bdsm-fiction Chapter 139
Chapter 139
The basketball section of the *China Sports Daily* is small, sometimes a full page, sometimes half a page. But it's packed with information—NBA game reports, CBA updates, and international basketball news are all crammed onto that small page, densely packed with lead type. The black ink from offset printing has a peculiar smell, somewhat like kerosene.
That day, the headline was a pre-drama report on the 1996 NBA Draft. The headline was in bold, printed in large print: "Philadelphia 76ers eye Georgetown's Allen Iverson."
The draft is on June 26th, which is still a month away. But the media hype has already begun, like waves crashing ashore early, bringing dampness and muffled sounds.
Lin Feng stood by the newsstand and finished reading the news article.
Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Marbury, Jermaine O'Neal, Kemba Walker, Peja Stojakovic—
This list of names will dominate the NBA landscape for the next two decades: eleven players won four regular season MVP awards, fifty-seven were selected to the All-Star team, and won nineteen championships.
He had witnessed the glory of these people in his past life—Iverson's crossover, Kobe's isolation plays, Nash's fast breaks, and Ray Allen's three-pointers.
What he is reading now is the unknown beginnings of these superstars, like the moment before a seed sprouts.
"Lin Feng, what are you looking at?"
Liu Jian appeared behind him without him noticing, holding a newspaper in his hand.
"About the talent show." Lin Feng folded the newspaper and tucked it under his arm.
Liu Jian leaned over and glanced at it, his gaze lingering on Iverson's name for a moment.
"Who is this?" he asked.
Lin Feng did not answer the question.
They walked back along the street, Liu Jian flipping through the newspaper in his hand as he walked.
The May sun shone on their shoulders, casting short shadows.
The locust trees by the roadside were in full bloom. A gust of wind blew by, and the petals fell in twos and threes, like a light snowfall.
"By the way, Lin Feng," Liu Jian suddenly spoke, his voice a little softer than usual, "you said last time you wanted to find someone to manage software sales. I've thought about it for a few days and I've figured it out."
Lin Feng looked at him.
"I want to do it. I'm serious."
Liu Jian put away his playful expression, and his eyes revealed something he rarely showed—enthusiasm, a simple and selfless yearning.
"You taught me programming, you taught me how to play ball, I learned them all."
But what I want to do most for you is sell the software. I won't bother you while you're writing; while you and Sister Cheng... no, while you're busy with your work, I'll handle the remittance slips, write envelopes, and run errands at the post office. You just need to pay me my salary.
Lin Feng looked into his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Okay. Let's try it for a month. We'll see how it goes after a month."
Liu Jian laughed so hard his gums were showing.
Chapter 43 Locust Flowers and Choices
In the last week of May, Beichuan experienced two rain showers.
The rain wasn't heavy, but it drizzled on and off for two days, filling the air with the damp smell of earth. Lin Feng hadn't gone to the court for two days, spending his time at home doing strength training—push-ups, sit-ups, squats—doing the exercises Sun Jianguo had taught him over and over again in the living room. Cheng Yuxin was writing her thesis in her room, occasionally coming out to get water. She saw him doing push-ups on the floor, glanced at him sideways, didn't say anything, and went back to her room with a glass of water.
The third day was sunny, and the sunlight dried the water stains on the ground, leaving marks of varying depths on the road surface, like an abstract map.