"Someone's going to snatch them all if we don't hurry," Scarlett said, her large eyes flashing with annoyance and dissatisfaction. As one of her best friends, Swift's actions felt like a betrayal. Before, none of them had explicitly acknowledged their competitive relationship. They competed in subtle ways, maintaining a certain tacit understanding. Now, Swift had broken the rules, secretly learning the Dragon language, and then sneakily coming to Dragon Country alone, especially while the other two were filming. This was truly unfair.
"I just wanted to come to Dragon Country to see," Swift replied.
"Still trying to deny it? Don't think we don't know," Gal Gadot chimed in, joining Scarlett's side. They used to bicker constantly, never expecting Swift to seize an opportunity like this. Her first move was a killer blow: learning the Dragon language and accompanying Tang Long back to Dragon Country for the Olympics. This man must be deeply moved.
"Hmph, now that we're here, you can forget about getting close to Tang alone," Scarlett declared.
"Exactly, we'll be watching you," the other added.
Swift's face turned red under their taunts, but she was clever and quickly changed the subject. "When did you arrive? You haven't explored the capital yet, have you? I'll show you around the Dragon Country capital tomorrow."
"Dream on. We don't need you as a guide; we want Tang to be our guide," Scarlett retorted.
"He's busy; he has a game to play," Swift replied instinctively, immediately regretting her slip of the tongue.
As expected, Scarlett and Gal Gadot looked at her suspiciously. "Taylor, you're starting to sound a bit like a hostess now. Tell us, have you and Tang done anything you shouldn't have behind our backs?"
"No," Swift said, finally having something to say. If it were someone else from the United States, Tang Long might have already been reported by the media for sneaking out late at night, but she had been here for so long, and Tang Long only took her out during the day, always returning to the team on time. This made Swift suspect if Tang Long was actually into men.
"Really, no?"
"Of course not."
As they were chatting, Swift's phone rang. It was Tang Long. Hearing his voice on the phone, Swift sounded both surprised and relieved. "What? You all have to return to the team tonight?"
"Alright, I understand. I'll wait for you tomorrow."
After returning to the locker room for a massage, Tang Long gave Yao Ming and Sun Yue the honor of the post-game interview. He had originally planned to go to the night market with Swift, but as soon as he left the court, he saw Scarlett and Gal Gadot. If it were any other time, Tang Long would have gone over to say hello immediately. However, with Swift having been in Dragon Country for so long and these two women now showing up, he was clearly caught in the middle and needed to balance their relationships. Balancing these relationships was like playing with fire; if he didn't manage it well, he might get burned. So, Tang Long immediately thought of the wisdom of his ancestors: of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best. He wanted the three of them to sort things out amongst themselves first, and then he would appear when things had stabilized. Therefore, Tang Long planned to slip away through the back door. He was congratulating himself on his intelligence when, as he reached the back door, he saw James and a few others lurking around. The "Banana Brothers": Anthony, Wade, and Paul. Their eyes met. Everyone was awkward.
"Where are you guys going?" Anthony was the first to react. "I told them we lost and were feeling unbalanced, so we decided to do extra training. Do you believe that?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you definitely believe it."
"Believe my foot," Tang Long said, putting an arm around James's shoulder and curiously examining the Banana Brothers. "Seriously, you guys are ridiculous. You lose a game and then go out partying?"
"What are you talking about?" James flicked Tang Long's arm away irritably. "It's because of you. The United States lost, and now we're surrounded by reporters from the United States. Not just sports reporters, but other TV station reporters too. What else can we do but run?"
Tang Long asked curiously, "Where are the others? Where's Kobe?"
"Kobe is being interviewed with the coach. Everyone else has quietly slipped away. But you, you won the game, so why are you acting like a thief?" James said, getting angry. If they had lost due to being outplayed, he wouldn't have been this resentful. He had lost games before in the league, but Tang Long's constant antics and even trickery had made James full of anger. Seeing him, Tang Long's temper finally flared.
"Don't be so petty. Victory and defeat are common in warfare," Tang Long said as James was about to explode. "Scarlett and Gal Gadot are here."
"What, you won and you want to show off being surrounded by beautiful women?" James was initially furious but quickly realized. "Haha, let's see you show off, you brat." Being surrounded by beautiful women was indeed enviable. However, having to choose among them while being surrounded was a bittersweet situation.
"You deal with your own headaches."
"No, no, I'll treat you guys to drinks at a bar," Tang Long said, putting his arm around Wade's shoulder. "We're all men; don't be so stingy. Let me show you the nightlife culture of the capital."
"I should go," Paul suddenly chimed in. "I should learn from other players and prepare millions of dollars to throw around. Only then can it be compensated."
"Compensated my ass. Do you think this is the United States? Let's go, I'll take you to see Sanlitun."
..."123-115?"
On ESPN in the United States, an editor paused when he saw the score, then joked with a colleague. "These guys are really terrible. They only won by 8 points against the Dragon Country team. It's no wonder basketball can't surpass the NFL."
"These guys don't even want to participate in the Olympics," the colleague added. "Fortunately, our basketball has no rivals in the world. The point difference is a bit small, but at least they won. Hurry up and send the report so the fans can scold them... Russell, what's wrong?" He had been rambling on, but seeing his colleague's constipated expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Russell, what's so surprising?"
"Sean, am I seeing things?" Russell stammered, pointing at the score on the screen.
"The score is correct; it's 123-115... Damn it, is the data from the front lines incorrect?"
The two stared at the data in bewilderment for a long time. It was Russell who finally remembered to check the video replay for confirmation. It was true; they had indeed lost to the Dragon Country team.
"My God, these bastards actually lost, and on our strongest event!"
"If this news gets out, they'll be roasted alive."