It truly is a fine tradition. He would rather stay by Ah Gan’s side, managing the security company while providing personal protection and attentive service for Ah Gan.
He enjoys this life and is willing to continue living like this until he can no longer hold a gun and can no longer protect Ah Gan.
Nevada’s warm morning light shone on them, tranquil and comfortable. They stayed silent for a long time, quietly munching on steamed buns and fried chicken.
The sun climbed higher and higher, and the sunlight gradually became scorching. Quentin opened the sunshade on the small balcony. In the dry Nevada, being in the shade quickly brought some coolness.
"Quentin," said Gan Guoyang.
"Yeah."
"The last season."
"What?"
"This season will be my last season."
Quentin stopped chewing, thought for a while, and said, "You’re not making a third comeback, are you?"
"No, I won’t. I don’t have the capacity for that anymore. My back hurts a lot."
"I know, I know, I wish I could bear that pain for you."
"The reality is, you are just eating the burgers for me."
Both of them laughed, and Quentin continued, "Have you told Fosse yet?"
"Not yet, it was a sudden decision."
"Oh God, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. You should have discussed it with her first, otherwise, she will be angry. If she finds out you didn’t tell her first but told me, she will kill me, really. So I’ll forget about this."
"Don’t be so tense, Quentin. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and that very moment, I made the decision. When I woke up this morning, my back hurt so much that I couldn’t move; I even forgot who I was. When I remembered, I told myself it was time to say goodbye and move on to the next phase."
Quentin nodded and said, "To be honest, you should have retired back in 2003 when you won the championship with Michael. Of course, I know it was for the old man; if you didn’t play, he would almost forget everything. But moving forward, you can’t keep playing until you’re 50, right? The old man has returned to San Francisco now. He seems fine there. You should retire early and return to San Francisco with him, maybe open a restaurant and work as a chef; it’s a good choice."
"What about Las Vegas? Would you take over?"
"Me? Forget it. I’m your bodyguard, not your lieutenant. You could control the whole city in San Francisco just the same, I swear, you could."
"That’s not the main point. The point is, I have no regrets, except for winning another championship."
Quentin almost spit out the food in his mouth. He coughed a few times, drank some water, and said, "Boss, you can’t be too greedy! Look at me, I’ve always been content. I just want to stay by your side, water some plants, weed a bit, occasionally take a vacation and have a drink, and I’m happy. You already have 11 championships; you can’t even wear them all on your hands, so what’s the point?"
Gan Guoyang stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth and said, "Because the bun that can fill me up hasn’t been swallowed yet. This year is my last chance. I don’t want to end my basketball career in pointless complacency. If I didn’t want to win the championship, I should’ve retired after losing to the Trail Blazers in ’04. Why fight until now? I know my condition best. I’ll have a good state for one last season, so I must go for the championship."
Quentin shrugged and said, "Anyway, the title of all-time scoring leader is yours, so you can play however you want."
"I’m not doing this for stats."
"I know, if you were doing it for stats, your back wouldn’t be this injured. You defended too aggressively, fell too hard. The young guys today are getting more and more impetuous and reckless."
"Can’t blame them; young people always want to make a name for themselves."
After chatting for a while, Gan Guoyang decided at that simple breakfast table that this would be his last season as a player and that there would be no third comeback.
It was already October 31, 2006; the opening game of the 2006-2007 season was about to begin tonight.
Gan Guoyang was 42 years old. After achieving a miraculous championship win with Michael Jordan in 2003, he persisted in the league for three more seasons.
Returning to the Western Conference’s Glory Team, they were pursued and blocked by the Western Conference powerhouses—Kobe, Garnett, Nowitzki, Rashid Wallace—all trying to defeat Ah Gan for the ultimate glory.
"Dr. Carter is here, waiting for you in the therapy room."
"Okay, let him wait for a moment, I’ll be right there."
Soon, Gan Guoyang arrived at the therapy room, where Dr. Carter was waiting.
He had Gan Guoyang lie on the bed, did some simple checks, and inquired about Gan Guoyang’s recent condition.
"Actually, your physical issues aren’t that severe. Your bodily recovery ability is amazingly good. You don’t need any surgery; what you need is a whole year of rest, no games, no physical training, just simple exercise. In a year, you will be fully recovered and free from the pain," said Dr. Carter.
He often marveled at Gan Guoyang’s robust body, the perfect muscle and bone structure, which remained intact despite many years of wear and tear.
The biggest issue was the sustained fatigue and chronic inflammation. As Gan Guoyang aged, his recovery ability worsened, and an off-season wasn’t enough to restore him to his prime anymore.
Under such circumstances, Gan Guoyang persisted with moderate training, continued to adjust his techniques, and strengthened his muscles and weight to adapt to the league’s rules and environment.
The consecutive three seasons of failure were tough to accept. Many fans urged Ah Gan to retire early, just like Bill Russell did, leaving perfectly after winning his 11th crown in 1969, not giving young players the chance to defeat him.