CHAPTER 1269: CHAPTER 513: JUST MADE A CALL AND THEY CAME_2

Zhang Yang: "Then you should be prepared to get beaten up, but going to the Euro-Asian leagues for some gold mining isn’t bad. It’s indeed tough not getting playtime; with more playing time, you’d improve faster. Maybe when you get back, you could become a main player?"

Alan Anderson: "I will definitely come back!"

...

In the Bobcats, besides Felton, Zhang Yang had the best relationship with not Okafor or Hill, but Alan Anderson. The three of them were from the same draft class and had shared time on the bench together.

Although Zhang Yang understood Alan Anderson’s choice, he still felt a bit down. After their chat, he felt off during training, so he decided to skip it and went to help Senior Afflalo guide the rookies.

This summer, the team leading the summer league was Vincent and Randy Brown. They let Afflalo lead the team, probably to hone his skills. If nothing unexpected happens, Afflalo will be the second team leader next season.

But just pushing Afflalo, who was on the edge of the rotation in the early part of last season and only got stable playtime around midseason, to lead the rookies... it might be better to let Collison, who was a four-year team captain in college, lead himself.

With Zhang Yang’s help, Afflalo’s speech performance still lagged, but at least the three rookies realized he had the backing of the "Three Musketeers".

By noon, the other members of the summer league team, like the undrafted players, Development League players, and less skilled veterans, also arrived at the Tuhang Stadium.

For these people, the coaching staff didn’t arrange any social tasks for Afflalo. They started training directly in the afternoon. Zhang Yang, together with Tellem who brought Matthews, went to AJ’s studio to check out his two new battle shoes.

The ’Zhang Yang Four’ was decent, just a normally good-looking design.

The other one, the ’Double MVP Special Edition’, made Zhang Yang quite happy, but he had mixed feelings.

It had a bright purple base with Bobcat orange patterns. The shoe tip had a fierce cat design, and when you stomped, the cat eyes would glow red. It was flashy enough, and even though the mountain designer added a KO.1 on the shoe’s side? Say what you want, he liked it... but there was a strong sense of shame.

Like the All-Star Special Edition and the ’08 Olympic Special Edition, only over 2,000 pairs were prepared, individually numbered. The official statement from AJ was that since the ’limited edition’ vibe was set, it should continue, selling it as ’investment products’, with prices set higher than the ’08 edition.

This could better distinguish it from the regular models, as this flashy type of shoe targets a much smaller customer base. The real promotion this summer is the ’Zhang Yang Four’.

The sample of the ’Zhang Yang Four’ had long been seen before; the ’Double MVP Special Edition’ was a surprise and couldn’t be picky. The shoes were just to be worn first during training to see if they fit right, and were to be worn during promotions to test them out before the new season.

The main job today was to go over the work process. There were two promotional events locally in the Carolina region first, followed by domestic promotions, then a trip to Europe, and finally back to Los Angeles for more promotional activities.

Just after defeating the Lakers to win the championship, going to Los Angeles for promotions? Other stars, or the shoe brands, wouldn’t dare do this, but Zhang Yang was a special case. After defeating the Lakers and winning the championship, his popularity in the greater Los Angeles area increased, but the Bobcats smoothly succeeded the Bulls in becoming the second most disliked team among Los Angeles people.

After confirming the process, Zhang Yang went home to discuss with his family. Zhang Dad was busy with work this summer and couldn’t return to China. Zhang Mom wanted to take little Wukong back to their hometown to show off; it wouldn’t feel right without a trip back in a year. Little Biao Biao also wanted to see the legendary eastern country. They confirmed the return dates, and Zhang Mom contacted the consulate in Washington to sort out visa issues for little Wukong and little Biao Biao...

Zhang Yang took a day off and, the next morning, continued his nine-to-five training routine.

On the 6th, when the Bobcats’ summer league team left Charlotte for Orlando, Zhang Yang also began his offseason commercial activities.

It was the fourth time, and he was already familiar with the workflow, warmly engaging in interactions with the fans who came for him.

Twenty days flew by like a blink. He traveled from Charlotte to Raleigh City, then returned to China to tour through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, then went over to Barcelona and Athens for a spin... Finally, he arrived in California, first stopping at Los Angeles, then San Francisco, San Diego, and finally, on the evening of the 26th, returned with his mom, little Wukong, and little Biao Biao to the old house in Hidden Mountain.

Though he hadn’t stayed there for a long time, only Zhang Dad and Zhang Mom occasionally came back; the house was regularly maintained by a cleaning company, so there wasn’t much change. Before coming back, they had already hired people to clean up, replaced daily necessities, making it a move-in ready scenario.

Zhang Yang entered the door and slumped on the sofa, not wanting to move. Though he didn’t resist commercial activities, with the little money and fans who liked him, after running through 11 cities in 20 days, he managed through the journey but just wanted to laze around afterward.

However, when little Biao Biao talked about her experiences following Zhang Mom and little Wukong in China, he was still enthusiastic in his responses, providing mutual emotional value was a necessary part of interaction, and he truly wanted to know her feelings.

His life went on smoothly, flying around and participating in events, working out when necessary, and practicing shooting when possible. The team was doing relatively well, though there were some challenges; however, there were unexpected joys as well.