Chapter 5: Not Optimistic

Chapter 6: Not Optimistic

Coach Rick was simply stirring up trouble for no reason. Or perhaps, he was just jealous of Su Feng.

After all, Su Feng's shooting skills were more than adequate, and within the Rockets, he was clearly on an upward trajectory.

"Su Feng, you Chinese really don’t have anyone suited to play basketball besides Yao Ming. That's just how it is. Well, now I believe it," Shane Battier said, sneering at Su Feng with a contemptuous look.

"Actually, I think Su Feng's butterfly step is pretty good. Although it's a bit of an imitation, for a Chinese guy like him, it's already not bad," another teammate said with a grin.

To be honest, this training session left Su Feng feeling like he’d swallowed a fly—utterly disgusted.

"Alright, everyone, training's over. Go enjoy your evening! But let me remind you, don’t get too cocky. Those of us who play basketball have to rely on our competitive form to keep earning our living. Right?" the head coach said to the group.

Su Feng said nothing and simply walked away.

...

Houston was a bustling American city. For Su Feng, who had never been to the US, everything felt fresh and new.

"I'm a little hungry. Better find something to eat," Su Feng muttered, rubbing his stomach with a hint of frustration.

He searched for quite a while, but couldn’t find a single Chinese restaurant. Apparently, opening one in Houston wasn’t a lucrative business.

"No Chinese restaurants? But I can’t stomach that Western food. This is really troublesome. Still, I don’t want to go hungry. What a dilemma," Su Feng sighed and shook his head.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Su Feng?"

As Su Feng walked down the streets of Houston, someone suddenly called out to him.

He turned around in surprise, wondering how anyone could possibly recognize him in this unfamiliar city. He looked back and saw it was a blonde woman.

"Who are you?" Su Feng was certain he didn’t know her.

Blonde hair was uncommon in China, but in America, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Haha, Su Feng, you don’t remember me? Look again, I’m Susanna!" The blonde woman who called herself Susanna laughed, twirling her hair and smiling brightly at Su Feng.

"Susanna? To be honest, I don’t know you. May I ask what you want?" Su Feng thought hard, but the name didn’t ring any bells. After confirming this, he shook his head and replied.

"Let me remind you! After the game a few days ago, didn’t I ask to take a photo with you? Tsk tsk, you forgot me so quickly? That’s not very nice," Susanna said, shaking her head with a playful smile, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Su Feng.

With this alluring blonde looking at him that way, Su Feng felt a little overwhelmed and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

"Really?" Su Feng scratched his head, embarrassed. "I honestly forgot. Sorry about that."

"It’s nothing. What are you doing here? Wandering around by yourself? Don’t you have anything to do?" Susanna asked, looking at him.

"As you can see, I’m Chinese, and this is my first time in America, first time in Houston. So, I was disappointed to find there’s no Chinese restaurant here. I haven’t gotten used to Western food yet, and honestly, it’s a real problem for me," Su Feng explained, trying to get across that he couldn't adapt to Western cuisine and couldn’t find his preferred Chinese food in this city.

"That really is a problem," Susanna said with a smile, shaking her head.

"Susanna, I get the feeling you’re enjoying my misfortune. Honestly, your smile really makes me feel you’re taking pleasure in it," Su Feng said with a wry smile.

"Enjoying your misfortune?" Susanna looked surprised. It was clearly the first time she’d heard the phrase, her wide eyes showing a hint of confusion. "Su Feng, what does ‘enjoying your misfortune’ mean? Can you explain it to me? I really don’t understand."

"Explain it? Maybe not. Susanna, I’ll just say this: ‘enjoying your misfortune’ is just like what you’re doing now. You should get the idea," Su Feng replied playfully, hoping to dodge the question.

"Really?" Susanna frowned slightly, then stared at Su Feng’s face for a while. "Su Feng, didn’t you say you had nowhere to eat? Right?"

"Do you have an idea?" Su Feng was surprised, unsure what Susanna was getting at.

"Well, I’m actually good at cooking Chinese food. If you don’t mind, why not come to my place? Is that okay?" Susanna said, smiling gently at him.

"What? You can cook Chinese food? Are you kidding?" Su Feng looked at Susanna, genuinely incredulous.

After all, Chinese cuisine wasn’t something just anyone could cook. Even Su Feng, who’d grown up in China, couldn’t cook. How could Susanna, a foreign woman, possibly know how to make it? Su Feng would never believe it, not in a million years.

"You don’t believe me?" Susanna stared at him impassively.

"Honestly, I really don’t," Su Feng replied, shaking his head, his honesty obvious.

"No matter what I say, you won’t believe me. How about this, come to my place and see for yourself," Susanna smiled, inviting him.

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