Chapter 1 The End

With Borussia Dortmund successfully lifting the league title, the 2010-2011 Bundesliga season came to an end.

Borussia Dortmund achieved a record of twenty-five wins, five draws, and four losses in thirty-four league matches, accumulating seventy-eight points. They scored seventy-two goals and conceded only twenty-two, with a goal difference of fifty.

They were the second-highest scoring team, second only to Bayern Munich's eighty-one goals.

They also conceded the fewest goals, a full seventeen fewer than Mainz, who conceded the second-fewest. Their goal difference of fifty also made them the team with the highest goal difference.

Such performance topped the Bundesliga, making their league title well-deserved.

In terms of individual statistics, Marc, who only got a chance a month into the season due to Barrios' injury, had an amazing breakthrough. He scored a total of seventeen goals this season, making him Dortmund's top scorer, and tied for third in the league's top scorer list with Cologne's Novakovic.

There is no doubt that he will likely be awarded the Bundesliga's Best Newcomer Player of the season.

For Zhou Yi, this season was also a fruitful one.

His six goals in the league were a new high in his career, and his nineteen assists allowed him to beat Kaiserslautern midfielder Christian Tiffert to retain the Bundesliga's assist king title. The latter had sixteen assists.

This assist data also ranked first in the top five leagues in Europe.

Second place was Barcelona's Messi with eighteen assists, and third place was Real Madrid's Özil with seventeen assists.

In terms of passes, Zhou Yi had a total of three thousand and eighty-nine passes, which was also the most in the Bundesliga.

These data show that Zhou Yi is already one of the top players in the Bundesliga. Although he is only twenty years old, he can already be on par with world-class players like Ribéry and Robben.

In addition to his outstanding performance in the Champions League, with two goals and six assists, his influence is not only limited to the Bundesliga but has also spread throughout Europe.

In the past, it was already good if Chinese football could produce an Asian first-class player. But now, Zhou Yi is already a quasi-world-class player.

Now this quasi-world-class player will return home in glory.

While the entire Borussia Dortmund team was celebrating in Boris Square, domestic media had already reported the news that Zhou Yi would return to China after the end of the season, and even reported the specific time of his return.

The last round of the Bundesliga was played on May 14th, and Zhou Yi will depart for China on May 16th. He will then spend three days in Beijing, attending three commercial events for the brands he endorses, and participating in an interview with a football program on CCTV.

After that, he will leave Beijing and return to his hometown, Qingyang City.

All of Zhou Yi's actions have basically been figured out, which is of course the price he pays as a star.

Zhou Yi's supporters have already been networking online, discussing going to the airport to pick him up.

Two and a half years ago, when Zhou Yi followed Dortmund scout Tim Kister to leave Qingyang and transferred from Beijing to Germany, only his parents came to see him off at the airport.

Two and a half years later, when he returns to China, countless people will gather at the airport to welcome him.

※※※

Before leaving Germany, Zhou Yi went to Marc's house to visit and relax.

Of course, he also saw Cortana.

At Marc's house, Marc excitedly said to Zhou Yi, "Zhou Yi, I just received a call from Löw! Do you know who Löw is?"

"Nonsense, of course, I know. The coach of the German national team. Congratulations, Marc!" Zhou Yi smiled and punched Marc.

"Hehe!"

They both knew what this call meant.

Marc's performance at Dortmund this season was so outstanding, how could the national team ignore him?

Before, there were media reports that Löw was closely watching Dortmund's Marc Wagner and had included him on the national team's observation list.

At the end of this season, Marc scored in two consecutive games, scoring four goals, one of which was a hat-trick. His outstanding performance resulted in him receiving a call from the national team coach Löw just after the season ended.

In other words, Marc will be selected for the training list of the new German national team, have the opportunity to wear the German national team jersey, and become a true German international!

From a waste in the Dortmund youth team who couldn't even play in the games to becoming a German national team player, Marc Wagner has gone through a legendary journey. And what he has not forgotten is who turned his ordinary life into a legend.

"I want to thank you, Zhou Yi, I really, really want to thank you!" he said to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi picked his ears: "You've said thank you too many times, Marc. This is an opportunity you earned yourself, it has nothing to do with me."

"But if it weren't for you, I might have left football when I was eighteen. I'm serious, my sister always said it was impossible for me to sign a professional contract with Dortmund..."

"Don't listen to your sister's nonsense." Even though Cortana was right next to him, Zhou Yi still said this to Marc.

Hearing his words, Cortana glanced at him.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Yi said to Cortana.

Cortana turned away with a "you're an idiot" expression.

Looking at the backs of the two people who were at odds with each other, Marc sighed.

His best friend and his own sister, why can't these two people get along? How great would it be if they could chat and laugh happily!

※※※

After the gathering at Marc's house ended, Zhou Yi and Tino Schulze, who had packed their things the next day, went to the airport together, first to Frankfurt, and then from Frankfurt back to Beijing.

After participating in various commercial activities in Beijing, Zhou Yi will separate from Schulze, and he will return to Qingyang.

On the plane, Zhou Yi found that Schulze took out a book from his bag...

Finding Zhou Yi looking at the book in his hand with strange eyes, Schulze explained: "Uh, I think as an agent of a Chinese player, if I can't speak Chinese, it will definitely be inconvenient for me to carry out my work."

"Actually, you can just speak English..."

"No, that's different, that's different." Schulze shook his head and said firmly. Then he said to Zhou Yi, "Actually, I've already learned a little bit, like greetings. 'Ni qie le ma!' Do you think I'm speaking authentically?"

"Cut what? Cut off your *jiji*? Tino, if you greet people like this on the streets of China, don't blame the Chinese people for not being enthusiastic and hospitable."

"Why? Why is there a problem?" Schulze looked confused and aggrieved.

"It's 'chi' (eat) what, not 'qie' (cut) what. Look at my mouth, C——h——i——chi!"

"Qi?"

"Chi!"

"Chi?"

"Good, you've already learned the pronunciation of one Chinese character!" Zhou Yi reached out and gave Schulze a high five across the aisle.

"Really?" Schulze was very excited, he was eager to try, "Then how many more characters do I have to learn before I can communicate with you in Chinese?"

"Not many, there are only three thousand commonly used Chinese characters." Zhou Yi smiled, "You just need to learn two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine more!"

"Uh..." Schulze was dumbfounded.

※※※

When Zhou Yi and Schulze arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport, they followed other passengers off the plane and walked with the crowd towards customs.

At customs, when he handed over his passport and waited for customs to inspect it before letting him pass, a soft exclamation came from inside the glass cover.

He reflexively raised his head and saw the male customs officer inside holding his passport and looking at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked strangely.

"Uh, nothing..." The customs officer stamped the passport with the entry permit and handed the passport back to Zhou Yi.

Although he really wanted to ask Zhou Yi for an autograph, he remembered the work discipline, and he couldn't do such a fanboy thing at this time.

Taking the passport, Zhou Yi thanked the other party and then picked up his luggage to leave customs.

When Zhou Yi and Schulze went to the conveyor belt to pick up their luggage and walked to the exit, they were taken aback by the dark crowd outside.

Seeing Zhou Yi coming out, dazzling light suddenly bloomed in the dark crowd - it was the flash of the camera.

Then, cheers came with the flash, resounding throughout the arrival hall.

"Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!!"

The excited fans waved the posters, banners, and jerseys they were holding in their hands, and shouted in unison.

"Wow!" Schulze whistled excitedly. "Superstar treatment!"

But in the next second, this agent began to worry about how they were going to get out...

※※※

The bus stop located in the commercial center always has a large flow of people every day. During the rush hour, not only are the people waiting for the bus lined up in a long queue, but the buses are also lined up in a long queue.

Today is no exception. People standing on the bus platform are waiting for the arrival of the bus they want to take.

And in the advertising light box behind them is a half-length portrait of Zhou Yi, next to the Puma logo, which is very eye-catching.

There are no slogans in this light box advertisement. Apart from Zhou Yi's photo and the Puma logo, there is nothing else.

But I believe everyone knows what that means - Puma's global spokesperson, Zhou Yi!

People standing in front of this billboard, few people will specifically look at the billboard behind them. Obviously, these people who have to get on and off the bus here every day have become accustomed to Zhou Yi behind them.

Soon a bus drove into the station and stopped at the platform. The doors opened, people on the bus poured out, and people on the platform filed in from the front door of this bus with Zhou Yi drinking a bottle of mineral water plastered on both sides of the bus.

When the last passenger boarded the bus, the doors closed, and this bus carrying full of passengers and Zhou Yi drinking mineral water drove away from the station. Zhou Yi and Zhou Yi completed a meeting and farewell.

On a skyscraper a little further away, there is a huge LED outdoor screen showing a cool commercial.

Zhou Yi in the screen is constantly changing poses, sometimes running, sometimes jumping, and the jeans he is wearing also change with the change of posture.

Finally, a slogan appears on the screen: "Young, nothing is impossible!"

And the logo of this brand.

This is not a special scene, this is just a scene that is repeated countless times every day in the commercial center of this city.