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Chapter 214 Someone's Having No Sleep
Sergi Cabella received a message from his friend José Awad:
"I saw your tweet, and I have to say, under those circumstances, it was unfair to replace you early!"

Cabella paused for a moment, then switched to his Twitter account to check what he had just posted.

That was just a very ordinary tweet:

"What a fantastic game! I'm so proud of you guys, brothers!"

He accompanied the quote with a photo.

A photo of the final score on the big screen at Ashton Road Stadium:

Clayton 3:3 Tyne
He looked at it from every angle, but couldn't discern any hidden meaning in his tweet that would make his friend speak up for him...

So he switched back to the message and asked Awad, "Why do you say that, José?"

A while later, Awad replied with a long message:

"I understand that Helic was sent off for a second yellow card, and the team needed to bring on a center-back, but why was it you who was substituted instead of Pisano? You had an assist and a goal in the last league match. Your performance was clearly better than Pisano's. Pisano should be the one to sacrifice for the team, not you!"

Cabella frowned and stared at the message her friend had sent her for a long time.

If he hadn't seen the message Awad sent, he would never have thought of it that way.

Because he himself knew that although he had an assist and a goal in the last league match.

But what kind of assist was that?

He was just following the king's instructions and passing the ball over.

He didn't think it was a chance to create a goal before he passed the ball.

The goal was entirely due to Wang Chaoqiang's individual ability; if it had been someone else, it wouldn't have been a goal.

Statistically, he did indeed have one assist.

However, according to Cabella's own evaluation standards, he only benefited from the king's fame, which does not mean that he performed well.

As for that goal...

It was just an attempt he made outside the penalty area. Luckily, the ball hit the outstretched leg of a defender, slightly changed its trajectory, and finally flew into the goal.

This goal was still unrelated to his performance on the field.

The statistics of one goal and one assist were completely free for him.

Therefore, he didn't think he could stay in the match against Clayton Sports based on such statistics.

His only dissatisfaction with being substituted early was that while everyone else was giving it their all in the final moments, he could only be a physically fit spectator.

He knew his good friend José Awad played for Atlético Barcelona, ​​and it's unclear whether that's why he said that.

After all, Barcelona and FC Madrid are bitter rivals, so it's impossible for Awad, who plays for Atlético Barcelona, ​​to have any goodwill towards Pisano, who plays for FC Madrid...

Cabella decided to tell her friend the truth: "It's not what you think, José. I'm not upset about being substituted early."

"Ha, come on, buddy. This is a private chat, not a reply to your tweet. You don't need to be so nervous..."

Cabella sighed: Why can't you believe the truth?
He replied, "I'm serious, José. I'm really not upset about being substituted."

His friend's mind seemed to be racing, trying to understand his words and figure out if there was any hidden message between the lines.

So it took him about two or three minutes to receive a reply from José Awad: "Are you with your teammates?"

Cabella was both amused and exasperated. Could her friend really come to such a conclusion after all that research?

“I was indeed with them, but no one was looking at my phone screen—we were just on the way back to Newcastle.”

"Are you serious???" Awad typed three question marks in a row, showing how surprised he was.

"My tweet was from the bottom of my heart. I'm so proud of my teammates, José. Did you watch the game?"

"I didn't watch the live broadcast, but I watched the post-match highlights."

"I still suggest you find a replay and watch the whole thing, José. If you really don't have time, then I suggest you at least watch the second half of the replay. Seriously, José, you'll know if I'm being sincere after you watch the whole thing."

This time, José Awad seemed to have thought about it for a long time again.

"Okay, looks like you've integrated into the new team, that's great! Keep it up, Sergi, try to prove yourself in Tyne as soon as possible! So we can reunite in Barcelona soon!"

José Awad's expectation for Cabella has been to play two seasons for Tain before transferring to Atlético Barcelona.

Before this match, Cabella had secretly considered this transfer as a backup plan, but he had never said it aloud. Awad shared the same idea, but it was just a tacit understanding between two good friends.

But today, faced with her friend's expectations, Cabella didn't know how to respond...

He couldn't help but think of what Wang Lie had said in the locker room after the game.

Before transferring to Tyne, he had never been in contact with Wang Lie. It was only after the transfer to Tyne was confirmed that he heard some stories and rumors about Wang Lie from people around him, such as Jose Awad, and online.

Moreover, most of those rumors were negative...

In these stories, Wang Lie is often portrayed as a ruthless dictator, a capricious tyrant, a despicable and hypocritical villain, and an extremely selfish egoist...

Even his success in Tyne last season was interpreted as exploiting the entire team to serve his personal ambitions, a "short-sighted" approach that completely disregarded the team's future.

Even Cabella wondered how such a terrible bastard could have dominated the world of football for so many years.

After arriving in Tyne, he discovered just how outrageous people's prejudices were.

He was not facing a demon king who might devour people at any moment, but a leader with great personal charisma.

No... perhaps to his opponents, he is a demon king who could devour them at any moment.

Just think about the treatment he received at Clayton Sports' home stadium. Every time Wang touched the ball, he was met with a chorus of boos. Even when he tried to say something before kickoff, he was targeted with boos from the Clayton Sports fans.

Thinking back on today's game, Cabella can completely understand the fear that Clayton Sports fans have of the King.

In their eyes, the king was a ruthless demon king who killed without blinking an eye.

However, Cabella saw it as the reason why Maje Katic and Renzo Pisano had a better relationship with the King after they came to Tyne.

Because if you're a champion-level player, if you want to win, then you can't help but like Wang...

Cabella hasn't given up on the idea of ​​transferring to Barcelona in the future, but he's just now so excited by what Wang Lie said in the locker room that he really can't reciprocate his friend's enthusiasm.

After thinking it over, Cabella replied to Awad with a smiling emoji.

※※※

Renzo Pisano returned home late at night.

The children were already asleep, but his wife was still waiting for him.

"Congratulations, darling, you've secured your first assist in Tyne!"

The wife gave her husband a passionate kiss.

Then she keenly sensed that her husband was somewhat absent-minded.

That's understandable, after all, her husband was exhausted after playing such an intense match and having to rush back to Newcastle overnight.

So she took the suitcase from her husband and said, "Go take a shower, honey, and get some rest."

“Hmm…” Pisano responded to his wife somewhat perfunctorily.

The wife still didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until her husband finished showering, completed everything, and lay in bed, still silent, that she began to feel something was amiss.
No matter how tired she was, after such a wonderful match, she thought her husband should be excited and chat with her for a long time, not silent, looking sleepless and preoccupied.

So she turned to look at her husband: "You seem troubled, darling?"

Pisano didn't answer her question, but instead turned to her and asked, "We've been in Newcastle for over a month now, how are you feeling? Life here..."

"Why are you asking this?" The wife became even more curious, then suddenly a possibility occurred to her. She abruptly sat up, almost lunging at her husband, staring at him with wide eyes: "You want to leave here?!"

Pisano was both amused and exasperated by his wife's wild imagination: "Why would you have such an idea?"

"Then why are you asking me how I am living here? Are you worried that I and the children are not used to living here, so you want to consider leaving?"

Pisano quickly shook his head: "No, no, I don't want to leave. On the contrary, we're probably going to be here for a long time."

"Your contract with Tyne was originally for three years..."

“It’s ’3+1’,” Pisano corrected his wife. “The decision on whether to start the extra year will be made based on my performance and the wishes of both the club and myself. I want to play for the full four years as much as possible.”

Pisano's birthday is in October, and four years later he will be almost thirty-eight years old.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this could be the last contract of his career. His wife understood: "No wonder you asked me how I felt living here. So you wanted to play four full years at Tyne, and were worried that the kids and I wouldn't adjust?"

Pisano nodded: "Yes. Although it's alright so far, we haven't experienced winter here yet. Winter here is like two different seasons compared to winter in Madrid..."

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get used to it. But if you want to play here longer, the kids and I will be with you. At worst, we can go back to Spain for vacation anytime, like… to recharge?”

Pisano was relieved by his wife's answer. He reached out and put his arm around her, pressing her against his chest: "You can arrange to meet with Majesty's wife."

The wife, curious as to why her husband had suddenly decided to play the full contract, asked, "Is there something I don't know about this game?"

Pisano then told her what happened in the locker room after the game.

To be honest, her husband wasn't a good storyteller; he didn't make her feel at all like she was there. But when she heard her husband retell Wang Lie's story:

"...Let us write our names into history, and let history become legend. Right here, today, let's start with this game!"

It felt as if an electric current surged from the top of her head to her entire body, giving her goosebumps.

She showed it to her husband: "I got goosebumps."

Pisano glanced at it and laughed, "Look, even you got swayed... not to mention us in the locker room back then. I'm almost thirty-four years old, and when I heard Wang say that, I felt a chill run down my spine..."

"It makes his statement even more convincing, especially after he just scored a hat-trick to help you draw away to Clayton Athletic."

Pisano nodded in agreement with his wife's analysis, then said, "I've encountered situations similar to today's when I was at FC Madrid. We also beat our opponents in the final moments and pulled off comebacks. Arthur, as the star player, also had similar performances, like hat-tricks... But back then, when the media praised the team's performance, they mostly said it was FC Madrid's 'winning gene,' the heritage of a top club and its aristocratic temperament..."

"Isn't that right?" his wife asked, puzzled.

“I didn’t say it was wrong. Of course it is, Madrid FC is a ‘super club among super clubs.’ I’m just saying… the so-called ‘winner’s gene’ is something that generations of Madrid FC players have created through matches like today’s. It’s just that I arrived late, and the ‘winner’s gene’ has been around for a long time. So I’m just a brick in this super club.”

"A brick in a wealthy family"—this is a phrase his wife has heard her husband say more than once.

He felt that he hadn't achieved the historical status he desired at FC Madrid, which had been a source of constant resentment for him.

Many players aspire to join FC Madrid and become a part of the club's glorious history.

But her husband had much greater ambitions...

Joining FC Madrid is just the first step.

Of course, he ultimately failed, otherwise they wouldn't be in Newcastle in the northeast of England now.

"But it's different in Tyne. I heard from Maje that Tyne wants to become a new powerhouse. It's a crazy idea, but looking at their big spending this summer, I believe Tyne is serious. So here, every victory, every comeback, is building the 'winner's gene' for this team."

"Both are equally important: to be a brick, a shiny decorative brick at FC Madrid, or a foundation stone here? I would choose the latter, of course. Just as Wang said before, let's write our names into the history of Tyne, then write Tyne's name into the history of football, and finally let history become legend."

"My only regret now is that I'm almost 34 years old and can only play here for four seasons, which is too short..."

In the end, Pisano let out a long sigh, filled with endless melancholy.

His wife comforted him, saying, "Perhaps you could learn from Wang and play until you're forty too?"

Pisano was amused by his wife's naiveté: "I can't compare to Wang. I can't even stand his methods... I can't do them. But I've made up my mind. Since I can't change the length of the game, I'll improve the quality of my performance here and give my all to win every match, just like today's game."

The wife found a loophole in her husband's words: "But you didn't win today..."

The husband turned to look at him and smiled slightly.
"The king said that next time we will only accept victory."

※※※

"...The second Premier League match that just concluded delivered a thrilling encounter for the fans. Despite trailing by two goals in the first half and having a player sent off, the away team Tyne refused to give up. Playing with ten men in the second half, they relied on Wang's hat-trick to successfully force a draw against the defending champions..."

"Wang!! A magnificent solo goal! He single-handedly pierced Clayton Athletic's entire defense! Ferreira and Latkovic were tumbling down the back of the pitch behind him! Dyson was helpless against his low shot..."

"...Ha! Clayton Sports fans actually displayed a banner during the match telling Wang to pay tribute to the champions...and Wang paid tribute with a 'perfect hat-trick'! Then the Clayton Sports fans got upset, what a dilemma..."

"Scoring five goals in the first two rounds of the Premier League, what makes the 38-year-old Wang Tianshen descend to earth?"

……

"After the game, Clayton Sports fans should be like..."

Upon seeing the title appear in the video, Fu Xiaofeng immediately swiped his finger to dismiss it.

Since the match between Clayton and Tyne, his TikTok feed has looked like this:
There are match highlights, replays of Wang Lie's goals, and passionate fan-made creations...

Keep in mind that his location was in France!

Why are you recommending the Premier League to me?!

Fu Xiaofeng was just venting his emotions. Of course he knew why his TikTok video stream was full of Premier League matches—because Wang Ge's explosive performance in that match had reached unprecedented levels, with his influence spreading from England to France.

Many of the videos he scrolled through were in French, made by Wang Ge's fans in France...

What makes someone an international superstar? (Leans back)
Fu Xiaofeng sighed and put down the phone, which had now turned into the shape of Brother Wang.

He remembered one of the videos he had just come across.

"Scoring five goals in the first two rounds of the Premier League, what makes the 38-year-old Wang Tianshen descend to earth?"

The video creator raised this question but did not answer it in the video. Instead, he simply showed a compilation of Wang Ge's five goals in the Premier League this season.

This is actually a fan-oriented video, not a professional video that really analyzes the source of Wang Ge's condition.

But the moment he saw the video title, he immediately knew the answer.

why?
Because Wang Ge wants to use his five-goal performance in the first two games of the Premier League season to tell all the players on the Chinese national team:

When it comes to leading the national team to win the World Cup, your Brother Wang is serious!

If he remembers correctly, Brother Wang said it twice, telling everyone to watch his performance after the new season starts.

One instance was right after he announced in front of everyone that he would win the championship. He said that as the captain, he would lead by example and charge ahead. He also welcomed everyone to supervise him, to see if he was just boasting and empty talk, and to see if he was really working hard.

On one occasion, Coach He gave Wang the privilege of not having to track back on defense in a pre-game tactic, but Wang refused. He said that everyone could see how he performed after the new season started…

Perhaps on those two occasions, some listeners must have thought he was just talking.

But now, Wang Ge has proven his consistent strengths with five goals in two games:

I never lie.

Watching Brother Wang gradually fulfill his promises, Fu Xiaofeng felt a mix of emotions.

Winning the World Cup was something he had dreamed of since he was a child.

If someone could actually lead them to win the World Cup, he would be laughing in his sleep.

But why is it that now that the prospect of winning the World Cup is actually in front of him, he feels inexplicably afraid and instinctively wants to run away?
Fu Xiaofeng felt he might not sleep well tonight...

※※※

P.S., I'm very sorry, I need to take a week off.

My wife just had surgery. The surgery wasn't major, but the recovery period is very long—it's been months.

This period has felt quite chaotic – I'm constantly shuttling between the hospital and home, taking care of both my wife and the kids. And with the hot weather, my clothes are soaked through after just one trip outside.

Under these circumstances, I really can't write normally, and I've been relying on my stockpiled drafts to keep going these days.

But now the drafts are about to be wiped out.

Everyone knows I need to have a stockpile of drafts, otherwise my writing quality will plummet.

So I have to swallow my pride and ask for a week off so I can work on my drafts.

The reason I didn't stop updating before was because I didn't want to interrupt an important match that could set the tone for the entire season, and I hoped to provide everyone with a better reading experience.

The competition is over now, so I have to ask for leave.

Please understand.

After all, when you reach middle age, all sorts of messy and ridiculous things will happen, and nobody knows when they will come.

I can no longer do what I did when I was writing "The Winner Takes All"—completely ignoring my family and surroundings and focusing solely on writing.

At times like this, I can only ask for everyone's understanding.

Don't worry, I definitely won't be gone for long this time. I said I'd be taking a week off, and I'll be back to updating next Tuesday.

I apologize again...

(End of this chapter)