With this big rear-projection TV at home, Gan Guoyang often watches movies here for entertainment and spends quite a bit of time bringing home game tapes for detailed study, as the big screen provides clarity.
In the quiet, enclosed basement, Gan Guoyang enjoys observing and thinking about every detail of the game by watching a large number of tapes, looking for things he can’t see on the court.
This extensive and detailed reading of matches, along with persistent visual training, has greatly enhanced Gan Guoyang’s spatial imagination and acumen on the court.
Why did Kevin Johnson’s pass to Charles Barkley get intercepted?
The reason is the extremely fast reaction time, the shorter heights of Johnson and Barkley, and equally important, Gan Guoyang’s excellent imagination and anticipation skills on the court.
The game starts at seven-thirty Eastern Time, which is four-thirty Pacific Time.
Gan Guoyang got ready half an hour in advance, asking the housekeeper to prepare lots of good food and drinks.
For the evening game, he would watch it with his wife, Wang Fuxi, leaving the two kids with the nanny and grandpa.
Since having children, their couple time has gotten increasingly narrow, with less and less time, and little spies everywhere.
Moreover, Gan Guoyang is busy to the extreme with daily work, often flying for away games during the season, like a business person on trips.
During the offseason, a regular player could take a vacation with the family, but what awaits Gan Guoyang is a massive amount of business and social activities.
The private time left for them to be alone together is like a sponge squeezed dry, rough and full of holes.
Being able to sit shoulder to shoulder on the comfy sofa in the basement theater to watch a movie and a game, eating some junk food and drinking soda, has become a great pleasure.
Wang Fuxi took a few bottles of beer from the small cellar, placing them in an iron bucket filled with ice, and holding up her skirt, skipped her way to the basement theater.
Gan Guoyang took the bucket; they both privately liked drinking cheap ice-cold beer, as they were fed up with all kinds of red wines and cocktails at parties.
Everything was ready. Gan Guoyang asked, "The kids are alright, right? They won’t sneak over, right?"
"No, the brother went to the Curry family’s house to play, and my mom took the sister out for a walk. They won’t be back before dinner."
"That’s good, I hope the first and second finals games are held in Portland, otherwise, we’ll have to leave for Miami tomorrow."
"I can come along too."
"I know, but flying back and forth is very tiring, and taking care of two kids is even more troublesome."
Gan Guoyang gave his wife a strong hug, even though there were many housekeepers and bodyguards at home, and his mother-in-law also came to help with the kids.
But as a mother, Wang Fuxi still put in the greatest effort to take care of the children. At the same time, she also had to deal with many of Gan Guoyang’s off-court affairs. Life wasn’t any easier for her than for Gan Guoyang.
She now long shed the greenness of her student days and no longer looked like Joey Wong. Her braid was tied high, wearing a white, fitted short top. Her skin was still as pale as snow, just a bit more plump.
The two snuggled together intimately for a while, then Wang Fuxi suddenly whispered to Gan Guoyang: "Hey, have you noticed that Dad’s been acting a bit strange lately?"
"Which dad?"
"Obviously your dad, not mine, since he’s not here."
As Wang Fuxi said this, Gan Guoyang fell into a brief thought.
"You know, ever since old granduncle passed away, Dad seems like a changed person. Look, he came to Portland to live with us, stopped cooking, closed the restaurant. Every day, instead of studying recipes, he studies basketball strategies. Watches games all the time and wants to discuss them with me; it’s quite unusual. But I think maybe after old granduncle’s death, he sees a lot more clearly and wants to spend more time with his son and grandson, which is actually pretty nice."
"What you said is quite normal; spending more time with family is good. I also want my dad to move to Portland. But Dad has been acting a bit strange lately, and when you’re not at home, I went upstairs twice and found him using the upstairs phone. I thought he was calling Uncle’s family in San Francisco, but when he saw me, he hung up with a somewhat panicked look."
This was the first time Gan Guoyang heard of it. He thought it over and concluded, "Could my dad be dating?! Does he want to find me a mom and give me a complete family?"
Wang Fuxi pinched him hard on the side and said, "Sometimes you just love to talk nonsense, Dad isn’t like that; he doesn’t have that in mind. I’m worried, could Dad be getting scammed, or does someone have something on him as leverage?"
"Leverage, what leverage could my dad have?"
"You fool, your dad’s leverage is you! He would do anything for you. If someone uses something to threaten you, Dad might be left at their mercy."
Wang Fuxi was not just any girl next door; she had seen things by her dad’s side.
In America, society is mixed and chaotic, with all sorts of bizarre people.
While helping Gan Guoyang handle off-court affairs, Wang Fuxi almost daily received some intimidation, threats, or extortion messages.
There are calls, letters, packages, and even people coming to the door. It can be said to be unending.
Most of them are pranks, rackets, or done by people with problems.
There are very few, if not handled carefully, that will lead to unexpected adverse consequences.
Fortunately, Quentin’s security team is very effective, and Wang Fuxi has numerous and tough methods. She often treated journalists with courtesy, but for those with malicious intent, she was never polite.