Chapter 366: Chapter 306: Liu Xiang Arrives

The main event is always saved for last. Chen Yu had come this time partly to see Barkley make a fool of himself, but mainly to appear on the show.

The show, *NBA Thursday*, was mainly about inviting guests to chat and gossip about behind-the-scenes NBA secrets.

And when it came to secrets, Chen Yu certainly knew quite a few.

When speaking with the director, the man had proposed many topics, but Chen Yu had vetoed them all.

In the end, Chen Yu only agreed to one topic: discussing the NBA’s new "five-minute rule."

After all, he was the one who had spearheaded it.

Moreover, Chen Yu wanted to expand the rule’s influence to other professional leagues and sports, calling on everyone to pay attention to athletes’ mental health issues.

Publicly, it was beneficial for the development of sports by focusing on the physical and mental well-being of athletes. Privately, it would also boost his reputation.

In the United States, ordinary people had a deep-seated love for superheroes. When someone identified a social problem and fought to solve it, it was easy to build a heroic reputation for themselves, creating the image of a fighter.

No matter what they did in the future, that halo would always open doors.

"Chen, so what you’re saying is, a lot of people will develop psychological problems and need treatment?" Kenny Smith asked with a relatively serious expression.

This was clearly not a topic to be joked about.

Chen Yu nodded, then shook his head. "Not exactly. Having psychological problems doesn’t necessarily mean you need treatment. First of all, it’s becoming more and more common for ordinary people to experience these issues."

To prepare for the show, Chen Yu had also gathered some materials, and he readily rattled off all sorts of statistics.

At first listen, it was quite alarming.

Of course, it wasn’t that Chen Yu was intentionally exaggerating. The data came from official government agencies; Chen Yu was just citing it. Whether they had falsified the data or not had nothing to do with him.

It was just that no one had paid attention before. With Chen Yu being a minor celebrity, him speaking about it generated more buzz.

After laying out the frightening data, Chen Yu continued, "As I was saying, psychological issues stem from pressure. Ordinary people face pressure, and athletes face immense pressure as well. Not just in the NBA—competition is extremely fierce in every sport. That’s why David and I, after serious discussion, introduced the five-minute rule to focus on players’ mental health."

Barkley interjected, "Chen, so you’re saying there are a lot of players in the league with psychological problems."

Chen Yu shot him a glance.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Barkley’s face, but he acted as if nothing had happened.

’This guy must be doing this on purpose,’ Chen Yu thought. ’Why isn’t he sticking to the script? Is he trying to set a trap for me?’

’So petty. Is this because I set him up earlier? A little bit of revenge?’

Chen Yu definitely couldn’t give a direct answer. Instead, he changed the subject. "Actually, there’s another point I didn’t make earlier. Experiencing psychological issues doesn’t automatically mean you need therapy. Some problems aren’t serious; they’re more about personal self-regulation, a way of coping with pressure."

"So if someone in the league has psychological issues, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. And having them doesn’t mean you’re a patient who needs treatment."

"By the way, Charles, have you ever experienced something similar? Like, do you have any particular quirks in your life? For example, I have to wear my own special surgical cap before every operation."

Chen Yu looked at Barkley with a grin, kicking the ball back into his court.

Their eyes met. A sudden chill went down Barkley’s spine. He had a strong gut feeling that Chen Yu knew some gossip about him.

Beside them, Smith hesitated for a moment before asking, "Chen, are you talking about the thing I know about?"

Johnson also looked at Chen Yu, a glint of excitement in his eyes. It seemed the show was back on track.

Chen Yu neither confirmed nor denied it, just smiled and said, "That’s why I’m asking Charles."

"Chen."

Barkley snapped out of it and quickly grabbed a bottle of water, handing it over. "You’ve been talking so much, you must be thirsty."

This reaction made Johnson’s inner gossip columnist ignite. He quickly turned to ask Smith what it was about.

"Kenny, if you say it, I’ll smash your favorite classic car!" Barkley rushed over in a panic to cover Smith’s mouth, then waved at the camera and shouted, "I’m here today to make good on my promise! Let’s not get sidetracked with other topics. Can we start now? I’m ready."

Smith was having a blast. Well-versed in the entertainment value of the show, he playfully scuffled with Barkley while shouting, "Charles, it’s not a big deal! Chen already said it’s a form of self-regulation and doesn’t require therapy. And Chen is right here! Just be brave and say it. Maybe Chen can even help you find the root of the problem, right, Chen?"

Chen Yu immediately picked up the cue, smiling. "That’s right. I’ve been saying all along that facing your problems is the right approach. Hiding them only makes them bigger. Charles, why don’t we talk about it? Don’t worry, my services will be free of charge."

The two of them played off each other perfectly, nearly causing Barkley to go berserk. He roared at the ceiling like the Hulk, "Shaq, you bastard, I’m going to kill you!"

He was sure it must have been O’Neal who told Chen Yu.

Bringing O’Neal into it made the topic even juicier. In the distance, the director was even giving them hand signals, writing "Keep the scoop coming" on a cue card.

"Alright, Charles." Chen Yu waved his hand, signaling for Barkley to calm down. "Let’s get back to our previous topic."

Barkley nodded eagerly, looking at Chen Yu with gratitude.

Smith, on the other hand, gave Chen Yu a somewhat resentful look. Just a moment ago, his urge to spill the beans had reached its peak.

Chen Yu ignored him. If Barkley didn’t want to talk about it, why should Chen Yu expose him publicly? Bringing it up was just a small counterattack to make Barkley a little uncomfortable.

Sure enough, for the rest of the conversation, no matter what Chen Yu talked about, Barkley had the expression of a well-behaved child, nodding along seriously in agreement.

Meanwhile, the director signaled that time was running short.

It was almost time for the main event.

As Barkley covered his face with his hands, two crew members walked into the studio holding a large white sheet.

"Come on, Charles, I’m ready,"

Smith said with the expression of a hero marching to his death. He calmly walked behind the white sheet, even playfully sticking his butt out before revealing half his body, leaving only his rear end hidden.

"Charles, how’s this pose?" he even asked for Barkley’s opinion.

Barkley was too mortified to look.

"You got this." Chen Yu leaned over and patted Barkley’s shoulder encouragingly.

Barkley looked up and saw Smith even strike a Marilyn Monroe pose, holding down an imaginary skirt. His blood pressure instantly skyrocketed.

But he had to face the music sooner or later. Barkley gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Alright, I’ll honor the bet. I admit I was wrong. Yao is a truly incredible player, and I want to apologize to him. Not only can he score 20 points, he can even score 30. He should have been the number one draft pick."

After crisply delivering his apology to the camera, Barkley walked behind the white sheet with his head hung low.

The backlighting clearly silhouetted both of them.

Chen Yu had already quietly taken out his digital camera, ready to capture the moment for posterity.

With all eyes on him, Barkley bent over and moved in closer.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Barkley planted the kiss.

Just then, the two crew members holding the sheet suddenly let go.

SWISH! Like a magician revealing a trick, the white sheet dropped. Barkley, still kissing Smith’s rear end, turned his head in a daze, his face a mask of question marks.

’Weren’t they saying it was inappropriate to show and would be covered the whole time?’

Even Chen Yu was stunned for a second, forgetting to press the shutter. He turned his head to look at the director.

The guy was excitedly pumping his fist, cheering silently.

Actually, when this idea was first proposed, Chen Yu had thought about it: if they removed the screen at the exact moment of the kiss, the scene would be absolutely explosive.

But he had decided against it.

And in the end, Smith had kept his pants on. He would have minded if they had really made him take them off.

Unexpectedly, the director had had the same idea and, on his own initiative, had gone ahead and done it.

Anything for the sake of entertainment!

But it had to be said, the effect was phenomenal. The next day, that photo of Barkley turning to the camera with a bewildered look on his face was on the front page of every major newspaper, making him the talk of the town for a while.

It even overshadowed Chen Yu’s explanation of the five-minute rule.

Fortunately, after returning to Phoenix, Chen Yu saw related reports in the newspaper. An executive from the National Football League, for instance, told a reporter in an interview that Chen Yu’s five-minute rule was an excellent experiment and that they were discussing whether to follow suit.

It was the weekend, but for Chen Yu’s private clinic, there was no distinction between weekdays and weekends.

In the rehabilitation center, Chen Yu watched Yagudin go through his physical therapy.

Not far away, Little Curry was methodically practicing his dribbling.

In front of him was a wooden wall embedded with numerous glowing LED lights that would light up randomly.

Little Curry had to dribble while keeping an eye on the lights. When one lit up, he had to immediately reach out and touch it.

The lights were equipped with pressure sensors that could detect his reaction time and touch accuracy, generating data for analysis.

There were also more advanced variations.

A red light meant he had to dribble with his right hand. A green light, his left hand. For a yellow light, he had to do a between-the-legs dribble before touching it.

This wall was something Chen Yu had custom-made, specifically for training ball-handling skills and reaction speed.

Of course, it wasn’t free. Every time Little Curry came to train, he was charged a fee.

However, Chen Yu was quite fond of the kid, so he only charged a nominal fee.

If it were truly free, Old Curry himself would feel bad.

"His reactions are really fast," Yagudin couldn’t help but praise.

As a world champion and Grand Slam-winning figure skater—a top-tier athlete—he deeply understood the importance of reaction time, especially when recovering from a mistake.

Yagudin considered his own reactions to be top-tier, yet he felt that Little Curry, just a child, possessed a reaction ability that was on par with his own.

He was definitely talented.

Chen Yu nodded in agreement. Talent was one thing, but more importantly, for a boy Little Curry’s age to be able to accept and complete such tedious training, his self-control was far beyond that of his peers.

Chen Yu felt that this kid really might make it to the NBA in the future and carve out a successful career.

He might even become a star.

Just as he was thinking this, his pager vibrated.

He checked the message. It said there was a patient, one with an appointment, who had come from China.

’From China?’

Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment, he thought of someone.

Returning to the medical center and entering the consultation room, he saw an older and a younger man looking at him reservedly.

’Sure enough, it’s him.’

It was the athlete he had met during dinner when he went to Shanghai to evaluate Yao Ming. He thought his name was Liu Xiang.

And with him was his coach, Sun Haiping.