Chapter 1 Popovici's News

Popovici only found out about this the next day when Advocaat summoned him directly to the head coach's office.

In truth, the youth training director had little power to refuse when the first team coach wanted to transfer a youth team player. Many youth training directors would even be happy because it meant their work had been rewarded and recognized.

But Popovici couldn't be happy.

He always felt it was too early for Chen Hero to be transferred to the first team... Chen Hero's current abilities, apart from his header, were lacking. Was it really okay for someone with that kind of ability to go to the first team?

He knew that the competition in the first team was much fiercer than in the youth team. You not only had to face competition from your first team teammates, but also from the reserve team. If you didn't perform well in even one game, you might be relegated to the reserve team. At that point, you wouldn't be eligible to return to the youth team to compete...

If he could have his way, he would have preferred Chen Hero to stay in the youth team until the end of the season, and then be transferred to the first team when he turned nineteen next year.

Anyway, after nearly a month of training, he could feel that Chen Hero had indeed received professional training, just like he said, as a youth team player at a club in China. But the level of training he received wasn't very high, and if that was all he had, without that super strong header ability, he wouldn't have been able to meet Zenit's requirements.

But now that the first team coach wanted him, he couldn't refuse.

After leaving Advocaat, Popovici and Potter hurried back to the youth team's training ground. Potter was going to inform Chen Hero to report to the first team.

However, Popovici didn't immediately call Chen Hero off the training field. He had Potter wait on the sidelines for half an hour, until the youth team training was over, before calling Chen Hero over alone.

Chen Hero saw assistant coach Potter standing next to Popovici and smiled—he already knew why Popovici had called him over.

Seeing his eager expression, Popovici knew that Chen Hero himself was also looking forward to the first team—which was normal, who in this youth team didn't want to go to the first team?

"Hero, starting tomorrow, you'll be training with the first team," Popovici said directly, seeing Chen Hero's expression as if he already knew.

"I know, coach!" Chen Hero happily looked at Potter—the assistant coach was like a door, and by opening it, a better world was unfolding before his eyes!

Seeing Chen Hero so happy, Popovici felt he should give him a word of advice.

"You know your own strengths and weaknesses very well, Hero. I hope that when you go to the first team, you will try your best to use your strengths. But you must also continue to work hard on your weaknesses. Let me tell you, first team games, even reserve team games, are not comparable to youth team games. Don't be proud and arrogant!"

"I won't, I'm never proud and arrogant! Ha!" Chen Hero laughed.

Seeing him like this, Popovici knew that anything he said would be useless. He figured he was only eighteen years old, and there were many things he wouldn't understand unless he experienced them himself...

He waved his hand.

"Work hard in the first team too."

"Thank you, coach!"

Chen Hero bowed to Popovici, which surprised him—maybe this kid wasn't as carried away as he seemed?

Chapter 2 A Good News

In Chengdu at the end of August, there were no signs of the temperature dropping. It seemed like the lingering summer heat would continue to wreak havoc for a while. Chen Tao parked the van by the side of the road, got out of the driver's seat, and opened the door. The back of the van was filled with packages of all sizes, packed in nylon woven bags.

The clothes he had ordered from Guangzhou had arrived, and he had just picked them up from the East Railway Station.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Chen Tao began to roll up his sleeves, preparing to unload the goods. At this moment, his wife, Li Yun, who had been watching the store, also came out.

Chen Tao handed a smaller-looking package to his wife. Li Yun grabbed it, hugged it with both hands, and walked quickly into the store.

And he himself shouldered a large package and followed.

Chen Tao had been in business for many years, initially setting up a stall on Chunxi Road—back then, Chunxi Road wasn't filled with towering buildings and shopping malls like it is now. The entire street was made up of stalls consisting of steel wire beds, clotheslines, and ropes.

Chen Tao was one of them, and he and his wife met through doing business—at that time, their stalls were next to each other, and they set up their stalls together every day, did business together, and when there was no business, they chatted with each other. When there was business, they helped each other... Over time, they developed feelings for each other. Later, the two stalls merged into one, and they officially got married.

You have to know that back then, in order to make money, you really had to work hard no matter what. His wife was pregnant with Hero, already eight months along, and was still working hard at the stall with her big belly.

Relying on the money they had earned through their hard work over the years, the family was considered relatively wealthy in Chengdu at the time, and they lived a very comfortable life. But after their son started learning to play soccer... the money became insufficient.

The expenses were huge, but what could they do since their precious son liked to play soccer? Chen Tao gritted his teeth and provided for him, as long as his son liked it, that was enough!

Chen Hero had never lacked money to spend since he was a child. He played with computers earlier than his peers, and he also used mobile phones relatively early. When other children could only drool while looking at the Little Tyrant (a type of game console), he was already tired of playing Nintendo's Famicom.

All of this was because his parents were working hard outside to earn money.

In fact, many of the people who set up stalls together on Chunxi Road back then had businesses that grew bigger and bigger later on, and they had long since amassed tens of millions in assets. The money that Chen Tao had earned over the years, however, had all been invested in his son's soccer career.

So much so that now they only rented a storefront near the University of Electronic Science and Technology on Jianshe Road, where they opened a clothing store specifically targeting university students. The prices weren't very high, but the styles were novel and trendy, so it was quite popular. As a result, their family's life was still going well.

Now, they had finally provided for their son, and although they were in debt again, they felt much more relaxed.

Parents are happy when their son is successful.

When Chen Tao returned from Russia alone, Li Yun was terrified—because her son was gone.

Chen Tao then told his wife the whole story.

Playing soccer was the only thing his son knew how to do, and now that he heard he was playing soccer in Russia, Li Yun didn't disagree. It's just that the thought of not seeing her son for a long time made her heartbroken—if she had known that her son would be gone for a long time this time, she would have filled his luggage bag with many, many things for him to take. Unlike now, when they were in such a hurry and didn't prepare anything.

Chen Hero now calls them once a week, and they are very happy to know that their son is performing well in the Zenit youth team and has scored goals in two consecutive games.

Chen Tao even believes that his initial decision to borrow money to take his son out was the right one.

Chen Tao had just put down the goods when he heard the phone in his pants pocket ring. He quickly took out his phone and saw that it was his son calling!

"Dad!" Hearing his father's voice from the other end of the phone, Chen Hero was very happy. He said to his father with undisguised excitement, "There's good news!"

"Ah?" His father didn't seem to have reacted yet. "What did you say?"

"I said there's good news!"

"Good news? Did you score again?"

Hearing that it was her son's call, Li Yun also stopped what she was doing and stood next to her husband.

Chen Tao simply turned on the speakerphone so that his wife could hear her son's voice too.

"Not that fast, the game just ended... I mean, your son, I've been transferred to the first team!"

"The first team?" Chen Tao was stunned for a moment, and then he reacted. "The adult team? Can you play in professional leagues?"

"Of course!"

"Really?!" Chen Tao certainly knew what the first team meant.

"Can that be fake?"

"Haha, great, great!" Chen Tao laughed—his son's entry into the first team was the culmination of his efforts, and he was now a true professional player.

Before, he was always in the youth team, and he had to worry about whether the first team would like his son.

Now that his son had been transferred to the first team, this weight had been lifted.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Work hard, son!" His mother shouted into the phone from the side.

"Mom's here too?" Chen Hero's voice was a little surprised.

"What are you saying... if I'm not by your dad's side, who else would be by his side?"

"Hehe..." Chen Hero laughed foolishly.

Just then, two customers came into the store, and Li Yun didn't have time to say anything else, so she went out to greet them. Chen Tao picked up his phone, turned off the speakerphone, walked out of the store, and said to his son, "We've received the money, Hero. Let me tell you, don't send money home anymore. Business is good now, and we'll be able to pay off those debts soon, so you don't have to worry about it. Keep it for yourself, don't be too hard on yourself..."

"Hey, Dad, when have you ever seen me being hard on myself? Don't worry, the money I keep is definitely enough for me to spend. And if I perform well after being transferred to the first team, I can modify my contract, and then I'll earn even more... Ten thousand yuan is nothing? I'll pay you back in two weeks!"

Chen Hero wasn't like this before. Chen Tao felt that after going out, his son had become more mature, more sensible, and knew how to understand his parents. Unlike before, when he was terminated by the team, he locked himself in his room and played games day and night, not listening to anyone. He remembers very clearly how many tears his mother shed during those days.

"Let me tell you, Dad. When I become famous and earn a lot of money in the future, you should close that store! Don't do it anymore. At that time, you and Mom can go on a trip, go wherever you want. Hasn't Mom always said she wants to travel?"

"Ahem, we'll talk about it later... You should still focus on playing soccer, you don't need to worry about our affairs... That's it, I'm really busy here... Bye."

Chen Tao hurriedly hung up the phone, then got back into the car, pulled out a package of clothes, and carried it on his shoulder. No one saw the happy smile on his face as he lowered his head and bore the burden.