Chapter 11 – Transformation
Liu Ying looked at Cheng Che with anticipation, seemingly eager to hear his answer.
“Is it you that everyone is talking about, the genius youth?”
“Are you the genius youth?”
“Is it you?”
“Is it you?”
“You…!”
Cheng Che didn’t know how to respond and remained silent for a while.
This child even gets confused while playing card games…
Brother Feng patted Liu Ying’s head and replied, “Yes, it’s him, he is the genius youth, our team’s shooter.”
Wu You said, “If you hadn’t said the last sentence, I would have thought you were talking about Nezha.”
Phantom coughed.
“If you really want to know the answer to the question, why don’t you go to Clear tomorrow and have him tell your fortune in person,” Lin Xingling suggested with a smile. Although the words were directed at Liu Ying, his eyes were still on Cheng Che.
“Uh… no, it’s divination,” Liu Ying corrected his language mistake seriously.
Lin Xingling, the master of perfunctory learning, said, “Alright, alright, divination.”
Finally, they managed to dismiss the little fortune-teller from the mid-lane.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Che, who had been mostly expressionless since his rebirth, couldn’t help but smile.
The atmosphere here is really nice…
A long sofa, a large round table, a kettle, a small kitchen, a wall-mounted TV, and various potted plants… combined with a few adorable teammates and a kind coach, everything felt so homely.
Although it was indeed as rumored, lacking a bit in richness, it was still a place where people could stay.
He liked it here very much.
“…”
Seeing the satisfied look on the child’s face, Lin Xingling finally felt relieved. “Alright, everyone has introduced themselves, and we all know each other pretty well now. Let’s get along well in the future; there’s a long road ahead… I’ll go and cook noodles for our team’s genius shooter.”
Brother Feng: “Hold on.” & Cheng Che: “Wait a moment.”
Being called out by both of them, Lin Xingling was puzzled. “Um… Do I still need to introduce myself?”
Brother Feng shook his head and looked at Cheng Che. “Clear, you go first.”
Cheng Che thanked him and didn’t beat around the bush. He asked directly, “Um… What about the support?”
“Hahaha…” Brother Feng laughed out loud. “I wanted to ask the same thing. We really are on the same wavelength.”
“The support, well, the support has run away,” before Lin Xingling could say anything, Wu You interrupted, “I hope there’s no one left who still doesn’t know that Huaxin and Fu Cheng are together, hahaha.”
Phantom & Liu Ying nodded and agreed wholeheartedly.
They had known about this for a long time and had given their blessings generously.
Lin Xingling: “…”
So, I’m the last one to know, huh?
Brother Feng: No, I’m actually the last one…
Are you dating Fu Cheng? Isn’t Fu Cheng the marksman anchor? Wasn’t the original support in the team a girl? Cheng Che, not understanding, asked, “Can girls also play on the team in matches? Don’t they… have to form… an all-girls team?”
“What girls are you talking about?” Brother Feng asked.
Cheng Che: “Isn’t the support a girl?”
“Hahaha…” Everyone laughed after he asked this question.
Liu Ying suppressed his laughter and explained to him, “The support is a boy.”
“Huh? Fu Cheng is… isn’t he a boy, and Huaxin is also… a boy?” Cheng Che looked at everyone in disbelief and, after receiving confirmation, pursed his lips. “How… is that possible?”
Are all of you so open-minded?
Lin Xingling patted his shoulder and kindly reassured him, “Boys can also be in a relationship with boys, you know. Except for not being able to have children, everything else is the same.”
Cheng Che:…
Seeing Cheng Che looking thunderstruck, Lin Xingling felt that his reassurance had backfired…
The child rubbed his eyes, probably not wanting to hear any more of those words.
Actually, Cheng Che just couldn’t believe that Stars, whom he regarded as a serious and knowledgeable senior, could say such open-minded things.
“Is that… allowed?”
“Of course it’s allowed, just like how Liu Ying likes… um…”
Before Wu You could finish his sentence, Liu Ying covered his mouth tightly, and it took a lot of effort to pry it open. “Ahem, you almost suffocated me.”
Liu Ying frowned. “Don’t say it.”
Sensing a hint of gossip, Cheng Che looked at the two of them with great interest.
“Stop! That’s enough!” Liu Ying waved his hand and said with a righteous tone, “Let’s talk about the real issue. Our team is currently lacking a support player.”
Wu You: “Yes, we need a support.”
No more gossip to listen to.
Cheng Che also asked cooperatively, “So… do we need to find another support player… teammate?”
Lin Xingling nodded, “Yes.”
Brother Feng said, “What a load of nonsense. I think you’re useless in the coaching staff except for eating and drinking. You should go to the team and support Clear.”
It seemed like a casual remark, but it was actually the result of their discussion in the training room for over an hour.
In the spring of this year, Stars left their parent team, SYG, and came to K League as a coach… This matter caused a lot of commotion, and everyone knew that even those who didn’t follow KPL knew that there was a player named Stars who transferred or something.
However, they didn’t know that Stars did this because of a wrist injury and fracture, temporarily unable to play in matches.
After a hundred days of injury recovery, three or four months had passed in the blink of an eye, and Lin Xingling’s left hand not only didn’t improve, but old injuries resurfaced and new ones appeared.
Although Lin Xingling had said that being an assistant behind the scenes was fine, everyone could tell that he was not content in his heart.
Which professional player would willingly give up the competition stage?
Stars had injuries on his hand, but with proper rest, it should be able to recover… Moreover, support mainly relied on awareness, and the requirements for mechanics were not as high as other positions. It felt like he could still give playing support a try.
After Lin Xingling remained silent for a while, Brother Feng proactively asked, “What do you think?”
“I haven’t played a match for half a year.” Lin Xingling hesitated as he spoke.
“Just practice a bit, with your skills, how could you not be able to play support? I really wish I could give you ten hands and let you play all five positions by yourself.” Wu You switched to his brainless boasting mode.
Liu Ying nodded in agreement, “Yeah, yeah.”
Even the usually silent Phantom said, “If you want to.”
Yes, as long as he wanted to.
Cheng Che also thought so, “If the support is… Stars, then… it might be even more powerful.”
Nonsense, if Stars is willing to play support for him, Cheng Che could single-handedly lead the team to a 2v5 victory.
Cheng Che: It’s time to show my skills to the senior!
All the children were watching, and Lin Xingling couldn’t bear to let them down, so he nodded and agreed.
“Yes! Dad Stars agreed! We will soon have Wild Dad as our support, hahaha!” Wu You cheered excitedly and hugged Phantom’s arm, shaking it.
Liu Ying also wanted to shake it, but seeing Phantom’s expressionless face… he ultimately didn’t dare to reach out.
Xiao Pei is so fierce…
“…”
“Well, it’s settled then. The starting lineup for the team is finalized, the head coach is finalized, no substitutes, no assistant… Hmm, as we talk about it, it feels like we’re a bit pitiful.”
Everyone: “That’s not a bad thing!”
Brother Feng curled his lips and continued, “But it’s not a big problem. Let’s train well and win the championship in the autumn tournament. Then we’ll have money.”
“Great!!!” (Cheers from the poor)
“Huaxin left, and we don’t have a team captain… Well, let’s make Stars the captain. Does anyone have any objections?”
“None!!!”
Not only were there no objections, but it was also the unanimous desire of everyone.
Wu You, the drama queen, bowed to Lin Xingling, “Hello, Captain!”
“Clap, clap, clap—” Liu Ying applauded him in cooperation.
He’s suitable for being a sidekick, Cheng Che thought.
His gentle partner from a past life now felt so unfamiliar… Liu Ying, what other surprises do you have that I don’t know?
“It’s getting late. You all should go to sleep, goodnight.” Lin Xingling’s words were enough to shock people.
Brother Feng: It’s really coincidental, I was going to say that next.
“Off you go, go to bed early tomorrow. Goodnight.”
Wu You: “Goodnight, Captain Xing, goodnight, Coach, goodnight, Yang Mei, goodnight, Xiao Pei, goodnight, Clear~”
Liu Ying: “Goodnight, everyone.”
Phantom: “Goodnight.”
…
After the coach urged the players to return to their rooms, Cheng Che finally found an opportunity to ask Lin Xingling a question, “There are only… only six of us in the team?”
“Yes.” Lin Xingling nodded and took his hand, leading him to the kitchen. “Ask any other questions you have while I make noodles for you.”
Cheng Che obediently followed him to the kitchen and stood on the side, watching him boil water, chop onions, and stir-fry eggs and noodles with skilled movements.
“The team’s… boss is…?”
“No boss, we’re independent. The coach and Liu Ying, along with those kids, started from the lowest level of competition together.” Lin Xingling sprinkled some salt into the pot and stirred the warm water with bamboo chopsticks.
DCT (Dreams Come True), dreams come true.
…
This is a team chasing their dreams, with sincere young hearts, fearless in the face of challenges.
Lin Xingling was drawn to this aspect of them in his past life, which is why he stayed here to compete even after his hand injury healed, until the team disbanded.
In this life, he didn’t want everyone to repeat the history of three consecutive runner-up finishes, forgotten by everyone.
…Even if they eventually have to disband, they must win four championships in a year, turning DCT into an indelible glory in KPL history.
“Yes.”
Cheng Che nodded and asked again, “The team name means… dreams come true, right? And the slogan?”
Lin Xingling threw some mushrooms into the pot, which had already soaked, and responded, “Yes, the slogan is… ‘Stay true to the initial aspiration and take action.'”
Such an unwavering initial aspiration! Cheng Che pursed his lips and didn’t say anything.
He washed the sliced potatoes in a small bowl to remove the starch. Then Lin Xingling took out the cooled potato slices and added them to the pot. “Do you like it here?”
“…I like it.” Cheng Che honestly replied.
The water started boiling.
Lin Xingling grabbed a handful of longevity noodles and put them in the pot, then added a few pieces of green vegetables.
He turned his head to look at Cheng Che. “If you like it… stay here.”
“Yes.”
Author’s note:
【Mini Theater】
Wu You: Guess who Liu Ying likes…!
Liu Ying:…
Phantom:…
Lin Xingling: (Watching the show calmly)
Cheng Che: ????
I figured it out.
Guess who Liu Ying likes?
(Hint: Previously mentioned in the text)