Outside the locker room, Lu Ming overhears Zou Kai telling the team to lose by more than twelve points and ordering Lu not to touch the ball when he takes the court. His short-term contract has only six hours left, and the hospital is demanding 180,000 by noon tomorrow. In the fourth quarter, with the score at 82 to 100, he is put in just to run out the clock. The opponent turns for a jump shot, and the instant the ball leaves his hand, Lu hears a click. A thought drops into his mind: left rim, right corner. He slides sideways, grabs the ball against his chest, and tosses it to Gao Jun, who drives in for a layup.
