NBA: I really just want to be a second-in-command

Chapter 187

After comfortably winning back-to-back games against the Raptors, the Lakers were given a four-day break.

Lu Yusheng originally planned to spend all his time on his special training.

But this is not realistic, Meng Xia has already arranged a series of business activities for him.

In particular, Reebok's signing conference must be attended.

As Lu Yusheng's performance got better and better, and his commercial value became more and more prominent, Meng Xia's phone calls were already buzzing, and most of them came to Lu Yusheng to discuss cooperation.

There are not only local American companies, but also some Chinese and Asian brands.

Lu Yusheng glanced at the itinerary that Meng Xia had arranged for him, and couldn't help shaking his head, "Hey, that won't work, Meng Xia, I'll spare you one day at most, and I have to train the rest of the time."

"It's unrealistic." Meng Xia said, "The signing press conference at Reebok basically takes a whole day, and the projects you signed yesterday are all clearly written in the contract. If you don't go, they will sue us. Don't you want to pay sky-high liquidated damages? Also, you have to hurry up and book the house that you are looking forward to. Those landlords are urging me. If If you don’t buy it, it will be listed again.”

"Then tell me, how long will it take for you?" Lu Yusheng said helplessly.

Meng Xia calculated, "At least three days, and if I negotiate with a few other merchants and let them shorten the activity time as much as possible, it will take at least three days. If there is no way to shorten it, it may take four days."

Lu Yusheng nodded a little. He never expected that the contracts he signed last time would cause him so much trouble.

This doesn't even have time for training, how can I improve?

"Meng Xia, we can't go on like this anymore." Lu Yusheng said.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, try to arrange as few troublesome endorsements as possible for me in the future. I need training time." Lu Yusheng said.

"These are high-quality endorsements that I have selected. The prices are good and there are few things to do. But you must follow up more in the early stage. After all, what people want is your current popularity." Meng Xia said.

"No, no, Meng Xia, I'm an athlete, and I'm just a rookie. I need a lot of training time to improve myself. I can't devote my time and energy to these things. Do you understand what I mean? I We must become stronger in order to have greater influence and higher commercial value, this is a basic and source truth.”

"No, Hanyu, you are wrong. Let me tell you, although I have not been in the NBA for a long time, I have always paid attention to the business plans of the stars.
Let me tell you, not all stars can be like Michael Jordan. It is rare that the commercial value can last forever.

When you have an opportunity, hurry up and make money. Don’t look at it for a while. Let me tell you, the sports career of a player is hard to predict, so the commercial value is also hard to say. Many unexpected things will increase your commercial value. Discounts, such as injuries, such as some negative press, so I mean, you are so popular as soon as you enter the league, take advantage of this opportunity..."

"Stop." Lu Yusheng interrupted her, "Are you not confident in my future, or in my character?"

"Hanyu, you think things are too simple," Meng Xia said, "Do you think negative news can be avoided just because you have a good character? Let me tell you, competitors will also dig holes for you. So , Now when you are popular, try to sign whatever you can and earn more money. Not all athletes have this opportunity.

Moreover, Hanyu, I want to highlight my value, I will help you build a business empire, I have this confidence, isn't that what you told me back then?You forgot? "

Lu Yusheng still shook his head, "No, Meng Xia, I have to tell you that I really want to make money, but the premise is that I want to fulfill my dream, keep improving, and then win the championship, not one or two This... If the matter of making money stops my dream, I would rather not, Meng Xia, I know you have outstanding abilities, and I also believe that you are fully capable of helping me build a business empire, but if all this is at the expense of my dream price, then this is not what I want."

Meng Xia looked helpless, "I know that dreams are very important, but Hanyu, living in this world, money is also very important."

"Of course I know all this, but Meng Xia, I still hope to follow my way of thinking. In this way, those who have already signed the contract will be fine, but don't accept other commercial endorsements for the time being. If you have to accept, it is best to accept some as much as possible. I went to the event."

"But this..."

"That's it." Lu Yusheng said, "Take me to see the house first, it's a big deal. I've had enough of standing in front of the hotel and signing."

"Ok."

The first house is a large flat, about 200 square meters, and the price is 250 million US dollars.

"It's not far from the Staples Center, it's very convenient to drive there, and the management here is also very good, and you won't be surrounded by enthusiastic fans. It is said that the magician also owns real estate here, and the environment is also very good," Meng Xia said. , "There are oversized floor-to-ceiling windows on both walls, and the vision is very good. It doesn't seem to be effective now. At night, standing in front of the window, you can have a panoramic view of the bright night view of Los Angeles. It's still very impressive."

Lu Yusheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked down. He had a panoramic view of the row upon row of high-rise buildings in Los Angeles. He could imagine how beautiful the night scene would be.

But Lu Yusheng still shook his head, "Let's go to the next one, I don't like this kind of crowded environment, it makes people feel very nervous."

In his previous life, Lu Yusheng lived in the city center, and he really didn't like that kind of hustle and bustle.

The second home is a villa with a price of 250 million US dollars.

"The environment here is good, and it's not too far from the Staples Center. It's very convenient for you to go to the arena. Moreover, this is a newly built villa with a very good layout. It's not too big. You can live in it alone. Not too lonely." Meng Xia introduced.

Lu Yusheng looked around. The environment of this villa is really good, surrounded by a hill and a lake. Looking out from the window, he could see the child running on the green grass.

"Is there anything else?" Lu Yusheng asked.

Meng Xia frowned, "You still don't like it?"

"No, I just want to take a look and compare."

"Have."

The next one is a manor.

Sitting in Meng Xia's car, Lu Yusheng walked through the manicured gardens in the manor, feeling relaxed and happy.

Further forward, there is a private swimming pool and a large golf course.

"How much is this manor?"

"300 million US dollars." Meng Xia said.

"A bit expensive, right? Do you think we have the strength to buy here?"

"Of course it's expensive." Meng Xia said, "This is the private estate of a Wall Street tycoon. Recently, this guy lost a lot of money, so he sold it at a low price and was eager to cash out. Otherwise, it would definitely not be at this price."

"Do we have the money to buy it?" Lu Yusheng asked.

"Enough, but we have to spend all of our money, including some endorsement contracts that have not been paid after signing the contract, as well as the turnover money of our company. It should be fine." Meng Xia said.

"Then you still bring me to see this house?" Lu Yusheng said.

"I'll take you to see it, let you feel it, so that you can be more motivated to make more money." Meng Xia laughed.

"Thank you for motivating me."

After entering the manor, Lu Yusheng was stunned by the huge space inside the super-large villa. There are almost everything in it, gym, boxing room, cinema, indoor swimming pool, music room, squash court, basketball court, whatever you can think of , almost all have.

Lu Yusheng had only seen these things on TV before, but when he suddenly saw the real thing, he was a little dumbfounded for a while. It was really poverty that limited his imagination.

It turns out that the life of the rich is like this.

"So now, which do you think is more important, dreams or money?" Meng Xia said deliberately.

"Money is of course good, but it's not impossible to have both." Lu Yusheng walked into a basement, looked at the strange chairs and beds inside and asked, "What kind of room is this?"

Meng Xia smiled, "Do you really not understand, or are you asking me here on purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"Fortunately, you grew up in the United States, so you don't have a life?" Meng Xia laughed.

Lu Yusheng looked at those strange beds and chairs, and suddenly realized that this room was for that purpose.

I have to sigh with emotion, these rich people really know how to play, and they even set up such a room.

"How is it? After seeing this house, do you feel more motivated?" Meng Xia asked.

"of course."

"That's all right, hurry up and decide, do you want the big flat or the villa?" Meng Xia asked.

"I want this." Lu Yusheng said, "Can I get a loan?"

"You really want this manor?" Meng Xia's eyes widened. "Of course I can get a loan, but the problem is, I don't think it's worth it at all. The interest is so high. Forget it. Let's talk about it next season. Next season, everything will be stable for us, as long as you listen to me and don’t need a loan, you can definitely buy this place easily.”

Lu Yusheng shook his head, "No, I'm going to live here now, so I'll find a way to do it, no matter how high the interest is, as long as I pay it back quickly, it will be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure." Lu Yusheng said, "Go and communicate with that Wall Street financial tycoon, and get it done as soon as possible."

Meng Xia shook her head, "I regret bringing you here."

……

In the evening, Lu Yusheng called Avril Lavigne at the hotel, but he didn't get through.

So Lu Yusheng sent her a message, "Call me back when you see the message, I bought a new house, the environment is good, you can bring your aunt to live here, maybe she will feel better."

In the next few days, Lu Yusheng followed Meng Xia everywhere to sign contracts and attend business events. In the evening, Lu Yusheng had to train, which made him physically and mentally exhausted.

The next game is against the New Orleans Hornets. The team arrived in New Orleans a day early to start training.

The New Orleans Hornets have been in good shape since the start of the season, with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference
And currently ranked first in the Western Conference, it is the Lakers.

Because of the win, if the Hornets win this game, they will squeeze the Lakers out and become the number one in the Western Conference.

So this game is actually a battle for No. [-] in the Western Conference.

For Lu Yusheng, besides this, there is a more important meaning.

That is, Chris Paul.

Although Lu Yusheng has fought against many powerful point guards in the league along the way, in his heart, the strongest point guard in the past few years is definitely the queen bee Chris Paul.

If you can go back and forth when playing against him, it means that your strength is indeed good, and there is indeed hope for this season's championship.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, the defensive ability and strength of the No. 183 position are average, but Chris Paul is different. Although this guy is not tall, his defensive ability is explosive. Since he entered the league, he has basically been He is a frequent visitor to the best defensive team. You must know that he is only [-] tall, as tall as Iverson, but he can sit firmly in the best defensive team at the No. [-] position. His defensive ability is evident.

Zen master Phil Jackson saw this very clearly, "Although overall, the overall strength of the Spurs is higher than that of the Hornets, but this game is not easy for us to play. Lu, the main reason is you, Chris Paul His defensive ability may be the strongest of all point guards you have ever encountered, and you will be tested like never before, so you must be mentally prepared."

Lu Yusheng nodded.

Zen master is very clear that when Kobe is still absent in this game, Lu Yusheng's performance determines the upper limit of the Lakers, and in this game, his opponent Chris Paul has a strong defensive ability, which will be played to a large extent. Lu Yusheng's performance was limited.

Once Lu Yusheng is unable to play, it is impossible for the Lakers to play a smooth rhythm.

At 12 pm Charlotte time on December 3, the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets officially began.

During the appearance ceremony, Chris Paul enjoyed warm cheers and applause from the home fans.

He's the new king here, and New Orleans has high hopes for him.

Especially this season, he has led the team so well, which has rekindled the New Orleans' desire for a championship.

What Lu Yusheng didn't expect was that when he was introduced, there was a lot of cheers at home in New Orleans. It seemed like what Meng Xia said, he is indeed very popular now.

New Orleans Hornets starting lineup: Chris Paul (point guard), Peja Stojakovic (shooting guard), Desmond Mason (small forward), David West ( power forward), Tyson Chandler (center).

This lineup, just looking at the lineup on paper, you can know how strong their defensive ability is.

The starting lineup of the Los Angeles Lakers remains unchanged, Simash Parker (point guard), Vujacic (shooting guard), Luke Walton (small forward), Odom (power forward), Kwame Brown (center).

(End of this chapter)