Super Wingstorm

Quanzhou, China.

Yongqiang Shoe Factory was originally just one of the county’s many athletic shoe factories, specializing in foreign trade and exports. It had over two hundred employees, with a single four-story building serving as a finished goods warehouse, offices, and employee dormitories. Behind it sat a production workshop built from sheet metal—a recent change to separate functions and avoid being a ”three-in-one” fire hazard.

In the county, there were hundreds, if not a thousand, of small shoe factories just like it. It was utterly unremarkable.

But recently, Yongqiang Shoe Factory had suddenly shot to fame. It wasn’t just reported on by numerous domestic media outlets and newspapers; it was even featured on the country’s most authoritative National Television and in official party publications, to say nothing of the local provincial and city press.

According to local gossip, when the county’s top official attended a meeting in the city, a certain municipal leader specifically inquired about the small factory.

And the reason for all this was that the son of Yang Yongqiang, the owner of Yongqiang Shoe Factory, was playing for a powerhouse team in Europe. It was said that he was performing very well, to the point that even the National Team had taken notice and was planning to call him up.

To produce a national player, especially a seventeen-year-old one, was no small matter for Quanzhou, a city with a well-developed sports industry.

This evening, several reporters from National Television, accompanied by officials from the city’s propaganda department, arrived at Yongqiang Shoe Factory, once again attracting the attention and curiosity of the neighbors.

But no one guessed that they had come merely to watch a soccer match.

Yang Yongqiang and his wife, Shen Lifang, received them and sat down in front of the television in the second-floor office right on time.

The two of them didn’t understand soccer and didn’t know how to watch it. They only knew that the side in the white jerseys were their son Yang Yang’s teammates, while the side in red were the enemy. As for how the game was played, with the ball flying back and forth, they couldn’t follow it and had no interest.

Only when the camera occasionally panned to the substitutes’ bench on the sidelines could they catch a fleeting glimpse of their son.

Eighteen months!

It had been eighteen months since Yang Yang followed his uncle to the Netherlands.

During these eighteen months, aside from the occasional phone call, Mr. and Mrs. Yang had no idea what was really happening with their son in the Netherlands. It was only recently, from a program on National Television, that they learned about the team he played for, the stadium where he played, where he lived, and what he ate.

It was also through this program that Mr. and Mrs. Yang learned that their son had only been sharing good news and hiding the bad for the past year. He had never revealed a single hint that he was being bullied by his teammates at Almere. They had always thought he was doing well in Almere and was highly valued, but they never expected...

All of this made Shen Lifang, as a mother, feel terribly sad and guilty.

Several times, they had wanted to fly to the Netherlands to visit their son, but for various reasons, the trips never materialized. Yang Yang also repeatedly insisted that everything was fine, and Shen Ming also reassured them, so they never managed to go.

But now, things were better. National Television had started live broadcasts. They heard that there would also be broadcasts for a competition called the Champions League, where they could see their son too. This made both Yang Yongqiang and Shen Lifang ecstatic.

This was the first time they could see their son so up close, even if the live broadcast was delayed by a few minutes.

”He looks a lot like you, Mrs. Yang. Very handsome,” a female reporter next to them said with a smile.

”Thank you,” Shen Lifang replied, her eyes welling with tears, her voice choked with emotion.

When she saw Yang Yang come out to warm up, she realized her son had grown taller and looked much sturdier. This put her slightly at ease, but at the same time, she worried. ’Will Yang Yang get to play? Can he play well?’

”If they can’t break the deadlock, Ajax will probably have to make a substitution.”

”Yeah, they can’t get anything going on either flank. Both Koman and Hiddink’s targeted tactics have been spot-on, leaving no openings for the opposition. You can tell they both came well-prepared.”

”Then it comes down to individual player skill. Eindhoven’s free-kick in the first half came from a chance created by Robben on the left. Since Ajax can’t break through, shouldn’t they bring on Yang Yang?”

”It’s entirely possible. Victor Skora hasn’t had much success against Lee Yong-Soo in this match. Using Yang Yang to charge forward might create more opportunities. Plus, with Ibrahimovic and Wesley Sonck in the middle, Ajax’s offense really needs Yang Yang.”

Yang Yongqiang and Shen Lifang listened in silence. They didn’t understand any of it, but they got the feeling that their son was about to play.

But just then, a shout suddenly erupted from the commentator on TV.

A bald player in a number 18 jersey from the white team was seen running quickly toward the sideline. All the players in white jerseys rushed over, swarming him in celebration.

”A sudden long shot from Sneijder from outside the box pierces Eindhoven’s goal!”

”An absolutely brilliant shot! Ajax has successfully equalized.”

”One-to-one! The two sides are back on even footing.”

Hearing the reporter’s explanation, Mr. and Mrs. Yang finally understood what had happened.

”Does that mean Yang Yang isn’t going on?” Shen Lifang asked with concern.

She didn’t care about anyone else; she only cared about her son.

”Not necessarily. It all depends on the head coach’s decision. You know, this match could decide the league championship. It affects the interests of both teams. If you convert it to RMB, it’s worth at least tens of millions, so they’ll definitely give it their all.”

A soccer match worth tens of millions. Yang Yongqiang and Shen Lifang found it hard to believe, but they weren’t surprised either. A reporter had previously told them that the match where Yang Yang made his name had earned Ajax nearly a hundred million.

Whatever the amount, it was an enormous figure to Mr. and Mrs. Yang.

”The bald guy who just scored is named Sneijder. I hear he’s good friends with Yang Yang. And that tall guy up front with the long hair, and number fifteen who just passed to Sneijder—those two are Yang Yang’s best friends at Ajax.”

”Really?” Mr. and Mrs. Yang sounded excited.

”And that one sitting next to Yang Yang, Thomas Vermaelen, a Belgian. He’s Yang Yang’s roommate. They’ve been living together for the past six months.”

Mr. and Mrs. Yang nodded repeatedly. They were surprised they could see all this on the live broadcast.

”Speaking of which, Ibrahimovic, Maxwell, and Vermaelen aren’t just Yang Yang’s best friends now, they also share the same agent.”

”Agent?” Yang Yongqiang was confused.

”It’s someone who handles affairs for players. They charge a commission, but they’re very professional.”

”Then they can just leave it to Wei Zheng. I think he’s very capable and does a good job. He gave me a lot of good advice before. Why give the money to someone else?” Yang Yongqiang had a very good impression of Wei Zheng.

”It’s not the same, Mr. Yang. This agent is more specialized.”

As they spoke, the live broadcast suddenly cut to the sideline. Cheers from the stadium crowd erupted from the television, and they could even faintly hear the fans chanting Yang Yang’s name.

”Look! Yang Yang’s going in!”

Everyone looked over and saw Yang Yang taking off his warm-up jacket. After shaking hands with his teammate Vermaelen in front of the bench, he did a few jumps on the spot and quickly walked toward the sideline.

Yang Yongqiang and Shen Lifang’s eyes were glued to the television, not even blinking.

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Yang Yang hadn’t kept count of how many times he had come on as a substitute.

But he was still a little nervous tonight. He knew his parents and fans all over the country were watching his match live on TV, and he didn’t want to disappoint them.

However, he quickly took a deep breath, composed himself, cleared his mind of all distractions, and walked swiftly to the sideline.

Only two minutes had passed since Sneijder’s goal. The coach making a substitution at this moment was a clear signal to press the attack further and finish off Eindhoven in one go.

”Boss,” Yang Yang said, standing beside Ronald Koeman while adjusting his shorts.

Ronald Koeman turned to look at Yang Yang and asked directly, ”What’s your read on the game?”

”There’s an opening on the left flank,” Yang Yang replied.

A flash of appreciation crossed Ronald Koeman’s eyes. It was for Yang Yang’s focus on the game from the sidelines, for his analytical ability, and also for his selfless dedication to the team.

After all, he was a right winger.

”There’s an opening on the left, but we aren’t putting enough pressure on our right. That Korean is too active. I’m not worried about Robben up front with De Jong marking him, but I need someone to suppress that Korean player.”

Yang Yang nodded, understanding the coach’s intention.

Ajax had made an adjustment on the right for this match. De Jong, who had successfully shut down Van Persie in the last round, was assigned to the right to mark Robben. Although Robben had indirectly created a goal, De Jong’s overall performance was still decent.

But after the second half began, Lee Yong-Soo started to become more active, and Scola wasn’t putting enough pressure on him. This wasn’t what Koman wanted to see, as Lee Yong-Soo’s attacking and crossing abilities were very strong.

Bringing on Yang Yang would not only apply pressure on the offensive end, but Yang Yang was also very committed to pressing high up the pitch.

”Remember, suppressing the Korean is just the first step. I want you to be even more active. Tonight is our home game. A draw is as good as a loss for us,” Koman said gravely.

Yang Yang understood Koman’s meaning.

This was a title race showdown. If Ajax couldn’t leverage their home advantage to defeat Eindhoven and instead let their opponents leave unscathed, even though a draw earned each team a point, it would be a major blow to Ajax’s morale.

”Go on, I believe in you!” Koman patted Yang Yang’s shoulder encouragingly.

Nearby, Luther Carroll quickly came forward. Holding a tactics board, he rapidly briefed Yang Yang on the situation on the field, what he would face upon entering the game, and gave a detailed introduction to Lee Yong-Soo.

The Korean player was right-footed, but his left foot was also quite good. He was a rare player who was well-balanced with both feet.

This was the first time Yang Yang had faced such an opponent in an official match. Moreover, he wasn’t tall, but his stamina was excellent, he was fast, his defensive skills were strong, and his attacking ability was also outstanding. He was a very well-rounded full-back with no obvious weaknesses.

For Yang Yang, this would be a brand new challenge.