Chapter 127: Someone Else Offers Their Face to be Slapped

Lin Feng was unaware that Qin Ruolin had only purchased this villa two days ago.

As for why Qin Ruolin had suddenly decided to invest in Manhattan real estate, even she could not clearly explain. The reason she gave herself was that Qin Han would be coming to Manhattan for school in the near future. However, when she commissioned the real estate agent to select a villa, she added two priority criteria: first, it had to be close to Madison Square Garden, and second, the yard should ideally have a private basketball court. Thus, the current villa was chosen.

Lin Feng stopped standing on ceremony with Qin Ruolin and moved in the very next day. Although he owed her a significant favor, he finally had a place to call home in Manhattan.

Three days later, Lin Feng flew with the team to Cleveland. The team was set to begin their playoff journey there, waiting for them was the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers of the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers boasted three All-Star players, collectively known as the "Big Three." Having been the Eastern Conference champions last year, they had unfortunately fallen short in the Finals. In a way, the Cavaliers were similar to the CBA’s Jiangning team; both were perennial league runners-up who had yet to secure a championship trophy. This year, the Cavaliers' Big Three were set to make another run at the title. Almost every media outlet in the United States believed that in the relatively weak Eastern Conference, no team posed a threat to the Cavaliers. Their true competition was expected to come from the West—teams like the Golden State Warriors, who had defeated them for the title the previous year, or the "old guard" San Antonio Spurs. As for the New York Knicks, they were merely an appetizer for the Cavaliers' playoff run.

At least, that was the consensus among all Cleveland fans and local media.

No sooner had the New York Knicks arrived at their hotel than head coach Fills was asked an incredibly awkward question by a local reporter.

"Coach Fills, do you believe your team can win even a single game in this series?"

Fills frowned and shot the reporter a cold look. "Of course!"

"Oh, really? But I personally believe the only game you’ll win is Game 5," the reporter said with a shrug.

His remark immediately triggered a burst of laughter from the surrounding reporters. As everyone knew, the NBA playoffs were a best-of-seven series. If the Cavaliers won the first four games, the series would end there, meaning the reporter was implying the only game the Knicks would win was a game that wouldn't even take place. It was a blatant insult.

Usually, it was the local media who asked such questions as part of pre-game psychological warfare—a standard component of any playoff series. So, even though Fills was annoyed, he didn't engage with the reporter further and strode into the hotel. Seeing Fills "fleeing," the local media erupted in laughter. Indeed, their goal was to stir up trouble, ideally provoking the emotions of the visiting team's coaches or players, and if they could dig up some sensational headlines in the process, all the better.

Lin Feng and his teammate Chris were walking at the back of the team. Chris, who had a relatively introverted personality, was the team's starting power forward—a quintessential blue-collar player who averaged 11 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during the regular season.

"Hey, Chris, can we get a quick interview? Just one question," a local reporter called out to him. Without waiting for a response, he asked, "Have you thought about where you're going for vacation after the team is eliminated?"

Chris was not good with the media and was a bit slow to react. Hearing the question, he subconsciously shook his head. "No."

"Hahaha..."

The reporters burst into laughter again at Chris’s answer. It was clear that Chris had fallen into their trap, implicitly admitting that his team would be eliminated.

"Boring!"

Lin Feng, standing next to Chris, glared fiercely at the reporter. Lin Feng had spoken in Chinese. The reporter didn't know what he had said, but he could tell from Lin Feng’s expression that this Asian man was clearly unhappy with him.

"Hey, you yellow-skinned guy, who are you?" the reporter asked, pointing at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng hadn't intended to tangle with these reporters, but since he had been singled out, he stopped in his tracks.

"I am Lin Feng," Lin Feng glanced at the reporter and said calmly, "Don't you find your behavior tiresome?"

"No, I find it quite amusing, don't you?" The reporter smiled and added, "Oh, wait, I remember now. The Knicks signed a guard from China last week. That must be you."

"That's right, it's me." Lin Feng nodded.

"Oh my god, no wonder every professional sports agency gave Mills' move a D-minus rating. Honestly, you look like a pile of trash," the reporter sneered.

Lin Feng frowned; he hadn't expected to be treated this way the moment he arrived in Cleveland.

However, Lin Feng was no stranger to adversity. He didn't let the reporter get to him, merely shrugging with indifference. "You'll find out what kind of player I am soon enough."

"Is that so? That’s certainly something to look forward to," the reporter scoffed. "But I don't believe you’ll score more than ten points in any single game! Oh, and by the way, you’re only on a short-term contract. Perhaps your NBA career will be over before you even get a chance to play."

Lin Feng shook his head with a smile; there were always arrogant, self-righteous people like this no matter where he went.

"What if I manage to score ten points?" Lin Feng asked.

"Haha, that’s a hilarious joke. You don't think this is that bush-league tournament back in your home country, do you?" The reporter laughed again. "Half a month ago, your national team lost by several dozen points to our country's ragtag squad. Are you unaware of that?"

"I am not a member of the national team. Their loss has nothing to do with me," Lin Feng shrugged.

"Fine, since you're so confident, how about this: if you can score more than ten points in any game of this series, I'll kiss a donkey's ass. How about that?" the reporter challenged.

Lin Feng was slightly taken aback. He never imagined he would actually experience the "kiss a donkey's ass" trope himself. In his previous life, when Yao Ming first entered the NBA, he faced intense skepticism. NBA legend Charles Barkley had publicly stated on a television program that if Yao scored more than 19 points in any game that season, he would kiss the host's rear end. As it turned out, in a subsequent game against the Lakers, Yao went 9-for-9 from the field, scoring 20 points and delivering a perfect slap in the face. Because kissing the host's rear end couldn't be aired on television, Barkley symbolically kissed a donkey's rear end instead. That incident had silenced many of Yao's critics.

"That's a great proposal. I have no objections," Lin Feng said with a smile, shrugging. "Just make sure you keep your promise if you lose."

"I'll lose? Haha, you really are a natural comedian!" the reporter laughed once more.