"The attending physician said that within a month, I should be able to walk freely for short periods. So, the wedding will likely be set for about a month from now."
"A month's time, isn't that a bit rushed? You'll have to notify your friends and family in advance, won't you?"
"I don't have many relatives! My mother passed away ten years ago. Now there's just my father, my two older sisters and their families. That's all my kin. As for friends, you know I don't have many. I was planning to invite some teammates from the Spurs. You, David, Manu, Elliott, Rose, Bruce, Mr. Popovich, Mr. Budenholzer, Mr. Brown... Oh, and John too..."
"Whoa there! You're not inviting Brad Miller and Ridnour, who just left the Spurs, and what about the newly acquired Yao Ming, Parker, and Arenas?"
"I'm not familiar with them, why should I invite them?"
Alright, He Xi Meng was left speechless by Duncan. It was no wonder that years later, Shaquille O'Neal, already retired, would comment on Duncan as the league's most mysterious superstar: "I didn't even know Duncan was married and had two children until I retired..."
"Can you tell me what made you decide to marry Amy, and so hastily? Is Amy pregnant? That wouldn't be the reason, surely! There are plenty of players in the league who get pregnant before marriage..."
"It has nothing to do with that!"
Seeing He Xi Meng's persistence in asking for the reason, Duncan hesitated for a moment and then truthfully said, "My father is seriously ill, and he doesn't have much time left... He wants to see me get married before he passes away... He said it was also my mother's dying wish, and he wants to carry this news to her when he goes to heaven..."
"I'm sorry..."
Hearing Duncan say this, He Xi Meng suddenly remembered the 2001-2002 playoff first round, when the Spurs played the SuperSonics. David Robinson was injured and out for the game in Game 1 after playing only 7 minutes. Duncan led the team alone. They were leading 2-1 after the first three games. In the crucial Game 4, Duncan inexplicably missed the game, causing the leaderless Spurs to lose and be pushed to a decisive Game 5 by the SuperSonics!
The fans were baffled as to why Duncan suddenly missed that game. Logically, a superstar would not miss such an important game. Even with a common cold or fever, they would try to play. If they couldn't play, they would at least be present to support their teammates. Especially with David Robinson already out with an injury, Duncan was an indispensable player for the Spurs! But in that game, Duncan was completely absent.
The official statement from the Spurs said that Duncan had an urgent family matter to attend to, but they did not provide specific details.
There were rumors outside the team, some saying Duncan had suddenly fallen ill and was admitted to the emergency room, while others said a close relative of Duncan had passed away and he was by their side all night at the hospital...
Duncan himself never clarified the matter. Only a few days later, when Game 5 arrived, he silently returned to the court and, with his usual calm and understated style of play, defeated the SuperSonics and led the Spurs to the second round...
If He Xi Meng remembered correctly, that game took place at the end of April 2002, which was more than 10 months away from July 2001. This closely matched Duncan's statement about his father's serious illness...
"Is there anything I can do?" Shocked by Duncan's sudden news, He Xi Meng instinctively asked politely.
But Duncan showed no signs of being polite, "Yes! I need you to help Amy with the wedding preparations!"
"What? Me and Amy together? Aren't you worried I'll mess up your wedding?"
"I know you won't!" Duncan said with certainty. "Besides helping with the wedding preparations, I also want you to be my best man, and help me find a few single guys to be my groomsmen... Not too many, three to five would be enough!"
"At the same time, Amy hopes Kayla can spare some time from her busy schedule to be her chief bridesmaid. As for the other bridesmaids, Amy has a group of girlfriends who can handle it..."
"Wait! Let me process this!" He Xi Meng was completely taken aback by Duncan's string of requests.
"You plan to get married in a month, right? Since time is tight, you want me to help you prepare for the wedding? Be your best man? Help you find some single groomsmen? And have my girlfriend be your fiancée's chief bridesmaid?"
"You're not confused, your thinking is perfectly correct!"
"Then may I ask, what will you be doing?"
"Me? Recovering from my injury!" Duncan replied with an innocent look. "You can't expect someone who just had his meniscus removed to push a wheelchair with Amy, booking hotels, checking venues, trying on wedding dresses, and arranging photography teams, can you?"
"Uh... you seem to have a solid argument?"
"Of course! I just want to quietly be a groom..."
Once He Xi Meng was sure Duncan wasn't joking, he shook his head resentfully. "Fine, you win! Considering you don't have many friends, I'll take on this tedious task..."
"Thank you, Simon. You are my closest friend. I knew you would agree to these unreasonable requests..."
Duncan flashed a cunning smile, then spread out the book "100 Questions About Car Modification Technology" he was holding, and waved at He Xi Meng. "You go find Amy and see what she needs your help with! There's no point in you staying here with me; my meniscus wound won't heal any faster just because you're here..."
He Xi Meng, having lived two lives, came to the hospital with a heavy heart to visit a patient, only to leave giving the middle finger for the first time ever.
Leaving the hospital, He Xi Meng had to cancel his world tour, apologize to Kayla over the phone, and invite her to be Amy's chief bridesmaid...
For the next month, besides returning to Los Angeles to accompany Kayla at the North American premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean 1," He Xi Meng spent all his time in San Antonio, acting as Duncan's surrogate, assisting Amy with all the wedding preparations.
He Xi Meng and Amy were actually old acquaintances. Back at Wake Forest University, Amy was keen to get close to Duncan, but Duncan was as awkward as a hermit, leaving Amy no room to maneuver. Fortunately, after He Xi Meng moved into Duncan's bachelor dorm, Duncan suddenly seemed to come alive and finally began responding to Amy's advances. Three days later, Amy successfully won Duncan over...
Looking back, He Xi Meng played a significant role in Amy becoming Duncan's official girlfriend, serving as both the facilitator and witness to their relationship.
With their wedding fast approaching, He Xi Meng held back several times, but ultimately couldn't resist...