Chapter 312: Item Rewards And Gossip
After a brief round of hugs on the court, the Suns headed back through the tunnel.
Their celebration was controlled.
This was still San Antonio territory, and they had already achieved what they came for. There was no need to pour salt in the wound in front of Spurs fans.
"Congratulations, Chen. You earned this one."
In the tunnel, Duncan walked over and embraced Chen Yan.
Losing hurt, but Duncan was still Duncan. A superstar and a professional.
Chen hugged him back. The cameras caught the moment in a tight close up, two franchise pillars acknowledging each other like heroes recognizing heroes.
Parker and Ginobili also stepped forward to shake hands and exchange a few quiet words with the Suns players.
With the final buzzer, the smoke that had hung over the series vanished.
The so called hatred and bad blood were often dressed up by the media and fans to make the rivalry bigger. Most players cared about the result, not carrying a grudge into their personal lives.
Chen was the same.
For him, the game stayed in the game.
The only exceptions were players like Bowen and Horry, the ones who went after ankles and knees instead of the ball.
There was no forgiveness in him for guys who tried to end someone's career.
Tonight, that karma had gone the other way.
Horry had been carried back to the locker room after that brutal collision and never returned.
Bowen had left the floor in even worse shape, on his way to the hospital with an entire row of shattered teeth.
Ding.
"Congratulations, Host. You have won a playoff game. You are awarded 6 Honor Points."
Ding.
"Congratulations, Host. You have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in your professional career. You are awarded 10 Honor Points."
Ding.
"Congratulations, Host. You have completed the side mission Slaying The Arch Nemesis. You are awarded the court item Stable Elbow Brace."
Stable Elbow Brace?
Chen opened the item details.
Stable Elbow Brace. A plain black elbow sleeve that looks completely ordinary. When worn, it increases the Host's shooting anti interference by 4 percent. Cannot be upgraded.
Note. The item's attributes apply only to the Host.
Chen felt a surge of excitement.
This was his first actual item reward.
He had never been a fan of wearing gear all over his body, but attribute boosters were different. In games, this was the kind of equipment that only pay to win players got to touch.
Right now, he was the only pay to win player in the entire NBA.
...
At the post game press conference, Chen sat between Stoudemire and coach D Antoni.
His numbers tonight were not as insane as in the earlier games, but he still finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, a clean, all around line.
Stoudemire had gone full beast mode, dropping 40 points and 12 rebounds to lead all scorers.
Even so, almost every hand in the room was raised for Chen. He was still the center of the storm.
"Chen, you have reached the Western Conference Finals in your first professional season," one reporter asked. "Can you talk about how you feel right now?"
"Happy," Chen said with a smile. "And then more happy. For me, it is a great start, but our goal is much bigger than this."
"Do you feel the Spurs gave the Suns enough trouble in this series?" another asked. "They were the defending champions, but you knocked them out in 6 games."
"It was a very tough series, no question," Chen replied. "But it is over tonight. I hope they enjoy a good vacation."
He was in a great mood, between the win and the secret equipment notification. It showed in the easy way he answered.
Then the questions sharpened.
"In the fourth quarter, Horry and Bowen both left the game injured," a Yahoo Sports reporter said. "Do you think your physical play was excessive and led to those injuries?"
Chen's smile faded a touch.
"I feel bad for what happened to them," he said evenly. "But this is a basketball court. Players are going to get hurt and go down. I believe the referees see things more clearly than any fan or any camera angle. If what I did was beyond sportsmanship, I do not think I would have been on the floor at the end of the game. I hope they both come back healthy next season."
He did not ramble or try to justify every collision. He simply placed the decision back on the officials.
The Yahoo reporter pushed on.
"This is the final season for Horry and Bowen. They both announced before the year that they would retire after this."
"Really?" Chen raised his brows. "That is a shame. I was actually looking forward to facing them again next season. Now all I can do is wish them luck."
...
After the press conference, news of Horry and Bowen's upcoming retirement spread quickly.
Online, fans joked that Chen had straight up beaten them into retirement.
The Suns did not linger long in the cramped visitor locker room at ATT Center. After a quick wave of interviews, they were back on the team bus and headed for the airport.
On the charter flight home, they celebrated from wheels up to wheels down.
If there was one word to describe how it felt to reach the Western Conference Finals by stepping over the Spurs' body, it was simple.
Awesome.
...
When they landed in Phoenix, the scene at the airport looked like a championship parade.
Fans packed the arrivals area, holding signs, chanting names, flooding the way out.
The players walked out to a roar that could have belonged to a team that had just lifted the trophy.
Phoenix had been to the Western Conference Finals before, but this time was different.
This time they had gone through San Antonio to get there.
Years of frustration, of losing to the same machine, had weighed on everyone. Players, coaches, and especially fans.
Tonight, that weight was gone.
"Amare, you were a monster tonight!"
"Steve, keep running the show. Take us all the way to the Finals and bring home that trophy!"
"Chen, you are my hero!"
"Chen, can I get your autograph?"
The Suns stopped all along the line for autographs and photos, and Chen was no exception.
He signed his name over and over, worked down the line, and eventually reached the last 2 fans.
That was when he felt something was off.
The last 2 were young women in tube tops. They pointed at their chests.
"Chen, I love you. Sign here," one of them said.
Chen shook his head. "That is not appropriate."
The 2 women did not back off.
"Then you can only sign on us," the other said.
"Because this is the only thing we are wearing today."
He could have turned and walked away.
But he had always tried to treat fans the same, no matter who they were.
So, after a brief pause, he sighed, took the marker, and signed exactly where they requested.
...
The next morning, when he opened the news, the headlines were already everywhere.
Hot Figure. Bold Fan Shows Her Soft Spot For Chen.
Magic Touch. Chen's Calligraphy On A Private Curve.
Twin Sisters, One Pen. Chen's Signature Shocks The Scene.
Chen's Hand Rises And Falls Amid Surging Waves.
Chen Faces 2 Fans' Bold Request And Happily Accepts.
It was like the copy editors had held a competition to see who could go furthest without getting fired.
Chen scrolled through a few of them and closed the laptop decisively. Every title was more exaggerated than the last. If he kept reading, he was going to lose brain cells.
His name was one of the hottest in the league now. Every little move he made turned into a talking point.
The comment sections were just as wild.
"Man, Chen's fans are different."
"You all had a signing event like that and no one called me?"
"I report. Chen's signature is not usually that long."
"With everything bouncing around, the signature path was not easy."
"In that situation, I would probably come up with a Russian name to sign."
"His face was blank, but his hand was definitely shaking."
"Funny, I did not see his hand shake on that game winner."
"Taylor Swift is sharpening a knife as we speak."
Around lunchtime, Chen's phone lit up.
Taylor Swift.
The moment he answered, her tone was nothing like usual. She came out firing.
"Why did you sign on big breasts?"
"Do you like that so much?"
"Did you enjoy it that much?"
Chen let out a helpless breath. "I did not have a choice. That was literally the only piece of fabric they had on. I could not sign directly on their skin, right?"
"So you really like that, that whole bouncing feeling, huh?"
"I do not like it," Chen shot back immediately.
He did not realize this was not a normal question.
This was a trap.
"So you mean mine are too small?" Taylor's voice rose instantly.
Chen stared at the ceiling and felt a headache coming on. Taylor was not usually this dramatic.
He drew in a deep breath. "Listen to me explain..."
"Sure," she said. "Open the door."
"...What?"
He thought she was joking.
Then he opened the door.
Taylor Swift stood right there in the hallway, hands folded behind her back, smiling like a cat that had already eaten the canary.
In that moment, Chen understood.
She had been teasing him the whole time.
Taylor was not worried about him and those fans doing anything. She knew who he was, knew his bottom line, and trusted him completely.
She just wanted to see him twist a little.
The next second, that little game backfired.
Chen grabbed her wrist, pulled her inside, and closed the door behind them.
In one smooth motion, he scooped her up in a princess carry and headed for the stairs.
After being toyed with on the phone all morning, it was finally his turn to take the initiative.
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