Chapter 55 Rodman: Come on, make Hollywood your backyard!

"Lin, you really need to listen to what Michael is saying! He has your best interests at heart," Pippen chimed in from the side. "These are all lessons and warnings paid for by our predecessors with blood, sweat, and massive amounts of greenbacks!"

At that moment, Rodman, who had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, could finally no longer hold it in. He interrupted, "You two, you'd better stop passing down your experience to Lin! He genuinely doesn't need it at all. Besides, do you two really not know who she is? Or does she not look even a little bit familiar?"

"Never seen her. Is she famous?" Jordan and Pippen asked in complete unison. This was the first time off the court that they had ever shown such synchronized chemistry!

"Connolly! Jennifer Connolly!" Rodman blurted out her name, but Pippen and Jordan still wore looks of total bewilderment.

Clearly, they had no idea who this struggling child star was.

Rodman rolled his eyes and said, "I suppose you could call her a tier-three or tier-four Hollywood actress. A child star who debuted several years ago, though she hasn't seemed to star in anything notable lately—or maybe I just haven't watched it. She certainly isn't an A-list celebrity, but she's definitely no mere extra!"

"Hmm... roughly equivalent to someone who won Rookie of the Year in their rookie season and then went on a downhill slide. While she's never made an All-Star team, she'd be a solid primary rotation player! In other words, if she really is hooking up with Lin, it's Lin riding her coattails, not her scheming to use Lin for clout."

After finishing, Rodman saw the looks of surprise on everyone's faces and shrugged casually. "Aside from totally unknown rookies and fringe players from the deepest depths of obscurity, I can recognize over ninety percent of the pretty girls in Hollywood! My dream and goal is to have a relationship beyond mere friendship with every single one of them."

At this point, Lin Tian no longer needed to explain anything. Jordan and Pippen were now as wilted as frost-bitten eggplants. What else could they possibly say?

"Lin, maybe she's just chatting with you, so don't read too much into it. If she doesn't want to leave you her number later, or go out for a drive with you, don't be too sad. This is Hollywood, and things like this happen every single day!" Jordan ultimately couldn't resist adding a sourly worded postscript.

"Yeah, Lin, female celebrities like that have seen plenty of handsome and wealthy guys. Even if something does happen between you two, don't you dare fall for it. They're probably just playing around. You're still young, so don't fall into the trap of love." Pippen's words were even more drenched in jealousy than Jordan's!

Even though the two of them never lacked for beautiful women, they knew very well that they relied on money, fame, status, and idol halo effects.

As for Lin Tian, he relied on something they would never possess in this lifetime.

"You guys, stop chatting! Get over here for the tactical meeting! Hurry up!"

Climemens appeared at that moment, his words acting like the perfect antidote for Jordan and Pippen to escape their awkward predicament. The two guys immediately scrambled away, sprinting swiftly to Jackson's side to await the tactics for tonight.

As for Rodman, he patted Lin Tian on the shoulder and said, "Keep it up, Lin! I believe you can fulfill my dream! I believe that if you want to, the entire Hollywood can become your personal backyard!"

With that, Rodman also departed.

As for Jordan and Pippen, the two guys listened to the tactics while simultaneously glancing at each other. With just that single look, they instantly understood what the other was thinking!

Fine, so you Lin Tian are maybe a tiny, teensy bit better-looking than the two of us! We do fall slightly short in that department.

But!

Our dominance on the basketball court is something you, Lin Tian, will never achieve in your entire life!

What kind of real man relies on looks to seduce girls? A true man speaks with hard-earned skill on the court!

The Lakers, is it? One of the top two prestigious franchises in NBA history, is it?

FUXX!

We're going to crush you to death!

On the opposite side of the court, among the Lakers players who were similarly waiting for their head coach to issue tactics, their current leaders Ceballos and Nick Van Exel involuntarily shivered at the exact same time. An intensely ominous feeling washed over them simultaneously!

Tonight's game was going to be an absolute disaster!

"You guys must be really close under normal circumstances," Connolly said, smiling as she resumed her conversation with Lin Tian upon his return.

She hadn't even noticed that during the few minutes Lin Tian was away, her gaze had been practically locked onto him, entirely ignoring everything else.

Even though not far from her sat Nicholson, James Cameron, Pierce Brosnan, Schwarzenegger, and a couple dozen other Hollywood heavyweights, ranging from actors to directors and producers alike!

This was the charm of Los Angeles; this was the charm of the Lakers!

If she could get on good terms with any of these people tonight, Connolly's fate might fundamentally change right then and there.

Yet by this point, she had completely forgotten all the instructions her agent had given her. She simply wanted to hear more about what other interesting places Chicago had to offer.

"It's alright, but they aren't very welcoming to me tonight. They're jealous," Lin Tian shrugged and said. "They're jealous that a future Oscar winner and A-list Hollywood actress is sitting right next to me."

"If anyone else said that, I'd genuinely think it was just flattery and polite social talk. But coming from you, I actually believe it." Connolly rested her chin in her hand, shifted her gaze away from Lin Tian for a moment, and directed her attention slightly toward the court. "I do believe I can lift the Oscar trophy and become a true A-list actress."

Lin Tian didn't say much in response to Connolly's words; he simply offered a gentle smile and abruptly changed the subject: "While we watch the game, let me tell you all about my favorite French restaurant in Chicago."

This kind of behavior—just as someone is about pour their heart out, cutting them off and pushing their words right back down their throat—would be considered extremely annoying and thoroughly frustrating by most people.

Yet Lin Tian had the uncanny ability to time it with absolute precision and execute it to perfection.

Take Connolly right now: she didn't feel any discomfort from having her words stuck unsaid inside her. Instead, she found herself yearning even more to confide in him, wanting even more to share her inner feelings with Lin Tian!

However, Lin Tian simply refused to give her the chance, continuously telling her just how unbelievably delicious the French restaurant named 'Paris Flower' truly was.

Out on the court, the match between the two teams had turned into a completely one-sided affair right from the opening whistle.

Jordan and Pippen played on this night as if they had taken some kind of explosive stimulant.

Jordan directly targeted the Lakers' primary scorer Ceballos, while Pippen locked onto the Lakers' secondary perimeter threat Nick Van Exel.

Defending them to the death!

With firepower dialed up to the maximum!