On the flight from Sacramento to Kentucky, Prince sat beside him looking like he had something to say, but in the end, he just stared at his knees and pretended to be asleep.
Chen Yilun glanced helplessly at Anjali, who was enthusiastically chatting with the flight attendant.
The little troublemaker had followed him anyway—she had even declared back in the office that if he refused to take her, she'd buy her own ticket and fly after him.
When it came to this heiress, Chen Yilun felt a mix of fondness and frustration.
In his previous life as a fan, he'd always seen this princess through rose-colored glasses. But after two years of dealing with her, he unexpectedly discovered she was a complete chatterbox.
The kind who could talk to anyone and become friends instantly.
"When we get to Kentucky, you need to be careful. Calipari loves setting people up for surprises, so watch what you say and do."
Chen Yilun reminded her yet again.
"I knooow, you've said that the whole flight."
Anjali waved him off, then asked curiously,
"Boss, isn't John Calipari basically your 'mentor'? Then why do you act like you're guarding against a thief around him?"
"You haven't heard the saying?"
Chen Yilun sighed and explained patiently.
"Rivals in the same line of work never stay friendly for long."
"Look at Popovich—he's basically my own teacher. Have I ever let my guard down around him?"
He looked at Anjali meaningfully. "The league is only so big. If you take an opportunity, someone else loses one. In that kind of environment, no one cares how close you used to be."
"So complicated."
Anjali pouted, unable to stop herself from complaining.
"So what's our main goal this time?"
"First,"
Chen Yilun held up one finger.
"Building solid relationships with NCAA head coaches is our basic job. Only when they see you as a friend will they tell you the truth—like what injury risks a player has, or what hard weaknesses they can't fix."
"Second," he continued, raising another finger, "scouting reports alone aren't enough. You have to be on-site to really see whether a player is worth spending a draft pick to develop."
"Players are people, not machines. They have their own thoughts and needs. Their personalities vary. We need players who fit our team and won't disrupt our chemistry."
Hearing all this, Anjali nodded eagerly.
"I knew I'd learn something real by tagging along with you!"
...
As they chatted, the plane landed at Kentucky's airport.
"Yilun!"
Chen Yilun had barely stepped out with his luggage when Calipari was already waiting at the entrance.
"I was worried that now that you've made it big, you'd stop caring about this old man."
The burly Calipari strode forward and wrapped Chen Yilun in a bear hug.
"Whoa—Coach Calipari, you're seriously strong!"
Crushed in Calipari's arms, Chen Yilun could barely breathe.
"Just missed you, that's all."
Calipari led him to his luxury car and personally opened the door.
"We can talk on the way. Our team has a game today—come with me!"
Only then did Chen Yilun remember: not only had the league season reignited, but the NCAA season had already begun as well.
Kentucky should still be playing early-season games.
If he remembered correctly, the University of Kentucky was in the SEC conference this year—same conference as Alabama, a frequent March Madness participant.
"You've got to watch today's game closely."
Calipari's luxury car sped down the Kentucky roads.
"This is our first matchup with Alabama this season."
That instantly grabbed Chen Yilun's interest.
If he remembered right, Alabama had that guy this year.
...
The car raced into the University of Kentucky campus. Outside the arena, crowds packed the entire area. Without Calipari, Chen Yilun would never have gotten in.
When they entered the arena, both teams were already warming up on their respective halves.
Given Calipari's influence, the moment he walked in, everyone's attention shifted toward them.
"Who are those guys?"
A Kentucky player narrowed his eyes curiously at the group.
"That Asian guy looks familiar… and behind him? Prince?"
Compared to Chen Yilun, Prince—once one of the famed Five Tigers—was far easier to recognize.
"Quit staring!" a sharp voice snapped beside him.
It was Alabama's head coach, John Smith.
Though Smith didn't have Calipari's résumé, nearly twenty years of coaching had firmly placed him among the top coaches.
"That's Chen Yilun, the Kings' President of Basketball Operations. If you watched the news, you'd know."
"It's him!"
The player inhaled sharply at the name.
"I know him—the super manager. Every player he drafts turns out great.
"That's the one."
Smith crossed his arms, watching Chen Yilun take his seat in the viewing section.
"Old John's got real pull—he even got Chen to show up."
Besides the fans, more than thirty scouts were present—NBA team staff, NBDL managers, even overseas league scouts.
But Chen Yilun was unquestionably the highest-ranking person there.
"Who's that guy? He looks good!"
Anjali pointed toward a burly young man on Kentucky's side with messy dreadlocks.
"Him?"
Prince instinctively opened his folder to look up the profile, but Chen Yilun spoke first.
"Jared Vanderbilt. Freshman who just joined Kentucky. Barring surprises, you'll see him in next year's draft."
Prince lowered his folder, embarrassed. As an assistant, he should've had everything ready beforehand—yet his boss was still a step ahead.
"Keep an eye on that kid later."
Chen Yilun nudged his chin toward Alabama's side, where a young man with a big, voluminous hairstyle was warming up.
"He's a freshman too. Had an excellent high school career. Name's Collin Sexton."