Chapter 113: Heading to England!

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Watching the middle-aged man casually chatting with Xia Liquan, Long Bisheng quietly asked Dai Guangming, “Coach Xia called this guy ‘boss’? Isn’t our boss Li Qiang?”

“Damn! Ah Long, you don’t even know him?” Dai Guangming looked at him as if he were seeing a Martian. “He’s Pei Wei, the real behind-the-scenes boss of Yun Jia Tianyu and the current chairman of Newcastle United! At Yun Jia Tianyu, the only one people call ‘boss’ is him! Even Chairman Li Qiang isn’t called ‘boss’ by anyone!”

Long Bisheng was truly stunned.

This genial middle-aged man was the very Pei Wei who had built Yun Jia Tianyu into Asia’s best club? The same Pei Wei whose personal wealth ranked steadily in the top ten of the Gibbs Wealth List? The one who had served as honorary vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, a FIFA executive committee member, and now the chairman of Newcastle United?

Such a prominent figure, yet he had spoken kindly with him for over an hour, encouraging him not to feel discouraged and saying that his height was his greatest asset—this unassuming, friendly man, like a neighborly uncle, was actually the great boss Pei Wei?

“Ah Long, you really don’t know him? Back when Yun Jia Tianyu played matches, he liked to sit on the bench whenever he was free. Don’t you watch the games often? How could you not know him?” someone nearby asked.

“I never paid attention,” Long Bisheng scratched his head. “When I watch, I only focus on the game itself... No wonder he looked somewhat familiar—I must have seen him on TV before.”

“I can’t stand you. You’re more alien than a Martian,” Li Jie shook his head while warming up and said, “If I’d known you’d have such good luck today, I’d have come up with you. At least I could have asked for his autograph. He’s a real celebrity.”

Hu Gandang lightly kicked him under the table. “Who told you to like sleeping in? But I’m the same—I usually get up early, but today I just didn’t.”

The others booed them together. Suddenly, Zhang Yi asked, “Isn’t the boss in England now? Why’s he back in China?”

“That’s obvious—the China League’s opening ceremony is in a couple of days. I heard this league was proposed by the boss and only approved after the Football Association’s evaluation. The opening ceremony is held here at Yun Jia, so of course he’s coming back to show support. Honestly, if he isn’t there, the ceremony would lose a lot of its shine,” Dai Guangming said with a smile.

They chatted while warming up. Meanwhile, Xia Liquan had finished talking with Pei Wei, who smiled and nodded at him before heading toward the office building. Before leaving, Pei Wei waved from a distance to Long Bisheng, showing an encouraging smile. Long Bisheng awkwardly waved back, while several others nearby were so shocked they forgot to close their mouths.

“What did you talk about with him? Why’s he so nice to you?” someone asked in amazement. “Wow, Ah Long, you’re lucky! Having a boss like that on your side, what else could you worry about?”

“You useless guy,” Wu Bufan looked at him disdainfully. “Is that all you think about all day?”

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“Yeah, yeah,” Li Jie nodded vigorously, then shamelessly looked at Long Bisheng. “Ah Long, don’t forget your brother when you make it big…”

Long Bisheng could only laugh and cry at this group of teasing friends. Luckily, at that moment, Xia Liquan’s loud commanding voice cut through the air: “What are you all doing? I wasn’t watching for a moment and you were already slacking off! Warm up properly! Your warm-up should last an hour! Look at the time—it’s already blazing hot! Get moving, and don’t let me see anyone standing idly on the sidelines!”

Xia Liquan’s roar saved Long Bisheng from further questions. Under his shout, all the Yun Jia Tianyu U-17 players rushed onto the track for morning runs. No one lingered around asking him questions anymore. Xia Liquan nodded in satisfaction and turned to discuss matters with several assistant coaches.

Because of some gossipmongers, Long Bisheng had become the center of attention at the training base again—life seemed to love playing jokes on him. He was naturally a low-profile person, but somehow always became the focus for inexplicable reasons—just as at school, where his height and mediocre skills placed him in the lower ranks, yet he was never dropped, which sparked speculation. This time, it was because of a chance encounter with Pei Wei and the kindness Pei Wei showed him that he became the focus once more.

Even Ning Xi and Liu Lin came from the football school to ask about his meeting with Pei Wei. For everyone at Yun Jia Tianyu, especially the younger students, Pei Wei’s presence was almost mythical. He wasn’t a star player, but he was more of an idol than many stars. Many fans wanted his autograph—though it was naturally hard to get, as Pei Wei wasn’t idle enough to hand out autographs casually. Besides, who knew if business rivals might misuse his signature for other purposes?

But Liu Lin’s visit wasn’t just about that; he brought a stunning piece of news that nearly drove the seven of them crazy with excitement.

The news was: starting next season—just a few months away before the 04-05 English league season—Yun Jia Tianyu would send a team to Newcastle for a year-long training program, to train and compete alongside Newcastle’s youth squad, experiencing European football firsthand.

Had this news come from anyone else, Long Bisheng and the others would have scoffed. Although Chinese football had developed, going to Europe was still every ambitious player’s ultimate dream. Moreover, keeping a team in England for a year would be very costly. Would the club really foot the bill?

But the news came from Liu Lin—his information was always reliable. Rumor had it that Jiang Hao often chatted with him and sometimes leaked internal club news. Whether true or not, from past events, Liu Lin’s reports usually became reality.

“If this is true, and they send us, that would be amazing!” Li Jie murmured. “England—the birthplace of modern football! And their level is really high now; they’re almost surpassing Serie A as the world’s top league!”

“But I heard the weather in England is terrible—hardly any sun…” Wu Bufan hesitated. “Isn’t there a painting showing the sky in England as red all the time?”

“That’s just London,” Dai Guangming said. “If we go, it’ll definitely be to Newcastle—a beautiful city only about ten miles from the sea. The air there can’t be bad, and it’s nothing like London, where you can go two hundred days a year without seeing the sun.”

“Oh, then it’s still worth going,” Wu Bufan nodded.

“Like they’re definitely going to take you…” someone nearby sneered, looking at him. “This is a great opportunity—every team will be fighting for it.” He began counting on his fingers: “Besides the reserves, who probably won’t go, the U-19, U-17, and U-15 teams are all competing for a chance. The football school teams are too young, so forget about them. I think the U-19 squad has the best shot because each year the teams change, and naturally, the most promising players go.”

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“Wow, Zhou Wei is talking sense,” Zhang Yi said in surprise. “Have you come to your senses? Are you taking medicine? Have you been eating Brain Platinum every night lately?”

“Hell, you’re the one taking Brain Platinum! Your whole family is on it,” Zhou Wei fired back immediately.

“No, I think it’s us,” Wu Bufan suddenly said.

“Explain your reasoning,” the quarrelers immediately stopped fighting and crowded around Wu Bufan.

Wu Bufan wore a mysterious expression—the kind Liu Lin often had when he was about to deliver trustworthy news. This made everyone look forward to Wu Bufan’s explanation.

“Intuition. A man’s intuition,” Wu Bufan said, gazing faintly at the drifting clouds on the horizon, with a lonely and calm demeanor.

No sooner had he spoken than the others surrounded him and gave him a good beating. Afterward, Zhou Wei asked, “Did your intuition tell you you were going to get beaten?”

Wu Bufan made a pitiful face. “No…”

But three months later, Wu Bufan started chasing down and hitting everyone else—because one day, the club announced that as part of the friendly exchange between Yun Jia Tianyu and Newcastle United, they would be sending a team for a year-long training and study program at Newcastle. The lucky team was none other than Long Bisheng’s U-17 squad.

Every time Wu Bufan hit someone, he asked, “Was my intuition right? Speak!” The beaten person would grin obsequiously, “Your intuition is way more accurate than street fortune-tellers! You’re the great Wu the Seer!”

During summer break, Long Bisheng went home and, upon hearing the news, his parents packed a big suitcase of clothes for him. His father also arranged for someone to exchange a thousand pounds for him to carry. Long Bisheng tried to refuse but couldn’t. After all, home is comfortable, but being away is tough. Although the club covered all expenses in England, it was still better to have some money on hand.