"Mom, I’m leaving."

At the door of his home, Chen Yu hugged his mother, Shen Lan, goodbye.

His mother, now fifty-seven, had quite a few white hairs at her temples. She smiled and nodded, then added, "Oh, and hurry up and marry Lexi. It’s been long enough."

"I know."

Chen Yu nodded helplessly and waved goodbye.

Beside him, Sanders also smiled and hugged Chen Yu’s mother, then said, "Mary, tonight’s dinner was the best meal I’ve ever had."

His mother chuckled and nodded, inviting Sanders to come over for a meal again next time.

Once in the car heading back to the hotel, Chen Yu didn’t waste any time, immediately reviewing his work schedule for the next day.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He pulled it out and saw it was Baggio.

"Robert, what’s with the sudden call?" Chen Yu answered.

Baggio’s voice was heavy on the other end of the line. "Chen, Josep is injured. He’s really down right now. I told him to contact you to see if there’s anything you can do, but he refused, saying it’s hopeless. Still, I felt I had to tell you about it, to see if you can help him."

Chen Yu immediately sat up straight, asking what happened and where he was injured.

’That idiot Guardiola,’ Chen Yu thought. ’If he’s injured, why wouldn’t he ask for my help?’

"It happened yesterday, in the 33rd round, during our match against Juventus. He was taken down and twisted his right knee. The test results just came out this morning. He tore his right medial collateral ligament. The doctor said he needs to rest for three months, but the World Cup starts in a month. I’m afraid he won’t make it."

Chen Yu frowned.

An MCL sprain, even a mild one, requires at least a month to recover.

But Guardiola’s case was clearly not mild. If the doctor prescribed a three-month recovery period, it meant the tear was severe.

If he underwent surgery, a month would be far too short for recovery.

Even with daily rehab, it wouldn’t be enough.

Ligament tears are harder to heal than fractures. Chen Yu couldn’t even do anything for Neville’s fracture, let alone Guardiola’s injury.

This was probably why Guardiola was reluctant to contact him.

"By the way, Robert, has he been selected for the National Team? The final rosters should be announced soon, right?" Chen Yu asked.

Usually, the national teams finalize their World Cup rosters in early to mid-May.

Chen Yu hadn’t been following Spain’s team closely, so he didn’t know if Guardiola had been selected.

In any case, Chen Yu knew he had missed the ’98 World Cup due to injury.

But in that tournament, Spain didn’t even make it out of the group stage.

Baggio said, "He played in the qualifiers, but he wasn’t called up for the recent friendlies. It seems like Camacho prefers Xavi. But the final squad isn’t set yet, so I think he still has a chance to fight for a spot."

"I know. He really wants to play in this World Cup. He’s already 31. If he misses this one, he’ll have even less of a chance for the next. He might even retire by then."

Guardiola wasn’t young anymore. This would most likely be his last World Cup.

Chen Yu sighed. "Tell him to come to the United States for treatment. Even if he misses the World Cup, a torn ligament still needs to be treated, and I can help him recover better."

Playing in the World Cup was one thing, but an injury still needed to be treated.

"Okay, I’ll go talk to him."

After a few more words, Baggio hung up.

There was some good news, though. Trapattoni had kept his promise and put Baggio on the Italian National Team.

However, a starting position wasn’t guaranteed.

But for Baggio, that was more than enough.

Chen Yu sighed again, feeling a sense of helplessness. ’The World Cup is about to start, and he gets injured. What can anyone do?’

Back at the hotel, Chen Yu met up with Brian.

Yao Ming had arrived in Chicago that afternoon, and many teams were interested in him.

Brian complained to Chen Yu that the league had given the Knicks and the Bulls special permission to hold private workouts with Yao Ming ahead of time.

The Bulls weren’t a huge concern. Although they had a high chance of getting the number one pick, they had already drafted "Little Shark" Eddie Curry last year and had traded Brand for the second overall pick, Tyson Chandler. Even if they did get the first pick, they most likely wouldn’t choose Yao Ming. Instead, they would probably go for the other top prospect, Jay Williams.

The Knicks were more of a problem. Their desire for a tall center was no secret.

"You’re overthinking it. Who knows what pick we’ll end up with?" Chen Yu wasn’t in high spirits because of Guardiola’s situation. After a brief chat with Brian, he returned to his room to rest.

The next day, Chen Yu headed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital downtown early in the morning.

Yao Ming’s physical exam was scheduled to take place there.

In fact, Chen Yu had already been to China back in February and had used his Eye of All-Seeing on Yao Ming. He hadn’t found any hidden injury risks.

And he hadn’t heard of any injuries since then. His health wasn’t a major concern, so this should just be a formality.

"Chen."

Stu Jackson, the NBA’s Vice President, had also arrived, representing the league.

Yao Ming hadn’t arrived yet, so the two of them chatted while they waited.

They also discussed who might win the various league awards.

Things like the regular season MVP, and the All-NBA First and Second Teams.

The first round of the playoffs was about to end, so the awards would be announced soon.

But it didn’t have much to do with the Suns.

This year, J Kidd missed some time and didn’t even win the assists title.

Hardaway’s stats were decent, but the team’s record was average. Hill, another one of "Jordan’s successors," had a much better chance, especially since he led his team to the top spot in the East.

According to Stu Jackson’s speculation, the MVP would be either Duncan or Hill.

And Hill would most likely make the All-NBA First Team.

As for Hardaway, the best he could hope for was the Second Team. His stats and the team’s record were holding him back.

As they were talking, Jackson suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Chen, can you really help players recover their stamina quickly through massage?"

Chen Yu was taken aback. The question came out of nowhere. ’What does he mean by that?’

"What’s wrong?"

Stu Jackson glanced around before saying, "It’s Kuban. Just yesterday, Kuban, on behalf of the Mavericks, filed a complaint with the league. He claimed that during the first game of the playoffs, you used a special massage technique to help Olajuwon and Ewing rapidly recover their stamina during halftime, which violates the spirit of fair play. He wants the league to investigate."

"Of course, David ignored him. It’s complete nonsense."

He looked at Chen Yu, his face still full of curiosity.

Chen Yu cursed inwardly. ’That Kuban is so petty. Even their head coach, Old Nelson, didn’t say anything, but here you are, throwing a fit.’

Fortunately, Stern didn’t buy it. Otherwise, a real investigation would have been a hassle.

Last year, because of the Physical Fitness No.1 incident, some people had accused him of giving players performance-enhancing drugs.

"Actually, massage really can help recover stamina," Chen Yu said with a smile.

’It works, but the effect is definitely not as good as when I do it myself,’ he thought.

Jackson nodded thoughtfully. He was about to ask another question when a group of people approached from a distance.

Yao Ming had arrived.

This physical exam wasn’t open to the public, so the reporters were all outside the hospital and couldn’t get in.

However, the Chinese side had allowed one reporter to accompany them.

Chen Yu even recognized him: Su Jun from Sports Weekly.

He spotted Chen Yu from afar and immediately tried to push his way forward.

But someone else was faster: Li Yaoming.

The Vice General Manager of the Eastern Team had also come to the United States. A man who knew how to navigate social situations, he immediately came forward to shake Chen Yu’s hand and greet him.

"Dr. Chen, we meet again."

He said with a broad smile, then gestured for Yao Ming to come over and greet Chen Yu.

"Hello, Dr. Chen."

Yao Ming, dressed in a loose-fitting tracksuit, was just as shy as when they had met before. He stepped forward to greet Chen Yu.

The others were likely part of Yao Ming’s agent team. Chen Yu hadn’t seen them on his last trip to China, and they were all sizing him up with curiosity.

Stu Jackson looked at Chen Yu in surprise. He had no idea that Chen Yu knew Yao Ming, let alone that they were so familiar with each other.

Especially Li Yaoming. Jackson knew that Li Yaoming was a key figure in whether Yao Ming could successfully come to the NBA. He never expected Li Yaoming and Chen Yu to know each other, and it seemed their relationship was quite deep.

"Let’s go. Everything is ready inside."

Chen Yu called out and led Yao Ming to the physical exam.

There were many scheduled tests. They basically did every checkup possible, from head to toe.

They drew several vials of blood alone. Afterward, Yao Ming’s face looked a few shades paler. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"You can’t hear out of your left ear?" Chen Yu asked, surprised as he looked at Yao Ming.

This was the first time Chen Yu had heard about this. He hadn’t noticed it during his trip to China.

Yao Ming nodded and explained that it was caused by improper medication when he was a child, which resulted in the loss of almost eighty percent of his hearing in that ear.

"It’s not a big problem," Chen Yu said with a smile to Yao Ming.

’He’s got two ears, it’s not like he won’t be able to hear his teammates on the court.’

The main thing was his physical attributes.

For example, his arms.

Chen Yu had noticed it on his last trip to China.

Yao Ming’s arms were too short. He only found out after today’s measurements that his wingspan was the same as his height.

His height was 226 cm, but his wingspan was only 225 cm.

The NBA has plenty of long-armed freaks. Normally, a wingspan exceeding one’s height by 15 cm or more is considered exceptionally gifted.

In this area, Yao Ming was significantly lacking.

Fortunately, he had his height. Otherwise, his rim protection would be too poor.

But his vertical jump was also average.

They didn’t measure it on-site, but Chen Yu had gotten his data during his trip to China. It was only about 50 cm, very average.

It took nearly three hours to complete all the physical exam items.

Chen Yu would issue the detailed report after he got back, which would then be provided to all the league’s teams for reference.

Yao Ming had a lunch meeting with officials from the local consulate, so he prepared to leave right after the exam.

Chen Yu had things to do as well.

Yesterday, Chen Yu had talked with Vogel and agreed to provide funding to help the community build a clinic.

At the same time, they had also arranged for Vogel to organize a free clinic for the community this afternoon.

So he had to head over there early in the afternoon.

As they were parting ways, Li Yaoming deliberately hung back a few steps and asked Chen Yu in a low voice, "Dr. Chen, what pick do you think your Suns will get this year?"

Since arriving in the United States, many teams had shown interest in Yao Ming, and reporters were constantly asking which team he favored.

Li Yaoming didn’t know which team Yao Ming favored, but he personally favored the Suns.

Because he had spoken with Brian, and the Suns were willing to provide some training assistance.

Of course, other teams could offer that as well.

But Li Yaoming preferred help from the Suns because the Suns had Chen Yu. After their last meeting, he felt that Chen Yu’s training expertise was the absolute best.

If the Suns had a high chance of getting a top draft pick, it would be a perfect match for both sides.