Chapter 13 Still No

"Still no?" Her roommate watched as Sophie hung up the phone.

Sophie shook her head. "It's off." She sat weakly on the bed, supporting herself with her hands on the edge, looking up at the ceiling.

Her roommate sighed softly. "The newspapers said he just had surgery and needs to recover. The hospital needs to observe him too..."

"I've decided!" Sophie said suddenly.

"...Decided what?" Her roommate was confused.

"I'm going to find him!" Sophie stood up.

"You're going to Europe?" Her roommate was shocked. "Final exams are coming up. You're going to..."

"It doesn't matter. I'll just retake the courses when I get back," Sophie said to her roommate with a smile. "But right now, I need to be by his side. This is the most difficult time for him."

Her roommate stared blankly at Sophie, who was smiling at the bright sunshine outside the window. "I really envy you..."

"Huh? What?"

"Nothing. If you're planning to go to Europe, you need to ask the teacher for leave, get a visa. There are a lot of complicated things to do. Are you prepared for all that?"

"Yeah, I'm going to talk to Yang Pan. It should be fine. Asking for leave... the teacher shouldn't say anything. If it really doesn't work, I'll just act first and report later, hehe!"

"...Then I wish you a good trip."

※※※

"Swish!" The curtains were drawn open, and the morning sun poured in. Zhang Jun turned his head towards the window, squinting, still not used to the light.

"You're awake? How did you sleep last night?" Ms. Alana—the head nurse here—turned and smiled at Zhang Jun.

"Uh, it was... okay." Zhang Jun slowly sat up.

"Does the wound still hurt?" Ms. Alana walked to the bedside, took the flowers out of the vase and placed them aside, then put in a fresh bouquet of carnations.

"Well, it doesn't hurt as much as it did in the first few days after the surgery." Zhang Jun watched the woman busying about the room. This thirty-year-old woman had been in charge of taking care of him since his surgery.

"You can have the stitches removed in fifteen days..."

"Will I be able to move freely once the stitches are removed?"

"No, it's not that simple. Surgery is only the first step in treatment. The recovery treatment after surgery is the most crucial. So, if you want to return to the field as soon as possible, you must take it one step at a time." Alana finally finished the last thing she was doing and looked at the ward with satisfaction, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Ms. Alana."

"No need to thank me." Alana remembered the Chinese reporter who bowed to her. "There are many people outside who are always supporting you. Thank them properly when you recover."

Zhang Jun clenched his fist: Definitely!

"Then you should rest well. If you need anything, just press the bell and call me." Alana turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind her.

Zhang Jun looked at the sunlight outside the window and stretched. He really wanted to go out and bask in the sun.

He hadn't contacted the outside world in days, except for calling his parents to let them know he was safe. He didn't know how they were doing, but after seeing the news about the successful surgery, they should be relieved.

He wondered how long the recovery would take. Zhang Jun looked at his left foot, which was in a cast. He definitely wouldn't be able to make it to the Olympics, but he hoped he could make it to the next season.

This injury… oh well. His condition before was unreasonably good, so this injury could be considered a kind of retribution. He could calm down and think about things unrelated to soccer.

But… um…

But thinking about it, there weren't many things unrelated to soccer! Zhang Jun rested his chin on his hand, thinking painfully.

He suddenly thought of Sophie. It would be great if he could go back to China so he could be with Sophie every day. Just the two of them, holding her in his arms, smelling the fragrance of her hair, and… oh, Sophie… Zhang Jun hugged a pillow, rubbing his face against it repeatedly, drool soaking the pillow.

How disgusting…

※※※

"You don't need to see me off. I'm not a child. I know how to be careful on the road."

These were Sophie's words to her parents before leaving. But even as she said that, she felt a little nervous.

This was a flight from Beijing to Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sophie was seated next to a man who looked to be about thirty years old. Sophie had seen many men, but this man was always looking at her shapely body with a lecherous gaze. A typical pervert!

Why did I have to sit next to him? Sophie sighed inwardly and pulled her coat tighter, trying to block the man's ill-intentioned gaze.

But…

"Miss, it's fate that we can sit together! We met in this vast sea of people, walked this journey hand in hand, and left each other with a beautiful memory... Haha! Miss, don't you think so?" The pervert actually started talking to her. "The journey is lonely, why don't we chat and talk about our hearts!"

Sophie tightened her coat again, suddenly feeling cold. "Uh, no... no need, I'm a little airsick..." She was finding an excuse to avoid the man's entanglement.

"Airsick?" Hearing this, the man immediately perked up. "That's great... uh, that's unfortunate. Is this your first time flying? But don't worry, the person sitting next to you is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who is proficient in medical skills!" The man patted his chest and said seriously, but it felt like he was not boasting about his medical skills, but about his body. In fact, he was thinking about how to take advantage of the opportunity to treat her and touch the beautiful woman. Just thinking about how the beautiful girl would groan under his skillful techniques, he excitedly revealed his true colors.

But strangely, Sophie didn't notice the man's abnormal expression. Instead, she stared straight at the man and asked, "Are you a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner proficient in medical skills?" She asked very seriously.

The man was stunned by her serious expression. "Yes, yes, I am."

"Then I would like to ask you to help me heal someone, okay?" When Sophie thought of Zhang Jun lying on the bed, she couldn't control herself, and her body moved closer to the man.

The man was startled and leaned back a little. "Wh-what are you doing?" But after reacting, he realized that now was a good opportunity. Why should he back away? If he leaned in a little more, he would be almost face-to-face with the beauty, and he could smell her breath. Thinking about it, his body leaned forward, and his eyes fell on Sophie's chest. What beautiful breasts, he really wanted to hold them...

Seeing the distance between the two getting shorter and shorter, Sophie suddenly turned her head towards the porthole.

"Huh? This is..." The man was shocked and didn't understand what was going on.

"No, so many experts in China couldn't do anything. In the end, I still have to rely on Western medical skills. Traditional Chinese Medicine is no good anymore. Why should I ask a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner? Besides, his injury has already been treated, and I'm still looking for a doctor. How stupid!" Sophie ignored the man's uncertain expression and said to herself. That's why they say a woman's mind changes faster than the weather in June.

But the man next to her looked worse and worse. "Hey, little girl..." Even his way of addressing her had changed.

Sophie turned her head and noticed that the man next to her had a strange expression. "Is something the matter, uncle?"

"U-uncle?" The man's mouth twitched. "Please call me Big Brother!" He corrected Sophie's mistake. "What were you muttering to yourself just now? Little girl, if I didn't hear wrong, you said Traditional Chinese Medicine is no good, right?"

Sophie felt another chill and quickly tightened her coat. Strange, was the air conditioning on the plane too cold?

"I don't know where you heard such rumors. But I want to tell you, the greatness of Traditional Chinese Medicine is definitely not something ordinary people like you can understand. What is Western medicine? Superficial techniques that treat the symptoms but not the root cause! Think about our country's five thousand years of medical skills, profound and extensive..."

"It's useless to say anything. His foot was delayed by Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, which is why it's so difficult to treat..." Ignoring the other party's滔滔不绝 (tao tao bu jue - torrential flow; talking non-stop), Sophie sighed softly.

"Humph! Those so-called experts in China!" The man just snorted softly. "However, little girl, I can heal your friend's foot!" The man held up one finger and said to Sophie.

Sophie looked at the other party. The man looked confident, and it didn't seem like he was joking. Wasn't he just a pervert?

"Don't believe me? Let me tell you, I'm a hermit!" Seeing the beauty looking at him with suspicion, the man quickly explained. "Although I'm not famous, I have the ability! I travel north and south, practicing medicine, saving lives..." Again, the Yellow River overflowed,滔滔不绝 (tao tao bu jue - torrential flow; talking non-stop).

"Still don't believe it." Sophie shook her head, ignoring him. So glib-tongued, he must be a guy who only knows how to brag. Zhang Jun had already been harmed by such people, she couldn't be fooled again.

"You... What I, Feng Qing, hate most in my life is when others suspect me and look down on me! I will..." The man's voice grew louder and louder, and he seemed about to go berserk.

"Excuse me, sir, please do not make loud noises. It is rest time now. Please don't disturb the other passengers, okay?" The beautiful flight attendant interrupted the man with a smile. Seeing that it was a beautiful woman, the lecherous expression immediately reappeared on the man's face. "Okay! Okay! No problem, I won't do it again!"

So the flight attendant gave him another charming smile and turned to leave. The man sat down as contentedly as a child who had been rewarded with a candy. But as soon as he sat down, he noticed the beauty next to him again. She was beautiful, but it wouldn't do to always frown and act cool...

"I really want to know..." He tried to communicate with this silent beauty, "...your friend's name. Although you don't agree to let me treat him, I won't force you. Anyway, I have other things to do in Europe. But I just want to know the name of the person you care so much about. What's his name?" He intuitively guessed that the "ta" in the beauty's mouth would never be "she", but should be "he".

Sophie looked up at the man, his expression was serious, and he wasn't joking. "His name is... Zhang Jun." She hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth.

The man was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered his composure. "So it's him. No wonder you said he was delayed by Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. I know about this, but they don't represent Traditional Chinese Medicine. Zhang Jun's surgery was indeed successful, but a successful surgery doesn't mean he can return to the field safely."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asked in surprise.

"Little girl, if there are problems during the long recovery period after the surgery, that blow will be fatal. He will really be unable to play soccer. Would you want to see him like that? Dragging an injured leg and running around helplessly..."

What the other party said made Sophie sweat all over, and she shook her head in a panic. "No, I don't want to!"

The man smiled insidiously: "That's right! Look for me, I can definitely cure his foot completely!"

Sophie rolled her eyes, he was still advertising, she almost fell for it. "No need, I think with the help of those advanced medical equipment and excellent experts in Europe, Zhang Jun will be able to recover." She still didn't believe the person in front of her.

A look of disdain appeared on the man's face: "Not bad, I admit that Western medicine is a little better than our Traditional Chinese Medicine in terms of surgery. But when it comes to recovery methods after surgery, those foreign devils are far inferior to our Traditional Chinese Medicine. If Zhang Jun recovers according to their plan, you just wait, wait to see a machine on the field who doesn't dare to dribble the ball, doesn't dare to sprint, doesn't dare to fight, and only waits in front of the goal for his teammates to pass the ball to him to shoot. I'm definitely not exaggerating, you just need to compare the current Ronaldo with the Ronaldo in Barcelona before to know."

Sophie was surprised that a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner would know so much about soccer. "Aren't you a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner? How could you..."

"I'm a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who likes soccer." The man smiled. Although the smile on his face didn't achieve the effect he wanted due to habit, in Sophie's eyes, this was the man's most sincere smile.

"Okay, even if you think I'm advertising, I still have to say. If you still want him to return to the field and play soccer like he used to, let me treat him."

"Why does it have to be you..."

"Because I'm the only one in Europe who can cure him."

"Then why are you so persistent in wanting to cure him? You don't know each other..."

"Because I also like soccer."

It was just this sentence that finally made Sophie make up her mind to take this glib-tongued but not bad person to see Zhang Jun and treat him. She didn't know if her decision was right, but at that time there was an impulse that made her blurt out: "Okay, I'll take you to see him."

The man's face lit up with joy.

"But don't be happy too soon, I'm just taking you to see him, I don't care whether he accepts your opinion."

"Hehe! You're his girlfriend, how can he disagree with what you say?" The man laughed.

"That's what they say... but I don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't like anymore." Sophie thought of that slap again.

"Okay, okay!" The man waved his hand, nonchalantly. "As long as his heart hasn't died, he will definitely agree to my suggestion. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Feng Qing, and I'm a wandering doctor."

"I'm..."

"Hey, you don't need to introduce yourself. Since Zhang Jun is your boyfriend, then I know your name, the school you go to, your birthday, height, weight, and even your measurements..." The lecherous and wretched expression appeared on his face again.

Sophie sighed, this man was really tenacious, that kind of thought would pop up anytime, anywhere. In order to avoid this topic, she had to find something to say: "Didn't that, Uncle Feng, come to Europe to do something? Now..."

A vein popped out on Feng Qing's forehead: "It's Big Brother Feng, not Uncle Feng." He gritted his teeth.

Sophie giggled and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Big Brother Feng doesn't have something to do? Treating Zhang Jun will take up a lot of time, is that okay?"

"Huh? Oh! Haha! Just consider it a trip!" Feng Qing scratched the back of his head and laughed loudly.

"Excuse me, sir, please do not make loud noises. It is rest time now! Please do not disturb other passengers!" The beautiful flight attendant reappeared in front of Feng Qing with a smile again. Feng Qing quickly said embarrassedly: "Okay! Okay! No problem, I won't do it again! I definitely won't do it again! I promise!"

"Big Brother Feng's words are inconsistent!"

"Um, never mind. Let's not worry about those things! Is this your first time in Europe? Let me tell you about some fun places, I'm a wandering person... Well, first is Amsterdam, Netherlands, the destination of our flight. As the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is also the largest city and second largest port in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is located in the northwest of the Netherlands, bordering the IJsselmeer, and the North Sea Canal in the west connects to the North Sea. It is also an 'underwater city' that is one to five meters below sea level. The famous Ajax soccer club (Ajax) is in this city."

"Big Brother Feng..."

"Don't interrupt, listen carefully, this is your first time in Europe, this information is very important to you."

"But, I..."

"Well, next I'll introduce Volendam, where Zhang Jun is! Located in the northeast of the Netherlands, belonging to the province of Groningen, close to Germany, with a population of about 50,000. It is a small Catholic town, formerly a small fishing village. The scenery is beautiful, and rows of green wooden houses and lace-trimmed curtains hanging by the windows add a lot of warmth. In addition, Volendam is also a very popular wedding photography spot. You can take bus numbers 110, 112, 113, 116 from the bus terminal in front of Amsterdam Central Station, the journey is only forty minutes..."

"Excuse me, Big Brother Feng. But I also have a travel brochure!" Sophie waved the booklet in her hand, which was exactly the same as the one Feng Qing was holding and reading verbatim.

"Ah? Is that so? Haha, hahaha!" Feng Qing laughed embarrassedly again.

"Excuse me! Sir! Please do not make loud noises! It is rest time! Please do not disturb other passengers!"

"But your voice is louder than mine, beautiful lady."

"Ah? This..."

The plane was shuttling through the clouds, and it was a vast expanse of white outside, you couldn't see anything, everything was hazy. The future was still unclear, but Sophie's mood had gradually brightened up. She believed that when the plane broke through the clouds again and leaped up, she would definitely see the sunshine, and that dazzling sun that could make people cry.

※※※

On the seventeenth day after the surgery, when Zhang Jun, with his left foot in a cast and crutches in his hand, returned to Volendam, which he had been away from for nearly two months, it caused a riot among the city's fans. Everyone scrambled to see the hero of Volendam and send him their sincerest blessings. Zhang Jun couldn't get out of the car yet. He and Hua Fang sat in the special car provided by the club, waving and smiling at the enthusiastic fans outside through the closed windows.

The Mercedes-Benz S600 slowly moved through the crowded crowd towards the team's club. The driver was nervously sweating profusely. He had never seen the fans here be so crazy for a player. They were not welcoming a player, they were clearly... welcoming the return of a king.

Li Yan and Wang Hua, along with other Chinese reporters, had chased from France to the Netherlands again. Li Yan, who had worked in Volendam for a year, had not expected today's situation.

"Zhang Jun's leg is not healed yet, he's just back to recover from his injury, why are they so excited?" Li Yan asked puzzledly. It was too hard to walk through the crowded crowd.

"You left here with Yang Pan, so naturally you don't understand the kind of feelings they have for Zhang Jun." Wang Hua looked at the black Mercedes-Benz, which was as slow as a snail in the crowd, and said, "I'm not exaggerating, Zhang Jun is their king, he is their God. Even if he is injured now, he is still the same."

Li Yan turned to look at his good friend.

"I don't know if you still remember, Li Yan. When we first interviewed those two people, you said this: How many Chinese people play soccer abroad? How many have succeeded? This is a matter of national honor. Do you remember how they answered you?"

Li Yan was stunned. As Wang Hua said, there was such a thing.

"Yang Pan didn't express any opinion." Wang Hua continued. "But Zhang Jun's answer, do you still remember it now?"

…

"It's just a goal, hehe, it's nothing!" Facing Li Yan's praise, Zhang Jun was a little shy, he laughed.

"You can't say that! Think about how many soccer fans there are in China, and how many players there are. How many players play soccer abroad? How many have succeeded abroad? This is a matter of national honor!" Li Yan was obviously not satisfied with Zhang Jun's answer, he should be showing a high posture of "everything for Chinese soccer"!

But Zhang Jun, the silly boy, scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly: "But... as a striker, isn't scoring goals on the field what I should do?"

At that time, this question made Li Yan stunned, not knowing how to answer Zhang Jun, so he changed the topic.

But now, Li Yan was still stunned by this question.

"He actually said that this is a task that a striker should complete. His silly look at that time is really funny now! But, precisely because of this, he can receive so much sincere support and love from so many fans. Because he is pure, he only has soccer, he wholeheartedly loves this sport, without a trace of impurities. He uses his heart to touch everyone around him, players, coaches, fans, and even reporters. Don't you think we are all changing? Li Yan. That is Zhang Jun's infectiousness, that is his true strength." Wang Hua took a long breath after speaking.

Li Yan turned his head again to look at the car that was driving farther and farther away. A group of fans would immediately fill the place it passed, and they followed the car like this, no, they should be following the person in the car who waved frequently, still with a silly smile, but very sunny. If he asked that question again in a few years, he would still answer that way, right? "Hey! Stupid people really have stupid luck!" Li Yan shook his head with a smile.

※※※

Not far away in a certain corner, someone looked at this noisy and crowded street and muttered to himself: "He is Zhang Jun? He would receive such a grand welcome in a foreign small city, no wonder he is called 'the hope of Chinese soccer'. But..." He sighed softly, "Big Boss, your task is not easy! To let my hands bear the hope of the hope of Chinese soccer..."

※※※

When the car finally arrived at its destination, Zhang Jun got out of the car with Hua Fang's support. Because the team had already disbanded for vacation, the entire base seemed a bit empty, except for the second team still training under Rice.

Only Adrianse and Hornes were waiting for him at the door of his apartment. Seeing him come out, Hornes rushed up and shook Zhang Jun's hand tightly, shaking it vigorously: "It's good that you're back! Take good care of your injury! Don't worry about anything!" At the same time, a burst of flashes went off, and a news photo was completed.

Zhang Jun didn't have much affection for the boss, he just smiled faintly, then withdrew his hand and walked towards the head coach, Adrianse.

The coach smiled at him: "Don't waste time with us out here, hurry up and go inside. There's a big surprise waiting for you!"

Zhang Jun was confused and didn't understand what the "big surprise" his teacher was talking about was. For him now, the only surprise would be if his left foot healed overnight and was as good as new.

With Hua Fang's support, Adrianse's urging, and countless reporters "aiming" at him from behind, Zhang Jun slowly walked up the steps, then reached out and pushed open the door…

Huh? The door was open? He was slightly surprised, but he still pushed the door open and entered.

As soon as he entered, Zhang Jun saw Sophie sitting on the sofa opposite him, looking at him with a smile.

Am I, am I dreaming? Zhang Jun suspected that his eyes were playing tricks on him, and he blinked hard. That's right, it was Sophie, sitting on the sofa, smiling at him.

Sophie stood up and walked towards Zhang Jun step by step. Then she took Zhang Jun from Hua Fang, but she didn't support him, but hugged the stunned Zhang Jun. "You're back, Zhang Jun! That's great!"

The tears could no longer be stopped.

※※※

At this time, outside the house.

"Hey hey! What's going on? Zhang Jun went into the house and found a woman?" A reporter shouted.

"Ah! It's Sophie! It's actually Sophie!" A sharp-eyed reporter shouted.

"What? Sophie? Why would she come to the Netherlands? Isn't she studying in China?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Take pictures quickly! Take pictures!"

The flashes flashed again and again, and the sound of the shutter being pressed startled the birds in the trees.

Hua Fang smiled and closed the door from the outside. She stood at the door, letting the reporters take pictures of the closed door and the windows with the curtains drawn… It's better not to disturb this young couple.

Zhang Jun forgot that what could surprise him now was not just his foot recovering. The surprise was inside the house, in his arms.

Sophie is here, will the pain still be long?