Yang Yang Has Changed

Yang Yang opened his eyes to find it was already the next morning.

He leaped up from his single bed, frantically touched his head and body, then rushed to the mirror hanging on the wall. Only after confirming he was unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He had been so worried he'd run into aliens and been completely transformed or mutated.

But soon, he noticed something strange.

He had slept a full ten-plus hours the night before, and he'd also juggled the ball for over ten hours in the Super Training Ground, yet when he woke up, he was brimming with energy, not the slightest bit tired. It was unbelievable.

It seemed, just as Old Bing had said, everything that happened in the Super Training Ground would truly affect him, yet it wouldn't disturb his sleep at all. This was an incredible stroke of luck—it meant that from now on, Yang Yang could squeeze in a few extra hours of practice every day, and under the guidance of the most professional training system like the Super Training Ground, no less.

With that thought, the confusion and anxiety from last night vanished completely.

"Old Bing, Old Bing," Yang Yang called out in his mind.

His top priority now was to confirm the Super Training Ground was real, not just some dream.

"Stop shouting. You're not dreaming," the cold voice came again. "And don't call me Old Bing."

He strongly objected to the name Yang Yang had given him—too tacky, too vulgar.

"Ha." Yang Yang relaxed and laughed out loud. Suddenly, he felt like his luck was about to turn.

"Old Bing, tell me, can I only enter the Super Training Ground to practice in my dreams?"

"Hmm," Old Bing replied, still icy and devoid of emotion, "but I can help you anytime, even when you're awake."

"What if I can't fall asleep?" Yang Yang was in a great mood, his whole demeanor brightening.

"Don't worry. Whenever you want to sleep, you'll be able to."

"Who knew you'd also have a sleep-inducing effect," Yang Yang said cheerfully.

Good sleep was crucial for anyone, especially professional athletes.

He'd even heard John Rep say that in professional football, only those who slept well could succeed.

That showed just how important sleep was.

"The Super Training Ground has many other uses. You'll gradually experience and apply them. But for now, I suggest you go wash that stinking body of yours, change clothes, eat some breakfast, and then start practicing."

"Practice again?" Yang Yang glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. "It's time for me to go to school."

"Juggle the ball on your way."

"I'll be late."

He usually took the bus to school.

"That's your problem. I'm only in charge of training," Old Bing replied without a trace of emotion.

Yang Yang couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

Although Yang Yang's performance in the Almere Youth Training Camp had always been at the bottom of the team, at school, he fully embodied the saying "God is fair."

As a transfer student who had traveled all the way from China to unfamiliar Netherlands, he not only quickly learned Dutch but also caught up with his studies, consistently ranking among the top in his class.

In stark contrast, several of Almere's promising stars who shone brightly in the youth camp were outright academic failures. Some could barely even pass, giving their homeroom teacher constant headaches. Almere even had to hire tutors to give them extra lessons.

In Dutch youth training, failing cultural classes meant being barred from training and matches.

It was precisely because of Yang Yang's excellent academic performance that both John Rep and his homeroom teacher felt he should give up football and focus on his studies, aiming for a good university—maybe even pushing hard enough to get into Amsterdam University wasn't entirely out of reach.

But this model student in his teacher's eyes showed up a full class period late for the first time that morning.

Under the gaze of the entire class, a sweaty Yang Yang stood awkwardly at the door, apologetically making up an excuse.

"Sorry, I missed the bus and got lost."

The whole class burst into laughter, and even the teacher couldn't help but smile. What a ridiculous excuse!

Still, top students got special treatment. The teacher just casually said, "Don't let it happen again," and let Yang Yang in.

Having slipped by, Yang Yang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to his seat.

No sooner had he sat down than the bell for the next class rang.

"Chinese kid, we thought you'd bailed," said Henk Dimer, the teammate behind him, poking Yang Yang's back with the tip of his pen and grinning.

Henk Dimer was a classic case of a lion on the pitch and a worm in the classroom. As the teacher once scolded, if it weren't for Almere's partnership with the school, Dimer would never set foot in that classroom. But Dimer was the captain of Almere's U16-U17 team and a rising star in everyone's eyes.

Yang Yang looked around. His teammates were all eyeing him with ill intent, clearly sharing Henk Dimer's thoughts. He knew that guessing whether Yang Yang would quit and run was one of their daily amusements at school.

"Don't worry, I'm not giving up that easily," Yang Yang said with a shrug.

Henk Dimer smirked. "Oh, really? Then you'd better actually manage to stay."

"Yeah, whether it's overall assessment or test scores, you're dead last on the team."

"I don't get it. Holding the whole team back like this—is it even fun for you?"

"You'll have to leave sooner or later. Why not just make it quick?"

If this were normal, hearing his teammates' taunts, Yang Yang would feel bitter but wouldn't dare talk back. Now, with the Super Training Ground, he was brimming with confidence and couldn't hold back.

"Just you wait and see. I'm not only going to pass the assessment and stay on the team—I'm even going to earn the recommendation spot for the Ajax Talent Day selection in Amsterdam."

Hearing Yang Yang's resolute and confident declaration, Henk Dimer and the others were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, doubled over as if they'd just heard the funniest joke of the century.

"You? Pass the assessment? And get the Talent Day recommendation spot?"

"My god, where do you get that confidence?"

"This is absolutely the biggest joke I've ever heard in my life."

Henk Dimer even jumped onto the desk, shouting loudly to the classmates in the room, "Everyone, our great Chinese genius player Yang Yang just said he's definitely going to get the Ajax Talent Day recommendation spot. Do you agree?"

"Agree!" A dozen or so teammates and classmates chimed in, joining the mockery.

The whole class watched Yang Yang with teasing looks. Though a few felt some sympathy, everyone knew that his performance on the field was worlds apart from his results in the classroom. Most had long since concluded that he'd leave the team and the school after this semester.

Someone like that, wanting the Talent Day recommendation spot?

Yang Yang knew his words had been twisted, but he didn't bother to explain. He knew it wouldn't help.

From the very first day he joined the team, his teammates had never looked at him with any respect. No matter what he said now, it was useless. He could only rely on his performance—real, tangible performance—to prove himself.

This only strengthened his resolve to train hard.

No matter what, he had to succeed.

At noon, during the nap break, Yang Yang entered the Super Training Ground again to keep practicing juggling.

After six years of playing, juggling with his feet was his strong suit, but hitting five hundred consecutive touches was still a challenge. Once you had that feel for the ball and knew its nature, the difference between five hundred and a thousand or more wasn't huge.

But what really gave Yang Yang a headache were his shoulders and head—areas he'd never deliberately trained before. To reach five hundred consecutive touches, he still needed to put in a lot of hard work.

Fortunately, with the help of the Super Training Ground, Old Bing tirelessly corrected his form and offered the best advice, allowing him to improve rapidly.

Especially after finishing the afternoon's classes and heading to the Almere Youth Training Camp for practice, Yang Yang discovered another great use of the Super Training Ground: he could activate an overhead view of the field, a tool similar to God's Perspective. This let him, whether in drills or scrimmages, clearly see every move of both teammates and opponents.

Though playing with God's Perspective was still unfamiliar to him, Yang Yang was well aware of the immense benefits it brought. During the subsequent circle-keep-away game, he frequently used it to make precise predictions about the ball's path.

As the saying goes, amateurs watch the spectacle, but professionals see the craft.

John Rep had once been a very successful professional player, so he naturally knew how to spot the finer details.

While everyone else thought Yang Yang was still stumbling around in the circle-keep-away as usual, John Rep furrowed his brow and muttered to himself, "This kid's acting a bit strange today."

But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was off—just that his years of playing experience told him something was different.

His assistant, however, chuckled and said, "Nothing strange about it. He's just running a bit lazier than usual."

Was that really all it was?

John Rep didn't think so, but he didn't argue.

Just as everyone expected Yang Yang to be toyed with by his teammates for ten minutes like always, the circle-keep-away game had barely been going for two minutes when Yang Yang suddenly feinted toward one player during a steal, then abruptly changed direction and lunged at Henk Dimer.

The Almere team's rising star had just received the ball when Yang Yang was already on him.

Unable to pass in time, Henk Dimer could only watch helplessly as the ball was stolen by Yang Yang.

Now it was his turn to step into the circle and be the monkey everyone teased.

The Head Coach on the sidelines, John Rep, lit up.

He was certain now: Yang Yang had changed.

Though he couldn't tell exactly what had changed, it was definitely different.

Had he suddenly gotten smarter, had a breakthrough?

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