Chapter 39: The Once-Hidden Corner

"This is the youth training contract we have prepared for Wei Lai. Upon signing, our academy will commit fully to his development, providing him with an optimal environment for growth and competition. All internal pathways for advancement will be completely open to him."

The academy’s signing officer spoke with gravity, adding, "I hope you can trust us. We are genuinely eager to cultivate Wei Lai into an outstanding player; our commitment to this goal is absolute."

With that, he produced another document.

"This is the call-up list for the U15 National Youth Team. This December, Wei Lai will be summoned to the U15 squad for invitational training matches, serving as preparation for next year’s World Youth Football Championship."

The two bombshells left Wei Chenggong’s head spinning. He knew his son worked hard and possessed a certain degree of talent, but being told his son was a "super genius" who was about to earn a spot on the national team—potentially wearing the national jersey and competing for his country—was a whirlwind of news that left him momentarily stunned.

"Dad? Dad!"

After Wei Lai called out a few times, his father finally snapped back to reality.

"Oh!" Wei Chenggong picked up the pen, but instead of signing, he glanced at his son and slowly set it back down.

The signing officer asked, "Do you have any concerns? Please, feel free to share them."

Wei Chenggong pursed his lips. "I may sound arrogant saying this, but I have to ask." He looked up at the officer, his expression earnest. "Does my son... have the opportunity to play abroad?"

Wei Lai and the officer were both taken aback.

"Play abroad?" Wei Lai looked at his father.

Wei Chenggong continued, "I am a football fan, and I understand some of the underlying complexities. Our domestic football market has seen many disputes regarding youth training contracts. In the past, the moves of Wang Teng and Shen Yaohua to play abroad fell through due to contract issues. I need a clear answer."

The officer exhaled slowly and nodded. "Since the great football purge a decade ago, these matters have become transparent. I can tell you that the Weili Football Academy has clear provisions for overseas transfers. There are two parts to this, and they are written directly into this contract."

"Simply put, the first part is a '50+50' arrangement. If an overseas club wants to sign our youth player, they pay a 500,000 fee. During that period, our player is managed by their youth program, and we have no right to interfere. Once our player earns a first-team spot, the other party pays another 500,000 to fully buy out the contract."

"Conversely, if our player fails to secure a first-team appearance or a formal professional contract by the age of 18, we refund the 500,000, bring the player back, and put them into our internal club advancement pipeline. This is to ensure our players don't end up with nowhere to play."

"The second part is that we will sign the player to a professional contract in the club's name, while simultaneously entering a transfer processing period. When both parties agree, the transfer is completed, and we also secure future sell-on clauses, such as secondary or tertiary transfer fees."

The officer smiled. "I suspect you aren't familiar with the profit model of youth training. Let me explain. According to FIFA regulations, for every transfer before a player turns 23, the youth training institution receives a 5% training compensation fee. For professional players, transfer percentages can also be negotiated and written into the contract."

He sighed, "The true profit mechanism for youth training is a model where successful cases cover the costs—the revenue from one successful player’s transfer can offset the losses from training dozens of ordinary players. It’s like a 'betting agreement' in investment: using the gains of the successful to subsidize the investment in the failures."

Wei Lai looked at the officer and nodded slightly. The massive football cleanup from years ago had been effective, especially in the youth sector, where these hidden clauses had been brought into the light. Many past disputes had stemmed from a lack of transparency between institutions and parents, but that was changing.

Wei Lai asked, "So, I still have to sign a professional contract with Weili?"

The officer smiled. "Only if you reach the standard!"

The youngest player to ever appear for the Weili Football Club's first team was Liu Kaixuan, who broke into the Chinese Super League at 18 with an impressive performance. As a player who had progressed through every level of the Weili academy to the first team, Liu was the gold standard for promotion. The officer’s implication was clear: the youth contract was not the finish line; it was merely the beginning of the journey.

Wei Chenggong reviewed the terms, found the clauses to be in order, and finally nodded. "I'll sign."

With his signature, Wei Lai officially became a key prospect within the Jiaozhou Weili Football Academy’s youth system and was promoted to the Grade A squad.

After signing, Wei Chenggong visited Zhao Xiaotang and Old Chen, offering them some local specialties from Bohai Harbor and asking them to look after Wei Lai. The gifts weren't expensive, but they carried his sincere intentions. Parents always labor for their children, and even at this moment, nothing had changed.

As they walked out of the office building, Wei Chenggong prepared to leave, having made the trip on short notice.

"Dad, I'll walk you out."

Wei Chenggong nodded. "To the gate is fine."

As they walked, a silence settled between them. When they reached the entrance, Wei Chenggong turned and looked deeply at his son.

"Son, your dad is a football fan. I know a bit about the professional side of things. Sometimes you have to compromise, but you must have a bottom line. Match-fixing is something we can never touch."

Wei Lai nodded firmly.

Wei Chenggong pursed his lips. "I don't know what else to say..." He placed his hands on Wei Lai’s shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze. "Once you put on that jersey, you must be worthy of the flag on your chest. Bring glory to the country!"

...

Guangdong Province, Guangfa Youth Training Base.

"Shaojie is still training?" Yu Jiahe walked over, watching Chen Shaojie sweating profusely on the pitch, and couldn't help but shake his head. Ever since that match, Chen Shaojie had been training with even greater intensity, adding strength training to his routine alongside his usual footwork and rhythm drills.

He knew that as a defensive midfielder, if he couldn't handle the physical contact, he wouldn't even be able to hold onto the ball.

"Weili took the championship, but those guys earned it," Yu Jiahe said with a grimace. "Especially that number five—he’s an absolute beast!"

Since returning, Yu Jiahe had been having nightmares. In his dreams, a shadowy figure would float around his room, and when he pulled back his covers, Wei Lai would suddenly appear. He had been truly traumatized by Wei Lai’s defensive prowess.

"But he really is strong," Luo Xiang added. For him, the match had been a disaster, and his own performance was "dogshit." As a striker whose game relied on making runs, if the passes didn't come through, his effectiveness was crushed.

Chen Shaojie walked over, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Are you two waiting for me? It's not even dinner time yet."

"Just bored, came out for some air," Yu Jiahe waved a hand. "Take it easy. In November, we have to go to Europe for the 'scouting showcase'!"

"The showcase." Chen Shaojie grinned.

Every household has its own troubles. For the Guangfa youth system, with the original Guangfa Football Club having dissolved, their internal advancement channel was gone. For young players, at 18 they needed professional contracts, but without a first team, they had to hunt for a "carrier."

And that carrier had to be an "exit"—a path abroad. Otherwise, all the capital and effort poured into these players would be wasted, and the youth program would slowly wither away.

That was why Guangfa was so active in participating in international tournaments. Even though it cost more, finding an "exit" was the core issue. Especially for talents like Chen Shaojie, going abroad was a necessity—both for his own future and to ensure the youth program could receive the financial feedback it needed to survive.