Chapter 57: Now Lin understands the gap between us, doesn't he? Wait, where is Lin?

The stadium cameras did not linger on the two of them for long.

After all, the time allotted for a timeout was limited. From the moment the fans started jeering to the widespread booing, it had actually been less than 20 seconds in total!

Yet, within those mere 20 seconds, Lin Tian had become the public enemy of the entire Great Western Forum!

The fans resented him for sitting so comfortably with a Los Angeles beauty, laughing and chatting, while the brutally beaten Lakers players resented him just as much. *We are getting our asses handed to us out here, and you're spending a lovely evening with a hot woman?*

As for the guys on the Bulls...

Jordan and Pippen were probably the two people among the nearly 20,000 in attendance who most wanted to see Connelly slap Lin Tian across the face!

They were waiting for it, eagerly anticipating it!

Then, they could comfortably step in as veterans to comfort Lin Tian, telling him not to be sad and that he still had a great life ahead of him.

"I remember you came here trying to get noticed to secure some opportunities, right?" Lin Tian suddenly said. "I figure if you slap me right now, you'll instantly win the adoration of all of Los Angeles. At the very least, it should help you land a few more gigs or some other opportunities!"

As he spoke, Lin Tian even closed his eyes slightly, taking on a look of, *Come on, I'm ready.*

"Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!"

"Take him down! What are you waiting for, babe?"

"Give him a punch! Give him a punch already!"

Almost everyone resonated with this on a soul-deep level. This was undoubtedly the most anticipated Kiss Cam segment in NBA history.

However, Connelly was clearly about to disappoint the entire arena.

When the camera first panned to her, she had looked just a little surprised and slightly shy.

Following that, her actual thoughts in that moment were completely identical to Lin Tian's.

*The wingman has arrived!*

And then, the moment Lin Tian finished speaking, Connelly made her decision swiftly.

Openly, and with a rather bold gesture, she threw her arms directly around Lin Tian's neck and planted her lips on him without a moment's hesitation!

"Boo!"

"Yuck!"

"Drop dead, you unchaste woman!"

The fans in attendance instantly erupted into a chorus of deafening boos—only this time, a good half of them were directed straight at Connelly!

As for the arena cameras, they quickly panned away the second the two kissed. While the broadcast director loved creating spectacles, they weren't actually going to keep the lens locked on the pair for tens of seconds watching them make out.

Were they supposed to broadcast a live adult film for the fans in the arena?

More importantly, the timeout was over, and the game was resuming!

To their astonishment, the fans realized that Jordan and Pippen were checking back into the game!

Initially, Jackson had no intention of letting these two play another minute. After all, keep administering this kind of beating, and heaven knew if the Los Angeles crowd would be sore losers and pull some dirty stunts to injure someone.

Yet, Jordan and Pippen looked at Jackson with deadly serious and earnest expressions, making a plea from the depths of their souls.

"Coach, I want to play basketball!"

What could Jackson do? Make them drop to their knees in tears and repeat it? He had no choice but to satisfy the two fellows.

The massacre on the court continued, and so did the deep kiss between Lin Tian and Connelly.

After the two of them locked lips passionately for a solid several minutes, Lin Tian finally resisted the immense temptation and gently pushed Connelly away.

He couldn't keep going!

Connelly's hands were already starting to wander!

As a man of dignity, he, Lin Tian, could not broadcast this live in front of 20,000 people. He had no choice but to ruthlessly push her away!

As they parted, Lin Tian even clearly heard a wet *pop* sound.

*She really knows how to hold on!*

Meanwhile, the look Connelly gave Lin Tian now practically had visible strings of affection attached to it.

What did it mean for eyes to shimmer like spring water, overflowing with tenderness?

This was the definition of it.

"Lin, I've never been like this before," Connelly's face blushed all the way to the tips of her ears, whether from the passionate kiss or from shyness after baring her true emotions in front of nearly 20,000 people, she didn't know.

"What you were like before doesn't matter, and what you'll be like in the future doesn't matter. What matters is that at this very moment, we are together," Lin Tian whispered softly into Connelly's ear. "December 29, 1995, between 9:41 and 9:44 PM, Great Western Forum, Section A, Row 1, Seat 3."

"Because of you, I will remember these three minutes forever."

Lin Tian was certain Connelly had never seen *Days of Being Wild*, because if her gaze had merely been stringy with affection just a moment ago, her eyes now held a near-tangible devotion.

Regardless of whether it was impulse or something else, Connelly suddenly felt an absolute certainty at that moment: she had fallen in love with this Asian man she had known for less than two hours!

Five minutes later, the third quarter finally came to an end. Fueled by Jordan and Pippen's madness, the point differential between the two teams had expanded to 50 points. At this stage, no matter how self-indulgent they were, and even if they knelt before Jackson with tears in their eyes crying that they wanted to play basketball, Jackson wouldn't let them step back onto the court.

By this point, those two guys were thoroughly satisfied.

As they drank water, the pair turned their heads back, intending to teach Lin Tian how to properly play basketball and how to properly face life. After all, they had a whole mountain of chicken soup for the soul and veteran advice waiting for him!

Yet, the moment they turned around, they found the seats behind them completely empty!

"Lin and Connelly left. About three minutes ago, I'd say. They walked out of the arena one right after the other," Rodman volunteered the answer before either of them could even ask. "He asked the coach for permission, and the coach agreed! The only condition is that he has to show up for team practice on time tomorrow morning!"

This answer left Jordan and Pippen feeling like frost-bitten eggplants.

Even though they had known this outcome was inevitable from the start, seeing it actually happen still left them unable to suppress the twinge of jealousy in their hearts.

*Why?! Why is it that this kid can hook up with a Hollywood B-list actress in just two hours?! Why?!*

*Just because he's a tiny bit better-looking than us?*

As for Lin Tian at that moment, he had just climbed into Connelly's car when he suddenly received two system notifications.

"Michael Jordan experienced emotional fluctuation, dropped 500 Experience Points!"

"Scottie Pippen experienced emotional fluctuation, dropped 93-94 Season Pippen Experience Card (First Half)!"

Even though he was on the road, Lin Tian couldn't help but gasp in amazement. The loot dropped this time was seriously potent!

This was the first time he had ever received over 100 experience points in a single instance!

As for Pippen's Experience Card—this was from the single season in Pippen's entire life where he carried the team as the undisputed number one option, earned dual All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team honors, and led the squad to the second round of the playoffs!

Absolute two-way dominance, a true elite figure of the league!

Seeing the harvest this time, Lin Tian's brain started spinning again.

Should he make sure to hit on women right in front of these two guys every time from now on?

Or maybe write his own dating diary and just leave it for these two to read?

At the drop rate and flirting efficiency he had achieved tonight, he could become a top-10 player in the NBA within a single season at most!