In a floral shirt, matching shorts, and sunglasses, Chen Yu arrived at the only hospital in Lahaina Town in a roaring convertible muscle car, where he met Schumacher.
"Dr. Chen, I’m sorry to bother you," Schumacher said, apologizing the moment they met.
He didn’t think his injury was serious enough to warrant calling on a top authority in Sports Rehabilitation like Dr. Chen.
Especially since Chen Yu was on his honeymoon. He felt bad about bothering him at a time like this.
His wife, Corina, who had come with him, shot her husband a covert glare before saying, "You’re always getting injured from your hobbies these past couple of years. I’m worried about you."
After chiding her husband, Corina quickly turned to Chen Yu. "Dr. Chen, I’m so sorry to bother you right now, but when it comes to Sports Rehabilitation, you’re the best in the world. We only trust you."
Watching the scolded and speechless Schumacher, Chen Yu sighed to himself. ’I can already see my own future,’ he thought with a sense of shared suffering.
Before coming here, he had already undergone an examination in Switzerland.
He had strained his lateral gastrocnemius and peroneus longus muscles.
The story of how he got injured was actually quite interesting.
He loved to play soccer and had gone to Switzerland to follow Manchester United during their training camp, getting injured while trying to train with them.
That was also why Ferguson had helped out by making the call to refer him.
Ferguson had always held Chen Yu’s rehabilitation skills in the highest regard.
As for Schumacher’s behavior, there was only one way to describe it: his passion far outstripped his skill.
If it’s just a hobby, he could have just gotten a few friends together for a casual game. But no, he had to go train with a professional team. And at the ripe old age of 34, how could an ordinary person possibly handle that level of intensity?
"It’s not a big deal. Just find a place to stay here in town, and I’ll come over every day to work on it. A week at the most, and you should be pretty much healed."
This kind of injury wasn’t considered serious, not just for a professional athlete, but even for an ordinary person.
Schumacher quickly thanked him, asking again if it would be too much of a bother.
"Don’t worry about it. To be honest, after half a month of rest, I’m actually itching to get back to work."
It was nice to suddenly have free time, but after resting for so long, things were starting to get boring.
"By the way, you’re a professional athlete. You should probably take it a bit easier on your own time."
Chen Yu added as he was about to leave.
Just think about Jay Williams, or why the NBA forbids players from riding motorcycles. It’s precisely because they’re worried about professional athletes suffering career-ending injuries due to their personal hobbies.
Schumacher’s arrival was just a small interlude in Chen Yu’s honeymoon.
Still, the arrival of the racing legend did add a bit of excitement to Chen Yu’s otherwise quiet honeymoon.
The man truly had a wide range of hobbies, and he’d dabbled in most mainstream sports.
While recovering, he dragged Chen Yu along to play pool and golf.
Once his injury healed a bit, he was like a wild horse off its leash—diving, surfing, and even dragging Chen Yu along to experience skydiving.
As a super-athlete whose physical conditioning was among the best in the world, he handled every activity with ease. Chen Yu, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits.
Especially the skydiving. Schumacher went without an instructor, soaring freely through the air on his own. Chen Yu, despite being strapped to an instructor, was so terrified he didn’t even dare to open his eyes. In that short time, his entire life flashed before him.
Chen Yu was finally beginning to understand why the man’s wife was always complaining about him.
’This guy is just too crazy.’
After spending just half a month together, it was no surprise that the two became good friends.
「Time flew by, and soon it was October.」
The new NBA season officially began.
「Los Angeles.」
Early in the morning, Yao Ming, who had just arrived in Los Angeles the night before, ignored his jet lag and got up early. After eating a breakfast prepared by his mother, he was driven by his translator, Rekton, to the Lakers’ Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.
Over the past year, Yao Ming’s English had actually gotten pretty good. He had no major issues with daily conversation.
But when it came to some of the more professional sports terminology, he still needed Rekton’s help.
Yao Ming took the opportunity to squeeze in a short nap during the drive.
They left just after the morning rush hour, and the car reached its destination in about half an hour.
Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Yao Ming yawned as he walked into the training facility.
"Yao, you’re exhausted. You should rest today," Rekton said.
The final game of the Asian Championship had ended the day before yesterday. After quickly packing his bags yesterday, Yao Ming had rushed to catch a flight back to Los Angeles, only arriving late last night.
After just three hours of sleep, he was already up and heading to practice.
Yao Ming shook his head. "Training camp for the new season has already started. I’m already a few days behind, so I have to catch up."
He entered the locker room and sat down. He ran into Fisher, gave him a small gift he’d brought back from China, and they chatted for a moment. Before Yao Ming could even change, the Lakers’ team psychologist, Dam, pushed the door open and called him over for a psychology session.
Fisher gave Yao Ming a sympathetic look and said in a low voice, "Yao, be careful."
Yao Ming paused. ’Be careful of what?’
He did know, however, that several players on the team, like Fisher, were very resistant to these psychology sessions.
Fisher had even told him in private to just give a few half-hearted answers and go through the motions.
With no time to dwell on it, Yao Ming followed Dam to a room not far from the locker room.
Yao Ming noticed that the room had been changed.
Last season, because space was tight, Dam had to use a cramped, six-square-meter room converted from a storage closet as his office.
Now, however, it was a massive upgrade. The room was much larger and even had a bright window.
The room was newly decorated, with a soft carpet on the floor and a new leather sofa.
Dam gestured for Yao Ming to sit down, then said with a smile, "Yao, first, I need to tell you something. Starting this season, every player’s psychological report will be extremely important."
"Simply put, for this upcoming season, not only will you be required to attend regular counseling sessions with me, but your eligibility to play in games will also require my approval."
"If, for instance, I determine that your mental state is unfit for competition, then you will not be allowed to play."
Yao Ming’s heart skipped a beat.
The Lakers had a psychologist last season, but some players were resistant, and the team hadn’t placed much importance on it.
As a result, no one took Dam’s counseling sessions seriously. Several players had the same attitude as Fisher and just went through the motions.
Yao Ming hadn’t expected the team’s requirements to become so strict this season.
’So if Dam doesn’t give the okay, I can’t even play?’
’With that kind of power, who would dare to ignore Dam now?’
No wonder he looked so pleased with himself.
Perhaps sensing his words had been a bit intimidating, Dam added with a smile, "Of course, I won’t be restricting your playing time without a good reason. You can rest assured on that."
"Dam, is this a new league rule?" Yao Ming asked in a low voice.
He knew that Chen Yu had always been a strong advocate for players’ mental health; requiring every team to have a psychologist was his initiative.
But now Chen Yu had been inducted into the Hall of Fame, started his own company, left the New York Headquarters, and no longer held any official position within the NBA.
Dam shook his head. "No, it’s a team rule. In short, the team is going through a lot of changes this year. So, Yao, the first thing I want to ask is, what is your attitude toward these changes? Are you supportive? Also, the team has a lot of new faces. Have you had a chance to get to know your new teammates?"
"Oh, and how are things with your girlfriend? Did you two have a good time together when you went back to China?"
Yao Ming’s expression flickered. He suddenly understood why Fisher had warned him to be careful.
’He’s asking about my private life now?’
Last season, Dam had never delved into the players’ personal lives.
’But this season, the team has given him the power to bench players. If I don’t answer seriously, I might not even get to play.’
Yao Ming rubbed his face. This was giving him a headache.
The chat ended up lasting for half an hour.
Yao Ming walked out of the room in a cold sweat and said his goodbyes to Dam.
He looked up and ran into Rick Fox. The veteran player had a pained expression as he greeted Yao Ming before trudging dejectedly into the room.
Yao Ming said nothing, simply returning to the locker room to change his clothes and head for the practice court.
Inside the gym, his teammates were already in full swing with their training.
Yao Ming was just about to step onto the court when someone called his name. He turned his head and was surprised to see it was Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was currently standing on the sidelines, talking with Jackson.
Seeing Chen Yu motioning him over, Yao Ming quickly walked up to them.
"Congratulations."
Chen Yu said with a congratulatory smile.
The Chinese Men’s Basketball Team had successfully won the Asian Championship, securing Asia’s only spot in next year’s Olympics.
After a moment of small talk, Chen Yu said, "Yao, you just got back to Los Angeles yesterday. What you need right now is rest, not practice. Phil, let Yao go home and rest."
Jackson nodded at Yao Ming, telling him to find the team nutritionist and get a new diet plan before he left.
Yao Ming was puzzled.
’Chen Yu is in a tracksuit,’ he thought. ’Judging by the way he’s talking to the coach, anyone who didn’t know better would think he was Jackson’s new assistant coach.’
But since Jackson had given the order, Yao Ming didn’t dare to argue. He could only head back to the locker room.
As he left, Yao Ming took a few extra glances at the court.
The Lakers’ roster had changed a lot this year, and there were several new teammates he still hadn’t had a chance to meet.
Watching Yao Ming leave, Chen Yu returned to their previous conversation. "Phil, has Jerry ever considered building a dedicated training facility? You share this one with the Kings, but the place is too small, the facilities are lacking, and there’s little potential for upgrades."
The Kings in question were not the Sacramento Kings, but the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.
Not only did they share the Staples Center with the Lakers, but they also shared the same training facility.
Furthermore, the Lakers only rented a small section of it, so their space was extremely limited.
Jackson folded his arms and thought for a moment before replying, "I’ll talk to Jerry about it. If that’s not an option, we’ll look into renting a separate facility."
Chen Yu was here this time to oversee the modernization and upgrading of the Lakers’ training regimen.
This was also the first NBA client for Chen Yu’s company, Pioneer Sports Consulting.
Data analysis, various high-tech training facilities, and advanced equipment—all of it was going to be implemented.
Thus, the undersized training facility was the first hurdle Chen Yu had to overcome.
Yao Ming

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