Almighty Coach

by Stayrr

How could a poor graduate student without any background or connections become successful? With a coaching system? An upgrade? This is not a computer game, but real life we’re talking about! This will be a fantasy based on reality. Dai Li will fight back against all those who would mock and humiliate him with his astonishing and awe-inspiring training skills. From a nobody he’ll t

18. 541

Read Almighty Coach - Chapter 541 - A Day of a Great Miracle (Part Two) online free - Light Novel Full

Chapter 541: A Day of a Great Miracle (Part Two)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Is this considered drawing the worst draw? They have to follow the pacesetter. This is a 5,000 meters race; it takes up too much energy to lead this race. Maybe they have a good balance of strength on their team like the Ethiopia and Kenya. If they stay in the lead it can only help the other athletes.

As Dai Li thought this, his eyebrows furrowed together.

Using standard running strategy is the safest bet, but the result of the lottery box is saying that following normal strategy is not my best option, which means that I should rule out this safest tactic.

If just running as normal is the worst draw, what would be the opposite of that? Would it be lucky if I let my athletes lead the race?

As mentioned before, there were not many options available to track coaches. For example, Dai Li's choice right now was to either have his athletes run with everyone else others or have them run in the lead. If he excluded running in the lead, then there would was only one choice…

There was a trace of hesitation in Dai Li's heart. The lottery box, once again, gave a seemingly unreasonable result.

However, taking into account the warning about the women's 4100 meters relay race, Dai Li decided to believe the prediction.

Dai Li waved his hands and called over the three athletes who would be participating in the race to the side and whispered softly.

"You want us to lead?" The three athletes looked surprised. It was apparent they also knew that this was not a good decision.

However, seeing Dai Li's solemn expression, the three did not object but decided to carry out Dai Li's strategy.

…

A total of 16 were participating in the men's 5,000-meter final. Everyone formed an arc in front of the starting line, waiting for the race to startl. After the starting pistol sounded, all the athletes ran and the players in the outer lanes tried to merge inward; the players in the inner lanes began to try and seize more favorable positions.

There were 12 and a half laps in this race. Most of the time was spent running along with others, so it was critical to occupy a more favorable position on the track.

What people didn't expect to see was all three American contestants rushing to the front of the pack. They planned to run in the lead!

"The Americans are leading!" The coaches of other countries looked at Dai Li. They had expected Dai Li to let his athletes run along with the others obediently.

"The U.S. team actually chose to lead. This is too radical!"

"I don't know if the physical strength of the U.S. team will be enough to support them until the end."

"If another country leads, the Ethiopians will be able to save some of their physical strength. They will definitely win."

The people around began to whisper softly.

On the track, the three Ethiopian contestants were stunned. They had superior strength, so their original plan had been to alternate the lead between themselves. They could constantly control the rhythm of the race and let the other participants become drained. They did not expect the American team to take the lead.

Two Ethiopian athletes both looked at Ramsay at the same time. They needed to know what he wanted them to do.

Ramsay made a sign for running along with the others, indicating to his teammates not to take the risk and that they should follow at the back with peace of mind. In Ramsay's mind, if someone was willing to lead, why not save their strength? It took 12 and a half laps to run 5,000 meters anyway. The competition still had a long way to go!

Although the American team was not as strong as the Ethiopian team, they were able to get to the final, which meant they were definitely top-level runners. They also had a vast amount of competitive experience and they naturally knew how to use the alternate leading strategy.

The first lap, the second lap, the third lap… The American team was not slow and the other players did not have the intention to surpass the American team. When everyone saw that the Ethiopian team did not make any moves, they followed along at the back with peace of mind.

Half of the 12 and a half laps passed in the blink of an eye. Nothing too exciting happened. The American team was still leading and the other players were still following behind. It seemed that there would only be changes when the players started to speed up in the second half of the race.

On the eighth lap, the American team had been in the lead for three-quarters of the competition. This type of leading was physically exhausting. They were significantly slower than at the beginning of the competition. It seemed that it would be difficult for them to keep the lead.

Ramsay, who had been running along in the back, realized this. He gestured to his teammates, indicating to them that, after entering the tenth lap, they should accelerate and overtake the American team.

On the ninth lap, the American team slowed down even more.

Since the American team was leading, when they slowed, the players who were following at the back naturally caught up and got a lot closer. All the athletes were all clumped together. The front and back were very close and there was not much space.

Ramsay saw that the American team slowed down again. He decided to accelerate in advance. He gestured to his teammates.

The teammates noticed and immediately nodded. They then began to accelerate, wanting to surpass the American team.

Ramsay suddenly felt someone push him from behind. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Then, the man who pushed him also fell down, landing on top of Ramsay.

Ramsay had been pushed by his teammate on accident. His teammate had fallen because somebody had stepped on his heel. He subconsciously wanted to hold onto the person in front of him to maintain balance, but he ended up pushing Ramsay to the ground.

His heel had been stepped on because when he accelerated the runner behind him, wanted to keep up with him, also chose to accelerate.

When the two were originally running along with the others, they had fallen into a synchronized rhythm. However, after he accelerated, the rhythm of the two people desynchronized, causing the person behind to step on the person in front. The person in front lost his balance and fell straight to the ground.

This initiated a domino effect. He not only pushed Ramsay, but he also fell on Ramsay. The contestant behind him did not react fast enough and also fell, and then the contestant behind him could not dodge it and fell to the ground as well.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight contestants crashed. They either weren't able to dodge in time and just crashed into the pile, or they stumbled due to another runner getting out of synch. Only a few people who were relatively further away were able to react in time and bypass the scene of the accident.

Of course, the American team was not affected by this collision, as they were well ahead of it.

"They collided!" Dai Li exclaimed.

He knew that the biggest beneficiary of this collision was naturally the American team. There were two and a half laps left for the competition. Others colliding together at this time was akin to handing the first place position to the American team's hands.

If it weren't for the fact that the American team had gotten slower, closing the distance between the runners at the front and the runners at the back, the collision would not have been as big as it was.

In long-distance running, it was quite normal for athletes to accidentally step on the feet of others. It was also common for them to lose a shoe. As for being knocked down, it was not impossible. There was even an athlete who had been knocked down on the track and lost his shoe, only to win the race barefoot.

The best time to be knocked down was at the beginning, when one still had a chance to catch up. However, there were only two and a half laps left in today's competition. At this time, the athletes did not have much strength left. Getting up,re-accelerating after being knocked down, and trying to catch up required great physical fitness and running skill. Before they were able to catch up, the competition would be over.

I finally understand why running along with others was the worst draw. Most of the players who were running along with the others were knocked down to the ground. If we had chosen to run that way as well, the same thing would've happened! Dai Li thought in his head.

The sudden collision stunned the audience and the sound of exclamations echoed through Maracana Stadium.

The sprint king, Ramsay, fought hard to crawl out from underneath the mess. After he stood up, he did not pay attention to his teammates and he did not check whether he was injured. Instead, he put his legs forward and started running.

He was still eager to become the champion. He still thought he could catch up.

He not only needed to catch up with the three American contestants, but also a few of those who had not fallen in the accident.

Ramsay then demonstrated why he was called the sprint king. He was so fast it was like he had not just ran ten laps.

Finally, when the competition entered its final lap, he began to catch up with the other athletes.

One, two, three. One by one, the athletes were being overtaken by Ramsay and he left them behind.

Whenever he surpassed an athlete, there were deafening sounds cheers from the audience.

Ramsay was the long-established "king of long-distance running." He was the ruler of the man's long-distance running and he was the biggest star in this competition. Any unbiased audience member supported him.

The contestants on their last lap were entering their final sprint. The Americans knew that their had been a collision, so they stopped alternating the lead and unleashed their full force.

Now they were competing against each other. If they could beat their other two teammates, they would get a gold medal. If they could defeat one teammate, they would get a silver medal.

Ramsay was still faster than the American team, but he had fallen behind too much.

Finally, Ramsay caught up with the American athlete in third. When he approached the contestant in second place, the finish line was already in sight.

Ramsay crossed the finish line. He did not congratulate the American player who got first place. Instead, he was annoyed and kneeled on the floor. Tears were quivering in his eyes. He felt that if he had been given another lap, he would definitely have been able to win first place!

The "king of long-distance running" ended his journey at the Olympics with a loss because of an accident!

…

"We won! We really won!"

The American team was jubilant.

Although it sounded a bit disgraceful to win the competition because of such an accident that was the way it often went. There would always be accidents, and every time there was an accident, there would always be beneficiaries and victims.

In the studio of the TV broadcaster, the two commentators started to comment on the competition.

"I didn't expect such an upset from the American team. The 'king of long-distance running' Ramsay only got third."

"Ramsay was really unlucky. He had an obvious advantage in strength, but his run was ruined by chance. The American team took advantage of it and had it easy. The American team's luck was really good."

"Don't forget, if the U.S. team didn't choose to use the strategy they did, they would've fallen into that accident. So it's not so much that the American team was lucky, it's better to say that the American team's strategy were successful!"

"Hey, I just noticed that among the five events that have been completed today, all the gold medals have been taken by the American team! They have already won 25 gold medals in the track and field events."

"That's right, and the last two events, the women's 4400 meters relay and the men's 4400 meters relay, are also events that the American team is strong in. They are basically destined to get those two gold medals."

"That is to say, of the seven gold medals produced in today's track and field events, all will likely be taken away by the American team? My God! How can the American team be so strong?"

"The funny thing is that before the Olympics, some people said that this is the weakest American track and field team ever. Now, it seems that it wouldn't even be too much to call them the 'dream team'!"

…

"Coach Li, have you noticed that the five gold medals produced today are all ours, and the next two gold medals will also be ours!" Downey looked as if he could kiss Dai Li.

"Yeah, seven gold medals. Even I did not think that we could take all seven gold medals in today's competitions!" Dai Li pointed to the stadium and then said, "The United States is the world's best country in track and field. No matter what the past was like, or what the future will be like, today is a great day of miracles in American track and field!"

"Yes, a great day of miracles!" Downey nodded solemnly, then looked at Dai Li with a look of admiration. "I have the honor to witness this day, and you, you created this day!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 542: Taking Credit

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the studio, 27 gold medals were placed in three rows and then hung around Dai Li's neck. Dai Li's lips were stretched out, and he smiled joyfully.

"Coach Li, endure it a little longer. It will be over soon," the photographer said, trying to comfort him. At the same time, he took a picture.

The weight of an Olympic gold medal was 500 grams, which was one jin. The weight of 27 gold medals was 27 jin. When hung on the neck, it was equivalent to the weight of the shackles that prisoners wore in ancient times.

When the photography session was finally over, Dai Li let out a long sigh of relief.

The photo would be used as the cover of Time Magazine. If it were not a renowned media group like Time, Dai Li might not have agreed to come and take such pictures.

Although the Olympics were over, the Olympics were still a hot topic. For example, the 27 gold medals the American track and field team won had become a popular talking point for the American people.

There were only 47 gold medals in the Olympic track and field competition, and the American team took 27 of them. This kind of record, such dominance, had been unthinkable.

In a poll, Dai Li was deservedly named the best coach of the Olympic Games. Although it was not an official award, so there were no trophies or prize money, it represented the public's recognition.

Dai Li's training center became even more famous and Dai Li began to consider whether to open two more branches and expand his influence.

…

Just after the Olympics ended, there were also various meetings held in China on the topic of Olympic Games. This meeting was about giving commendation to individuals with achievements and summarizing the different events.

Nearly 100 people had to squeeze into a conference room that was not too big. The main persons in charge of the provincial sports bureau, in addition to the leadership of the Sports General Administration, sat at the large oval conference table in the middle of the room. As for the others, they sat in chairs that were around the room.

The position in the middle of the conference table was empty. Even the head of the Sports General Administration did not sit in it. There were still more leaders who had not arrived.

After a while, the door opened, and the leader appeared in front of everyone. Everyone looked and saw their superior. In the next second, everyone in the conference room stood up.

"Everyone sit!" The leader waved his hand mildly at the crowd. He then sat in the vacant position.

The meeting started very quickly. The heads of several provincial sports bureaus began to give their report. The athletes in these provinces all had outstanding performances in the Olympics. To put it bluntly, they were the "big medal provinces" of the Olympic Games. Giving them a chance to provide a report was, firstly, to introduce their respective experiences and let everyone exchange experiences and learn. Second, it was to let them show their faces in front of their boss, and it was a chance to make a good first impression.

Finally, it was Director Li of the Sports Bureau of Hanbei Province's turn to give a report.

Director Li was usually quite talkative, but he appeared to be quite constrained. He sat upright and reported very clearly on the information in his hands, fearing that the leaders might not be able to hear clearly.

"In addition to this, my province has also paid great attention to the construction of a coaching echelon. In the past few years, the province has trained many excellent coaches…"

When Director Li said this, the leader turned his head slightly. His gaze landed directly on Director Li.

In this kind of reporting meeting, everyone reported the same thing. It could be said that it was similar to New Year's greetings. Everyone's New Year's greetings were "Happy New Year." The first time it was said by someone it appeared "festive," but the more people said it, the duller it became.

The construction of the "coach echelon" that Director Li mentioned was not mentioned in the previous reports. This was something new and the leader immediately became interested.

Director Li observed the leader's reaction while he reported. Observing was a basic reporting skill. When he saw the leader looking at him, Director Li felt happy. He knew that this topic had caught the attention of the leader.

Reporting work was a form of knowledge. It was not a matter of simply just reading according to the manuscript. It was also necessary to know how to save time for the leader. If the leader did not like to listen to a certain section, then one should simply report on a few key points. It was only necessary to make things clear. If it were something that the leader was interested in, it was smart to talk about it in detail.

Director Li was aware of this. He was well prepared before he came. He decided what could be said in a more detailed way and what could be stated more simply. Having said that, if Director Li had not been able to do this, he would not have been able to be in his position.

Director Li felt that the leader wanted to understand this topic in depth, so he changed his tone of voice and immediately began a detailed report. A few people around him cast an envious look at Director Li. Being able to attract the attention of the leader in charge of sports and giving the leader a chance to recognize their ability to work was an opportunity everyone looked forward to.

Director Li kept reading his report and came to the "detailed results" of the construction of the coach echelon in Hanbei Province.

"For example, Dai Li, the head coach of the American National Track and Field Team, represents the excellent coaches trained by the province. As a Chinese coach, being able to become the head coach of the national team in the United States, the world's best in track and field, represents outstanding ability. In this Olympic Games, Dai Li led the American track and field team to their best result in history with 27 gold medals…"

Director Li said this without flinching. The only thing he did not say was that the 27 gold medals of the United States were all due to the hard work of the Sports Bureau of Hanbei Province.

"This old Li is really good at exaggerating! He even roped in the gold medals of the American team."

"It was already very cheeky of us to take credit for our national team's gold medal. This old Li is cheekier than us. He is even taking credit for the American team's gold medal!"

A few people next to him looked at Director Li's situation with some contempt, but Director Li pretended not to see any of them. The words had already left his mouth and there was no way of taking them back!

However, the leader who sat in the middle gave a cough and interrupted Director Li. "I would like to ask a question. I have heard of this Dai Li. It is said that he is very famous in the United States. Is he a Chinese American? I thought he was a second or third-generation Chinese born in the United States. But he is from Hanbei?"

Director Li nodded immediately. "Dai Li was born in Yuzhou City in Hanbei Province. He has not yet changed his nationality to American. His household registration is still in our Hanbei. My comrades at my bureau have personally confirmed this with him."

"Oh? He is not an American. This means Dai Li is one of our own coaches!" After hearing the news, a satisfied look flashed in the leader's eyes.

Director Li continued. "After Dai Li graduated from university, he entered our Hanbei Province Sports Bureau. He was personally recruited by Director Zhongyi Xu who was a first-tier coach in our bureau at that time. He allowed him to come to our training team to act as a coach."

Director Li then turned around and looked back at the chair behind him. Zhongyi Xu, who was sitting there, hurriedly stood up and gave a slight bow to the leader.

The leader nodded to Zhongyi Xu. He took note of his name. For Zhongyi Xu, this was a big moment.

Director Li continued to report. "When Dai Li was working for the training team of our bureau, we focused on training him. Our bureau sent him to the national team several times to learn and, when the bureau had the opportunity to go abroad to learn, we let Dai Li participate.

"Later, Dai Li left our Hanbei Province Sports Bureau after he accepted the recruitment offer from the national team. Our provincial training team, in addition to providing excellent athletes to the national team, is also responsible for providing excellent coaches to the national team," Director Li said, showing a kind of expression that inspired awe.

The leader gave Director Li an approving glance. He did not inquire more about how Dai Li eventually went abroad. In his opinion, it was understandable that exceptional talents would want to travel. Numerous people had gone abroad in the past few years. After all, those developed countries could provide better benefits. In contrast, those that couldn't go out were those who were not talented, and the developed countries were not interested in taking them in.

However, the leader cared more about Dai Li's nationality. As long as Dai Li still retained his Chinese citizenship, it was enough to be used as promotional material. To coach the world's best, the U.S. National Track and Field team, was a very astounding feat.

Moreover, this had happened before in China. For example, in volleyball, a Chinese coach had gone to coach foreign teams and had done very well. This had also been widely discussed in the Chinese media.

As the leader thought of this, he asked, "Why didn't we see any Olympic news report about coach Dai Li? I've only learned of it and heard the name when I saw a report by American media. We didn't report on our own coach? Instead, we let foreigners publicize him. Our comrades who are responsible for reporting on the Olympics did not do a good job. They need to work harder!"

What the leader said was neither too serious nor too casual, but in the back, a deputy director of China Central Television broke out in cold sweat.

In this kind of open conference, being told they were "not working hard enough" by a leader of this level was undoubtedly a criticism.

…

"What is wrong with you? You missed such important material. This was a dereliction of duty!" The deputy director sat in the back of the car while on the way to the station. He had made a call to criticize and educate the person on the other side.

A few minutes later, the person who had just been criticized and schooled said into a phone, "Did we send people to Rio de Janeiro to see the sights? How did a living person not see this? Did they not see the 27 gold medals? It's track and field. It's the biggest event in the Olympics! This was malfeasance!"

The "dereliction of duty" mentioned above had become "malfeasance," a more serious offense.

Chief Editor Zhao, who had just been scolded, hung up the phone. He didn't understand why the leader was furious because of this matter. He used such a word as "malfeasance." Something must be wrong.

Chief Editor Zhao had been working for many years. He had climbed the corporate ladder. He had accumulated some connections. He immediately inquired about the situation. He quickly learned from a friend from the PR department that the deputy director of the station was criticized by their superiors during a meeting.

Chief Editor Zhao suddenly understood the importance of the matter. He knew that it was necessary to come up with a remedy as soon as possible. Even if it could not completely fix the situation, he should convey the right attitude. If he made a mistake and he didn't convey the right attitude, then his career would go down the drain.

Chief Editor Zhao immediately called and found several reporters who were responsible for the track and field events during the Olympic Games.

…

Liu Wei did not know why Chief Editor Zhao suddenly contacted her. She and Chief Editor Zhao were divided by several layers of bureaucracy. Most of the reporters in China Central Television might not even be able to reach Chief Editor Zhao's position after working for a lifetime.

When Liu Wei went to the office of Chief Editor Zhao and saw several of her colleagues, she started guessing why they were there.

They are all colleagues who participated in the reporting of the Olympic track and field competition. Is it about the report on the Olympic track and field competition? What went wrong?

Liu Wei thought with a guilty conscience as she and the other colleagues went into the office of Chief Editor Zhao. When she saw the livid expression of Chief Editor Zhao, she knew that it wasn't good.

"When you reported on the Olympic track and field events, did you notice the head coach of the American team, Dai Li?" asked Chief Editor Zhao.

Several people nodded at the same time, but they did not understand what Zhao was getting at.

"Then did you guys know that this Coach Li of the American team is Chinese?" Chief Editor Zhao continued to ask.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Several people said in unison.

"Yes? Then why didn't any of you get an exclusive interview with him? Even if you couldn't do an exclusive interview, you could've interviewed him a few times. It shouldn't be a difficult thing to do, right? A Chinese man is the head coach of the American track and field team. Do you guys think this isn't newsworthy? This year's American team set a record with 27 gold medals. Do you think that such an achievement is not worth reporting at all? As reporters who go overseas to report, do you guys not have any sensitivity to the news?" Chief Editor Zhao asked angrily.

Zhao's furious tone stunned a few people.

Finally, a mosquito-like female voice whispered, "Chief Editor, during the Olympics, I had an exclusive interview with coach Li very early on."

It was Liu Wei who spoke.

"What did you say? You did an interview? Why didn't I see it?" Chief Editor Zhao stared down Liu Wei.

"I sent back the interview with Coach Li, but our director refused to broadcast it," Liu Wei continued to whisper.

"Why didn't he allow it to be broadcast?" When Chief Editor Zhao heard this news, he became very calm. He looked at Liu Wei and said, "Are you Little Liu? Don't be nervous. Speak slowly. Tell me clearly, why was the exclusive interview done not broadcast?"

"It was because our director said that it was necessary to be harmonious, so I did not broadcast this interview," Liu Wei replied.

"Harmonious? Well, was there any unharmonious content in the interview? Did Dai Li say anything inappropriate?" Chief Editor Zhao asked.

"No, he didn't." Liu Wei shook her head.

"Was it because Dai Li did something inappropriate?"

"Not at all," Liu Wei shook her head again.

"Then what was unharmonious?" Chief Editor Zhao continued to ask.

"Our director said that there was a piece of information about Coach Li's resignation after being transferred. If it were broadcast it might offend some people. Offend those who transferred him at that time," Liu Wei answered honestly.

"Offend someone? The China Central Television afraid of offending people!" The anger in Chief Editor Zhao's heart rushed to his head.

"I was scolded because you were afraid of offending people. You got to be the good guy, while I was blamed. The deputy director was criticized by his superiors because of this! It only made things worse!"

Chief Editor Zhao screamed at the director who wanted "harmony" in his head. He had already sentenced him with "the death penalty" in his mind.

After a while, Chief Editor Zhao asked, "Does the exclusive interview still exists?"

"It should still exist. I sent it back last time, so it should be in our system," Liu Wei nodded.

"Go, go to the editing studio. I want to have this interview now. If it doesn't violate any of our guidelines, I will broadcast it tonight!" Chief Editor Zhao stood up.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 543: Dwarfism

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

China Central Television was very efficient. The exclusive interview with Dai Li was broadcast that night.

Chief Editor Zhao's superiors and the deputy director of the channel were naturally very happy. When other media groups saw that China Central Television began to report on Dai Li, they all started to get in on the action. Within a short time, an endless stream of reporters came to Dai Li's home. The original unit where Dai Li had worked, the Sports Bureau of Hanbei Province, also received a large number of reporters.

The Olympics had just ended. The people had already seen the stories of the champions. It wasn't the athletes that were being talked about now, it was the coaches. It felt fresh for the people.

What's more, Dai Li was still a coach for the American team. In the eyes of most people, one was definitely more capable if they taught Americans than if they taught Chinese people.

Soon, someone noticed the period in which Dai Li was transferred to the Tai Chi Application Committee.

One headline read: "The United States let the best coach train their best athletes, and we let the best coach handle applications for cultural heritage."

More provocative headlines followed immediately: "The best coach of the Olympics was forced to go to the United States. Whose fault was it?"

Since the media had always liked to use seditious headlines to attract people's attention, Dai Li's resignation was also dug up, as were the National Table Tennis Championship strike and Zhizhong Gu's mysterious demotion. Linking these things to Dai Li was easy.

The turmoil of public opinion caused some people anxiety. After all, they had transferred Dai Li to the Tai Chi Application Committee because he was associated with Zhizhong Gu. They never would've expected that that unremarkable physical fitness coach would become the head coach of the American track and field team and get them their best results ever. Turning against their own people by forcing them out was a terrible sin; there would be no way to be cleansed of it.

Zhizhong Gu had long been idling at home. At this time, he had also noticed the reports about Dai Li, especially the reports from We media.

Zhizhong Gu let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" His wife asked.

"We media, the way they are talking about Dai Li. I'm afraid that there will be no chance for him to return to the country to coach," Zhizhong Gu said.

"That's true." His wife stopped what she was doing. "Dai Li was forced to leave. Now that he is famous, the more famous he is, the less likely those people will dare to let him back. Dai Li is now living well in the United States, he may not want to come back. Besides, isn't being the head coach of the American track and field team better than returning to China to coach? There aren't that many high-level athletes in this country!"

Zhizhong Gu sighed again. "I just feel that it is such a waste. Dai Li is a rare talent, but unfortunately, this country can't use him!"

"There needs to be someone who wants to use him." His wife snorted and said, "Just like you. You played for the national team for most of your life, and in the end, didn't you end up like this? I think it was good for Dai Li to go abroad to develop his career. At the very least, he is able to showcase his talents. He didn't waste his time!"

…

Argentina, Buenos Aires.

The River Plate Football Club was a giant in the Argentine League. Founded in 1901, this football club had a history of more than 100 years and was regarded as a model for Argentine football.

In the manager's office of the River Plate team, a middle-aged man with a thick beard on his lips was pleading with the general manager of the River Plate team, Aguero.

"Mr. Aguero, please give Halls another chance! I beg you!" The middle-aged man said passionately, tears even appeared in his eyes.

However, Aguero shook his head. "Mr. Frast, I can't do anything. I admit that our River Plate team was very optimistic about Halls, hoping to recruit him into our River Plate team. However, I am afraid he cannot become a professional football player due to his current situation."

"Mr. Aguero, Halls' disease could be cured," Frast pleaded.

"Indeed, it is possible, but how likely is it? As far as I know, Halls' Wagner's line has closed. In this case, it is difficult for him to grow any taller. If it were true that the disease was really so easy to cure, I think Halls' old team, Newells Old Boys, would not have given up on him right? So, Mr. Frast, I am very sorry."

Aguero looked helpless. "Mr. Frast," he continued. "I hope you understand that football clubs are not charities. Our ultimate goal is to make a profit so that we can answer to our shareholders. We can't waste too many resources on a child whose future is uncertain."

Frast walked out of Aguero's office disappointed. For him, the River Plate team was his last option. If the River Plate team refused, then he really had no chance.

At this time, Aguero's secretary came from afar and saw Frast standing in the door of the manager's office.

"Mr. Frast, you should leave quickly. Our manager has to welcome guests from Europe." The secretary said this in a way that implied that she was saying goodbye.

"Guests from Europe? Did someone from the European clubs come?" asked Frast.

"Yes. He is very interested in our attacking midfielders and side midfielders. Maybe this time we can reach a deal," the secretary said.

"I see, then I won't be a bother," Frast nodded. In his mind, he was planning something else.

For South American professional football players, the dream was to play in the five major leagues in Europe. The standard of the European League was much higher, and they could earn more money.

South American football clubs didn't have enough money to keep the athletes. They would rather sell the athletes to European teams when they are worth more and get a large transfer fee. Many South American clubs' source of income came from training athletes and then selling them to European football clubs.

The River Plate team was Argentina's top football club and it brought together Argentina's top players. Naturally, it would attract the focus of the European clubs. There would always be people coming from Europe to investigate the River Plate players every year and the River Plate team would showcase their players. They hoped to sell them at a good price.

…

"Mr. Claude, welcome!" Aguero extended his hand to the person on the other side.

This guest from Europe was the chief fitness coach of the Harman team, Toby Claude.

The contract between Harman and Dingtian was over. He chose to take a break for a while and temporarily return to his family. After all, Harman was a 70-year-old man. He always insisted on training on the front line, but his physical state could not keep up with what he wanted to do in his heart. If he were not really passionate about football, perhaps he would not have continued to coach at this age.

As for the members of the Harman team, they also needed to make their own living. However, those who were able to be on the Harman team all worked hard. It wouldn't be difficult for them if they wanted to find a suitable job in football. They would be very popular commodities in the talent market. For example, Toby Claude was a world-class physical coach in Europe and was also good at football. Such talents were always wanted by the top European giants.

Now, Claude was recruited by the high-paying Atletico Madrid football club in La Liga. He became their physical fitness coach.

Argentina used to be a Spanish colony. The languages and cultures of the two countries had many similarities, so Spaniards would often go to Argentina to select players.

Before Claude came, he already had someone in mind. However, he wanted to see more of the other athletes on the River Plate team. He might be able to make some unexpected discoveries.

The River Plate team also wanted Claude to examine a few more people. In the eyes of Aguero, no one was unsellable. As long as Atletico Madrid was able to pay the right price, there would be no problem with them buying anyone.

Claude observed the training of the River Plate team. The River Plate team had even arranged a small training game in order to showcase players for Claude.

After the observation, Claude roughly evaluated two athletes whom Atletico Madrid was interested in. He did not make his opinions obvious. He was worried that his excitement would affect the price of the signings by the club. After all, the discussion of the price was the manager's business. He just needed to write a specific assessment report, list the athlete's strengths and weaknesses, and then report it to the club.

Aguero personally sent Claude to the door. He didn't know if Claude was interested in any players in the River Plate team. Even if he wasn't interested in any of them, it didn't matter, as this one transaction would not change the relationship between them. These two groups had cooperated together frequently. There were still many opportunities for cooperation in the future.

At this time, a man suddenly ran over. It was Frast.

"Sir, you sir! I want you to see this!" Frast said as he pulled out his cell phone.

Claude was shocked by this person's sudden approach. If he were not in the River Plate club, he would be worried that he was about to be robbed. After all, Argentina's unemployment rate had remained high in recent years, so law and order in the country had worsened. Claude, a pure German, looked different from the indigenous Indian-Europeans in Argentina. This made him an easy target.

"Frast! Why are you here?" Aguero became angry. He was clearly worried that Frast had collided with Claude.

So they know each other, Claude was relieved. He smiled and asked, "What do you want me to see?"

"Sir, are you from Europe? Are you here to pick players? I want to ask you to see this," Frast handed his mobile phone to Claude.

Claude glanced at it and saw a video of a child playing football. The clarity was average, and the lens was shaking very hard. One could tell that he had used his mobile phone to record it.

"Is he your child?" Claude asked.

Frast nodded. "Yes, he is my son, Halls Frast. He is thirteen years old."

Claude took another look at the contents of the mobile phone, but not seriously. In his heart, he knew that in Argentina, there were probably many such parents, hoping that their sons could be seen by European teams and then suddenly become huge successes.

Claude had never cared much people who gave recommendations. Claude grew up in Europe, where the football player training system was very mature. Talented players were recruited early on and entered into professional club's youth training camps. The best of them would be valued by the top giants. They would invest a lot of resources to cultivate these talents, so there weren't often cases of undiscovered talents.

Although Argentina was not comparable to Europe, it was a famous football country. Although Argentina's football player training system was not comparable to Europe, there were still many football teams in Argentina, and there were many youth training camps. Naturally, it would not let excellent players remain undiscovered. Young Argentinian football talents would be taken away by clubs such as the River Plate team. After being trained, they would be waiting to be sold at a high price to the giants of Europe. So people who had to personally find him would not be talented players.

Claude looked at the screen of the phone with a playful look, but he was wondering in his mind how to reject the father.

However, in just a dozen seconds, Claude was impressed with the video that was recorded by the mobile phone.

After a while, the video finished. Claude couldn't help but ask, "Do you have more?"

"Yes! There are many!" Frast was overjoyed. He hurriedly found another video and showed it to Claude.

It continued on. The third, then the fourth video played.

After several videos were shown, Claude was stunned.

"You said your son is only 13 years old this year?" Claude asked.

"Yes, he just turned 13 in June," Frast replied.

He is able to do this at 13 years old. Genius! A real genius! Maybe this child will become the next generation's football king! Claude secretly thought.

Although Claude was a physical fitness coach, he had engaged in football training for many years, and he worked with the world-class football coach, Harman. He had seen and coached many top athletes, and his many years of work had cultivated a vision that allowed him to see with just one look that this child was a rare talent that could only be found once in few decades.

"Oh, Mr. Aguero, it seems that the River Plate team still has some treasures that they are not willing to show to me! Your youth camp, it gave me quite a surprise," Claude said with a smile.

"Mr. Claude, you misunderstood. Halls is not a player in our River Plate youth training camp," Aguero replied.

"Oh? Then which team is he a part of?" Claude asked.

"He is not part of any team. He is currently unassociated," Aguero replied.

"Unassociated?" Claude was evidently surprised.

Through a few videos from a phone, Claude realized that this Halls Frast was a genius. If a physical fitness coach such as himself could see this, how was it that the Argentinians, with their standard of football, were not able to see it? How could such a talented youth not interest a professional team? He was unassociated?

What's more, the manager of the River Plate team, Aguero, obviously knew this middle-aged man and knew of the player of Halls Frast, so he must have already seen the incredibly scary talent, yet he did not recruit Halls to the River Plate youth training camp. It was illogical.

"Mr. Aguero, this child is very talented, but he did not enter the youth training camp of a professional team. Is there a problem with this child?" Claude whispered.

"Yes," Aguero did not conceal anything. He whispered, "Two years ago, this child was diagnosed with a lack of growth hormone. In layman's terms, he suffers from dwarfism!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 544: A Guest Arrives

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Claude was instantly filled with pity when he heard this child was suffering from dwarfism. As a professional coach, Claude certainly knew that it was impossible for a dwarf to engage in a career in professional football.

"Sir, my son does have dwarfism, but his illness can be cured," Frast said eagerly.

Claude nodded. "As far as I know, there is a possibility of dwarfism being cured. The main cause of dwarfism is the lack of hormones necessary for growth and development in the body. If long-term injection of growth hormone were possible, it would be possible to let the patient grow to the height of a normal person."

"Yes, my son has been injecting growth hormone for treatment!" Frast immediately agreed.

"Mr. Claude, as far as I know, Halls' Wagner's line has been closed. This is a professional report from a doctor," Aguero whispered to Claude.

So that's the case, Claude nodded a little, finally understanding why the River Plate team gave up this talented teenage footballer.

Injecting growth hormones to treat dwarfism cost money, but compared to cultivating a talented player, that investment would be nothing. Treating someone suffering from dwarfism would cost at most tens of thousands of dollars, but for a potentially gifted player, the European giants would be willing to invest tens of millions of euros in transfer fees. There would be a huge return on this investment. Any team with an even slightly economic mind would be able to calculate that this would be a profitable investment.

However, many teams in Argentina, including the River Plate team, chose to give up this talented football youth. This was certainly not because the manager of the River Plate team was stupid, but because the skeleton of the talented football youth had closed.

In the human body, the cartilage between the epiphysis and the metaphysis appeared as a wide translucent band on the X-ray film during a person's early childhood. This was the so-called epiphyseal or Wagner's line. As one aged, the wide translucent band became shorter. When the epiphysis was completely ossified with the metaphyseal cartilage, the original translucent band would become a tight seam. This meant that the epiphyseal line was completely closed and the bones would stop growing.

After a normal person passed puberty, the epiphyseal line closed and it was difficult to regenerate the long bones in the body. The legs and arms did not grow longer, and people did not grow taller.

However, although the long bones did not continue to grow, the spine and inter-bone tissue could still grow. There was the common saying that "people will grow taller when they turn twenty-three years old."

For football players, it was acceptable to be a bit on the short side, but it was unacceptable if their legs were short. For Halls Frast, a football genius, it was really a fatal blow. It was like the death penalty to his football career.

"If you were in Europe, where there are better health services and better trainers, you might be able to save the child, but here in Argentina, the conditions are far less ideal. This child is a lost cause." Claude felt pity in his heart. An athlete who had the potential to become the football king of a generation wasted just like that.

So Claude said some words of comfort, "In actuality, even if the Wagner's line was completely closed, it isn't impossible for there to be a chance of growing taller. A nutritious diet, scientific training, and some treatment. This child still has the possibility of growing taller."

The words of Claude, to everyone else who was around, sounded obviously like words of comfort, but to Frast's ear, these words of encouragement were more like a light, guiding him to the fire of hope.

"Sir, do you mean you have a way to make Halls grow taller?" asked Frast.

Claude was too embarrassed to say that he couldn't do anything in front of so many people. It might make him seem incompetent. As the top physical fitness coach in Europe, protecting one's ego and reputation was necessary. He had no choice but to nod. "If I were to train him, there is indeed a possibility."

"Sir, then I beg you, take my child away! As long as you can help him grow taller, let him continue to play football, I am willing to do anything," Frast said with great enthusiasm.

"Sir, I think you understand that I came here to represent my club, so the final purchase of the player will also be decided by my club. I have no power to take anyone away," Claude shrugged to show that he was helpless.

Frast also knew that his request was indeed excessive, but he still looked at Claude with a look of expectation.

Claud felt an unbearable feeling rise up in his heart. As a coach, when he discovered a young athlete with unparalleled talent, he did not want to see the athlete's talent be left undiscovered.

Claude thought for a moment and said, "Sir, I know a person whose training may make your son grow taller. His standards of physical training and rehabilitation for athletes are higher than mine. I think if even he can't help your son, then no one in the world can help your son."

"Who is he? Is he also in Europe?" Frast asked urgently.

"No. He is in America. His name is Dai Li," Claude replied.

"Dai Li. This sounds like a Chinese name," Frast said subconsciously.

"Yes. He is Chinese. He opened a fitness training center in California. You may not recognize him when I just say his name, but once I mention his title, you will definitely know who he is. I don't know if you paid attention to the Olympics these past few days. The American team won 27 gold medals in the track and field events, and Dai Li is the head coach of the American track and field team."

"So it is him!"

As far as Dai Li's performance in the Olympics was concerned, no one would question his coaching ability. Moreover, everyone knew that an excellent track and field coach must also be an excellent physical fitness coach.

Claude took out a business card and handed it to Frast. He then said, "I have worked with Dai Li once before, so if you go to the United States to find him, you can say that I introduced you to him. Show him my business card, I think he will meet you."

…

Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Dai Li's training center had a special guest. He was the runner-up in the Olympic triathletes. The British athlete called Hansen Brown.

"Mr. Brown, I welcome you to my training center." Dai Li looked at Brown with a smile,., He was very curious as to why Brown came all the way to the United States to visit his training center.

After the Olympics, Dai Li's training center had become, undisputedly, the best physical fitness training center in the United States. There were countless outstanding athletes, many of them were the world's best athletes.

In the sports of triathlon, Hansen Brown would definitely be considered one of the world's best. So far, he had won two Olympic bronze medals and was the runner-up twice in the Triathlon World Championship.

However, as a British athlete, Brown did not need to come to the United States for training, because the training conditions and training standards in Britain were already excellent. At least in regards to the triathlon, it was not in any way inferior to the United States.

Triathlons had always been one of the Caucasians' strengths. Caucasians tended to be the best when it came to swimming. They were more talented in long-distance running events than Asians, and Caucasians generally had longer legs, so it was easier for them to do well in cycling events. So the triathlon was merely a tailor-made event for white people.

There were many accomplished triathletes in the United States, Australia, and Europe, and the sport was also prevalent in these three regions. In addition to the professional athletes who specialized in this event, there were also a large number of amateurs so, in Europe and the United States, there were often many triathlon competitions.

In Europe, the country that was the strongest in triathlons was the United Kingdom. There were more than 100,000 athletes officially registered in the British Triathlon Association, and there were even more amateurs that weren't registered. In the U.K., the triathlon was an industry that was worth around one billion pounds. This only included things such as running shoes, cold-proof swimsuits, bicycles and other such equipment that were needed for participating in the event, as well as the costs associated with the competition. It did not include the sports nutrition products used by athletes.

If it were viewed from the perspective of the proportion of the population that was involved in triathlons, then the U.K. was better when it came to triathlons than the United States.

If a country were strong at a particular event, then its training standard would naturally be robust. With the training standards of the triathlon in the U.K., Brown did not have to go out of his way visit the United States.

Moreover, Hansen Brown was the silver medalists in the Olympics. He definitely was receiving the world's best training in the U.K. From this point of view, he also did not need to fly across the Atlantic, then across the United States, specifically to Los Angeles to find Dai Li to receive training.

Dai Li knew himself well. Although he knew that he was famous, he was not at the point where athletes such as Hansen Brown had to spend money to find him.

"Mr. Brown, I am very curious. What is the reason for you to fly all the way from London to Los Angeles to my training center here?" Dai Li asked directly.

"Coach Li, I don't know how much you know about me. Let me introduce myself first. I was born into a sports family, my father was a cyclist, my mother was a long-distance runner, and my uncle was a swimmer. My brother and I followed our uncle and swam ever since we were young. We originally wanted to be swimmers.

"When I was ten years old, and my brother was 12 years old, we came into contact with triathlons for the first time. My brother and I felt that the sport was more challenging and more suitable for us, so both of us changed our career paths to triathlon. Under the guidance of my father and mother, we became the best triathletes in the U.K."

"My brother and I have participated in many competitions, including world-class competitions such as the Triathlon World Championship and the Olympic Games. We have won many honors. The name 'Brown Brothers' has become an endorsement for triathlons. In the U.K., when anyone mentions triathlons, they mention us brothers."

Dai Li nodded, "Yes, in the last five or six years, triathlons have been ruled by you Brown brothers. In the Olympics that just concluded, the media also called the triathlon competition 'a performance by the Brown Brothers'."

"But I have never beaten my brother!" Hansen Brown seemed agitated.

Dai Li knew Hansen Brown's brother. He was called Tyre Brown. He was two years older than Hansen. Compared with his younger brother, Hansen Brown, his performance was even more dazzling. He was the champion of two triathlons, as well as the champion of the triathlon of the two Olympic Games. In the just-concluded Rio Olympics, in the "performance by the Brown Brothers", the younger brother Hansen was the runner-up, and his brother Tyre Brown became the champion.

Hansen Brown continued on to say, "In every race, as long as my brother and I participate in it together, I end up as the runner-up, and he always wins. I have never beaten him. I used to think that it was because I was younger, that my body was not as mature as his so I would lose to him. Now we are all grown up, but I am still losing to him!"

Hansen Brown's tone became agitated. He said, "I want to win. I want to beat my brother. I don't want to always be the runner-up. So I trained harder and harder, but it didn't work. In Rio de Janeiro, at the Olympics, I lost to him again.

"I know that I should make some changes. Over the years, I have been training with my brother. We do the same training. What he does, I also do, what I do, he also does. So I realized that if I continued this way, I would never beat my brother."

"So you searched for me? You hoped that I could provide you with a different training method than your brother's? You want to defeat your brother Tyre Brown by doing this?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes!" Hansen Brown nodded with certainty.

Dai Li frowned and started to think.

He had already detected Hansen Brown. Hansen was an A athlete, and his personal ability was close to 900. It could be said that he had almost reached the limit of an A athlete. In other words, Hansen Brown didn't have much room for improvement.

As for his brother Tyre Brown, Dai Li had not met him, but he guessed that Tyre was at least an S- level athlete. He may be an S class athlete or even an S athlete. After all, Tyre won almost every competition he'd been in. It could be said that since Tyre entered his peak, he had indeed dominated the triathlon sport. An athlete that was able to dominate in a particular sport had a high probability of being an S athlete.

Looking at Hansen's ability value, he has almost reached the limit A athletes can reach. He still can't beat his brother, though. It seems that it would be difficult for Hansen to beat his brother Tyre in this lifetime.

Dai Li did not tell Hansen Brown his own conclusion. He didn't want to damage Hansen's self-confidence, so he did not reject Hansen Brown. Instead, he said, "Mr. Brown, I can provide you with a targeted training program that can make you better. Defeating your brother Tyre Brown, I can't guarantee. The only thing I can ensure is that as long as you believe in me, after a while, you will become stronger!"

"I believe in you!" Hansen Brown nodded solemnly. "You led the American track and field team to unprecedented heights, and I believe that you can also lead me to such heights as well."

After Hansen Brown was escorted out of the reception room, the receptionist at the front desk hurried over.

"Boss, there is a man outside who doesn't have an appointment, but he wants to see you," the receptionist said.

"No appointment? I won't see him. If he really needs to see me, help him make an appointment," Dai Li said.

"Boss, he handed me a business card and said that after seeing this business card, you would see him." The receptionist handed the business card to Dai Li.

Dai Li took the business card and saw the name of Toby Claude.

Claude came! Dai Li was joyful, as if he were meeting someone from his hometown.

When he was with the Dingtian Club, Claude took care of Dai Li and, in the end, he recommended Dai Li to join Harman's team. Dai Li was very grateful to Claude.

However, Dai Li thought for a while. Claude had his phone number. If he were looking for him, he would call directly. Why did he need to find the receptionist and hand over a business card?

So the person outside is not Claude! But he should be someone who has a relationship with Claude, Dai Li suddenly made a judgment.

Dai Li said, "Bring the guest into the reception room!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 545: The Future King of Football

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dai Li met Frast and his son in the meeting room.

In the beginning, Dai Li did not pay attention to the boy. He only paid attention to his father.

Frast looked like a rambunctious Argentinian man. If one were to say that he was a sports coach, most would believe it.

In truth, Frast was indeed a football coach, he just wasn't well-known. As such, he was not wealthy. His lifestyle was not yet at the middle-class level. He was just able to meet the demands of life. In Argentina, a lot of people loved football, so there were a lot of people working in the industry. The number of football coaches who just made it past the minimum living standard could be found everywhere.

Dai Li sensed Frast was a coach, so his immediate assumption was that Frast was there to look for work.

It was only when Frast spoke that Dai Li found out that he was wrong.

"Coach Li, please help my son. Coach Claude told me that only you can help him," Frast said. His accent was very strong. He sounded more like he was speaking Spanish. It made Dai Li have to take the time to understand his words.

"Your son?" Only then did Dai Li notice the short boy, who looked to be around 12 years old, in front of him.

"My son has a growth hormone deficiency. It restricts the growth of his bones, which also makes it impossible for him to grow taller," Frast explained.

"Growth hormone deficiency? Is it dwarfism?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes," Frast answered.

"Then you should look for a doctor. Ask the doctor to prescribe you growth hormone drugs or the like. If you use it in the long-term, it should be able to treat dwarfism. I'm only a coach, treating diseases isn't my specialty," Dai Li answered.

"But I also know that undergoing scientific sports training will also help a person grow taller, especially children in their growth and developmental period. That's why I came to you," Frast stated.

Dai Li nodded, "That is indeed true. Suitable training does indeed facilitate the growth and development of adolescence."

Although Dai Li said the words, his mind was jumbled.

Generally speaking, if one were to have dwarfism, one would first go to the doctor. Medical methods are the best way to cure the disease. As for improving the growth and development of the body through sports training, that should only be a supplement to medical treatments. Besides, my fees are among the highest in the entire United States. Training at my place is certainly much more expensive than getting injections of growth hormone through medical treatments. Only the extremely rich would choose to train at my place as a supplement to their medical treatment. It should be more cost-effective for a normal person to just go to the doctor.

As he thought this, Dai Li sized up Frast again. Frast didn't look like a rich person.

If he can afford my fees, it would be better if he used that money to find a good doctor for his son for better treatment. Dai Li became even more confused.

Frast did not intend to hide anything. He directly said, "Coach Li, my son received treatment from doctors before, and he has already been injected with growth hormone, but the treatments aren't good enough. Moreover, the X-ray showed that his Wagner's line has already closed. Even if we continued with the growth hormone injections, there wouldn't be any significant effect."

"His Wagner's line has closed! That is indeed a little troublesome!" Dai Li furrowed his brow. As a professional coach, of course, he knew what it meant.

"Coach Li, I know that you are the world's greatest coach, which is why I want to ask you to help my son. As long as you can help my son get to 170, no, 165 centimeters, he will be able to continue playing football! My son really has a gift in football, if he continues playing football, he will definitely be a star," Frast pleaded earnestly. "Coach Li, please!"

When talking about football, Dai Li's first instinct was that to assume it was American Football. After all, in the eye of Americans, football meant American Football. However, Dai Li remembered the father and son in front of him were Argentinians. That country was really a kingdom of football.

Dai Li glanced at the short kid in front of him and used the detector on him.

Football talent, S! This talent, he can become the king of football of the next generation! Dai Li finally started looking carefully at the boy named Halls Frast.

Dai Li used to work in Dingtian Football Club and, back then, although the top foreign talent the in the club was a world-class football star, his talent grade was only A.

Later, when Dai Li followed Dingtian Football Club to the Asian Cup, he saw many Japanese and Korean, as well as West Asian world-class players. Among the players in the Korean and West Asian football clubs, some used to play in the top five leagues of Europe. However, among them, only the core leaders of each team had A talent potential. Suffice it to say that at the Asian Cup level, most players had a talent potential of B.

Now, Dai Li actually met an S grade player. Based on the assessment of the system, an S player was one that could dominate an entire generation. Without a doubt, this kid could be called the "King of Football."

However, the detection result also showed a weakness of Halls Frast, and that was dwarfism.

This child is only 13 years old. Although his Wagner's line has closed, he is still going through puberty and can continue growing taller. If I use the athlete's patch, it should be able to supplement the growth hormone he needs to grow and develop, which will solve his problem of growing taller. An athlete with S talent. It's definitely worth using three athlete's patch, Dai Li thought.

Humans are complex individuals. The growth and development of the human body are not determined merely by growth hormones. There are other hormones involved. The growth hormone is only the hormone with the largest effect on a human's growth. It is impossible to manufacture and synthesize all the hormones required in the human body based on the technology of today.

From primates to modern homo sapiens, evolution spanned over 50 million years. The result of 50 million years of natural selection isn't something biologists and scientists can research thoroughly in a few decades. When scientists really do succeed in synthesizing all the hormones required for human growth, then humans will become "Gods."

The effect of the athlete's patch was to supplement whatever was missing so, as long as he let the child use the athlete's patch, it would mean that he would receive all the hormones for his growth during his puberty. Moreover, scientific training really did help people grow taller.

To groom a king of football. That should also be quite an achievement! As Dai Li thought this, he told Frast, "Mr. Frast, I promise you I will provide your child with the most scientific training available to help him grow taller."

"Really? That's great!" Frast was so happy he almost leaped off his feet. However, he looked sad again a second later.

"Coach Li, in truth, we are not rich, so I don't have that much money to pay you. However, I can work for you. I can use my wages as payment to offset the training fee. I'm a football coach and I can also train athletes. Perhaps I can do other work. Even janitorial work is fine! As long as my son can stay here, I'll do anything!" Frast said in earnest.

Dai Li leaned back in his chair instead and clasped his hands together. He stared straight at Frast., "Mr. Frast, I'd like to ask you a question. How many children do you have?"

"I have four kids. Three boys and a girl." Frast did not understand why Dai Li cared.

"Are they all adults?" Dai Li continued asking.

"The eldest is almost an adult. My second son is still in middle school. Halls is my third son, and he still has a very young sister," Frast answered honestly.

"Which is to say you are the breadwinner of your family?" Dai Li asked.

"Ye… Yes…" Frast sounded hesitant.

"Since you are the breadwinner and pillar of support of your family if you continued staying in the U.S. all the time, what will happen to your family?" Dai Li asked again.

"I plan on selling my house. The money I get from selling my house should last my family for a time," Frast replied honestly.

"Alright, Mr. Frast.I cannot let you work here because you still have a whole family to support. I don't want to see your family sleep in the streets," Dai Li spread out his hands.

Frast suddenly looked pale, he thought that Dai Li had rejected his request because he could not afford to pay the training fee.

"Coach Li, I beg you, please help this child. He really has a gift in football, as long as he can become a professional football player, he is sure to become a star," Frast begged in earnest.

On the side, the young Halls looked at his father. He suddenly tugged his father's shirt and said, "Papa, stop begging him. Don't beg anymore!"

Halls spoke in Spanish. Dai Li did not understand but, from Halls' expression, Dai Li could guess what Halls had said.

Although not born physically strong, he was born with a strong will. Dai Li smiled and said, "Mr. Frast, don't be too hasty. I haven't finished."

Both father and son quieted down. Dai Li then continued, "In truth, I have two types of payment systems in my training center. The first is direct payment. You can pay cash, through cheques or even use a credit card. However, it looks like this type of payment method is a bit difficult for you now. So let's talk about the second type of payment method.

"The second payment method is an income-sharing model. Simply put, the athlete trains here in my center and a portion of this athlete's income for a period of time in the future will be divided between us based on an agreed ratio to offset the training fee. Just like the commission of agents."

This put some life into Frast's eye. He immediately asked, "Coach Li, what you mean is that we can use Halls' future income as the training fee now?"

Dai Li nodded, "Your understanding is correct. Our fees have always been rather high. Several other athletes could not afford the fees previously, so they used this payment method. Train first and pay according to the ratio after earning money. However, not a lot of athletes use this method. We also need to conduct an assessment on the athlete to see if he or she has the potential ability to earn money."

"Then can we also use this type of payment method to pay for the training fees?" Frast asked.

"Yes. I have faith in Halls' potential. However, Halls is too young. He will not have the ability to make money in the next few years, so I want income sharing with him for 20 years! Your son is 13 years old this year so, until he is 33 years old, a portion of his income will be taken out as payment for the training fee," Dai Li said.

"How much do you want?" Frast asked cautiously. He was afraid Dai Li would ask for a ridiculous amount.

"3%!" Dai Li held out three fingers and said, "This is a lot lower than the commissions for agents. I think this is a more suitable price."

Frast let out a long breath. A share of 3% was not a large percentage, even if it were 20 years, it was acceptable.

Moreover, Halls was only 13 years old, he wasn't an adult yet. That meant that in the next five to six years, he couldn't earn any money. The income sharing of 20 years was actually more like 14 to 15 years.

Frast agreed without hesitation.

"Mr. Frast, I have to remind you, the income that I'm talking about isn't only limited to the wages paid by the football clubs. It also includes advertisement and endorsement deals, as well as portrait rights. All kinds of income are also commissionable," Dai Li reminded.

"Yes, I understand," Frast nodded.

"Your son is a minor now, so I hope you can explain to him clearly and obtain his consent. I don't want a situation where he uses the excuse of being a minor when the contract was signed to nullify the contract after he becomes an adult," Dai Li said.

"Alright, I will explain it to him thoroughly," Frast said.

"Also, Mr. Frast. I have another question. Will you stay in the U.S.? Or do you plan to return to Argentina?" Dai Li looked at Halls and said, "Because your son is still a minor, he needs a guardian in the United States."

"That…" Frast suddenly looked hesitant. The living costs in the U.S. were much higher than in Argentina. Food, shelter, and clothing, everything cost money. Frast was the pillar of support for their family. If he stayed in the U.S. to look after his son, he would really have no choice but to mortgage his house to support his wife and three other children.

Dai Li saw through Frast's hesitation and said, "Mr. Frast if you need to return to Argentina, you need to find a guardian for your son in the U.S."

"I'll think of something." Although Frast said this, he was really troubled. He didn't have any family or friends in the U.S.

"If you can't find a guardian in the meantime, I can help you find someone. I guess I can arrange for one of the coaches in our establishment to be your son's guardian in the United States," Dai Li said. In truth, he already had a suitable candidate in his mind.

"Really? That's great! Coach Li, I can't thank you enough," Frast said passionately.

"Mr. Frast, why don't you rest here for a moment? I'll get my lawyer to draft the agreement. Also, I'll get that guardian candidate here to meet you." Dai Li left as he finished speaking.

After that, Dai Li took out his phone and dialed Chris Payton's number.

"Chris, come back for a second. I have a difficult task for you!"

"Boss, another big shot for me?" Chris asked, a little excited.

"Yeah, I'm handing you a king of football!" Dai Li answered with a smile.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chris Payton saw Dai Li and Halls Frast.

"Is this the king of football that you were talking about?" Payton asked with a frown.

"Actually, he's the future king of football," Dai Li answered with a smile.

"Alright, it is what you say it is." Payton looked resigned. He treated it as a joke and said, "Do you intend to hand over his training over to me?"

"Yes, you will be responsible for most of his training, but more importantly, you will be his guardian. This kid is an Argentinian and he is a minor, so he needs a guardian in the United States," Dai Li answered.

"You want me to be his guardian?" Payton immediately showed his reluctance.

Dai Li nodded, "You are also responsible for his daily life!"

"Boss, stop joking around. My apartment is small. It's cramped even when I live alone, there's no way two people will fit," Payton said as he shook his head.

"I'll be responsible for your rent for the following one year," Dai Li said without hesitation.

"I don't know how to cook, I usually just order takeout…" Payton stated.

"Alright, I'll also pay you one year's worth of food expenses," Dai Li said in resignation.

"And, I…" Just as Payton looked for excuses, Dai Li interrupted him.

"The Porsche 911 that I just bought, I'll lend it to you for a year. That should be enough, right?" Dai Li said.

"Deal!" Payton had obviously been interested in Dai Li's new sports car for a long time. As soon as he heard Dai Li was willing to lend it to him for a year, Payton agreed without hesitation.

"Boss, I have one last question. We have so many coaches in our training centers, among them, many of them are married and have kids. They know more about taking care of children than me. So why did you choose me? In truth, a single guy like me, I have problems taking care of myself. How would I know how to take care of children?" Payton said.

"Do the others know how to speak Spanish?" Dai Li asked.

Payton's family was a clan of famous gangsters in Los Angeles. California is very close to Mexico, so a lot of the gangsters in California were connected with the Mexicans. Payton grew up in that kind of environment, so it was natural for him to have picked up Spanish.

Dai Li did not understand Spanish, so there was fundamentally no way for him to interact with Halls. Halls was only 13 years old and he grew up in Argentina. He could only utter a few simple English words and sentences; he was a long way from being able to converse fluently in English.

…

After finishing up with Halls, Dai Li made another call to the lawyer asking him to bring the agreement to the training center after it was drafted.

The 3% income commissioned in the next 20 years was considered a fair trade for Dai Li.

Based on the current market, the total annual income of a king of football would be around 100 million Euros. Those who were a level lower than the kings of football, their annual income would be around 20 million to 30 million Euros.

If one were to assume an annual income of 50 million, 3% would be 1.5 million Euros. Considering the future, the income was sort of like a handout, so it was considered a substantial amount of income.

However, Halls was only 13 years old. At most, he would only be able to start a professional football career in four to five years' time. By the time he became famous, another three to four years would have passed. Under normal circumstances, it might be ten years before Halls could start earning a sizable income.

If one counted like that, Halls would only earn money for Dai Li for ten years. 1.5 million Euros per year meant 15 million Euros in ten years. That would be Dai Li's profit. Dai Li might just use one or two athlete's patch, as well as complete a training plan. Clearly, it was a worthwhile investment.

…

Frast left the U.S. and returned to Argentina. Halls quickly adapted to an American lifestyle.

Apart from training, the Halls had to take an English language course. After all, Halls had to train in the U.S. for a long time, so he had to learn to speak English.

In the blink of an eye, Halls had spent two weeks in the U.S.

On the training ground, Halls continued practicing the high jump. That sort of training was beneficial in helping him grow taller.

Not far away, Dai Li looked at Halls. However, he was frowning. He could see that Halls was performing below par in both his fitness and concentration. It was far from his performance a few days ago.

"What's wrong with this kid today?" Dai Li waved to signal one of his coaches and asked, "In the past few days, was Halls training like this?"

The coach turned to look at Halls. He did not notice any difference, so he said, "He's been like this for the past two days. Boss, is there something wrong?"

"There is indeed something wrong. Go get Coach Payton for me," Dai Li ordered.

A few minutes later, Chris Payton arrived.

"Boss, you called?" Payton asked.

"Halls seems to be out of it in his training. He isn't focused enough, he's just going through the motions. Has he shown any peculiar behavior recently? Is he missing home? Missing his family? Is he having any problem adapting to life in the United States?" Dai Li asked.

"I don't think so. Halls did not show any signs of missing home. It is clear that life in the U.S. is better than life in Argentina. Besides that, he's been very happy these past few days," Payton answered without hesitation.

"Very happy?" Dai Li looked ever more serious.

"Yeah, he's met a new friend," Payton said.

"That's not an easy task, considering how new he is to the country," Dai Li said casually.

"His new friend is a Mexican. They speak Spanish," Payton then continued. "You don't have to worry, I know that family; they migrated legally and are not involved with gangs. The man of the house is a professional gardener. He specializes in helping people trim the plants in their garden. You might have even visited him!"

"What else?" Dai Li continued his questioning.

"The boy's name is Santiago and he's around Halls' age, maybe slightly older. He loves football." Payton was worried that Dai Li might misunderstand, so he added, "I mean English football."

"I understand, and?" Dai Li continued asking.

"Halls plays football with Santiago. I heard that there were several other kids with them. Some of them Mexicans, Colombians, but not a lot of Americans. You know, Americans don't really pay attention to this sport. Halls seems to be enjoying himself. I can see that he really loves playing football. If I were to guess, I would say that playing football with his friends every night is the best part of his day." Payton answered.

"You mean to say he plays football everyday? Normally, how long does he play?" Dai Li asked immediately.

Payton thought for a moment and answered, "That's hard to say, but more than two hours. Usually, he's back after three to four hours. You don't have to worry, where I live is pretty safe. Gangsters would never dare look to for trouble with me!"

"Looks like I've found the problem," Dai Li sighed. He couldn't help but think back to his childhood, when he would sneak out to cyber cafes and play games after school. Back then, all he could think about was playing games. He did not pay attention in class, so his results also deteriorated.

Halls was doing the exact same thing now. The only difference was that, instead of playing games, he was playing football.

Dai Li, with a critical tone, said, "Chris, you should know that playing football for two to three hours every night uses up most of Halls' stamina, which affects his training. He is obviously not focused, I'm guessing the only thing on his mind right now is his football game tonight!"

"I've told him that before and I asked him to play less." Payton shrugged his shoulders and continued, "Apparently, he didn't listen."

"13 years olds love to play. It's impossible for him to control himself. You are his guardian, you should make him go to bed earlier," Dai Li said.

"Why?" Payton looked puzzled. He then said, "I've already told him. Clearly, he knows the consequences, so his decisions are his problem. Although I am his guardian in the United States, I should not make his decisions for him. As for the consequences, aren't people responsible for their own choices?"

Dai Li was speechless. At the same time, he realized this was a cultural difference between Americans and the Chinese.

Compared to "Chinese education,""American education" tended to emphasize freedom. American parents did not interfere with the lives of their kids too much. They preferred allowing their child to think independently and make judgments by themselves. Parents in China structured rules and regulations for their child. For example, one should not be too playful, not allowed to watch TV, play games, eat snacks, or be in a relationship too early.

It was due to this difference in educational philosophy that Dai Li felt Payton should prevent Halls from spending too much time playing football, but Payton felt that he already made it clear to Halls, so he had already completed his duty.

If it were a child that had grown up in the U.S., receiving the American style education from a young age, perhaps they would know how to think and make judgments independently. They would know to not spend too much time and effort on playing football and place more focus and attention on their training.

However, Halls grew up in Argentina. Clearly, he had never been exposed to American education culture, so he did not possess the independent thinking and judgment skills that American kids often have.

Although many Argentinians are educated, the quality of education is often very poor. Argentina went from being a developed country to a developing country. It could be said that education was part of what many called the "broken window effect" in Argentina. Many institutions in Argentina had been broken like windows. Although it had the highest ratio of educated citizens in South America, the quality of education was worrisome. The expensive private schools were better, but the public schools did not really care about the students.

As such, compared to Americans of the same age, Halls was at a disadvantage. Putting Halls in an environment that afforded relatively more freedom made it hard for Halls to discipline and control himself.

It was like some high school students in China, their results were always great but, after getting into university, they failed. Apart from not putting in enough effort, they also did not how to study by themselves. Studying in high school was following the instructions of the teacher; however, studying in university was, most of the time, more of a personal endeavor. A person who was used to having food fed to him might not know how to use a spoon if it were put right in front of him.

Looks like I have to personally talk to Halls. Dai Li personally called over Halls. Of course, he did not ask Payton to leave. Dai Li did not speak Spanish, and Halls had not yet learned that much English. So, he still needed Payton's translation.

…

"Halls, I know that you play football with your buddies every night, but I think that it's affecting your training condition in the day," Dai Li said in a very strict tone.

Payton translated and conveyed that message to Halls. Halls immediately lowered his head and, like a kid who made a mistake, he apologized. "Sorry, coach."

Although Halls was still young, he knew who was the boss of the training center.

"Halls, you cannot play football every night. You have to put more effort into training during the day," Dai Li said.

After Payton's translation, Halls did not answer.

Dai Li continued advising, "I am not prohibiting you from playing football, I just hope you limit yourself. For example, play football once a week. You have to understand that your main task right now is training, nothing else should come before that."

After listening to Payton's translation, Halls remained in silence. However, he clenched both his fists very tightly.

Dai Li noticed. He felt that he might have been too harsh. So Dai Li continued. "Halls, you have to understand. Your training now will help you play football better in the future. If you don't train seriously today, you won't grow taller and you cannot become a professional football player."

Payton translated once again, and Halls still did not give a reply. However, from Halls' eyes, Dai Li detected a sense of unwillingness. He had not reconciled with Dai Li's reprimand.

Dai Li felt that he had failed to persuade Halls. His Chinese style educational philosophy clearly did not work on Halls.

13 and 14-year-olds! Puberty is a rebellious period in one's life. It sure is troublesome dealing with kids of this age! A sense of helplessness emerged in Dai Li's heart.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 547: Talk to the Boss if You're Looking for a Job

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dai Li felt helpless when it came to dealing with Halls.

Dai Li was similar as a kid. In his youth, kids had been just as rebellious and sensitive as they were today. He knew teenagers were rebellious and thought that every word uttered by an adult was wrong.

Dai Li knew that a few words wouldn't prevent Halls from playing football with his friends every night. He also knew that if he continued trying to persuade him, Halls might rebel even more.

I've got to try and solve this problem another way, Dai Li thought. "Halls, you should know that your father wishes for you to become a professional football player. He thinks you can play in the top five leagues in Europe. It would be awesome for you to make La Liga. Do you know what La Liga is like?"

Halls shook his head.

Dai Li continued. "Have you been to Spain?"

Halls shook his head again.

"Do you want to go?" Dai Li asked.

This time, Halls nodded.

"Alright then. You go and prepare. I'll take you to Spain in a few days." Dai Li paused and continued, "We'll see Real Madrid, and then Barcelona."

Payton translated the sentence to Halls, whose face lit up with excitement. He could not help but ask, "Really?"

"Of course. After the visa is approved, I'll take you there. However, you have to train seriously these next few days," Dai Li stated.

The knowledge that he could go to Spain motivated Halls. He became much more serious about his training.

Payton said, "Boss, a trip to Spain sure is an attractive carrot. The kid is suddenly filled with energy. But do you really plan on taking him to Spain?"

"It's not a simple reward," Dai Li sighed. He then tried to explain. "I promised to bring him to Spain hoping that it will help him understand why he should take his training seriously."

"I'm not sure I get what you mean," Payton said.

Dai Li, instead of answering directly, seemed to change the topic. "That car of mine, it's pretty nice, eh?"

"Ugh, of course. It's a Porsche 911. It's my dream car. Boss, relax. I'll keep it well-maintained. I won't break it," Payton said.

"When did you start wanting this car?" Dai Li asked.

"When? I'm not sure when. When I was very young, I saw it in an auto magazine, and I fell in love with it," Payton answered.

"So you saw it before you fell in love with it. In other words, if you hadn't seen the car, and someone only told you that it existed, would it still be your dream car?" Dai Li asked.

Payton paused and thought for a moment before saying, "Probably not, since I wouldn't have seen it personally."

"That's exactly my point. The easiest way to pique someone's interest is through visual stimulation. When something appears in front of you, it's much more likely to awaken your desire. For example, when you go to a restaurant, the photos of the food on the menu whet your appetite more than the words. Or think about women. If a woman appeared in 'Playboy,' you might want to spend a night with her, but if she were only a name in the phone book, you might not even think twice about her!"

Dai Li looked at Payton teasingly and said, "Dreams are a type of desire, so it is the same situation. It is easier to awaken a desire for something one has seen, so that it may become the person's dream. After that, a type of ambition to chase after and realize that dream will appear. That is the reason I'm bringing Halls to Spain. Halls has never been to Spain, so he has never seen La Liga in person. He only heard about how good La Liga is from others. Top clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona are destinations that professional players dream about. For him, it's all too fictional. He has never seen them before, and he isn't a professional player. His longing for La Liga can't be that strong. Similarly, his desire to join top clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona must also be weak."

"That's why you want to bring Halls to Spain?" Payton asked.

"Yes, I want him to witness La Liga in person, to see with his own eyes what the best football clubs in the world are like. I want him to know Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Juventus. He belongs in a world-class football club, not that small field close to your house!

"I hope this can awaken his ambition. Only when a person really desires something will he have the motivation to work hard towards a goal. If he is satisfied with his life now, he will become complacent. Then, he will never achieve greatness." As soon as Dai Li finished his sentence, he looked at Payton and said, "You're also going. I don't know Spanish."

"Why? You know you can afford a translator, right?" Payton said, a bit down, "Boss, you are rich, you know."

"You idiot. I'm offering you a chance to travel to Europe at the company's expense, a trip where you continue getting paid. Moreover, your lodgings and food will all be paid for. If you're unwilling, I'll bring someone else," Dai Li said, laughing.

"Go. I'll go. I'll definitely go!" Payton agreed immediately.

Dai Li took out his phone and dialed Blake's number. "Randy, send a letter to both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Tell them the head coach of the U.S. National Track and Field Team wishes to visit their club."

…

After a day's work, the coaches bathed and returned to the coaches locker room. They were talking about their plans after work.

"Kenny, wanna go have a drink?" A young coach asked his colleague.

"No thanks, I drove here today. Why don't you ask Andrew?" Kenny shook his head.

"Andrew, do you have time today? Wanna go have a drink?"

"Sure. It's been a tiring day. Where are we headed? Same bar as last time?"

"Let's go to the one next to it." The young coach suggested. "It sure has been busy. We've added several clients recently. I have to get myself some alcohol to relax."

"It's because of the Olympics. A third of the track and field team registered at our training center. I heard that the boss gave them an 80% discount. Besides, the boss was amazing at the Olympic Games. He attracted many new clients. I've been thinking, in the short-term, my workload will only increase," the coach named Andrew said.

"I actually think that it's a good thing," The young coach said. "After the Olympic Games ended, didn't the boss give us an extra month's worth of salary as a bonus? I heard that our year-end bonuses will also double. It would be even better if the coach brought me with him on his European business trip. It's like going on vacation in Europe for free, That's a great benefit of being employed here!"

"Single youngsters like you would definitely love to go. I am different. It would be better if we could just exchange these benefits for cash. If I got cash equivalent to the airfare, lodgings, and food, then I'd be close to paying off the cost of my son's education. The tuition for universities nowadays are too expensive, and my son can't get a full scholarship. We're looking into loans and it looks like he'll be paying them off for at least a decade," a slightly older coach said.

As they talked about the possibility of their year-end bonuses increasing, several others in the locker room began to chime in. Only the coach Kenny remained silent, with his head down.

Everyone got changed and left the locker room one by one. Kenny moved towards his locker and looked left to right to make sure no one was watching him. He pulled out a document file from his locker. He then opened the file and took out the documents, reviewing them in detail.

The document was a CV, Kenny's CV.

Kenny packed the file and arranged his shirt before leaving the locker room. He got into his car, grabbed his phone, and dialed a number.

"Mr. Hagrid? I'm Kenny Parker, where should we meet? Okay. Yes, I've brought my CV. I'll be right there."

Kenny hung up the phone and saw a sign that read "Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center" not far away.

"I should have gotten a raise, not just a month of bonuses."

…

Hagrid used to be a data analyst on Wall Street. He loved extreme sports and had dreamt of becoming an extreme sports athlete when he was younger. Unfortunately, he was not talented enough so, in the end, he embarked on the journey of finance.

Most of the time, working on Wall Street was like gambling. Hagrid was a data analyst, so he saw through that lens for a long time ago. After earning some money, he chose to leave Wall Street, leave New York, and return to his home in Los Angeles. He used his savings and bought an extreme sports club to start his new life.

When it came to extreme sports, apart from some external equipment needed to ensure safety, fitness was undoubtedly the most important factor. As such, Hagrid hoped to hire a few exceptional fitness coaches for his club.

It didn't take long for him to fix his eyes on Dai Li's physical fitness training center. Dai Li's training center was one of the best in Los Angeles if not the entire United States. The results of the Olympic Games further elevated Dai Li's fame. Hagrid knew that the coaches there were definitely world-class. He hoped to scout and pry away a few of them.

Hagrid used an investigative company and discovered that, although Dai Li's fitness center was expensive, the coaches didn't get paid that much. He immediately decided to use a higher salary tactic to pry coaches away from Dai Li's place.

However, scouting required strategy. Take, for example, Chris Payton, a person who had been with Dai Li since the beginning. He worked independently, responsible for a branch of his own, and Dai Li even gave him some of the dividends from the shares. A core member of Dai Li's team like him was impossible to pry away.

So Hagrid targeted coaches who were younger, whose wages weren't as high, and who had worked at Dai Li's place for a while but did not make it into Dai Li's core team.

Kenny Parker was Hagrid's first target. He fit every condition and requirement Hagrid set. He was not yet 30 years old, his wage at Dai Li's place was below average, and he had been working at Dai Li's training center for around two years without any promotion or any important tasks.

As such, Hagrid held out a helping hand to Kenny Parker. He made an appointment with Kenny and, as expected by Hagrid, Kenny was dissatisfied with his current salary. After talking to Hagrid, he accepted the salary given by Hagrid.

For Hagrid, it was a great start. Next, he wanted to propose even better conditions. He hoped that he could pry away at least one or two skilled coaches who had more experience.

In the morning, Hagrid drove to his extreme sports club. He passed the CV to the head coach in charge of training at the club.

"Thomas, I plan to hire this person to strengthen our fitness coaching team," Hagrid said.

The coach named Thomas was a veteran employee of the place. The club had three owner changes throughout the years, but Thomas always stayed on. Every owner was willing to keep him in his position. Although he wasn't exceptional, he was robust and, moreover, he had a reputation and connections in the extreme sports industry. He was regarded as an important and experienced consultant.

Coach Thomas took the CV and reviewed it. It didn't take long for him to notice a column in the work experience section that read "Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center."

"Boss, this Kenny Parker. Did you personally hire him?" Thomas asked immediately.

"Yeah, nowadays, you talk to the bosses when looking for a job," Hagrid said with a smile.

"Then, a contract hasn't been signed, right?" Thomas asked.

"No, but we've agreed to a salary. Once he's here, we can sign the contract," Hagrid answered.

"Phew!" Thomas breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. As long as the contract isn't signed yet, it's fine."

"Coach Thomas, what do you mean? 'As long as the contract isn't signed, it's fine?'" Hagrid asked, a little annoyed. It wasn't easy for him to finally get someone, but now his success was greeted with Thomas' objection. He was annoyed.

Thomas immediately said, "Boss, you've just returned to Los Angeles, so there's one thing you don't know. In Los Angeles, as long as you're in the sports industry, there is one thing that's taboo."

"What is it?" Hagrid asked.

"Never pry people away from Dai Li's place!" Thomas said.

"Why?" Hagrid snorted coldly. He then said, "I know that Dai Li is the head coach of the U.S.track and field team, but he shouldn't be that selfish, right? He doesn't think his employees are his private property, right? They can only work for him? Even if I were to headhunt people from his place, what can he do?"

Hagrid sounded angry, so Thomas explained. "Boss, you've misunderstood. Coach Li doesn't restrict people from approaching or hiring people from his training center. Many training centers or large-scale gyms have actually signed several coaches from Dai Li's place, but it resulted in them losing a lot of money."

"What do you mean?" Hagrid asked, puzzled.

"They got coaches from Dai Li's place, paid them better salaries, and gave them important jobs. However, those coaches never showed had the necessary abilities. In other words, those coaches did not deserve those salaries. Clients do not like low-level coaches, so some training centers had to pay an exorbitant salary and also lose customers," Thomas answered.

"That's because they didn't have a good eye!" Hagrid said. "Thomas, don't worry. I was a data analyst on Wall Street. Before deciding on a target, I conduct a lot of data analysis. This Kenny Parker is really good. He has coached several famous athletes; those athletes all improved, so the salary that I proposed to him is definitely worth it."

"Boss, perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough. What I mean is, the performance of every single coach headhunted away from Dai Li's training center showed that they did not have the ability to match their salaries. In other words, every single one of them was outstanding under Dai Li, but, upon leaving, they were terrible." Thomas then intentionally emphasized, "I'm talking about every single one. not a single exception."

Hagrid finally took this seriously. As a data analyst, he was naturally great at calculating, so he understood what "every single one, not a single exception" meant.

"Theoretically speaking, there is a possibility that everyone made a mistake in scouting, but that's almost impossible. Why is that? How can that be? To be fine under Dai Li but not after leaving?" Hagrid asked.

"No idea. No one knows why it happens." Thomas shook his head, "Perhaps it's Coach Li. Maybe he knows some witchcraft from the East!"

"There's no such thing as witchcraft!" Hagrid shook his head. However, Thomas' serious expression made Hagrid nervous. He couldn't help but ask, "Is everything you said true?"

Thomas nodded seriously.

"Then we can't hire this Kenny Parker anymore." Hagrid wasn't stupid. He was able to stand on his own on Wall Street, so he naturally kept away from risks when it was possible.

On Wall Street, if he gambled without considering the risks, he would have jumped off the Empire State building more than a dozen times.

"I'll call him immediately to tell him that I won't hire him!" Hagrid said.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 548: Real Madrid

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dai Li wasn't aware that the Team Pyramid effect had prevented yet another coach from getting another job.

There wasn't a reputable coach on Dai Li's team. Most of them were youngsters and Dai Li's training center only became operational a few years ago. It couldn't be compared to the old school training centers that had been operational for decades.

Whether it was because of experience or ability, it was unlikely that young coaches would be that exceptional. Of course their wages were much lower; you get what you pay for. It's possible that someone could get paid more than they're worth. It's unlikely for someone who's not getting paid what they're worth to stay too long.

It was a good thing Dai Li had the Team Pyramid because it made the young coaches better..

However, the bonus provided by the Team Pyramid just a bonus. It did not reflect the true ability of the young coaches. When they chose to job hop or were pried away by another owner, Dai Li they did not keep the bonus afforded by the Team Pyramid. They would, of course, revert back to their previous level of skill.

Over the last two years, as Dai Li's training center became more famous, people started to pay attention to Dai Li's coaches and their relatively small salary. The process of training coaches was difficult and troublesome; anyone would prefer to just pick up a finished product. As such, a good number of people from Dai Li's place had been headhunted.

However, the competitors who headhunted coaches from Dai Li's place quickly discovered that prying people from Dai Li's training center wasn't a good idea. The coaches weren't worth what they were paying them. From their ability alone, one could see that Dai Li gave them a fair salary. They only deserved so much. If one were to pay them more, that employer would be getting the short end of the stick..

Gradually, the competitors discovered that the young coaches performed amazingly under Dai Li. Each of them seemed among the best their age. Upon leaving Dai Li's training center, however, they would revert back to being an average coach. They couldn't even be regarded as talented.

Some people began to joke that Dai Li might know some kind of Eastern witchcraft that he used to curse the coaches that left him. In truth, every professional knew that it was probably the difference in management.

It was like in basketball, where there are always "system players." These players have all kinds of weaknesses, but, under certain tactical systems, they performed amazingly. Even if a player who was not making much money might be able to look like an all-star. Upon leaving the tactical system that suited him, he immediately reverted back to his original skill, becoming a mediocre player once again.

Coaches were similar. Most coaches had areas of expertise in which they excelled and weak areas. Therefore, there was also such a thing as a systems coach. Whether it was football or basketball, there was always a coach that was a one-trick pony. In a system, he excelled in he had great ability. Without that system, he was no good.

Dai Li's competitors assumed that the poached coaches performed terribly because they were only suited to excel in Dai Li's training system. Multiple sports industry leaders in Los Angeles came to the conclusion that Dai Li's coaches should not be headhunted, as they were all system coaches and not worth the effort. Even if the coaches at Dai Li's place actively sought to change companies, they should not offer them high salaries.

The loss of talent increased Dai Li's vigilance. It wasn't easy to groom a qualified coach these days, so Dai Li did not want to lose too many of his employees. If his coaching staff changed every few days, it would disrupt the workflow of the training centers.

To deal with this, Dai Li devised countermeasures to prevent the loss of talent. For example, he would give out dividends to employees with decent abilities; Chris Payton was one such employee. He was also generous with bonuses. After the Olympics ended, Dai Li gave everyone bonuses and promised to double the year-end bonus. That increased employee loyalty.

Apart from that, Dai Li switched to a better insurance company. He purchased better medical insurance for his employees. Healthcare was ridiculously expensive in the U.S., so good medical insurance did not just cover the healthcare of the employee but also the spouse and offspring of the employee as well. For the employees who had families, this was one of the best benefits. A lot of people with families opted for lower-paying jobs with better medical insurance.

…

Dai Li arrived in Madrid, Spain.

Madrid was the capital of the country. However, it didn't look like a capital to Dai Li. The roads were narrow, the buildings were old, and the streets weren't that crowded. It felt to Dai Li like a city that hadn't woken up. The vibe of the city was slow-paced and relaxed.

The first stop for Dai Li was the Real Madrid Football Club.

The home stadium of Real Madrid was the Bernabeau. It was open for visitors. Tourists could buy tickets, visit the stadium, and also go to the Real Madrid Museum, which displayed the glories and awards of the Real Madrid football team.

Real Madrid accommodated many visitors every year. Among them were tourists, politicians, and famous people. Occasionally, when politicians or celebrities visited, the club would give them a jersey with their name printed on the back as a gift.

Dai Li sent a letter in advance, so he did not have to visit with the other tourists. Real Madrid sent a special envoy to take care of him and, at the same time, they gave Dai Li one of those special jerseys.

The U.S. National Track and Field Team was pretty famous. On top of that was how well they did at the Olympics under Dai Li's coaching. From the 27 gold medals alone, Dai Li earned the respect of Real Madrid.

Results were the most important thing in the sports training industry. Even you coached a different sport, as long as you were one of the best, you had the respect and recognition of whoever you were with.

Real Madrid sent the team's sports division manager, Henry, to receive Dai Li.

Henry was a French man, who played football when he was younger. He used to play for Real Madrid and, at his peak, he was one of the world's best forwards. He received the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times and the Europe Golden Ball Award once. He had also been on teams that had won the European Champions League, La Liga League, and the Italian Serie A. On the national team, he had won the World Cup and European Football Championship Cup. He had won it all.

Dai Li knew who Henry was; he'd grown up watching Henry play football. When Dai Li was a student, he would see Henry on TV and all over the newspapers. Now, Henry was there to personally welcome and receive him.

After a simple tour of the stadium, Henry brought Dai Li to the Valdebebas training ground. It was Real Madrid's training ground. All the players associated with Real Madrid, including the big shots, trained there. The difference between the training ground and Bernabeu stadium was that the training ground was not open to the public.

Under normal circumstances, no one, not even a politician or a celebrity, would be scheduled to visit Valdebebas. However, Dai Li was different, he was a coach. He was a professional, one of the best in his field. Real Madrid F.C. naturally wanted to let him see the team in its genuine state.

There is a saying that says that average men gather to have fun, while experts gather to observe the inner workings. In ancient times, during street performances, when an expert was around, he or she would be inclined to whip out a move or two to show off their skills. If a world-class club such as Real Madrid dealt with an expert just as they did normal fans, it would look like they were ridiculing themselves.

As such, Dai Li had the chance to visit Valdebebas training ground.

"Coach Li, over there is our youth training base. We are planning to open up part of it for the tourists as a next step. At the end, on the left, is our Real Madrid youth training academy. Let's start over there," Henry said, smiling.

"Whatever you say," Dai Li said. He followed Henry towards the training ground of the youth academy.

The youth academy was filled with a bunch of kids. They were divided into three levels: the U10s, the U12s, and the U14s. The older ones, if they remained at Real Madrid, reported to the youth team.

"Our U10 team is the strongest in Spain. They have won all 23 games this season! These kids scored a total of 50 goals in those 23 games, scoring an average of two goals per game. Only eight goals were scored against them the entire season.

"Our U12 won the Mediterranean Cup that just finished up in April by defeating Barcelona.. My son was the first to score in that match. Look, the third one from the left, that's him," Henry said with pride. The man who had once been the world's greatest forward talked more excitedly about his son than winning a championship.

Dai Li was stunned by the football system of Spain. The U10s and the U12s had their own professional leagues. The kids were taken so seriously that huge organizations like Real Madrid participated in their training. No wonder Spain was so good at football. In China, no one paid attention to football, much less a bunch of 10 to 12-year old kids who played football.

Beside Dai Li, Halls watched the children, who were about his age, play football. He clearly wanted to jump in and play as well.

A few people arrived at the training ground of the U14 team.

"Looks like the U14 team has a practice game," Henry pointed towards the field.

"There is even an Asian." Dai Li saw an Asian man run onto the field.

"His name is Tanaka. He is Japanese. He is regarded as a genius footballer in Japan." Henry shook his head as he spoke. "Perhaps in Asia, he is a genius. In Europe, in Spain, there are teenagers all over the place as good as he is."

As Dai Li and Henry chatted, a kid on the field cleared the ball with a powerful kick. The ball flew towards Dai Li.

Next to Dai LI, Halls saw the ball flying over. He ran forward a few steps and moved onto the sidelines of the field. After that, he stopped the ball with his chest and controlled the ball steadily. Then, with a kick, he sent the ball flying towards the front of the penalty box.

The ball was sent precisely to the feet of an attacking player.

"Hwis hwis!" The coach blew the whistle to call the play dead, stopping the practice match.

Henry looked at Halls. Henry was one of the best forward in the world. When it came to overall skill, he could be regarded as the best player in the world. So he could tell that that touch and cross from Halls was not something a normal kid could execute.

"Who's this kid?" Henry assessed Halls seriously.

This kid doesn't look Chinese. He probably isn't Coach Li's son, so who is he? As Henry thought this, he said, "Coach Li, who'd have thought you would have a young player hidden beside you!"

"Hehe, he's called Halls Frast, and he has loved football since he was a baby. One of the coaches that works under me, Coach Payton, is his guardian. Coach Payton came with me to Spain, and we couldn't leave Halls alone in the United States, so we thought we'd bring him along," Dai Li said.

"Not a lot of Americans like football," Henry said as he nodded.

"Halls is Argentinian," Dai Li explained.

"Argentinian!" A peculiar look flashed across Henry's eyes. He then pointed towards the field, and asked Halls in Spanish, "Hey kid, do you want to go and have a try?"

Halls nodded seriously, he then turned to look at Dai Li, as if asking for Dai Li's permission.

Dai Li intentionally displayed a weak smile, "Alright, if Mr. Henry allows it, you can go. But remember, don't injure yourself."

"Awesome!" Halls pumped his arms in the air in excitement.

Henry called over the coach on the field and uttered a few words to him. The coach brought over a red practice bib and passed it to Halls. He then said, "You've joined the red team. What position do you play?"

"Striker," Halls answered.

"Striker? You don't have any height advantage. Amongst the strikers in our lineup, the shortest is at least one head taller than you." The coach smiled helplessly and said, "I'll give you a short run-down of our strategy today, and then you can go play. The red team is mainly playing counter-attack football…"

…

Payton moved to Dai Li's side and whispered into his ear, "Boss, look at the players from Real Madrid. Although they are around the same age as Halls, they are much bigger and stronger than Halls. Won't Halls lose because of this physical difference?"

"Football is very different from American football," Dai Li smiled. "Football is more like an art, the art of the foot."

Payton looked as if he did not fully understand.

Dai Li continued, "Do you remember what I told you last time? Halls will become a king of football. Do you think that the king of a generation of footballers wouldn't know how to handle such a situation? Just wait and see, he'll surprise us!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 549: Born to Excel at Football

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On the football field, Halls dribbled with speed and control. With his amazing skills, he quickly moved between and past two defenders, reaching the free kick line before shooting.

"Beautiful!" Henry couldn't help but exclaim.

His ball control is excellent, there is no extraneous movement. Upon his first touch, he was already prepared for his next action. This sort of ball control is simple and efficient.

He's not very forceful when dribbling but he's very direct, very lethal. That kind of dribbling makes it easy for him to get past people.

His acceleration is exceptional. After his body begins to move, he accelerates to his top speed quickly. He also has quick steps, so he can easily change and shift his direction when running, without losing control of the ball.

Although he isn't very tall, his field of vision is great. He is able to observe the shifting of situations on the field in a timely manner so he can get where he's needed most.

Henry completed his initial assessment of Henry in his mind. He already knew that the Argentinian boy in front of him was a football genius.

"Where did this guy come from? This is a real genius!" After seeing Halls' performance, he could not help but admit that no young football player could be compared to Halls, even at the youth academy of Real Madrid.

Henry felt a sense of defeat. The youth academy of Real Madrid was regarded as one of the best youth academies in the world. The academy gathered all the young football talents of Europe, of the world, together. Whatever the youth academy of Real Madrid lack, it wasn't supposed to be genius!

However, on that day, the lights that surrounded each and every one of the talents on the field were overshadowed by the performance of that Argentinian boy. The Real Madrid U14 team, one of the best in the world, had been shown up by Halls.

This kind of player must be a part of Real Madrid! We need to sign him, he will be the future of the club! Henry used to be one of the world's greatest forward. He was a world-class superstar, and his insight was very sharp. He had already discerned the unlimited potential emanating from Halls' body.

Henry looked at Dai Li and said, "Coach Li, this boy plays good football. He has the potential to become a football superstar."

"Yeah, I think so too." Dai Li nodded with a smile.

"May I know which club is he playing for at the moment? Is it a club in Argentina? Or perhaps in America?" Henry asked testingly.

Henry assumed a genius player like Halles would have been spotted by a football club and recruited a long time ago. He also assumed that if Halls were in any of the youth academies in Europe, Real Madrid would have discovered him a while ago. So, Henry deduced that Halls must play for a football club on the American continent.

Henry thought that it might actually be a good thing that Halls was playing football for an American club. Real Madrid could spend some money to directly purchase his services. Although Halls was a football genius, he was still a youth player, so he wasn't too valuable. The American clubs, whose eyes grew wide at the sight of green, wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of money. Real Madrid could potentially produce a core player in their future attacking lineup by investing in him.

Henry looked expectantly at Dai Li as he hoped for an answer However, Dai Li shook his head and said, "This boy is currently a free player. He hasn't joined the youth academy of any football club."

"None?" Henry looked bewildered.

Such an amazing football talent hasn't joined a football club? Are the clubs on the American continent blind? Is it actually possible that they don't see the genius of Halls? If he was in Europe, he couldn't have gotten this good without being signed! As Henry's thoughts raced, he was delighted. He felt like he had found a great deal. Since Halls did not have a club, Real Madrid saved on transfer fees.

In earnest, Henry said, "Coach Li, this kid has a lot of talent. I think he was born to play football. It would be a pity if such an amazing football player went to waste."

"Mr. Henry, I understand what you mean. You want to invite Halls to join your Real Madrid Football Club, am I right?" Dai Li said frankly.

Henry nodded, "Yes, you get it. Our Valdebebas training ground has the world's greatest football training system. Our logistics support is also world-class. The accommodations for our youth academy players are built based on the standards of a four-star hotel. Life here isn't any worse than any other place in the world…"

Henry wanted to continue with his pitch, but Dai Li simply waved his hand and interrupted him. "Mr. Henry, please let me say a few words. Do forgive me for being direct. The current Halls, unfortunately, cannot be a professional player. Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to reject you. It's not any objective factors, it is his own problem."

Henry was stunned, but his frantic mind slowed down. He realized that he was a little too enthusiastic. He must have come off as a borderline fanatic.

How has a football genius like him been overlooked by professional football clubs? He's Argentinian. The professional football leagues of Argentina are also world-class. There is no way those Argentinian clubs missed such a genius. He has no club, so there must be something wrong, a serious issue. Could it be an injury? Or, perhaps, a mental illness? Damn, I should've thought of that. I got carried away.

Henry scolded himself in his mind before asking, "Coach Li, what's wrong with Halls?"

Dai Li did not beat around the bush and answered, "Dwarfism. He has dwarfism."

"So that's it. I saw that he was shorter. I assumed that he was born shorter, but it was due to dwarfism," Henry said. "However, if treated in time with regular growth hormone injections, he can still grow taller. Although he can't become a 1.80-meter guy, he could still become a professional football player."

"What if his Wagner's line was already closed?" Dai Li asked with a laugh. His tone indicated he was rather relaxed.

"His Wagner's line was closed? Then that would really be troublesome," Henry looked at Halls, who was playing on the field. He couldn't help but shake his head and sighed. "This kid. That is truly a real pity."

Henry knew what the Wagner's line's closure meant. He finally understood why a young football genius such as him was not signed by professional football clubs. Dwarfism paired with a closed Wagner's line completely blocked off the boy's path of becoming a football player. It was impossible for him to become a professional football player. He had no value for a club.

"Mr. Henry, you no longer plan to recruit him anymore, right?" Dai Li laughed and said, "In truth, he is receiving treatment through my training center. Although his Wagner's line has closed, and the effects of the growth hormone injections are limited, he can still grow taller with systemic sports training."

"That is indeed the case. I hope he is successful." Henry nodded, but he was clearly disinterested.

Henry knew that the systemic sports training Dai Li talked about could indeed help a teenager going through puberty grow taller, but there was only a small chance. The current Halls looked to be only around 1.40m tall. If he were to become a qualified professional football player, he had to grow to at least 1.70m. It was a 30-centimeter difference.

A Dwarfism patient whose Wagner's line had already closed growing 30 centimeters was practically impossible in reality. It would be some sort of dream come true if it happened.

In Henry's eyes, the genius footballer in front of him had lost his value.

What's the use of a football genius who could not become a professional football player?

…

In the car back to the hotel, Halls was still breathing heavily; he was still recovering from playing.

"Did you have fun?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes!" Halls nodded and said, "I've never had such amazing teammates, and I've never played against such amazing opponents. They are much better than the people I played with in Argentina! I also made a few new friends today."

"Well, that was to be expected. That was Real Madrid after all! They have the world's greatest youth training system. Every team of theirs is among the best in the world. On Real Madrid, there are lots of geniuses like you. They are talented and they work hard. Perhaps some the kids you played with today will become football stars in the future," Dai Li said.

Halls nodded, his face filled with excitement. He was still savoring a goal he scored.

"Do you want to play for Real Madrid?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes, of course I want to." Halls nodded without any hesitation. His eyes filled with expectation.

Dai Li patted Halls' head and said, "You can stop dreaming now. You can't go to Real Madrid just yet. When you were playing, I brought it up with them, but they turned me down. The door for joining Real Madrid has closed, so you can no longer play with them like you did today."

Halls was disappointed. His excitement had vanished without a trace. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Is it because I am too short?" Halls asked, clearly trying not to cry.

"No," Dai Li shook his head. "It's because you can no longer grow taller."

Halls lowered his head and fell silent.

Dai Li did not speak again. At that moment, it was better to let Halls reflect on his own.

…

Dai Li's next stop was Catalonia's capital, Barcelona.

Halls' grandmother was Catalonian. She emigrated to Argentina when she was young so, to Halls, Catalonia felt like home.

As a giant in football on par with Real Madrid, Barcelona was comparable in all aspects, including their training facilities and the team's youth training system.

Faced with Dai Li's visit, Barcelona sent out the team's biggest celebrity to personally receive him and give him a tour.

Dai Li managed to get Halls a chance to play again, and, with Halls' talent, he convinced Barcelona F.C. that the kid was a genius.

However, when Barcelona learned that Halls had Dwarfism and that his Wagner's line had closed, they stopped in their tracks.

The difference was that Barcelona did not reject him completely. They indicated that if Halls could grow taller in the next few years, they were willing to give Halls a chance to join their youth academy.

Although the promised seemed empty, it was better than nothing.

…

On their way back to the hotel, Halls was silent once again.

"Barcelona isn't any worse than Real Madrid, right?" Dai Li asked with a smile.

Halls only nodded.

"Do you want to play here?" Dai Li asked.

"I know they won't want me because I'm short. No, because I can't grow taller," Halls answered, filled with discontent.

Dai Li's tone changed and asked, "You've been to professional football clubs before. Spanish football is different from Argentinian football, isn't it?"

"There's a huge difference between here and Argentina. It's like two different worlds," Halls said.

"Do you feel like you belong here?" Dai Li looked serious as he spoke. "You've made a few new friends here in Spain, right? You have to admit they are better off than you, because they are already in the youth academies of Real Madrid or Barcelona. You are still a free agent. Real Madrid or Barcelona were both unwilling to accept you.

"The kids who are already on the teams are training hard now. They don't waste their time and strength playing street football after dinner for two or three hours. They follow strict timetables. They put all their energy and focus into their training because they want to remain there. They want to become professional players.

"I hope you understand that the people who have an advantage over you are working really hard. If you want to join them, you have to work harder than they do to close the gap. If you can't do that, then they will always be in a different world than you."

Dai Li pointed towards the ground under his feet and said, "This is Spain. We will leave here tomorrow. I hope that the next time you are here, you will become a professional player. Good luck, Halls!"

Halls nodded seriously. A great fighting spirit had lit up in his heart. He knew that he could no longer waste time.

Perhaps Coach Li's strategy of bringing him to Spain will prove to be effective. Chris Payton looked at Halls' determined expression and couldn't help but sigh. He sure is a child born to excel at football.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 550: The Father and Son Who Pursued Their Dreams

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It seemed as though Halls had transformed into another person. He no longer went to play football at night. Instead, he went to bed early every day and put all his energy into his training the next day.

The trip to Spain significantly affected Halls. He had personally witnessed the way two giants of football, Real Madrid and Barcelona, trained their youths. He even had the chance to play in a couple of practice matches. He finally saw what world-class youth training was like.

All of that generated a drive within Halls. He desired to train in Real Madrid or Barcelona. He wanted to enter one of their teams and become a part of them. He aspired to play with awesome teammates and against amazing opponents.

However, because of his dwarfism and his Wagner's line closing, Real Madrid and Barcelona rejected him. It wounded his pride, and this sort of wound quickly inspired his motivation to train.

Just as Dai Li said, only a person with a vivid goal would strive and fight to achieve it.

Halls was doing exactly that. Although he had wished to play in Europe when he was younger, he never really witnessed what a top football club was like in Europe. The dream of playing football in Europe had been based in fantasy. The current Halls had visited Spain and two of the biggest clubs in football, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Playing football in Europe was no longer just a fictitious dream, it had become a target he strived for in reality.

Halls knew that his height was the reason he got rejected by the clubs. He had dwarfism and his Wagner's line had closed. Those were things he could not change. Halls realized deep down that training at Dai Li's place was his last hope of growing any taller.

Having dwarfism meant that Halls had a congenital deficiency, so the teenagers who had already entered the Real Madrid and Barcelona youth academy had a huge advantage over him. In such a dire situation, Halls had to work much harder and put it more effort than the others if he wanted to succeed.

Halls understood that. He knew that his path was much harder than everyone else's. However, he would never give up. He would sprint towards his goal.

…

It was ten in the morning and Dai Li was in his office developing a training plan for a client. His phone suddenly rang.

Dai Li grabbed his phone and glanced at it. The caller ID surprised him a little.

"It's Zhongyi Xu. Why is he calling? It should be midnight in China." Dai Li calculated in his mind. The West Coast of the U.S. had a 16 hours time difference from China. Taking into account daylight savings time, there was at least a 15-hour time difference between the West Coast and China. It was morning for Dai Li, so it was definitely early in the morning in China. Xu should be sleeping.

Old Xu, calling me at this hour? I just hope it's not something too serious. Dai Li did not hesitate and picked up the phone immediately.

"Hello, Old Xu. Why aren't you sleeping right now? Is something wrong?" Dai Li asked directly.

"It's because I don't want to affect your rest." Zhongyi Xu laughed and said, "But I really do have something that I need to ask you."

"What's up? Let me hear it," Dai Li said generously.

"Our provincial sports team. The coach's name is Jianguo Chen. He's a tennis coach. You've heard of him, right?" Zhongyi Xu asked.

"That sounds vaguely familiar." Dai Li paused briefly and said, "But isn't our provincial tennis team pretty weak? There's not a lot of players and even fewer coaches."

"That's right. Apart from some first-tier cities, the other places have never really developed tennis as a sport. Policy and financial support are also pretty limited." Zhongyi Xu did not stay on that issue for long. He said, "Jianguo Chen and I have known each other for a long time. He has a son named Zhen Chen who he trained in tennis. The fella is pretty talented. He won the bronze medal in the national games when he was only 18 years old. He also participated in several international competitions this year. In the most recent world rankings, Zhen Chen made it into the top 200."

"A male player from our country making it into the top 200 in the world ranking is pretty impressive," Dai Li praised.

"And making it into the top 200 in the world ranking means that he can participate in the qualifiers for the U.S. Open. It's been a long time since a male player from our country participated in one of the four grand slams," Zhongyi Xu said.

There were four grand slam tournaments. The main competitions had 128 spots, among them, 104 were based on the world rankings. The top 104 ranked players were eligible to participate directly in the main competition of the four tennis grand slam tournaments. However, it was inevitable that some of the players would drop out due to injury or other sudden factors or incidents. The lower-ranked players were the substitutes. So, under normal circumstances, as long as someone was among the top 110 in the world there was a chance to participate in the four grand slam tennis tournaments.

Another eight spots were left to wild cards. Sometimes big shot players drop out of the top 104 rankings if they stop participating in competitions for long periods of time. In such situations, these players are provided the chance to enter the grand slams as a wild card. Players from the host country have an advantage in the wild card selection. So, for the Australian Open, there are always a few Australian players selected; for the Wimbledon Open, British players are selected; for the French Open, French players are selected; for the U.S. Open, Americans are selected.

The last 16 spots in the main competition were determined by the qualifiers. Before the four grand slam tennis tournaments, a qualifier would first be organized. A total of 128 athletes would participate in the qualifiers. Participation in the qualifiers was based on the players' world rankings. Three rounds of elimination matches were played, and players who won all three matches were allowed to advance to the main competition.

From the rules, if nobody retired early due to injuries, the top 104 and 232 ranking players would be able to participate in the qualifiers. However, because many usually retired early, the top 250 ranked players are usually able to participate in the qualifier.

Zhen Chen was already in the top 200 in world rankings, so his place in the qualifiers was guaranteed.

"You want my help, right?" Dai Li asked.

"Yes, Jianguo Chen hoped to bring Zhen Chen to the U.S. early to help get him acclimatized to the environment. It would be ideal to find a U.S. tennis coach in advance so that he could guide Zhen Chen in advance. You are more familiar with the U.S. so I would like to ask for your help," Zhongyi Xu stated.

"No problem, you can let Jianguo Chen know that he can contact me directly," Dai Li said.

"Jianguo Chen isn't very wealthy. His is an average, working-class household. They rely on their fixed salary. Grooming Zhen Chen to be a tennis player cost them a lot of money, so I hope you don't get him someone too expensive," Zhongyi Xu reminded.

"Is that so…" Dai Li hesitated for a moment and continued, "Old Xu, you are a coach. You must know that, in the sports training industry, any skilled coach will not be cheap. The better they are, the higher their wages."

"I know, I know. That's the reason I'm calling you in the middle of the night. I need you to help me think of something. You're doing very well in the U.S., so you must know many people. Perhaps you could help Zhen Chen," Zhongyi Xu said.

"How about this? Let him train at my training center. Some of my clients are reputable tennis players, they're among the top 50 in the world rankings. Zhen Chen can train with them. Although it's just fitness training, perhaps he will learn a thing or two. If it's possible, I'll try recommending some of the players here practice with Zhen Chen," Dai Li said.

"Then, in terms of the fees, you better give them a discount. I know the fees at your place is amazingly expensive," Zhongyi Xu said intentionally.

Dai Li understood what Zhongyi Xu meant. He chuckled and said, "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother but it's you, Old Xu. How can I say no to you! By the time they get here, it'll only be a few days before the U.S. Open. I won't charge them anything."

…

Three days later, Jianguo Chen and Zhen Chen arrived in Los Angeles.

Jianguo Chen used to be the coach of the Hanbei Provincial Sports team, but Dai Li didn't have much of an impression of him. First of all, they were in different sports. Second of all, provincial tennis had always been a niche sport, it wasn't important.

Zhen Chen was a genius youth tennis player, part of the new generation in China. Dai Li used the detector on him and discovered that his talent potential grade was B. It was enough to dominate in China and possibly participate in some of the lower-level international tours. However, when it came to competitions like the four grand slams, he would barely manage to meet the minimum requirement for the main competition.

In the U.S., tennis was fairly popular. The U.S. has a lot of specialized schools in tennis, and a large number of tennis players are produced annually. Among Dai Li's clients, there were a few reputable tennis players in the top 50 of the world rankings. As the U.S. Open neared, they trained more frequently. Their fitness training was the most important part of their training schedule.

Under normal circumstances, the U.S. Open would last for around half a month. Most of the non-seeded players would be in both the individual singles competition and the doubles or mixed doubles competition. Some participants would even have to deal with both matches in singles and doubles. They needed a lot of stamina, so they were willing to place more emphasis on their fitness training before the competition.

For Zhen Chen, these tennis players were "idols" that he didn't think he'd ever have a chance to meet.

Zhen Chen's ranking was just inside the top 200. In theory, his ranking was just 150 spots away from the top 50, which doesn't seem like too big a deal. However, when it came to tennis, the jump from 200 to 50 was like heaven and earth. A lot of the players ranked around 200 would not ever be pitted against a top 50-ranked player.

In tennis, the qualifier was determined by the world rankings. For example, the most important ATP tournaments were the four grand slam tournaments. Following that was the ATP 1000, then the ATP 500, and then the ATP 250. A player ranked in the top 10 of the world would not participate in the ATP250 tournament because, to them, the talent level in an ATP 250 tournament was too low.

After that, it was the Challengers tournament 125K H level, the Challengers 125K, Challengers 100K, 75K, 50K, and 40K. For Challengers tournaments below 100K, it would be difficult to see any players ranked in the top 100. After the Challengers tournaments, there was the Hope tournament. Only players who were not in the world rankings would participate in the lower levels of the Hope tournament.

So for any players ranked within the world's top 200, at most, they would take part in a few of the Challengers tournaments. It was difficult to participate in tournaments above the ATP 250 so, it wasn't often possible to play against players in the top 50 world rankings.

Even when players ranked within the top 232 in the world were allowed to take part in the qualifiers of a grand slam tournament, the three rounds of games were all death matches for the players ranked in the 200 regions. If they wanted to advance through to the main tournament, they had to get three consecutive victories against opponents higher rankings. There would have to be an upset every match. One upset was still possible, but to have three consecutive upsets was extremely unlikely.

So, in the qualifiers of the four grand slams, the ones who ultimately made it to the main tournament were usually the top 150 players. Those ranked outside of the top 150 could barely ever make it to the main tournament.

…

On the training ground, Jianguo Chen watched Zhen Chen as he trained. With a benevolent smile, he said, "When Zhen Chen first picked up a tennis racquet, he wasn't even taller than the racquet. Back then, I had just retired and was supposed to become the coach of the team. He was like my tail. I trained while he picked up the balls. Later, I saw that he imitated the athletes swinging the racquets. It was then that I began teaching him tennis.

"Zhen Chen had talent. Among the athletes I trained, he was the most talented. He only needed to learn the things I taught him once. From then on, I decided that even if I went broke, I would properly groom him. I hoped that one day he could play in the grand slam tournaments, and achieve everything I couldn't."

Jianguo Chen sighed. "When I was an athlete, I hoped to play in one of the four grand slam tournaments. I would have been satisfied with one match. However, back in our day, it was impossible. Tennis players didn't even have the chance to take part in tournaments outside China. Especially after the tennis player defection during the 1980s, our chances of leaving the country for competitions got even slimmer. I've never left the country to participate in any competition."

Dai Li, who was at this side, nodded. Back then, a tennis player competing in a tournament in the U.S. left the team and stayed in the U.S. He even applied for government protection to stay in the United States. However, if one thought carefully, only people who were being politically persecuted were eligible to apply for government protection. An athlete was not a politician with influence. Who would politically persecute an athlete? So, the athlete wanted to stay in the U.S. and the American government was more than willing to use him as a political tool. Today, the athlete would have been deported by the U.S. immigration service.

Jianguo Chen then continued, "When I saw that Zhen Chen made it into the top 200, I was really happy. He has the chance to take part in a grand slam tournament. It was my lifelong dream and, although I never realized it, there is a chance my son will realize this dream for me!"

As Jianguo Chen said this, he became more and more excited.

Dai Li looked at Jianguo Chen's face and felt a tinge of pity. With Zhen Chen's current standard, not to mention the main tournament of the grand slam,it would be difficult for him to make it through the first round.

It was always difficult working in tennis back in China. Dai Li knew what the tennis environment in China was like. He glanced at Zhen Chen, who was in the middle of his training. Zhen Chen looked serious, but Dai Li could feel that Zhen Chen was a little nervous.

It wasn't a tournament or a match, only a normal training session. Yet, Zhen Chen was actually nervous. It wasn't because Zhen Chen was mentally weak, it was because he knew how important this training was. He valued training and he treasured the chance to train with tennis players in the top 50, even if it were only fitness training.

"Looks like even Zhen Chen knows that he is living the dream of two generations. His participation in the U.S. Open isn't just for him, it is also for his father!"

Dai Li finally made the decision. He decided to help this father and son pursue their dreams.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 551: The Ultimate Favor

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Noel, a famous American tennis player, lived in Los Angeles. He had previously made it into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.

Noel was currently ranked 25th in the world. According to the rules of the grand slam, the first 32 ranked players were seeded. So, in the upcoming U.S. Open, Noel was the 25th seed.

At the moment, a young Chinese man was training with Noel on the court. He was Noel's new training partner.

The Chinese youth was Zhen Chen.

Noel was also a client of Dai Li. Under Dai Li's introduction, Zhen Chen was given a chance to become Noel's training partner.

Training with a world-class player was a valuable opportunity. Zhen Chen valued this training. Even if he was only a training partner, he treated it extremely seriously.

For Zhen Chen, it was impossible for him to train with a player of Noel's standard in his regularly. Moreover, in the process of training with Noel, Noel or Noel's coach would give him a few reminders. These were tidbits were extra bonuses, as he wouldn't normally get them in his training.

Noel was very willing to give Zhen Chen a few pointers. Of course, Noel wanted his training partner to be stronger so his training session would go better. Besides, Zhen Chen's ranked just inside 200; it would be difficult for him to reach the main stage of grand slam tournaments, and Noel was a seeded player. Zhen Chen's ranking was not a threat to Noel so, even if Zhen Chen improved, he couldn't possibly become a threat to Noel. Noel didn't have to worry about being defeated by this disciple.

As training for the day came to an end, Dai Li appeared on the training ground.

"Coach Li, this fella that you introduced isn't bad. He's very hard working. The only thing is that he doesn't seem to be very talkative. He only spoke when I asked him something," Noel smiled as he welcomed Dai Li.

"Yeah, the kid is a bit of an introvert," Dai Li said. "Noel, I'm afraid he will no longer be your training partner anymore."

"Why? The kid isn't bad and, besides, there are only ten days left before the qualifiers. He can stay here for a few more days," Noel said.

"I found him a tennis coach. He's going there for a week of specialized training," Dai Li lowered his voice and said, "It's Coach Wiggins' private training camp."

"Coach Wiggins!" Noel exclaimed.

"Lower your voice. I don't want Zhen Chen to hear about this," Dai Li said.

"Oh heavens, Wiggins is the best tennis coach in the United States. His private training camp cost $20,000 a week!" Noel blurted.

"To be exact, it's $20,000 for five days. Coach Wiggins rests on the weekend," Dai Li shrugged in resignation.

"Coach Li, forgive me for being direct, but this expenditure isn't worth it. Sending Zhen Chen to Coach Wiggins' training camp is a waste. Even with Coach Wiggins' special training, it's impossible for him to get a decent result in the U.S. Open. Even if he made it into the main tournament, it would only be for one round," Noel said.

Dai Li knew what Noel said was true. If Zhen Chen were an athlete with S grade talent, giving him a week of specialized training might have produced a miracle, but Zhen Chen was only a B talent. Even if he were to receive the best training in the world, he only had the capability to barely make it into the main tournament. It wasn't possible for him to go that far into the tournament. He might not even make it through the first round.

"In terms of a return on investment, this is indeed a bad deal." Dai Li smiled and said, "However, if it can help realize the dream of two generations of people, then, to me, the fee is worth it."

…

In the middle of the night, after a day of exhausting training, Zhen Chen had fallen asleep. Jianguo Chen was, however, hiding in the toilet, whispering into the phone so he wouldn't startle his sleeping son.

"Don't worry, we're doing fine over here. Coach Li takes great care of us. No problem in terms of lodging or food. We have enough. The money I've brought is definitely enough. I'll be bringing our son to New York for the qualifier of the U.S. Open in two days. We've already booked the tickets. After the tournament ends, we'll return to China."

After wrapping up the conversation with his wife, Jianguo Chen called Zhongyi Xu.

"Old Xu, I'm really thankful to you. Coach Li found a coach for Zhen Chen, so he doesn't have to be Noel's training partner anymore. Yeah, a tennis coach, I've seen them. He is much better than me. That said, this is because you, Old Xu, have the right connections!"

After chatting with Zhongyi Xu for a while, Jianguo Chen looked at the time and realized it was the work day in China.

"Is this Director Huang? I'm Jianguo Chen, Zhen Chen's father. Yes, yes, also his coach. Zhen Chen and I are currently in the United States, we're preparing for the U.S. Open. Yes, thank you, leader. I'm calling because I have something that I need your help with. The U.S. Open is about to begin, and Zhen Chen is about to compete in the qualifier. Can you contact the media and inform them?

"Exactly, Director. The higher the exposure, the more chance of sponsorship. Since the reformation of tennis in our country, the livelihood of athletes has not been as stable as before. Constantly going overseas for competitions, the expenditure on the basic necessities are indeed quite high. If there is no sponsor, it is indeed quite difficult.

"Then I really have to thank Director Huang in advance. Yes, you are right, a blacksmith needs his own hardware. He's been training really hard. He just went to an American training camp today. The coach is Coach Wiggins, I heard he's quite famous in the U.S.

"Yes, in Los Angeles. That's right, the coach is named Brad Wiggins. Even you know him!

"Oh? You've been to the U.S. for reconnaissance before and you've visited Coach Wiggins' training camp? In that case, this Coach Wiggins really is quite famous. Even our National Tennis Management center went to him to learn.

"What did you say? The fee for Coach Wiggins' training camp is at least $20,000?"

Jianguo Chen froze.

…

The sound of the alarm woke Zhen Chen. Although he still wanted to sleep a little more, he knew he had to train at Wiggins', so he forced himself to get out of his bed.

Later, he saw his father seated on the sofa alone, staring out the window with a blank face.

"Dad, you're up early," Zhen Chen said. He noticed the bags under Jianguo Chen's eyes.

"Dad, did you sleep well? Insomnia? You didn't sleep the whole night?" Zhen Chen felt pain as he looked at his father.

Jianguo Chen slowly turned his head over. He let out a long sigh and told his son, "Son, once you're at Coach Wiggins' place, you better train seriously. Don't waste a second!"

Zhen Chen felt the weight of Jianguo Chen's words. It had been a while since his father used such a tone with him.

"Dad, is something wrong?" Zhen Chen asked.

Jianguo Chen shook his head, "We really owe Coach Li a big favor this time. This U.S. Open, if you don't make it into the main tournament, we really let Coach Li down!"

Zhen Chen nodded without fully comprehending everything. He didn't know that the cost of training at Wiggins' training camp was $20,000 for five days. One day cost $4,000.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 552: A Dream Come True

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Wiggins was the best tennis coach in the U.S. He used to coach many players that went on to play in the grand slam. Of course, his fee was the highest. $20,000 for one week. For tennis coaching, this was ridiculously high.

The reason Wiggins dared to charge so much for his services was that his training was worth that price, especially for young players who needed to work on their technique. With guidance from Wiggins, these players improved by leaps and bounds.

Zhen Chen was exactly the kind of young player whose technique needed work. It was fair to say that his weaknesses were abundant; that is how Wiggins saw him. The current Zhen Chen was too weak. He was filled with mistakes and shortcomings.

Zhen Chen was, after all, a player who grew up in China. The training standard and the overall tennis environment in China was far from those in the Western countries. So, compared to Western athletes, he had lots of room for improvement.

The more weaknesses an athlete had, the more areas he could improve on. This meant that his area for improvement was large. For athletes like that, every weakness remedied was a big step towards getting better.

Zhen Chen was just like that. Based on his B talent potential grading, although it was impossible for him to win the grand slam, it was still possible for him to make it into the main tournament. That meant that he could make it into the top 100 in the world rankings. However, he only made it to the top 200. The reason was that, in China, his training was so bad that a lot of his weaknesses were never improved upon.

After arriving in Coach Wiggins' training camp, Zhen Chen's main goal was to be transformed by Coach Wiggins. He tried to change and remedy the various mistakes in his technique.

Zhen Chen had never received the guidance of a world-class tennis coach like that before. To Zhen Chen, an opportunity like this was incredibly valuable. Every sentence, every word Coach Wiggins told him, was as holy as the Bible. Zhen Chen executed Wiggins' suggestions without deviation, he did not dare to be sloppy.

Coach Wiggins also lived up to his name. Under him, Zhen Chen improved each day. Although the entire length of the training was a mere five days, under Coach Wiggins' direct one-on-one guidance, Zhen Chen improved significantly. He grew a great deal.

Although Zhen Chen wasn't the best, he wasn't the worst either. After receiving the best training around, he had been reinvigorated.

It was as if he had was a piece of jade processed by a master carver. A mineral of the highest quality would be ridiculously expensive without any sort of processing. However, after going through the hands of a master jade carver, its price would skyrocket. It might even be regarded as a priceless treasure.

If it were a less valuable type of jade rock, its quality would be less than a high-quality one. However, if the one responsible for processing that lesser jade were a master jade carver, then, after processing, the value of the lesser jade would still significantly increase. Although it was far from comparable to the higher-quality jade, it was still a very highly valued item.

Zhen Chen did not have an S grade talent, he didn't even reach an A grade. His B talent could be regarded as lesser quality jade, but Coach Wiggins was clearly a top-class "Jade carver." After his processing, even if he were a lesser jade, he could still be sold for a decent price.

…

Among the four grand slam tournaments held every year, the first was the Australian Open. It was usually organized in the last two weeks of January every year, in Melbourne, Australia.

The second was the French Open. It was usually organized annually in either May or June. The third was the Wimbledon Open. It was the tournament with the longest history, and was usually held in the month of June or July. The last tournament was the U.S. Open, which was usually held in August or September.

It was an Olympic year. So, all international competitions took a step back for the Olympics. The dates of the French and Wimbledon Opens were moved forward, while the U.S. Open was slightly postponed.

Before the U.S. Open, the qualifier and wildcard tournaments began. The participants in the qualifier were based on the world rankings, and the wild card tournament consisted mainly of American players. It was the U.S. Open, so they had to take better care of the American players.

The qualifier was a single-round elimination tournament, which meant that, as long as one could win three rounds, one would most certainly advance to the main tournament. Losing once meant elimination. For every player taking part in the qualifier, every match was a death match.

Zhen Chen's ranking was around 200. Among the 128 participants of the qualifier, he was among the middle-lower rankings. The opponent of his first match was most certainly someone with a higher ranking.

Zhen Chen was very nervous, as this was his first time in the qualifier of a grand slam tournament. He performed terribly in the first round, and Zhen Chen's opponent was clearly not participating in the qualifier for the first time. His head was in the game right away, so he easily beat Zhen Chen with the score of six – two.

In the men's single of the grand slam, the main tournament utilized a system of three victories in five rounds. The qualifiers and the wildcard tournaments both used only a two-out-of-three rounds victory system. This meant that after losing the first round, the opponent could win with the next round.

Zhen Chen was forced into a corner. After losing a round, he finally used all of his potential and won the round, with the final score being seven to five.

That round gave Zhen Chen confidence. In the third round of the match, Zhen Chen had clearly become used to the match. He was no longer nervous and he showcased his true abilities, beating his opponent with a score of six to four.

The final score was two to one, with Zhen Chen advancing to the second round.

…

In the second round of the qualifier, Zhen Chen's opponent was a Frenchmen. He was also ranked above Zhen Chen.

However, Zhen Chen won easier this round easier than the first round. Two rounds with the score of 6 to 4 meant an overall score of two to zero.

Clearly, the French player was not good at playing on a hard court, which Zhen Chen was very adept at.

Among the four major tennis tournaments, the Wimbledon Open used a grass court, the French Open used a clay court, and the Australian and U.S. Opens used a hard court. The difference between the U.S. and the Australian Open was that the Australian Open used rubber, so the ball bounced slower. In the U.S. Open, they used cement floors with a special material on top of it, it was regarded as a fast hard court.

The tennis courts in China were basically all rubber courts. There were no grass or clay courts. However, the rubber courts in China mainly used acrylic materials of normal quality. Courts conscientiously constructed would have two layers of coarse rubber under a layer of fine-grained rubber. For courts that were hastily constructed, the surface hardness was pretty much the same as a cement floor.

Most tennis players in China, therefore, were more used to playing on hard courts. They could easily adapt to the Australian and U.S. Open. It was the French Open, because of the clay court, which was the most difficult.

…

It was the third round of the qualifier. Zhen Chen's opponent's world ranking was 119. For him, it was an extreme challenge.

Zhen Chen's opponent clearly did not take him seriously. Just a few months ago, in the Wimbledon Open, Zhen Chen wasn't even eligible to participate in the qualifier for the grand slam tournaments. For his opponent, Zhen Chen was only a passerby.

The 119-ranked player clearly did not realize that his real opponent was himself. His overconfidence was his biggest enemy!

Although Zhen Chen's world ranking only just passed the 200 mark, he had transformed himself. He wasn't that much weaker than his opponent. "119" underestimated his opponent too much. As a result, he suffered defeat at the hands of Zhen Chen in the first round.

After losing the first round, his opponent was mentally imbalanced. He was anxious to try and take back a round but, in the end, it resulted in more unforced errors. Zhen Chen capitalized on these errors and scored points consecutively.

Zhen Chen, who was in the lead, gained momentum as he played. On the contrary, his opponent became more anxious by the second. In the end, the result was completely one-sided.

Another two to zero. Zhen Chen won the third round of the qualifier and obtained a spot in the main tournament of the U.S. Open!

Beside the court, Dai Li let out a sigh and said, "I did not waste that 20,000 dollars!"

After that, Dai Li looked towards the court. He saw Jianguo Chen.

The current Jianguo Chen was laughing and crying at the same time…

The grand slam dream of two generations of people was finally realized!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 553: No Chance

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jianguo Chen personally poured Dai Li a glass of wine and said, "Coach Li, taste this wine. I have kept this Maotai for 20 years."

"A 20-year-old Maotai! If this bottle were sold, it would cost tens of thousands!" Dai Li did not hesitate. He took a sip from the wine glass, closed his eyes, and relished it. He said, "A 20-year-old Maotai really is something. After one gulp, the scent of the alcohol goes through and out the nose. I say, Old Chen, where did you find this rare bottle?"

"I brought it from China," Jianguo Chen said.

"You specifically brought wine overseas?" Dai Li asked curiously.

"I thought that if Zhen Chen was able to qualify for the U.S. Open, then shouldn't we celebrate? So I brought this bottle of wine, even though I'd never have thought that we'd actually drink it." Jianguo Chen gave Dai Li a large amount of wine and said, "Coach Li, thank you very much. If it weren't for you, Zhen Chen would not be competing in the U.S. Open. Thanks especially for Coach Wiggins' training camp. Zhen had made a lot of progress in that one week of training."

"It was also his own hard work," Dai Li said with a smile on his face.

Jianguo stood up and raised his glass to toast Dai Li. "I, Jianguo Chen, am not great with words or speeches. In short, my gratitude to you is all in this wine." Jianguo and Zhen downed their glasses.

"Old Chen, the real competition is next. Do you have a new goal?" Dai Li asked, smiling.

Jianguo Chen shook his head. "I am still very aware that it was not easy for Zhen Chen to make it this far. I know that, with his current ability being what it is, it is impossible for him to advance beyond the first round. After the next game is over, we will probably go home."

"There actually is a small chance. If he's lucky, Zhen Chen might face a wild card in the first round. If so, he might advance to the second round," Dai Li said.

"I hope so." Jianguo Chen did not show the slightest hint of optimism.

The tennis players were grouped according to their rankings. For example, the four major tennis tournaments had a total of 32 seed players. They were the top 32 players in the world. During the grouping, these 32 players were assigned to different groups. In the groupings, the seed players didn't encounter each other in the first two rounds. It was not possible for these players to meet until the third round.

At the same time, the high-level players would also be separated as much as possible. For example, the top seed and the second seed would be in different groups. Unless it was the finals, it was impossible for them to meet. The top seed and the fourth seed, as well as the second and third seeds, could only encounter each other in the semi-finals.

Since there were 32 seed players, there would be 96 non-seed players. Many of these athletes cannon fodder who would be eliminated in the first round. Like those who qualified through the qualifiers, their world rankings were much lower. The weaker the cannon fodder athletes, the more likely they were to meet the top seed players in the first round.

When the athletes were grouped, they took extra care in placing the top seeds, which were the top 16. Their first-round opponents were basically there to be beaten. This guaranteed their entry into the second round. For example, the athletes who were ranked highly would often compete against the players who got in through the qualifying round first. Because the players who qualified through the qualifiers were weaker, the first round would be a guaranteed win for the highly ranked players.

For the organizers, if the dominant seed players were eliminated in the first round, the tournament would be less enjoyable as a whole.

The players who got in through the qualifiers were ranked below 110th. When faced with the top 10 players in the world, they would be utterly destroyed. There wouldn't even be a chance to fight back. Therefore, it was basically impossible for players who had to go through qualifiers to advance to the second round. Their role in the Grand Slam was to become qualified cannon fodder to help the higher ranked athletes warm up and adapt to the rhythm of the game. They were supposed to lose the game and guarantee advancement for the top seeds.

Jianguo Chen knew that, although Zhen Chen had advanced to the Grand Slam tournament, he was still unable to shake his fate of being cannon fodder. In the first round, he had to face the top seeds, so Jianguo Chen did not expect Zhen Chen to enter the second round. Zhen Chen had no way of beating a seed player.

However, there was one way an athlete meant to lose in the first round could actually advance to the second. It was possible for Chen to meet a wildcard in the first round.

As mentioned before, the Grand Slam had eight wild cards slots. They were mainly for popular players, sponsored players, and local players. The organizers hoped that the local players could last a long time, as it normally made more people pay attention to the tournament. Therefore, when grouping, the organizers deliberately let the local wildcards encounter the players who had to go through qualifiers.

The thought was qualifier players were relatively weak, so the local wildcards had the opportunity to beat them. On the contrary, local wildcard players were weaker. If players who qualified through the qualifiers met them, they had a chance to win. It was much better than facing the seeded players.

To put it simply, if the first round was a match between a wildcard and someone who qualified through the qualifier, both sides had a shot to win. In fact, it would be a match between two weak players.

It was not uncommon, in tennis, for the organizers to guarantee advancement to local players. They would often arrange for a weak opponent to play local players. Sometimes, they even put two local wildcards in the same group. One year, at the China Open, the Chinese had three wildcards, but the Chinese players were really bad. They could not beat anyone else in the competition. The organizers simply arranged for two of the Chinese players to encounter each other in the first round, so that at least one Chinese player was guaranteed an advancement to the second round.

If Zhen Chen encountered a wildcard in the first round, he could at least put up a fight and have a chance of advancing to the second round. Of course, even if he were promoted to the second round, he would encounter a seeded player there.

As a professional, even though he was not one of the best, being able to get past the first round was a good thing.

Moreover, the prize money increased significantly the farther he made it.

…

When Jianguo Chen and Dai Li were drinking, Jianguo Chen's cell phone buzzed and a text message appeared.

"It is a notice from the tournament. The first round of the U.S. Open has already been published. It can be checked on the official website," Jianguo Chen said.

Dai Li took out his mobile phone and went to the website. He needed to know who Zhen Chen's opponent would be.

Dai Li found the bracket and he saw the name of Zhen Chen immediately.

He saw it so quickly because Zhen Chen's name was very high up. He was in the second position on the match map. The one who was placed first in the match map had to be a seed player. He was the player who was ranked number one worldwide.

Zhen Chen's first opponent would be the world's number one player!

"Who is it? Who is Zhen Chen playing in the first game?" Jianguo Chen asked hopefully. He still hoped that Zhen Chen's luck might hold out and he might go against a wildcard in the first round.

Dai Li handed the mobile phone to Jianguo Chen and said, "He can't advance. He's facing Basel, the tennis king! Basel, the strongest tennis player of all time…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 554: King Versus Cannon Fodder

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Basel, the tennis king, was the undisputed ruler of the tennis world. Basel won every youth championships when he was young. He became a professional tennis player at the age of seventeen. It took him six years to become number one. In the following seven or eight years, besides periods where he was injured, he had never been ousted from the throne. He was the champion of dozens of Grand Slams, as well as nearly a hundred world championships. All of this demonstrated Basel's dominance in the tennis world.

Dai Li could guess without using his detector that such a player was definitely an S level talent with a personal ability value of 950 or more. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rule over the tennis world.

Zhen Chen's opponent in the first round was Basel. This was an opponent that he could never overcome in his entire life. Everyone knew how the match would go as soon as they saw who he was playing. He did not have the slightest chance of qualifying for the second round.

Zhen Chen became Basel's first opponent. The organizer must've deliberately made it so. Zhen Chen was barely in the top 200 tennis players. Going by the world ranking, Zhen Chen was the weakest player in the tournament.

Basel was the world's number one tennis player and the top seed of the tournament. According to tradition, the top seed was received extra care. The organizers couldn't let Basel be eliminated in the first round. They just arranged for a weak opponent to face him so Basel could win even if he were in a bad state. If Basel had an easy time winning, he would be able to retain his strength and make the subsequent games more exciting. This would raise ratings of the competition.

Thus, Zhen Chen, the weakest cannon fodder, was the opponent in Basel's first match.

…

Zhen Chen never thought that he would be able to play at the Centre Court. He thought this was the only time in his entire professional career that he would be able to play here.

Zhen Chen had also never thought that he would be able to compete against the tennis king, Basel. Zhen Chen thought that using the word "compete" wasn't accurate. He was not qualified to compete against Basel. He would just be a stepping stone for Basel. He was not able to pose any sort of threat to him.

Basel is right in front of me! Zhen Chen stood on the court. He was still slightly dazed. He was reminiscing about shaking hands with Basel. After all, Basel was Zhen Chen's idol.

Zhen Chen was not qualified to play at the Centre Court. He was soaking up the light radiating from Basel. Basel was the number one seed. E was the best in the tennis world. He only competed at the Centre Court or the No.1 Court. Arranging a match for Basel at a No. 2 Court with excellent facilities would be an insult to Basel.

Therefore, by competing against Basel, Zhen Chen had the chance to play at the Centre Court.

Basel did not go out of his way to think about his first opponent. He had no reason to. The gap between Zhen Chen and Basel was too large. He had no reason to waste his energy on Zhen Chen. Before the game, he didn't even watch videos of Zhen Chen's past matches. He did not attempt to understand Zhen Chen's technique.

On the day of the game, Basel saw the young athlete from China for the first time on the court. He also saw his the starstruck expression on his face. Basel had seen too much of this expression. Every Grand Slam, in the first few rounds, he would saw this expression on his opponent's face. Sometimes even the seeded players were his fans.

I have never seen this young guy before. It isn't easy to get into the U.S. Open. He seems to be my fan. I'll relax a little later. I don't want to play too hard. Otherwise, I might hurt his self-confidence, Basel thought. Basel appeared to be extremely relaxed at that moment. He was at the Centre Court, but it was as if he was just at any regular practice court.

Although this was an irrelevant round this Basel's debut in this U.S. Open. Therefore, this game was important to the TV broadcasters. After the players from both sides appeared, the commentators introduced them. Of course, they mainly cared about Basel. As for Zhen Chen, it was a few words. No one cared about the cannon fodder.

"Basel's opponent is a young player that barely made it into the top 200. He got into the U.S. Open through the qualifiers. Among the 16 players who qualified through the qualifier, his world ranking is the lowest. There really isn't much suspense for today's match," the commentator said.

Another commentator immediately agreed. "That is correct. The conclusion of today's match has already been determined. The score will be 3 to 0. This game is mainly for us to see Basel's current state. However, I am worried that the game will be over before we get to see Basel's real strength."

"It is inevitable that this game will end quickly. I think Basel will end the match within half an hour. For Basel, this game is just a small warm-up."

…

In the audience, Jianguo Chen looked very nervous.

In a tennis match, coaches were not allowed to advise the athletes on the court. Throughout the match, the athletes were on their own. So Jianguo Chen could only sit in the audience and look at his son with anxiety in his eyes.

"Old Chen, don't be nervous. Being able to compete against Basel is already a reward. Most professional players won't experience this in their lives," Dai Li said.

"I know, I know, I know…" Jianguo Chen said "I know" three times in a row. One could easily see how stressed the man was.

Dai Li continued, "Look at it from another perspective. Zhen Chen will gain a lot of exposure. This match is broadcast live all over the world. At least people will know Zhen Chen exists after this."

"That is true. Gaining exposure is a good thing." Jianguo Chen replied without thinking. The tone of his voice revealed that he was inattentive.

Perhaps to Jianguo Chen, this was not just a simple tennis match. It had become a special event, a grand ceremony that overwhelmed him.

Dai Li did not pay attention to Jianguo Chen. The result of this game had already been determined. Zhen Chen was in no way an opponent to Basel. What Dai Li wanted, for now, was for Zhen Chen to perform slightly better. Even if he lost the game, he had to have his own flair.

Dai Li suddenly remembered something.

Right! The reward for being promoted! There was a title called 'Evenly Matched'. I have never used it before. This title can only be used during a sport that involves head-to-head competition. The track and field competition was not head-to-head, so I didn't have a chance to use it. Perhaps I can try to use this 'Even Matched' title to see its effect.

Once Dai Li thought of this, he looked at the two players on the court. He smiled. This was a competition between a king and cannon fodder. Their strengths were far apart, sot was the perfect time to test the effects of "Evenly Matched."

The next moment, Dai Li equipped the "Evenly Matched" title.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Basel thought of the day's match as more of a practice exercise.

Zhen Chen was so weak that Basel wasn't interested enough to take the competition seriously. In Basel's mind, Zhen Chen's serve was not strong enough, and the whirl of his return was also average. Even his ball placement left much to be desired. His sparring partners were better than this guy.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Basel's friends were all top 20 players. His sparring partners were all good enough to be seeded in the Open tournaments. They really were much better than Zhen Chen.

However, Basel pouted, as he was dissatisfied with the score. In the first set of the match, the two sides actually tied 6-6. They were now both competing for the advantage.

"It seems I've relaxed too much today. My concentration must not be as good as when I usually practice. I'm even stuck in a tie." Basel shook his head with a bitter smile.

Basel knew he shouldn't be tied with such a weak player. However, he was not worried. He was relaxed and not entirely focused on the game. Basel believed that as long as he concentrated, he could easily win the game.

Zhen Chen did not expect to tie Basel.

Zhen Chen did not really have a strategy for this match. He gave it his all for every ball. He knew that, his opponent being Basel, he would not be able to win no matter how hard he tried. It was better just to do his best and win a point. Unexpectedly, he was now tied in the first set.

If one ignored the players and only looked at the scores, it looked like a good battle. However, considering the talent gap between the two sides, the tie was probably because Basel had not yet gotten his head in the game.

pang* The ball flew towards the sideline and Basel did not attempt to return the ball.

"ACE!" The umpire did not hesitate. He saw very clearly that this was an ace.

After hearing this, Basel was annoyed. He should have received this serve, but he felt that the ball would go out of bounds, so he ignored it. This was representative Basel's mindset today. He was slacking

Basel looked at the score. Chen had the advantage, Basel had, unexpectedly, fallen behind by a point. More importantly, Zhen Chen got the game point, and it was going into the set point with the advantage!

Fortunately, the next serve was Basel's. He had control.

If I lose the next point, I will lose this set, Basel thought. In actuality, he was not the least bit nervous.

Basel swung his racket and served. He put his signature topspin on it.

The serve was beautiful. The angle, power, and rotation of the ball were all excellent.

Although Zhen Chen returned the ball, the quality of the return was poor. His technique had been deformed by the serve.

Basel chose to go directly towards the net. He smashed the ball vigorously, and the ball went towards the opposite side of Zhen Chen. He scored this point easily. Zhen Chen didn't have the strength to return the ball.

The score was now 6-6.

Then, Basel double faulted and the score became 7-6. It was Zhen Chen's turn to serve again.

"This game is not going anywhere." Dai Li could not help but sigh.

There was no response from Jianguo Cheng. He was already nervous, and he could not bring himself to speak.

Finally, Basel won the set with his superior skills. The overall score changed to 1-0.

"Although the first set took a while, Basel won without too much effort. However, I did not expect that the player who got in through the qualifiers could tie with Basel," the commentator said.

Another commentator immediately added on. "Yeah, I did not expect that. I guess maybe the opponent is so weak that Basel relaxed too much. He did not take it seriously."

Basel was indeed as relaxed as the two commentators said. He was currently very confident.

"Looking at the score alone, it seems that match was very difficult." Basel took a sip of water and leaned back in his chair. He shot a smile towards the opposite stand every once in a while. He did not feel the slightest ounce of pressure right now.

The second set of the match started very quickly. Basel still looked relaxed. He performed as if he did not care, and the game tied again.

Two ties in two consecutive games. If someone was unaware of the matchup, they would think that the two players were of comparable strength.

This time, it was Zhen Chen who won the match. Zhen Chen seemed to be possessed by Basel, serving two aces. Basel himself did not try his hardest, so he lost this match.

The total score became 1-1.

Although it had become it was tied, Basel appeared to still be indifferent. He did not think he would lose to this unknown athlete. Now, Basel was like a gambler with a million chips. Even if he lost a hundred and eighty chips, it was only a drop in the bucket. It wouldn't hurt at all.

Basel thought that, as long as he got just a little serious, he could easily beat Zhen Chen.

In the third set, Basel got serious. He did win this set, but it had once again been tied.

It was very rare to reach the ties in three consecutive games in the Grand Slam.

A match that was expected to be completed within half an hour had now been going on for an hour and a half. The match had only finished with the third set.

In the fourth game, the score became 5-5.

How can it be tied again? Basel looked at the score and became slightly anxious.

Tying three consecutive sets with a player that entered through the qualifiers, made Basel slightly off-balance.

However, became Basel even more dispirited. He easily scored on his serve but lost the two subsequent points. The two sides were tied for the fourth time.

I have played tennis for many years, and this is the first time where I've tied in four consecutive sets. The opponent isn't even supposed to be good. Basel looked at Zhen Chen on the other side of the rest area. He recalled the game in detail.

In the first two sets, I underestimated my opponent too much. Later, this guy gradually adapted to my style of play. I myself have made several mistakes and I have not been trying very hard. If I knew this was going to happen, I would've ended this match as soon as it started, Basel thought

…

"7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7…" Dai Li recited the scores of the four sets. This was the power of the "Evenly Matched" title.

In a Grand Slam tournament, Zhen Chen was undoubtedly one of the worst and Basel was deservedly the best. The two players were at completely different ends of the spectrum. There was not supposed to be any suspense. However, with the "Evenly Matched" title in effect, the result was even.

Oh my god, the effect of this title is too abnormal. It can make a match between a weak player and the world's tennis king difficult to resolve. It completely got rid of the gap in strength.

Dai Li could not help but compare this "Evenly Matched" to the rewards that he had received before.

In the beginning, I got the Explosive Aura. The effect was not too noticeable and, as the level of the athletes increased, it became less and less obvious. Later, the Weight Loss Exercises, Fat Loss Exercises, Relaxation Massage, and the Rehabilitation Massage could only be regarded as auxiliary effects. Although it helped athletes lose weight and recover, in the end, it could not directly affect the competitions.

The Morale-boosting Book and Warm Up Square Dance both directly affected the competition, but they could not directly improve the athlete's strength. They only allowed them to get into a relatively competitive mindset. As for Flexible Yoga and Physical Runaway, they were able to enhance an athlete's ability. They enhanced a certain aspect of the athlete, but this enhancement was not immediate and required long-term uninterrupted training.

The Athlete Album and Copy Card could only be regarded as items that enhanced my personal ability. They had no effect during training or during the competitions. The Athlete's Patch and Age-reducing Card are items that directly affect the athletes, and they can continue to be used for a long time. The effect of the items last for a long time, but the number of uses is limited.

The coaching Team Pyramid and the coaching Scepter of Authority, although not directly affecting the athletes, enhance my personal leadership. My first title, 'Iron Rope Boat,' enhances the cooperation between athletes. I can be used to achieve amazing results in certain competitions, the track and field relay race for example, but this title does not directly affect how fast the athletes run.

When compared, the State Scale can directly affect the state of the athletes, thus directly changing the outcome of the game. The Prophecy Request Box also changes the outcome of a match. As for today's 'Evenly Matched,' it is to ignore the gap in strength between athletes. It can make it so that a tennis king and a weak player can be locked in a close battle.

These three items were obtained recently. The rewards I obtained at the beginning only assist athletes in training. The ones I obtained a while can directly affect the athletes, and the ones I obtain now can directly affect a competition. It seems that as I improve, the rewards I receive get more and more powerful.

Dai Li suddenly felt scared. He had the ability to change the outcome of a competition, so it wasn't fair at all!

"A world-class coach should have the ability to change the outcome of a competition. That's is the mark of a great coach. If an athlete were bad and was still bad after coaching, then what is the use of the coach?" The system said this in Dai Li's head.

"But other coaches don't have the system's support. They rely on their own real skills. This is unfair," Dai Li immediately responded.

"Life is not fair. Everyone starts at a different point in life from birth, so unfairness already exists. This is fate. People cannot choose it. Starting life with an advantage is not a sin. It can be said that one is lucky. It is like how you met me, you were luckier than others, so you have an advantage."

The system paused for a while and then said, "A knife can do a lot of things. It can be used to cut vegetables and it can be used to chop firewood. It can also be used to hurt people. It all depends on the person using the knife. I am the knife and you are my wielder. How I am used depends on you in the end. It depends on what you want to achieve. Maybe sometimes, what you want is not a simple victory."

Not a simple victory? Dai Li blinked and saw Zhen Chen on the court.

Now, Zhen Chen had a strong, fighting spirit in his eyes. He was confident.

At this moment, Dai Li had a realization.

No matter what the outcome of this game, Zhen Chen has gained the heart of a confident man! Is this not the result I hoped to see?

Thinking this, Dai Li laughed.

Dai Li wanted to help Zhen Chen, but Zhen Chen's was not the best and he was not very strong. He had many places he needed to improve on. Zhen Chen, a weak player, could not have gone too far in the Grand Slam. Maybe, for this type of athlete, gaining confidence was a better reward than victory.

…

In the fifth set, the two sides were still neck in neck. Zhen Chen had several lucky points at crucial times, while Basel made many mistakes at critical times.

Zhen Chen also had excellent luck. He challenged two of the umpire's penalty to the Hawk-Eye system, always being right. Basel's two challenges to the Hawk-Eye failed.

In a blink of an eye, the fifth set reached a score of 6-6 again.

The audience was amazed. All five sets had been played in the match. The first four sets all reached ties, and the fifth set also managed to reach a 6-6. A match that was only expected to last half an hour had gone on for more than two and a half hours.

More importantly, according to the rules, the winner would have to be decided by an advanced set.

The men's singles of the four major tennis tournaments followed a system of having five-games and three-wins. In the first four games played, if they all get to 6-6, the winner was determined through a tie-breaker. If the fifth game reached a score of 6-6, the winner was determined by an advantage set.

Most tennis competitions were based on the short set system. In each set, the person who got to 6 points first is the winner. If there was a 5 to 5 draw, the person who gets 7 points first won.

In the four major tennis tournaments, when both sides reached the set that decides the final winner, they would have to play an advantage set. That is to say, in this set, if both sides scored 5 points, a player must beat the opponent by two points. Only then would the set be won. Therefore, in an advantage set, scores of 10-8 or 12-10 were not uncommon.

The longest final in history was an advantage set was at Wimbledon. The score was 70-68. That is to say, in the final match, the two players played a total of 138 points. The match was played for three full days. The length of the entire match was 11 hours and 5 minutes. Both players were obviously evenly matched.

In fact, any two players who reached the finals with an advantage set were evenly matched. The two conditions of victory of an advantage set were, firstly, the previous two sets had to have scores of 2-2. Secondly, the final set had to reach a score of 6-6. It was impossible for any two players who were not evenly matched to achieve these two conditions.

It was clear that Chen and Basel were not evenly matched. Before the game, no one would think that King Basel, when faced with an athlete who qualified through the qualifiers, would have to play an advantage set to win!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 556: Becoming Famous Overnight

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Perry was the third seed in the tournament. His first match was also that day. However, he did not receive the same treatment as the tennis king Basel and was not scheduled to play at the Centre Court.

Perry's opponent was also a player who got in through the qualifiers, so the talent gap between the two sides was too large. Perry beat his opponent in three sets, and easily advanced to the second round.

When the game ended, Perry walked out of the stadium. He heard a round of applause when he walked past the Central Court.

That is very enthusiastic applause. I don't know who is playing at the Central Court. Perry looked towards to the court and saw an enormous electronic display in front of the door. It showed the details of the ongoing game and the upcoming game.

Perry saw the name "Basel" straight away.

Basel? How is he still playing? Is his match not finished? When I got here, he was already playing. My match has finished, but he is still playing? How can it be dragging on for so long? What happened?"

Perry was puzzled. He decided to check out why Basel's game was going on for so long.

As the third seed of the tournament, Perry was naturally allowed admission into the court. He immediately saw Basel.

It's really Basel. His game is not over.

Perry then looked at the scoreboard.

An advanced set? That means that the previous two sets were tied? What is going on? This is only the first round. How can Basel be facing someone as good as him? Perry couldn't believe it

7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-7. Did they play four ties? What is going on? There is actually someone who is able to tie Basel four times?

Perry turned to the other side of the court, and then he saw Zhen Chen.

Who is this guy? Perry frowned. As the third seed in the tournament, Perry was ranked third in the world. He certainly wouldn't know such a low-ranked player.

…

Who is this guy? He actually reached an advanced set with Basel.

The board says that he is Zhen Chen. Other than his age, nationality and world ranking, there's not much to know about this guy.

He must be quite good if he was able to push Basel to this point.

Is he really ranked around 200? As far as I know, even the top 10 players in the world lose in three sets when playing Basel. Chen's performance today is much better than those that.

At that moment, everyone watching was paying attention to Zhen Chen.

A wind of change rippled through the audience.

At the beginning of the game, everyone cheered for Basel. After all, Basel was the tennis king and, therefore, deserved the most attention.

As for Zhen Chen, he only managed to get a bit of applause when he played well. The applause was more of a courtesy than an acknowledgment of his skill.

However, now that the game had reached this stage, the audience also started to change. They began to applaud and cheer for Zhen Chen. Although the audience still didn't know who Zhen Chen was, a supposedly weak player, was facing off against the Tennis King in an advanced set. Even the fussiest of audiences had to cheer for him.

The applause excited Zhen Chen. He never thought that he would be so enthusiastically cheered for at the U.S. Open at the Central Court. He could feel the audience giving him recognition. For such a weak player, it was already impressive to compete in the Grand Slam. Getting the recognition of the audience was just another blessing.

…

Maurez was the president of a well-known watch brand in Switzerland. He was also a hardcore fan of the tennis king Basel, so Basel became the spokesperson for the watch brand.

Maurez came to watch Basel's game that day. As a fan of Basel, he certainly hoped that Basel could win the U.S. Open. As the president of the company, he hoped that his company's spokesperson could win the Grand Slam.

Maurez did not pay much attention to this match. After all, it was only the first match. Victory was inevitable for Basel. He would be able to destroy the cannon fodder. There wasn't supposed to be any drama.

However, as a hardcore fan of Basel, Maurez still came to watch the match, even though it was predicted to only last half an hour. Maurez really hoped that Basel could play longer. After all, Basel was the spokesperson of their company; the longer the game, the more exposure the company got.

When Zhen Chen won a set, turning the total score to 1-1, Maurez was somewhat satisfied that his company got more time in the spotlight.

Now, however, Maurez felt anxious.

How can this be? This opponent was supposed to be weak. An advantage set?

Maurez looked at the 5-5 score and his anxiety increased. Basel needed to win two points in a row in order to win.

There's no way Basel would lose, right? This thought popped into his head and he broke out in a cold sweat.

If Basel was eliminated in the first round, then the huge amount of endorsement fees they had invested in Basel would be lost.

Where exactly did this guy come from? Maurez looked at Zhen Chen with anxiety and bitterness.

Basel, you must not lose. Our company has given you a lot in endorsement fees. If you can't make it through the first round, I won't be able to explain it to the board. Maurez prayed silently.

Maurez was not the only sponsor who was present. As a tennis king, Basel had dozens of advertising endorsements. Half of his endorsements were from well-known multinational brands. Those sponsors were not feeling confident. If Basel lost in the first round, it would be terrible news.

…

Basel looked indignant. The score in the fifth set was 6-6. As it was an advantage set, he had to win at least two more points to achieve final victory.

Basel never thought this match would be so hard. He couldn't understand how he wasn't dominating his opponent. He had started taking it seriously, but the score was still neck-to-neck.

Basel looked at Zhen Chen and he thought about the look Zhen Chen gave him before the match began. He was clearly his idol. He then looked at the score. Basel knew that he was a respectable opponent and an opponent worthy of facing head-on.

I want to beat him! A new conviction emerged in Basel. He felt the desire for victory.

Basel had never had such a strong desire in the first round of any the four Grand Slams. Of course, he had never been forced to this point in the first round before.

…

Basel was the tennis king. 80% to 90% of his games were broadcast live all over the world. After all, in tennis, Basel meant good ratings.

The sports channel of the Chinese Central Television chose to broadcast Basel's match as the first match of the U.S. Open. Basel's opponent was also a Chinese player. It didn't matter that it would just be for one round, it was still worth broadcasting the game live.

Zhen Chen's performance had already attracted the attention of many Chinese at this point.

Zhen Chen was one of the top players in Chinese tennis. However, men's tennis was not very popular there. There were not many excellent male tennis players in the country. Even tennis fans did not know Zhen Chen. They would be able to name the top ten players in the world, but they would not know Zhen Chen's name.

In this match, Zhen Chen and Basel were playing an advantage set. Now, Chinese audiences were learning a lot about this rookie.

…

8-6! The game is over! In the end, Basel still won! Dai Li took a deep breath. Although the game reached an advantage set, Basel achieved the final victory.

The effect of 'Evenly Matched' was still not enough for Zhen Chen to win. Perhaps the talent gap was too big. Even if it was a close match, Zhen Chen wasn't able to win against Basel.

Dai Li turned to look at Jianguo Chen. Jianguo Chen was not frustrated at all. On the contrary, his face was full of pride.

Playing as well as Zhen Chen had against Basel was something to be proud of.

On the court, Basel did not celebrate but instead went directly over to Zhen Chen. He extended his hand to Zhen Chen. He did this to show his respect.

Zhen Chen looked flattered. He did not expect his idol, Basel, to take the initiative in shaking hands.

"Zhen Chen, you played well. I almost lost to you…" Basel said with a smile.

"Basel, can I have your autograph?" Zhen Chen asked timidly.

Basel was no stranger to having an opponent who wanted his autograph. Four Grand Slam titles a year and a few dozen World Tour Masters, Basel always encounter opponents who wanted his autograph in the first few rounds. Basel was usually not stingy and he normally agreed to the other party's request. He would sign the ball or the other's racket. After tennis matches, players would often sign the tennis ball and then throw it to the audience.

This time, Basel signed his name directly on his racket and handed it to Zhen Chen.

"I'll give my racket to you. I hope I will get another chance to play against you." Basel's action showed that he had a lot of respect for Zhen Chen.

…

The moment was captured on camera. It was also observed by Dai Li.

No matter the result of this match, Zhen Chen will become famous overnight! No one will ever think of him as weak ever again.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 557: Laureus World Sports Awards

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"I just signed a three-year contract with a sponsor. For the next three years, I don't have to worry about the money for Zhen Chen's training or the cost of going abroad for competitions," Jianguo Chen said through the phone.

Dai Li looked at his watch. Although the sun was already high in the sky in Los Angeles, it was still dawn in China. Of course, Jianguo was excited despite the early hour.

As Dai Li said, although Zhen Chen lost the game, he became famous overnight. In the first round of the U.S. Open, Basel had to go through an advantage set to win. His opponent would naturally attract people's attention. Everyone wanted to know what kind of opponent could give Basel such trouble.

Zhen Chen had also won the favor of many sponsors. After he returned to China, several companies took the initiative to offer advertising endorsement contracts. The most sincere of these was a car company. They gave him a five million dollar, three-year contract for endorsing their products. For the car company, five million dollars was chump change. They could earn that amount back easily. For Zhen Chen, it helped solve an urgent need.

Professional tennis players usually have to spend a lot of money. Professional tennis was a relatively expensive sport. For unassociated players, they had to bear the cost of equipment, training venues, coaches, and travel by themselves. According to some calculations, this could cost at least $40,000 a year. There were relatively fewer tennis tournaments in Asia as well, so Asian players needed to spend a little more.

According to the statistics published by the International Tennis Federation, nearly half of the professional players who were registered with the International Tennis Federation won less than a penny per year. 96% of the tennis players who participated in official competitions were not able to earn a single penny in a year.

According to another statistic, the prize money for male players could only sustain those who were ranked 336 and above, while the female players had to be ranked 253 and above. For those who were ranked lower, the prize money was not enough for them to keep joining competitions. They had to go into debt to play in tournaments.

Looking at this data alone, the world ranking of 350 for men was equivalent to the "poverty line" for athletes. Of course, this data did not take into account endorsements. For athletes who collected sponsorship fees, it was easy to fly around the world and compete.

Zhen Chen was barely in the top 200. Before that, his world ranking was in the three or four hundred. This meant that he was living close to the "poverty line." If his results were a little bit worse, it meant that it would be necessary to go into debt to participate in competitions. For Zhen Chen, the five million dollar, three-year advertising contract was a well-timed miracle. He wouldn't have to worry about the cost of going abroad, and he still had enough money to hire a high-level foreign tennis coach.

Dai Li smiled after ending the call with Jianguo Chen.

Men's tennis in China was quite weak. The living conditions for players there were also very insecure. Those whose family had a good economic background were able to manage, but the average worker was not able to afford the upkeep of a professional player. Zhen Chen was an example of this. He was not the most talented, but he could be considered a top-notch tennis talent in China. This improved his chances of participating in competitions and improving his training environment. It was also good for the development of tennis in China.

Dai Li switched on his computer and took a look at the progress of the U.S. Open. At this time, the tournament had entered the final stages. Although the tennis king Basel had a somewhat bumpy start in the first round, he went straight to the finals. Victory was just around the corner.

As Dai Li was browsing the latest sports news, his phone rang. It was a call from the front desk receptionist.

"Boss, I just received an invitation from the Laureus World Sports Association. They are inviting you to the Laureus Sports Awards ceremony," the receptionist said.

"Understood. Send the invitation to my office," Dai Li said.

Seeing this letter made Dai Li aware that he was on the list of candidates for the Laureus Sports Award.

The Laureus Award was the most influential award in the world of sports. It was also the only global award ceremony for sports. The awards at the Laureus Awards were given at the beginning of each year, and the awards were presented to individuals and groups that had made contributions to the world of sports in the past year.

About 2,000 senior sports journalists from more than 70 countries and regions nominated six individuals or groups for each award. Then, 52 officers from the Laureus Sports Association voted in a secret ballot to determine the winners.

If the Olympics or the World Cup were held the preceding year, the Laureus Awards were inclined to include these two major sports events during the selection. For example, when the World Cup was held in the preceding year, the Best Team Award went to the World Cup champions. For example, the 2007 Best Team Award was awarded to the Italian men's soccer team. The 2011 Best Team Award was awarded to the Spanish men's soccer team. In 2015, the German men's soccer team won this award.

This year's awards coincided with the Olympics, so the Laureus Awards would be more inclined to include those athletes and groups that won in Rio. The American track and field team won 27 gold medals in the Olympic Games, so they were the favorites to win the Best Team Award in the Laureus Awards.

The Laureus Awards this year had added several new awards, such as the Sports Model Award, the Sports Charity Award, and the Best Coach of the Year award. Dai Li had a chance to win the Laureus' first Coach of the Year award.

Dai Li called the American Track and Field Association and asked the American Track and Field Association to inquire about the other five candidates. Soon after, he received detailed information on the other five candidates.

Fernando, the head coach of the Portuguese men's soccer team. Portugal won the European Cup this year, so he also received the candidacy of best coach. Although the Portuguese team was strong, Europe is full of strong teams. Winning the European Cup was not an easy feat.

Steve, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were the NBA champions last season. If it were just an NBA championship, it might not be enough to receive the nomination for Best Head Coach for the Laureus', but the Warriors made NBA history last season. They had a terrifying 73 wins in a single season.

Helheim, the world-class leader of the Formula One World Championship Ferrari team. After the car king Helheim's rehabilitation, he seems to have adapted well to his new job. The Ferrari team regained their team champion and champion driver titles in this last season. It seems that I have another chance to see Helheim again at the Laureus Awards ceremony.

Henry, the head coach of the Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox has always been a strong American professional baseball team, and they also won the MLB World Series last season. Coach Henry has coached the Boston Red Sox for more than a decade. The curse of the Bambino was broken by him. In baseball, he is definitely a legendary coach. Perhaps this is why he got a nominated as a candidate.

Muhammad, the head coach of the Afghan cricket team. In the past two cricket World Cups, the Afghan team has won a semi-final and been a runner-up. It wasn't easy for a country like Afghanistan, which is still subject to car bomb attacks from time to time, to do so.

Looking at the list of the other five candidates, Dai Li felt that he was in a better position.

The performance of the U.S. track and field team at the Olympics was Dai Li's best bargaining chip.

This year's U.S. track and field team was affected by the doping scandal. Before the Olympics, everyone thought they would do poorly. Everyone described the team as the weakest track and field team in history. However, Dai Li took this weak team and counterattacked to achieve the best results in the history of the Olympic Games and, in doing so, created a miracle.

For the other five candidates, the Portuguese men's football team was one of the best in Europe and the Golden State Warriors were also the strongest team in the NBA. Ferrari was the king of F1 and the Boston Red Sox had always been at the top of the MLB standings. These four teams were dominant, so their wins were not miraculous. Based on this, they were not as good as Dai Li.

The Golden State Warriors and the Boston Red Sox were also American professional teams. There were already at a disadvantage competing against a national team. If they had actually won the competition against a national team and they took an award away from a national team, it would make them public enemy number one.

As for the Afghan cricket team, they were indeed very inspirational. Their achievements were also a model of a weak team's counterattack, but Dai Li was the head coach of the U.S. track and field team. He was representing the United States. How could Afghanistan fight with America for the award?

F1's Helheim: For him to get the Best Coach Award was somewhat far-fetched. Although Helheim was a team leader and race engineer, the functions of his role were different from the other sports coaches.

Formula One was a team sport. If you wanted to get good results, it was not enough to have a good driver, you also needed a fast enough car. At the same time, the strategy of the game and the speed of the tire change directly affected the final result. The effects were enormous. So the tasks of the mechanical engineers and strategic engineers were equally important. The strength of the racer needed to be reflected in the car, but it also depended on the entire team behind him. This was not like basketball or football where if you gave the player a ball, he would be able to show the world amazing skills.

…

In February, Dai Li went back to China for the New Year. Before he had a chance to celebrate the Lantern Festival, he had to fly back to London, England hurriedly. The new Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony was being held here.

The first-class cabin of the aircraft provided a variety of the latest magazines and newspapers, some of which were about sports. Dai Li picked up several newspapers and looked at them.

"The head coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve, misses the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony because of the NBA All-Star Game."

"Boston Red Sox coach Henry misses the Laureus World Sports Awards for a preseason game."

If you people don't come, it is going to be difficult to present theme the awards. From the look of things, Steve and Henry are intending to give up on this award.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 558: The Beauty of the Tennis World

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

For the first time in many years, Dai Li saw Herheim. They were at a famous hotel in London.

"Ready for your speech?" Helheim asked with a smile.

"Whether I actually win remains to be seen." Dai Li shook his head.

"I think you're absolutely going to win Best Coach. Steve and Henry didn't come to London, which basically means they gave up." Helheim paused before saying, "As for me, I don't think I am going to win. I cannot even be regarded as a coach in the strictest sense of the word. When I was a driver, I won the Laureus Best Male Athlete Award two years in a row. They won't give me Best Coach on top of that."

"I remember seeing the Laureus trophy when I visited your home," Dai Li said casually.

"I came to London because I was bored and wanted to find something to do. I also wanted to see some old friends." Helheim put down the knife and fork in his hand and said, "As you know, ever since I recovered my family no longer allows me to go skiing. Winter without skiing is really boring."

Dai Li smiled understandingly. When Helheim injured his head skiing, he had almost entered a vegetative state. Therefore, ever since Helheim recovered, he was not allowed to ski.

Dai Li continued, "Don't forget that there is also Muhammad. The Afghan cricket team is indeed very inspirational. They were able to achieve incredible things even though being surrounded by death and destruction."

"It is still only cricket." Helheim shook his head. "Cricket is a British sport, so it is only played in Britain and ex-British colonies. It can't really be counted as a global sport. Track and field is different. The influence of track and field has a much wider scope. This is the first Best Coach Award, so Laureus judges must choose a coach of a globally influential sport to win. Track and field and football are the most reasonable. As for the cricket team in Afghanistan, I think the committee may give them the Sportsmanship Award. "

"Track and field and football. So my biggest competitor is the coach of the Portuguese football team, Fernando?" Dai Li asked.

Helheim nodded, "Yes, this is the first time in history that Portugal won the European Cup. It is indeed a remarkable achievement. There are many people applauding Coach Fernando in Europe. Still, I think that you have a better case than him. Although football is the world's sport, the European Cup is only a European event. The Olympic Games is a worldwide sporting event. A continental sports event and an international sports event can't be compared. If I were a judge, I would definitely vote for you."

…

The Laureus Sports Awards were the world's most prestigious sports awards. Not only did the Mayor of London personally attend, but the British Prince and the British Prime Minister attended the award ceremony as well.

"The Best Coach Award goes to…" The host deliberately stretched out this last word. He looked at the small card in his hand and then said, "Dai Li!"

The cameras immediately pointed at Dai Li. Dai Li smiled and stood up. He went on stage and took the trophy from the hands of the guest presenter. He then made a speech.

This result was not unexpected. As Helheim had said, Dai Li had had a stronger case for winning the award. Cricket was far less important on a global-scale than track and field. Although being the European Cup champion was incredible for Portugal, it was not an international event, so it was outweighed by the Olympics.

After the awards ceremony, the organizers held a reception and the winners and guests gathered together. This was a traditional Western way of socializing.

During this period, people kept coming up and congratulating Dai Li. Although Dai Li didn't usually socialize in this way, he gradually adapted.

"Coach Li, congratulations!" A voice rang from behind Dai Li. It was another person who had come over to congratulate Dai Li.

Dai Li politely picked up his wine-glass and turned around. The young man he saw looked vaguely familiar.

Dai Li thought for a second and immediately remembered the identity of the other party.

"Thank you, Mr. Brown," Dai Li responded with a smile.

This man was the British athlete Tell Brown, the world champion and the king of triathlons. He was the brother of Hansen Brown, who was currently training at Dai Li's training center. Hansen's goal was to defeat his brother Tell.

Dai Li and Tell Brown had not met before, so they had never spoken to each other. It was because Tell Brown was a well-known athlete that Dai Li was able to recognize him. Hansen Brown training at Dai Li's center also made Li more conscious of what his brother looked like.

The two brothers look quite alike. Dai Li subconsciously launched a detection on Tell Brown and it was as he had predicted. Tell had an S talent level of 966. Sure enough, this was the level needed for someone to absolutely dominate a sport.

At this moment, Dai Li felt some sympathy for Hansen Brown who was training at his center. Hansen very much hoped to surpass his brother and he was training very hard. Now, it seemed that there wasn't much possibility of doing so.

Hansen was only an A talent and his brother was an S talent. Moreover, Tell's ability value also indicated that he was now in his prime. Having an ability value of 966 indicated that the effects of Tell's usual training were also excellent. Even if Hansen trained at Dai Li's center, it was impossible for him to surpass his brother.

With this kind of gap, the only way for Hansen to beat his brother was for him to race excellently and his brother to make a lot of mistakes. As long as Tell used is full potential, even if Hansen played extremely well, Hansen would not be able to win the game.

Tell Brown asked, "Coach Li, my brother Hansen is training at your fitness training center. Is he doing okay?"

"Hansen is doing very well. He has improved," Dai Li said diplomatically. He did not want to disclose too much information.

Tell seemed to hesitate for a second before asking, "Coach Li, did Hansen mention anything about me?"

"I'm not sure. What do you mean?" Dai Li answered.

"Does he talk about how he wants to beat me?" Tell replied.

Dai Li thought about it and nodded, "Yes, he did mention it."

"That's what I thought. I knew when he no longer wanted to train with me it meant that he wanted to beat me." Tell shook his head helplessly, but a bitter smile spread across his face.

"Mr. Brown, it seems that you know your brother very well," Dai Li said.

"I've always known that he wanted to beat me. He always wants to outdo me. Hansen was always eager to excel, even as a child. Back then, he wanted more praise from our parents. After becoming an athlete, he always wanted to do better in training than me. In competitions, he also wanted to beat me." Tell seemed to be talking to himself but, at the same time, also talking to Dai Li

"It is true that Hansen is working hard. But to be honest, after seeing you, I think that Hansen may not be able to beat you in a race. Hansen is very talented at running triathlons, but you are even more talented," Dai Li said.

When he heard of Dai Li's evaluation, surprise flashed through Tell's eyes.

"Actually, I am also very competitive. I like to get first place. I just don't want to beat my brother to get it. I don't want to compete with him. It will make our relationship awkward," Tell said.

"I have trained many world champions, and they are all eager to excel," Dai Li replied with a smile. He then lowered his voice and then said, "Mr. Brown, I have a question. Have you thought about letting your brother win once?"

"I have certainly thought about it, but I can't do that." Tell shook his head.

"In the spirit of fair play or because you want to keep all the glory?" Dai Li asked in a whisper.

"Neither," said Tell. "I don't want to hurt Hansen's pride. He is a very prideful person. If he knew that I deliberately let him win, he would blame me. He may think that I was treating him like a charity case. The relationship between us brothers would get even worse. So Coach Li, I really hope that you can help Hansen achieve a breakthrough and beat me. Our relationship would definitely get easier. At least he would not go to the United States to avoid me."

Dai Li nodded. He could feel that the Brown Brothers had a relationship that was competitive, affectionate, and some other things that couldn't be said. It was far more complicated than what was on the surface.

…

Tell Brown had just left with a wine glass. A brown-haired girl strolled over leisurely. She was about 1.8 meters tall and she wore a diamond-encrusted black evening gown. The upper part of the dress had straps and revealed her cleavage, the lower part of the dress had a split that revealed a pair of long legs. It was an attractive look.

It's Helen Pepe. Dai Li immediately recognized this person.

Helen Pepe was an Italian tennis player. She had the nickname "Tennis Elf." It was easy to guess from this nickname that she was beautiful. In fact, Helen Pepe was regarded as the "the beauty of the tennis world." She had a body with perfect proportions, and she was also the darling of the catwalk runway. Many fashion weeks invited her to walk The appearance fees they gave her was more what they gave supermodels.

In tennis, Helen Pepe was one of the best in the world. So far, she had won three Grand Slam titles and dozens of other world championships.

Helen Pepe was the kind of person who could obviously rely on her looks to make a living but instead chose to rely on her own strength.

After Helen Pepe expressed her congratulations to Dai Li, she asked, "Coach Li, I heard that you were very proficient in rehabilitation training?"

"Miss Pepe, how did you know?" Dai Li asked with a slight surprise.

Those who had come to congratulate Dai Li before all talked about his physical training centers. Everyone knew that Dai Li had a large-scale physical training center in the United States. It was like a golden hen in that it brought in a considerable income to Dai Li every year. The radiance of the training center masked Dai Li's personal ability, so few people mention Dai Li's coaching ability. None of them talked about his rehabilitation ability.

"It was the car king who told me," Pepe glanced in the direction of Helheim.

"Helheim," Dai Li smiled helplessly. He then nodded, "It is true. I am really good at rehabilitation training. When I first started my business, a large part of it was paid for with Helheim's treatment fees."

"A few days ago, at the Australian Open, I had to withdraw due to an injury. The injury has recently gotten better, but my body has not returned to its previous level. I would like to ask the great Coach Li to help with my rehabilitation training. Coach Li, when I go to find you, you have to give me a discount!" Pepe said as she gave him a wink.

Pepe's wink suddenly left Dai Li slightly unsettled.

Beauty was indeed a very useful weapon. In the face of this "Tennis Elf's" request, no man could refuse. Dai Li was as straight as one could be, so Dai Li nodded immediately.

"No problem, it would be my pleasure to be able to receive such a beautiful customer as Miss Pepe. I can give you a 50% discount. That is already the net cost."

After Dai Li finished, he detected Pepe's situation and went on to say, "The calf muscle strain in your calf is not serious. I estimate that one month of rehabilitation, plus a half-month rest will completely heal it. However, the hip injury is somewhat complicated. The long-term strain causes the inflammation to act up frequently. If you want to cure it completely, it will take at least half a year of rehabilitation training. This might affect your participation in Wimbledon."

After listening to Dai Li, Pepe's face looked panicked.

"How did you know about the hip injury?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 559: Brothers (Part One)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was not uncommon for professional athletes to conceal their injuries. This not only protected the athletes but also prevented their opponents from deliberately targeting their injured areas during competition. At the same time, it avoided having their injuries result in taking economic losses. It was possible to lose endorsements if you were injured.

In professional basketball or professional soccer, for example, many clubs keep the player's medical report confidential. This is to protect both the athlete and the team.

Helen Pepe concealed her own hip injury. Even when she withdrew from the Australian Open recently, she announced that it was because of a strain on her calf muscle.

There was relatively more flesh around the human hip, whether it was muscle or fat, so it could be used as a buffer or as a kind of protection. When a person fell on their butt, they would not be seriously injured. If some of the less padded parts of the body, such as the knee, smashed on the ground, if it were a light fall, it could result in either insignificant scratches or major fractures.

There was more flesh around the buttocks, so it offered more protection. It wasn't an area that could easily be injured.

Many injuries in the athlete's buttocks area were caused by strain. If the muscles did not get enough rest after long periods of high-intensity training and competition, they could easily be injured. It was hard to recover from injuries that were caused by strain. Because they were caused over a long a period of time, they took a long period of time to fix. That kind of inflammatory muscle damage could recur even if it was healed. There was always a possibility of recurrence. These strains were likely to follow the athletes for their entire lives.

It was precisely because it was very hard to cure this kind of hip strain that Helen Pepe chose to keep it hidden. It wasn't something that could be cured in a short amount of time.

However, Dai Li mentioned Helen Pepe's hip injury, so she was naturally surprised.

Only Helen Pepe, her coach, and her doctor knew about her hip injury. She didn't even tell her parents. There couldn't be a fourth person in the world that would know about this.

How did he know? Pepe looked at Dai Li with shock, and she couldn't help but ask the question, "How did you know about the hip injury?"

After seeing Pepe's expression, Dai Li realized that he may have said too much again.

Dai Li carefully recalled the recent tennis news. He remembered that the news only mentioned that Helen Pepe's calf muscle was strained when she withdrew from the Australian Open. There was no mention of her hip injury. Dai Li quickly understood the situation.

She has been concealing her own hip injury! Dai Li pretended to be very thoughtful and then said, "Miss Pepe, you just said that I am very good at rehabilitation training. If I couldn't even tell where athletes were injured, then how could I conduct rehabilitate them? You would agree, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, really?" Helen Pepe obviously didn't quite believe what Dai Li said. She looked at Dai Li with a sense of uncertainty.

To resolve the awkwardness, Dai Li tried to relieve Pepe's concerns and said, "Miss Pepe, please rest assured that I will keep your injury a secret. I am a coach, and I would naturally abide by the coach's ethics."

"Thank you very much," Pepe lifted up her wine glass, made a toast, and took a small sip. She then smiled and said goodbye.

Dai Li could feel that the "beauty of the tennis world" had become cautious of him.

After all, Dai Li knew her secret. She would probably not become one of Dai Li's client.

…

Winter had passed and spring had arrived. The weather finally warmed up. The triathlons started up in the northern hemisphere.

The triathlon included 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 km of long-distance running. The 40 km of cycling and 10 km of long-distance running weren't problems during winter. However, the 1.5 km of swimming were in public waters. Carrying out this event in the winter was impossible. Even if the water was not frozen, the cold waters still brought about life-threatening risks.

The summer was hot, so there was no problem with swimming. In spring and autumn, although the water temperature in the open waters was not high, the triathlon athletes wore special swimsuits that kept them warm. It was able to keep the athletes in a healthy state.

Hansen Brown was training in Los Angeles. He participated in several triathlon events held in the United States and successfully won several championships.

At Hansen Brown's level, as long as his brother Tell didn't participate in the same race, no one else had a chance.

"Coach Li, I think my strength has improved a lot," Hansen said, his eyes full of confidence.

Dai Li nodded. He was very confident about his training. Hansen Brown had indeed made progress at Dai Li's center. However, Dai Li also knew that Hansen was still not as good as his brother Tell.

However, Hansen Brown did not share the same opinion. He said, "I feel that I am already comparable to my brother. I just have to work harder and I will be able to surpass him."

Dai Li nodded again. He didn't tell Hansen the truth. He didn't want to damage this young man's self-confidence.

Hansen went on to say, "Coach Li, there are three months left until the Kona Triathlon World Championship. I plan to use this time to train intensively, so please design me a new training program. I hope to increase the intensity of my training."

"Okay. I will clear my schedule this afternoon and focus on creating your training plan," Dai Li promised him. As a coach, if an athlete wanted to train harder, he should encourage it as much as possible.

However, he thought of the time he met Tell at the Laureus Awards ceremony. Dai Li asked, "Hansen, I know that you really want to beat your brother, but have you ever thought that maybe your brother may not care about this competition? To put it differently, he doesn't care about which of you wins first place."

Hansen Brown was slightly taken aback. He then shook his head, "I don't know."

"When you were in the U.K., you guys trained together all day. Didn't you guys communicate frequently?" Dai Li asked.

"In the past, we were able to talk about anything. When we were young, we talked about cartoons. When we grew up, we started talking about beautiful women. After becoming athletes, we started talking about the competition and becoming champions." Hansen let out a long sigh and said, "Recently, we haven't talked as much. After we won multiple titles, it felt like we had even fewer things to talk about."

"Is it because of the competitive relationship between you two?" Dai Li asked.

"That's probably it! I'm not very sure," Hansen shook his head. "In any case, our relationship has grown cold."

"I am able to understand that." Dai Li looked at Hansen but, for a while, he didn't know what to say.

Dai Li was the only son in his family. Unlike Hansen, who had a brother who grew up with him, he had no brothers or sisters.

However, Dai Li could understand Hansen's feelings. His own brother had become his biggest competitor. That kind of contradiction between family and career was like a shackle. It must be a big a burden.

…

The Kona Triathlon World Championship was a colossal event. It was held in the small town of Kona, Hawaii and about two thousand people participated each year. Of course, the two thousand contestants were divided into different groups. Most of them were not professional triathletes and there were even many film and television stars who were just there to be there. After all, it was a common practice to have celebrities kick-start an event.

For professional athletes, the number of spots to compete was limited. Those who participated in professional competitions were top players from all over the world. Many players who had the ability to compete in the Olympic Games might not be able to participate in the Kona's Triathlon World Championship.

The Kona Triathlon World Championship was currently the longest triathlon.

The triathlon of the Olympic Games included 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 km of long-distance running. The Kona Triathlon World Championship had 3.8 km of open water swimming, 189 km of road cycling, and a 42.159 km full standard marathon.

In terms of intensity, the Kona Triathlon World Championship was more than four times more intense than the Olympic Triathlon. Even the world's top triathletes would have to take more than eight hours to complete the event. A slightly worse triathlete would have to take more than ten hours to complete the full race.

If one could successfully complete this kind of high-intensity competition, they would definitely be worthy of the title of "Iron Man."

The Brown brothers were still the favorites to win this year's Kona Triathlon World Championship. In fact, in the past two championships, the elder brother Tell Brown was the champion and his brother Hansen Brown was the runner-up.

At the starting line, a lot of athletes were gathered together in a tightly packed area. The Brown brothers stood side by side. The lenses of the cameras were constantly on the brothers who reigned over triathlons.

However, the two brothers did not communicate. They didn't even look at each other. The two were just quietly and seriously looking at the waters ahead.

The starting pistol was shot, and the competitors rushed into the water.

3.8 km of open water swimming. The amount of physical energy needed was equivalent to the amount needed to swim in a pool for five thousand meters. This long-distance, physically intensive activity quickly divided the contestants into different groups.

As the powerhouses of the triathlon, the Brown Brothers were, naturally, in the group that was leading. Soon, the two brothers started to leave behind other contestants.

For sports such as long-distance running and long-distance cycling, there were tactics that helped athletes save energy. For example, in long-distance running, there was the tactic of alternate leading. Another example is in the Tour de France. A team would have a clear division of labor. Some people were responsible for carrying drinks and supplies. Those that wore the green jersey were responsible for sprint points. Those that wore the polka dot jersey would compete for the climbing points. Each of the core cyclists of the teams was responsible for the overall rankings. They strived to be able to wear the yellow jersey that symbolized the highest total score.

However, such situations did not exist in the Triathlon World Championship. For competitions that were more than eight hours, there would inevitably be a limit to an athlete's physical strength. In such a case, no tactics would be of any use. Engaging in any kind of tactical cooperation was meaningless.

Therefore, other players were not worried that the Brown Brothers would cooperate to gain an advantage.

…

Hansen Brown was the first to complete the 3.8-kilometer swim. He went up on shore. He took off his swimming suit as he ran. He came to the area where the bicycles were parked. He quickly put on his helmet and put on his shoes as he was pushing his bicycle forward. He then started his journey on the 189-kilometer road cycling section.

Tell Brown was close behind him. He was only twenty seconds slower than Hansen. In triathlons, this was not considered much of a gap. Being slightly slower when putting on a helmet or shoe would be enough to create a gap of twenty to thirty seconds.

Having only a gap of about twenty seconds after swimming a distance of 3.8 kilometers highlighted how close the brothers were in terms of strength.

However, Tell Brown knew that his brother had improved.

Hansen has improved a lot. Compared to previous races, I now need to spend more physical energy just to follow him. It seems that his training in the United States is really good. Coach Li deserved the Best Coach Award that he received, Tell Brown thought.

Tell Brown felt at that moment that Hansen was already as strong as him. This time, he had to use all his strength without any reservations to compete with his younger brother.

Road cycling was the event that Hansen was best at. His riding skills were better than Tell's and the gap between Tell and him was gradually getting bigger.

The sea breeze blowing in the air had a sweet smell. Hansen liked this smell, it was the unique atmosphere of Hawaii. It was a mix of the smell of pineapples, bananas, sugar canes and the smell of seawater that came from the water evaporated by the sunshine.

He lifted up his head and enjoyed the sea breeze on his face. He even enjoyed the burning sensation of the sun shining on his face. There was another kind of comfort to this burning sensation when the humid sea breeze passed by.

He turned around a big bend and glanced back. His brother Tell Brown had disappeared from his sight.

I finally left him behind! Hansen's heart filled with excitement.

Maybe I can really beat him this time! The thought popped into Hansen's head.

This was not the first time Hansen had this thought. However, every time he became hopeful, he was disappointed.

No. Now is not the time to relax. This is only the second section. There is still a long-distance marathon! I have to keep the lead until the end.

Hansen regained his serious expression. He was no longer enjoying the sea breeze. He was entirely focused on moving forward.

…

Tell turned a corner and looked in front of him. Even at the end of the horizon, he still couldn't see his brother Hansen.

He left me behind by more than two kilometers! Tell frowned slightly. He was somewhat dissatisfied with this result.

How far the human eye could see was relative to the target of the eyes. For example, looking up at the starry sky, one could see the artificial satellites one thousand kilometers away. If one looks at the high-rise buildings, they could see them from eight thousand to ten thousand meters away. If one were looking at a landed house, the range would be five to seven kilometers. To see a person's eyes, nose, and fingers, one would have to be within 60 meters.

If the target was a person, the human eyes had a limit of about 2,000 meters, so two kilometers. If Tell couldn't see Hansen at this time, it meant that Hansen was at least two kilometers away from him.

"I need to be faster. At the very least, Hansen shouldn't be out of my sight."

…

Hansen was the first to complete the 189-kilometer road cycling.

He placed the bicycle in his spot, then put on his running shoes. He couldn't help but look in the direction he had come from while he was doing so.

He didn't see any trace of Tell.

Tell has not caught up yet. It seems that I have a decent advantage. Maybe I can really win! Hansen finally felt that the goddess of victory was beckoning to him.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter

Chapter 560: Brothers (Part Two)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the Kona Triathlon World Championship, the last event was a long-distance run. The athletes needed to complete a 42km marathon-length race. This was after completing 3.8 km of open water swimming and 189 km of road cycling.

Even professional athletes with excellent physical fitness would be exhausted after completing the first two events. However, the world's top triathletes were still able to run after 3.8 km of open water swimming and 189 km of road cycling.

Hansen Brown ran while eating an energy bar. He then took out an energy drink from a supply bag and put it in his mouth. He drank half of it and used the other half to rinse his mouth. He then spat it out.

Athletes did not want to feel bloated during competitions so they did not drink a lot of water. Half of the energy drink was enough to replenish the body's water and electrolytes. Rinsing and spitting out the other half of the energy drink was to relieve the temperature of the mouth and relieve its fatigue. Cyclists, track and field athletes, and soccer players would often gargle with carbohydrate solutions during a game instead of drinking them.

Hansen was still in the lead. No one caught up from behind. He was like a lonely wolf king, running alone in the grasslands.

Hansen enjoyed the feeling of being better than everyone else. He started to expect victory more and more.

But Hansen was gradually getting slower. He was getting closer and closer to the finish line but he was getting slower and slower.

…

Tell Brown was swinging his arms mechanically and running forwards.

The 3.8-kilometer open water swimming and the 198-kilometer road cycling had already used up much of his physical strength. He was now recovering while he ran. He would then use up the strength that he had recovered.

His rhythm had not changed and his speed had not changed. He was like a robot on an assembly line, relentlessly repeating the same motions.

It was not easy to do this at this stage of the race. Only Tell Brown, the ruler of the triathlon, was able to maintain his pace when faced with such exhaustion.

Finally, Tell saw a moving black spot on the horizon ahead.

It's Hansen! Although he was far away, Tell was still able to recognize his younger brother.

I see Hansen. That means he is only two kilometers ahead of me! At this speed, I should be able to catch up with him! Tell thought.

If this were the Olympics, the last long-distance run would only be ten kilometers and Tell would not be able to catch up at this point. However, the athletes had to run a 42-kilometer marathon. A gap of two thousand meters within the context of 42 kilometers was only a short distance. Tell would be able to catch up to Hansen before long.

However, Tell did not change his running rhythm. He did not choose to risk speeding up in pursuit because he knew that he was going faster than his younger brother Hansen. As long as he kept his current rhythm, he could catch up to and even surpass Hansen.

…

Hansen had seen Tell behind him. Although Tell was still a far from him, Hansen could feel that Tell was gaining on him with every step.

He caught up! Hansen felt anxious. He wanted to speed up. He wanted to be faster, but his legs didn't listen to him at all.

Hansen had already depleted his strength. It was difficult for him to maintain his current speed let alone speed up.

Am I going to lose to Tell again? No, I am not willing to let that happen! Hansen became ferocious. He clenched his teeth and wanted to exert his strength. However, his body had already reached its limit. At times like this, it was difficult to turn even the strongest willpower into physical strength.

Tell was gradually approaching from behind. Of course, he was not very fast. About 20 kilometers had already passed from the time Hansen saw Tell. Tell was now about 100 meters away from Hansen.

Although Hansen still maintained a lead of more than 100 meters, the pressure of Tell being behind him became heavier and heavier.

Hansen's gradually became slower and slower. He was now starting to feel that his legs were beginning to go numb and he was gradually losing consciousness. He felt that he had no control over his body. Every step forward was solely instinct.

Ten kilometers from the finishing line, Hansen had greatly overexerted his physical strength. His body had already exceeded its limit. He could no longer maintain his original speed, he could only slow down.

Tell had also slowed down. After nearly eight hours of uninterrupted competition, the average person would not even be able to stand. Tell, however, could still run. This kind of running did not appear to be strong and vigorous but, instead, it seemed to be a bit battered and exhausted.

Hansen looked back to look at Tell. He had gotten even closer.

Hansen became more anxious. The anxiety that Tell gave him was getting stronger and stronger. This pressure gave Hansen a feeling of suffocation. He felt that his will was on the verge of collapse.

Finally, Tell caught up with Hansen and they were neck in neck.

Then, Tell overtook Hansen and left him behind.

Hansen's eyes flashed a glimpse of despair. In the past year, all his training was to defeat Tell. He saw the hope of victory in this race, but as he approached the end of the race, he was surpassed by Tell.

Hansen had tried his best, but his body had been overloaded for a long time. In his current state, once he was overtaken by Tell, it was impossible to regain his position.

I am still going to lose to him! Hansen felt determined, but he could no longer accelerate. He could only watch as Tell increased the distance between them. He was getting farther and farther away from him.

Unwillingness, loss, and anger all manifested in Hansen's heart and they filled up his entire body. This did not help. He could only swallow in the pain to his stomach.

The sense of powerlessness came over him and Hansen suddenly felt something on his calf. He knew that it was a cramp in his calf.

After a long period of exercise, the body was always in an overloaded state. In cases where the body lacked electrolytes, having a cramp was something to be expected.

Hansen staggered and fell to the ground. He refused to accept the pain. He rubbed his toes, hoping to ease the pain caused by the cramp.

Exhaustion came over him. Hansen suddenly felt that it was really comfortable to stay on the ground. He didn't even want to get up again.

I really want to sleep for a while… Hansen almost closed his eyes, but he saw Tell in the distance, getting farther and farther away from him.

I cannot give up!

The next second, Hansen climbed up in determination and ran forward.

However, after only two or three steps, he fell to the ground again. Then, a stinging sensation came from his ankle. Gradually, the tingling sensation became more and more intense and Hansen couldn't help but open his mouth.

At this point, Hansen finally realized that it was not just a cramp in his calf. He had also sprained his ankle when he fell down. Because of the fatigue, the nerves in his legs were not as sensitive, so he simply didn't notice it.

It's over! Hansen expression showed that he was in pain. He didn't know the extent of his injury, but he knew that in his current physical condition, after suffering an ankle injury, it might take a long time to stand up again.

…

Tell looked at the sign on the side of the road. He was three kilometers from the finish line. For him, the five kilometers were very much in his grasp.

"Come on! Tell!"

"Tell! You are the best!"

As the finish line approached, spectators started to appear on the side of the road. They began to cheer for the contestants. Tell even saw several of his compatriots waving the British flag and shouting in the crowds.

Tell suddenly felt a little excited. Even the sense of exhaustion disappeared.

Tell glanced towards his back, but he didn't see Hansen.

I've left Hansen behind so quickly? That can't be. At his speed, he would still be close.

Doubt filled Tell. He couldn't help but turn his head and look back. He then saw that Hansen had fallen to the ground far away from him.

What happened to Hansen? Did he fall? He stared at Hansen for a few seconds, only to find that Hansen didn't stand up.

Tell turned back towards his goal, then he turned back and looked at his brother Hansen.

Tell slowed down. Then, he stopped. He turned around and ran back.

…

Hansen tried to get up but, after several attempts, he did not succeed.

Damn! Hansen let out a long sigh. In such a situation, he could only withdraw from the competition.

Someone came running from the front.

Is a doctor coming? Hansen thought. All of the contestants were running from the other direction. Only the staff responsible for logistical support would run in the opposite direction.

Hansen looked up and saw his brother Tell.

Tell trotted all the way up to Hansen.

"Why did you run back?" Hansen asked.

"You fell. Of course I had to come back." Tell squatted down and asked, "Are you okay?"

"It should be a sprain. The bones are not damaged. I should still be able to walk," Hansen replied.

"That's good. Come on. Stand up!" Tell helped Hansen stood up from the ground.

"Let's go," Tell supported Hansen with his shoulder and the two walked forward together.

"I remember that, when we were younger, every time you fell you would always sit on the floor and cry. You wouldn't get up by yourself. You would only get up after I went and helped you," Tell said. He smiled a smile filled with nostalgia.

Hansen didn't answer. He just looked at his brother with an unusual gaze. He was panting heavily, and he listened to Tell reminiscing about the past.

Just like that, the older brother helped the younger brother slowly walked towards the finish line.

…

Hansen looked at the signs on the side of the road. Only two kilometers until the finish line.

At this time, another contestant appeared behind them.

The third athlete had finally caught up.

Hansen knew that if he had not gotten injured and been forced to walk on this stretch of road, the person in third would not have been able to catch up.

He looked at his brother and said, "You go first. There are less than two kilometers to the finish line. If you start to run now, that person wouldn't be able to catch up with you."

"If I ran, what would you do?" Tell immediately asked in reply.

"You don't need to care about me. I'm injured anyway. The person behind would've definitely surpassed me," Hansen replied.

Tell shook his head. "In your current condition, you won't even be able to finish the last two kilometers. If I leave, you would have to withdraw. You won't even be in the rankings."

"But if you do this, I will drag you down. The person behind will overtake both of us and you will lose first place," Hansen said anxiously.

"What if I lose first place? You are my brother, I will not leave you alone," Tell said, determined.

Hansen opened his mouth. He looked at his brother and saw the insistence in Tell's eyes. He did not say anything.

…

There were only 500 meters left until the end. The contestant in third place overtook them.

Hansen looked at the man. He was already very slow. It was not much faster than walking. It could be said that his physical strength had been exhausted a long time ago.

"If you put me down right now, you would still have enough time to catch up to him. You're better than him and you're faster than him. You would easily be able to surpass him in the last five hundred meters," Hansen said to Tell.

Tell shook his head again, "I've already said that you are my brother. I will not leave you alone. This was true in the past, it is true right now, and will still be true in the future.

"Do you really not want to win the World Championship?" It was Hansen who was worried for Tell.

"No. The championship is not more important than my brother." Tell grinned and said, "Let's go. It is the last five hundred meters. Let's pass the finish line together."

…

The person in first place reached the finish line.

For the last two hundred meters, Tell still supported Hansen and they marched forward with great difficulty.

"The man has already crossed the finish line," Hansen turned to look at Tell and then asked, "Any regrets?"

"Why would I have any regrets?" Tell asked.

"You can no longer win first. Don't you regret it?" Hansen asked.

"No regrets." Tell continued, "If I abandoned you, that would be something that I would regret."

Upon hearing this answer, Hansen was finally convinced that Tell did not care much about the World Championship. In Tell's heart, his younger brother was more important than the honor of being a champion.

Hansen couldn't understand why he had spent the last year regarding Tell as his competitor. He had gradually alienated him. He had placed the honor of being champion over his relationship with his own brother.

Hansen finally realized that he had been wrong. Compared with the honor of being the champion, Tell, who was the person right in front of him, was the one he should cherish.

Hansen leaned in and whispered into Tell's ear, "My brother, I'm sorry."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report chapter