Chapter 119: Countermeasures

Lin Feng read two news reports and finally understood the reason for his suspension. It turned out that the Basketball Association had worked with the police to identify the hacker who breached their official website. To his shock, the culprit was his close friend, Oulin. According to the news, Oulin had confessed that Lin Feng was the one who incited him to do it, which led the Basketball Association to impose a lifetime ban on Lin Feng.

"Is what the news says true?" Lin Wen spoke loudly, prompting Shen Mengfei to immediately log onto Weibo to check the reports.

"Impossible!" Lin Feng shook his head decisively. He and Oulin had been friends for over a decade, attending middle school, high school, and college together. He could believe Oulin hacked the website, but the claim that Oulin confessed Lin Feng instigated it was absolutely impossible.

"There is definitely something fishy going on here!"

Lin Feng tried calling Oulin, but the call could not go through. He then called two other friends from his dormitory, but they were equally in the dark, only learning that Oulin was the hacker when the news broke.

"Lin, it seems you have encountered some trouble?" Walker asked, stroking his chin.

Lin Feng nodded, not hiding the truth: "I might not be able to join the Knicks. Half an hour ago, our national basketball association handed me a lifetime ban."

"A lifetime ban? My god, what did you do to warrant such a severe punishment?" Walker was shocked.

Lin Feng shrugged: "In our country, there is an idiom: if you are determined to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

"I am sorry, I have to go back. I may return to my country tonight. Let's stay in touch," Lin Feng said as he stood up to leave.

"Wait." Walker called out to him, his expression serious. "You mentioned being banned by your country's basketball association, but that does not mean you cannot play in the United States. We have different rules here; perhaps I can help you."

"Mr. Walker, you have a way to let me play here?" Lin Feng sat back down.

"Perhaps. Our transfer mechanisms are very flexible, and bans on athletes are not particularly strict unless you have violated the law or committed serious misconduct. If there are no such issues, I can always find a way to get you on the court," Walker said confidently.

"Alright, Mr. Walker. If possible, I would certainly like to step onto the NBA stage. As for the other matters, I will leave the logistics to you."

"No problem. I will start working on this immediately. Let's stay in contact."

"OK!"

...

New York time, 1:00 AM.

Lin Feng boarded a plane back to Beijing alone, while Lin Wen and Qin Han remained in Manhattan. After Lin Feng returned to Shen Mengfei’s apartment, news came from the Knicks that they had decided to sign him.

Walker was highly efficient. He had devised a way for Lin Feng to enter the NBA, provided that Lin Feng returned to his home country to handle some paperwork. Since Lin Feng already needed to return due to the situation with Oulin, he could handle both matters at once.

After another dozen hours of travel, Lin Feng arrived in Beijing around 8:00 PM. He turned on his phone, and a flurry of notifications flooded in—all missed calls from his parents, Qin Ruolin, Lin Wen, his friends, and Walker.

Lin Feng called Walker first.

"Hey, Lin, have you arrived in Beijing?" Walker sounded upbeat, clearly bearing good news.

"I just got off the plane," Lin Feng replied, feeling somewhat exhausted.

"Hey, Lin, cheer up. Your contract with the Knicks has been negotiated. It is a non-guaranteed short-term playoff contract. If the Knicks are eliminated, your contract automatically terminates. The full value is $300,000, though it is unlikely you will receive the full amount since, given the Knicks' strength, they might not make it past the first round. Of course, this is just a start; as long as you perform well, I will fight for a guaranteed minimum contract for you next season," Walker explained.

"Thank you for your hard work, Walker." Lin Feng had no specific demands; his primary goal now was not a big contract, but to get on the court and prove himself.

"Also, regarding the ban from your national basketball association, I have reviewed the regulations in detail. Besides the method I mentioned earlier, you could also apply for immigration, which would free you from any restrictions," Walker added.

"Let’s forget about immigration," Lin Feng flatly refused. "I have no intention of changing my citizenship."

"Fair enough, I was just letting you know about the second option," Walker continued. "In that case, you must communicate with your school and hope they cooperate. However, you need to be quick; the playoffs are starting soon."

"I understand," Lin Feng said, then hung up.

The first method Walker suggested was for Lin Feng to apply for a self-funded exchange student position at his current university, the Beijing Institute of Physical Education. Then, Lin Feng would temporarily transfer his student status to Castor College in the United States as an exchange student, allowing him to join the Knicks as a collegiate player. Everything would then proceed logically.

Castor College was only a second-tier school in the US, but that was irrelevant. The most important thing was that the school was qualified to participate in the NCAA, allowing Lin Feng to register there. Executing this would only cost some money.

After finishing the call with Walker, Lin Feng returned calls to his parents and friends, none of whom had any major issues—they were simply worried about him.

Finally, only Qin Ruolin remained. Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before dialing.

"Hello?" Qin Ruolin's voice sounded nasally, as if she had a cold.

"Are you sick?" Lin Feng asked casually.

"Yes. You finally turned your phone on," Qin Ruolin pulled herself together and asked, "Where are you?"

"At the airport, just got off the plane," Lin Feng replied.

"Oh..." Qin Ruolin hesitated on the other end, then said, "If you haven't booked a hotel, come to my place. I have something to discuss with you."

"Go to your place?" Lin Feng frowned. "Isn't it a bit inappropriate this late?"

"You don't think I'm trying to do something to you, do you!?" Qin Ruolin groaned feebly. "If I didn't have a severe cold, do you think you'd have a chance to come to my place? I really have something important to discuss regarding the Basketball Association's punishment and your friend."

"You mean Oulin?"

"Yes, him."

"Alright then, I'll be right over."

"Okay, I'll text you the address."