Chapter Eighty-Six: The Battle for Recognition

Long Bisheng stared blankly at the bank card Li Fang handed him, lost in thought. Li Fang chuckled, “What are you thinking about? This money isn’t for you—listen, I’m about to head to Italy, but my parents won’t be coming with me. They’re getting on in years and don’t want to go abroad; they just want to stay here in Yun Jia—they’re fond of this city. My folks aren’t used to carrying much cash, so I want you to keep this card for them. If my family ever needs money for anything, you can help out. The same goes for your family! If you use it for your own family, just pay me back later! Bisheng, I’m certain—you’re going to be a professional player one day! This bit of money is nothing!”

“…Alright, I’ll keep it safe for you.” Long Bisheng thought for a moment before finally nodding and taking the card from Li Fang. He asked, “How much is in the card?”

Li Fang smiled as he watched Long Bisheng take the card. “Not much… one hundred thousand.”

Long Bisheng nodded; the number didn’t surprise him. Li Fang had just said his income last year was nearly a million, so leaving a hundred thousand for the family was nothing.

Li Fang quickly added, “Euros.”

Long Bisheng’s hand trembled. Even though he didn’t know much about finance, he’d heard Liu Lin talk about European currency often enough to know that euros were worth more than dollars. At this rate, the euro was about ten times the value of the same amount in renminbi. That meant there was at least a million RMB in this card!

“That’s so much money!” Long Bisheng held the card as if it were a burning coal, speaking urgently, “How could I keep this? What if it gets lost?”

“What’s there to worry about? Without the password, no one can get a cent out of it. Even if you lose it, it’s fine! I’ll be in Italy for at least a year, no coming back. Of course I have to leave plenty behind. Remember the password—it’s your birthday: 890821. Got it?” Li Fang said, unconcerned.

Long Bisheng hesitated for a long while, then said, “Alright… I’ll take good care of it.”

“That’s the spirit.” Li Fang was satisfied. “Bisheng, once I’m gone, looking after both our families’ elders will fall to you… You know, it’s time for you to truly become an adult. Keep working hard, Bisheng. I’m waiting for the day we stand side by side in the national team!”

“I know, Brother Li Fang.” Long Bisheng nodded firmly, “You must give it your all, too! I’ll watch every Serie A broadcast—I hope I’ll see you on TV soon!”

“Yes, we both have to give it our all…” Li Fang said softly.

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At the end of August, Yun Jia Tianyu Club officially announced that their rising national team rookie, Li Fang, had transferred to Perugia in Serie A for a fee of two million euros, making him the second Chinese player in history to join Serie A. Notably, the first Chinese player to join Serie A, Nie Fei, had also landed at Perugia.

All the Chinese media began to talk about this rising star. Since becoming a first-team regular for Yun Jia Tianyu midway through last season, Li Fang had dazzled everyone: his tireless running, fearless spirit on the field, precise crosses, and his near-legendary journey to professional football became hot topics everywhere. Clearly, while he might never be a superstar, he was undeniably a valuable and reliable player. In this sense, both Perugia’s chairman, Gao Qi, and head coach Cosmi had shown keen judgment.

Despite all the digging into Li Fang’s personal story, no one knew that his best friend and closest brother was still toiling away at Yun Jia Tianyu Football School, hoping to prove himself in the upcoming National Football Schools Invitational and redeem his pride.

Ever since last year’s semifinal, where his own poor performance cost the team a shot at the finals, Long Bisheng had taken a long time to recover from the blow. Practicing his footwork so hard but making little progress only intensified his guilt, like a venomous snake gnawing at his heart. Not until Ding Yu’s guidance helped him make rapid improvements did that guilt finally transform into a burning desire to compete. He was waiting for his chance at redemption.

His classmates felt the same. For talented youngsters like Dai Guangming and Hu Gandan, last year’s humiliating finish—ending up the worst of the five teams representing Yun Jia Tianyu—was a bitter pill to swallow. This year’s tournament, with the same opponents as last year, was a golden chance to prove themselves.

Driven by this eagerness, everyone trained harder than ever after the new semester began. Those who had played last year didn’t want to miss their shot at revenge; those who hadn’t wanted to prove themselves worthy. Every student pushed themselves to the limit in training, to the extent that Ding Yu sometimes had to stop them from going too hard.

The one who had improved the most was Long Bisheng. If, before the summer break, his footwork had only just started to take shape, then the last three months could only be described as miraculous. Now, even Li Jie found it hard to defend against his turn-and-go moves. As the saying goes, rapid progress comes from a low starting point—Long Bisheng’s initial skills had indeed been very rough.

Ding Yu admired this attitude. After all, an athlete without the will to win could never be a qualified competitor. Never giving up and having a burning desire for victory are the fundamental qualities of any athlete.

All professional sports, stripped to their core, are competitions for victory. That victory might not always mean a championship or a medal—it could simply mean surpassing oneself, pushing personal limits.

As for Ding Yu himself, he was determined to seize this tournament. Last time, the defeat was less about losing to the Shanghai Chongming Island Football School’s ‘89 squad, and more about losing to himself—and to their coach, Xu Genbao, who had spent time at Yun Jia Tianyu and knew Ding Yu far too well. If Ding Yu hadn’t tried so hard to tap Long Bisheng’s potential, if Xu Genbao hadn’t been so familiar with his players, Yun Jia Tianyu wouldn’t have lost so thoroughly.

After a year of lying low, Ding Yu now understood his players’ strengths and ideal positions. The time had come to deliver results—though he hadn’t taken this job for fame, winning while developing his players’ talents was something he was happy to see. For these young players, winning a national championship against their peers would do wonders for their confidence, too.

This tournament would be Ding Yu and his disciples’ battle for redemption.

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By October, the second National Football Schools Invitational was about to begin. In response to issues that arose during the last event, the Football Association made some new arrangements: each school could bring more than twenty-three players to Beijing, with the extra costs covered by the clubs. The Association would organize unified accommodation, trying to keep students from the same school together for both unity and safety.

A new feature was also added: competitions between the girls’ youth teams from each school. After last year’s directive from the Association, clubs had started to take women’s football seriously. Though running an extra team added to their burdens, the investments required for women’s football were far smaller than for the men’s game. To guarantee female players’ incomes, the Association set a rule: wages for women’s youth team members could not be lower than one-tenth of the men’s. Moreover, any club with a women’s team and at least two youth squads could enjoy a fifty percent reduction in the luxury tax. With these savings, most clubs were happy to reinvest in their women’s teams.

This delighted the students—maybe, just maybe, a trip to Beijing meant a chance to ask a girl out…

Of course, that was just a joke. If last time’s journey to Beijing had everyone excited and carefree, this time Ding Yu’s ‘89 squad was traveling with a fierce hunger for victory—determined to defeat all rivals and prove that they truly belonged at Yun Jia Tianyu, the nation’s top youth academy.

Their accommodations this year were in a guesthouse twice the size of the last one, though, being a guesthouse, conditions weren’t much better. Other squads were in similar circumstances. According to Liu Lin, only the oldest U-17 squad and the girls’ team had noticeably better lodging—the U-17s were already half-professionals and deserved a little extra comfort, and as for the girls, well, everyone agreed they should be treated a bit better.

Besides, for Long Bisheng and his teammates, the quality of their lodgings in Beijing was the least of their concerns. What mattered was the upcoming matches—their only focus was victory.

During their acclimation training in Beijing, the students of Yun Jia Tianyu pushed themselves harder than ever, pouring everything into each session.

Ding Yu watched his relentless students, a lingering smile at the corners of his mouth.

Last year’s defeat had not been in vain. Instead of breaking them, it had only sharpened their fighting spirit and thirst for victory. Ding Yu believed that in the coming tournament, any team facing them would be in for a very tough challenge.