A private jet clearly wasn’t something you could get just by asking.

It took until the third day for Gary Neville to finally arrive at the clinic.

Not only did he not get a private jet, but his reception was a step down too.

Ferguson didn’t come. Neither did the National Team’s head coach, Eriksson, as he had to prepare for a friendly match.

His agent, Sarin, came with him. Unsurprisingly, Sarin was also from the SPX Sports Company.

He was in a wheelchair, a predicament he shared with Beckham.

The moment he saw him, Beckham tossed his crutches aside and pulled him into a hug.

The two were the closest of friends. They had joined the Manchester United reserve team on the same day, and back then, Xiaobei was always over at Neville’s house. They were like brothers.

"Gary, I’m so sorry," Victoria said, stepping forward and leaning down to hug Neville.

Two good friends, injured one after the other in the exact same place. It felt like a cruel twist of fate.

Xiaobei leaned on his crutches again and said, "Gary, don’t worry. Chen is the best doctor in this world. He can definitely fix you up and get you back on the field before the World Cup."

Standing to the side, Chen Yu silently rolled his eyes. ’Who gave you the right to make promises like that? Your injuries might be in the same area, but your conditions are completely different.’

"Let’s get you checked out first."

Chen Yu sighed as Neville looked toward him.

While they were waiting for the exam results, as if on cue, Eriksson made a special international call to inquire about Neville’s condition.

After a few brief pleasantries, he cut to the chase: could Neville, like Beckham, be back in time for the World Cup?

Xiaobei and the others were with Neville for his exam, so with no one else around, Chen Yu decided to be blunt. "I’m sorry, but I’m afraid he’s not going to make it."

Eriksson was stunned on the other end. "Dr. Chen," he said urgently, "I don’t quite understand. David is recovering in time, so why can’t Neville?"

Beckham was injured on April 11th and Neville on April 24th. That’s only a 13-day difference.

If Beckham can return by May 20th, then even pushing it back a few days, how could Neville not make it for the World Cup?

Chen Yu’s voice was grave. "First, their injuries are not the same. David fractured the second metatarsal in his left foot. Neville, on the other hand, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot."

"A second metatarsal fracture and a fifth metatarsal fracture are not at all the same thing. Neville’s is a fracture at the base of the fifth metatarsal, which is the most troublesome kind. It affects the arch’s mobility and requires surgery to be reset."

"Today is April 24th. The World Cup starts in five weeks. Even if I were to operate on him today, there is absolutely no way he would make it in time."

Beckham was lucky. The location of his injury was such that Chen Yu could perform a manual reduction.

But for Neville’s injury, neither surgery nor conservative treatment would allow for a five-week recovery.

It was a fracture, after all.

Chen Yu’s system possessed an uncanny power, but it wasn’t like casting Magic in a fairy tale to make someone instantly jump up, good as new.

On the other end of the line, Eriksson was silent for a full thirty seconds before sighing deeply. "I understand. Thank you."

And with that, he hung up.

Chen Yu shook his head slightly. ’Neville is England’s starting defender, isn’t he? Getting injured right before the World Cup... you could just imagine how crushed Eriksson must be.’

But there was nothing Chen Yu could do.

’If I had another two or three weeks,’ Chen Yu thought, ’if he could aim for a comeback after the group stage, for the knockout rounds, then maybe I could really push for it and give it a shot.’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

’But that was obviously impossible. Eriksson would never let an injured player take up a slot on the National Team roster.’

He had just put his phone down when it rang again.

He glanced at the screen. It was another international call, but this time from Italy.

Trapattoni!

’What a coincidence.’ Chen Yu raised an eyebrow. ’Did all these National Team head coaches coordinate this? Why are they all calling me one after another?’

"Hello, Mr. Trapattoni," Chen Yu said, answering the call.

Trapattoni’s voice came through the phone, tinged with a wry laugh. "Chen, I need your help again."

Chen Yu raised an eyebrow, asking tentatively, "Don’t tell me another player on your National Team got injured."

’Nesta, Maldini, and Big Inzaghi... if you include Baggio, just how many of Italy’s players have gotten injured?’

"That’s right. Someone else got injured," Trapattoni sighed, his voice heavy.

Even through the phone, Chen Yu could hear the profound sense of helplessness in his tone.

This was the very definition of being star-crossed.

"Last week, our National Team captain, Albertini, tore his left Achilles tendon. I just finished discussions with AC Milan, and they’ve agreed to let him come to the United States for treatment."

"And then there’s the National Team’s left-back, Gianluca Pessotto. During last week’s World Cup warm-up match against Uruguay, he was injured in a tackle and tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee. Juventus has also... reluctantly agreed to let him seek treatment in the United States." By the end, Trapattoni’s voice was filled with resignation.

Chen Yu detected the profound weariness in the old coach’s voice. A thought struck him, and he quickly surmised the reason.

Trapattoni had told him before that he had discussed it with the Italian Football Association, which was willing to foot part of the bill to send players to the United States for treatment.

But now it looked like even if Trapattoni had gone out on a limb to persuade the Italian Football Association, the clubs had their own private concerns.

Otherwise, if both players were injured last week, why wait until now to contact him?

It must mean the clubs weren’t very willing to have them treated in the United States.

’Is it that they don’t want the players to get the best treatment?’ Chen Yu mused. ’Probably not.’

’Trapattoni is calling me because he’s hoping my treatment can get these players back in time for the World Cup.’

’But as for the clubs... are they really that eager for their players to participate in the World Cup?’

’That’s a big question mark.’

Because even for the World Cup, it’s still a significant strain on the players.

’Since they’re already injured, they have a legitimate reason to miss it.’

’Especially for powerhouse clubs like AC Milan and Juventus, the club’s interests always come first.’

Of course, this was just Chen Yu’s own speculation based on Trapattoni’s attitude. He had no idea what was actually going on.

’This time, though, I’m probably going to have to disappoint Trapattoni.’

’I really can’t perform Magic.’

There was only one month until the World Cup. One player had a severely torn Achilles tendon, the other a torn cruciate ligament.

These kinds of injuries would probably require daily Diamond Level healing effects to have any hope of recovery in a month, but where was Chen Yu supposed to get that many High Level healing effects?

As it was, treating Xiaobei and the others, on top of looking after his own team, already placed a considerable demand on his healing effects.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yu lowered his voice. "Giovanni, these aren’t minor injuries they can recover from quickly."

If there were two months, it might be possible. But one month is just too, too short.

Trapattoni was silent on the other end of the line.

"Chen... is there really nothing you can do?" Trapattoni’s voice trembled slightly.

After the two were injured, the doctors in Italy had made their own diagnoses.

Relatively speaking, although Pessotto had injured his cruciate ligament, the tear was less severe. The doctors’ prognosis was that he would need three months to recover after reconstructive surgery.

It was the same for Albertini. With his torn Achilles tendon, doctors recommended conservative treatment, which would also require at least three months for rehabilitation.

Three months... by the time they recovered, the World Cup would be long over.

Trapattoni pressed on, "Chen, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I truly hope you can find a way. At the very least... to heal Albertini."

"Pessotto is a left-back. Fortunately, thanks to your earlier treatments, both Maldini and Nesta have made full recoveries, so the situation with our defensive line isn’t as severe."

"But Albertini is different. He’s the core of Italy’s midfield, the tempo-setter for our offense and defense. If he’s out, the impact on Italy will be enormous."

Chen Yu gave a wry smile.

’Easy for you to say,’ he thought. ’These are injuries, not something you can just wish away.’

"Tell you what," Chen Yu said. "Don’t rush to have them come to the United States. Send me their medical records first, and I’ll take a look."

In truth, this was just a stalling tactic.

A severely torn Achilles tendon—an injury like that was impossible to heal in just one month.

If he didn’t have a clinic full of patients and could focus on Albertini alone, Chen Yu might have been able to come up with something.

So, asking to see the records was just a way to comfort Trapattoni.

"Thank you, I’ll have someone send them to you right away." Trapattoni thanked him profusely and hung up.

Chen Yu put down the phone.

Truthfully, Chen Yu didn’t know much about Albertini as a person, nor did he know what this World Cup meant to him. But sometimes...

He shook his head. Just then, William pushed the door open, and Chen Yu quickly composed himself.

’Right, there’s still this one.’

He picked up the medical report and, while pretending to read it, covertly watched Neville’s reaction, mentally rehearsing what he was about to say.

Neville watched him nervously.

Even more nervous than him was Beckham, who was staring at Chen Yu with rapt attention, the picture of anxiety.

"I’m sorry."

After thinking it over, Chen Yu decided it was best to be direct.

Neville froze.

Beckham’s face fell. After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly asked what Chen Yu meant by "I’m sorry."

Chen Yu put down the report and looked at Neville. "What I mean is, the injury itself isn’t a complicated issue. But... you won’t be able to participate in this World Cup."

’There’s really no way around it.’

’It’s like I said,’ he thought. ’If he were my only patient, I could push myself to make it happen.’

’But then what about Beckham and Gerrard? Should I just stop treating them?’

’All I can do is apologize to Neville and Eriksson.’

’At the very least, I’ve already helped England by healing one Beckham and one Gerrard.’

Neville stared blankly at Chen Yu, clearly unable to process the news.

"No." Beckham snapped out of his daze, suddenly frantic. "Chen, why? You’re able to heal me and get me back before the World Cup, and Gary’s injury is exactly the same as mine! Why can’t he?"

’Who ever said your injuries were exactly the same?’ Chen Yu thought.

’They’re both metatarsal fractures, but there’s a huge difference between them.’

Just as he was about to explain, Neville suddenly raised a hand to stop Beckham.

"Actually..."

Neville looked at Beckham and said through gritted teeth, "Missing the World Cup... it’s a bit of a shame for me, but it’s not unacceptable."

As he said this, he even seemed to feel a sense of profound relief.

Beckham was floored. He couldn’t fathom how anyone could accept something like that.