So Tang Lulu forced a smile and walked towards Li Feng, extending her fair hand.
"Hello Li Feng, my name is Tang Lulu, I'm your biggest fan!"
Li Feng, unaware of Tang Lulu's intentions or her deal with Sun Fei, politely extended his hand and shook hers gently.
"Hello Tang Lulu, it's my honor to have a beautiful fan like you."
Li Feng's reply was official but also fitting.
Then, Li Feng took out the script, intending to have a brief discussion with Tang Lulu.
The commercial had very few lines, mostly relying on body language and expressions.
Unexpectedly, Tang Lulu didn't seem in a hurry to discuss the script with him. She directly took Li Feng's arm and led him to the side.
Sun Fei and the other staff members tactfully moved away.
Li Feng frowned, not knowing what she was up to.
"Miss Tang, what is this..."
"Don't be so formal, just call me Lulu." As she spoke, Tang Lulu linked her arm with Li Feng's and sat down on a bench.
Li Feng felt a bit awkward and gently pushed her hand away, "Tang... Lulu, let's look at the script and then get to work. So many staff members are waiting."
"What's the rush? We're the male and female leads of the film. Shouldn't we communicate our feelings first?"
As Tang Lulu spoke, her eyes brimming with allure, she leaned towards Li Feng again.
Li Feng's peripheral vision caught someone not far away holding a camera and a video camera, secretly aiming them at the two of them.
What was going on?
Li Feng had a subtle feeling that something was wrong.
"Director Sun, let's start, let's rehearse first!" Li Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a tone of command.
Sun Fei quickly hurried over. He exchanged a look with Tang Lulu, seeing resentment in her eyes.
"Okay, okay, let's rehearse the first scene. You two walk towards each other, then have a deep gaze, and hold hands..."
Despite her annoyance, Tang Lulu followed the script and the director's instructions, rehearsing with Li Feng.
Li Feng wasn't a professional actor, but he had good talent. His previous commercials were very successful, and directors praised his acting skills.
However, Li Feng's focus had always been on basketball, and he never had any intention of branching out.
Moreover, in the past, he had only collaborated with big-name actresses with excellent acting skills.
But today, Li Feng was utterly stunned. This Tang Lulu couldn't act at all!
Her acting skills were zero!
Judging by her expressions and movements, she was extremely awkward. Li Feng's toes were almost digging through the floor.
If it were anyone else, Li Feng might have lost his temper.
But Tang Lulu was the daughter of Deng Huasheng's old comrade, so Li Feng had to show some respect.
"Oh... Lulu, do you need a little more time to prepare?"
Li Feng said this very tactfully, and Tang Lulu, not being foolish, understood immediately and got angry.
"What more do I need to prepare? Director Sun, you tell me! Am I acting well?"
Sun Fei had taken Tang Lulu's money and was now in a difficult position.
He definitely couldn't afford to offend Li Feng, and he couldn't say anything to Tang Lulu either.
In helplessness, he pushed Tang Lulu aside and whispered to her, "Lulu, why don't you practice a bit more? Li Feng is very strict."
"What right does he have? Isn't he just some ball-playing punk? I'm the professional actor, a graduate of a drama academy! Why should he criticize me?"
Tang Lulu's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, was just enough for Li Feng to hear.
Li Feng felt a surge of anger, but he believed that a true gentleman doesn't quarrel with a woman. Li Feng couldn't be bothered to argue with her and immediately turned and walked away.
He took out his phone and called Deng Huasheng.
"Mr. Deng, I can't continue filming this commercial."
Deng Huasheng, being incredibly astute, guessed what had happened immediately.
"Li Feng, is it that girl? Sigh, her father and I were in the same company, we were very good friends. He rarely asks me for favors."
"In that case, I'll tell Old Tang directly. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, we must change people!"
Li Feng knew that China was a society based on relationships, so he said tactfully, "Mr. Deng, don't put yourself in a difficult position. I'm just making a suggestion. If you think it's okay, you can find a different male lead..."
"This... Li Feng, what are you saying? If you don't act, what's the point of this commercial? Sigh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have agreed to Old Tang in the first place."
"I thought his daughter, being a drama academy graduate, would have some acting skills. Who knew I later heard that Lulu's acting wasn't good, so I thought I'd let her try. Sigh, it seems she really can't do it!"
"Li Feng, you don't need to worry about it. I'll call her right now and tell her to leave. We'll find a new female lead!"
"Okay, Mr. Deng. I'll head back to the hotel then. By the way, is the basketball talent you mentioned coming today?"
"Oh, I told him to meet you at the hotel tonight. You assess him and see if he has potential."
"Then I'll wait for him at the hotel."
Li Feng hung up the phone and left the set without saying goodbye to Sun Fei or Tang Lulu.
Back at the hotel, Li Feng rested for a while.
He had just finished dinner when he heard someone ring the doorbell.
Li Feng guessed it was the basketball prodigy and was quite excited, so he quickly opened the door.
Standing at the door was a shy young boy, about 1.85 meters tall, dressed in sportswear.
"Brother Li Feng, hello." The boy greeted Li Feng politely, his eyes filled with admiration.
Li Feng looked him over, seeing that the boy had an honest face and a very standard build.
He also noticed the boy had a long wingspan.
Most Asians had a wingspan roughly equal to their height, which was one of the factors contributing to a lack of basketball talent.
But this boy, Li Feng saw his arms hang down to almost his knees.
Damn, this is amazing!
Li Feng's heart leaped with joy, and he pulled the boy into the room by his arm.
"Don't be so cautious. Sit down. What's your name?"
"Brother Li, my name is Meng Dong. I'm in my first year of high school and I participated in the North China High School League."
"Oh? You're only in your first year and you've already participated in the league? That's great. How were your results?" Li Feng asked him with interest.
"I'm from Yuning High School. I play small forward on the school team. I average 14 points per game, and our school won the North China championship!"
Meng Dong said, a hint of pride on his face.
Li Feng wasn't very familiar with Chinese high school leagues, but winning first place in North China was likely quite good.
Moreover, Meng Dong, only in his first year of high school, could average 14 points per game, making him a core player.
No wonder Deng Huasheng would recommend this kid for training in the United States.
"Good, very impressive. Come on, let's find a gym to practice for a bit!"
Li Feng, wearing sunglasses and a mask, took Meng Dong and left the hotel.
There was a basketball court nearby. Li Feng took Meng Dong inside and rented half of it.
"Here, Xiao Dong, just show me a few moves."
Li Feng tossed the basketball to Meng Dong.
Meng Dong was a bit nervous, after all, he was facing the number one person in basketball today!
And he was Meng Dong's idol.
Meng Dong's room at home was covered with posters and photos of Li Feng.
He took the basketball and first performed a few dribbling moves from beyond the three-point line: front cross-overs, behind-the-back dribbles, and even a Sam Giddey-style crossover, all done quite skillfully.
Li Feng stood with his arms crossed, watching Meng Dong dribble and nodding slightly.
Amateurs watch the show, while insiders see the skill.
As a top basketball superstar, Li Feng saw that Meng Dong had a strong ability to control the ball and his dribbling style was surprisingly similar to Kyrie Irving.
Of course, without any defensive pressure, many people could perform smooth dribbling.
But to enter the NBA, one needed to be able to dribble and execute other techniques freely under high-intensity contact.
"Okay, your dribbling is good. Now do a few pull-up jump shots." Li Feng made a second request.
Meng Dong agreed and began to perform pull-up jump shots around the three-point line.
Not bad, Meng Dong's shooting form was very standard, and his jump height was also good. His release was smooth, and his accuracy was decent.
He shot five three-pointers around the three-point line and made four of them.
After watching, Li Feng had a clear picture. Meng Dong's current level was about that of an average high school team in the United States.
He wasn't even particularly outstanding in the US.
But none of that mattered. It depended on future development and personal effort.
So, Li Feng smiled and clapped, praising, "Not bad, Xiao Dong. With your level, you're a standout among high school students in China."
Meng Dong wasn't very happy to receive Li Feng's praise because Li Feng had specified the condition as being a standout in high school.
Although Meng Dong wasn't an arrogant kid, he had shown abilities beyond those around him since childhood.
Coupled with his own hard work, Meng Dong subconsciously felt he had already surpassed other high school students.
"Brother Li, do you think I have a chance to enter the NBA?" Meng Dong suddenly asked.
Li Feng smiled and didn't answer directly, simply beckoning Meng Dong over.
"You attack, I'll defend."
Meng Dong was thrilled. Before coming, he had been thinking about competing with Li Feng to see how far behind he truly was.
"Okay, Brother Li, I'll start then."
Meng Dong was eager to begin. He slowly dribbled the ball from the top of the three-point arc.
Li Feng was very serious, bending his knees slightly and spreading his arms, adopting a defensive posture.
*Swish!*
Meng Dong feigned a drive to the right but then suddenly slid to the left!
It must be acknowledged that at the high school level, Meng Dong's move was very fluid, and his fake was very realistic.
It even had the flavor of a "Sam Giddey" crossover.
If his opponent were not Li Feng, but a high school student, they would undoubtedly have been tricked.
Unfortunately, Li Feng was an NBA DPOY. What kind of offensive experts hadn't he encountered?
*Slam!*
Just as Meng Dong was about to get past Li Feng, the ball was suddenly knocked away by a hand.
Meng Dong's speed was fast, and his body leaned at an exaggerated angle when he drove.
This crossover move was somewhat similar to Dwyane Wade's "flight," and it was indeed quite lethal.
Unfortunately, he got past, but the ball didn't.
When Meng Dong braked and turned back, Li Feng was already holding the basketball, looking at him with a smile.
"Brother Li... how did you steal the ball?"
Meng Dong was shocked.
"Heh, it's nothing, just a normal steal. Your speed is pretty good."
Although Li Feng had easily stolen the ball from Meng Dong, he was still impressed by the kid.
With this crossover move, few CBA players could execute it so smoothly.
If Meng Dong could be trained diligently, coupled with his own hard work, his future would be boundless.
Meng Dong stared blankly at Li Feng, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Don't be discouraged. You need to recognize yourself. You have great potential, but don't think about the NBA yet. Make progress step by step, and I guarantee you'll get into the NBA sooner or later!"
Li Feng didn't want to dampen Meng Dong's enthusiasm today; instead, he hoped he could recognize himself realistically.
Although Meng Dong had prepared himself mentally, being so easily stripped by Li Feng was still hard to accept.
Seeing the disbelief on his face, Li Feng smiled and said, "How about this? I'll attack, and you defend for once!"
"Okay, Brother Li!"
Meng Dong was excellent at defense in high school leagues. In every game, he would eagerly volunteer to lock down the opposing team's core player.
So he stood in front of Li Feng, adopting a serious defensive stance.
Li Feng slowly dribbled the ball, observing Meng Dong's footwork.
*Swish!*
Li Feng didn't use any fake moves and directly drove to the right.
Meng Dong, believing his footwork was quick, moved rapidly to intercept.
Unexpectedly, Li Feng suddenly stopped, then executed a half-turn, spinning like a top to the left.
Too fast!
The speed was very reminiscent of the "French Missile" Tony Parker.
By the time Meng Dong tried to block him, it was already too late.
At this point, Meng Dong still wanted to use his body to bump Li Feng and force him into a turnover.
Meng Dong's physique was indeed robust for a high schooler. Despite being less than 1.9 meters tall, he could often box out opponents who were around two meters tall.
This talent was also astonishing.
However, when he collided with Li Feng at full force, it was like crashing into a truck.
Li Feng's body didn't waver. He continued dribbling steadily and sped past.
Meng Dong, on the other hand, was sent reeling back, stumbling and almost falling.
Li Feng easily drove to the basket and scored with a layup.
Meng Dong was completely convinced.
The strength of an NBA superstar was beyond his imagination!
Li Feng felt that these two possessions, one offense and one defense, would definitely leave a deep impression on Meng Dong. Therefore, there was no need to put more pressure on the kid.
Otherwise, it might shatter Meng Dong's belief.
So Li Feng smiled and said, "Alright, don't be too serious. We're just playing around. Let me give you my word: your skills are good, and I will take you to the United States for further training!"
Meng Dong was overjoyed. He jumped two steps in front of Li Feng and asked excitedly, "Really? Brother Li, can I really go to the US for further training?"
"Heh, of course. Do you think I'd joke with you? However, it will be very tough when you get there, so you need to be mentally prepared!"
"I'm not afraid of hardship! Don't worry, Brother Li!" Meng Dong patted his chest, making a promise to Li Feng.
Li Feng smiled and nodded. He knew that Meng Dong was just raw material, and his future development depended on his own fortune.
"Alright, don't be so tense. We're just here to have fun today. Remember, if you want to play basketball well, you have to fall in love with basketball first. Don't just treat basketball as a tool to make money."
Li Feng said earnestly, with a meaningful tone.