The Best Point Guard

Chapter 423: Chapter 3: Su Xi’s Popularity

Isaiah Thomas also commented on the incident.

"Those people who keep saying this and that is wrong with our team should take a good look at this news. Jack can get away unscathed even when he’s quadruple-teamed. You say our roster is bad, but when Jack draws four opponents, are you telling me our remaining four guys can’t beat their one?"

Thomas said with smug satisfaction.

However, New York fans were a little worried. ’With all these tabloid scandals, will Little Sheep Su Xi’s performance be affected? In Indiana, he didn’t have the opportunity to mess around—it’s the middle of nowhere, after all. But New York is the world’s greatest metropolis, where socialites from all over the globe gather. If Little Sheep Su Xi goes astray here, won’t our Knicks be even more hopeless?’

Su Xi had beefed up security in South Korea, but an extremely chaotic scene still broke out at one of his events.

Someone started it—it’s unclear who—but while Su Xi was on stage talking about his path to the championship, a woman suddenly threw a bra at him.

That one bra unleashed a deluge.

The atmosphere instantly shifted into nightclub mode.

A rain of bras began to fall on the stage. Bras of all different scents came flying in. Despite Su Xi’s strong defensive skills and perfect dodging, he inevitably ended up with several hanging off him.

’Aren’t people here supposed to be conservative? Isn’t the status of women supposed to be low?’

’How come when it comes to me, they all become so... outgoing?’

The event ended quickly after that.

Su Xi made headlines again. Numerous photos were taken of the bra rain showering down on him, once again sparking a global media frenzy.

Su Xi’s "Meat Bodhisattva" image was becoming more and more defined.

And it seemed everyone, East or West, wanted a piece of him.

The Los Angeles media even specifically asked Megan Fox for her opinion on the matter while she was promoting *Transformers*.

She was stunned.

She had seen the news reports. But she never expected a reporter to ask her about it.

After all, she wasn’t a "Miss Su" yet.

Although the public saw her as one of Su Xi’s girlfriends, in private, her relationship with him was very distant; they weren’t nearly as close as the media imagined. Megan Fox had invited him to see a movie, and he had refused. The night Su Xi won the championship, she sent him a text, but he didn’t even reply.

What’s more, when she wore Su Xi’s jersey to an event, Su Xi didn’t respond to that either.

Instead, it only attracted criticism from Scarlett Johansson.

Sometimes she felt quite wronged... ’Aren’t I a little princess, too? I’m a sought-after sexy starlet, for goodness’ sake! I’ve been dropping all these crazy hints, so why won’t you give me a single sign?’

’Just take the first step, and I’ll take the other ninety-nine.’

But Su Xi seemed to ignore her existence completely.

’What a playboy.’

Megan Fox felt worse and worse, yet she couldn’t let go.

And now, a reporter had thrown this question at her.

Her mood inexplicably improved. ’It seems everyone thinks we’re a perfect match.’

So, she smiled gently and said, "I’d advise everyone to be rational fans. While everyone has the right to express their affection, you shouldn’t cause trouble for the person involved. And you definitely, definitely must not do anything illegal."

"But aren’t you worried that Jack will be snatched away by a group of bold girls in Asia? He’s Chinese, after all. What if he doesn’t come back?" the reporter asked.

"Then I’ll go to China," Megan Fox said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, quickly adding, "I’m about to go to Asia for a promotional tour."

The short interview was very revealing.

Reporters loved interviewing Megan Fox.

It was just that Scarlett Johansson always felt she was putting on an act, that it was all for show.

...

Su Xi finally returned to China. He liked the atmosphere here; most of the attendees at his events were male. In his home country, his image as a basketball player was comparatively purer.

Everywhere he went, he was met by enthusiastic fans, and the events were all basketball-focused. When the mood struck him, Su Xi would even get on the court for some one-on-one.

He passed on his techniques to many young players, sharing everything without reservation.

He wanted the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team to get stronger and stronger.

Although he didn’t participate in this summer’s FIBA Asia Championship, he also declined to play in next year’s World Championship.

At his request, Yao Ming also skipped playing for the national team this summer.

Because Su Xi had helped the national team win a gold medal at the Olympics, the fans in China were very supportive and had more confidence. They felt that the Asian tournaments were a chance for the younger domestic players to get experience. There was no need for Su Xi and Yao Ming to team up for ordinary international competitions. The Olympics were what mattered most—especially since the next one would be held right on their home turf.

This was an extremely rare break for Yao Ming, whose body was not suited for year-round competition without rest.

For a giant like him, it was best to do nothing for a few months each year and just relax. O’Neal was a prime example. Although O’Neal was criticized for being lazy and wasting his talent, he never suffered any major injuries in his career.

Yao Ming was currently bulking up under Van Gundy’s direction, so his body needed rest even more.

Su Xi held promotional events in several major cities in China, then dove headfirst into grassroots work. He used his influence and money to do a lot of tangible, philanthropic work to make basketball more accessible.

CCTV also ran a special report on his grassroots-focused charity work.

Su Xi’s fame in China grew and grew; in fact, he was already a national hero.

Su Xi winning an Olympic gold medal and two Finals MVP awards in the United States NBA were all things that stirred national pride.

Therefore, there were far fewer tabloid scandals about him in China.

Although some fan forums would discuss Su Xi’s rumored affairs, everyone’s gut feeling was that Su Xi was an upstanding person.

At the end of July, Su Xi attended a charity gala in China.

Many domestic celebrities, stars, and big bosses were in attendance.

Su Xi had originally thought it was a charity networking event, so he readily agreed to attend.

But when he got there, he discovered it was nothing more than a red carpet for the vain and famous.

He walked the red carpet in a T-shirt and jeans, surrounded by screams. Meanwhile, the female stars in front of him were dressed in haute couture evening gowns, as if they were attending the Academy Awards.

Perhaps waiting for a chance to be in the same shot as Su Xi, a certain actress ahead of him on the red carpet was moving at a speed of less than a meter per second.

This continued until Su Xi caught up to her, and they quickened their pace to walk to the host together.

The host interviewed Su Xi and asked for his autograph.

Su Xi declined the interview but signed his name, then casually handed the marker to the actress beside him, who was hailed as a top starlet.

Su Xi didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Afterward, however, it sparked some discussion on the Chinese internet. Many bored netizens ridiculed the actress: ’See? Even if you fly up the branch and become a phoenix, you can’t escape your fate as a handmaiden. In front of Su Xi, no matter how "international" she tries to be, isn’t she still just a servant girl?’

The red carpet had already made Su Xi uncomfortable enough; the subsequent charity auction made him feel even more out of place as he sat in the audience.

So-called bigwigs and stars kept coming over to greet him. Su Xi stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd, partly because he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and partly because of his height.

Of course, Su Xi didn’t cause a scene. He just sat there quietly.

He didn’t like this kind of ostentatious behavior, but as long as the donations ended up in the hands of people who needed help, he could tolerate a little flamboyance.

The circles of fame and fortune were pretty much the same all over the world.

Su Xi didn’t like mingling in the high society circles in the United States, either.

Halfway through the gala, a staff member came over to go over the script with Su Xi. When he had accepted the invitation to this charity event, he had agreed to put an item up for auction to draw more attention to grassroots basketball development.

The item he was offering was his regular season MVP trophy.

This trophy meant a great deal to him. In the entire basketball world, it was an incredibly important collector’s item.

Su Xi was showing his utmost sincerity.

"Who is this ’S’?" Su Xi suddenly asked.

"A mystery guest," the staff member said with a smile. "You’ll definitely want to meet her. She came here specifically for you and for the cause of grassroots basketball charity in China."

...