Chapter 161: Tom, do you think I still have a chance to improve?

【At 38 years old, you have led your team to the Europa League knockout stage as the group winner, and you are currently the top assist provider in the tournament. For a player of such advanced age, this is an extraordinary achievement, but you must absolutely not become complacent because of it.】

【Score 10 goals or provide 18 assists in the league. Mission Difficulty: Hell.】

【Mission Reward: France Star Chest.】

Current Progress: Goals (4/10), Assists (11/18).

Lying in his apartment room at night, Tang Ye suddenly received a message from the System.

Ten league goals or eighteen league assists.

Hiss—

Taking a deep breath, one could only say this mission was extraordinarily difficult.

After all, the league Tang Ye currently played in was damn La Liga!

Let alone the difficulty of scoring ten goals in La Liga.

Eighteen assists!

That would be enough to claim the title of La Liga's seasonal assist king!

Of course, not all news regarding Tang Ye's current situation was bad.

Remember, he currently carried a Savings Jar on his person.

Since the System rewarded him with a Star Chest, Tang Ye could completely undertake the Savings Jar's upgrade mission to promote the Star Chest into a Legend Chest!

A France Legend Chest!

Although he did not know what item he would obtain, Tang Ye was very much looking forward to it anyway.

Currently, aside from an Ultimate Template of Zhou Zhou Botong, the best templates he possessed were merely Star Templates.

He did not even have a single Legend Template yet!

The next day was a holiday for Villarreal; most of the Yellow Submarine's first-team players were out having fun, while those not out were likely at home spending time with their families.

The match against Ajax had been exhausting, and the players all needed proper rest.

However, as one of the starting players, Tang Ye was not so lucky today.

He needed to go to the Ceramic International School affiliated with the club to attend classes!

"Hey, Tom!"

Jimmy from the youth academy walked in carrying his schoolbag, extending his hand to fist-bump Tang Ye.

Sitting in his own seat in the back row of the classroom, Tang Ye's expression was not very good.

Previously, he had taken leave too many times due to league and Europa League matters, resulting in his failure to complete the courses he should have finished.

Subjects like mathematics, composition, and chemistry were all compulsory for students in Tang Ye's grade.

Moreover, the club was very understanding; knowing Tang Ye had little time for classes, they had changed the original dismissal time of 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

In this way, Tang Ye, who bore a heavy load of match duties, could complete three days' worth of coursework in a single day during off-match days!

Other key players in the youth team, such as Jimmy, were in almost the exact same situation as Tang Ye.

No!

Not exactly the same!

Tang Ye hung his head.

Most players in the youth team were teenagers aged sixteen or seventeen, and being young athletes, they generally possessed abundant energy.

For them, competing yesterday and studying today was completely no problem.

But Tang Ye was different.

He was already 38 years old; how could a 38-year-old withstand such torment!

There was no bell in the classroom, so Tang Ye checked the time displayed on his mobile phone.

Class time had arrived.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm here!"

The language teacher rushed in hurriedly, placed his things on the podium, and then picked up a marker pen to write swiftly on the whiteboard.

"Tom, are you leaving only at 8:30?"

FIFA was still loading on Jimmy's phone; he had practiced diligently for several weeks with the sole purpose of challenging Tang Ye to a decisive battle when they met in class today!

"Definitely; I haven't attended class for a whole month, so today I have to complete three weeks' worth of lessons in one day."

While speaking, Tang Ye observed the teacher's movements at the podium and simultaneously found time to adjust his starting lineup.

Doing three things at once was actually not that difficult.

Jimmy nodded.

He had thought first-team players enjoyed special privileges, but it now seemed that regarding academic tasks, everyone in both the first team and the youth team was exactly the same.

Entering the game, Jimmy also began adjusting his starting lineup, planning to play a few one-on-one matches against Tang Ye during this class: "By the way, Tom, if school doesn't end until 8 PM, the sky will already be dark; won't it be unsafe for you to ride your bicycle home?"

"That... surely isn't necessary?"

Tang Ye lifted his head from his phone and looked at Jimmy sitting beside him, who was likewise looking at him: "Tonight my father will drive to pick us up; he can give you a ride home together. He is a Villarreal fan, and he will definitely be very happy to see you."

Most youth academy players had their fathers or mothers drive them to training at the base and to school, but the problem was that Tang Ye was not a local; his parents did not live here.

However, this was not a problem.

Tang Ye had very, very many friends; this morning, the great captain Bruno had driven him to school.

As for tonight, barring any unexpected developments, it should be Ale; it just depended on whether a Maserati or a Mercedes would be parked at the school gate at that time.

Just as Tang Ye was pondering this, his phone popped up with a message from Ale.

【Are you finishing school at 8:30 tonight? Bruno and I will come together to pick you up; we have a team gathering tonight to celebrate yesterday's match!】

So it was Ale and Bruno coming together.

Tang Ye showed the message on his phone to Jimmy: "Don't worry, Jimmy, a friend will pick me up tonight."

"Everyone, please don't play with your phones."

The teacher's voice came from the stage; Tang Ye quickly pulled his phone hand back.

Jimmy nodded: "Mm, the team gathering… Tom, I watched your match against Ajax yesterday—your spin assist was truly brilliant."

"Oh, you think so too?"

Receiving his classmate's approval, Tang Ye raised an eyebrow: "Did you see how I spun? I completely fooled their defensive midfielder—the one who just came on, I think his name is Van de Beek?"

"Haha, because no one expected you to do that. Hmm, is this spinning pass one of your first-team training drills?"

At the mention of the first team, Jimmy's eyes lit up.

For every youth team player, the first team was their ultimate dream.

Jimmy's dream was to join the first team of Villarreal before age twenty-two and become a registered La Liga player!

"Training drill? No no, I made it up myself—I just thought it was fun. Jimmy, don't you think it's fun?"

Tang Ye laughed loudly, searching for FIFA game guides on his phone, wanting to see if any skill in the game resembled the 【Anthony Ultimate Spin】.

If there was one, he absolutely had to try it!

"Made it up yourself? That doesn't make sense."

Jimmy frowned.

"Why doesn't it make sense, Jimmy? This move is forbidden during training—you know Mr. Ferran, right? He's a terrible, terrible man. If he catches me spinning during training, I get punished."

Tang Ye explained: "But so far, he's only caught me once—right before the match. That was the first time; I didn't even know it was forbidden then, or I wouldn't have been caught. You know I'm good."

Hearing Tang Ye's words, Jimmy grew even more puzzled. He temporarily exited the game interface, logged into Google, and found a video on the Europa League official website.

"Post-match interview?"

Tang Ye widened his eyes: "Jimmy, why are you watching this?"

"No, look."

Jimmy displayed the video content in front of Tang Ye.

Jimmy didn't turn on the sound, but the video had both Spanish and English subtitles—easy for Tang Ye to read.

"When Tom first joined the team, I noticed his ball control wasn't outstanding, so I added a special training… Seeing him use this technique in a match and deliver an assist, I, as a coach, was truly delighted."

"…"

The video was twelve minutes long; the half-minute clip Jimmy played was the key moment.

After watching, Tang Ye unconsciously furrowed his brow.

He took a deep breath.

That's not right!

Mr. Ferran in the video felt unfamiliar to him!

Hmm, how to put it—not entirely unfamiliar. Tang Ye had a feeling he'd encountered something similar before.

But he couldn't recall exactly when.

Strange…

…

"Oh, Ferran isn't here today, so we can relax and have fun!"

In the bar's private room, Tang Ye lay on the sofa. Four teammates hadn't arrived yet; those who came early had to wait.

"That's right."

Rodrigo was also excited—he'd earned an outstanding 8.2 rating in yesterday's match against Ajax, just 0.3 points behind Tang Ye's MVP.

"But I get the logic—what's this?"

Rodrigo picked up a Nike backpack on the sofa and looked at Tang Ye lying there.

"It's a backpack."

Tang Ye said as if it were obvious.

"This guy just came out of school," Bruno explained for him: "Sebastian and I picked him up."

"I know it's a backpack," Rodrigo turned the bag around: "Our sponsor is Joma—why is your backpack Nike?"

"I bought it myself."

Musacchio waved his hand: "What's wrong with Tom wanting to buy himself a Nike backpack?"

"No no!"

Rodrigo lifted the backpack and pinched its logo.

"Haha, Sergio, what are you surprised about now?"

Bruno leaned over, laughing—but when he saw the logo's content, his smile froze.

"Haha, Sergio, what are you surprised at again?"

2015-2016 season (athlete edition)

"U… Utrecht?"

2015–2016 Season (Athlete Sponsorship Edition)

Ale, hearing the commotion, walked over and saw the logo too.

As a former Utrecht player, Ale naturally knew the origin of Tang Ye's backpack.

This was the equipment Nike gave them last season!

As a former player for Utrecht, Haller naturally knew the origin of Tang Ye's backpack.

These are the outfits Nike gave them last season!

"Tom?"

Bruno squinted his eyes, and together with Rodrigo, the two slowly advanced toward Tang Ye.

"No, no, it's not like that."

Tang Ye, lying on the sofa, quickly scooted backward: "That Joma one I use for my football gear, and this one I use for books; I've always used this backpack because a suitcase alone can't hold enough stuff—I have a lot of luggage."

"Alright, alright, I know."

Bruno asked a waiter for a pair of scissors, then cut the logo off Tang Ye's backpack: "Tom, you really need to be careful with this; if reporters or fans find out, you'll be making headlines."

Bruno handed the backpack with the logo cut off back to Tang Ye.

Bruno knew Tang Ye's character; he certainly hadn't done it on purpose, but such things must be avoided. He was a Golden Boy award-winning star player now; it wouldn't do to let reporters catch him with something like this.

"It's fine; I'll just buy a new one in a couple of days."

Tang Ye said, not knowing when Ale had sat down beside him: "Tom, do you really want to return to Utrecht?"

This...

To be honest, this question was a bit difficult to answer.

Ramselaar and De Jong were still at Utrecht, so of course Tang Ye missed his good friends.

But he remembered what Bruno had just said.

Right now, he was a player for the Yellow Submarine.

"No!"

Tang Ye's tone was extremely firm.

"Wow."

!

Ale nodded: "Then is it Mr. Sitting Like that you miss?"

"What!"

Tang Ye jumped straight up from the sofa: "Sebastian, don't be like that; there's no way I miss Mr. Sitting Like."

"So what's wrong with Ten Hag?"

Bruno and Musacchio both stared with wide eyes.

What exactly was it that made Tom so terrified!

Could the Yellow Submarine's Ball King also feel fear?

"Nothing, nothing; it's all small matters."

Tang Ye sat back down on the sofa, just as the late-arriving players showed up.

A waiter pushed a small cart into the room, filled with all sorts of beer and cocktails.

The Yellow Submarine's first team had 25 players, plus 6 youth academy players.

Thirty-one people gathered together; everyone held a bottle of beer, making thirty bottles in total.

"Wait, I don't have one yet; Bruno, get me a bottle—um, a cocktail will do; I want the green one."

Tang Ye asked Bruno, who was sitting beside the cart, to fetch him a drink; Bruno fumbled around for a bit, finally felt around on the table for a bottle of cola, and handed it to Tang Ye.

"I asked for a cocktail."

Tang Ye reminded him, but Bruno shook his head, pointing at the notice posted inside the private room.

【No Entry Under 18 Years Old】

"..."

"Actually, I'm already 18."

"You walked in carrying a backpack, and now you're telling me you're 18?"

Bruno waved his hand: "No way!"

"Wait, does being over 18 mean you can't use a backpack anymore?"

Tang Ye refused to accept this; today he was determined to experience what it felt like to be drunk.

He had heard that people couldn't even walk straight after getting drunk, but Tang Ye completely disbelieved this.

As a semi-professional... well, he should probably count as a professional player.

As a professional player, Tang Ye believed his control over his body was very strong; he felt he could maintain normal walking even while drunk!

Hearing Tang Ye's words, Bruno reached out, opened Tang Ye's backpack, and casually pulled out a book.

【Mathematics (High School, Second Semester)】

【Joint Education by the Spanish Football Federation, Youth Academy Player Textbook】

"Wow, not a single word written; impressive."

"Come on, Tom, say it again: how old are you?"

"..."

The older players on the team wouldn't let him drink, so Tang Ye had no choice but to hold onto his bottle of cola.

Soon, everyone started playing a drinking penalty game.

It wouldn't be appropriate for Tang Ye to keep drinking cola during this segment, so Musacchio proposed changing Tang Ye's drinking penalty into physical training.

Normally, losing the game meant drinking alcohol, but if Tang Ye lost, he would have to choose one punishment from a list of physical exercises.

Tang Ye didn't want physical punishment, but he really wanted to participate in the game; in the end, he had no choice but to accept Musacchio's proposal.

The final result was that Tang Ye stayed in the bar for nearly five hours; he didn't drink a single drop of alcohol, but he did over three hundred push-ups.

"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen... just one more, Tom, keep it up, Tom!"

Bacca cheered Tang Ye from the side; utterly exhausted, Tang Ye finished the last push-up, then sat down on the floor.

He had thought Mr. Sitting Like was already sufficiently vile.

Now it seemed his teammates were equally vile!

The three forwards—Bakambu, Sancini, and Pato—played the games with great delight, winning many due to their quick reactions, so they drank very little alcohol.

Watching Tang Ye slumped on the floor, gasping for breath, the players in the private room burst into laughter—then Bakambu suddenly seemed to realize something, his smile vanishing.

"What's wrong?"

Pato asked quietly.

"This…"

Bakambu took a deep breath: "You say… if we punish Tom like this, what if he stops passing to us during the match?"

Sancini and Pato's eyes sharply narrowed.

"No, not really?"

It was well known that Tang Ye loved passing to his close friends.

The closer the friend, the more frequently Tang Ye passed to them.

Why was Aale the top scorer on the team right now? Wasn't it because he was an extremely close friend of Tom's?

The longer the friendship lasted, the deeper it grew—Aale had an advantage Bakambu and the others simply didn't possess.

What a shame!

Bakambu shook his head: "Actually, when Tom gets punished, we could've drunk for him—I was too slow to react!"

He'd missed a perfect chance to strengthen his bond with Tang Ye.

Think carefully—if Bakambu could advance from Tom's friend to Tom's super close friend, his goal-scoring ranking this season would surely skyrocket.

But he'd missed this opportunity!

"No big deal, no big deal!"

Pato waved his hand: "It's just a game—nobody takes it seriously. Don't worry."

…

The next evening, Pato knocked on Tang Ye's apartment door.

"Aale!"

When Tang Ye opened the door and saw Pato, he smiled.

He'd woken up at 3 p. m. and played games nonstop ever since—he was already bored.

Pato's visit couldn't have come at a better time.

"Haha, Tom!"

Pato stepped into Tang Ye's apartment: "Wow, who'd imagine the Golden Boy award winner lives in such a small apartment?"

This was Pato's first time visiting Tang Ye's place—he was genuinely surprised.

Pato had played professional football for years; Tang Ye was the purest athlete he'd ever met.

The two sat on chairs and chatted for a long time; Tang Ye even asked if Pato played video games.

But Pato didn't play video games at all, leaving Tang Ye slightly disappointed.

If Dembélé were on the team, Tang Ye couldn't imagine how happy he'd be every day.

"By the way, Tom, check the current goal-scoring leaderboard."

Pato pulled out his phone—the La Liga goal-scoring leaderboard for this season appeared before Tang Ye.

Tang Ye studied it closely: he was currently ranked 11th with four goals—a very strong performance.

As for Pato, his ranking was slightly lower.

Three goals, ranked 17th.

Suddenly, Pato lifted his head and stared straight into Tang Ye's eyes: "Tom… do you think I still have a chance to improve?"

"Of course—it's only the 12th round; your ranking will definitely rise."

Tang Ye spoke with serious sincerity.

"… "

Pato said nothing, because Tang Ye didn't seem to understand his meaning.

So Pato changed the question: "Tom, is there anything you need me to help you with?"

"No, I can handle everything myself."

Tang Ye's biggest problem right now was scoring more goals or providing more assists—to earn the system's French Star Treasure Box reward.

That had to come from his own efforts; Pato couldn't help him with it.

"No, no, no—teammates should help each other. Are you really sure you don't need anything?"

Teammates should help each other…

Tang Ye fell into thought.

Come to think of it, Pato's words made sense—so Tang Ye stood up.

Under Pato's watchful gaze, Tang Ye walked to the corner of the room, retrieved his backpack—untouched since he'd brought it—and pulled out a book.

Pato's eyes widened—he'd seen this book at the bar yesterday.

The Mathematics Workbook for Grade 11 students at Ceramics International School!

"Aale, is this okay?"

"This…"

Pato hesitated.

Math homework was indeed hard to handle.

But Pato had his own troubles.

Since Aale, the Eredivisie top scorer, had joined the team for a record €15 million transfer fee, Pato was gradually losing his starting forward position.

Thinking of this, Pato reached out and accepted the item Tang Ye offered.

He wanted to improve.

He had to improve!

Because if he didn't improve soon, it would be too late!

Looking at Pato's face, filled with determination, Tang Ye felt a bit bewildered.

He seemed... surprisingly reliable?

PS: I'll maintain 15k words daily for a few more days; hitting 20k would deplete my backlog, and I need to keep some reserve in case the data goes awry.

(End of Chapter)