basketball never sleeps

Chapter 308 Meteor
A swaying wine glass, a glittering arena of fame and fortune—the princess was right, this world is indeed fascinating.

Mo Wen had to admit that he was truly moved by the neighbors of this mansion...

Last night, the princess invited six of her best friends to a party. She originally planned for Mo Wen to choose two to get to know better, and then take his time with the others. However, Mo Wen wanted to test his limits, so he drank a couple more rounds with the ladies and, under the tacit understanding of the alcohol, ended up packing up all the leftovers.

Unlike Hollywood actresses, these socialites who are more active in the fashion world may not be as glamorous in appearance or as sexy in figure, but the temperament and style they exude are quite fresh.

That kind of resilience—pretending to be elegant and dignified even when you're about to be ruined—is truly moving.

Compared to appreciation, Mo Wen prefers destruction, tearing away the veil of elegance, destroying cumbersome etiquette, returning to the primitive in the darkness, and letting each other confront their instincts.

Fighting is fun.

Unfortunately, although the number of people at tonight's gathering set a new record for Mo Wen, apart from the eldest princess who went for a voluptuous figure, the other girls were all on the healthy side. Their actual combat strength combined was only equal to that of the eldest princess alone. Although the number of people looked large, it was actually just a wave of cannon minions: the eldest princess as a cannon minion and six fragile minions.

Each one is so fragile that even a speed bump would be too gentle for them.

The next day, Mo Wen woke up at 6 a.m. as usual. When he got up and looked at them again, he saw that the ladies were probably exhausted from the night before. They were all sprawled out in various positions, their arms and legs crossed like an abstract painting by Picasso, no longer as delicate as when they first met.

Mo Wen quietly admired the scene for a while, then got out of bed and began to think about his schedule for the day.

Originally, he only had a few commercials and events to do in the US before he could return home. However, during a friendly match last night, several girls expressed their interest in collaborating. Two of them are magazine editors, and the other two are amateur models. They came here for in-depth discussions and also wanted to ride on the coattails of the league's top player's popularity.

Mo Wen naturally agreed to all the harmless things. He had no intention of developing in the fashion industry, but his current status did require a higher level of aesthetic design. It wouldn't hurt to communicate more with people in the fashion industry. He didn't want to be as unconventional as Westbrook later on, nor could he be as old-fashioned as Dan Zi, who would take off his jersey and immediately put on a suit...business style.

Speaking of which, Mo Wen also plans to launch a groundbreaking new shoe under his personal brand this summer, which will require endorsement from people in the fashion industry.

So, all of last night's gathering could be considered a business social event.

They're all working hard for their careers!

At eight o'clock in the morning, Mo Wen was on a conference call with his team to discuss the follow-up schedule adjustments. After the plan was almost finalized, Hugh Man reminded Mo Wen, somewhat uncertainly, to take a look at today's news.

"I saw it, it's alright, as long as our stance aligns with the alliance's."

The matter involving Hugh Manty was neither a major nor a minor one; it was the Donaghy gambling scandal that later became a permanent stain on the NBA record.

This morning, the New York Post published an article titled "NBA in Trouble," revealing that after more than a year of investigation, the FBI has confirmed that an NBA referee is suspected of manipulating games through betting and colluding with gangs for profit. The article also stated that the referee's involvement in gambling had been ongoing for a year before the investigation, and that the referee, after learning about the investigation, indicated that he would surrender himself after consulting with a lawyer.

A brief statement from the league's official website, saying "It's inconvenient to say more during the investigation," further confirmed the matter.

The incident caused an uproar, and industry insiders recalled the fear of being dominated by match-fixing in earlier years.

The NBA has never lacked condemnation of biased refereeing. To this day, Cuban's accusations of biased refereeing and subsequent fines have become a regular occurrence in every NBA season.

However, the accusations of biased refereeing in the league are mostly directed at the league's bias towards big markets, extending series, creating artificial stories, or fabricating superstars.

Although Stern's control over the referees' union was often criticized for its unseemly behavior, it stemmed from his position of power. Without concrete evidence, speculation remains just that—speculation—and fans will eventually forget about it.

However, Donaghy was caught red-handed by the FBI this time for personally placing bets and manipulating the game, with irrefutable evidence. This is like a scumbag explaining to his wife that she is just his sister, only to have his wife send him a test report saying that she is his biological daughter.

In fact, all professional competitive sports will be tested by "match-fixing" in their development. Before Stern took over, the league was full of rumors of match-fixing, which made the games less attractive and fewer people watched the games. The league's revenue declined every day and it was even close to the point of considering disbanding.

In order to reverse his image, Stern had to take strong measures to punish match-fixing and gambling, and resolutely sever ties with gambling on all levels.

Before the Kings owners, the Maloof brothers, bought the team, their Las Vegas hotel also had a casino business, but Stern made them cut off the gambling business before approving the sale of the Kings' shares (similar to the screening of property owners in the United States).

In Stern's plan, he blocked the owners with rigid principles and used a combination of incentives and threats against the players, making it virtually impossible for betting companies to corrupt the league before he corrupted them.

Unexpectedly, this blunder occurred with a referee who is known for his high standards.

Faced with the crisis of trust, Stern did not panic. He knew about the incident very early on; in fact, he had been informed as early as the beginning of July when the FBI conducted its final investigation. However, given the serious nature of the incident and the conclusive evidence, it was difficult for him to handle the public relations efforts. He could only definitively define the incident as an isolated event after the investigation.

For the sake of the NBA's brand and reputation, the league united in a rare move, with owners and coaches coming out to support the league.

Even Mark Cuban, who is constantly arguing with referees, took the initiative to express his trust in the league and the referees' union.

"There will never be a shortage of foolish calls in the league, just as no company or industry can guarantee that everyone is innocent... I believe that scandals are both crises and opportunities for improvement, and I have faith in David and Adam's abilities..."

However, compared to isolated incidents, people tend to favor the "cockroach theory," which states that if you see a pigtail in your home, it means—

Fans of the various teams who heard the news found that their past wounds seemed to have been explained. The Trail Blazers, Kings, Bucks, Pacers, and other media outlets joined the frenzy and dug up old stories.

Bill Walton, who hosts a show on ESPN, got into a fight with Stephen A. Smith over the issue of referees influencing the game.

"I still believe in the professionalism and ethics of the referees. You can't deny the work of other referees just because of one bad guy."

Stephen A. Smith countered, "I also believe that most referees are morally sound, responsible, and capable good people, but you can't deny that a referee's bias and influence on the game can greatly affect the outcome. I can give you a whole bunch of examples, just a whole bunch!"

“I believe you have the ability. Although I hate discussing refereeing, I also have a bunch of ‘hahaha’ ideas in my head.” Bill Walton did not refute this, and even affirmed it. “But if you follow this line of thinking, you will never be able to explain something.”

"what?"

"If the referees really have that much influence, then why have the most expensive and highest-rated Finals series been one-sided sweeps for three consecutive years?" Bill Walton raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "And why did Mo only lose one game in the Finals four years? To be precise, he didn't lose that game; he hit the game-tying shot, but Coach Larry Brown benched him in overtime."

Stephen A. Smith opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. The answer to the question was obvious: the difference in strength between the two sides was too great, and Mo Wen's strength was so great that it overshadowed the referee's influence on the game.

Bill Walton didn't let the show fall silent; he continued speaking on his own.
"To be honest, I am very grateful for Mo's existence. The losing side always likes to find all sorts of excuses for their failure. I admit that many objective factors will affect the final result, but those things will never be the main factors that determine the outcome. Mo's existence is the mountain that those conspiracy theories can never overcome, because he proves that when you are strong enough, no one can stop you from succeeding."

"When he can shoot 3% from three-point range from mid-court, when his regular three-pointers are more accurate than your mid-range shots, when his mid-range shots are more accurate than your layups, when he can win the scoring title with less than seven free throws per game, you should understand that your destiny is in your own hands."

“Okay, you’re right… but the problem is, not everyone is Mo. Most players don’t have Mo’s ability or his mentality, so they can’t ignore the impact of the referees.” Smith recovered and realized the flaw in Walton’s logic.

"That's why I want to thank Mo. He's not Michael Jordan, he's not a natural-born star. He's grown from the bench to become the best player in the league, which proves one thing—if you're bad, practice more!"

"..."

Because Donaghy did not surrender himself to the authorities immediately, the referee gambling scandal has not subsided, but because of Mo Wen, the scandal's impact has indeed been greatly reduced.

Bill Walton's "twisted logic" on the show is somewhat illogical, but before any arguments that ignore the facts emerge, the facts speak louder than words.

The three-year Grand Finals 4-0 victory that originally made Stern's heart bleed became the best evidence of the purity of the championship.

Mo Wen: This family will fall apart without me!

……

At the end of July, the SuperSonics won another championship, the Summer League title.

Presti is capable. Mo Wen didn't interfere in the second round. Considering Payton's retirement and Watson's departure, he picked a traditional small guard, Ramon Sessions, in the second round.

Mo Wen had some impression of him; he was a decent point guard, but it was already quite good that he could pick someone Mo Wen remembered in the second round.

However, this kid's style doesn't quite fit with the SuperSonics, because as a short guard, he doesn't have much shooting ability, let alone three-pointers. But that's normal, because the influence of Morven has generally increased the price of three-point shooters in this era. Players with mediocre physiques but some three-point ability like to market themselves as "Moven templates". If Sessions had three-pointers, even if they were just average, he wouldn't have fallen to the second round.

Marc Gasol did not receive permission from his parent club, or rather, the release clause was not agreed upon, so he has to stay in Spain to enjoy another year of playing. However, his parent club did not prevent him from participating in the SuperSonics' summer league.

Because Scola was acquired through Mo Wen's involvement, Bennett generously offered him the most expensive second-round contract available at the time: three years, $10 million, successfully winning over the 27-year-old rookie. Championship forward Gay also wanted to join the fun, but was sent back by Hill. The Summer League was primarily for evaluating rookies; Gay coming would only be for the sake of dominating weaker teams.

With three fully-fledged rookies and Damion brought in to bolster the team, the SuperSonics were practically a super team in the Summer League, which was full of weaklings.

What's surprising is that Scola and Gasol have a pretty good partnership. The two had both played in La Liga before and knew each other well. As they are both top players in La Liga, they are familiar with each other's technical characteristics. They only needed a little time to get used to each other and they were able to play well together, which has reduced the doubts about the SuperSonics' summer signings.

The national team came to train as usual, but Yao Ming was not usually there, and Wang Zhizhi was also staying in China with his wife and children during the holidays. The team led by Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue was a bit weak, with no outstanding performances and not many people paying attention.

Mo Wen previously announced that he would return to China for a month in the summer to do activities and hold fan meetings in various places, while Yao Ming's wedding is approaching. Both of their affairs are receiving more attention than the national team.

Rubbing his cheeks, which were a little stiff from smiling, Mo Wen breathed a sigh of relief. The last commercial shoot in the US was finally over.

Now that his status is rising, his management team is becoming increasingly strict in their selection of advertisements, but there are just too many people who want to give him money, and someone will always manage to break through his defenses.

Ultimately, it's because he's too soft-hearted and doesn't know how to refuse money offered to him, so he can only obediently work.

Mo Wen originally planned to bring his whole family back to China, but his somewhat wary mother-in-law detained his younger sister-in-law as well.

But that's alright. When he returns to China, he'll definitely be chased by the media and cowboys. And his sister-in-law is at the age where she's very clingy. If she can't resist and gets photographed, then the NBA referee scandal will just be a joke.

In early August, Mo Wencai, as usual, spent two days at home with his American future daughter-in-law to enjoy family time before leisurely heading north as planned, starting his nationwide tour from Harbin, the coolest city in the country.

The accompanying photographer, looking at the sea of ​​people in front of the camera, swallowed hard and switched to the widest possible wide-angle lens.

He thought such scenes were just occasional, but when he arrived in Yanjing, he discovered that "occasional" had become a unit of measurement.

In this era where Western worshippers are everywhere, it's hard to imagine the shock that achieving the first place in an international sports event would bring to the country.

When the images of the massive, ever-changing crowds reached the United States, they caused quite a stir among American media. Interestingly, domestic media outlets, known for their tendency to repost news, then shared these images of the American media's shock back in China, essentially turning an export into a domestic product.

"Hurry, hurry, it's too late."

After leaving the fan meeting, Mo Wen pretended to be in a hurry and urged the driver.

Little Catherine, who was traveling with them, tenderly placed the exhausted Mo Wen on her lap.

When watching him play in the United States, he mostly seemed relaxed and carefree, as if no one could put pressure on him.

But it wasn't until she visited these cities in China that she realized how much expectation and pressure Mo Wen was carrying.

"Why don't you take a couple of days off? You're not this busy even when you're playing in the NBA, and nobody pays you a salary. There's no need to work so hard." Little Catherine didn't know the direction and just thought that Mo Wen was going to the next city as usual.

Lying on his girlfriend's fair thighs, enjoying the massage from her slender fingers, Mo Wen felt half of his fatigue disappear.

"I'd like to, but the next leg of our journey is the most important thing we'll do after we get back home."

“I don’t care how important it is, I just want you to rest. You’re the most important person,” little Catherine muttered.

Mo Wen chuckled softly, stroked the hand that was holding little Catherine's, and narrowed his eyes.

Instead of heading towards the airport as usual, the car drove towards the outskirts of the city.

When little Catherine awoke from her drowsy state, she was greeted by a vast, desolate landscape of rolling mountains in the twilight. The scenery was beautiful, but there was hardly anyone in sight.

Besides the two nanny and security vehicles that followed, there was only one rented event caravan.

"Everybody, get moving! Get everything set up as quickly as possible and prepare dinner!" Mo Wen clapped his hands as he got out of the car.

He was fairly satisfied with the surrounding scenery. The cool air flowing from the distant mountain stream, combined with the evening breeze, dispelled the summer heat. Most importantly, the weather was good, with only a few clouds in the dark blue sky.

“That’s right, everyone needs to rest.” Little Catherine hugged Mo Wen’s neck, clearly quite satisfied with the arrangement.

Mo Wen smiled, nuzzled against her, and then watched the others busy themselves, enjoying the evening breeze.

The van was loaded with camping equipment, and soon the scene was set up in a proper manner.

Barbecue, beer, music, firelight, and pesticides—from the bustling tranquility, the Milky Way flowed towards the horizon, yet Mo Wen showed no sign of leaving.

Little Catherine probably knew what Mo Wen was waiting for.

August 13th is the best time to observe the Perseid meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere, and she had watched it with her younger siblings before.

Whether raised in poverty or wealth, children from wealthy families will never lack experience. When she was in junior high school, the governor even took her and her younger siblings to Africa to touch a hunted lion.

However, spending time with her lover and her chattering younger siblings clearly gave her a completely different feeling.

As dawn broke, the meteor shower reached its peak, with flashes of light appearing almost every minute across the Milky Way.

Mo Wenqing cleared his slightly dry throat and gestured to the worker next to him who was still working overtime to bring over the guitar.

"Honey, I recently wrote a song, do you want to hear it?"

"Ah."

I found love for me.
Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead.

Well, I found a girl who is beautiful and sweet.

......"

The lyrics are simple, and the rhythm is not particularly sophisticated, but the emotions expressed are like a stream flowing from a mountain ravine, quietly soaking into this wilderness and gently flowing into people's hearts.

A teardrop reflects the streaking shooting star.

Drop after drop.

Little Catherine wanted to maintain her image, but for some reason, she couldn't stop crying.

As the song ended, tears had formed a necklace.

As luck would have it, the brightest shooting star of the night streaked across the sky, and Mo Wen swept it up in his hand.

"Make a wish, my dear."

Little Catherine seemed to understand something, and closed her eyes with a slight tremor. When she opened her eyes again less than three seconds later, a shooting star was right in front of her.

Ignoring all the usual procedures, and since a ring is no inconvenient thing, little Catherine kissed him just like she had when she confessed her love to Mo Wen.

Mmm!

……

(End of this chapter)