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Chapter 190 Do you feel resentful?
Fu Xiaofeng had just finished his extra physical training at the gym. Back in the locker room, he wiped his sweat and picked up his phone to check for any new messages during his training session. Then he saw a message from Lenny Isara.

However, this message was sent more than 20 minutes ago.

"My God! Wang is a terrifying guy! His training intensity is absolutely terrifying! In addition to regular training, he actually comes early almost every day to do extra training for himself! Compared to him, I feel like an old man who should have retired!"

Upon seeing the message, Fu Xiaofeng laughed so hard he almost fell over. He still remembered how the kid had sounded nonchalant and skeptical on the phone when he gave him his advice.

Now you're behaving yourself, aren't you?

Sure enough, people can't teach you everything, but you can learn something quickly and easily.

He replied cheerfully, "Do you still think I'm bluffing you?"

He then put down his phone and started changing his clothes. He didn't plan to shower in the changing room, but rather to drive back to his apartment before showering and changing.

Just after he finished changing his clothes, Lenny Isara's message came back:
"Why are you only replying to my message now? Has the team's training not finished yet?"

Fu Xiaofeng grinned: "I wasn't looking at my phone while driving."

Then he quickly changed the subject: "Do you believe me now, Lenny?"

As expected, Isara stopped worrying about why Fu Xiaofeng hadn't replied to his message immediately. He relayed everything he had seen and heard during his first training session with Tyne to Fu Xiaofeng through a series of messages.

This includes his previous impression that Wang Lie was "amiable and approachable," hearing from Barnabas about Wang Lie and Vitini's "extra training group," and most importantly, Wang Lie's performance in formal training:
"...Let me tell you, Fu. We're still focused on physical training and recovery. But the way Wang is acting during training makes me feel like he's going to tear all that training equipment apart and crush it!"

"Jacob told me that the normal training intensity for Wang's physical recovery was simply not enough, so he always increased the intensity for himself. What kind of twisted behavior is that?"

"Seriously, I was completely shocked! My God! I can't believe this is the performance of a 38-year-old player..."

"I have to suspect that Wang Zhen drank the 'fountain of youth,' really!"

“I think I can finally understand why Wang performed so well at Tyne in the first half of the season. With that kind of training volume and physical condition… it would be a problem if he didn’t perform well! I don’t know if there’s anything special about Tyne’s training plan. Has Wang always been like this? Then why did he perform so badly in the half-season at Soforth?”

"At the end of last season, Wang said at his contract extension press conference that he wanted to make history in Tyne and do something great... At the time, I just thought he was bragging, but now it seems that Wang is definitely serious. And it's not just him, at least some people in the Tyne team are serious too! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I definitely wouldn't believe it!"

"Then I wondered why they would believe Wang's 'big talk'? They're all professional players, what kind of 'chances' haven't they seen? Which team didn't boast about their grand plans when you joined? So why were Tyne's players willing to believe it? And not only did they believe it, they were actually going to do it—because they were fighting relegation in the middle of last season, but in the end they qualified for the Champions League!"

"So why would they be willing to believe in Wang? It must be because they witnessed Wang's abilities last season."

“Actually, every time I saw news about Tyne last season, I wondered how this relegation-threatened team managed to do it? Why did they undergo such a dramatic change just by adding one more player? Now I think I understand some of it—I'm not saying I understand everything, but at least I should understand some of the reasons…”

……

At first, Fu Xiaofeng read the messages from Isara with amusement, especially when he imagined the exaggerated expression on Isara's face, which made him laugh even harder.

You wouldn't listen when I told you, and you wouldn't believe me when I told you. Now that you've actually gone there, you realize you've been fooled, right?

Do you think it's a good thing that Tyne is paying you a higher annual salary than Lille?

Have you ever considered that it's actually "risking your life for money"?

This is only your first training session in Tyne; the "good days" are yet to come!

However, as he watched, Fu Xiaofeng's smile faded, and eventually he even frowned slightly.

It was clear that Isara was quite excited; he typed continuously, so much so that he didn't proofread the message for any typos before sending it out.

However, this excitement was not the result of being tricked and losing composure, as Fu Xiaofeng believed, but rather...

how to say?

As Fu Xiaofeng looked at the excited words, he once again imagined Isara's expression on the other end of the phone. This time, Isara was no longer furious; instead, she was somewhat...excited, so excited that she was eager to try.

The high-intensity training content did not scare him, nor did Wang Lie's strict requirements make him dissatisfied.

This is a little different from what I expected...

He had originally planned to make fun of his friend before asking him if he regretted it.
But now, looking at the messages Isara sent, Fu Xiaofeng felt that he didn't need to ask Isara if he regretted it.

Because he could already foresee what answer he would ultimately receive.

I definitely won't regret it.

Sure enough, he then saw Isara send out another message:
“To be honest, I didn’t really have any particular thoughts about transferring to Tyne at first. At Lille, I could still compete for the league title, and going to Tyne was mainly for the money… But now I have some different ideas. I want to try it out here with those crazy guys, maybe things will be different? You’re probably looking at me with disdain right now, right? Haha! I also think I’m a bit silly, but it’s okay to be silly once in a while, don’t you think?”

Fu Xiaofeng did not show any disdain on his face. After reading the message from his friend, he chose to turn off his phone screen and not check if Isara had any new messages.

In fact, he was not clear about what was happening inside Tyne, or perhaps he deliberately chose not to know.

But now Isara is acting like a competent investigative journalist, enthusiastically presenting him with everything behind those news stories.

He simply had no way to avoid it.

Isara said he might not fully understand the reasons behind Tyne's change, but Fu Xiaofeng felt that he understood it very thoroughly.

After all, the reasons he gave completely matched his experience in the national team.

Isara's observations of Tyne's players were exactly the same as what he had witnessed firsthand in the national team.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

Fu Xiaofeng leaned against his cabinet door and looked up at the ceiling.

Then he sighed silently.

※※※

"...Finally, all the transfer procedures were completed."

Over the phone, agent Rodrigo Astina spoke to Renzo Pisano with a relieved tone:

"I thought the transfer would be finalized once you moved to Newcastle... I didn't expect you to stay here for four days before the transfer was finally done..."

Pisano countered by saying, "Just consider it as me getting used to life in England ahead of time."

Astina, still looking indignant, said, "Damn it, who would have thought that Madrid FC's fax machine would suddenly break down? I even suspect they did it on purpose. Why is it that it's never had a problem before, but this time it broke down? Is Madrid deliberately using these kinds of tactics to annoy you? What if the fax machine breaks down at the last minute before the transfer window closes? Wouldn't you be forced to stay in Madrid as a substitute for a year?"

Pisano quickly said, "It's not that bad, Rodrygo, don't think so badly of the club. I think my parting with the club was amicable, right? Instead of suspecting that Madrid FC deliberately used the fax machine malfunction as an excuse to hold me back, you should complain about why, even in 2037, FIFA still requires all player transfers to have paper documents..."

"Ha! The men will call it 'tradition'!"

After venting to Pisano about the frustrating transfer process, Astina felt much better. He said to Pisano in a relaxed tone, "Anyway, you're now a full-fledged Tyne player, and a whole new adventure awaits you. Both clubs should release a statement soon announcing your transfer. Tomorrow you'll have a medical, then meet the reporters at the stadium for a simple signing ceremony..."

Pisano asked, "Can I go to the team's training session after the ceremony?"

"Isn't there a need to be in such a hurry?"

“I’m in a hurry, Rodrygo. The team has been training for three days now, and I want to be with the team as soon as possible. The fax machine in Madrid has already made me lose two days. Besides, Ma Jie told me that when Wang came to Tyne, he finished his medical examination in the morning and went straight to team training in the afternoon. He didn’t even have a signing ceremony!”

"Don't compare yourself to Wang..."

"Why? Wang is five years older than me! Am I not as good as him?"

“Uh…” Rodrigo Astina realized he had made a mistake.

He completely ignored the fact that Wang Lie was already thirty-eight years old...

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant... okay, I understand. If you want to go to training after the ceremony tomorrow morning, then go ahead. I'll explain it to Head Coach McNeil."

※※※

"...Over the past two weeks, a transfer that has been on the minds of Tyne fans has finally been finalized. This morning, Tyne FC held a welcoming ceremony for their new signing, Renzo Pisano, at the Lize Park stadium..."

The television in the miners' bar was playing local sports news. As the anchor said this, Pisano appeared on the screen, holding a blue Tyne jersey. He was smiling and standing side by side with the club's general manager, Will Foster.

The screen was filled with flashes and the sound of rapid shutter clicks.

"It seems there are more media reporters at Pisano's signing ceremony today than there were at Isara's ceremony the other day..."

Among the customers who looked up at this scene, one remarked with emotion.

"That's normal. Pisano is one of the top three playmakers in the world today!"

"That's not the case now, is it? If they were still in the top three, would Madrid FC have let him go?"

"Even though I'm injured, I still think I can rank in the top five!"

"Top ten? I think top ten is no problem..."

Some people are debating where Renzo Pisano would rank in the playmaking midfield position, while others don't really care about these "empty titles."

Robbie Dixie crossed his arms, looked up at the TV screen, shook his head and sighed, "It's unbelievable, I still feel like I'm dreaming... First a key defensive midfielder for the runners-up in Ligue 1, and now the midfield core of a top club. Has our Tyne become so attractive to top players?"

Standing next to him, Jon Berg said in a matter-of-fact tone, "The capital has already advertised for us, so do you think it's attractive?"

"It's not just attractive in the transfer market, I heard that a Chinese agency wants to arrange an 'Asian tour' for the team this summer. Just one game in each of three cities, and they'll make tens of millions of pounds! Many Asian cities are fighting tooth and nail to secure the venues!" Ryan's voice rose even higher with excitement. "My God, I never imagined that we Tyne fans would be in so faraway Asia!"

“Wake up, Ryan, those are all King’s fans,” said Theo Collins, the bar owner, as he wiped glasses.

“They’re King fans now, but they’ll become Tyne fans someday!” Ryan argued. “Just like Don!”

※※※

Tang Lin, who was lying in bed playing on his phone, suddenly sneezed.

My mother immediately poked her head out of the doorway: "You caught a cold? I told you to turn the air conditioner up a bit..."

It was almost as if they had been lying in wait outside the door, just waiting for that sneeze...

Tang Lin quickly explained, "No, no, I don't have a cold."

His mother didn't believe his explanation and continued, "...Why don't you set the air conditioner to 'dehumidify'? It will still cool..." Tang Lin knew his mother was going into nagging mode again. He knew he should never argue with her at times like this, or she'd nag him all night. So he immediately grabbed the air conditioner remote from the bedside table and selected the "dehumidify" function: "Okay, it's set, Mom!"

The mother was surprised that her son was so obedient this time. She smacked her lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

※※※

"...Unfortunately, McNeil declined the invitation. I was already preparing to book my flight to Asia..." Ryan seemed very disappointed.

“There’s nothing to regret, refusing was the right thing to do,” Jon Berg said. “This season is our first time participating in the Champions League, and we have no experience in competing on multiple fronts before, so of course we need to be well prepared during preseason. Now is not the time to go to Asia to make money. The club’s refusal to go to Asia makes me more confident in the team’s performance in the new season, which shows that they are really making plans from a competitive point of view, not just for money.”

Dixie scoffed, "Isn't it possible, Jon, that in the eyes of Tyne's boss, the little money earned from a trip to Asia is utterly insignificant?"

“Hey, don’t be so sure of yourself, Robbie. What if Tyne really does go on some kind of ‘Asia tour’ or ‘China tour’ in a couple of years? What will you say then?” Berg said, pointing at Dixie.

Collins, who was watching the commotion, immediately suggested, "How about we make a bet? I'll write it on the blackboard. If..."

As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the blackboard.

Dixie quickly reached out and grabbed him: "No, no, no! No bet, no bet! It's not a big deal, I was just saying it casually... Oh dear, why make it so formal and serious?"

Seeing his expression, everyone burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

※※※

Renzo Pisano and his agent Rodrigo Astina had just stepped out of the players' parking lot at Northumberland Soccer City when they saw a group of people appear in front of them. Two of them were carrying a camera and were clearly coming towards them, as the group walked towards them after they appeared.

"Wasn't the signing ceremony over?" Pisano asked his agent Astina curiously as he saw them walking towards him.

He had seen this group of people during the signing ceremony that morning, but at the time he thought they were there to film him joining Tyne and then release a short video on social media—everyone does that, it's normal practice.

So he didn't pay attention at the time, and didn't seek an explanation from his agent.

Unexpectedly, I saw them again at the training base that afternoon...

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. This is a film crew that specializes in making a documentary about Tyne. They shoot a lot of footage of the teams and then edit it into a documentary to be released at the end of the season,” Astina explained briefly.

He didn't go into too much detail because he knew Pisano would definitely understand.

Pisano certainly knows.

Because Madrid FC will do the same thing, but they will do it after winning the Champions League, and then re-edit the video footage of their usual matches into a film with the theme of "Champions League Winner".

He was surprised: "Tyne really thinks they'll win the championship?"

Although he knew what Wang Lie's ambition was, he always felt that it was Wang Lie's own idea and personal behavior, and that the club must have its own considerations.

The film crew he was now seeing seemed to be demonstrating Tyne Club's stance to him:

Like Wang Lie, we all want to win the championship!

Otherwise, Pisano wouldn't understand why it would be necessary to go to such great lengths to film and produce a documentary.

Agent Astina, however, had a different interpretation: "How could that be? After all, this is the first time in Tyne's history that they have participated in the Champions League. They probably want to make a documentary to commemorate it, right?"

After listening to his agent's explanation, Pisano felt that what his agent said made sense.

I think I've misunderstood – he comes from a championship-winning team, so he's used to using the mindset of a championship-winning team to analyze other teams.

It's normal for Wang Lie to want to win the championship, because he is a champion-level player like himself, having won the Champions League, so he wouldn't be ashamed to talk about winning the championship.

But for Tayrn, a team that has been around for 165 years and is only participating in the Champions League for the first time, it seems unreasonable to assume they will win the title in advance...

It was probably just to create a visual record of his club's first Champions League season...

The film crew approached Pisano, and the leader explained their purpose to him:

“We wanted to film you going into the locker room to meet your teammates… For Tyne, you are a great addition, so your first meeting with your new teammates is very meaningful and worth recording.”

As the former midfield playmaker of world-class club FC Madrid and captain of the Argentine national team, Renzo Pisano is used to having a cameraman by his side, so he did not object.

As long as you don't go to his house to film him, he has no problem with it.

Pisano then said goodbye to his agent Astina outside the parking lot, and walked alone toward the first team's locker room, followed by a group of photographers.

When he arrived at the locker room door, there were already quite a few Tyne players inside.

They were quite surprised to see Pisano suddenly appear, but they seemed oblivious to the film crew behind him, clearly used to the fact that this group of people would appear everywhere...

Upon seeing Pisano appear, Vice-Captain Elliot Goetz was the first to greet him: "Welcome, Renzo, welcome, I'm Elliot Goetz..."

Then he noticed Pisano's backpack and asked, somewhat surprised, "Are you here to train too?"

Pisano said in English with a Spanish accent, "Yes, just like the king."

Goetz keenly discerned some underlying meaning in it:
Is this new signing trying to compete with Wang?

Just then, Majekatic said from the side, "I told him about how Wang came straight to training after joining the team..."

He then opened his arms to Pisano: "Welcome to Tyne, Renzo! It's great to see you here again, ha!"

Renzo Pisano retorted, "Didn't we already meet a few days ago?"

Katic laughed heartily: "That was in private, but this is the first time we've met in the locker room at Northumberland Soccer City."

Pisano thought there was nothing wrong with it, so he hugged Katic.

Then he discovered a "blind spot":
Where is the king?

"He didn't know you were coming, so he's probably working out in the gym right now," Goetz said from the side.

Pisano gave a knowing look and said, "Then can you take me to him?"

Katic was the first to answer, "No problem! I can take you there."

So the film crew followed Pisano and Katic to the team's gym.

After all, Wang Lie and Pisano can be considered the two biggest stars on the team right now, so how could they possibly miss seeing each other?
As the group approached the gym entrance, they heard a very clear and loud metallic clanging sound coming from inside.

When they went in, they saw Wang Lie sitting on the equipment, exercising the muscles on his inner thighs.

As his legs opened and closed repeatedly, the counterweights on the equipment were lifted and lowered, and the metallic clanging sound came from this.

Pisano glanced at the number of counterweights, then quickly calculated in his mind that it was a weight he couldn't lift at all...

Looking at Wang Lie's expression, he was gritting his teeth, and the veins on his forehead, neck, and the arm gripping the handle were bulging, showing that he was not at ease either.

So Pisano asked, "Why not lose some weight?"

Wang Lie had just finished one set when he heard the sound and turned around, where he saw Pisano, Katic, and the photographers.

He answered Pisano's question first: "You have to put some pressure on yourself to know how capable you are. See, that's how it got going, isn't it?"

After speaking, he stood up from the equipment and extended his hand to Pisano: "Welcome to Tyne. I'm glad you're here, Pisano. We need a capable and experienced player like you, after all, there aren't many players in this team who have participated in the Champions League."

To be honest, although he had heard from Katic that Wang Lie had changed, Pisano still felt a little uneasy when he actually faced Wang Lie and heard him say "We need you"...

Therefore, he did not immediately accept the hand that Wang Lie offered.

To onlookers, it appeared as if Pisano was uninterested in Wang Lie's enthusiastic invitation...

The situation suddenly became awkward.

But Wang Lie did not angrily withdraw his hand; instead, he continued to extend his hand in anticipation of a handshake, looking at Pisano.

It was as if he would have to keep waiting if Pisano didn't shake his hand.

Fortunately, Pisano was also a seasoned veteran. He quickly regained his composure, took Wang Lie's hand, and said with a smile, "I'm a little surprised. What you heard in the Madrid locker room is different from what I heard."

Wang Lie said, "It's not just me. You'll soon find that this Tyne team is different from what the outside world is saying."

Pisano certainly knew what Wang Lie meant by those words, because Tyne was always jokingly referred to as a "mercenary".

He nodded, but didn't utter the derogatory term about his new employer in front of the camera.

Generally speaking, the conversation ends here, and the two people should let go of each other's hands and say goodbye. That would conclude his purpose in coming to greet Wang Lie.

So Pisano tried to pull his hand back, but he couldn't.

He thought it was his imagination, so he pulled harder, but it still didn't move.

And this time he was certain that a tremendous force was gripping his hand tightly, and that force came from the man opposite him.

Wang Lie held Pisano's hand tightly, his eyes fixed on him like a wild beast eyeing its prey, making one involuntarily forget that they could actually breathe.

“I saw in the Madrid media that you chose to leave FC Madrid and come to Tein to earn some more money for your retirement before you retire…” he suddenly asked the person in front of him in Spanish.

"You're not even thirty-four yet, why would they think you're here to retire? Or are you really here to retire, Renzo?"

Pisano was surprised by Wang Lie's sudden aggressive questioning and even felt offended.

But before he could respond, Wang Lie continued:
“Tyne is not a ‘mercenary’.”

He openly used the words that Pisano was too embarrassed to say.

"It's not a 'retirement home' or a 'sanatorium'... You've won every honor you could in Madrid; your career is almost perfect. But I still want to ask one question:"
"Lenzo, are you resentful?"

In that instant, he saw a fleeting spark in Renzo Pisano's eyes, and with a smile, he released the other's hand.

(End of this chapter)