Reaching Pennsylvania, a new goal!

As the most famous "Su Blower" in Pennsylvania, Maxson had been in high spirits lately—especially after Lower Merion made it all the way to the state finals.

With the rise in sales of the Philadelphia Evening News, Maxson's earlier predictions about Su Feng's future, once dismissed as nonsense, had now taken on an air of foresight.

Even before the final began, the newspaper informed Maxson he had been promoted to chief reporter of the Philadelphia Evening News.

Sometimes life is just wonderfully surprising.

If Maxson's voice were translated into Chinese at that moment, it might say: "If you can get everything you want by acting like a devoted fan, why not?"

"In the quarterfinals and semifinals, we all thought Su was impressive—scoring 31 and 24 points respectively—but… he surprised us yet again in the finals!"

Watching from the stands, Maxson scribbled notes feverishly in his notebook.

"He never tires on the court. Even if he misses one shot, he'll take the next without hesitation.

These are the qualities you need to become an elite shooter. In my opinion, he's already the best in Pennsylvania!"

As a journalist with integrity, Maxson's reporting was always honest and balanced.

"Ah, these evaluations still don't do justice to Su's talent!"

"I'm not sure if people are tired of me praising Su… but he shoots with precision and defends with poise. I really don't know how to criticize him," Maxson thought, sighing in frustration.

Well...

If you could still nitpick Su Feng's performance in earlier games, then this final could only be described as flawless.

On the court, Su Feng—feasting on the sweet passes Kobe dished out—had even forgotten about the [Yangyan] badge.

Because Su Feng had been fed…

Well… never mind!

To Su Feng, shooting was pure joy. Even if he took 50 or 60 shots per game, he wouldn't feel nauseous.

Watching Kobe tirelessly create opportunities and deliver passes in every possible way, Su Feng began to wonder—had he, too, been possessed by a basketball spirit?

Behind-the-back passes, bounce passes, drive-and-kick assists...

Believe it or not, on the night of March 26, 1995, Su Feng received all kinds of dazzling feeds from Kobe.

It felt like seeing the sunrise at 4 a.m. in Los Angeles!

"Su, you hesitated on that shot—you shouldn't have!"

"Su, did you see how I stunned their defense? Stay active off the ball, and I'll get it to you!"

Whenever Kobe flashed his signature "death glare" during the game, Su Feng still couldn't believe the man wearing Lower Merion's No. 33 jersey was…

Kobe Bryant!

Yet, even as a walking "Human Kobe Encyclopedia," Su Feng could never truly understand him.

At that moment, Kobe was completely intoxicated by the joy of racking up assists.

After all, in the previous two games, getting assists had felt like a Herculean task.

So in this game, he was determined to rack up stats the easy way.

"Only Su gets me. Assisting him makes me feel alive!" Kobe thought, already in double digits for assists.

Lower Merion was on the attack.

Swartz, one of the "Three Refusers," may have thought he'd exerted himself enough for one night, so he skipped the cutting move and found himself wide open on the wing.

But when Kobe—holding the ball—glared at him, Swartz sheepishly backed off.

At that moment, Kobe smiled and fired a pinpoint pass to Su Feng, tightly guarded by Eric Catholic's small forward.

Swish—!

Su Feng nailed the shot again.

"This is what team basketball really feels like," he thought.

Kobe Bryant, convinced his playmaking instincts now rivaled those of John Stockton, nodded proudly as Su Feng cashed in another assist.

…

Eric Catholic High School completely collapsed.

They couldn't stop Bryant's drives tonight.

They couldn't make sense of Kobe's unpredictable playmaking either.

Based on how he played in previous games, Kobe seemed ready to charge into the paint and finish it himself.

But then—awkwardly—he dished it out!

To… you?

Exhausted?

Honestly, if Kobe kept passing, maybe it'd make sense. But some of the passes weren't actually good opportunities—yet his teammates still made the shots! So, do you defend it or not?

Of course, the biggest problem tonight was that the Chinese kid on the other team played like a god.

Su Feng lit up Eric Catholic High School.

A true "scorching-hot shooter" performance.

With the final buzzer and the scoreboard showing 80–57, the only thing Eric Catholic's players wanted was to hand over the ball and head home.

The Capital Gymnasium erupted in celebration.

Lower Merion had just won the Pennsylvania High School League Championship for the 1994–95 season!

Notably, it was the school's first state championship in 52 years.

In the game, Su Feng went 19-for-30 from the field, including 6-of-9 on three-pointers and 2-of-3 on free throws. He finished with a game-high 46 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.

Kobe Bryant made 8-of-13 shots, including 1-of-2 on threes and 3-of-6 from the free throw line. He tallied 20 points, 14 rebounds, 18 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals.

Kobe was named both the regular season MVP and Finals MVP of the Pennsylvania High School Basketball League, with season averages of 30.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 4.4 steals, and 3.7 blocks.

Su Feng, who scored 46 points in the final, was selected to the league's All-Star team with season averages of 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 blocks—earning the title of Best Defensive Player of the Season.

After the game, Bryant pulled Su Feng in for a hug.

"Ha ha! Su, we're champions! We did it!"

Well…

Believe it or not, Su Feng's career almost ended before it officially began.

Because Kobe, in a burst of playful "revenge," squeezed him with so much force during the hug that Su Feng nearly passed out.

Cough, cough… "Kobe… I know… we're champions," gasped Su Feng.

When Kobe finally let go, Su Feng drew in the fresh air—his eyes filling with tears.

After the bear hug, Kobe patted Su Feng on the back and said proudly:

"Don't get too emotional. We're defending this title next year!"

Su Feng: "..."

Yep. Lesson learned—never mess with Virgos.

Way too intense!

…

Before the award ceremony, Su Feng, Kobe, and the rest of the Lower Merion crew made sure to thank the fans in attendance—especially Greg—for showing up tonight.

Su Feng truly felt the enthusiasm of the crowd.

Because… he made it back from the auditorium half-naked.

Especially thanks to those quiet, studious female students who usually just glance his way from a distance.

The group of girls who had traveled all the way from Philadelphia to support Lower Merion looked like they might yank down Su Feng's underwear then and there.

Luckily, at a critical moment, his faithful partner Swartz stepped in—wearing the expression of "let go of that boy, if you're bold enough, come at me instead."

Seeing Su Feng in such an awkward state, Kobe burst out laughing like a pig.

"You okay?" he asked, still trying to stifle his chuckles.

Su Feng nodded. Actually, when he thought about it, he didn't feel so bad—after all, it was a crowd of young girls.

If it had been a group of guys, he felt he might've developed a lasting trauma.

"Ah… being too handsome really is a burden," Su Feng muttered as he adjusted his clothes.

…

On the scene, right after greeting the fans, the award ceremony began.

Kobe Bryant, dressed in a white Lower Merion uniform and wearing a championship cap, lifted the state championship trophy high amid deafening cheers.

Then, he received the Finals MVP trophy from the deputy mayor of Harrisburg.

During his acceptance speech, Bryant became emotional and choked up multiple times.

Watching from the side, Su Feng was also deeply moved.

It was, after all, a youth journey coming full circle. And clearly, Kobe was no longer the composed player we'd seen on the court—he was, in that moment, just a 16-year-old boy.

Kobe began by thanking his parents, teammates, and coaches...

But he hadn't mentioned Su Feng yet.

Because—

"Tonight, I want to thank someone very special," he said.

"That's my teammate—Su."

"I met him last summer while he was playing on my home court.

After watching his awful game, I wanted to step up and tell him, 'Hey man, this is my spot.'

But unexpectedly, he turned to me and said, 'If you want to prove this court is yours, beat me one-on-one—then I'll believe you.'

I was furious at the time. But later, after learning about his dream, I realized—we're the same kind of person.

This past year, we practiced together every single day—except when we were eating or sleeping.

To me, he's not just my teammate, not just my greatest support—but my best friend.

Thank you, my brother, Su!"

Su Feng admitted later: had Kobe not used the phrase "greatest support," he probably would've cried right there.

But regardless—that was Kobe speaking from the heart.

Who knows—maybe one day, people will shed tears when they hear this story.

Compared to Kobe's heartfelt speech, Su Feng's was much simpler when it was his turn to speak.

His single sentence—"Hope to defend the title next year"—was the entirety of his championship address.

"That's so Su," Kobe muttered to himself from the side, smiling as he watched Su's usual cool composure.

…

At Capital Stadium, Lower Merion's championship ceremony lasted a full 2 hours and 37 minutes.

In Su Feng's previous life—as a senior during Kobe Bryant's high school days—Swartz, the "toolman," once recalled that Lower Merion was so wildly popular at the time, they walked around like the Beatles.

Now, with Su Feng joining the roster, Lower Merion was even more popular.

From Su Feng's perspective, the fervor in Pennsylvania seemed like something only time could calm down.

After securing the high school league championship, Su Feng had officially earned a meaningful entry on his basketball resume:

Member of the best team in the Pennsylvania High School LeagueBest Defensive Player of the SeasonState Champion

Su Feng knew that if he hoped to jump straight to the NBA without going through college, his resume was still a bit light.

But that didn't bother him—he had time to grow.

Thinking ahead to the summer and the long hours of practice ahead, Su Feng glanced over at Kobe.

Right then, Kobe was tucked away in a corner, clutching the trophy and snickering at Su Feng like a mischievous kid.

The look on Kobe's face brought a surge of joy to Su Feng—it reminded him of that one photo from his previous life, where Kobe hid in the bathroom, quietly crying after winning the NBA title.

"Next up… upgrade the 7.0 system and unlock my full potential!" Su Feng told himself.

He was curious—what new abilities would appear in the 7.0 version?

He'd already unlocked some skills, but still couldn't view others—like dribbling stats.

Not to mention core attributes like speed, agility, and vertical.

In short: the road ahead was long—and it was time to step into it with determination.

"Yeah… pushing hard and progressing step by step is my style.

And now—I have Kobe with me," Su Feng murmured, deeply moved.