127: Believe me, if one person kicks the Dragon Kingdom, there is hope.

Meanwhile, on the field...

Those official media outlets, despite having the chance to interview Lin Pei, hesitated to step forward.

Lin Pei's leg strength was truly terrifying; seeing it in person was even more shocking than in the videos.

They were all afraid that with one lift of his leg, Lin Pei might accidentally send them flying.

So they decided to stay in the corner and film from a distance.

Not far away, Lin Pei was being swarmed by a group of domestic players asking for autographs.

They had him sign directly on their soccer balls and jerseys.

Someone even wanted a signature on their cleats, saying they would auction them off later for a fortune.

A teammate scoffed.

"Even with Brother Lin's signature, those won't sell. Who would want to buy your stinky old shoes?"

Lin Pei was used to signing autographs.

When he went out, he often helped Wu Yanzu, Lau Tak Wah, and even Yu Hua sign things.

But this time, he was actually signing his own name, and he was signing a lot.

He imagined that once he became the best actor in the future, he'd probably have to sign until his hand cramped every day.

It was good to practice in advance.

As Lin Pei held his nose while signing the side of a player's shoe, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance.

Everyone looked over and saw it was their top leader, Director Gong.

The media reporters in the corner immediately zoomed in their lenses.

Everyone bowed and greeted the leader. After a simple nod in response, Gong Dan walked toward the crowd where Lin Pei was.

Seeing the faces of his own soccer players, Gong Dan instinctively felt a bit of a suffocating sensation.

At this moment, the player who had taken off his shoe for Lin Pei's signature immediately put it back on.

Were his feet really that smelly? The leader was so far away, yet he looked like he was about to lose his breath.

Gong Dan came to Lin Pei's side and shook his hand warmly.

"The Young Man is indeed handsome; you are truly a talent of my Dragon Country!"

Lin Pei felt like his hand was about to be crushed. He finally managed to pull it out and shook it off.

"Director, you flatter me."

He used quite a bit of force... It was clear the Director was very excited; his eyes were glowing with that familiar green light, which was a bit scary.

Gong Dan didn't shy away from people or the cameras. Once again, on behalf of the country, he extended an invitation to Lin Pei to join the National Football Team.

The players on the side whispered among themselves.

"It has to be Brother Lin. Forget about being here at the stadium; I haven't seen our Director even in official settings for years."

"Exactly. The one time I saw him a few years ago, he was hundreds of meters away, and I couldn't even see his face clearly."

"Forget about us; even the core members of the Table Tennis Team don't find it easy to see the Director."

"Brother Lin's treatment is truly extraordinary; the Director even traveled a long way to invite him. Not only are we not qualified to see him, but even if we go to the General Administration of Sport's office, we have to rush there at a moment's notice... It's quite far!"

"If I were Brother Lin, I'd definitely say yes. Who would dare refuse the Director?"

Just as the player finished speaking, he heard Lin Pei refuse the Director outright. The refusal wasn't any more tactful than when he refused Chen Qiang.

The players looked at each other in shock.

Holy cow, Brother Lin is really bold.

However, Gong Dan didn't give up. The two of them went back and forth, continuing to chat for another twenty minutes.

Gong Dan discovered that the Young Man before him was not swayed by any interests and was extremely determined to follow the path of an actor.

In the end, he had no choice but to bring up the greater good and national glory.

He said sorrowfully.

"Sigh, you've seen the overall level of our National Football Team. If you don't come, we are destined to remain inferior to others and unable to stand out in this field."

"Even the little Japs... cough... even the Japanese people are slightly better than us, mocking us with their heads held high."

"Child, since you have this talent and ability, why not fight for this pride for the country?"

This sentence made everyone look at Lin Pei in unison, wishing they could answer for him.

Lin Pei also felt a surge of emotion. The Director was right; the level of soccer in their country was indeed in need of improvement.

"Director, you're right. We must fight for this pride."

Gong Dan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he grabbed Lin Pei's hand again.

"Child, does that mean you agree?"

Lin Pei was helpless.

With the Director's grip strength, it was truly a pity he didn't participate in the country's shot put or discus events.

And the Director's eyes couldn't get any brighter; they felt like a camera with a green flash on, about to blind his handsome eyes.

He once again pulled his hand away from Gong Dan's clutches.

"Director, you've misunderstood."

"This pride can also be fought for by our current athletes. The future of the National Football Team still depends on their own efforts."

Gong Dan's expression looked as if he had heard a joke, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He pointed to the players nearby.

"What? Depend on them?"

The players looked dejected and didn't dare to look up.

Because they could see that the Director practically had 'depending on them will be the death of us' written all over his face.

Although they were somewhat touched by Lin Pei saying they were the future of the country.

But since he had suggested it a few times, everyone could roughly guess what he was going to say next.

Just as they were thinking this, Lin Pei indeed spoke.

"Director, to tell you the truth, I've been studying Dragon Country Kung Fu with my master since I was a child. He passed down a certain leg technique to me."

"This leg technique can help clear a person's meridians and improve their constitution."

"Our soccer level is poor largely because the constitution of the new generation of young people is not up to par."

"The constitution I'm talking about isn't just physical strength, but also includes endurance, agility, explosiveness, flexibility, and speed."

"If these are improved, I believe it wouldn't be out of the question for our soccer level to become number one in the world."

Before he could finish, the players all took a step back, fearing Lin Pei might suddenly give them a kick before they even agreed.

Gong Dan's reaction was similar to the players'.

As for this leg technique, because it sounded incredibly absurd, he didn't believe it at all.

He sighed.

"I know it's frustrating that they lose games every day. It's not just you who wants to kick them; I want to as well."

"I expect the people of the whole country want to too."

"But that doesn't solve the problem. Lin Pei, if you join our National Football Team, won't you be able to deal with them however you like in the future?"

The players felt like they had been hit by a bolt from the blue, and suddenly they didn't want Lin Pei to join so much.

Living in humiliation was better than being kicked to death.

Lin Pei was also very helpless. He was clearly telling the truth, so why did no one believe him?

Amidst his helplessness, two more people entered the door.

One was Monk, and the other was also a Monk, but he seemed to have difficulty walking and was being carried on Monk's back.

Monk called out to Lin Pei from a distance.

"Master, I'm back!"