T/N:
Was there any real tension between Britain and China during the period of the 2012 London Olympics?
I ask because, while revising the Olympic chapters, I found myself having to correct a surprising number of inaccurate statements in the original manuscript. Although the London Games did experience their share of mishaps, which I deliberately kept and even expanded on, many of the claims made about the Olympics themselves were simply incorrect.
This stood out to me because it's one of the few times in the book where I had to actively stop and fact-check large sections rather than just refine tone. It made me wonder whether there was any underlying political or diplomatic friction between the UK and China at the time that might explain the skewed or exaggerated portrayals.
— GRANDMAESTA_30
...
The Chinese men's basketball team flew to London, and almost at the same time, the U.S. men's team was also en route. Just before Team USA departed, Carmelo Anthony finalized his contract extension with the Cavaliers.
On the 25th, Cleveland officially announced the deal: a max extension for the league's new scoring champion, complete with a no-trade clause.
Lin Yi couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than met the eye.
Still, Cleveland wasn't Minnesota. They wouldn't pull anything reckless… right?
Lin Yi made a mental note to ask Melo about it someday. For now, it went into the category of Future mysteries.
Elsewhere, Jeremy Lin—just as Lin Yi remembered—accepted Daryl Morey's infamous contract. His development path was actually slightly better than in the original timeline. Curry's return hadn't pushed him to the bench, and he'd avoided that lingering injury.
Whether he could truly break out, though, was still up to fate.
Late July in the NBA was lively. The Hawks sent Joe Johnson to the Nets, and as Russian billionaire Prokhorov began throwing his weight around, the Nets were slowly taking shape. Whether they'd soar—or burn up on reentry—remained to be seen.
Kevin Garnett also re-signed with Boston, declaring emotionally, "I ride and die with the Green Army in this life!"
On the 26th, the Chinese men's team arrived in London. After checking into the Olympic Village, every player froze.
The beds.
Dwarf sizes compared to them.
"How are we supposed to sleep on these?" Sun Yue muttered, rare frustration slipping into his voice. "Are the British messing with us on purpose?"
Before anyone could spiral, they noticed Lin Yi calmly pushing two beds together.
Yao Ming blinked, then looked at him. "Lin… you're way too calm for someone your age."
Lin Yi shrugged. "Just combine them. That's the solution. Don't you guys read Twitter?"
Aside from Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, who immediately got it, the rest of the team looked confused.
It turned out the British weren't singling out China.
The day before, a U.S. women's volleyball player had already blasted the organizers online—every bed in the Olympic Village was the same size. One standard model for everyone.
Sprinters. Swimmers. Basketball giants. Volleyball players.
Welcome to London. Curl up and make do.
And that was just the beginning.
A massive Olympic Village—with limited ATMs, forcing even star athletes to queue like ordinary tourists.
Food became another talking point. The dining hall was enormous, but not everyone was impressed. Some dishes were overcooked, others bland, and baked potatoes and sausages—served constantly—became a running joke among athletes.
There were hiccups everywhere.
He remembered from his past that, before the Games even began, an embarrassing mistake occurred during the women's football tournament: the South Korean team was mistakenly shown under the North Korean flag, prompting an official protest and a delayed kickoff.
During the competitions, small incidents piled up—timing glitches, miscommunications, awkward pauses—nothing catastrophic, but enough to remind everyone how fragile perfection was at this scale.
The Olympic torch itself never went out during the main ceremony, but in the relay events leading up to London, flames were relit multiple times due to how volatile the weather was.
Crowd control had its moments, too. Isolated incidents of unruly spectators who had too much beer occurred across venues, quickly handled by security and never allowed to disrupt major finals.
Those were just the highlights he expected.
And despite the hiccups and logistical quirks, the London Olympics were still brilliant. Every venue was meticulously prepared, volunteers overwhelmingly dedicated, and the scale of the Games—the planning, the ceremonies, the spirit of competition—was truly impressive.
Athletes from across the world were feeling the energy, bonded in their own ways—on the field and off it, and for all its little flaws, London 2012 is proving why the Olympics remain one of the greatest celebrations of sport and human determination.
Of course, the Chinese delegation was far more conservative.
Still, given Lin Yi's long years in the U.S., he wasn't placed under any special restrictions.
Not that it mattered.
If any Knicks players had been there, they would've laughed and said special treatment was pointless anyway.
Lin Yi denied this firmly. Pure slander.
Back to basketball.
Another awkward moment came when the Chinese and Spanish men's teams arrived at the basketball venue; they found the staff still bustling around, sorting last-minute preparations. The arena wasn't locked, but a mix-up with equipment and access cards meant they had to wait a bit before entering.
Marc Gasol shook his head and walked over to Lin Yi. "You've got to be kidding me. They can't even get the doors ready on time."
Lin Yi chuckled. "Guess they're just giving us more time to warm up… or more time for a proper ass-whooping."
Gasol nodded toward Lin's teammates. "They're not the Knicks. The results are going to be different. I'll personally make sure you're back in New York on time for early training."
He started to turn back to his team, but Lin Yi's hand lightly stopped him on the shoulder. Gasol looked back, meeting Lin's gaze.
"Challenge accepted," Lin said. "Oh, and a piece of advice—if you're coming for the MVP, make sure you're ready. Many have tried. Many have fallen."
So, instead of a formal practice, both teams ended up shooting around on a nearby university court. No tactics, no set plays—just casual shots and quiet focus as they waited for the arena. The tension between the two teams hung in the air, subtle but unmistakable.
...
Luckily, Lin Yi had planned ahead. That afternoon, Zhong Muchen delivered a shipment of canned food and instant noodles. Instant noodles couldn't replace proper meals, of course, but they were enough to get everyone through the worst of it.
At that point, even Yao Ming had to admit Lin Yi's foresight was impressive. Zhong also reassured everyone that the real solution was already in motion.
"We're controlling everything strictly," Zhong Muchen said confidently. "This time, the Knicks' logistics team is handling the nutrition plan. Ingredients, preparation—no issues at all."
Lin Yi gave him a light pat on the shoulder. No wonder people used to say that before troops moved, supplies came first. In elite sports, logistics mattered just as much. If anything, the Germans understood this best.
By some estimates, during Germany's 2014 World Cup run, the German team had over fifty staff supporting them—dieticians, massage therapists, analysts, trainers. Everything was accounted for. Their belief was simple: details decide outcomes.
Of course, sometimes you could overthink it. By 2018, they'd focused so much on precision and structure that they forgot how to play the direct football that once made them dangerous.
Just then, a tall girl from the Chinese women's volleyball team wandered over, clearly drawn by the smell. She peeked in, eyes wide.
"Wow… you guys even have a dedicated kitchen?"
Lin Yi recognized her immediately.
Hui Ruoqi.
Judging by her expression, whatever she'd eaten earlier had left a deep psychological scar.
Lin Yi smiled. "Want some?"
Hui Ruoqi shook her head quickly. She was already full—but she hesitated for a second before asking, a little embarrassed, "Brother Lin… could you spare a few boxes of instant noodles?"
Being called "Brother Lin" nearly made Lin Yi trip over himself. Once again, London had proven that instant noodles were the real hard currency of the Olympics.
He didn't refuse. Instead, he added a few cans of beef to the pile.
"Noodles are fine once in a while," he said, "but don't live on them."
Hui Ruoqi looked at him like he'd just saved her life.
From that day on, dropping by the Chinese men's basketball team for food quietly became a tradition among several Chinese Olympic squads. Even though the delegation had its own emergency supplies, there was still a clear difference when it came to quality.
When it came to food, Lin Yi wasn't exaggerating—this setup was on another level.
After all, could Knicks chefs really make the Fried Chicken Duo eat clean for an entire NBA season without knowing what they were doing?
Knicks owner Dolan also pitched in generously, arranging for top-grade ingredients to be shipped continuously to London. For him, as long as Lin YI was happy, money was a minor issue. Plus, he wasn't truly paying for everything; the Chinese Basketball Commission also chipped in.
....
Please do leave a review and powerstones, helps with the book's exposure.
Feel like joining a Patreon for free and subscribing to advanced chapters?
Visit the link:
[email protected]/GRANDMAESTA_30
Change @ to a