Mitchell and Bell did not expect to see their boss in Wood's mother's ward. They were so excited that they surrounded Tang En and asked about his well-being that they forgot why they were there.
It was only when Tang En took the initiative to tell them about Wood's mother's current condition that the two realized they had lost their composure. Fortunately, Wood was not a narrow-minded person and did not take their behavior to heart.
Mitchell and Bell were visiting George Wood and his mother at the hospital as private people, friends of George Wood. Wood did not tell them about his decision to retire, but they asked about it themselves.
"George, I heard rumors that you're going to retire. Is that true?" Bell asked as he stared into Wood's eyes.
Hearing Bell's question, Tang En and Woox looked at each other.
Bell did not notice the small exchange between Tang En and Woox. He and Mitchell were looking at Wood, hoping to get his answer.
Tang En suddenly felt a headache coming on. With Wood's temper, he would not lie. If he told the truth, what would Bell and Mitchell's reaction be? Would they fall out with him on the spot? What should he do then? One Wood was enough to give him a headache. Adding Bell and Mitchell … it would be difficult to wade into the muddy waters.
Based on Tang En's understanding of Wood, Wood would nod with a straight face. But Wood shook his head. "How is that possible? I didn't say that. "
This shocked Tang En. He quickly glanced at Woox and found that Woox was also looking at him with a puzzled expression. Could it be that Wood had really changed his mind because of his mother's awakening? Had he decided not to retire?
It would be great if that was the case.
Tang En breathed a sigh of relief.
Hearing Wood say so, Bell's face immediately lit up. He turned to Mitchell and said, "See, I was right! It's just a rumor! Rumors can't be trusted! "
Mitchell also breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he felt embarrassed that he had doubted his captain. He scratched his head and said, "That's good. I really don't know what we'll do if you retire …"
Tang En suddenly said, "Idiot, George is older than you. There will come a day when he retires. When that time comes, you'll definitely have to continue playing."
Unexpectedly, Mitchell shook his head and said, "I'm 28 years old this year, and George is 32 this year. He can play at least until he's 40. By then, I'll be 36 and will have long since retired."
Tang En did not know whether to laugh or cry as he did not expect him to have such an idea. Everyone said that Wood could play until he was forty. Did he really believe it?
He asked Bale and Mitchell about the team's situation in the past two days. Naturally, there was no good news. Bale told him that the Forest team was in a state of panic. Everyone was at a loss for what to do after suddenly losing their backbone.
Mitchell asked Wood if he could play in the away game against Liverpool the day after tomorrow.
Wood hesitated for a moment. He was not in the mood to play football during this period of time. Even if he forced himself to play, he would not be in his best form. He told the truth on that point, and indicated that he could not go to Anfield.
Although Mitchell felt a little regretful, he didn't force it. His mother was seriously ill and in a coma, yet he still wanted to force him to participate in the competition. It was really too inhumane, so he was just asking casually.
They did not chat for long. George Wood wanted to rest, so Woox sent the two of them out of the ward. When they left the hospital, it naturally caused a commotion among the reporters. However, with the help of many police officers, they walked smoothly and did not encounter any harassment.
After they left, Tang En could not wait to ask the question in his heart, "You've decided not to retire, George?"
Wood shook his head. "I lied to them."
Tang En did not continue to ask, nor did he intend to persuade him to take back his decision. After knowing the true intentions in Wood's heart, he did not say a word. He only nodded slightly. This kid was really stubborn. How could he change his mind so easily? It looked like he was not in a good mood during this period of time. It was better not to mention this matter.
Wood went to rest on his own. Tang En sat in the guest room for a while. When Woox returned, he greeted him and left. After all, Wood could stay in the ward, but he could not. He still had to go home to rest and think about how to persuade Wood.
※ ※ ※
At 10: 30 in the morning, the bar was not yet open for business. A "Closed" sign hung outside the main door, reminding customers who wanted to come in that the bar was not open yet.
Kenny Burns was sitting behind the bar, wiping glasses. The main door creaked. Someone came in.
"Sorry, it's not open for business yet. Please …" As he spoke, he raised his head and found the figure standing at the door familiar. As it was against the light, he could not see the person's face clearly. He could only guess from the figure.
John? Too thin. Bill? A little fatter …
Then who was it?
Bowens was pleasantly surprised by the voice of the black shadow.
"Over the past ten years, I've always had a question that I couldn't figure out — Kenny, do you have an endless supply of cups by your hand? Do you never stop wiping them? Let me think, other than the first time I saw you, you've always sat in that position wiping glasses. "
"Ha, Tony!" Burns put down the glass in his hand and walked out from behind the bar. Before he reached Tang En, he had already opened his arms to welcome him. "Why are you back?"
Tang En also opened his arms and gave Burns a warm hug.
"I received a call from George's manager, so I came back."
Burns was silent for a moment. The news of Wood's mother being hospitalized was no longer news. They all knew about it. Tang En and Wood had a good relationship, so it was no surprise that he rushed back.
Tang En sat in front of the bar with a glass of water in front of him. Burns sat behind the bar and continued wiping his glasses.
As it was not officially open for business, there were not many lights on in the bar. There were only a few wall lamps on the bar. The curtains outside the windows were half-closed. Light shone in through the window, bringing some light to the dark room. The dust in the room rolled under the light, like water vapor used for special effects on a stage.
Such an environment was suitable for private conversations.
After the two of them chatted for a while, the topic was led to Wood. "There are rumors that George is retiring?" As a Forest fan, Burns was rather concerned about Wood.
Tang En nodded. "It's not a rumor."
Burns did not act surprised. He only looked at Tang En and continued wiping his glasses. "Because of his mother's illness?"
"Yes."
"You came back because of this?"
Tang En grunted again.
"Did you see Wood?"
"Yes, but I didn't mention it … I don't even know how to bring it up."
Burns nodded. "George's emotions have been unstable recently. Let him calm down for a while, and then you should be fine after you persuade him …"
Unexpectedly, Tang En shook his head and interrupted him. "No, Kenny. There's not enough time. Woox told Wood that if he wanted to retire, he had to discuss it with the club. In order to delay him, Woox said to wait for Sophia to wake up before discussing the issue. Yesterday afternoon, Sophia woke up, and this matter can't be delayed any longer … "
Burns was relieved to hear that Wood's mother had woken up. "Since his mother is awake, isn't it easier to handle? Wood only listens to you and his mother. You can get his mother to persuade Wood. "
Tang En shook his head again. "Sophia's body is very weak now, and she's not in good spirits. I don't want to tell her such a shocking news. What if it agitates her again …"
Tang En did not finish his sentence, but Burns understood what was going on. Now, he was at his wit's end. He knew how difficult it was to persuade Wood to change his mind.
However, it was not a solution to keep wasting time here. After drinking a glass of water, Tang En bade farewell to Burns and went to the hospital.
※ ※ ※
Wearing sunglasses and a cap, Tang En bought a copy of the newspaper from the newsstand outside the hospital. He did not intend to buy it at first, and he was not in the mood to read it now. However, as he walked past the newsstand, he inadvertently glanced at the colorful newspapers placed on it. The title of one of the newspapers immediately attracted his attention.
"George Wood retires!"
This headline was written in bold and black font. It could be said to be shocking, and he could not help but pay attention to it. Previously, the media had used question marks, but today, they had changed to exclamation marks. Linking it to what Bell and Burns had said yesterday, it seemed like the rumors were about to become reality …
He walked over to put down the money, took the last newspaper, rolled it up in his hands, and left in a hurry.
Under such circumstances, he had to persuade Wood to change his mind as soon as possible and come out to refute the rumors. Otherwise, he was afraid that the morale of the team would be shaken, and Nottingham Forest's results would be even lower.
It would be a lie to say that Tang En did not care about Forest's current results. Otherwise, he would not be so far away in America and still think of going online to check on Forest's recent results. After all, he had worked in this team for 11 years. To this day, there were still a few players that he had brought up. How could he not have any feelings for them? Now that he had seen the once all-powerful red whirlwind fall to such a state, it really pained him.
Back then, he had single-handedly fought for the country, but now, there was nothing left of it.
Entering the hospital through a special passageway, Tang En avoided the annoying reporters and entered the ward. He found that Miss Vivian Miller was waiting in the guest room outside, and Wood was talking to his mother in the ward.
Vivian greeted Twain politely when she saw him enter. "Good morning, Mr. Twain."
"Good morning, Miss Miller." Tang En sat on the sofa and began to read the newspaper in his hands.
Vivian noticed the title of the newspaper in Tang En's hands. It was so eye-catching that it was hard not to notice it. The media had really put in a lot of effort to hype up this gimmick.
"Mr. Twain …"
Tang En, who was reading the newspaper, heard someone call him. He put down the newspaper and looked up. "What's the matter, Miss Miller?"
"Ah …" Vivian, who had spoken rashly, felt that she had been rash. However, she could not say, "Nothing, I was just casually calling you." She could only bite the bullet and ask the question in her heart, "Is Mr. Wood really going to retire?"
Tang En did not immediately answer the question. Instead, he tilted his head and studied the young nurse for a while. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was not bad looking, but there were some freckles on her face. However, Western women did not have good skin, so these freckles were really not a flaw. She was really concerned about Wood …
After sizing her up, Tang En shook his head. "No."
"Then the newspaper …" Vivian pointed to the newspaper that was placed to the side.
"It's all rumors."
As the two of them were chatting, Billy Woox pushed the door open and came in. The two of them looked at each other. Vivian was very obedient. She knew that the two of them must have something to say, so she did not continue chatting with Tang En. Instead, she found an excuse to leave the ward.
After Vivian left, facing Tang En's questioning gaze, Woox said, "The club also knows that they cannot let Wood retire. They used the excuse of going to watch the match against Liverpool, and the club's top management all ran away."
Tang En could not help but laugh when he heard that. It seemed that Evan was not muddle-headed on this point. He knew that Wood was his last hope. If Wood retired, he would be finished. So, he might as well not meet him.
"The rest is up to you, Mr. Tang," Woox said as he looked at Tang En.
Tang En's expression immediately turned bitter. "Persuading him not to retire is much harder than persuading him to rest."
"The logic is the same. Use his mother to pressure him," Woox said.
Tang En glanced at the ward behind the glass window. The relationship between the mother and son was really good.
※ ※ ※
Sophia suddenly remembered something. She had felt that something was not right yesterday. It was just that she had just woken up and her mind was in a mess, so she did not think about it in detail. Now that she had chatted with Wood for a long time, she finally remembered the matter.
"Oh yes, George. What day is it today? "
Wood did not know why his mother suddenly asked about the date, so he answered honestly, "Saturday."
Sophia looked away from Wood's face and stared at the ceiling in silence for a while before saying, "I remember now. Aren't you guys going to Liverpool for the match this Sunday?"
Wood heard his mother mention this matter and immediately knew that it was not good.
"Uh … the club gave me the day off, mother. I don't have to participate in tomorrow's match … "
Sophia furrowed her brows. Birds cherished their own feathers, but she cherished her son's reputation. All along, in the professional football world, George Wood was synonymous with professionalism. Those who were unhappy with Wood could attack him for being cold-blooded and ruthless on the field, his actions were crude, and he had hurt countless people. But no one dared to say that Wood was undisciplined and had no professional ethics. Sophia was also very happy to see the praise for Wood in this aspect in the media. Who would want their own son to become someone who was scolded every day?
But now she heard that Wood was not going to participate in the match. In Sophia's simple mind, what did professional footballers do? They played football as a profession. Participating in matches and training were all work. If he did not do his work, how could he be considered a "professional footballer"?
"George, I'm fine. Miss Miller is here to take care of me, so there's no problem. You'd better go to Liverpool for the match. "
Wood was put in a difficult position. For a moment, he did not know what to say to his mother. At that moment, he heard Tang En's voice coming from behind him. "Madam, I'm afraid the club has already submitted the name list for tomorrow's match. Even if George rushed over, he would not be qualified to participate in the match."
It turned out that when Tang En was chatting with Woox, he suddenly realized that the atmosphere in the ward had changed. Something seemed to have happened between Wood and Sophia, so he came in to take a look and happened to hear what Sophia said.
From this sentence, Tang En could guess Sophia's attitude. He felt that there was a way to persuade Wood on this matter. But for now, he had to help Wood get through this obstacle with his mother. Wood was grateful that he had helped him once again. The next time they talked about retirement, he would not give him a hard time.
Sophia thought about it carefully and felt that Tang En was right. She was a little too anxious just now. But when she thought about how her son had even given up on participating in the match because of her, she lost the mood to continue the conversation. Tang En saw the change in Sophia's expression from the side and knew that she was not in the mood to talk at this moment. He said to Wood, "Let your mother rest for a while, George."
With that, he walked out of the door and waited outside.
After Wood said goodbye to his mother, he also walked out of the ward. He realized that Tang En was not sitting on the sofa. Instead, he was standing at the door as if waiting for him.
"How long has it been since you last left this hospital?" Tang En looked at Wood and invited him. "Go out for a walk. It's not good for your mood to be cooped up all the time."
Wood did not reject Tang En's suggestion. He nodded. Clearly, Tang En's method of helping him out of his predicament was now effective.
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