Chapter One: The Number After Two Hundred Million

He stood and tore off his warm-up shirt. Gao Yuan had just come off the floor, his face unnaturally pale. The league scoring champion did not offer a high five. He only muttered, “Don't touch the line in front of the owner's seats.” Lu Chen did not understand. The whistle blew. He stepped onto the court. On the first possession, the opposing guard dribbled casually across half court. Lu Chen watched the man's shoulders, not the ball. Seven years on the bench had not taught him to accept defeat. They had simply given him time to study everyone: who drove left when leading, who touched a back tooth with his tongue when nervous, whose cross-court pass lagged three tenths of a second behind his eyes. The guard touched his tooth.