At 20:16 Beijing time on October 14, 2017, there are less than 5 days left before the opening game of the 17-18 NBA season.

1/

Shanghai, China.

In a studio vacant at a video network company, several basketball channel commentators and staff gathered to watch a game.

Premier League Double Red Club.

Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield.

Towards half-time, the visitors, who had the upper hand on the ball, suddenly made a midfield steal, and Armenian footballer of the year, Manchester United midfielder Mkhitaryan and the little monster Lukaku collided with the wall at the edge of the penalty area. Lukaku leaned on the defender and met Mkhitaryan's pass, with the arch of his foot gently changing direction and flicking the ball to a team-mate who cut in. Mkhita understood his conscience, and after receiving the ball, he kept the ball and returned it directly to the little monster, who stopped in the penalty area, and his body stuck away from the Liverpool defender who was trying to block, and volleyed with his left foot.

"Good shot!" Someone shouted in the studio.

It's a pity that although the shot ball is full of strength, the angle is slightly correct, and it is closed by goalkeeper Mignolet with both palms and falls to the ground to save!

"Ahh

"There's still a chance..."

The saved ball ran to Ashriyan on the right side of the box, and before Mignolet could get up, the goal was empty!

It's a pity that in the face of the rebound ball, Yang's first stop was not in place and fell close to his supporting foot. It was that moment of hesitation and adjustment, and by the time he had another chance to shoot with his feet, the Liverpool defenders had already grabbed it, leaned sideways, and flew to block the ball.

"Ashley Young is a piece of trash!" Among the spectators were Red Devils United fans, slapping the table and complaining, in a tone of utter anger.

"Who's Ulys Young?" was not interested in the football game, but was pulled by the column colleagues to participate in the "collective activities", and Yu Xiaochun, who had been bowing his head and swiping his mobile phone almost since the opening whistle, suddenly opened his mouth at this juncture.

"It's not Uulis Young — it's Ashley Young. Manchester United winger, nicknamed Young..."

"No, no, let me ask, which Chinese basketball player do you know, called Ullis Yang?" Yu Xiaochun raised his head, lifted the glasses on the bridge of his nose that were as thick as the bottom of a beer bottle, and looked around at his colleagues who were still confused. However, perhaps because his lenses are so thick, even if they are straightened, they still reflect the signal light source on the studio screen, and his highly myopic questioning gaze cannot be seen; It may also be because the problem itself is so abrupt and nonsensical that even if it is thrown to a room full of professional basketball practitioners, no one has a clue.

"Look, Woshen tweeted!"

Yu Xiaochun held his mobile phone high and shouted excitedly, completely ignoring the eyes of his colleagues who looked at each other, as if he was not holding up a Xiaomi mobile phone, but a bright light that could shoot through the long night. The lights shone brightly, illuminating his oily head and raunchy bangs.

2/

Yuzhong District, Chongqing.

9:45 p.m.

Next to the Jialing River, there is a dilapidated bungalow built on the mountain.

"Lao Yang, your phone!" A female voice shouted from the top of the bungalow. The one that occupies the highest place, through the lights, can vaguely see that it is a small supermarket, facing a not very spacious driveway. From one side of the supermarket, a pedestrian walkway is paved with more than 100 stone steps, connecting seven or eight families of all kinds of building materials, but all of them are dark and lifeless. And Lao Yang's family is the one that falls in the lowest place here.

"Who hit it?"

A man in his fifties walked out of the lowest room and shouted back to the top. In the mountain town in October, the sweltering heat of summer has dissipated, and the fog rising with the river at night has become more of a damp chill, making people can't help but add a few more clothes. But this old Yang, who replied, was not tall, dark and strong, wearing only a thin ochre-colored vest, the white word "China" on his chest was particularly conspicuous in the dim light, and his two thick arms were exposed, but he didn't seem to feel cold at all.

"Looks like some kind of reporter—"

"Huh?"

"I said I was going to ask Xiaoming about it."

The two voices shouted back and forth a few times in the air, and at this moment, because of Lao Yang's hesitation, they suddenly fell silent. His eyes fell on the river in the distance, and the surging Jialing River flowed from west to east, merging into the Yangtze River at Chaotianmen Wharf, rushing forward together. Although he couldn't see the surface of the river clearly from where he stood, the turbulent and churning momentum spread out like an invisible wave, centered on the confluence place, and slapped on his broad and strong chest, turning up the foam and waves.

"Do you want to pick it up?" The silence was interrupted by a woman's voice.

"Forget it, it's too dark to climb the stairs. Tell him that he is asleep. ”

"Okay—"

The woman dragged a long voice, and when she replied, she had already turned around and walked into the commissary. Lao Yang saw that there was no one up and down the aisle, and suddenly got up, grabbed a basketball in the corner of the open space in front of the house with one hand, jumped on the spot without running, and poured the ball into the basketball basket fixed on the cliff with his straight arm!

The ball landed on the ground with a banging sound, and Lao Yang was still hanging on the basket, his body swaying, and it took a few seconds before he let go.

He patted the dust off his hands and turned back and walked into the house. In the middle of the dining room, there is a large poster of foreign basketball stars that have turned yellow and have a little mildew. The poster shows a black man with a black man's unkempt hairstyle, with a straight body in the air, grabbing a ball with one hand, and about to dunk into the basket.

If someone happens to see the scene just now, they will definitely think that Lao Yang's posture rising into the air is very similar to the black star in the pictorial.

And that star's name is called, Julius Owen.

Julius Erving。

3/

"What did the tweet say?"

"Zhou Qi was injured in the preseason game against the Spurs and may not be able to participate in the whole season, and will be further examined in the United States... The Rockets are likely to carry out Plan B and select Chinese player Julius Yang to be added to the 15-man roster. ”

Yu Xiaochun translated word by word the Twitter message of the No. 1 NBA player who has now switched from Yahoo to ESPN, known as Adrian Wojnarowski (commonly known as Woj), into Chinese, and as soon as he finished reading it, the studio exploded.

"Zhou Qi is so seriously injured?"

"It won't affect your career..."

"But who is Ulysian Young? Have you heard of it? ”

"Yes, yes, we have never heard of the fifteen-man roster of Team Rocket!"

"Could it be Taiwanese?"

"Yes, maybe it's an Asian American, with an English name, maybe the same as Jeremy Lin."

During the gossip discussion, Yu Xiaochun, who was the first to find the push message just now, lowered his head again at this time, and was engrossed in tapping and searching on his mobile phone just now, just like when the football game was going on just now.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A piece of news caught his attention: the Chinese men's basketball team announced the training roster, and the young players of the red and blue national teams were selected. Ulys... Poplar. Poplar?

Could it be him?!

Yu Xiaochun was shocked, and the hand holding the mobile phone couldn't help but tremble slightly.

4/

"What time is the latest train to Beijing?"

"The bullet train?" The group of people who were immersed in the discussion were a little confused when they were interrupted by Yu Xiaochun's inconsequential question.

"Yes, today."

"Today? Today's bullet trains are long gone. In the end, a colleague answered him, then raised his wrist to look at the time, and continued: "Hongqiao should still have Beijing-Shanghai intercity flights, which will take off at half past ten at the latest, counting the delays... You may still have time to go. ”

"Thank you." Yu Xiaochun returned his phone to the home screen page, and after confirming that the time was correct, he got up and pushed open the door of the studio and walked out.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Beijing." Yu Xiaochun didn't look back, only waved the mobile phone he was holding, as if waving goodbye, and like showing off.

"—I found Ulys Young!"