"Why?"
Chen Yu quickly asked why.
Over the phone, Hill stammered, "Chen, I'm truly sorry. We haven't known each other for long, but I'm incredibly grateful that you rushed over from Miami to help with my diagnosis."
"But my ankle is so important. I think I should get a few more opinions from other doctors."
Chen Yu's brow furrowed.
Yesterday, Hill had trusted him completely.
'How could his attitude change so much in just one day?'
"Did the team say something to you?" Chen Yu pressed.
Yesterday, Billings had been openly hostile toward him, and Gabriel's attitude was ambiguous at best.
From the Magic management's perspective, they certainly didn't want Hill sidelined for long.
Hill quickly replied, "No, this was my own idea."
'Yeah, right,' Chen Yu thought.
From his tone, Chen Yu knew he was hiding something.
"Alright." After a moment's thought, Chen Yu said, "Grant, this is about your ankle, about your career. Are you at home? We should talk about this in person."
On the other end, Hill hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
After hanging up, Chen Yu immediately hailed a cab to Hill's house.
It was Houston who opened the door again.
He eyed Chen Yu warily, his expression cold.
Chen Yu knew he was Billings' assistant, so his hostility was to be expected.
"I'm looking for Hill."
Chen Yu walked straight past Houston. As he stepped inside, he pulled the door shut behind him and locked it.
Houston was clearly a watchdog for the Magic's front office.
The house was a mess. Hill hadn't hired any help; he usually did the cleaning himself.
Chen Yu noticed bottles of mineral water and other drinks on the coffee table.
'The Magic's front office must have been here,' he realized.
Hill was still on the sofa, looking at Chen Yu apologetically.
"Chen, this is my decision. All I can do now is apologize," Hill said, sitting up straighter.
Chen Yu sat down and glanced at Hill's left ankle. "Grant, you're the one who called me. Deep down, that must mean you trust me, right?"
Hill nodded. Of course he believed Chen Yu.
It was just that what Gabriel and Rivers had said made sense, too.
He started to explain, but Chen Yu cut him off.
"Besides, the fact that you sought me out can only mean you have doubts about your team's medical staff's diagnosis."
"And that's understandable. After all, Hardaway's case proved that when it comes to the team's interests, they couldn't care less about a player's health."
That sentence silenced Hill.
Chen Yu continued, "After Hardaway sacrificed his knees and gave his all, what did he get in return? To be unceremoniously shipped off to the Suns?"
"In my opinion, the Magic's front office is arrogant, conceited, and completely heartless. Just think about how Tracy McGrady got the number 1 jersey."
After Hardaway was traded, many Magic fans mourned the greatest guard in the team's history. They wanted the front office to retire his number 1 jersey to show their gratitude for his contributions.
But what happened instead? To suck up to their new superstar, Tracy McGrady, the front office turned right around and gave him the number 1 jersey.
And this wasn't just Chen Yu spouting nonsense or making up stories about Gabriel to prove his point about their arrogance and conceit.
Never mind the time they ran a newspaper poll asking fans if O'Neal was worth a hundred-million-dollar contract; that was years ago.
Take a more recent example. This past summer, the Magic actually had a chance to sign Duncan.
Duncan's rookie contract expired this year, and he planned to test the free-agent market. His sights were set on the East.
At the time, the Magic were ambitious. They had signed Tracy McGrady, and Hill was confirmed to be joining as well. If they had added Duncan to the mix, they would have absolutely had championship potential.
Most importantly, head coach Rivers had worked as a commentator for the Spurs, and Ron Bebei, who helped Hill with his contract, was also Duncan's agent.
Duncan was tempted. He brought his girlfriend to Orlando.
Everything went perfectly. They wined, dined, and toured the city for three days. But during the farewell dinner, Duncan jokingly asked if his fiancée would be allowed to ride on the team's chartered plane.
Who knows what Rivers was thinking, but he answered with a dead-serious expression: "No."
Everyone knows what happened next. Duncan ultimately stayed with the Spurs.
Hill was there for that. He had to know just how arrogant and conceited the Magic's front office, led by Rivers and Gabriel, really was.
Hill frowned, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.
Chen Yu's expression was sincere. "Of course, I'm not saying all this to tell you that you can only trust my diagnosis. But at the very least, you have to give me time to prove it. Like we said yesterday, another examination in one week will confirm whether or not it's cartilage damage."
Hill pursed his lips, his gaze filled with conflict. "Chen, you're right. They really are a bit unreliable."
He was wavering again.
At that moment, Hill even began to regret joining the Magic.
The Pistons' management was unreliable, playing fast and loose with players' health. He'd finally managed to escape that pit, only to jump into an identical fiery one with the Magic.
"But they've already scheduled an appointment with a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. We're getting ready to leave tomorrow."
He had already promised Gabriel and Rivers he would cooperate with the team, get another diagnosis, and then begin treatment so he could return as soon as possible.
'Mayo Clinic?'
Chen Yu's brow twitched. Of course he knew of the Mayo Clinic; it was world-famous.
And as it happened, there was a Mayo Clinic campus right there in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Then I'll go with you."
Now that he was involved, Chen Yu would not, under any circumstances, stand by and watch Hill's treatment be derailed by a misdiagnosis.