Chapter 3 Zenit's Youth Team

Zenit's youth team ultimately won the match 3-1 on their home ground. Zenit scored another goal before the end of the match, but this time the scorer wasn't Chen Hero. However, he was involved. His overpowering dominance in the air completely disoriented Tomsk's youth team. Everyone's attention was focused on him, so his teammates naturally had the opportunity to score.

But Chen Hero was slightly disappointed that he couldn't score twice. If that damned referee hadn't disallowed his first header, he might have had a hat trick!

A hat trick in his first official match for the team... Well, his previous professional debut was ridiculously weak!

But no matter what the result of this match was, it didn't matter anymore.

Advocaat had discovered a pearl hidden in the youth team.

So had the news media.

As soon as the match ended, they swarmed over, wanting to interview Chen Hero.

Seeing this group of reporters rushing up, Chen Hero didn't scream and run away. Instead, he stood his ground, striking poses, waiting for the reporters to click their shutters—whatever pose you want, I guarantee I'll do it!

His first interview ever! Does this mean I'm about to become a star?

Chen Hero was very happy.

But his reverie was interrupted by Popovich.

"I'm sorry, our players don't give any interviews..." He blocked all the reporters in front of him and signaled to Chen Hero to leave quickly.

Chen Hero knew that Popovich was protecting the young players, but he didn't need protection!

He couldn't wait to shout at the reporters, "Interview me! Interview me! Let me become famous!"

Before he could shout those words, he was escorted back to the locker room by his teammates...

When he looked back, he found that Popovich was surrounded by reporters. It was as if Popovich had charged diagonally out, facing the enemy's pursuers, shouting to Chen Hero, "My lord, leave quickly! This general will hold them back!" Then, protected by numerous family soldiers and guards, he hurriedly fled. Looking back again, the loyal Popovich had been submerged by the fierce enemy soldiers, only his raised hand holding his large spear could be seen among the crowd of enemies...

How tragic, but that was definitely not Chen Hero's mood at this moment.

He really wanted to be interviewed!!

The unwilling Chen Hero was swept into the locker room by his teammates, while Popovich was outside, trying to resist the media's onslaught.

"Excuse me, Mr. Popovich, what's the background of that number 33?"

"Is he Korean or Japanese? Or... Chinese?"

"He showed amazing talent in heading the ball. Is he a new star Zenit recently discovered?"

"Name! We want to know his name!"

"He was disrespectful to the referee during the match... Is he a 'bad boy'?"

"Is he Russian or a foreign player?"

Various questions were thrown at Popovich, leaving him only able to parry, unable to retaliate.

He could only repeat one sentence: "I'm sorry, no comment, no comment... I said no comment!!"

Advocaat had promised before the match that he would give an interview to the reporters afterwards, but now not a single reporter came to ask him questions. Everyone surrounded Popovich, vying to ask questions.

And Advocaat and Potter had no intention of helping. They were discussing Chen Hero's situation.

"In the limited time he had as a substitute, he was able to perform so well. I don't think there's anything wrong with his mental fortitude..." said Advocaat. Mental fortitude was a very important indicator. If his mental fortitude wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't be able to unleash his talent. As it stands now, his mental fortitude is not bad.

Faced with the iron-clad facts, Potter could only nod in agreement. Chen Hero's header had indeed left a deep impression on him. The kid's heading was really outstanding, and he had to admit it.

"I'm planning to transfer him to the first team!" Advocaat suddenly said, startling Potter.

Although he recognized Chen Hero's heading ability, was it too arbitrary to decide to transfer him to the first team after watching just one youth team match?

"Uh... it was only one match, and only twenty-odd minutes... Isn't it too fast? I think we should continue to observe him. Who knows if his performance today is the norm, or just a fluke?" Potter advised.

Advocaat thought about it, and also felt that his previous plan was a bit rash and arbitrary. He nodded. "Okay, let's continue to observe him then."

He looked at Popovich, who was besieged by reporters, and said to Potter, "Let's go, while no one remembers my previous promise..."

He didn't want to end up like Popovich.

The two quickly left the Smena football school's indoor football field, leaving the poor Popovich still struggling to deal with the ferocious reporters.

"Excuse me, Mr. Popovich..."

"I have a question..."

"We're from the Zenit official website, why don't we even know there's someone like that on the team..."

"No comment..."

"No comment!"

"No—comment!"

Chen Hero was happily lying on his bed, holding a newspaper.

It was filled with Russian, which he couldn't understand at all. But that didn't stop him from grinning.

Because there was a picture of him on it!

Although it was just a side view of his back... it was enough to show his heroic posture!

This was the day after the youth league match. Popovich gave the team a day off. The youth team didn't have as many matches as the adult team. Besides the youth league, there was also the Russian Youth Cup. And there weren't many teams in the youth league, so there weren't many matches.

Therefore, even on Monday, Chen Hero didn't have to go to the training ground.

He ran to the entrance of the training base to buy a newspaper. Outside the training base there was a newsstand that sold newspapers and magazines, as well as posters and trading cards of the players. Fans who came to Udelny to watch the training could buy a few player posters or trading cards here, and then bring them to the sidelines to have the players sign them.

After being happy for a while, Chen Hero felt bored again—because he couldn't understand what it meant at all.

What were they saying? Were they praising him, or criticizing him? Were they guessing his origins? He didn't know what Popovich had said to those reporters yesterday...

He remembered that after his father returned to China, he had specially bought him a Russian-Chinese dictionary and sent it to him, telling him to start learning Russian himself before the translator and language teacher arrived. The dictionary had just been sent, and hadn't been opened yet...

He jumped off the bed and, barefoot, began to rummage through the pile of packages in the corner of the wall. After finding the dictionary, he began to lie on the bed, comparing each word one by one, trying to translate the short news item himself.

Just then, he heard the doorbell.

When he heard the doorbell ring, Chen Hero didn't react at all. The whole dormitory building was empty, and no one ever came to visit. The doorbell had never rung before. So at first he didn't realize it was the doorbell, and thought his cell phone was ringing. But he quickly realized that his cell phone didn't have this ringtone!

The music continued, and he finally realized—could it be the doorbell?

Chen Hero hesitated and walked to the door. He shouted to the outside, "Who is it?" while putting his eye to the peephole.

In the peephole, he saw a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed round glasses and a receding hairline, with a small, eight-shaped mustache above his lips.

A stranger. He had never seen this face on the team.

Hearing Chen Hero's question from inside the door, the person outside replied, "Hello, Hero. I'm your translator and Russian teacher."

Chen Hero was stunned, because he heard fluent Mandarin!

Mandarin without the slightest accent!

As pure as the Mandarin spoken by the news anchors on CCTV's News Broadcast!

Chen Hero, who had opened the door, was very disappointed when he looked at the man standing in front of him. When the club informed him that they were looking for a Russian translator and language teacher for him, he was expecting a sexy, busty blonde to appear before him.

That would be more in line with the YY novel storyline, right? (YY is a Chinese internet slang term for wish fulfillment or fantasy)

Unfortunately, standing in front of him was a real man, and not good-looking at all. In fact... Chen Hero even thought this person was a bit lecherous. Like those perverts who grope women's butts on crowded trains...

Seeing the look of disappointment on Chen Hero's face after he was stunned, the translator was not angry at all. He smiled and extended his hand to Chen Hero. "Hello, Hero. I'm Maksim Yesenin. From today on, I will be your translator and Russian teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself to Chen Hero in very fluent Chinese.

Although he had heard it once already, Chen Hero was still surprised by his Mandarin without the slightest accent. He extended his hand and shook hands with the other person.

Just as their hands made contact, Chen Hero suddenly noticed a rainbow of colors flash across the translator's face!

He thought he was seeing things, blinked hard, and opened his eyes again. Nothing! Yesenin had a kind smile on his face, and there was no rainbow of colors.

"That..."

"What is it?" Yesenin asked with a smile.

Chen Hero originally wanted to ask, "What's on your face..." but then he thought, how could he see what was happening on his face, and if he asked that, people would think he was crazy... So he shook his head. "Uh, nothing."

Was he really mistaken? He lowered his head in confusion, muttering to himself...

He didn't see that just as he lowered his head to doubt whether he had seen things, a rainbow of colors flashed across Yesenin's smiling face again, just as fleeting. By the time Chen Hero raised his head again, Yesenin had long since returned to normal.