Chapter 1 A Heart Full of Trepidation

When Zhou Yi, his heart filled with trepidation, followed his father home, he opened the door to a table laden with steaming, fragrant dishes – all his favorites.

His mother was still carrying dishes from the kitchen to the table.

A month had passed since he went to Beijing to participate in the final audition. This was the first time Zhou Yi had seen his mother.

The scene was no different from what he saw every day when he came home from school.

Except for the number of dishes on the table.

"Mom," Zhou Yi couldn't help but call out.

"You're back?" His mother didn't even look up as she carefully placed the large bowl filled with soup in the only empty space on the table. "Wash your hands and eat."

Even her words were the same as usual after school.

If it weren't for the changes in his heart and mind, Zhou Yi would definitely think he had just come home from school today.

But precisely because of those changes, Zhou Yi now felt awkward and complicated when he saw his mother.

Because he knew very well what his mother's expectations were for him, but he had already made up his mind, which meant he was going to disappoint her.

This made Zhou Yi dare not look directly into her eyes when he saw his mother.

But his mother, Li Cuiyun, didn't seem to notice the awkwardness and hesitation on her son's face, and turned to go to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks.

Before turning around, she didn't forget to tell her husband: "Go wash your hands too."

※※※

While eating, Zhou Yi hesitated for a long time about whether to tell his mother his decision. But in the end, he still didn't say it. At the dinner table, he talked about the training and life in the training camp, and the new friends he had made, including He Ying and Guo Nu—although they might not have agreed yet, Zhou Yi already considered them his friends.

He had met many people in the training camp, but only these four could truly be considered "friends."

As Zhou Yi spoke, his mother listened with a smile, occasionally putting a piece of food in her son's bowl.

Zhou Yi spoke vividly and enthusiastically, also because he didn't want to give his mother a chance to interrupt and ask him about his plans for the future.

The meal seemed happy on the surface, but who knew what was in their hearts.

In fact, Zhou Yi had been waiting all along, waiting for his mother to ask him what he would do after the reality show ended. Or to ask him about the matter of delaying two months of school because of the reality show.

But until Zhou Yi went to bed, he hadn't waited for his mother to ask these questions.

Lying in bed, Zhou Yi, relieved but also a little melancholy, entered the virtual system world.

Since he had already made a decision in his heart, then no matter how others objected, he would persevere. Now the first thing was to train, improve his strength, and prepare for the future that was about to come.

If the opportunity came, but he didn't have the ability to seize it, then the passionate inspirational drama would probably become a black comedy...

※※※

The next morning, when Zhou Yi came out of the system, it was already dawn.

Today was September 1st, Monday, the first day of school.

This was the day when the vast majority of students ended their summer vacation and went to school with their backpacks.

Of course, for students who were about to be in their third year of high school, this day didn't have any special meaning, because they had been in school for almost a month before this day.

But in Zhou Yi's heart, this might be the last week of his middle school life—since he had decided to become a professional player, then he didn't plan to return to campus.

He wanted to use this opportunity to go to Europe to gain a foothold in the professional football world.

If he could stand on the balcony on the day he left, press his hand on the window frame, and then shout into the distance: "I won't come back if I don't make it!" that would be even better, but unfortunately his house was on the first floor and didn't have a balcony for him to show off.

After breakfast, Zhou Yi went to school with his backpack. His father had to go to the company to ask for leave first, and then come to school to find him and ask the school for leave together.

After all, in the eyes of the teachers, what parents said was more trustworthy than what children said. In addition, they also got a certificate specially issued by the production team.

The certificate proved that Zhou Yi was indeed a member of this reality show and would indeed be following the team to Europe for two months.

The entrance of Qingyang No. 1 High School on the first day of school was the liveliest time, and the cars dropping off children were parked on the roads, big and small, near the school. Bicycles and cars were mixed together, causing serious traffic congestion, and even the traffic police's efforts to clear the traffic didn't help much.

From a place three hundred meters away from the school gate, Zhou Yi began to encounter his classmates, some from his class and some from other classes. Those from other classes were basically people he knew from playing football.

"Zhou Yi! Where did you go for the summer vacation? We played games with others, but we couldn't find you, and we lost. Do you know that!"

"That's no good, it's a bit troublesome to get 'Zhou Yi dependence'!" Zhou Yi replied with his head held high and smugly.

"Zhou Yi, have you finished your summer homework? Let me copy it..."

"You didn't say it earlier, you have to get in line. There are eleven people waiting in front of you now."

"Damn, so many! I'm done for..."

"Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi, do you think Manchester City is stupid? Twenty-four million to buy a Jo! Who is that! The name sounds weak!"

"Zhou Yi..."

Zhou Yi came to his classroom while greeting people along the way. In the classroom, everyone was also gathered in groups of twos and threes, chatting about various topics of the holiday. After not seeing each other for two months, the students still missed each other a little.

As soon as Zhou Yi entered the classroom, many boys surrounded him: "Zhou Yi, I heard that you were seriously ill at home and bedridden for a month! Is it true?"

As students who were about to be in their third year of high school, the last month of the summer vacation was the tutoring season. Although the country had repeatedly ordered schools not to provide tutoring, there were always countermeasures to policies from above.

However, while everyone was studying and tutoring bitterly, Zhou Yi's seat had been empty all the time.

The teacher naturally wouldn't explain to the students why Zhou Yi didn't come to tutoring. Everyone could only guess, with envy and jealousy—this kid must be sick!

"Damn! Who's spreading rumors about me!" Zhou Yi said angrily.

"Then why didn't you come to tutoring? We all came, only you didn't come. Tell me, are you sick?"

"Sick my ass! I went to a hellish special training!" Zhou Yi snorted and said smugly.

"Tch!" No one believed him. Zhou Yi's words were unrestrained. Even if he was joking with you, he would be serious, making you believe it was true. In the beginning, when everyone was classmates in high school, they were often teased by him without understanding him. Later, everyone knew him well and knew that his words couldn't be believed.

"I really went to special training!" Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, Zhou Yi had to explain. "That football reality show, 'Green Field Heirs,' you know about it, right?"

Someone nodded: "I saw the advertisements and news on TV. It's also doing a national audition... Did you sign up?"

"That's me." Zhou Yi pointed to himself with his thumb and said, exhaling air from his nostrils with his head held high, "National audition final... first place!"

"Damn! Then you can go to Europe?!" A classmate who was familiar with the rules exclaimed.

Zhou Yi smiled without saying a word. At this time, smiling but not speaking was the best way to show off. Saying one more word would seem low.

Sure enough, the surrounding students looked at Zhou Yi differently—envy, jealousy. It was even more enviable and jealous than Zhou Yi not coming to tutoring.

"So I spent this summer vacation in the training base in Beijing. I trained with the other fifteen best seventeen-year-old players in the country. Didn't you notice that I'm darker, stronger, and taller?"

"You're darker, but I didn't see the other two." Everyone shook their heads.

"Tch, what kind of eyes are those!" Zhou Yi rolled his eyes.

"I heard that this reality show is going to Europe for two months, then you..."

"So I have to ask for leave. I'll leave after this week." Speaking of leaving, Zhou Yi's previously smug tone suddenly became low.

The students didn't notice the change in his emotions, but focused their attention on the matter of "going to Europe."

China has been reforming and opening up for so many years, and traveling abroad is no longer a big deal. Southeast Asian countries have almost become the back garden of the Chinese people, and Europe, the United States, and Australia are not unreachable places either.

But traveling to Europe and playing football in Europe are two completely different things.

In the eyes of the football fan students, going to Europe to play football and competing with those European giants that they can only see on TV... for an ordinary middle school student, it's like going from Earth to Mars.

"Wow, can you bring me some autographs? I want Messi and Ibrahimovic!!"

"I want Ronaldo's!"

"Raul! Saint Casillas! Roberto Carlos!!"

"Basti! Basti is mine!"

…

A group of people were about to pounce on Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi naturally agreed to all of them, completely not considering whether it was really possible to do it. At this time, everyone was desperately praising him, how could he be怂?

Everyone was also very happy and said that Brother Yi was awesome and Brother Yi was爆了.

While Zhou Yi was enjoying everyone's compliments and flattery, he didn't notice that on the other side of the classroom, there was a girl with black-rimmed glasses and bangs looking at him.

Her eyes were happy but sad.

She was happy that he had finally realized his dream, and sad that she wouldn't be able to see him for two months.

※※※

At the opening ceremony, Zhou Yi and his classmates stood on the school playground covered with artificial turf. All the students from the three grades of high school were here. The old principal stood on the flag-raising platform and gave a speech to everyone. He encouraged the students to study hard in the new school year, make progress every day, develop morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically, and to study for the rise of China. He also specially encouraged the third-year high school students not to drop the ball in this last year after twelve years of hard study.

The students under the stage were not interested in the old principal's speech. They hated the leaders' speeches the most. No matter how big the official was, they didn't like to listen. Some people were playing with their mobile phones with their heads down, some were whispering to each other about whether there were any beautiful freshmen in this year's first-year high school students, and some were holding books and reading.

Zhou Yi looked like he was listening carefully, but he was actually distracted.

He raised his head slightly, his gaze crossed the old principal and the flagpole behind him, and cast to the distance, where there was a four-story teaching building.

The easternmost side of the second-floor corridor, next to the stairwell, was the classroom of his class. From the first year of high school to the second year, the place had not changed. If Zhou Yi could continue to study at this school, then he would still be in this classroom in the third year of high school.

Taking classes, being distracted, sleeping, studying, reading novels, taking exams... and finally moving towards the college entrance examination step by step.

Of course, there might also be a love story or several that he would recall later that would be touching –

Zhou Yi's gaze fell back and suddenly saw that there were always two gazes on his left that seemed to be looking at him, so he turned his head to look. He found that it was actually Zheng Lulu. When he turned his head to look over, Zheng Lulu suddenly turned her head to the other side.

However, the reflection of her glasses blocked her eyes, so Zhou Yi didn't see Zheng Lulu's eyes and wasn't sure if she was looking at him.

Maybe he was just overthinking it.

Zhou Yi thought so and turned his gaze away.

—Of course, maybe there wouldn't be.

※※※

After the opening ceremony, Zhou Yi went directly to the office of his homeroom teacher and met with his father.

Then he asked the homeroom teacher for a two-month leave.

Logically speaking, with the certificate issued by the production team and the guarantee of his parents, it was not difficult to ask for a two-month leave.

But Zhou Yi's homeroom teacher was very worried about Zhou Yi going to Europe to play football for two months in such a critical third year of high school.

In her opinion, this was simply child's play and nonsense.

Was playing football more important or the college entrance examination more important?

After listening to the reason for the leave, she did not immediately give a yes or no answer, but looked at Zhou Yi's father, Zhou Jianliang, with a blaming look.

In her opinion, Zhou Yi, this child, was being nonsense. Was he, as a father, also being nonsense?

Faced with the homeroom teacher's blaming eyes, Zhou Jianliang didn't say anything, just smiled on his face.

The homeroom teacher had no way to deal with this kind of parent who was "not afraid of boiling water," so she had to turn her head to look at Zhou Yi again and said to him, "The college entrance examination is coming soon. Do you know what it means to delay two months, Zhou Yi?"

"I know, Teacher Zhai. But the third year of high school is mainly about reviewing. Don't worry, I will also review my lessons in Europe." Zhou Yi lied without blushing or panting. He didn't plan to take anything related to studying to Europe at all.

But the homeroom teacher, Teacher Zhai, still didn't say yes or no, but continued to ask Zhou Yi, "Is playing football really important?"

"Is it good to have more life experience?" Zhou Yi also didn't directly answer the homeroom teacher's question. He looked at Teacher Zhai and replied.

Teacher Zhai also looked at her student. Neither of them spoke, just looked at each other like this.

It was rare for a student to look at her like this. Teacher Zhai saw a firm determination in Zhou Yi's eyes.

She knew that no matter what she said today, Zhou Yi would not change his decision.

Even if she didn't approve the leave, she could guess that Zhou Yi would rather skip school to do this.

She understood this student. She knew he could do it.

So instead of this, it was better to give him a two-month leave. As for him delaying his studies because of this, resulting in not doing well in the final college entrance examination... that was his own business. His parents didn't care, so why should she, as a teacher, care so much?

Of course, the things that a teacher should do still had to be done.

So she nodded: "Okay, I'll approve your leave... but!"

Seeing that Zhou Yi was about to cheer, she glared at Zhou Yi and said, "But I will ask the teachers of each subject to mark the key points for you. Even if you go to Europe, don't forget your studies."

"Of course, of course..." Zhou Yi nodded repeatedly, promising everything. But in fact, he didn't plan to review his lessons when he went to Europe at all.

Seeing that Zhou Yi agreed so readily, Teacher Zhai could actually guess what he was thinking in his heart. She sighed: "You are a very smart child, Zhou Yi. You just don't want to work hard on your studies. If you can put half of the effort you put into playing football into your studies, there would be no problem in getting into a key university..."

Faced with Teacher Zhai's earnest expectations for him, Zhou Yi could only face it with a dry laugh, because he himself didn't know what to say.

Could he say, "Teacher, I don't plan to go to university. I want to be a professional football player"?

Then I'm afraid this leave wouldn't be approved...

※※※

In this way, Zhou Yi and his father got the leave and came out of the office together.

"Although we are about to leave, we must study hard before that." At the school gate, Zhou Jianliang told his son.

"I know, Dad, I'm still a student."

Zhou Jianliang smiled: "It's good that you know. I'm leaving, I have to go to work."

Zhou Yi nodded, watching his father get on his electric scooter, turn from the school gate onto the non-motor vehicle lane, and merge into the stream of traffic, like countless ordinary workers, whether for the rise of China or for family happiness, being swept forward by the torrent of the times, running around non-stop.