Chapter 110: The World of Little People (End of Volume Two)

“I’m back.”

Those simple four words instantly made all eight people in Dormitory 101, each busy with their own tasks, jump to their feet.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward the door. Ning Xi stood there, holding a large bag, her face radiant with a bright smile, just like half a year ago, as if she had merely popped home for a brief visit.

“Wow!”

“Am I dreaming?”

“You really came back?”

“Ning Xi, I missed you so much… ah!”

The person who uttered the last words was immediately smacked hard by Hu Gandang. Rubbing his head in grievance, he said, “I was just speaking on behalf of A Long, saying what he wanted to say… why hit me?”

“That’s even something you’re allowed to say? Hitting you is the mildest punishment,” others chimed in as they ran past him, some grabbing bags, others eagerly welcoming Ning Xi inside. Ning Xi just smiled; she hadn’t felt this way in a long time. In this ordinary dormitory lived a group of extraordinary people. Every time she came here, she felt a sense of peace and warmth, able to relax completely and chat freely with this bunch.

She glanced up and saw Long Bisheng. He did not rush to greet her but stood at a distance, smiling gently from the heart. He didn’t ask many questions about her situation because he already knew the details from their regular conversations.

Ning Xi returned Long Bisheng’s smile and then sat down on the chair Hu Gandang pulled out for her.

“Did you come here by yourself?” Li Jie was the first to ask.

“Yes, I can walk on my own now. The doctor said my recovery is going well. Now I just need to get an MRI once a week, which I can do directly at the club,” Ning Xi replied with a smile.

“So... what are your plans next?” Dai Guangming asked the question on everyone’s mind, his tone cautious, careful not to upset Ning Xi.

Ning Xi shrugged casually. “I haven’t decided yet... probably start learning to be a coach under Coach Jian. I still have to go to school anyway, so I’ll see if coaching suits me. If I really become a top coach someday, I want to lead the men’s soccer team! You all will have to follow my orders then.”

“No problem. If you tell me to go east, I won’t go west,” they joked around, but everyone could tell he wasn’t serious—Ning Xi didn’t mind. She was just joking. Looking at the history of world football, no female coach had ever been the head coach of a men’s professional team. It wasn’t discrimination but rather a huge gap between the two.

“Next semester, our school will also regularly offer courses on being an agent. All players have to audit them because understanding how agents operate will benefit players in the future. You can come listen too,” Liu Lin suddenly said. “Actually, girls have advantages as agents because women are naturally good at managing finances.”

“Heh. People say you’re well-informed. You really are. Coach Jian mentioned it to me a few days ago. How did you know?” Ning Xi asked, a little surprised.

“I was recruited by the school for my agent expertise,” Zhang Yi teased. “No wonder his soccer skills stink so much. Turns out he never intended to have a career playing football but planned to exploit us as a capitalist vampire. We only found out his true identity recently.”

“You all should have guessed by now,” Liu Lin said, feeling wronged. “Look at my build. Does this look like a football player? Besides, Yun Jiayuan Football School’s training is famously strict. Just look at how I train. The coach doesn’t even scold me. I thought you all knew a long time ago.”

“Heh,” Ning Xi laughed. “If you don’t say it, who would know? We all thought you had some other special skills because everyone knows Yun Jiayuan doesn’t keep slackers. But hearing you say that, I’m actually a bit interested in becoming an agent. I heard being a football coach is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. I don’t want to age so fast. Being an agent sounds nice—handling a few players, comfortably taking a ten percent cut. Heh, I’m not greedy. Just enough to buy my parents a big house and have enough for myself.”

“What are you planning?” Liu Lin looked at Ning Xi warily.

Ning Xi smiled slyly. “Don’t think I don’t know why you get along so well with everyone else. You want to be their agent someday, right? Cut the nonsense. When we meet, we split the profits fifty-fifty. From now on, at least half the people in this dorm have to be my players!”

“I…” Liu Lin rolled his eyes and almost choked. “Inviting wolves into the house, trapping myself, heaven has no eyes…”

“Wow, so Liu Lin, you have such dirty thoughts? You came here with a secret agenda to get close to us?” Those around suddenly exclaimed in realization, then shamelessly turned to Ning Xi. “I’m cutting ties with this guy immediately and casting my lot with the lovely Ning Xi, the great agent. I don’t have high demands—as long as I make over three million a year…”

The unlucky Liu Lin was again pummeled by the others. Ning Xi laughed heartily; she hadn’t seen such a scene in over half a year.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough chatting,” Dai Guangming stood up, put away the book he was just reading, and said, “Don’t you all have things to do? Go do what you need to. I’m going to the bookstore. Who’s coming?”

Everyone immediately came to their senses. Wu Bufan raised his hand. “I’ll go with you.” Others also said, “Me too.”

“I’m not going to the bookstore with you,” Hu Gandang contradicted. “Seeing you and Xiao Ma flirting gives me goosebumps… Zhang Yi, Li Jie, Liu Lin, let’s go play StarCraft, 2v2.”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Liu Lin, today we have to beat those two. Letting them win once yesterday has made them cocky. We have to get revenge today!” Zhang Yi shouted, putting on a jacket and heading out.

In an instant, all seven left without a trace. Ning Xi smiled as she watched them leave, then turned to Long Bisheng, who looked a bit at a loss—just moments ago, he had stood there naturally, watching her smile nonstop. Now, he suddenly didn’t know where to put his hands.

He was always like this. When Ning Xi was injured, he didn’t think twice before picking her up and running out of the school. While Ning Xi was hospitalized, he didn’t care about anything else and fed her every day. When Ning Xi was in Europe, he managed to carve out an hour every week from his precious training time to chat with her on QQ, even though he typed slowly. And now, Ning Xi was right in front of him, just the two of them, and he was feeling shy again.

Ning Xi kept smiling at him without saying a word until her eyes slowly welled up with tears.

“Y-you… why are you crying? Weren’t you healed already? Don’t cry. You’re so strong. You didn’t even cry during the surgery. Didn’t you tell me that? So why are you crying now? Stop crying, Ning Xi,” Long Bisheng clumsily tried to comfort her, even though he knew his words were meaningless.

Ning Xi wiped the tears from her face with her fingers and revealed a smile brighter than the sun. “I’m fine, A Long. I just got emotional earlier… it’s been half a year since I last saw you. I missed you so much.”

Long Bisheng’s face instantly flushed redder than a monkey’s bottom, but Ning Xi carried on as if nothing had happened, softly saying, “I’m back. Over the past six months, I’ve come to terms with it. If I can’t play football, then I can’t. I don’t want to be a coach either. I’m not cut out for commanding others. I’ll be an agent instead. At least I’m good at talking… A Long, my life will depend on you from now on. When you start playing professionally, I’ll be your agent. How about that?”

Long Bisheng nodded. “Okay. If I get to play professionally, I’ll definitely have you as my agent. Wherever you want me to go, I’ll go.”

“Then it’s settled.” Ning Xi smiled and extended her pinky. “Pinky swear! From now on, we have to work hard. You work hard at football, and I’ll work hard learning to be an agent… Coach Jian said a good agent not only fights for the best financial benefits for players but also selects the team that suits the player best. That’s what makes a good agent. I have a lot to learn.”

“Heh, I’m not thinking that far ahead.” Long Bisheng hooked his pinky with hers. “As long as I have a team to play for after graduating, I’ll be satisfied.”

“Hmm, I wonder if Liu Lin will resent me for stealing you away from him as soon as I got here. Heh, but I’m not greedy; just taking you is enough.” Ning Xi smiled.

“Then my responsibility is great.” Long Bisheng laughed. “If you only have me as a client, I’m afraid you won’t make enough money to survive.”

“Then you’d better perform well and become a star. Otherwise, if I starve, I’ll come after you!” Ning Xi said seriously.

After linking their pinkies, they both burst into laughter.

The year was 2003. Long Bisheng was thirteen and a half years old, aiming to graduate from Yun Jiayuan Football School in a year and a half and secure an apprentice contract with a club. Ning Xi had just turned thirteen and was preparing to study to become an outstanding agent. The Football Association was brewing plans. Yun Jiayuan’s former owner, Pei Wei, was preparing to acquire Newcastle United. Chinese football was beginning to enter a steady developmental phase, and Long Bisheng and Ning Xi were simply two young dreamers striving toward their goals.

Years later, perhaps the heads of the Football Association would write memoirs about the establishment of the Chinese league, Pei Wei would look back nostalgically at Newcastle, now a world-class powerhouse, and fans would search for the reasons behind Chinese football’s rise after professionalization. As for Long Bisheng and Ning Xi, they would fondly remember this afternoon and the vows they made.

The world of ordinary people can be just as extraordinary.