Chapter 235 - 185: Neighbors with Jordan
"Alright, I have other patients, so I’ll be going now." Chen Yu nodded to the group, called over William and Lexi, and left the treatment room, giving them some space.
The rest of the group could only look at each other, dumbfounded.
"That’s it?" Stevenson, who had been silently accompanying them the whole time without saying much, couldn’t help but speak up now.
An issue that felt as serious as the sky falling was, in Chen Yu’s hands, dealt with so casually, almost anticlimactically.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t taking it seriously. After several interactions, Stevenson had gotten to know Chen Yu and understood that he was extremely responsible with his patients. He wouldn’t act like this otherwise.
"Ted, don’t overthink it. Trust me, Doctor Chen’s medical skills are the best, and he’s our best option right now." Nearby, seeing Beckham’s father frowning with an uneasy expression, Ferguson cleared his throat and took the initiative to explain on Chen Yu’s behalf.
At first, Ferguson himself hadn’t expected Chen Yu to handle it so casually.
But on second thought, if Chen Yu acted this way, it could only mean that Beckham’s injury wasn’t that severe, or that for Chen Yu, this fracture was simply not a serious problem and could be easily treated.
And that was the reality. A whole host of top orthopedic specialists in the United Kingdom had been hesitant, not a single one daring to guarantee Beckham could return before the World Cup. But Chen Yu could, and he even gave a recovery period of only 40 days.
This alone was a testament to his high level of skill.
Eriksson chimed in as well, "That’s right. Look at Baggio. He was so badly injured, and for so many years, no one could cure him, but Chen did. He’s the best. David, you shouldn’t overthink it either. Just stay in the United States and focus on your recovery. You must cooperate with Doctor Chen. This is very important, as it determines whether you can make a smooth comeback."
Eriksson then looked at Beckham and patted Gerrard’s shoulder beside him, saying, "Look how well Steven is recovering now."
Gerrard quickly added, "That’s right, Chen is the best doctor, and he’s extremely responsible. He treats me on time every single day. You know, he’s also the team doctor for the basketball team, so he has a lot of work. But even if the team has a game, he makes arrangements in advance. He even adjusts my daily rehabilitation plan specifically for me. He’s incredibly, incredibly skilled."
"I understand." Beckham wasn’t a man of many words. He nodded. As long as he could play in the World Cup, he would do anything.
Then, after a moment’s hesitation, Beckham looked down at his left foot again. "And I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like the swelling in my left foot isn’t as bad anymore."
Before, it was swollen and the feeling of pressure was quite uncomfortable, but now it felt much better.
He suspected it had to do with the manual reduction Chen Yu had performed.
Ferguson smiled and said, "See? I told you he was the best choice. We were right to come to the United States."
No wonder that stingy fellow Wenger would also send his players all the way here to Chen Yu.
Although they didn’t feel like they were receiving a grand reception, their objective had been achieved, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If Beckham had really missed the World Cup, the impact would have been immense.
"Tony, there are reporters outside the clinic. Come with me, we’ll give them a brief update," Eriksson said.
Right now, everyone in the United Kingdom was watching Beckham’s injury. Since there was good news, they definitely had to share it quickly.
Stevenson nodded, then looked toward Ferguson and asked in a low voice, "Sir, if the reporters ask about the Duscher incident, should we give a direct answer?"
Beckham had been injured by a tackle from Aldo Duscher during the Champions League quarter-final match between Manchester United and Deportivo La Coruña.
The crucial thing was, after causing the injury, Duscher never apologized. He even said he didn’t need to apologize because he was just going for the ball.
Even the Argentinian media were a bit embarrassed, saying his tackle was too harsh.
For once, Ferguson let out a cold snort and said, "Don’t say anything. We’ll wait for him to apologize publicly."
Seeing the big shots discussing other matters, Gerrard tactfully excused himself. He started pushing Beckham’s wheelchair and said, "David, let me show you around the clinic. Robert and Giovanni are still here. It was actually even livelier before. There were so many people. I got to see Batty every day. It was like a dream."
Beckham had already seen the media reports and knew that a large number of stars from European Football came to Chen Yu for treatment.
They went outside.
Ted took care of Beckham’s son, while Victoria went with a nurse to handle the admission procedures and payment.
Anyway, as long as you were a VIP client, you didn’t need to ask about the cost. You just put down a deposit of 500,000 US dollars, and the difference would be settled later.
Once outside, Beckham instinctively reached for his sunglasses but was stopped by Gerrard.
"Don’t worry, probably not many people here will recognize you," Gerrard said, his tone a bit dejected.
In the United Kingdom, he had become the face of the National Team, a household name. But the first time he came to Chen Yu’s clinic, not a single person recognized him.
Beckham instinctively wanted to say, ’That’s you. I’m a global icon.’
But as Gerrard pushed him along, Beckham really did notice that the nurses, orderlies, and other patients they passed didn’t pay him much mind.
The occasional person who did glance over was always female, and Beckham strongly suspected they were probably only looking at him because he was handsome.
His ego took a slight hit, but on second thought, Beckham felt this was actually pretty good.
In his personal life, Beckham was a quiet and relatively introverted person. In the United Kingdom, he was always in the public eye, with crowds gathering wherever he went. It was rare to have this kind of peace and quiet.
"Oh, that reminds me of something," Beckham said with a smile. "Last year, a film company approached me and made a film inspired by me called *Bend It Like Beckham*. Then they sold the rights to 20th Century Fox to get it released in the United States."
"And you know what? When it came time for the promotional events, the American side didn’t even invite me! They said I wasn’t famous enough in the United States, that many Americans didn’t know who I was, and that I wasn’t as well-known as the other person with a cameo, Mia Hamm. So in the end, they invited Hamm, not me."
Beckham spread his hands, wearing an expression that said he couldn’t understand why.
Gerrard couldn’t help but laugh. "That’s just how it is. They prefer basketball and American football. By the way, don’t you like Jordan? Chen and Jordan are really close. He could get you an autograph anytime."
At the mention of Jordan, Beckham’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"Right, isn’t the NBA season about to end?" Beckham asked hurriedly.
Gerrard nodded. Being in the United States, it was hard for him to avoid watching NBA games on TV, even if he wanted to.
"Then I wonder if I could go to Washington to see a Wizards game." Beckham knew Jordan had come out of retirement this year. Now that he was in the United States, seeing Jordan play in person would be a dream come true. After all, the season was about to end, and the Wizards hadn’t made the playoffs, so if he didn’t go now, he’d miss his chance.
Gerrard said, "You’ll have to ask Chen. You can only go if he agrees."
Meanwhile, after finishing Beckham’s treatment, Chen Yu first went to Hardaway’s room.
Beckham and his group were his patients, his clients.
But Hardaway was part of his own team and also his friend. With the playoffs imminent, Hardaway was waiting to make his comeback, so Chen Yu definitely had to prioritize him.
In the hospital room, Hardaway was watching game film.
Even though he was injured, the season wasn’t over yet, and the daily routines still had to be done.
Seeing Chen Yu enter, Hardaway automatically started to take off his shirt.
His hand was injured, but the acupuncture required needles in his arm and shoulder. He was long used to it.
Chen Yu didn’t say much, just took out the needles and began the treatment.
Hardaway calmly continued watching the film and asked casually, "I heard from the nurses that another player came to the clinic, a really famous star. There are a lot of reporters outside. Who is it?"
"David Beckham. You know him?"
Hardaway paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I know him. Where’s he injured? Isn’t the World Cup coming up soon?"
Getting injured right before the World Cup was some seriously bad luck.
Chen Yu said, "It’s fine. His injury isn’t serious. It won’t affect his ability to play in the World Cup."
Hardaway didn’t ask any more questions.
Just as they were speaking, the door to the room opened, and Gerrard pushed Beckham in, who peeked his head inside.
"Penny!"
Recognizing who was in the room, Beckham blurted out Hardaway’s nickname.
He loved Jordan, so of course he also knew about Hardaway, Jordan’s successor.
"Hello." Hardaway nodded blankly, silently sizing up Beckham. ’Damn, he’s even more handsome in person than in his photos.’
The two entered the room. Beckham looked at the steel needles in Hardaway’s arm and winced silently.
Fortunately, on the way over, Gerrard had already told him that Chen Yu used a treatment method called Acupuncture, giving him a heads-up. Otherwise, seeing this scene so suddenly, he would have suspected Chen Yu was secretly torturing Hardaway.
"What brings you two here?" Chen Yu asked.
Beckham hesitated for a moment before stating his request: he wanted to go to Washington in the next couple of days to see a Wizards game.
"Michael?"
Chen Yu looked Beckham up and down. ’That old rogue sure has a lot of fans.’
"No need to go to all that trouble. After the season ends in a few days, he’ll be coming to the clinic to stay for a while for treatment. I’ll arrange for him to be your neighbor. You can see him whenever you want."
With the season nearing its end, even the great God of Basketball couldn’t save the cellar-dwelling Wizards. So, Jordan had already started planning his offseason.
The first thing on his list was to come to Phoenix and properly take care of his knee.
After all, he still had to play another year.
Jordan had even complained to Chen Yu over the phone that if he had known how hard this Wizards team would be to carry, he never would have agreed to play for two years. He would have just called it quits after one.
"Really?" Beckham’s eyes were shining.
Gerrard had already told him that the clinic’s VIP patients all got to stay in private villas, and he had seen the beautiful houses on his way in.
And now, to think that every day he could wake up, get out of bed, and have the God of Basketball, Michael Jordan, greet him with a smile like a friendly neighbor and say "Good morning"—the scene was almost too wonderful to imagine.
