Zhao Dong's arrival in Beijing couldn't be kept secret. For days, reporters camped outside Beijing International Airport, waiting 24/7 for a glimpse of him.
At 12 noon, July 10, Beijing time, Zhao Dong finally appeared. The moment he stepped out of the airport gates, chaos erupted. Dozens of reporters and screaming fans surged forward, cameras flashing wildly.
Fortunately, Zhao Dong had over a dozen bodyguards surrounding him. With the help of airport security, it still took him nearly half an hour to push through the crowd and reach the exit. He thanked the security personnel before slipping into the car where his elder brother, Zhao Dacheng, was waiting.
Driving away from the chaos, Zhao Dacheng glanced at his younger brother with a teasing grin.
"Four straight championships now, brother. So how many more do you plan to win?"
Zhao Dong leaned back casually.
"At least six in a row."
Zhao Dacheng raised an eyebrow.
"And after that?"
Zhao Dong chuckled, his tone playful.
"If I get six straight, it won't be a challenge anymore. I might change careers… try something else, just to remember what it feels like to lose."
Zhao Dacheng smirked.
"Still chasing new thrills, huh? Anyway, you owe me something first—this is wedding number thirteen in the family."
Zhao Dong laughed.
"Are you ready for it?"
"I've been waiting for you to get home."
The date was already set—June 16th, an auspicious day for marriage in Beijing. Zhao Dacheng, as the eldest son, couldn't delay his marriage any longer.
"Still Xu Qing?" Zhao Dong asked casually.
Zhao Dacheng shot him a sharp look.
"Who else would it be? And call her sister-in-law, not Xu Qing. She's eight years older than you, show some respect."
"Haha…" Zhao Dong laughed, shaking his head.
Back at Sanbulao Hutong, Zhao Dong greeted his neighbors warmly before entering his family courtyard.
Inside, Lindsay, now heavily pregnant with quadruplets, struggled to move comfortably. Several tall foreign nannies followed her closely, watching every step. For fear she might trip, the old family patriarch had even ordered all door thresholds sawed off.
Over the next few days, Zhao Dong stayed home, rarely going out.
The Zhao family had expanded their residence by purchasing and connecting the courtyards on both sides. Zhao Dong lived in the right courtyard, Zhao Dacheng in the left, while the elder generation—Grandfather, Grandmother, and Zhao Zhenguo with his wife—remained in the original, much older two-entry courtyard.
Though Zhao Dong owned multiple, far grander courtyard houses across Beijing—including several former princely mansions—his family refused to move. This modest old hutong held too much sentimental value for them.
As June 14th arrived, Zhao Dong joined in preparing for his brother's big day.
On June 16th, Sanbulao Hutong came alive. Although Zhao Dacheng's wedding wasn't publicly announced to avoid media chaos, his personal connections were impressive. Guests included officials' children, celebrities from Beijing's film and cultural circles, and a few close friends.
The elder Zhao family's political connections were deliberately kept out of the affair, and, of course, Zhao Dong and Lindsay kept a low profile.
After the wedding, life at Sanbulao Hutong returned to its usual peace.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific, the New York Knicks front office was in turmoil.
Ernie Grunfeld, the team's general manager, was under immense pressure. Ginobili and Marion had underperformed in the playoffs, while Fordson's severe injury had disrupted rotation depth. Fans and media hammered him relentlessly.
He had planned to discuss roster adjustments with Zhao Dong after the Finals, but Zhao had left for Beijing almost immediately. Now, Grunfeld had no choice but to contact him through phone calls.
Everything depended on whether Zhao Dong stayed or left. The Knicks' future would look entirely different with or without their superstar.
But before talking to Zhao Dong, Grunfeld first needed to meet with Knicks owner James Dolan.
Inside Dolan's office, Grunfeld anxiously presented his off-season plans. But before he could finish, Dolan leaned back in his chair and spoke flatly:
"Get ready to trade Zhao Dong."
Grunfeld froze. His chair tipped, and he stumbled backward, crashing to the floor. Clumsily getting back up, he stared at Dolan in disbelief.
"W-What?!"
Dolan sighed, rubbing his temples.
"I've thought this through, Ernie. I'll talk to Zhao myself. I hope he can understand."
Grunfeld was stunned.
"Mr. Dolan, if Zhao stays, our operating income easily covers his salary and even the luxury tax! We might even run a surplus. Why on earth would we trade him?"
Dolan gave a bitter smile.
"Tell me, can we strengthen the roster without me investing more?"
Grunfeld shook his head immediately.
"No. Other contenders are getting stronger. We have to trade veterans like Kevin Willis and Gary Trent for younger bigs. And we still need to re-sign Stackhouse. He's already a champion—he won't stay without a max contract. Next season's salary cap and luxury tax will be even higher."
"I need to pull profits from the team this season," Dolan said grimly. "I've already decided with the family board. No more massive spending."
Grunfeld's frustration boiled over.
"But boss, Zhao's chasing six straight championships! If we don't reinforce the roster, he won't accept it. Trading him? That's—"
Dolan cut him off with a weary sigh.
"I don't want a conflict with Zhao. But I can't afford to bankroll another super team.
If he stays, his max salary, plus reinforcements and luxury tax, will eat away all our profits. Without him, we'll still be the league's most profitable team. This is New York, Ernie. Madison Square Garden prints money, with or without Zhao Dong."
Grunfeld slumped back, speechless.
Dolan's eyes hardened.
"We won't trade him for a pile of All-Stars, either. That'd only rack up more luxury tax. We need a low-cost deal—young talent, picks, and flexibility.
I hate it, but it's business. Zhao's brought us four straight titles, but now he's worth more to us as a trade asset than as a player."
He could have sold the team for a low price. If he had dared to demand a sky-high figure, other ownership groups might have agreed, but James Dolan knew Zhao Dong—six consecutive championships under his belt—would never accept it.
The team needed reinforcements to continue its dynasty, but Dolan wasn't willing to invest anymore. In the end, he had no choice but to part ways with Zhao Dong.
---
At around 8 p.m., June 18, Zhao Dong received a call from Dolan himself.
To be honest, Zhao Dong was stunned when he heard Dolan say the words:
"I'm going to trade you."
But the shock didn't last long. Zhao Dong quickly pieced it together—he understood Dolan's predicament better than anyone.
If Dolan couldn't solve the liquidity crisis in his family business, his status would fall, maybe even forcing the family to sell off major assets to protect their core holdings.
In fact, Dolan had even tried to sell the Knicks to Zhao Dong once before. Trading him was nothing compared to that.
Besides, Zhao Dong didn't overreact. This was business. In the NBA, trades were just part of the game.
---
"Zhao, it's up to you where you want to go," Dolan said over the phone. "Talk to your agent. Use him in negotiations if you need to."
"Alright. I'll think about which team," Zhao Dong replied, ending the call shortly after.
"Husband, should we just buy the Knicks ourselves?" Lindsay asked from the sofa.
Zhao Dong hesitated. That was one solution, but was it necessary?
"System, if I win championships with another team, does it affect my mission of winning six straight?" he asked in his heart.
"No," the system replied.
Relieved, Zhao Dong made up his mind. If it didn't affect his goal, he didn't need to buy the Knicks. He just needed to join a strong team and win two more titles.
Zhao Dong immediately called his agent, Ringo Wells, giving him two clear instructions:
The trade must not gut the new team's lineup. He needed a championship-caliber roster to continue his streak.
He wouldn't allow Dolan to use him as a trade chip to strip another team of its future. The Knicks had gotten him for almost nothing; they didn't deserve to squeeze every last drop of value out of him.
Dolan had already agreed to let Zhao Dong control the trade through his agent, which made things easier.
---
At noon on June 18 (U.S. time), New York TV broke the story: The Knicks were trading Zhao Dong.
Since the station was owned by Dolan's family, the news was 100% accurate.
Within hours, the story spread across the globe.
The NBA went insane.
If Tim Duncan hit free agency, he'd be the biggest name on the market—but compared to Zhao Dong? Not even close.
The Knicks' PR department was immediately swamped with furious calls from fans. After being cursed out nonstop, the public relations officer simply unplugged the phones.
"The greatest trade asset in Knicks history, and Dolan is giving him up? Has he lost his mind?!"
---
At the NBA headquarters, Commissioner David Stern was stunned when he got the report.
But he quickly regained his composure.
Dolan's financial problems weren't a secret—Stern knew the family business was running out of cash. Trading Zhao Dong might be a way to lighten the financial burden.
Still, Stern frowned. Zhao Dong generated massive revenue for the Knicks. Wouldn't that income cover his salary and luxury tax?
What Stern didn't know was that Dolan wasn't looking to break even—he wanted to drain cash from the Knicks as quickly as possible without angering Zhao Dong. A trade was his only option.
After thinking it over, Stern sighed.
"If Zhao stays, the Knicks are a lock for the championship. Letting him go might actually make the league more competitive."
But Stern wouldn't approve just any trade. Where Zhao Dong landed mattered—East or West, it would change everything.
"Dolan's lost it!"
In Dallas, Mavericks owner Michael Jordan was mid-cigar when his agent, David Falk, gave him the news. The cigar fell straight out of his mouth.
Jordan shot up from his chair, adrenaline pumping like he'd just stepped back on the court. He immediately grabbed his phone to call Zhao Dong—
—but then checked the time. Late night in China.
He put the phone down.
Three seconds later, he picked it back up and called anyway.
But Zhao Dong had already turned off his phone for the night—he didn't want to disturb Lindsay's sleep.
---
In Los Angeles, Lakers GM Jerry West called owner Jerry Buss the moment he heard. Buss drove straight to the team's headquarters.
When he walked in, the first words out of his mouth were:
"I want Zhao Dong in a Lakers jersey. I want to see him dominate at Staples."
West, ever the voice of reason, shook his head.
"Jerry, to get Zhao Dong, we'd have to give up almost everything. The Shaq-Kobe duo would definitely be on the table. And Zhao wants six straight titles—if we gut the roster, we'd need to spend big to rebuild around him."
Buss sat down, motioning for West to continue.
West's voice grew serious.
"Our roster is already championship-level. We nearly beat Jordan's Bulls at their peak. Next season, Shaq and Kobe will be even better. Trading the whole team for Zhao Dong might not be worth it."
Buss raised an eyebrow. "So you're against it?"
West smirked.
"No. Only a fool says no to a player like him."
"Dolan did," Buss chuckled.
West and the rest of management exchanged confused glances.
Buss leaned back, explaining, "Dolan's family business is bleeding cash. He used to pour money into the Knicks, but now he's sucking money out. Keeping Zhao Dong means spending big on talent, and Dolan can't afford that."
The room went silent. Now it all made sense.
Zhao Dong wanted six straight championships. If Dolan tried to use him while draining the team dry, Zhao would walk—and Nike's fallout with him in the past was proof of how badly that could end.
---
"Jerry, what's your move?" Buss asked finally.
West's eyes lit up.
"Keep Shaq. Everyone else is on the table."
Buss frowned. "Including Kobe?"
West nodded.
"Dolan still wants stars for ticket sales. He's cutting costs, which means he won't want both Shaq and Kobe—too much luxury tax. But if we give up Kobe, keep Shaq, and pair him with Zhao Dong on the perimeter, we're looking at five straight championships, easy."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9