Su Xi, however, was frowning. He wasn’t even listening to the female anchor excitedly gushing over the "ship." He had only one sentiment: ’Even when you can’t see my face, my handsomeness is just overwhelming. A firefly in the dark is nothing compared to this.’

Su Xi gazed at the figure on the TV, admiring his own back.

This wasn’t narcissism, just an involuntary act of self-appreciation.

All handsome people have this quirk.

After all, there’s no such thing as a person who’s "handsome but unaware of it."

"...Jessica, I’m sorry. I can’t support you anymore, even though your beauty and Little Sheep Su Xi are a perfect match. But I have to change my mind. Scarlett and Jack look like a match made in heaven. They are the modern-day Romeo and Juliet. This is a true life-and-death romance..."

The female anchor on TV had a totally smitten look on her face.

Su Xi turned off the TV. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

It had been a crazy night, and he needed some rest.

...

The next day, both the sports and entertainment media went into a frenzy.

Ben Wallace’s on-court brawl and the life-and-death romance between Su Xi and Scarlett both dominated the front pages.

Suddenly, the entire public discourse in the United States was dominated by "Little Sheep," and his fame skyrocketed!

Su Xi shot to fame, becoming a household name.

Nike’s marketing department even saw a trend: they felt Su Xi had the potential to become an iconic celebrity. Like Monroe, Bruce Lee, Tyson, Jordan, or Michael Jackson... people whose fame is so immense that even if you know nothing about their respective fields, you still know their names.

They had initially planned to spend a fortune on marketing to craft a public persona for Su Xi in the media.

But on second thought, they realized their own paid efforts might not be as impactful as what Su Xi was generating himself, so they decided to just let events unfold. They would only spend money if the situation became uncontrollable.

As for expenditures on image maintenance, Nike had spent considerably more resources on Ah Zhan.

Because Ah Zhan debuted under the "Chosen One" title, they had to constantly maintain that distinct label.

In a sense, Ah Zhan was like the pre-ordained "Crown Prince." There were many things he couldn’t do, and he had to expend significant energy maintaining a virtuous image.

Su Xi didn’t need to. He was the maverick prince from the borderlands who had risen from nowhere. He could be unrestrained, ruthless, and decisive.

If it had been James who brawled with Ben Wallace last night, every dark Chapter of Wallace’s history would have been dug up by this morning. Even an incident of him jaywalking at age ten would be used as proof that he was a brute.

Around noon, the NBA officially announced its disciplinary decision.

Ben Wallace was suspended for 13 games and fined 50,000 USD. Tony Battie was suspended for 11 games and fined 35,000 USD. Su Xi was suspended for 2 games with no fine.

As soon as the decision was announced, it was met with a deluge of questions.

Barkley was on the front lines, firing the first shot: "Why was Jack punished? He’s the victim! Are we supposed to punish the victim now?"

Barkley was a die-hard supporter of Little Sheep. Su Xi had allowed him to avenge a past humiliation, and Kenny Smith was now at a farm picking out a male donkey with a perfectly shaped backside. They had agreed to settle their bet before the All-Star Weekend.

Besides Barkley, other media outlets also voiced their doubts, questioning why the NBA would punish Su Xi.

Of course, there were also those who said Su Xi wasn’t innocent, that he had participated in the brawl and should be suspended for 10 games.

But what about giving him the benefit of the doubt?

If you can’t determine whether Su Xi acted with intent or out of subconscious self-defense, you can’t find him guilty.

Ultimately, a league official who wished to remain anonymous stated in an interview that Su Xi was suspended for two games because he had made an obscene gesture during the game.

Well...

Su Xi never made a public statement on the matter. In any case, according to Carlisle, he had a concussion and needed to rest for a week.

Larry Bird, meanwhile, expressed his dismay to the media, saying he couldn’t understand why Su Xi was being punished.

He also stated that the team owner had promised to pay Tony Battie’s fine and that the team would not withhold Battie’s salary during the suspension. This was a reward for his courage in standing up for a teammate.

But Tony Battie’s good fortune didn’t end there. His fine was paid, and his salary would continue. At the same time, he received a hero’s welcome from the people of China. His popularity back in China surpassed that of the Rockets’ Mobley and was second only to Francis. In fact, he was already trending toward surpassing Francis.

After all, Francis was Yao Ming’s "big bro," while Tony Battie was Su Xi’s bodyguard.

In an interview with Chinese media after the game, he even called himself "Hu Su Bao." Seizing the opportunity, many Chinese companies extended endorsement offers to him.

Tony Battie profited handsomely from the brawl.

Su Xi profited even more. Just three days after the incident at the Auburn Hills Palace, his All-Star vote count surpassed that of the league’s scoring champion, Tracy McGrady.

Furthermore, he cemented his status as the team’s leader and earned professional acclaim. His market value soared thanks to the media frenzy. Mike O’Connor and Huang Xiaoman raised his commercial endorsement price, but that did little to stem the tide of enthusiastic brands.

The two Pacers players were raking it in.

So, what about Ben Wallace?

His All-Star vote count began to slide, and he was overtaken in the East by Allen Iverson. Meanwhile, he was being vilified in the media and online. The label of "sore loser" was now firmly plastered to his forehead.

On top of that, he was still lying in a hospital bed, seeing stars as the world spun around him.