"His character is as questionable as yours, so I refuse to answer your question."
Tang Long looked at Xiao Gen, who also held up a microphone and said, "Tang, please tell us what happened on the court that made you so angry. We all know you've always been a nice guy in the league."
The reporters rolled their eyes. They knew the two had an unusual relationship, but this was too blatant.
"This guy's mouth is filthy. This isn't the old society anymore. He actually slandered our Longguo. I'd like to ask everyone, if it were you, wouldn't you be angry?"
The reporters gasped, and a commotion ensued.
When players attacked each other, the league usually just gave them both a slap on the wrist. This behavior was unusual and could have significant repercussions for the league if it escalated.
Moreover, Longguo was now the NBA's last major behind-the-scenes market, and Tang Long was a star player from Longguo.
The reporters got excited.
More trending news was coming.
Speaking of which, Tang Long always managed to create some big news from time to time.
The reporters welcomed him with open arms.
Soon, a sports channel, eager for traffic, precisely captured the trending topic and invited experts to analyze what Gortat had said to make Tang Long so angry.
Then, these details were leaked.
Of course, this was not a big deal in the United States. The league merely gave Gortat a mild reprimand and a three-game suspension.
This penalty was insignificant to Gortat, but it caused an uproar among Longguo fans.
The previous posts criticizing Tang Long were dug up by fans.
"See? Tang Long was angry because Gortat spoke carelessly, which is why Tang Long educated him. You haters, keep hating."
"Some people have been kneeling for too long and always think Westerners are superior. Who is actually slandering whom?"
"Gortat must apologize, or we'll boycott them. Boycott the Magic."
"Yes, if the NBA doesn't boycott Gortat, we'll boycott them."
The fans were outraged, but soon they started arguing amongst themselves, discussing how boycotting the United States would mean not using computers, as phones still relied on foreign chips.
Of course, these were the voices of a minority of moderates. Most people supported Tang Long, which earned him a wave of praise from official media.
At this time, Guo Qiang also stepped forward to express his support for Tang Long defending national honor and announced that Tang Long had been selected for this year's Olympics.
The Basketball Association also intended to publicize Tang Long's NBA statistics, and C5 would occasionally broadcast NBA regular season highlights.
Tang Long became a household name, leading everyone to have high hopes for the major ball sports at this year's Olympics.
The Basketball Association naturally amplified the hype for basketball, further promoting Tang Long as a hero who bravely saved a homeless man and vigorously promoted Longguo's cuisine in the United States.
This made Tang Long even more prominent, leading to a significant rise in basketball's popularity.
Tang Long was unaware that he had become a nationally adored star in Longguo. After winning the first game against the Magic, the Cavaliers, after a day of rest, welcomed the Magic to their home court for the second game.
Before the game, countless reporters gathered at the arena, drawing far more attention than other teams, which led to considerable dissatisfaction among stars from other teams, who accused the Cavaliers and Magic of staging a script.
Consequently, the game between the Cavaliers and the Magic received even more attention.
Especially with the fervent interactions between fans on Twitter, and under Jack's deliberate guidance, the game between the Cavaliers and the Magic became unprecedentedly popular.
This game attracted not only fans but also many celebrities, partly to express their support for Tang Long and partly to ride the wave of popularity.
Swift, Scarlett, and Gal Gadot also appeared at the arena.
Although Scarlett and Gal Gadot still found each other disagreeable, they would invite each other to games.
This peculiar behavior impressed Swift.
Tang Long spotted them and gave a polite wave.
"Hello, I'm Zack Snyder."
Before the game started, the three women were chatting quietly. Scarlett suggested that if the Cavaliers won against the Magic that night, Tang Long must treat them to dinner. Gal Gadot immediately retorted, asking why *she* shouldn't be the one treating Tang Long.
The two began bickering over who should treat Tang Long to dinner when Zack Snyder handed them his business card.
In 2004, Zack Snyder became one of the most popular directors of zombie films with his work *Dawn of the Dead*.
In 2006, *300* earned him awards for Best Screenplay and Best Director. Although he hadn't collaborated with DC yet, he was already quite well-known among young directors.
Upon receiving Zack Snyder's business card, Scarlett and Gal Gadot's eyes visibly sparkled.
However, there was only one card. As Gal Gadot reached for it, Scarlett's hand also extended, and the two began tugging at Zack Snyder's business card, glaring at each other.
"Gal, this is Director Zack's card. You'd better let go if you know what's good for you, or you'll be the one embarrassed later."
"You think you're so great." Gal Gadot clearly found a way to spar with Scarlett, and they were evenly matched in their bickering, neither giving way to the other.
Zack Snyder found himself in an awkward situation, feeling embarrassed by the scene unfolding beside him.
"Mr. Snyder, please don't mind them. They're always like this."
Swift, meanwhile, helped Zack Snyder ease the awkwardness.
"Hello, Swift, I really like your music."
"Thank you."
They chatted casually for a while, and Zack Snyder suddenly asked, "Swift, are you and Tang friends?"
Swift nodded, looking at him with confusion.
"That's great!"
Zack Snyder exclaimed, "It's like this, I have a film role that requires an actor like Tang, but when I called him before, he thought... he thought I was a scammer, so..."
"I see..."
Before Swift could speak, Scarlett interrupted, "No problem, we're all Tang Long's friends. There must be some misunderstanding. I can talk to him myself. Once he knows your name, Director Zack, he'll definitely be willing."
How could Gal Gadot let Scarlett have all the spotlight? She chimed in, "Don't worry, Director Zack, my relationship with Tang Long is even better. Leave this to me."
As she spoke, Gal Gadot added, "Director Zack, may I ask what kind of movie it is?"
Zack Snyder was completely at a loss, looking at Swift with bewilderment.
Swift wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. She waved her hand, indicating she wasn't that close to them, but could help him contact Tang Long.