"So you’re saying you’re the president’s personal physician now?" Lexi asked on the plane, looking utterly shocked.
"Don’t be ridiculous."
Chen Yu simply shook his head. "Not his personal physician. A consultant. Do you even know what a consultant is?"
The president had a dedicated medical team.
What wasn’t public knowledge was that this medical team was also a military unit. Its primary members were military doctors; there were very few civilians.
Besides, it’s no cushy job. You have to be on call 24/7, ready to treat the president at a moment’s notice.
Wherever the president went, you had to follow. It’s no exaggeration to say that if he went out for a run, you’d have to follow in an ambulance.
Not many people would be willing to be a personal physician like that, especially a top-tier doctor like Chen Yu.
That’s why the position Chen Yu got was just a consultant.
He could offer treatment suggestions for problems they couldn’t solve, and with permission, he could administer the treatment himself.
"That’s still amazing, you know," Lexi said, still looking stunned. "NASA consultant, presidential medical consultant... either one of those titles is an honor that ninety-nine percent of doctors couldn’t achieve in a lifetime."
Then, Lexi seemed to remember something else and asked with a sly grin, "So what was the Special Service Bureau’s reaction when you gave the president acupuncture?"
She was itching for the gossip.
The president had clearly done his research on Chen Yu. He knew Chen Yu used traditional Chinese medical therapies like acupuncture and was especially curious about them. He asked right then and there if he could try it.
What else could Chen Yu do? He had to let him try it.
’Luckily, I brought my steel needles in my suitcase this time.’
But just as Lexi suspected, during the acupuncture session, when the Secret Service agents on guard saw Chen Yu approach with steel needles several centimeters long, their hands all went to their waists.
The whole situation had Chen Yu cursing inwardly, making him even more certain that he could never be the president’s personal physician.
And that wasn’t all. At the time, his entourage and a crowd of officials had a lengthy debate about whether he should even receive acupuncture. If the president himself hadn’t insisted, Chen Yu wouldn’t have even been allowed to touch his needles.
The effects, however, were undeniable and immediate.
After all, the treatment was designed to relieve his pain, so of course the results were instantly noticeable and welcome.
Although the whole process was nerve-wracking, it was just as Lexi said. Landing the position of medical consultant was another huge boost to the reputation of both Chen Yu and his clinic.
"Enough about that," Chen Yu said with a smile. "It’s not like he’s sick every day, so it doesn’t really affect us. At most, he’s just a super-VIP client. You should focus on where you want to go have fun once we’re in Japan."
Lexi patted her shoulder bag. "Joumana helped me put together an itinerary. The main question is whether you’ll have any time."
"Of course I’ll have time." ’I’m not the coach, stressing about wins and losses every day. Normally, the team doctor’s job is pretty chill, as long as no one gets injured.’
Lexi nodded and asked, "What about South Korea? We were in such a rush for the group draw last time that we didn’t get to do anything fun. If we get the chance this time, we should explore properly."
At the mention of South Korea, Chen Yu pursed his lips in distaste. ’What’s so great about that place? Only a sucker would want to go there.’
"Don’t worry about South Korea. We’re not going."
The Group G matches were all in Japan. Only if they got out of the group stage and into the knockout rounds would they go to South Korea to play.
Lexi said, "Oh," and didn’t press the issue. After a moment’s thought, she added, "By the way, Chen, what about China? You’ve been there, right? I’d love to see your homeland too."
"China?" Chen Yu thought for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "It’s huge and beautiful. It has bustling metropolises and gorgeous countryside. But I’m afraid it’s not possible this time."
For one, they didn’t have visas.
For another, there was a ton of work back at the clinic. Even though the players were resting in the off-season, Chen Yu was still swamped, especially with his sports lab set to open in the summer.
Plus, right after the World Cup was the FIBA World Championship.
"Okay," Lexi sighed. She didn’t ask any more questions and began to look forward to their trip to Japan instead.
As it turned out, however, things weren’t that simple.
Or rather, even Chen Yu hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
Because of the incident last year, Japan was treating the arrival of the United States National Team with extreme caution, as if preparing for a major threat.
The security was even tighter than when they’d gone to South Korea.
Before the plane even reached Miyazaki Airport, fighter jets appeared to fly escort.
Real fighter jets. When Chen Yu saw them through the airplane window, he was completely stunned. For a second, he thought they were under attack.
After the plane landed, even Arena couldn’t help but complain, "Is all this really necessary?"
Beside him, Contiguglia had a serious expression. He held up his phone and said, "The Japanese organizers just contacted us. They want to cancel the airport press conference, citing security concerns."
He scratched his head, clearly frustrated.
The United States Team might not have a huge following, but there were still domestic reporters traveling with them.
Now that the team had arrived, people back in the States would be wondering how they were doing.
Chen Yu shook his head to himself. ’Americans probably don’t really care.’
’Right now, Americans are definitely more worried about who’s going to win the NBA Finals.’
"That’s a lot of police," Lexi whispered, patting Chen Yu’s arm and gesturing toward the perimeter.
The team deplaned first. After getting off, they boarded a shuttle bus, which was escorted by a SWAT vehicle directly to a lounge in the terminal.
The area outside was swarming with police, all of them armed.
Chen Yu sighed. He was starting to worry if they’d even be allowed to leave the hotel freely.
If they couldn’t go out, Lexi’s whole itinerary would be a waste.
Contiguglia went aside to negotiate with the Japanese officials.
Word came back over twenty minutes later.
All the players would head to the hotel first, while the team officials could remain at the airport for the press conference.
The group set out again.
They were surrounded by layers upon layers of police.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few fans waiting at the airport.
Well, not that many—just a few dozen.
One of the players in the line waved back in pleasant surprise, only to be met with laughter from his teammates.
"Wolf, take it easy," Claudio Reyna said with a laugh. "They’re not here for us. Can’t you see they’re holding Germany Team flags?"
Sure enough, as the group drew closer, the fans cordoned off by the police barely reacted. They just stared over with curiosity, as if wondering what all the fuss was about and why there were so many police.
Chen Yu then remembered that because the facilities in Miyazaki were relatively good, not only the United States Team, but also the Germany Team and the Sweden Team had chosen it as their base camp for the tournament.
Since fans were here, the Germany Team must be about to arrive as well.
"You should go on to the hotel first. Be careful," Chen Yu said, holding Lexi back for a moment to remind her.
Lexi looked a little down, obviously not having anticipated this. She nodded and followed the other staff through a special corridor to the awaiting vehicles, heading for the hotel.
Chen Yu and the remaining officials went to a small press room the airport had prepared, ready to meet with the reporters.
Due to the last-minute change of plans, the room was still being set up.
As they waited, they suddenly heard a loud cheer from another area.
Chen Yu clearly saw many of the police officers on the perimeter reach for their waists.
Soon, a large, imposing procession appeared before them.
It was the Germany Team.
They looked like they were also here for the press conference.
Compared to the United States Team, the German contingent had far more reporters following them, including many from other European countries.
They were a seeded team, after all, not even in the same league as an underdog squad like the United States.
"Chen!"
Scholl, walking at the front of the group in a tracksuit, had already spotted Chen Yu and was waving hello.
Chen Yu glanced around.
The people beside him, whether it was Arena or Contiguglia, had become completely invisible.
But since he’d been called out, Chen Yu had no choice but to walk over.
Chen Yu also spotted Desler in the back, pushing a luggage cart. He seemed a bit shy and kept looking over at Chen Yu, only coming up to say hello after the rest of the group caught up.
"How’s the back?" Chen Yu asked with a smile, giving Scholl a hug.
While he was at it, he gave him a scan with the Eye of All-Seeing.
The spinal disc he’d had surgery on was fine; it hadn’t ruptured or herniated again.
His ankles and knees were also mostly fine.
Of course, Chen Yu also glanced at Desler. The German prodigy’s previously torn ACL was now perfectly healthy.
Just then, the Germany Team’s head coach, Wolle, walked over.
The two had met at the drawing ceremony.
But Chen Yu noticed a hint of worry in his eyes. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wolle got straight to the point. "Chen, could I have a word with you?"
Though puzzled, Chen Yu nodded and stepped aside with him.
"Here’s the thing, Chen," Wolle said, rubbing his hands together and lowering his voice. "I know this is a big ask, but I’m in a tough spot, so I have no choice but to ask for your help."
Chen Yu grew wary and asked what he wanted.
’His tone makes it sound like this is really difficult for him.’
Wolle said, "We have two players on our squad who are injured. With the World Cup starting in just a week, I was hoping you could help diagnose them. If you could treat them, that would be even better."
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Bayern’s miracle-worker, Dr. Wolffat; it was simply that Chen Yu’s resume was more impressive and his track record more outstanding.
Chen Yu now understood why Wolle looked so conflicted.
If this were before the World Cup, it would be no big deal. Chen Yu ran a clinic, after all; he’d treat anyone who came to him.
But the World Cup was about to start. While the United States Team and the Germany Team weren’t in the same group, they were still competitors. For him, the US team doctor, to be treating a rival team’s injured players right now... what would people say?
It would be like Trapattoni showing up and asking Chen Yu to treat Vieri again. Should he help or not?
If he helped, and Vieri—who was supposed to be sidelined with an injury—ended up playing against the United States Team in the group stage, scored a goal, and caused them to lose, wouldn’t that make Chen Yu a traitor?
"Which players, and what are their injuries?" Chen Yu didn’t refuse immediately, asking for the details first.
"It’s Ballack and Reimer. Those two over there."
Wolle pointed to the German players, who were waiting on the other side.
Michael Ballack injured his right ankle. He got hurt in a tackle back in April, and it’s been a cycle of treatment, playing, and relapsing ever since. It just hasn’t healed properly. It started acting up again before they left, and he didn’t even play in last week’s friendly against Saudi Arabia.
Then there’s their defender, Marco Reus. He has a strained muscle in his left shoulder that also hasn’t healed.
Both injuries are the type where they can play through the pain, but their performance will definitely be affected. If their injuries could be taken care of so they could play unburdened, that would be the best possible outcome.
Wolle knew Chen Yu’s medical skills were world-class, and that he even possessed some abilities that were almost unbelievably magical. For instance, Xiaobei had fractured his metatarsal but still managed to make it to this World Cup.
And since they both happened to be in Miyazaki, he decided to ask Chen Yu for help.

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