"Forrest Gump:
Hello, I haven’t written to you for a while, maybe two weeks?
Recently I have been busy reviewing and preparing for the final exam this semester, so I did not reply in time when I received your letter.
It feels like time flies so fast. This is the sixth letter I have written to you. It has been more than three months since we first met.
On the Malvinas Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the war between Britain and Argentina was over.
It is said that war is cruel. It would be great if all the wars in the world were replaced by sports competitions, where the winner and loser would be determined and there would be no bloodshed.
But I don’t know anything about the war. I just heard people talk about it in school, and it seems that boys are more interested in it.
The World Cup in Spain has begun. It would be great if England and Argentina could compete in football without having to fight.
I listened to Michael Jackson's album "off the wall" that you sent me, and I listened carefully to every piece.
You know, my family owns a video and electronics store, and my dad often plays some punk and rock songs, but I feel they are too noisy and a bit old-fashioned.
Nowadays, students in school like to listen to lively pop music, and the number of new punk and rock albums sold in stores is also decreasing.
My favorite part of "Off the Wall" is Don't stop til you get enough. The intro is really great and his falsetto is perfect.
Even the lyrics in this album feel a bit inappropriate for children.
I don’t know how your life and study are lately. Do you still train every day? Do you feel bored?
I really admire you. Sure enough, to play well, you must have a strong willpower, but I am just a little bit worse.
How are your college applications going? Last time you came to Los Angeles to try out for UCLA, did they tell you the result?
I look forward to your letters or news, and I look forward to seeing you again.
Your friend, Fosse-Wong, June 15, 1982. "
Gan Guoyang received this letter from Wang Fuxi before leaving for Los Angeles.
After returning to San Francisco after winning the championship, Gan Guoyang received a lot of letters, which he threw aside as always and never opened.
But the mailing address of a letter caught his attention. It was the middle school where they met the girl for warm-up training on the day of the game.
Gan Guoyang opened the letter and found that it was indeed written by the girl. Her name was Wang Fuxi - a strange name.
Because it was necessary to reply after opening someone else's letter, otherwise he would always feel guilty, so Gan Guoyang wrote a reply, and the two began to communicate by letter.
It was already June 20th, and Gan Guoyang received a call from the UCLA Basketball Department yesterday. He passed the April trial training, but needed to come to the school basketball team for an interview.
If he passes the interview, he will be admitted to the UCLA basketball team and will be eligible to apply for a basketball scholarship.
Gan Guoyang was a little annoyed at UCLA's procrastination, but it was understandable.
It's not because UCLA is a big bully, it's because they encountered the same troubles as the University of San Francisco this year.
The turmoil caused by the University of San Francisco spread to schools throughout California. In a series of imitating actions, UCLA, the top basketball school in the United States, also overturned.
The NCAA's Ethics Committee conducted a series of investigations into UCLA and found that they had violated regulations by providing loan funds to players for consumption and giving gifts to players' families.
UCLA paid a heavy price for this. The Golden Bears, which ranked second in the Pac-10 regular season, were disqualified from participating in the 1982 NCAA national competition.
A season's hard work has been in vain, and a group of outstanding senior players will also graduate. It stands to reason that UCLA should be more active in recruiting new players to prepare for next season.
However, because of warnings and penalties from the committee, the school has to be more cautious and strict financially. They are now even difficult to provide players with round-trip travel expenses.
Gan Guoyang had to choose to drive to Los Angeles by himself on the 20th. He had to cover 376 miles and drive more than 5 hours to reach his destination.
But this is really commonplace in the United States.
As the CIF California regional champion, the China Endeavor Foundation presented Gan Guoyang with a blue Ford-Capri.
After Gan Guoyang took the SAT exam in May, he spent a few weeks learning to drive and get his driver's license, and then he dared to hit the road.
It is indeed inconvenient to not have a car in the United States. However, the price of oil, which skyrocketed during the oil crisis, gradually stabilized and showed a downward trend in 1982.
For Gan Guoyang, who received a considerable bonus, driving is a convenient and cheap means of transportation.
In order to take care of each other on the road, Gan Guoyang picked up Gan Guohui who was on vacation, and the two set off all the way south, straight to Los Angeles.
Gan Guohui looked much fatter than when he played in Los Angeles three months ago. After winning the championship, everyone except Gan Guoyang breathed a sigh of relief.
They became heroes of San Francisco and the Chinese people. On the day they returned to San Francisco on March 2, hundreds of people came to pick them up at the airport, and the scene was spectacular.
Chinatown was blocked that night, and the celebrations lasted from the afternoon until late at night. Three buildings were burned because of too many fireworks, and 27 people were trampled and injured during the event. Fortunately, no one died.
Franklin, another member of the Water Bell team who has the opportunity to play in college, has raised his profile through this CIF trip and has received attention from some schools.
If he plays hard and doesn't mess around next year, he will have a chance to get a basketball scholarship and go to a good university.
Chen Xing and Gan Guohui have no hope of playing in college and are preparing for college applications next year.
Chen Xing aspires to work in the computer industry, while Gan Guohui thinks that he can just go to school. He plans to inherit Gan's restaurant in the future.
Xu Xun, who is in the same grade as Gan Guoyang, has been admitted to a community college in Oakland. He will play on the community college basketball team and then study catering management.
His path is also to inherit the Korean restaurant in his family, but he really can't let go of basketball.
Other players without any basketball talent have their own paths.
But for everyone, this spring of 1982 is worth remembering for a lifetime.
No photos of the Peking University team appeared in any of the March 1982 issues of Sports Illustrated.
Because on March 1st, the covers of the first two issues were determined, and the subsequent issues would be given to the NCAA. They chose to give them to Ewing, Sam Perkins and James Worthy.
"Sports Illustrated" doesn't want basketball to take up too much of its cover for a month, and they also have to cater to the tastes of other sports fans.
This is undoubtedly a major mistake in the cover selection of "Sports Illustrated". They missed both Gan Guoyang and Michael Jordan.
Both men's first appearances in Sports Illustrated were postponed.
Of course, this is not a loss to the Water Bell Team and Gan Guoyang. Their group photo is permanently preserved in the collection of Beiqiao Middle School and the CIF Hall of Fame.
The two set off in the morning, had a meal at Panoche Junction on the way, refueled, stopped for a while, and continued south, arriving in Los Angeles at two o'clock in the afternoon.
They got off the highway at Sunset Avenue and parked at the intersection of Sunset Avenue and Bellagio Road. Gan Guoyang said someone would be waiting for them here.
Gan Guohui looked around and asked: "Who is it? Who will be waiting for us here? What kind of car do you drive? What does it look like? What is your phone number?"
Gan Guoyang said: "I didn't say anything. I just said that as soon as that person appears, we will know it is him immediately."
"Ah? Is there something written on this person's face? Who is so unreliable, so...fuck, is it that person?"
Gan Guohui suddenly saw an extremely tall, Bigfoot-like guy walking not far away. He was wearing a UCLA sportswear.
Needless to say, it must be him.
