Under normal circumstances, Lin Wanxing should have stared at him, asked for an explanation, and then gone down to the stands to confirm what was happening.

But since he had said it…

“Watch my bag,” she immediately rushed down from the stands.

The people on the field hadn’t expected her to run down.

The moment she jumped down from the stands, everyone’s eyes turned to her, including Chen Jianghe.

Lin Wanxing saw a flash of bewilderment in the young man’s eyes, followed by embarrassment, an inexplicable embarrassment.

People on the field exchanged glances.

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Lin Wanxing spoke first — “What are you doing?”

Chen Jianghe frowned deeply, his neck stiffened with defiance as he remained silent like all rebellious teenagers.

The middle-aged man looked at her shrewdly, then glanced at Chen Jianghe, seemingly understanding something, and asked — “And you are?”

“I’m his sister,” Lin Wanxing chose an ambiguous identity, mentioning neither that she was a teacher nor the soccer ball.

The middle-aged man’s eyes immediately lit up — “You’re his sister? Your brother has great talent, did you know that?”

Lin Wanxing looked at Chen Jianghe, pondered briefly, then said — “Of course, my brother is a genius.”

Hearing this, Chen Jianghe’s pupils dilated slightly, as if he hadn’t expected her to say that, looking very surprised.

“Oh, I’ve been observing him for a long time. I’ve seen him practicing alone on the field many times and thought your family didn’t support him.” The middle-aged man paused. “I’ve seen many talented players, but rarely one who’s willing to work hard alone and quietly like him.”

Upon hearing the praise, the young man displayed a kind of tsundere embarrassment at being exposed. His face reddened as he turned away, avoiding her gaze.

“He never told us about this,” Lin Wanxing replied after a moment of silence.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Liu, a professional scout from Yongchuan Weisheng Agency. Here’s my business card.”

The middle-aged man formally handed over a business card, which Lin Wanxing accepted with both hands, somewhat surprised.

She looked at it twice — “Scout?”

“Surprised that we have scouts in our country?” The middle-aged man pushed up his glasses and began explaining confidently, “Actually, despite the current state of Chinese football, everyone can see that the league is getting better. My job is like that of a talent agent—discovering talented young players, introducing them to major clubs, and giving them new opportunities.”

As the middle-aged man spoke, he stroked Chen Jianghe’s damp head affectionately.

Although Lin Wanxing knew that agents often engaged in “human trafficking” business, honestly, the current situation was beyond her knowledge.

She thought for a moment and asked, using her rather limited football knowledge — “Are you planning to introduce him to club youth training programs?”

“I see your family has done some homework. Yes, generally, to become a professional player, one needs to go through club selection. I want to introduce him for trials at several clubs, including Yongchuan Hengda Club.” The middle-aged man paused. “You must have heard of it—the owner is in real estate, extremely wealthy.”

“But he’s still a high school student,” Lin Wanxing said, looking at Chen Jianghe.

For some reason, Chen Jianghe’s expression became calm.

“Sister, you need to understand that your brother’s high school education is his weakness. Many professional players are either cultivated by their families from a young age or picked up early by clubs. Their entire lives from childhood to adulthood revolve around one thing—playing football. This kind of planning is very clear—parents invest money, clubs invest money, and intensive training. Your brother has already reached high school, honestly, he’s already fallen behind. The child is trying hard, your parents should also put in some effort.”

At the mention of their parents, Chen Jianghe’s face suddenly turned cold.

Lin Wanxing noticed this and, from an adult’s intuition, felt that the middle-aged man’s purpose wasn’t so pure. She could only ask gradually — “So what should we do now?”

“First, take a break from school, pause for a year. Next month, Hengda Football School’s training camp will begin, lasting about three months. I’ll recommend him to go there for professional training. Early next year, there will be an entrance exam for the school’s elite class. If he’s selected, the tuition will be completely waived.”

“Drop out of school? He’ll be taking the college entrance exam next year!”

“Let me say something that might not sound good—what’s the use of the college entrance exam? After graduation, you still need to find a job to make money. Many elite football school students receive scholarships of 500,000 yuan a year, which many adults couldn’t earn in ten years.”

Lin Wanxing looked up at the middle-aged man’s thin face.

He had high cheekbones, and sunken eye sockets, and began talking very fluently.

He spoke about everything from club youth training to the salaries of Chinese Super League professional players, from trials to players going abroad for development.

A three-year football school followed by a three-year overseas plan, as if Chen Jianghe could be sent abroad at any moment and become a sought-after player by major clubs upon his return.

Money, fame, career, status—all seemingly within reach, a golden path slowly unfolding.

“So, your suggestion is for him to take a break from school now, join the club’s football school for training, and follow a professional path?” After summarizing, Lin Wanxing asked the most crucial question — “Will room and board be provided before he’s selected? Our family’s financial situation isn’t very good.”

Chen Jianghe’s gaze coldly flickered toward her.

“Training will certainly require some fees.”

“How much?”

“10,000 yuan for three months of training. Small money, affordable for an average family. You must understand, 3,000 yuan per month for venue, coaches, personnel costs—this fee is practically charitable.”

A beam of light from a streetlamp fell on the middle-aged man’s face, making him appear animated. Not far away, in the darkness of the synthetic running track, lay a No. 8 High School uniform with a blue, worn backpack on top of it.

Chen Jianghe remained silent throughout, never interrupting the conversation between the middle-aged man and her.

Lin Wanxing looked at him. The young man wore a white T-shirt and athletic shorts. When the wind blew, his figure appeared thin, yet unexpectedly cold and resolute.

So she asked Chen Jianghe — “Do you want to go?”

“What does it matter to you whether I want to go or not?” Chen Jianghe asked.

“If you want to go, I’ll prepare the money for you,” she said.

“Are you crazy?” A sudden coldness appeared on the young man’s face. “Don’t I know my level? Do you think youth training is about who’s the best? It’s about who bribes the coach more! Even if I could join the club’s official team, so what? Going abroad would cost another fortune. They’d just place me in some eighteenth-tier European team’s youth program and call it ‘overseas experience’?”

Chen Jianghe had probably been holding this in for a long time. Now he spat it all out at once, his face still full of disgust and anger.

“Child, don’t be hasty. You should know that Yongchuan Hengda’s partner is Manchester United’s youth training team, the best in Europe.”

“Do you know football? Manchester United’s youth academy has achieved nothing since the Class of ’92. They don’t even rank among the best in England, let alone Europe.” Chen Jianghe glared at the middle-aged man, his eyes slightly reddened by the sudden emotion. “You think I’m some gullible idiot. Professional player? I’ve never even dreamed that dream.”

After shouting, Chen Jianghe hugged the soccer ball, ran toward his school uniform and backpack, grabbed them, and ran off.

Lin Wanxing fixed her eyes on his retreating figure, clutching the business card in her hand.

“We’ll contact you if needed.”

After bidding farewell to the middle-aged man, she chased after Chen Jianghe.

The young man was tall with long legs. As he crossed the field at full speed, Lin Wanxing could only watch helplessly as the distance between them grew larger.

“Hey, wait for me!” she shouted.

Her voice echoed off the walls at the edge of the stadium. Chen Jianghe made a turn and instantly disappeared from her sight.

Out of breath, Lin Wanxing shouted with almost no hope — “Fine, run away, but give me back my ball!”

In the quiet evening, the distant footsteps suddenly stopped.

Taking advantage of the young man’s hesitation, Lin Wanxing said while running — “Just drop the ball on the ground and I’ll pick it up, Chen Jianghe.”

At the end of the path, the young man who had been bending down to place the ball suddenly stopped.

The proud young man naturally couldn’t accept being told what to do.

He straightened up again. Lin Wanxing walked toward him, facing the light from the streetlamp.

The alley was quiet. Chen Jianghe’s expression changed several times before he finally spoke first — “I knew that guy was a scammer all along. I was just messing with him. Why did you rush out and waste time talking to him?”

“He might not be a scammer,” Lin Wanxing said.

“Even if he’s not a scammer, it’s still impossible. And do you think you’re my sister?”

“Is your next line going to be ‘stop meddling in my business’?” Lin Wanxing said languidly. “Oh my, that sounds like some classic line.”

Chen Jianghe became angry again, dropped the soccer ball, and was about to run.

Lin Wanxing called out to him — “Are you hungry? I haven’t had dinner yet. Let’s go.”

“I need to go home for dinner.”

It sounded like an excuse.

“Call and say you won’t be coming back. Tell them you did poorly on a test and the teacher is making you do extra assignments,” Lin Wanxing said.

“So you do remember you’re a teacher?”

“Sometimes I forget,” Lin Wanxing said casually as she walked. “How about beef rice noodles? I suddenly want some.”

She walked a few steps with her hands in her pockets, and suddenly, she felt like something was missing beside her.

“Where’s my bag…”

As this thought occurred to her, Lin Wanxing vaguely recalled when she had first rushed onto the field. She had glimpsed the young man in the stands, still slowly, bite by bite, eating her chocolate sticks.