56: Reunion at the Dinner

This voice pierced through the reporters' noisy questions and fell clearly into Lin Feng's ears.

Lazy, magnetic, and carrying a hint of playfulness.

Lin Feng turned his head toward the direction of the voice.

At the edge of the crowd, a lady holding a glass of champagne was watching with great interest, as if enjoying an intriguing play.

She wore a well-tailored black evening gown that outlined her breathtaking curves, her snow-white skin shimmering with an ivory luster under the brilliant lights of the banquet hall.

Her golden curls cascaded loosely, her red lips were full, and her eyes were hazy; her entire being radiated the ultimate charm of a mature woman.

It was her.

Scarlett Johansson.

That Hollywood queen he had met once at the Staples Center.

Her appearance caused the reporters who had been surrounding Lin Feng to instantly shift their focus.

Flashes went off even more densely than before, almost turning the area into broad daylight.

"Scarlett! What are your thoughts on Lin Feng?"

"Are you also here for the Charity Gala?"

The reporters, like sharks scenting blood, swarmed over with even more excitement.

Scarlett, however, completely ignored the cameras and microphones surrounding her.

She stepped forward, her graceful figure swaying as she walked straight through the agitated crowd of reporters to stand before Lin Feng.

The scent of perfume, mixed with the fragrance of champagne, drifted into Lin Feng's nostrils.

She raised her glass and gestured toward Lin Feng.

"I watched your game against the San Antonio Spurs."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it possessed a power that quieted the surroundings.

"They were certainly 'friendly' to you."

There was obvious banter in her words, but in those emerald eyes, a different kind of interest sparkled—one that was almost inquisitive.

Feeling the countless gazes focused on him, Lin Feng curled his lips in self-deprecation.

"It seems my 'circus performance' failed to please everyone."

He thought he would hear a few polite words of comfort or courteous agreement.

However, Scarlett gently shook her head.

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear, her breath carrying a hint of warmth from the wine.

"No, I actually found it quite interesting."

Lin Feng was stunned.

Interesting?

A twenty-five-point crushing defeat, a suffocating experience of being completely locked down by a tactical system—someone actually used the word "interesting" to describe it?

Scarlett's red lips curled into a charming arc.

"That struggle, that unwillingness."

"That posture of being targeted by the whole world, yet still attempting to tear through everything in the most primitive way."

She looked into Lin Feng's eyes, as if trying to see through to the wretchedness deep within his soul.

"There is a kind of... broken beauty in it."

Broken beauty?

Those words, like a faint electric current, struck Lin Feng's nerves.

During this time, he had heard countless criticisms, ridicules, and denials.

Everyone was telling him he was wrong. That his playstyle was a cancer, and his flashiness was worthless.

Even Kobe was teaching him how to use victory to strike back.

But no one had ever been like the Scarlett before him.

She didn't talk about winning or losing, nor did she judge right or wrong.

What she saw was the struggle itself.

And, she appreciated that struggle.

The feeling was strange, like someone suddenly telling you in the middle of dark ruins that the silhouette of the wreckage was beautiful.

Scarlett's words were like a singular key, opening a door in his heart that had never been touched, one he hadn't even noticed himself.

He had always thought that to conquer these women at the top of the world, he needed omnipotent strength, overwhelming victories, and a radiant image.

Just like the invincibility and protection he showed when facing Yoona.

Just like his dominance on the court when attracting Taylor.

But now, Scarlett was telling him that failure, struggle, and wretchedness... the things he was desperate to shed, were equally lethally attractive in the eyes of others.

He keenly realized that this Hollywood queen, hailed as the sexiest woman in the world, seemed more interested in his state of "hitting a wall" and "struggling" than in his "omnipotent" performances.

Her appreciation stemmed from a deeper obsession with the primitive, wild, and even destructive forces within human nature.

A bold, even somewhat risky conquest plan began to quietly form in his mind.

Perhaps, to win her over and obtain the divine skill she represented, what was needed was not to play a perfect victor.

But to perform that "broken beauty" to the extreme.

The confusion and unwillingness in Lin Feng's eyes quietly underwent a change at this moment.

A deep, calculating glint flashed across his eyes.

He picked up another glass of champagne from a waiter's tray and lightly clinked it against Scarlett's glass.

There was a crisp "ding."

"A toast to this 'broken beauty'."

His tone still carried self-deprecation, but there was an added sense of composure in his eyes.

The sense of appreciation in Scarlett's emerald eyes deepened.

She liked how quickly this man caught on.

She took a sip of champagne, then pulled an exquisitely made card from her clutch and handed it to Lin Feng.

The card was black with a fine texture, printed with a string of numbers in gold foil, with no name or title.

Just a private phone number.

"If you have time," Scarlett's voice carried a faint, lingering invitation, "I'd like to invite you to appreciate some real 'broken artworks'."

Her gaze lingered on Lin Feng's face for a moment, her red lips parting slightly.

"Perhaps, you will find new inspiration."

Having said that, she winked at Lin Feng, turned, and swayed her graceful figure as she disappeared into the depths of the crowd in the banquet hall.

Leaving Lin Feng alone, standing there, clutching the card that still held a trace of her warmth.

The surrounding reporters wanted to ask more, but they were driven back by Lin Feng's cold gaze.

He looked down at the string of numbers.

The cold notification tone of the [charm basketball system] rang in his mind.

[Detected clue for unlocking a "Generation of Miracles" skill...]

[Target Character: Scarlett Johansson]

[Unlockable Skill: "kurokos basketball" — Seijuro Akashi's "Eye of the Heavenly Emperor"]

Lin Feng put the card into his pocket, his fingertips clearly feeling the outline of its edges.

He knew this wasn't just a simple business card.

This was the admission ticket to the next divine skill.

And "broken artworks" was the secret code for him to knock on this door.