I've Been Completely Removed from the Team

Titan Sports: National Youth Team member Chen Anno defied discipline and violently beat the team leader during training camp. He had now been removed from the National Youth Team.

The football boot company issued a notice: Chen Anno's status as a registered player was canceled, and teams of all age groups would never employ him.

A Chinese Super League **club: Our club's youth academy player Chen Anno was hereby expelled and would never be employed again.

The string of notices pushed Chen Anno into the eye of the storm, and online, most people were denouncing him as well.

Two years earlier, in 2011, the fifteen-year-old Chen Anno had been in the youth team of Sao Paulo FC in Brazil, and he and nineteen-year-old Neymar of Santos FC, also in Sao Paulo State, had been called the "Sao Paulo State Twin Stars" by the local media.

It was right around then that Chen Anno suddenly returned to China from Brazil. Not only had the media reported on it specifically, but a whole crowd of Chinese Super League clubs had fought to sign him.

Even now, news from that time could still be found online.

Chen Anno's father, Chen Fuqing, was a native-born Chinese. When he went to Brazil for work in 1993, he met Chen Anno's mother, and afterward, he stayed there.

On June 4, 1996, Chen Anno was born.

Chen Fuqing was a football fan. Influenced by his father and the local football culture from a young age, Chen Anno developed a deep interest in football when he was three.

As he grew older, Chen Anno's talent for football gradually revealed itself, and at only seven years old, he was brought in and trained by the local team, Sao Paulo FC.

Aside from his outstanding talent, Chen Anno, who gradually grew into his looks, was also exceptional in appearance. Fans jokingly called him "little Kaka," and he was very popular with young girls.

But just when Chen Anno's future looked bright, an accident happened. His parents left him forever in a car crash.

Because Chen Anno was still a minor at the time, Chen Fuqing could not rest easy leaving him to live alone, so before he died, he entrusted his son to his younger brother back in China—Chen Anno's second uncle.

That was also why Chen Anno appeared in China.

"Fuck! How can these people be like this?!"

In an old residential community, a boy around thirteen years old was sitting in front of a computer browsing the news, all of it about Chen Anno.

"Bro, don't you have the recording? Let's just hand the recording to reporters and clear your name!"

"Enough! Chen Xiaolong, stop making trouble for your brother here!" Chen Anno's second uncle, Chen Shouqing, barked.

"How is that making trouble..." The boy still wanted to argue, but the next instant...

Chen Shouqing's slap landed on the back of his head, and the boy immediately shut up.

"What the hell do you know? If we hand the recording over, we'll offend them to death. Is your brother still going to play football after that?"

After saying that, Chen Shouqing looked at Chen Anno, who was standing silently to the side. "Xiao Nuo... tomorrow, Second Uncle will go find that Du... Stomachache? What kind of goddamn shitty name is that..."

The same kind of slap landed on the back of Chen Shouqing's head.

"Are you trying to die? What kind of filthy talk are you using in front of the children?" This was the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms from Chen Anno's second aunt.

"Pfft... cough, cough..."

Chen Xiaolong, off to the side, almost laughed out loud, but after his dad glared at him, he hurriedly turned his head away.

"In short... Xiao Nuo, don't worry. As long as we have this recording in our hands, Second Uncle will go find that Du Ziteng. Even if we can't get you back into the National Youth Team, getting the club to revoke the punishment shouldn't be a big problem."

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"Hoo..." Letting out a breath of stale air, Chen Anno squeezed a faint smile onto his face. "No need, Second Uncle. The football environment in China... I'm really tired."

Chen Anno, who had lost his parents young, had a maturity that did not match his age. One could not tell at all that he was less than three years older than Chen Xiaolong beside him.

"Then... you don't want to play football anymore?" Looking at his own nephew before him, Chen Shouqing felt a little heartbroken.

"Right, let's not play football anymore. Playing football in China isn't that interesting anyway, and you keep getting cursed at." His second aunt also spoke up then. "From now on, Xiao Nuo, just study hard. We'll get you into a university. After you graduate, with that face of yours, our Xiao Nuo won't starve no matter what."

Chen Anno shook his head, the smile still on his face. "It's fine, Second Uncle, Second Aunt. I won't give up football so easily. I'll think of something."

After saying that, Chen Anno got up and walked toward his bedroom, leaving the three of them staring at one another.

"Sigh... Xiao Nuo is too sensible. So sensible it makes my heart ache." His second aunt spoke with red-rimmed eyes.

Tick... tick...

The bedroom was silent, with only the ticking of the alarm clock on the desk left. It displayed: 10:08 p.m., March 28, 2013.

Chen Anno sat in his chair, looking at the pitch-black night sky outside the window. His gaze was somewhat unfocused, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Xiao Nuo... look what this is?" Chen Fuqing's smiling face seemed to be right before his eyes.

"Whoa... is this Ronaldinho's jersey?" Chen Anno jumped up. "Dad, let me see it, quick! Is there a signature on it?"

"Of course!" Chen Fuqing raised his head, his face full of pride. "Your old man made a special trip to Rio de Janeiro and waited at the entrance of Flamengo for ages before I got it. So, son, do you like it?"

Two clear streams of tears slid down Chen Anno's face. His thoughts seemed to drift back to that spring before his father had left.

"Xiao Nuo..." On the grass of Ibirapuera Park, Chen Fuqing lay half-reclined, his eyes looking up at the blue sky.

"If one day... you really make it, can you promise Dad that you'll represent the Chinese team, all right?"

"Why?" Twelve-year-old Chen Anno did not quite understand.

"Because... for Brazil, taking part in the World Cup is very easy. But for our Chinese team, it's hard... very hard... If you have the ability, I hope... you can do your part for my motherland."

Twelve-year-old Chen Anno looked at his father's face and sensed his father's emotions. It was a little... a little... Back then, he did not quite understand.

Now Chen Anno understood. It was longing, just like what he felt now.

Tears slid down the young man's delicate face. "Dad... I'm sorry. I already did my best."

Chen Anno rummaged through his wardrobe and found a box, then opened it with great care.

At the very top of the box was a family photo of the three of them. The steady, handsome Chen Fuqing had his arm around Susana, whose brown hair was beautiful, and standing in front of them was a boy—Chen Anno. In the photo, he was only thirteen.

After setting the photo aside, Chen Anno took out a small slip of paper from inside. Written on it was a name: Max Vizoli, followed by a string of phone numbers.

This was the number of the Sao Paulo youth team's head coach, and also Chen Anno's first mentor.

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Anno finally dialed that number.

"Anno? Is that you?" The moment the call connected, a middle-aged man's voice came through, speaking Portuguese.

"It's me, Uncle Vizoli. How have you been?" Chen Anno's nose stung a little, but he still forced himself to sound relaxed.

"Oh... my God, Anno, you've finally agreed to call me. Do you know? I've always wanted to keep track of you, but whether I searched online or asked around through friends, I could never get even the slightest news about you...

"But a month ago, I saw your name on China's U17 Youth Team roster. I was so happy then, Anno. I knew it—no matter where you went, you would always be the brightest pearl!"

Vizoli talked on and on over the phone, while Chen Anno listened quietly. Only after he finished did he speak. "I'm very sorry, Uncle Vizoli. Just today, I was completely removed from the team, including the club I belonged to."