Chapter 1 Concrete Meeting

The specific scene unfolded as Zhou Yi, dragging his suitcase, opened the door to his assigned room with the room card and saw He Ying sitting inside, head down, playing with his phone.

Hearing someone open the door, He Ying looked up. That single glance caused an awkward atmosphere to instantly spread throughout the room...

For He Ying, it was indeed very awkward.

Ever since the match against Japan, he had been avoiding being alone with Zhou Yi. Fortunately, after that match, the foreign-based players flew directly from the airport, and their departure times were different, so there was no opportunity to be alone with Zhou Yi.

But now, during the national team training camp, they had been brought together. When he had first arrived at the national team, everyone else was sharing a room with someone, leaving him alone in a room. Of course, this wasn't preferential treatment; it was simply waiting for another player to arrive.

He hadn't expected that player to be Zhou Yi.

Seeing Zhou Yi, the embarrassed He Ying didn't even greet him—he hesitated as he stood up, opening his mouth but unable to say anything. Perhaps he didn't know how to greet him.

It was Zhou Yi who diffused the awkwardness that filled the room. He raised his hand, smiling, and said to He Ying, "I knew we'd be assigned to the same room! Haha!"

Hearing Zhou Yi's words, He Ying laughed as well. From their initial meeting on the reality show, to the Olympic team, and now to the national team, whenever they were on the same team, they always ended up sharing a room. He wondered if it was a coincidence or someone's deliberate arrangement.

However, Zhou Yi's words inexplicably warmed He Ying's heart—he had always felt that not listening to Zhou Yi back then had led to his current predicament. Zhou Yi must harbor some resentment toward him, blaming him for not following his advice. That was why he felt awkward seeing Zhou Yi and didn't want to be alone with him.

But from Zhou Yi's words, it seemed that Zhou Yi didn't care at all...

He was being petty.

Thinking of this, He Ying felt that he still owed Zhou Yi a sincere apology, not only because he hadn't listened to Zhou Yi's advice but also because he had let down Zhou Yi's expectations of him.

So, after laughing, he looked Zhou Yi in the eyes and said without blinking, "I'm sorry, Zhou Yi."

Zhou Yi waved his hand. "We're practically roommates, why say all that!"

He Ying never expected Zhou Yi to define their relationship that way, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Damn it!" He said after laughing. "I'm seriously apologizing to you!"

Zhou Yi waved his hand. "I'm also seriously refusing your apology. It's not necessary, really not necessary."

"But... I disappointed you..."

"Hey, don't say that. It was your decision, and you just have to take responsibility for it. So you only need to be responsible for yourself, and don't need to consider anyone else's feelings, whether it's mine or your agent's." Zhou Yi sat down on the bed.

Seeing Zhou Yi say this, He Ying walked over and sat down next to Zhou Yi, turning his head to ask him, "Zhou Yi, I'm going to ask you a serious question, and I hope you'll answer me seriously, okay?"

"Ask away."

"When I ultimately chose to stay at Barcelona, were you disappointed in me?" He Ying looked at Zhou Yi, the two of them so close that he could even see every pore on Zhou Yi's face.

"A little disappointed, but not 'very' disappointed. He Ying, you don't need to keep dwelling on this issue. You've already made your decision, so what's the point of worrying about what others think of it?" Zhou Yi shook his head.

Hearing Zhou Yi say he was disappointed, He Ying felt a little relieved for some reason.

He lowered his head and whispered, "I've read a lot of comments online. After the match against Japan, many people who praised me during the Olympics are now criticizing me. But I don't blame them; I think they're right to criticize me. Some people say that I'm just vain, choosing to stay in Barcelona even though I know it's hard to get playing time, but I can't shake the vanity of 'wanting to be a Barcelona player,' using some vague excuses to deceive myself, and ultimately choosing to stay in Barcelona. I think their analysis is very accurate, too incisive."

Zhou Yi didn't try to comfort him but quietly listened to his complaint. He knew that after experiencing the ups and downs of life and enduring so much pressure, what He Ying needed most wasn't someone to give him ideas but someone to listen to him, to let him say what was buried in his heart and release his pent-up emotions.

He Ying continued to speak, "Sometimes I really admire you, Zhou Yi. I don't know if you know this, but I admire that you can always make the right choices. I think you're amazing. So I'm sorry, I have to say it again, I'm sorry for letting your advice go to waste..."

Zhou Yi waved his hand again. "Don't mention it, it's not me being modest or anything, it's really unnecessary for you to apologize, and you shouldn't apologize to me, He Ying. No matter how right someone else's advice is, it's still just their advice. Others can give you advice once, but can they give you advice every time, on everything? So you always have to make your own choices, and whether that choice is right or wrong, you can't deny the correctness of making your own choice. Does that sound a bit convoluted?"

He Ying shook his head. "No, not at all."

"Anyway, that's what I mean. You can't start doubting your own decision-making ability just because you made a decision that seems wrong now. Everyone chooses their own path, and whether they walk it well or badly depends on themselves. The important thing is not to rely on others, right?"

He Ying fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

"So you really don't need to apologize to me. In fact, I think it's great that you didn't blindly follow my opinion and made your own choice. The only problem is that you should have considered it a little more when you made your choice, haha!" Zhou Yi said with a smile.

He Ying was indeed thinking about asking Zhou Yi if he should decisively leave Barcelona.

But after hearing Zhou Yi's words, he swallowed the question back down. Yes, it was too ridiculous to always ask others what he should do. This was his life, why should others decide it?

He should think carefully and make an independent choice.

※※※

After the temporary suspension of the European leagues, the national team players who played in Europe returned to the team one after another.

The "Five Little Dragons" reunited in the national team.

Everyone was a little surprised to see He Ying and Zhou Yi talking and laughing together—they had thought that after the match against Japan, He Ying would definitely be very awkward when he saw Zhou Yi. In fact, the two of them hadn't appeared in the group chat at the same time for a long time, giving the impression that He Ying was deliberately avoiding Zhou Yi, and everyone never mentioned each other in front of He Ying or Zhou Yi to avoid embarrassment.

The thought of the two of them having to face each other in the national team made everyone feel like their embarrassment was about to flare up.

But when they arrived at the national team, they saw the two of them talking and laughing, just like before!

This was unbelievable. What exactly were they doing?

Sun Pan had privately asked Zhou Yi what was going on. Zhou Yi said very casually, "Men, once they figure things out, they understand everything. Don't worry, I think He Ying has really figured it out this time."

After the national team gathered, they began to officially prepare for the match against Australia.

And outside the national team, countless eyes were also watching them, paying attention to them.

A voice appeared among both the media and the fans—He Ying, who performed poorly in the last match, shouldn't be occupying a starting spot. He should give his place to someone else, such as Wu Lei, who plays in Shanghai. As He Ying's forward partner on the Olympic team, Wu Lei's strength is also very outstanding. His performance in the domestic club is also very good, and he has grown very quickly since the Olympics. Since He Ying is not in good form, why not give Wu Lei a chance?

This view was supported and agreed upon by many people.

But not everyone agreed. Opponents argued that even if He Ying didn't get to play in Barcelona, the training he received in Barcelona was genuine. Barcelona's training level is very high, so there's no problem with He Ying's ability. His form can be adjusted, but he can't be replaced just because he performed poorly in one match. Did they want to repeat the farce of "replacing Li Tie" in the top ten qualifiers?

The opponents' opinions also made sense, but after all, they were a minority and not the mainstream.

The mainstream opinion was still that He Ying should be on the bench. After all, it wouldn't be easy to deal with Australia. If the Chinese team finally got a scoring opportunity, and He Ying kicked it away, wouldn't that be too demoralizing?

Moreover, consecutive poor performances would also affect He Ying's own confidence, causing him to lose confidence, which would be detrimental to his future development.

Listening to this, those who supported He Ying starting were actually doing it for He Ying's own good.

But some people didn't think so.

The day before the match against Australia, within the Chinese team, it was already known who would start in the match tomorrow.

He Ying was on the list.

When He Ying heard Gao Hongbo say his name, he was very surprised—with the outside world in an uproar, he thought that the coach would definitely not let him continue to start. Someone who couldn't even get playing time at his club really wasn't qualified to demand a starting spot.

But he was still starting.

Gao Hongbo didn't explain why he wanted He Ying to continue to start. Perhaps in his opinion, it didn't need explaining—no matter what, He Ying was receiving training in Barcelona, and his football philosophy was very advanced compared to players who played domestically, and this advanced football philosophy was more compatible with Zhou Yi. In other words, only He Ying could best understand Zhou Yi's every passing intention on the front line, so that they could cooperate seamlessly. Replacing him with Wu Lei wasn't impossible, but the effect would be diminished.

Against a team like Australia, Gao Hongbo couldn't allow his team to play at a discount. That would be courting death.