After another successful summit atop Pennsylvania...
The heroes of Philadelphia—Su Feng and Kobe—lived rent-free in the minds of thousands of local girls.
Skipping college to run for the NBA draft directly was quite fashionable in that era.
But first, Su Feng and Kobe had to endure "soul torture" from the media.
Local newspapers, TV stations, major basketball magazines across the U.S.—NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN...
Yep, you guessed it—Su Feng hated how underdeveloped the internet was at the time.
Give him a keyboard, and he'd battle the entire world!
Ahem, seriously now.
In addition to media obligations, on the 28th, Su Feng and Kobe officially received invitations to the McDonald's High School All-Star Game.
It was easy to foresee that NBA teams interested in the duo would soon follow with their own invitations...
In short, Kobe and Su Feng's schedule was overflowing.
"I suggest you two drop everything you're buried in," said Joe Bryant, observing the pair scribbling furiously in their notebooks.
At that moment, Kobe looked up and for the first time felt how great, tall, and reliable his father really was.
Su Feng, silently, gave Joe Bryant a mental five-star review.
After all, in every timeline, they were destined to declare for the NBA draft.
"Feeling overwhelmed?"
"No matter how you arrange your schedule, is it still not enough?"
"Are you burned out just dealing with the media?"
Joe smiled faintly and placed a hand on each of their heads.
"You need to find an agent—someone who'll handle all of this," he said.
Gasp!
Su Feng suddenly realized: he'd been around Kobe so long, his IQ had started to suffer.
Joe was right. They didn't need to do everything themselves.
Finding a reliable and capable agent was critical.
Just look at Su Feng's past life—every notable sports agent started out as a rising star.
Without them, where would all the bizarre contracts come from?
Some agents even helped craft career strategies and provided full NBA roadmaps.
Of course, not all agents were angels. Take Dan Fegan, for example.
At his peak, he helped Chandler Parsons become "paid Parsons."
But behind the scenes, he was known to sacrifice players' interests for personal gain.
He orchestrated Joe Smith's infamous "Yin-Yang contract."
In 2001, he convinced Hakeem Olajuwon to leave the Rockets, preventing the legend from retiring in Houston—Rockets fans still resent that.
And in 2007, after Yi Jianlian was drafted by the Bucks, Fegan declared publicly that Yi wouldn't play for Milwaukee—he'd rather return to the CBA.
That stirred up enormous backlash in U.S. media, with criticism flying from every major outlet.
"That's why finding a trustworthy agent is key.
Also, we must recruit elite trainers—Mancias, Fraser, Alan Stein," said Su Feng.
After last summer's collaboration, Su Feng had immense respect for the three—especially Mike Mancias, whom he saw as vital to his future rise.
So after some thought, Su Feng knew it was time to build his Iron Team.
He couldn't handle everything alone.
Media duties? A skilled PR officer could take over—and in emergencies, Su Feng would personally pick up the keyboard and type like a champ.
Team tryouts, contract negotiations, sponsorships? That was agent territory.
"Planned and ready!"
Su Feng jumped into action. He asked Joe Bryant for a referral and also called Xu Guoliang.
Last summer's training had cost Su Feng nearly $58,000—training facilities, top-notch coaches, everything.
Factoring in future investments, Su Feng knew it was time to tap "Uncle Hang."
Life's taught him—using resources wisely is smart. Feeling shy about it? Irrelevant.
As a reborn youth, Su Feng now tracked all his expenses in his notebook.
Even if those VIPs didn't care about karma, Su Feng insisted on following principle.
Xu Guoliang agreed immediately—Su Feng's draft news was in every major outlet.
Xu wasn't naive—he understood the opportunity ahead.
Media predictions placed Su Feng's draft between late first round and mid second.
The fluctuation was due to his high school status and the upcoming McDonald's game.
But no one doubted Su Feng's chances—how could they? His teammate was Kobe Bryant.
Follow Kobe, and even if you try to avoid the spotlight… it finds you.
With a stellar high school résumé and elite defense and stamina, Su Feng was a rare bet—even without any prior Chinese guards in the NBA.
As Scout Philip put it: Su Feng had elite defense, tremendous athleticism, and a spirit that refused to lose. Teams loved that kind of fire.
And just like that, the day after calling Xu, Su Feng had $2.5 million at his disposal.
A very auspicious number indeed.
Mancias, Fraser, and Alan Stein jumped into action immediately.
These veterans weren't letting a prodigy slip away.
Su Feng also hired a 35-year-old blonde woman as his PR officer.
No disrespect intended—it wasn't about beauty standards. A media role like this required grit and experience.
The U.S. media? Full of traps and tricks.
Claire Taylor, his new hire, had worked in newspapers and TV—she understood the media inside out.
During the interview, Su Feng realized Claire's ability to "play Tai Chi" was priceless.
In media relations, knowing how to deflect, redirect, and stay calm? Essential.
Even without social media domination yet, Su Feng knew Claire would be an asset long-term.
Lastly, just as Su Feng remembered—Joe introduced Kobe to Terry, a trusted local agent.
Joe had considered recommending Terry to Su Feng too, but Su Feng had other plans...
Because that day, a man named Bill Duffy came knocking in Philadelphia.