Chapter 85: Li Fang, Soon to Depart

Winter faded into spring, and in the blink of an eye, the blazing heat of summer had arrived once more. The semester swiftly came to an end. Over these months, Long Bisheng’s progress was plain for all to see: two years of relentless effort were finally bearing fruit. His threat and force in the penalty area had made him an indispensable member among the strikers of his class. In several matches against the youth teams of other clubs, he often started as a key player and performed admirably.

So, as the semester concluded, Long Bisheng was not among those eliminated. Instead, he advanced successfully with the rest into the second year of middle school. It was Chen Yongjun—the very one who’d once quarreled with the boys of Dormitory 101—who met the fate of elimination.

No one knew why Chen Yongjun was dismissed. He had been the first substitute for the left midfielder position, his left-foot skills second only to Daiguangming and Zhouwei. By all logic, he shouldn’t have been the one to go. But the decision had been made. Even those closest to Chen Yongjun never suspected Long Bisheng of any foul play. After all, they’d known each other for years. If someone said Long Bisheng might have punched Chen Yongjun, they’d believe it. But if accused of scheming behind his back, even Chen Yongjun himself would scoff.

Yet the matter caused only the slightest ripple. Every year, the Yunjiayanyu Football School eliminated many students; it was the most routine thing imaginable. The only conclusion could be that Chen Yongjun had some flaw which led the school to believe he would not become a professional player.

During the summer break, Long Bisheng returned home. The house was much the same as ever, except his parents had grown another year older—he noticed, with a pang, that white now streaked his mother’s hair. His father, though towering and robust as always, had begun to show signs of age as well.

Long Bisheng felt a deep ache within him. He knew their family’s situation was not good. Both parents were soldiers, and their earnings were never high. His father often spent his days leading his troops through drills, sometimes giving them a little extra out of his own pocket. Though the tuition at Yunjiayanyu was not exorbitant, the living expenses each term were still a considerable sum, making it ever harder for the family to make ends meet.

He said nothing, but his resolve only grew stronger—he was determined that, in two years, he would earn his place in Yunjiayanyu’s U-15 youth team, secure a professional contract, and help support his family.

He had already asked Li Fang about it. For the past two years in the U-17 team, Li Fang received a training subsidy of forty yuan per day—at least eight hundred yuan a month. On top of that, there were appearance fees for matches, ranging from two to five hundred yuan. Altogether, his monthly income never fell below fifteen hundred yuan—a sum equivalent to a civil servant’s wage in a city like Yunji.

Even if the U-15 team’s income was a bit less, it wouldn’t be below a thousand. Board and lodging were fully covered. With Long Bisheng’s frugal nature, he could surely send his entire earnings home every month.

This was the dream of thirteen-year-old Long Bisheng, and his most practical goal.

He spent a wonderful stretch of time at home—returning just in time for the opening of the World Cup. Together with his father, he watched China’s national team soar to its greatest heights, clinching third place—the best result ever achieved by an Asian team at the tournament. After consecutive victories over the two host nations, China’s status as Asia’s strongest side was firmly established.

When the third-place match ended, Long Bisheng clearly saw tears glistening in his father’s eyes. In all his memory, his tough, unyielding father had never wept before him. These, however, were tears of overwhelming joy.

“Son, did you see that? They are the heroes of our nation in times of peace! In war, we soldiers stand at the forefront. In peacetime, it’s up to athletes like these! You’re already nearing the threshold of professional football. Set your sights on the national team! Look at Azati—only eighteen and already a national player, even appearing in the World Cup! You must learn from him!”

Long Bisheng laughed—his father’s dreams for him seemed even loftier than his own. Yet for now, his most realistic ambition was simply to earn a place in Yunjiayanyu’s U-15 team and not be eliminated.

But Big Brother Li Fang was truly remarkable. He had only joined the reserve team last year, but quickly rose to the starting lineup of the first team, and thanks to stellar performances in the league, was called up to the national squad. Perhaps that was what it meant to be a genius—something Long Bisheng knew he was not.

Upon returning to Yunji, Long Bisheng found the entire school—from coaches to students—immersed in a wave of celebration. They were not only thrilled by China’s unprecedented World Cup triumph, but also bursting with pride for Yunjiayanyu itself.

Of the twenty-three players on the national team’s roster, six hailed from Yunjiayanyu. Seven more had once played for the club. In other words, more than half the squad had ties to Yunjiayanyu!

It was no exaggeration: after this World Cup, not only had the national team established itself as Asia’s strongest, but Yunjiayanyu had also become China’s premier club.

Meanwhile, another piece of news spread rapidly through Yunjiayanyu Football School—Li Fang, who had only joined the first team last year, had quickly secured a regular place in the lineup, earned selection for China’s national team, and even appeared in the World Cup. Thanks to these performances, he had caught the eye of Serie A’s Perugia, who would acquire this young winger for two million euros—a player with just one season of professional experience.

At just eighteen, with no formal training before the age of fifteen, he had, in three short years, soared from youth team to reserves to first team, then entered the national squad and drawn the attention of an Italian club—it was like something out of the fantasy novels that were beginning to appear online.

“It’s true,” Li Fang told Long Bisheng with a smile. “The club has already spoken to me, and I’ve consulted Uncle Wang Sa’s opinion. Perugia has had many dealings with Yunjiayanyu’s players, and they’re sincere. Uncle Wang Sa did a thorough background check. As long as I work hard, earning a starting spot won’t be a problem.”

When Liu Lin first told Long Bisheng the news, he could hardly believe it. Though he’d always admired Li Fang—a brother some five or six years his senior—and believed he had the ability to play in Europe, he never expected it would happen so soon. Li Fang was barely past eighteen, soon to become the second Chinese player in Serie A (after the legendary Nie Fei of Yunji), and had only begun appearing for Yunjiayanyu’s first team last year!

Hearing it confirmed by Li Fang himself, Long Bisheng did not leap with excitement. Instead, he asked with concern, “But will you really be a starter there? Big Brother Li Fang, you’re a nailed-on starter here at the club. If you can’t get regular playing time over there, won’t your progress stall? At your age, I think you need matches most.”

Li Fang looked at him in mild surprise before breaking into a gentle smile. “You really have grown up, Bisheng—already thinking like a pro. Well, you’re almost thirteen; it’s only natural you’d develop your own independent thoughts. But so have I. I’ve thought this through. Perugia’s chairman, Gaucci, isn’t a generous man, and though Perugia have signed several players from Yunjiayanyu, they’ve gained little commercially—at least, no Chinese fans are buying Perugia shirts just because of Nie Fei or Materazzi. So I don’t think they’re signing me for commercial reasons. That means I have nothing to fear. Once in Italy, I’ll train hard, perform well, fight for a starting spot, and then cement my place—it’s as simple as that.”

“I understand!” Long Bisheng nodded, full of heartfelt admiration. “As long as it’s not for any other reason, Perugia must truly value your ability. In that case, just do your best in Serie A—there’s nothing else to worry about!”

“That’s right!” Li Fang clapped his hands. “That’s how I’ve always done things: focus on playing, don’t fret about anything else. In Yunjiayanyu, I never had to worry—the club always treated me fairly. And going to Perugia, I won’t need to worry either, because Jiang Hao is the best agent in China!”

Long Bisheng broke into a wide, genuine smile—happy for Li Fang, happy for his big brother.

“You know, A-Long, I’m truly lucky,” Li Fang said, his expression softening even more. “My first stroke of luck was meeting you, which introduced me to football. My second was meeting Uncle Wang Sa, who set me on the path to becoming a professional. My third was joining Yunjiayanyu, where I could play in my best position with a whole heart. Now, my income is high—last year, I made nearly a million from all sources. In Italy, my annual salary will be five hundred thousand euros—something I never dared to dream of before. Bisheng, I never told you, but I’m truly grateful to you and to Uncle Long. After I came to Yunji, he looked after my parents for a long time. This New Year, I wanted to give him a generous gift, knowing your family’s financial situation isn’t good, but he steadfastly refused. Now I’m about to leave for Italy, and there’s little more I can do. Here, I have a card—I hope you’ll accept it.”