It was a long French kiss. A minute and fifteen seconds in, Su Xi learned how to freestyle with his tongue.
The fans in the arena screamed endlessly.
Finally, three minutes in, Jessica had to be the one to end it, her lungs giving out.
The fans were treated to a heavy dose of PDA, and the camera quickly panned away.
Su Xi was completely stunned.
He still couldn't believe it. Jessica was nestled in his arms, delicate and dependent.
'What's happening to me?'
Su Xi had obtained the Super Flexibility talent. And during that kiss, he could feel his fusion rate with the talent steadily increasing... In just three minutes, it had already reached 55%.
Based on his past experience, Su Xi knew that fusing with a Super Talent became exponentially harder in the later stages. He could generally reach the first sixty or seventy percent just by practicing on his own. After that, it required high-intensity confrontations… going head-to-head with skilled opponents.
Su Xi tried to awaken the Little Elf, but it was fast asleep.
"Jack," Jessica Alba murmured blissfully in his arms.
Su Xi looked down at her. He found Jessica Alba irresistibly charming. Moreover, he felt a special sort of affection for her now. It was because he had received her Super Flexibility talent.
At that moment, Jessica Alba was completely drawn to him, body and soul. The instant her Super Flexibility talent transferred to Su Xi, an unbreakable bond had formed between them. She would be completely devoted to him.
Now, she only had eyes for him.
"I…" Su Xi said, a little embarrassed. "I didn't mean to do that just now…"
What Su Xi meant was, he hadn't intended to get so carried away with the kiss; he just couldn't help himself.
Jessica Alba let out a giggle and hugged Su Xi tightly.
Seeing this, Vanessa, who was standing nearby, laughed and teased, "Hey, Jack, don't tell me that was your first kiss…"
"…"
The silence was telling.
…
Su Xi eventually made it back to his bed at the team hotel, which felt more comfortable. As they parted, Jessica had stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again, and he hadn't refused.
"I'll take responsibility for you, Jack," Jessica Alba whispered warmly in his ear.
Su Xi's ears flushed red.
The warm breath on his ear also pushed Su Xi's Super Flexibility fusion rate to 60%.
The progress was incredibly fast.
After all, this was a boost personally granted by a Super Talent.
Back in his room, his roommate, McNamara, asked, "Jack, what's that scent on you? Are you seeing someone?"
"Not really," Su Xi said, scratching the back of his head.
In all the romance movies he'd seen, the main characters always went through life-and-death situations and tragic separations before finally getting together. But for him, all it took was one trip out, and before he knew it... Jessica Alba was declaring she'd take responsibility for him, already hopelessly in love.
This was happening even faster than it had for Cameron Anthony.
"She didn't agree? Did you confess and get rejected?" McNamara asked.
Su Xi didn't answer. There hadn't even been a confession. They'd gone straight to making out, which had basically short-circuited his brain.
"Don't worry about it, Jack. You have to be brave and take the first step. I used to get rejected all the time, and it was heartbreaking. Now, I'm used to it," McNamara said. "But I don't let it get to me. Just like how I have a crush on Jessica Alba. It doesn't matter to me whether she knows there's a handsome basketball player in this world who likes her…"
"Who did you say?" Su Xi asked.
"Jessica Alba. In my opinion, the most beautiful actress in the world. Haven't you seen the posters of her in my room?" said McNamara.
"Uh…" Su Xi was a little awkward.
McNamara patted Su Xi's shoulder and continued, "I suggest you find a celebrity to have a crush on, too. That way, even if some other girl rejects you, you can just think: 'So what if you rejected me? You'll never be as good as so-and-so.' How about Jessica? I can give you a few of her posters."
"…" Su Xi fell silent.
McNamara continued, "Oh yeah, our opponent tomorrow is Oklahoma State University. Their guards are Victor Williams and Tony Allen. Victor is a really agile guard—he's short, quick, fast, and explosive. I think it would be better if I switch onto him during the game."
"Tony Allen is strong and tough. You can handle him."
McNamara said.
Su Xi nodded. But he actually wanted to guard Victor Williams. He'd reviewed the scouting report on Oklahoma State University and figured Tony Allen would be assigned to Cameron Anthony.
Plus, he wanted to further activate his Super Flexibility talent by playing against Victor Williams.
Victor Williams was nicknamed the 'Jumping Elf.' He was very short, but incredibly agile and explosive.
Some called him a mini-Iverson, and there was even talk of him making it to the NBA.
But he was even shorter than Iverson, making his chances of getting into the NBA incredibly slim—next to zero. That didn't stop him from tearing it up in the NCAA, though. He was a streaky player who had once dropped 42 points in a single regular-season game. A 42-point game in the NCAA was a historic performance, equivalent to scoring over 60 in the NBA.
Coach Jim Boham was taking him very seriously.
Oklahoma State University was a much stronger team overall than their last opponent, Manhattan College. In the single-elimination format of the NCAA Tournament, they were considered a team with a real shot at the championship.
Before going to bed, Su Xi watched the game tape on Oklahoma State University one more time. He was the type who always studied his opponents.
He had always been a firm believer in the saying: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.
…
Early the next morning, Su Xi and the team arrived at North Shore Garden Arena. They had a morning practice to get a feel for the court before the game started in the afternoon.
While they were practicing, their opponents also came over for their own session.
Interestingly, Tony Allen went out of his way to come over and say hello to Su Xi. "Everyone says you're just hyping yourself up, that you're doing it for attention," he told Su Xi. "But I like the way you compete."
"I'd love to challenge all the top talents in the country too, I just don't have your guts."
Tony Allen was a tough, defensive-minded player. His main job every game was to shut down the opponent's best player.
"We're different, though. I'm not trying to challenge the top talents in the country. I want to take some spoils of war from them," Su Xi said in all seriousness.
"You won't be getting any tonight, though," Tony Allen told Su Xi.
"We'll see about that," Su Xi said, raising an eyebrow.
"Will I see you in the NBA?" Tony Allen asked.
Su Xi replied, "If you make it to the NBA, you'll see me there."
HAHAHAHA!
Tony Allen let out a hearty laugh. He liked Su Xi's confidence. "See you in the NBA!"
…