Ever since the schedule was released, sleepless nights, lack of appetite, and tasteless meals became Qin Yue’s truest daily portrayal.
At certain moments, Qin Yue even suspected he might be suffering from some sort of mental illness.
Because recently, as soon as he fell asleep... the images of David Lee, Horford, Noah, and others would immediately appear in his mind.
In response, Paul, who had experienced something similar, said to Qin Yue, "To be honest, last year before our game against Illinois... my mind was full of Deron Williams."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yue smiled and said to Paul, "But we’re different, Chris."
Paul, puzzled, asked, "How are we different?"
In the training hall, after pulling back a safe distance, Qin Yue said, "Chris, you were probably thinking about how not to get dominated by Deron Williams at the time...
But what I’m thinking now is how I can dominate that group of genius interiors on the Gators."
Qin Yue’s "we’re different" that day was like a heavy punch, slamming right into Paul’s chest.
For a moment, Paul felt his heart was about to shatter.
Unfortunately, even though the truth cuts like a knife...
Paul’s shattered heart ultimately couldn’t withstand Qin Yue’s ensuing sweet words: "Of course, I was talking about last year’s you.
Believe me, Chris... if it’s you this year, even Jason Kidd and Steve Nash would have to respectfully call you the God of Point Guards."
After pausing for a moment, Qin Yue added, "If you don’t believe me, I can swear by my idol Michael Jordan."
As Qin Yue’s closest comrade-in-arms at Wake Forest, Paul certainly knew that Jordan was Qin Yue’s only idol in this life.
Even if I admit I’m not as great as you said, since I’m that great in your heart...
"Don’t worry, when we play against the Gators, I will constantly deliver the ammunition to you."
That day, in order to become the God of Point Guards in Qin Yue’s heart, Paul clenched his fist on the training ground and said thus to Qin Yue.
Though eagerly anticipating the game, Qin Yue had a more important task in September of that year:
—Accompanying his parents who traveled a long way.
Originally, Qin Yong and his wife planned to visit Qin Yue in the United States during the summer vacation.
However, since Qin Yue had to undergo devil training from Grover during the holiday, after some discussion, the couple postponed their visit until after Qin Yue’s junior year began.
Compared to when he first crossed, Qin Yue was no longer as resistant to "his" parents as before.
Especially after investigating memories and understanding how much "his" parents worried about "him"...
Qin Yue privately expressed his sentiments towards these parents many times by saying "pity the hearts of parents all over the world".
On the day he met his parents, when he saw the image of his far shorter parents rushing into his embrace, the mixed emotions in Qin Yue’s heart made him shed tears uncontrollably.
After that, Qin Yue spent several hours helping "Qin Yue" make up stories.
In response, Qin Yong and his wife didn’t suspect a thing.
In fact, what truly surprised father Qin Yong and mother Sun Qi about this meeting was Qin Yue’s completely different spirit compared to the past.
"They say girls transform at eighteen, my brat has been alone in the United States for all these years, how could he not change at all?"
Moreover, regarding Qin Yue’s body, which was much stronger than at the beginning of his studies abroad, Qin Yong and his wife were equally amazed.
After all, one of them is slightly above 1.8 meters tall, and the other is around 1.7 meters...
"How did we give birth to such a robust Xiang Yu?"
"No, no, no, Xiang Yu is not auspicious, do you hope your son will end up like at Wujiang River?"
"Sigh, it’s true; delicate flowers don’t grow in a greenhouse, look how independent our son became after venturing out by himself? Hey... wait, is he cooking for us?"
That day, watching Qin Yue personally cooking a meal of pork chops for them, Qin Yong and his wife almost swallowed it along with their tears.
Of course, apart from Qin Yue’s personal changes...
Qin Yong and his wife were also very curious about the stories of Qin Yue, which had already been passed around as mythical in the country.
In response, to make the lies "he" told before more convincing, Qin Yue specifically found Evans and helped Evans contact a translator.
So that his parents could understand Qin Yue’s experiences and changes over the years from another’s perspective.
Eloquent Evans quickly won the favor of Qin Yue’s parents.
When asked why that article in The New York Times described Qin Yue as lost and found and a prodigal son returning, Evans casually said, "Hey, that’s how it is here in the United States; no matter how famous a basketball player you are, you must have your own story.
Qin is no exception, after all, without a story, how do you attract fans and journalists?"
When asked whether Qin Yue really had a chance to be the top pick in the NBA draft, Evans exaggeratedly said, "You have no idea how amazing your son is now.
Let me just say this, in North Carolina, if you ask about a Chinese person, the first person people think of is definitely Qin.
He is the pride of Wake Forest, and the number one star of Winston-Salem.
Honestly, I think you should prepare yourselves... because Qin is definitely your country’s second Yao."