Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 604: Chapter 530: The Final Choice

The first episode of the regular season aired on July 10th, and after a two-week interval, the second episode aired on July 24th.

And this episode focused primarily on the conflict between Durant and Little Jordan.

That afternoon, ABC had already aired a trailer for the evening’s episode.

The trailer, of course, featured the scene of Little Jordan grabbing a basketball and furiously throwing it at Presti.

In the locker room, Little Jordan slammed his fists against a locker, roaring continuously to vent his inner rage.

With a quick cut, the camera showed Little Jordan facing it and saying, "I give up."

Durant’s dumbfounded expression during an interview; Harden’s bewildered look upon learning Little Jordan had already left Safford.

There was also Presti, facing the camera with a solemn expression and saying, "We are a team, a single unit. I don’t want to see this kind of situation on my team. I must treat this seriously and handle it."

Another cut showed Harden getting completely schooled on Venice Beach, followed by scenes of him being relentlessly mocked.

"I give up!"

Harden, carrying his bag, walked further and further away from the camera.

"CHAOS!"

A huge word appeared on screen, accompanied by a shot from the locker room where Jeff Teague was pointing at Oden and running his mouth nonstop.

Oden clenched his fists, looking like he was about to punch Jeff Teague at any moment.

"CONFLICT ESCALATES!"

Bevley, like a madman, dove and tackled Jennings to the ground, immediately swinging a punch.

"BUT THERE IS ALSO REDEMPTION."

Harden was bent over, squatting. In a slow-motion, high-definition close-up, a bead of sweat dripped slowly from his chin. Behind him, the four-hour countdown was nearing its end.

"CHOICE!"

In a studio, Durant faced Ernest, his expression torn as he looked at the large screen behind the host, which showed pictures of both Little Jordan and Beasley.

The short, ninety-second trailer was packed with drama and full of twists and turns.

Everyone loves gossip, and Americans are masters of the craft.

So, as soon as the trailer was released, it garnered maximum attention. After the first promo aired, the number of calls to the show’s hotline increased several dozen times over.

At the same time, the number of scheduled reminders for the evening broadcast on cable TV skyrocketed.

On the internet, search keywords on engines like Yahoo and Google, such as "Durant and Little Jordan fight," "Oden fight," and "Jennings fight," soared in popularity.

On the website forum created specifically for the show, related comments and discussions also exploded.

Even Lexi called the clinic specifically to ask what Durant’s final choice meant.

Chen Yu put down a patient’s file and stretched. "If I told you ahead of time, would it still be fun to watch?"

Lexi said, "You don’t have to tell me the outcome. Just tell me what Durant’s final choice is about. Why did I see Beasley? He’s supposed to be his good friend, right?"

At the mention of Beasley, Chen Yu sighed softly. "Forget it. I’ll leave you with the suspense. How about this: I’ll move my surgery up by two hours tonight, and I can come home and watch it with you."

"Okay, I’ll wait for you then."

But Lexi wasn’t the first.

Before long, Hill’s wife, Tamia, also called, asking what this episode was about, why so many people were about to fight, and what on earth had happened.

Even Mariah Carey called twice, begging Chen Yu to tell her what happened ahead of time.

This just went to show how popular the program was across the United States, rivaling shows like *Survivor* and *American Idol* back in the day. It was a genuine phenomenon.

At nine in the evening, Chen Yu returned home after finishing his surgery.

Lexi had already prepared drinks and snacks and was waiting in front of the TV, clutching a bucket of popcorn.

By the time Chen Yu came out of the shower, the show was about to start.

After being fed a couple of mouthfuls, Chen Yu opened his laptop and started going through his emails.

Even with a company and assistants, there was still a lot of work.

Chen Yu didn’t need to watch the show; he knew exactly what happened. He had already seen the final edited version.

At ten o’clock, the show officially began.

It started with Little Jordan.

The camera followed him as he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Houston.

"Jerry."

Finally, Little Jordan knocked on the door of a house. Facing his good friend who answered, he said with a miserable look, "My mom won’t let me come home. I have nowhere else to go. Can I stay with you for a few days?"

The scene cut to an interview with Little Jordan’s mother, Kimberly.

"He’s a good kid."

The camera switched, inserting a segment about Little Jordan’s family.

His father, Hayland Jordan, once played basketball at Tiroson University in Houston, which was where he met Kimberly, who played for the women’s team at the same school.

Kimberly even laughed and said that Little Jordan inherited his defensive talent from her, as she had been an excellent shot-blocker in college.

After they had four children together, Hayland drove off in his beat-up pickup truck on a sunny afternoon and never came back.

"I knew back then that a good person must be able to take responsibility, and that’s what I’ve always told DeAndre."

"It’s easy for someone to give up. What’s truly precious is perseverance."

"So he was wrong in this matter. When he showed up at our door, I guessed what had happened. I didn’t hesitate to send him away. He should go back to his team and continue to fight alongside his teammates, not run away from his responsibilities."

Watching this, Lexi’s eyes couldn’t help but well up.

Kimberly worked as a receptionist at a hospital. With a limited income, raising four children by herself must have been incredibly hard.

"Damn men," Lexi muttered, grabbing a handful of popcorn and chewing on it fiercely.

Chen Yu shot her a speechless glance. ’That’s a pretty broad condemnation.’

On TV, the scene flashed back to the game where the incident occurred.

What followed was Durant’s journey—accepting the challenge and heading to Los Angeles to fight for it.

Harden giving up along the way, Durant’s confusion, his phone call with his godfather, Craig, and the shot of him crying were all documented.

Lexi rubbed the corners of her eyes and sighed. "He didn’t really do anything wrong. He was also trying his best to help the team win."

The previous episode had featured plenty of scenes of Durant training like a madman and stuffing himself with food to bulk up. All the viewers knew by then that he was a very hardworking kid.

And at just 16 years old, to encounter something like this—being questioned by his teammates, viewed with hostility by Harden, and left to cry alone in a hotel room—how could people not feel sorry for him?

He was still just a kid, after all.

The scene cut to Phoenix, to the conflict between Oden and Jeff Teague.

Their problem, just like with Jennings, was about ball distribution.

Jeff Teague had found fame at a young age and was proud and arrogant. He was clearly dissatisfied with his role on the team.

Most of the time on the court, once the ball was in his hands, he basically never passed it out.

It even got to the point where he would rush under the basket to fight Oden for rebounds.

With his eight-million-dollar value, he had come very close to being chosen as a captain. Even though Oden was more famous, he didn’t think he was much worse than him.

"What about Durant? How are things on his end?" Lexi was clearly more concerned about Durant’s situation.

Chen Yu ignored her.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

It was a text from Ernest.

The half-hour ratings were out.

19.1!

A new record high.

Chen Yu was pleasantly surprised, but he also couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

’Sure enough, viewers love watching this kind of petty drama. My decision to make this a reality show was the right one after all.’

Pure basketball fans actually weren’t that numerous among the show’s audience, perhaps only making up about a third.

After all, they were just a bunch of teenagers.

Twenty minutes later, the camera finally cut back to Durant.

"Is he going to choose Beasley?" Lexi gasped.

In the previous scenes, after completing the challenge, Harden had already called Little Jordan and told him the good news.

Little Jordan was already full of regret, stating in an interview that he had been too emotional, had realized his mistake, and hoped to return to the team to fight alongside Durant and the others.

But on screen, Durant was contacting Beasley.

"Fack, I remember now! That revival power... it can’t just bring back DeAndre, it can bring back *any* player, even one who’s been eliminated. Oh my god, Kevin isn’t really going to choose Beasley, is he?"

Lexi grabbed her head in disbelief. Watching Little Jordan on TV, full of anticipation and saying he would apologize to Durant, made her feel sick.

If Durant chose Beasley in the end, what a huge blow that would be to Little Jordan.

"Chen, tell me he didn’t choose Beasley," Lexi pleaded, shaking Chen Yu’s arm, begging for an answer.

"You really want to know?"

Chen Yu asked in return. The show wasn’t over yet.

Lexi first nodded, then quickly shook her head and turned back to the TV. She said confidently, "Back in Los Angeles, Kevin already understood the importance of cooperation. They’re a team. He personally chose DeAndre, so he has to be responsible for him."

"His godfather told him to accept responsibility, not just for himself, but for his teammates too. Chen, let’s make a bet. He definitely won’t choose Beasley."

Chen Yu looked up at the television.

On the screen, Beasley appeared, excitedly recounting his history with Durant. When he mentioned certain fond memories, he couldn’t help but break into laughter. He ended by patting his chest and declaring that he would always be Durant’s good friend.

Seeing this, Lexi fell silent.

Durant and Beasley—two poor kids who had stuck together, grown up together, and fought to win a national championship together.

A montage of old photos showed everyone the depth of their friendship.

Lexi was torn now. She couldn’t help but ask, "Chen, tell me. Who did Kevin choose in the end?"

"Are you sure you want to know? Have you thought it through?"

Lexi nodded emphatically.

The next episode wouldn’t air for another two weeks. If she couldn’t find out the answer, she felt like she would go crazy.

"Chen, you guys didn’t end this episode without revealing the choice, did you?" she asked again.

Like so many shitty TV shows that deliberately end on a cliffhanger.

"Of course we did."

’Obviously,’ Chen Yu thought. ’A cliffhanger this big has to be saved for the next episode.’

"You guys are so mean!" Lexi quickly scooted closer, asking who Durant had actually chosen.

Chen Yu glanced at the television and couldn’t help but sigh. "He chose Beasley."

Lexi’s eyes instantly widened in shock.

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