Chapter Two: When He Stepped onto the Field

Redstone Stadium, the home ground of Premier League giant Suford United, is a football arena renowned across the globe. Its iconic red exterior stands like a crimson mountain in the southwestern corner of Manchester. Over the one hundred and thirty-two years since its establishment, countless legends have been born on this stage, countless tales woven into its history. If one were to select the top one hundred greatest moments in world football, Redstone Stadium would certainly feature multiple times.

For a long time, this stadium possessed an almost magical aura. The home players seemed to draw upon some mysterious force, while the opposition would often falter, unable to perform at their best—a natural reaction, considering the overwhelming pressure created by seventy thousand home supporters. Any player lacking in composure might well find their legs turning to jelly beneath that thunderous noise.

Many people tend to underestimate the challenge of playing away from home, likely because their only experience comes from televised broadcasts, separated from the reality by thousands of kilometers and the filter of satellite signals. Television dulls much of the stadium’s cacophony, leaving a vast chasm between the live experience and what is seen at home.

Anyone who has ever felt the deafening jeers in person knows how difficult it is to steady a racing heart in such an atmosphere. Competing under that pressure demands extraordinary mental strength from professional players; otherwise, even the finest skills and tactics are rendered moot.

But all those legends now seem to belong to the past.

At least, on this afternoon of January 9th, 2037, Redstone Stadium failed to display its fabled “fortress” spirit.

As the broadcast cameras swept over the stands, the majority of Suford United fans, clad in red, sat in uncharacteristic silence, their eyes fixed on the pitch without the usual songs or chants. The match was tense and deadlocked, leaving the crowd with a sense of impotent frustration, forced to watch the unfolding events in a daze.

Something about today’s match felt fundamentally wrong.

“Who could have predicted that Suford United would struggle so much at home against Championship side Drayton?” mused the famous English football commentator, Connor Cowley, witnessing the scene from the stands.

Meanwhile, in China, on the live FA Cup broadcast hosted by the video platform Pipili, commentator Zhao Zhou was lambasting Suford United’s manager, Sven Herden: “What on earth is this tactical nonsense? What kind of lineup is this? You’ve got proper strikers sitting on the bench, yet you put an attacking midfielder in as a false nine… Has Herden lost his mind?”

Pipili, a major Chinese video website, had not previously specialized in football broadcasts. Hoping to expand its business, the platform had invested heavily to secure domestic rights to this season’s FA Cup—not realizing that the simmering conflict between Wang Lie and Suford United’s manager Herden would soon become so explosive.

Today marked Suford United’s first appearance in this season’s FA Cup, and yet Wang Lie was not in the starting lineup. One wonders if the Pipili executive in charge of football coverage felt like hurling a few choice curses at Herden’s entire family tree…

Determined to make the most of their existing resources, Pipili hadn’t bothered hiring any well-known professional football commentators for the job. Instead, they picked a popular football vlogger from their own site—a practical move, since established commentators are costly and may be hard to secure. A homegrown vlogger, on the other hand, might jump at the chance, grateful for such an opportunity.

Thus, Zhao Zhou, known online as “Zhou’s Football” and boasting six hundred thousand followers in Pipili’s football section, became the platform’s special guest commentator for the FA Cup broadcast.

When Zhao Zhou was initially chosen, he was delighted—finally, he could openly and legitimately commentate Wang Lie’s matches. Yet reality soon struck him like a blow to the face.

Upon seeing the starting lineup before the match began, Zhao Zhou spent ten minutes cursing in his room, still unable to vent his frustration. He then posted a sarcastic update online, mocking Herden.

Pipili, with its predominantly young audience, is known for a looser, more irreverent commentary style. Zhao Zhou, thus, felt free to let loose—on any reputable football broadcast, viewers would never hear a commentator declare, “Herden’s lost his mind!” Instead, they’d get the much tamer, “The manager’s choices may be open to question…”

But such toothless criticism could never satisfy Wang Lie’s fans in China. For the past six months, Herden, the Swedish manager, had become the arch-villain in their eyes.

Thus, fans flocked to Pipili to hear Zhao Zhou’s rants. These days, many Wang Lie fans watched Suford United’s matches primarily to jeer Herden.

Once, thanks to Wang Lie, Suford United was the top club among Chinese fans. Although the club was already a famous Premier League giant, its influence in China only matched that of other European powerhouses. But after Wang Lie joined a decade ago, the club’s Chinese fanbase soared, leaving rivals far behind.

Over the years, countless Chinese supporters had tied their hearts to Suford United, sharing in its joys and sorrows.

Even last season, the club and its Chinese fans were still enjoying a “honeymoon” period.

That changed with the arrival of Swedish manager Sven Herden last summer. Displeased by Herden’s treatment of their “Chinese football hero,” many fans transferred their anger to the club itself.

Once, Chinese fans rejoiced at Suford United’s victories and wept at its defeats. Now, they gloated over defeats and scowled at victories.

Whenever the team lost, Chinese social media would erupt in celebration. Countless football bloggers and Wang Lie fans, professional or otherwise, would analyze Herden’s blunders and lambast him as unfit for the job. Of course, heated arguments between the extreme Wang Lie and Chi Zhen camps became a staple—such is the nature of fan culture.

Today’s FA Cup match had inspired some Wang Lie supporters to hope—if he couldn’t start in the league or Europa League, surely he’d get a chance in the domestic cup? Yet two hours before kickoff, the starting lineup was revealed—Wang Lie was absent.

Some chose to skip the match altogether, preferring to spend their Saturday night drinking or gaming, rather than enduring Herden’s antics.

Others watched the match while cursing Herden—many of these had been Suford United fans even before Wang Lie’s arrival. They opposed Herden, yet still supported the club.

Few anticipated Suford United would struggle so badly at home against a Championship side.

Indeed, in the first half, Drayton even managed to pin them back.

True, Drayton were third in the Championship, a formidable side at that level.

But Suford United are Premier League royalty, currently fourth in the top flight.

To be dominated by the third-best team in the Championship—how humiliating is that?

Given the gulf in strength between the teams, this should not have happened.

Yet no one could fathom Herden’s baffling formation. Was it a 4-4-2? There was a false nine. A 4-3-3? The false nine, Bastian Aratore, was completely ineffective against Drayton’s robust defenders.

Throughout the match, Aratore looked awkward in the role—not surprising, since he was never a center forward. Just because he’s 1.87 meters tall and looks the part doesn’t mean he should play there.

It’s not as if Herden was forced to improvise due to a lack of strikers. Even if his feud with Wang Lie had become so public and intense that he wouldn’t start him, there was still Ronan Wright available on the bench.

So even the Chinese fans hoping to see Herden embarrassed couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t start Wright.

He might have issues with Wang Lie, but surely not with Wright? There’d been no news of any such conflict.

But whatever the reason, Suford United’s performance had become a farce. Many Wang Lie fans now openly wished for an upset, for their team to be knocked out by a Championship side, so they could ridicule and excoriate Herden to their hearts’ content.

It was their only means of fighting back against the injustice done to their hero.

※※※

Aratore had just received a pass and was trying to shield the ball when a foot suddenly darted in from behind and poked the ball away right under his nose.

At the same moment, the opponent’s challenge sent a jarring blow into Aratore’s backside, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the turf.

As the home crowd jeered, Aratore raised both arms and shouted at the referee, “That was a foul!”

The referee, unmoved, turned away and ran on.

Clearly, he did not consider Drayton’s challenge to be illegal.

Enraged, Aratore pounded the grass with his fist before picking himself up, cursing under his breath.

His anger was not just directed at the referee, but at his own performance in this match.

As a Swiss international, thirty-one-year-old Bastian Aratore had joined Suford United on a free transfer two seasons earlier and now served as a rotation midfielder under Sven Herden.

The FA Cup was meant to be his chance to shine, to change his standing within the squad.

He had high hopes for this game.

But the manager had put him at center forward…

Even Aratore himself felt his performance had been poor—not surprising, since he was playing out of position, unable to showcase his strengths.

He struggled to hold up the ball in the box and, outside it, he could only play with his back to goal, offering little support to attacking partners Stanley Harris and Adel De Groot.

At halftime, Herden had already tried to adjust—bringing on regular right winger Adel De Groot to bolster the attack.

But nearly ten minutes into the second half, the change had yet to yield any effect.

When Suford United attacked again, Aratore tried dropping out of the box to find his rhythm, hoping also to pull Drayton’s defenders out of position and create space for his teammates.

Once more, a teammate passed him the ball.

This time, before receiving it, Aratore looked over his shoulder to locate his marker.

A Drayton player was right behind him.

So Aratore calmly prepared to trap the ball underfoot, extending his arm to keep the defender at bay.

He thought he was safe—but as soon as the ball touched his foot, he felt a sudden gust at the back of his head.

Before he could react, a powerful impact struck him from the other side—

“Watch out! Ah! Aratore’s been dispossessed!”

Knocked to the ground, Aratore lost all control of the ball, which Drayton’s player quickly seized.

Amid deafening boos, the referee blew his whistle, halting play.

“Foul by Drayton!”

The Drayton player who had charged in from Aratore’s blind spot looked stunned at the whistle, protesting his innocence with wide eyes and outstretched hands.

But the referee was not fooled by his theatrics.

Drayton’s other players rushed over to plead on their teammate’s behalf.

Suford United’s players did the same, pressing the referee to issue a card.

In the commotion, no one noticed that Aratore, still on the ground, was clutching his right knee and not getting up…

※※※

Jason Harman, the team doctor, examined Aratore and shook his head at manager Sven Herden standing nearby.

He said nothing, but his gesture and expression said it all.

Herden’s already stern features grew even grimmer.

The broadcast missed Herden’s reaction but caught the gesture of Suford United’s chief medic.

Commentator Connor Cowley exclaimed, “It seems Aratore cannot continue—Suford United must make a substitution!”

The cameras quickly cut to the Suford United bench, zooming in on a single figure.

He wore a down jacket emblazoned with the Suford United crest, a yellow training bib over his tracksuit, watching the pitch without expression.

The gray at his temples and the slackness of his features betrayed his age.

Zhao Zhou, seeing this, shouted, “The real center forward is right there on the bench! Herden, do you dare put him on? Huh? Or would you rather see Suford United knocked out by a Championship team than give Wang Lie a chance? I’d like to see if you have the guts to go out in disgrace at home!”

In the Pipili FA Cup broadcast chat, Chinese fans were commenting in real time:

“Put on Wang Lie! Put on Wang Lie!”

“Better not—let Suford United crash out of the FA Cup!”

“Will losing to a Championship side finally get Herden sacked?”

“Dream on! They’re fourth in the league, his job’s safe!”

“I think Herden will put Wang Lie on, so if the team loses, he’s got a scapegoat ready…”

“Is he really going to shift the blame?!”

“Why not? Didn’t the media just report that the Wang Lie–Herden feud is causing tension in the dressing room? The implication is that Wang Lie is undermining team morale…”

“Why not blame Herden for undermining morale?”

“Ha, the club and the manager are in bed together—who else is going to take the blame but Wang Lie?”

“The club has decided: Wang Lie will carry the can for destroying unity and undermining morale!”

“Oh, look, the so-called ‘bully’ fans are still making excuses. You know exactly how you got that nickname. There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names!”

“Hey, isn’t that a Chi Zhen fan? What, here to watch your ‘daddy’ play? If you don’t like him, why are you so obsessed? Are all pretty-boy fans just masochists?”

“Pretty-boy fans, get lost! Don’t embarrass yourselves here—this is Wang Lie’s show!”

※※※

Sven Herden ultimately made his decision—he chose to bring on Wang Lie.

Wang Lie wasn’t surprised by the news.

Though his conflict with the manager ran deep, Herden had merely denied him starting roles, not excluded him entirely.

Now, with the game slipping away, Herden had no choice but to bring him on.

The team needed him.

Herden’s earlier reluctance likely stemmed from complacency, believing that Suford United, third in the Premier League and at home, could easily win even with a heavily rotated side.

Since victory seemed assured, why let Wang Lie start?

But now matters were beyond his control, and Wang Lie had become his last hope.

Heh.

Though he secretly despised this hypocritical manager, Wang Lie gave no sign of it.

As soon as he received the order, he rose promptly from the cold bench he’d warmed for so long, shedding his down jacket, then the yellow bib and tracksuit, revealing the home red jersey beneath.

WANG.L

9

Suford United’s number nine descended the steps from the bench and appeared before Herden—and before viewers around the world.

“Thank God Herden remembered to include Wang on the squad sheet…”

“Wang is coming on!”

“Herden finally made the right call! Suford United needs a hammer in Drayton’s box, and Wang is that hammer!”

“Once again, Wang is called upon in a moment of crisis to save Suford United! But it’s almost ironic—once, Wang’s heroics graced the league or Champions League stage; now, even the third round of the FA Cup requires his rescue… The speed of Suford United’s decline is astonishing—hard to believe this is the same club that, just seven years ago, achieved the immortal feat of winning seven trophies in a season…”

※※※

With Aratore long since carried off on a stretcher, Wang Lie did not have to wait for a handover on the touchline. Once the fourth official raised the board displaying the substitution, he could step straight onto the pitch.

As he ran on, cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

Yet compared to years past, the ovation was markedly subdued—not all Suford United fans still supported him.

Especially after the turbulence of the past half-season.

In China, Wang Lie’s loyalists may insist that Herden is solely at fault for the recent conflict.

But reality is not so clear-cut. In Europe, especially in England, Herden enjoys more support than Wang Lie.

Wang Lie’s personality has always been divisive. Even at the height of his success, rumors and criticism swirled around him. In the last six months, however, the negative press has become overwhelming.

A significant portion of Suford United fans genuinely believe Wang Lie is the root of the club’s current woes, accusing him of clinging to power, trying to place himself above the club. They claim he has gone from legend to cancer, and support Herden’s approach—these European views, when carried to China, become fuel for the never-ending feud between Chi Zhen’s and Wang Lie’s most passionate fans.

Now, among those applauding Wang Lie’s introduction at Redstone Stadium, some may simply be moved by years of loyalty, too embarrassed to boo him outright.

But at this moment, Wang Lie cared for none of that—not Herden, not their feud.

Stepping onto the pitch, he had only one thought: to give his all and win the match.

Even knowing that a defeat would put Herden under immense pressure and potentially benefit his own position, he still wanted to win.

Not for anyone else, but because he wanted to win.

Just as he had, every time he set foot on a football pitch as a boy.

He always wanted to win.

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PS: Back to a single update per day. This chapter is six thousand words—still plenty of content! Also, during the new book period, please add to your collections and vote. Thank you!