Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 64 New and old grudges
The afternoon training was spent in boredom. When the first bell rang, it was the end of the training.

Kou Feng shot the ball home with sweat dripping down his face, then squatted there gasping for breath.

He hadn't had regular training for three months and his physical fitness had declined. Thinking about tomorrow's game, he felt a little anxious.

"Kou Feng." Someone called him.

Seeing him turn around, the boy from Team 2 said quickly, "Someone is looking for you. They say it's your friend and asked you to go to the school gate."

Who is it?
I didn't have any acquaintances in Nanyang, so I dried my body briefly and changed into dry clothes.

Dongsheng Stadium is not far from the north gate, just four or five minutes' walk, and Kou Feng trotted over.

It was the peak time for entering the school. Many students who were going home for dinner were rushing into the school gate. There were so many people that Kou Feng couldn't find any so-called acquaintances for a while.

"Kou Feng!" A loud shout attracted many people's attention. Kou Feng looked in the direction of the voice and was stunned at the first sight.

The man who called him was a tall and strong man. Although his face still looked a bit childish, his body shape and appearance were more like an adult.

"Let's find a place. It's been a long time since we last met." The man looked very happy and pointed to a milk tea shop not far away: "Let's go to that one."

Kou Feng said nothing, but just followed silently.

"Boss, two cups of bubble tea, one of them shouldn't be too sweet, use less bubble."

"Look, I still remember your preference." The man said with a smile.

"Yu Haisheng, how do you know I'm here?" Kou Feng asked directly.

"How fresh, brother! As long as you keep playing basketball, you can find it anyway." Yu Haisheng laughed.

Kou Feng was silent. He stood up and wanted to leave, but was stopped.

"Why, you haven't let it go yet?" Yu Haisheng asked, and then he chuckled: "Look at me, I'm so stupid, if I let it go, I won't come out to play basketball again."

"What do you want to do?" Kou Feng asked in a cold tone.

"Why? Shouldn't I be the one asking you what you want to do?" Yu Haisheng sneered, "Are you talking nonsense?"

Kou Feng's veins were exposed and his fists as big as a sand bowl were clenched so tightly that they made a crackling sound.

Yu Haisheng snorted: "You've been eliminated, and you're still dreaming. Even if you want to have a good dream, please pick a good team. Is Dongsheng worthy of it?"

"That Chen Fang, I heard he's not even 1.8 meters tall, how funny. Kou Feng, a winter melon and a radish, what a perfect match."

"If you want to fight, I'll accompany you." Kou Feng's patience had reached its limit, and he glared at her with a grim look in his eyes.

Yu Haisheng pursed his lips, and the corners of his mouth twitched unnaturally, as if he was recalling some unpleasant past.

"Then we'll see you at the stadium!" Yu Haisheng stood up and said murderously, "Tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Kou Feng immediately understood: "You are in Taihu?"

"Hehe!" Yu Haisheng sneered and did not answer.

"Is Taihu under the youth training program of the sports school or the Sports Bureau?" Kou Feng's heart sank.

"You will know tomorrow. Get some good sleep. Many of us brothers miss you."

"They recommended me as a representative to come and say hello to you. I hope you won't desert tomorrow. But it's okay if you desert. This isn't the first time." Yu Haisheng laughed and was about to walk out the door.

"Your milk tea." The waiter called him.

"Oh, I forgot all about that." Yu Haisheng took out the money, paid the bill and said to Kou Feng: "I'll buy you a drink as a gift. You're welcome. There will be more gifts waiting for you tomorrow."

Kou Feng sat there for a long time, until he heard the preparatory bell ring for the second time, then he slowly stood up.

The sudden bad news did not knock him down. As the saying goes, enemies are always jealous. He just sighed that fate is just playing tricks on life.

If this is fate, then understand it clearly.

※※※※

"Yes, teacher, I understand. I won't think too much about it. Yes, let's put it this way first."

Jin Yuan put down his phone and watched the video on his notebook. In the video, Chen Fang made a clean three-pointer.

"What a pity! We are going to miss such a player." Jin Yuan sighed.

I sent the video to the head office, and they said we were capable and could sign it.

But there was no follow-up. Jin Yuan explained the result of Chen Fang's current scramble, but the reply he got was that in the youth training team, U14-18 all have excellent defenders, and what the club needs now are talent reserves in the three positions of 3-5.

As the saying goes, if there are people who die of overeating, there must be people who die of starvation.

Qingdao Doublestar and Shandong Hi-Speed were very eager for the talented players No. 1-2. When Chen Fang’s talent was confirmed, the person in charge rushed to Nanyang as soon as possible.

Shuangxing is head coach Zhang Lihai, while Shandong Hi-Speed is head coach Liu Yuanbin, the youth training director. Both are veterans of the club and have the ability to endorse immediately.

Now that we have received a reply from Chen Fang on the old secretary's side, it seems that the results can only come from these two companies.

Although it is not a cause for concern, it is still a bit regrettable.

Dongguan’s opponents will always be BJ, XJ, and Liaoning.

Shandong and Zhejiang belong to the second tier.

It is a recognized fact in the circle that Shandong has no destiny to win the league championship, even in football.

Shandong has always been at a disadvantage in competitive group events.

It’s not because Shandong is too cowardly or lacks courage, but because it is too tough.

This is true in the entire professional circle, both in football and basketball. Shandong has always been in a position without allies, adhering to its unique uprightness and toughness.

The world is full of human relationships and worldly wisdom. It is difficult to accomplish anything without powerful allies. On the contrary, when you are about to succeed, it is bound to be a lot of people who come to hold you back.

From a technical perspective, Shandong’s character and tactical system were too straightforward, and they lacked stamina until the end.

The team reached the semi-finals several times, but always failed due to injuries.

Finally, a big reason lies in the guard problem. Without good guards, the team cannot control the court and the rhythm. When these Shandong men play with all their might, the team often begins to collapse in the fourth quarter.

Therefore, Jinyuan is very clear that if Dongguan wants to compete with them and win Chen Fang, it will need to pay a lot, but this is not realistic.

There are some regrets, but now something unexpected has happened and it has aroused Jin Yuan's interest.

"Old Qu, are you busy?"

"Oh, you just finished training. What do you have to do tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? Ha, okay, I'll tell you straight away."

"Take the nearest flight to Shandong today, and I'll pick you up in Jinan. Yes, it's for that kid." "Tomorrow morning, that kid will play a knockout match with the Shandong Youth Training U16-18 mixed team."

"Yes, that's right. He is going to lead a completely amateur campus team to play against half of the Shandong Youth Training Team."

"Let's take a look. If it's really good, we should still strive for it. Who would dislike a good defender?"

"Okay, I'll cover your round trip expenses. We haven't seen each other for half a year."

"Besides, there is a rebellious son here, why don't you try again?"

"I'm not familiar with him. After all, you are half a mentor to me."

"Haha, come on, that's a good enough reason. I'll go to Yaoqiang Airport to wait for you now. That's good enough, right?"

Just as Jinyuan was making its final effort, Zhang Shaohong had just arrived in Nanyang as the recruitment representative of the Sports Bureau.

He came alone, exhausted, and stayed directly in the hotel closest to Dongsheng High School.

There was only one phone number in hand, and Zhang Shaohong hesitated for a long time before calling.

"Hello, is this Mr. Wang Yuan?"

"Yes, I sent you a text message before. Yes, I'm Zhang Shaohong, who is in charge of youth training at the Sports Bureau. I want to arrange a meeting time with you. When do you think you are free?"

"Hmm? Tomorrow afternoon? Oh, okay, okay, the location is at the sports center? I see. See you tomorrow then."

After putting down the phone, Zhang Shaohong felt a little puzzled. Wang Yuan's tone on the phone was very enthusiastic, but he just felt something was wrong.

Soon, he dialed a number again.

"Hello, is this Xiao Pan?"

"Yes, I am Zhang Shaohong."

"I'm in Nanyang. Is there anything going on in Nanyang these two days? Oh, Taihu? Will Taihu play against Dongsheng tomorrow morning?"

"Okay, I'll be there. OK, let's meet at the center tomorrow morning."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Shaohong figured it out.

The Sports Bureau placed some of the U16-18 players in Taihu, which was led by him. These people were recruited from various sports schools, but their levels were uneven. Taking into account their academic performance and competition environment, they were usually placed in school.

But this time, Taihu put the youth training players into the competition, which was not his intention.

Lake Tay itself has two teams, one of which is composed of some local students plus a few U2s. This can be regarded as a benefit in return for Lake Tay.

The other team is the Shandong U16 youth training team, which borrows Taihu's hardware and software facilities and is temporarily stationed in Taihu.

Why was it a short stay? Because the Sports Bureau’s own basketball stadium was being renovated, so we came to Nanyang.

Zhang Shaohong sent several WeChat messages to inquire and finally confirmed his guess.

The team that played in the game these two days was actually the Shandong Youth Training Team U16. They were using the skin of Taihu and were bullying the weak teams here.

This decision was made by Zhang Shaohong's leadership, with the reason being that the U16s have too few training opportunities. The level of the Chinese High School Men's Basketball League, which is currently being held, is improving year by year, and by then, the U16s will be able to play in the Naigao League.

This sudden decision overturned the previous agreement. It was originally planned that the Taihu team would play in the high school league starting this year, but the plan was changed at the last minute. Now because of this, they are engaged in a war of words with the local tyrants in Nanyang.

I heard that the school’s Korean coach returned to Korea in anger and took practical action to protest against this overbearing behavior.

Despite this, the fact that tomorrow's match against Dongsheng will be played by the U16 team cannot be changed.

So, here comes the problem.

Can Dongsheng win? Of course not. If a very ordinary team wins against U16, it will be a slap in the face of all the leaders, and it also means that the investment and energy of the Sports Bureau in basketball over the years is worthless.

The result will inevitably be that U16 wins the game. So will Chen Fang, who lost the game, still choose the Sports Bureau?
The tiny glimmer of hope that had already been there was gone.

I believe no one would be happy about losing the game due to shady operations.

Zhang Shaohong sighed. The fact that he went to Nanyang alone explained a lot of things. There were two professional clubs in Shandong and the Sports Bureau had the obligation to provide financial support to both of them, but Qingdao was self-reliant and did not want to owe anyone a favor.

The relationship on the Shandong Hi-Speed side is quite harmonious, but its own youth training team is also growing strongly.

The youth training team of the Sports Bureau has begun to face a huge crisis.

In two years, what will happen to this group of U16 players? Where to export them and who is willing to take them over? These are all very vexing problems.

But under the current circumstances, youth training must continue and more investment must be made. Why?

Because of the National Games!
The National Games may be nothing in the eyes of ordinary people, but to the Sports Bureau, that is the meaning of its existence and its foundation.

All institutionalized sports events organized by the state are mandatory tasks that must be completed by the Sports Bureau.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the eyes of local sports bureaus, there can be no Olympics, but there cannot be no National Games.

The 2015 Youth Games and the 2017 National Games are both basketball events, and this U16 team has a huge burden on their shoulders.

Because of this, when Zhang Shaohong heard that there was a potential candidate, he came. Even though the hope was slim, he still came.

Moreover, Zhang Shaohong has a certain degree of confidence because he has more resources than the club.

Money, household registration, real estate, admission to key universities, and even a regular job.

These clubs can give it, but they are just middlemen and they get it from the Sports Bureau.

What's more, what the Sports Bureau wants is the registered ownership and the agreement to participate in the National Games.

From a certain perspective, the attraction is much better than that of the club.

The power of the provincial sports bureaus is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. They dominate all industries derived from the province's sports industry.

Even if you may not be able to play professionally, as long as the Sports Bureau is satisfied, you can still get a lot of things.

Let me tell you a cruel fact: the biggest sports stars in the country today dare to turn against their clubs and give billionaires the cold shoulder, but when facing a small-time sports bureau cadre, they have to put on a smile.

But now, having encountered such a bad thing, Zhang Shaohong felt quite desperate.

He has always focused on youth training, and spends more than half a year a year traveling around the province to discover talents.

Therefore, he knows very well that teenagers of this age are full of pride and may dislike you at first sight, and then start to resist what happens next.

They don't care about money, employment, and household registration, which are the things that adults value most. Instead, they care about face.

Now we can only take one step at a time and do our best.

(End of this chapter)