"Sir, would you like wine or a soft drink?"
At Buenos Aires International Airport in Argentina, a flight bound for China was preparing to depart.
Zhu reclined in his first-class seat, enjoying the attention of a beautiful flight attendant.
"Wine, please. A beautiful lady and a glass of wine make it much easier to sleep!"
Zhu had graduated from a prestigious university, after all, and his English was excellent.
He had no trouble chatting with the beautiful flight attendant.
Watching her turn away, Zhu admired her figure before closing his eyes.
Then something seemed to occur to him.
Zhu took out his phone.
He dialed a familiar number.
"Hello! Haha, Editor-in-Chief Li? It's me, Old Zhu!"
"Yes, yes! I'm in Argentina right now. This time, I've found a young star with tremendous potential for China. Haha, that's right, the football association's naturalization plan!"
"I brought you plenty of local specialties. Have your driver pick them up at the airport tomorrow at nine!"
"Haha! Do I seem that calculating?"
"Just report the facts. His name is Hua Chengyu. He's the most famous young player of Chinese descent here in Argentina, a Boca Juniors prodigy!"
"Exactly! I think this naturalization plan is how the China National Football Team will finally break out of Asia!"
"It's no trouble. If I can't endure a little hardship for Chinese football, can I even call myself a football man?"
"Haha, yes, yes! That's settled. Once I land, I'll have the office send you the materials. Give it plenty of coverage. This is about bringing glory to the country."
"Don't worry about the publicity budget. When have I ever shortchanged you?"
"Mm. I visited more than twenty clubs before I found a prospect this good! The football association really spared no expense this time—over a million spent. You know how those damn foreigners are: they only care about money. They kept saying he was their star player and refused to sell him. In the end, after three visits and a lot of persuasion, I finally got him!"
"Haha, good, good. I look forward to seeing what you write about me. And make sure you accept those local specialties! It's customary, and they're a token of my appreciation. The football association's internal elections are coming up, so you've got to help me get off to a strong start!"
After that thoroughly Chinese exercise in networking, Zhu's wine arrived.
First-class service lived up to its name.
The wine was almost unnaturally red.
With the setting sun beyond the window, it looked even redder.
It looked more like blood dripping from the hearts of Chinese football fans.
Zhu drained the glass, put on his sleep mask, and drifted off comfortably in the last warmth of the sunset.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the plane...
Li Feng sat alone in economy class, staring out the window.
The next day, after morning training ended...
Xie Luotuo dropped into a chair, his face alight with excitement!
Su Bai!
He had struck gold. That move yesterday had been no fluke. The kid really could cut inside like that!
A perfect cut inside, followed by a perfect shot!
But his good mood did not last long.
"What? The kid won't sign?"
Xie Luotuo stared at Almeida, struggling to process his report.
"What's he thinking? Why won't he sign?"
"He says the contract is too long. He doesn't seem to care about the salary."
"Damn it. Of course he doesn't care about the salary!"
Remembering Su Bai's nickname, Mascot, Xie Luotuo could only sigh.
The youth-team contract did not stop him from using Su Bai, but changing a player's contract after he joined the first team was standard practice at Boca Juniors.
It gave both the player and the club peace of mind.
In all his years, Xie Luotuo had never met anyone so uninterested in money.
"Forget it. Leave it for now. We'll talk about it later!"
Contracts were the club manager's business anyway. He had no desire to spend his energy on them.
What he needed to think about was Boca Juniors' next league opponent: their bitter rivals, Tucuman Athletic.
Boca Juniors were giants of the Argentine Primera División. There was no denying that.
But apart from River Plate, one club gave them more trouble than any other.
Tucuman Athletic!
Founded in 1902, the club had already been around for a century.
Tucuman Athletic had once enjoyed a glorious stretch during the Campeonato de Primera División era, from 1931 to 1966.
After that, though, they had spent years drifting around the middle of the Argentine Primera División table.
Yet despite their unremarkable results, Tucuman Athletic had a fearsome nickname.
The Blood Butchers!
It was their style of play that had made them famous.
Unlike the technical football popular in Argentina, Tucuman Athletic had always played with the ferocity of a pack of wolves.
In the 1987–88 season...
Boca Juniors needed only a draw in the final round to win the title. Their opponent was Tucuman Athletic, who had nothing left to play for.
It was a match no Boca Juniors fan could forget.
For ninety minutes, both sides committed foul after foul.
Five red cards and seven yellow cards set an Argentine Primera División record.
Ilgas, Boca Juniors' starting striker, even had his lower leg broken by a tackle from a Tucuman Athletic defender.
The final result was just as shocking.
Despite playing with one fewer man than Boca Juniors, Tucuman Athletic scored in stoppage time through a stunning long-range strike from their captain, Rio Serna.
That shot cost Boca Juniors the title.
Naturally, Tucuman Athletic became their new bitter rivals.
In the long years that followed, whenever the two teams met, red cards and injuries were all but inevitable.
And the round after that would bring the Superclásico against River Plate.
Xie Luotuo had no idea how to approach those next two league matches.
He could not afford to lose to Tucuman Athletic!
As for River Plate?
Losing to them was even less acceptable.
But neither team would be easy to beat.
Tucuman Athletic's fierce defending worried him most.
Their aggressive high press and hard tackles were exactly the sort of thing his possession-based passing game struggled against.
Frowning, Xie Luotuo sat at his desk and began studying the lineup for the next match.
Beside him, Almeida saw his head coach's troubled expression and shook his head helplessly.
Damn the Argentine football association. This schedule was pushing Boca Juniors to the brink.
They were halfway through the season. Every match could decide where the title ended up.
Meanwhile...
On the other side of the club...
After grabbing a quick bite in the team cafeteria, Su Bai returned to the youth-team dormitory.
Medical examinations and other formalities had taken up his entire afternoon yesterday, leaving him no time to move.
Su Bai gave the room he had lived in for a month one last look, packed his things, and left the familiar place without looking back.
Barrios was lying on his bed, exchanging risqué messages with his new girlfriend, a university student.
The dormitory door suddenly opened.
A familiar figure walked in!
Su Bai had found his new first-team roommate.
"Hi!"
He greeted Barrios with a smile.
Su Bai set his luggage down on the empty bed beside Barrios's.
Before Barrios could react, Su Bai had already changed into his training gear.
"Where are you going?"
Where was this guy going in heat like this?
Su Bai's sudden movements had left Barrios bewildered.
"To train!"
"But..."
Barrios could only watch as Su Bai walked out of the room.
He hurried to the window and looked toward the training ground.
Soon...
A lone black-haired boy appeared beneath the blazing sun.
Bang!
Bang!
Shot after shot rang out across the training ground, each one powerful enough to make Barrios's skin prickle.
This kid...
P.S. I'm a new author with a new book, so I'm nervously begging you all for monthly and recommendation votes! It's scary writing a football story without support. Please!
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