Until the show ended, the scene Hansen had been anticipating never materialized.
Barkley, in the end, didn't diss him like he had initially dissed Yao Ming.
Seeing this, Hansen couldn't help but laugh, albeit helplessly.
It wasn't that Barkley had changed, but that he didn't know Barkley well enough.
Because of the infamous "kiss the donkey's ass" incident, he had formed a stereotype about Barkley, thinking the guy just loved to confront people.
That's why he found the tone in Barkley's private messages so strange.
But once he set aside that stereotype and looked back, it was no more than a normal exchange.
And if Barkley had chosen to use his material in the show, why would he deliberately blacken his reputation?
After all, he was just a nobody—if they really thought he was no good, they could've simply not included him in the program at all.
Clearly, the outcome hadn't met Hansen's expectations, but it wasn't without its gains; at least the "Black Fan Value" he'd gained during this time was genuine.
And there are many ways to Rome—if one doesn't work, he'd just take another.
He knew that BOAT's success was never achieved overnight, but only after repeatedly releasing classic quotes and actions to win over the fans.
If the media folks were a no-go, what about NBA players?
Hansen was brewing his new plan.
And as if it was expected, the unexpected happened.
Waking up the next morning, Hansen checked his "Black Fan Value" just like any other day, still somewhat sleepy.
But that one look instantly woke him up.
The "Black Fan Value" was skyrocketing at a pace he had never seen before!
Was there a glitch in the system?
Or was it something else?
He sat up straight in bed, propped himself up with a pillow at the headboard, and logged into his personal social media account.
At first glance, he thought he had logged into the wrong account because the number of followers was several times more than he remembered.
But on second thought, his alternate accounts didn't have any followers at all.
Looking closer, his video "The Strength of the NCAA's Top Shooter" was flooded with new comments, and a considerable number of them were hot comments.
"How many power banks did it take to produce this?"
"Just look at how drenched he is, that's trying too hard to puff up his face."
"To be the strongest, you have to tell everyone I'm the strongest, so can I also call myself the GOAT?"
"How much money did this guy stuff into TNT's pockets? A second-tier league player actually got on a TNT show."
"Doesn't Barkley like to kiss ass? This dude is Asian, must have a tender butt!"
...
Hansen read through all the comments with a frown but burst into laughter afterward.
In TNT's show yesterday, his username and id were indeed concealed, but the link was not.
Anyone intent on it could simply follow the link to find his account!
And these comments were different from the black fans he had cultivated before, their starting point was not the same.
The ones he had fostered were, after all, transferred from Curry's fan base, so they would take Curry's side when they dissed.
But not these people; they were purely there to black him because they saw him on TNT's show and did not like him.
This was all too normal, although Barkley was defending him, his status updates were akin to declaring himself the best in history, which was asking for trouble.
Even if many were convinced by Barkley, there were just as many who weren't.
Not to mention that Barkley, as TNT's star, often went against the mainstream for ratings, had his own share of black fans.
This was truly a case of "Man proposes, God disposes, yet another village appears when the willow-dark becomes flower-bright!"
"Hansen, what happened?" Rondo, awoken by Hansen's laughter, asked.
Seeing Rondo still rubbing his eyes, Hansen said with a smile, "I've gone viral."
"Really viral? Did anyone say my filming was good?" Rondo swiftly slid from his own bed to Hansen's.
"See for yourself." Hansen handed over the phone.
Rondo took the phone, and his face full of anticipation quickly turned into furrowed brows.
"How is this being popular? This is all just people hating on you!"
"All publicity is good publicity," Hansen replied nonchalantly.
"I don't know whether to say you have a good mentality, or you've become really optimistic."
Rondo was speechless. The things these people were saying were so nasty, some even verged on personal attacks; if it were him, he would have lost his patience long ago.
"Chris, you have to understand that right now I'm just a nobody."
"I still don't get it." Rondo handed the phone back to Hansen, getting more annoyed the more he read the comments.
"Let me give you an example." Hansen sat up straight with his legs crossed,
"Suppose someone with no talent whatsoever couldn't get into the NBA, but because they have a superstar dad, they get the NBA's attention and also attract a lot of skepticism. Do you think having the superstar dad is a good thing or a bad thing for them?"
"That's definitely a good thing!"
Rondo paused after answering, then nodded in sudden realization.
Even if it's infamous publicity, as long as it gets the attention of NBA scouts and leads to entering the NBA, it's a good thing.
"But once you're in the NBA, all this could work against you, right?" Rondo continued with his questions,
"Even if you delete them, people will have taken screenshots. The internet has a memory."
"Why would I delete them?" Hansen asked with a smile.
"Why not delete them?" This time, Rondo was at a loss for words.
"Why should I delete them?" Hansen pressed, staring at Rondo,
"When I truly make it into the NBA, they'll see all this and say, 'Look, back when Han was in the NCAA Division II, he dared to call himself the best shooter in the NCAA. How confident, how unique he is, that's someone destined to succeed!'"
"..."
Rondo's eyes widened, wanting to object but seemingly unable to find a point to argue.
"Chris, you have to understand that people are hypocritical. They only comment based on the current situation."
Rondo shook his head. The old Hansen didn't talk much, but the current Hansen said things he couldn't quite grasp.
Seeing Rondo's reaction, Hansen waved his hand dismissively; he really was foolish to be discussing double standards with an American.
After school, Hansen arrived early at the training gym.
With his mood improved, his enthusiasm for training had also surged.
He hadn't been practicing long when Tois also arrived at the gym.
Hansen stopped training and went up to greet Tois proactively.
A player's outstanding performance was inseparable from the coach, who allocated playing time and tactical positioning for the players.
This was especially true in the NCAA, where there was no management layer; the coach was the management, and you could even say the coach directly decided the players' futures.
Tois had made Hansen the strategic core of the team in subsequent games after offering encouragement the last time, something Hansen was very grateful for.
"Coach, here so early?" Hansen reached out to greet him.
Tois smiled and asked, "One piece of good news and one piece of bad news, which do you want to hear first?"
Such a classic question, Hansen didn't even have to think: "The good news."
"On the 7th of December, we're going to face a team from the First-tier Alliance."
"Really?"
Hansen was instantly excited, his "haters score" was rising quickly, but not quickly enough.
Facing a First-tier Alliance team was the best opportunity.
"The school originally scheduled to play against them had a widespread flu outbreak, so the opponent has been changed to us."
"Coach, you're amazing!" Hansen gave Tois a thumbs-up.
As mentioned before, it was rare for a Division II team to play against First-tier Alliance teams, except for the season opener.
So, no matter how casually Tois put it, it was definitely an outcome of his efforts.
After all, when opponents have to change, with so many schools in the First and Second Division, why would they choose yours?
"Aren't you going to ask what the bad news is?" Tois asked with a smile.
"Our opponent is North Carolina?"
"That's not it." Tois hadn't expected Hansen to be so optimistic; he then revealed the bad news,
"It's Michigan State University."