30: Chapter 30 Who? Yu Bai? Who does he think he is?

Leicester City, King Power Stadium, manager's office.

It was thick with smoke—mostly created by the chain-smoker Steve Walsh.

This former professional player, a meritorious assistant manager and chief scout who had been rooted in Leicester City since 2008, was currently tossing a thin scouting report onto the desk, his face wearing a smile that was part appreciation, part calculation, like a predator spotting prey.

"Claudio, Craig," Walsh looked at manager Claudio Ranieri and assistant manager Craig Shakespeare, whom Ranieri called the "tactical brain," "our opponent tomorrow, Tottenham Hotspur, has a rather interesting little change."

Ranieri, the bespectacled, scholarly-looking veteran Italian manager, took a slow sip of coffee and nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Shakespeare looked up with an inquiring expression.

"A 17-year-old Chinese kid, Yu Bai, from the Arsenal academy, has made their matchday squad for the weekend."

Walsh pointed his finger at the photo of Yu Bai on the report, "And, according to a very reliable source, Mauricio Pochettino has promised to give him playing time—the goal is clear: to 'test' this talent and then find a suitable loan destination for him. The Tottenham management seems to want to replicate the 'loan first, glory later' model of Harry Kane."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Ranieri pushed up his glasses, a flash of realization passing through his eyes behind the lenses.

Shakespeare was still a bit confused and interrupted, "Who? Yu Bai? Who the heck is that?"

He waved his hand, "Stop joking, Steve. A 17-year-old Chinese kid, playing? So what?"

"Who cares?!"

August 22, 2015, afternoon, outside King Power Stadium.

The place was buzzing with noise, flags of the Foxes and the Lilywhites intertwined, with singing and shouting rising and falling.

Yu Yun held two side-by-side VIP tickets and saw from afar the figure who was dazzling even in the crowd—his ex-wife, Shen Muwan.

She was wearing a sharply tailored beige women's suit today, her black hair draped over her shoulders, wearing sunglasses, and was talking to her assistant Song Qingqing; she had a powerful aura that kept strangers at bay.

Yu Yun's expression darkened instantly.

He had specifically bought side-by-side tickets, thinking that even though they were divorced, sitting together for such an important moment in their son's life would be a kind of tacit understanding and support.

But what happened? She didn't appreciate it at all and bought her own tickets!

"What a waste!"

Yu Yun muttered under his breath, as if pained by the wasted ticket, but only he knew the awkwardness and disappointment in his heart.

He lied to himself, telling himself he was only angry because of the wasted money.

Shen Muwan caught a glimpse of Yu Yun not far away out of the corner of her eye and snorted coldly in her heart.

Ridiculous, does Shen Muwan need you to bestow a ticket upon her? She deliberately turned her gaze away, pretending not to see him, took her phone out of her handbag, and adjusted the angle.

"Qingqing, come over, get in the frame."

Shen Muwan's voice was calm.

"Ah? Wait, Ms. Shen!"

Song Qingqing was instantly flustered, pulling out a compact and lipstick from her small bag, "Let me touch up my makeup! Very quickly! Thirty seconds!"

"No need to touch up, you look great."

Shen Muwan felt a bit helpless.

"No, no! What if... oh, anyway, it'll be fast!"

Song Qingqing blushed slightly, hurriedly patted powder on her face in the small mirror, applied lipstick, and smoothed her hair, ensuring she was in her best state before leaning next to Shen Muwan and flashing a bright smile, making a standard "V" sign.

She didn't want any imperfection in any picture that Yu Bai might see.

"Click—"

Shen Muwan opened the chat box with Yu Bai, sent the photo, and left a message: "Xiaobai, good luck! Mom is here."

Click send.

The usually decisive Ms. Shen felt her fingertips trembling slightly at this moment.

Away dressing room.

Before locking his phone in the locker, Yu Bai took one last look.

On the screen was a photo of his mother and Song Qingqing in front of the stadium; his mother was smiling with rare tenderness.

There was also a voice message from his father, Yu Yun. He tapped it open to hear his familiar loud voice, with noisy background sounds: "Son! Stay steady! Don't panic! Your mom and I are both here at the venue to support you! Play freely, if the sky falls, Mom and Dad will hold it up! Remember, you are always our pride!"

Yu Bai held the phone, stunned for a few seconds, a hot rush of emotion surging into his nose, which he forcibly suppressed.

They actually both came?

Surprise, emotion, and a heavy pressure of not wanting to disappoint them instantly gripped his heart.

He had no time to dwell on it, closed his eyes tightly, locked the phone in the locker, and turned to walk out of the dressing room.

Stepping onto the player tunnel, the peculiar smell of paint, disinfectant, and faint shouts rushed towards him; at the end of the tunnel was blinding white light and a roar like a landslide or tsunami.

He walked to the away bench and sat down, subconsciously looking up at the boisterous stands.

There were too many people, flags were waving, and he couldn't find his parents at all. But he knew they were there.

This realization made the restlessness, desire, and fighting spirit already hard to suppress in his chest burn even more fiercely, like wildfire doused in oil!

Premier League debut. Parents witnessing it live.

Dreams, at this very moment, were within reach.

Dele Alli, sitting next to him, keenly noticed Yu Bai's slightly rapid breathing and tightly clenched fists and nudged him with his elbow: "What's wrong, Yu? Nervous?"

Yu Bai came to his senses, looked at Alli, opened his mouth, but didn't know how to describe his complex feelings at the moment.

Alli smiled, revealing white teeth, put his arm around Yu Bai's shoulder, and lowered his voice: "Don't explain, brother, I get it. Look at the light in your eyes, it's almost setting the advertising boards on the sidelines on fire. Excited, right? Eager to get on the pitch and crush them, right?"

Yu Bai nodded heavily.

"That's it!"

Alli slapped his back hard, making a crisp sound, "Remember this feeling! When you get on later, don't think too much, just get the ball into their box! Congrats in advance on an explosive debut! Let those guys who think they're so high and mighty pop their eyes out!"

"Yeah!"

Yu Bai took a deep breath and looked onto the pitch, "Let's do this!"

The first half ended in a stalemate of high-speed confrontation and slightly dull play, 0-0.

Tottenham had the advantage in possession, but Leicester City's strategy of solid defense and counter-attacking was executed extremely resolutely, making Tottenham's attacks all bark and no bite.

Mousa Dembélé and Erik Lamela were both shown yellow cards in the 29th and 31st minutes respectively for overly aggressive defensive actions, which made them somewhat constrained in the rest of the match.

In the stands.

Song Qingqing was surprised to find that her idol boss, Shen Muwan, who was always calm and seemed to have everything under control, was actually somewhat restless at this moment.

Shen Muwan's gaze had barely left the white number 52 figure on the away bench. As time ticked by and the second half began, with the potential substitution time drawing closer, Song Qingqing could even see Shen Muwan's well-maintained hands, folded on her lap, trembling slightly and imperceptibly.

In another part of the stands, Yu Yun was watching with great interest.

He was a fan himself; although he didn't understand very complex tactics, the fierce tackles and rapid transitions were enough to get him hyped.

He even started chatting with some old Tottenham fans who had traveled from London, spitting as he predicted the game's flow, and didn't forget to brag: "Just watch, our Tottenham will definitely have a chance this year! Especially our youth academy, another genius has emerged, he might even get on today; that kid, his Dribbling is like dancing, he'll definitely be a football superstar in the future!"

Of course, he didn't reveal that the "future superstar" was his son.