Basketball Terminal

Chapter 28 Love
(The middle part of the plot has been deleted, and the two chapters have been combined into one. Please forgive me.)
In a public park near JFK Airport, on a secluded, shady path where no cars or pedestrians pass by at night, a pearl-white Lexus is parked under a tree. Its lights are off, and the tinted windows are completely black, providing excellent protection for the interior.

January in New York is cold; the frigid air from the Atlantic Ocean permeates the entire Long Island at night. The car's exterior, without its engine running, is naturally cold, but a thin layer of fog forms on the tinted windows—water droplets condensing from the warm air inside the car touching the cold glass.

On the way, Kim Mi-won's sudden attack almost made him slam on the brakes, but luckily he managed to hold back, otherwise it would have been troublesome if she had accidentally bitten him off.

Trying to remain calm and clear-headed, they drove all the way to the small park, found a secluded spot to park, and only went to the back after confirming that no one was around.

However, things didn't go well at first. The two were still too unfamiliar with each other, and Li Wei, being tall, felt awkward cramped in the back seat. After a short while, Li Wei felt the urge to urinate. It was too cold outside, so he found a mineral water bottle to relieve himself temporarily. However, the opening was too small, and he almost spilled it on the back seat, making the two of them quite embarrassed.

As she got better, Kim Mi-won, who had been a trainee, not only had a great figure but also excellent physical fitness. Being an idol is very hard work; just being able to lie down is useless. You have to be able to sing and dance, participate in activities for long periods of time, and stand all day long.

Kim Mi-won was physically fit enough, but she couldn't stand the monotonous life and didn't want to be subjected to unspoken rules, so she chose to give up and pursue her studies and start her own business.

After arriving in the United States, despite her seemingly glamorous and alluring appearance, she couldn't find a suitable partner. Black men, needless to say, were completely outside her aesthetic range. As for older white men, she found them both unpleasant and rough, while the well-built, muscular elite white men were all in Manhattan and unlikely to come to Flushing.

Korean men of her own ethnicity are known for being short, so the tall and slender Kim Mi-won didn't even notice them. On the other hand, Kim Mi-won had long been attracted to Lee Wei, who worked at the laundromat; he was tall, strong, and gave off a reassuring vibe. However, back then, Lee Wei was rather simple-minded, awkward, and shy. She would tease him briefly for a moment, but nothing ever came of it.

Unexpectedly, when they went to collect the debt last time, Li Wei seemed like a completely different person. He retained his tall and strong physique, but he also exuded a surge of hormones, making Jin Meiyuan's heart flutter. She thought about Li Wei every night before going to bed. His scent alone was enough to make her unable to control herself.

Many people overlook the attraction of scent to the opposite sex. In fact, in intimate interactions, scent is sometimes more important than appearance. No matter what shoes or socks you wear, you'll eventually take them off, and you can't see your face in the dark, but scent will linger.

People who are attracted to each other can be captivated by each other's scent alone, while people who are repelled by each other may find each other attractive in photos and videos, but once they come into contact with each other and smell something amiss, they will gradually drift apart.

……

Nearly two hours later, the two finally opened the window a crack to let fresh air in and dispel the stuffiness and mixed smells inside the car.

Kim Mi-won was so tired that she could barely lift her arms and legs. She tried to take a cigarette from the storage box, but Li Wei confiscated it, saying, "Don't smoke, it's bad for your lungs."

Kim Mi-won chuckled and said, "So you're starting to dictate to me now?"

"I'm not talking about you, I'm saying it's bad for my lungs. I'm an athlete, I need to protect my lungs."

"Damn it..."

Kim Mi-won's voice, which had been so forceful when she cursed, now lacked its usual strength. She stretched out her long, straight, and white leg and gently kicked Li Wei. Li Wei grabbed her ankle and held it in his hand, gently stroking it. Kim Mi-won docilely let him caress her like a little white kitten.

By the moonlight, Kim Mi-won gazed at Lee Wei's profile, growing more and more fond of him. Lee Wei, meanwhile, thought to himself, "This medicine is working well. After three hours of training during the day, I still have plenty of energy at night. I could easily train for another hour now. Looks like I need to get back into training; next week is the only preseason game, I need to perform well and try to get promoted."

"Hey, do you believe in love?" Kim Mi-won asked, nudging Lee Wei when he didn't answer.

"Love? Of course I believe in love. When I was in school, I loved watching Korean romance dramas like 'Winter Sonata,' 'Autumn in My Heart,' and 'Stairway to Heaven.' Wow, they made me cry buckets. I thought I would find a girlfriend as beautiful as Choi Ji-woo and love her for a lifetime, and we could overcome any hardship together. So even now, I still believe in love."

"Really? Then does this count as love?"

"Of course...it doesn't count."

"What's that?"

"It's considered an affair."

"You little brat...wait, why would you watch shows like Winter Sonata and Autumn in My Heart when you were in school? Shouldn't you have just been born then?"

"Huh? Oh, I saw the video online, and I bought the ticket later! Hurry up and put on some clothes, it's freezing cold! Don't fall asleep and freeze to death on the train, quick, quick, quick..."
-
On the way back, Jin Meiyuan drove again. Although she was so tired she could barely lift her arms and legs, and wanted Li Wei to drive, she was furious when he said, "I don't have a driver's license." That brat was driving her crazy! Was he practicing in my car just now?

Li Wei remained calm throughout the journey, his mind preoccupied with the competition, as if the nearly two hours of thrilling events had been a dream. Jin Meiyuan, on the other hand, was filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, being much older than Li Wei, she feared that after this experience, he would become clingy, acting like a child demanding romance and affection, requiring daily dates, conversations, and endless emotional turmoil.

While it might be sweet, Kim Mi-won couldn't dedicate that much energy to it. She had to work, have her own career and ideals, and didn't want to waste too much time on romance. Of course, she also couldn't bring herself to break off all contact with Li Wei; she'd only just tasted the sweetness of it all, how could she bear to do that?

However, on the other hand, when 20-year-old Li Wei acted as if nothing had happened and even described their relationship as an "affair," Kim Mi-won still felt a pang of jealousy. That's how women are; if you're too close to her, she wants to avoid you; but if you genuinely don't care, she gets upset.

However, Kim Mi-won remained rational. She drove Li Wei back to Hong Le Laundry, and the two said a simple goodbye like friends. Watching Li Wei wave goodbye, she breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted her mindset, and forced herself to think more about business matters.

On the way, the two reached a cooperation agreement, with the laundry price reduced to 40%. Jin Meiyuan, acting as an intermediary, would bring in some business for Hong Le, earning some commission to help him through his current difficulties.

Just as she was about to leave, Kim Mi-won received a message from Li Wei on her phone, saying, "Try to transform into a sports brand. The profit margin is higher, and I might be able to endorse your store in the future. You'll make a fortune then."

Upon seeing Li Wei's message, Jin Meiyuan's mind raced. When she was sourcing quick-drying clothes and sports socks for Li Wei last time, she had contacted some colleagues in the sporting goods sales industry and discovered that the profits in this sector were indeed quite good, and the market was growing rapidly with a wide audience, giving it a competitive advantage in the current environment.

However, Kim Mi-won was unfamiliar with the sports category, and without guidance from a senior, she dared not venture into a new category rashly, as she would likely fail miserably.

But then her cousin, Park In-yong, told her that Li Wei had joined some basketball team in the NBA's Development League, which was incredibly prestigious, and very few people from Asia could even make it into that league. "I'd never even heard of him before. I checked the website, and it's true! This kid is really something! No one from Korea can get into a league like that. What if he becomes the next Yao Ming? Oh my god, that would be incredible!"

Park In-yong's words echoed in Kim Mi-won's mind. She didn't know much about basketball, but she did know Yao Ming. He was the pride of Asian basketball, and also the nightmare of Koreans.

My cousin, uncle, and father are all basketball fans and support the South Korean men's basketball team. But it seems that as long as Yao Ming is on the court, the Chinese team always manages to beat South Korea to a pulp, leaving them helpless. My cousin and uncle can only sigh and complain that it's unfair that Yao Ming is on the team.

Can Li Wei really achieve what Yao Ming has? Judging by height alone, it seems unlikely; there's a huge gap. But even reaching half of Yao Ming's level would be a remarkable achievement.

Sitting in the car for a while, Kim Mi-won replied to a message briefly. Then, recalling the wonderful scenery she had experienced in the car more than an hour earlier, she suddenly blushed with embarrassment and quickly started the car to leave. However, she pressed the accelerator too hard and almost crashed into a street lamp, so she quickly slammed on the brakes to stop.

She grabbed her hair hard to calm herself down, restarted, and cursed inwardly, "How could you let a mere boy cloud your judgment? How utterly shameful!"

Meanwhile, back home, Li Wei gave some of the money he had brought back from the Vietnamese to his parents. Chen Lihua was naturally happy to receive the money. But she was also a little worried about her son and asked, "Those Vietnamese are not easy to deal with. Are you alright? You've been gone for so long, it makes me worried."

“If I have a problem, I won’t be able to come back. Be more careful when you’re looking to work with someone in the future. Don’t trust just anyone who offers you a little favor. Read the contract carefully and don’t work for someone just because you’ve received a small deposit. In the end, they might only want the deposit.”

"Sometimes there's no way around it in business. Finding orders isn't easy, and you don't make much money from odd jobs like laundry. Hey, you..."

Seeing Chen Lihua's hesitant expression, Li Wei asked, "What's wrong? Just say what you want to say."

"Have you been working hard lately?" It turned out that Chen Lihua was worried that her son was working too hard because he left early and returned late every day.

When Li Wei was unemployed, he spent all his time in the shop, and Chen Lihua complained about him from morning till night that he was useless. He couldn't find a job after graduating from university, and he didn't even have a girlfriend. He was such a big guy, ate so much, and all he did at home was get in the way.

Now Li Wei has changed. He goes out every day, has found a job, and can handle things. Chen Lihua feels empty inside.

"Mom, I've only been working for a few days. If you think I'm working too hard, will you support me when I come back home?"

"Hey, you little brat, I'm just concerned about you, why are you talking so rudely? Is it wrong for me to care about you? You ungrateful wretch, who pampered you when you were in school? Now you think you're so great..."

Seeing that Chen Lihua had launched into her fierce rant again, Li Wei rolled his eyes and closed his ears, ignoring her nagging, and went upstairs to rest.

Seeing that Li Wei was completely ignoring her, Chen Lihua could only shut up, muttering, "I'm so angry! The kids are getting so disobedient now that they're older." Just then, Li Yue came in through the main entrance, holding a pair of sneakers he had just snagged—the result of queuing for three hours. He was thrilled to be able to resell them for a few hundred dollars and was ready to brag to his mother.

"mom…"

"roll!"

Li Yue immediately shut up, shrugged, and obediently picked up his shoes and went upstairs. If you won't look, I'll show it to my brother.
-
The Long Island Nets' training continued for several days, with two days of training followed by one day of rest. Each day was filled with unexpected incidents. There were fights among the elderly, and leaks in the gymnasium. One day, their training clashed with a local elementary school's parent-child sports day, forcing them to wait two hours until the event concluded before training could begin.

This made it difficult for the young players on the team who had jumped from the NCAA to the G League to adapt, but there was nothing they could do. This is the G League, and everyone has to get used to it. This world is a huge makeshift organization.

However, even a makeshift team is still a team. Although there were many problems, they were always able to handle them. Moreover, the Long Island Nets' coaching staff is quite professional. The coaches have a wealth of practical experience, and the training plans they provide are scientific and intense, resulting in significant improvements for the players.

During each training session, all the events were measured down to the minute, including rest periods, which were measured down to the second. The rest periods were extremely short, and the pace was incredibly fast; our heart and lungs were constantly on the verge of bursting. So later, everyone kind of hoped for an accident to happen, so they could catch their breath and rest; otherwise, they would really be exhausted.

The schedule for the new season has been set, with the first game scheduled for February 9th. Before that, everyone will travel to Florida and play in the so-called Disney bubble games at ESPN's Mega World Arena. Just like last season's NBA season.

Before heading to Florida, the Long Island Nets will play their only preseason game as a litmus test of the team's training results and chemistry, and their opponent is their crosstown rivals, the Westchester Knicks.

The two teams scheduled their game for 2 p.m. on February 1st at the Inar College Gymnasium in New Rochelle, a nearly two-hour drive from Long Island. After a brief shooting practice in the morning, the Long Island Nets players had lunch and immediately boarded a bus to their destination.

On the way, everyone complained about why they had to travel so far, while the Knicks were only a half-hour drive away. Brett told them bluntly: "Because we're poorer."

However, some issues arose on the road. The driver seemed unfamiliar with the route and took the wrong turn. So everyone took out their phones and frantically helped the driver navigate, finally pointing to a shorter, less congested elevated road, which the driver then followed.

Halfway there, Brett sensed something was wrong and asked the driver, "Shit, it seems like buses can't go on this elevated road, there's a height restriction!"

The driver didn't care: "Anyway, I was just following your navigation."

Two minutes later, the bus crashed into the height restriction barrier, and a large section of the roof was ripped off, turning it into an open-top bus.

The driver stopped the car and asked, "Are you still going? Or should we get the car fixed first?"

Still shaken, Brett said helplessly, "Let's just go like this, the convertible is pretty cool."

(End of this chapter)