7.46 seconds.
Seeing the number on the big screen, Liu Xiang was struck by a powerful sense of unreality.
He never imagined he could run a time like that.
But the few Chinese spectators in the stands, excitedly waving their national flags, and Sun Haiping, jumping for joy in the prep area, proved it was all real.
He had truly surpassed himself, defeated the world champion Alan Johnson, and won the gold medal.
He’d won!
Liu Xiang shot a fist toward the sky.
All his hard work hadn’t been for nothing.
"Dr. Chen, thank you!" In the prep area, Sun Haiping emotionally hugged and shook hands with everyone around him. Finally, he came to Chen Yu, grabbed his hand, and thanked him over and over again.
When the risk of injury emerged for Liu Xiang, with the possibility of a ruptured Achilles tendon from overtraining in his future, Sun Haiping had truly felt like the sky was falling.
After they had painstakingly scraped together the medical fees for treatment in the United States, it was Chen Yu who suggested Liu Xiang stay in the US to train.
During those days, Sun Haiping had been deeply conflicted, terrified of an uncertain future. He was afraid that this promising young athlete, Liu Xiang, would be ruined by his own wrong decision, ruined at the hands of Chen Yu.
But now, Sun Haiping no longer held any reservations.
’My choice was the right one!’
The path Chen Yu chose—adjusting his form—wasn’t just correct; it was the best possible one.
At this moment, no words could describe the excitement and gratitude in Sun Haiping’s heart.
Chen Yu subtly withdrew his hand. As for joy, he felt just as much of it himself.
He might have paid to sponsor Liu Xiang’s training, but what was that little bit of money compared to Liu Xiang’s career, his life?
When he chose to sponsor Liu Xiang, he had also taken on a heavy responsibility.
It was another person’s entire life.
Fortunately, he hadn’t ruined it.
"Hm?"
Just then, Chen Yu suddenly noticed Alan Johnson walking toward Liu Xiang.
Liu Xiang noticed too, and his brow furrowed instinctively.
’Did this guy lose and now he can’t accept it?’
Unexpectedly, Alan Johnson just grinned, opened his arms, and pulled him into a hug without a word.
"Liu, congratulations," Alan Johnson said in Liu Xiang’s ear.
Having spent so much time in the United States, Liu Xiang’s English had improved a lot. As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Although he was a bit wary, the man was offering his congratulations. If he held a grudge, it would just make him look petty.
"Thanks." Liu Xiang patted Alan Johnson on the back and let him go.
Alan Johnson sighed, then gestured with his chin toward Chen Yu in the distance. "Liu, I’m actually pretty envious of you. Dr. Chen is really good to you. Oh, right, I should first apologize for what I said earlier. But those weren’t words I wanted to say—Dr. Chen told me to say them to you, so don’t blame me."
Alan Johnson sold out Chen Yu without a second thought.
He felt that Liu Xiang should know about Chen Yu’s efforts behind the scenes.
"Dr. Chen told you to say that?" Liu Xiang was taken aback.
Alan Johnson nodded. "So you get it now, right? He’s really good to you."
Liu Xiang stared blankly, turning his head to look at Chen Yu, who was shaking hands and talking with Feng Shuyong. His nose suddenly tingled.
Thinking back, he realized that if it weren’t for Alan Johnson’s words, if he hadn’t been holding in that frustration, he really wouldn’t have been able to achieve such a time.
"That’s right. He’s a good doctor, and he’s been especially good to me," Liu Xiang said softly.
During his training in the United States, he knew Chen Yu was very busy, but no matter how busy he was, he never neglected his training.
He had seen all of Chen Yu’s efforts with his own eyes.
Alan Johnson clapped Liu Xiang on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ll see you in Paris in August."
With one last look at Liu Xiang, Alan Johnson turned and walked away.
Today, he had officially committed a name to memory: Liu Xiang, from China.
Liu Xiang took a deep breath and walked toward the prep area.
After accepting congratulations from Sun Haiping, Shi Dongpeng, and the others, Liu Xiang finally stood before Chen Yu.
"Don’t."
Before he could get the words out, Chen Yu held up a hand to stop him. "If your mental fortitude were stronger, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such a cheap trick. Alright, get ready for the award ceremony."
Chen Yu had heard words of thanks far too many times; he found them sentimental.
Liu Xiang nodded firmly and turned to leave.
There wasn’t much applause, but the moment the national flag was raised, it was more than enough.
Chen Yu stood on the sidelines. Beside him, Sun Haiping and the others were solemnly singing the national anthem. Watching the flag rise slowly, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
Looking again at Liu Xiang on the podium, who was softly singing along, Chen Yu felt that scenes like this would happen again and again in the days to come.
’This guy right here might really be able to prove a few things.’
The three-day competition officially came to an end.
Chen Yu didn’t linger in the United Kingdom, nor did he transfer for a flight to Italy. Early the next morning, he boarded a plane back to Phoenix.
He returned alone.
Since Liu Xiang’s visa was about to expire anyway, Chen Yu made an impromptu decision to give him a vacation and let him return to China for a visit.
He hadn’t gone back for the Spring Festival, after all.
Now that he had a gold medal, he should go back and see everyone.
Stepping out of the airport, the sun’s rays washed over him, and he instantly felt refreshed.
Compared to Phoenix, the weather in the United Kingdom was a nightmare—damp and cold. No wonder Premier League players had so many injuries; the climate was terrible.
"Over here."
Just as he walked out of the arrivals gate, Chen Yu heard someone call his name.
Unsurprisingly, it was Brian.
"You’re something else. I didn’t even tell you which day I was coming back, but you still managed to track me down," Chen Yu said as he walked over.
Brian chuckled, naturally taking Chen Yu’s suitcase from him. "I asked Lexi when you were coming back," he said. "So, how did it go? Did that Liu Xiang guy win the gold medal?"
Chen Yu nodded and followed Brian outside.
There were reporters, but the two of them were old pros and easily dealt with them before getting in the car and leaving.
Not long after they started driving, Brian said, "By the way, Chen, the season is ending soon. I think we should get the contract renewal sorted out first. Ten years is too long, so how about we sign for three years at a time?"
He was bringing up the renewal again.
He had just mentioned it a few days ago because of the Wade situation.
"And then there’s the salary. My father’s idea was to just round it up. How about ten million for three years?" Brian added, sneaking a glance at Chen Yu’s reaction after he spoke.
Chen Yu found it a little strange.
Just a few days ago, he had offered two million a year.
’And now he’s proactively raising the price? What’s going on?’
"Let’s talk about it later." Chen Yu really wasn’t in a hurry.
"Don’t do that."
Brian said urgently, "The season ends in a month, we should sign now. What, you’re not thinking of leaving the Suns, are you?"
He watched Chen Yu cautiously.
It was no wonder he was nervous.
Just yesterday, he had seen a news report from Europe saying that Real Madrid had met with Chen Yu and wanted to poach him for a high price to be Real Madrid’s team doctor. The article even provided a detailed analysis of the benefits Chen Yu would bring to Real Madrid.
And this news came from the New York Times, no less.
Brian was stunned. He knew many teams in the league were eyeing Chen Yu greedily, but he never expected that even European teams would come to poach from him.
Crucially, the paper also revealed that Real Madrid was prepared to offer a high salary of several million Euros to poach Chen Yu.
That was why Brian had hastily raised the price and pushed for an early renewal.
If Chen Yu left, the Suns’ "sunset" team-building strategy would be dead in the water.
Chen Yu eyed Brian suspiciously. Something felt off about this guy.
"Don’t worry. The day I decide to leave, you’ll be the first to know," Chen Yu said, patting his shoulder.
The subtext was: he wasn’t planning on leaving just yet.
Brian wanted to be happy but couldn’t quite manage it. He said, with some emotion, "Chen, we’ve been good friends for years. As long as we work together, we can definitely build a Sun Dynasty."
He looked like he was about to squeeze out a few tears.
Chen Yu rolled his eyes at him.
’Give me a break. "Good friends for years"? How long have we even known each other?’
"Tomorrow," Chen Yu said. "Have the renewal contract ready then, and we’ll do it your way."
At least for now, Chen Yu had no plans to leave.
And the renewal contract Brian offered—ten million US dollars for three years—was actually very high.
"Great! I’ll have them prepare it right away," Brian said, overjoyed.
With that matter settled, Brian’s mood lifted considerably, and he started chatting cheerfully with Chen Yu.
The team was doing well—everyone was healthy, their record was stable, and everything was looking up. They were just waiting for the playoffs to begin.
"By the way, what do you think about that MJ thing?" Brian suddenly asked.
MJ?
Chen Yu paused for a second. ’Did something happen to Jordan again?’
"What’s wrong with him? He’s not injured, he won the All-Star Game MVP, he’s been happily receiving tributes from fans at away games. What happened now?" Chen Yu asked in return. ’I’ve only been gone a few days. Did I miss some big news again?’
Brian shook his head. "Not Jordan, the other one. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen the news. The day before yesterday, I saw a report in the New York Daily saying there was a new twist in that story."
The other MJ?
Chen Yu suddenly realized Brian was talking about Michael Jackson.
He couldn’t help but sigh.
Of course, Chen Yu knew what news Brian was talking about.
It had happened just last month.
It started with a British reporter named Martin Bashir, who made a documentary that aired in the United States on the 6th of last month.
After it aired, it caused a huge stir because the documentary insinuated that Jackson was once again involved in misconduct with children.
The incident from ’93 had dragged on until ’99 before it finally subsided completely.
Only three or four years had passed, and now the reporters were swarming again, like sharks that had smelled blood.
Michael Jackson immediately came forward to protest, and at the end of last month, he even released a rebuttal documentary.
But it was useless. Just like the incident in ’93, he was met with a one-sided wave of condemnation and suspicion.
"Brian, do me a favor and use your brain for a second. How could this possibly be true? It’s obviously a setup," Chen Yu said, exasperated.
They say rumors die with the wise, but when profits are involved, even the wise will willingly blind themselves.
In any case, Chen Yu didn’t believe it for a second.
A flash of embarrassment crossed Brian’s face. "I wasn’t saying it was true," he said. "I was just curious."
Chen Yu shook his head, speechless. It was this gossipy mentality, this desire to pry into celebrities’ private lives, that fueled so much of the suspicion.
"Let’s not talk about this anymore." Brian tactfully changed the subject. "The second episode of your weight-loss show aired, and the ratings absolutely exploded. Oh, and Mariah Carey gave an interview where she said she knows you, that you’re a fan of hers, and that she’s struggling with her weight now. She said she wants to come on your show to lose weight."
"Her?"
The first thing that came to Chen Yu’s mind was the slightly puffy flesh under Mariah Carey’s tight outfits.

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