Chapter 17 Rurh Derby

Upon arriving in the locker room, Zhou Yi could sense that the atmosphere was more solemn than usual. Or rather, more serious.

Normally, before a match, the locker room was as lively as a playground, with upbeat electronic music playing and people dancing to the rhythm. There would often be loud bursts of laughter, undoubtedly because someone had told a hilarious story that resonated with everyone.

But this time, there was no music, no dancing, and no jokes.

Everyone was quietly doing their own thing, waiting to go out and warm up.

When Zhou Yi went out to warm up with the team, he noticed that the stands, usually sparsely populated, were filled with people, and some were even standing right by the field. Fortunately, each field had a tall wire fence to keep them separated, otherwise these people would definitely affect the game.

"This is the Ruhr Derby…" While warming up, Zhou Yi's neck was like a radar that couldn't stop, swiveling left and right as he looked around, marveling at the dense crowd in the stands.

Most of the people in the stands were Borussia Dortmund fans wearing yellow and black jerseys. Many of them were parents of Dortmund youth team players, like Mark's parents, but there were also many Dortmund fans.

They might not be interested in ordinary youth team matches, but for the Ruhr Derby, even a contest between youth teams, they would come to cheer for their team.

Because this was more than just a game.

The official website of Borussia Dortmund also had reporters on site to cover the event. A blonde female host was speaking in front of the camera, with a yellow and black sea of fans behind her.

The stands for youth team matches weren't large, probably only about two hundred seats when full, but judging from the dense crowd now, the stands were definitely over capacity.

With so many fans and reporters, an ordinary youth team league game felt almost like a professional match.

These were the things Zhou Yi observed. Even during warm-up, he was still looking around, which could easily make people think he was absent-minded and not focused, but it was just a habit of his. He was simply curious about many things and couldn't help but take a look.

He was the kind of person who, if he saw a crowd gathered in a circle on the street, would definitely squeeze in to see what was going on.

Zhou Yi's teammates and coaches in the Dortmund youth team were used to it. They had initially gone through a phase of thinking Zhou Yi wasn't taking the warm-up seriously.

However, youth training director Ricken, who had come to watch the game specifically today, was somewhat puzzled.

Since Zhou Yi joined Borussia Dortmund U17, this was Ricken's first time personally watching a U17 match.

When the Chinese football youngsters were with the Borussia Dortmund youth team, Ricken didn't pay attention to the Chinese boys, so he naturally had no impression of Zhou Yi at the time.

"Is he always like this during warm-up?" Ricken asked the U17 coach, Eckel, who was next to him.

Eckel nodded.

"Hmm…" Ricken frowned, dissatisfied with Zhou Yi's behavior.

Eckel immediately guessed what Ricken was thinking and quickly explained, "It's his habit, but it doesn't mean he's not serious about the warm-up. It seems he has a natural difficulty concentrating on one thing. Whether it's warm-up, training, or a match, he likes to move his neck around like that. He's observing the surroundings."

Having coached Zhou Yi for more than two months, Eckel had already gained some understanding of this Chinese boy.

Ricken recalled Zhou Yi's performance on the field during the Dortmund U17 matches. He did like to turn his head from side to side…

So he accepted Eckel's explanation.

※※※

While observing his surroundings, Zhou Yi was also looking for Schalke 04 players, hoping to find Yang Muge.

But unfortunately, the Schalke 04 youth team didn't come out to warm up until the Dortmund youth team had finished.

It seemed they were intentionally avoiding them, after all, this was Dortmund's home ground.

Zhou Yi reluctantly left the field and returned to the locker room.

Just as Zhou Yi entered the locker room, Yang Muge, wearing a Schalke 04 tracksuit, followed his teammates out of the locker room. The cleats clicked on the marble floor.

The teammates chatted with each other as they walked towards the field.

Yang Muge seemed silent among his teammates, but not withdrawn, because he always had a smile on his face, even though he didn't speak. It was his signature warm smile.

With such a smile, even if he was silent, he wouldn't be disliked or excluded, right?

Yang Muge was also disappointed when he didn't see Zhou Yi warming up.

He wanted to give Zhou Yi a surprise—he thought Zhou Yi definitely didn't know he had joined Schalke 04!

He had deliberately not told Sun Pan, the bigmouth, which team he was going to play for, just so Sun Pan wouldn't tell Zhou Yi, and he could scare Zhou Yi when they met.

Zhou Yi had teased him a lot during the reality show, and this time he wanted to tease him back!

※※※

For the match against Schalke 04, coach Eckel spoke more than usual in the locker room, and everyone listened very carefully.

"Schalke 04 is strong, but remember, this is our home ground. You don't need to worry about the opponent, just play to your own level. Have faith in yourselves and your teammates!"

While speaking, Eckel kept his eyes on his players, observing their expressions to gauge their mental state.

He could see that some were eager to go out and teach their rivals a lesson, while others seemed nervous.

But whether they were full of fighting spirit or nervous, at least they had emotions.

Only Zhou Yi looked calm, as if the Ruhr Derby meant nothing to him.

Eckel quickly realized that Zhou Yi was, after all, Chinese and had only been in Dortmund for a little over two months. He probably didn't understand the significance of the Ruhr Derby, so naturally he wouldn't feel much. For him, the Ruhr Derby was just an ordinary game.

Eckel clearly underestimated the extent to which Chinese fans knew about European football. Before aspiring to become a professional player, Zhou Yi was just an ordinary Chinese fan. There were many ways for such fans in China to learn about European football thousands of miles away, in more detail than they knew about the domestic Chinese Super League.

Ruhr Derby?

The term was like thunder to Zhou Yi's ears. How could he not understand its meaning?

His calmness was only because he had played dozens of Ruhr Derbies in the FIFA Online 3 system. Playing so many derbies in a short period of time would probably dampen even the strongest enthusiasm…

※※※

As he left the locker room and walked towards the field, Zhou Yi suddenly heard someone call his name from behind, "Zhou Yi!"

The familiar voice instantly reminded Zhou Yi of the two months he spent filming the *Green Field Successors* reality show.

He turned around and saw Yang Muge, wearing a Schalke 04 tracksuit, looking at him with a smile.

"Lao Yang!" Zhou Yi happily turned back and rushed over, giving Yang Muge a warm hug. After spending a few months abroad, he seemed to have become more like a foreigner, more outgoing, and expressing emotions with more exaggerated gestures. If it had been before, he would have just shaken hands and patted his shoulder.

Of course, the emotions of brothers and comrades who had fought side by side also played a big part.

Although he had already known that Yang Muge had joined the Schalke 04 youth team, when he actually saw Yang Muge, Zhou Yi found that he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.

Yang Muge interpreted this as "surprise" and was very happy that he could finally tease Zhou Yi.

He patted Zhou Yi on the back. "When we were in the locker room just now, the coach kept reminding the team to pay special attention to you. It seems you're doing well in Dortmund, and your reputation precedes you!"

Zhou Yi released Yang Muge, raised his thumb, and poked himself, proudly saying, "That's right, I'm the king of friendlies!"

Seeing that Zhou Yi was still so fond of joking, Yang Muge couldn't help but smile.

Zhou Yi then asked Yang Muge if he was playing, "Why are you still wearing your jacket?"

"I'm not starting," Yang Muge said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Ah?" Zhou Yi was a little surprised. "How come?"

"I only came to the team during the winter break, and I'm still in the process of getting familiar with the team. I'm actually surprised I made the matchday squad." Yang Muge looked as carefree as ever, not very eager about playing opportunities. "It must be because of you, Zhou Yi. Schalke 04 heard that Dortmund has a Chinese player, so they added me to the squad."

Zhou Yi snorted, "Then I'll make sure you get to play! Just watch how I'll toy with their midfield! You have to be ready to come on at any time."

"Sure, sure," Yang Muge agreed, but he didn't really have any expectations in his heart.

"Hey, are you getting used to life in Germany? Where are you living now? A hotel or a dorm?" Zhou Yi found that meeting an old friend in a foreign land made him excited and eager to ask a lot of questions and say a lot of things.

But at this moment, his teammates were urging him from ahead, "Zhou Yi! It's time to go out!"

Some of them were already on the field.

Only Zhou Yi and Yang Muge were still chatting enthusiastically by the sidelines.

The hostile atmosphere of the Ruhr Derby meant that the players from the Dortmund and Schalke 04 youth teams didn't interact with each other before the match. It was considered good enough if they didn't glare at each other, but Zhou Yi was an anomaly. He was chatting happily with Yang Muge, a Schalke 04 player, which was a completely different vibe…

"You should go now, Zhou Yi. Let's talk after the match," Yang Muge offered to end the conversation.

"Okay, let's have a good chat after the match!" Zhou Yi waved goodbye to Yang Muge and ran onto the field.

Just as he got on the field, he turned around and shouted to Yang Muge, "I'll definitely make sure you get to play!"

He shouted loudly, but there was no need to worry about causing dissatisfaction among the Schalke 04 players because they probably wouldn't understand him anyway.

Yang Muge smiled and waved at him, then walked towards the Schalke 04 bench.

After sitting down in his seat, he quietly prepared to watch the game.

He had only heard about Zhou Yi's outstanding performances in the friendlies, but he had never seen them with his own eyes.

He wanted to see how much Zhou Yi had grown after receiving more than two months of training in the high-level world of German football.

Perhaps he could use Zhou Yi as a benchmark and a guide for his own progress?