Super Wingstorm

Behind the concrete, terraced bleachers of a middle school sports field in Beijing, China.

BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!

Yang Yang forcefully kicked the soccer ball against the concrete wall in front of him, again and again.

When the ball shot back, he would use his feet, legs, chest, head, or even his shoulders—any part of his body—to trap it. Sometimes he'd trap it high, sometimes to his side, and other times in front of him...

Without exception, it was always a single touch, immediately followed by another powerful kick.

He had drawn three circles on the wall. After more than a month of training over the summer, plus his arduous practice since returning to China, each circle now had noticeable indentations—a testament to his diligent training.

Without realizing it, he was already gasping for breath and drenched in sweat, yet he continued to train with total focus, lost in his world.

Not far behind him, Su Ye, who had just become a high school senior, sat on a bench in the shade of a tree by the path. Dressed in a neat school uniform, she silently watched him repeat the simple, tedious movements over and over.

'He should be stopping soon, right?'

Su Ye had lost count of how many times she'd had that thought, and she was always wrong.

She had come over after school, originally intending to invite Yang Yang home for dinner, but she hadn't expected him to be practicing this whole time.

Su Ye had a faint feeling that he wasn't just practicing, but also venting some frustration.

'Could it be because they lost the European Super Cup?'

But after the one-to-two loss against Valencia, everyone from Ranieri and Ronald Koeman to the media at home and abroad had praised his performance, considering him one of the few bright spots on the Ajax team.

That goal he scored in the final moments, in particular, had saved face for Ajax.

Besides, it was a truly brilliant goal.

'So what was there to be so angry about?'

'Scorpio men... they're really impossible to figure out,'

Su Ye pouted, sighing to herself in resignation.

...

Scorpio men are aloof and cool, possess sharp intuition, and are adept at calm analysis and judgment. They rarely suffer losses and aren't afraid of setbacks. They excel at long-term planning and don't covet small, immediate gains.

Though competitive by nature, they value fair play. When they focus on something, they exude an air of confidence and determination. That wholehearted devotion, that resolve to succeed, is truly captivating.

More importantly, they're as tough as nails, not easily defeated, and they face setbacks with strength and courage.

...

Su Ye couldn't help but recall the personality analysis for Scorpio men, and she suddenly found it rather interesting.

'Isn't the Yang Yang right in front of me just like that?'

At the very least, Su Ye had never seen anyone dedicate themselves to such hard work the way he did.

'Did he really have to vent like this, even torture himself, just for losing a single game?'

'His competitive spirit is just too intense.'

But on second thought, Su Ye figured that from a professional player's perspective, such a strong competitive drive wasn't a bad thing.

...

...

Yang Yang didn't stop until dusk fell and it became difficult to see, leaving him panting for breath.

He turned around and saw Su Ye sitting by the path not far behind him. In the dim light, her silhouette looked somewhat mysterious.

"Why are you still here?" Yang Yang asked, juggling the ball as he walked over.

"It's fine. I'd just be home alone anyway, and that's pretty boring."

"Isn't waiting here even more boring, then?"

"Not at all," Su Ye giggled.

As she spoke, she handed him a bottle of water.

"Thanks." As Yang Yang took it, he was suddenly reminded of Van Gaal.

The Su Xiaomei before him was as beautiful as a flower, while old Van Gaal was overweight and bloated. The contrast between them was like night and day.

Yang Yang found it amusing. 'Why did I suddenly think of him?'

"What are you laughing at?" Su Xiaomei asked, touching her face, which felt a little hot and flushed.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of a friend." Of course, Yang Yang wasn't going to tell her the truth.

"A girl?"

Yang Yang shook his head. "An old man. My mentor, you could say. Back when I used to practice alone, he'd often sit quietly to the side and watch, just like you. He'd come over and hand me a bottle of water when I was done. But his luck has been pretty bad lately."

"Oh," Su Xiaomei replied, looking thoughtful.

"Let's go, let's head home."

Yang Yang packed up his things, shouldered his bag, and walked side-by-side with Su Xiaomei along a tree-lined path on campus, heading toward the school gate.

"So you're a senior now. Have you decided where you want to go to college?" Yang Yang asked caringly.

"Not yet. What about you?"

"I'm going to keep playing soccer, of course, but I've realized that it doesn't have to interfere with my studies. So I plan to go to university."

"You'll study in the Netherlands?"

"Yeah. My teacher said I have a good shot at the University of Amsterdam and the Rotterdam School of Management."

"You want to study business?"

"It's my parents' idea."

"You don't have your own opinion?"

"I do. My first choice is to play soccer," Yang Yang chuckled.

For Yang Yang, soccer was his number-one priority. Since he could now pursue a second passion, and he didn't have any other major interests, he didn't mind fulfilling his parents' wish.

"You've got it made," Su Xiaomei said, full of envy.

"How so?"

"My parents want me to go to Beijing Normal University, but I want to go to the Central Academy of Drama."

"So you can be a celebrity in the future?"

"I just like acting. Besides, it's not that easy to become a celebrity."

"I heard from Brother Wei that you're a great actress in plays. And you're so beautiful. If you got into acting, you'd definitely be a huge star."

"Hehe, even though I know you're just trying to cheer me up, it still makes me happy," Su Xiaomei laughed. "But the Central Academy of Drama isn't that easy to get into. And I've never really thought about becoming a celebrity; I just genuinely love to act."

Yang Yang didn't doubt Su Xiaomei's words in the slightest, as she had always been a member of the school's drama club.

"In that case, I think you should have a serious talk with your parents. I think they're pretty open-minded, not the unreasonable type. If you explain your reasoning clearly, I'm sure they'll understand and respect your wishes."

"Really?" Su Xiaomei was a bit skeptical.

"Really. When I first wanted to go to the Netherlands, my mother was strongly against it, but I eventually convinced her."

Su Xiaomei seemed swayed by his words and began to mull it over.

...

...

Back at their apartment complex, they got out of the elevator and went to their respective homes.

Yang Yang took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and then organized his luggage.

He wouldn't be in Beijing for long this time, only a little over a week. After that, he was scheduled to travel with the team to Malaysia for the AFC U-19 Championship and wouldn't return to the Netherlands until early October.

This was part of an agreement reached when Arie Haan and Captain Zhu from the National Team visited Ajax. The club had already agreed to his release, so they didn't try to keep him this time, merely reminding Yang Yang to be careful and avoid injury during the AFC U-19 Championship.

Given Yang Yang's current level of performance, it wasn't strictly necessary for him to play in a tournament like the AFC U-19 Championship. However, the current National Youth Team was being groomed for the '08 Olympics, and next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup was a rare and highly valued training opportunity for the entire nation.

Therefore, Captain Zhu of the National Team had consulted Yang Yang early on: first, he would play in the AFC U-19 Championship, and then the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup next year.

The first two weeks of September were reserved for National Team matches, so the Eredivisie was on break. The club had allowed Yang Yang to return home early, giving him time to stay in Beijing—a rare moment of leisure snatched from his busy schedule.

"Yang Yang, dinner's ready!" Su Xiaomei called from outside his door.

"Coming!" Yang Yang replied.

He stepped out and followed Su Xiaomei, who had changed out of her school uniform and into comfortable, form-fitting loungewear that made her look slender and graceful. They went over to the Su family's apartment.

After spending time with them over the summer, Yang Yang was familiar with the routine and no longer stood on ceremony.

Although he didn't pay them for his meals, he felt bad about freeloading, so he would often proactively buy things the Su family actually needed.

For example, just a couple of days ago, he had paid out of his own pocket to replace the old, dilapidated television in the Su family's living room.

Su Wenhong and his wife knew this was Yang Yang's way of reciprocating their kindness and couldn't refuse. All they could do was treat him with even more care, which sometimes made Su Xiaomei so envious she would joke about whether she was their biological daughter.

As soon as he saw Yang Yang, Su Wenhong welcomed him to dinner and immediately reported on what he had found that day.

"You asked me to keep an eye out for you, right?"

Yang Yang nodded. He had indeed asked Su Wenhong to keep an eye out for him; he wanted to buy an apartment in their complex.

The reason he wanted to buy here was mainly because it was a great location: a high-end complex with good amenities and a nice environment, respectable neighbors, and a subway line under construction nearby, giving it significant future potential. But most importantly, it was right next to the Yihe Garden.

Ever since he first set foot in that Royal Garden, Yang Yang had fallen in love with the place. Whenever he was staying in Beijing, he went there almost every morning to run and exercise, which was why he wanted to find a permanent base nearby.

While Wei Zhen certainly wouldn't mind if he stayed at his place every time, Yang Yang himself felt it would be an imposition.

After renewing his contract with Ajax, Yang Yang's salary had increased significantly. A weekly salary of 10 thousand euros after taxes, plus various bonuses, added up to a considerable sum. On top of that was a thirty thousand euro signing bonus, but the largest amount by far was the 3 million euro annual sponsorship from Nike.

All told, Yang Yang was quite well-off now. He didn't have many expenses and had originally wanted to give the money to his father to invest, but his father refused. So, he decided he might as well just buy an apartment.

Of course, the most important factor was that with the current real estate prices in Beijing, buying an apartment was a piece of cake for him.

"I walked around the complex this afternoon, and it's true that quite a few owners are looking to sell. There aren't many with both a good building location and floor level, though. The one I liked best is in the middle building, which has the best position. As it happens, there's a unit with a great layout for sale on the fifth floor. It has north-south exposure, which is ideal, but it hasn't been renovated yet."

Yang Yang thought for a moment. "Sounds good, Uncle. Let's go take a look tomorrow."

"But the owner has one condition."

"What is it?"

"He wants the full payment in cash."

"Dad, the apartments here are all large units. The full price would be over a million yuan, wouldn't it?" Su Ye said with a frown.

"He's probably in a hurry for the money. As long as it's cash, the price is negotiable. He might even be willing to take a small loss and sell it for the original price he paid last year. But it has to be cash," Su Wenhong said, also finding it to be a difficult condition.

Anyone who could produce over a million in cash on the spot could truly be considered a tycoon.

But to their surprise, Yang Yang nodded nonchalantly. "That's fine. As long as I like the location and the layout, paying in full is not a problem."

"So you really are a young tycoon now," Su Ye laughed in astonishment, seeing how casually he spoke.

Su Wenhong and Ye Ziqing were also a little surprised, but on second thought, it made sense.

With Yang Yang's current popularity in China, money was truly no object.

It was a good thing they had befriended Yang Yang before he became so famous. If they were to meet him for the first time now, they would feel too awkward, as if they were trying to associate with someone above their station. They would have certainly kept a respectful distance.