After training, van Nistelrooy showered and changed his clothes in the locker room. He did not go to the parking lot, where there might be infatuated fans waiting for his autograph. He went straight to the manager's office and knocked on the door.
After training, the players could go home after showering and changing their clothes. However, the coaches often had to gather together to summarize the day's training reports and hand them to Tang En so that he, as the manager, could grasp the team's situation at the first instance.
Now, Tang En was looking at these reports. He heard a knock on the door and thought it was Dunn. Without raising his head, he just said, "The door is not closed. Just come in."
Van Nistelrooy pushed the door open and called out, "Boss."
Tang En looked up and found it was van Nistelrooy. He was a little surprised. "What's the matter, Ruud?"
Van Nistelrooy nodded. "Yes. There's something I've been thinking about for a long time. I think it's better to tell you, boss. "
Tang En put down the training report in his hands and looked like he was all ears.
"My contract with the club doesn't expire until June 30, 2012, right?"
Tang En nodded. "Yes. If your performance is stable, I plan to extend your contract for another year. "
Van Nistelrooy shook his head. "No need, boss. I've decided to retire after this season. "
Tang En could feel his body jump in his chair. He thought he had heard wrong. "What did you say?"
"I said I'll retire after this season, boss." Van Nistelrooy had to repeat himself.
Tang En wanted to ask again loudly. This time, it was definitely not because he thought he had heard wrong, but an impulse that was mixed with disappointment, anger, and surprise.
But he abandoned the thought after he stood up.
"Today is not April Fool's Day, Ruud." He smiled, but his smile was a little forced.
"I'm not joking, boss."
"Your body is recovering well. I can't think of any reason for you to announce your retirement early."
"It only looks good on the surface, boss. Moreover, retiring at thirty-five isn't considered early. "
"If your injury has not healed, I can continue to let you recuperate. I'm not in a hurry. You don't have to worry."
Van Nistelrooy laughed. "I'm worried about that, boss. I'm a professional footballer. I'm not the kind of person who sits on the bench, in the stands, on the injured list, and can't play a single game and still get paid. I've been absent for a whole season and a half. If I have to continue to be absent, I might as well announce my retirement now. "
"Hey, Luther." Tang En's tone became a little harsher. "I made you miss more than a season's worth of matches in hopes that you can play for longer in the future."
"Boss, why would a 34-year-old striker want to play longer?"
Van Nistelrooy's rhetorical question stumped Twain.
Yes, he was 34 years old. Basically, every season counted. He could get injured or retire at any time. Why did he want Van Nistelrooy to play until he was thirty-six or thirty-seven?
"Hey, Luther. If I said that I don't want you to retire and that I want you to keep playing, would you believe me? "
Van Nistelrooy smiled and did not answer. Obviously, he did not believe it. This was not something a manager should say.
Tang En also laughed, treating it as a joke.
"I think your experience can help the team."
Van Nistelrooy believed the explanation, but he shook his head. "It's not like I'm the only one with experience. The Romani Gypsies are very good. Before I transferred to the Forest team, I just wanted to prove to Ferguson how big of a mistake it was for him to let me leave. I never thought that there would be those championships in the future. Now, I don't want to prove anything to anyone. I've taken everything that I should have taken. My career is perfect. To be honest, boss … I don't have the motivation to continue playing. And you hate people who don't have the motivation to play football the most, don't you? "
Van Nistelrooy stood in front of Tony Twain, smiling a little lazily in the afternoon sun.
Tang En opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
"I don't need to use honor to spur myself on anymore. I don't think it's wise for me to continue to stay in the Forest team without a sense of honor. It's better to retire and give the opportunity and position to younger people. "
"Did you make this decision because I bought Ibišević?"
"No. When I was still lying in a hospital bed in the United States, I seriously considered it. Don't you think it's a way to help the club reduce its financial burden? "He laughed.
Tang En could not laugh. He looked at van Nistelrooy with a stern face.
"Anyway, I've decided, boss. I won't play another season. I want to spend more time with my family in the future. Boss, you're also a married man. You can understand my feelings, right? Whether it's playing football or doing anything else, it's all about making money. No matter how much money you make, it's just so you can have time to be with your family. I think I've reached this last stage now. "
Van Nistelrooy kept a smile on his face.
Tang En knew he could not persuade the Dutchman. Retiring was one of the most important decisions in a professional player's life. For him to say this, it meant that he had thought about it for a long time. This kind of consideration would not be easily influenced by others.
He sighed, a little dejected.
"I think I've failed, Ruud. Whether it's you, Demetrio, or David … I've tried to persuade you to change your minds, but I've never succeeded. You've never let me do as I wish … "
Van Nistelrooy smiled and did not respond to Tang En's words. He knew that Tang En had already agreed in his heart. It was just that this headstrong man was not willing to readily accept it verbally.
"Can I ask you what you plan to do after retiring?"
"Go home. Go home to the Netherlands to accompany my wife and children."
Hearing him say this, Tang En suddenly felt like a "landlord of the land." He laughed and said, "Lie in the yard and bask in the sun when the weather is good?"
"Maybe go gardening, teach the children how to play football, go shopping with my wife, travel around …" Van Nistelrooy also laughed. The life after retirement was very attractive to him. He finally did not have to think about training every day, thinking about the game, thinking about how to maintain his form, thinking about fighting to the death with others in 90 minutes … The halos of the most goals scored by a current Premier League player, the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League, would all be far away from him, but he did not care.
"It's an enviable life …"
Tang En sighed, put away the report on the table, and walked over to Van Nistelrooy. "Let's go home."
※ ※ ※
Watching van Nistelrooy drive the car out of the gates of Wilford, Tang En was still leaning on the Mercedes-Benz jeep that Shania had given him. The weather was good today. The Nottingham area was bathed in sunshine. Although it was a little hot, it was better than the continuous rain all day long.
He suddenly wanted to bask in the blazing sun.
He had never thought about how he would spend his days away from football. The first thing he did every day when he opened his eyes was not to think about the training content or the opponent for the next round of the competition. Most of the day was spent just sitting under the sun, sunbathing, and playing with the children until night fell.
He felt that he would only be able to live such days when he was very old.
The cell phone in his pocket rang.
"Hello, Uncle Tony!" Shania's voice could not wait to jump out the moment Tang En picked up the phone.
"Ha, Shania."
"Are you practicing twice a day today?"
"Uh, no. What's wrong? "
"I waited for you until lunch turned cold!" Shania was very angry.
Only then did Tang En raise his wrist to look at his watch and found it was already past one o 'clock …
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Shania! I was dealing with something here and forgot. I'll be right out, right out … "Tang En held the phone as he hurriedly opened the car door and squeezed his way in.
Fanny was right. He was also a person with a family. He could understand the feeling of wanting to be with his family.
"I'm hanging up, Shania. I promise … "
Shania interrupted him. "Drive slowly. Don't be in a hurry. Be careful of accidents. I was just a little worried that you weren't back yet. It's alright now. It's nothing. Drive slowly. "
Tang En opened his mouth but did not say anything.
"See you in a bit, Uncle Tony." Shania's mood was clearly better. She kissed the phone on the other side and hung up.
Tang En was still holding the phone, maintaining the position from when he got into the car.
What's the point of playing football?
It's to earn money.
What's the point of earning money?
It's to be able to have time to be with my family.
But in order to earn money, I don't have time to be with my family.
This …
Players could play until they were 34 or 35 years old and choose to retire. They still had the majority of their lives to spend with their loved ones. What about the manager? Ferguson was already 70 years old and still in the position of Manchester United's manager …
The former Liverpool manager, Houllier, was at his busiest. He only returned home twice a year, once for his wife's birthday and once for Christmas. The rest of the time, he stayed in the hotel and was with the team.
The England team's manager had the highest annual salary in the world. It was also a "delicious cake" in the eyes of many people. But in reality, many England managers kept a respectful distance from this position. Apart from the pressure that was beyond the imagination of ordinary people, there was the fact that the England team's manager was busier than the club's manager. The England national team's manager was practically as busy as the head of state. A club's manager would have some time to himself every day, as long as he was good at using and allocating it. But as the England team's manager, he had to stick to his post 24 hours a day.
Tang En thought to himself that he could be considered lucky. He had helpers like Dunn and Kerslake who could help him solve specific problems. That was why he could be together with Shania and share their world. If he was a manager who handled everything personally, he probably would not even have time to talk about love with Shania. But even so, when he was busy, Shania would retreat to an inconspicuous corner of his life. He knew that there were times when he neglected Shania. Especially when he led the team to play away games, or when there were two games in a week. In order to make it easier to manage the team, study tactics with his colleagues, and work, he stayed in the hotel. Even if he was in Nottingham.
It was fine if Shania was also busy elsewhere. If Shania returned to Nottingham, all that awaited her was a big, dark, and cold house.
At these times, he would be filled with guilt. But it was only guilt. It was impossible for him to leave his work to accompany his wife. He could not even make more phone calls. The players only had to think about the training ground and the game. The manager needed to think about ten times that. As long as he was free, Tang En's mind would always be thinking about this and that. Like a perpetual motion machine, it would never stop running.
Sometimes, even when he was with Shania, he would show an absent-minded side. Shania was not the least bit angry with him because of this.
How could a married couple not get angry? Shania and Tony were the kind of people with strong personalities. But every time they quarreled, Tang En would almost always give in to Shania. As long as Shania was angry, he would immediately soften. Anyway, it was fine as long as he could get hard in bed. Just like that phone call just now.
Because he knew that Shania was actually a very sensible girl. What made her unhappy was that he did not care enough for her. His mind was always on football. It had been like this since they first met. In the past, when their relationship was unclear, Shania's jealousy was very hidden. Now, she was openly jealous.
Of course, he could not abandon this job. So, he could only take the initiative to admit his mistake and give in every time Shania was unhappy. A man should know when to yield and when to stand tall. What's the big deal!
Van Nistelrooy's reason for retiring touched him today. He also wanted to live like that. He did not have to think about anything. He did not have to worry about anything. He just wanted to be with his family. Even if it was summer, he would feel satisfied.
He began to seriously consider — when would he choose to retire?
※ ※ ※
Shania waited at home for Tang En to come back. She was about to turn around and heat up the cold dishes in the microwave. But Tang En hugged her from behind.
"Hey, Uncle Tony?" Shania could feel Tang En's nose rubbing against the back of her neck. She was a little surprised by Tang En's sudden intimate action.
"Do you have plans in the afternoon?" Tang En asked, burying his face in Shania's shoulder.
"I … No."
"Do you want to go somewhere?"
"Uncle Tony, what's wrong? I'm not angry about what happened just now … "Shania struggled slightly. She realized that Tang En was hugging her tighter.
"Ruud is retiring. I tried to persuade him to stay, but it didn't work. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. I'm suddenly a little envious of him … "Tang En murmured as he lay behind Shania and sniffed the fragrance of her hair.
"Where do you want to go after?" he asked again.
Shania let him lie on her shoulder and said, "I don't want to go anywhere."
Tang En rolled his eyes. "You're still saying you're not angry."
"If you hug me again and don't let me heat up the food, I'm really going to be angry!"
Tang En hurriedly let go of his hands, but still sniffed with some reluctance. "There's a saying in China called 'a feast for the eyes'. It means that seeing a beautiful woman will make people forget their hunger … Actually, I'm not hungry."
"Gynophagia?" Shania frowned.
Tang En turned pale with fright.
The word could be literally translated as "a feast for the eyes" in English, but it represented a completely different concept from the Chinese idiom "a feast for the eyes".
The Chinese idiom "a feast for the eyes" was generally used to praise the beauty of a woman or scenery. But in English, the literal meaning of the word "gynophagia" was actually "eating women." This was not romantic at all. It was naked eating. This was a type of fetish, and the sexual fantasies often included violent and rape fantasies.
"Ah! Uncle Tony, you're a pervert! "Shania screamed.
"Nonsense! I said 'xiusekecan' in Eastern culture, not 'gynophagia'! They have two completely different meanings! "Tang En hurriedly explained. Even though he was married, he would sometimes have uncontrollable sexual fantasies about Shania. But in all his fantasies, he had never imagined himself chopping off Shania's head and then dismembering her to cook … That was too disgusting!
Shania looked at Uncle Tony, whose expression had changed, and smiled wickedly. "Uncle Big Bad Wolf is hungry again." She put the food aside and began to unbutton her shirt.
Halfway through, Tang En could already see the seductive round breasts behind the thin shirt. The sunlight from the window behind him shone in a hazy light. Like two jelly cakes covered in a layer of cream, they would sway left and right at the slightest touch … Shania was not wearing a bra today.
His Adam's apple squirmed unconsciously.
Seeing him like this, Shania smiled even more happily. She put down her hands, and like she was walking on a runway, she walked slowly toward Tang En, who was standing at the kitchen door. She had a mischievous smile on her face.
When she was in front of Tang En, she lightly stretched her arms around Tang En's neck and moved her face closer. Her eyes were covered with a layer of mist, and her breath was like an orchid. Her voice was like honey sprinkled on a cream cake, sweet and cloying.
"Uncle Big Bad Wolf, how do you want to eat me?"
When Tang En buried his face, the last three clear thoughts in his mind were:
In the afternoon … This kind of life is too promiscuous!
But if I were to retire now, there would be many afternoons like this …
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