Chapter 7: China Has Only One Yao Ming

Chapter 8: China Has Only One Yao Ming

Are you trying to peck at my words? Su Feng gazed into Susanna’s eyes, and truthfully, at that moment, he felt a slight urge to compromise. Indeed, he was a grown man, and here he was, arguing with Susanna, a young woman, over such trivial matters. What was the point? None, really.

Yet, Susanna had a way of pushing her words to the limit, making them infuriating. Su Feng thought this wasn’t good at all. It truly wasn’t.

“Yes, Susanna, I admit what you said…” Su Feng nodded and spoke to her, still locked onto her eyes. “China truly produced only one Yao Ming, but Susanna, you must understand—I am Su Feng, not Yao Ming, you know? I will make a name for myself in the NBA, so you can rest assured!”

Hearing Su Feng’s words, surprise flickered in Susanna’s eyes. Suddenly, she felt she barely recognized the young man before her. Somehow, he was no longer the Su Feng she once knew.

Quickly, Susanna finished preparing the meal and brought it to the table. The aroma filled the room, and Su Feng immediately caught its scent.

“It smells wonderful…” Su Feng smiled as he praised Susanna.

“Really? Actually, I’m quite happy to receive your compliment! Hahaha!” Susanna laughed heartily.

“My praise isn’t just for show—what I said is from the heart, though whether you believe it or not is up to you.” Susanna smiled mischievously and replied to Su Feng.

Su Feng began to eat. He had to admit, not only did the food smell amazing, it tasted just as good. That was something he truly felt inside.

After finishing the meal, Su Feng chatted with Susanna for a while before leaving her home and returning to his own apartment.

Back at his apartment, Su Feng took a shower and drank a cup of coffee. In America, if you haven’t gotten used to drinking coffee, you’ll definitely be laughed at. That’s an undeniable fact. In foreign countries, especially in America, coffee is as common as tea or water in China. If you don’t learn to drink coffee, you’ll find it impossible to blend into American society. It’s a reluctant choice for any foreigner from China coming to this new country.

After his coffee, Su Feng opted for sleep. He still had to go to the gym for training tomorrow.

The next morning, at eight o’clock, Su Feng woke up, got out of bed, washed up, and headed out. American traffic was actually quite good—he didn’t encounter any jams and arrived at the club gym by eight thirty. Su Feng walked right in.

“Good morning, Su Feng. You need to put in extra effort in this morning’s training. Honestly, I’ve always held you Chinese players in high regard. You know that, right?” As soon as Su Feng appeared, Coach Rick greeted him.

“Coach Rick, I must say, you’re not that early yourself today. Actually, I always thought someone like you, as head coach, doesn’t need to come so early, since you’re not a professional player, right? Why not sleep in and reward yourself? There’s no need to push yourself so hard every day, especially given your age. Waking up so early isn’t great for your health.” Su Feng smiled as he spoke to Coach Rick.

Coach Rick was genuinely pleased by Su Feng’s words. She smiled and said, “Su Feng, your words really make me happy and comforted. Honestly, I’m used to getting up early. As long as you all train diligently every day, I’m happy. Everything else… isn’t so important to me.”

Hearing Coach Rick’s words, Su Feng quietly praised him in his heart. It seemed this coach truly had professional ethics.

Su Feng’s training plan for the day was quite extensive. The first task was to dribble the ball a thousand times—a hefty training load.

“Su Feng, what’s your first training step today?” Coach Rick looked at Su Feng and stared into his eyes.

“Uh… Coach Rick, I’m planning to start with a thousand dribbles. What do you think?” Su Feng felt there was no need to hide anything from Coach Rick, so he answered honestly.

“A thousand?” Coach Rick fell into thought after hearing this. Then he looked up at Su Feng, shook his head, and said, “Su Feng, don’t you think your training load is a bit too low? A thousand? I really think that’s not enough.”

A thousand is too little? Su Feng almost cursed in his heart. This Coach Rick was truly relentless—he had to admit Americans could be ruthless. A thousand dribbles and he still thought it was too little; Su Feng wanted to curse him to death.

Naturally, Su Feng only dared to curse Coach Rick in his thoughts. He would never be so foolish as to talk back to the coach aloud; one word out of place and he’d probably be kicked out immediately.

So, Su Feng gathered his courage and asked, “Well then, Coach Rick, how many dribbles do you think I should do today? Since you’re the head coach, I’ll listen to your advice, so please tell me—I’ll definitely follow your instructions.”

Coach Rick thought for a moment and then said, “How about this? Based on your ability and stamina, I think you should do ten thousand dribbles today. What do you think? As head coach, I believe ten thousand dribbles are reasonable for you, so I hope you won’t refuse. Just follow what I say honestly, all right, Su Feng?”

PS: Mm, New Year's is almost here. Let me wish everyone a happy New Year in advance—may you prosper and may all your wishes come true, hehe!