The Dust Settles

"Just sit wherever for a bit. I'm finishing my last set."

When Mendes arrived at Su Dong's rented place, he was practicing one-armed handstands.

Su Dong was upside down, his body arched, with only the heels of his feet touching the wall. Then he slowly lifted his left hand off the floor and stretched it straight out to his left.

After roughly ten seconds, once he had made sure his body was balanced, he slowly bent his right arm until the top of his head touched the floor. He paused again for five or six seconds, then slowly pushed himself back up until his entire right arm was straight.

From beginning to end, his whole body stayed perfectly straight.

Sitting across from him, Mendes watched in some shock. It was the first time he had ever seen this kind of physical training.

But he knew this was a suggestion from Pontes, the youth training expert from Sporting Lisbon.

Each set required five repetitions, and after finishing with the right hand, he had to switch to the left.

More importantly, the rhythm was very slow.

That allowed Mendes to see the muscles in Su Dong's arms and shoulders with absolute clarity, while also marveling at his body's balance.

From beginning to end, his torso and legs remained perfectly straight.

This had definitely taken bitter effort, and he had clearly persisted for a very long time.

Every time he bent his arm and then pushed himself back up, it seemed like an incredibly long process.

Not only did Su Dong feel that way, even Mendes, watching from the side, thought the same.

He could fully imagine that after such grueling training, Su Dong's physical strength—especially in his arms and shoulders—as well as his sense of balance, were all quite outstanding.

After finally waiting until Su Dong finished his training, Su Dong himself let out a breath, and Mendes also felt a wave of relief.

With this kind of brutal physical training, the person doing it suffered, and the person watching suffered too.

"So? How's it going?" Panting like an ox, Su Dong handed over a bottle of Bull.

This drink really did taste good, but only Su Dong had it here.

Mendes had asked several times, but Su Dong only told him that he had had his family bring it over from China.

Rony had wanted to bring this drink into Sporting Lisbon's stadium and had even taken a bottle to be tested. There had been no problem at all.

Mendes liked drinking it too. He never turned it down. He opened it and took two sips, and at once his whole body felt refreshed.

"I've reached an agreement with Belenenses. Sporting Lisbon gave up Fernandes's priority right, I'll be responsible for helping them get Anjoé done, and they'll let you go to Sporting Lisbon." Mendes was very satisfied with this outcome.

Su Dong nodded. He was also very satisfied with this result.

Joining Sporting Lisbon was something that had already been decided as early as a month ago.

At that time, Mendes had personally communicated with Sporting Lisbon's Technical Director, Aurelio Pereira. This was also the reason Sporting Lisbon had been so quiet all along; they were more inclined to push things forward in secret.

The reason both Su Dong and Mendes leaned toward joining Sporting Lisbon was not only because this team was a Portuguese giant with very strong youth training, nor only because of Rony. More importantly, Su Dong had all along been training under Sporting Lisbon youth training experts such as Pontes and Nare.

No one understood Su Dong better than Pontes and the others.

By the same logic, Sporting Lisbon valued Su Dong so highly because they knew him very well.

Not only Rony, but Pontes, Nare, and the others had also recommended Su Dong to Aurelio Pereira many times.

The entire transfer had had little to do with Sporting Portugal from beginning to end. The benefits they wanted were nothing at all in front of a big club. The real trouble was still the priority right held by Belenenses.

Now that this point had been settled, Su Dong joining Sporting Lisbon was basically set in stone.

"What did Sporting Portugal say?" Su Dong asked with concern.

Mendes smiled faintly. "Three hundred thousand Euro, far more than what they wanted before."

Sporting Lisbon had still been rather generous, not stingy at all.

Especially compared with Belenenses.

"Then how does Sporting Lisbon plan to help me?" Su Dong asked seriously.

This was what he cared about most.

"The same as Rony. A monthly salary of two thousand Euro, a four-year contract, and a release clause as high as twenty million Euro."

"Twenty million Euro?" Su Dong was somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Rony is in the same bracket too," Mendes said.

Without even realizing it, Su Dong had already reached a position roughly equal to Rony's.

After hearing that, even Su Dong himself found it a little hard to believe.

Of course, he also understood in his heart that he and Rony were still somewhat different.

Rony was a Sporting Lisbon youth player, while Su Dong had previously been a player for another team and was also favored by clubs such as Belenenses and Benfica. If Sporting Lisbon wanted to poach him, they naturally had to offer more bargaining chips.

As for a twenty-million-Euro release clause, that was nothing. For the current Su Dong, he had never thought about it at all, nor could he possibly think about future matters. Even if he completed the contract, he would only be twenty-one four years later.

"I spoke with Aurelio. During the Winter Break training camp, you'll also take part in first-team training, but unlike Rony, they aren't sure whether they can let you play in matches in the second half of the season. After all, the first team currently isn't short of forwards."

Su Dong understood. Being able to train with the first team was already a very good condition for him.

Especially being able to learn at the side of a famous European player like Jardel—this was an opportunity that was even harder to come by.

With the transfer finally settled, Su Dong felt as if a weight had lifted from him.

"Oh, right. I need to call my parents, and while I'm at it, tell Rony the good news. He's been pestering me almost every day lately, asking how things were going. I'd better tell him quickly," Su Dong said with a smile.

Mendes nodded, beaming.

The Su Dong of today was different from the Su Dong of before.

In Sporting Lisbon's plans, Su Dong was a star of hope they had spent three hundred thousand Euros on and were paying two thousand Euros a month in salary. A player like that would definitely be given focused development.

More importantly, Jardel and Niculae's positions were very secure, while Gisvi and Lourenço were important substitutes, but Jardel had always been thinking about leaving Sporting Lisbon. It might be this winter, or it might be next summer. Who knew?

Once Jardel left the team, as long as Su Dong continued to maintain this momentum of progress, he would soon be able to rise with the tide.

Su Dong, Rony, Hugo Viana—if he could sign Quaresma and Marcelino as well, then the entire Sporting Lisbon would become Mendes's domain. That would be the heaviest blow he could deal to Jose Veiga.

Su Dong called his parents and told them about his transfer.

Because he had kept it from them all this time, when he suddenly said it, both his parents were extremely surprised and delighted. They even suspected that Su Dong was deliberately lying to them just to make them happy.

But Su Dong repeatedly assured them that he had indeed joined Sporting Lisbon, and that all that remained was the final signing. He also promised that he would send money home every month from now on, and only then did his parents breathe a sigh of relief.

A monthly salary of two thousand Euros—converted into RMB, that was twenty thousand. That was definitely a high salary.

His father was an honest, simple man, and he quickly pulled himself out of his delight. Again and again, he urged Su Dong to focus on playing football. Since he was taking such a high salary from them, he absolutely must not become arrogant, and had to work hard with humility.

His mother, on the other hand, was more concerned about Su Dong's life, and also about when he would come home.

As for that, Su Dong truly had no plans yet. After all, he still had to report to Sporting Lisbon next.

After hanging up with his parents, before Su Dong could call Rony, there came a knock at the door outside.

Mendes went over to open the door, and there stood Rony and Jose Semedo.

The two of them had gotten the news from the club and had rushed over to Su Dong's rented place at the first opportunity to celebrate.

"You two really are something. You kept me completely in the dark," Rony said, pretending to be angry as he punched Mendes, then wrapped Su Dong in a tight hug, grinning from ear to ear.

All along, he had hoped Su Dong could be on the same team as him. Now his wish had finally come true.

"I told you, once I go to Sporting Lisbon, your position as the youth team's number one has to change hands," Su Dong teased.

Rony did not mind at all. "Anyway, I'm going to the first team to fight for number one."

This kid had never been willing to sit beneath anyone. No matter where he went, he wanted to fight for first place.

"But seriously, those guys in our youth team probably won't be enough for you. Once I go to the first team, you'll be number one."

Sporting Lisbon's youth academy still had quite a few talents. It was just that the best ones had all gone to the first team.

After joking around for a while, Rony brought up another matter.

"Alcochete is basically finished now, and Sports Tower will be closing too. Next, the youth team is going to Alcochete, and it'll be really inconvenient to get there from here. Jose and I were just talking about it earlier. We're planning to move somewhere else."

"Move where?"

"Parque das Nações," Rony replied. "That area is a new commercial community, and the facilities are very complete. Most importantly, from Parque das Nações, you can go straight across Vasco da Gama Bridge, and Alcochete is right on the other side. It's closer."

After saying that, Rony smiled and raised his eyebrows at Su Dong. "Well? When the time comes, how about the three of us rent a big place together?"

Parque das Nações had been built by Lisbon a few years earlier to host the World Expo. Later, it had been transformed into a high-end residential community and tourist district. Not only did it have Europe's Largest Aquarium, it also had Portugal's largest shopping center, as well as hospitals, schools, and all sorts of complete facilities.

No matter how one put it, Su Dong was now someone earning two thousand Euros a month. Renting a better place to live was absolutely only right.

Besides, Sporting Lisbon provided a housing allowance every month.

For example, Tang Jose Apartment, where Rony and the others were currently living, had all its rent covered by Sporting Lisbon.

Although Su Dong did not have high requirements for living conditions, being able to live together with Rony was also quite a good thing.

So he reached an agreement with Rony on the spot.

Jose Semedo's salary was very low, mainly because his performance in the youth team had not been ideal, and the club did not seem inclined to improve his contract. But Su Dong and Rony still decided to help him pay the rent.

The three of them were so close. They could not very well have Su Dong and Rony live together while leaving Jose Semedo to stay in the club dormitory, could they?

A new journey was about to begin, and Little Su was feeling very anxious inside. He needed everyone's support!