NBA: The Dynasty Crasher

Chapter 45: Akagi Haruko

Back at the training base, Zhao Dong drove his newly purchased pickup truck to Long Island overnight, eager to see whether anyone had pried open his safe. Although he had gained a lot that night, he was still in the mood for a good, hands-on sparring session with Alice.

The next morning, as Zhao Dong was still asleep with Alice, the New York media was already hyping up his performance from the previous night's game. The headlines were buzzing with excitement.

"The Yellow Ruler, Our Future!" The New York Daily ran a feature article with this headline, which stated: "There's no doubt we've found our future after Ewing—Zhao Dong, the Yellow Ruler. In last night's game, Zhao Dong completely dominated the Rain Man with his brutal play, signaling that a new star is on the rise."

"The Yellow Ruler, Zhao Dong, but we prefer to call him the Wolf King," the Long Island Stony Brook Daily playfully chimed in. The article continued, "Ewing is too passive; he can't motivate the team to push forward. Our future needs a Wolf King with absolute dominance to lead the Knicks and inspire them to greater heights."

This article sparked strong reactions among New York Knicks fans. Some agreed, but most opposed it. The fans' mixed reactions were not surprising. After all, a super center like Ewing, with his 11+ years of stellar performance, had built an enormous reputation in New York. How many games had Zhao Dong played so far? He still needed more performances—and more consistent ones—to win over the hearts of the fans.

Around noon, a groggy Zhao Dong finally got out of bed.

"Zhao Dong, I'm starving! Please order something to eat—I want pizza, and..." Alice, who was still lying under the quilt, said weakly.

"What pizza? I haven't had Chinese food in almost two months. Get up, and I'll take you out for a feast," Zhao Dong replied as he got dressed, casually pulling the quilt off Alice.

"No, Chinese food is too oily and high in calories. I'm shooting a magazine cover next week; I can't afford to gain any weight," Alice objected as she began dressing.

"Pizza is just as high in calories—why don't we stick to Chinese food?" Zhao Dong insisted.

"You're always like this, never respecting my opinions," Alice frowned.

Zhao Dong chuckled and teased, "You're not getting enough calories, you'll lose weight at this rate."

Alice scoffed, "No matter how thin I get, it's still a D-grade. No matter how big your hand is, it's still enough to squeeze one."

Seeing Alice's playful attitude, Zhao Dong felt a rush of excitement. He couldn't help but smirk—he liked this girl not just for her beauty, but because she resembled Audrey Hepburn, a woman he admired deeply.

The two went downstairs, and when Alice saw Zhao Dong's pickup truck, she wrinkled her nose. "Let's drive my BMW."

"The BMW is too small. I can barely fit in it. This one's fine," Zhao Dong said as he opened the door of the pickup and helped Alice inside.

Alice shot Zhao Dong a glare, her frustration evident. This bastard, Zhao Dong, aside from being the perfect lover in some ways, was utterly unromantic at other times. She couldn't understand how he managed to charm so many girls.

"Hey, Tom, Lucas, where are you going? Want lunch? My treat." As the pickup truck passed by the stadium of Stony Brook University, Zhao Dong spotted a group of strong, tall young men. He stopped beside them and greeted them cheerfully. These were his former teammates, all members of the Stony Brook University Seawolves basketball team, his former "younger brothers."

"Wolf King? Oh, that's great! We're heading to the cafeteria for lunch, and you're treating us?" one of them joked.

"Wolf King, what do you want us to eat?" another chimed in.

"Feilong, haven't you broken up yet?" a third teammate asked with a smirk.

The Seawolves immediately surrounded the truck, shouting in excitement.

"A bastard's friends are all bastards," Alice muttered, her face darkening as she shot Zhao Dong an annoyed glare.

"Alright, bastards, lunch is off! You can eat on your own," Zhao Dong said with a grin, stepping on the gas pedal and speeding off.

"Feilong, I've had enough of you! I want to break up with you!" Alice snapped from the passenger seat.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Dong asked, confused, as he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"You'll break up with me as soon as you've had enough fun. Your friends all know it. Tell me, which day is it?" Alice replied, her voice filled with anger.

Zhao Dong shrugged nonchalantly. "How would I know what day it is?"

Alice glared at him, her silver teeth almost grinding. She was so furious she could have pounced on him.

"I don't want to deal with you anymore, that's today!" Alice announced. With that, she opened the car door with a slam and stormed off, leaving without another word.

"Damn it, have I been dumped?" Zhao Dong muttered, dumbfounded. He glanced around at the students who had been watching the scene unfold and sighed helplessly. "But the point is, Alice, I haven't played enough yet!"

He didn't even have the inclination to chase Alice back. "Weak water is three thousand, which scoop can't be drunk?" he thought to himself.

Within half an hour, the news that Zhao Dong had been dumped by Alice spread like wildfire across Stony Brook University.

After the emotional upheaval, Zhao Dong found a familiar Cantonese-style restaurant and ordered a few boiled dishes from Guangdong, adding a plate of white-cut chicken to save on oil and sugar. He ate to his heart's content—this meal would last him at least a month. For the next month, he wouldn't be able to eat Chinese food.

"Hey, Senior Zhao Dong?" a voice called out as he was about to leave.

"Senior Zhao Dong, you have to go? How about we eat some more?"

"Senior Zhao Dong, you played really well with the Knicks!"

As Zhao Dong turned to leave, he was approached by a group of four Chinese girls. Three of them immediately surrounded him, while the fourth stayed behind, looking at him curiously.

"Ah, no, you..." Zhao Dong greeted them, sizing them up. His Mandarin was fluent, and since they were calling him "senior," they were likely international students from Stony Brook University.

"Akagi Haruko?" Just as Zhao Dong was about to refuse, his eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted a girl with long, straight black hair standing behind the group. Is this someone who just stepped out of a comic book? he thought to himself.

He quickly changed his tone. "Well, meeting like this is fate. It's better to meet by chance than to invite each other. Come, come, sit here. I'm treating today. Order anything you want... Waiter, please bring some more menus."

The girls laughed in response. "Whee..." They quickly settled in, playfully pulling each other into the seats as they sat down.

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