Chapter 121: The Strategy to Deal with Brother Gua

"Actually, I can't be blamed for this. Diaz came to my house of her own accord."

He Xinghui spoke a blunt truth and was immediately met with a thrashing.

"He, I hope you learn to tell some white lies next time," Cassell laughed heartily.

They would rather not know those heart-wrenching truths.

After the playful banter, the players took the court. Shortly after, He Xinghui encountered "Social Melo." How should he trash-talk the "Melon"? He Xinghui furrowed his brows slightly.

Provoking Anthony was easy enough; he was a man of temperament with little guile. A few random barbs or even a compliment about Anthony's wife would do the trick. The challenge was calibrating the intensity—to irritate him just enough without causing him to snap and throw a punch. If he offended Melo, getting cornered after the game wouldn't be a pretty sight.

The game began. For the Clippers, Brand and Yaroslav Korolev returned. They fielded a starting lineup of Cassell, Mobley, He Xinghui, Maggette, and Brand. He Xinghui continued to play small forward, while Brand moved to center. Without his "hacks," He Xinghui trying to hold off Melo was pure fantasy, and Brand at center was a bit of a mismatch.

The Nuggets' lineup also had significant issues. Andre Miller and Earl Watson formed the backcourt—one standing at 6'1", the other at 6'0". Whenever they faced taller, sharp-shooting guards, they were prone to being blown past. Anthony, at small forward, was a major offensive threat, but his defensive effectiveness at the three-spot was lackluster. Power forward Kenyon Martin, the 2000 first-overall pick, had been in the league for over five years but was averaging less than 13 points per game, with mediocre defense to boot. The center, Elson, was a "tool player" with 4.9 points and 4.7 rebounds—the kind of guy who was somewhat useful, yet ultimately ineffective. He could do a bit of everything, but expecting him to excel at anything was impossible. The Nuggets' lineup had one defining characteristic: poor defense.

The two teams jumped for the ball, and Kenyon Martin tapped it to his team. Miller brought the ball up. Seeing He Xinghui defending Anthony, he immediately passed it to Anthony for an isolation play. Anthony backed into He Xinghui, nudging him back a step. This left Anthony slightly puzzled; his friend LeBron had warned him before the game not to underestimate He Xinghui’s strength. Yet, the reality seemed different.

Anthony didn't dwell on it. He continued to push, reached his familiar and comfortable spot, and pulled up for a turnaround jumper. The ball went in.

On TNT, Barkley laughed loudly: "I wasn't really buying those gossip reports before, but now I have to believe them. This guy definitely had a wild night."

"Well, maybe he just hasn't recovered from the heavy load of the game the day before yesterday. Taking over 60 shots—anyone would be exhausted," Smith added.

Barkley disagreed; he insisted that He Xinghui had been "drained" by Diaz. The fans listened to their debate with great interest, occasionally chiming in with their own speculations.

On the court, the Clippers were on offense. He Xinghui delivered his first bit of trash talk: "Carmelo, the weather in Denver is just terrible, and there’s nothing fun to do here. It’s far worse than Los Angeles."

It was a subtle jab; those unaware of He Xinghui’s true intentions would think he was just making small talk.

"Is that your excuse for not being able to guard me?" Anthony retorted, feeling a bit sullen inside. He had never wanted to come to Denver; he was forced there by the draft. He, too, had dreamed of playing in big cities like Los Angeles or New York.

"Of course not. I was just drained by Diaz," He Xinghui replied.

"..."

Anthony’s mood shifted from sullen to annoyed. He was a "player" in his own right, always either cheating or on the road to doing so. Unfortunately, the women he pursued were mostly nobodies. He liked Diaz, too, but could never get to her—or rather, he never had the chance since he wasn't in Los Angeles. At that moment, Anthony inexplicably hated Denver, and he hated He Xinghui.

While they chatted, Cassell hit a jumper over Anderson. When the Nuggets returned to offense, the ball went back to Anthony.

*Damn, this "Melon" isn't trying to make a headline out of me, is he?* He Xinghui thought to himself. Defending Anthony today was truly beyond his physical capacity; they weren't in the same weight class. Anthony scored easily, a happy smile on his face.

To get under someone's skin, you couldn't let them perform too well. So, He Xinghui prepared to answer back. He called for the ball and executed a triple-threat move against Anthony.

Anthony smiled; that was his signature move. However, He Xinghui’s triple-threat was slightly different. Anthony usually faked a shot to drive to the rim, but He Xinghui faked the drive only to step back for a jumper. The ball swished through.

*To hell with being 'drained by Diaz.'* He Xinghui didn't believe that nonsense. He couldn't stop Anthony simply because the guy was too strong. But on offense, he could exploit Anthony’s heavy frame and slower lateral speed, using his own quickness to create space.

Anthony’s smile vanished. Seeing this, He Xinghui immediately teased, "Oh, the sweet melon is turning into a bitter gourd."

This irritated Anthony, but he felt no urge to fight. He Xinghui’s words didn't seem overtly malicious on the surface, and Anthony felt he would be in the wrong if he lashed out now.

The Nuggets attacked, and Anthony bullied He Xinghui for another bucket. The bitter gourd turned back into a sweet melon. Anthony laughed, "Your defense is as rotten as a piece of overripe fruit."

He Xinghui barely suppressed a laugh at this. In English, the pronunciation of "Melon" sounded like "Melo." To someone who enjoyed wordplay, Anthony’s remark sounded almost like, "Your defense is as rotten as the mature me." Thinking of Anthony’s defensive reputation later in his career, He Xinghui found it hard not to chuckle.

"Carmelo, no matter how rotten my defense is, I’m the one who will be Rookie of the Year this year. That’s the advantage of playing in a big city."

He Xinghui "casually" brought up Anthony’s sore spot. Back in '04, the battle between him and LeBron for Rookie of the Year was so fierce it nearly cracked their friendship. In the end, LeBron won. That was the turning point between them; before that, they were neck-and-neck. Afterward, the media stopped hyping Anthony and only had eyes for LeBron. It remained one of Anthony’s greatest regrets.

[Received 30 points of anger from Anthony.]

Hearing the system notification, He Xinghui smiled. He hadn't cursed, hadn't used profanity, and hadn't even truly mocked him, yet he still harvested the anger points. A job well done.