"Baby, are you here yet?" Su Muqing's voice came through the phone as soon as the call connected.
"Yes, baby, I'm here. Where exactly is your home? I don't know the way." Lin Feng had never visited the Su family before.
In the Yorba Linda residential area of Orange County, most of the houses were detached villas, what locals in the United States simply called "houses."
In the US, there were generally two main types of housing.
One type, like Su Muqing's residence, was an independent villa with ample space, an outdoor swimming pool, a backyard garden, a parking garage, and so on.
These houses were typically built of wood and were low-rise, a common construction style in the earthquake-prone and particularly dry climate of Los Angeles, where rain was scarce in the summer and mainly occurred in winter.
Living in these residential areas also offered higher security.
The other common type was called an "Apartment."
These were multi-unit dwellings more suitable for families with lower incomes.
Below that were the slums.
The truly wealthy resided in exclusive, affluent areas.
The Su family was considered middle class in Los Angeles, though wealthier than Lin Feng's family.
Su Muqing's grandfather had ventured into business in the 1970s, crossing the Pacific to establish himself in Los Angeles.
The Lin family had immigrated to Los Angeles later. Raymond Lam's father, Lin Yi Hai, had only settled there in the 1990s, when Raymond Lam was around seven or eight years old.
Comparing the two families, the Su family was significantly better off.
Although both were Chinese American, a considerable economic gap existed between them.
This was also why Lin Feng's predecessor had felt too inferior to visit the Su family. Su Muqing had invited him before, but his insecurity had prevented him from accepting.
He had kept telling Su Muqing that he would visit her family after he successfully made it to the NBA, gained fame, and earned a lot of money.
This had dragged on for months. During the three months he had dated Su Muqing, he had never dared to face her parents.
It wasn't until tonight, with Su Muqing's call, that Lin Feng, the confident time traveler, had agreed to the request.
He walked along the flower-scented street carrying the gifts and soon spotted a graceful figure appearing at the corner ahead. It was his future girlfriend, Su Muqing.
"Baby, here! Remember, from now on, go in through this second gate, and that's my home." Su Muqing jogged over and took the gifts from Lin Feng.
"Oh... I see, baby. So this is your home. It looks very grand, much nicer than my place." In Lin Feng's memory, his family's living conditions weren't as luxurious as the Su family's.
"Hehe, I'll come to your house later, okay?"
"Sure."
The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the second detached villa. Su Muqing led the way, guiding Lin Feng into the living room.
Polina and Su Hongyuan were sitting on the sofa watching TV. When they saw Su Muqing leading Lin Feng in, Su Hongyuan greeted them with a smile.
However, Polina remained silent.
Su Muqing said awkwardly, "Mom, what's wrong? This is Lin Feng, my boyfriend who I've told you about."
"Hi, baby, hello," Polina greeted Lin Feng reluctantly.
"Hello to you too, beautiful lady," Raymond Lam replied in fluent English.
In the United States, unlike in China, it wasn't customary to address elders as "aunt" or "uncle" unless there was a familial connection.
Americans didn't have those strict rules. Addressing someone as a "beautiful lady" was generally well-received, neither sounding disrespectful nor overly familiar.
"Young man, welcome to our home," Su Hongyuan greeted Lin Feng in Chinese.
Su Muqing sometimes used Chinese, but she more often spoke English with Lin Feng.
"Uncle Su, you're welcome," Raymond Lam replied in Mandarin, feeling more comfortable in his native tongue, although his English was also very proficient.
"Sit down, and stay for dinner," Su Hongyuan gestured to a sofa next to him, looking Lin Feng up and down. The more he looked at the young man, the more energetic he seemed.
"Xiao Lin, I heard from Mu Qing that you're a professional athlete? Did you just join the Los Angeles Lakers?" Su Hongyuan also followed NBA games and paid close attention to the league, engaging Lin Feng in conversation from time to time.
Lin Feng nodded slightly. "Yes, Uncle Su, I just joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe recruited me to the team."
"What? Kobe recruited you personally?"
"Yes, Uncle Su," Lin Feng confirmed again.
"Then you must be truly amazing. Kobe recruiting you to the Lakers proves your exceptional ability."
"Haha, no, no, I still have a lot to learn," Lin Feng replied politely.
"Oh my god, you signed with the Los Angeles Lakers? How's the contract?" At this point, the conversation between Su Hongyuan and Lin Feng caught Polina's attention.
Having been married to Su Hongyuan for many years, she had picked up some Chinese through observation, though not fluently.
She understood that Raymond Lam had joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
Su Muqing had only told her father about this, not Polina, as Polina didn't usually watch basketball and wouldn't have understood even if she had been told.
However, Polina was familiar with the Los Angeles Lakers, knowing it was a prominent team in the city.
"Yes, beautiful lady, I have joined the Los Angeles Lakers. As for the contract, it's just a minimum salary contract."
"Minimum salary contract? How much could that be?" Polina frowned, asking with concern.
"Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year."
"That seems a bit low?" Polina was immediately dissatisfied. $750,000 wasn't even a significant fraction of their family's annual income.
"Lin! You need to keep working hard. Only if you earn more and make a name for yourself in Los Angeles will you be worthy of our Mu Qing," Polina said somewhat unhappily.
"Of course, I will continue to work hard, just wait and see. Since I came here today, my sincere hope is to be with Mu Qing forever," Lin Feng expressed his genuine feelings for Su Muqing.
Initially, he hadn't intended to pursue a close relationship with Su Muqing.
He had felt a sense of guilt for occupying his predecessor's body and thought it would be unfair to interfere with his girlfriend.
But now, Lin Feng had changed his mind.
He realized that certain events were meant to unfold between him and Su Muqing, as she was crucial for increasing his similarity with Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Currently, his similarity was still at 50%, and reaching 100% seemed to require Su Muqing.
Once this realization solidified in his mind, Lin Feng decided to embrace his connection with Su Muqing. It felt like a predetermined path.
He began to believe that Su Muqing was the destined woman in this life.
They had a pleasant dinner at the Su's house. Polina's initial reservations weren't due to Lin Feng's profession but her preference for Su Muqing to date a white man.
However, after realizing the depth of Su Muqing's feelings for Lin Feng, she didn't press the issue further.
The visit lasted until nine o'clock in the evening. Lin Feng then stood up to say goodbye. He planned to rest well the next day before resuming offseason training with the Lakers.
In the upcoming 2006-07 season, he hoped to bring surprises to Los Angeles and win the O'Brien Trophy alongside Kobe!