Chapter 46 Troubles That Are Not Troubles of Happiness

"The King says the Scousers are afraid of the Tyne? I can somewhat understand the Scousers being afraid of the King, but what is supposed to mean that they are afraid of the Tyne? Since when have the Scousers ever been afraid of the Tyne?"

"Has the King even bothered to say that to his Tyne teammates? Let's see if they laugh at him... Ha! Not even a dog would believe that!"

"The King is getting more and more absurd! I am a Sochaux supporter, and I want to say that regardless of whether Helden manages to lead the team back to the Champions League this season, I am one hundred percent grateful to him for helping Sochaux shake off the burden that is the King! If not for him, I'm afraid Sochaux would have been dragged down even worse by the King!"

"Poor Tyne... saddled with such a high-maintenance master. Thrown right into the spotlight and under everyone's watchful eyes with such immense pressure—let's hope it doesn't crush them..."

"Is the King still living in his thirty-first year? Look at his arrogant attitude when facing the media... Does he really think everyone is still idolizing him? Heh, who knows how many people are just waiting to watch him make a fool of himself! He thinks the media is awed by him, but in reality, everyone is cursing him as an idiot in their hearts, ha!"

Mom pointed at her mobile phone screen and said excitedly to her son, who was sitting opposite her with his head buried in his meal, "Sunny! The internet is full of people cursing the King! Not a single person mentioned you!"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, thank God for that..."

"Shouldn't you be thanking the King?" Mom widened her eyes and asked back in confusion.

Dean sighed. "Mom, do you know why I came back to live here again?"

Mom nodded. "I know, you're afraid of being cursed at."

"No. It's because only here can I get away from all those annoying things. So Mom, could you please stop looking at that stuff online? Can't we just have a nice meal and enjoy some quiet time that belongs exclusively to the two of us?"

"Oh... alright. I was mostly worried about what they were saying about you online..." Mom pointed at her phone in defense.

"It's fine, it's fine, don't pay attention to what they say." Dean shook his head, cutting off his mother's explanation. "Let's eat."

***

Dean's mother was right; he really should thank Wang Lie.

Because after Wang Lie went outside the training base to face those reporters directly, tonight's public opinion was almost entirely focused on attacking Wang Lie.

Sunny Dean, the party involved in both conflicts, unexpectedly became a neglected little shrimp.

Whether in mainstream media or online communities, everyone was talking about Wang Lie.

Some were cursing him, others were supporting him, but either way, he was the sole focus.

Other people, whether Sunny Dean or Vitini, were rarely mentioned.

Previously, because of Wang Lie's outstanding performances, many haters had been forced to keep a low profile.

However, the resentment in their hearts had not diminished by even a fraction; it was all bottled up inside. As time passed, it became like magma beneath the earth's crust, driven by high temperature and high pressure, urgently seeking an outlet to erupt.

After all, if negative emotions are kept pent up in the heart for too long without being released, they will ruin a person's health.

And this time, the "infighting controversy" finally gave the haters an opportunity to vent their emotions.

The infighting incident seemed to serve as powerful evidence that Wang Lie had character flaws, brought trouble wherever he went, and was detested by everyone and everything.

Some even dug up Wang Lie's various past "misdeeds" to increase the persuasiveness of this view.

Even the incident when Wang Lie left Barcelona Athletic and was attacked by his former employer became evidence for these people, completely ignoring the fact that much of the content was later proven to be smears fabricated by PR firms hired by the Barcelona Athletic club—things that were never facts at all, or were so-called "facts" taken out of context and distorted.

Wang Lie's haters were celebrating, while his fans were fighting across the internet.

Wang Lie's recent stellar performances gave them great confidence, causing their combat effectiveness to soar.

The previous thought of "Big Brother, maybe we should just retire" was thrown to the winds.

Retire?

Retire from what?

My Brother Wang can still play for another five hundred years!

***

Tang Xingmei cared more about the outcome of this matter rather than the noises on the internet.

As Wang Lie's wife, what grand scenes hadn't she witnessed?

Today's infighting controversy was not even worth mentioning in Wang Lie's football career; it couldn't even compare to what her husband had experienced at Sochaux half a year ago.

After coaxing the children to bed, Tang Xingmei returned to the bedroom and finally asked her husband, "How did you guys resolve that matter internally?"

She hadn't asked earlier because the kids were around, making it hard to talk about many things, and she didn't want her husband's affairs to affect the children.

"It wasn't really resolved, because it can't be resolved. No one knows who the mole is..."

Wang Lie told his wife everything that had happened in the team today.

He even mentioned how Dean had returned to the training ground for extra practice after training ended.

After listening, Tang Xingmei said, "How come it feels like this infighting controversy is actually a good thing for you guys? Even Dean went for extra training..."

"He did that to hide from reporters!" Wang Lie naturally saw through Dean's little scheme at a glance.

"Regardless of the reason, he's doing extra training anyway. And didn't you say yourself that everyone's enthusiasm in training has also increased? I think this might actually turn into a blessing in disguise. That speech of yours played a very crucial role. Although your head coach said you're an irresponsible captain, I think you're a fantastic captain!"

Tang Xingmei cupped Wang Lie's face, gazed at him affectionately, and cheered him on.

She knew that what her husband needed at this very moment was precisely this: encouragement and trust.

The Scousers were truly a formidable opponent, and her husband had already made bold boasts. If he failed to deliver in the end, all the pressure would fall squarely on his shoulders.

She also knew this was her husband's style—always liking to drive himself into a desperate situation, as if that were the only way to unleash his full potential.

Yet doing so was indeed mentally and physically exhausting.

So despite his firm attitude and tough words in public, his inner self was not as unshakeable as he portrayed.

He also had a vulnerable and powerless side, needing her to promptly recharge his energy.

Praising his wife, Wang Lie smiled like a child. "Thank you, honey."

***

"A-Zhen! Is anyone discussing the 'infighting' incident in the Scousers squad?"

Looking at the message sent by Su Ju on his phone, although he couldn't hear his voice or see his face, Chi Zhen could entirely picture the gossip-loving look on Su Ju's face at that very moment.

He knew his friend way too long.

From the national youth team to the Olympic team, and then to the national team, they had always been together after knowing each other for so many years. To put it metaphorically, the moment Su Ju stuck his butt out, Chi Zhen knew what he was about to drop.

Thus, he replied with an ellipsis: "..."

"Hey, are they discussing it or not? Such a huge piece of gossip, you guys can't possibly be indifferent, right? Let me tell you, I saw reports and discussions about this all the way in Spain; I refuse to believe you guys, being directly involved, aren't talking about it!"

"What do you mean by 'directly involved'? The Tyne's infighting wasn't caused by us..." Chi Zhen was too lazy to type, so he sent a voice message to question his good friend.

"Since they're infesting internally, it's bound to affect their match against you guys, ha!" Su Ju typed much faster than Chi Zhen and quickly explained. "Just tell me whether you discussed it or not!"

"We discussed it..." For relatively short phrases, Chi Zhen still typed.

"What did they say? Do you think this is a major blessing?"

Chi Zhen sighed and replied via voice message: "Some people think so, but our captain warned the whole team not to be affected by this matter. He even thinks it's a trap deliberately set up by Brother Wang..."

"Uh..."

Su Ju originally wanted to say this was some retarded conspiracy theory, but upon second thought, he felt that Mason Harper, the Scousers' captain, wasn't just sounding a false alarm, because similar examples had indeed occurred in past clashes between the Scousers and Brother Wang.

That was back when Brother Wang was still at Sochaux. One time in the Champions League quarter-finals, Sochaux met the Scousers.

In the first leg, Sochaux narrowly defeated the Scousers 1:0 at home. This goal margin wasn't large; although they lost the match, it was a completely acceptable result for the Scousers. Returning to their home ground for the second leg, a one-goal deficit was nothing, meaning losing was as good as not losing.

One could even say Sochaux fans might have been more dissatisfied with that result than the Scousers.

During that match, Brother Wang had also sustained an injury and was substituted early.

After the match, news leaked from within Sochaux that Brother Wang's injury was severe and he would miss the second leg of the tie.

Between the two legs of the Champions League quarter-finals, there was a league match.

In that league match, Brother Wang was indeed left off Sochaux's matchday squad. Before the match, everyone even saw a video of Brother Wang walking out of the training base building with his foot in a cast, wrapped in bandages, and walking on crutches.

At the time, Manchester media also spread rumors that Brother Wang had sprained his ankle ligaments and would not only miss this league match but also the midweek Champions League fixture, and potentially even more matches.

Those leaking the news were all famous professional media outlets and professional journalists.

Consequently, the Scousers believed it.

Who would have guessed that one hour before the second leg began, Sochaux announced their starting lineup, and Brother Wang's name was prominently listed!

This caught the Scousers completely off guard.

As soon as the match started, led by the "healed and returning" Brother Wang, Sochaux took the initiative and launched the fiercest attacks against the Scousers. Just seven minutes into the match, Brother Wang helped Sochaux score, landing the first blow.

This goal completely disrupted the Scousers' pre-match tactical setup and rhythm.

Although the Scousers managed to pull one back through Arthur Ilion in the second half, it was to no avail.

Ultimately, Sochaux defeated the Scousers 2:1 away from home, advancing to the Champions League semi-finals with a 3:1 aggregate score.

Later, grapevine news revealed that Brother Wang's injury in the first leg of the quarter-finals was true, but it wasn't as severe as everyone thought.

Being substituted was purely precautionary, and missing the league match due to injury was purely an act. Anyway, Sochaux was leading in the league at the time, so Brother Wang missing a league match didn't matter, and it allowed him to rest properly before the sprint phase of the season arrived.

The leak also stated that this feigned injury to deceive the Scousers was a plan devised by Brother Wang in the dressing room alongside then-head coach Yannis Bielman.

In that Champions League quarter-final, the Scousers weren't simply eliminated by their arch-rivals; because their arch-rivals Sochaux stepped over their dead bodies into the Champions League semi-finals and ultimately won the Champions League title outright.

And that year was the 2029-2030 season. By winning this Champions League title, Sochaux achieved an unprecedented "quadruple" in English football history, and later in the second half of the year, they successively won the UEFA Super Cup, FA Community Shield, and FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the unprecedented "septuple" winners in European football.

It was also thanks to this achievement that Sochaux surpassed the Scousers to become the most successful club in English football history.

One could say that their arch-rivals' achievement started with being eliminated by Sochaux at the Scousers' home ground.

One could equally say that Sochaux's "septuple" had a contribution from the Scousers...

The impact of this failure on them was so profound that "once bitten by a snake, twice shy of the well."

To this day, they still habitually suspected that Brother Wang was playing tricks...

Su Ju thought about it again and felt it was still unlikely: "Last time Brother Wang pulled a trick, he only needed the team doctor to cooperate. This time, the infighting involves too many people; how could Brother Wang ensure someone wouldn't leak the secret? Sochaux back then wasn't like the Tyne now. Back then, Brother Wang's prestige at Sochaux was at its zenith, absolute and unquestioned. If he said the whole team would cooperate, they would all cooperate. The Tyne right now is just a bunch of 'mercenaries'; how could he possibly make everyone play along with this act?"

"I don't know about that, but being cautious is always right."

"To be honest though, knowing Brother Wang's temper and style, if the Tyne really are infighting, I wouldn't find it strange..." Su Ju said. "Think about it, a workaholic came into that group of 'mercenaries' and forced everyone to work themselves to death—who could take that? It would be stranger if there wasn't infighting."

He added, "If there really is infighting, it's definitely a major blessing for you guys!"

Chi Zhen sent a voice message: "Our captain is right. Whether there's infighting or not, we have to win, so whether the Tyne are truly infighting is meaningless."

"Your captain speaks great principles, and big principles are always right. But if the Tyne are truly infighting, you guys can still win a bit more easily. After all, in the next round you have to play Sochaux. If you expend too much energy in this match, wouldn't that let Sochaux reap the spoils? Besides, isn't Coach He coming to watch this match in person? If the Tyne are in civil war and you win easily, you can also score more impression points in front of Coach He, what's wrong with that?"

Looking at his friend's final sentence, Chi Zhen had to admit that he was somewhat tempted and genuinely hoped the Tyne really were experiencing infighting...

Why would Coach He suddenly fly from domestic China to watch the day-after-tomorrow's match?

Wasn't it precisely because this match was a direct showdown between him and Brother Wang?

Especially with Brother Wang's brilliant performances in the first two matches, domestic public opinion already had voices asking "whether Wang Lie should be recalled."

No matter how Brother Wang's fans viewed him, Chi Zhen truly respected Brother Wang. However, he wasn't about to easily hand over the core position of the national team that belonged to him to Brother Wang.

He still felt Brother Wang was old and that he should lead this national team. Brother Wang belonged to the past, while he was the future.

To prove himself, and also out of respect for Brother Wang, Chi Zhen resolved to give his all in the upcoming match and help his team defeat Brother Wang's Tyne.

***

"There are no direct flights to Newcastle; you have to transfer in Paris... What a hassle along the way. Unlike going to Manchester in the past, there used to be plenty of direct flights from home..."

Outside the departures hall of Terminal 1 at Beijing Capital International Airport, China national team manager Shen Dongsheng complained.

He Zhengyong smiled. "If Wang Lie were still at Sochaux, I wouldn't have to make this trip."

Shen Dongsheng chuckled along, understanding what He Zhengyong meant.

Forget this trip; they wouldn't even need to go next week.

If Wang Lie had stayed at Sochaux, he wouldn't have been able to play, and next week's away trip for Sochaux to challenge the Scousers in the "North-West Derby" wouldn't have concerned him either.

After laughing, Shen Dongsheng put on a serious expression and tone, asking, "Lao He, look at how Wang Lie's form has picked up again. If he can maintain this kind of performance, what is the national team going to do?"

"What to do? Call him up. The capable ones take the lead; I'm not just saying polite words, I genuinely think so." He Zhengyong gave his answer without hesitation.

"Good." Shen Dongsheng nodded and proceeded to his second question: "Then what if Wang Lie asks you for the tactical core position?"

This time, He Zhengyong's answer wasn't as crisp and decisive as before. His mouth opened slightly, and no words came out.

Because he truly didn't know how to answer that question.

Moreover, judging from his previous phone conversation with Wang Lie, the scenario raised by manager Shen Dongsheng was highly likely to occur.

After the Asian Cup, he took office, and through more than a year of adjustment, adaptation, and integration—even willing to bench Wang Lie and endure heavy criticism and pressure before Helden had frozen him out—this Chinese team centered around Chi Zhen had finally taken shape.

Furthermore, their performance across the board was good, and the results spoke for themselves.

He had no reason to change course.

After all, changing the tactical core wasn't as simple as changing a formation.

From player selection to tactical setup and match philosophy, everything had to change.

Leaving aside how huge of a workload that would be, at the very least, the hard work of the past year-plus would all go to waste...

Which head coach could make such a resolution?

But what if he didn't give the core role to Wang Lie?

Given Wang Lie's temper and stature, he would become a hot potato that gave him endless headaches and couldn't be shaken off—given Wang Lie's outstanding performances, could he still refuse to call Wang Lie up?

Unless he, the national team head coach, didn't want his job anymore.

Never mind the future; right now Wang Lie had only played two matches, and after two goals and one assist, quite a few Chinese fans and media members had already started calling for the national team to recall him.

His special trip to Newcastle to watch the match was also a statement, preventing public opinion from eventually developing into a conspiracy theory—some people were already attacking Chi Zhen as his, He Zhengyong's, illegitimate son...

If he didn't even go watch Wang Lie's match, heaven knows what kind of rumors would circulate online again.

Yet if he called him up and still had him sit on the bench like before, or made him play second fiddle to Chi Zhen—using his rich experience and positional awareness to attract defensive attention and create scoring chances for Chi Zhen?

He Zhengyong couldn't figure out how to persuade an in-form Wang Lie to agree to such an arrangement.

Using the national team's interests?

Demanding he prioritize the greater good?

He Zhengyong lacked that kind of confidence.

If Wang Lie were to ask him, "What trophies have you won?", he would really find it hard to answer.

After all, as a domestic Chinese coach, the pinnacle of his managerial achievements was just two Chinese Super League titles and one FA Cup.

And what trophies did Wang Lie have?

The man possessed a grand slam of club honors! He had won the Champions League more than once.

If Wang Lie defied him then, what would he do?

Suppress him with a heavy hand like before?

He had only succeeded last time because the Chinese team performed poorly at the recent Asian Cup, public opinion favored change, and supported his trial. On the other hand, Wang Lie was also in trouble at Sochaux, his form was declining, and he lacked the footing to contend. Meanwhile, Chi Zhen was performing better and better at the Scousers, securing a regular starting spot, and the Scousers had consistently remained at the top of the league table, holding strong hopes of winning the Premier League. His elevation of Chi Zhen to the top was justifiable.

And now?

He surely couldn't expect Wang Lie's previous two goals and an assist to be a flash in the pan.

Logically speaking, having his team's star player in brilliant form is something every manager rejoices over.

Yet placed upon the current Chinese national team, this matter turned into the national team manager's torment—a genuine torment, far from any so-called "happy trouble."

Thinking of this, a wave of helplessness surged in He Zhengyong's heart, and he sighed. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it..."

"I'm just giving you a heads-up, Lao He. You'll have to face it sooner or later; you better think carefully about how to break this deadlock."

He Zhengyong nodded. "I know. Actually, me going to watch the match in person also stems from this thought. Judging from the previous two matches, the Tyne manager's utilization of Wang Lie is somewhat different from the playing style Wang Lie was used to before. I want to go and see if it can serve as some reference for myself."

"As long as you have that mindset. This issue is indeed crucial; if it's not handled well..." Shen Dongsheng didn't finish his sentence, simply shaking his head.

Yet He Zhengyong understood what he meant.

If it wasn't handled well, neither he nor Shen Dongsheng would meet a good end.

"Alright, I wish you a smooth trip and fruitful gains."

Shen Dongsheng extended his hand toward He Zhengyong.

The two shook hands in farewell.

He Zhengyong pulled his suitcase, walking alone toward the security checkpoint.

Shen Dongsheng watched him depart from behind.

People came and went in a bustling stream at the departures hall of Terminal 1 at Capital International Airport, with no one paying any mind to these two ordinary middle-aged and elderly men.