But he didn’t know how to say no, so he just agreed to it.
In the evening, Gan Guoyang and his wife attended the party together, along with players from the Trail Blazers, management from Avia and Nike, officials from Portland, and others.
This left Gan Guoyang quite frustrated. Initially, he just wanted to have a small private gathering with a few friends to chat and exchange information.
Gan Guoyang wanted to extract some information from Beelman and Stockton, and in the process, deepen their relationship so that when they compete, they might consider their friendship.
However, the invitations grew and it turned into a large banquet. After all, at this time, Portland was full of basketball elites and media reporters from across the U.S., so having a private gathering was somewhat difficult.
Everyone gathered around like sharks smelling blood, hoping to dig up some news or tidbits at the party. During the off-season, Ah Gan and the Dream Team were absolute focal points.
"Charles! Charles!"
Gan Guoyang pulled Barkley, who was busy eating everywhere, aside.
It seemed Barkley was intentionally avoiding Gan Guoyang, but he was eventually caught.
"Charles! How do you find the food here?"
"Oh, Sonny. It’s... not bad, though a bit worse than your cooking. You’re looking quite dashing tonight, Sonny!"
"You’re looking good too, Charles. I heard you want to beat me up."
"Who’s spreading such rumors? We’re best friends. How could I possibly beat you up?"
Barkley played dumb, acting innocent, essentially clever under a silly exterior.
Gan Guoyang didn’t expose him, nor did he dwell on this matter, instead, he concerned himself with Barkley’s relationship issues.
"Why didn’t your wife come? Is there really a problem with your marriage?"
"Oh~ it’s a little tricky... but it’s no big deal. I won’t make any rash decisions. I’ll increasingly focus my energy on basketball. There are still many areas where I need improvement."
Barkley suddenly became humble.
He wasn’t pretending but genuinely realized the gap after training with the stars of the Dream Team.
He found there was a distance between him and Jordan, Bird, and Johnson, let alone Ah Gan.
In the past, Barkley was somewhat unconvinced, thinking he just lacked a bit of luck.
After interacting a lot with true top players, he started to notice more of his own weaknesses.
They then talked about kids when Reiner suddenly came over with a glass of wine.
Barkley took a look at Reiner, having heard about the bet between Bird, Jordan, and Reiner.
Barkley took a few steps back to chat with others on the side, preparing to watch the show.
Gan Guoyang thought Reiner was coming for a toast, so he raised his wine glass.
Unexpectedly, Reiner walked straight up to Gan Guoyang and said, "Sonny, I’ll destroy you one-on-one in the game and kick your butt."
Reiner didn’t speak loudly; there were many people in the restaurant, chatting noisily amongst themselves, so others didn’t hear what Reiner said.
Gan Guoyang was taken aback, realizing that it wasn’t for a toast but an unfriendly visit.
However, Gan Guoyang reacted quickly. He glanced around and noticed Barkley, as well as Jordan and Bird, watching from a distance.
He understood that given Reiner’s status, there was no reason for him to just pick a fight with him. He was hosting to connect with influential people, yet Reiner came to provoke him?
Gan Guoyang leaned in closer. He was slightly shorter than Reiner, but his overall presence completely overwhelmed Reiner, who immediately felt a strong sense of pressure.
Reiner took a small step back, but Gan Guoyang grabbed his arm, preventing him from retreating, showing surprisingly great strength that almost made Reiner cry out in pain.
"Larry or Michael?" Gan Guoyang asked quietly.
"What?" Reiner didn’t understand.
"Larry or Michael?" Gan Guoyang asked again.
Reiner understood. Ah Gan had guessed it was Bird and Jordan stirring behind the scenes.
His built-up courage quickly crumbled, and he nodded and said, "Larry and Michael..."
Gan Guoyang loosened his grip, smiled, and said, "So you foolishly came to provoke me, thinking it’s cool? Like in the NCAA, when you make your opponents uncomfortable for your gain."
Reiner appeared to be a handsome and charming white player, but he was notoriously unpopular, being the most disliked player in all of NCAA.
Reiner wanted to say, "That’s exactly what I want to do," but under Ah Gan’s penetrating gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He could only nod slowly, then shake his head.
"You feel quite out of place in the Dream Team, right? Those guys are all jerks, every one of them. I know them best. I’m their friend because I’m Ah Gan. If I were an average person or a not-so-talented player, I would definitely not want to be friends with them. Do you agree?"
Gan Guoyang’s words seemed magical as if they struck a chord with Reiner, making him nod again.
This time, his nod was much more determined.
"You want to fit in, but you don’t have the qualifications. They look down on you unless you can kick their butt. But that’s impossible; you don’t have the ability, nor will they give you the chance. So they got you to provoke me with a promise of some kind of entry ticket, isn’t that it?"
Reiner nodded again.
The two of them moved to a corner to talk.
"Let me teach you how to deal with these bastards. You might not believe it, but you should listen. Someday when you’ve figured it all out, you can come and talk to me."
"First, get on good terms with Bobby. Bobby is a very straightforward person; I know him well. He’s anxious and a bit insecure, just like you, worrying about qualifications. So you must listen to him: whatever he says, be the first to do it and support him, giving him some backing. He’ll appreciate you and give you opportunities. Don’t bother with Chuck; that guy is a snob. And ask for support from Coach K, as he is your mentor."