129: The Queen's Invitation! Desire and Reason

The content of the text message was provocative and direct.

St. Regis Hotel San Antonio, Room 1808. Your cage looks hideous. Come over, and I'll teach you how to break it. —T.S.

T.S.?

Lin Feng's pupils dilated in an instant.

There was only one person this abbreviation could point to.

Taylor Swift.

What was she doing here?!

Wasn't she supposed to be preparing for her 'Red' Tour?

And how did she know his phone number?

A series of questions exploded in his mind.

But he soon figured it out.

With that woman's influence, it wouldn't be difficult for her to get his number and find out which hotel he was staying at.

What truly shocked him was that she had actually come to San Antonio.

And she had sent such a suggestive and tempting text message.

Break the cage?

Was she talking about the Spurs' 'Cage Tactic'?

How was she going to teach him how to break it?

Lin Feng's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

He knew better than anyone what the true meaning hidden behind those words was.

Aomine Daiki's [Formless Shot]!

That wildest offensive weapon, capable of turning everything unreasonable into points!

The opportunity to obtain it was now right in front of him.

All he had to do was nod.

Then, walk out of this room, go to another hotel, and knock on the door of Room 1808.

But... Lin Feng's gaze subconsciously drifted toward the closed door of his room.

Outside the door was Yoona.

The girl who had flown here from Los Angeles for him.

The girl who had been silently guarding the door while he locked himself in his room to vent after losing the game.

At the thought of her, a surge of intense guilt, like cold seawater, instantly drowned the flicker of heat that had just risen within Lin Feng.

He couldn't do this.

Absolutely not.

Lin Feng's finger swiped forcefully across the screen.

He completely deleted the text from Taylor along with that unknown number.

He had made his choice.

He was going to do what he should do.

Open the door, embrace the girl who was still worried about him, and tell her he was fine.

Instead of going to a crazy invitation filled with desire and transaction.

He stood up and walked toward the door.

One step.

Two steps.

Yet his steps grew slower and slower.

Kobe's words echoed in his mind once again.

'Think about how to win back Game 6.'

How to win?

What to rely on to win?

Lin Feng's footsteps stopped just one step away from the door.

In his mind, he couldn't help but envision Popovich's calm, unruffled face.

He envisioned the cold faces of Leonard, Green, and Splitter, which were like the bars of a cage.

He knew very well.

If he didn't have a new weapon.

If he still had to rely on that [[Midorima Three-Pointer]] which had been completely seen through.

The outcome of Game 6 wouldn't change at all.

He would still be locked in that cage.

He would still be worn down to death by those three hungry wolves.

Then, he would watch helplessly as the Lakers were eliminated.

Watch helplessly as he became the laughingstock of the world.

That sense of humiliation from being swatted out of the air by Duncan.

That feeling of helplessness from being drowned in the mockery of twenty thousand spectators.

That stinging pain of pride being crushed into the ground.

It was like ten thousand ants gnawing frantically at his heart.

No!

He couldn't accept such an outcome!

He absolutely couldn't!

The thirst for victory and the obsession with revenge, like an awakened beast, roared frantically inside his body!

This beast was tearing at his reason and devouring his guilt.

He knew that if Game 6 was lost like that again...

...he would lose more than just a series.

He would lose his most fundamental dignity as a powerhouse!

Yoona... Lin Feng's fists clenched tightly.

He could compensate her later.

Compensate her in every possible way.

But the victory in Game 6, he had to have it!

This obsession finally overcame all the struggles within his heart.

He needed an outlet.

An explosive spark that could completely ignite the beast within him!

Lin Feng turned around abruptly.

He didn't spare the door another glance.

He quickly pulled a black hoodie out of the closet and threw it on.

He pulled up the hood, covering most of his face.

Then, he quietly walked to the window.

This was the third floor of the hotel.

He glanced downstairs at a small, deserted garden.

Without the slightest hesitation, he opened the window and climbed out.

He didn't want to alert Jeff and Yoona outside the door.

He chose this quietest and most resolute way to leave his room... Meanwhile.

On the website of TMZ, America's largest gossip media outlet, a news story was pinned to the most prominent headline position.

[Shocking News! Grammy Diva Taylor Swift photographed arriving at San Antonio Airport late at night!]

Below this news story was a slightly blurry photo taken with a telephoto lens.

In the photo, a blonde woman wearing sunglasses and a hat, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, was hurriedly walking out of the airport's VIP lane.

Although the photo was blurry, anyone familiar with her could recognize at a glance that it was Taylor Swift herself!

San Antonio!

At this sensitive moment, just after the Pivotal Game 5 between the Lakers and the Spurs!

Why would this music diva suddenly appear here?!

This news was like a bombshell, instantly setting off social media networks across America!

Countless speculations and discussions swept through major forums and Twitter like a tide.

'My God! What is she doing in San Antonio? There's nothing there but basketball!'

'What else? She's definitely there to see someone!'

'Lin Feng! It's definitely Lin Feng! He just finished a game there today!'

'Are you crazy? This is too insane! Is this going public?'

...San Antonio, the hotel where the Lakers were staying.

In the hallway.

Yoona was still squatting outside Lin Feng's room, waiting silently.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

A news notification popped up.

She subconsciously clicked on the news.

The moment the striking TMZ logo and that blurry airport photo appeared on the screen...

...Yoona's hand holding the phone began to tremble slightly.

An indescribable, intense unease, like a giant net, suddenly seized her heart.