The next day.
Mia Quinn woke up early and stepped out onto the balcony.
The balcony?!
Yes.
Since the heater had broken down the night before last, the hotel compensated them with a voucher for one month of free stays in any suite. So last night, Blake Su went to a chain hotel.
He directly booked the most luxurious presidential suite.
And that led to this scene.
Standing on the 15th-floor balcony, Mia Quinn looked down at the snow-covered morning in Los Angeles. As far as the eye could see, everything was blanketed in white—an absolutely breathtaking sight.
"Wow~ So beautiful!"
She couldn't help exclaiming. Breathing in the fresh morning air, her mood instantly improved.
"Quinnie, you're up pretty early today."
Blake Su had just woken up. Scratching his messy hair, he stepped onto the balcony as well. Mia Quinn had just opened her mouth to say something when Blake suddenly leaned toward the balcony railing.
"Ahhhh~~~ Troubles go away, life be carefree~ Ahhhh~"
He started shouting loudly.
Mia Quinn's eyes widened, startled. Blake Su tilted his head and laughed.
"Try it~ It feels great. Really refreshing!"
"Really?"
"Yep!"
Blake Su nodded with a smile.
And so—
"Ahhhh~ Let Mia Quinn star in a smash-hit TV drama~ Ahhhh~~~"
"Ahhhh~ Go Quinnie~ Ahhhh~~~"
Early in the morning, the two of them laughed like idiots, shouting freely into the open air from the balcony, venting their emotions without restraint—until someone, either upstairs or downstairs, started yelling curses at them.
Only then did they laugh awkwardly and retreat back into the living room.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
"Quinnie, how was it? Feel a lot better after shouting it out?"
"Yeah~"
"I'm telling you, if you did this on the open grasslands, it'd feel even better!"
Blake Su said with a grin.
Mia Quinn nodded repeatedly. She could already imagine standing on endless grasslands, shouting out her emotions into the wide open sky. Just thinking about it felt incredibly liberating.
"Quinnie, next time I'll take you to the grasslands!"
"Sure!"
Mia Quinn smiled and nodded. But then she seemed to realize something. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Blake Su as she asked seriously,
"Blake Su, something's not right with you.
You suddenly feel like a completely different person—so mature, so steady, so sensible."
Huh?
Am I?
Blake Su didn't know how to respond. He gave an awkward smile and quickly changed the subject.
"Quinnie, are you hungry? Want to grab breakfast? The waitress said yesterday the breakfast buffet here has lots of options and tastes great."
"Oh~ Let's go, let's go!"
...
After breakfast,
Blake Su helped Mia Quinn pack her luggage. After checking out and leaving the hotel—
"Quinnie, you're really not going skiing anymore?"
Blake Su asked.
"No time this trip. I still have dreams to chase. But you… you're already doing so well. Keep it up, okay?"
"I will. Quinnie, you have to keep going too. I believe you'll definitely become a big star someday!"
"Mhm, of course."
Mia Quinn smiled softly, her beauty captivating.
...
3:00 PM.
At the airport security entrance, Mia Quinn gave Blake Su a big hug and said with a smile,
"Little Blake, thank you for these past few days. I had a really great time.
Bye for now.
I'll come visit you again when I have time."
"When I have time, I'll come find you too, Quinnie."
"Deal!"
"Deal!"
"Blake, lower your head a bit."
"Huh? Why?"
Blake Su lowered his head.
Mia Quinn stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Blake, I'm leaving now. Bye~"
"Bye!"
After passing through security, Mia Quinn stood behind the barrier and kept waving at Blake Su, shouting "Blake Su, bye!" several times before finally entering the waiting area.
Blake Su had been feeling pretty good, but now he felt a little awkward.
After seeing her off, he sent Mia Quinn a message:
[Quinnie, can you stop calling me Little Blake from now on? It doesn't match my tall and imposing image.]
Mia Quinn replied:
[What's wrong with that? I'll call you Little Blake if I want. No matter when or where, you're Little Blake to me. Hmph~]
[Uh… fine.]
Little Blake?
Not a badass nickname at all.
Blake Su naturally disliked it. Yet… both his mom and Mia Quinn loved calling him that.
He chatted with Mia Quinn for a while longer until she boarded the plane and turned off her phone. Only then did Blake Su leave the airport.
Thinking back on the past few days with Mia Quinn, he felt a little dazed.
Blake Su could tell that Mia Quinn treated him as someone very close—someone she was completely comfortable around.
To outsiders, Mia Quinn was cold and distant like ice. But in front of Blake Su, she laughed easily and showed a soft, adorable side.
That contrast gave her a unique charm.
And Blake Su found himself liking it.
...
After parting with Mia Quinn,
Blake Su boarded a plane back to Phoenix.
The wonderful Christmas was basically over, and it was time to throw himself back into the regular season.
While Blake Su was flying from Los Angeles to Phoenix,
the NBA officially announced last week's Players of the Week.
Western Conference Player of the Week—Blake Su, once again.
This was already his fifth consecutive Player of the Week award, long surpassing LeBron's previous record and continuing to extend the streak.
Because the games overlapped with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,
the Suns only played two games last week.
Blake Su averaged 43.5 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3 steals, and 3.5 blocks, leading the team to a perfect 2-0 record.
However—
Kobe Bryant averaged an even more terrifying 46 points, along with 7.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks.
Yet,
fans had absolutely no objections to Blake Su winning Player of the Week.
After all, the Lakers played three games last week and only went 1-2.
Even though Kobe had a dazzling performance with 12 three-pointers and 60 points in a single game.
Blake Su's 13 three-pointers, 65 points, and the game-winning steal and layup against the Lakers were even more explosive.
Even Kobe couldn't top that.
Meanwhile in the East,
"Superman" Dwight Howard won the award again.
With his dominant interior play—completely different from Blake Su's perimeter style—he beat out LeBron, Derrick Rose, Amar'e Stoudemire, and others to claim Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
These two winning the awards sparked major discussion.
"'Monster Rookie' center Blake Su wins Western Conference Player of the Week, while 'Superman' center Dwight Howard wins the East.
One dominates from the perimeter, the other rules the paint.
Two completely different styles of centers winning Player of the Week at the same time!
So which is stronger—the traditional center, or Blake Su, whose unique offensive style is redefining the position?
Honestly… I'm starting to look forward to their matchup!"
"Me too."
"Same here!"
"..."
Just as fans were heatedly discussing Blake Su and Howard—two powerful centers with completely different styles—
another announcement suddenly drew everyone's attention.
What?!
...
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