Chapter Seven: Milestone Goals

Page 1/3

Bang!

Wei Lai suddenly jolted awake from bed, gasping heavily, feeling as if he had just experienced an incredibly vivid dream.

In the dream...

“Huh?”

Wei Lai felt his body was sticky. Looking down, he saw that the entire bed was soaked through.

Startled, he quickly pulled back the blankets and found that not only the sheets but the entire bedding was drenched.

All this indicated that the incredibly vivid dream might actually have been real!

But there was no time to think further; he hurriedly got up to wash the bedding.

Fortunately, his roommates who stayed up all night playing games hadn’t returned yet, or else it would have been hard to explain.

“Ha~ I’m exhausted!”

“Only got a chicken dinner once all night? You guys suck!”

“Just go all out! What’s there to be afraid of!”

“What’s the point? I’m using a sniper rifle against someone with an 98K! Without scavenging gear, how am I supposed to fight?”

“Scavenging won’t help much; if someone traps you at the bridge, you’re dead anyway.”

“Enough with the noise. Let’s get some sleep; we still have to pack later!”

Three all-night gamers returned to the dorm but didn’t see Wei Lai.

Instead, they heard the sound of running water from the washing room.

“What are you doing?”

Cheng Haoran, walking toward the bathroom, saw Wei Lai vigorously scrubbing the sheets and duvet cover.

“Washing the bedsheets!”

Wei Lai answered without turning his head.

“Now? Why?”

Wei Lai: “If I wash now, I won’t have to do it when you guys get back.”

Cheng Haoran shrugged: “Alright then.”

With that, he turned and went into the bathroom.

He wasn’t very eager to talk with Wei Lai anyway; Wei Lai’s personality was a bit reserved, not very sociable.

Next semester, Wei Lai would be promoted to the B team, so there would be even less to chat about.

That evening, a rain had cleansed the air, leaving it fresh and pure.

Wei Lai ran across the football field, each step powerful. He felt no fatigue during his run; instead, he became more energized with every stride.

He even tried sprinting back and forth several times and still felt his stamina was abundant.

Whew—

Stopping, Wei Lai’s eyes sparkled with vitality.

“Effective!”

Not just effective — the results were remarkable.

He felt his physical fitness had improved significantly, almost catching up to his previous peak condition.

This was the result of his cardiovascular system being trained.

“There’s still time; I’ll practice other skills!”

With this thought, Wei Lai headed toward the equipment room.

Around noon, the young players of the football academy were gradually leaving school, boarding buses to the train station.

During summer and winter breaks, they had a full month off to spend time with their families.

The young players treasured this time dearly.

Page 2/3

After a semester of grueling training, they all wanted to rest comfortably in their parents’ embrace.

Bang! Bang!

On the training ground, Wei Lai repeatedly controlled and dribbled the ball, honing his fundamentals.

Since receiving systematic support, his enthusiasm for training soared.

It meant he still had room to improve and might no longer be limited by innate talent.

At least, his progress in last night’s “simulation match” was evident.

And there was also the Spartan-style training under Coach Yakult!

Despite the pain, Wei Lai wasn’t afraid; in fact, he somewhat enjoyed the feeling of improvement.

After all, he had endured countless dull training sessions with no visible future, so now, with clear progress, it was much more bearable!

Bang!

He shot the ball into the small goal and checked his phone—already 11 o’clock, his father could arrive any moment.

He quickly packed up the equipment and carried it back to the equipment room.

“Finished training?”

An elderly man sitting outside the equipment room was smoking leisurely.

He shook his cigarette pack toward Wei Lai with a smile: “Nice smoke!”

“Hey! It’s nothing special. You just have to make do!” Wei Lai replied, carrying the gear inside before coming back out, clapping his hands with a grin: “I’ll bring you some specialties from Bohai Port when I come back!”

The old man chuckled: “Then maybe I’ll give you a little favor later?”

“You’re saying too much. I just want to practice more, so I’ll have to trouble you to open the door. It’s only right to show some respect!” Wei Lai’s phone buzzed, and he grew a bit anxious: “Sir, my dad seems to have arrived. I have to go now. I’ll trouble you again after summer break!”

The elderly man nodded silently, smiling as he watched Wei Lai’s retreating figure.

He rubbed the cigarette pack: “Not a bad smoke.”

Then he turned his gaze toward where Wei Lai disappeared around the corner.

“Good kid.”

Back in the dorm, Wei Lai quickly washed up and changed into clean clothes. Holding his suitcase and football, he jogged out.

When he reached the school gate, a middle-aged man of about thirty-five was already waiting.

“Dad!”

Wei Lai called out and ran over.

“Xiao Lai!” Wei Chenggong’s face broke into a smile as he took the suitcase, looking him over: “You’ve bulked up a lot!”

Wei Lai chuckled: “Of course! I’ve been training hard. Here’s some good news: I passed the final exam and got promoted to the B team!”

Wei Chenggong was pleasantly surprised: “Really?”

“Absolutely!” Wei Lai smiled brightly.

Wei Chenggong patted his shoulder firmly: “Good boy, I always knew you had talent since you were little!”

Wei Lai grinned inwardly and turned: “Dad, let’s go!”

Traveling from Jiaozhou to Bohai Port required a big detour by car or high-speed rail due to the lack of a cross-sea bridge.

Fortunately, there was still a water route.

Wei Chenggong and Wei Lai first took a high-speed train to the coastal city of Laiyang, then boarded a ship at 10 p.m., which set sail promptly at midnight.

The six-hour journey meant they would arrive at Bohai Port early the next morning.

The sky gradually brightened as Wei Lai stood on the ship’s rail, watching a pale dawn rise over the horizon.

Soon, the sky lightened further.

Under the damp, salty sea breeze, the outline of a coastal city slowly emerged in the distance.

Buzz!

The hum signaled the ship’s imminent docking.

Page 3/3

Wei Chenggong led Wei Lai off the ship, where Chen Qian was already waiting at the exit.

Seeing Wei Lai, she rushed over with joy and hugged her long-absent son tightly.

“You’ve tanned! And bulked up too!” Chen Qian looked at Wei Lai’s sun-darkened face with a mixture of concern and affection.

Wei Lai grinned broadly: “Mom, I’ve been craving your cooking so much!”

Hearing this, Chen Qian wiped away tears and smiled: “I’ve already prepared everything. Let’s go home!”

Early in the morning, Chen Qian had cooked a sumptuous meal—an entire table filled with dishes Wei Lai loved.

Wei Lai devoured the food eagerly, like a wolf.

Chen Qian kept telling him to eat slower while continuously serving him.

Wei Chenggong looked on with a smile, eyes full of pride and relief.

After the meal, Wei Lai stood in the living room for a moment, then hugged his ball, ready to leave.

“Dad! I’m going to practice!”

Wei Chenggong said nothing, but Chen Qian frowned: “You just got home and you’re already training? You haven’t rested properly on the way.”

Wei Lai turned and smiled: “Mom, I’m known as the stamina genius at the football academy!”

Actually, he was more like a stamina novice.

Wei Chenggong gave him a thumbs-up: “Good boy, go ahead!”

As a football fan, the father gave unconditional support to Wei Lai.

If it weren’t for his pure love of the sport, he wouldn’t have sent Wei Lai to the Willie Football Academy.

Bohai Port was once known as the “City of Football,” though that title belonged to a bygone era.

The city used to have many football fields, with even more free to use.

Nowadays, many have been torn down or abandoned.

Fortunately, about three kilometers from their home, there was still a public football field.

Wei Lai grabbed a shared bicycle and headed to the field for training.

During the day, the field was empty.

He placed the ball aside and exhaled slowly.

During this month-long summer break, he intended to make a real push.

Train more, rest more (train more)!

Make up the gap as quickly as possible—after all, time was running out.

The 2026 U-17 World Youth Football Championship marked the starting point for a golden generation’s rise.

These young, still-developing players were making their first significant mark on the world stage.

It was a crucial milestone in their growth.

Wei Lai naturally didn’t want to miss such an exciting opportunity.

The U-17 World Youth Football Championship, limited to players up to 17 years old, gathered the nation’s top talents.

It comprised three main youth training systems: traditional academies, online training, and school-based programs.

Among them, traditional academies were dominant, with the well-known Willie and Guangfa Academies contributing half of the national U-17 squad’s 16 players.

For Wei Lai, to make it in, he had to first enter the A team.

Only players in the A team were eligible for selection.

By the latest final exam this semester, Wei Lai had to make the A team to keep up.

He didn’t want to be a mere spectator again, so he had to work harder than ever!