The envelope lay on the scarred linoleum table like a live grenade. Kai's hand hovered over it, trembling slightly, the Jinjiang United crest gleaming under the single bare bulb. The small apartment was thick with held breath – Weimin frozen near the door, grease forgotten on his hands; Mei clutching Kai's fingers with bone-white intensity; Bo vibrating with nervous energy; Xia biting her lip, her hastily drawn "GO KAI!" banner crumpled at the edge; Yuelin a still point of calm beside him, her presence a silent anchor in the storm.
He couldn't do it. Not yet. Not without her.
"Mum," Kai rasped, the word scraping his dry throat. "We have to wait for Mum." He pulled his hand back, clenching it into a fist. The weight of Lifen's worry, her silent sacrifices, her deep-seated fear for his dream… she had to be here for this moment, whether it brought triumph or tears.
A collective sigh, part relief, part agony, filled the room. The waiting intensified, each tick of the cheap wall clock echoing like a drumbeat. Bo paced the tiny space, running a hand through his spiky hair. Xia fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Weimin finally moved, sinking heavily onto a stool by the door, his gaze never leaving the envelope. Yuelin remained seated, her expression unreadable, but Kai felt the subtle pressure of her hand resting near his on the table, a point of contact radiating quiet strength. Mei leaned her head against Kai's arm, her earlier excitement replaced by a solemn understanding of the heavy atmosphere.
The familiar sound of weary footsteps finally sounded on the stairs – slower, heavier than usual. The door creaked open, and Chen Lifen stepped inside, exhaustion etched into every line of her face, the smell of machine oil and sweat clinging to her simple factory tunic. She froze, taking in the crowded room, the intense silence, the focused stares all directed at the table. Her eyes darted from face to face, finally landing on the cream envelope with its damning crest. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Kai? What…?" Her voice was a thin thread of sound.
"It came, Mum," Kai said, his own voice thick. "The letter."
Lifen's gaze locked onto the envelope. Fear warred with a desperate, fragile hope in her eyes. She moved slowly, as if wading through deep water, placing her worn bag down by the door. She walked towards the table, her steps measured, her face pale. She stopped beside Kai, her hand reaching out, hesitating, before finally resting gently on his shoulder. Her touch was feather-light, yet it carried the weight of all her love and worry.
"Open it, son," Weimin said from his stool, his voice gruff but softer than usual. "Get it over with."
Kai took another shuddering breath. The air felt thick, suffocating. He reached out, his fingers finally closing around the expensive paper. It felt cold. He slid a finger under the crisp flap, the tearing sound unnaturally loud in the silence. He pulled out a single sheet of thick, cream paper. His eyes scanned the top lines, the formal Jinjiang United letterhead. His heart hammered against his ribs. He began to read aloud, his voice flat, devoid of inflection, each word dropping like a stone into the silent room:
>"Dear Mr. Lin Kai,"
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>"Thank you for participating in the Jinjiang United Football Club Under-18 open trials held on [Date]. We appreciate the time, effort, and talent you displayed throughout the demanding assessment process."
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>"After careful consideration by the coaching staff..."
Kai paused. The next words seemed to blur on the page. He forced them out.
>"...we are sorry to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the Jinjiang United Under-18 squad for the upcoming season at this time."
A collective gasp. A sharp intake of breath from Lifen, her hand tightening on Kai's shoulder. Bo muttered a low curse under his breath. Xia clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with dismay. Weimin slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face hidden in his greasy hands. Mei looked up at Kai, confusion and dawning distress on her small face. "Gege? Not magic?"
The world tilted. The pristine pitch, the intense drills, the run down the wing, the perfect cross… it all rushed back, only to shatter against the cold, formal words. *Unable to offer you a place.* Rejection. Failure. The knot in Kai's stomach, held at bay by sheer will and Yuelin's faith, exploded into a cold, crushing void. A hot pressure built behind his eyes, tears threatening to spill. He felt numb. The letter slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers, fluttering down to land face-up on the worn tabletop, the damning sentence glaring at them all.
Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence. The dream lay in tatters on the kitchen table. Lifen's hand trembled on Kai's shoulder. A single tear escaped, tracing a path through the grime on Kai's cheek. He stared blankly at the wall, the roar of imagined crowds replaced by a deafening internal silence.
Then, a small movement. Mei, perplexed by the adults' sadness, looked from the fallen letter to Kai's tear-streaked face. She didn't understand the words, but she understood despair. She bent down and picked up the letter. "Gege, don't cry," she whispered, turning the heavy paper over in her small hands. Her brow furrowed. She looked at the back, then up at Yuelin, her voice small but clear in the thick silence. "Yuelin-jiejie? There's… there's more writing. On the back?"
Yuelin, who hadn't moved, hadn't reacted visibly to the rejection, snapped her gaze from Kai's face to the letter in Mei's hands. Her calm eyes scanned the back of the page. And then, a sound utterly unexpected shattered the heavy grief – a clear, bright peal of laughter.
Xia whirled on her, eyes flashing with indignation and tears. "Yuelin! What are you *doing*? Stop it! It's not funny! Kai just got rejected!"
But Yuelin wasn't looking at Xia. She was looking straight at Kai, her eyes blazing with a triumphant, incredulous joy Kai had never seen before. She was still laughing, shaking her head slightly, as if she couldn't believe what she was reading. She reached out, took the letter gently from Mei, and held it out towards Kai, her voice trembling with suppressed elation. "Kai. Read it. Read the *rest* of it."
Confusion warred with a desperate, fragile spark of hope in the chaos of Kai's numbness. He took the letter back, his hands shaking violently now. He flipped it over. Below the Jinjiang United letterhead, on the reverse side, was a second, shorter message, typed in the same crisp font but carrying an entirely different weight.
>"Addendum:"
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>"While your application for the Under-18 squad was unsuccessful, your performance during the trial match against the Jinjiang United Reserves was observed by Head Coach Deng Rui of the Jinjiang United 'B' Team (Celestial Championship Division)."
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>"Coach Deng was highly impressed by your pace, adaptability, vision, and composure under pressure, particularly noting your assist and overall contribution while playing out of position."
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>"Consequently, Jinjiang United Football Club is pleased to offer you a contract for the upcoming season with the Jinjiang United 'B' Team, effective immediately. This offer includes the associated scholarship and academy boarding provisions."
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>"Formal signing documents and further details are enclosed separately. Please contact the B Team administration office within seven days to confirm acceptance and arrange induction."
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>"We look forward to your potential contribution to Jinjiang United."
Kai read it. Then read it again. The words blurred, swam, then snapped into sharp, impossible focus. *Not U18… B Team? Coach Deng? Celestial Championship? Contract? Scholarship?*
He looked up, his eyes wide, disbelieving, meeting Yuelin's shining, triumphant gaze. "B… B Team?" he stammered, the words barely a whisper.
Yuelin nodded, her smile radiant. "The Senior B Team, Kai! You impressed the *senior* reserve coach! He signed you! Directly!"
"What? What does it mean?" Bo exploded, bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to see the letter. "B Team? What's that? Is it good? Tell me it's good!"
Kai felt the crushing void vanish, replaced by a soaring, dizzying euphoria. The tears still on his cheeks were now tears of pure, unadulterated shock and joy. He looked around at the stunned faces. "The B Team!" he repeated, his voice gaining strength, incredulous laughter bubbling up. "Mei… the teams that play in the big league, the ISL, they have two teams! The main team, the 'A' team, that plays in the Imperial Super League… and a 'B' team! The B team plays in the league *below*! The Celestial Championship! It's… it's the *second tier*! Professional senior football!"
Understanding dawned, slow and then blindingly fast. Lifen's hand tightened on his shoulder again, but now it was trembling with a different emotion. "Senior… football? Professional? At sixteen?"
Weimin's head snapped up, his eyes wide, the despair replaced by utter astonishment. "Celestial Championship? The *second division*? They want *you*?"
"YES!" Kai shouted, the word bursting out of him, a release of all the pent-up tension, fear, and now overwhelming joy. He jumped up, the chair scraping back, clutching the letter like a priceless treasure. "They want me! For the B Team! Coach Deng signed me!"
The apartment erupted. Bo let out a roar that probably rattled windows down the alley, grabbing Kai in a bone-crushing hug and lifting him off his feet. "SENIOR TEAM! YOU MANIAC! YOU ABSOLUTE DRAGON!" Xia screamed, dancing around them, the "GO KAI!" banner now waved like a victory flag, tears of happiness streaming down her face. Mei shrieked with delight, jumping up and down, finally understanding the magic was real, just bigger than she imagined. "Gege is a big footballer! Bigger than shiny team!"
Lifen was crying openly now, great heaving sobs of relief and disbelief, hugging Kai fiercely the moment Bo released him. "My boy… my brave, wonderful boy…" Weimin stood up, a slow, incredulous smile spreading across his weathered face, the first genuine, unburdened smile Kai could remember seeing in years. He walked over and placed a heavy, proud hand on Kai's shoulder, his eyes suspiciously bright. "Second division," he muttered, shaking his head. "Lin Kai… playing with men. In the Celestial Championship." He let out a low whistle. "Phoenix District makes them tough, alright."
Yuelin watched the celebration, her own eyes shimmering, that serene smile firmly in place. She hadn't doubted the outcome, only the path. She met Kai's gaze over Lifen's shoulder, her nod saying everything: *Told you so.*
The noise was deafening – laughter, shouts, Mei's excited squeals. Weimin suddenly clapped his hands, the sharp sound cutting through the joyous chaos. "Alright! Enough noise, you'll bring the roof down!" He grinned, a wide, unfamiliar expression that transformed his face. "Xu Bo! Li Xia! Go! Fetch your parents! Right now! Tell them… tell them Lin Kai just signed for Jinjiang United B! Tell them we're celebrating! The whole alley! My treat! Noodles at Old Man Chen's! The best he's got! GO!"
Bo and Xia didn't need telling twice. They shot out of the door like rockets, their shouts of "HE SIGNED! B TEAM! CELEBRATION!" echoing down the stairwell and into the alley below.
Weimin turned to Yuelin. "Su Yuelin, your parents too. They have to be part of this. They fed him before the storm, they deserve to toast the sunshine!"
Yuelin smiled, pulling out her phone. "I'll call them. They'll want to come."
Within minutes, the small apartment overflowed, then spilled out into the alley. Xu Bo's parents emerged from their shop, wiping grease from their hands, beaming. Li Xia's parents arrived from the bakery, flour dusting their clothes, carrying a hastily decorated cake with a blue and silver "Congratulations Kai!" scrawled in icing. Mr. and Mrs. Su arrived quickly, Mr. Su looking professionally pleased but genuinely thrilled, Mrs. Wang radiating quiet pride. Neighbors leaned out of windows, drawn by the commotion, adding their cheers and congratulations.
The procession to Old Man Chen's noodle stall was a victory parade. Kai walked in the center, flanked by his beaming parents, Mei skipping ahead, Bo and Xia shouting the news to anyone who would listen, Yuelin walking calmly beside him, a satisfied glow on her face. Old Man Chen, forewarned by the commotion, had already pushed his tables together and was boiling vast vats of his richest broth.
Bowls of steaming, fragrant noodles appeared. Toasts were made with fizzy orange soda and strong tea. Congratulations flowed thick and fast, tinged with awe and neighborhood pride. "Celestial Championship! At sixteen!" "Saw him play on the concrete, knew he had something special!" "Lin Weimin, your boy's made it!" "Chen Lifen, you must be bursting!"
Kai sat, surrounded by the noise, the warmth, the love of his Phoenix District family. He looked at the letter, now slightly crumpled but still bearing its miraculous message, tucked safely in his pocket. He looked at Yuelin, who raised her soda glass in a silent toast, her eyes holding the promise of the journey still ahead. He looked out at the familiar, gritty alleyway, the place that forged him, now celebrating his first, impossible step onto a much larger stage.
The dream wasn't broken. It had just taken an unexpected, breathtaking turn. He wasn't just a youth prospect anymore. He was Lin Kai, professional footballer for Jinjiang United B. The Golden Dragon of Phoenix District had just been unleashed on the Celestial Championship. The fire in his eyes, reflected in the happy faces around him and the distant glow of Dragon Bay Arena beyond the rooftops, burned brighter than ever. The feast of noodles tasted like triumph, and the night buzzed with the sweet, deafening music of dreams coming true.