And then there was him. For a measly 5% stake in the Wizards, he’d been forced to come out of retirement and slog through another two years of playing.
And even then, he’d backed the wrong horse and gotten swindled.
Compared to Chen Yu, how could he not be jealous?
Chen Yu rubbed his chest and asked Jordan, "What are you doing here?"
"Forget about ’body maintenance.’ You should just retire for good and stop thinking about joining the Suns. Besides, Brian doesn’t want you."
The line "Brian doesn’t want you" was a gut punch that struck Jordan’s fragile ego. His face paled with embarrassment, and he cursed, "That’s because he’s blind."
After speaking, he gave Miller a disgusted look and waved his hand, shooing him away.
Miller, with his fiery temper, wasn’t about to indulge him. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and refused to budge.
"Just say what you came to say," Chen Yu said, pulling away from Jordan’s grasp.
Jordan shot a glare at Miller before turning back. "Chen, here’s what I’m thinking. The Suns’ shares aren’t cheap, so you must be short on cash, right? How about we team up? We can pool our money and buy the shares together."
Becoming a team owner is difficult; it takes a lot of luck.
After getting screwed over by Old Polin, Jordan hadn’t given up hope. The moment he heard Old Kolangelo was planning to sell shares to Chen Yu, he came running.
"Chen, we’re such good friends! I love you, man! You know that, right? You wouldn’t turn me down, would you?" Jordan pleaded, grabbing Chen Yu by the arms, his eyes gleaming.
Chen Yu and Miller both shuddered violently at the same time.
Miller voluntarily took a few steps back. He couldn’t listen to this anymore.
Chen Yu wriggled free from Jordan’s grasp again. After a moment of thought, he said, "Michael, I can’t promise you anything regarding the Suns’ shares. My approval alone isn’t enough."
If Old Kolangelo didn’t agree, there was nothing Jordan could do.
"However, if you’re serious about investing, I do have a project in mind."
’My sports consulting firm is in desperate need of funding.’
Chen Yu wanted to scale up and hoped to bring in investors, using their connections to expand the business. Jordan would be an excellent partner in that regard.
Jordan waved his hand dismissively. "Jerry has already gone all-in to keep you. As long as you give the word, he definitely won’t refuse."
After a brief pause, Jordan asked curiously, "By the way, what was that project you mentioned?"
Now that he had retired again, Jordan had only one thing on his mind: making money.
And investing in a man like Chen Yu was a sure bet.
Just as Chen Yu was about to explain, his phone vibrated.
He pulled it out and saw it was another call from Stern.
After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Yu hung up.
Jordan was taken aback. "Why didn’t you take David’s call?"
"Didn’t feel like it," Chen Yu replied, not mentioning the incident where he’d been barred from the locker room.
Jordan winced internally. Chen Yu had to be the first person to so openly disrespect Stern.
DING.
It was a text message.
It was from Stern. Seeing that Chen Yu wouldn’t answer his calls, he had sent a text. It said he was in Phoenix right now with Kolangelo and wanted Chen Yu to come over for a chat.
Chen Yu was a little surprised.
’Looks like Old Kolangelo’s announcement about transferring shares to me really spooked him.’
"Michael, let’s go."
Chen Yu grabbed Jordan and gestured for him to get moving.
’It’s good he’s here. We can talk about this face-to-face. This whole affair is starting to affect my daily work at the clinic.’
Besides, tons of people were contacting him every day, trying every trick in the book to recruit him. Never mind the NBA; plenty of teams from Europe, the NFL, and even Major League Baseball were reaching out.
Chen Yu was getting tired of it.
「A golf course in the Phoenix suburbs.」
Chen Yu was a member here, though he had little interest in golf.
After changing his clothes, he found Stern. The two men had already started their game.
"Chen." The bald-headed Adam Silva was there too, greeting Chen Yu with a broad smile.
"Adam."
Chen Yu gave him a second glance. According to office gossip, it was Silva who had proposed putting him in the Hall of Fame and promoting him to Vice President.
Stern smiled, stepped forward to embrace Chen Yu, and then greeted Jordan.
"Michael, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed." Nearby, Old Kolangelo let go of Jordan, shot a glance at Stern, and said pointedly, "Even if I were willing to sell you the shares, David here wouldn’t approve."
He had guessed why Jordan was here, and his words were also a reminder for Chen Yu.
A flash of awkwardness crossed Stern’s face. He immediately turned to Chen Yu and said with a smile, "Chen, it’s not that I disagree. How about we step over there and talk for a moment?"
He then leaned on his golf club and added, "By the way, Chen, I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you on becoming the league’s Vice President. Congratulations."
"Hold on."
Chen Yu held up a hand, cutting off Old Kolangelo, who was about to offer his own congratulations. "David, Jerry, since you’re both here, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you as well."
Stern nodded with a smile. What he was most curious about now was Chen Yu’s stance on all this.
Chen Yu motioned for the caddie to set up his ball, then said, "First of all, David, I’m very grateful that you hold me in such high regard and offered to make me the league’s Vice President. However, I’m afraid I have to apologize. I cannot accept the position."
With that one sentence, the smile on Stern’s face froze solid.
Nearby, Silva’s eyes shot wide open, his face a mask of utter shock.
The league Vice President! Chen Yu had actually turned it down!
After all, becoming the league’s Vice President meant you had a chance to one day succeed Stern himself.
"Chen, if you’re still upset about what happened before, then let me apologize first. My handling of the situation was ill-considered," Stern said, reacting with lightning speed. He first apologized, then tried to persuade him. "Furthermore, regardless of your final choice, we all hope you’ll become the league’s Vice President. It would be a great thing for the entire league."
Stern was genuinely stunned.
’He won’t even accept the Vice President position? What does he want, then? To be the Commissioner? Should I just give him my seat?’
"It has nothing to do with that."
Chen Yu shook his head. "David, I don’t plan on leaving Phoenix. But at the same time, I no longer plan on being the Suns’ team doctor."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Old Kolangelo, who had been beaming over Chen Yu’s refusal of the VP position, was instantly struck dumb.
’I was ready to give him a stake in the team, and now he’s leaving?’
"Chen, why?" Old Kolangelo asked anxiously.
He didn’t understand. If Chen Yu wasn’t going to be the Suns’ team doctor but also wasn’t leaving Phoenix, then what was he planning? Was he going to leave the world of basketball altogether?
"Here’s the thing."
Chen Yu twisted at the waist and swung the club.
’Dammit, a shank. A terrible shot.’
The corner of Jordan’s eye twitched, and he looked like he was struggling to hold back a laugh.
Chen Yu awkwardly handed the club back to the caddie and started walking with the group. "It’s good that Michael is here, too. I’ve had an idea recently. I want to start a sports consulting firm to provide professional services—training consulting, medical consulting, and so on—to professional teams all over the world."
"In other words, I’m planning to run my own business. That’s why I have to turn down the Vice President position."
"Of course, I’ll still gladly accept the shares in the Suns."
’The VP job is pointless, but a stake in the Suns is a rare opportunity. Only a fool would turn that down.’

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