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Chapter 175 Ripples
While waiting for the elevator, Liu Jinxuan was dancing and twisting his body. Everyone could see that he was like a bird that was eager to fly into the sky.

Fu Xiaofeng chuckled, "It's great to be young."

Lei Ze beside him also sighed: "Yeah, it's good to be young."

Fu Xiaofeng turned around and asked him, "How do you want to become stronger, Lao Lei?"

Lei Ze shook his head: "I don't know. I can't go abroad to play football at this age, right?"

The 31-year-old Lei Ze is the substitute for the main goalkeeper Yue Hang in the national team, but he is the main goalkeeper in Shanhai Xinghui in the Chinese Super League.

Shanhai Xinghui is a traditional domestic powerhouse and the favorite to win the Chinese Super League every season.

"Why can't you play football abroad?" Fu Xiaofeng teased him. "This shows that you still have room for improvement."

Lei Ze was so angry that he laughed: "So what you mean is that those of you who play football abroad have no room for improvement?"

"Look, you said that, not me!" Fu Xiaofeng pointed at him.

Lei Ze, who was pointed at, didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Your sister, Fu Xiaofeng!"

Liu Jinxuan heard what they said and turned around and said, "Don't make such old-fashioned comments, Brother Xiaofeng and Brother Lei. You are in your prime!"

Lei Ze waved his hand: "No, no, I just envy you. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely go abroad to study."

Fu Xiaofeng also nodded: "Yes, yes, who doesn't want to be young? Professional players rely on youth, so being young is good."

Liu Jinxuan felt a little embarrassed by what they said. At this moment, the elevator arrived and his cell phone rang - it was his mother calling him on video.

He quickly said to the two seniors: "I have to take a call, Brother Xiaofeng, you guys go first..."

Fu Xiaofeng and Lei Ze waved at him at the same time: "Go ahead."

Standing in the car, watching Liu Jinxuan running to answer the phone, Lei Ze sighed again: "It's great to be young..."

This time Fu Xiaofeng just glanced at him and didn't agree.

The car door slowly closed, blocking the young man outside.

※※※

Liu Jinxuan found an empty corner and answered the call. He saw his mother and father's faces squeezed together on the phone screen.

"How's it going, son? How's your first day with the national team?"

Before Liu Jinxuan could answer, his father pointed at the screen and said, "Hey, do you still need to ask? Look how happy he is smiling!"

Liu Jinxuan was a little surprised. He also looked at himself in the front camera, and the corners of his mouth did involuntarily rise.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"It's quite obvious." Both parents nodded and said in unison.

"Ha!" Liu Jinxuan laughed out loud.

"What's the matter? Why are you so happy?" Mom asked curiously.

"I witnessed history!" Liu Jinxuan said excitedly and proudly.

Before the meeting ended, he asked Captain Chu, the second oldest member of the team, whether he had ever encountered a situation where they specifically gathered everyone together for a meeting and announced that the goal was to win the World Cup.

Captain Chu told him that he never did.

At that time, he felt a sense of honor of witnessing history.

The parents were also curious about their son's answer: "Wow? What history?"

Just when Liu Jinxuan wanted to tell his parents what happened today, he suddenly remembered the warning that Captain Chu gave to everyone before the meeting:

"No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened in this conference room today before the official conclusion is reached. Don't cause trouble for this group or for yourselves."

Although Captain Chu did not say who he could not tell, he did not mention whether people close to him were included.

But Liu Jinxuan thought it was better to be cautious.

Thinking of this, he put away the smile on his face and said to his parents: "Oh, I can't tell you!"

The parents, who were waiting for their son to reveal the answer, were surprised: "Why can't you tell me?"

"It's our team's rule not to tell anyone."

The mother did not continue to embarrass her son. Instead, she laughed and teased him, "Hey, it's only the first day of reporting, and you keep talking about 'our team'. Okay, okay, work hard and try to get selected for your team next time!"

……

After the video call with his parents, all his teammates on the national team had left, and he was the only one left in the corridor on the third floor. The young man who was as excited as a deer before was gone. He lowered his head and held his phone in silence.

His mother's words may have been unintentional, but they touched him deeply.

"Work hard and try to be selected for your team next time!"

That’s right, Captain Wang’s grand goal was indeed heart-stirring and made him so excited that he could hardly control himself and he couldn’t wait to devote himself to this great cause.

But he forgot that he was not a natural member of this national team.

If he can never be selected for the national team after this training camp, then no matter how great the cause or how ambitious the goal is, what will it have to do with him?

Especially since he was the only player from the second-tier domestic league in this training camp, it was surprising enough that he was selected, not to mention that he would stay for a long time and stably...

He himself had analyzed the situation after being selected for the training camp. It might be because it was no problem for the team to qualify in advance, and Coach He wanted to take the opportunity to test the newcomers who were not usually in the national team, so he had this opportunity to advance overnight.

But if they really want to win the World Cup, then how can a newcomer like me, who has no national team experience, has not played in Europe... and is not even in the Chinese Super League, be included in the national team's final World Cup roster?
The mother might not have realized that her encouragement out of habit ended up pouring a bucket of cold water on her son's head, cooling him down from his excitement and even making him a little depressed.

But the young man's frustration did not last long, because he thought of what Captain Wang said at the meeting.

"...Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to climb. As long as each of us can continue to work hard and improve in the next year and make ourselves stronger than we are now, I believe that by next year's World Cup, we really have hope of achieving this goal."

Captain Wang wants us to work hard to improve and become stronger. So if I really do what Captain Wang says, become stronger than I am now, and show better performance, can I attract the attention of Coach He again and let him select me for the national team?

So why should I worry about not being able to join the national team in the future?

I know it's difficult to win the World Cup, and success doesn't necessarily come from hard work.

But at least I can work hard to improve myself in order to enter the national team.

Thinking of this, Liu Jinxuan clarified the path he would take next.

The depression on his face was swept away, he raised his arm and fist, and shouted in the empty corridor:
"Work hard! Strive! Go all out!"

※※※

When Chi Zhen reached the door of his room, he did not immediately enter. Instead, he said to his good friend Su Ju who had come with him: "I finally understand why Captain Wang has performed so well in the past half season..."

"Is it because he wants to win the World Cup?" Su Ju asked.

"No." Chi Zhen shook his head, "Because he wants to prove it to us."

"prove?"

"Yeah. Prove that he can lead us to victory. After all, he is already 38 years old. Many people will inevitably wonder what role he can still play on the court..."

Su Ju recalled the double dilemma Wang Lie encountered in the club and the national team in the second half of last year, and nodded in agreement with his friend.

At that time, everyone was talking about one topic: Wang Lie and Lian Po are old, can they still eat?
Chi Zhen continued, "Captain Wang almost single-handedly led Tyne, a relegation team, into the Champions League. Everyone saw this performance. So when he told us that goal today, everyone seriously considered and discussed it. No one just laughed it off as if it was a joke. Football is like this. If you can win, people will listen to what you say. No one knows this better than Brother Wang. He has been proving this throughout his career... So he has to win, and he has to keep winning."

At this point, he suddenly remembered something: "Do you remember that after I lost the game to Brother Wang at the club, Coach He came to Liverpool to see me?"

Su Ju nodded: "I remember, he went to find Brother Wang first, and even posted a photo of himself with Brother Wang on Weibo, then he came to find you and also posted a photo of himself with you. Some people on the Internet even joked that Coach He is a 'master of keeping things balanced'."

"Well, when Coach He came to me, he did want to treat me equally, and he also came to encourage me. After all, I just lost the direct conversation with Brother Wang. But Coach He said something to me at that time, which was actually a paraphrase of Brother Wang's words..."

"What?"

"Brother Wang said that I am not his competitor."

Su Ju was a little surprised. He had never heard Chi Zhen mention this before. "What do you mean?"

"At first I thought that Brother Wang was saying that I would never be able to beat him in the competition for the core position of the national team, so I was determined to defeat him and prove him wrong. Now I understand that he never intended to compete with me for the core position from the beginning..."

Su Ju connected the context of Chi Zhen and understood: "It turns out that Brother Wang's performance in the club was just to tell us that he still has the ability to lead us to win, not to target you. So he asked Coach He to tell you that you are not competitors?"

Chi Zhen nodded: "Yes."

Su Ju spread his hands and said, "Oh no, you were so excited that you wanted to compete with Brother Wang, but he didn't even look at you. You got so excited for nothing. What should I do?"

Chi Zhen sighed and said, "In fact, after Wang Ge led Taien to qualify for the Champions League, I knew that he would still be the core of the national team..."

"So you don't fight?"

"No." Chi Zhen shook his head and said firmly, "We still have to fight. Didn't Brother Wang say that he hopes each of us will work hard to become stronger. How can I become stronger if I don't fight with Brother Wang? There is still a year before the World Cup, and I still have a chance."

Su Ju nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "No wonder your fans and Brother Wang's fans are the most at odds with each other... Ha, then I wish you good luck!"

After saying that, Su Ju waved goodbye to him and prepared to go back to his room, but was stopped by Chi Zhen:

"What about you? Do you want to become stronger?"

Su Ju's answer to him was simple and powerful:
"Nonsense, I also want to touch the World Cup with my own hands!"

※※※

On the way to the elevator, Cai Bokang lowered his voice and said to Wang Lie: "Actually, Team Leader Shen doesn't mean to deny your idea. Don't take it seriously..." Wang Lie smiled and nodded: "I know, Director Cai. If Team Leader Shen really didn't care, he wouldn't have come to me to ask. He should have just laughed it off as if he heard a joke."

Cai Bokang pointed at him and said, "Are you trying to trick me?"

When Wang Lie proposed the goal of winning the championship at the national team meeting, the meeting room was very lively, with some people laughing and some whistling. But after the excitement, no one really took his words seriously, and even he, the captain, did not include the goal of winning the championship in the scope of discussion.

Wang Lie waved his hands quickly: "No, no... I was too young and too arrogant at the time. Cai Zhi, your consideration is normal. With the strength of that national team, if they want to win the championship on home soil, they can only learn from the Koreans and bribe the referee..."

Cai Bokang smiled: "Why? Are you not arrogant anymore?"

Wang Lie shook his head. "Things are different now, Director Cai. At that time, how many of us played in Europe? What about now? Many of our players are now playing for top European teams. They have accumulated rich experience and have advanced football awareness. In addition, from campus football to professional youth training systems, from domestic leagues to smooth channels for studying abroad - now there are European scouts stationed in China to observe our players - this also allows us to continuously produce young talents, and there is enough fertile soil to cultivate them... I'm not saying that we will definitely win the championship now, but at least we have more hope of winning that championship than fifteen years ago."

※※※

"Lao He, what do you think?"

Cai Bokang went to see Wang Lie off and has not returned yet. The only two people in the room now are team leader Shen Dongsheng and head coach He Zhenyong.

After calling Wang Lie over just now, it was mainly Shen Dongsheng who asked questions, with He Zhenyong occasionally interrupting.

Shen Dongsheng thought that He Zhenyong was in front of Wang Lie and it was difficult to say some things, so he waited until they were the only two left before asking.

He Zhenyong asked him back: "Old Shen, what does the Football Association think about next year's World Cup?"

"It hasn't been announced yet, but I guess there won't be any. Because in our original plan, next year's World Cup in England will be the first major competition after the national team's transition from old to new and generational changes, and it is difficult to set any specific goals," said Shen Dongsheng.

"If we talk about a specific goal, it should be the Asian Cup after the World Cup. By then, the Football Association will definitely have performance requirements for the national team. As for the Asian Cup... I think the minimum is to reach the semi-finals."

Hearing the goal given by Shen Dongsheng, He Zhenyong smiled: "You don't even dare to think about winning the Asian Cup..."

Shen Dongsheng did not deny that he was not ambitious: "Yes. From a practical point of view, whether to win the Asian Cup or reach the semi-finals depends on the team's performance in the World Cup next year."

He Zhenyong asked: "What kind of performance do you need to dare to win the Asian Cup?"

"The specific ranking is not important. What matters is whether the team can perform as per the training content in the World Cup. At least we should show our own characteristics and style, right? The outcome is determined by luck, but what the players show on the field is real." Shen Dongsheng said, "If we can face world-class opponents calmly and fight them back and forth, then I can imagine winning the Asian Cup. At least it means we are ready..."

He Zhenyong nodded: "Okay. Use the performance in the World Cup to prepare for winning the Asian Cup. Then what kind of preparation do you think we should make, or in what kind of competition should we prepare ourselves, so that we can imagine winning the World Cup?"

Shen Dongsheng was stunned for a moment, then said, "How can we be ready to win the World Cup? Let alone us, even the world's top teams, the favorites to win, don't dare to say they are ready to win, right?"

He Zhenyong gave him a thumbs up and said, "That's right. No one dares to say that they are ready to win the championship. No one dares to say that they are ready to win the championship. If you have to wait until you are ready before doing something, then I'm afraid you will never be able to do it."

Shen Dongsheng suddenly realized: "I finally heard it. You support Wang Lie."

"It has nothing to do with standing or not, I just think it's not a bad thing to aim for the championship."

"Then why didn't you just express your support for him?"

"I still need to communicate with you. What if you disagree?"

"Hey, you kicked the ball to my side." Shen Dongsheng pointed at He Zhenyong.

"We are a team, and your opinion is also important, Old Shen. So what do you think?" Facing Shen Dongsheng's finger, He Zhenyong just maintained an honest smile.

Shen Dongsheng's expression became serious, and he said thoughtfully: "If you want me to directly shout out that we won the World Cup... I can't say that. I'm not as high-profile as Wang Lie... If you ask me, the World Cup championship is a good goal, so let's work on it first..."

"I understand. You just want to work hard secretly and then amaze the world." He Zhenyong pointed at Shen Dongsheng and said with a smile.

Shen Dongsheng chuckled and did not refute.

"But as the head coach, I always have to make a clear statement to the team," He Zhenyong said. "Winning the World Cup is very, very difficult. The Chinese team is not strong enough to win the championship even if the team is divided and has two minds. So if you want to work hard secretly and surprise everyone, I'm afraid it won't work, Lao Shen."

"Well, I didn't say that we should keep a low profile for the players. I meant that we can't let the outside world know about this matter, especially the media reporters. If it really becomes a big deal, it will add a lot of pressure and trouble to the team. Not everyone is as broad-minded as Wang Lie." Shen Dongsheng explained.

"That's true. Tomorrow I will tell the whole team that they are not allowed to tell anyone about this... But I can't guarantee how long we can keep it a secret."

"Just do your best. For example, for Wang Lie, we can only do our best." Shen Dongsheng sighed. "After the match with North Korea, I will report this to my superiors. You are right, Lao He. Winning the World Cup is a very, very difficult thing. Not only does the team have to go all out, but the Football Association must also provide enough resources and support... No, it is not enough to just provide enough, it has to be more than enough."

As the team leader, Shen Dongsheng does not belong to the coaching staff but to the management unit. The Football Association, the management body, is behind him, so his statement also represents the Football Association.

"...Then the Football Association can also put some pressure on the media. If they really hear any rumors, they can try to stop them from talking nonsense."

"That's the best." He Zhenyong nodded in agreement.

He was not worried about whether this goal would bring pressure to him as the head coach if the Football Association knew about it. Anyway, he was determined to follow Wang Lie all the way to the end, so of course he had to bear the pressure, and there was no need to hide it from the national team's management department.

He was only worried about one thing:
"Will the leaders disagree with this goal? After all, the Football Association will have to make a lot of efforts..."

Shen Dongsheng patted his chest and said, "I will be responsible for convincing them, so don't worry about it. You lead the team well, and I will ensure your logistical supply so that the team has no worries."

※※※

The lights in the room were off, but Fu Xiaofeng was lying on the bed but not asleep.

And not only him, his roommate Chu Yu also couldn't sleep.

"Captain Chu, when Captain Wang came to you to tell you that he wanted to hold a mobilization meeting, did you know that it was a mobilization meeting for winning the World Cup?"

Chu Yu's voice came from the bed next to him: "No."

"You didn't ask him either?"

"I thought it was just a World Cup mobilization meeting. After all, as long as we win the game against North Korea, we will qualify in advance."

"World Cup Mobilization Meeting" and "World Cup Championship Mobilization Meeting" are just two words apart, but the meanings are completely different.

"But even if I knew, I wouldn't stop him."

"Huh? Why?" Fu Xiaofeng was surprised to hear Chu Yu's "but". He supported one side of his body with his arm, sat up from the bed, and looked towards the direction of the bed next to him in surprise.

"Because I also want to try to win the World Cup."

Fu Xiaofeng smiled: "It's reasonable that a young man like Liu Jinxuan is easily incited by Captain Wang. I didn't expect that an old guy like you would be so easily excited."

Being teased, Chu Yu asked back: "How many professional players can stay calm in front of the World Cup? Aren't you excited?"

Fu Xiaofeng curled his lips: "If I get excited when someone mentions the World Cup, I would have exploded and died long ago. Everyone can say nice things, but then what? Can it be realized? If it can't be realized, then it's just killing and not burying, isn't it?"

Chu Yu could hear Fu Xiaofeng's dissatisfaction with Wang Lie in his words, and he also knew why this was the case. After all, the two of them did have a conflict.

Not to mention Fu Xiaofeng, he himself also has conflicts with Wang Lie - how many people don't have conflicts with Wang Lie?
However, he still had to speak up for Wang Lie in this matter: "Everyone knows that there is only one champion. So, except for the favorites with the highest odds of winning the championship, other teams can't aim for the championship? Xiaofeng, I think you are a little too negative..."

Hearing Chu Yu accusing him, Fu Xiaofeng sat up from the bed excitedly: "Is it because I am negative? It's because his goal is too exaggerated and impossible to achieve! Do you think I am the only one who thinks so? Let me tell you, Captain Chu, there must be someone in this team who thinks the same as me, but they just won't express it like I do.

"So what's the point of Captain Wang saying this in front of the whole team other than showing off? Has he brought any positive energy to the team? He will only cause confusion and division within the team! In football coach games, when the head coach announces a goal to the team that is too difficult and doomed to fail, it will cause the players to panic and be at a loss... You see, even those who play the game know this, but our great, omnipotent 'King' doesn't know it!
"You told me that Captain Wang is different from before, but in my opinion, how is he different from before? He still doesn't care about other people's feelings, and just promotes his own ideas... Yes, I admit that he is awesome. It's awesome that he can still perform like this at the age of 38, but he can't hold everyone else to his standards! I can't lead a Premier League relegation team to qualify for the Champions League at the age of 38, and I definitely can't score six goals in a single game at the age of 38!
"Yes, he is a superman, the protagonist! But I am just a fucking mortal, a supporting role, why do I have to serve his grand narrative?! You are all so obsessed, but calm down and think about it yourself, are you worthy? You are just a stepping stone for others to succeed. If you fail, you are the culprit of his failure and the one who holds him back! And he is a tragic hero who deserves sympathy and pity!"

After saying so much in one breath, Fu Xiaofeng's emotions had not yet completely calmed down. He sat on the bed, panting heavily.

Chu Yu was silent for a moment and then said, "You make sense, Xiaofeng. Things may turn out like this in the end... It is very likely to turn out like this. But you are wrong about one thing... I don't know what others think, I only speak for myself. At least I am not risking my life just to make Wang Lie successful. I am willing to support him just because I happen to want to hold the gold cup in my own hands - we have reached a consensus. If it succeeds, it will be a good thing for me. If it fails, I will bear the consequences myself. It's that simple, not as complicated as you think."

Fu Xiaofeng wanted to debate with Chu Yu, but he heard the other party say: "Okay, I know what you think, and you know what I think, so let's end this matter here."

In the dark room, Fu Xiaofeng saw Chu Yu on the bed next to him turned over with his back facing him, which was a gesture that showed he didn't want to continue discussing with him.

Fu Xiaofeng sat there in a daze, not expecting this result:
He was the one who brought up the topic, and as a result, the deputy captain Chu Yu, who had a bad relationship with Wang Lie, actually stood completely on Wang Lie's side this time.

Hearing that Fu Xiaofeng did not lie down, Chu Yu, who had his back to him, said, "Go to sleep. We have training tomorrow morning. No matter what you think of Wang Lie's goal, you can't delay the normal training and competition, right? You are a professional player. This is what you told me at the beginning."

The last sentence made Fu Xiaofeng swallow the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He opened his mouth, but finally chose to remain silent.

Because these were indeed the exact words he said to Captain Chu, and now Captain Chu was using these words to attack him, he could only bear with it.

The story behind this is a long one...

At the beginning, Wang Lie criticized some national team players for not working hard during an interview. Although he did not directly name anyone, most people knew that he was talking about Fu Xiaofeng.

This incident put Fu Xiaofeng in a very passive position, and there were many voices criticizing him in the public opinion field.

At that time, Chu Yu was worried that Fu Xiaofeng's performance in the national team would be affected by this incident. After all, Wang Lie was the undisputed core at the time, and Fu Xiaofeng was the team's midfield organizer. If an offensive core and an organizational core completely did not get along, it would be disastrous for the team.

So I went to talk to him in private.

What did Fu Xiaofeng say to Chu Yu at that time?
He quoted a famous quote from a protagonist in an IP he likes to express his attitude:

"Do you look down on me, Captain Chu? Can such a small matter affect me? I am a professional!"

With these words, he promised Team Chu that he would not let his personal grudge with Wang Lie affect the overall performance of the team.

In fact, he said so and did so.

In the first national team match after the turmoil, some people did some statistics and found that Fu Xiaofeng made a total of four key passes to Wang Lie in that match, and Wang Lie seized two of the opportunities and converted them into goals.

From the course of the game and the statistics, it is impossible to tell that the two people have just been caught up in a public opinion storm.

Regardless of what he thought of Wang Lie in private, Fu Xiaofeng had indeed never caused trouble for Wang Lie during the game, and had even been more proactive in seeking cooperation with Wang Lie than before.

On this point alone, his professional attitude is impeccable.

Today, Captain Chu returned this sentence to him as a reminder.

After sitting there for a while, Fu Xiaofeng finally lay back on the bed.

But he still didn't sleep. Instead, he kept his eyes open and looked at the dim ceiling.

World Cup?
Just take it if you say so?

(End of this chapter)