Raúl and Hao Junmin left.
Watching them go, Su Bai turned back toward the training pitch.
He still hadn't figured out what Training Points in the system were for, but they clearly had something to do with practicing.
He didn't have time to waste on anything else.
As for Raúl's comment about joining the first team?
Su Bai knew that was just flattery.
He knew his own limits. He might struggle even in the 3. Liga with the U18s, let alone the vastly more competitive Bundesliga.
Daniel called out to stop him.
"Hey, Su, where are you off to?"
"To train, sir."
"Drop the 'sir'—call me gaffer."
Daniel found the formal title awkward.
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, gaffer!"
Daniel finally looked satisfied.
"No training for now. You signed a contract, but you still haven't had your medical."
"Go get checked out first."
"Wycliffe, take the kid for his medical and run his physical tests while you're at it."
With that, Daniel sauntered back to his office.
The medical center wasn't far from the U18 training ground. Su Bai followed the assistant coach and arrived quickly.
Even though they were youth team players, Schalke's medical facility was still open to them.
They just got far less attention than the first team.
Wycliffe led Su Bai inside like he owned the place.
"Haus, you in? Got a job for you!"
A moment later, a burly middle-aged man with a full beard and an intimidating look stepped out in a white coat.
He glanced at Su Bai and frowned.
"New kid?"
"Yeah. Recommended by Old Jess, just signed. We were in a rush so he skipped the medical. Have a look at him."
Haus nodded.
"Looks pretty thin. Not sure he'll handle the 3. Liga. That frame probably can't take a single tackle."
Muttering to himself, Haus quickly set up the equipment.
"Shirt off."
He pressed a few buttons and turned to Su Bai.
"Shirt off?"
The door was still wide open. Su Bai felt awkward.
He'd never had to undress in front of two grown men before.
But under Haus's impatient stare, he had no choice but to strip and lie down on the machine.
...
"This guy's body is a joke. Look at his muscle mass—nowhere near professional standard."
"Muscle strength is garbage too."
"Definitely never watched his diet."
"What was Old Jess thinking? He usually has a good eye."
Haus kept complaining, but Su Bai couldn't hear a word of it.
"Thin as he is, his passing is next level," Wycliffe cut in.
"You have no idea how good his passes are.
And he's only 17—he can build his body up. But passing vision? That's natural."
Wycliffe stuck up for Su Bai immediately. This was a player his boss wanted to develop.
Everyone at the club knew Haus had a big mouth.
If he didn't set him straight, the whole club—even the cleaning ladies—would know by tonight that Coach Daniel had signed a useless kid without a medical.
"Really?" Haus looked skeptical.
"Dr. Haus, these are the first team's medical results. Should I send them over now?"
A young blonde female doctor in glasses walked in.
By pure coincidence, Su Bai's scan had just finished.
The machine whirred and opened.
Su Bai, completely naked, was suddenly exposed in front of her.
"Ah!!!"
A sharp scream—but it wasn't the woman. It was Su Bai.
Those two old jerks made him strip completely, and then brought in a female doctor?
How was he supposed to show his face now?
"What are you yelling for?"
The female doctor shot Su Bai a glance, dropped the files calmly, and turned to leave.
Su Bai quickly put his clothes back on.
Wycliffe and Haus were laughing their heads off.
"Lisa's still as cool as ever, haha!"
Lisa?
Su Bai now knew the blonde's name.
She was the first woman in this new world who'd seen him completely exposed.
Meanwhile, Lisa had stepped outside and leaned against the wall.
She took several deep breaths to steady herself before walking into another room.
Her calm act had been completely fake.
And that kid… he was kind of good-looking.
After leaving Haus's office, Wycliffe took Su Bai to the physical testing room.
An hour of exhausting tests later, Wycliffe finally had all Su Bai's results and left the building with him.
After saying goodbye to Su Bai, Wycliffe knocked on Daniel's office door.
"Results are in."
Daniel opened his eyes from his chair.
Wycliffe laid the report on his desk.
"Let me see."
Daniel sat up immediately and scanned the numbers.
"14 seconds for 100 meters?
That slow?
And his shuttle run…"
...
"Sigh."
After reading everything, Daniel looked defeated.
He'd thought he'd found a hidden gem.
But the numbers told him everything—Dortmund had let Su Bai go for good reason.
At 17, there was still room to improve, but not by much.
Especially his muscle strength.
Daniel felt his hope fading.
In the rough, physical 3. Liga, he genuinely worried Su Bai would get bullied off the ball the second he stepped onto the pitch.
"Don't be so down. His passing really is top-tier," Wycliffe said, trying to cheer him up.
"True. Those physicals can be fixed. But his passing talent? It's extraordinary."
"Alright, Wycliffe. You keep an eye on him from now on—especially his diet.
Don't let him eat greasy Chinese food. I'll call Haus and get him a proper meal plan."
Daniel sat up and picked up the phone.
Wycliffe smiled and left, seeing how invested his boss was in Su Bai.
Talk was cheap—this special attention spoke for itself.
It was just after four in the afternoon.
Wycliffe packed up and prepared to head home.
The best part about the U18 job was the flexible schedule.
Players had plenty of free time in the afternoons, and so did the coaching staff.
As he left the building, he heard someone still on the training pitch.
Normally, it would be completely empty at this hour.
He turned and saw a black-haired figure.
Su Bai was running back and forth across the wide pitch, dribbling the ball nonstop, giving it everything he had.
This kid.
He really was putting in the work.
Wycliffe just hoped it wasn't just a short-lived burst of enthusiasm.