60: Chapter 60: Debut Start and Man of the Match! Yu Bai Shines in England, Wenger Anticipates First Encounter

London, Tottenham training ground, office.

John McDermott turned off the TV, stretched, and with a smile on his face, elbowed the still-distracted Kieran McKenna next to him:

"Hey, Kieran! Next time Yu Bai comes to London for an away game with Leicester City—I remember it's against Chelsea or Arsenal, right? You should find a way to get two tickets! Let's go watch this kid in person! It's exciting enough watching on TV, imagine how electric it would be live!"

McKenna was pulled back from his thoughts. Hearing this request, his face instantly darkened, and he glared at his old friend:

"Get lost, John! Do I always have to be the 'bad guy' in these situations? How could I possibly have the face to ask him for tickets?"

His tone became agitated. "I was the one who told him 'going out on loan is for your own good.' I was the one who represented the club and 'sent him away'! Now that I see he's made it, I'm going to shamelessly ask for tickets? Does this old face of mine mean nothing?"

McDermott gave a sheepish smile and rubbed his nose: "I just... thought since you two had a good relationship..."

"A good relationship?"

McKenna smiled bitterly, looking out the window, his voice dropping. "It's exactly because we had a good relationship that I have even less face to ask..."

The office fell silent again, leaving only their complex sighs.

Enfield, Thompson family home.

In the living room, the ending credits music of the match had already started playing. David Thompson was still immersed in the excitement and slapped his thigh hard:

"Incredible! Truly incredible! This kid Yu Bai, he's only 17! A Premier League start, a goal and an assist, helping the team win! This is the kind of plot you only see in novels! He will definitely become a big star, a superstar in the future!"

Mrs. Susan was tidying up the snack tray and glanced at her husband, muttering: "He's impressive, sure... but why do I feel like watching him play on TV is different from when he was at our place?"

"In the TV broadcast, Yu Bai's eyes look a bit fierce, and his expression is very tense when he's Shooting... Are Chinese children all this... bloodthirsty? Are they a martial race?"

Grandma Margaret sat in her rocking chair, reading glasses perched on her nose, having finished the last stitch of the dark blue knitted hat in her hands.

She looked at her work with satisfaction, a kind and mysterious smile hanging on the corner of her mouth.

That Chinese girl, Linda, had come by yesterday and said that the next time Yu Bai returned to London, he would definitely find time to visit them.

When that time comes, she would give this hat to him.

He would definitely be very surprised.

The old lady thought happily, as if she could already see the clean, slightly shy smile that used to be on Yu Bai's handsome face when he put on the hat.

In the end, although Bournemouth clawed one back near the end of the match through Wilson, they couldn't turn the tide. Leicester City took all three points in a 2-1 away victory, continuing their steady progress up the standings.

In the official post-match selection, without any suspense, Yu Bai, who had dominated the game with a goal and an assist, was named Man of the Match.

The media in China and the UK were completely boiling over!

UK's The Guardian: " 'Yus Curve' descends on Vitality Stadium! 17-year-old genius shines with goal and assist, Leicester City lands a new treasure!"

Sky Sports: "9.5 Rating! Yu Bai's dream Premier League debut, one goal and one assist directs the victory, Claudio Ranieri's masterful touch finds another gem!"

Daily Mail: "From White Hart Lane castoff to the new king of King Power Stadium? Yu Bai conquers Leicester City in two games!"

China's Xinhua News Agency: "Yu Bai delivers goal and assist in Premier League debut, shining in England!"

Tencent Sports: "Genius Moment! Yu Bai conquers the field in his Premier League debut, no Chinese player has ever shone so brightly!"

The top five on Weibo's trending list were taken over once again: #YuBaiGoalAndAssist #YuBaiManOfTheMatch #Yus Curve #ClaudioRanieriScout #DidArsenalRegretIt

London, London Colney Training Centre, Arsenal manager's office.

Professor Arsene Wenger sat alone behind his desk, with his tablet displaying reports and highlights of Yu Bai's match from various media outlets. He watched very slowly and carefully.

He didn't know how many times this had happened—he felt incomparable disappointment and anger toward the youth training management regarding Yu Bai's situation.

Looking at the agile blue figure on the screen, tearing through the opponent's defense time and again with gorgeous Dribbling and precise Passing, Wenger's eyes were filled with pain and unspeakable regret.

"What beautiful football, so suited for Arsenal..."

He whispered to the empty office, his voice not loud, but hoarse and even heart-wrenching due to suppressed emotions.

"Agility, technique, creativity, Vision... This is a genius tailor-made for beautiful football!"

"This is a kid who came out of our own Arsenal youth academy! A sprout we watched grow up!"

His finger tapped heavily on the tablet screen, hitting the old news links about how Yu Bai was abandoned at the end of his time in the Arsenal youth academy.

"Just for that contract worth a few hundred pounds? Just because his physique looked thin? Just because of these ridiculous, short-sighted reasons, you decided not to give him a semi-professional contract?!"

Wenger suddenly raised his head, his eyes behind his glasses reddening with anger. He seemed to be questioning those youth training directors who had long since been held accountable or left their posts:

"Do you know what we missed out on because of this wrong decision?!"

"Do you know what a painful price we paid for your stupidity and short-sightedness?!"

"A peerless genius who could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds in the future! A core who could inherit Arsenal's football philosophy! Just like that... slipped through our fingers!"

He slumped back into his chair, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm his agitated mood. But his gaze involuntarily fell on the Premier League schedule on the wall.

His finger moved slowly, finally stopping on one of the dates.

September 26th.

Premier League Matchday 7.

Leicester City VS Arsenal.

Wenger picked up a pen and drew a circle firmly and repeatedly around this date. The red ink was particularly striking.

The Professor's gaze became incredibly sharp and complex.

Within it, there was regret, pain, scrutiny, and perhaps... a hint of unspeakable fighting spirit and a desire to prove himself when facing this "castoff."

King Power Stadium, the Professor's first Premier League showdown with his "castoff."

That day was destined not to be peaceful.

There is another chapter tonight.