Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 583 The Most Familiar Stranger (4K)

Sometimes, the thinking patterns of American athletes are just so weird.

Especially for someone like Agassi, who may have damaged his brain due to drug use, many of his behaviors are difficult to predict.

At that time, when Agassi's autobiography was just about to be published, all this guy was thinking about was sales.

How to sell more of this autobiography became Agassi's top priority.

So this guy's old habit of speaking without restraint came back again.

In order to create a hot topic throughout the book, he chose all the hot topics that could cause controversial discussions.

If he was simply complaining about active players such as Chen Ran, there would basically be no big problem.

But this guy was lucky enough to survive and started showing off his past weird operations.

Defeat your competitors and step on them, then start taking drugs right under the noses of testing agencies.

In short, he thought he was really cool.

Such a cool thing, shouldn't the whole world know about it and worship it?

However, it was not until Chen Ran and Safin began to severely criticize his behavior, which triggered a surge of public opinion, that Agassi actually panicked and regretted it.

This guy finally realized that his remarks were a bit too much and he should have been more tactful.

"Damn it, it's all Chen Ran's fault. He was the one who instigated all this."

At this moment, Agassi cursed in his heart, but he couldn't say these words out loud.

A terrible result is that after Chen Ran, a leading figure, began to take the lead and set an example, other tennis players who were originally on the sidelines also joined the ranks of the bombardment, accusing Agassi of being too much in his autobiography.

Some young people even said: I chose tennis because of Agassi, but he did this. I feel like the world has collapsed!

This puts the ATP under tremendous pressure.

If Safin alone spoke, the impact would not be that great.

After all, the Russian Tsar is now in decline and no longer as powerful as he once was.

Therefore, the influence of what he said will inevitably be greatly reduced.

A mere Grand Slam is not enough to make him a god.

Competitive sports are so cruel.

But at this critical moment, Chen Ran stood up and spoke, and his words were extremely intense, even harsh, and could be said to be a verbal criticism.

If the ATP does not handle this matter seriously, it will affect the promotion and publicity of tennis around the world and will make many children who love tennis feel disappointed.

What this means is that you, ATP, must take this matter seriously and deal with it seriously.

Otherwise it will bring a devastating disaster to the sport of tennis.

Chen Ran’s words were quickly reported by global media.

Some people also joked that the two of them might have had a grudge against each other, so Chen Ran took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to decisively finish him off.

If you miss this village, you will miss this shop.

But there is nothing wrong with what Chen Ran did. It was you, Agassi, who took the initiative to walk into the trap. You can't blame anyone else.

Originally, if Chen Ran didn't speak.

The turmoil caused by Agassi's autobiography may pass after a while.

As for ATP, perhaps the issue can be resolved peacefully.

But as soon as Chen Ran opened his mouth, the influence of the matter increased exponentially.

It is obviously impossible for the ATP to get away with it, it is just wishful thinking.

What, you want evidence?
Didn't Agassi take the initiative to write down the evidence in the book? Isn't this enough evidence?
The ATP suddenly felt enormous pressure and had no choice but to take it seriously.

They also had to seriously state to the outside world that they would deal with the matter seriously and give a satisfactory explanation to all players, media, and fans.

"We cannot allow this to bring shame upon the great sport of tennis."

At the same time, some leaders of the China Sports Bureau hinted to Chen Ran more than once that he should forget about the matter, not make such a big fuss, and not keep a close eye on it, as it would have a bad influence on the outside world.

For these people, the idea of ​​"surprising friendly nations" has long been ingrained in their bones.

Chen Ran simply ignored them.

If you don't seize this good opportunity to give someone a beating when they are down, when will you do so?

What's more, he has already stood out as a leading figure in today's professional tennis world, and he is followed by a group of younger brothers waving flags and cheering for him.

In this situation, who is going to back down?

How can I be the big brother then?

Must fuck him!

Let this bald guy regret his actions!
……

While the outside world was in turmoil, Chen Ran appeared at the US Open post-match event with the championship trophy.

As per tradition, the men's and women's singles champions will appear together in New York's famous Central Park holding the championship trophy.

This is a large metropolitan park located in the center of Manhattan, New York City, and its number of visitors has always ranked first in the United States.

But the embarrassing thing happened.

Because the men's and women's singles champions of this year's US Open are Chen Ran and Sharapova.

This is also Sharapova's second Grand Slam title in her career.

The two glanced at each other inadvertently, and then looked away tacitly.

The scene and atmosphere were extremely strange.

Although Chen Ran and Sharapova have never publicly admitted that they had an underground relationship, the staff at the scene also noticed some clues.

There must be a story between these two.

They were sitting so close to each other, but they didn't say a word to each other.

It seems that the rumors are true. Chen Ran really won over the two goddesses of women's tennis.

"Maria, I'm so sorry."

"You are the most beautiful Russian girl I have ever seen. I loved you."

"But unfortunately, we are not destined to be together."

Chen Ran could only sigh silently in his heart, knowing that these things could not be undone.

But at least you didn’t lose anything, right?

If there is a rumor that "exchanging body fluids" can increase the opponent's strength, then you are probably one of the only two beneficiaries in women's tennis.

"Both of you!"

The cameraman clapped his hands and said, "Please hold the championship trophy in your hands, stand side by side, and keep smiling."

When their skin touched, the familiar smell once again entered Chen Ran's nostrils.

The passionate time of that night in Miami began to loom in Chen Ran's mind.

This even made the flame of "reliving the old times" start to burn in Chen Ran's heart.

Of course, he shook his head hard to put these messy emotions behind him.

He knew very well that if he accidentally took that step, he would be in a passive position in the future.

A good horse never turns back!

Because Sharapova is different from her compatriot Anna Kournikova, who is too fickle. If that were the case, Chen Ran would have fewer concerns.

But Sharapova is different. This girl is quite serious about relationships, so after experiencing it once, she will never play with fire again.

Even Fan Binbin is safer than her!
At this moment, Chen Ran's smile was still very natural. After all, he was a master at acting according to the situation and could easily handle this kind of occasion.

As for Sharapova, her smile was a little unnatural.

I wanted to force a smile, but I felt that the expression looked weird.

In the distance, Sharapova's Siberian peasant father is always there.

The old Russian crossed his arms across his chest, looking very proud, his eyes constantly moving back and forth between Chen Ran and Sharapova.

Regret?
Of course there is a little bit. After all, Chen Ran is so successful and rich now, which makes him jealous.

The assets of that young Chinese man should have exceeded the 5 million US dollar mark.

Such wealth is already more than Michael Joedan's at the moment.

There is no doubt that Chen Ran is already the richest athlete, not just those currently in service, but also those who have retired.

Being the agent of "World of Warcraft" and teaming up with Penguin should be the most successful business investment Chen Ran has made so far.

So sometimes, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, this old Siberian farmer would sometimes regret his frivolous words.

But at this moment, when Sharapova won the Grand Slam title for the second time, the old Siberian farmer once again showed his unique side: pride, complacency, and arrogance.

In short, don't expect those alcoholic Russians to be humble when they are in high spirits.

This is impossible.

For example, Sharapova's father at this moment looks so arrogant, as if he has the world at his feet.

Feeling the other party's provocative gaze, Chen Ran couldn't help but roll his eyes and cursed inwardly: This barbarian.

Naturally, he would not bother to argue with this vulgar Siberian farmer and simply ignored his gaze.

This period of time was difficult, and finally the filming was over.

According to normal procedures, the two should have parted ways.

Sharapova unexpectedly called out to Chen Ran: "Chen... I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Chen Ran was confused. "Maria, congratulations on getting rid of the label of a Grand Slam club. I believe that in the near future, you will have your third Grand Slam."

Sharapova's pretty face showed a hint of emotion.

"Thank you..." She smiled. "The reason I was apologizing just now is because of my father. He has been looking at you in an unfriendly way since the beginning of the filming."

So that's what happened, but Chen Ran didn't take it seriously.

Why would he bother with such a guy? He could just ignore him.

Chen Ran also admitted that a big reason for his retreat at the time was that he did not want to see Sharapova's father.

Even when facing this Siberian bumpkin, he couldn't help but feel a headache.

So Chen Ran had no choice but to simply choose to avoid it.

Sharapova also knows that she has a weird father, but she can't do anything about it.

After all, it was this old father who brought me to the United States alone, worked two jobs to support my family and my tennis career, and that is why I am who I am today.

So she could only indulge her father's mischief.

Or maybe this is the Russians' work style and logical thinking.

"Are...are you and your girlfriend doing well?" Sharapova paused and asked in a louder voice.

"Everything is fine at the moment." Chen Ran shrugged.

As for what the future will be like, he doesn't know either, just let it be.

Anyway, his mentality is very open-minded. He doesn't take the initiative, doesn't refuse, and doesn't take responsibility.

As for the media reports that the golden boy and girl of tennis have secretly gotten engaged and are about to get married, that is completely groundless and fabricated.

Chen Ran was too lazy to argue with them.

marry?

I have so much money, why should I get married?

Chen Ran is from 2023.

This version is several patches ahead of the current era.

Remember one thing: never use your wealth to test a woman's sincerity.

To be honest, many people are so eager to express their true love to a woman that they share their wealth with their partners without hesitation, and then suffer the consequences of losing their gold coins.

Love is love, but it is better for wealth to be independent of each other.

To take a step back, even if Chen Ran will marry Ivanovich one day in the future.

They can hold their wedding in China and live in China in the future, but the finances of both parties must remain independent.

As for handing over the income to the woman for management, you are dreaming!
Chen Ran recalled a widely circulated saying on the Internet in his previous life: the biggest advantage of finding a foreign girl is not that you don’t need a dowry, but that she does not ask for control of the family’s finances.

In their opinion, financial power should be controlled by men.

"Maria..." Chen Ran withdrew his thoughts and shouted.

"Uh..." Sharapova looked at Chen Ran, a hint of expectation flashing in her eyes.

Chen Ran shrugged helplessly and said, "I don't know if this suggestion is appropriate. But from the perspective of a former friend, what I want to say is... you are already an adult, and you should face some things independently instead of having your family accompany you all the time."

"In my opinion, when you're away from home with your parents all the time, you haven't really grown up and become a real adult."

He said this very seriously.

Sharapova seemed to be thinking about it after hearing this.

Wherever she went, her father followed her.

Although she has gotten used to it, she still feels a little unnatural occasionally.

After all, her father was too controlling and put herself under too many constraints.

Like Chen Ran, who left his parents at the age of 17 and ventured into the world alone, this obviously requires great courage.

"What you said makes sense."

Sharapova smiled and said, "But you just said we were friends in the past, so what are we now?"

"Now?" Chen Ran thought for a moment and said slowly, "The most familiar stranger."

The most familiar stranger?

Sharapova had never heard of this Chinese song, but she could understand its meaning literally.

Chinese is indeed so profound and full of meaning.

"What a wonderful metaphor!" Sharapova smiled.

Seeing that her father was getting impatient, she waved to Chen Ran and said, "Goodbye, I hope everything is well with you too. I am very happy today, and I hope that we can win a Grand Slam together in the future and chat together like we do now."

Chen Ran looked at the beautiful woman's back as she left and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She got through it and seemed to be in a good mood, which was the best thing.

From now on, both sides should live in peace.

……

(End of this chapter)