The atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.
Number Five, who was sitting next to Number One, gently put down his glass of juice. His eyes fell on Lin Feng with a gentle look of encouragement and comfort.
On the other side of the table, Chu Fangnan lowered his head and took a sip of sake, choosing to remain silent at this time. Among the people present, perhaps he should be the first and the one who understood this matter the most. But at this time, with his status, there was no need for him to say much. All he needed to do was be an audience.
Ceng Rui and Tang Bingyao were also looking at Lin Feng.
The girl's eyes were filled with concern and worry. She subconsciously moved closer to Lin Feng. She also secretly put her small hand on the back of Lin Feng's hand. It seemed like she was hoping that by doing this, she could support Lin Feng even more.
Perhaps Number One didn't notice this small movement under the table, or perhaps he just didn't care. He calmly and indifferently looked at the disciple he most admired and valued in front of him, patiently waiting for him to speak.
Lin Feng was silent for a moment.
Then, he took a deep breath and slowly began to speak with some difficulty.
"The matter —"
"It's like this …"
The next ten minutes felt like an eternity. Only Lin Feng's voice could be heard in the entire tatami room, speaking in a slow and deep voice. It wasn't until the curtain was pushed open from the outside and the izakaya's waiter came in with a plate of seafood sashimi that Lin Feng's story finally came to an end.
The waiter left.
The tatami room once again fell silent.
Lin Feng lowered his head.
"Basically, that's it."
Tang Bingyao and Ceng Rui were sitting next to him, it was the second time they had heard about it so they were able to accept it. On the other hand, even though Chu Fang Nan already knew the truth, it was the first time he had heard it from Lin Feng's mouth.
Number Five's eyes flickered slightly. He looked at Lin Feng with pity and a light sigh.
Only Number One's expression didn't change.
He raised his glass and took another sip of sake. Then, he paused for a moment and casually nodded.
"Mhm."
"In that case, you really did make a mistake."
As soon as he said this, Ceng Rui and Chu Fang Nan both looked up at Number One in shock. They did not expect that a certain person's most respected teacher would make such a blunt evaluation at a time like this.
Tang Bingyao couldn't help but be a bit impatient when she heard this. She wanted to defend Lin Feng, but just as she was about to straighten up and open her mouth to speak, she suddenly noticed number five looking at her, slightly shaking his head to stop her. Even though she didn't know what Tang Bingyao's intention was, she still forcibly resisted the urge to speak, only holding Lin Feng's hand a bit tighter under the table.
As if he didn't notice his fiancée's gaze, Number One continued to stare at Lin Feng with narrowed eyes.
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Lin Feng lowered his head even more. His voice was low and bitter.
"I shouldn't have been so stubborn during the S1 season —"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Number One again.
"Wrong again."
This time, Lin Feng was taken aback. He finally raised his head and looked at his most respected teacher in confusion. For a moment, he couldn't understand what he had done wrong this time.
This time, even Tang Bingyao and Ceng Rui were a bit confused. Their gazes simultaneously turned to Number One.
Number One once again filled his small cup with sake. He looked up at Lin Feng and spoke in an unhurried tone.
"You were indeed stubborn back then."
"Indeed, it's just that you didn't get the championship trophy. As the captain, you didn't think about how to encourage your teammates to continue to regain their confidence and fighting spirit, so that they can continue to fight next year to wash away their shame. Instead, you chose to retire due to your own temper, causing the entire team to fall apart —"
"As the captain of a team, it can be said that you did almost everything wrong back then."
His tone was still as merciless as ever.
Lin Feng lowered his head again, speechless.
After a pause, Number One continued in a leisurely manner.
"Including Eleven now. He was reduced to being a substitute in a second-tier professional club. He was looked down upon and suffered all kinds of hardships. Of course, it was all your fault.
"But that wasn't the worst thing you did.
"The worst thing you did was that even now, you still haven't prepared to make up for your mistakes and atone for your sins."
Lin Feng's body trembled slightly.
At this time, Number One's voice also began to turn cold. His tone and words became sharper and even more aggressive.
"Apologize?"
"What's the use of apologizing?"
"From the beginning, you should have known what kind of impact your mistakes would have on the other teammates who trusted you the most. Other than emotional guilt and self-blame, do you think that's enough?"
"Make up for it!?"
"Now you see Eleven living a miserable life in a second-tier LSPL team without any hope of making a name for himself. Even his strength has declined greatly. Okay, you know you're sad, you know you're ashamed and you blame yourself, but then what?
"Reality is already like this. Your teammates are already in the same situation.
"Have you ever thought about what you can do now?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer hitting the surface of a drum. It was deafening. Every word was like a cold blade that mercilessly pierced his heart. Lin Feng's face turned slightly pale.
But Number One still didn't seem to have any intention of resting. He looked coldly at his only disciple in front of him.
"How about it?"
"Eleven is now in the LSPL team. He doesn't even have the qualifications to play. You also feel injustice and anger for him, don't you?"
"But what else can you do? You have nothing now. Even if you see all this, you can't help him at all. The only thing you can do is walk up to him and tell him, 'Eleven, I'm very sorry, but I don't have any good ideas. Please continue being a substitute in this third-tier team' —"
His words became more and more harsh and sharp.
Even Chu Fang Nan and Ceng Rui couldn't help but feel their eyelids twitch. Even the former had never seen Number One's words as sharp and aggressive as the blade of a knife.
Almost …
It was an oppressive feeling that was almost suffocating.
Lin Feng's face turned livid. His left hand under the table was already tightly clenched into a fist. He suddenly raised his head and stared at Number One with bloodshot eyes.
"No."
"It's not like that!"
Number One didn't seem to care about Lin Feng's reaction at all. He picked up his glass and drank it in one gulp. Then he put down the empty glass and looked at Lin Feng coldly. He smiled mockingly.
"Oh?"
"Then tell me, what should it be like?"
"Come, come, come, let me hear what the world-recognized 'Maple Emperor' of the S1 season has to say."
Although there was a smile on his face, Number One's tone was as cold as ice.
Lin Feng subconsciously opened his mouth, but his face suddenly turned pale.
He was speechless.
*****
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