The Best Point Guard

Chapter 378: Chapter 117: Only I Can Help You Escape the Sea of Suffering

Lindsay Lohan was being heavily promoted by Disney, despite being involved in quite a bit of negative press. In terms of popularity and resources, she left Megan Fox in the dust.

In her eyes, Fox was just a pretty face. Wasn’t she just playing a supporting role to her anyway? There were plenty of beautiful women in the world.

She was quite dismissive of the "100 Most Beautiful Faces in America" list, which was voted on by teenagers across the country. She was only ranked 28th, a full 18 spots behind her rival from the same company, Hilary Duff.

In her mind, it was just some bogus, unofficial ranking with no real authority.

The moment she saw Su Xi, she excitedly ran over to introduce herself. She was very proud and carried an attitude that practically screamed, ’Come on, let’s go out. We’re a perfect match in every way.’

Su Xi didn’t like this Disney Little Princess with her strong sense of superiority, so he just exchanged a few simple pleasantries before slipping away.

He was eager to get this party over with.

As far as he was concerned, parties like this were dangerous. There was always a crowd of women who wanted to get with him, and they would use every trick in the book to win him over. Some acted coy and reserved, others were bold and outgoing, and some would even try a little physical contact... their methods were endless.

Su Xi was a hot-blooded young man, after all. He didn’t want to accidentally fall into a trap.

’I wonder how the Tang Monk managed to withstand the trial in the Women’s Country.’

’Did he actually fall for anyone there or not?’

As Su Xi sat off to the side, chatting with the founder of Playboy, his mind couldn’t help but wander.

While they were talking, Megan Fox walked past them. Somehow, the heel of her high heel snapped. She let out a scream and started to fall, and Su Xi instinctively reached out to catch her.

Champagne splashed all over both of them.

Instantly, the two of them became the center of attention at the party.

Su Xi helped the warm, soft Fox to her feet, and a staff member quickly led him to the restroom to change his clothes.

When he came out after changing, he heard an interrogation coming from the next changing room.

"...Cut it out with your little tricks, Fox. We’re both women, I know what you’re thinking. You just wanted to deliberately get close to Little Sheep Su Xi and then make a big deal out of it, right? You’ve always been such a scheming, pretentious bitch."

Su Xi heard Lindsay Lohan’s voice and couldn’t help but shake his head.

He didn’t want to get involved in the conflict. To him, it didn’t matter whether Fox had done it on purpose.

He was about to walk away.

Then he heard Fox’s defense: "It’s not what you think. I was just passing by, and my heel happened to get stuck in a crack... I twisted my ankle..."

"There are no ’happenings’ like that, Ms. Fox. But I’ll give you this, you’re pretty clever. You thought of a move no one else did. Come on, let me see that sexy body of yours. Don’t you just love to show it off...?"

"Give me back my clothes..."

"Beg me."

"Give them back."

"You have to promise you’ll never bother Little Sheep Su Xi again. And you have to help me get close to him..."

Lindsay Lohan’s voice grew more and more malicious.

This little princess, who was a regular on lists of negative press, was threatening and bullying Fox. Of course, she could always claim it was just a little game.

In any case, Fox would definitely not dare to go to the media and report this kind of behavior.

That gave Lohan free rein to do as she pleased.

Su Xi had originally planned to just walk away, but after taking two steps, he turned back. He walked in, took the evening gown from Lindsay Lohan’s hands, and handed it directly to Fox.

He said to her, "Get dressed and leave."

Lindsay Lohan quickly tried to explain, "No, Jack, it’s not what it looks like! It’s a misunderstanding. Have you ever seen a teen movie? This is a trap set by the scheming campus queen..."

Su Xi had no interest whatsoever in some teen movie plot.

He didn’t waste any more words on Lindsay Lohan.

After Fox was dressed, he strode away.

Fox quickly followed, and they left the party one after the other.

Su Xi thought the little incident would blow over quickly.

But the next day, the media published a picture of Su Xi and Megan Fox embracing at the party, describing it as a meeting between Cinderella and her prince.

This piece of gossip shattered the long-standing love triangle narrative. Megan Fox, the minor actress who had beaten both Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson on the "Most Beautiful Faces" list, suddenly burst onto the scene. Her connection to Su Xi immediately sparked endless speculation.

Fox’s fame skyrocketed.

She rapidly became a darling of the media in January 2005, and her public exposure soared visibly.

She had shown an even clearer path to all those other desperate actresses: ’Want to be famous? Go have a ’little story’ with Little Sheep Su Xi.’

In the middle of a busy season, Su Xi denied the rumors about him and Megan Fox. He stated that they didn’t know each other and that what happened was just an accident.

However, he did not back up Lindsay Lohan’s accusations in the media.

Lindsay Lohan had said, "This was a premeditated publicity stunt. Megan Fox went there just to get a picture with Little Sheep Su Xi. She deliberately fell on Jack to create exposure and then launched a media campaign. She got what she wanted."

These words caused quite a stir.

Nobody wanted the couple they were shipping to be a scene from a premeditated act.

But when a reporter asked Su Xi about it, he emphasized, "It was an accident. It wasn’t a flop. I’m a professional player; I’m very good at spotting a flop."

"But really, we’re not even friends."

Su Xi told the reporter with certainty.

But his words did nothing to quell the public speculation. The media loved this newly unlocked ’storyline character’ and constantly compared Fox to Jessica and Scarlett.

Of course, some of these comparisons were from press releases bought by Fox’s agency.

But Su Xi believed Fox wasn’t the one who leaked the photo. If she had been, she could have provided much better material.

Because that night, Su Xi had driven her back to her hotel, and they had even taken a picture together in the car.

They had also talked for a long time and had a very pleasant conversation.

Once February rolled around, the buzz started to die down. This was because Fox never once discussed any intimate relationship with Su Xi in the media; she only ever said it was a misunderstanding.

As she repeatedly clarified the situation, people began to believe that there was really nothing between them.

This made her agency furious, and they chewed her out for not capitalizing on the wave of attention.

But Fox had a mind of her own.

...

On the second day of All-Star Weekend, Su Xi attended an NBA Cares event. It was a mandatory charity appearance. Su Xi had originally just wanted to shoot a few commercials in his hotel and at the arena, then punch the clock for the last day of All-Star Weekend.

At the event, a young fan excitedly asked Su Xi, "Jack, if Scarlett, Fox, and Jessica all fell into a river at the same time, who would you save first?"

Kobe Bryant, who was next to Su Xi, burst out laughing, bending over with laughter.

Su Xi was a little embarrassed, but he had to answer. He said, "I swear, I would never let them all be near a river at the same time."

"So, Fox is your girlfriend too, right?" This damn thirteen-year-old girl had the makings of a reporter.

Su Xi looked at her and said, "That’s enough. You should be focusing on your studies. Hey, Mike O’Connor, I want to sponsor 100 tutoring sessions for this little girl. She looks like she could be a top student."

Su Xi finally managed to send the rowdy kids on their way.

Just as he got into his car to leave, he saw Megan Fox getting out of another vehicle. She was wearing an NBA Cares shirt, and the kids immediately swarmed around her.

’Oh, my God.’

"The NBA did this on purpose," Kobe Bryant said to Su Xi. "David Stern is going to squeeze every last drop of influence out of you. He really knows how to create a buzz. To think he’d actually invite this starlet all the way up to the Colorado Plateau."

Su Xi sighed.

"Come play in Los Angeles. In L.A., you can get your picture taken with all sorts of starlets every day. Once you have enough scandals, people become immune."

Kobe said with a straight face, "You dating two starlets, that’s news. Dating three starlets, that’s breaking news. But what if you date 100 starlets? People will just get used to it."

"Trust me, only Los Angeles can save you. Only I can help you escape this sea of suffering."