11: Chapter 11 Winks: Just like your Chinese football team, utterly pathetic.

The season opener for Tottenham U21 is tomorrow. At times like this, the "sparring team" cobbled together from U18 players and one or two fringe U21 players becomes the ideal punching bag for practicing tactics.

The logic is simple. Tottenham Hotspur wants to refine their lineup, so they wouldn't go straight up against Manchester United or Chelsea; they'd likely pick on "soft persimmons" first. The U18 kids on the pitch today wearing different colored vests all knew it, including Yu Bai. They were the side dishes in that meal, the study companions for the prince.

Head coach Ugo Ehiogu left after giving the general requirements, leaving the specific group confrontation to his chief assistant, Matt Wells.

Wells is famous in the youth academy for being good with young players, responsible for fine-tuning technical and tactical details, and is Ugo Ehiogu's most trusted deputy.

Wells held a clipboard, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Based on his familiarity with the players, he quickly divided the teams. Half-field, standard goals, 9 vs 9. The match was divided into three sessions, twenty minutes each.

Yu Bai looked down at the blue vest he was wearing, then at his teammates—Dylan Duncan paired with him as a defensive midfielder, Shayon Harrison and Kazaiah Sterling in front, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga in the backline, plus two unfamiliar U21 fullbacks, and Alfie Whiteman in goal. Opposite them, dressed in white vests, was the main U21 framework, with Harry Winks anchoring the midfield, and a name in the forward line that made Yu Bai's eyelids twitch—Andros Townsend.

The whistle blew for the first session, and the match began.

Without a head coach shouting adjustments on the sidelines, the gap in pure Strength was quickly exposed. Yu Bai and his motley crew in blue were struggling against the organized pressing and Passing of the opposition, like a flock of sheep driven into a corner.

Townsend, that 24-year-old winger who had been selected for the England National Team and was only temporarily out of favor in the first team, was clearly angry today.

He took the ball on the left flank, faced Yu Bai's defensive approach, performed a simple rhythm change, cut inside with his right foot, flicked with his left, and shook off Yu Bai by half a body length. Immediately after, he shot from the corner of the penalty area, the ball carving a tricky arc straight into the far corner. 0:1.

Yu Bai stood where he was, watching Townsend's celebrating back. The spot on his chest where he'd been bumped by the opponent's shoulder was still throbbing. That guy's speed and explosiveness were on a completely different level from the U18s. And this was just the beginning.

At the end of the session, the opponent crossed from the side, and Townsend ghosted into the back post of the penalty area. Yu Bai had tracked back and jumped with all his might, but the opponent was like a wall in the air, completely suppressing him. He could only watch helplessly as the figure, a size bigger than him, overpowered him and headed the ball fiercely into the goal. 0:2. Another goal was conceded shortly after, and the first session ended 0:3.

Both conceded goals were related to him. Sweat ran down his brow and into his eyes, stinging painfully. Yu Bai bent over, supporting his knees, panting heavily, his throat tasting of rust.

"Hey, kid."

A voice sounded nearby, carrying undisguised mockery.

Yu Bai looked up.

Harry Winks had walked over at some point. He wasn't sweating much, arms crossed, looking at Yu Bai with ease, his face wearing that expression of a senior sizing up a rookie, mixed with boredom and superiority.

"I don't care if you're Chinese or Japanese," Winks curled his lips, his voice not loud but clear enough, "Playing like this, no one will remember you. Really, you're trash."

He paused, as if thinking of a funnier joke, "Just like your Chinese football, it's trash. Kid, it's because there are people like you everywhere that we never see your flag at the World Cup, understand?"

He walked away after saying that. Two U21 players followed him, one of them patted Winks on the back, and the other laughed—a short sound, like a hiccup.

Yu Bai stopped wiping his sweat. His fingertips gripped the hem of his soaked vest. He admitted he played poorly. He admitted the Strength gap. But to win and then come over to spit on him, mocking his nationality and the plight of the entire country's football... The suppressed fire in his chest surged up, burning his ears hot.

He stared at Winks, his lips pressed into a pale line, saying nothing. It wasn't that he didn't dare; he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, the fire would burst out.

Just then—

"Ding!"

A familiar prompt, one only he could hear, rang deep in his mind. Yu Bai was stunned for a moment, the fire in his chest stagnating. He had been wondering that morning why the system hadn't made a sound, almost thinking it had crashed from his mom's shouting on the phone.

[Detected that the host's anger level is maxed out. This is not easy for you, a 32-year-old who has been tempered by society and should be emotionally stable.]

[Special task issued: Win one internal practice match. Reward: Composure +5]

[At 32, you have decided to make a comeback. You want to participate in the World Cup, but individual Strength is ultimately limited, and the national team is weak. Gifting one Bond Card.]

[Note: This card is only effective for Chinese players aged 20 and under. This card focuses on mutual benefit; your progress will benefit the other party, and the other party's progress will also benefit you.]

A Bond Card? And only for Chinese players? Yu Bai's first reaction was absurdity.

The Chinese National Football Team? That pool of water... He subconsciously rejected it. Even dogs wouldn't play! This thought was almost on his lips.

But then the thought turned, and he froze. The system said "32-year-old you." Yes, if he really was that "Yu Bai" who had rolled around in the entertainment industry for ten years and finally regretted not sticking with football, how could he possibly have British citizenship? There was no reason at all.

He shook his head, pushing this complex and disgusting thought away for now. Fix the match in front of him first. 5 points of composure, even a mosquito's leg is still meat. He took a deep breath and called his blue-vested teammates, who were still frustrated or panting, together.

"Listen to me," Yu Bai's voice was still hoarse from exercise, but it was steady, "They are stronger than us, but not strong enough to play however they want. We have to change something."

He spoke quickly, gesturing with his hands, "Dylan, you stay with me, narrow down when defending, don't let them pass easily in the middle. Shayon, Kazaiah, drop deeper to help harass their defensive midfielder's ball distribution. Two fullbacks, watch your positions, don't rush in easily. Oliver, Japhet, guard the middle, try to head the first ball out..."

He often did this when he was at Arsenal U16, and Henry encouraged him to do so. Although facing a stronger opponent now, his thinking was clear. Several U18 teammates nodded, and even the two U21 fullbacks, looking at this Asian kid who had just been dribbled past miserably but was now calm-eyed, nodded hesitantly.

The second session began.

Townsend soon got the ball on the wing again. He seemed to have tasted sweetness and wanted to replicate his breakthrough from the first session. He accelerated past a rushing fullback and was about to cut inside when Yu Bai had already quickly covered and entangled him. One-on-one, on absolute speed, Yu Bai was still at a disadvantage. But he had learned his lesson this time, not Shooting easily, just sticking close, with a subtle, hidden tug on the jersey to interfere with Townsend's rhythm.

Just as Townsend tried to change direction again, Oliver Skipp, who had been protecting from the side and rear, saw the timing and made a decisive sliding tackle! His foot touched the ball first, clean and crisp! But the momentum of the tackle also knocked Townsend to the ground. Townsend rolled twice on the turf, clutching his ankle, his expression pained.

"Hey! Kid!" Townsend sat up abruptly, his face full of anger, pointing at the 15-year-old Skipp and shouting, "Are you trying to ruin me, you motherfucker?! If I get hurt, you just wait!"

Skipp was still just a half-grown kid. Facing a long-established, furious first-team player, his face turned pale. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Yu Bai stepped over, blocking in front of Skipp, looking at Townsend who was still sitting on the ground. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear: "What, afraid of getting hurt? If you're afraid of getting hurt, go to Thailand and get cut early, then switch to women's football; that's very safe."

This was like a match thrown into a gas tank. Townsend stood up with a "thump," his chest almost touching Yu Bai's nose, his eyes red: "You little bastard! Say that again, you motherfucker?!"

"I said," Yu Bai didn't give an inch, even raising his hand to push his chest hard, pushing him back half a step, "Stop pretending here! No wonder Mr. Pochettino doesn't want you. With your capacity, you can't play in the first team!"

"I'll fuck you—!" Townsend completely exploded, swinging his fist to smash over.

"What are you doing!"

"Stop!"

Harrison, Sterling, Dylan, and others immediately rushed up, separating the two. The scene instantly became chaotic, with pushing and shouting ringing out. On the sidelines, assistant coach Wells rushed in blowing his whistle, but his shouting seemed pale and powerless in the face of the hormone-filled conflict.

"Enough—!!!"

A thunderous roar suddenly overwhelmed all the noise.

Everyone's movements froze as they looked toward the sound. Standing on the sidelines was the Academy Head, John McDermott, with a livid expression. Beside him were the U21 manager Ugo Ehiogu, who had returned, the U18 manager Kieran McKenna, and... the first-team manager, Mauricio Pochettino.

The four bigwigs did not look happy, especially Mauricio Pochettino. His gaze fell on Townsend, who was being held back by his teammates and still looked furious, and his brows were tightly knit.

The thought of fighting was instantly thrown to the back of their minds. No one wanted to become "famous" in front of these people.

Assistant Coach Wells broke into a cold sweat. Since the incident happened right under his nose, he quickly explained the situation without daring to show any bias—Oliver Skipp's tackle hit the ball first, Townsend made threats first, Yu Bai talked back, and the conflict escalated. As he spoke, he felt Yu Bai's calm gaze sweep over him, and his heart gave a slight jolt.

After hearing this, Mauricio Pochettino's face remained expressionless, but he took another deep look at Townsend. The disappointment and coldness in that gaze made Townsend sober up instantly, and cold sweat broke out all over him. He knew that his days at Tottenham were likely coming to an end.

Mauricio Pochettino's gaze then turned to Yu Bai, filled with scrutiny, and then to Coach McKenna beside him, his eyebrows raised slightly in inquiry.

Coach McKenna nodded almost imperceptibly, saying nothing.

Standing in the crowd, Yu Bai caught this silent exchange between the two coaches, and his heart skipped a beat. He seemed to... guess something.

"Continue the match." Coach Ugo Ehiogu broke the silence, his voice calm. "We will observe."

The four of them walked over to the bench on the sidelines and sat down. This simple action caused all the players on the field, whether wearing blue vests or white vests, to tense up instantly. The opportunity to perform, or rather, the moment of judgment, had arrived. This was especially true for players like Harry Winks, who were eager to establish themselves in the first team.

Yu Bai licked his slightly chapped lips. The restlessness in his chest, stirred up by the conflict and the gaze of the bigwigs, had not subsided; instead, it had transformed into a more burning desire to prove something. Bring it on.

The match restarted. Yu Bai received a throw-in near the sideline in the backcourt. Townsend immediately rushed up with bloodshot eyes, pressing him with aggressive, heated movements.

Yu Bai did not panic. He turned his body to shield the ball. The moment Townsend extended his foot to reach for it, Yu Bai gently pulled the ball back with the sole of his right foot, while nimbly turning his body halfway, slipping past Townsend, who had lunged too far. Townsend hurriedly braked to chase back, but Yu Bai seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he performed a sharp stop and turn, flicked the ball in the opposite direction, and calmly dribbled toward the open space on the other side.

"Damn it!" Townsend cursed in anger, feeling like he had been played like a monkey. The backfield is so empty, can't you pass the ball earlier? Do you have to dribble? If you're going to dribble, fine, but why play like that! He gritted his teeth and chased again, feeling so stifled he wanted to vomit blood. He was one hundred percent sure this kid was doing it on purpose, but it looked as if every move the opponent made was as reasonable as completing a training requirement.

Yu Bai really didn't intend to toy with Townsend. Once that anger was vented, he only had one thing on his mind: win this session of the match and get those 5 points of Composure. He dribbled past the halfway line and entered the opponent's half. From this position, taking a shot wasn't difficult, but the space to deliver a threatening pass was very small.

He looked up at the penalty area. Shayon Harrison was making a forward run, Raheem Sterling was moving toward the far post, and Dylan Duncan was quietly following up. The defenders' attention was occupied.

Now is the time.

Yu Bai planted his left foot and swung his right foot with the inside of his foot—not with the power of a shot, but with the control of a pass. He exerted force with his ankle, whipping out an arc with intense inward spin! The ball moved fast, spinning violently, soaring over the heads of all the defenders at the near post, Heading straight for the far post!

The goalkeeper judged it to be a cross and came out halfway, but realizing the trajectory was tricky, he hesitated and retreated.

The far post! Kazaiah Sterling arrived just in time. The moment the ball was about to fly out of the end line, he leaped with all his might, barely grazing the ball with his forehead toward the goal! The ball arched, just Passing over the head of the goalkeeper, who had come out halfway and then retreated, awkwardly stuck in the middle!

The small penalty area was in chaos. Shayon Harrison used his body to hold off two center-backs, attracting the vast majority of the defensive attention.

A blue figure, like a phantom, rushed up at full speed from near the penalty spot! It was Dylan Duncan! He barely had time to adjust, facing the falling ball, he used his "De Bruyne" to knock the ball into the empty net at the first opportunity!

"Good goal." On the sidelines, Mauricio Pochettino applauded lightly, his gaze falling on Yu Bai, who had delivered that curling ball, and said in a low voice to Coach McKenna beside him, "Kieran, this Chinese kid really has something. This technique... is very special."

Coach McKenna had a proud smile on his face: "Who's to say otherwise? I still can't figure out what those people at London Colney (Arsenal's training ground) were thinking."

John McDermott chimed in, telling the story of Yu Bai's bet yesterday about "making the curling ball a calling card for White Hart Lane" as an amusing anecdote. Ugo Ehiogu laughed, rubbing his chin, his gaze shifting to Yu Bai, and suddenly said: "For tomorrow's Tottenham U21 opening match, I'll put him on the squad list, play him as a substitute for a few minutes to get a feel for it, how about that?"

Coach McKenna immediately objected: "That's too rushed! Ugo, he is only 17 years old, and he just played 60 minutes of the U18 match yesterday!"

Ugo Ehiogu was unconcerned: "Kieran, that's a genius 17-year-old. Do you see him looking tired?"

Coach McKenna was choked up and looked at Mauricio Pochettino.

Mauricio Pochettino pondered for a second and nodded: "I agree. Getting a feel for the intensity is a good thing. But the time must be controlled."

John McDermott also added: "Right, Ugo, his body is still developing, don't use him too hard."

Yu Bai naturally could not hear this brief discussion on the sidelines regarding his fate. He was savoring the feeling of that pass just now; it seemed smoother than usual, and the control of the spin was more handy.

Just at this moment— "Ding!" The system notification sound rang out again.

[Your skill Beckhams Curve (Player) has been upgraded to Beckhams Curve (Star)]

[Note: It is detected that at the "Player" level stage, you have been able to stably output skill performance exceeding that level, meeting the upgrade conditions. The only path to skill upgrade: stable performance, exceeding current evaluation.]

[Name: Yu Bai] [Age: 32] [Speed 65, Explosiveness 53, Strength 38, Ball Control 72, Passing 76 → 82, Shooting 46 → 56] [Dribbling 90, Tackling 24, Heading 28, Vision 70, Composure 60, Stamina 60] [Overall Rating 65 → 67] [Skills: Beckhams Curve (Star), Demon of Dribbling (Legend)]

Yu Bai was stunned, then a surge of realization and excitement welled up in his heart.

He had previously guessed that skill upgrades might be related to attribute points, but now it seemed it depended entirely on solid performance on the field! This made him feel more grounded and excited than simply adding points—practice yields results, good performance leads to upgrades; this feeling was just right!

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, the light in his eyes shining even brighter. Alright, then let's continue!

Harry Winks? Just because you've played in the Premier League, right? Come on, let your Grandpa Bai see exactly how much you're worth!

Midfield struggle. A fierce and accurate interception by Dylan Duncan dispossessed the opponent, and he quickly passed the ball horizontally to Yu Bai in the center.

The moment Yu Bai received the ball, Harry Winks's right foot was already sticking to him like a maggot on a bone, carrying a ruthless force, wanting to keep both the person and the ball.

But Yu Bai's footwork was faster! The foot he used to receive the ball tapped gently, stopping the ball almost still in place, while his body made a tiny feint with the receiving motion. At the same time, his supporting foot pushed off the ground, and his whole body, like a loach, slipped past in the opposite direction of Harry Winks's leg extension interception with the ball!

The ball, meanwhile, nimbly drilled through the gap between Harry Winks's legs, which were slightly open due to his lunge. Nutmeg!

"Damn it!" Harry Winks felt a chill in his crotch, followed by a huge sense of humiliation, and cursing, he turned abruptly to chase back.

Yu Bai seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and gave Harry Winks no chance to get close. The moment the opponent was chasing back at full speed and about to close in, he gently pulled the ball back with the sole of his right foot, while simultaneously stopping and turning, changing direction again!

This time, it was not a nutmeg, but a simple and direct ball-past-person dribble! The ball rolled in the direction Harry Winks was rushing, while he circled around from the other side.

Harry Winks rushed too hard and was shaken by this abrupt change in rhythm. He barely twisted his body, almost tripping himself, and watched helplessly as Yu Bai regained control of the ball, and then... a calm and precise diagonal long pass sent the ball to the feet of the unmarked Kazaiah Sterling on the left wing.

The entire Dribbling process was flowing like clouds and water, carrying a sort of playful ease. The damage was low, but the insult was extremely high.

"Damn it..."

Harry Winks steadied himself and looked at Yu Bai's retreating back. His chest heaved violently with anger and frustration, a surge of evil fire rushing straight to his skull. His ankles twitched, and his studs ground deep marks into the turf.

Harry Winks: I really want to fucking tackle him!!!