Fox in the Penalty Area

"Now, let us give the warmest applause to all the members of the football team who represent the school and win glory for our province of Anton!"

Accompanied by the passionate voice of the dean, the "March of Athletes" sounded on the radio in the school playground.

Amidst the sound of music, Hu Lai and Yan Yan grabbed the handle of the championship trophy, lifted the heavy national championship gold cup, and stepped onto the steps leading to the rostrum.

The players of the football team followed behind them and filed onto the stage one by one, receiving the salute, applause and cheers from all the teachers and students in the school.

After all the players stood in three rows on the rostrum, the dean asked the captain of the team, Yan Yan, to speak on behalf of the whole team.

These are fixed procedures and will be agreed upon before the welcome ceremony begins.

Originally, when Yan Yan heard that the captain was going to speak, he pushed Hu Lai up. According to his thinking, Hu Lai would definitely not refuse to face such a scene, and would even perform supernormally, making the speech more effective. And in a sense, Hu Lai is indeed the captain of the team now.

But to Yan Yan's surprise, Hu Lai refused, unwilling to give a speech as the captain.

His reason was that he was afraid that if he went up to talk nonsense, the dean would drive him down, and it would be embarrassing.

In desperation, Yan Yan could only bite the bullet and drive the ducks to the shelves, and gave a speech as a team representative...

When Yan Yan stood in front of the front microphone on behalf of the team and spoke those empty, empty words, Li Ziqiang turned his head slightly and looked at Hu Lai who was standing in the first row of the team.

Although Hou Lai now has a smile on his face and looks no different from other happy players, he always feels that there is something wrong with Hou Lai today.

Because Hu Lai seems a little quieter today...

The most important thing is how could this kid give up the opportunity to show off before? Being able to speak on behalf of the whole team on such an occasion and become the focus of attention of the teachers and students in the school is what this kid dreams of. How could he refuse?

Li Ziqiang knew that Hu Lai's father did not approve of him playing football, but he thought it might be due to some kind of hearsay prejudice, or he was not confident in his child's potential, and did not believe that he could walk this path with his own ability.

Now from Hu Lai's abnormal performance, Li Ziqiang speculates that Hu Lai's action to persuade his father last night may not have had any good effect, and his family is still very resistant to him going to play professional football.

"...Finally, our achievement is inseparable from the school's concern and emphasis on football. Therefore, this championship is not only an honor for the football team, but also an honor for Dongchuan Middle School. Thank you everyone!"

As Yan Yan's speech came to an end, there were thunderous applause and cheers on the playground.

Li Ziqiang saw a bright smile on Hu Lai's face again, and then clapped vigorously with his teammates.

Seeing this scene, he snorted in his heart: At such a young age, his acting skills are quite good...

Then he looked away, and clapped his hands like everyone else.

The golden cup on the rostrum shone brightly in the morning light, as if responding to thunderous applause.

※※※

Hu Lai, who was wearing the uniform of Dongchuan Middle School, was carrying a schoolbag and standing in the open space full of weeds.

This used to be his secret training base that he carefully managed.

He trained alone here, dreaming that one day he would come out of the arena, have achieved great feats, and then kick the crap out of those who looked down on him on the court.

At that time, he only dreamed of joining the school team. As for the national competition or the national championship, he couldn't even think about it.

He hasn't been here since joining the school team.

Now the secret training base is overgrown with weeds and signs of depression.

Looking around, it is almost a "demolition" word.

Although it has not been demolished yet, it will definitely be demolished in the future. Dongchuan City is now advancing the renovation of shanty towns, and old houses like this one will definitely be demolished in the future.

At that time, the starting point of my football journey will no longer exist.

Li Ziqiang stood by the window of his daughter's room, saw the young man in the open space downstairs who had been there for a while, and then shouted, "Are you going to stand there until dark?"

As soon as he spoke, he saw that the person below visibly trembled, obviously frightened by his sudden shout.

"Coach?" He looked up at Li Ziqiang in the window and shouted in surprise.

※※※

Li Ziqiang looked back at Hu Lai who was still timid at the door and dared not come in, and said angrily, "Come in, what are you doing outside?"

Hu Lai just stepped over the threshold, and then asked, "Do you want to change your shoes, coach?"

Li Ziqiang looked at the floor of his home and shook his head: "Forget it, I won't change it."

"Oh, good." Hu Lai walked out of the porch, came to the living room, and then stood in front of the sofa and looked around the old house.

Looking at the space, it is bigger than my own home, but looking at the furnishings, it is much older.

Then he caught a faint scent from a row of clothes hanging by the window.

The smell was very mild, but Hu Lai could smell it right away, because it was the same as the laundry detergent in his home.

The reason why the laundry detergent smells the same is also because the laundry detergent at Hu Lai's house is exactly the same as that at Coach's house - that's what I asked Li Qingqing to find out, and then asked my mother to buy it for use.

But whether it was the clothes he washed at home, or the smell he smelled at the coach's house today, it was still not exactly the same as the smell on the jersey that Li Qingqing handed to him in Hu Lai's memory...

At this time, Hu Lai realized that Li Qingqing had lived here. This is the home of Li Qingqing and her father, coach Li Ziqiang.

"Why don't you go home after school?" Li Ziqiang leaned against the dining table, crossed his arms and looked at Hu Lai who was looking at the room curiously.

"I don't want to go back."

Hu Lai's honest answer surprised Li Ziqiang: "I thought you were looking for some excuse. It seems that the discussion with your parents didn't go well last night?"

"My dad and I had a quarrel." Hu Lai said with his head bowed.

"Why is your father unwilling to let you play football? Did he read the negative reports on Chinese football in the media before?"

Hu Lai raised his head and looked at Li Ziqiang: "Coach, you came from a professional football school. I want to ask you, have you ever seen a situation where you deliberately abolished your teammates during training for the sake of competition?"

Li Ziqiang was stunned. He didn't expect that Hu Lai would ask such a question. He realized that this was not something that Hu Lai thought of casually, but probably had something to do with Hu Lai's father. So he asked, "Why do you ask such a question?"

"I just found out yesterday that my dad used to be a professional footballer, but he retired due to injury without even playing a professional game. The injury that made him retire was caused by his teammates in training - two people fighting for A first-team spot, his team-mates smashed his knees..."

Hu Lai told his head coach about the quarrel between him and his father yesterday.

Li Ziqiang's face became more serious when he heard it. After Hu Lai finished speaking, he was silent for a while before saying: "I can't say that such things abound, and I can't say that there are no such things. Although after these years of football reforms, Many of the dark sides of the past have improved or even disappeared... But it is true that there are many dark sides in football that you have never seen. Some are problems with our national football system, and some are football itself. The characteristics of competitive sports are inherently cruel. It is a sport in which a small number of elites are finally screened out through mass elimination. In this process, there will definitely be losers, and the number is huge. Even the developed countries of European and American football are no exception. But... "

Speaking of this, Li Ziqiang was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said: "There is no but. Your father is right. In our country, there is indeed such a problem. If you give up the college entrance examination, give up your studies and focus on professional football, that's a big deal. Undoubtedly, it is a kind of gamble. It is easy to say if you win the bet, but what if you lose the bet? What can a high school degree do in this society? Your only way out may be to become a football coach..."

"So coach, you also object to me going to a professional team?" Hu Lai asked.

Li Ziqiang shook his head: "I didn't say that."

"But you also said, it's a gamble. If I lose the bet, a high school degree won't do anything in society. The only way out is to become a football coach..."

"It's not bad to be a football coach," Li Ziqiang said. "I'm the football coach."

"But I want to be a professional footballer."

"Do you still want to do it after hearing your dad's story?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hu Lai frowned and said, "I still want to."

"Since you have all the answers, why do you still look as if you are constipated?" Li Ziqiang snorted.

"I do not know……"

"If you are scared by your dad's story and want to come to me for a little psychological comfort. Then I'm sorry, I can't comfort you. I can't promise you that after so many years of development, our country's football will not appear. Such a problem. Because your father's matter is not a problem of the system, but a problem of human nature. If you encounter a narrow-minded person who hates you and is jealous of you taking his position, then maybe you may really do impulsive things in training Come on... even if the system changes, as long as the players are still human, this kind of thing cannot be said to never happen again.”

Having said that, Li Ziqiang glanced at Hu Lai again, observed his expression, and saw that he was only frowning slightly, but there was no other reaction, so he continued.

"And I would like to remind you that evil in human nature is still possible and does not happen from time to time. But the competitive nature of competitive sports is 100% likely to happen. Even if you do not encounter such vicious teammates or opponents, Many things will affect your final outcome. It may be normal injuries, it may be luck, or it may be insufficient talent... Sometimes a team coach change may become an inflection point in your career, or you A missed goal in a crucial game...Professional football is not as good as you think it is, and the future of professional players is not as bright as you think. The pressure is high, the chances are few, and the winner is king.

"The difficulties you encountered when you first joined the school team are not worth mentioning in the stage of real professional football. The strength I knocked you into the air in training is the treatment you will definitely enjoy in the professional game. High school football and professional football Soccer is two completely different worlds. Even if you become the best player, top scorer, and national champion in the high school national competition, it does not mean that you can become a real professional player. You may be very talented. But any player who is good enough to make it to the pros, every single one of them is a talent of his own age. You are no longer competing with the students in your school who just want to enjoy football, but the people who want to eat.

"In addition, there are many temptations outside of football. Alcohol, women, money... These will eventually affect your career... Don't think I am alarmist, everything I say is professional football The real situation, even what I said is less than one percent of the real professional football...I tell you this, and I don't want to make you quit. I don't have any position, I just want to tell the truth about football dreams Let me tell you. It’s like a statement of responsibility, if you understand everything carefully and think about it carefully, and stick to your ideals, that’s your business and has nothing to do with me.”

Hu Lai heard the head coach say so many words in one breath, which was unimaginable before, and he was a little confused.

Li Ziqiang didn't care what he was thinking, and after saying these words, he issued an order to evict the guest: "Don't go home yet, do you want me to keep you for dinner?"

Hu Lai got up in a daze, bid farewell to the coach, and went out.

He just walked out the door, but was stopped by Li Ziqiang again.

"coach?"

Li Ziqiang was silent for two seconds and said: "If you go to a professional team, you have to work harder than you did in the school team."

"I know, coach." Hu Lai smiled, he really knew this very well. Even if there is a system, it is obvious that he cannot become stronger all at once. He still needs to improve himself through training.

"You are indeed very talented, Hu Lai...but remember, if you can't put in ten times the effort of others, then your talent is just a worthless stone."

Hu Lai looked at the coach standing in the room. He was almost completely hidden in the dark environment of the old house, so that Hu Lai couldn't see the coach's expression clearly.

He recruited this person into the team but never gave him a good face. He scolded him and yelled at him at every turn, and tortured him with so-called special training. If he hadn't drawn out a [World Wave Experience Card], maybe he really had to do a year of basic training on the school team, and could only represent the school team in the second year of high school, what would his current destiny be like? I don't know anymore...

Although he always faces the coach with a smile on his face, in fact, he has never liked this person from the bottom of his heart.

But he doesn't hate him either.

Because no matter what the reason was, he gave himself a chance, and after he seized the opportunity, he devoted himself to his own cultivation.

The special training he gave himself has benefited him a lot.

The man in front of him was always the first real coach in his football career.

So Hu Lai turned around, faced Li Ziqiang, and bowed deeply to him: "Thank you coach, I will remember."

Li Ziqiang didn't say a word, and he didn't make a sound until Hu Lai got up to leave. He just stood in the shadow of the old house.

※※※

When Hu Lai walked to the door of the alley where the coach's house was located, he suddenly slapped his head and thought of something.

So he turned to the entrance where the secret base was located.

Stepping over the waist-deep weeds near the base of the wall, Hu Lai searched with difficulty in the grass.

He wants to find his own football and take it away from this abandoned secret base.

For a long time, he had forgotten about it. Now that he remembered it, how could he let it stay here and be forgotten like this open space?

It's just that it's been too long since the last time he came here for training. He forgot that he hid the football in the grass last time... He could only endure the mosquito bites and search for it a little bit.

Finally, after searching for a few minutes, he pushed aside a piece of grass, and a dirty, deflated football appeared in front of him.

Hu Lai's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take out the football.

Although there is no need to confirm it, you can also know that this is his unique football in the world that belongs to him only.

After all, it is too familiar.

But he still flipped the football, trying to find the mark he left.

That "WHO".

He found "WHO", but at the same time he was surprised to see a row of Arabic numerals under the blurred "WHO".

Eleven in total.

This is a string of phone numbers.

Who puts their phone number on their football?

Looking at Juanxiu's handwriting, a face appeared in Hu Lai's mind.

"Are you looking for it?"

A clear voice like a silver bell sounded behind him, and he suddenly turned his head to look at the entrance of the secret training base, but there was no girl in the uniform of Dongchuan Middle School.

The voice seemed to be just echoing in his mind.

Maybe it was just the rustling of the wind blowing through the grass, which he misheard as someone talking.

Join the school team, participate in the national competition, and win the championship, top scorer and best player in the national competition...

Even if I have a system, if it wasn't for that girl who appeared here and said to me, "I'll teach you."

I am afraid that all this will not happen in such a short period of time.

When she left school to play professional football, he and Song Jiajia regretted not writing down her contact information.

Unexpectedly, when she left, she wrote the phone number on the football.

And I actually waited until this moment before thinking of coming here to find this football.

If he also forgot, if this place was demolished before he came... wouldn't he just miss it?

Hu Lai looked down at the deflated football in his hand, standing among the weeds.

He thinks now of his dad and the "truths" his coach told him about professional football.

They didn't lie to themselves, what they said was true, and they had fully understood the risks behind taking the road of professional football.

But now no matter who asks him if he still wants to play professional football, he will probably nod and say: Yes!

Why?

Because in that world, there is a person who is still waiting for me to catch up.

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