After Chen Yilun finished his meal with Joseph Tsai, word of what happened quickly crossed the ocean and reached North America.
Ranadivé sat in his mansion, his face stone-cold as he listened to his assistant Eric's report.
"This Joey really doesn't play by the rules. I'd hoped he'd buy Prokhorov's shares and help clean up the atmosphere. Didn't expect he'd be another troublemaker."
Anjali, seated beside him, knitted her brows.
"Daddy! You absolutely can't let Chen Yilun go. Everything the team has now is because of him. And his influence among the players is huge. If he switches teams and calls them to follow, our team will be in real danger."
"I know!"
Ranadivé stood and began pacing the living room. Before the season started, he'd been quite pleased with himself for bringing Chen Yilun onto the board, convinced he'd fully chained this hyena to his warship.
Who would've thought that just two months later, someone would offer an even more outrageous price to snatch Chen Yilun away?
"What's Chen Yilun's attitude toward all this?"
"Word is he hasn't agreed, but this is only their first contact. Joseph Tsai hasn't even secured the Nets yet. I figure once he gets operational control, he'll officially start pursuing Chen Yilun."
Eric shrugged as he spoke.
"No way!"
Ranadivé's eyes turned sharp.
"Absolutely not! Joseph Tsai—some rookie in the basketball world—dares to reach into my territory? He thinks he can steal my man?"
After venting, Ranadivé suddenly slumped, the fight leaving him.
Coming from Silicon Valley, he knew very well just how wealthy Joseph Tsai was. Ranadivé himself was a top-tier tycoon, but the gap between him and Joseph Tsai was still enormous.
If Joseph Tsai was truly determined to poach him, all Ranadivé could do was hope that Chen Yilun would stay loyal.
"Daddy… is there really nothing we can do?"
Anjali couldn't help asking.
"What else can I possibly do?"
Ranadivé turned to look at his precious daughter—then froze.
"My daughter…"
He walked slowly toward Anjali and asked gently:
"If I remember correctly, Chen Yilun is still single, right?"
"Yes, he's always been single… Ah!"
Halfway through her sentence, Anjali suddenly gasped, her cheeks instantly flushing red.
…
Of course, at this moment, Chen Yilun had no idea his boss was busy trying to arrange his love life. Right now, he was sitting in his study, deep in thought.
Joseph Tsai entering the league was an opportunity—whether he chose to jump ship or not.
Although Joseph Tsai was already a heavyweight in other industries, he was a complete newcomer to competitive sports.
This meeting might truly have been an attempt to recruit him, but it was also a deliberate signal to the outside world: a show of eagerness to attract talent.
Joseph Tsai knew he had no foundation in the league. Chen Yilun was the ideal partner.
He had every opportunity to work with Joseph Tsai—to turn the Nets into the third team under his control.
"Just don't know what his real intentions are."
Clicking his tongue, Chen Yilun rose from his desk.
"How'd the meeting go, son?"
The moment Father Chen stepped through the door, he couldn't help asking. "Oh wow, that suit looks sharp on you. Just as I expected when I picked it out!"
"Sharp my ass."
If Father Chen hadn't mentioned it, fine—but the moment he did, irritation flooded Chen Yilun.
"I told you casual clothes were fine, but you insisted on a three-piece suit. I ended up wearing the exact same thing as a waiter—same cut, same color! I was so embarrassed I kept my coat on the whole dinner. I nearly roasted to death in that private room!"
He then recounted the entire ordeal to Father Chen.
"Tsk… That Joseph Tsai sure doesn't hold back."
After hearing it all, Father Chen couldn't help sighing.
"Dad, what do you think I should do?"
After helping his father out of his coat, Chen Yilun finally asked.
"What should you do? What do you think?"
Father Chen took out a cigarette, handed one to him, and the two settled onto the sofa.
"I don't know. Joseph Tsai really is offering a lot. If I took over, I'm confident I could build the team into something on par with the current Kings within three years. But… something just feels off."
"Feeling off is exactly right."
Father Chen lit his cigarette and tossed the lighter over.
"Joseph Tsai pulling this 'spending a thousand gold for a good horse's bones' move—he played it beautifully."
"What do you mean?"
The moment his father said that, Chen Yilun perked up, curiosity piqued.
"Let me tell you a story."
Father Chen took a deep drag, then slowly began.
"Remember when you were little? Back then our family wasn't doing that well. I only had two factories."
"At that time, I had a sales director who handled a full third of all our orders. You could say the factories were basically running on his back."
"Later, one of my competitors set their sights on him. They got him a car, secured school enrollment for his kids, and threw in all kinds of perks. In the end, he jumped ship. It was rough—I really thought my factories were done for."
"But we still pulled through. The company kept growing. The ones who weren't as capable as him back then? Most of them now hold equity. And do you know what happened to that guy?"
"What happened?"
The story had fully hooked Chen Yilun.
"We haven't kept in contact, but from what I heard…"
Father Chen paused before continuing.
"He ended up losing the office power struggle. The man was indeed capable, but he just couldn't move up. Last I heard, he's still stuck at the same level."
"Why?"
Chen Yilun was confused.
His skills were real—so why would changing jobs stall him? Isn't it said that a tree dies when moved, but people thrive?
"That's where business logic comes in."
Father Chen looked at him with quiet meaning.
"Joseph Tsai is offering you such a high salary and such a big position—why? Because he's just entered the field, and he has no team of his own yet. He needs you to hold things together."
"But he won't lack a team forever. Once he builds his own core management, even if they aren't as capable as you, who do you think he'll favor?"
"Then if he doesn't want me anymore, I'll just switch teams! With my skills, every team out there would be begging for me!"
That protest came with clear frustration.
"That's even worse."
Father Chen took his final drag and sank back into the sofa.
"I may not know the details of what you're doing these days, but I know your ambitions aren't limited to a bit of short-term profit. If you're satisfied being a high-level employee your whole life—thinking it doesn't matter which boss you serve—then working for Joseph Tsai is fine. He pays well."
"But if your ambitions reach far beyond that—if you want to build something truly your own—then there's no need to accept this offer."
"The noble man who aims far must be patient; he who seeks great accomplishments must be able to endure."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser