The world of the young is a much simpler place.
So when Durant stood at his door, stammering out an apology, Harden cut him off with a wave of his hand before he could even finish the word "sorry."
"Come on in."
Between two guys, there’s no need for formalities. Once one of them yields and makes their position clear, the issue is considered resolved.
They each sat down. After a brief, awkward exchange of glances, Durant spoke first. "James, do you think there’s any way for us to complete the challenge task?"
"We can’t afford another loss."
’I’d be fine myself. Even if our team doesn’t make the playoffs, a player with my skills would definitely get traded to another team.’
’But Harden, given his current standing, would most likely be cut.’
"It’s tough," Harden sighed. "The main problem is my physical game is too weak. Over the past few days, those bastards have figured me out completely. They just use their size to bully me. Under these circumstances, you can imagine the probability of completing the task."
Durant nodded in agreement. He knew Harden’s weakness wasn’t his technique, just his physical limitations.
Barely over 5’11" and lightweight, he struggled against opponents over 6’3".
And physicality isn’t something that can be improved or changed in a short amount of time.
After thinking for a moment, Durant said, "How about we adjust the one-on-one rules? Forget about ’make it, take it.’ We just trade possessions. That way, even if you can’t get a stop on defense, as long as you can guarantee you score on every offensive possession, you can still secure the win when you have the ball first."
Harden gave a wry smile. ’Easier said than done,’ he thought.
Venice Beach attracts a huge number of streetball masters from all over the Los Angeles area. There are some guys with killer moves.
Only someone like Durant, with both top-tier physicality and skills, could easily dominate them.
’I’m not at that level yet.’
"Actually, for the past two days, I’ve been studying the rules of the task."
Harden lowered his voice and said, "I have an idea that might let us complete the task."
"The rules say you can’t help me, but I think you can help me in a different way—off the court."
"On that beach, there are only about eight or nine regulars that I can’t beat. So, while I’m trying to complete my task, could you maybe invite them out separately? There are several other streetball courts nearby."
"As long as they don’t show up at Venice Beach, I’m confident I can complete the task."
Durant’s eyes lit up.
"James, you’re a genius! How did you think of this?"
’I can’t play in Harden’s place, but I can totally set up a separate game and invite the guys he can’t beat.’ a
But after the initial excitement, Durant thought of the production team and said worriedly, "Doesn’t this count as exploiting a loophole in the show’s rules? What if the producers find out and don’t let us do it?"
This was basically cheating.
Harden said, "Exactly. If we want this to work, we have to do it secretly, without the production team knowing."
"If you’re willing, you can head out in a bit. I’ll write down the names of the tough players. You find them, try your best to contact them, and invite them out between four and eight o’clock. That’ll give me a window to complete the task."
"The most important thing is to be discreet. We absolutely can’t let the production team find out."
Durant nodded repeatedly, urging Harden to write down the names so he could leave right away.
Harden didn’t hesitate and immediately wrote a list.
He certainly remembered all the guys he couldn’t beat: Mad Billy, Demon Johnson, he had them all down.
"Stay in touch."
Tucking the list in his pocket, Durant waved his phone as he headed out the door. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely crush them. Then I’ll set up another game for tomorrow."
Harden nodded. "Right. It’s best to schedule it for tomorrow morning. I’ll go complete my task first thing. There are plenty of people there in the morning anyway."
"This way, it still counts as two days, and even if the producers discover we’re exploiting a loophole, they probably won’t have time to react overnight."
He had previously thought about picking a less crowded time to complete the challenge, but he realized it wouldn’t work because those specific guys would be there waiting for him.
So his only option was to have Durant lure them away.
Of course, this was all just the best-case scenario. Harden didn’t know if it would actually work.
The rules were made by the production team. In the end, whether it counted as a success was whatever the producers said it was.
Durant gave Harden a thumbs-up. For the first time, he realized that Harden, who always looked a bit dazed, was actually very smart.
He himself could never have come up with a plan to exploit the rules like this, not even if he racked his brain.
At four in the afternoon, Harden, still at the hotel, received a text from Durant.
Everything was going smoothly.
Harden took a deep breath, grabbed his bag, and headed out.
「Far away in Phoenix.」
Chen Yu had actually been keeping an eye on the two kids’ every move.
At nine in the evening, Chen Yu, who was working in his study, received a call from Ernest.
"Huh? Harden completed the first day of his challenge? How’d he manage that?" Chen Yu was a little surprised.
’That shouldn’t be possible. It’s normal for Durant to complete the task, but Harden? With his physical condition, there’s no way he should have been able to.’
That’s right, it was impossible, because the production team had pulled some strings.
Demon Johnson, a 6’8" former backup forward for the UCLA Bruins.
He was only a backup. Forget making it to the NBA; he was cut from the team in his junior year. It had been several years since he graduated, but on that streetball court, he was still more than a match for Harden.
He had taken money from the production team to specifically shut Harden down.
Under these circumstances, it was simply impossible for Harden to complete the task.
Over the phone, Ernest sounded both amused and exasperated. "Chen, you’ll never guess. It was Durant. He invited all the tough players out for a separate game, and Harden completed the task during that window."
"They also agreed to play again tomorrow morning, so Harden will definitely go and finish his challenge then."
"Johnson even asked me what to do, whether he should go to the game tomorrow morning. He lost money today and wants to win it back tomorrow."
Chen Yu understood. He thought for a moment and chuckled. "Let me guess. This idea definitely came from Harden."
Chen Yu had observed Durant.
It wasn’t that he was dumb, just that he was an introverted, straightforward person, without a mind for schemes and trickery.
He could never come up with a plan like this.
"Most likely," Ernest nodded. He then asked Chen Yu what to do—whether they should fail Harden on the task or have Johnson continue to block him at the beach.
"No need."
Chen Yu said, "Steven, don’t forget, the reason we’re making things difficult for Harden is to make them learn to face hardships together and solve problems together. The way they were before, without even communicating, just won’t do."
Chen Yu had already been planning to loosen the restrictions in a day or two, depending on the situation, and let the two of them complete the task cooperatively.
Now that the two of them had privately figured out a solution—even if it was by exploiting a loophole—at least they were working together. This achieved the original goal.
That was enough.
"Okay." Ernest nodded, then hesitated before asking, "Then what about Jennings? Have you decided how to handle him?"
At the mention of Jennings, Chen Yu sighed.
The conflict between Durant and Little Jordan was the first, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
Half a month into the regular season, with thirty teams, ninety young men who were the chosen ones, plus the strategy of concentrating ball possession for captains to pad their stats, how could conflict not arise?
So just today, on Jennings’ team, during a routine practice, his teammate, a player named Patrick Beverley, had a blow-up with Jennings.
The two of them got into a fight, and both ended up bruised.
The impact was actually quite bad.
Rubbing his temples, Chen Yu said, "Let me think about it some more."
Chen Yu had also figured out the cause of the conflict: Jennings was stat-padding way too much.
So far in the regular season, he was averaging 36.4 points per game, ranking first on the scoring leaderboard.
Games were only played to 50 points, and when they lost, they didn’t even reach 50.
In that situation, for you to be averaging almost 40 points per game, it’s safe to say all the ball possession is concentrated in one person’s hands.
If the team was winning, that might be fine.
But the problem was that in the last week, Jennings’ team had only won one out of five games.
Beverley believed Jennings’ mindless stat-padding was hurting the team. He said Jennings was selfish and should pass the ball.
Jennings, on the other hand, argued that Beverley wasn’t as reliable a scorer as he was, so he should be the one taking the shots.
Beverley wanted to spit in his face. Last season at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago, he averaged 14 points and 4 assists, not much worse than Rose.
Chen Yu felt Beverley’s intentions were good. He wasn’t unhappy because of his own stats, but because the team was losing. He believed Jennings’ aggressive stat-padding was hurting the team.
This kind of thinking was good, and it was something Chen Yu was happy to see.
So this time, Chen Yu wanted to side with Beverley.
But Chen Yu still needed to figure out a way to make Jennings understand the meaning of teamwork.
Chen Yu also remembered the kid’s background.
Like Harden, he was also born in Compton, Los Angeles.
When he was eight years old, his father, unable to repay a massive gambling debt, pulled the trigger while Jennings was still in the house.
It was Jennings who found his father’s body and got a neighbor to call the police.
Fortunately, his mother was resilient. Not only did she work hard to support the family, but she also knew that basketball was Jennings’ only way out.
But an experience like that inevitably led Jennings to develop an arrogant and solitary personality.
Most importantly, he was exceptionally talented.
So he had been arrogant since he was a kid. After getting to know DeRozan, he even boldly declared to reporters that the future Los Angeles high school league champion would be either him or DeRozan.
As a result, he was used to being a solo act. He not only looked down on his opponents but also on his teammates, always believing he could win by himself.
He was an incredible genius, but that kind of personality would only limit his growth and his future.
James is talented, right? Historically so. But you never saw him act this arrogant.
But as for how exactly to teach him this lesson, Chen Yu hadn’t quite figured it out yet.
For now, the most important part of the show was still Durant’s choice.
Chen Yu was genuinely curious about what he would ultimately choose, especially after learning to cooperate with Harden.

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