Generation Z Artists

Chapter 156 Teacher Da Dan: Give Me Fang Xinghe
Chapter 156

Mysterious Chinese Kung Fu Kid Takes Over the Los Angeles Clippers!

—Los Angeles Times Sports Edition.

"China's War God Emerges, Creating the Most Brutal Brawl in Training History!"

— Sports news, NBA draft column.

Beautiful as an elf, China's sweetheart takes on five NBA giants on stage.

—National Enquirer.

"Powerful! Chinese hunk takes down five black men; chaos ensues, reeks of blood!"

—The Hollywood Plain Dealer.

When Fang Xinghe woke up in the hotel the next day, the big news he wanted arrived as expected.

Los Angeles media reacted swiftly, giving extensive coverage to yesterday's brawl.

Judging from the news headline, it seems to be rated 18+.

But the picture accompanying the article is a roundhouse kick—well, actually, whether it's real or fake, it's equally sensational and a hot topic.

Wang Charlie, holding a tabloid, shook his head and said, "Sure enough, the Clippers are like a sieve; the details are almost spot on."

"Yeah, the Clippers are dumber than we thought."

Fang Xinghe recalled his conversation with Gentry yesterday and completely abandoned the idea of ​​giving the Clippers another chance.

At that time, the Clippers' owner was Donald Sterling, an extremely stingy and unscrupulous madman. He refused to give general manager Baylor any power or pay the coaching staff normal salaries, resulting in a lack of discipline throughout the team and a complete lack of loyalty among the staff.

For example, more than ten newspapers have received insider information from the Clippers, and their descriptions come from different angles, including several photos from the scene.

The Los Angeles Times had the most comprehensive information, but they didn't write about the full cause and effect; instead, they focused on exaggerating Fang Xinghe's knockout move.

In their account, the Chinese kung fu master took only 8 seconds to defeat four 2-meter-tall men with the most dazzling moves, and "terrified Zack into a trembling little chick."

Coupled with that photo of him performing a side kick in mid-air, taken by an unknown person, it immediately sparked a huge discussion.

American netizens erupted in anger below the official online edition of the Los Angeles Times.

"I can't believe this, isn't this some kind of publicity stunt for a new movie?"

"I can't believe it either, but they were definitely wearing basketball uniforms."

"Chinese? NBA tryout?"

"Yes, you shouldn't doubt it. The other Black man in the photo is a student at a top-tier high school in California. You can find his news online right now."

"Jesus! This is insane!"

"He's as handsome as Bruce Lee!"

"No, even more handsome."

……

The sports news team didn't get any particularly valuable on-site information, but they went to the hospital immediately and managed to interview Anderson and Jefferson, who was the least injured—before their agents arrived.

So they focused on exaggerating the injuries of the four players, and then interviewed players from the CDE group and Zach himself.

"He messed up our tryouts."

One player complained, but when pressed by reporters, he insisted, "No, no, no, I don't hate him. He was just defending himself."

Most players have a similar attitude: they dislike it, they resent it, but they don't dare to hate it.

The reporter concluded: "Fang is like a tyrant, destroying the confidence of his peers, not through basketball skills, but through terrifying fighting ability. Perhaps we will soon see Chinese Kung Fu shine on the NBA court."

However, Zachlandov has a different opinion regarding "fear".

“I’m not afraid of him,” Zack said sternly. “In fact, he didn’t knock me down, and of course, I didn’t intend to get into a fight with him. It was just an accident, and my intention was to break up the fight…”

Compared to the stubborn Randolph, Jefferson was much more honest.

“He terrified me,” Jefferson said, still shaken. “I don’t know how he did it. Don’t ask, I really don’t know anything. Jama fell at me, I reached out to catch him, and then a hand suddenly appeared in front of me, and then I was unconscious for a while…”

The sports news report included a photo of Fang Xinghe pushing Jamal aside and using Jamal's body as cover as he followed behind to break through defenses.

The wide-angle lens from the side captured Fang Xinghe's figure with an indescribable dynamism.

Therefore, although her face was not shown, this photo received the most praise and exclamations.

"He really does seem like an assassin!"

"The hunter."

"Felines, it's time to hunt!"

"I feel terrible. I want to see the video recording. I can't wait to know more details."

"If all else fails, even a set of front-facing photos would be fine!"

"I think it will happen. Aren't tryouts always recorded?"

“It’s okay to record, or it’s okay not to record, but generally if it’s recorded, it won’t be leaked. Nowadays, player agents are very careful about protecting their privacy.”

"My God, Los Angeles media, please step up your game!"

……

The Los Angeles tabloids have already filled up with 98-octane gasoline.

They described the one-sided massacre that occurred during the Clippers' tryouts from different perspectives, and even dug up the cause of the conflict—certain remarks that appeared to be racially discriminatory.

This is a huge taboo.

Although racial discrimination is a reality in the United States, it permeates every corner of society and is ubiquitous.

However, this is a "crime" that can only be done tacitly and cannot be spoken aloud.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe received natural sympathy—or perhaps not sympathy, but a tacit understanding. In any case, the reports did not contain much criticism, and the media unanimously gave him the legitimacy to use force to protect himself.

“This is America.”

Wang Charlie's voice was full of self-deprecation: "They know perfectly well, so they will never discuss your crimes, they will only exaggerate your strengths."

The situation developed even more smoothly than Fang Xinghe had anticipated.

The media can dig a little deeper and find out about possible discrimination, then the investigation will stop immediately, without needing anyone to do public relations.

Because the discriminatory parties are a group of NBA rookies, not stars. It's profitable to dig into the discriminatory behavior of stars or celebrities, but reporting on the discriminatory behavior of rookies is completely meaningless, who cares?

Instead, we should focus our efforts on more valuable points.

This is the essence of a highly developed capitalist society; the media knows exactly where the focus should be.

Therefore, in all the reports, Fang Xinghe is always portrayed as the victim – five against one, no matter who ends up in the hospital, how can that not be considered bullying?

They even reconstructed parts of the conversation.

If this had happened with the Lakers, it's hard to imagine the media getting the details so quickly.

Wang Chali was in high spirits: "But we've achieved our goal, haven't we?"

"Yes." Fang Xinghe smiled gently. "So, is anyone planning to interview me?"

"That's too much."

Charlie Wang opened the memo, his gaze sweeping from top to bottom, moving across the entire page—he had released his information through Gentry, and now more than 30 reporters had sent interview requests.

"But I suggest we wait a bit longer. This year's draw is on May 20th, so we have plenty of time."

Fang Xinghe smiled knowingly: "Now, the initiative is in our hands."

Yes, it's in your hands.

……

Fang Xinghe's popularity skyrocketed.

There are several key points. First, at the beginning of the century, a wave of interest in Chinese Kung Fu was sweeping across the United States.

The huge success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the "Matrix trilogy," the Hollywood hits of Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Jet Li, and the green light for "Kung Fu Panda"...

All of these are manifestations of the kung fu craze.

Fang Xinghe is of Chinese descent, and he has also demonstrated amazing combat skills in Chinese Kung Fu.

At the forefront of the tide, he is the chosen one.

Second, the American people have always loved watching this kind of drama.

Amidst racial discrimination and oppression, a heroic struggle of individuals, and a triumph of justice over evil, the film is packed with compelling elements for a powerful narrative.

Third, the playoffs were neither exciting nor suspenseful.

This year marks the peak of the Lakers' OK combination. Looking around, their opponents are like chickens, and there's nothing much to write about on the court.

These days, draft previews generate more buzz than playoffs. Aside from die-hard Lakers fans, neutral fans are far more interested in the conflict between OK and Shaq than in a sure-fire victory.

The playoffs still had decent viewership, but there was really not much discussion about them.

Fourth, Fang Xinghe is mysterious enough and good-looking.

The latter is the eye-catching point, while the former is where one can make the most of it.

Americans aren't blind; they certainly know that Fang Xinghe is a top-tier handsome man. The Hollywood craze for John Lone in his early years is enough to prove everything.

Good looks + novelty = popularity, and popularity equals money.

Given the above four reasons, it is only natural that the media is eager to dig out more sensational stories from him.

It was even more logical for the TV station to want the recording.

In fact, the video was already in Fang Xinghe's hands.

Wang Charlie immediately used legal means to threaten the photographer not to delete the video, and then Fang Xinghe got a copy from Gentry.

"I will sue some of your staff and tryout players for racial discrimination against me. I overheard their conversations, and this is a form of collective bullying. There are Clippers players involved, and you should be held responsible for all the consequences of this counterattack."

Gentry immediately backed down.

This is a huge scandal. The trial players are secondary; it's true that some staff members made mistakes because of Fang Xinghe's identity.

So Fang Xinghe got the video copy, and in return, he promised not to involve the Clippers.

Many media outlets wanted the video, and after careful consideration and negotiation, Fang Xinghe authorized ESPN to record it.

At this point, ESPN was already an important broadcasting partner of the NBA, and in the future, ESPN would build an even stronger influence in the NBA, and even squeeze out its old rival TNT's broadcasting rights.

Fang Xinghe's choice was neither about taking sides nor about speculation. He was just a passerby in the NBA and wanted to find a smarter partner to cooperate with, nothing more.

ESPN was indeed clever enough; after obtaining the footage, they made a special program about it.

The team was comprised of star commentators Mike Brin and Hubie Brown, along with Stephen Quaderross, the chief English commentator for K-1 and PRIDE events, and Charles Oakley, the "Old Oak," a kickboxing enthusiast.

They made an hour and a half out of a fight that only lasted 8 to 10 seconds.

The initial part is the cause of the conflict. Because of the "friendly agreement" between Tongfang Xinghe and others, they were tasked with clearing my brother's name, so they started carefully editing the footage before the physical test.

This part is quite simple. Fang Xinghe was ridiculed and even insulted after entering the stadium. Although many shots did not capture this, and the parts that were captured were not recorded, it is easy to figure out who was right and who was wrong by combining some interviews with players and staff.

"What they did was wrong."

"It's your own fault."

Mike and Hubie worked together to quickly define the nature of the matter.

The second part of the program is Fang Xinghe's physical test.

Wow! He's so fast!

"Yes, like lightning!"

Charles Oakley chimed in, "Perhaps his first nickname should have been Flash?"

"NO NO NO!" Stephen hurriedly waved his hand, "The Flash is not enough to describe his combat abilities!"

The purpose of this section is to promote Fang Xinghe's dynamic qualities to NBA teams.

Amidst everyone's banter, the two professional commentators quickly concluded: "Fang's physical abilities are astonishing. Considering his age, I believe he possesses historic talent."

"If I were the team manager, I would use the number one pick to get him."

"Like AI?"

"Yes, an AI that has practiced Chinese Kung Fu."

In front of the TV, many coaches and scouts were overjoyed. They didn't understand why the Clippers would release such footage, but that didn't matter anymore. Fang Xinghe did indeed have the potential to be the number one draft pick—he might not be the next AI, but he was certainly faster than AI.

Just then, Jordan received a phone call.

So he turned on the TV and started watching ESPN.

The third part consists of training matches for Groups A and B.

In this part, Fang Xinghe didn't show much, but it was very captivating.

Teacher Da Dan's eyes shone brightly, and his breathing gradually became rapid.

In the eyes of top experts, Fang Xinghe's number one quality is his speed of movement—too fast, too extreme—which means unparalleled finishing efficiency.

Ordinary people cannot understand that a super bullet's speed is even more difficult to defend against than a super bullet's height.

The faster the bounce, the less time the defender has to react. They must anticipate the movement in an instant and jump in advance, otherwise it will be too late.

Randolph thought that jumping at the same time would be enough to intercept, but he was instead dunked on.

However, having to jump earlier means being more vulnerable to feints and more likely to be fouled.

Unless he only interferes and doesn't jump, Fang Xinghe can freely unleash his attack power even under the lowest intensity of confrontation.

In his early years, Danny could jump rapidly in any posture and pin the defender to the spot. Back then, his pull-up jump shot and drive to the basket were never subject to normal interference, so when playing against the Pistons, the opponent committed malicious fouls like crazy.

Now that the league's survival environment is not so harsh, the value of extreme speed has become increasingly significant.

According to Jordan's visual estimation, he felt that Fang Xinghe's jumping speed was even faster than his own.

What's even more remarkable is that, in addition to his high speed and jumping ability, Fang Xinghe's strength is among the best for a point guard, his speed is among the best in the entire league, and his movement speed is among the best in the entire sports world...

Talent is blind to the naked eye.

"This guy is fucking a future superstar!"

In an instant, Kwame Brown, who was undergoing a secret tryout with the Wizards, became Kwame Buchan.

Many fans feel that Danzi has a very poor eye for players, but in fact, Danzi just has a kind of prejudice – he takes it for granted that skills can be honed, so he particularly favors the kind of "raw stone" type players who are tough, physically talented, but technically rough.

NBA skills? Train with me for two years, and you'll learn them all!

This is an illness, but it doesn't mean that Danzi can't see talent. On the contrary, he can see Fang Xinghe's potential better than anyone else.

"Damn! We need to call him over for a trial!"

Danzi made a perfectly natural decision; he even planned to go to the stadium to see the Chinese boy in person.

The moment the idea formed in his mind, he couldn't sit still any longer.

Then the TV started playing a recording of Fang Xinghe fighting someone, constantly pausing, freezing, and changing the perspective, with a professional fight commentator analyzing frame by frame...

Danzi suddenly opened her mouth wide, and the cigar she was holding fell onto her lap, burning a hole in her expensive trousers.

The pain made him jump high, but at the same time, his excitement also reached its peak.

Damn it, if I had a Fang Xinghe back then, what would the Pistons be like?!
Six-time champion? More than ten!

I want him, now, immediately, right now!

(End of this chapter)