While Phoenix basked in the March sun, Birmingham was shrouded in a chilly, damp mist.
Chen Yu instinctively pulled his coat tighter. The lobby manager beside him waved, and a black Rolls-Royce glided to a stop in front of the three men.
"What’s this?" Sun Haiping was a little stunned.
Liu Xiang immediately looked toward Chen Yu. Chen Yu was covering all the expenses for this competition in the United Kingdom—the luxury hotel, and now, apparently, a luxury car. He felt a bit embarrassed, thinking such extravagance was unnecessary.
The lobby manager explained with a smile, "Dr. Chen, this is our owner’s car. He said it’s for you to use during your stay in the United Kingdom."
Chen Yu wasn’t particularly fazed. He’d been around so many top-tier athletes that he’d seen more than his fair share of luxury cars.
’This hotel owner is a real die-hard fan, though.’
"Please thank him for me," Chen Yu said, ushering Liu Xiang and Sun Haiping into the car.
Once inside, Sun Haiping couldn’t resist running his hand over the seat. He looked around and said, "This is the first time I’ve ever been in a car this nice."
Liu Xiang nodded in agreement.
Chen Yu chimed in, "It’s just a car. Focus on your competition. Once you become the best athlete in the world, you can buy as many of these as you want."
Liu Xiang shook his head slightly. ’This car would probably cost over ten million back in China,’ he thought. ’I couldn’t even dream of it.’
The three of them headed to the official training facility to meet up with the Chinese delegation.
The Chinese delegation was small this time, with only 11 athletes in total, including Liu Xiang.
Track and field had never been one of China’s strengths, and indoor events were even less so.
When they arrived at the training facility, the rest of the Chinese delegation was already waiting in the parking lot, having arrived by minibus. The delegation’s leader, National Track and Field Team head coach Feng Shuyong, stared as the expensive Rolls-Royce pulled up. He was even more baffled when he saw Liu Xiang and Sun Haiping step out.
"Old Sun, what’s all this?" Feng Shuyong hurried over, glancing at the luxury car. His first instinct was to say that the National Team wouldn’t be reimbursing the rental fee.
Sun Haiping gestured toward Chen Yu with his eyes. "The hotel owner arranged it specifically for Dr. Chen. We’re just tagging along for the ride."
"Hello, everyone," Chen Yu said, stepping forward to greet Feng Shuyong and the others.
Feng Shuyong just nodded blankly. In the presence of a world-renowned doctor like Chen Yu, he felt a little intimidated.
Since it was the first time the others were meeting him, they didn’t have much to say.
The group headed into the training facility.
Delegations from various countries continued to arrive.
With only one day left before the competition, all the athletes needed to quickly get into peak condition.
The Chinese delegation, for example, had first traveled to Austria for a European indoor track and field meet before rushing over to Birmingham.
It was a very tight schedule.
This was precisely why Chen Yu had asked Sun Haiping to discuss with the leadership about letting Liu Xiang come directly from the United States and skip the European indoor meet.
Reporters were camped outside the training facility, but since the Chinese delegation was small, it didn’t garner much attention.
So, the group kept their heads down and walked straight inside, not planning to give any interviews.
But just then, the entire crowd of waiting reporters suddenly swarmed toward them.
Feng Shuyong froze for a second, then instinctively moved forward to try and block the reporters.
To his surprise, the reporters rushed right past him without a single glance and surrounded Chen Yu instead.
"Dr. Chen, are you here in the United Kingdom for Ferdinand? Can you tell us, has his thigh strain worsened?"
"At the end of last month, Ferguson said in an interview that he was considering sending Ferdinand to the United States for treatment to completely resolve the chronic issues with his left leg. Did you come to the United Kingdom because you accepted Ferguson’s invitation?"
A barrage of questions flew at him from all sides.
And the name that came up most often was Ferdinand.
’The question is, who is he?’
Chen Yu was a little confused. ’They mentioned Ferguson, so this Ferdinand must be a Manchester United player,’ he reasoned.
’Is he injured? I haven’t heard anything about it.’
Chen Yu was still in touch with Ferguson, but he really hadn’t mentioned anything about this.
"Sorry, I’m just here in the United Kingdom on vacation," Chen Yu said, flatly denying their assumptions.
But the reporters clearly didn’t believe him. They kept clamoring, asking not only about Ferdinand but also about Neville, Gerrard, and Owen.
Feng Shuyong and the others were completely pushed aside. They stared blankly at the swarm of reporters, unsure whether they should leave or wait.
"Is he really that famous?" Shi Dongpeng whispered to Liu Xiang from among the other athletes.
The scene was a little intimidating.
Liu Xiang nodded numbly. "I guess he is."
’If he wasn’t famous, where would that luxury car have come from?’
A look of envy crept into Shi Dongpeng’s eyes. Athletes like them, who trained to be the best in China, were complete unknowns abroad.
"By the way, Liu Xiang, what’s your training like in the United States?" Shi Dongpeng asked, full of curiosity.
He was also a hurdler, and a very good one, but he was always just a step behind Liu Xiang.
How could Shi Dongpeng not be envious that Liu Xiang got to go to the United States to train?
’He wanted to improve, too!’
Liu Xiang said, "We do a lot. Seriously, you wouldn’t believe how professional it is unless you saw it for yourself. When I was adjusting my hurdling form, we used high-speed cameras to analyze it frame by frame and then did targeted training based on that."
"No wonder they get such good results and dominate the sport. When it comes to training, we’re really lagging far behind."
This only made Shi Dongpeng more envious.
Meanwhile, Chen Yu finally managed to break free from the reporters and hurried everyone along.
On the way, Feng Shuyong asked curiously what the reporters had been asking about.
"I don’t know," Chen Yu said, shaking his head.
Since the season began, his energy had been focused on the Suns, so he hadn’t paid any attention to the European soccer world.
Feng Shuyong said, "Oh," and dropped the subject.
In truth, he had wanted to chat a bit longer. Everyone in China’s sports world knew of Chen Yu. They knew his medical skills were unparalleled, and his training methods were just as elite.
Otherwise, why would the National Sports Administration have approved Liu Xiang to go train with Chen Yu in the United States?
As the head coach of the track and field team, he was eager to exchange ideas with Chen Yu, to absorb some of his advanced training experience. He even hoped Chen Yu might be able to take a look at some of the other athletes on the team.
Every professional athlete has a body full of injuries.
But considering Chen Yu’s fame and exorbitant fees, he swallowed the words before they could escape.
The group entered the training facility and waited for their turn on the track.
Just then, Feng Shuyong, who had gone to speak with the organizing committee, came back looking dejected. With a dark expression, he said, "They said it’s too crowded here, so they’ve temporarily moved us to a different facility. Let’s go."
His eyes were filled with resentment as he spoke.
The organizing committee had several training venues available. Kicking them out after they had already arrived was a clear sign of disrespect. They obviously thought that the small Chinese delegation wasn’t a contender and couldn’t produce any good results.
The facilities here were the best ones, and now they were being completely reserved for the United States and United Kingdom teams.
Sun Haiping sighed. "Forget it. If we have to move, we have to move. Let’s just hurry and get over there."
Feng Shuyong nodded helplessly. He had already argued with them, but it was no use.
Just then, Chen Yu stepped forward to stop them. "How about this," he said with a smile, "I’ll go talk to them and see what’s really going on."
He gestured for them to wait patiently and quickly walked off.
It didn’t really matter to him if they moved, but the United States Team was here. Chen Yu had an arrangement with Alan Johnson, and if they suddenly changed locations, how could their plan proceed?
’Turns out my reputation carries some weight.’
An official from the organizing committee, hearing of the situation, came over immediately. After listening to the explanation, he said, "Dr. Chen, this is a minor issue. I’ll have them adjust the schedule right away."
Chen Yu thanked him, but inwardly, he frowned slightly.
’It was a no-go when Feng Shuyong came, but as soon as I show up, it’s fine. What kind of treatment is that?’
Chen Yu still had a deep affection for China.
"All settled," Chen Yu said with a smile when he rejoined Feng Shuyong and the others, careful not to reveal his inner thoughts. "I cleared it up. It was just a misunderstanding. Let’s go."
Feng Shuyong was taken aback. ’A misunderstanding? That’s not what they told me.’
He gave Chen Yu a long, hard look, a bitter taste in his mouth.
After changing, the group entered the venue and began their individual training sessions.
There were already quite a few athletes from other countries on the field.
The United States Team had the largest presence.
"Chen!"
Chen Yu had just arrived when he heard someone call his name.
He turned to see Stan Huntsman, head coach of the United States Track and Field Association’s men’s team.
Chen Yu had dealt with him before, so they were familiar with each other.
He walked over quickly, gave Chen Yu a hug, and asked with some surprise why he was in the United Kingdom.
The United States Track and Field Association had previously invited Chen Yu to be the National Team doctor, but he had declined, citing a busy work schedule.
Chen Yu pointed toward Liu Xiang in the distance and explained why he was there.
"Him?" Huntsman’s gaze fixed on Liu Xiang. "I know him. He’s a very talented fellow."
Having broken the world junior record and the Asian record in the 110-meter hurdles last year, and placing second in the IAAF Grand Prix, Liu Xiang was clearly no nobody.
At this, Huntsman asked curiously, "Chen, for you to be training him personally, he must have something special. It looks like Alan might have a real opponent in the 60-meter hurdles this time."
Chen Yu laughed. "You’re exaggerating. He still has a long way to go."
Huntsman shook his head, his face written with disbelief.
The two chatted for a while longer.
The United States had sent a large team this time, but many of its star athletes were absent.
For instance, the 100-meter record holder, Maurice Greene, was out with a knee injury.
Then there were Montgomery and Jones. The "world’s fastest couple" was embroiled in a doping scandal and, disgraced, were also absent.
Incidentally, their case involved the tetrahydrogestrinone that Chen Yu had previously identified, which was then exposed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
As they were speaking, a woman with short brown hair walked over. She wrapped Chen Yu in a hug, beaming with pleasant surprise. "Chen, what are you doing here?"
She was Stacy Dragila, known as America’s "Pole Vault Queen."
Last summer, she had sought treatment from Chen Yu for a problem with her Achilles tendon.
Chen Yu let go of her and was about to speak when his gaze fell upon Alan Johnson in the distance.
Alan Johnson was walking toward Liu Xiang, who was putting on his shoes at the edge of the track.
He walked straight past Liu Xiang, but deliberately kicked over the water bottle beside him.
"What are you doing?!" Liu Xiang shot to his feet, stunned.
The two had met the previous year.
Of course, they had never really spoken and didn’t know each other well.
But to Liu Xiang, Alan Johnson had always been his idol, the man he was striving to surpass.
"Kid, you might as well not even practice. It’s a complete waste of time," Alan Johnson sneered, his face a mask of arrogance. "With your yellow-race physique, you’ll never surpass us, especially not me. Last year, all you could do was eat my dust, and this year, you still won’t beat me." He ignored Liu Xiang’s fiery glare and turned to walk away.
Faced with Alan Johnson’s provocation, Liu Xiang instantly clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to rush over and punch him.

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