The worsening global financial situation, the forced suspension of the new stadium project due to a lack of funds, the physical problems of the players, and signs of increasing injuries. The team's results were unstable. All these things combined made Tang En feel immense pressure. At the same time, it made him clear that not only could he not count on the club to spend money on players during the winter break, he also had to learn to use local resources to expand the strength of the team.
The youth team was a place he had to pay attention to. And this attention was not the same as sitting in the office looking at data and reports, but going to the youth team himself. This was an act to show his attitude. Even if he wore sunglasses and stood on the sidelines in a daze. In any case, it gave the youth team players hope and encouragement. At the same time, it was a signal to Evan Doughty — I understand that the club does not have the money to buy players, but the youth team is the foundation of the team's survival. No matter what, the investment here cannot be less.
He was just short of painting a slogan on the wall of the youth team training base: "No matter how poor you are, you can't be poor."
Therefore, he decided to make a trip to North Wilford with the two assistant managers, Dunn and Kerslake, after the first team training ended to see how the children were doing. To see how much the young talents that the scouts had brought back from all over the world had grown.
※ ※ ※
After entering winter, it was almost equivalent to entering the rainy season in England. London was known as the "City of Fog" because of the industrial fumes and smog that spread throughout the city during the Industrial Revolution. Now, it had turned into rain and fog. Nottingham was no exception.
The continuous cold rain fell for four days, and the weather forecast still showed no signs of the weather turning sunny or stopping.
Even if he was born in Sichuan, which also experienced cold rain in winter, Tang En still did not like this kind of weather. The continuous rain made people feel as if their clothes and bodies had become moldy. The bachelor's entire body was filled with an unpleasant moldy smell. His clothes were always wet and stuck to his body. Not to mention how uncomfortable it was.
"I hate this kind of weather." On the way to North Wilford with Dunn and Kerslake, Tang En held a black umbrella and grumbled. "This kind of sky is simply too depressing." He moved the umbrella a little and looked up at the sky. As a result, the dense raindrops splashed on his face, mouth, eyes, and even slid down his neck into his collar.
Kerslake frowned. The team's results had been very unstable recently, and such weather did give people a feeling of "adding to the chaos." In addition, he thought he could poach some suitable players from the youth team during the winter break. He knew too well about Nottingham Forest's youth training. Even if the team had recently been recruiting all kinds of talented youngsters from abroad to join, there was still some time before they could be fully developed … At least not until next January.
Dunn was thinking about another person. Yesterday, when Tang En suddenly mentioned that he wanted to visit the Youth Team today, he did not think of the children working hard in the Youth Team. Instead, he thought of Chen Jian first. Every time he learned about him from the youth team, he would worry about him. Could he still hold on? Would he be able to realize his dream?
The three of them came to North Wilford with their own thoughts on their minds.
Although the weather was not favorable and it was raining, the team's training was still outdoors. In order to make it easier for the coaches from the First Team to examine the real level of these young players. The training was arranged into a mini training match.
Under the cover of the forest, the youth team's training ground usually looked better than the First Team's training ground. However, in today's weather conditions, all they could see was a patch of rotten vegetables.
The gloomy sky seemed to have entered the evening ahead of time. The forest to the north of the training ground presented a black hazy shape in the rain and fog, making the training ground even darker.
The players of the youth team were changing in the changing room. Then, under the urging of the coach, they ran out one by one with their necks hunched.
Chen Jian was among them. A minute ago, he had just found out that he was actually on the Yellow Team's side in this team match.
The training match was split into two teams, red and yellow, wearing either red or yellow training vests. Unlike the First Team's yellow vests, which usually symbolized the main force, the color of the vests in the youth team had no meaning. It was only to make it easier for everyone to distinguish between teammates and opponents.
Having been at Nottingham Forest for more than seven months, he had never represented the Forest team in a youth team match. It was not that he did not have the qualifications, but he had been doing basic training all this time. Two months ago, he started training with his teammates, but he still did not have enough chemistry. He would occasionally have the chance to play in the team matches, but he was basically playing a role to accompany the prince. He would be substituted after playing for a while. No matter how good his performance was, he would not be within the scope of the youth team's coaches.
This kind of role was very awkward. No one would really believe that this amateur boy, who was selected through a talent show, could really pass the one-year test and finally be able to stay in Nottingham Forest Football Club. Therefore, no matter how hard Chen Jian worked, they would not put too much effort into him. Only Greenwood was an exception, because he knew that Assistant Manager Dunn was extra concerned about the Chinese boy. As a colleague who had worked together in the youth team, he was willing to help Dunn keep an eye on his Chinese compatriot.
Since this match was for the First Team's coaches to examine which youth team players could be transferred to the reserve team, there was naturally no need for him to take up a spot. Therefore, when he heard Greenwood call out his name, he was a little surprised.
Just a little, that's all. Chen Jian did not take this action as a great opportunity. He smiled and nodded to indicate that he understood, then calmly changed his clothes, ran out of the small two-story building where the changing room was located, and ran into the training ground shrouded in rain and fog.
As he passed by the side of the field, he saw Manager Greenwood chatting with three men holding three black umbrellas. As he ran over, the faces of the three men emerged from behind the umbrellas, and only then did he recognize them one by one.
The first was the Chinese assistant manager, Dunn, whom he was most familiar with. In his eyes, this man was always gentle, eager, and busy. To be able to become an assistant manager in a team like Nottingham Forest before the age of 30 was really impressive. Looking at him filled Chen Jian with energy — although he was a manager and a player. But on the road to pursuing his dreams, Dunn was Chen Jian's number one idol.
Standing beside Dunn, holding an umbrella, the tall man in black who did not speak but only frowned and did not speak was the king of this team, Tony Twain. Nottingham Forest's recent results were not good, and even advancing out of the Champions League group stage had become a problem. Having been in the limelight for three years, he must be under a lot of pressure now …
The man looking around behind them was the team's other assistant manager, Kerslake. It was said that after Twain left the youth team, he became the manager of the youth team. Manager Greenwood was once a coach under him. Now that he had been promoted … But a higher position would naturally have its own troubles. The team's results were not good, and his days as an assistant manager would not be comfortable, right?
After running past the few coaches, Chen Jian and the other team members started to warm up under the guidance of the coaches. The winter temperature was low, and it was raining today, so warming up was even more important. Otherwise, it would not be worth it to get injured in a match like this.
※ ※ ※
Dunn was talking to Greenwood about the recent training situation in the youth team, so that he could get firsthand information. After they finished talking, the four of them turned around and looked at the young people who were warming up on the training field.
The three of them were holding umbrellas, except for the youth team manager, Greenwood, who only wore a woolen hat to cover his bald head, which he only had a few strands of hair, but he treasured it very much. The rain had long drenched him from head to toe, but he did not care about such trivial matters. He was not a manager who came down from the First Team to "inspect". He was a direct observer of this place, and he could not just hold an umbrella and stroll around. Sometimes, he needed to personally go down the field to demonstrate a move, or pounce in front of a player who made a mistake and stick his face in front of that unlucky person's nose and roar. Do you think it's appropriate to hold an umbrella in this way?
He squinted his eyes, trying his best not to let the rain slide into his eyes. He waved his hand at the field and shouted, "Alright, let's start!"
The players from both sides stood up obediently. The coach who acted as the referee blew the whistle, and the team's training match began.
Twain was also very clear that it was almost impossible to find players from the youth team who could be transferred to the First Team. But he had to be here to give the young people the motivation to train hard and stay at Wilford with peace of mind. In reality, the two assistant managers were the ones who were really meticulous and serious in observing everything. He only needed to find the people he was interested in.
Playing in the rain, which could not be considered light, required the team's players to be very skilled. As a result, the most common scene seen by the side of the field was people tumbling and falling on their backs.
Greenwood was a little embarrassed. Twain had picked this day too casually, or perhaps the timing was too bad. Such a match could not fully display the players' best condition and most outstanding performance. If the First Team managers were to stand in the cold rain and watch "football on mud" for dozens of minutes, they would definitely lose their patience and give the young kids bad comments.
Because he wanted to let the First Team managers see the strength of the young players. Although they were not yet 18 years old, the two talented players, John Bostock and Nicolás Millán, who had been training in the U17 team, were transferred from the U16 team to the U18 team to participate in today's game.
Twain's main focus was to observe these two players. He wanted to see how much these two geniuses had improved after a year of training in the Forest team.
The results were gratifying. Although they were still young, these two players had already displayed a level of skill that stood out among their teammates who were one to two years older than them. They were in the Yellow and Red teams respectively, and were the core players of both teams. The teammates beside them were very skilled and were no strangers to them. It could be seen that Greenwood had often transferred these two players to the U18 team to play in matches.
Although the terrible field and weather had somewhat limited their performance, Twain believed that if they continued to develop like this, he might have to transfer these two players to the First Team next season, giving them more opportunities and a wider stage to perform on.
After confirming that the two players' performance was satisfactory, he began to aimlessly search the field again. The way he looked around easily gave people the illusion that he was not paying attention.
Other than the sound of the players shouting at each other and the splashing of water from their running, tackling, shooting, and other actions, as well as the incessant whistling, there was no other sound on the field. Everyone was focused on the match, hoping to leave the best impression on Tony Twain.
※ ※ ※
Chen Jian may have been clear that he was playing the role of "reading with the prince" in today's match, but once he was on the field and the match started, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. He ran and fought hard, earnestly carrying out the task that Manager Greenwood had given him — a right back and a solid defense.
He did not expect to impress the First Team managers with his outstanding performance. He just felt that since it was a match, he had to do his best.
However, in Greenwood's eyes, his performance was terrible. The grass was slippery in the rain, and he could not exert much force in some of his movements. In addition, the studs on his sneakers were short, so his grip on the ground was very poor. It made his figure look extremely clumsy. The right flank that he was guarding was always easily broken through by the opponents, to the extent that it became the Red Team's main attacking direction in the end.
John Bostock also realized that the Chinese player was easy to bully, so he frequently dribbled the ball over to his side. Just as the Yellow Team wanted to take advantage of the situation to counterattack, they were pressed back by the Red Team. A bunch of young lads were pressed to the point where they could not get out. Their hearts were pent up, and their movements became a little more aggressive. In the end, Bostock was able to get a penalty kick, and he personally scored it. The Red Team led the Yellow Team 1: 0. Greenwood, who was outside the court, clapped and cheered loudly for John Bostock. This action agitated the Yellow Team players who had lost the ball.
The Yellow Team players who had lost the ball began to fall out with each other. Although the ball that they had lost did not break through from Chen Jian's side, everyone looked at him with unfriendly gazes. Although they were usually happy and harmonious, that was because Chen Jian did not pose a direct threat to them. But now, if they were unable to show their best because of Chen Jian's terrible performance, then Chen Jian would definitely be resented by his teammates. At this time, who would be polite to a kid who would only be in the team for a year?
If you made a mistake, those with a better temper would only look at you from the corner of their eyes, while those with a worse temper might directly point at your nose and criticize you.
Chen Jian stood on the right flank, and he could feel several pairs of eyes looking at him. He was not a fool, and he knew what was behind these gazes.
He tried his best not to think about the disdainful gazes of his teammates, and continued to do his work on the right flank.
He was still defending, and he was still the focus of the opponent's attacks all along the way. He felt that he looked particularly foolish as he fell to the ground and got up again and again. The phrase "at a loss and at a loss" was used to describe his current predicament. One person could not prevent the entire team from breaking through, and he lacked the support of his teammates. His previous clumsy performance had also caused him to lose the trust of his teammates. Should he raise his hand and ask his teammates to help him defend? He reckoned that even if he did that, no one would listen to him.
He could only continue to face the Red Team's breakthroughs, one against one, one against two, one against three …
The Red Team's tireless efforts finally paid off. Bostock broke through the already flustered Chen Jian, and passed the ball to assist his teammate to score the second goal.
The Yellow Team was two goals behind.
It was different from the first time they conceded a goal. This time, Chen Jian realized that no one was looking at him anymore — they completely treated him as air. A center back ran up and stood beside him, clearly dissatisfied with his previous clumsy defense, and wanted to make a guest appearance as the right back.
Chen Jian looked at his teammates beside him, and then turned to look at the coaches beside him. He wanted to see if this was Manager Greenwood's intention. He did not see any special gesture from Manager Greenwood, but he saw Tony Twain looking around absent-mindedly.
This action suddenly agitated Chen Jian.
No matter how his performance was, the football had always been on his side during this period of time. Even if they were dissatisfied with his performance, they would at least stare at him and shake their heads, or only look away when they noticed that he was looking over. What was he doing now? He was looking around with his head up. Was he watching the game, or was he looking at the small forest in the distance?
It turned out that he was basically a mass of air in the eyes of the Englishmen!
Look at how he was covered in mud from head to toe. If he were to fall on the ground, he would probably look no different from a vegetable field. Even if someone stepped on him, it would not attract a single look of surprise …
Chen Jian looked down at his flustered appearance, and for the first time, he felt humiliated.
That's right, I come from a country that is backward in football. I'm a celebrity from a commercial talent show. I know my place, and I don't expect to be treated like the stars surrounding the moon. But you guys should at least … at least look at me! A 1.83m tall, 70kg man was standing right there. He had been looked at over and over again, facing a few people alone, being played like a monkey. He was running, he was jumping, he was falling … He was moving, and he was a living person! Can't you Ghostmen see with your f * cking eyes?!
At this moment, Chen Jian suddenly wished that Greenwood would angrily run in front of him and give him a good scolding. Because that would mean that he was still being watched, and that he still existed on the field.
I don't expect to be praised by you guys. I just hope that you don't ignore me, don't pretend not to see me, don't turn a blind eye to all the hard work I've put in!
What's the point of me working so hard every day as a trainer? What's the point of me fighting alone in this unfamiliar environment? You guys are pursuing your dreams, and I'm doing the same! I don't want to be promoted to some Nottingham Forest First Team. I just want to be a real professional football player!
It's been seven months, and other than being praised once, all I've been criticized and berated. No effort has been rewarded or acknowledged. No matter how bad I do, I'm still working hard, aren't I? What right do you have to so easily deny my sweat and hard work every day for seven months?
He saw Dunn standing beside Tang En. Dunn was also looking at him, and then he sighed and lowered his eyes. Clearly, he was disappointed with his performance. That's just as well.
Chen Jian suddenly felt a fire ignite in his heart, and he walked out of the field. When he was in front of Greenwood, he said in English to the youth team manager, "Please replace me, Manager Greenwood."
Everyone was confused by his actions. Greenwood did not understand what was going on. Why did the China Chen, who never stirred up trouble or blushed with anyone, who always maintained a smile, suddenly pursed his lips and stood in front of him with his eyes wide open and angry, say such words?
Before he could answer, Chen Jian had already walked around him to the locker room.
"Stop." He was pulled back by someone.
Chen Jian turned around and glared at the person who pulled him back. It was Tony Twain, who had been looking around "absent-mindedly" just now.
In such gloomy weather, he did not wear his trademark sunglasses to appear at the side of the training ground. Therefore, Chen Jian was able to see the manager's eyes at this moment.
It was a little cold.
"Who allowed you to leave?" he asked coldly.
"Tony …" Dunn was a little shocked as he called out.
Chen Jian did not answer Tang En's question. He did not know why the First Team manager suddenly stopped him from leaving.
"I'll ask again, who allowed you to leave?" Tang En repeated the question in a cold tone. His eyes stared straight at Chen Jian, and his tone was even colder than his.
Greenwood could not bear to see Chen Jian being reprimanded by the King of Forest. He knew what kind of person Tony Twain was. His acerbic words could make even the strongest child cry. He wanted to give Chen Jian a way out, so he waved his hand to call for the substitute next to him, but was stopped by Tang En with his umbrella.
"Go back to the field. The game is not over yet, and the manager has not replaced you." Tang En said with a black face, pausing between each word.
Chen Jian still did not understand why the First Team manager would suddenly interfere with his affairs as a person who was training under the Forest youth team. He glanced at Greenwood. In his mind, only the youth team manager, Greenwood, had the right to order him around.
Greenwood smiled bitterly and waved his hand. "Go back to the field, Chen. The game is not over yet, and I have not replaced you. "
Tang En released his hand. Chen Jian glanced at Tang En and returned to the field with a stubborn expression.
The players looked at Chen Jian, who had returned to the field, puzzled. They did not understand what had just happened.
The center back who had intended to play as a guest right back was also called back by Greenwood. The game resumed.
※ ※ ※
Chen Jian's performance was as bad as ever, or perhaps it was even worse than before. His emotions must have been affected by the incident just now and became extremely unstable. How could he play well when he was so unsettled?
Tang En finally stopped looking around. Under the black umbrella, he stared at Chen Jian.
When Chen Jian was defending against Bostock, his opponent had used a two-on-one to get past him. When he turned around, he lost his balance, and his feet slipped as he fell to his knees. His hands were stuck in the mud, and his head was lowered. He did not get up again.
He felt very aggrieved. He was looked down upon, scolded, humiliated and toyed with. Because he did not have the ability, and because his performance was terrible. Reality was so cruel. He realized that his dream had already left him. Perhaps it was not waiting for him in front of him at all. Everything was just a daydream he had imagined. He was just deceiving himself.
He suddenly wanted to burst into tears. He wanted to cry for the dream he had buried deep in his heart for so many years. He wanted to cry for the ten years he had spent loving football. He wanted to cry for the stupidity of giving up his studies to come to England to pursue his dream.
Without talent, what was the point of working hard? An amateur football fan who switched to football halfway also wanted to dream of becoming a professional footballer? Stop joking! If it was so easy to succeed, there would not be so many ordinary people in this world who relied on illusory things to satisfy themselves! What was the point of perseverance? What was the point of never giving up? Attitude could decide everything? Bullshit! It's been seven months. What did I get after working hard for seven months?!
Endless criticism and the distrust and disdainful looks from the people around me!
Forget it, I'll go back. Let go of all unrealistic thoughts, study hard, and improve every day.
He clenched his hands and grabbed two handfuls of mud tightly.
But … But I can't accept it …
※ ※ ※
Just as Dunn was secretly shaking his head at Chen Jian's terrible performance, he saw an umbrella swaying beside his feet.
Then he heard Kerslake cry out in surprise, "Tony!"
When he looked up, he saw Tony Twain's back as he strode into the field. He had thrown the umbrella on the ground, and the open umbrella had already caught some rainwater.
The coach in charge of refereeing saw Tony Twain suddenly walk into the field. He hurriedly blew the whistle for a timeout and ran towards Twain. As Tang En walked forward, the players gave way one after another, trying to avoid the black-faced boss.
Twain strode through the rain, puddles of muddy water splashing under his feet, dirtying his pants.
He walked straight to Chen Jian, who was still kneeling in the muddy water. Chen Jian did not see him, only lying there with his head lowered.
A voice rang above his head.
"Get up."
Chen Jian did not respond.
"Get up!"
Chen Jian raised his head this time and looked blankly at Tony Twain, who was standing in front of him.
Twain's brows furrowed when he saw the dazed face that had lost its vitality and radiance in an instant. Compared to this face, he preferred the one that had turned back to glare at him angrily just now outside the field.
He bent down and suddenly reached out with both hands to grab Chen Jian's collar. Then, he used his strength and pushed Chen Jian directly onto his back!
"I f * cking told you to get up! Why are you kneeling here? Who are you going to kowtow to? Me? I don't care about a loser begging for mercy! " After pushing Chen Jian to the ground, Twain bent down and opened his mouth wide, spitting saliva at Chen Jian, who was at a loss.
Chen Jian was stunned — Tony Twain was speaking in fluent Mandarin.
When the two of them first met, Twain had only spoken Mandarin once, and then insisted on conversing with him in English, even if it was more convenient for him to speak in Mandarin than through an interpreter. Chen Jian knew that Tony Twain was doing this to remind him that this was England, and that he should not expect a Chinese-speaking manager to make things much easier. Only by learning English and grasping conversational skills in English could he truly adapt to life and football here.
But now, Twain was angrily scolding him in fluent and authentic Mandarin that could not be any more fluent and authentic.
"Look at your pathetic, dogsh * t appearance! You f * cking look like a piece of mud lying on the ground, a real piece of mud! I don't even want grass to grow on this ground! What are you doing? Why are you looking at me? You can't accept it? If you can't accept it, jump up and hit me! " Twain noticed that there were two clean spots on Chen Jian's muddy face, extending from his eyes all the way to the tip of his nose. "Yo, you've even cried? Tsk tsk, look at you! You've only played a terrible game and you're already crying. Do you think this is a kindergarten football match? "
Off the field, Dunn was stunned to hear Twain use Mandarin to mock and curse Chen Jian in a variety of ways. In fact, everyone present was stunned to see Tony Twain suddenly flipping out, even though they could not understand what Twain was talking about.
"What's wrong, muddy classmate? You've played a terrible game, and you're going to cry and go home? Go back to China, go back to study, graduate, and find a job? Then you'll be satisfied playing amateur football occasionally with your big belly, right? When you're old, you'll brag to your grandson that your grandfather used to train for a year in the youth team of the UEFA Champions League, Nottingham Forest! What if your grandson asks you what happened a year later? What are you going to say? You're going to say — ah, your grandfather gave up on himself because of a terrible performance in a team match, and ran back to China crying … What do you think your precious grandson will say? "
Twain pointed at the dumbfounded Chen Jian, who could not think straight, and scolded, "You. Coward! What a cowardly coward! You won't be able to raise your head in front of your grandson until the day you die, just like an impotent man. It's not premature ejaculation, it's a guy who can't even raise his head. You don't even have the right to ejaculate prematurely! "
Dunn felt that Twain's scolding was a mess. What was going on …
Why was Twain so angry all of a sudden? Chen Jian's performance was just a little bad. What did he do to piss him off? Wasn't he not very optimistic about Chen Jian's performance in the first place?
"How about it? Now that you've experienced the cruelty of reality, you know you've been daydreaming, right? Let me tell you, this isn't f * cking professional football! This is just a f * cking youth team match! And it's within the team! Do you think dreams are so easy to pursue? Do you think that as long as you're like an idiotic protagonist, your dreams will be stripped naked for you to do as you please?! Even if you're visiting a prostitute, you still have to f * cking pay! There's no free lunch in this world! What's this bit of effort? What's this?! " Twain pointed at the youth team players around him, who were completely dumbfounded. "Which one of them hasn't practiced football for ten years? How many of them do you think will eventually successfully stand on the professional stage and appear in Nottingham Forest's starting lineup?! Who do you think you are? You're not the protagonist of a novel. You're not a genius. You're just an ordinary person! A hundred people like you die every second on Earth! "
"One year!" Twain raised his middle finger. "You want to be a f * cking professional football player in one year? How can there be such a good thing?! You only need to move your mouth to talk about your dreams, but you have to actually do it! Do you remember what I asked you when you first came here? You said you couldn't possibly give up … Look at how useless you are now. Do you still have the face to say those words again? Do you dare to say 'I can't possibly give up, sir' one more time?! "
The rain was getting heavier, drenching Twain like a drowned rat. However, he did not feel it at all. He just stared at Chen Jian, his eyes looking as if they could spit fire.
"Very well, I want to congratulate you for finally walking out from that shallow fool who only knew how to pursue his dreams. You've matured. You know the cruelty of reality! You're planning to lower your head in front of this cruel reality, kneel down and beg for mercy! If you want to leave now, I definitely won't stop you. Although the match is not over yet, your match is already over, kid! You've lost. You've been eliminated! When you're planning to return home in tears, remember to give me a call. I'll buy you a plane ticket and give you a pack of tissues for free. "
At this point, Twain finally caught his breath and took a deep breath.
Next, he bent down and looked at Chen Jian face to face.
"Before you leave, I have one last question to ask you. Answer me. What's your name, Loser? "
Seeing that Chen Jian did not respond, he repeated, "Answer me. What's your name? Loser! "
Chen Jian's lips trembled as he replied, "Chen … Chen Jian …" It was unclear whether he was frightened or cold.
"Very good! Chen Jian, Chen Jian … Your mother gave birth to you, and your father gave you this name. Dong Chen? What? It's not the word 'Jian' as in 'rape', nor is it the word 'Jian' as in 'seduction', nor is it the word 'Jian' as in 'taking advantage', nor is it the word 'cheap', nor is it the word 'sword' of 'saber' … It's the 'Jian' of strength, the 'Jian' of perseverance '! Remember this well. This is your name, Chen Jian! "
Having said that, Twain straightened his back and turned to leave with large strides. He no longer paid attention to the Youth Team match, nor did he look at the expression on Chen Jian's face, who was still lying in the muddy water. He did not pick up the black umbrella from the ground. Instead, he walked straight across the field towards the main gate.
Seeing Twain walk straight out, Dunn hurriedly expressed his apologies to Greenwood, then raised his umbrella and chased after him.
※ ※ ※
Everyone inside and outside the field was stunned, including Chen Jian himself. From the moment he was thrown to the ground by Twain, he had remained in that position. He stared blankly, unable to believe the scene that had just happened in front of him.
It seemed like he was about to give up, then he was suddenly scolded by the First Team manager … for several minutes?
What, what exactly happened?
※ ※ ※
Dunn gave half of his umbrella to Twain to help him block the rain from above. He had left in a hurry just now and had forgotten to pick up the umbrella that Twain had thrown on the ground.
"Why?" he asked.
"I can't bear to see those cowards show their cowardice in front of me. If they want to cry, hide at home and cry. It's unbecoming here! "Twain's tone was still stiff, and it looked like he was really angry.
"Just because of this?"
"It's also to vent the depression I've been feeling recently." Twain turned to look at Dunn. "It's true. Scolding people when you have nothing to do is good for your body and mind. "
Dunn smiled. "What else?"
Twain was not in a hurry to answer the question. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and wanted to light one for himself. However, he was annoyed to find that the pack was already soaked in the rain. The cigarettes inside could not be lit. He crumpled the pack into a ball and threw it into the rubbish bin by the side of the road. He patted his other pockets and only gave up when he found that there were no more cigarettes.
"It's actually nothing. He has a dream, and he has already run this far. But the reality was indeed placed in front of him. I just told him that there were two paths in front of him and let him choose for himself. As for what he chooses, it has nothing to do with me. But if he really wants to leave, I'll definitely buy him a plane ticket and tissues out of my own pocket. I'm a man of my word. I never go back on my word. "
"But there's clearly only one path." Dunn disagreed with Twain's view. "The dream has already reached a dead end."
Twain grinned. "No, for me, there are actually two paths. One is the realistic path. "He pointed to Wilford Lane, which was a straight line that could be seen at the end. "The other is the dream …" He pointed to the walls of the training base. "… a dead end."
"Is there any difference?"
"For some people, there might not be. But for others, there's a difference. You're right. The dream has already reached a dead end. Some people will choose to stop here and then turn back to walk down the road of reality. But what about the others? They'll choose to push down this wall! "He made a pushing motion toward the wall with both hands. "Although it's more tiring and more difficult than turning back to walk down the road of reality, and there's also the danger of being hit by a falling brick. But how can a dream be so easily realized? It's very simple to submit to fate or reality. But to push down a wall … sometimes, you need to put your life on the line. "
Twain stood by the side of the road and looked at the wall as he muttered.
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