Chapter 39: The Wallflower Shall Eventually Become the Center of Attention!

Li Rui’s performance tonight earned him the Player of the Game honor from TNT.

The fans at Madison Square Garden were highly satisfied with the game; although the home team lost, it did nothing to diminish the spectacle of witnessing the "Linsanity" miracle firsthand. Li Rui was even more sensational than in his previous three games, setting a new career high in points, a display that was truly staggering. While it helped that the Knicks were a lackluster team, it was not as if just anyone could bully them with such ease. The only piece of bad news for Knicks fans was that their team leader, Eddy Curry, was suspected to have suffered a concussion and would be sidelined for at least a week.

Back in the locker room, the atmosphere was jubilant, filled with laughter and cheers.

"Li, you were outstanding."

As soon as Phil Jackson entered, he gave Li Rui a thumbs-up. His endorsement immediately prompted the Lakers players to swarm Li Rui with roars of "Linsanity!" Odom and Bynum led the team in chanting his name. Li Rui felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head; he was still getting used to being the center of attention. Previously, the one surrounded by such adulation was always Kobe, while he was just an invisible rookie cheering from the sidelines. Now, it was his turn. Kobe bumped shoulders with Li Rui and shared a brief hug; no words were necessary—everything was understood. The invisible man had finally become the focal point of the world’s gaze.

Four consecutive wins! Li Rui’s sudden emergence had propelled the Lakers to their longest winning streak of the season, and every one of his games captivated the fans. His statistics continued to climb steadily, shattering expectations time and again.

"Li, Kobe, hurry up. You’re coming with me to the press conference," Jackson called out to the two as they prepared to shower. The Lakers always liked to bring their high-performing rookies to face the media; it was a great way to generate buzz for the team. There was no helping it—compared to other owners, the Lakers' ownership group wasn't the wealthiest, so they needed to maintain high exposure for the team in Los Angeles.

"OK!"
"Sure!"

Once he reached the showers, Li Rui closed his eyes and entered the system to check his rewards.

[Ding! Main quest completed. Reward: "Return to Peak" (Klay Thompson exclusive state) * One Quarter.]

The system’s notification thrilled him; this reward would serve as one of his trump cards. Even if it was only for one quarter, it was enough. With no new main quest refreshed yet, Li Rui exited the system.

...

In the Knicks' player tunnel, reporters cornered Stephon Marbury. One asked, "Stephon, how would you evaluate Li’s performance tonight? Do you have any advice for this young rookie?"

Marbury cursed, "F***, that guy dropped 37 points on me. How am I supposed to evaluate him? I have no right." Marbury had reached his breaking point and stormed off.

The reporters chuckled; the feeling of seeing Marbury shut down like that was immensely satisfying.

At the post-game press conference, Li Rui appeared again—practice makes perfect. The spacious Knicks press room was packed. Countless media members had been ravenous for this; some reporters, unable to find a seat, sat directly on the floor just to get the scoop first.

There was no choice—"Linsanity" was simply too hot right now, and Li Rui represented pure traffic. Before tonight, Li Rui had already been on fire for three games, but tonight was his fourth, and it was even more absurd. His 37-point performance broke the rookie single-game scoring record for the season. Such an explosive breakout by a rookie was rare, even in an NBA overflowing with talent. Moreover, he was a Chinese guard—from a country that had never produced an NBA-level guard—becoming a phenomenal new star in the U.S. and shaking the fans with consecutive highlight performances. The media could not help but be excited.

The commotion from the reporters was controlled by staff, and Kobe and Li Rui sat on either side of Phil Jackson. The questions began immediately.

"Coach Jackson, how do you evaluate Li’s performance as a starter?"
"He played at an All-Star level."

"Kobe, can you give Li some advice?"
"He doesn't need my advice. He just needs to keep doing what he's doing."

"Li, how did you manage to score 37 points in your first start?"
"I just broke the task down. 8 to 10 points per quarter—it’s pretty simple, isn't it?"

"Li, the next game is the Christmas Day showdown, with the Lakers visiting the Heat. Are you confident you can beat them?"
"Of course. Our winning streak will continue."

"Li, it’s rumored that Eddy Curry has a concussion. Was his injury a result of you taking revenge?"

Revenge? Li Rui, who had been smiling while handling the media, suddenly turned cold. This reporter was looking for trouble. Beside him, Kobe and Jackson’s expressions also chilled.

Looking closer—oh, it was Fox News. It was no wonder they were digging a hole. As one of the most influential conservative media outlets in the U.S., they possessed a vast audience and high approval ratings, but their reporting style tended to be conservative and often unfriendly toward Asians and Black people. If Li Rui admitted to revenge, an NBA investigation team would be on him immediately. Once under suspicion, his blossoming career would suffer, and his public image would be tarnished.

As Jackson considered how to bail Li Rui out, Li Rui spoke calmly into the microphone: "Nobody wants to see injuries on the court. I am very worried about Eddy’s condition; he is a player I have always respected. He is the core of the Knicks. I have watched many of his games; he is very talented. We had some confrontations on the court, but that was just the emotion of the game. His offensive foul caught me off guard. Nobody wants to see such accidents, and I truly hope he can return to the court as soon as possible."

Jackson glanced at Li Rui suspiciously. Li Rui seemed sincere. Had this rookie’s media handling skills improved this quickly? You respect Eddy Curry? I heard you greeting his mother several times from the sidelines. However, by emphasizing that it was an offensive foul, he was telling the world that the referees deemed the action a violation, so they shouldn't make trouble.

Jackson quickly followed up: "It is very regrettable that this happened tonight. I hope Eddy overcomes his injury and returns to the court soon." He ended the topic quickly, refusing to dwell on it.

Jackson couldn't figure out if Li Rui was being deliberate, and neither could the reporters. Looking at Li Rui’s harmless, innocent face, he didn't seem like the type to intentionally hurt someone. If it had been Artest, Karl Malone, or Bruce Bowen, no one would have doubted it—they would have called for the league to issue a suspension, and the media would have branded it as intentional assault.

"Li doesn't look like a bad guy. That move looked more like Eddy was the one going for the hit," the reporters whispered to each other. "But the timing was just too coincidental—how did the elbow happen to smash into Eddy’s face as he landed?"

"The kid doesn't look like that kind of person."

"Well, you could say Eddy deserved it; that move was definitely dangerous."

The reporters discussed it privately and tacitly moved on. They all knew that they were in the middle of "Linsanity," and they knew what the fans wanted to see. Eddy Curry’s image had always been poor in the eyes of the fans, while Li Rui appeared to be a positive figure. With different public personas, even a concussion was seen as just desserts.