"The reason you haven't improved as much as Juan is that my arrival has held back your development."
Wang Yi spoke slowly.
At those words, Pang Bo was dumbfounded again.
Extremely confused, he instinctively scratched the back of his head once more. This time, though, he didn't grin sheepishly. Instead, he asked in bewilderment,
"W-why?"
If Pang Bo thought it through, he should have been able to figure out the reason. And before this, when many reporters and experts compared Pang Bo with Juan, they had brought up the same point: Wang Yi had held back Pang Bo's growth.
Pang Bo should have known that was the reason, but he had never believed it. He thought those people were talking nonsense.
They were just trying to drive a wedge between him and Brother Yi.
Now, though, Wang Yi was telling Pang Bo outright that it was true:
"My arrival did help you win a championship, but it was like a mother hen sheltering her chicks beneath her wings. A lot of the time, I kept you under mine."
"When the team was under immense pressure, I shouldered it."
"When the team faced enormous difficulties, I was the one who came up with solutions."
"That made things a little too easy for you."
"People often grow quickly only when faced with tremendous pressure. My arrival took away much of that pressure."
Pang Bo fell silent.
People had said that before, but he had never believed them. Now that Brother Yi was saying it himself, he was beginning to waver.
Wang Yi continued,
"I'm thirty-four now. I can't play for many more years. In the twilight of my career, we need someone to take over and carry the National Team."
"That person has to be you. So you need to grow as