in2ebook Chapter 162 Cai Congxin: I know what you want!
Chapter 162 Cai Congxin: I know what you want!
"Do we even need to brag about this?" Yang Yi looked up at the big screen in the live stream. "When have you ever seen Chairman Yao cross his legs?"
The director provided a live feed, which happened to be from the Chinese side.
In the top of the screen, Yao Ming is seen with his legs crossed and arms folded, talking to someone in uniform next to him.
As he spoke, Yao Ming, looking quite pleased with himself, pointed to the Thunder's bench.
Yang Yi suddenly became playful: "Let me translate for everyone. What Chairman Yao said is that Holmgren and Kidd are nothing special. If they can all play in the NBA, then Zeng Fanbo, Cui Yongxi, and Zhang Zhenlin on my side are not much different."
Wang Shipeng and Wang Meng both shook their heads and laughed helplessly.
Judging from this match alone, it does seem to be the case.
The most obvious indicator is the score: China Fortune led by double digits, 83-71.
Then there's Wang Xiucheng, who only took four shots, but still managed a double-double with 10 points and 16 assists, orchestrating China's offense flawlessly.
After the joke, Wang Shipeng became more serious: "We must admit that Wang Xiucheng has brought about a qualitative change to this young team."
"But if Wang Xiucheng doesn't play, how will the performance of the other players change? That's something we need to be concerned about."
Yang Yi interrupted, saying bluntly, "Anyway, we won't only get three points."
Wang Meng and Wang Shipeng were both slightly startled and didn't dare to interrupt.
The "three-pointer" thing is indeed infuriating, but is it really appropriate for you to say it here?
Sure enough, after Yang Yi's "reminder," the barrage of comments changed from repeatedly mentioning "Wang Xiucheng" to a screen full of insults.
Every player from that match against Australia was mentioned and criticized in the live chat.
"The match has started, let's get back to the scene."
Fortunately, the pause ended, which quieted down the comments section for a while.
With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, both teams suddenly struggled to score.
Finally, thanks to Holmgren's buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Chinese team led 86-74 by 12 points at the end of the third quarter.
After a brief instruction from both coaches, both teams fielded their substitutes in the fourth quarter.
Even though they are all newbies, their status is clearly different.
Holmgren of the Thunder was the second overall pick in this year's draft, so naturally he will be a key player in their development.
This match has already gone on for a long time, so there's no need to continue.
In other words, Holmgren, who has already scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, has successfully passed the test.
Like Wang Xiucheng, Holmgren also achieved a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds.
And since Kidd was a rookie last year, he naturally doesn't need to play anymore.
So the next minutes were given to players like Pokushevski and Omoruyi, who don't usually get many opportunities.
On the Chinese side, the distinction between substitutes and starters isn't so clear-cut; it's just that some players with less playing time will play a little more in the fourth quarter.
For example, players like Wang Haoran and Liu Lijia will participate in the U18 Asian Youth Championship next month.
What could be better than using NBA players to train these players?
Half an hour later, the match ended.
China scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, which is not bad.
But the Thunder scored a whopping 32 points.
The Chinese team committed a whopping 7 turnovers in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder converted almost all of those 7 turnovers into points.
If these scores are not taken into account, the two sides are actually about the same.
Therefore, it can be seen that the difference between the two sides in the fourth quarter lies in the point guard position with the ball.
Ironically, this is precisely the point that the Chinese team is least worried about.
Their star point guard is currently on the bench, biting his nails.
In the final score, the Thunder narrowly defeated the Chinese team 106-105, by one point.
The players greeted each other, and David Muoka and Holmgren hugged each other, seemingly forgetting their previous unpleasantness.
Wang Xiucheng, draped in a towel, also came onto the field and hugged the opposing players.
These are the people we'll see often in the NBA in the future; today was just an appetizer.
Guo Shiqiang shook hands with the opposing coach, and then saw that Wang Xiucheng was about to walk towards the players' tunnel, so he jogged a few steps to catch up with Wang Xiucheng.
"Xiao Wang, are you going to the post-match press conference?"
Wang Xiucheng shook his head, then grabbed David Muaka, "Let him go. Haven't the domestic media always been interested in him?"
Guo Shiqiang nodded helplessly, "Alright then."
Then he looked at the bewildered David Muka and said, "Come with me."
David Mullaka looked at Wang Xiucheng: "Am I going to be on TV?"
“Yes, go ahead.” Wang Xiucheng nodded with a smile.
Wang Xiucheng really dislikes attending post-match press conferences.
He felt uncomfortable sitting there for more than ten minutes.
So during his entire year with the Rockets, he never attended a post-game press conference.
I only participated twice during All-Star Weekend.
There was really no way to avoid it. It was an official league event. I had won the Rising Stars Challenge MVP and the Slam Dunk Contest, so it would be a bit unreasonable not to attend the post-game press conference.
Back in the locker room, after taking a shower, Wang Xiucheng asked the assistant coach for leave and left the stadium directly.
Once inside the black navigator waiting outside, Wang Xiucheng said directly to Ma Wei, "Drive to the Stratosphere Hotel."
Mawei floored the accelerator, and the navigator sped off.
This car was sent from Los Angeles by Jenna, specifically for Wang Xiucheng's use.
If it weren't for Wang Xiucheng's kind persuasion, Jenna herself might have been in the car with them.
Half an hour later, Wang Xiucheng was in a room on the 6th floor of the Stratosphere Hotel.
"Hey, Wang, I've been waiting for you for ages."
A white man who looked to be around thirty years old saw Wang Xiucheng appear and immediately came over with a smile to hug him.
This man, Evans, is a manager at the Stratosphere Hotel in charge of the gaming business.
Wang Xiucheng had been buying online gambling here frequently for the past month, and after losing tens of thousands of dollars, he met Evans.
Evans then led Wang Xiucheng to the lobby that was specially prepared for major clients.
"Hey, Evans, what football matches are playing today?" Wang Xiucheng asked from a distance, his voice so loud that it drew the attention of many people.
This is a very large room; you wouldn't be invited here unless you're worth several million.
During this month, everyone knew that Wang Xiucheng, an NBA player, liked football and only bet on underdog scores.
NBA players aren't prohibited from betting, they're just prohibited from betting on NBA games. That's why you often see news reports of superstars losing millions in one night in Las Vegas.
"They're all here. I've circled all the underdogs you like, and they all have odds of 10x or more. If you combo them together, you can win back all the losses you've had before in one go," Evans said, leading Wang Xiucheng into a room and pointing to the computer.
Many people in the hall laughed mockingly.
I have seen stupid people, but I have never seen such stupid people.
Wang Xiucheng only bought unpopular stocks this month, and even bought them in a series. It seemed like he could get dozens or even hundreds of times the return, but what's the use if he can't make it?
The odds of an upset being a sure thing are already low, and Wang Xiucheng likes to combine them into a series, making the probability of it happening extremely slim.
Half an hour later, after what seemed like a serious analysis, Wang Xiucheng bet on the scores of three football matches, put them together, and if they came out right, the odds would be 175.
Wang Xiucheng spent 2 dollars this time. If he succeeds, he will earn 350 million dollars.
At Wang Xiucheng's request, Evans also invited two accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte to act as notaries to ensure the fairness of Wang Xiucheng's gambling activities.
In fact, Evans initially refused this request, but Wang Xiucheng simply stopped playing, so Evans had no choice but to compromise.
A client as good as Wang Xiucheng is a rare find, and Evans has no choice but to cherish him.
Fortunately, both firms have a permanent presence at the Stratosphere Hotel, so they can get there in just a few minutes.
Wang Xiucheng's requirements actually went beyond these.
Normal betting tickets have a profit cap, such as one million dollars. Any amount exceeding this cap will not be paid out. This is to mitigate excessive risk.
However, after several such incidents, Wang Xiucheng spent more and more money, so he asked Evans not to set a limit on repayments.
Evans consulted with his superiors and, upon learning that Wang Xiucheng only bet on unpopular items, agreed.
Since you can't win anyway, the limit or not doesn't matter.
Initially, the stratospheric betting department would hedge risks elsewhere, but later they discovered that Wang Xiucheng only bet on underdogs and the scores were often outrageous, so they gradually stopped hedging.
After all, hedging requires a significant investment, and you might only make a small profit in the end.
But if you can earn the whole, why earn just a little?
Human greed is boundless, so gradually, Evans agreed to Wang Xiucheng's demands, whether for fairness or for unlimited limits.
Wang Xiucheng was also very generous, spending tens of thousands of dollars at the Stratosphere Hotel almost every few days.
And it seems that Wang Xiucheng is taking things to increasingly higher levels.
This is normal; if you want to recoup your previous investment, you'll only need to invest more and more.
This is a bottomless pit.
Evans had his eye on a house in Los Angeles that cost several million dollars. If Wang Xiucheng was willing to help, his commission would be enough for the down payment by the end of the year.
His biggest worry right now is that Wang Xiucheng won't come to Las Vegas after the Summer League ends, so he's been strongly recommending that Wang Xiucheng play online.
However, Wang Xiucheng did not agree.
"I feel more at ease with legally valid betting tickets. What if you cheat me?"
That's what Wang Xiucheng said at the time.
Evans smiled, not wanting to refute this rich but foolish god of wealth at all.
"Wish me luck, Evans." Wang Xiucheng left the room with the ticket.
Amid the "friendly" blessings of others, Wang Xiucheng left the Stratosphere Hotel.
……
Two days later, the Chinese team faced their second opponent, the Brooklyn Nets.
Wang Xiucheng only played the first half of the game, appearing for a total of 15 minutes.
Just like in the first game, Wang Xiucheng was extremely restrained in his shot attempts.
Finally, in 15 minutes, he scored 10 points with 4 out of 7 free throws and three dunks.
He also contributed 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
At halftime, the score was 51-49 between China and the Nets, with China leading by a slight two points.
Wang Xiucheng did not return to the court in the second half. The Nets started with a 16-4 run and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the game.
At the end of the game, the Nets defeated the Chinese team 102-83, a huge advantage of 19 points.
Carmelo Thomas, the Nets' 27th overall pick last year and nicknamed "Little Train," scored 26 points in the game.
Thomas was blocked 5 times throughout the game, and Wang Xiucheng himself gave Thomas two blocks.
What Wang Xiucheng envied was that Thomas's free throws were really accurate, making all 8 of 8, a 100% success rate.
After the match, the Chinese players, including Wang Xiucheng, left the stadium chatting and laughing.
……
Las Vegas, Sky Tower.
At 10 p.m., it's time for tourists who have been out all day to have a late-night snack.
However, tourists leaving the various venues found that the Cloud Tower was closed that day.
The security guards cited maintenance as the reason.
However, the lighting system of the Cloud Tower did not stop, and the beautiful light and shadow effects could still be seen from a great distance.
Disappointed tourists had no choice but to leave, but fortunately, Las Vegas has no shortage of places to spend money.
In the revolving restaurant inside the Sky Tower, two people are sitting facing each other.
"The food at this restaurant isn't very good, so I brought my own chef, hoping it will suit your taste."
If Wang Xiucheng were here, he would recognize that this person is none other than Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.
Speaking of which, Fertitta also has a gambling business in Las Vegas.
And he took over from former President Trump.
The person opposite him was someone Wang Xiucheng recognized; it was none other than Cai Congxin, the Chinese-American owner of the Brooklyn Nets, the team they were playing against today.
“For me, all kinds of Western food are the same. Having lived in the United States for so long, I still need to eat Chinese food every now and then,” Cai Congxin said. “In Chinese terms, it’s called having a good meal.”
Cai Congxin made no attempt to hide his disdain for Western food.
Although you could tell from his physique that he wouldn't eat much Chinese food.
“I have to go back to Houston soon, let’s get straight to the point.” Fertitta put down his knife and fork.
He knew perfectly well why the other person had asked him to meet today.
If it were someone else, he probably wouldn't even see them.
But the other party has something he really wants.
This is enough to make him a person who goes back on his word.
“Give me Wang Xiucheng, and you can choose between Irving and Durant,” Cai Congxin said.
Fertitta smiled and said that the Nets' sincerity in trading Irving or Durant for Wang Xiucheng was certainly sufficient.
With Wang Xiucheng's current abilities, he is naturally far from reaching the level of these two.
Let alone Wang Xiucheng, even if you add all the Rockets players together, they still can't compare to Irving or Durant.
But the Nets are in an awkward situation right now. Durant has requested a trade, and Irving has made it clear that he will not re-sign.
If the Nets do nothing, Irving will definitely leave for free.
As Durant gets older, his health has always been a problem, and having him lead the team alone won't yield good results.
“You know Wang Xiucheng is not for sale,” Fertitta said at this moment.
“Tillman, stop beating around the bush, I know what you want.” Cai Congxin shook his head helplessly, took out a card from his suit pocket, and pushed it in front of the other party.
"Contact this person, and you can get what you want."
Fertitta's eyes lit up. She wiped her hands and carefully picked up the card.