Chapter 1: The Slacker of Utrecht II

On July 18, 2015, a pre-season friendly between Utrecht II and Forward Eagles in the Dutch Eerste Divisie.

The new Eerste Divisie season begins in twenty days; both teams organized this friendly for two purposes.

First, to help players find match fitness.

Second, to determine the starting lineup for the new season.

“Tang, do you think we’ll get on today?”

On the bench, Zakka wore a worried expression—he had just been promoted from U17 and didn’t know Coach Merent’s substitution habits.

“We should get some minutes in a friendly, right?”

Tang Ye replied beside him: “But it doesn’t matter either way—if I don’t play, I don’t play.”

“Huh? Tang, you were on the second team last season—did you even play in the league?”

“Yeah.”

Tang Ye twisted his neck, stretched his limbs, and held up five fingers.

“Five matches?”

Zakka’s eyes lit up—Tang Ye was only fifteen last season, and a fifteen-year-old playing five times in the Eerste Divisie.

If that’s the case, maybe I’ll get plenty of chances too?

“Five minutes.”

Tang Ye corrected him, leaning back in the bench chair, hands behind his head, looking utterly relaxed—Zakka stared in awe.

Dude, you’re already slacking off at sixteen?

What about me, seventeen?

…

At the same time, on a Chinese Happy Bean website.

“Good evening, guys! Hmm? This stream’s not clear—wait a sec, I’ll find a better one.”

Host Wang Chao fiddled backstage; after about half a second, the stream stuttered, then reloaded with much clearer video.

The match had already started. Wang Chao calmly dragged a number to the top-right corner of the screen—it was his QQ group.

“Viewers, feel free to join the host’s fan group—daily winning picks and guaranteed-loss bets are posted there. If you don’t have a betting site or want a better one, DM me!”

After delivering his classic opening, the match reached the fourth minute.

“Yes, I personally recommend betting on the scoreline—0:2 or 0:3 both work.”

【0:3? Does the host really think Forward Eagles are that good? I don’t see them being much better than Utrecht II—even if they’re a second team, Utrecht’s still a Haomen 】

【Play it safe—bet on Forward Eagles to win outright. Scorelines are too unpredictable. When I first got into this, I had two buddies—now they’re gone.】

【Forward Eagles, go go go!】

【I heard Utrecht II has a Chinese player—looking forward to seeing him!】

【You mean Tang Ye? He won’t play. I watched every single Eerste Divisie match last season—he sat the bench all 38 games.】

【Pure hater—Tang Ye played five minutes, and he even touched the ball once!】

Though it was a low-traffic Eerste Divisie match, today’s Happy Bean stream was unusually lively—because Utrecht II had a Chinese player, one of the rare overseas players currently active.

As for Tang Ye, many domestic fans had heard his name.

Of course, this wasn’t because he was brilliant—it was because he was a pure slacker.

Last summer, Tang Ye scored a wildly imaginative long-range shot in an U17 international tournament to equalize for Mount Shandongtai U17 against Ajax U17. That match got him scouted by Utrecht and brought to the Netherlands, where he now plays for Utrecht II.

Utrecht’s scout thought he’d found a prodigy—turns out he was just a lazy pig.

Merent had coached second teams for twelve years—Tang Ye was the first player he’d ever seen who just walked off mid-training match!

Merent, standing in front of the bench, noticed Zakka chatting with Tang Ye and shouted: “Isaac, start warming up!”

Merent didn’t know why Zakka was talking to Tang Ye.

Damn Chinese kid—don’t corrupt my genius!

Zakka stood up, pulled on a yellow training vest. Tang Ye gave him a thumbs-up: “Good luck.”

“Thanks!”

Zakka put on his vest and prepared to enter the pitch. He got along well with Tang Ye and wanted to speak up for him to Coach Merent—but after thinking it over, he decided against it.

If Merent found out Zakka was friends with Tang Ye, he’d definitely yell at him!

The match continued—Forward Eagles’ high press had Utrecht II’s players gasping for air.

Inability to retain possession in midfield had been Utrecht II’s problem since last season.

And the solution to this problem…

Merent glanced again at Tang Ye sitting on the bench. The scout brought Tang Ye to the second team specifically to fix this issue.

In an era of severe youth development homogenization, Tang Ye was Utrecht II’s only possession-based central midfielder.

Damn it!

Just thinking of Tang Ye made Merent furious—he shook his head sharply.

Focus on coaching!

…

The organizers knew many Chinese fans were watching, so during stoppages they deliberately zoomed in on Tang Ye sitting on the bench.

At that moment, Tang Ye squinted, his head nodding like a chick pecking grain.

He was nearly asleep!

【Damn it!】

Fans who tuned in just to watch Tang Ye began cursing loudly.

“Tang Ye…”

Wang Chao saw Tang Ye dozing on screen, his expression suddenly dimmed: “Tang Ye does have talent—but he’s just too lazy.”

No sooner had Wang Chao spoken than Forward Eagles seized an opportunity on the flank—the winger crossed, and they opened the scoring. The substitutes on Utrecht II’s bench groaned in unison.

Hearing the noise, Tang Ye opened his eyes. Though his team was behind, he felt nothing.

Tang Ye knew Utrecht II’s level—he knew playing here offered no future.

Since effort was useless, he might as well just accept it.

When victory or defeat no longer matters to you, invincibility is not far away.

And Tang Ye was that invincible man!

At that moment, a line of small text appeared before Tang Ye’s eyes.

【Due to your lifelong slacker attitude, you squandered your innate football talent. Seven years in Europe, total official match time: five minutes. At 22, you arrived in the Chinese Super League, using your overseas player status to show off wildly.】

【It’s 2036 now. At 37, you retired in humiliation from China League One and became a football commentator, delighting in bashing star players. Watching talented teenagers shine in the top five leagues on TV, you suddenly felt regret—lamenting that time cannot be reversed.】

【You looked down at your body, regretting you never fully realized your talent as a player, and resolved to retire and make a comeback.】

【Appear in this friendly match: reward—random central midfielder skill.】

…

(End of chapter)