Chapter 1 After the Storm

After putting up luxurious stats against the Clippers and leading the team to a ten-game winning streak, ESPN, TNT, and many other sports media outlets put Tang Tian on the front page of their news for the first time.

"Tang Crazy is happening in San Antonio, defending the title? Determined!"

The news headline, coupled with Tang Tian's signature "the.silencer" celebration, instantly exploded on social media.

"James Harden, averaging 26.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, the Rockets are 3 wins and 7 losses; Tang Tian, averaging 23.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals, the Spurs are 10 wins and 0 losses!"

"What.the.fxck! The Godfather is averaging 23 points this season?!"

"And close to 5 assists, more than 2 steals."

"Congratulations in advance to the Godfather for winning the first monthly best of the 2012-2013 season! This will be the first time in his career!"

"We've focused too much attention on Harden, but ignored the progress Tang has made this season."

"And in fact, Tang's performance is more stable than Harden's. He has scored 20+ points in ten consecutive games, and he is the most crucial figure in the Spurs' ten-game winning streak."

"Quietly, you didn't even notice, this is really the Spurs."

"Now let's focus some attention on the Spurs and Tang, Tang Crazy!"

"Tang Crazy, I like this, just like Linsanity, let us cheer for this great performance!"

"So, have the Spurs found Duncan's successor?"

"Yes, I am now very confident that the Spurs can defend their title this season!"

"The strongest person is already in the lineup, what reinforcements are needed!"

"Hehe, just a system player." A comment from a "Godfather Fan" user.

"Where did this troll come from! Isn't this Durant's alt account?"

"You're Durant's alt account! Your whole family is Durant's alt account!" A comment from a "Godfather Fan" user.

"This tone of voice feels very familiar."

"Almost all the points are three-pointers, relying on the Spurs' other players to draw away defenders to have so many shooting opportunities, and it's only been 10 games, a bunch of NBA losers!" A comment from a "Godfather Fan" user.

"Alt account, no doubt..."

...

Because of his style of play, Tang Tian's games aren't the most visually appealing, but his record and stats are equally attractive.

After 10 games, Tang Crazy has attracted more attention than Harden's crazy scoring performances.

"I never realized he was so good at scoring, you know I drafted him to play defense."

"In fact, I'm surprised Tang hasn't come to us for his new contract yet, at least so far, he's still coming to work on time."

Popovich said in good spirits in front of reporters, teasing Tang Tian.

After finishing the game with the Clippers, the Spurs finally ushered in a rare 4-day break.

Because it was connected to Thanksgiving, Popovich gave the team a 2-day mini-vacation.

A rare 2-day mini-vacation, but Tang Tian would be very busy.

His endorsement contract with Coca-Cola was expiring, and the new renewal contract ran into trouble. He had to sit down with Fagen and the people from Nike to discuss the new contract.

Moreover, Olsen's "The Martian" premiere would be on Thanksgiving Day, and Olsen had invited him to attend.

"Now Coca-Cola is trying to get us to agree to a four-year, $12 million renewal contract."

On the way to the negotiation, Fagen was telling Tang Tian about the current progress of the discussion.

$3 million a year, Coca-Cola was really willing to spend money, just like when they signed him last year.

But this was also reasonable. The $2 million contract last year looked big, but they earned several times that amount.

Especially in China, market share exceeded 90%, and Tang Tian's popularity allowed them to completely dominate the Chinese market.

Having tasted the sweetness, they would naturally be more willing to spend.

Moreover, Tang Tian's crazy performance in the first ten games made them want to renew a long-term contract.

"What about a short-term contract?"

Tang Tian asked.

"Two million a year, they have been unwilling to increase the price of the short-term contract."

Fagen continued.

Tang Tian nodded, this attitude clearly showed that they wanted to sign a long-term contract with him.

"That means they can still raise the price of the long-term contract?" Tang Tian thought for a moment and then asked.

Fagen nodded.

"Renew the long-term contract, try to negotiate the price to $3.5 million a year." Tang Tian finally made a decision.

"A long-term contract is not cost-effective for us, especially since you will be entering the free agent market next summer." Fagen reminded.

"I know, but we need such a contract, with a high base salary, cost-effective, so that we can attract more and bigger endorsement contracts."

After hearing this, Fagen was stunned for a moment, and after understanding, he gave Tang Tian a thumbs up.

After more than a year of getting along, he found that Tang Tian was not only a player, but also had a well-developed business mind.

Arriving at the negotiation place, Fagen began to show his negotiation skills.

"Tang is very likely to be selected for the All-Star Game this season, you have seen his past performances, and this is just the beginning."

"Even if he can't this season, he will be selected at most next season. Whether he continues to stay with the Spurs or not, I will ask the team for more shots and a higher team status."

"Don't forget, this is only his second year as a rookie. Who have you seen as crazy as him as a rookie?"

"Yes, he is still young, but it is precisely because he is young and has made such great progress that he appears different."

"If you really don't want to significantly increase the annual salary of the long-term contract, then let's have a short-term contract. To be honest, if we turn to Pepsi-Cola now, the price they offer will definitely be more than this."

"This is the best result for both of us. You don't want the popularity accumulated over the past year, especially in the Chinese market, to directly return to zero in the new year, right?"

...

After a round of verbal sparring, Fagen finally negotiated a new contract with Coca-Cola.

$14.4 million for 4 years, $3.6 million per year, $100,000 higher than Tang Tian's expected price.

Fagen's negotiation skills really saved him a lot of trouble.

Coming out of the negotiation room, Tang Tian and Fagen separated, and then went to the airport to board a plane to Los Angeles.

He had to get there to attend the premiere of "The Martian" tomorrow night.

In his previous life, "The Martian" was released in October 2015, but now it was released two years earlier, and the sensation it brought would definitely be even greater than it was then.

Tang Tian arrived at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, the venue for the annual Academy Awards.

"The Martian" had attracted a lot of fan discussion during filming, which eventually led the investors to spend a lot of money to hold the premiere here.

After Tang Tian took the invitation card and went inside, he found Olsen backstage who was about to walk the red carpet.

Olsen was wearing a red evening dress, highlighting her entire figure.