Chapter 86: The Vanishing Fan Xi

Si Jia Li's sudden move almost slipped past Fan Xi's waist.

He had always known that the sexy sister Si Jia Li was good at flirting, but he never expected her to be this good… When Si Jia Li pressed him against the wall, it's no exaggeration to say… Fan Xi felt his heart rate was almost comparable to the frantic electronic beats in a nightclub.

"You… what do you want to do?" Fan Xi asked knowingly.

He watched Si Jia Li's body get closer and closer to his, and amid the panic there was a faint thread of anticipation.

This was the first time in his life he had experienced something like this.

He regretted a bit that back when he was in college, he hadn't properly learned dating skills from Curry; had he known

"You little brat really have some damned charm; no wonder so many little girls are infatuated with you. Last night I tossed and turned thinking of you, and finally fell asleep, only for you, you little bastard, to appear in my dream, pin me to the wall, and treat me roughly!"

Si Jia Li rose onto her tiptoes, almost biting Fan Xi's earlobe as she spoke.

Her voice was already very alluring, and those words only amplified it.

So, Fan Xi naturally…

What…?

Si Jia Li let out a startled cry; she felt something pressing against her abdomen.

She looked down.

She was stunned, bro.

She roughly estimated the distance between them.

The data gave her a start.

Still shocked, she was about to make her next move, but she saw staff from the two arenas walking over from the other side; she quickly

…didn't realize Fan Xi was also a celebrity.

"Hey, Jie Ke. You actually set up a date here?" How could a security guard from Staples Center not

The black head security named Mark Sheer was also

He thoughtfully pulled a bunch of keys from his waist, tossed them to Fan Xi, and said, "Jie Ke, if you need a clean place, go in here, turn left; it's the Lakers' massage room, but it's free tonight. The All-Star Game doesn't need to provide those extra services for players."

Fan Xi knew the massage room Mark Sheer mentioned.

As a future core of the Lakers, he often enjoyed the privilege of going to the massage room before games. Sometimes Kobe Bryant would also be there discussing the match.

Fan Xi was hesitating.

Si Jia Li eagerly grabbed Fan Xi and headed inside.

Behind them came two security guards' wicked laughs.

Those laughs were all too familiar to a man.

"Hey, Mark. That woman just now looked very familiar; she must be a star," the staff member beside him said to Mark Hill.

Mark Sheer smiled and said, "Jie Ke is our pride for the Lakers; he never dates ordinary women. Remember to keep this secret—if anyone finds out Jie Ke is dating during the All-Star, it will become tonight's biggest news."

"Of course, my mouth is the most

Robinson swore solemnly.

Then he asked, "They probably just want to chat."

Mark Sheer shrugged: "What else?"

"Let's go, patrol the other side."

Mark Sheer left the area.

He casually grabbed a "No Entry" sign and blocked the passage.

He was a devout Lakers fan.

…

In the Western All-Star locker room, no one noticed Fan Xi's departure; in fact, not only Fan Xi was missing, several other All-Star players were also absent—some were being interviewed, others stayed to watch the spectacular halftime performance.

In the Western locker room, Kevin Durant and Zach Landolf were discussing Si Jia Li Johnson.

Mainly Kevin Durant and Landolf were chatting.

Landolf, the only Western player who had seen Si Jia Li, asked the Durant beside him, "Kevin, do you really want to drink Si Jia Li's bath water?"

"No, that's just an exaggerated metaphor." After Kevin Durant had close contact with Si Jia Li yesterday, he had already shed his idol aura.

He lectured Zach Landolf on his mate-selection philosophy: "Actually, billionaires like us shouldn't marry; even dating can be skipped. There's no need to worship female stars—they're ordinary people, maybe not even as good as regular sexy girls; dating them is high risk. Who wants to live under spotlights every day?"

Durant became clearer with each word.

【6】 Zach Landolf nodded deeply, but said, "I still want to date top female stars; it's a special sense of conquest. Imagine a globally adored female star pressed beneath you… tsk tsk tsk."

Zhakelandufu nodded in deep agreement, but he said: "I still want to talk romance with a top female celebrity; it's a special sense of conquest. Imagine the feeling of a female celebrity adored by millions of men worldwide being pressed beneath you……tsk tsk tsk."

Landolf's pursuit was different.

Durant told him, "With your looks, there's no hope. There are over four hundred NBA players, but few look as handsome as me and Jie Ke."

Durant's remark had many flaws, leaving Landolf unsure how to retort.

"Jie Ke?" Durant asked.

Landolf said, "He might be in a high‑risk romance right now."

"That guy." Durant shook his head in annoyance. Then said, "We need to help Jie Ke; I saw his stats—if we win, Jie Ke has a good chance of getting the All-Star Grand Slam."

Zach Landolf nodded, "Of course."

…

Compared with the laxity of the Western All-Star side, the Eastern All-Star side reached a consensus: under no circumstances should the Western team win, and under no circumstances should Jie Ke Fan get the All-Star.

This fresh‑faced kid has already had his moment; letting him take the Grand Slam would make us look bad, as if we can't even handle a rookie.

In NBA All-Star games, similar meetings happen often.

Discrimination against new players is constant, just like every rookie gets hazed by veterans—carrying a backpack with shoes is light, severe hazing can freeze your underwear into ice, fill your car with popcorn, or give you a $100 note that forces you to drive around the city buying chicken nuggets, then make you find the change.

In All-Star history, a rookie Jordan was once isolated by Isaiah Thomas's group, Kobe Bryant was also benched to sober up… but few have gone as far as the Eastern All-Stars to block Fan Xi from taking MVP.

…

Beep!

The whistle blows, and the second half of the game quickly begins.

Fan Xi has actually disappeared.

Popovich looked over the whole bench; he had originally wanted to assign Fan Xi a crucial role, using the tactic "to cause a person's ruin, first drive them mad."

"Where's Jie Ke?"

Popovich asked Kobe Bryant.

Kobe shook his head; he didn't know either. He gave a speculative answer: "Maybe he's being interviewed by some reporter."

Popovich put Chris Paul in position 1.

The second half of the game begins.

The fans haven't yet realized that Fan Xi hasn't entered yet, after all… the All‑Star Game itself is a whirlwind of shuffling players, trying to give every All‑Star a chance to play. Since Jie Ke played so long in the first half, it's normal to start Chris Paul in the second half.

However, at this moment, the Eastern side launches the first fierce attack.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si leads his team into the realm of real knives and guns.

He immediately puts pressure on the Western team.

James Wade completes an extremely powerful double‑lane fast break, culminating in an aerial relay; James catches Wade's pass and slams the basketball hard into the hoop.

While the crowd erupts in cheers, they also let out excited roars.

It sets the Eastern team's morale ablaze.

In comparison, the East indeed has the advantage over the West.

Because the Eastern side has better chemistry, Miami brings three players, and Boston brings three players. In the second half, Dao Ge Li Fu Si fields a lineup of Kevin Garnett, Ke Li Si Bo Shen, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, Ray Allen, and De Huai En Wei De.

Both their offense and defense are stronger than the West's.

The West's five players come from five teams: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Nowitzki, and Kevin Love.

Their chemistry is certainly a bit worse than the opponent's.

Especially, Paul always wants to command the team's tactical positioning, allocating players himself.

Snap!

When Kevin Garnett swatted Kevin Love's layup out of bounds and roared at Love, the two sides truly started fighting.

Kevin Love is a good‑natured post player, yet at this moment he remains angry at Garnett.

Garnett said he was as soft as a crushed cream puff.

Few people trash‑talk during an All‑Star Game.

But Garnett is that kind of man.

On the bright side, he's combat‑ready, his eyes won't tolerate a grain of sand.

On the downside, his emotional intelligence is low.

Although Kevin Love is angry, he truly cannot stop the Eastern offensive.

He's not known for defense, and he needs a good teammate to pass him the ball in order to be effective.

But Paul prefers to activate the wing's penetration into the paint; Love is a shooting‑type center.

The game gradually comes under the Eastern team's control.

The Miami Heat Big Three play more smoothly as the game goes on; the rotating lineup of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Si Ta De Mai Er, Ka Mei Long An Dong Ni… and others gradually builds a lead.

At this point, whether fans in the arena, fans watching on North American TVs, or viewers across the ocean are all pondering one question: Where's Jie Ke?

tnt's camera circles the Western bench once, but never finds any trace of Fan Xi.

"Could this guy be injured and have voluntarily withdrawn from the MVP race?" Charles Barkley said with some surprise.

At this moment, Zha Ke Lan Duo Fu also said while Popovich was explaining tactics: "It would be great if Jie Ke were here; his passing is far more timely than some people's."

Lan Duo Fu's words are sharp.

He played three minutes on the court and never received a pass from Paul. He was especially angry because earlier James had body‑checked him, committing a foul on him.

He thought that if Jie Ke were on the court, he would definitely get a pass, helping him find his rhythm.

But Chris Paul always puts the so‑called big picture first.

Nowitzki, Ji Nuo Bi Li, Kevin Love, and Pau Gasol are now also very angry; they are white All‑Stars and are basically foreign players.

Earlier, Si Ta De Mai Er completed a dunk over Nowitzki's head. While talking to Paul Pierce, he proudly said: "Who says white players have revived? It's still the realm of us black players."

That statement is factual.

But should the fact be said?

Should it thus stab Nowitzki's and the others' pride?

Now they just want to argue over pride, insisting the victory stays with the West.

Originally, they were just playing for fun; who gets MVP, which team wins, didn't matter.

Si Ta De Mai Er's remark sparked their competitiveness.

Popovich hopes to see an intense game; for an old strategist like him, the more other players are exhausted, the better for the Spurs. From the second half onward, he had no intention of putting Tim Duncan on the court, and he also suppressed Ji Nuo Bi Li.

"Where's Jie Ke? Go find Jie Ke. The third quarter is almost over, how hasn't he finished that interview yet?"

Popovich asked Kobe.

Kobe spread his palms: "Actually, I don't know where he went either. After the first half ended, didn't any of you see him?"

Kobe looked around.

The others all shook their heads.

Zha Ke Lan Duo Fu lowered his head, feeling guilty.

He knows where Fan Xi went; Fan Xi was called away by Si Jia Li. He doesn't want to betray Fan Xi at this moment, because he vaguely suspects Fan Xi might be…

But Jie Ke has been missing for so long… it's almost an hour.

Lan Duo Fu Mo remained silent.

Kevin Durant was burning with impatience.

"Russell, you'll be up soon," Popovich called Westbrook's name.

Although Westbrook is known for not passing, Chris Paul has upset some players, so he had to let Westbrook take his place.

At this moment, he also thought that if Fan Xi were here, the problem would be much easier to solve.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

With 1 minute 25 seconds left in the third quarter, the Western team trailed 101–113, down by 12 points.

Westbrook, Ji Nuo Bi Li, Kevin Durant, Nowitzki, and Pau Gasol walked onto the court.

When the Staples Center fans again failed to see Fan Xi's silhouette, their disappointment grew increasingly unbearable.

They hoped to see Fan Xi.

They wanted Fan Xi to return to the arena and bring new miracles.

So, from above the arena came a continuous chant: We need Fan! Fan! Fan!

The voices grew louder and more numerous, gathering from all directions and every corner, forming a torrent.

This is the will of the people.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si frowned, lifted his head, and listened to the synchronized calls of the crowd; he felt deeply displeased.

At that moment, Wei De beside him said, "That kid looks quite beloved."

"But he still doesn't dare to come out; he knows that once he does, I'll wipe him out," Le Bu Lang Zhang Si said resolutely. He had just, while in the locker room, received brand‑new footage from the Heat's video editor; his understanding of Fan Xi's technique had become clearer, and he was convinced he could block Fan Xi.

He just wanted to wait until the crucial moment to use it.

…