Compared to Toronto where Su Feng had lived, Los Angeles in February wasn't considered cold.

However, as Kobe walked back and forth in his house with his crutches...

That night, Kobe felt extremely cold.

"Honey, is your foot feeling any better?" After lulling Natalia, DeLisa, and Gianna to sleep, Vanessa, seeing Kobe unable to sit still these days, came forward to ask.

Hearing this, Kobe, suddenly remembering DeLisa's words that morning, "Daddy will be okay," couldn't help but smile.

"It's much better than right after the surgery," Kobe said after sharing a deep kiss with Vanessa.

"Are you still going to watch the All-Star Game today?" Vanessa asked.

All...

The All-Star Game...

Come to think of it, last summer, he had told that bastard that he would definitely beat him this year...

But now...

Looking down at his right foot and sighing, Kobe shook his head and said, "No, I won't watch it. There's nothing to see."

Vanessa nodded. "Then, how about I take a shower, and we can watch a TV series together?"

Another passionate kiss.

For Kobe, who had just had surgery on his right foot...

Vanessa was undoubtedly his strongest support at this moment.

However, half an hour later...

When Vanessa came out of the bathroom...

Kobe, who had said he wouldn't watch the All-Star Game, was already sitting on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the TV broadcasting this year's Las Vegas All-Star Game.

Vanessa smiled wryly and sat next to Kobe.

"What kind of players did Kevin (Garnett) pick this year?

I just don't understand why he didn't pick Yao and Tim." Pointing at the TV, Kobe couldn't help but complain to Vanessa.

"Maybe he has his own ideas?" Vanessa said, blinking.

"It looks like that bastard Su is going to win again this year."

On the court, as the game started, Vanessa realized that no matter how well Kobe tried to hide it, his mind had already drifted to that damned...

Basketball court.

"Why didn't LeBron take that shot himself?

Could his chance, being open, be worse than Su's, who is being guarded?" In Las Vegas, Kobe said with a puzzled look after James chose to pass the ball to Su Feng during an offensive play.

"Oh! My God!

How is Carmelo reading the game...

Even if God lent him courage, he couldn't possibly shoot in front of Su from that position!" On the court, Kobe complained when Anthony, the starting small forward for "Garnett's Team," shot from the Logo area.

However...

Swish!

Kobe: "..."

In Kobe's mansion.

Maybe it was because Anthony's shot had broken his defense...

For the next little while, Coach Kobe was noticeably quieter.

It wasn't until the third quarter, when "Su Feng's Team" took the lead, that Kobe couldn't help but complain, "Everyone says John Davis is a famous coach...

But his adjustments tonight are worthy of sending him to the stake!"

Looking at Davis, who refused to call a timeout in the third quarter, Kobe subconsciously thought of Phil Jackson, the "fake Zen master" who had screwed him over.

But...

On the court, during the fourth quarter, Kobe was completely surprised to see that...

On "Garnett's Team," Vince Carter, who "even dogs wouldn't want" when Su Feng and Garnett were selecting players, had hit four consecutive three-pointers for "Garnett's Team."

"Isn't Su coming back yet? If he doesn't come back, they're going to lose this game!"

At this time, Kobe, deeply immersed as a commentator, couldn't help but criticize "Su Feng's Team's" substitutions.

"Heh, I thought you were going to sit until the end of the fourth quarter.

Honey, watch closely. It's about to be 'Su's showtime'!" On the court, after Su Feng returned, Kobe said, hugging Vanessa.

However...

On the court, Su Feng had indeed returned.

But this game...

In Kobe's view, Su Feng had no intention of winning at all.

Sigh!

It was just an All-Star Game...

For Su Feng, who was aiming for a three-peat this year, how could he possibly give it his all for an exhibition game?

And besides, this was an All-Star Game without Kobe.

In the end, in Las Vegas, "Garnett's Team" successfully ended "Su Feng's Team's" two-game winning streak with a score of 129 to 117.

And after the game, while being interviewed, the MVP of this year's All-Star Game...

At this moment, Kobe realized that he was the only one left in the huge living room.

"Keep talking. Didn't you want to tell me about Su's weaknesses?"

Just when Kobe thought he had made Vanessa angry again, Vanessa sat next to Kobe with a can of orange juice.

"Should we go to sleep?" Kobe asked cautiously, looking at Vanessa.

"Don't. You've just piqued my curiosity." Vanessa said, hugging Kobe.

Kobe: "..."

Tsk!

To be fair.

In Kobe's eyes, Vanessa's ability to change her attitude was even faster than someone else's.

"Su is actually a very timid person." After pausing, Kobe said to Vanessa.

And now, Vanessa's curiosity was truly piqued by Kobe.

"Su is timid?" Vanessa asked in surprise.

"Yeah.

I remember once in high school, he asked me to watch a horror movie with him.

I originally said I didn't want to watch it, but he insisted on provoking me, saying that I must be timid and that's why I didn't dare to watch it.

So I watched it with him...

And do you know what happened then?" Kobe asked.

"What happened?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"You might not believe it if I said it.

For the next week, this guy had to call me every day and talk until very late before he dared to sleep," Kobe said with a smile.

"No wonder...

No wonder Britney complained to me the other day that Su never took her to the haunted house when he took her to the amusement park," Vanessa said with a look of realization.

"Haha, trust me, if Su and Britney went to a haunted house together...

Then Su would definitely hug Britney's leg and wouldn't dare to move!" Kobe laughed loudly.

"Then, honey, how about we ask Su and Britney to go to the amusement park with us next time?" Vanessa suggested to Kobe.

Hearing this, Kobe, feeling his mood getting better and better, nodded and said, "Speaking of Su's timidity...

I also remember when we were in high school, I once asked him during a one-on-one game...

Why other teammates were afraid when they talked about me, but he wasn't afraid of me at all.

Do you know what he said at the time?"

Uh...

Asking questions if you don't understand.

Does this matter have any necessary connection with Su Feng being timid?

Vanessa was a little confused.

However, seeing that Kobe was in a good mood tonight, Vanessa still restrained her urge to criticize Kobe.

After Vanessa nodded obediently, Kobe continued, "At the time, he said...

As the boss of Lower Merion, why should he be afraid of me, the second-in-command."

"But, don't I remember you telling me that you were the absolute core of that Lower Merion team in your high school days?" Vanessa asked.

"Of course.

You know, back then, if you asked Su to dribble the ball across half-court himself...

He might dribble ten times and make ten mistakes for you to see.

So I got anxious at the time.

Then, in that day's one-on-one practice, I beat him ten times in a row," Kobe said, raising his eyebrows triumphantly.

Originally, Vanessa wanted to say...

What the outside world is saying now is that you never beat Su Feng in high school...

However, after Kobe pointed to the video footage on the TV...

Vanessa still suppressed her urge to criticize Kobe.

"This is the story of what happened that day.

I never expected that Su would specially record it.

And, that day was also exactly the day before my 17th birthday," Kobe said, rubbing Vanessa's head.

In the video footage...

How could Su Feng be a match for Kobe?

But after each failure...

Su Feng would immediately challenge Kobe again.

"Watching this video again today...

Honey, do you know...

I've been wondering, why could Su always get back up after being defeated by me again and again...

And now, I think I have an answer."

After Vanessa helped him stand up with his crutches, compared to Kobe, who had fallen in the Staples Center half a month ago...

At this moment, Kobe's heart was no longer confused.

Maybe one day, Kobe would find that he was destined not to be able to catch up with Su Feng's pace again after giving it his all.

But that was definitely not today.

Maybe one day, people would say that Kobe was just Su Feng's background.

But that was definitely not today either.

Maybe one day, the story of Lower Merion would be gradually forgotten...

But that was also not today.

In Kobe's mansion, looking at Kobe, who had already come out of his self-imposed isolation and didn't need her comfort, Vanessa finally asked Kobe a question.

"Honey, I'm curious...

If Su has the opportunity to be on a team with you in the future...

Would you be happier than you are now?"

Hearing this, in that instant, Kobe's thoughts were pulled back to eleven years ago.

That was the era when the Lower Merion Twin Stars roamed Pennsylvania.

From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

From the Susquehanna River to the Monongahela River, the name of Lower Merion had already resounded throughout the Appalachian Mountains.

"Although I've enjoyed the thrill of competing with Su on the court all these years.

But...

To be honest...

I can hardly remember when was the last time I was as happy as I was in this video..."

"Is it because your high school days with Su were too unforgettable?" Vanessa said, looking at Kobe.

"No...

It's because during the time I was teammates with Su...

I never had to worry about anything.

If he went forward, I would watch his back.

And if I went forward, he would guard my back." Rubbing Vanessa's head, Kobe said to Vanessa, word by word.

"Regarding Su's current skills...

You can even see many of the techniques I taught him back then.

Maybe time will gradually fade all of this.

But Su won't." After pausing, Kobe said, pointing to the blessing that Su Feng had personally left on this videotape.

After Vanessa looked over with a curious expression...

She saw that it read:

"In memory of the years when Kobe Bryant taught me how to play basketball.

Happy 25th birthday, your best friend, Su Feng."

Time flies.

Years go by.

From meeting Kobe.

As of this year, it had been thirteen years since Su Feng and Kobe became friends.

And thirteen was also the pick number that Su Feng was selected in the draft that year.

It was also the pick number in Su Feng's memory that Kobe was selected.

Thirteen years.

Many people and many things were changing.

But the only thing that remained unchanged was...

Su Feng and Kobe had a shared beautiful memory.

At the draft that year, Su Feng had jokingly said to Kobe that if he couldn't make it in Los Angeles in the future, he should come find him to play brothers' basketball and play in his hometown.

And Kobe had also jokingly said to Su Feng that if he couldn't make it in the NBA in the future, Los Angeles would always be his home.

In February 2007, many big things happened in the NBA.

For example, although this year's Las Vegas All-Star Game successfully broke viewership records, after the game, because of violent incidents that occurred in Las Vegas, resulting in 3 deaths and 362 arrests...

Stern's NBA image, which he had been trying to maintain in recent years, once again plummeted.

And that night, after Kobe told Vanessa stories for three whole hours about how he had crushed Su Feng in one-on-one games...

Late at night...

He also received a call from Jim Buss.

Kobe knew...

No matter how supportive Little Buss was of him usually, after this injury, he would probably have to be prepared to take a pay cut when negotiating a contract extension with the Lakers in the future.

However, what Kobe imagined was not the same...

That night, Little Buss was not talking to him about contract extension matters.

"Kobe, we have a game in Miami next month.

Would you be willing to go with me to visit Su then?"

...