Although it has lost three in a row, there is not much time left for the Rockets to regret. From Oklahoma City in the heart of the United States, they will travel to Boston in the Northeast Corner to challenge the Celtics, the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.

If we have to say remorse and adjustment, the Rockets still have 50 remaining regular-season games to do it.

But at this point, their goal is only to play every game in front of them.

Hatred of the same enemy, bottoming out.

Focus, they don't want to be easily disturbed.

1/

On December 26, 2017, after just one night's stay, the Houston Rockets arrived in Boston. Their next opponent is just a loss to Eastern Conference rivals Washington Wizards at North Shore Garden Arena, and the Celtics have to take a trip to Charlotte for an away game before they can take on the Space City people.

Although they are guests, this schedule actually gives the Rockets the advantage of waiting for work.

With the advantage of the schedule and a good night's rest, the Houston players who arrived in Boston were obviously in a much lighter mood, waiting in front of the baggage carousel at the airport, and the group was talking and laughing, and there was no longer the serious atmosphere after the previous day's loss.

"Yiming, what are you listening to?" Yu Xiaochun saw Yang Yiming standing alone in the corner, and leaned up to pat him on the shoulder to scare him.

"Oh." Frightened like this, Yang Yiming actually turned around after a few seconds. His behavior today is really a little strange, since the plane landed, he has been looking weird, slow to react, not at all like the person who usually talks quickly: "Oh... It's nothing, I'm listening to a voice message. ”

"Voice message, it's mysterious."

"Not mysterious... It's this voicemail. Yang Yiming handed the phone to Yu Xiaochun.

Yu Xiaochun took it, only to see that his mobile phone was just stuck on the interface of the voicemail, and there was a message showing that he had read, from an unknown number. Yu Xiaochun confirmed with Yang Yiming with his eyes, and the latter nodded.

Clicking on this read message, Yu Xiaochun put the phone to his ear, and waited for a long time, but he never heard anyone speak, only some background sounds that were difficult to distinguish. He waited for about ten seconds, but there was still no voice, until the other end hung up the phone and the message ended.

"What is this?"

"I don't know." Yang Yiming looked confused, shook his head, and finally nodded again.

"Maybe it's just someone playing a prank." Yu Xiaochun couldn't help but feel a little inexplicable. What is there to fuss about such a blank voice message.

"You listen to it again." Yang Yiming pushed the mobile phone he handed back again, pushed it halfway, and stopped there again, "Forget it, maybe you don't understand..."

"What the hell is going on?" Yu Xiaochun, who usually doesn't talk much, was actually a little impatient by his friend's strange behavior today.

"I just felt like an acquaintance was calling."

"Acquaintances?"

"Hmm... You listen carefully. ”

Yu Xiaochun clicked on the voice message, blocked the other ear with his index finger, and listened carefully again. This time he heard a lot more clearly, although there was still no speech in the message, but he could hear the caller's slight breathing, there was a car horn in the background, and at the end there was a long and unusual whistle, but the information stopped abruptly, and it was too late to tell what it was.

Just as I was about to open and listen again, the phone suddenly vibrated and an unknown number was displayed on the screen. Yu Xiaochun handed the phone back again, but met Yang Yiming's frightened eyes and kept waving his hand to refuse.

"What's wrong?"

You take it. Yang Yiming gestured to his mouth, as if he was shirking a time bomb.

It's weird. Muttering in his heart, Yu Xiaochun picked up the phone.

2/

"Hello, hello." Because he didn't know who the other party was, Yu Xiaochun greeted him in two languages.

"Ahh

"Hello?" Although the other party only spoke, he could already tell that it was a Chinese compatriot.

"Ahh Hello...", the voice was a little hesitant.

"Hello! Who are you? ”

"I am... Is Xiao Ming here? A man's voice with an accent. Xiao Ming?

"Are you looking for Yang Yiming?"

"Yes, yes, it's a hit."

"And who are you?" Worried about some irrelevant harassing call, Yu Xiaochun reconfirmed the identity of the other party.

"I'm his..."As soon as the other party spoke, he quickly stopped, "I'm Lao Yang, is Yiming here?" You give him the phone and he'll tell you..."

Yu Xiaochun covered the earpiece of the mobile phone, turned to Yang Yiming and asked, "It was said that Lao Yang over there, did you pick it up?" ”

After hesitating for a long time, Yang Yiming's expression changed from resistance and horror at the beginning to helpless acceptance at the end, stretched out his big hand, held the mobile phone in the palm of his hand, and then immediately turned around and hid in a farther corner to pick it up.

"The luggage will come out in a while, help me get it." The back of the distance said.

What, that's weird. Yu Xiaochun shook his head angrily and walked away.

3/

"Xiaoming?"

"Hmm..."

"I am..."

"I know. Why did you call. Yang Yiming interrupted the other party, and his tone remained cautious and polite.

"Ah, I haven't called you since you arrived in the United States, for fear of affecting your game..."

"You made that phone call from the front of you, too?"

"Yes, there was your voice at the time, first speaking English and then saying what kind of voicemail message, I didn't know what to say, so I didn't speak. Excuse me. ”

"It's fine. How did you find my number? ”

"A CCTV reporter wants to interview me and ask about you."

"CCTV?" Yang Yiming remembered the interview that the basketball park asked him to do some time ago.

"Yes, yes, but I didn't give an interview, Xiaoming, don't worry, I know you don't like it. I just asked the reporter for your number in the U.S., and after watching your game yesterday, I called you. The other side hurriedly argued.

"Oh."

"You're playing really well."

"That's what you're calling?"

"That last mistake..."

"Well, I knew you had to say that you conceded the ball." Yang Yiming suddenly became cold.

"No, no, Xiaoming, don't get me wrong, I still want to congratulate you, you played well, really."

"Thank you."

"You've achieved your dreams, and I'm happy for you." The voice on the other side trembled a little.

"It's your dream."

"No, your dreams. I'm an old man, I can understand basketball, hehe. The other party tried to defuse the embarrassment with laughter.

"You've always taken me to practice before."

"That's your talent, I'm just..."

"Talent? I'm afraid you're the only one who said that, in order for me to practice..."The other side seemed to want to speak, but he stopped talking and swallowed the words back. After a few seconds of silence at both ends, Yang Yiming sighed, and his tone softened a little: "Talent." Alas... Let me miss that ball, that kind of physicality is talent. ”

"No, no, Xiaoming, you must not think like that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's the way the two of you fight each other. You see, you're dribbling, you're already low, but Westbrook, he's lowering his weight — he's hitting your waist and abdomen with his shoulder, it's not a matter of physicality, it's a matter of the way you fight. He strikes the weak with the strong..."

"So I'm weaker."

"No, I mean, do you remember when I told you about the importance of core strength. This is where it comes in... Waist and abdomen, if you practice again, you will encounter this situation again in the future..."

"Okay, I got it." Yang Yiming obviously showed impatience and interrupted the other side to speak.

"I'm sorry, I talked too much again."

"No, it's fine." The tone returned to coldness, "Alright, my luggage is here, I'm leaving." ”

"Okay, you're busy." The man's voice hurriedly flattered.

"We'll talk about it next time."

"Good..."

"Bye-bye." Yang Yiming hung up the phone while saying goodbye to the mobile phone that was taken away from his ear.

"Who, we've been talking for so long?" Yu Xiaochun rushed back to his friend and inquired.

"Nobody, a former coach."

"Enlightenment teacher? I haven't heard you say that. ”

"Hmm..." Yang Yiming avoided his friend's curious looks, and only said perfunctorily, "You don't care." Why hasn't our luggage arrived yet? ”