Free Web NovelChapter 415: Chapter 352: Prejudice
"So fast!"
Burnett stood inside the villa’s main gate, his tone filled with shock as he watched the large number of SWAT officers appearing outside.
Phoenix was, after all, a major, well-known American city with a public safety level comparable to Los Angeles. But even in Los Angeles, the police response wasn’t this fast.
Most importantly, the police usually didn’t want to get involved in cases like this, where large crowds had gathered.
Large crowds were difficult to control, and even if they put in the effort to manage the situation, they would likely just get criticized for it.
But here they were, responding in minutes and even bringing SWAT along. It was simply unbelievable.
Seeing the situation was under control, Chen Yu didn’t bother with it anymore and turned to enter the villa.
O’Neal hadn’t come. A player’s schedule on game day was very tight. A two-hour game could require preparations starting from early in the morning.
When he found Michael Jackson, he was curled up on the sofa, scribbling and sketching in a notebook.
"Michael, how did you rest yesterday?" Chen Yu asked with a smile.
In truth, Chen Yu was most worried about Michael Jackson, afraid his mood would be affected by those overzealous fans.
He was a sensitive soul, and something similar had happened before. It would be completely normal for the nightmare to resurface, leading to an emotional breakdown.
When Michael Jackson looked up and saw it was Chen Yu, he quickly got up and hugged him excitedly.
"Chen, you have no idea. Yesterday was the first time I slept so well, without any painkillers or sleeping pills. Oh my god, I feel like it’s been years since I’ve felt like this." The first case had only just concluded in ’99, and after that, he’d gotten injured and gone through the copyright battle with Sony. He hadn’t had a single night of peaceful sleep in years.
But yesterday was the first time he hadn’t felt any pain, and the first time he’d felt refreshed upon waking up.
"Oh, right. About the dance you mentioned, I had some ideas. Take a look." He grabbed the notebook next to him and showed it to Chen Yu.
On the page were stick figures drawn with simple lines, posed in various moves.
It was clear he was in an excited, creative state.
"Looks great."
Chen Yu actually couldn’t make heads or tails of it. After a moment’s thought, he sat down across from him, silently activated a Silver Level psychological effect, and then asked him what he thought about the fans outside who were criticizing him.
Chen Yu didn’t believe he was unaware of the situation.
But Michael Jackson’s reaction wasn’t right. This should have been a very serious matter for him, yet he had subconsciously ignored it and chosen to work instead. In Chen Yu’s eyes, this was a form of avoidance.
But avoidance wasn’t a solution. The more one avoided a problem, the less likely it was to be solved.
True mental fortitude meant facing problems head-on and striving to resolve them.
So, since he wasn’t bringing it up, Chen Yu felt he should. Then he would do his best to help him.
Chen Yu looked directly into Michael Jackson’s eyes, keenly noticing a flash of panic in their depths after he asked the question. Michael tried to cover it up, "Oh, right, Chen, I just thought of another move. It’ll be really good."
"Michael." Chen Yu suddenly leaned forward and took his hand.
It was ice-cold.
Chen Yu’s voice was deep and resonant. "I know something bad is happening, but you can talk about it. I can help you, just like I can heal you."
The psychological effect, enhanced by his communication skills, made Chen Yu’s words seem to have a magical quality, causing the look in Michael Jackson’s eyes to soften slightly.
"Michael."
His assistant, Kevin, pushed the door open and came in. He had heard Chen Yu was here and wanted to find him to see if he could get another Acupuncture treatment.
The effects of Acupuncture... you just couldn’t know until you’d experienced it.
Yesterday, he’d had diarrhea so bad he thought he might die, but the feeling of being completely cleared out was simply incredible.
A night had passed, but he felt he wasn’t completely clean yet and needed another round.
But as soon as he entered, Kevin was surprised to find Michael Jackson with his head down, as if... he was crying?
He knew Michael Jackson’s personality. He was sensitive, emotional, and cried easily.
’But why is he suddenly crying now?’
Just then, Chen Yu stood up, walked over, and closed the door behind him.
’Crying is good. It’s the easiest way to relieve pent-up emotions.’
"Is there something you need?" Chen Yu asked, looking at Kevin.
Kevin glanced at the closed door, then at Chen Yu. He tactfully decided not to ask, squeezed out a smile, and said obsequiously, "Doctor Chen, after you treated me yesterday, I felt really, really good. So I was wondering if I could trouble you to treat me again today."
Originally, as Michael Jackson’s chief assistant, Kevin had met plenty of rich and powerful people and hadn’t thought much of Chen Yu.
Just another doctor with good skills and a little bit of fame, that was all.
But things were different now.
Kevin now realized that there were doctors, and then there were *doctors*.
A good doctor could solve your suffering with three needles; a bad doctor could make you wish you were dead.
And nothing was more important than health.
When someone held the power to determine your health, what was a fawning smile? It was nothing.
Chen Yu shook his head inwardly. ’He’s gotten addicted to this, hasn’t he?’
’He really does have a lot of crap to get out, though.’
Chen Yu glanced at his abdomen and said, "I don’t have time today. We’ll talk about it later."
"Okay, okay, I’m not in a hurry." Kevin didn’t dare say anything more.
Chen Yu pointed to the door again. "Don’t disturb him for now."
Finding Burnett, Chen Yu first filmed the segment on food. At the same time, he also met the children participating in the shoot.
There were five of them in total.
"Mark, aren’t they a bit too fat?" Chen Yu couldn’t help but frown.
The heaviest one, a little fatty, was only 10 years old but weighed a terrifying 225 pounds.
"He shouldn’t be here to lose weight. He should be in a hospital."
Everyone else was standing, but he could only sit. Chen Yu could even hear his short, ragged breaths.
’This kid really needs to be hospitalized.’
Burnett scratched his head and said, "Should we replace him then?"
"Forget it."
Chen Yu sighed and shook his head, indicating there was no need.
To be honest, Chen Yu didn’t expect to get these severely overweight kids back to a healthy weight just by filming a show.
It was more of a gimmick.
When kids get this fat, it often isn’t their own fault anymore; you have to look at their parents first.
With this show of his, Chen Yu certainly had the goal of doing something to encourage ordinary people to lose weight and get healthy, but his main goal was still fame.
It was a bit too pragmatic, but that was reality.
If watching a weight-loss show and listening to some expert advice could solve obesity, then obesity wouldn’t be a problem in the first place.
「Inside the villa’s gym.」
Michael Jackson was interacting with the five children.
You could tell he genuinely loved children.
He built Dream Manor and sponsored numerous sick children for free.
One had to remember that the expenses for a place as large as Dream Manor were enormous.
Although his income was staggering, his spending on charity, maintaining the manor, and supporting so many people was also immense. The media had long been reporting that he was in a financial crisis.
Yet even after being slandered, he persisted in doing so.
One could only say that his childhood experiences had had too great an impact on him.
It was a classic case of wanting to obtain and make up for whatever you lacked in your childhood.
And Chen Yu couldn’t help but think about how, in the face of a person like this, so many people could still shamelessly smear and slander him.
It really just showed how complicated human nature was.
After the shoot ended, Chen Yu and Michael Jackson left together in a car.
The car drove out of the main gate.
Outside the gate, police were on patrol. The chief of police had called Chen Yu earlier, saying he knew Michael Jackson was here and would temporarily dispatch officers to maintain order.
But the fans and media were still there. As the car pulled out, the crowd beyond the police cordon immediately started to stir.
"Michael." Chen Yu raised his hand to have the driver stop, then turned his head to ask if he wanted to say something.
In their earlier conversation, Chen Yu had encouraged Michael Jackson to face his problems head-on.
"I’d rather not. They always ask the same questions over and over, and no matter what I say, they won’t believe it." Michael Jackson thought for a moment and shook his head, his gaze conflicted.
He rarely gave interviews to the media and valued his privacy.
For one, it was his personality; he was too introverted.
Second, having been famous since he was young and having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, he was all too familiar with the media’s lack of integrity. No matter what he said, nobody would believe him anyway.
Not to mention the wanton distortion and bias. It was no exaggeration to say that if he farted, the media would report that he had a problem with his gluteus maximus.
Since that was the case, what was the point of explaining?
"No." Chen Yu shook his head. "I’m not asking you to give an interview to the media, but to respond to the fans who sacrificed their own time to come here and support you. Michael, you need to find the good in a bad situation. Yes, some people are slandering you, but many others are supporting you."
"You can’t just see the bad and the awful. You should see the good things. That’s where you’ll find the courage to face and solve your problems."
Chen Yu pointed to the fans in the distance.
They stood together, clearly separated from the haters, arguing furiously with them while constantly shouting toward the car, calling Michael Jackson’s name and yelling that they would support him forever.
Michael Jackson stared blankly at the scene, his eyes gradually brightening.
He suddenly realized that if it weren’t for Chen Yu, he would never have noticed these things.
’There are many people who smear and slander me, but there are even more who love and support me.’ freewёbnoνel.com
"Chen, you’re right. What should I do?" Michael Jackson nodded vigorously.
Chen Yu was inwardly delighted.
’I don’t know if it’s the system’s effect or if my words genuinely moved him, but as long as it works, that’s what matters.’
"You could get out, sign some autographs, take a few pictures, that sort of thing."
Michael Jackson nodded, then said worriedly, "But will it be safe?"
There were so many haters present. Some of the extreme ones were capable of anything.
"Don’t worry. The police are here, and so am I. No one will dare to do anything to you," Chen Yu said with a firm tone.
’There’s even a SWAT team right across the street.’
’Who would dare cause trouble!’
"Michael, please reconsider. We should just go straight back to the clinic," Kevin, in the front seat, quickly turned his head to persuade him.
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Chen Yu’s piercing gaze.
Just moments ago, Chen Yu had warned him with a look.
Kevin frantically averted his eyes from Chen Yu’s and looked at Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson glanced at the fans outside the window again and made up his mind. "Kevin, don’t say any more. Chen is right. I should go out there."
With that, he opened the car door himself and got out.
In an instant, the police cordon on the other side was on the verge of breaking.
