98: A last-ditch effort! The only straw to grasp.

"Los Angeles... it's too tiring."

On the phone screen, those few words sent by Yoona were like a sharp, ice-tempered blade, stabbing fiercely into Lin Feng's heart.

The plane's tires made a piercing screeching sound against the runway of Los Angeles International Airport.

The fuselage jolted violently.

Lin Feng's body swayed with it, but his eyes remained fixed, staring deathly at that line of text.

The flight attendant's sweet voice sounded over the broadcast, reminding passengers that the plane had landed.

The teammates around him began to unbuckle their seatbelts one after another, getting up to get their luggage.

No one spoke.

Everyone looked like defeated soldiers, silent and numb, preparing to face the judgment of returning home.

Lin Feng didn't move.

He seemed to be pinned to his seat by that text message.

"Lin, let's go."

Nash walked past him and lightly patted his shoulder.

Only then did Lin Feng snap out of it.

He put away his phone, the screen went dark, but that line of text was etched into his mind like a brand.

He stood up mechanically and followed the crowd off the plane.

Just as he stepped into the arrival hall.

"Click! Click! Click!"

Countless flashes, like a dense barrage of bullets, fired frantically at them.

Several times more reporters than in San Antonio, like madmen, broke through the simple security cordon at the airport and surrounded them.

"Lin! What are your thoughts on Kobe's injury?"

"Do you believe your chaotic private life is the root cause of the team's crushing defeat?"

"Scarlett Johansson and Taylor Swift, who is your actual girlfriend?"

"Do you have anything to say to the fans who are accusing you of being the team's sinner?!"

Sharp questions, mixed with roars in various languages, surged toward Lin Feng like a tide.

He was pushed and squeezed.

For a moment, he even felt like he was about to suffocate.

He lowered his head and said nothing, struggling to move outward under the forceful path-clearing of the team security.

He couldn't hear anything.

In his mind, there was only one thought.

He wanted to find Yoona.

He wanted to explain everything to her in person.

Passing through the chaotic crowd and getting into the car back to his apartment, Lin Feng returned to his empty apartment as if escaping.

"Bang."

He closed the door, shutting out all the noise from outside.

The apartment was terrifyingly quiet.

He threw his backpack casually on the floor, and the first thing he did was take out his phone.

He looked at Yoona's name on the screen and pressed the call button without hesitation.

"Beep... beep... beep..."

A long, cold waiting tone came from the receiver.

One ring, then another.

It hammered at his already fragile nerves.

No one answered.

The call was automatically disconnected.

Lin Feng didn't give up and immediately dialed again.

"Beep... beep... beep..."

Still no answer.

The third time.

The fourth time.

He was like a drowning man, frantically clutching at this last straw.

But on the other end of the line, there was only that despairing busy signal.

The team's losing streak, his idol's serious injury, and himself being condemned by everyone.

Now, even his only spiritual comfort, the one thing that could give him a sense of warmth, was about to leave him.

A massive, unprecedented sense of loneliness wrapped around him like an invisible net, making it impossible for him to breathe.

He threw his phone hard onto the soft sofa.

He paced irritably back and forth in the living room like a trapped beast in a cage.

Just then, the phone he had thrown on the sofa suddenly rang.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he almost lunged for it, grabbing the phone.

The name flashing on the screen, however, was not the one he hoped for.

It was his Agent, Jeff Austin.

Lin Feng swiped to answer, his voice hoarse from extreme disappointment.

"Hello."

On the other end, Jeff's voice came through, sounding frazzled and nearly roaring.

"Lin! Where are you right now?!"

"At the apartment."

"Listen! From now on, stay at home and don't go anywhere! Don't see any reporters! Don't post a single word on social media!"

Jeff's voice was filled with unprecedented seriousness.

"Something big has happened."

"Just now, Scarlett Johansson's PR team sent me a very strongly worded lawyer's letter!"

"They believe our inaction regarding the rumors has seriously affected Scarlett's public image, portraying her as a 'third party' who breaks up relationships in the court of public opinion!"

"They demand that we immediately issue a public statement clarifying that you and Scarlett are just ordinary friends!"

Jeff took a breath, his voice dropping even lower.

"And... on Taylor Swift's side, although they didn't contact me directly, her record label sent word through industry insiders expressing a similar sentiment."

"They all want to distance themselves from you! Do you understand?!"

"Lin! We are in a very passive position right now! This storm is no longer just sports news; it's turning into a PR disaster sweeping through the entire entertainment industry!"

"Your commercial value is plummeting! All the brands are waiting and watching! If you have any more negative news regarding women, everything you have will be finished!"

Lin Feng listened silently, saying nothing.

The media's accusations.

The fans' verbal abuse.

Now, it was the cold pressure from the teams behind those women he once had ambiguity or connections with.

He felt like a prisoner being pushed onto the stand for judgment.

Everyone was anxious to draw a line between themselves and him, for fear of being tainted.

He was like a trapped beast in a magnificent cage, its claws and teeth pulled out, unable to move.

"Lin? Are you listening? Lin!"

"I understand."

Lin Feng hung up the phone.

The room returned to a deathly silence once more.

He sat despondently on the sofa, burying his face deep in his palms.

Time passed, minute by minute.

The sky outside changed from twilight to a deep night.

The lights of ten thousand homes in Los Angeles were just a cold gray in his eyes.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there.

Until late at night.

As if he had made some sort of decision, he picked up his phone again.

His fingers trembled as he dialed Yoona's number one last time.

This time, he didn't hold any hope.

However.

"Beep—"

It only rang once.

There was a soft "click" from the other end.

It connected!

Lin Feng's heart suddenly tightened.

He could even hear a very slight, suppressed sound of breathing from the other end.

It was him.

And it was her.

Neither of them spoke.

Silence spread through the airwaves.

Finally, it was Lin Feng who spoke first.

His voice was filled with a weariness and hoarseness he hadn't even noticed himself.

He didn't explain the rumors or defend himself.

He just said softly, in a tone that was almost pleading.

"Don't go, okay?"

"Stay."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

After a long silence on the other end, there was a sudden, uncontrollable, faint sob.

Then came Yoona's broken voice, thick with a nasal tone.

"I saw it..."

"I saw all the news..."

"In Korea, in America, everywhere..."

"They say... I'm the one who ruined the relationship between you and Kobe..."

"They say I'm just one of your women..."

"I walk down the street and feel like everyone is looking at me with strange eyes..."

Her crying grew louder, filled with grievance and fear.

"Being here... I don't feel any sense of security at all..."

"I'm like... a disgraceful, negative character in someone else's story..."

"Lin Feng..."

Yoona cried out his name.

"I don't know whether to believe you or those news reports..."

"I only know that every day I'm here..."

"It's very painful."

Lin Feng's heart was wrenched by her words.

He wanted to say something.

"It's not like that..."

"Believe me..."

But his words were so pale and weak.

Yoona's mind seemed to be made up.

No matter how Lin Feng tried to make her stay, the crying on the other end gradually turned into determination.

The call was hung up.

Listening to the "beep-beep" busy tone from the phone.

Lin Feng's world plunged completely into darkness.