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Chapter 189: Prejudice in People's Hearts is a Mountain

"...Taine has undoubtedly been the most eye-catching player in this summer's transfer market. They've been active on all fronts, recruiting new talent. While being linked with Madrid FC's midfield maestro Renzo Pisano, Taine announced today that they've reached an agreement with Atlético Lille for the transfer of Lény Isala. It's understood that Taine has directly activated the release clause for this midfield stalwart. This is devastating news for Scots, as they have been pursuing Isala for a long time and have invested considerable effort in negotiating this transfer..."

Upon seeing the sports news on TV, Anderson Nova laughed at Vitini and said, "Now I understand why you guys faced so much hostility on the road, haha! I have a feeling Tyne will have a tough time playing at Scorsese's home ground next season!"

Vitini shrugged and spread his hands, pursing his lips: "You're overthinking it. Even without this, we wouldn't have an easy time on the Scotts' home turf. You forgot, we have a king!"

“Uh…” Nova slapped his forehead. “It really is. Wang is the one who attracts the most hatred. Vitini, do you think we’ve been given the villain’s script? Look online, the Scottish fans are all going crazy…”

"The fact that we were able to break through their defenses proves we did the right thing." Vitini said nonchalantly, even with a hint of smugness in his tone. "Look at Tyne before, he was like a blank sheet of paper, posing no threat to anyone. Did anyone criticize him? If the whole world criticizes us, it can only prove one thing..."

Vitini raised his finger to the sky.

"We are on the mountaintop."

"Wow!" Nova whistled, then clapped. "I'm finding you're getting more and more like a boss, Vitini. It's hard to believe you're only a year older than me!"

Vitini thought to himself, "When you have a clear and worthwhile goal to strive for throughout your life, you'll mature quickly, brother."

But he didn't actually say it, because after he told Nova about his ambitions, Nova laughed so hard he almost fell over—he thought he was joking.

So now he's just saying, "Anyone will grow quickly working alongside the King. I can, and so can you, Anderson. I guarantee that coming to Tyne will be the most crucial and correct choice of your career!"

“Ha! I hope so!” Anderson Nova laughed.

Seeing the perfunctory reply, Vitini knew that the boy didn't really believe him.

Although he had been trying to persuade Nova to join Tyne, he knew that Nova's agreement was probably not because he could play alongside Wang Lie, but mainly because Tyne offered him too much.

His annual income has more than doubled compared to when he played for Real Barros in La Liga.

This Brazilian national team left-back is only 21 years old, and he has already become a regular starter for Real Baros, a mid-table team in La Liga.

His advantages are his speed and excellent offensive capabilities.

When Vitini decided to stay in Tyne and create his own era, he began to urge Nova to come.

Based on his understanding of Nova, he believed that once Nova joined Tyne, they would form a golden partnership on the left flank. The two of them could easily dominate any opponent's right flank.

Although the team's current starting left-back is vice-captain Charlie Cohen, Tyne certainly can't rely on Cohen alone in the upcoming season with multiple competitions to play on. Anderson Nova is the strong reinforcement that Vitini has found for the team on the left flank.

Cohen is old, experienced, and a solid defender, but his offensive contributions are not outstanding.

Anderson Nova's strength lies in his sharp attacking style. He can play as a left-back in a four-man defense or as a left wing-back in a three-man defense.

While his defense is somewhat rough due to a lack of experience, he can make up for it with tireless running and speed. As for his attitude on the field, Vitini is not worried about his friend. If Nova were a Brazilian player who was afraid of hardship and fatigue and like Dean, who would go to nightclubs all the time, then Vitini would not have persuaded him to join Tyne.

Speaking of which, Vitini only realized he wasn't the only one trying to persuade his friend to join Tyne when he watched Renzo Pisano's transfer interview.

In an interview, Renzo Pisano mentioned that his former teammate Mateo Katic, who is currently playing for Tyne, called him and persuaded him to join the team.

So it's not just me who's thinking about the team's future... just like Wang said, everyone has a "sense of ownership".

Vitini is now more confident in achieving his ambitious goals.

Nova signed a six-year contract with the club.

Six years later, Wang was forty-four years old, and his five-year contract with Tyne had long since expired. If Wang didn't intend to change his mind during those five years, then he should retire.

At that time, Tyne will have to take the lead on his own.

He must grow rapidly in these five years to prove to Nova that he was not joking.

※※※

"Let's go, stop watching TV, we need to report for duty. Today is your first day with the team."

Vitini waved to Nova, who was still slumped on the sofa.

Since the start of this season, his father has stopped staying with him as often as before, and he now lives alone in the huge house. So he simply invited his good friend Nova, who had just transferred to Tyne, to live with him.

Anyway, the house is big enough and has enough rooms. Even if Nova is here, if Dad wants to come to Newcastle to see him later, there's no need to worry about not having a room to stay.

Of course, besides having more rooms and not having to worry about crowding, Vitini had another reason for letting Nova stay with him—Nova had just arrived in this unfamiliar city and team and wasn't familiar with anything here. If Nova could live with him, it would be easier for him to take care of him and help him adapt to everything.

Although only 22 years old, Vitini has already unconsciously begun to treat himself with the mindset of a team leader.

Nova got up from the sofa, grabbed his pre-packed bag, tidied himself up in front of the mirror, and then followed Vitini out of the house.

"Hey, Vitini, is the King really that strict?"

"You never slack off in training or competition, what are you afraid of?"

"Of course I'm not afraid, I'm just curious..."

"You'll see him in a little while. You'll have to figure out what he's like for yourself."

※※※

"I'm leaving."

Wang Lie stood at the door saying goodbye to his wife and two children.

When Wang Lie returned to Newcastle from China, he brought his wife and children with him. Since it was summer vacation, he didn't need to worry about it affecting the children's studies.

As a professional player playing in Europe, the time I can spend with my family is very limited, and every day is precious.

Therefore, take every opportunity to be with your family.

His wife and children will stay until the start of the school term before returning home; they will be together for more than a month.

Tang Xingmei gave her husband a hug, and after she let go, her son and daughter took turns hugging him.

Wang Lie squatted down and picked up his son, while his daughter, Wang Zilin, jumped up with outstretched arms, shouting, "Me too! Me too!"

Wang Lie, holding his son in one arm, squatted down again and stretched out his other hand for his daughter to sit on.

Then he stood up, with a child sitting on one of his arms.

The son, Wang Ziqi, shouted loudly, "Seesaw! Seesaw!"

Wang Zilin, the daughter, also shouted along with her brother, "Seesaw! Seesaw!"

They wanted to play a little game with their dad.

The so-called "seesaw" is actually just two children sitting on one arm each, and then Wang Lie controls the two arms to go up and down, simulating the feeling of a seesaw.

When the two children were very young, Wang Lie did this before, which made them laugh like crazy. Later, it became a little game that he and his children kept as a way to show their affection.

As children grow older, their size and weight increase, making the strength required for the person playing the "seesaw" in this game even greater.

However, this was not a big problem for Wang Lie; he could still handle it.

At the children's insistence, Wang Lie spread his feet slightly apart, shoulder-width apart, and then used his core muscles to help his arms swing up and down. The two children sitting on his arms went up and down as if they were really sitting on a seesaw.

The two children were laughing so hard they were doubled over, which made it more difficult for Wang Lie, but he couldn't bear to spoil their fun and kept trying to maintain his balance.

Tang Xingmei, who was watching from the side, exclaimed in alarm, "Be careful! Be careful not to fall!"

"No, Mom, Dad is amazing!" Wang Ziqi laughed happily, tilting her head back.

Wang Zilin, the younger sister, also imitated her brother and repeated what he said.

Tang Xingmei had to say, "Your father still has to go to training, don't let him be late!"

These words were more effective than simply reminding them to be careful. Hearing that their father would be late for training, the two children immediately stopped dangling, slid off Wang Lie's arm, and said goodbye to him.

"Goodbye, Dad! Good luck in training!"

※※※

Lenny Isara was stopped by the taxi driver before getting out of the taxi:

"Sir, may I take a picture with you? I'm so happy to have gotten a Tyne player with me!"

Although he couldn't understand the driver's heavily accented English, he could guess what the driver wanted to do when he saw the driver take out his phone and turn on selfie mode.

So he said in simple English, "Oh, of course, no problem."

He withdrew his hand from the car door handle, leaned forward, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and posed for a selfie with the driver.

After the photo was taken, the driver thanked him again.

Isara then got out of the car.

He was quite pleased with himself. It was his first day with Tyne, and he never expected that he would be recognized by the taxi driver when he took a taxi to the training ground. That's how he got his first fan photo with Tyne.

And it wasn't just the taxi driver; after he got out of the taxi, the Tyne fans gathered on both sides of the road cheered enthusiastically.

They shouted Isara's name, clearly recognizing him:

"Isara!"

"Lenny! Lenny! Look this way!"

Isara waved to them, and the fans cheered even louder.

Isara was very happy, and it seems he has made a good start with his new team.

He walked briskly towards the training base, when suddenly the cheers behind him grew louder, like a bolt from the blue, startling Isara who was unaware of what was happening.

He turned around and saw an SUV driving towards him from a distance.

Clearly, the cheers weren't for him. Isala knew his place; he'd only just joined the team, and receiving some welcome from the fans was already a good result. He wouldn't dare dream of praise that didn't belong to him; that would only become a heavy burden.

So the sudden increase in cheers must have been for the players inside the car.

who can that be?

As the car drew closer, Isara could finally see through the large windshield who was receiving such a huge cheer.

But when he saw it clearly, he wasn't surprised at all.

Because he saw that the person driving was Wang Lie!

No wonder, probably only the King can enjoy this level of cheers in the entire Tyne.

With that thought in mind, Isara suddenly decided not to leave yet, but to stand aside and watch the excitement.

As Wang Lie's car approached the training base gate, he slowed down, rolled down the front windows on both sides, and reached out to wave to the excited Tyne fans.

He naturally received an even more enthusiastic response.

Wang Lie didn't completely stop, and no fans rushed up to him for autographs or photos. After all, it was time to go to training, and if the fans did, Wang Lie would probably be late for training...

After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic fans, Wang Lie's car slowly drove into the gate of the training base.

Lenny Isara stepped aside, intending to wait for Wang Lie to pass before continuing, but Wang Lie's car stopped in front of him, and the driver leaned out to look at him: "Lenny Isara?"

Isara quickly replied, "It is I, Your Majesty."

"Didn't you drive here?" Wang Lie asked.

Isara explained, "My car is still in France, going through the transport paperwork... Damn, you're speaking French?!"

He only realized what he was saying halfway through.

Wang Lie shrugged: "What's so strange about that? My professional career started in Born, France."

“Ah…yes, right…” Isara realized.

Wang Lie's first professional club was the French club FC Bonn, but that club has since been relegated to Ligue 2.

Wang Lie waved to him and continued in French, "Get in the car, I'll take you there." Isara had heard many rumors about Wang Lie, and he reflexively didn't want to be in the same room with him, so he quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need, I can walk there myself..."

"Can you find where the first team's locker room is?"

Wang Lie caught Isara off guard: "Uh..."

He really didn't know!

He had originally intended to look at the road signs...

Seeing his expression, Wang Lie knew the answer. He smiled and beckoned again: "Come on, Northumberland Soccer City is huge. You'd better get your car over here soon."

Isara also felt that refusing Wang Lie's offer again would be even worse, and might offend him. As a newcomer on his first day with the new team, not offending the team's bigwigs was a well-known "survival rule in the workplace."

So he went around to the passenger side, opened the door, and sat down.

"I only saw the official announcement of your signing today. I didn't expect you to already be in Newcastle."

Wang Lie chatted with him while driving.

“The announcement was made today, but the contract had already been signed, so I came ahead of time…” Isara replied.

Are you still staying at a hotel?

"Yes, I'm still staying at a hotel."

"Then you'd better rent a place quickly. I suggest you rent in Northumberland. There are many good houses there, and it's close enough to the training ground. Most people live in this area. Oh, the club offers a housing allowance for players who rent off-campus; you can apply for it..."

Isara nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay..."

"Also, you should work on your English. Although there are players from all over the world in the team, and some speak French, like our center-back Hugo, we usually communicate in English. If you can become fluent in English, it will be much easier to communicate..."

Listening to Wang Lie's enthusiastic advice, Lenny Isara couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

The real king seems to be completely different from what he thought!

He had heard many rumors about Wang Lie, most of which were negative. He also recalled the advice his friend Fu, who worked at Lille Atlético, had given him before he decided to transfer to Tyne... So he always thought Wang Lie was a very unapproachable person, and that it was best to avoid him if necessary.

But now he has discovered that the rumors were indeed just rumors and were completely unreliable.

And that bastard Fu is just spreading alarmist rumors, saying things like "burning yourself out" and "getting burned if you get too close to Wang"...

I'm sitting right next to the king, no more than 20 centimeters away. Why don't I feel the temperature rise or get burned?

Wang seemed very approachable, not at all unfriendly. He must not want me to leave, which is why he deliberately scared me like this.

Hmph, don't think I don't know what he's up to!
I admit that he will have a harder time in the game after I left Lille, since I always help him win back possession of the ball and then give it back to him.

He's used to having me around.

To be honest, I've gotten used to being his bodyguard, but... what can I do when Tyne activated my breach of contract clause?

※※※

Lenny Isara rode in Wang Lie's car all the way to the parking lot. Wang Lie even told him that the players had their own designated parking spaces. He would need to apply for the specific space later and would be given a number. His car would be parked in that numbered space.

After parking the car, Wang Lie led Isala through a special pedestrian passage to the first team's locker room, telling Isala not to take the main road outside, as that would be a longer route; this path was specifically for the players.

Isara realized that without Wang Lie's guidance, he would not have known these details—although he would definitely find out later, it would be later, and he might have had to take a few more days' detour.

He increasingly felt that both the rumors circulating online and his friend Fu Xiaofeng were deceiving him. The kind and approachable person in front of him, introducing the training base to the newcomers, was clearly a good older brother in the team who could help him solve any problem.

He followed Wang Lie from the parking lot into the main building of the training base and headed towards the first team's locker room.

Along the way, they encountered club staff, team coaches, and youth team players.

Everyone who met them greeted them warmly, but Isara knew that these people were greeting Wang Lie, and he himself was just an extra.

Look at how these people treat Wang Lie. Not a single person is afraid of him, intimidated by him, or avoids him. When they see him, they first smile and then greet him loudly.

Some people would even chat briefly with Wang Lie. Although Isara couldn't understand the Newcastle-accented English, he could guess from their expressions.

As he walked along, all Isara felt was the undisguised love that everyone in the club had for Wang Lie, and just how high Wang Lie's status was in Tyne...

He walked a little further back, looking at Wang Lie's back, and felt as if the man in front of him had a pair of holy wings on his back and a halo above his head—this was no "Devil King" as described online, but clearly an "Angel King"!

※※※

In the locker room, Vitini was reminding his friend, "Stop swaying, hurry up and change your gear."

Nova was quite puzzled: "Isn't training still a long way off? Why change now?"

"When Wang arrives, we'll go out with him to practice a bit beforehand. After a holiday, we need to get back into shape and training rhythm as soon as possible."

“Speaking of Wang…” Nova looked around, “Didn’t you say that Mr. Wang was always the first to arrive on the team? Why is he not in the locker room now?”

Vitini chuckled: "The King isn't always the first one here. Besides, his family came to Newcastle, so of course he has to spend some time with them. Do you think we're all single like us?"

"Damn it, who's like you?!" Nova roared.

Vitini stared wide-eyed in surprise: "You're not single? You have a girlfriend? Didn't you break up with Lucia six months ago? Did you get back together? Or did you find someone new? If you're really not single, then you can't live with me anymore, Anderson. You have to move out; it's inconvenient..."

Nova immediately backed down: "I don't have one now! I mean in the future, I'll definitely have a girlfriend in the future!"

Vitini scoffed: "'Loan Girlfriend'? What nonsense!"

Two friends were arguing when the locker room door was pushed open.

Wang Lie and Lenny Isara appeared at the door.

"Let me introduce you to Lenny Isara, my new teammate who transferred from Lille. I ran into him outside and brought him here."

Wang Lie pointed to Isara and introduced her to everyone.

Since not everyone had arrived, it wasn't a formal introduction.

Besides, there's actually an "old acquaintance" of Isara in the team, namely the team's starting right-back, Jacob Barnabas.

Before joining Tyne in the summer of 2035, this Nigerian international played for Atlético Lille and was a former teammate of Lenny Isala.

So when he saw Isara standing next to Wang Lie, he immediately opened his arms to greet her: "Lenny!"

"Jacob!"

The two former teammates embraced.

Wang Lie handed his new teammate over to Barnabas and headed straight for his locker.

Vitini brought Nova up to greet him: "Your Majesty, shall we have to do extra practice beforehand?"

While changing his clothes, Wang Lie replied, "Of course, just a little practice."

Vitini looked at Nova, gave him a "see for yourself" look, and then introduced Nova to Wang Lie:
“This is my friend Anderson, Anderson Nova. Today is also his first day here, and he’s staying with me now.”

Despite his carefree and playful demeanor in front of his friends, Nova was very respectful to Wang Lie, extending both hands to greet him: "Hello, Wang, I am Anderson Nova, I can play both left-back and left wing-back."

Wang Lie grasped his hand and said, "I know you're very fast and have a strong offensive ability. It's just that you tend to lose your position when defending."

Wang Lie pointed out Nova's shortcomings directly upon their first meeting, but he didn't care whether saying so would upset Nova.

Because he is Wang Lie, he has the right to be so straightforward in front of a 21-year-old.

Nova didn't dare to show any displeasure and had to explain, "I'll make up for it with speed..."

Wang Lie didn't continue the topic. Instead, he looked him over, who was only half-wearing his training uniform, and turned to ask Vitini next to him, "Is he joining us too?"

Vitini quickly replied, "Of course! Of course! I've already spoken to Anderson. Don't worry, Wang, Anderson isn't the kind of person who would slack off in training; he's just like me!"

With Vitini's endorsement, Wang Lie looked at Nova again, nodded, and said, "Welcome to Tyne, Anderson. I need to change my clothes now."

After he finished speaking, he took off his casual T-shirt, revealing his well-defined, clearly sculpted muscles, as solid as a marble statue.

“Let’s go back and change our clothes!” Vitini dragged Nova away.

At the same time, he whispered to his friend, "When Wang said 'welcome to join,' it had two meanings. One is, as you know, joining Tyne's team. The other is joining my and his 'extra training group.' Relax, you don't have to do extra training every day, because Wang won't either. But even if it's extra training, you have to take it seriously. Wang hates people who don't take training seriously..."

Nova interrupted him: "I know, the story you told me about Dean being targeted by Wang during training..."

"Yes! Dean is suffering terribly from being targeted by Wong. Otherwise, why would he still insist on going to Kensington, a team that doesn't even qualify for the Europa League, instead of staying at Tyne, a team that can participate in the Champions League? So don't let Wong target you, Anderson!"

Back in their lockers, they continued changing clothes, with Anderson Nova noticeably faster than before.

The pressure he felt when he was face-to-face with Wang Lie, coupled with what Vitini said, made him unconsciously abandon his carefree attitude and take the extra training seriously.

※※※

After reuniting with Jacob Barnabas, Lenny Isara and Jacob Barnabas talked about their experiences over the past two years, and he also conveyed Fu Xiaofeng's greetings to Barnabas.

"Does Fu still like anime as much?" Barnabas asked.

Isara laughed and said, "If Fu were in front of you right now, he would definitely correct you very seriously that you are 'animation' and not 'anime'."

Barnabas laughed too: "But he's not here, so he can't tell me what to say!"

This topic stirred up shared memories between the two from their time at Lille – Fu Xiaofeng would always earnestly correct his teammates when they said "anime" to him. But the teammates didn't really care about the difference, so they would quickly forget and then say "anime" to Fu Xiaofeng again…

So Fu Xiaofeng would then correct them again, feeling both helpless and angry, and explain the difference between the two to them.

Sometimes, people would even deliberately use the word "anime" to tease Fu Xiaofeng just to see him break down.

It's like a keyword for switching states; it always works.

After discussing the past, the two started talking about the present. Lenny Isara then naturally recounted to Barnabas his observations and feelings about being with Wang Lie earlier:
"Jacob, you know what? I was really surprised! Because before coming to Tyne, I saw a lot of negative rumors about the King online, and Fu also warned me that getting too close to the King would burn me..."

"To be honest, I was indeed scared. But after I met Wang at the training base gate just now, I realized that Wang isn't as scary as they say. He even feels friendly to me! Can you believe it? Friendly!"

Isara waved his hands, feigning surprise and excitement.

"He was very friendly in explaining the facilities of the base to me, as well as some precautions, down to the smallest detail. No wonder he became your captain so soon after arriving in Tyne..."

“Jacob, I have to say. Prejudice is like a mountain in people’s hearts. If I hadn’t come to Tyne, I might have truly believed that the King was as terrible as people say! But now that I’m here, I will tell them, no, the King is completely different from what you imagine…”

As he was talking, he saw Wang Lie, who had changed into his training uniform, walk out of the locker room, followed by two teammates who had also changed into their training gear.

So he asked curiously, "Are we going to training now? Why hasn't anyone moved?"

Barnabas, who had remained silent with a smile throughout his long-winded account of how kind and approachable Wang Lie was, finally spoke:

“Wang and Vitini went for extra training. As for the other person, Anderson Nova, he, like you, only joined the team today. He is a friend of Vitini. I think he should have joined Wang’s ‘extra training group’ as well as Vitini.”

"'Extra training group'?" Lenny Isara found the term unfamiliar.

He knew about extra training, but what kind of organization was the "extra training group"?
“During training, Wang is always the first to arrive, and then he goes for extra practice forty minutes before the official training begins. Vitini is a fan of Wang, so he goes with him. The two of them form an ‘extra practice group.’ Anyone who wants to practice extra can join at any time, but no one can stick to it for long. So this group has always consisted of just Wang and Vitini,” Barnabas explained to Isara in detail.

Isara found it hard to believe:
"Every day?"

After thinking for a moment, Barnabas said, "Not every day, but about three days a week, excluding match days?"

Isara turned to look at him: "Have you been there too?"

“I went, but I only kept it up for two weeks.”

"What?" Isara was surprised because he knew Barnabas, who had trained very hard and diligently at Lille Athletic. He never expected that someone like him would only be able to last two weeks in Wang Lie's "extra training group" at Tyne...

Seeing his shocked expression, Barnabas spoke in a tone befitting someone who had never seen the world:

"Are you ready, Lenny? Welcome to Tyne."

(End of this chapter)