Surprise

After the assessment results were announced, the youth team officially welcomed its summer vacation and disbanded on the spot.

Yang Yang jogged south all the way, juggling the ball. He felt incredibly light, each step landing with perfect precision, every touch sending the ball up beautifully.

He knew psychological factors played some part in it, but he really did feel completely relaxed.

When he passed the Skate Park, he deliberately took a detour into the skating area. On one hand, he wanted to see the Graffiti Wall that had accompanied him for over a month; on the other, he hoped he might run into Louis van Gaal again.

He really wanted to have a good chat with the world-famous coach.

It was rather funny. After knowing him for so long, he still did not even know the man's name. Every time they met, they barely exchanged a few words. The deepest connection between them was actually that bottle of water. What a missed opportunity.

Unfortunately, after practicing in the skating area for a while, he still did not see Van Gaal appear again.

Yang Yang sighed regretfully. Perhaps he was no longer in Almere.

Leaving the Skate Park and heading south, he passed through Aminiga Villa District and soon arrived at Car City.

But when he reached the back door of the Chinese Restaurant, he suddenly changed his mind. He decided to give his uncle and the others a surprise. He stopped, composed himself, and made sure he was not showing the slightest flaw before entering the restaurant's kitchen.

It was not yet mealtime, but his uncle, Shen Ming, was already busy with the chefs. They had to prepare the evening dishes in advance, especially those that took a long time to cook. Otherwise, they definitely would not finish in time.

Knowing that Yang Yang was taking the assessment today, Shen Ming saw him enter through the back door with no expression on his face. Sweat pouring down his head as he worked in the kitchen, he inwardly cried, This is bad! He immediately found an excuse to come out.

"How did it go? How were your results?" his uncle asked with concern while wiping his hands.

He looked just like a parent concerned about their child's final exam results.

Yang Yang furrowed his brows slightly and revealed a troubled expression. He remained silent for a long while, merely letting out a long sigh.

"Ahem." His uncle sighed as well. "It's all right. Just keep working hard. Even if you really can't stay in Almere, you can go to another team. With your current performance, plenty of teams will be interested in you."

He thought Yang Yang had performed terribly and been eliminated by Almere.

At that moment, his aunt and cousin heard the noise and came to the kitchen one after another. Seeing the expressions on Shen Ming and Yang Yang's faces, they understood immediately and said nothing more, showing only regret and disappointment.

They had witnessed Yang Yang's efforts over the past month. They had originally thought that since he had played well in the matches, he should achieve good results. They had not expected it still would not be enough.

"It's all right, Yang Yang. Just keep working hard."

"That's right. If it really doesn't work out, I'll tell your mother to let you stay in the Netherlands and study. Haven't your grades always been pretty good? Keep studying in the Netherlands, get into a good university, and come back home as an overseas graduate. That would be respectable too."

Their affection was written all over their faces, and Yang Yang was deeply moved. He decided to reveal the truth and immediately burst into loud laughter.

The three members of Shen Ming's family were all feeling sorry for Yang Yang, yet he suddenly started laughing so joyfully that they exchanged baffled looks. Could his results have been so terrible that he had laughed himself silly?

"Uncle, Auntie, Cousin, I passed the assessment." Yang Yang spread both hands and announced proudly.

"What?"

"You passed?"

"Hey, you little brat..."

Only then did the three of them realize what had happened. That little brat had played them.

He had deliberately pranked them.

His uncle raised his palm as if he were about to hit him. Yang Yang merely grinned and did not dodge. He knew his uncle would never really hit him.

Sure enough, his uncle's raised hand came down gently on Yang Yang's shoulder.

"You little brat. How dare you prank your uncle? Have you gone completely wild?"

"Exactly! I saw that expression on your face and nearly cried. So you were just putting on an act?"

"Yang Yang, don't take this the wrong way, but you could win an Oscar."

His uncle threw an arm around Yang Yang's shoulders. Beaming with joy, he could barely close his mouth. "Come on, you little brat. How did you do?"

"I accidentally came in first."

"Huh?"

The three of them—Shen Ming included—were stunned, then burst into laughter once again. His cousin pointed at Yang Yang and laughed especially hard. "Yang Yang, forget football. You should go act in Hollywood, or go back to Beijing and perform crosstalk. My stomach hurts from laughing."

Who would believe that he had come in first? And "accidentally"?

"See? Reality is always more absurd than novels and movies." Yang Yang curled his lips smugly.

Not only had he passed the assessment, he had also come in first and earned the chance to participate in Ajax's Talent Day selection. Yang Yang felt completely at ease. In front of his closest relatives, he became more playful and even joked around, something he rarely did.

After the three of them finished laughing, they realized Yang Yang was still completely serious. Their expressions immediately turned solemn.

"Could it be... you really came in first?"

"Truer than a pearl."

"How did you manage that?"

"How would I know? I just took it casually and came in first." Yang Yang replied with a cheeky grin.

Shen Ming nearly kicked the show-off into the air. Wasn't it just first place? Did he really have to flaunt it so much?

But... first place really had not been easy to earn.

He had witnessed everything Yang Yang had gone through over the past year. He had personally felt the suffering the boy had endured. The cheerful, confident child had suddenly become taciturn, and it had pained him deeply.

Fortunately, Yang Yang had regained his confidence over the past month. They could all feel the confidence and happiness radiating from him now. Especially when he smiled and revealed those rows of white teeth, they seemed to shine.

His aunt and cousin believed him too. They knew Yang Yang would not lie about something like this. Besides, his happiness could not have been faked. It came from the heart, and they had no choice but to believe him.

After a round of congratulations, his uncle quickly wiped away his smile and looked at Yang Yang solemnly. He earnestly advised, "You know better than anyone how difficult it was for you to come in first this time."

Yang Yang nodded. This was the result of his tireless training day and night for more than a month. He had no reason to be proud, either. In the end, he had merely benefited from the assessment system. In terms of pure ability, he was still inferior to people like Henk Dimer, especially when it came to basic skills.

Coming in first was an affirmation, but it was also a spur and an encouragement.

"You're a smart child. You should understand that humility brings benefit, while complacency invites loss. Almere is only a small team from a small Dutch city. Coming in first this time and entering the First Team afterward doesn't mean much. There will always be someone better, and you must guard against arrogance and impatience. Do you understand?"

Yang Yang nodded, deeply moved. "I understand, Uncle."

His parents were not by his side, and his uncle had treated him like a son since childhood. Naturally, those words were meant to guide him.

"Now that you came in first, you're probably going to Ajax's Talent Day next, right?" his uncle asked with a smile.

If word got out, the neighbors all around would be incredibly envious.

"Cousin, Cousin, listen to me." The moment she heard that, his cousin came over to curry favor. "You're going to Ajax's Talent Day, right?"

"Mm."

"Get me Van der Vaart's autograph. If you get a chance to take a photo with him, that would be even better."

Van der Vaart was currently the hottest young talent in the Netherlands and even Europe. He was hailed as the best of the Netherlands' new Three Musketeers and was also Ajax's current vice-captain. Countless fans in the Netherlands idolized him, especially female fans.

There was no other reason than that Van der Vaart was handsome. He was the kind of man who could have lived off his looks but insisted on using his talent to play football. Even more infuriatingly, he was also a genius footballer. He had gotten all the good things.

Not long ago, Van der Vaart's romance with the famous Dutch television host Sylvie had also caused a sensation in the newspapers. Beautiful and sexy, Sylvie became famous overnight and attracted the attention of every Dutch media outlet.

Van der Vaart and Sylvie were consequently hailed as the Dutch Beckham and Victoria.

"I'll do my best." Yang Yang could only agree.

He was not even sure whether he would get to meet Van der Vaart. Besides, he felt somewhat reluctant. Van der Vaart was only twenty, and it would be embarrassing for sixteen-year-old Yang Yang to approach a twenty-year-old Van der Vaart for an autograph like a fan.

"All right, hurry up and call your parents to tell them the good news." After a pause, his uncle gently patted Yang Yang's shoulder. "When you get back, we'll have a good drink together as a family and celebrate."

"Uncle, I can't drink alcohol," Yang Yang reminded him.

"Then drink as much boiled water as you want." His cousin, Shen Yuzhu, laughed gleefully, clearly enjoying the chaos.

Yang Yang's parents back home were astonished that their son's football skills had improved by leaps and bounds and that he had come first in Almere's term assessment. At first, they were somewhat skeptical, but after asking for the details, they were delighted for him.

Although they were not particularly willing for their son to play football, since he had already started—and was doing well—they could only support him.

However, his parents repeatedly advised Yang Yang not to become arrogant or impatient, while earnestly reminding him to pay attention to his academic studies and get into university no matter what.

They knew how brutal professional football was. Even if he really played for Almere, and even if Almere really did get promoted to the Dutch Second Division, so what? Could Yang Yang guarantee his future?

Professional players made their living from their youth. Players in the lower leagues did not earn much money and could barely support themselves at best. That was why they still hoped their son would attend university, learn a skill, and have better prospects when he eventually returned home.

Yang Yang naturally understood his parents' expectations. He readily agreed and was confident he could do it. After all, his memory was extraordinarily strong now—he could practically remember anything at a glance.

After finishing the call, Yang Yang went to help out at his uncle's restaurant. After mealtime, the family gathered with several workers to drink and celebrate. Yang Yang naturally became the center of everyone's congratulations, drinking cold boiled water until he was stuffed.

Over the next two days, Yang Yang did not need to go to school or attend team training. Every night, he trained intensively in the Super Training Ground, while most of the daytime was spent training at the Skate Park. He only went to the restaurant to help during the evening meal. His days were busy but fulfilling.

It was not until the afternoon of the third day that Henk Dimer and the others finally came looking for him.

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