The Golden Age of Basketball

"Actually, talking to him on the phone was purely a misunderstanding. He dialed the wrong number and called me."

"Later, we ended up chatting quite agreeably. He often called me at night; he seemed to have mistaken me for someone else."

"Oh, by the way, he would buy lottery tickets from me—basketball lottery, which I sold to him~ He always bet on you winning."

The female boss's explanation greatly surprised Gan Guoyang. It turned out they didn't know each other and had never met.

The two were purely "chatting friends." Of course, the female boss helped Gan Youwei place bets on the sports lottery, earning a bit of money from it.

Gan Guoyang never expected that his father would buy basketball lottery tickets. No wonder he always asked about the details of the games.

But why would he do this? Short on money? Impossible.

Too bored? But Gan Youwei had no interest in gambling.

No time to dig into it now. He must first find Gan Youwei.

If he encountered some bad person and got kidnapped, things would really get out of hand.

Afterward, they could only search near the supermarket and then seek help from the police.

They searched from the afternoon until it got dark. Finally, around six o'clock, the police received a call.

A couple in the park near the supermarket found an old man spacing out on a swing, sitting there for a long time.

When asked about his situation, he couldn't remember much, so the couple reported him to the community social worker, who then relayed the information back to the police.

The police informed Gan Guoyang of the situation. After getting the address, he ran frantically towards the community social worker station.

At the station, when he saw Gan Youwei sitting there with a dazed expression, Gan Guoyang slumped to the ground and couldn't stand up for quite a while.

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In the car on the way home, Gan Youwei sat nervously between his son and daughter-in-law, rubbing his hands, saying, "I...I really couldn't remember anything at that time, not even who I was..."

Gan Guoyang was filled with guilt. It was only then that he realized why Gan Youwei had been acting so strangely these days, why he seemed different from before: because he was forgetting, forgetting who he was.

Gan Guoyang had suspected many things: cancer, a new romance, becoming indifferent because of the death of a granduncle; he never thought that his father was forgetting himself.

Forgetting who to call, forgetting to add salt when cooking, forgetting his own interests.

"Dad, when did this start happening?"

"I...can't remember clearly. But today must have been the first time it was like this; I was fine before, just had a poor memory."

Seeing the bewilderment on his father's face, Gan Guoyang's heart felt like it was being cut with a knife. He had neglected his father for too long, way too long.

Busy playing basketball, competing, and attending social events every day; the time he could actually spend with him was painfully little.

In 12 years, was there a single year he truly spent with him completely? Not a single one.

Gan Guoyang held tightly onto Gan Youwei's hand, unwilling to let go.

Suddenly, Gan Youwei asked Quentin for the time, and Quentin told him it was already 7:23 in the evening.

Gan Youwei hurriedly said, "Oh my, you have a game tonight. Go play the game! It's the finals; you can't miss it!"

Gan Guoyang shook his head and said, "No, I'm not going to the game today. I won't play; I'll just stay with you."

Gan Youwei patted his leg and said, "How can you not go? How can you miss the finals? We've got tickets! Hurry, hurry, you can still make it. A lot has happened recently, but life must go on. You have to play; people always have to look forward!"

Gan Guoyang still shook his head. Gan Youwei anxiously said, "You have to go! I...I bet on the Trail Blazers to win tonight. If you don't go, how will they win? I'll lose money!"

Gan Guoyang chuckled and said, "Dad, why are you still gambling? If you get found out, I..."

Gan Youwei said, "It's just a little dabble, really small. I found that just watching the games makes me sleepy. If I bet a bit, it's different; I'll care more about the game. The more I care about the game, the better I'll remember it, and I can... I can remember you too."

Only then did Gan Guoyang realize that the reason Gan Youwei started paying attention to basketball recently was that he was afraid of forgetting his son. He wanted to hold onto what was most important to him.

Gan Guoyang turned his face away, cleared his throat, and said to Quentin, "Quentin, go to the Memorial Coliseum, a bit faster please."

Quentin wiped the corner of his eye and turned towards the Memorial Coliseum.

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Meanwhile, at the Memorial Coliseum, before the game started, fans were surprised to find that Ah Gan wasn't on the court.

Everyone panicked. Could it be that something happened to Ah Gan as well?

If that were really the case, then Portland would truly become a cursed place for winning too many championships.

The on-site reporters were in a frenzy, asking around for news, and no one focused on the game itself anymore.

Various rumors started to spread: some said Ah Gan was bedridden, others said he couldn't bear the departure of his teammates and had committed suicide.

This was perhaps the most chaotic finals in NBA history; the entire arena was filled with anxiety and unease.

Until after seven, before the game began, Tang Jianguo stepped out to address all the fans.

He said that Ah Gan might miss this game due to family reasons. However, he assured that Ah Gan was safe, so there was no need to worry.

The fans temporarily felt relieved, but then what about the game? How was the game supposed to go on?

Three key players, two dead, one absent — what was left to fight? Just surrender.

Portland fans really went through a hellish ordeal from heaven to hell during this time.

Even they questioned if it was because they had won too many championships before that they had to endure such torment.