A corner of the rooftop.

Yang Yiming and James Harden stand by the guardrail of the water tower high above the rooftop.

In the distance, the live band's performance is reaching its climax, continuously sending out strong and popular dance music, and the Houston celebrities on the rooftop finally put down their shelves and dance to the music.

Yang Yiming raised his wrist, and the time pointed to 10:50 p.m.

James Harden's three bodyguards stood guard at the entrance to the stairs to the water tower, dressed in black, with two stout black men standing on either side, and a tall white man standing in the middle, wearing black sunglasses at night. The joyous scene in the distance didn't seem to have anything to do with them, and their serious expressions matched their sunglasses. Yang Yiming looked at them and really felt very funny.

"Where do you go, do they all follow you?" Yang Yiming couldn't help it, pointed to the three bodyguards and asked Harden.

Harden wore a loose pajama-style suit with a black silk fabric emblazoned with Versace's sun god motif, fluttering as the night breeze blew. Yang Yiming vaguely saw that Harden was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts under his "pajamas" - only Harden could do it when he dressed up like this to attend the National Day Gala of the Houston City Government - but in fact, on the red carpet before the NBA year-end awards ceremony, Harden seemed to be wearing a similar outfit, could it be that there was only a pair of boxer shorts in it at that time...

Yang Yiming was secretly thinking about these things, and Harden spoke: "Yes, they will follow me wherever I go." Harden raised his chin and pointed at the three bodyguards and said, "Just treat them as transparent." After a long time you get used to it, so I let them wear sunglasses, and you can't see their eyes, so you can pretend they can't see you either. ”

"As a transparent person? I can't do it? Yang Yiming imagined in his heart that Harden often came and went in the places of sound and color, there must be a lot of embarrassing and disheveled scenes that would be seen by these three bodyguards, if they really want to completely ignore them, it is indeed a cultivation that ordinary people can't do.

"Haven't you hired a bodyguard yourself? It's time to get ready. ”

"Bodyguards? Mr. Yu seems to have said that he will help me interview a few, but there are no candidates yet. Yang Yiming explained to Harden, but he actually felt in his heart that it was still a long way to go with a large group of people like Harden when he traveled at any time.

"I may also have a candidate for bodyguards, do you want me to recommend a few for you?"

"Huh? No..."Yang Yiming was caught off guard by the question, and subconsciously refused. Harden didn't try to persuade him, but turned around, half-leaned on the railing, and shook a glass of whiskey with ice cubes in his hand, his body swaying gently to the music of the band in the distance.

The railing of the guardrail finally pressed Harden's pajamas down, and he no longer floated casually, and the boxer shorts inside were no longer visible. Yang Yiming finally felt much more comfortable.

After a long time, the live band must have changed to three or four more fast-paced dance pieces before switching to a soothing slow tempo, and the guests' movements were much calmer.

Some people are tired of jumping, so they hug and snuggle together.

Harden seemed to have lost the power of the sense of rhythm, stopped swinging, took a sip of wine, and said quietly: "This kind of transparent life, maybe you will quickly adapt to it." ”

"Huh? What do you say, James? ”

"Transparent human life. I'm talking about transparent human life. ”

"Maybe I'm not used to seeing these people as transparent..."

"I didn't fit in at first." James Harden interrupted before Yang could finish explaining: "I first found out that the attention I received would be so great when I was playing the sixth man in the Thunder to reach the Finals. Scouts, teammates, management, paparazzi, women... I started to notice that everyone was circling around me, my self-confidence began to explode, and for the first time I felt that I could do anything. I was the center of those people, the eyes of life, and the feeling was so psychedelic and addictive, as if there was magic, holding my body. ”

Yang Yiming recalled that when James Harden first became famous, he could often be seen in and out of various night games in China, wearing sunglasses and flashy floral shirts, and the actresses around him changed from one to the more famous other paparazzi photos.

"And what about later? What happened all of a sudden? ”

"I thought I could draw strength from these concerns, but in fact I found that other people's concerns were black holes, and they were drawing strength from me and hollowing me out."

"So you're reined."

"It's not that I'm relenting." Harden drank the whiskey from his glass, smacked his lips and applauded, then said, "I haven't changed." Remember what I told you - I just treated them as transparent. ”

"Transparent?" Yang Yiming finally realized that James Harden's topic about transparent people just now may have a deep meaning.

"You see, I'm still doing my own thing. There are still a lot of people who follow me and chase me. But I've adapted to seeing them as transparent people because I've found that paying attention doesn't make me better. They only make me worse and disrupt my rhythm; I thought I was enjoying it, but it was actually unnerving. Remember last season when I was one-on-one with you for ten goals? ”

"Of course I do—" Yang Yiming recalled that bullfight with James Harden. Before the All-Star Game, Yang Yiming was selected as an All-Star for the first time, and he had already decided to go to the All-Star Game to assist other stars, especially the boss Harden, but he was single-handedly asked by Harden to teach a lesson, in order to let Yang Yiming understand that All-Star is a stage for personal performance. Harden made a bet of $100,000 and forced Yang Yiming to use all his skills, and finally narrowly won.

It was also after that one-on-one bullfight that Yang Yiming really felt the basketball atmosphere in the United States.

It was a sport in which individual heroism was paramount, and it was completely different from the group basketball he had been exposed to at home.

"—But what does it matter if it's transparent or not?"

"Yes." Harden stared deeply at the dancing crowd as it approached midnight and the raucous National Day celebrations were coming to an end. "It's like playing basketball. From the bench, to the Sixth Man of the Year, to leading the team, MVP and championship. The biggest lesson I've learned from basketball is that you can only succeed if you put it to death and don't hesitate to do it. Don't pin your hopes on anyone, rely on yourself. Treat them all as transparent people, whether they look at you or not, play with you or look detached, you only have yourself..."

Yang Yiming began to connect Harden's words to recent events in the NBA world.

"It's the same with the ball. Those guys over there, I don't know who else will be with them next season. But it's a side of your NBA life that you have to be familiar with. Think of them as transparent people. ”

"Through, bright, people..."Yang Yiming read word by word.

"You've heard all the news lately. LeBron James or something. It's good to treat him as transparent, after all, in the end, you still have to rely on yourself to play. Me and you. ”

You and me.

Yang Yiming repeated.