In the surgical prep room, Chen Yu and William scrubbed their hands together.
Through the glass in front of them, they could see into the operating room.
Mr. President, dressed in a hospital gown, was still elegantly chatting with a nurse about something.
In the corner stood two tall, imposing secret service agents dressed in scrubs.
The observation room across from them was even more crowded, packed with accompanying officials and agents.
"The President..."
William, beside him, suddenly remarked with a sigh, "So close, and he’s about to be lying right in front of us..."
He didn’t finish, a strange expression appearing on his face.
Chen Yu shot him a surprised look.
’Your thoughts are dangerous, my friend!’
The surgery itself wasn’t particularly difficult.
Chen Yu had performed countless similar procedures.
Three hours later, the surgery was over.
"Chen, was the surgery a success?" the President, who was under local anesthesia, asked as he looked up.
In the surgical observation room, the numerous officials immediately perked up, crowding closer to the glass to look down.
"Of course. You’ll be able to move freely in as little as a month."
’A Diamond Level surgical result should lead to an excellent postoperative prognosis.’
The follow-up treatment definitely wouldn’t happen at the clinic.
He was the President, after all. He was busy.
He would continue his rehabilitation therapy back in Washington. As long as the sutures healed well and he took it easy, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
"That’s wonderful."
The President smiled and expressed his thanks, then suddenly added, "Chen, I’ll have Warren bring you a document in a little while. You can take a look at it."
Though puzzled, Chen Yu nodded.
After seeing the President to his room and participating in a press conference to announce the results of the surgery, Chen Yu finally returned to his office and took out the document Warren had given him.
It was a speech draft.
It wasn’t long, and Chen Yu guessed the core message after reading just the opening.
It was about healthcare!
After quickly reading through it, Chen Yu began to understand why the President wanted him to see this document.
He was clearly trying to push for healthcare reform.
They had been working on this in Washington for a while, but the resistance was immense.
With the election next year, if he actually managed to pull this off, it would be a brilliant achievement on his record.
That’s why he wanted him, a nationally renowned doctor, to stand by his side and endorse him.
Chen Yu figured this could be seen as a kind of exchange.
When Warren had handed him the document earlier, he had specifically mentioned that, if possible, they hoped Chen Yu would agree to an interview at the press conference on the day of the President’s discharge.
Originally, the President was scheduled to meet with Michael Jackson that day.
After some thought, Chen Yu put the document away.
’Might as well say what they want,’ he thought. ’As an expert, it’s inevitable that you have to say some things against your conscience.’
Fortunately, the proposed reforms weren’t too drastic, so there probably wouldn’t be any major problems.
「May 9th.」
After a day of rest, the Phoenix Suns traveled to Los Angeles for Game 3 of the series.
O’Neal returned as promised.
After a week’s absence, he showed no signs of discomfort. Facing his old team, he showed no mercy whatsoever.
Playing 37 minutes, he exploded for 29 points and 13 rebounds.
He completely dominated Yao Ming in every aspect.
The slimmer O’Neal had actually regained some of his agility from his Magic days, especially his spin moves under the basket, which were incredibly quick.
Hardaway once again erupted for 30-plus points, and with five Suns players scoring in double digits, they crushed the Lakers 113 to 97, a 16-point victory.
With a 3-0 series lead, the Lakers were now on the brink of elimination.
At the post-game press conference, Jackson rubbed his face, his eyes filled with exhaustion and helplessness.
"They’re very strong."
With that one sentence, Jackson hastily left the stage.
「Time moved to May 11th.」
On the clinic’s soccer field, a large crowd of reporters had gathered.
On the temporary stage, the President stood smiling next to Michael Jackson, nearly drowned out by the FLASH-FLASH-FLASH of camera lights.
"Michael, you are one of the greatest singers in the world. I truly hope that with your voice, you can soothe the wounded hearts of the victims’ families!"
The President, holding the microphone, gestured for all the reporters present to applaud and show their respect for Michael Jackson.
Just moments before, Michael Jackson had announced that, at the President’s invitation, he would perform at the second-anniversary memorial event on September 11th of this year.
Coincidentally, his last public performance had been on the eve of the event two years prior.
Amid the applause, Michael Jackson stepped down from the stage.
"Chen, will this really work?"
He stopped beside Chen Yu and asked in a low voice.
This was all Chen Yu’s idea.
"Of course."
Chen Yu maintained his smile, glanced at the President who was still speaking, and said, "Believe it or not, tomorrow’s newspapers will be filled with your pictures. All the media outlets will exhaust their vocabularies praising you, and no one will bring up that other matter again."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Michael Jackson’s eyes, but perhaps having been hurt too many times, he remained silent.
In fact, they didn’t even have to wait until the next day.
That very evening, all the major television networks were abuzz with news of Michael Jackson’s impending comeback and a new world tour.
Photos of him with the President spread rapidly across the nation.
Previously, television had been full of ridicule and baseless speculation about Michael Jackson.
But today, just as Chen Yu had said, there was only praise.
The CNN evening news anchor, the same one who just last week was ranting about how Michael Jackson was "disgusting" and "a pervert," was now cheerfully announcing that after treatment, Michael Jackson’s health had improved and he would be bringing his fans a perfect world tour.
He even got clever at the end, giving a shout-out to Michael Jackson, claiming he had always been a loyal fan and hoped to get tickets to the tour.
’These journalists have absolutely no integrity,’ Chen Yu thought.
At 7 PM, Game 4 between the Suns and the Lakers began.
While watching the game, Chen Yu received a call from Burnett.
"What’s up, Mark?"
’Speaking of which,’ he thought, ’didn’t CBS say they were going to send me a check after breaching the contract? It’s been a few days, why haven’t I gotten it yet?’
Over the phone, Burnett said excitedly, "Chen, great news! Our show can air! As long as you’re okay with it, it could be on as early as tomorrow night."
Chen Yu was taken aback for a moment.
Burnett continued, "Chen, Sam promised me he’d give us the strongest promotional resources, and he’s willing to renew for next season for thirty million US dollars. Chen, when can we shoot the next episode? We’re running out of time."
Sam was his main contact at CBS.
’He’s also the one who said they were terminating the contract and didn’t care about the penalty fee, isn’t he?’
Chen Yu cursed inwardly.
’What a shameless, opportunistic bastard.’
"Sorry, Mark, but forget about airing the show. I’ve given it some serious thought these past few days, and I feel that filming the show is too much of a waste of my time. Instead of being on TV, I should focus my energy on more meaningful things."
"Oh, and you should tell Sam to send me that check as soon as possible." After saying that, Chen Yu hung up the phone.
On the other end of the line, Burnett was completely stunned, listening to the dial tone.
’More meaningful things?’
’Isn’t making money meaningful enough?’
"Chen, are you really not going to film your show anymore?" Lexi asked from his arms.
She thought it was a real shame to stop filming such a popular show.
"Of course not."
Chen Yu shook his head. ’Do I have a grudge against money? Why would I stop filming a show this popular?’
He just didn’t want to work with CBS anymore.
Chen Yu had already reached an agreement with Ryan to have the next few episodes air on ABC Television.
As for the director, he was planning to find a new one as well.
It wasn’t that Burnett was bad, but he was deeply tied to CBS Television. Survivor was still airing on CBS, and Chen Yu wanted to spare him the difficulty of being caught in the middle.
Lexi said, "Oh," and didn’t ask any more questions.
On the television, O’Neal made a powerful spin move, overpowering Yao Ming to finish with a dunk.
He also drew a foul on Yao Ming.
On the defensive end, Yao Ming had some bad habits.
One was setting moving screens.
Of course, this was partly related to the league’s ever-changing rules and the referees’ often erratic calls.
Second, when defending under the basket, he had a tendency to play too close to his man.
In Chen Yu’s view, if Yao Ming chose not to bulk up significantly, he should focus on leveraging his agility—using positioning, cutting off lanes, and disruption, rather than just trying to muscle through confrontations.
He was so tall and agile; just staying with his man, blocking their path, and contesting the shot should be enough.
Of course, that kind of defense would never hold up against O’Neal.
But there was only one O’Neal, and defending him was never a one-man job.
Jackson had told him before that once the Lakers’ season was over, he wanted Yao Ming to come to Phoenix for some "maintenance."
At the same time, the sports lab could have its grand opening, and they could work on some technical improvements based on Yao Ming’s condition.
Judging by the way the game was going, if nothing unexpected happened, the Lakers would officially be on vacation tomorrow.
Therefore, Chen Yu could start thinking about how to improve Yao Ming’s skills.
To establish yourself in the NBA, the most important thing is to play to your natural strengths.
Without a doubt, Yao Ming’s greatest advantage was his height.
With his height and agility, if his arms were just a dozen centimeters longer, he would truly be unstoppable.
On screen, Yao Ming caught the ball and used a series of fakes to try and shake O’Neal, but he wasn’t successful.
His footwork was decent, probably learned from Olajuwon.
The problem was, against a monster under the basket like O’Neal, he wasn’t strong enough. He would easily lose his position during physical contact, causing his form to break down, and he couldn’t create enough space for a shot.
Sure enough, Yao Ming ended up opting for a turnaround jumper.
His form was completely off, so naturally, it didn’t go in.
But Chen Yu felt that the turnaround jumper was a move Yao Ming really needed to practice.
At his height, using a turnaround jumper, his release point was so high that very few people could contest it.
It would be even better if he could add a fadeaway to it.
His weight was still manageable now, and he had enough flexibility. If he could master it, it would absolutely become a killer move.
And to make it in the NBA and become a star, all you really need is one or two signature moves.
Suddenly, Chen Yu thought of someone.
Ewing.
After being traded to the Nuggets, he had barely played this season.
Once his contract was up, he would definitely retire.
His turnaround jumper and mid-range shot were textbook-perfect for a center. Maybe he could contact him and ask him to help guide Yao Ming a bit.
He was idle anyway, so why not earn a little extra cash?

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