Chapter 754: Go Back

Chapter 754 -679: Go Back

University of Washington.

Inside the basketball arena.

Roy was the hardest-working player on the team. He knew his grades were pulling him down, and if he wanted to turn his life around, his only hope was basketball.

“Brandon!”

Omar rushed onto the court, clutching a laptop.

“They replied! They want you to go to Phoenix for a diagnosis from Chen!”

He eagerly opened the laptop to show Roy the reply email.

Roy glanced at it.

The email didn’t say he had been selected for the charity program or that he would receive free treatment. Instead, it said he needed to go to Phoenix for a diagnosis from Chen Yu.

It asked him to notify them of his travel dates by email, and they would help purchase plane tickets. He could also bring one person with him.

He’d seen the email, but unlike Omar, Roy’s face showed little joy.

“Coach, maybe we should just forget it,” Roy said hesitantly.

Omar, who had been on cloud nine, looked as if he’d been hit over the head with a club. Stunned, he quickly asked why.

“Brandon, the opportunity is right in front of you. Why would you give up?”

It’s not like the application was rejected. Getting an email, being told to go to Phoenix—that meant there was hope.

Roy’s expression was conflicted. “Coach, of course I want to go,” he said, “but the new season starts in a month. If I go for treatment now, and it takes a few months, I’ll miss at least half the season. And you know how important this season is for me.”

In his junior year season, he averaged 12.8 points per game.

His performance was affected by his injuries to some extent. If it weren’t for last year’s surgery, Roy felt he could have played much better.

He had finally recovered from the surgery and was able to play again. It was his last year of college, a critical time to work hard and put up good numbers.

Getting treatment now would be what truly jeopardized his future.

Omar fell silent. Roy’s concerns were not unfounded.

But a moment later, Omar shook his head. “No, you still have to go. I’ll go with you. Whether your knee will affect your future isn’t for you to decide. If Chen says the same thing, then we can talk.”

“You have to go!” he added sternly. “If you don’t, I’ll have you riding the bench all season.”

“That’s final!”

Without giving Roy a chance to object, he left to reply to the email.

Roy looked helpless. Sometimes, he felt Omar worried about him more than his own parents did.

Though touched, he couldn’t help but worry.

He was scared!

He was afraid of seeing Chen Yu, the world’s best orthopedic surgeon, only for him to say that his career outlook was bleak and he should give up now.

Having already suffered two major injuries, both of them to his knee meniscus, Roy knew exactly what that implied.

Sometimes, if you ignore something, it’s like Pandora’s box; as long as you don’t open it, you can hold on to a sliver of fantasy and hope.

Once opened, it could be a bottomless abyss.

In the end, Roy and Omar boarded a plane to Phoenix.

The taxi pulled up to the iron gates of Chen-Hill Memorial Hospital.

It was Roy’s first time here, but he had long since heard of this place.

It was said to be a sacred place in the hearts of all professional athletes.

When you were injured, when the future of your career was clouded, you didn’t have to lose hope. You could come here and find redemption.

After checking in, the two entered the hospital through a side door.

On the way to the medical center, as Roy’s heart pounded with anxiety, he had a strange, inexplicable feeling.

He felt that he might become a regular here in the future.

Lost in his wild thoughts, he and Omar arrived at the medical center.

Chen Yu was in surgery.

After waiting for over an hour, the two finally met Chen Yu.

“Hello.”

Chen Yu greeted them with a smile.

Suddenly face to face with Chen Yu, Roy was incredibly nervous.

For any basketball player, or rather, any player aspiring to enter the NBA, Chen Yu was a figure they could never avoid.

Omar had prepared a thick stack of medical records.

Chen Yu waved his hand, indicating they weren’t necessary, and motioned for Roy to lie down on the nearby examination table.

The extent of the meniscus tears in both his knees was consistent with the descriptions in his medical records.

But Roy’s problems weren’t limited to his menisci.

Chen Yu’s gaze fell on his left foot.

“Does your left heel usually hurt? I don’t mean when you’re walking, but after a high-intensity workout. A dull ache might appear, last for a day or two, and then go away,” Chen Yu asked.

Omar, who had been waiting patiently, was suddenly startled.

‘We’re here for his knees, why is he asking about his heel?’

He immediately looked at Roy.

Roy stared blankly at Chen Yu and nodded.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

He had never told anyone about this problem, because he himself didn’t think it was a big deal.

He never expected that after just a simple physical examination, Chen Yu would pinpoint the issue.

‘Is the world’s top miracle doctor really this amazing?’

Chen Yu patted his shoulder, signaling that he could get up.

Chen Yu sat down. He didn’t waste any time, as he had another surgery soon.

“Your knee problem is manageable. There’s no urgent need to treat it right now.”

Both of his knees, especially the left one that was operated on first, were already showing a certain degree of cartilage wear.

But the issue was still within a controllable range.

More importantly, for the reason Chen Yu had considered before—his draft stock—there was truly no need to deal with it now.

“Then there’s the heel pain I just mentioned. You have a congenital calcaneal prominence.”

Chen Yu stood up, brought over a model of a foot, and began to explain.

His condition was the same as Liu Xiang’s: a congenital malformation of the calcaneus, which was too prominent and thus increased the wear on his Achilles tendon.

The dull ache after high-intensity training was a sign of excessive friction.

If left untreated, the risk of an Achilles tendon rupture over a long professional career would be very high.

Hearing “Achilles tendon rupture,” Omar’s face turned pale with fright.

Any athlete would tremble at the mere mention of the Achilles tendon.

Roy’s expression wasn’t good either. He never imagined that a minor issue he hadn’t paid much attention to could have such serious consequences.

“Don’t be nervous. I only said there’s a high chance of a rupture, not that it will definitely happen.”

Seeing how terrified the two of them were, Chen Yu offered a comforting smile.

But it clearly wasn’t very effective.

Chen Yu continued, “This problem isn’t a major one. It’s actually quite easy to treat.”

Chen Yu explained the surgical procedure, and Omar nodded repeatedly as he listened. Then, he turned to Roy with a serious expression and said, “Brandon, you have to get this surgery.”

Roy didn’t speak, his gaze complicated.

He wanted the surgery too, but it would take time, affecting his games this year and his draft stock.

Most importantly, he hadn’t been accepted into the charity program. He didn’t have the money.

But just then, Chen Yu said, “You don’t need to be so nervous. Even if surgery is needed, it won’t be right now.”

Chen Yu closed the medical file.

“Brandon, go back. Don’t worry about your knees and your Achilles tendon. Just focus on playing your game!”

“If you get drafted next year and make it into the NBA, come see me then, and I’ll take care of your problems.”

“But if you don’t get drafted, and you ultimately decide to give up basketball, then there’s no need to come back. Your conditions won’t affect your daily life.”

He had asked Roy to come over mainly to take a look and put his own mind at ease.

Now that he had seen him, he would stick to his original plan: have Roy play out the season and aim for the draft.

His injuries weren’t an immediate problem.