Chapter 38: Wang Lie's Suggestion

Sunny Dean was jolted awake early in the morning by the screams and laughter of children drifting over from the neighboring yard.

He had originally intended to force himself back to sleep, but under the assault of sound waves, he didn't even last five minutes.

Throwing off his quilt, he scrambled to the window in a fit of rage and pulled back the curtains. Outside, it was a typical overcast winter day; the sun had risen, but it was obscured by a thick layer of clouds.

It looked like it was going to rain.

Dean's mood at this moment was as gloomy as the weather. Last night, he had decided to move back to Northumberland. He simply couldn't stomach the idea—why should he be the one hiding from him?

He hadn't expected that after only one day back, he would be woken up by his neighbors.

This was one of the premier luxury residential areas in Northumberland, where the houses were essentially detached villas with large front and back gardens. Both his house and Wang Lie's were situated at the very end of the community, usually a quiet spot with few cars or people.

In such an empty environment, the high-pitched voices of children sounded particularly clear and piercing. Even with the windows closed, and even though his glass was double-paned, vacuum-sealed acoustic glass, it only blocked low-frequency noise; it was powerless against high-frequency sonic attacks.

After opening the curtains, he looked toward the backyard next door and saw Wang Lie frolicking on the lawn with two children.

Wang Lie was dribbling a soccer ball, trying to shake off the two kids.

The noise came primarily from the younger child—it was too far to see clearly, but judging by the sound, it was a little girl. She wasn't really trying to steal the ball; she was just circling around and occasionally letting out excited shrieks.

The older child, however, was quite serious about trying to dispossess Wang Lie. He looked like he had a real chance, but the moment he stuck his foot out, Wang Lie pulled the ball back, poked it forward, and executed a V-drag.

The child kicked at thin air, lost his balance, and landed on his backside. But he quickly scrambled back up and continued to chase after Wang Lie, pestering him.

After shaking the child off, Wang Lie didn't sprint away. Instead, he retreated while dribbling, making the child think he could get the ball every time, only to kick empty air whenever he reached out.

Suddenly, the little girl lunged from the side, wrapped her arms around Wang Lie, and shouted something...

The distance was too great for Dean to hear clearly. Even if he could hear it, he wouldn't understand, as it was clearly not English.

Even with the little girl clinging to his leg, Wang Lie didn't let the other child steal the ball. He used the leg the girl was hanging onto as a pivot, using his other free foot to control the ball, pulling it in circles on the spot. He kept the child from getting it—several times the boy almost had it, but Wang Lie would quickly hook the ball back and keep it under his control.

The little girl hugging Wang Lie kept screaming and laughing like a maniac. Even without seeing her expression, Dean knew she was happy.

Further away, a woman stood elegantly, watching the scene. Though Dean couldn't see clearly, he guessed she must have been smiling too.

This must be the family Wang Lie had mentioned in the dressing room yesterday, the ones who had come all the way from China to reunite with him.

Dean pulled the curtains shut, not wanting to look at this tender scene anymore. Especially since this kind of warmth was something he had never enjoyed himself...

But he could close the curtains to avoid looking, yet he couldn't help but hear. To Dean, the children's laughter sounded like demonic shrieks.

He lay back in bed and pulled the quilt over his head. It was useless; he could still hear the noise outside. He buried his head under the pillow. Still useless—the children's laughter and screams remained.

Finally, Dean jumped out of bed, rushed into the bathroom, and decided to take a shower. Once he turned on the showerhead, the rushing water finally drowned out the sounds from the neighboring yard.

Dean’s restless heart finally calmed down. He let out a long sigh.

He regretted moving back to Northumberland...

***

Wang Zilin spotted her chance and lunged at her father again. This time, it wasn't just hugging his leg; she grabbed it, lifted his leg up, and pushed hard.

She finally succeeded in making her father lose his balance and fall backward.

Wang Lie lost control of the soccer ball, and Wang Ziqi stole it.

"Yeah! We won! We won!" Wang Zilin happily let go of her father and ran to hug her brother in celebration.

Wang Lie sat on the lawn, supporting his upper body with his hands, watching the two children bicker, a doting smile on his face.

His wife, Tang Xingmei, walked over behind him and asked with some concern, "Is this okay? Being so loud early in the morning—what if it disturbs the neighbors?"

"Early? It's almost nine o'clock, is that still early?" Wang Lie didn't even turn his head. "Besides, if it really wakes up the 'neighbor,' that would be a good thing..."

He patted his backside and stood up from the ground.

"From now on, I'll be training with Wang Ziqi every morning. If the neighbor thinks it's too loud, he can come talk to me in person. I see him at the team every day anyway."

"Ah? The neighbor is your teammate?" Tang Xingmei asked.

Wang Lie nodded: "Yes, Sunny Dean, that's our neighbor."

"This..." Tang Xingmei was surprised by the name. Her husband had told her that their relationship wasn't very good, but she hadn't expected such a coincidence. It truly was "the paths of enemies often cross."

***

After his shower, Dean no longer heard the commotion from the backyard next door.

Wearing only his trousers, he walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, only to find the yard empty.

But Dean, now wide awake from his shower, couldn't possibly go back to sleep. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

And... he had to make breakfast.

***

There was training at ten o'clock that morning.

But Dean didn't leave immediately; he stood by the window, staring blankly at the empty neighbor's backyard.

***

Sunny Dean hesitated for a long time before finally going to find Wang Lie.

He lowered his voice and questioned him: "Can you have a little public spirit?"

Wang Lie looked at him with a smirk: "What's the matter?"

Seeing that expression on Wang Lie's face only made Dean angrier: "Yelling and screaming in the yard first thing in the morning—don't you know people are trying to sleep?"

"Is your so-called 'first thing in the morning' referring to 8:43 to 8:56 AM Greenwich Mean Time? It's almost nine and you're not up yet—did you go out partying at a nightclub again last night?"

Dean found that he was always at a disadvantage in front of this man, though he didn't know why.

He used to be the one to be sarcastic to others, especially Vitini; he only needed a few words to make that fool crack and fly into a powerless rage. But whenever he faced Wang Lie, it was always the other way around—he could rarely get the better of him...

"So what if I wasn't up by nine? I wasn't late for training!" Dean argued weakly.

"True, but you always arrive just in time." Wang Lie nodded. "How about this, Dean? I’ll be training with my son every morning for a while, do you want to join us?"

Dean froze for a moment, not expecting Wang Lie to change the subject so smoothly. Plus, he suspected Wang Lie was taking advantage of him...

So, he decided to give up negotiating with Wang Lie.

"FUCK OFF!" he swore, turned around, and left.

Behind him, Wang Lie, despite being sworn at, didn't get angry at all. He even called out with a smile: "Think about it, I'm here anytime!"

Teammates cast glances their way, but Dean just lowered his head and walked faster.

I shouldn't have come to look for this old rascal!

***

During the training break, the players sat on the sidelines to hydrate, massage, and chat.

Wang Lie walked straight to the coaching staff and said to the head coach, McNeil: "I have an idea, Boss. Can I have a word with you alone?"

McNeil looked at his colleagues and nodded: "Sure."

Then, in full view of everyone, the two walked to the side to have a "private chat."

"Sam, when you brought Dean on in the last match, were you intending for him to be an extra playmaker and link-up point in the final third to break down Hellingham's tight defense?" Wang Lie asked straight to the point.

When there was a third party present, Wang Lie would call McNeil "Boss," just like the other players in the dressing room. After all, their relationship was player and coach, and he had to respect his manager.

But in private, Wang Lie would call McNeil by his name, just as if they were still teammates at Soflian. Sam McNeil didn't force Wang Lie to use a formal title in private, either.

Facing Wang Lie's question, McNeil gave an affirmative answer: "Yes. But he didn't play well after he came on; he basically failed to complete the task I gave him."

The only highlight of Sunny Dean's performance after coming on in that match was using a V-drag to get past Hellingham FC's defensive midfielder, Daniel White. But that wasn't a task the head coach had given him.

"I watched the recording of the last match again yesterday, and I had an idea," Wang Lie said. "Can we move Dean back to play in midfield? Either as a side midfielder or an attacking midfielder."

"Huh?" McNeil was surprised.

Wang Lie continued: "I feel that if we keep Dean away from the penalty area, we can avoid him getting stuck in brawls with tall defenders and fully utilize his good technique and passing ability. Perhaps he would perform better than he is now."

"But Wang... Dean's poor performance isn't really related to his position," McNeil frowned, reminding Wang Lie. "The highest transfer fee in his history was achieved while playing as a forward. And you saw his performance after coming on as a substitute... I'll be honest, my decision to bring him on was a last-minute adjustment, which is part of why he didn't play well. But he really is very uncomfortable playing in midfield. Besides, we both know what Dean's real problem is, don't we?"

Wang Lie nodded: "I know, Sam. But that doesn't conflict with what I'm saying. His problem is that he plays poorly on the pitch, gets criticized, his mentality becomes unbalanced, he continues to play poorly, and he gets criticized even harder... it’s become a vicious cycle. What if he performs well in a new position? He could regain his confidence and love."

McNeil mused: "So you think he should switch to midfield?"

"I'm not saying he has to play midfield forever. I'm just saying that for now, he should try to lower the difficulty of his game to gain confidence and positive feedback, rather than trying to butt heads with defenders. Also, looking at the team's overall tactics, him playing as a midfielder would certainly be more beneficial to us than him playing as a forward."

Putting aside the previous points, McNeil agreed with Wang Lie's final statement.

In the tactics he was currently designing, Wang Lie was not just a scorer but also a creator for his teammates. With Dean pulling back from his forward role to play as a midfielder, he could not only link the midfield and attack but also capitalize on the opportunities Wang Lie created to score.

This adjustment would certainly be beneficial to the team as a whole.

It had to be said that Wang Lie's suggestion was very tempting.

However, McNeil still had a doubt: "I have a question, too, Wang."

"Go ahead."

"I believe you can feel that Dean holds some kind of... well, hostility toward you. Right?"

Wang Lie nodded: "Though I don't know why, it is true."

"Then why are you considering his needs?"

"I'm not considering his needs; I'm considering the team's needs, Sam. It's simple. Given our current points and ranking, it's very difficult to reach a bigger stage. To achieve that goal, we must push this team to its absolute limit and squeeze every bit of potential out of everyone. Sunny Dean has not fully realized his capabilities, and his contribution to the team is far from enough. Everyone has to fight for that goal, so why should he be allowed to stay on the sidelines?"

After Wang Lie finished speaking, McNeil seemed lost for a moment. He chuckled only after a pause: "When you said that just now, it gave me the illusion that you were the head coach and I was the assistant."

Wang Lie joked: "Maybe when I retire and decide to become a head coach, you can be my assistant, Sam."

"You wish. Working with you would drive me insane," McNeil politely declined.

"What do you think of my suggestion?"

"Theoretically feasible. But the practical situation is much more complicated than you say, Wang. Have you thought about one thing... what if Sunny Dean doesn't cooperate?"

Wang Lie frowned and didn't speak.

That really was... a very critical question.

Seeing him go silent, McNeil continued: "You can do anything for the sake of victory. But not everyone is like you; at the very least, Dean is not."

Wang Lie then said: "I know he isn't that determined. He retreats when he hits a wall, lies flat when he faces a setback, and is used to finding reasons and excuses for himself. That's why we need to push him."

***

The fact that the two walked to the side of the training ground to whisper to each other not only aroused the curiosity of the coaches but also made the players in the distance look over repeatedly.

"Are they arguing?"

"Seems like there's some disagreement..."

"What do you think Wang said to the Boss?"

"I bet Wang is unhappy with the role the Boss gave him..."

"Unhappy? Why?"

"Everyone knows what the Boss wants Wang to do in the team's attacking system—use his experience and technique to create for others... but think about it, when has Wang ever been willing to play second fiddle?"

Everyone thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be true.

At Soflian, Wang Lie was the team's main attacker; he had a free license to shoot. He could shoot anywhere, at any time, and neither the coach nor his teammates could criticize him.

"So I guess Wang went to the Boss to demand the right to shoot."

"Wow, that's bad. Who doesn't know where the nickname 'The Shot-Waster' came from..."

As a loyal fan of Wang Lie, Vitini had to defend his idol under any circumstances. Some things were difficult for his idol to say, but he could say them.

Now, he stood up to defend his idol:

"Where did it come from? It was just rumors spread by the media. In fact, Wang's conversion rate isn't low. I remember someone calculated that in his nine and a half seasons at Soflian, his average shooting conversion rate was 19.2 percent. For a team's primary attacker, that data is fine, right? If he really were a 'shot-waster,' could he have become Soflian's all-time top scorer with only the eighteenth-most appearances in the club's history?"

When it came to the records his idol had set, Vitini knew them by heart and could talk on and on.

"And when Wang was at his peak, his scoring wasn't rare. By comparison, it's only more news-worthy when he wastes a scoring opportunity. You have to know he had four consecutive seasons with over fifty goals, and sixteen consecutive seasons with at least twenty goals—a record no one has been able to break even now!"

"That record is indeed remarkable, but it's a pity it's going to end this season..." someone sighed.

This season, Wang Lie had only scored three goals in all competitions so far—one for Soflian, two for Tyne—and it would indeed be very difficult to continue that record. It was almost an "impossible mission."

"No one is denying Wang's past achievements, but Vitini, Wang is nearly thirty-eight now. Can he really keep scoring like he used to?" another teammate questioned Vitini.

Vitini curled his lips: "And who scored a brace in the last match?"

"Uh..." the questioning teammate was speechless.

As a teammate, he couldn't say, "Who knows if that was just a flash in the pan?" Hellingham FC's coach, Roster, had said that, but for a Tyne player to say it would be "politically incorrect"—was that how you treat a hero who just helped the team win?

Sunny Dean didn't join their discussion about Wang Lie, but stared in that direction.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that when the two of them were talking, they would look toward his side...

***

After training, Wang Lie didn't rush home to be with his family but stayed behind for extra practice, and Vitini followed him to practice as well.

Head coach McNeil, meanwhile, notified Sunny Dean to come to his office after changing his clothes in the dressing room.

Once the players were dismissed, on the way back, assistant coach Cesar Varo couldn't wait to ask McNeil: "What did Wang want?"

"He gave me a suggestion..." McNeil recounted the conversation between him and Wang Lie to Varo.

Varo was surprised after hearing it: "I thought he'd ask you for the freedom to shoot..."

McNeil was equally surprised: "Why would you think that?"

Varo spread his hands: "Wasn't he like that at Soflian? Besides, he just scored a brace in the match and helped us win—isn't now the perfect time to make that demand?"

McNeil laughed: "It seems your perspective is a bit small, Cesar."

Varo conceded helplessly: "Fine... but I think Wang is a bit whimsical. Theoretically feasible doesn't mean it's actually feasible. How do you plan to convince Dean?"

McNeil sighed: "I don't know. I don't know how to convince someone who has already signed a contract with another team and is just waiting for his contract to expire to leave, to change and give his all for a goal he doesn't care about... After all, whether Tyne can compete in Europe next season has nothing to do with him, now that he's already headed to Kensington next season, right?"

***

Sunny Dean, having showered and changed, appeared in head coach McNeil's office.

On his way there, he had tried to guess why the Boss wanted to talk to him alone.

The last time Dean was called in for a private talk by the head coach, it was because he had played poorly in a match, been roasted by the local media and Tyne fans, gone to a nightclub to get drunk, been snapped by paparazzi, and then showed up late for training the next day reeking of alcohol...

That time, McNeil had warned him very severely and stated that he would temporarily remove him from the starting lineup, and as a punishment, he wouldn't be in the squad for the next match.

Since then, Dean had never returned to the starting lineup, though he would still be sent on as a substitute when the team needed him.

Only, his performance in those few substitute appearances had been mediocre.

Perhaps this time, he was being criticized for not completing the tasks the coaching staff had assigned him after coming off the bench against Hellingham FC?

But why not criticize him on the first day of training, why wait until now?

It couldn't be that the Boss had only just snapped out of it, re-watched the match footage, and discovered his problem, right?

Looking at Dean before him, McNeil asked: "Do you still want to return to the starting lineup, Sunny?"

Dean wasn't sure what the Boss meant by asking that, so he said honestly: "Of course I do. But I don't seem to have any performance that can impress you, Boss."

"Then would you be willing to try a new position? If we pull your position on the pitch back a little, putting you in the area between the forward line and the midfield line, what do you think, Sunny?"

McNeil said this while taking out a tablet, opening tactical board software, and demonstrating his idea on the board.

Dean paused for a moment and then asked: "Just like the last match?"

McNeil nodded: "Exactly. In terms of position and tactical requirements, just like the last match."

Dean finally knew what Wang Lie had run off to tell the Boss. He could guess with his eyes closed that this was definitely a suggestion Wang Lie had made to the Boss—to get him to switch to midfield and serve him...

So, Dean shook his head and said: "Sorry, Boss, I don't think I'm good at playing midfield—you saw my performance in the last match."

He refused very bluntly.