Chapter 39 Not Everyone Is Like You

Wang Lie didn't receive the call from McNeil until he had returned home and finished dinner.

After the meal, his son, Wang Ziqi, was curled up on the living room sofa, playing a soccer game on his console, pitting Tyne against Soflian. The game hadn't been updated with the latest roster yet, so his father was still on the Soflian side; he couldn't control his own dad in the game.

It was worth noting that even in the game, the AI didn't put his father in the starting lineup...

This only fueled Wang Ziqi’s competitive spirit, and he was shouting in the living room, determined to defeat Soflian.

His wife, Tang Xingmei, sat across from her husband, resting her chin on her hand, watching with a smile as he helped their daughter with her drawing.

This was a rare, cozy moment that belonged solely to their family.

No matter how fierce the winds and rains were outside, once he stepped into this house and was with his family, it was Wang Lie’s best sanctuary. Here, he could shed all his defenses, simply enjoy the ease and joy his family brought him, and recharge his weary self.

Only during these past few weeks, with everyone home, could he have such comfortable times.

Then, this harmonious atmosphere was shattered by the ringtone of his mobile phone.

When he first heard the sound, Wang Lie, disturbed, frowned slightly, feeling a bit annoyed. But upon seeing who was calling, he answered.

"Hey, Sam, good evening."

"Good evening, Wang. Are you free right now?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"He rejected the proposal, Wang."

Wang Lie paused.

Seeing Wang Lie answer the phone, Tang Xingmei, who had just stood up to take over the drawing duties with their daughter, noticed his unusual demeanor and cast an inquisitive look at him.

Wang Lie didn't explain to her, as if he hadn't noticed her gaze at all. He simply stood up, walked through the living room, exited the house, and went into the backyard.

After closing the glass door and sitting down on a chair in the backyard, he asked McNeil, "Sam, did you tell him that with my movement and pulling defenders, he would also get plenty of scoring opportunities in that tactical setup?"

"I did, how could I not? He rejected me right off the bat, and even after I explained the tactics in detail, he still refused. He just said he wasn't used to playing midfield and didn't like it. I even told him that changing his position and style could get him back into the starting lineup... It didn't work on him either. He was very firm."

After explaining on the other end of the line, McNeil added:

"Honestly, Wang, I'm not surprised by this result. I told you before—if Dean could be persuaded so easily, he wouldn't be the way he is now. Your idea is right in theory, but it’s very difficult to execute in reality... I’m not criticizing you, Wang. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing victory, and there’s nothing wrong with using a great goal to motivate players; in fact, I do the same thing."

"It’s just that a team usually has twenty or thirty people, and twenty-five who can be registered for matches; a team is very complex. You want to force everyone to stick together and fight as a whole. The theory is correct, but it’s hard to achieve in practice. After all, your teammates aren't data in a game that will execute whatever command you input. They are living, breathing people with their own thoughts, and they aren't under your control..."

"I’m very happy about the help you’ve given Vitini; he has indeed matured a lot. But Vitini is your fan; he is willing to trust you unconditionally and listen to you. What about the others on this team? Are they all your fans? Can they go out and fight for you just because of a few words from you?"

***

Wang Lie remained sitting on the chair in the backyard. The call was over, but he hadn't moved.

His gaze was fixed on the neighbor's house.

The white villa was still clearly visible in the night.

One of the rooms on the second floor had the lights on, with warm white light spilling from the window. Beyond that, there was bright light behind the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor, though it was hard to see inside through the curtains.

But it was clear that someone was home tonight.

It was completely different from the darkness he saw on the first day he moved in.

This meant that Sonny Dean was staying home honestly tonight instead of going out to fool around.

He truly had an impulse to go knock on Dean's door and ask him what on earth he was thinking...

Just then, Wang Lie suddenly felt someone drape a coat over his shoulders.

Turning around, it was his wife, Tang Xingmei. She was wearing a thick coat and had just placed a down jacket over him.

She scolded him, "You go out to make a call without putting on a coat; it's so cold out here. What if you catch a cold?"

Wang Lie shook his head. "I didn't notice..."

"What’s wrong?" Tang Xingmei sat down beside her husband and took his hand, holding it in her palms.

Wang Lie wanted to answer directly, but as he opened his mouth, he realized it wasn't something that could be explained in a few words. So he simply stood up and pulled his wife back inside. "Let's go inside; it's cold out here."

Once inside, they avoided the children and sat down in the side parlor. Only then did Wang Lie begin to tell her everything, starting from when he went to the head coach to offer his suggestions during training, all the way to what McNeil had just said on the phone.

After finishing the story, Wang Lie sighed. "Actually, I know McNeil is right. There are so many people on the team, and everyone has their own little schemes. Not to mention that Tyne is known as a team of 'mercenaries'; their hearts are not unified. I don't have enough people I can rely on to form a majority within the team..."

"And the most critical thing is, the team's original goal was to avoid relegation, and now it seems relegation shouldn't be a problem. It’s not impossible to get them to fight for Europe, but they’d probably be satisfied just qualifying for the Europa League or the Conference League next season. To push for anything higher..."

Wang Lie shook his head at this point.

"If you can relatively easily win a Conference League spot, why fight so hard for a Champions League spot? Not to mention that it’s not even guaranteed... They can certainly be satisfied with the Conference League, or even the Europa League. But I can't; I’m not resigned to it. I still want to play in the Champions League... Why is it so hard to get things done?"

After quietly listening to her husband’s complaints, Tang Xingmei asked, "Is that Dean guy really that good? Is he essential?"

"In Tyne’s current attacking lineup, his ability is indeed quite good. If he can perform at his level, it would be a huge help to the team," Wang Lie gave a fair assessment.

"But isn't he a substitute? And from what I see, the team’s results are fine even without him starting, right?"

"Don't look at how the team has stepped out of the relegation zone since he became a substitute; that's about as far as it goes. Leaving the relegation zone doesn't mean we can get into the Champions League zone. As for him being a sub... it has nothing to do with his ability; it’s mainly his attitude... well, that’s his usual problem," Wang Lie explained.

***

Tang Xingmei nodded. "I know, character flaws. How old is Dean?"

"Twenty... twenty-seven?" Wang Lie wasn't entirely sure at first, only giving a definitive answer after recalling it.

"Ah, I thought he was just in his early twenties. Listening to you talk about him, he sounds like a brat..." Tang Xingmei’s eyes suddenly brightened.

"Eh?"

"What is it?"

Tang Xingmei laughed. "Nothing, just feels like our son."

Wang Lie was confused, not understanding why his wife would say that.

So Tang Xingmei explained in detail: "I just feel that this Dean is like a child who hasn't grown up. Do you remember when we decided to send Qiqi back to China? For a while, he was so awkward, disobedient, and unreasonable; it gave us such a headache..."

Wang Lie nodded repeatedly.

He had a deep impression of that time because it had caused him and his wife so much trouble, leaving her exhausted.

But why, for no good reason, send their child back to China to become a "left-behind child"?

The reason was that neither he nor his wife wanted their child to receive the so-called "woke" education in this dump of a country, England.

Although keeping the child in England would allow for high-level soccer training, Wang Lie and Tang Xingmei both believed that compared to soccer, the child's healthy values and personality were more important—not to mention his soccer talent, it was still up in the air whether he would choose a professional soccer career in the future, but sound values were indispensable for his future.

They certainly didn't want the day to come when their child came home from school and asked them, "Why don't I have two dads or two moms?" or made outrageous statements like "The teacher said even though I'm a boy, I can be a girl..."

So they decided to send their son back to China in January 2036 to be cared for by his grandmother.

While it was said to be for the grandmother to take care of him, the child could actually bring vitality to her solitary life, which was good for the elderly. After all, no matter how many nannies there were, they couldn't provide the emotional value or fulfill the emotional needs of the elderly. When people get old, they always hope their descendants will be by their side. Since their son couldn't do it because of his career, having a grandson was a good alternative.

It sounded like a win-win, but the child didn't think so.

Wang Zilin was still young at the time, only three, and stayed in England with his parents.

Wang Ziqi had turned six in November 2035 and was due to start primary school on September 1, 2036, so he had to return to China for compulsory education.

Even though his mother tried to reason with him and made many promises, he still had a sense of being "abandoned."

So, although he was eventually sent back and his mother had accompanied him for the Spring Festival, once his mother and sister left, he turned into a "little monster." Plus, his grandmother’s discipline was certainly not as strict as his parents', which really exhausted Tang Xingmei during that time.

"Do you know why he stopped being so difficult and became a little more sensible?"

How could Wang Lie not know? In a sense, he had been affected by it too, and the repercussions were still felt even today.

"My mother fell and got injured last July."

Tang Xingmei nodded. "That's right. When Mom fell, Qiqi was right there. At first, he thought Grandma was playing with him and even clapped his hands in delight... Later, when he realized Grandma couldn't get up, he was scared and cried loudly."

The incident was sudden. Tang Xingmei was taking their young daughter to the kindergarten to handle enrollment paperwork and wasn't home. The nanny, Sister Deng, had gone out to buy groceries and wasn't home either.

As for Wang Lie, the father and son?

In July, he had already returned to Manchester for team training to prepare for the new season.

Apart from his mother, Zhou Hong, the only person at home was his son, Wang Ziqi.

Facing such an emergency, Wang Ziqi had no idea what to do.

Later, his grandmother had to calm the frightened Wang Ziqi while telling him to bring her her phone, and then she lay on the floor to call her daughter-in-law.

That was how Tang Xingmei found out her mother-in-law had fallen at home and was lying on the floor, unable to get up.

She immediately called the 120 emergency center, then panicked and rushed home with her daughter, not even caring about the kindergarten paperwork.

Although Tang Xingmei never blamed her son after the incident—it wasn't his fault his grandmother fell, and being terrified and at a loss in an emergency was normal for a six-year-old—Wang Ziqi changed a lot afterward and was no longer as unreasonable as before.

Wang Lie wondered, "What does this have to do with Dean?"

Tang Xingmei said, "Don't be impatient. I don't know Dean's family environment... but I think Dean is somewhat similar to our son; he seems to have walked into a dead end and can't get out. At times like this, no matter how much you reason with him, it’s useless. He even knows you're right, but he just doesn't want to listen. So what can you do? With your own child, you could at least give them a spanking—even if they might not listen after, at least you can vent. You can't really beat up Dean, can you?"

Wang Lie fell into deep thought.

"I just think that for people like him, saying more is useless; it just makes you anxious and upset while he acts like nothing happened. You have to let him experience some things and let him figure it out himself. If he can't figure it out, nothing anyone says will help. Once he figures it out, you won't even need to say much. Children, especially boys, are basically like this."

Wang Lie frowned and asked, "Then what does he need to experience to figure it out?"

Tang Xingmei shook her head. "I don't know. But I don't think you should be worrying here; just go do your own thing. Didn't you say it yourself? As long as you can lead them to win, more and more people will support you. Don't you have the confidence to lead them to win now?"

Wang Lie looked at his wife, and she looked back at him, her eyes burning with intensity.

***

"How did it go?"

McNeil looked at the message Cesar Valo had sent him on his phone and simply called him back.

"It seems this isn't something that can be explained in a sentence or two." After answering the phone, Cesar Valo said, "Let me guess... Wang got angry and lost his temper with you?"

McNeil shook his head and said, "If it were only that, it would be fine..."

Then he recounted everything he had said to Wang Lie to Valo.

After listening, Valo said:

"You are absolutely right, Sam. Although we made Wang the captain, he actually has no foundation in this team. He can't really think that with one shout, everyone will follow him forward... I don't know if he overestimates his personal charm or underestimates his own uniqueness—someone like him, who is almost paranoid about victory and honor, is an anomaly among anomalies in the world of soccer. Not everyone is like him, tirelessly charging forward at thirty-eight."

McNeil said, "I thought the same as you at first, thinking Wang would be furious after I said that. But in reality, he was silent for a long time, so long that I thought the call had been disconnected... I could feel that these words really hit him hard."

Valo: "So you feel bad for him? Hmm, that doesn't really fit your 'Wang fan' persona... Are you worried that Wang will become suspicious of you and develop a rift?"

McNeil: "No, that’s not it. I just... it’s rare to feel Wang’s low spirits, to feel his powerlessness. What kind of impression did Wang give us before? Tough, paranoid, fighting endlessly..."

"He’s thirty-eight, after all. Whether he admits it or not, he should be able to feel the changes brought by his advancing age. In the past, he could certainly say 'I want to do this,' and he really could do it. But now, no matter how nicely he talks, if he can't do it, he can't—"

"We all know his so-called 'bigger stage' isn't the Conference League or the Europa League, but the Champions League. But qualifying for the Champions League isn't something that happens just because he says so. He might have realized that after habitually talking big, he can no longer achieve it, which is why he’s feeling down," Valo analyzed.

"I know it’s hard to accept that you're getting old and not as capable as before, but he must accept it, whether he likes it or not. Sam, you once said Wang’s heart hasn't aged, and you thought that was his strength. But haven't you thought about what a tragedy it is for him that his heart hasn't aged while his body has?"

Faced with the question posed by his assistant, McNeil also fell into the same silence Wang Lie had just experienced.

***

Sonny Dean tossed and turned on his bed.

He had turned off the lights a while ago, but he still hadn't fallen asleep.

He kept thinking about the head coach coming to see him during the day.

McNeil had gone to great lengths to persuade him, but he had ultimately rejected the suggestion to switch to midfield.

The reason for the rejection, on one hand, was as he had told the head coach:

As someone who had always played as a forward, he could play as a winger, but playing in midfield—as a wide midfielder or a central midfielder—required readapting. He wasn't used to it, wasn't good at it, and didn't like doing it.

There was another reason he hadn't said out loud, because it was hard to voice:

He knew this suggestion had come from Wang Lie, and he knew why Wang Lie had made it.

It was nothing more than hoping he could help the team qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Why should I let him get what he wants?

What does Tyne’s Champions League qualification next season have to do with me?

I’ll be at Kensington next season!

What does Wang’s own goals and ambitions have to do with me?

If I help him achieve his ambitions, what do I get out of it?

At the time, when he rejected the head coach and walked out of the office, he even felt a bit of satisfaction.

He felt like he had finally scored one back against Wang Lie.

However, in the dead of night, as he lay in bed trying to sleep, an underlying sense of unease made it impossible for him to drift off.

Based on his understanding of Wang Lie and that foul temper of his... if he found out tomorrow that he had rejected the head coach, he couldn't even imagine how furious he would be.

He'll kill me, right?

Thinking about facing an angry bull tomorrow, Dean didn't even want to go to training...

And if Wang Lie really made things ugly within the team, and in case the media found out... he didn't know what would happen to Wang Lie, but he would definitely be torn to shreds by criticism again.

Damn it... I thought I was free after signing with Kensington early.

I never expected a "Wang" to show up!

And with him came endless trouble!

No wonder people online say he brings disaster wherever he goes!

If you want to fight, go fight yourself!

If you want to win, go win yourself!

Don't drag me into it, dammit!

And all that talk about dragging me along...

Who asked you to drag me?

Just let go!

Just pretend I'm dead!

Damn it!

Sonny Dean cursed in his heart, turned over from his side to lie flat, and just lay there stiffly on the bed.

Like a corpse.