Chapter 153: Seeing an Interview Again

Chapter 153: Another Interview

The God of Wind, who had posted the day's best score of 818, knew after his third round in Group B that his hopes of reaching the provincial finals were slim.

That Tower of a man had just scored 827 in his third round!

Hitting 820+ was no mere stroke of luck; it was simply his standard performance.

Meanwhile, the competitor in Group A who had the potential to crack the 800-point barrier had essentially given up on the provincial finals before Meng Fan’s third round. Yet, perhaps due to a relaxed mindset, he performed exceptionally well, not only breaking the 800 mark but achieving a personal best of 809.

"Zhouwei."

After watching Meng Fan’s third round, Wu Tong, who knew a little about arcade basketball, realized Meng Fan would surely advance in first place. Curious, she asked Zhang Zhouwei, "Was he always this good at arcade basketball before?"

"I’ve never seen him go to an arcade, let alone play these machines," Zhang Zhouwei replied after a brief pause, adding, "Ever since he started running with you, I find him increasingly hard to read."

Xing Tage and Chen Daqiang nodded in fervent agreement.

Wu Tong smiled at this. Knowing nothing of Meng Fan’s past, she didn't grasp what they meant by "hard to read." Had she known, she might have realized that the only thing in his recent changes linked to her was the running.

If that were the case, her confusion might have only deepened.

Confusion over what?

Confusion over Meng Fan’s transformation.

Zhang Zhouwei and the others assumed Meng Fan’s changes were all tied to Wu Tong. If she knew his history, she would realize his evolution had little to do with her, leading her to wonder why he had changed so drastically.

She might have treated it as a "subject" for deeper study, perhaps uncovering more of his unusual qualities.

But without that context, Wu Tong could only attribute everything to Meng Fan’s hand speed.

Fast at drawing, fast at shooting.

As for accuracy, that could be practiced.

Though Zhang Zhouwei hadn't seen him play before, it didn't rule out the possibility that Meng Fan had played many times in secret.

"Lord Tower, sugoi!"

Amidst the cheers of Qu Jingjing and her three fellow maids, Meng Fan, having secured his spot in the next round, walked over. He waved his hand to signal the maid corps to keep it down, then said with a smile, "I asked—the second round of the singles starts after the first rounds of the men’s and mixed doubles, around 12:30. Should we find somewhere to eat and wait, or watch the men’s doubles first?"

They had all come for Meng Fan, so the matches mattered little. But since they were there and had time, they decided to watch the men’s doubles before heading out.

"Hello, I’m a reporter from Qiantang TV. Could we conduct a brief interview?" A female reporter approached with a camera crew.

The CGL Basketball Championship had a decent reputation, and Qiantang TV wasn't about to miss out on footage from the Hangzhou leg. Media had been staked out early, some even invited by the organizers.

As the most outstanding player in Hangzhou so far, Meng Fan naturally drew attention.

"Another interview!"

"Is this the second time our Fat Meng has been interviewed?"

"Print media last time, TV this time. You’re amazing, Fatty!"

"This reporter is much prettier than the last one."

"Hmph, this cameraman isn't as cool as the tattooed guy from last time!"

"Hahaha, is Fat Meng serious about being a lifelong basketball fan?"

"Not that kind of fan—Fat Meng’s original name is Meng Xiaoxin."

"Got it!"

"But his comment about being too big to play real basketball, so he plays arcade instead... well, that’s very honest!"

Usually, media interest would peak after a champion was crowned, but Meng Fan’s presence was too strong, and his victory seemed inevitable. After the Qiantang TV crew finished, other outlets began to swarm.

They figured they might as well interview him early; if this Tower of a man with his maid corps left immediately after the tournament, they would miss their chance.

"Um, can I go eat first?"

With the men’s doubles over, Meng Fan panicked as more reporters approached. It wasn't that there were many batches—only four or five—but for some reason, these "brief" interviews always dragged on for over ten minutes, turning into full-blown talk shows. Was it because they had nothing else to do until the end of the day?

Meng Fan looked closely; the cameras seemed to be rolling the whole time.

"Bro, if you really don't want to be interviewed, you can just sit in the player lounge," Da Fei said, flipping him off. "Reporters aren't allowed in there. By standing out here like this, you're basically telling everyone you're a wildflower waiting to be picked!"

Meng Fan stared for a long time before saying, "I’m a straightforward person, but that doesn't mean I want my friends to be so blunt!"

Da Fei cackled, "I don't think I can ever be straight again."

After the group returned from lunch, Meng Fan, seemingly ignoring Da Fei’s words, stood with Wu Tong watching the matches.

Did he dislike interviews?

A little.

But there was still the [News Figure] task. The first sub-task required being reported on by local media ten times, rewarding him with +1 Presence and +1 Charisma. The former didn't matter, but the latter was crucial!

The task wasn't difficult, but it required an opportunity. Since he had one today, he hoped for more interviews. Even if an interview didn't guarantee a report, it certainly increased the odds.

Yes, there were two more outlets left; he had to wait for them.

His earlier desire to flee was simply because he was genuinely hungry.

"Looks like you really want to be interviewed."

As the second round of the men’s singles began, Meng Fan stepped back into the fray. Da Fei saw him and gave him another middle finger.

Meng Fan chuckled and asked Da Fei, "The interviews are happening, but how do I get them to actually publish the reports?"

"You want to be famous that badly?" Da Fei asked.

Meng Fan couldn't explain the real reason, so he shrugged, "It’s not a bad thing."

Da Fei scoffed, "Break the tournament record, and the reports will follow."