Coach Ma didn't want his son's education and future to be affected, nor did he want his wife to worry.
So he told his wife, "The school knows how exhausted I am from coaching the team through the tournament, so they told me to come home and rest for a couple of days."
His wife nodded. "You really do need a few days' rest. Look at you—you came back thinner after that trip."
Ma Chongguo gave an awkward laugh, then said, "Honey, after leading my team to beat Brother Yi's team, I've realized I have quite a talent for coaching. I've been thinking that my talent shouldn't go to waste at a high school. I should look for a chance to join a better team and achieve more."
He was making excuses for not going back to school later.
His wife, Miao Yuanyuan, curled her lip. "You beat Brother Yi once and now you're getting carried away? I saw your interview, too. It was obvious that Brother Yi went easy on you, and you really think your coaching is that good? You're a self-taught coach with no proper training. You can coach a high school team, sure, but who'd want you at a higher-level team? They wouldn't even want you to carry their shoes."
Ma Chongguo shook his head proudly. "Sorry, but Brother Yi invited me to coach for the National Team the day before yesterday."
As he said this, Ma Chongguo's eyes suddenly lit up.
He'd only made up that story to fool his wife and have an excuse for not going back to school.
But now, he suddenly realized something.
That was right. Although he'd lost his job and couldn't exactly stand up to them, Brother Yi had already invited him. He could coach for the National Team!