Gan Guoyang noticed Carl's nervousness; he wouldn't return to the hotel with the rest of the team but would instead head directly to the airport to fly to New York for the sixth hearing.
As they parted, Gan Guoyang held Carl's arm and said, "Rick, you're overly tense. It's just 2:1, we're in the lead; it's not a big issue at all."
Carl took a deep breath, saying, "I know, I know, but… we have a lot of problems, and my control… I feel it's not enough. And… you know, you're going to New York."
Gan Guoyang patted Carl on the shoulder; he knew this season hadn't been easy for Carl. The regular season was full of twists and turns, various rotations, tactics, and strategies had been changed repeatedly. Honestly, even by the end, they hadn't found an optimal solution, and managing to have 57 wins was already quite an achievement. In the playoffs, they had to take one step at a time.
It's hard to imagine that the Trail Blazers, the defending champions eyeing a three-peat, the league's powerhouse for over a decade, would change their starting lineup in the first three games of the first round, indicating their core roster still had not fully taken shape.
Without saying much, Gan Guoyang pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Carl, saying, "Rick, this is my secret strategy for you. Don't open it now, but wait for the most critical moment in the fourth game. It'll tell you how to win. Remember, don't open it early, trust me, Rick."
Carl grasped the piece of paper in his palm, skeptically glanced at it, then looked at Gan Guoyang's resolute eyes. He knew that trusting Ah Gan was the best choice at this moment.
"Alright, I understand. I'll open it at the most dangerous moment."
They bid each other farewell, and Gan Guoyang got into the special car heading to the airport, flying to New York in the early morning.
-----------------
There was a one-day gap between the third and fourth games on May 1st. Gan Guoyang spent the day in New York preparing for the sixth hearing.
He had already received news that the investigation committee might "return the favor" by prolonging speeches to waste time, preventing Gan Guoyang from attending the game on the evening of the 2nd.
In response, Gan Guoyang actively used all his open and covert connections to solve this potentially emerging issue.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers had to face the high probability of Gan Guoyang's absence, and Carl conducted a full team tactical training on the 1st.
Perhaps due to the immense pressure, or because he relied too much on veteran stars, Carl decided to start Charles Barkley in the fourth game, pairing him with Jermaine O'Neal as the inside combo.
The other two members of the coaching staff didn't quite agree with Carl's decision, believing it would be more secure to start Sabonis first. However, the pressure seemed to have ignited Carl's gambling nature, and he insisted on starting Barkley.
There's also a possibility that Gan Guoyang's secret strategy gave Carl confidence; he kept the note close for the past two days, occasionally taking it out to rub and gaze at it, as if it contained the magic of victory.
At 2 PM on May 2nd, the sixth hearing on Gan Guoyang's espionage case took place at New York City Hall. If it ended on time, before 5 PM, Gan Guoyang would immediately rush to the airport to catch a private flight to Minnesota, potentially arriving for the second half or the fourth quarter of the game.
Once the time exceeded 6 PM, unless Gan Guoyang had Doraemon's Anywhere Door, it would be challenging for him to make it to the game, leaving him powerless over the outcome.
Obviously, the investigation committee had no desire for such a quick conclusion. Just minutes into the hearing, Representative Cox interrupted the normal proceedings, stepping up to the podium to deliver a speech summarizing the doubts surrounding the espionage case.
Due to severe injuries in his lower body, he brought a custom iron stand to support him at the podium. This speech didn't need to be long—over an hour could potentially cause the hearing to overrun.
Gan Guoyang protested, claiming this wasn't the normal procedure, but the investigation committee deemed the protest invalid, noting that Gan Guoyang had the opportunity to speak for 18 hours last time.
Cox showed a hint of a smug smile, slowly opening his speech manuscript, clearing his throat to deliver his rhetoric.
However, the speech lasted barely fifteen minutes before Cox's expression turned serious. He then stepped down from the podium to consult with the committee.
Two minutes later, Cox disappeared from the podium, and the hearing continued. The other committee members showed little interest in disrupting the process; they had long been weary of this seemingly endless hearing.
The case had already exhausted its media exposure, becoming a tedious soap opera in the public's eyes, tangled with personal vendettas between Ah Gan and Cox.
As the relations between the two countries continued to improve, the investigation hearing surrounding Gan Guoyang was gradually turning into a reluctant showcase, with the committee waiting for an opportunity to conclude it.
The right time to end it should be after the 2000 election, when everything settles, rendering this grand show unnecessary.
As time ticked away, Gan Guoyang kept checking his watch, while Cox didn't reappear after leaving, prompting Gan Guoyang to wonder if he had died.
This hearing lasted two and a half hours and concluded at 4:30 PM, with everyone breathing a sigh of relief as they packed up and left as if they were clocking off from work.
Gan Guoyang immediately exited City Hall, got into a prepared car, and drove into the underground parking lot of a nearby skyscraper. He got out of the car, took the elevator straight from the basement to the top floor.