Super Wingstorm

He arrived in Amsterdam in the afternoon.

The flight was undisturbed, but upon disembarking, he ran into a few fans and flight attendants. Yang Yang politely agreed to their requests for photos and autographs.

Because his itinerary was kept confidential, no one expected Yang Yang to be so eager to return to the Netherlands immediately after the Asian Cup final. As a result, there was no one at the airport to greet him.

Even so, many of the travelers and fans at the airport quickly recognized him, causing another delay.

After finally managing to leave the airport and get into his uncle Shen Ming’s car, Yang Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Ming was growing increasingly proud of his nephew.

Who would have thought that upon returning to his home country for the summer, he would help China win its first-ever Asian Cup? At just seventeen, he was named the tournament’s best player, an achievement that sparked a flurry of reports from major media outlets, even in the far-off Netherlands.

One could only imagine the sensation it must have caused back in China.

"Why are you back so soon? I thought you’d take at least a few days off," Shen Ming asked with concern as he drove.

"That was the original plan. Ajax offered me up to a week off, but after thinking about it, I decided to come back sooner. I heard the team has brought in a lot of new players for the upcoming season. The earlier I get back, the sooner I can get to know them and get back into form."

After the Asian Cup matches, Yang Yang could feel that his peak form was starting to dip slightly, but his overall condition was still good. He was confident that with continued hard work in training, he would have no problem handling the pressure of the Eredivisie.

While everyone else was on vacation all summer, Yang Yang had stuck to his daily training regimen. This was the source of his confidence.

"That’s so demanding," Shen Ming said, his heart aching for him. He truly had always treated Yang Yang like his own son.

Yang Yang just smiled and said nothing.

’Was it demanding?’

’Of course. Not being able to eat and drink whatever I want, not being able to take a break—it was definitely demanding.’

But Yang Yang was used to it.

’That’s just how people are. Once you adapt and get used to something, it doesn’t feel so hard anymore.’

On this trip back to China, Yang Yang had noticed that the domestic players lived far too comfortably. Their salaries were good, the training wasn’t grueling, and they weren’t very disciplined about their diet or sleep schedules. They could even indulge in a big meal from time to time. Life was simply too easy.

But that was a life Yang Yang didn’t dare to live.

He was afraid that if he ever embraced such a comfortable life, his fighting spirit and ambition would slowly be eroded.

His teammate Zheng Zhi once said that domestic players needed immense courage to go play abroad.

At first, Yang Yang didn’t understand, but he later came to realize why.

Anyone who dared to step out of their comfort zone, to challenge themselves and take risks in an unknown world, needed courage.

Yang Yang was fortunate that, from the very beginning of his career, he’d never had a so-called comfort zone. He had always been facing challenges and taking risks, which allowed him to continuously improve and break through to where he was today.

If he started to enjoy a comfortable life now, his career would probably end right here.

...

...

Returning to Oude Kerk after two months away, Yang Yang felt a wave of emotion, like a wanderer coming home.

The car stopped at his front door. Wei Zheng and Shen Yuzhu helped Yang Yang carry his luggage inside. They sat for a little while and made plans to get together for a meal and a proper chat another day before leaving.

His aunt was managing the Chinese restaurant by herself and was swamped with work.

Yang Yang went to his room, unpacked his things, and checked the time. He then sent a text to his roommate, Vermaelen, telling him he was home. He asked him to stop by the supermarket for some groceries on his way back from training so he could cook them dinner that evening.

Just the other day, Vermaelen had called Yang Yang specifically to brag that he’d learned to drive. Now he could be the designated driver.

With Yang Yang gone, the kitchen had probably gone untouched for two months.

It used to be that the four of them, a tight-knit group of friends, ate together all the time. But now Ibrahimovic had left for Juventus in Italy, leaving only Yang Yang, Vermaelen, and Maxwell at Ajax.

And the Brazilian left-back might be leaving as well. Quite a few teams were interested in him, including Real Madrid.

The main reason was that Roberto Carlos was getting old, and the Galaxy Battleship genuinely needed an injection of fresh blood.

The kitchen hadn’t been used for cooking in two months. Even though a cleaner came by periodically, Yang Yang decided to give it a thorough cleaning himself before he started.

Just as he finished, he heard a commotion outside.

It wasn’t just Vermaelen; Maxwell, Sneijder, De Jong, Wesley Sonck, and others had all shown up.

"Hey, what are you all doing here?" Yang Yang was very surprised.

Everyone was thrilled to see Yang Yang, and they all came forward one by one to greet him.

"I’ve been dying to see our newly crowned Asian champion!"

"No kidding! The Dutch media has been going crazy about it these past few days."

"And here I was, working my tail off at the Amsterdam tournament, and you end up stealing all the limelight."

"You have no idea. There are fans waiting for you outside De Toekomst every day now. I’m so jealous it’s killing me."

"Jealous? Of course I’m jealous! A lot of them are female fans, and they’re pretty, too."

"I don’t have a girlfriend yet. How come none of them are into me?"

"’Cause you’re ugly."

Reunited after a long time, the group erupted in laughter and teasing.

The average age at Ajax was very low, with most players around twenty. They were a group of energetic young men, and while competition over matches sometimes created friction, they all got along quite well.

Yang Yang knew his teammates were visiting him out of goodwill, and he felt a surge of happiness.

"I’ll cook for everyone tonight."

The group cheered. Clearly, this was what they had been hoping for.

Yang Yang’s cooking had a bit of a reputation within the Ajax team. He was no professional chef, but he was genuinely good.

While he prepared dinner, the others hung out in the living room. Some played video games, some played table football, and others simply played cards. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

When Yang Yang announced dinner was ready, everyone swarmed the food. They didn’t even bother with seats, just started eating while standing. Another round of playful chaos ensued, forcing Maxwell to quietly remind his teammates to keep it down before the neighbors complained again.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yang Yang asked about the current situation with the team.

"Zlatan transferred to Juventus for 25 million euros. I’m sure you knew about that deal. But what you probably don’t know is that Talabesi also went to Juventus, for a transfer fee of 20 million euros."

Yang Yang’s brow furrowed. He looked at Maxwell. "Talabesi went to Juventus too?"

"Yeah, we were all shocked," Maxwell said, equally surprised.

The other teammates all nodded, showing they were just as surprised.

"He was linked with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United for a while. There were even rumors that Barcelona wanted him. But somehow, he ended up at Juventus," Maxwell said with a wry smile.

The transfer market was a volatile and unpredictable beast.

There was no question about Talabesi’s talent. He was in his prime, and there had been long-standing rumors that AC Milan and Inter Milan wanted him, followed by several top Premier League teams. But no one expected him to end up at Juventus.

"I heard the talks with Arsenal were pretty serious. He was apparently about to fly to London for a medical, but then word got out that Arsenal couldn’t front the transfer fee. They wanted to do a deal with staggered payments over a few years, but Van Eeden rejected it on the spot," Sneijder said.

Van Eeden was Ajax’s managing director, currently also acting as the technical director.

"Juventus has deep pockets right now. Who could turn down 20 million euros?" Sneijder said with admiration.

Yang Yang nodded. After Ajax won the Champions League, the market value of their players had universally shot up.

Ibrahimovic’s market value was originally between 15 and 20 million euros, but he sold for 25 million euros—a significant increase. It was the same for Talabesi.

"Rafael’s move was just as surprising. He had his heart set on going to Barcelona, and he’d had multiple contacts with their management. The club had even agreed to let him go, but Rijkaard was noncommittal. In the end, he didn’t go to Barça and went to Real Madrid instead, also for a transfer fee of 25 million euros."

"Why was Rijkaard noncommittal?" Yang Yang asked, curious.

"Barcelona’s top star right now is Ronaldinho, and their team-building strategy is leaning more towards Brazilian players. On top of that, the performance of Dutch players at Barcelona in recent years has been somewhat disappointing. To avoid any suspicion of favoritism, Rijkaard not only didn’t sign Van der Vaart, but he’s also selling off the Dutch players on the team, like Cruyff."

With Sneijder’s explanation, it all clicked for Yang Yang.

"Escude also went to Real Madrid for 15 million euros. Robbent went to Florence for ten million euros. Litmanen returned to Finland. Van Daele went to Southampton, Pasanen to Portsmouth, Yakubu was loaned to Vitesse, and Oubadaie was loaned out too."

As he said this, Sneijder shook his head helplessly.

In just one summer, you could say more than half of Ajax’s squad had left. The team of familiar faces had suddenly become full of strangers.

This was probably why they had all rushed over to see an old friend the moment they heard Yang Yang was back.

"Oh, right, we just got the news today. Victor Skora is gone," Maxwell suddenly remembered.

"Gone? Where to?" Yang Yang asked with concern.

"Heerenveen. But it’s a loan, not a permanent sale."

Yang Yang understood. Ronald Koeman still had high hopes for him and wanted him to rediscover his form.

Even though Yang Yang had anticipated this day would come two months ago, he still felt unsettled by the news. He was about to face new teammates, and the team’s tactics and playstyle would inevitably change to some degree.

For the young Yang Yang, this presented a considerable challenge.

Of course, given his current standing, he didn’t need to worry about his place in the first team.

But what he wanted was a starting position.

He hoped to play an even more important role in the new season.