Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 216 - 166: Chen Yu, You Are Exceptionally Lucky

The trip to China was only scheduled for a total of three days.

Finally, on the third day, Chen Yu at last saw Brian again.

"You’ve got some nerve, running off on your own and leaving us behind in Shanghai," Chen Yu grumbled. In his hotel room, he had just gotten out of bed and taken a shower, but his head was still a bit fuzzy.

He’d had lunch with Yao Songping yesterday, and then in the evening, Li Yaoming had invited him to yet another meal, bringing along the owner of the Eastern Team, some executives from Eastern Television, and the club’s general manager.

Just eating would have been one thing, but there was also drinking.

Chen Yu drank, but he never drank to excess—his father had a serious drinking problem when he was a child, after all—yet he was still forced to down quite a few glasses.

It felt like he’d been in China for two days and had done nothing but eat and drink.

Brian picked up on the resentment in Chen Yu’s tone and quickly apologized. "What about Matt? He’s been to China several times, so he should be pretty familiar with the place. Didn’t he take you out to have some fun? Shanghai should have plenty of things to do."

"Him? He’s probably still asleep." Chen Yu sat down to brew some tea. At lunch yesterday, he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d had a couple of extra cups and commented that it was nice, but after the meal, Yao Songping had gifted him two boxes of tea leaves. There was no label, but he’d said it was some high-quality Dragon Well tea.

He himself hadn’t had a small amount, but Lucas had drunk even more. Lucas had to be carried back last night and was probably still out cold.

Brian sat down as well, feigning anger. "That guy. My idea was for him to show you a good time in China. And look at him, what time is it now? Still sleeping."

Chen Yu shot him a sideways glance. "So, from the sound of it, you brought me here to give me an all-expenses-paid vacation, is that it?"

"What else?" Brian retorted. Otherwise, why would he have brought Chen Yu along?

Before the draft, top prospects in particular kept their health status confidential. Any history of injuries was covered up, for fear of it affecting their draft position.

It wasn’t even certain if Yao Ming could participate in the draft. Did he really think the Eastern Team would just agree to a physical for Yao Ming if they just showed up out of the blue?

So even though he had brought Chen Yu, Brian knew in his heart that the chances of actually getting to meet Yao Ming and give him a physical were practically zero.

So why bring him? It was, of course, to give Chen Yu an opportunity for a paid vacation.

Knowing how important Chen Yu was to the Suns, Brian wanted to use this chance to arrange some perks for him. He was afraid that if Chen Yu wasn’t happy with the Suns, he might just up and leave for another team.

If time hadn’t been so tight on this trip, Brian would have even had Chen Yu bring Lexi along to enjoy a few days in China.

Chen Yu gave Brian a resentful look and, after a long moment, let out a soft sigh.

’This bastard. You should have told me sooner!’

’And it’s Lucas’s fault, too. As an international scout, he’s so cautious and meticulous. He probably didn’t grasp Brian’s true intentions and really thought we were here to work.’

"Let’s not talk about that." Since it was already done and they were leaving tomorrow, there was no point dwelling on it. Chen Yu asked, "What have you been up to these past two days? Matt said you went to talk business?"

"Talk business?"

Brian looked completely baffled, then shook his head. "No. I wonder if he misunderstood when I said I was going to find the Nike Company."

Chen Yu understood again. He rubbed his temples, not bothering to ask any more questions. He poured a cup of tea for Brian, gesturing for him to try it.

"This is pretty good. Much better than the tea in the United States."

Brian picked up the cup and was immediately struck by the fragrant aroma. The tea itself was as bright as amber, truly different from what he drank back in the United States. He took a sip and tasted a subtle sweetness, a complex flavor with a lingering aftertaste.

"Not bad. Where’d you buy it? I’ll pick some up tomorrow before we head back and let my old man try it," Brian asked.

Chen Yu shook his head. There was no brand on the packaging, so he had no idea where it was from.

"It was a gift. There are two boxes, I’ll give you one later." He didn’t actually drink that much tea himself.

Brian nodded. He subconsciously wanted to ask who had given Chen Yu the tea, but then he heard Chen Yu ask what he was doing with the Nike Company. He explained, "Of course, it’s still about Yao Ming. Here’s the situation: before coming to China, I did some research. This Yao Ming has signed an agent contract with an American company, Evergreen Sports Company."

"At the same time, he has a sponsorship deal with Nike. His trip to the United States for the Nike summer camp and the draft process were all handled by Nike’s China division. I needed to talk to them first to get a lay of the land."

Chen Yu took a sip of his tea and shifted into a more comfortable position. ’So it seems Brian really wasn’t off talking business.’

"So what’s the specific situation?" Chen Yu asked.

Brian sighed. "It’s tricky. I’ve discovered that even if we draft Yao Ming, getting him to the United States will require dealing with several different parties. First, there’s his current team. Although his contract with the Eastern Team expires this year, and logically he should be free to leave, things in China seem to be different from the United States. He was developed by the Eastern Team, making him more like an employee of a government institution. He can’t just leave whenever he wants; he needs his team’s permission."

"So the second party we have to deal with is his team, the Eastern Team. Last year, they set a lot of harsh conditions. However, the folks at Nike said that Yao Ming already talked to his team last year. He told them that if he helped the team win the league championship this season, they had to let him go play in the NBA, or else he’d just retire. So things have shifted a bit, but we still don’t know what their final conditions will be. They might demand a hefty buyout fee."

Brian held up another finger. "Finally, there’s the Basketball Association. You might not know this, but the league has a rule that for an international player to join, they need a letter of clearance from FIBA. And that letter can only be issued after the player’s home country’s basketball association applies for it. So, to bring Yao Ming over, we also have to get the Chinese Basketball Association on board."

"And then there’s the Evergreen Company. I spent two days in the Capital, but I had bad luck. I only managed to meet with a junior department head from their China branch. Their main person in charge was out on a business trip, so I couldn’t meet him. A lot of things are still up in the air."

At this point, Brian also picked up his teacup and moistened his throat.

The trip was only three days, so it was a rush. He had set out for the Capital as soon as the plane landed. Two days of running back and forth had left him exhausted.

Chen Yu let out an "Oh." ’Looks like I really misjudged Brian.’

"So what’s the plan for today? Are you going to talk with the Eastern Team?" Chen Yu asked.

Brian nodded. "Of course. I have to meet their person in charge and get a sense of what they’re thinking."

With only three days, he’d spent two just figuring out the lay of the land. Back in the United States, there was so much they didn’t know.

Now that he had a general idea, on the last day, he definitely had to talk with the Eastern Team’s management. At the very least, he needed to meet them face-to-face to make future communication easier.

"You don’t have to go. Take advantage of the last day and go have some fun in Shanghai. You probably want to buy some souvenirs, right? When Matt wakes up, you two can go. I’ll go find the Eastern Team by myself," Brian added.

From the start, Brian never intended for Chen Yu to get involved in the specific business of this China trip.

Chen Yu nodded. He did need to buy souvenirs, but the thing he most wanted to do on this trip to China was to find some traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to exchange ideas with. He had mentioned this to Yao Songping during lunch yesterday, and Yao had readily agreed, saying he would help contact a hospital to arrange a discussion.

"Okay, then I’ll skip lunch. You can go by yourself," Chen Yu said.

Two big meals yesterday, and it still wasn’t over.

As everyone was leaving last night, they had already made plans to eat again today. This time it was with the dean of the sports academy, who had been away at a meeting yesterday and only just got back. He wanted to bring some of the academy’s leaders and coaches, partly to chat more, and partly to thank Chen Yu for sharing so much of his expertise on training methods.

Li Yaoming and the others would all be there. If Brian wanted to talk to the Eastern Team, all he had to do was show up.

Brian paused, asking strangely, "What lunch?"

"The one with the Eastern Team’s management." Chen Yu briefly explained what had happened over the past two days. "Anyway, while you were gone, I met their management, and also the head of the local Shanghai Sports Bureau. From what they said, they’re very supportive of Yao Ming entering the draft and are quite willing for him to come to our Suns."

"Oh, right, I also met Yao Ming. While I didn’t do a detailed physical, I observed him on the spot and asked their team doctor and head coach. He doesn’t have any history of serious injuries."

He had met everyone he was supposed to meet, but as for the specific conditions for letting Yao go, the Eastern Team’s demands, and so on—Chen Yu hadn’t discussed those. After all, he couldn’t represent the Suns’ management. That was something Brian needed to talk to them about.

When he finished speaking and looked up, Chen Yu found Brian staring blankly at him.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Yu asked in return.

Brian snapped back to his senses with a jolt. "What’s wrong? No, wait—you’ve already met their management? And you discussed all this? Hey, why didn’t you tell me?"

Because the schedule was so tight, with only one day left, Brian had been worried that the Eastern Team’s management wouldn’t be around and he wouldn’t get to meet them.

Who would have known that Chen Yu had already met everyone he needed to see?

Chen Yu shot Brian an exasperated look. "I tried to tell you, but you never answered your phone! Besides, aren’t I telling you right now?"

Brian fell silent instantly. He quickly apologized again, then said excitedly, "Chen, you’ve really done me a huge favor."

He looked thrilled. He’d heard Chen Yu say that at the dinner table, the Eastern Team had clearly expressed their willingness for Yao Ming to go to Phoenix.

Although it was just an expression of intent, and the final decision would depend on the draft results, it was still an excellent start.

Not to mention, Chen Yu had also met a leader from the local Sports Bureau, who was also one of the heads of the Basketball Association.

Back in the Capital, the people from Nike had specifically told him that Chinese officials were hard to meet and that he should be mentally prepared.

Who would have thought that while he was still running around getting nowhere, Chen Yu had quietly taken care of everything?

Chen Yu waved his hand dismissively, feeling the need to pour some cold water on Brian’s excitement. "Don’t get happy just yet. You said it yourself, bringing Yao Ming over means dealing with several parties. Besides, we only have a first-round lottery pick; we don’t even know the exact spot yet. So even if Yao Ming wants to come to the Suns, it’s not a guarantee he’ll be able to."

But Brian just shook his head, a wide smile on his face as he looked at Chen Yu. "Chen, have you ever noticed? Your luck seems to be exceptionally good. How about this: when the draft lottery comes around, you represent us on-site. Maybe you can bring us a little good fortune."

Think about what the Suns were like last year. Hardaway was out for the season, they were stuck with Gugliotta’s massive garbage contract, and then there was that whole mess with J Kidd’s domestic abuse case. The future looked bleak.

Now look at this year. Because of Chen Yu, both Hardaway and Gugliotta made healthy comebacks. He even attracted Olajuwon and Ewing. The team’s record just kept getting better, and they’ve become a strong contender for the championship.

It was all because of Chen Yu. Chen Yu was the one who brought good luck to this Suns team.