One Year Left to Play

Chapter 503 - 152: W-Wait a Minute!

"This is an opportunity!"

Zhang Hao wasn’t anxious yet, but Aprile Clark felt she was losing control...

Aprile Clark approached Zhang Hao, nervously saying, "Aix, don’t overthink it. Didn’t you say before, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it... Let me give you a head massage, relax a bit."

As she spoke, Aprile Clark held onto Zhang Hao’s neck and pulled him in her direction.

Zhang Hao didn’t have much time to think, and he leaned over, landing on the sofa, his legs naturally draping over it, with his calves hanging off the armrest...

"Is this a head massage? Something feels off?"

The warmth and touch of the opposite sex ignited a suppressed fire in Zhang Hao’s heart...

...

...

Right after the All-Star weekend, the Lakers lost a game, dropping to 38 wins and 10 losses. With the SuperSonics winning their first game after the All-Star weekend, the Lakers’ lead shrank to just 0.5 games.

The night they lost to the Hawks, Zhang Hao was restless in the living room, on the stairs, in the hallway on the second floor, in the bathroom in the bedroom, on the balcony, the sofa... it was unknown how long he was tossing about.

He was happy, but the media was busily writing away that night. By the next morning, after the Lakers’ three-game winning streak was broken, they were being underestimated again.

"The Lakers Don’t Have a True Superstar"

That was today’s topic concerning the Lakers.

The public opinion was roughly this: The Lakers have two All-Star starters, but neither is the kind of player who can single-handedly turn a game around. The Magician is too old, Zhang Hao is too green.

Zhang Hao’s personal talent and occasional outbursts were acknowledged, but his youth was particularly emphasized.

This statement didn’t conflict with Zhang Hao’s repeated buzzer-beaters over Jordan in the All-Star game, his three buzzer-beaters against Jordan this season, or his explosive three-quarter 60+ triple-double against the New York Knicks.

At around 8 in the morning, Zhang Hao got up and, while waiting for Aprile Clark to make breakfast in the living room, he leafed through a few subscribed newspapers. The viewpoints expressed by these papers were similar.

"So, because I’m a rookie, it’s harder to criticize me if I play okay, and they just target our team? Well done! But I can’t slack off. The Lakers’ brand, although it brings me a lot of attention, also means that when we don’t play well, there’s more negative news than on other teams... I’m really jealous of Garnett. When he plays well, people applaud him, when he doesn’t, they just ignore it..."

While grumbling, Zhang Hao saw Aprile Clark carrying a tray to the dining table with a wiggle and couldn’t help but reach out his hand again...

"I can’t do it anymore, Aix, you don’t even eat properly... ah... I can barely walk now... you still have a game tomorrow... sob sob sob..."

After a while, the two were lying on the floor, with Aprile Clark resting her head on Zhang Hao’s arm, swallowing hard, and wiping the corners of her mouth...

"Really over the top, usually you act like a gentleman and dodge even when I hold your hand, but now you act like a pervert."

"..."

"Heh, you’ve been eyeing me for a long time, haven’t you? Aix, you must like me a lot too, right? But why haven’t you said anything?"

Faced with this question, Zhang Hao was silent for quite a while, eventually saying, "I have an illness..."

"You have an illness? But... You are really capable! Much more than I heard."

"..."

"..."

After a long pause, Zhang Hao still didn’t say what he impulsively wanted to say earlier. Thinking about it, he hugged Aprile Clark and said, "My line of work is very injury-prone. What if I die early one day?"

Is it that extreme? Aprile Clark thought Zhang Hao’s notion was awfully dramatic, something she could describe with a Chinese idiom—worrying unnecessarily.

Aprile Clark indeed thought Zhang Hao was being unnecessarily worried.

But at this moment, no matter what Zhang Hao said, Aprile Clark took it as a good word, especially after a night of fun...

Thinking it over, Aprile Clark earnestly said, "You do have a point. What if you get injured in some critical part? Let’s hurry and have a child!"

"Isn’t that a bit rash?"

"Not at all, I originally planned to have a child at 18, but now I’m 19, and you still haven’t gotten me pregnant. If you’re so worried, let’s have a child early, so if anything happens to you, I can raise our child properly."

"...We’ve only just started dating!"

"It’s your fault for taking so long... If you had taken the initiative, I might’ve been giving birth by now!"

This logic, Zhang Hao was impressed!

Zhang Hao sat up with Aprile Clark in his arms, eyeing her curvaceous, toned body teasingly: "Are you sure you want more?"

When she was lifted up, Aprile Clark hurriedly said, "Let me rest for a while! I can wait a few more days to have a baby..."

At this point, Zhang Hao was realizing the benefits of Renal Function Enhancement, but this girl couldn’t take much more... needing a distraction, he asked, "Aren’t you supposed to be in school today?"

A rather abrupt change of topic... but Aprile Clark seemed used to it, resting her head on Zhang Hao’s chest as she said, "I need to catch up on sleep..."

Suddenly remembering something, Aprile Clark bit Zhang Hao’s chest and said, "I heard you helped Britney transfer to our school?"

Instantly, Zhang Hao felt like the living room had turned into a vinegar factory. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now how could he not realize?

"Aprile, Britney is only 15 years old! What are you thinking!"