Chapter 33: A Fortunate Turn

When Wang Lie saw the ball parried away by Adalsteinn, he immediately began to create distance from Billington, who was marking him.

At that moment, Billington’s focus was entirely on Dean’s shot and Adalsteinn’s save; he had no idea what was happening behind his back. Wang Lie didn't know for certain that the ball would fall into his area, but he possessed the experience to know that the spot he had chosen had a high probability of being the landing zone.

Sure enough, as he pulled away from Billington, the ball soared toward him. Watching the ball in the air, Wang Lie jumped with all his might as he always did. But the moment he left the ground, he noticed something different—he seemed to be jumping a bit higher than before. He suddenly remembered that his body was, in fact, a year younger. Naturally, his usual effort resulted in a greater leap than he had anticipated.

This unexpected boost was a minor detail for Wang Lie; his vast experience kept him calm. He simply adjusted his posture in mid-air, channeling a bit more strength into his core.

A short distance away, the Herringham FC goalkeeper, Adalsteinn, scrambled to his feet, pushing off the ground like an arrow released from a bow. To be fair, he was incredibly quick and his reaction was sharp, but he still couldn't reach the ball. Wang Lie had headed it toward the ground, while Adalsteinn had dived for the air. Had Wang Lie headed it toward the center of the goal, the keeper might have had a chance to save it, but instead, he drove it into the turf for a bouncing header. Adalsteinn could only watch helplessly from the air as the ball skipped over the goal line and into the net.

***

During the buildup to this Tyne attack, the roar inside Leazes Park Stadium had been building steadily. It dipped momentarily when Dean’s header went too straight and was parried by Adalsteinn, but the noise surged again as Wang Lie leaped high in front of the Herringham goal, his body arched in a perfect "C" shape.

"Wang! Wang!"
"WANG—!!!"

The Tyne fans in the stands unleashed a torrent of roars, howls, and screams at the figure in front of the goal. Some were short and sharp like artillery fire, others long and drawn out like sirens. The entire stadium felt like the epicenter of a storm, gathering force and erupting to sweep across Newcastle.

"Wang—GOOOOOOOOAL!!!" Connor Cowley, the English commentator, couldn't help but roar, stretching his voice out like a Spanish broadcaster. He was just as thrilled. After all, this was Wang Lie’s second goal of the match.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable! Who could have predicted this? Wang has scored twice in his debut for Tyne! A brace! It’s absolute madness!"

For any player, a brace is a cause for celebration, let alone for a thirty-eight-year-old veteran whose career was effectively declared "dead" just half a month ago. Before the match, most people expected Wang Lie to get a brief cameo in the final minutes just to soak up the atmosphere, not to produce such a performance. Given his age and lack of integration with the team, conventional wisdom suggested it would take five or six games for him to regain his form. Most assumed his level had simply dipped too far for the Premier League.

But Wang Lie had just shattered those "reasonable" assumptions with two goals. Even the most optimistic fans hadn't dared to dream of a brace in his first appearance. He hadn't played a full match all season; since December 20th, he hadn't even clocked a minute in the Premier League.

"Is there a more perfect comeback?" Luo Jin asked himself in excitement. "Maybe a hat-trick, but this is already good enough—better than I ever dared to hope! It proves Wang Lie is still that efficient goal-scoring machine. He can still help the team with the goals he knows best."

Luo Jin added with a laugh, "The last time Wang played against Herringham, he was wearing a Southford United jersey. Southford only won by a single goal. Now he’s at Tyne, coming off the bench to score twice and put them 3-1 up. So, was the poor performance in the first half of the season Wang’s fault, or was there another reason?"

Though spoken in a joking tone, the remark hit home. It implied that the real issue hadn't been Wang Lie, but rather the lack of trust and opportunity from his former manager.

***

The nickname "China Wang" had once held a legendary meaning—the king from China who led Southford United to an unprecedented seven-trophy haul. At the height of his career, when he was winning consecutive Ballon d'Ors and scoring fifty-plus goals for four straight seasons, the name was a badge of honor. But as his form dipped and negative news surfaced over the last two years, the name had been used with mockery and disdain.

Today, however, Wang Lie had wiped the dust from that title with his own hands. The dazzling light had returned to the world stage. Across the internet, the fans were in a frenzy:

"Where are the haters now?"
"To the trolls: your names and reputations will vanish, while his legacy flows on like an eternal river!"
"He’s almost thirty-eight and he plays like this?!"
"China Wang! The King returns!!"

The fans couldn't hold back their joy. For them, these twenty-one minutes—from the fifty-eighth minute when he came on to the seventy-ninth minute when he scored his second—were the most exhilarating they had witnessed in half a year.

***

After the goal, Wang Lie didn't sprint off to celebrate. He stood his ground, hands on his hips, head tilted back, looking toward the stands. The Tyne fans surged to the front, reaching out through the advertising boards and chanting his name. It wasn't until his teammates swarmed him that he finally acknowledged the crowd with a fist pump. Throughout it all, his expression remained calm, collected, and perhaps a touch arrogant—as if to say, "What’s there to be so happy about? It’s just a goal. Bah, I’ve already scored two."

On the sidelines, Cesar Valero shook his head at McNeil, sighing, "I have no words... I’m truly convinced! You were right, Sam! An angry Wang is the most terrifying thing! And that idiot Rost just happened to anger him."

McNeil laughed heartily. "Thank you, Mr. Rost!"

***

When Joshua Parker added a fourth goal in the eighty-seventh minute to make it 4-1, the result was sealed. The scoreline mirrored the one from the third round of the league, where Herringham had defeated Tyne. It felt like a twist of fate.

As the final whistle blew, the stadium erupted. Wang Lie had not only secured a vital win for a team that had lost two in a row, but he had also proven to the world—and to himself—that he still belonged in the Premier League. The skeptics could worry about whether this was a flash in the pan, but for the fans watching, the hope was real. Wang Lie was back, and as long as he was given trust, he would continue to repay it with goals. It was a true blessing to see him smiling on the pitch once more.