Chapter Two: A Different Beginning

Wei Lai stood at the sideline, waiting to enter the field.

His expression was somewhat dazed.

One moment he had been drinking and sleeping in his rented room; the next, he suddenly found himself here.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this was his former youth training base.

The Willy Football Academy in Ziyi City, Jiaozhou Province—one of China’s established youth academies, known for nurturing a series of players who went on to the Chinese Super League and even the national team.

Among the most famous was He Chaoyue, hailed as China’s number one prodigy...

Uh...

No!

Wei Lai turned his head to look around; if that were the case, it was a story for later.

Had he really gone back to the past?

If his memory served, this match was the upgrade test after joining the youth training program.

Willy Football Academy, renowned nationwide, had eight squads ranging from U10 to U18, covering every age group.

Wei Lai was currently on the U15 C team!

There were three squads in U15—A, B, and C—with promotion and relegation tests held at the end of each year.

A team versus B team, B team versus C team.

Only three promotion spots were available: play well and move up; play poorly and you drop down.

Wei Lai remembered this match vividly because, after it, there were no more promotion opportunities for the C team—they were mercilessly dominated by the B team.

The reason was simple: the B team had a ruthless player.

Right winger—Guo Fan!

Fast, explosive, accurate in shooting, constantly threatening along the flank.

Wei Lai recalled clearly that this guy had made it to the A team and even played international matches with He Chaoyue.

It was because of him that the C team was slaughtered.

Old Coach Chen, the head coach of U15, was so furious he shouted about disbanding the C team. If not for the school principal’s intervention, they might have been kicked out entirely.

Chen Guoqiang, a stubborn old man who believed solely in talent.

Back then, Wei Lai’s group cursed him often, but they had to admit the old man had sharp eyes—he had cultivated three starters of the golden generation.

“Get ready to go on!”

Old Coach Chen gave Wei Lai a sharp kick on the backside. The player he was replacing hung his head low; his situation was clear.

“You useless fool! What kind of playing is that? I told you to mark Guo Fan, and you’re just staring at his backside?” the old man shouted.

The player protested, “Coach, I can’t keep up!”

“Can’t keep up?” Chen snorted and glared, kicking the player again. “If you can’t keep up, don’t you know how to position yourself? Don’t you know to stick close? And you still keep your distance from Guo Fan? Terrible playing and a dumb head. Go home. I can’t teach an idiot like you!”

The young player burst into tears, and the others fell silent in fear.

“What are you all looking at?” Chen bellowed toward the field. “If you don’t want to play, get off now!”

The young players immediately turned away.

Wei Lai stepped onto the field, still a bit confused about the situation.

But he resolved to finish the match first.

He couldn’t tell if this was a dream.

But even if it was, he wanted to play well and fulfill that dream.

Wei Lai took his position and steadied himself.

---

His teammates glanced left and right.

“Wei Lai! What are you doing?”

His companion, Cheng Haoran, called out.

Wei Lai blinked. “Playing football!”

Cheng grinned. “Since when do you play midfield? You’re a fullback!”

Wei Lai paused, then realized that at this moment, he was playing as a fullback on the flank, not yet switched to a marking midfield role.

“Oh! Oh!”

He hurried over to the open left wing.

On the sideline, Old Coach Chen covered his face and shook his head. “Stupid as ever!”

Standing at left fullback, Wei Lai suddenly recalled.

Left back?

He was marking Guo Fan!

He finally remembered the scene of being completely outplayed by Guo Fan.

No wonder the previous guy was suddenly taken off—he’d been thoroughly outmatched.

Wei Lai glanced at the scoreboard.

C team 0:2 B team!

Guo Fan had scored two goals already. According to memory, this was when Guo Fan achieved a five-goal hat trick, marking the beginning of the massacre.

No one on the flank could contain Guo Fan.

However...

Wei Lai licked his lips.

He knew some of Guo Fan’s little flaws—maybe he could exploit them.

Old Coach Chen couldn’t even watch the game seriously. It was just a bunch of weaklings pecking at each other. Only Guo Fan looked promising; the rest were all foolish.

Chen’s standards were high—among all the youth trainees, only He Chaoyue truly impressed him.

The rest were hardly worth cultivating.

As for Guo Fan, with some training, he could play in the Super League, but beyond that, forget it.

The match resumed.

The U15 B team immediately passed the ball to Guo Fan, the core of their attack.

They played through Guo Fan!

At the same time, Guo Fan dribbled the ball forward along the flank.

Typically, the entire defensive line would retreat, shrinking the defensive area to avoid gaps.

But one figure did not retreat—instead, he stepped forward!

“Wei Lai! What are you doing!” Cheng Haoran shouted, urging him to fall back.

Wei Lai didn’t respond. Instead, he pointed behind himself, signaling Cheng to cover the vacant position.

Simultaneously, Wei Lai shifted his stance, deliberately vacating the wing and locking eyes with Guo Fan.

“Not a bad defensive posture...” Old Coach Chen nodded, then sneered, “But still stupid—marking the face!”

Guo Fan’s strengths were speed and explosive power. If you give him space on the flank, could you keep up once he burst forward?

Sure enough, Guo Fan spotted the opening and started his run.

---

Old Coach Chen could already imagine Wei Lai defending like the previous fool—just staring at Guo Fan’s backside.

“That idiot...”

Bang!

The ball flew out of bounds, striking Chen’s leg.

Chen held his teacup, blinking.

He tilted his head in confusion...

???

...

“Fall back!” Wei Lai shouted, turning his head. “I’ll take Guo Fan! You guys cover your zones!”

Guo Fan was furious.

A lucky interception? What was there to be proud of?

“Pass it to me!”

Guo Fan urged his teammate to quickly restart play; he wanted to crush Wei Lai.

The ball was played; Guo Fan raised his leg to receive it.

At that moment, he felt a sudden push from behind, his footing unsteady. The ball bounced awkwardly and flew out of bounds.

Guo Fan: “......”

Teammate: “I threw it at his feet! Not my fault!”

Before they could argue, Wei Lai swiftly grabbed the ball and threw it forward.

“Counterattack!!”

The C team’s counter was rapid, but their striker failed to seize the chance and headed the ball over.

The B team pressed again, passing the ball back to Guo Fan.

After two interruptions, Guo Fan’s face showed signs of frustration.

He immediately accelerated, dribbling powerfully forward.

As he chased the ball, Wei Lai appeared beside him, lowering his hips and shoulders, and slammed into him.

Bang!!

Guo Fan couldn’t withstand the collision and was knocked out of bounds.

“Foul!”

Guo Fan rolled on the ground, immediately raising his hand.

Before the referee could speak, Old Coach Chen yelled, “What foul? You dribbled it so far, and he knocked you down and won the ball fair and square—what’s the problem?”

“I...”

“No buts! If you can play, then play. If not, get off!”

Guo Fan got up reluctantly, glaring hatefully at Wei Lai.

Wei Lai wasn’t intimidated and said, “If you want to use speed to beat me, you better make sure you get past. Otherwise, I’ll just knock you away!”

Guo Fan was displeased but saw Wei Lai’s imposing 175-centimeter height and sturdy build. In the end, he decided to back down.

He shifted his gaze.

From that clash, he realized he couldn’t overpower Wei Lai.

Similarly, he could not defeat him!