The guys weren't underestimating Li Feng anymore, so they decided to go all out.
Li Feng was no stranger to being double-teamed, even in the NBA. He'd faced it countless times from top-tier superstars with elite physical conditioning, and he remained unfazed. What were these two youngsters compared to that?
"Double-team, huh? Alright, put some muscle into it!" Li Feng said with a grin. He employed Irving's signature "fancy dribble" combined with Iverson's crossover.
It was undeniable that the gap between professional athletes and amateurs was immense. Even more so between NBA superstars and college amateurs.
The blonde-haired guy and the flat-topped guy were spun around by Li Feng, growing increasingly frustrated. They resorted to tactics usually seen in American football, constantly pulling, pushing, and even tripping him.
But Li Feng was like steel, navigating their underhanded tactics with ease.
Meng Dong, watching from the sidelines, was about to burst with laughter. He was also diligently imitating Li Feng's moves. This was a golden opportunity to learn dribbling techniques firsthand!
The other companions of the blonde-haired guy watched from the sidelines, stunned.
This was a complete mismatch, a "dimensionality reduction attack"! The double-team strategy employed by the blonde-haired guy and the flat-topped guy was a devastating weapon even for the industrial university's team in the CUBA league. Yet, here they were, being toyed with by a passerby, utterly helpless!
Had they misjudged the situation today? Had they stumbled upon someone truly formidable?
After playing for a bit, Li Feng felt it was enough. With a sharp turn, he shook off the two defenders, drove to the basket, and soared for a thunderous dunk! Even though Li Feng didn't put his full strength into the dunk, the fluidity of his movement, his grace, and his jumping height were far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve.
The blonde-haired guy and the flat-topped guy stared blankly at Li Feng, the feeling of being utterly defeated and humiliated stinging them.
Meng Dong, suppressing his laughter, couldn't resist adding a jab. "Hey! What are you guys staring at? Still want to play? Still got less than seven points to go!"
The blonde-haired guy and the flat-topped guy exchanged glances, a realization dawning on them. The flat-topped guy cupped his hands towards Li Feng, adopting a tone reminiscent of a historical drama, "Brother, who might you be? Are you perhaps a professional CBA player?"
Before Li Feng could answer, Meng Dong chimed in with a dismissive pout, "CBA? My brother can obliterate the CBA!"
Though spoken softly, the two heard it clearly.
Li Feng waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, don't worry about it. Just casual play, having a bit of fun."
With that, he clapped Meng Dong on the shoulder, preparing to leave.
Suddenly, the blonde-haired guy made an unexpected move. He lunged forward, attempting to snatch Li Feng's sunglasses. Li Feng's reaction was lightning-fast. Hearing the footsteps behind him, he sidestepped, and the blonde-haired guy missed.
It was worth noting that during team training, Li Feng had been taught some combat techniques by his Knicks teammate, Douglas. Li Feng's motive for learning these wasn't to pick fights, but rather to improve his reaction time during breaks in training. Douglas, a former professional fighter, possessed extensive experience and taught Li Feng quick, practical moves. Coupled with Li Feng's own top-tier talent, he learned rapidly, much to Douglas's astonishment.
Li Feng hadn't expected to ever use these combat moves. Reacting instinctively to the surprise attack, Li Feng flicked his wrist. *Slap!* He landed a solid palm strike on the blonde-haired guy's cheek!
Having lost the game, these guys were looking for an excuse. Seeing the confrontation, they swarmed forward.
"Beat him up!"
"Who cares if he's a pro, he's too arrogant, beat him!"
"Take him down!"
Meng Dong was terrified. He was just a high school student and retreated in fear, fumbling for his phone to call the police.
Li Feng was truly angered now. He realized that constant restraint was futile. Since it had escalated to this point, he decided to go with the flow! He unleashed the moves Douglas had taught him.
*Bang!* A whip kick sent the charging flat-topped guy flying. *Thud!* Li Feng then executed a takedown, slamming another opponent onto the floor. In less than ten seconds, all five attackers were down.
Meng Dong hadn't even finished dialing when he froze. Li Feng hadn't used excessive force, aiming only to teach them a lesson.
"Let's go, Xiaodong!" Li Feng calmly picked up his Bugatti keys and walked out of the stadium with Meng Dong. Meng Dong's heart pounded. With a hint of excitement, he asked, "Brother Li, you're really that good at fighting?"
"It's not that I'm good at fighting, it's that they're too easily defeated! Remember, fighting isn't a good thing, don't learn from me!"
As they walked out of the stadium, laughing, Meng Dong spotted a luxury car parked nearby. Being a high schooler, he'd never seen a Bugatti, but he watched as Li Feng headed straight for the lavish vehicle. "Brother Li, you actually own a car?"
"It's nothing much, just a car. Come on, I'll give you a ride!" Despite the unpleasantness of the fight, Li Feng felt quite pleased after teaching those arrogant guys a lesson.
After dropping Meng Dong home, on his way back to the hotel, Li Feng received a call from Sun Fei. "Li Feng, brother, we've changed the actress. When do you have time to finish shooting the promotional video?"
Li Feng pondered for a moment. "Who is the new actress?"
"Yang Mi, you must have heard of her?"
Li Feng wasn't very familiar with China's entertainment industry, but he had indeed heard of Yang Mi. It was 2011, the year Yang Mi became incredibly popular, having starred in the hit drama "Palace," garnering countless fans. Li Feng frowned; he actually preferred not to collaborate with overly popular stars. However, since Sun Fei had already made the arrangements, Li Feng didn't want to decline again.
"Let's proceed as planned. I'll be at the set tomorrow morning."
"Great, great, we'll be waiting for you."
...
Back in his hotel room, just as Li Feng was about to take a relaxing shower, the doorbell rang. "Is it Meng Dong again?" Li Feng wondered, opening the door. The moment the door swung open, a wave of fragrance hit him.
"You... how did you get here?" Li Feng was taken aback.
"Brother Feng, won't you invite me in?"
Tang Lulu stood there, wearing a sexy matching outfit that accentuated her curves, making her incredibly alluring. In terms of looks and figure, Tang Lulu was indeed top-notch, and entirely natural, without any artificial enhancements. However, her acting talent was woefully inadequate, her performance clumsy.
Li Feng felt a bit apologetic. "Tang Lulu, I have no personal grudges against you. Regarding the promotional video shoot, I merely offered my suggestions. If I've done anything to offend you, I apologize." As he spoke, Li Feng kept his right hand on the door, no intention of letting her in.
Seeing Li Feng's lack of courtesy, a chill spread across Tang Lulu's face. "Li Feng, I know you're a big star, but do you know my father has a life-or-death friendship with President Deng? You can't treat me like this!"
"Don't you understand? I'm not targeting you personally, it's just that you're truly unsuitable for this promotional video. Your acting... needs improvement..." Before Li Feng could finish, Tang Lulu shoved his arm away and barged into the room. Before Li Feng could react, she abruptly pulled open her top. "Li Feng, do you want me to keep you company? Just say the word, I don't mind!" Suddenly, her chest was exposed, a sea of white...
"You've misunderstood me, Tang Lulu!" Li Feng quickly closed the door, rushed over, and helped Tang Lulu put her clothes back on. "What are you doing? I'm not that kind of person, leave now!" With that, Li Feng pushed Tang Lulu out of the room and slammed the door shut, refusing to open it again.
Tang Lulu stamped her foot in anger, banging on the door twice. Seeing that Li Feng truly didn't want to see her, she left, muttering curses. Once Li Feng was sure Tang Lulu had gone, he shook his head and went to take his shower.
The next day, Li Feng arrived at the film set as scheduled. He met the immensely popular Yang Mi and found that Yang Mi in 2011 was indeed stunning. During the shoot, Yang Mi was very dedicated. Although her acting wasn't exceptional, it was perfectly adequate for a promotional video, at least not making viewers look away.
The promotional video was shot over three days and went smoothly, with Li Feng and Yang Mi cooperating well. Afterward, Li Feng went to the basketball school to coach the children. Every time he returned to China, Li Feng's schedule was packed. It was unavoidable given his immense popularity. If he hadn't turned down many social engagements and events, Li Feng would have been completely overwhelmed. Li Feng also participated in an interview program on CCTV China, which caused a sensation and achieved very high ratings.
A month later, Li Feng returned to the United States with Meng Dong. Meng Dong had decent talent, but he was only competitive in the Chinese environment. At the US training camp, he was relatively ordinary. Fortunately, the boy was very hardworking, and Li Feng held great expectations for him. Even if he couldn't establish himself in the NBA, with his current talent, Meng Dong would at least be a dominant force in the CBA in a few years.
Upon returning to the United States, Li Feng immediately rejoined the Knicks and resumed training. Although his stats in various aspects were already approaching peak levels, he discovered that if he slackened his training intensity or didn't play NBA games for a period, his stats would gradually decline. This realization spurred Li Feng to remain diligent. In the month he had spent in China, his strength had dropped by 3 points, his shooting ability by 5 points, and his passing ability by 4 points. This pained Li Feng immensely. After all his hard work to reach peak levels, these points had been lost in just over a month.
Most of the Knicks players were still on vacation, with only a few actively training. Lowry, Jordan Hill, and Billups were all in the gym. Lowry and Jordan Hill were young, so Li Feng wasn't surprised they were training early; they were always diligent. It was particularly admirable that Billups, a veteran, was also training ahead of schedule, showcasing his professionalism.
"Li Feng, you're back? How was it? Did you have a good time in China?" Lowry was the first to rush over and embrace him.
"It was alright. How many days have you guys been training?"
"Half a month. Anyway, there's nothing much to do, so we're just training. Come on, Brother Li, let's have a three-point shootout!" Li Feng greeted everyone and then joined them in their intensive training.
...
Four days after Li Feng's return, the team manager suddenly approached him. Li Feng was dripping with sweat, training hard in the gym, when Manager Burke walked in. "Li Feng, come to my office, I need to discuss something with you." Burke impatiently pulled Li Feng towards his office. Li Feng found it strange; Burke, the team manager, was usually very composed, but today he seemed like an impulsive young man, rushing about.
"Burke, what's the matter?" Li Feng was pushed into a chair by Burke.
"It's like this, the Nets are not planning to re-sign Yi Jianlian. Actually, Yi Jianlian's statistics were very good last season, it's just that he got injured for a period."
Li Feng understood immediately. Although the Knicks were the highest-valued team in the NBA, who would complain about making more money? After Li Feng and Yao Ming joined the Knicks, the team's popularity soared, especially the Chinese market, which brought immense profits to the owner. Thus, Manager Burke had tasted the benefits; of course, he was merely the owner's mouthpiece, acting on the owner's wishes. It seemed capitalists prioritized profit above all else. Before Yao Ming's arrival, Burke had been somewhat reluctant, making excuses. He initially felt signing Yao Ming, whose career was nearing its end, was not worthwhile. However, after Yao Ming returned to his peak form, he completely proved Burke wrong. Now, the team was interested in Yi Jianlian, and they immediately sought Li Feng's opinion. If Li Feng agreed, the Knicks would move quickly to sign him. In fact, "sign" might not be the right word, as few other teams were showing interest in Yi Jianlian.
Li Feng nodded without hesitation. "That's excellent. If Yi Jianlian can join the Knicks, I guarantee he will become a core player for the team on both offense and defense!"
Seeing Li Feng's agreement, Burke was delighted and personally served him a cup of coffee. "Since you agree, we will begin the process!"
"By the way, Burke, have you consulted Coach D'Antoni?" Li Feng felt that D'Antoni might not agree, as Yi Jianlian's position conflicted with that of Amar'e Stoudemire. Burke looked troubled, suggesting there might have been a disagreement with D'Antoni. "Well... uh... I will persuade him. I hope you can also help talk to him, Yi Jianlian is a very good player."
Li Feng understood, thinking to himself that Burke intended to use him as a pawn. However, it didn't matter much to Li Feng. He genuinely hoped Yi Jianlian would join the Knicks, as they were both compatriots. Furthermore, Li Feng still had the "Awaken Emperor Yi" skill package in his system, which he hadn't fully utilized. So, he nodded, "Okay, I'll go talk to Coach D'Antoni. You start the procedures on your end!"
In the NBA, the voice of the star player holds significant weight, which is entirely different from the NCAA. Generally, when a star player has a conflict with the coach, the club's management tends to side with the star player rather than the coach. This is true for most teams, except for a few exceptions like the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich.
Upon leaving the manager's office, Li Feng made a call to D'Antoni. Given Coach D'Antoni's age, he wasn't at the stadium daily to train with the players during the offseason. "Coach, do you have a moment? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Heh heh, Li Feng, go ahead," the coach replied.
"What do you think of the player Yi Jianlian?" Li Feng got straight to the point, mentioning Yi Jianlian directly.
"Oh... I don't know much about that player. He seems to get injured quite often..."