Florentino smiled as he looked at Chen Yu.
He was very confident about the number on the check.
A salary of five million euros a year was an absolutely astronomical price.
Across the entire world of soccer, even top stars like Beckham, Zidane, and Ronaldo only earned around five million euros a year.
In other words, he had offered Chen Yu a salary equivalent to that of a top-tier superstar.
This was unprecedented. Even at a top club like Real Madrid, the team doctor’s salary wasn’t even a tenth of what he was offering Chen Yu.
Seeing Chen Yu remain silent, Florentino assumed he hadn’t understood and added with another smile, "Five million a year."
’Duh,’ Chen Yu thought. ’It’s not like it’s a transfer fee.’
"Mr. Perez, first, thank you for the invitation." Chen Yu closed the folder and said, "But I’m afraid I have to apologize. I have no intention of leaving the United States."
Of course, a five-million-euro annual salary was tempting to Chen Yu, but his career was in the United States.
His clinic, his sports lab, and now his sports supplements and weight-loss show.
For Chen Yu, the income from a team was no longer a big deal.
To abandon all that and run off to Spain for just five million euros? They’d have to add another zero for it to even be a consideration.
The smile froze on Florentino’s face.
His reaction suggested he was not used to being rejected.
"Six million."
After a brief hesitation, Florentino added another million without a second thought.
His philosophy for business and buying players was simple: if he was rejected, it must be because he hadn’t offered enough money.
Chen Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at Florentino.
’This isn’t about the money, is it?’
"Mr. Perez, why don’t we just enjoy our coffee?" Chen Yu pushed the folder back toward him.
This time, Florentino’s brows furrowed.
’Still not enough?’
He gestured to his assistant, who immediately came forward and handed him a checkbook.
Without looking at it, he pushed it directly in front of Chen Yu. "Dr. Chen, I am truly sincere. How about this? You write the number. I guarantee I won’t haggle."
Chen Yu was speechless.
’What a flex. I’d give it a one out of ten, tops.’
’Does he really think he’s the richest man in the world?’
’Even if he were, he wouldn’t dare just hand over a blank checkbook and tell someone to write whatever they want.’
Furthermore, Florentino’s attitude—that he could solve anything by throwing money at it—left a bad taste in Chen Yu’s mouth.
Throwing money at the old me might have worked.
But for the man I am now, simply throwing money around is useless.
Otherwise, if I told a reporter I was leaving the Suns, a swarm of teams would be at my door the very next day with offers.
"Sorry, I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be going. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Perez." Chen Yu gave a slight smile, stood up, and left.
Florentino stared fixedly as Chen Yu walked away, his expression a little unnatural.
It was the first time he had ever been rejected so completely.
His assistant took a step forward and said softly, "Sir, is it really necessary for us to spend so much to invite him?"
It wasn’t that Chen Yu wasn’t worth it.
The world’s best sports medicine doctor certainly deserved a high salary.
But 6,000,000 euros a year!
That wasn’t sixty, it was a full six million!
How much does it cost to buy a star player?
To spend that much just to hire a team doctor... it felt like they were being played for suckers.
Florentino snapped back to his senses, turned to his assistant, and retorted, "What, are you questioning my judgment?"
’Do you think I’m an idiot?’
The assistant was startled and quickly shook his head in denial.
Florentino snorted. "First of all, I think he is absolutely worth it."
"You need to understand, he isn’t a player; he’s a doctor. A top-tier superstar might only have a peak of a few years, but he’s different. Even when he’s sixty or seventy, he’ll still be the best doctor in the world."
The kind that only gets more valuable with age.
"He can serve us for many, many years. Most importantly, his medical skills are top-notch and can guarantee the health of our players. When we spend tens of millions on a player, I don’t want to see him sitting on the bench or his performance declining because of an injury."
"So, this is an irreplaceable value. Tell me, is he worth it or not?"
The assistant nodded hastily in agreement. ’If you think he’s worth it, then he’s worth it.’
"Sir, what do we do now?" the assistant asked again.
Chen Yu’s attitude made it clear he was completely unswayed.
Florentino tapped his fingers on the table, his interest suddenly piqued.
If Chen Yu had accepted with tears of gratitude the moment he pulled out the checkbook, he would have found it rather boring.
It was just like when he bought players. Only after throwing around tens of millions and using every trick in the book to win them over and successfully bring them to Real Madrid did he get that feeling of conquering a stunning beauty, which was the only thing that could excite him.
"Alright, first find a reporter and leak a story to lay the groundwork. Then, do a deep dive on him for me. Find out what he likes, figure out why he rejected me," Florentino said after a moment of thought.
「Meanwhile.」
Chen Yu found Liu Xiang in the gym.
He was meticulously warming up.
After finishing his warmup, Liu Xiang saw Chen Yu still sitting there and asked him when they were going to start.
He called out once, but there was no response.
Just as he was about to call out again, Chen Yu snapped out of it.
"I’m fine. Let’s get started," Chen Yu said, standing up.
He just suddenly felt a pang of regret.
He regretted not taking a picture of that check just now to send to Brian. He wanted to show that guy that he was now capable of earning a mid-level contract in the league.
"By the way, Liu Xiang, how much did you make last year?" Chen Yu asked, looking up.
Liu Xiang, who was stretching, paused for a moment. He didn’t hide anything and calculated seriously before saying, "I won quite a bit of prize money last year. With my salary and subsidies, I estimate it was several hundred thousand."
RMB.
"That’s quite a bit," Chen Yu chuckled and patted Liu Xiang’s shoulder. "Keep it up."
The money itself wasn’t the point. How much one could earn was, at the very least, proof of one’s worth.
In the entire world, what team doctor could command such a high salary?
「The next day, the final day of the championship.」
By morning, everyone from the Chinese delegation except Liu Xiang had been eliminated.
The medal count was zero.
This made Feng Shuyong incredibly nervous. Now, Liu Xiang was their last and only hope.
"Liu Xiang, don’t overthink it. You absolutely can’t feel any pressure. Just run freely. Believe in yourself," Feng Shuyong repeated over and over before the final.
"Alright, Coach Feng." Chen Yu, who had just finished taping up Liu Xiang, stood up and interrupted him with a smile. "It’s too late to say anything now. Anyway, I believe in Liu Xiang. Getting at least one medal won’t be a problem."
The advantages of his adjusted running form were already apparent. Otherwise, how could Liu Xiang have run a time close to 7.5 seconds?
So, they were on the right path. At a time like this, the result was actually secondary. Even if he lost today, it would be fine.
Liu Xiang stood up and jumped in place. His body felt lighter than ever. He turned to look into the distance, his eyes locking onto Alan Johnson.
No need for heroic words. Just do it!
「At 2:30 in the afternoon, the final began.」
Liu Xiang was in lane three, with Alan Johnson to his right.
To his left was Garcia.
In lane five was Colin Jackson.
Liu Xiang stood in place, glancing left and right. These men had once been his targets, his idols.
And now, he was standing alongside them, ready to surpass them.
Perhaps sensing Liu Xiang’s intense gaze, Alan Johnson also turned his head, sized up Liu Xiang seriously, and gave a slight nod.
’A gesture of goodwill?’
Liu Xiang frowned slightly. ’Too late for that.’
Following the official’s signal, Liu Xiang crouched down, adjusting his posture.
He looked up and glanced at the sidelines.
Sun Haiping had his hands clasped together, praying silently.
Feng Shuyong was even more nervous, pacing back and forth.
Only Chen Yu stood alone with his hands in his pockets. He must have noticed Liu Xiang’s gaze, as the corners of his mouth lifted in a slight nod.
Liu Xiang took a deep breath and cleared his mind.
A feeling that was hard to describe in words spread through his body. Liu Xiang had a strong intuition that he was going to win.
Not just top three, but first place!
’Let this guy next to me see for himself whether a yellow person, a Chinese person, has what it takes!’
BANG!
The starting gun fired.
In an instant, all the runners burst forward.
But Liu Xiang was the fastest.
His superhuman reaction time allowed him to explode off the blocks with the fastest start.
0.107 seconds!
On the electronic screen connected to the starting blocks, Liu Xiang’s start time flashed up instantly.
The fastest of the eight runners.
One fast step led to another, and in just two strides, Liu Xiang was already pulling ahead.
He leaped, his upper body steady. Leg up, lower leg tucked—his form was so perfect it looked as if it had been measured with a ruler.
There was no conscious thought, only pure instinct.
On the sidelines, Chen Yu unconsciously held his breath, his eyes following Liu Xiang.
’He’s leading. The advantage is ours!’
Chen Yu had once told Liu Xiang that in terms of explosive power and sprinting, no matter how much he trained, it would be hard for his body to catch up to those freaks of nature. His advantage lay over the hurdles, between the hurdles, in his form, and in his rhythm.
And today, Liu Xiang had clearly found the perfect balance.
He was like a nimble cheetah, clearing one hurdle after another as if he were being copied and pasted.
In just a moment, he had already built a lead.
As Alan Johnson leaped, he couldn’t stop himself from twisting his head mid-air.
’What the hell? Liu Xiang is actually ahead of me.’
Despite his shock, years of experience in major competitions ensured Alan Johnson’s form didn’t falter. His hurdling motion had long become second nature.
But he was pushing harder, trying to catch up.
Yet, every time he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, Liu Xiang was still right there.
’What’s going on?’
Colin Jackson, on his right, was already far behind.
And what shocked Alan Johnson even more was that as they cleared hurdle after hurdle, Liu Xiang’s lead was actually widening.
By the time they cleared the final hurdle, Liu Xiang was ahead by half a body length.
Johnson felt his breathing getting out of control.
’Isn’t this guy supposed to be at a 7.6-second level? He hit 7.5 in the semis, and now... it looks like he’s about to break 7.5!’
Fortunately, it was the final sprint.
’The advantage is mine!’
Alan Johnson exploded with a final burst of speed, sprinting frantically and closing the distance to Liu Xiang, bit by bit.
Unfortunately, the track ahead was too short.
Leaning forward with all his might, Alan Johnson roared across the finish line.
On the sidelines, Chen Yu, Sun Haiping, and the others instantly whipped their heads toward the screen.
It was too close. It was impossible to tell who was first with the naked eye.
But Chen Yu had a strong gut feeling that Liu Xiang had crossed the line first.
The next moment, the results appeared.
On the first line, in the spot reserved for the national flag, a conspicuous red flag appeared.
"Gold medal!" Sun Haiping roared instantly.
Feng Shuyong also lost control, punching the air wildly and shouting.
7.46 seconds!
With an advantage of 0.01 seconds, Liu Xiang had snatched the gold medal right from Alan Johnson’s grasp.

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