Chapter Ninety-Two: Daily Training

What He Xinghui said at the press conference struck American fans as nothing more than a playful, humorous turn of phrase.

But in China, a large number of fans could feel in it a kind of sentiment, a joy everyone understood.

Because the Master’s output had been growing slower and slower.

In the past, he could turn out seven or eight works a year, plentiful enough to satisfy everyone.

Now it was one film every few years, and that was simply not enough to sate the appetite.

“Ha ha ha, if you don’t pay, it isn’t prostitution; if you don’t go on the court, you can’t lose. Cousin is absolutely a superfan, or he could never use the Master’s classic lines so skillfully.”

“Holy hell, when he said everyone here had no manners, I was really afraid he’d kick the table over.”

“Damn it, only Cousin can deliver such brilliant interviews. The other athletes’ answers are just too dull.”

...

Unknowingly, He Xinghui’s influence at home had already caught up with Yao Ming, and even seemed poised to surpass him.

There was no helping it. There were too few topics surrounding Yao Ming; people could only talk about his performance. Beyond that, there was little else to discuss.

By contrast, He Xinghui, with those famous lines and classic gestures, had exploded across major universities.

“If I don’t go take the exam, I can’t fail.”

One student said it, immediately drawing laughter from everyone nearby; even a girl began to look at him in a new light.

In the campus, where money had not yet corroded things to a great extent, wit and humor could still count as an attractive quality to the opposite sex.

Once someone said it, others soon began to imitate it.

“If I don’t go confess my feelings, I can’t be rejected.”

“If I don’t go to class, I can’t be late.”

“Sorry, I’m not talking about you. I’m saying everyone here is handsome as hell.”

...

At the same time, on one court, a student sank a three-pointer, then immediately sprinted to the sideline, took the bottle of mineral water from his girlfriend’s hands, and drank with his head thrown back, copying one of He Xinghui’s most famous scenes.

On another court, a student hit a buzzer-beating game winner. He at once pointed to his wrist, imitating He Xinghui’s gesture.

In an instant, cries of “wow, wow, wow” rose all around the sideline, leaving these successful show-offs exhilarated down to every pore.

Within their circle, a saying had already begun to circulate.

If you win and don’t show off, it’s like walking through the night in fine clothes.

If you play and don’t flex, you deserve to be struck by lightning.

A game may be lost, but the performance must not be dull.

It could be said that He Xinghui had already influenced tens of thousands of people.

The power of an idol was terrifying indeed.

In America, the outside world was still abuzz with discussion, but it had not affected He Xinghui’s daily routine.

Early that morning he came to the arena for practice.

At the entrance he ran into Kaman, and the two entered the arena together, where they saw Padis.

“Chris, do you believe I can make Padis kiss me?”

He Xinghui said.

Kaman shook his head hard when he heard that.

“Watch and learn.”

After saying that, He Xinghui walked over to Padis. “Hey, Padis, how about we play a little game?”

“No. I’m not giving you a chance to take advantage of me.”

Padis said.

“Is that so?”

He Xinghui gave a wicked grin, then suddenly pointed ahead and said, “Look, a flying saucer.”

Padis turned her head at once, and He Xinghui, copying the landlord, bent down and pressed his face against hers.

“Where?”

Realizing she had been tricked, Padis turned back, and her lips brushed He Xinghui’s face, leaving behind a lipstick mark.

“Padis, what are you doing? Calm down, I’m not a reckless man,” He Xinghui said in feigned panic.

At that, Padis felt like crying without tears. She had been made a fool of again.

What was infuriating was that she could not even truly get angry at this sort of teasing.

And Kaman, who had witnessed the entire scene from the side, now had his eyes wide as copper bells.

He never would have imagined that such a thing could be done.

Already, he was thinking about when he might find a pretty girl of his own and try this move himself.

Not long after the joke ended, the other players and assistant coaches arrived at the arena, and He Xinghui began his warm-up.

At the same time, he also upgraded his dribbling to B grade.

After the game against the Jazz, he had gained 288 rage points.

With the upgrade, his attributes and rating changed again.

He Xinghui: 1.97 meters tall, 2.10-meter wingspan, 87 kilograms.

Talent: Strength B, Speed C, Vertical Leap C.

Shooting: Three-Point A, Mid-Range A, At-Rim C.

Skills: Dribbling B, Passing C, Steals C.

Defense: On-Ball B, Help C.

Remaining rage points: 245.

Overall evaluation: an elite bench scorer with strong offense and weak defense in the NBA, possessing considerable tactical value and good ability as a ball-handler.

Friendly reminder: his strengths and weaknesses are both obvious; please improve the weak points as soon as possible.

As someone determined to become a stat-padder, ball-handling had to be mastered.

Only by controlling the ball in abundance could one produce beautiful numbers.

After warming up, He Xinghui began dribbling drills.

“Hey, He, weren’t we supposed to work on shooting today?” assistant coach DeCaprio reminded him.

“I changed my mind at the last minute. Today I want to work on dribbling. My dribbling is far too poor right now; I don’t even dare to hold the ball for long. That won’t do.”

He Xinghui said.

“But dribbling isn’t something you can break through in a day or two. I think you should strengthen your shooting for now so you can contribute more in games. As for dribbling, you could wait until after the season and spend a whole summer practicing.”

DeCaprio offered his kind advice. In his view, improvement came from accumulation and could never happen all at once.

“I can’t wait that long. I need it tomorrow.”

He Xinghui said.

“...”

DeCaprio was left speechless. He had originally thought even an entire summer was too short.

He never imagined that He Xinghui would want a breakthrough in a single day.

“He, that’s impossible. If you insist on doing this, I’m going to report you to Mike.”

DeCaprio was dutiful and refused to compromise. In the end, he even went to find Dunleavy.

“Just let him practice for a day. As long as he gets along well with the star, what does it matter if one day is wasted? DeCaprio, being a coach, understanding tactics, understanding training—those things are important, certainly. But the skill of getting along happily with stars is important too.”

Dunleavy had been in a pretty good mood lately, and in his pride he even dispensed some workplace wisdom.

DeCaprio, greatly benefited, returned once more to He Xinghui and cooperated enthusiastically in the dribbling practice.

After two hours of ball-handling drills, He Xinghui could even clearly feel the ball becoming more obedient in his hands.

To use the language of football, his feel for the ball had improved.

And watching He Xinghui’s now deft dribbling, DeCaprio had already been left dumbfounded.

He touched He Xinghui’s muscles and said, “He, I can tell you must have extraordinary bones and a unique frame—you are a genius one in ten thousand. Beyond that, I can find no more reasonable explanation.”

“...”

He Xinghui was at a loss for words. He was truly afraid that DeCaprio might suddenly produce a few peerless secret manuals from his trousers and tell him to begin cultivating.