Chapter 129: The Championship Won on Loan—Now It

Dongqiu Di pinned: Stunning backheel lob goal—Tang Ye locks up La Liga's September Goal of the Month early?

El Diario As editor Long Sailuo: Tang's backheel lob against Real Sociedad will undoubtedly secure La Liga's September Goal of the Month; I believe it will also be shortlisted for the Puskás Award.

Tang Ye's backheel lob caused a major stir in football circles; immediately after the match, his agent Borei called him.

"Tom, great! Listen, I had someone edit the goal clip from this afternoon—it's already in your email, 631951……@qq. com, but are you sure this email is right? QQ?"

A string of numbers plus the two English letters "qq"—Tang Ye's email address was still too advanced for Borei.

"It's correct, just send it."

"Wait, no!"

Tang Ye realized: "Why are you sending me this video clip?"

"You use Instagram and Twitter, plus Weibo—post this clip on them, you'll gain tons of followers."

Right!

Tang Ye opened his Instagram.

He didn't realize until he looked—his follower count had already surpassed 800,000!

He was about to break the million mark!

Many followers, but inside his account, besides a few trophies on a table, there was only a photo of Tang Ye posing with the Eredivisie championship shield.

Beyond that…

That's it!

"Your popularity is definitely higher than you think—if you posted more, you might already have five million followers."

He didn't even need to post much—had he used his real name as his Instagram handle, he wouldn't still be under a million followers.

Fans search for star names and follow verified accounts.

Tang Ye's account did have a V verification badge, but his profile picture was a dumbass laughing meme.

And his username was… gdsNo. 1GGbond (GD Province No. 1 GGbond).

Borei was speechless.

A dumbass profile picture + GGbond username—who the hell would know you're Villarreal's No. 99?

Star!

"Okay, I'll post it later."

Tang Ye agreed, logged into his computer, and indeed saw the email Borei had sent.

The video was edited perfectly—Borei must have hired someone specifically.

"So why am I posting this?"

Tang Ye voiced his confusion to Borei.

"It'll get you more attention!"

"Eight hundred thousand followers is already a lot—what's the point of so many?"

Honestly, he barely touched the account; eight hundred thousand followers already satisfied him.

Borei didn't hesitate: "More followers means you can take ads."

"What's the point of ads?"

"You make money."

"What's the point of money?"

"..."

Borei paused nearly half a minute: "Uh, Tom, don't ask me questions yet—just post the video first, while the hype's still hot. That's it."

After a brief exchange, Borei hung up.

"Phew…"

Borei took a deep breath, his emotions still unsettled.

Tang Ye!

Honestly, Borei had never met an athlete as pure as Tang Ye.

He was pure—nothing but an athlete.

He was untainted!

Previously, Borei had estimated Tang Ye as a typical player in the top five leagues.

But now he realized his assessment had been off.

Tang Ye was the purest footballer in today's game.

The purest athlete deserves the highest success.

And the highest individual honor in football is…

Uh.

Thinking of the golden ball, Borei shook his head.

Step back!

Step back again!

Already stepped back twice—then step back two more times!

Ballon d'Or, UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, La Liga MVP—these were all unrealistic for Tang Ye.

But it didn't matter.

With such pure competitive spirit, Tang Ye would surely become Villarreal's core player in the future!

That night, Tang Ye followed Borei's advice and posted the clip simultaneously on his Twitter, Instagram, and Weibo.

As expected, a flood of fans poured in immediately.

【goatling!】

Goatling?

Seeing this completely unfamiliar English word, Tang Ye dragged it with his mouse.

Ctrl+C to copy, then Ctrl+V to paste into a search engine.

Goatling.

【Noun: little goat】

Damn…

Fans thought calling Tang Ye "goat" (greatest of all time) was too much, so they used "little goat."

Now there's no arguing, right?

Clicking into this user's profile, Tang Ye saw his IP.

United States.

He exited and re-entered—the IP had changed to Japan.

"..."

Without doubt, this guy was 200% Chinese, using a VPN to comment on Instagram.

Besides this comment, which had already garnered hundreds of likes, Tang Ye read many others with dozens of likes.

【Tom, keep going, your future is bright!】

【Undisputed Man of the Match, hoping you win the Puskás Award!】

【King Tang, I'm here! Chinese fans gather on this floor! (Chinese)】

【Can you stay at Villarreal? I think you should stay at Villarreal.】

【Save TenHag, TenHag is done! (Dutch)】

TenHag is done?

The Dutch fan's comment instantly caught Tang Ye's attention.

Though Tang Ye couldn't fully understand Dutch, he clearly recognized "TenHag" and "accident."

Not knowing what exactly happened, Tang Ye switched to Twitter and slowly typed into the search bar.

【TenHag】

The apartment's internet was fast—the first news result was exactly what he sought.

The familiar Utrecht Evening News!

But the article's tone seemed unfriendly?

Utrecht Evening News front-page headline: Montford police investigated Utrecht FC @UtrechtF. C.; although the club's surveillance footage vanished due to an "unknown malfunction," police obtained evidence from within the team implicating former head coach TenHag in illegally overtraining underage players.

According to the reporter, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord fan associations have contacted the Dutch Minor Protection Organization, which has now filed a lawsuit against TenHag.

What…

What??

Tang Ye stared wide-eyed.

He couldn't believe what he'd just read.

He clicked into the newspaper's official account.

Verified, with 120,000 followers—undoubtedly the Utrecht Evening News's official page.

He checked the comment count.

870,000!

So TenHag really had been sued?

"Phew…"

Tang Ye took a deep breath and leaned back in his ergonomic chair.

Fuck…

…

Dongqiu Di pinned: Erik Ten Hag has been sued in the Utrecht Provincial Court.

Those few words triggered over 60,000 comments on Dongqiu Di—Ten Hag is truly unprecedented.

Man United already draws massive traffic, and now they've got Ten Hag, a man who Zidaijiemudexiaoguo.

Man United's Gaoceng were utterly stunned.

Ten Hag had already come to England to coach, yet somehow there were still unresolved matters back in the Netherlands?

【????】

【HAHAHAHAHA!】

【Ten Hag is done for, haha!】

【Ten Hag: The Netherlands' minor protection law is blocking Man United from walking the right path!】

【True or false? He was already jailed for three days last time—how long this time? Still an administrative case?】

【So strict? But if it's about minor protection, maybe it's reasonable.】

【Insane—look again: over eighty extra sessions after 10 p. m.? Come on, this isn't even excessive for a criminal case!】

【One thing at a time: without Ten Hag, Tang Ye wouldn't be this strong today.】

【One thing at a time: if you're going to jail, you're going to jail—Ten Hai is done.】

【Man United fans woke up to find their head coach in prison—what now?】

On September 21, the EFL Cup match between Northampton and Man United.

Northampton fans, aiming to unsettle Man United's psyche, unfurled an enormous banner as Man United's team bus entered the stadium.

【Ten Hag, the coach who won the title on loan—now it's time to pay up!】

"Erik Ten Hag~"

"Erik Ten Hag~ off to jail~ Erik Ten Hag~ the prison's waiting for you~"

"Utrecht (Man United) has no future—only darkness awaits Ten Hag~"

"Wow~"

"Erik! TenHag!"

"Erik! TenHag!"

This chant originated with Ajax fans, now adopted by Northampton fans to get under Ten Hag's skin.

In the eyes of the three giants of the Eredivisie, the vile Erik Ten Hag used players he wasn't allowed to use to win the league title.

Tang Ye could only play for a professional club after turning eighteen, but Ten Hag made him train past 10 p. m. at just sixteen.

Preempting Tang Ye's abilities two years early was unquestionably a loan.

Ten Hag won last season's Eredivisie title on loan!

He must repay the debt now!

He has to repay the debt!

Ten Hag sat inside the bus, gripping the curtain with his right hand, pulling it open just slightly.

Click-click-click-click-click!

Click-click-click!

"…"

Quickly pull the curtain shut.

Fuck!

Before the EFL Cup match, Ten Hag entered Northampton's press room. As soon as he stepped half inside, nearly fifty reporters surged forward.

"Erik, what do you have to say about your illegal actions last season?"

"Erik, will you return to the Netherlands to face punishment, or stay in England?"

"Erik, you've repeatedly violated minor protection laws—do you think this is acceptable?"

Ten Hag raised his right hand, signaling the reporters to quiet down.

He sat down at the table and stared straight into the cameras: "I know you have many questions."

"My answer is: this was a choice I had to make."

"To see a football genius right before me and do nothing to train him? Sorry—I couldn't do that."

"I regret breaking the law, but I must say: seeing Tang's outstanding performances in La Liga, I'm truly happy. My efforts feel rewarded. I won't claim how much I did—but I admit I did something."

Shuowan, Ten Hag ignored the reporters shouting his name and turned to leave the room.

Following his habit, he'd likely skip the post-match interview today.

He'd said enough.

Without Tang Ye, there would be no today…

Wait!

Without Ten Hag, there would be no Tang Ye today!

No that backheel chip yesterday afternoon!

…

"Bleep!"

As Escrivá blew his whistle, the players immediately gathered.

"Today's training is light. Split into seven groups—Mati will assign your groups."

Escrivá pointed his notebook toward Mati beside him: "Mainly to reinforce ball feel—and uh, where's Tang?"

Just as training assignments were about to begin, they realized Tang Ye was missing.

Confused, Escrivá asked the players to step aside.

He glanced behind them.

Unfortunately, Tang Ye wasn't sitting on the grass.

"That's odd…"

Escrivá frowned.

Though he'd heard plenty of negative reports about Tang Ye from Ten Hag, since arriving at Huang Qian, Tang had been late only twice in a full month.

And since moving into the nearby apartment, Tang had never been late again!

"Sergio, did you come with Tang?"

Luo De looked up: "Tang just texted me—his bike was stolen. He's running here now."

"…"

No sooner had Luo De finished than Tang Ye's voice rang out.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

Huh-huh-huh.

Tang Ye arrived panting before Escrivá—he'd run here after his bike was stolen.

"What happened? Your bike got stolen?"

Escrivá turned to Tang Ye, raising an eyebrow: "Where did you park it?"

"Right in the ground-floor parking lot, next to a white Toyota. Fuck—I got there this morning and a BMW was parked right where I'd left my bike. Gone!"

"Haha!"

Escrivá found Tang Ye amusing: "So you reported it, right?"

"No report—I came straight here for training."

Tang Ye stood straight: "I'll check tonight. If it's still a BMW there, I'll just buy a new one. Mister Ferlan, you said training's what matters."

"Exactly—I admire that attitude."

Escrivá slapped Tang Ye's ass: "Did you eat breakfast? Okay, go change your clothes on the side, then come in for warm-up."

Tang Ye quickly changed and fell in behind the warm-up group.

Seeing Tang Ye had settled in, Alegre and Bruno deliberately slowed down and drifted over to his side.

"Tom, remember Ten Hag? Your former Eredivisie coach? He's been sued. You know about this?"

Hearing Bruno's question, Mousaqui and Bakambu ahead slowed their pace and strained to listen.

"This…"

Tang Ye popped a fresh piece of gum into his mouth, then handed one each to Bruno and Alegre: "I know about it, but I'm completely innocent—you've got to believe me."

"Haha, I didn't say you were guilty."

Bruno quickly explained: "I just want to know if it's true—Ten Hag made you train over eighty extra sessions, all after 10 p. m.?"

He glanced at Alegre, who spread his hands.

Alegre knew Ten Hag made Tang Ye train extra, but had no idea how many sessions or the exact times.

Honestly, when he saw the news yesterday, even he was shocked by the numbers the reporters cited.

"Pretty much true."

Tang Ye shrugged helplessly.

The surveillance system was supposed to be broken—how did the police get evidence?

Did someone betray Mr. Erik?

Hiss—

Upon closer thought, it's entirely possible.

Mr. Eric himself isn't exactly a good man; it's not surprising someone would betray him.

"Oh my God, amazing!"

Bruno and Mousquiao gave Tang Ye a thumbs-up.

Earlier, they'd heard Tang Ye was a lazy pig—if they hadn't actually known Tang Ye, they might have believed it!

"So will Mr. Eric really be taken away?"

Tang Ye looked toward A Lai.

Although Erik was the direct reason for the complaint, Tang Ye himself didn't really understand legal matters.

At least he didn't know how the Netherlands' minor protection laws actually worked.

"We don't know yet, but he was indeed reported—that's official news."

A Lai 's eyes flickered with concern.

"But as long as he stays in England and doesn't return, Utrecht police can't touch him. Manchester police won't cooperate with the Dutch government to arrest the head coach of a Premier League team—Man United has their own legal team."

"So Mr. Eric can't go home anymore?"

Tang Ye posed a deadly question; A Lai fell silent.

Right—though enforcement can be delayed, as long as Erik wants to return to the Netherlands, he'll face sanctions.

He privately had minors work late at night, totaling nearly ninety instances.

God knows what punishment he'll face!

"So all we can do now is pray for Eric."

A Lai made a prayer gesture with clasped hands.

Tang Ye didn't believe in religion, but he mimicked the gesture anyway.

Although Mr. Eric had treated him poorly on a daily basis, Tang Ye didn't wish him any real harm.

"So why did you agree to so many extra trainings?"

"To… to get a starting spot."

After hesitating, Tang Ye finally gave his answer.

In reality, Tang Ye had traded these extra trainings with Erik to avoid doing the homework assigned by his affiliated high school.

But the matter was too embarrassing—he simply couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Didn't know you were so ambitious."

"I've always been ambitious."

…

The training intensity was low—not even worth calling training. Ma Di had each group play small games, and incidentally had Tang Ye and Bruno practice heading together.

Tang Ye had a fairly pleasant day, but when afternoon training ended, Escrivá's words suddenly cast a heavy silence over the team.

"Though we've known this already, I must remind you again."

"Tomorrow's opponent is Real Madrid."

…

(End of Chapter)