Chapter Two: Every Fortune Has a Price

That afternoon, the team held its preseason analytics meeting. Su Tang, a newly hired salary-model analyst, entered in a white shirt, her short hair neat. Her first slide was not a play diagram but a chart of abnormal retirements over the past decade. “Twenty-eight maximum-salary players developed cardiac, neurological, or autoimmune disease during the third year of their contracts,” she said. “That is 9.7 times the rate among ordinary players. Our workload models are missing a variable.” Zhao Chi cut her off. “We're here to discuss rotations, not conspiracy theories.” Su Tang calmly changed slides. When she sat down, her gaze lingered on Lu Chen.