Chapter 9 Good Wife

Hearing the phone ringing again, Wang Lie, who was just about to get up, sighed helplessly, then turned his head to look at the phone screen that was being wirelessly charged.

After the news that he could only eat at the same table with the children spread, his phone became busy.

People in his address book and those not in his address book called and sent messages to ask him for confirmation and information.

His phone was almost out of battery, so he just charged it…

Among them are his team members, former teammates, business partners, media reporters who left contact information, and his friends – Traveler said he doesn’t have many close friends, but that doesn’t mean he has no friends at all. There are always people who appreciate Wang Lie’s character. Besides, humans are social creatures, and Wang Lie is not the kind of “lone wolf” who can completely break away from interpersonal relationships. He has been in this world for nearly 38 years, and he still has some connections on the social network.

Everyone cares about him, but everyone cares for different reasons.

Some people really care about him and stand on his side to curse Helden and the club.

Some people just want to get some clues from him that are unknown to the outside world and make some “big news”.

Some people seem to be worried about him, but in fact they are worried about the impact on business cooperation and their own money.

Some people advised him to lower his head and not make things too awkward, after all, Wang Lie was the one who got hurt in the end. Now everyone can see that the club unconditionally supports the head coach Helden, and Wang Lie’s actions are tantamount to an egg hitting a stone.

Wang Lie didn’t want to listen to these meaningless consolations and advice, but he didn’t respond to them directly like he did to Hall. He just euphemistically said that it was useless to say these things now.

In the end, the other party could only sigh and wish him good luck.

The Chinese national team’s leader Shen Dongsheng and head coach He Zhenyong both called him to inquire about the situation and whether Wang Lie had found a new club. Wang Lie honestly said, “Not yet…”

Hearing this answer, Shen Dongsheng comforted him and said that the door to the national team had never been closed to him.

Head coach He Zhenyong was silent for a few seconds, then asked him: “Are you still not considering returning to China to play football?”

Wang Lie asked back, “Can I return to the national team if I return to play football in China, Coach He?”

He Zhenyong spoke frankly: “That depends on your specific performance. But I think as long as you can play the game systematically and stably, and find the rhythm and form of the game again, with your ability, it should be no problem for you to return to the national team. Just like Chu Yu…”

Chu Yu is the main central defender and vice-captain of the Chinese national team. He also played in Europe before. Last summer, he left the Bundesliga Berlin Star, where he had played for many years, and returned to China. He is currently playing for Nanhe Jiuding.

Wang Lie was grateful for He Zhenyong’s honesty, so he asked more honestly: “Then Coach He, after I return to China to play football and can play in the game systematically and stably, can I still be the offensive core of the national team?”

Since the Asian Cup jointly hosted by Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand in 2035, the Chinese national team’s current offensive tactics are basically formulated around Chi Zhen.

Even if Wang Lie is still in the national team, he is no longer the offensive core. Whether it is the forward or the center position, the national team’s current offensive tactics have more suitable candidates than him.

Faced with Wang Lie’s candid question, He Zhenyong remained silent even longer than before.

So Wang Lie already knew the answer from Coach He: “So I want to save myself again, Coach He.”

Faced with the stubborn and paranoid Wang Lie, the head coach who took office after the Asian Cup had nothing to say. He took office with the task of reforming and renewing the national team. There are some things he has to do even if many people scold him.

He knew what Wang Lie wanted and understood that Wang Lie had a huge psychological gap after coming down from the peak and that it was difficult for him to accept this loss for a while.

But as the head coach of the Chinese team, he is responsible for the entire team, not just one individual.

From the Asian Cup two years ago to now, after a year and a half of adjustment and pain, the Chinese team’s offensive tactics finally took shape and achieved the desired effect.

So no matter what, the Chinese team cannot go back to its old ways.

Not to mention that Wang Lie, who is about to turn 38, will never be able to return to his peak and will indeed be unable to lead the national team.

Having learned all the information he needed to know and said all the things he needed to say, He Zhenyong took the initiative to say goodbye and hung up the phone.

Wang Lie quickly put the phone he had just finished talking on on the wireless charging pad, but as soon as he put it down, he heard another incoming call.

Honestly speaking, answering so many calls in one night and talking to so many people with different thoughts was a huge drain on his energy. Wang Lie was already very impatient.

However, when he saw the caller’s name on the phone screen, he quickly chose to answer the call and turned on the hands-free function.

His wife Tang Xingmei’s voice came from the speaker of the mobile phone: “Oh, I finally got through. I called several times before and the line was busy. You are busier than the mayor’s hotline!”

Wang Lie was amused by his wife’s joke, then noticed the time. It was 8:34 pm in Manchester, which should be 4:34 am in China. So he frowned and asked, “You haven’t slept yet?”

“I was sleeping, but woke up in the middle of the night. I was thinking of checking my phone, and I saw your news…”

Tang Xingmei lied – she was actually woken up by her mother-in-law’s sighing in the living room. After waking up, she came out to show some concern, and only then did she learn from her mother-in-law that her husband had been driven by head coach Helden to eat at the children’s table.

A mother is always most worried about her son, even if he is almost 40 years old. Grandma Zhou Hong has not been sleeping well during this period, so she was still checking her phone in the middle of the night to check the news about Wang Lie. Then she saw the “explosive news” that her son was demoted to the youth team by Helden…

She didn’t know who to look for, so she could only sigh in the living room until she woke Tang Xingmei up.

But Tang Xingmei didn’t say all this because she was afraid that Wang Lie would worry about his mother. Last July, his mother fell at home and was hospitalized, which scared Wang Lie so much that she returned to China from Manchester in an emergency. Since then, she has stayed in China to take care of her mother-in-law and two children, and only went to the UK occasionally. It was completely the opposite of before – before, she had always lived in the UK to accompany her husband, and only returned to China occasionally to visit the elderly and children.

There are enough troubles now, she doesn’t want her husband to worry about things at home.

Wang Lie could be as tough as a rock when facing people like Hall and Helden, but he felt guilty when facing his wife who always supported him silently behind the scenes: “I’m sorry to have made you worry.”

“I’m fine, you’re the one under a lot of pressure. Are you completely at odds with them now?”

“Well, they asked me to apologize to the coaching staff today… What coaching staff? Actually, they just wanted me to apologize to Helden. It seems that the conflict between Helden and I is no longer between me and Helden if they drag the entire coaching staff into it. I didn’t agree, so Helden asked me to go to the youth team for training. The funny thing is, not only did he not let me train with the first team, he even stopped me from using the first team restaurant.” Wang Lie spoke in a light-hearted tone, as if he was telling his wife such a big news as a funny joke.

Although he said it lightly, Tang Xingmei knew that this was a very serious situation – no matter how big the conflict between her husband and Helden was before, it had never reached the point of a public falling out.

In fact, she was very worried, but she couldn’t show it. She called in the middle of the night, on the one hand, to understand the details so that she could reply to her mother-in-law, and on the other hand, to comfort her husband and give him spiritual comfort.

At this time, as a “psychological masseur”, she should not show impatience and anxiety, otherwise her husband will only become impatient and anxious.

So after listening to her husband’s story, she laughed out loud: “It’s really funny. No wonder the Internet is full of jokes about you sitting at the children’s table for dinner. Did you have dinner in the youth team restaurant tonight?”

“That’s not the case…” Wang Lie was stunned for a moment, then said in a regretful tone, “Oh, if I had known earlier, I should have tried the food of the youth team. Don’t tell me, I have been in Sofia for ten years, and I have never eaten the food of the youth team.”

“Then you can go eat tomorrow.”

“Well, I’ll take a video then.”

“Also shooting videos? Do you think you are a store exploration blogger?” Tang Xingmei couldn’t help but complain.

Unexpectedly, her complaints inspired Wang Lie: “Hey, you’re right. It’s not impossible to make a store exploration video. I’ll post it online tomorrow to show everyone the meals of the Soflian youth team.”

Tang Xingmei knew that her husband was trying to have fun despite the hardship, but not only did she not expose him, she also joined him in the fun.

But the next second, her husband threw the cruel reality directly in front of her: “What do you think if I really return to China to play football?”

Tang Xingmei didn’t expect her husband to bring up this matter on his own initiative, and for a moment she didn’t know how to respond.

After being stunned for about two or three seconds, she asked hesitantly, “Didn’t you always want to return to China to play football?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to do it now. I always feel unwilling, unwilling…” Wang Lie murmured.

Tang Xingmei thought that maybe after their complete falling out today, her husband felt that Europe was so big, but there was no place for him to stay, and he felt a little depressed, so he showed his weak side in front of her.

Tang Xingmei, who had advised him to seriously consider returning to China to play football last time, encouraged him instead: “The situation shouldn’t be that bad. Your agent team has been looking for big clubs in Europe before, why don’t you try to lower your standards? Do you have to go to a team that can play in the Champions League?”

“Only wealthy clubs can afford my salary – I can reduce my salary, but no matter how much I reduce it, I still have so many people on my team to support. I can play for free, but many people on my team can’t work for me for free. In addition, this is a two-way choice. Sometimes it’s not me who chooses or not, the other party is also choosing me. Do you think a relegation team would be interested in me? If they are really interested in me, it must be for my traffic, which is of no benefit to me. Why should I go?”

Tang Xingmei disagreed with her husband’s explanation: “That’s not the case, Lao Wang. Not all non-rich teams are just attracted by your traffic, nor are all non-rich teams uncompetitive. The reason why they didn’t contact you may be that they think you won’t choose them anyway, so they don’t bother to waste their efforts. After all, which team that had news with you before was not a rich team? Of course they will think that you look down on them, so why bother yourself?”

In response to his wife’s words, Wang Lie did not refute, but instead said “hmm” softly, and it was unclear whether he agreed or was perfunctory.

Tang Xingmei continued, “I still want to criticize you. It’s true that you were a superstar before, and you have created many remarkable achievements, but you still have to realize that you are no longer the same as before. No matter what you think in your heart, the outside world does see you that way – they think you are old and can’t keep up with the pace of European football. Of course, there is the factor that Helden didn’t give you a chance to prove yourself for half a season, but the objective facts are there. How many 38-year-old players can still play as the main force in a giant club?”

She heard her husband’s breathing getting heavier on the other end of the line, but she ignored it and continued, “Let’s just say we have a striker position. How many are there? Those people came to the conclusion that ‘you are no good’ based on the current objective laws. It seems that we can’t blame them for not recognizing the real talent, right?

“What you need now is a chance to prove yourself. Since you are not willing to return home like this, you must lower your standards and go to a team that can let you play in the game, no matter where the team ranks in the league.

“First, play in the games, regain your form and stabilize yourself, prove your ability with actual performance, and then slap those people in the face. There is still a year and a half before the World Cup, there is still time, not too late.

“Your competitive character is a good thing, but sometimes you have to be competitive in a proper way. Taking a step back is not a sign of weakness, but it can also be a way to leave enough distance for the sprint. Don’t you think this makes sense?”

Seeing that Wang Lie hadn’t spoken yet, Tang Xingmei added, “How about you think about it this way? Just pretend to be a pig and eat the tiger. First, pretend to be a pig, then eat the tiger. Make a list of all those who are jumping for joy now. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late in a year and a half.”

Wang Lie finally responded—he laughed and said, “What the hell is a year and a half not too late?”

When Tang Xingmei heard her husband’s reaction, she knew that he had taken her long speech to heart. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but she still maintained her slightly tough tone: “We can’t wait for ten years. To say ‘from morning to night’ is not realistic. Your goal is the World Cup in a year and a half. As long as you can perform well in the World Cup, you can just treat this year and a half as a retreat for training.”

“You’re right, wife. I’ll ask Fernando to expand the range of clubs he contacts with later.” Wang Lie said, and there was no reluctance in his tone.

“Okay.” Seeing that her husband was finally convinced by her, Tang Xingmei stopped reasoning.

“Thank you, my wife. It has to be you…” Wang Lie said again. “Why are you so polite?” Tang Xingmei’s mood improved and she wanted to joke, “Have you never heard of ‘If you are too nice to someone, you are either a traitor or a thief’?”

Wang Lie didn’t take the joke, but said seriously: “Nothing, I just want to hug you…”

Tang Xingmei was silent.

When her husband was in the most difficult time, she was not by his side. How could she not want to give her husband a hug at this moment?

Realizing that there was a sense of sadness between the couple, Wang Lie quickly changed the subject: “Thank you for taking care of my mother. She is old and is still recovering from a fall. It is indeed inconvenient for her to be alone. Thanks to you…”

“What are you talking about? She is my mother too.” Tang Xingmei said angrily. “Alright, alright, I’m so sleepy. I have to send my sister to kindergarten tomorrow. I don’t want to chat with you anymore.”

“Okay, you’ve worked hard, my wife, go to sleep. I love you!”

“Yeah, I love you too!”

After his wife on the other end of the phone ended, Wang Lie watched the screen of his phone, which was still charging, light up again.

His mood was just like the screen, feeling bright again.

Although he acted tough or indifferent in front of those who cared about him, deep down in his heart, he was inevitably affected by this incident.

He was very reluctant to return to China to play football before, but he actually took the initiative to bring it up in front of his wife because he really felt like he had nowhere else to go.

He used the cheats he had just obtained to convince himself that the level of the domestic league was low and it would be easier for him to score goals. Maybe he could become a year or two younger?
Although he doesn’t know how many goals he needs to score to be one year younger, if he can restore his body functions to the state before he was 30 years old… he is really tempted by the option of returning to his country to play football.

But now, after his wife’s education, Wang Lie feels that he should work harder in Europe. At least the European winter transfer window will not end until the end of January, and the Chinese Super League can still transfer until March. At worst, he can wait until the European transfer window closes before considering the option of returning to China.

He was indeed unwilling to return to his country in such disgrace.

His wife said that it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge, but the World Cup in a year and a half is still too far away, so he wants to slap those people in the face now.

Just as he was about to call his agent Fernando Clemente, his phone rang again.

※※※

Looking at Sam McNeill with a serious expression, Cesar Varo said in surprise: “You haven’t got through yet? It seems that you are not the only one who thinks so…”

Before he finished speaking, he saw McNeill’s expression brighten up: “It works!”

“what?”

McNeill frowned again: “No…”

“This……”

“received!”

Varro closed his mouth.

McNeill had a smile on his face and his voice became gentle: “Hi, Wang, good evening! How are you, are you busy now?”

※※※

“Are you here to ask me what happened in Heaton today? I remember you weren’t such a gossipy person, Sam.”

Wang Lie was a little surprised when he saw that the caller was Sam McNeill.

He and Sam McNeill were teammates at Sofia United, but they were not particularly close friends. They had not been in touch since McNeill left Sofia United.

“Oh no, I’m not a tabloid reporter.” McNeill laughed, “I know you don’t like nonsense, so I won’t beat around the bush. To be honest, I want to ask you, if you don’t plan to stay in Sofia this winter, would you like to come to our Tyne?”

For a moment, Wang Lie wondered if McNeil had tapped his wife’s phone call: What a coincidence! He had just used the example of the “relegation team” on the phone, and the relegation team actually came to his door.

Real person big data?
McNeill’s side are currently 13th in the Premier League.

This ranking seems quite normal. Among the 20 Premier League teams, the 13th place can be considered a mid-range team.

But they only have 18 points, just three points above the relegation zone.

If things go wrong, they might be dragged into the relegation zone in just one game.

It is true to say that they are a relegation team.

Tyne’s goal this season must be to fight for relegation.

If it were before, Wang Lie might have politely but decisively rejected a team like Tyne.

However, after talking to his wife, he was not so impulsive and decided to find out more about the situation and hear what McNeill said.

McNeill didn’t know what Wang Lie was thinking. He only knew that after he explained his purpose, Wang Lie did not respond. He was silent as if the signal was interrupted – uh, maybe the signal was really bad?
He was trying to call out when he heard Wang Lie say, “Sam, I remember you were the one who took over Tyne last November, right?”

“Yes, December 15th, after the 15th round of the league.”

“Where did Tyne rank before you took over?”

McNeill didn’t understand why Wang Lie asked this, but he answered honestly: “Nineteenth. That’s why I came to put out the fire.”

“Now, after four rounds, you’ve moved up to thirteenth. You’ve done a great job, Sam.”

McNeill smiled bitterly and said, “Don’t tease me, Wang. I have tried my best, but I am still only three points ahead of the relegation zone. In fact, I would like to brag that the team is on the right track under my leadership, but the fact is that we are still stuck in the quagmire, so I need your help.”

“I think you’re making fun of me, Sam. I’ll be thirty-eight next month and I haven’t played more than four full games in half a season at Sofia. How can I help you? Don’t you know that the whole of Europe avoids me like the plague? They’ve even given me a new nickname: ‘Yellow Peril’.”

“Damn it! Don’t compare me with those damn racists, Wang! I’m serious. Tyne needs a top star like you who is experienced and has achieved great success. You are definitely not here to be a mascot. I need you 100% both in the locker room and in tactics.”

McNeill was very firm in making his position clear.

He had worked with Wang Lie before, and he knew Wang Lie’s character. What this person needed was for others to trust him, support him unconditionally, and make him feel needed and valued.

Therefore, when dealing with him, it is crucial to show unwavering trust in him.

“And you know, the club bought a lot of people before. Although many of these investments have gone down the drain, there are still many good players. We have the hard power, but the previous coach did not bring them together well. I have been doing this work since I came to Tyne, and have achieved some results, but it is not enough, far from enough! In this process, I feel more and more that Tyne needs a real leader to inject soul into this team. And you, Wang, the winner of the World Footballer of the Year and the European Golden Ball, are the most suitable candidate.”

※※※

Varro pointed at his arm and said to McNeill: “I have never seen you so disgusting, Sam, I just got goose bumps here. You are just like coaxing a child…”

McNeill was in high spirits after Wang Lie said he would seriously consider the answer. He laughed and said, “In a sense, Wang is indeed like a child who needs to be coaxed. But I didn’t say that just to make him happy. I meant it, Cesar. If Wang really comes, we certainly can’t just deprive Goetz of the captain’s armband, but I will make Wang one of the captains. He has all the qualities to be an excellent leader.”

Varro joked, “Are you that impatient?”

“I played with him and I know him.”

“Come on, you only played with him for one season, Sam.”

“One season is enough. Cesar, you don’t know Wang. He is a consistent person. You can know what he is like after one season with him. You don’t need to be with him day and night for ten seasons. Do you think the things he was criticized by the media for happened only in the past six months? In fact, he has never changed, it’s just that people’s standards for evaluating him have changed… When he stood up for his teammates on the court, he was praised for his ‘leadership qualities’, but now it has become ‘mental imbalance’, ha!”

As McNeill spoke, his tone became sarcastic, and it was obvious that he felt sorry for Wang Lieming.

“But he has never been captain in Sofo League.” Varo pointed out the blind spot.

“That’s because the captain of Sofia has always been elected by the players,” McNeill said, “and no one wants to vote for Wang – he likes to give orders in the locker room without the captain’s armband. If he is given the captain’s armband, what will happen? You know, some things are really hard to do without the captain’s title. No one wants to be watched by a paranoid person all day long.”

Varro suddenly realized: “No wonder Murphy, who is neither a direct descendant of Sofo United nor a top-tier player, has been the captain of Sofo United for many years… He is a well-known ‘good guy’.”

“The decline in Sofia’s performance in recent years is actually closely related to the gradual loss of control in their locker room. The head coaches before Helden were unable to control the men in the locker room. How can we expect this team to fight for victory and championships like before? At most, they will have a burst of energy in the contract year, and then lie down after getting the big contract…haha.”

At this point, McNeill shook his head and sighed: “Of course, I am also ‘double-standard’… When Sofia United performed well, this tradition was always praised as a ‘model of democracy’ to prove the harmony of the dressing room atmosphere, and even regarded as their secret to success in winning the unprecedented ‘seven championships’. So whether the same thing is right or wrong, it actually just depends on whether you are the winner…”

He looked at his assistant, “Hasn’t our team been criticized by the media as ‘mercenaries’? They are not wrong. Many people in the team could have had better choices with their strength. Why did they come to Tyne, which was ranked in the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League at that time? Isn’t it because our Middle Eastern boss was willing to pay them? He gave them money that was far beyond their ability. Who would have trouble with money?

“So our boss got a team that looks very strong on paper, but has a hard-to-describe actual performance… We all agree that Tyne’s actual performance doesn’t match his true strength, and there’s still a lot of potential to be tapped. So I need someone like Wang Lie, who is obsessed with victory to the point of being abnormal, to influence the team with his extraordinary competitive spirit. Wang joked on the phone that he was a ‘plague’ that everyone wanted to avoid. I think that’s great, I just want his ‘competitive gene’ to infect the whole team like a plague.”

Although Varro nodded frequently as McNeill spoke, he still had a question: “How can you guarantee that the ‘mercenaries’ in the team can be infected by Wang? Won’t they be like those players of Sofolian?”

McNeill snorted, “They are neither Arthur Eloun nor Ronil Nascimento. Many of them haven’t even won a decent championship in their careers. What qualifications do they have to be arrogant in front of the king and put themselves in the right position?”

Cesar Varo kept his mouth shut.

※※※

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(End of this chapter)