Reverse.

Chapter 38

The mother opened the door and walked into the kitchen with a paper bag containing vegetables, fruits, beef and other ingredients, only to find her son frying fish there.

When she first discovered that there was someone in her kitchen, she was so scared that she almost dropped the shopping bags in her arms - she thought she had caught a gangster breaking in and stealing things.

At this time, what she needs to worry about is not the safety of her property, but the safety of her own life.

Fortunately, she quickly saw that the man's back was her son Sonny Dean.

But after seeing his identity, she asked in surprise: "Sunny? Why are you here?"

Dean, who was concentrating on frying fish, replied without turning his head: "I took the key this time."

"I'm not asking how you got in. I'm asking why you're here again. What kind of trouble did you get into this time that made you want to hide here?"

"No, isn't it okay if I miss you?" Dean said as he put the fried fish fillets in the pan onto two plates that had been prepared long ago. In addition to the fish fillets, there were mashed potatoes, broccoli and scrambled eggs on the plates.

Then he took the shopping bag from his mother's arms, put it aside, and handed the plate with fish fillet to his mother: "Dinner."

"You eat it. I've already eaten..." Mom didn't respond.

"Drinks at the bar don't count as a proper meal." Dean still forced the plate into his mother's hands, then turned around and walked towards the dining table with his own portion.

Mom was a little helpless, but she still followed with the plate in her hand.

After they both sat down at the dining table, Dean didn't say anything, but just focused on eating his dinner.

The mother did not move, but watched her son carefully from the opposite side. After watching for a long time, she asked cautiously: "Are you really... okay?"

Dean put down his knife and fork and said to his mother, "Mom, you can check online to see if I'm okay. Has anyone scolded me since yesterday? No."

This reason is very convincing because when my son was unhappy or worried in the past, it basically coincided with the criticism of him on the Internet.

but……

"Didn't you waste a sure-shot goal yesterday?" Mom asked puzzledly.

Dean suddenly regretted coming to his mother's place...

But he still said stubbornly, "Where was it wasted? If it wasn't for the opportunity I created, would Wang have had the chance to score twice? Come eat, Mom, and enjoy the time your son is back with you. Don't talk about topics that ruin the atmosphere."

“Oh…” Only then did Mom pick up the knife and fork and lower her head to eat.

※※※

"...I heard that my dear friend Lucas is turning ten today, so I came here to wish little Lucas a happy birthday! Hi, Lucas, I hope you can be as happy as you are today every day. You have a good brother who loves you, and so many family members and friends who love you, which is really enviable...I hope you and your friends can have fun today. I also say hello to your friends..."

Looking at the real-life image of Wang Lie projected on the projection screen, the children at the scene screamed and made a scene.

The protagonist Lucas, who was wearing a birthday hat on his head, stared at the screen in amazement, as if he couldn't believe it was all true - just before the birthday party started, he hadn't received the video his brother promised. He thought that either his brother had stood him up, or Wang Lie was unwilling to record the video.

But no matter what the reason was, he was very disappointed and painful.

Because of this, he seemed depressed even when his friends came to celebrate his birthday.

I didn’t expect that my brother hadn’t told me before because he wanted to give me such a surprise!
"Wow, Lucas! I'm so envious! The king actually recorded a video just for you!"

"That's right! Unbelievable! I heard that he has a bad temper, but he actually agreed. Lucas, your brother is amazing!"

"I'm so envious of Lucas! I want to have a brother like him!"

"The king greeted me! He greeted me again! Ahhh! Hello to you too, king! You're awesome! Besides Ronil, you're the one I love the most!"

……

"Look, Vitini." The mother pointed the camera of her mobile phone at the group of shouting children, "Your gift has driven them crazy. Lucas was even so surprised that he couldn't speak..."

Vitini laughed on the phone screen: "Ha! It seems that this surprise worked well! Actually, Wang originally wanted to use my phone to video call Lucas directly, just like we are doing now. But I took into account the four-hour time difference between Brazil and the UK, and was worried that Wang would go to bed when the party started, so I only let him shoot this video..."

"It's enough, it's enough, it's good enough." Mom couldn't stop smiling.

"There are also Wang's autographed jersey and autographed football. When Dad comes back, I'll bring them to Lucas. I'm afraid they'll be lost in the mail..."

As Vitini continued to speak, her mother held the phone, smiling and listening quietly.

She didn't turn the camera over, so now all Vitini saw was the party scene captured by the rear camera.

The video had finished playing. When Lucas came back to his senses from the shock, he found himself surrounded by his envious friends, who were making a fuss.

As the mother looked at her eldest son and youngest son appearing on the screen at the same time, the smile on her face became more and more obvious, and in the end she couldn't stop laughing.

After talking to his mother, Vitini said he was going to bed.

Mom was a little surprised: "So early? What time is it now?"

"It's almost ten o'clock here," said Vitini.

"You're going to bed after nine? Have you ever gone to bed so early before?" Mom still found it strange. For Brazilians, the colorful nightlife has just begun at this time...

Vitini explained: "I have already started adjusting my schedule, Mom. I now follow Wang's advice and try to fall asleep before 10:30 every day. It was a little difficult at first, but after getting used to it, my biological clock will remind me to go to bed at this time every day! I'm already a little sleepy..."

As he was speaking, Vitini yawned, making his words seem particularly convincing.

"Oh, is this the king's suggestion? Then you must do as he says. I won't disturb your rest. Good night, little Vitini..."

After ending the video call, the mother turned her gaze to her youngest son who was still playing with his friends, and let out a contented sigh.

She could feel that her eldest son was very happy during his time in Tyne.

This has never happened in the past two years.

Before, he always wanted to leave the team. When he and her had a video call, the topics they talked about were all about the unfair things he encountered on the court, which clubs were interested in him, and what his future plans were for his career...

He also bluntly said that he did not like the current team and that he must leave Tyne before his contract expires.

Although he played very hard in every game and Tyne had many fans who liked him, his mother knew that her son was not happy at all about his life in Tyne.

It was as if I was bound by some invisible thing.

This situation has only recently improved.

From the first time he videotaped her and talked about Wang Lie coming to the team to train with him, every time the mother and son chatted, she could see her son beaming with joy and gesticulating.

It was like sunshine shining into his life.

No longer the gloomy weather in Newcastle.

During this period, my son has not mentioned leaving Tyne again. He has even adjusted his schedule to match his idol...

It was clear that he was really beginning to enjoy life in Tyne.

In fact, the mother doesn’t care much about where her son plays football, she just wants her son to be happy.

Now she is very satisfied and does not care whether her son will leave Tyne this summer, nor does she care much about what will happen after his contract expires next year.

Happiness doesn't come often, and as long as she is so happy at the moment, what else can she ask for?

Thank God for bringing Wang to my son's team...

Mom crossed herself.

※※※

“This is a gym…”

Wang Lie took out his mobile phone and used the rear camera to take a picture of his wife who was on a video call.

The gym he mentioned was not like the cryotherapy room, which was converted from a suite. Instead, it was a real gym, which was the purpose determined by the original landlord when he designed and built the villa.

On the basement floor, the spacious space is filled with training equipment that Clement moved from Wang Lie’s home in Manchester. In addition, there is a sauna room, a ping-pong table, and an indoor swimming pool with a constant temperature function.

This underground space was so large that when Wang Lie spoke, there was even an echo.

Tang Xingmei asked on the other end of the phone: "The conditions are good, have you used it?"

"Well, I practiced for a while in the afternoon. It's indeed much better than the hotel gym."

"I saw the ping-pong table. Did you really hire a coach to practice ping-pong?" Tang Xingmei discovered the "blind spot". Wang Lie nodded: "Yes, but I haven't had time to take classes in this room yet. After that, the coach will come twice a week to help me practice ping-pong."

Tang Xingmei covered her mouth and laughed: "You really are... planning to take down Dean. Does he know that you secretly found a coach to train with?"

Wang Lie shook his head: "Of course he can't know that."

Tang Xingmei smiled so hard that her eyes curved: "You are so bad!"

"Ha!" Wang Lie also knew that he was a bad guy, and he laughed out loud when he was praised.

He turned and went upstairs with a laugh: "I'll take you to see the room where Ziqi and Zilin sleep. There are so many rooms in this house, enough to share..."

"Is it bigger than our house in Manchester?" asked my wife.

"It's huge! I think it's almost as big as two houses in Manchester."

"Are you afraid of sleeping alone at night in such a big house?"

"Afraid? What are you afraid of? Ha!" Wang Lie laughed, "Your husband has strong yang energy, what is there to be afraid of? Even if there is a ghost, it is the ghost that is afraid of me!"

Hearing her husband speak so confidently, Tang Xingmei smiled slightly: "Haha."

Seeing his wife smiling but not really smiling, Wang Lie suddenly felt alarm bells going off in his mind. He realized what a mistake he had just made...

So he hurriedly made amends, and smiled and coaxed his wife: "Although I'm not afraid of ghosts, I still feel empty, lonely and cold when I sleep alone at night... I'm just waiting for you to come over. Otherwise, why am I so anxious to urge Fernando to clean up this room? Isn't it... vacant! And... and I've thought about it. When my mother's legs and feet are almost recovered and she can walk by herself, I will let you come back to accompany me... Haven't you noticed? Since you returned to the country, my performance is not as good as before?"

At first, Tang Xingmei just watched her husband's performance quietly, but when he said the last sentence, "Since you returned to China, my performance is not as good as before," her expression relaxed.

Because this sentence was not an excuse her husband made to coax her.

Based on her understanding of her husband, this guy who always appears to be tough in the outside world actually also needs comfort and consolation.

After all, it is easy to break.

Staying tough and fighting the world all the time is also very exhausting. If you can't get relief, even the toughest people will have problems with their emotions and spirit.

In other words, Wang Lie actually needs a psychological masseur.

But given Wang Lie's personality and temper, it is unrealistic, or even impossible, to ask him to seek help from an outside psychologist to solve his inner problems.

So she, the wife, had to play the role of psychologist.

Her husband has been strong all his life, and he would only show weakness in front of her and let her stroke his fur.

If it were someone else...even his own mother, it wouldn't work.

For the past six months, I have been in China and can only communicate with my husband through video. How can it compare to having him by my side all the time?

It just so happened that the past six months have been the most stressful and difficult for her husband, with both his competitive state and public opinion environment not as good as before. When he needed her support and comfort the most, she could only comfort him through video in China, which was like "scratching an itch through a shoe", and the effect was very limited.

At least when her husband was awakened by the fire in bed alone late at night, she couldn't even give him a hug.

So she believed that her husband's last sentence was definitely not a lie to coax her, but a genuine grievance.

But even though her expression softened, Tang Xingmei still didn't spare her straight husband who didn't understand romance: "Didn't you score twice? Isn't that a good performance?"

Wang Lie, who had learned from his failure, knew what he should say this time: "Well, isn't it because I think about you guys coming soon that my condition has improved? You see, I can score two goals just by thinking about you coming. If you stay with me all the time, I will be able to score a hat trick, right?"

Tang Xingmei still couldn't hold it in, and was amused by her husband's lies: "You wish!"

Seeing his wife smile, Wang Lie felt relieved. He knew that he had passed this hurdle today...

Alas, coaxing my wife is harder than facing a double-team between two defenders on the court!

However, he did not get carried away and let down his guard. Instead, he asked again, "Why don't you just stay after the winter vacation? I'll have someone send the child back..."

Tang Xingmei glared at him and said, "What are you thinking about? Mom's legs and feet haven't recovered yet, so I have to go back. As for coming here... we'll talk about it later. I think it will be difficult to live here for a long time. It's good enough if I can fly over every now and then to stay for a few days."

Hearing his wife say this, Wang Lie was really disappointed...

What he said just now was not just to deceive his wife, but he really wanted his wife to stay with him forever.

They met each other when they were young and have been able to support each other to get to where they are today. To him, his wife is no longer just a wife, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is his spiritual pillar.

This is especially true after my father passed away.

My mother doesn't know anything about football, but she was a career-oriented woman when she was young. She made money in China to support herself and my father so that we could pursue our football dreams in Europe.

But when it comes to her son, she is a typical loving mother - the kind mother who often spoils her son - always worrying about this and that.

When Wang Lie was a child, he liked his mother because she spoiled him and his father was too strict. When he didn't want to train, when the training was too hard, or when he was scolded, beaten, or punished by his father, he could find a safe haven in his mother.

But when he later determined his dream and had more subjective initiative, he began to gradually understand his father whom he feared and hated when he was a child. He went from questioning his father to understanding him, and finally becoming his father, and even surpassing him.

Wang Lie certainly loves his mother and is grateful to her for making money to support the family, but he has to admit that his mother often doesn't understand him, especially when it comes to his obsession with becoming the best player and pursuing that almost impossible goal.

When my father was still alive, he understood Wang Lie, or rather, that kind of Wang Lie was exactly what my father wanted to see. The father and son were in tune with each other and had the same aspirations and goals. My father was not only his father, but also his spiritual partner.

Later, his father passed away. The person in the world who understood Wang Lie best, who could get close to his heart and resonate with his spirit was only his wife, whom he had known since he was studying at Oriental Football School.

Wang Lie won the Golden Ball Award twice. When he took the stage to receive the award, he specifically thanked his wife, saying that without his wife, he would not have been able to receive this highest honor for a player.

Some people may think that he is just speaking for show and showing his affection to others.

But Wang Lie himself knew very well that he was telling the truth. His wife Tang Xingmei was one of the important contributors to his winning of the Golden Globe Award, and perhaps even the most important one.

Although they were thousands of miles apart and only connected through a mobile phone screen, when Wang Lie was disappointed, Tang Xingmei immediately felt her husband's emotion.

So Tang Xingmei coaxed her husband like she was coaxing a child: "Okay, okay, I'll be here soon. This time I can stay with you until the end of the winter vacation."

She no longer cared about her husband's words just now that he was not afraid of sleeping alone...

※※※

Dean lay on the bed he had slept on as a child, his hands on the pillow, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

The ceiling is covered with posters of football stars, but only the middle part is blank.

It seems that he will have to stay in this small house for a few more days...

He used to come to his mother's house to avoid the paparazzi, but now he would come to avoid his neighbors...

But why do you hide yourself?

He thought again of the scene in which he hurriedly hid behind the wall of his house during the day.

I didn't do anything wrong!
After thinking about it, Dean found a reason to convince himself:

If you can't afford to offend, you can at least avoid it, right?
The good news was that this time when he was lying on the bed, he finally didn't hear Wang Lie's endless "roll call".

He can sleep well...

※※※

Wang Lie ended the video call with his wife and returned to his bedroom.

It was almost time for him to go to bed.

Then he suddenly remembered something, walked to the window, opened the curtains a little, and looked at the neighbor's house next door.

It was pitch black over there at night, without a single light.

If he remembered correctly, the house had been like this since dark, with no light.

Sonny Dean isn't home?
You've been out fooling around and haven't come back yet?
If this is the case, how can I maintain good physical condition for training tomorrow?
Wang Lie couldn't help but frown.

He knew that Dean had some ridiculous experiences, but he always thought that they were excusable. After all, it was some annoying things like being scolded for poor performance that made Dean drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Wang Lie did not agree with Dean's evasive approach, but he could also understand the reasons behind it.

But now the team has just won the game, and he was not cyber-bullied for missing an opportunity. How could he give up on himself and go to a nightclub to have fun?

The team will resume normal training tomorrow, and if they still play like this, do they really intend to completely lay down and give up, and don't care about their last half season at Tyne?

(End of this chapter)