7:50 AM
Even with 88 Stamina, two hours of empty-stomach training had worn Su Bai down. His stomach growled loudly, so he reluctantly stopped.
He'd only eaten bread the night before. The system could erase fatigue, but it couldn't get rid of hunger.
With team training starting in an hour, Su Bai packed up quickly and headed for the canteen to grab something to eat.
Right after he left, the other players started arriving on the pitch.
Ben Kersey glanced at the empty spot and thought of his roommate. He pulled out his phone to call Su Bai and tell him to hurry.
Their head coach hated lazy players more than anything. His last roommate had been kicked out partly because he skipped training.
Su Bai answered and said he was on his way soon—he sounded like he was eating.
Ben checked the time and frowned. Eating breakfast this late? He might end up missing the start.
Having done his part, Ben stopped worrying and started warming up.
8:30 AM
Over thirty players lined up neatly on the training ground.
Daniel marched onto the pitch with Wycliffe. The assistant coach began calling the roll.
Ben Kersey looked around and sighed.
Sure enough, Su Bai still wasn't here.
Wycliffe quickly reported that only Su Bai was missing.
Just then, Su Bai came sprinting onto the field.
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Su Bai felt embarrassed.
The bread in his bag must have gone bad overnight—he'd gotten a bad stomachache that morning, making him late for his first training session.
Ugh, he's gonna get chewed out. Probably ten laps for the whole team.
Definitely. No wonder Chinese football is garbage. He has some talent, but he's too lazy to make it.
Look at Mr. Daniel's face—he's gonna kill him. Hope we don't get dragged into this.
We're definitely running. Damn Chinese kid, this is all your fault.
Even Ben Kersey looked worried. He'd called him—how was he still late?
"Get in line. Try not to push yourself so hard next time. Being hardworking is good for a young man, but don't ruin your body."
Everyone froze.
Daniel, who usually roared like an angry lion, had just smiled and said that.
Wycliffe stared at his boss in disbelief.
What was going on? The guy was late, and he was telling him not to overwork?
The other players stared at Su Bai with pure jealousy.
He was clearly the coach's favorite. If their skin and hair color didn't give it away, they'd think Su Bai was Daniel's secret son.
Su Bai joined the group and got into training.
Since this was only the U18s, Daniel didn't go over complicated tactics. After warming up, he split the team into another scrimmage.
This time, Su Bai wasn't put in Team A—but Daniel placed him right in the middle of Team B as their sole attacking midfielder.
...
"I just don't get him."
Daniel shook his head in confusion as he watched Su Bai. One moment he was messing up simple passes, the next he was pulling off perfect La Croquetas.
Wycliffe felt the same.
"One second he's a dribbling genius, the next he's a schoolboy. Which one is the real him?"
Before he finished speaking, Su Bai weaved through a crowd with another stunning La Croqueta and sent a delicate chipped through ball over the defense.
Unfortunately, Team B's striker was too slow. A perfect assist turned into a nice clearance for the defender.
The striker got up and sheepishly gave Su Bai a thumbs-up. Su Bai smiled back.
"Your passing is still insane."
Ben Kersey, who'd been marking Su Bai, had seen the pass clearly. The weight and speed were perfect for a one-on-one.
If Whit Benedict had been the one running onto it, the ball would have been in the net.
"Gaffer, why don't you throw him in for a few minutes this weekend?" Wycliffe said, impressed by Su Bai's display.
"First match of the 3. Liga season… and we're starting this kid?"
Daniel was tempted, but he thought it was too soon.
The boy had been at Schalke for less than two days. The league was in three days.
Putting a complete rookie with no competitive experience into a professional match? It sounded crazy.
There wouldn't be many spectators, but the old men from the neighborhood still came to watch. They said whatever they wanted.
He had no idea how Su Bai would handle the pressure. What if he froze up completely?
In that moment, Daniel felt like an overprotective parent sending their kid to school for the first time.
"C'mon, gaffer—just a few minutes at the end so he can feel the atmosphere. It won't hurt the team."
"And you've been wanting to change how we play, right? If we can pull off tiki-taka in the 3. Liga, clubs from the 2. Bundesliga or even the Bundesliga might come calling for you."
Wycliffe knew exactly what to say.
Daniel had always dreamed of being a proper head coach, even at a 2. Bundesliga club—not just babysitting the U18s.
"Fine. You keep an eye on him over the next few days. You can hint to him that he might get on the pitch this weekend."
"And tell him to take it easy in training. I don't want him too tired to play when the time comes."
Wycliffe nodded.
Now he realized he wasn't the only one who'd seen Su Bai training late into the night. The boss had noticed too.
Su Bai, still battling with Team A's midfielders, had no idea.
All his extra hard work had just earned him a spot on the bench for the opening 3. Liga match of the season.