Phone's ringtone

"Why?!" Bosh was puzzled, and Wade's gaze shifted to LeBron.

LeBron set the newspaper aside and explained, "19 games, 5 game-winners, every time the team is in a dire situation, when it's crunch time, down by just 1-2 points, he always steps up, executes an offense, and turns the game around with a clutch shot.

There's no doubt about the rookie Carlos's 'big heart' and his ability to hit key shots.

However...

To hit these clutch shots, to secure these game-winners, there's a prerequisite: the score must be tight at the end, and more often, they must be trailing.

That sets the stage for a game-winner.

This also implies that strong teams like the Lakers and Spurs can take the Suns down to the wire, suggesting that the Suns' overall strength isn't that overwhelming.

Because...

A truly strong team would wrap up the game by the third quarter or at least have a commanding lead early in the fourth, not even giving the opponent a chance for a game-winner.

So...

The Suns are not as formidable as imagined. Once we encounter them, we just need to take the initiative, dominate within three quarters or burst out at the start of the fourth. Even if Carlos is strong, he won't have a chance."

"Yes..."

After listening, Bosh and Wade nodded in agreement.

LeBron stood up, smiled faintly, and said, "It's undeniable, Carlos is a trailblazing and formidable rookie, but sorry... this season belongs to us Heat."

"Of course..."

"That's right, we came together for the championship."

The three exchanged a knowing smile, their eyes ablaze with passion.

...

Today is the last day of 2010.

After defeating the Spurs, the Suns would have a 3-day rest period around New Year's, but the media and online buzz about the Suns and Carlos didn't rest.

Of course...

Aside from the Suns and Carlos, the NBA schedule, All-Star voting, and other matters continued as usual.

As for Carlos...

After flying back to Phoenix with the team overnight, he ignored world affairs, caught up on sleep, and woke up at 10 a.m., slightly earlier than usual.

"Beep beep—"

Just as he was waking up...

He noticed a text message alert.

Upon checking, Carlos was delighted. The message indicated that Adidas was about to pay him—1.2 million US dollars, equivalent to about 8 million Mexican pesos.

5 years, 100 million; 20 million a year; roughly 1.67 million a month—after some complex tax deductions, a net amount of 1.2 million dollars was reasonable.

Earning 8 million pesos just by sleeping.

That felt incredibly good!

Payday always brought Carlos in a great mood.

However, Carlos was well aware that money comes with responsibilities, and within a few minutes, his phone rang. Adidas requested his presence for a shoot.

Adidas was mindful of the demanding NBA schedule.

Thus... Carlos wouldn't have to work every day, only when there was a rest period of 2 days or more, and that's when Adidas would schedule him for shoots and recordings.

"Let's go!"

Having been an office worker in his past life, Carlos wasn't adverse to working; after all, compared to his previous job where he earned less, had fewer holidays, and worked overtime frequently, his current situation was blissful—more money, more holidays, and no overtime.

After getting ready, Carlos went to work.

At five in the evening...

Carlos left work on time and felt increasingly uncomfortable not having a car as he took a cab home.

"This won't do. I need to move purchasing a car up my list of priorities; it's inconvenient and wastes the money I spent getting a driver's license."

Indeed...

Carlos had a driver's license.

Getting a driver's license in the United States involves both a written test and a road test, and while it's not expensive, there is usually a wait time depending on the number of people taking the test.

Carlos doesn't have any issues with driving skills; it's just a matter of time. To speed up the process of getting his license, he had Austin find someone, and with a hefty sum, he became a 'VIP' client. He completed the process in half a day and got his license within three days. This made Carlos realize that no matter where you are, 'financial capability' is one of the quickest ways to solve problems.

Having acquired his driver's license…

Carlos was now missing only one thing—a car.

...

At 8 p.m.…

Carlos, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, settled onto the sofa and turned on the TV, ready to watch a live NBA game?!

No…

After drawing the curtains and dimming the lights to a soft glow, Carlos set the mood and searched for the movie "The Ring 2: The Curse of Sadako", then played it.

Yes…

Carlos enjoyed watching horror movies—

As the plot thickened, the protagonist, Mai Takano, investigating the cause of her boyfriend's death, arrives at an attic, a house and loft filled with a chilly and unsettling atmosphere.

While walking through a corridor and looking for further clues, she suddenly sees a woman combing her hair in front of a round mirror on the wall. The woman's pale cheeks and eerie smile through the reflection are unsettling.

Takano is also creeped out when suddenly her pupils dilate, and she slowly looks behind. The camera follows, turning slowly to her back, along with a spine-chilling soundtrack.

Absolutely terrifying…

Carlos, highly tense, clenches his fist, wondering if Sadako is about to appear with her hair disheveled and face distorted.

But just then…

"Beep beep beep—"

His phone's ringtone suddenly goes off.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Damn it—"

Carlos jumps, his body curling up reflexively as he yells out an expletive!

"Heh… heh…"

Panting heavily, it takes him a moment to catch his breath, then he picks up his phone, ready to curse out whoever decided to call and scare him at this precise moment.

But he sees it's Cindy.

He resigns to answer the call, "Cindy…"

"Hmm?"

On the other end, Cindy, hearing his voice, asks, "Carlos… what's with you? Why are you out of breath? Are you feeling okay?!"

"No, I'm watching a movie."

"Ah—"

Realizing, Cindy laughs, "Carlos, were you watching a horror movie, and my call just happened to scare you?!"

WTF?

How did she know?

But considering his pride, Carlos retorts dismissively, "No way, how could that be possible."

"Hehehe—"

Cindy laughs, choosing not to delve deeper into the topic, "Carlos, congrats on the win yesterday, as your fan, I watched the whole game. Wow!

It was thrilling, very exciting!

I thought you were going to lose for a moment there, but you turned the game around. How come I never realized you had such strong basketball skills before? Tell me… what have you been through these past few years I've been at school?!"

"Heh heh!"

Carlos replies with a chuckle, "Look at my height, as long as I train hard, naturally I play well."

"Uh… guess that makes sense—"

"By the way, Cindy, how's it going with the drama crew?"

"It's pretty good; I've joined a crew. Although it's a very small role, it's a good start. Wait… hold on, that's not right. Carlos, how did you know I joined a drama crew?"

Cindy is puzzled. She hasn't told anyone yet, and Carlos is the first to know.

"Hehe!"

Carlos laughs, "Because you're my cousin, and we have a blood connection, there's a kind of intuition. Just by the tone of your voice, I knew."

"Cheesy… I bet you're just guessing."

"Really—"

Cindy has a disbelieving look, laughing as she calls him out, "Carlos, did you forget that we're not blood-related, huh? So… keep making up stories."