"It was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to hearing from you. I'll take my leave now, and I wish you a pleasant day, sir."
The red-faced Fat Man politely tipped his hat before turning to leave.
Liu Yue, the head coach of the football boy training camp, and Chen Tao returned to the locker room expressionless.
As soon as they sat down, a group of friends gathered around, eager for gossip.
"Who was that person?"
"Was he from Everton? You're definitely getting into Everton!"
"He hasn't even gone for a trial at Bolton yet; maybe Chen Tao prefers Bolton."
"Bolton is a rubbish team; they're almost relegated. Everton is much better."
"Even if they're rubbish, they're still a Premier League team. It's enough that someone wants him; don't be picky."
"He hasn't even said anything himself yet, right, Chen Tao? You like Everton too, don't you?"
A group of people chattered noisily, and the striker and captain, Jin Hui, impatiently waved his hand.
"Quiet down, let Chen Tao speak for himself. Is someone trying to sign you?"
Jin Hui's eyes were full of anticipation.
Why did this group of people travel across the ocean to England? Wasn't it in the hope of being noticed by an England team?
At first, everyone dreamed of joining a giant club.
Later, their confidence was shattered, and they fully accepted reality.
It was good enough if any team wanted them. Who would want to go back to playing in China if they could play abroad?
Jin Hui also harbored a dream of playing overseas, but he knew that this "victory" was something Chen Tao had fought for.
If he hadn't stepped up, the football boy would have been a disorganized mob, and no one would have noticed them.
"Oh, why are you looking at me like that? It's not a done deal yet; it's just an initial contact."
Chen Tao was also bewildered by everyone.
"Then at least tell us, that person just now must have been from Everton, right?"
"That's great! Staying at Everton means you'll be teammates with Senpai Tiezi."
Everton felt relatively familiar to everyone, as there was a famous former player, Brother Tiezi.
"No, that's not a good succession plan."
For some reason, Chen Tao always felt that Brother Tiezi would run into trouble, which wasn't a good omen.
He didn't keep them in suspense either:
"That was a scout, and he's temporarily invited me for a trial."
"Which team?"
Looking at everyone's expectant gazes, Chen Tao slowly uttered three words.
"Arsenal."
Hiss—
His friends were all stunned.
What was this feeling?
It was like a friend buying a car, and everyone was guessing if it was a Geely or a BYD, but then the other person said "Rolls-Royce."
Who could handle that?
Although Arsenal hadn't been at their peak in recent years, with their 42-game unbeaten run in 03/04 and the Champions League final in 05/06 becoming history.
They were still a top 4 competitive team in the Premier League!
They were an uncrowned giant!
From Highbury to Emirates Stadium, from Henry's departure to Fabregas, Van Persie, and Walcott holding up the squad.
Wenger's Arsenal still had a chance to contend for the championship!
Instantly, everyone's expressions changed, each different.
The previous noise disappeared, and the locker room quickly fell silent.
It was Captain Jin Hui who broke the silence.
"This is amazing, Arsenal! Our football boy is finally going to produce a star!"
Jin Hui was jealous, but his words were sincere.
Anyone who had seen Chen Tao's performance just now would agree from the bottom of their hearts that he was no longer on the same level as everyone else.
He was destined to be a star who would shine in the future!
…
"What???"
Good heavens, Chen Tao's eardrums almost burst.
As expected of his mother's Buddhist Lion's Roar, murdering her own son from thousands of miles away over the phone.
"No, we agreed you'd come back for high school after summer vacation, right? You worked so hard to get into Huashi Affiliated High School, and you're supposed to go to Tsinghua or Peking University in the future. What's playing football going to achieve?"
"Mom, I…"
"Don't call me Mom, I don't have a son like you!"
"…"
Are we doing a skit here?
After staying in Guangfu for 10 years, his mother from the Northeast hadn't changed. His dad tried to interject a few words but was shut down by her turning her head.
"Look at your son, all he knows is playing football, and now he doesn't even want to go to school. What will he do if he ends up picking up trash later?"
"It's just a trial right now, nothing is set in stone. Maybe he'll be eliminated and come back, so don't get angry yet."
His father's voice was still trying to persuade, but Chen Tao didn't hesitate to contradict him:
"I'm very confident I'll stay; it's impossible for me to be eliminated."
"This child…"
"Old Chen, look at him! He's never traveled far alone since he was little, and suddenly he's gone so far, with no one to take care of him in England. Will he eat well, will he sleep well…?"
Towards the end, his mother's tone had changed from its previous firmness to a slight choke.
Chen Tao also fell silent.
He only then realized that his mother wasn't stopping his football dream.
Every time he wanted to buy a football or an authentic jersey, she would grumble about the expense, but she never let Chen Tao's hopes be dashed.
When he wore Beckham's new Real Madrid No. 23 authentic jersey, running and playing on the field, and his friends envied him.
His mother watched from not far away, and quietly and meticulously washed and cared for them when they got home.
Even now, those jerseys hung in the closet, as good as new.
Perhaps, she was just worried about him being alone in a foreign country.
"Mom, I'm already 15, I know what I'm doing, and I know what I'll face in the future.
So, don't worry about me. When I earn money from playing football, I'll bring you two over to enjoy life."
"Go, go, go, you take care of yourself first. How much can a little kid earn…?"
The phone was snatched by his dad again:
"Chen Tao, since you've made up your mind, we'll definitely support you."
"But don't rush to sign a contract. We'll contact an agent for you as soon as possible to help you review it, so you don't get scammed by foreigners."
"Also, don't neglect your studies while playing football. No matter where you play, you still need to study…"
"And also…"
His usually reticent father had now become a chatterbox.
Seeing the production team calling him, Chen Tao could only hang up the international call:
"Dad, Mom, I can't talk now, the production team needs something. We'll talk later, don't worry… Beep, beep, beep…"
Guangfu, Tianhe District, Yiyuan Community.
After a moment of silence, Chen Jianping gently embraced Ding Ru.
He could feel that his wife was completely unprepared for this, filled with panic and worry.
This was not a reason to stop their child from fulfilling his dream.
"Don't worry, he'll become a big star in the future."
"English food is so hard to eat, will he get used to it?"
"Just send him some Laoganma and it'll be fine."
"You look like Laoganma!"
…
After the filming was complete, the football boy team took a bus to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
As the bus drove away, only Chen Tao and Arsenal scout Steve Rowley remained at the hotel entrance.
Now Chen Tao was completely alone in a foreign country.
"Where's your luggage?"
"Gone, just this bag on me."
Chen Tao hadn't brought much this time, only a simple backpack with some changes of clothes.
He seemed more like he was on a short business trip than going abroad.
Fortunately, his parents had sent Chen Tao some money through the production team, which converted to about £3200, enough for him to live there for some time.
If he could pass the Arsenal trial and get an apprentice contract, he would also have a weekly wage of £55, so there wouldn't be much financial pressure.
Sitting in Uncle Steve the scout's Volkswagen, the two traveled in silence for 5 hours on the highway, finally arriving in North London, Colney Training Base.
As the car drove to the entrance, the training base sign came into view.
The Gunners' crest was printed on both sides, with a line of text in the middle, as if welcoming Chen Tao's arrival!
"Welcome To Arsenal Training Centre!"
Welcome to Arsenal!