Chapter 99: Time is running out for Pepsi

Tony Starks had been standing anxiously in the reception hall outside Lu Yuan's office.

As the business negotiation representative for Pepsi, his eyes were glued to the television on the wall: ever since the game started, he had been waiting for Fan Xi to take the court.

Yet tonight, Fan Xi hadn't played at all.

This caused him to lose his most important basis for judgment.

And five minutes ago, he saw two senior managers from McDonald's walk into Lu Yuan's office... Lu Yuan's office was brightly lit.

Even though it was already 8:30 PM Los Angeles time, the merchants coming to visit were endless. Lu Yuan used "I am Chinese, and I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet" as his excuse, highlighting his dominance and arrogance.

Fan Xi's brand effect was too massive.

Everyone who had been to Asia said that Fan Xi had rapidly become a phenomenal figure there; his influence was even more astonishing than Yao Ming's at his peak, perhaps even several times more so.

Merchants never get up early for nothing.

Tony reported the news about the McDonald's senior managers to the CEO of Pepsi.

The CEO on the other end panicked as well.

McDonald's and Coca-Cola were partners, while Pepsi's strategic partner was KFC. If McDonald's reached an agreement with Fan Xi, it was highly likely that Coca-Cola would come knocking next.

Tony believed they should make a decisive move.

But the CEO was still somewhat hesitant; he felt Fan Xi hadn't experienced the most critical hurdles, and his defense remained a problem. His intuition told him that Fan Xi might hit the "rookie wall" tonight.

Especially after seeing Raymond Felton perform so well.

Tony Starks paced back and forth in the reception hall, extremely anxious. Just as he couldn't hold back any longer and was about to knock on Lu Yuan's office door again, Fan Xi checked into the game.

He immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He kept his eyes fixed on the television, terrified of missing even a single second.

…

Raymond Felton was quite depressed.

He hadn't expected Fan Xi to enter the game right after he sat down.

There was only 1 minute and 21 seconds left in the first half; it would be a bit embarrassing to ask to go back in now.

So, he stood up and shouted at Ty Lawson: "Take him down, Lawson."

Ty Lawson was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 draft and also Raymond Felton's junior from North Carolina, so their playing styles were somewhat similar, and their builds were alike as well.

However, Ty Lawson wasn't as tall as Raymond Felton, and furthermore, Ty Lawson loved offense more than Raymond Felton did.

"Yes, sir!"

Ty Lawson gave Raymond Felton a smug salute.

Immediately, he walked with light steps toward Fan Xi.

He prepared to teach Fan Xi a harsh lesson, shouting at him: "Little guy, the luck you borrowed from God ends here. Because you've run into Ty Lawson."

Fan Xi didn't like this chatty little fat man.

After observing his teammates' movements for a moment and seeing Kobe head toward the weak side to lie in ambush,

he didn't hesitate any longer.

He took a sudden, explosive step forward.

This step was delivered with the explosive power of prime Shawn Kemp, instantly causing Ty Lawson—a little fat man who was "better at offense than defense"—to miss a beat. By the time he shifted laterally to block,

Fan Xi's spear had already struck like a dragon.

The speed of prime Iverson surged forward like lightning.

Ty Lawson could be considered a relatively fast point guard in the NBA.

But compared to Fan Xi,

he was blown past in one step.

Fan Xi instantly drove inside the free-throw line, and Wilt Chamberlain rushed over to defend.

Fan Xi flicked his wrist.

The basketball was passed to the corner.

Matt Barnes, who had replaced Mike Dunleavy, seized the opportunity—Swish!

He hit a three-pointer.

Instantly changing the Lakers' weakness on the wing.

Fan Xi energized the Lakers' perimeter as soon as he entered.

Phil Jackson nodded repeatedly.

Fan Xi's playing style didn't have anything particularly extraordinary, and the technical content wasn't high—it was just driving and passing.

But it contained a certain spirituality, a spirituality that instantly grasped the best shooting position.

In Phil Jackson's eyes, neither Ty Lawson nor Raymond Felton possessed this spirituality, so why should they be mentioned in the same breath as his precious Jack?

Ty Lawson had lost face.

He immediately launched a counterattack upon returning to the half-court.

He was only 180cm tall, 11cm shorter than Fan Xi. However, he was strong, and while his speed and explosive power weren't as terrifying as Fan Xi's, they were still top-tier.

Coupled with the technical style he had honed since childhood, he could be considered a fringe elite player.

As soon as Ty Lawson and Fan Xi met, he drove into him with the ball; it was a classic "little steel cannon" style.

Fan Xi's frame was thin in the NBA, and strength was his weakness.

Under Ty Lawson's collision, Fan Xi's defensive line loosened.

At this moment, Ty Lawson originally had a chance to drive directly.

But he chose not to; he was intent on making Fan Xi look bad, so he actually drove into him with the ball again.

However, Fan Xi didn't give him that chance.

When he drove in again, Fan Xi dodged slightly to the side. The coordination talent from prime Jordan allowed him to use something like the "Eighteen Falls of Sticky Clothes" from Shaolin Kung Fu; he actually "wrapped" around from the side and reached out his astonishingly long arms to steal the ball from behind.

Ty Lawson hurriedly changed direction to protect the ball.

But just at the moment he changed direction, before he could protect the ball,

Kobe appeared before him as if by magic. Ty Lawson was startled... Pop!

Kobe's steal was timely and decisive, swatting the ball away with one hand.

Immediately, he threw it to the front court.

Fan Xi had already been sprinting forward.

The two men's chemistry was like a seamless garment.

Poor Ty Lawson was caught like a turtle in a jar.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines watched with great pleasure; he couldn't help but think of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, who often double-teamed and stole the ball from opponents on the perimeter back in the day.

Fan Xi received the ball in the front court and instantly charged into the paint.

Then, he took flight, releasing the jumping ability of prime Jordan for all to see.

He spread out in the air, performed a beautiful and graceful rotation, and after 360 degrees, elegantly slammed the ball into the rim... Boom!

The Pepsi Center erupted, the roar mixed with uncontrollable screams and cheers.

Such a dunk was a feast for the eyes.

One couldn't help but cheer for it.

Raymond Felton on the sidelines was extremely annoyed; he hadn't expected Fan Xi to contribute to the Lakers the moment he checked in.

He looked at Ty Lawson with resentment.

Ty Lawson quickly signaled to him that he would definitely strike back.

At this time, there were only 43 seconds left in the first half.

Ty Lawson received the ball from the backcourt and headed to the front court.

Tony Starks in front of the TV let out a sigh of relief; Fan Xi's dunk just now gave him the feeling of taking a sip of ice-cold cola.

He was moved by such an elegant and graceful dunk.

In his heart, he was already overwhelmingly inclined toward collaborating with Fan Xi.

…

【Author's Note】

Next update, at noon. ===== CHAPTER 100 =====