, so Fan Xi passed to Durant, and Durant hit the three.

Both sides started off loosely.

Derek Rose turned around and executed an Axe Dunk; the ball was passed by James. James could have gone one‑on‑one himself, but he seemed uninterested and turned to toss the ball to Rosa.

The dunk was so violent that the crowd erupted in cheers.

When it comes to raw power, Derek Rose is definitely the toughest player in the league today.

In contrast, what surprised Fan Xi about this play was that Le Bu Lang Zhang Si seemed so indifferent to fame and profit.

Not that it's a criticism, but Le Bu Lang Zhang Si has always been the type of player who loves having every spotlight on him at big events. He's bound by the "chosen one" label and always has to be the brightest.

But now, Fan Xi realizes this guy actually has a sense of shedding all pretension.

Usually at his age, he shouldn't be like that.

It's similar to Kobe Bryant, who only in the past two seasons began to keep a low profile, even deliberately finding an excuse not to come to Houston this time. Maybe it's for Vanessa's baby: Kobe really wants a son.

When Le Bu Lang Zhang Si no longer clings to showing off, the game's theatricality intensifies, and Fan Xi suddenly feels bored.

If you don't match up against James, who can the Eastern side face? Derek Rose is too familiar, Carmelo Anthony… seems a step down.

Fan Xi played four minutes, then told Mike Brown that he wouldn't play tonight.

As the head coach of the Western All-Star team, Mike Brown has that authority.

In fact, he also hopes Fan Xi won't waste too much energy during All-Star Weekend, after all the long season is only halfway through.

Fan Xi sat on the bench and chatted about everyday life with Westbrook.

Weishao Ye's mood differed from Fan Xi's; Fan Xi was relaxed and leisurely, feeling he no longer needed to prove himself. But Weishao Ye's focus remained on Derek Rose.

Sitting on the bench was uncomfortable, but Rosa's dazzling brilliance as a peer made it even harder to bear.

Seeing Weishao Ye so upset, Fan Xi accommodated him; he exchanged a glance with Mike Brown, prompting Westbrook to replace Chris Paul, and also bringing Harden Shaoye in to replace Leonard.

At this moment, the Western backcourt saw the Thunder trio reconvene.

Many Thunder fans in front of their TVs were in tears.

Watching the Thunder trio unleash a killing spree on the court with brilliant shots, even Fan Xi felt regretful; he said to the nearby Bilupusi, "If the Thunder kept this backcourt lineup, how strong would they be."

"The Thunder are a small‑market team; they can't afford so many max contracts," Bilupusi replied, noting a realistic issue.

Although Harden didn't demand a max contract while with the Thunder, Weishao Ye and Durant have already secured the Fan Xi Clause; their renewal base salaries will take up 30% of the salary cap, meaning the remaining dozen players can only share the remaining 40% of cap space.

Any team owner or general manager would have a headache over this.

This issue seems soon to be faced by Fan Xi.

Jimmy Butler and Leonard are both super‑star material; Leonard has already been voted an All-Star starter once, and if he is voted again, he can trigger the Fan Xi Clause. His renewal could fetch up to 30% of the salary cap as base salary.

Bilupusi hinted at something.

Fan Xi gave a slight smile.

For Fan Xi, his plan is already very clear; it's just not the right moment yet.

The All-Star Game became the Thunder trio's slaughterhouse.

On the Eastern side, Derek Rose stood out as a lone star.

The media‑predicted showdown between Fan Xi and James never materialized; both only came in occasionally for a few minutes. Even when the fourth quarter featured playoff‑level offense and defense, Fan Xi merely watched from the sidelines, while James did step in to help Rosa.

That was ultimately why the Eastern All-Stars won.

Rosa posted a near‑triple‑double with 49 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, breaking the All-Star scoring record. He also secured the win with a near‑buzzer‑beater; in Chinese it's described as "Lu Bu battling the three heroes."

He won.

He raised the All-Star Game MVP trophy.

It was his second MVP trophy in life.

The previous one was a regular season MVP.

The highly‑anticipated new‑generation trio of superstars—Fan Xi has an All-Star Game MVP trophy and a Finals MVP trophy. Rosa also has a regular season MVP and an All-Star MVP trophy, while Kevin Durant remains empty‑handed.

He was frustrated; he originally had a chance to claim the All-Star MVP this year.

With three minutes left, the Western side still led by nine points, and Durant had already tallied 42 points. But in the final moments, Weishao Ye and Harden Shaoye were not on the same page with him.

Weishao Ye wanted to go one‑on‑one with Rosa.

Harden Shaoye wanted to satisfy the arena's roar like a tidal wave.

The natural outcome was that the Duke of Roses smiled last.

Derek Rose also became the league's new top point guard thanks to this game.

Probably because Fan Xi spent more of this season starting as a shooting guard, the media kept labeling him as a shooting guard or a combo guard—a deliberate suppression.

But the numbers don't lie; Fan Xi consistently tops the assist leaderboard.

The Houston All-Star Game concluded with Rosa's coronation.

But the big‑shots leaving Houston all know that this year's playoffs will be unprecedentedly fierce.

From Kobe Bryant's fake soap‑picking injury to skip the game, Chris Paul sitting on the bench barely playing, and Howard's fragmented minutes, it's clear the Lakers aren't focused here; they treat the All-Star as a mid‑season holiday.

The Clippers are the same; Fan Xi, Nowitzki and Leonard all played very little, and among the three, Nowitzki actually logged the most minutes.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Heat's All-Star team was even more openly showy; with James not even participating, one can imagine what the Heat is scheming.

So TNT commentator Kenny Smith said on TV: "This year's All-Star is spectacular, but I always feel it isn't as intense as previous years. It's odd that Jie Ke and James, that feuding pair, both aren't playing seriously."

"Just wait for the playoffs. We were the same back then; when you have bigger ambitions, the All-Star cheers get automatically muted," Charles Barkley said.

That made everyone look forward to this year's playoffs.

…

After the All-Star Weekend, the Clippers threw themselves into a new battle.

Although Fan Xi didn't retain the All-Star Game MVP this year, rookie starter Leonard only managed a token appearance, scoring 5 points and 1 rebound, and Arenas and Jimmy Butler both failed to advance to the second round of the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest.

But when these players returned to the team, they immediately presented a completely new side.

The Clippers' winning streak didn't break; instead it surged.

February passed quickly.

Fan Xi spent the Lunar New Year on the Colorado Plateau; his parents came to Los Angeles, and after the Fan‑X brand got on track, they had more and more free time, delegating many matters to professional managers, and the brand's global growth index became astonishing.

When a middle‑aged couple suddenly finds leisure, they pour limitless energy into caring for the next generation.

Even though they're not yet fifty, they sometimes sound overly old‑fashioned.

Fan Xi's mother, a strong‑willed woman, even sighed to her son on Lunar New Year: "Why do you have so many girlfriends in the news but not a single wife for the holidays?"

Fan Xi sounded very calm on the phone.

Then his father, an elegant middle‑aged man dubbed the enlightened gentleman, said on the phone: "My classmate from '68 is now a grandfather of two."

Fan Xi replied helplessly on the other end: "Actually, I'm only 21 this year; if I got married, the law wouldn't allow it."

"No, I can assure you. As long as you're willing to marry, the civil affairs bureau won't make it hard for you. Moreover, you can have a child first. Xiao Xi, Mom and Dad aren't making things difficult; you already have such massive wealth—if you don't have children, what are you doing? More children, more blessings; have as many as you want, and Mom and Dad will support you."

Even the wealthiest Chinese parents share a clear, consistent stance on continuing the family line.

Fan Xi was probably pressured to the limit by his parents.

The young guy from Colorado bore the superstar's wrath.

He went on a scoring binge against the Denver Nuggets on New Year's Eve, and Fan Xi displayed astonishing shooting feel in that game… During this period Fan Xi studied and practiced hard, raising his catch‑and‑shoot percentage considerably. Though still not a steady scoring engine, for a breakthrough king, an off‑ball king, a passing master, a god of orchestration, having a ball‑handling threat is enough.

The Nuggets had no idea how to defend.

Fan Xi tallied 51 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in that game.

He expressed his resentment toward his parents' marriage‑and‑child pressure with a super triple‑double.

Fan Xi feels he's still a kid and doesn't want to become a father as early as his teammates. Because of cultural differences, in Black culture the family concept often doesn't appear in a man's life; the vast majority of Black people don't have fathers. Few have a happy, stable family environment. So having children is treated casually, just a verb.

But Fan Xi is someone with a very strong sense of family.

Moreover, the biggest issue is that he doesn't know who to have a child with.

Too many choices can sometimes be the start of trouble.

When Fan Xi returned to Los Angeles, his father and mother had already gone back to Zhongguo, leaving him a 'warning': if we aren't grandparents before you turn 25, we'll set you up with a blind date and you must marry and have children then.

Fan Xi's dad whispered to him: "We still hope you marry a Chinese girl. Foreign female stars may be great, but they're fleeting; cultural differences will likely cause mother‑in‑law conflicts later."

Dad was being painfully persuasive.

The Clippers' second wave of wins ended in the wild March, as they lost at home to the Golden State Warriors.

At that point, the Clippers had reached an 18‑game winning streak.

But the Warriors came in fierce, playing an extremely brilliant game. They flawlessly linked fast breaks and Three-Point Shots; Stephen Curry was on full fire, and he kept improving.

That night he dropped 51 points, sinking 10 Three-Point Shots—unstoppable. He unleashed irrational threes, ignored defense, and took long‑range jumps.

Fan Xi even guarded him for a while.

But he just couldn't stop him.

Clearly Curry's One-stage jump shot release point isn't high, yet his speed and coordination are too strong.

Fan Xi's coordination is now strong too, but his One-stage jump shot always falls just a little short.

"Do you know why?"

After the game, Curry told Fan Xi: "It's hand‑eye coordination. This season we specifically brought in a Silicon Valley high‑tech firm to aid our training; under scientific instrument testing, my hand‑eye coordination is historic."

Curry said to Fan Xi: "That's why I can halt on a dime and shoot directly even under defense. You can't."

"You have your talent, I have mine. God won't shortchange anyone."

Curry said to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi was extremely craving at that moment.

He wondered, if he had Curry's hand‑eye coordination and could solve ball‑handling offense with a One-stage jump shot, what flaws would he still have? Almost none.

One could say there's no need to fear any full‑court defense; he could even reach the carefree, unrestrained feeling Michael Jordan had in games.

In today's league, no one has ever played like peak Jordan; he strolls, ignores high‑intensity defense, and pulls off a big move effortlessly.

Nowadays, the league's defensive intensity isn't that high, yet the gap is still sizable.

However, that night Fan Xi sensed a faint shadow of Curry on himself.

"Stephen, I think you could become one of the new‑generation superstars, and you'll join the list of me, Derek and Kevin," Fan Xi said earnestly to Curry, holding high expectations for his college classmate.

But Curry raised an eyebrow and laughed: "No, Jie Ke. I don't want to associate with you; my goal is to defeat you all. I'll reach the summit my way!"

Curry shone brilliantly at that moment.

He even radiated a new‑era brilliance.

Will he truly become the leader of the new era?

Fan Xi thought to himself.

…