Leaving Barca

"Loan me out to the Bundesliga?"

It was near the end of the training match when Enrique finally came out of his office.

As soon as he stepped out, he put on a stern face, found Lin Quan, and directly informed him of the club's arrangement.

"That's right, the coaching staff and I all agree that you need to sharpen your skills in high-level matches to grow faster," Enrique said with a straight face.

"There's no spot for you on the first team right now, so the only option is to loan you out to another league."

Maybe feeling that explanation wasn't convincing enough, he added another line:

"Youth team spots are precious too—we need to keep promoting new young players from the lower ranks for training."

"You know, this is the tradition that keeps Barca strong for the long haul. We value youth development more than any other club."

Lin Quan didn't buy a word of his nonsense.

Rosell had just left the youth team, and now Enrique was shipping him out on loan.

If there wasn't something shady going on, he'd eat his own name.

Still, Lin Quan wasn't opposed to the loan arrangement.

Enrique had one point right: Lin Quan really did need high-level matches to keep improving his skills.

The training match just now had proven that, after gaining peak Messi's attributes, youth-level games no longer offered much value for his growth.

If he didn't want his strength to stagnate or even regress, he needed to play in a top-tier league as soon as possible.

And the Bundesliga had fewer matches and a strong focus on protecting and developing young players, making it perfect for a rising talent to level up.

So Lin Quan was pretty satisfied with this arrangement.

But he wasn't about to let Enrique's scheme succeed so easily.

So he deliberately spoke up: "I'm doing just fine at Barca. I'm not going anywhere!"

Enrique's face dropped at that, panic creeping in.

Rosell had told him to get rid of Lin Quan, and he'd already promised to handle it.

If Lin Quan refused the loan now, Enrique would be left looking foolish.

So he scowled and threatened, "This is the club's decision. If you refuse, we have the right to terminate your contract!"

Lin Quan wasn't fazed by the threat at all. He asked, "Mr. Enrique, is this the club's decision, or your personal one?"

"Of course it's the club's!"

"Oh, really? My father just resigned, and now the club wants to kick me out? Is that how it is?"

"If that's the case, I can go back and relay the club's intentions to my father."

"Of course not! The club would never do that. Your father is a legendary coach for the team—the club wouldn't be so ungrateful!" Enrique quickly explained.

"Oh? So if it's not the club's decision, then it's your own private one, right?"

Enrique felt a chill. He saw the smile creeping into Lin Quan's eyes and his heart sank—he knew he'd been tricked.

Word of such ingratitude spreading would be ugly, especially when it involved Guardiola's family.

If this leaked out and the media got wind of it, it would blow up in no time.

And Guardiola's standing at Barca was far higher than his own. Many people believed Guardiola was just taking a break and would eventually return.

If the fans found out a youth team coach dared to treat a club legend's family like this, and it pissed Guardiola off enough to never come back, the Barca faithful would tear him apart.

Even if he tried to blame it on the club or President Rosell, it wouldn't matter.

He'd even end up offending Rosell, who would then crush him without mercy.

At that thought, sweat started beading on Enrique's forehead. For the first time, he realized this sixteen-year-old kid was a real handful.

"Ahem, this isn't an order—it's just my personal suggestion. It's not mandatory for you to go on loan. Don't misunderstand. And please don't bother Coach Guardiola with this—he's probably exhausted and needs a good rest..."

Enrique had to back down, too scared to push harder.

The consequences of forcing it were clear, and he couldn't bear that responsibility.

Seeing Enrique squirm, Lin Quan felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. He grinned and changed his tune: "Well, thanks for the advice, Coach. Actually, I think going on loan for high-level matches isn't a bad idea."

"Huh?"

Enrique's brain struggled to catch up.

Hadn't Lin Quan just been fighting tooth and nail to stay at Barca?

Why the sudden change of heart?

He was baffled, unable to fathom what was going on in the other's mind.

"Personally, I'm fine with being loaned out, but something this important—I'm still young, I can't decide on my own. So I need to go back and discuss it with my father, get his opinion. What do you think, Coach?"

Enrique started to panic. "No, no, that won't be necessary. Just stay at Barca. This kind of trivial matter isn't worth bothering Coach Guardiola over. Pretend the earlier conversation never happened!"

He was afraid Lin Quan would hold a grudge and go back to tattle to Guardiola.

So he desperately tried to stop Lin Quan.

But once Lin Quan had made up his mind, how could it be so easily changed?

"How can that be? Coach, you've made such a great suggestion—I should properly thank you. How about this: since I'm young, I'm worried I might not explain things clearly and cause a misunderstanding. Why don't you take the trouble to go yourself and explain your arrangement to my father?"

Lin Quan emphasized the words "cause a misunderstanding," and sure enough, Enrique panicked upon hearing them.

"No need, no need! I have things to do—I'm not going!"

He was already regretting it. Why was he so unlucky as to provoke such a troublesome brat?

Go to Guardiola's house and tell him the club was purging his adopted son?

He wasn't an idiot—he wasn't about to go and taunt someone to their face!

So, after saying that, he turned and fled, not daring to continue the conversation with Lin Quan.

If he kept talking, he'd have a heart attack!

Watching Enrique's retreating figure as he fled in panic, Lin Quan shrugged. Can't take it and runs away already?

Shaking his head, he returned to the locker room, took a shower, changed clothes, packed his things, and left the Training Base directly.

From this moment on, he was done with La Masia Youth Academy and Barca.

PS: Sorry, I was busy moving today and didn't have time to write. Thanks for waiting. There's another chapter coming, but those who can't stay up can read it tomorrow.