[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-2":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299972,4499,"Chapter 2: Outside Foot Curve!","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-2",2,"\u003Cp>What the hell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>37 years old?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forced retirement in shame?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nonsense, he’s clearly only 16!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably some idiot bought the wrong system account by accident, but Tang Ye chose to ignore it outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No system? Slack off. With a system? Still slack off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m never going to work hard—never in this life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bip!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 72nd minute: the forward of Forward Eagle committed a foul, stepping on Milner’s ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent shouted: “What the hell is this? Red card! Red card!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee showed the offending Forward Eagle player a yellow card, while the team doctor rushed onto the pitch to treat Milner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent received bad news: Milner could no longer continue the match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 74th minute, the team’s starting midfielder lost the ability to play. Marent covered his face with both hands and stared at the bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feranas, you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Marent was about to send Feranas on, his assistant coach stepped over and whispered into his ear: “It’s a friendly. Let that Chinese kid play—it’ll boost our viewership!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean Tang? No, no, no, impossible. Our opponent is Forward Eagle—how can we let him play?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent looked down on lazy players—he would never let Tang Ye onto the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s management’s order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assistant coach whispered: “We need to sell jerseys…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting a Chinese player on the pitch—even in a friendly—would greatly help Utrecht sell jerseys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because of Tang Ye, Utrecht’s second team will gain a lot of Chinese fans!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent cursed, turned to Tang Ye on the bench: “Tang, you’re on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye opened his eyes. There were only ten minutes left. To wash up again just for ten minutes of play? Not worth it. He wasn’t keen: “Sir, I haven’t warmed up yet…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No excuses. Warm up while you play!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent didn’t expect Tang Ye to do anything meaningful—just needed him to finish out the remaining minutes without causing trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye tightened his laces and slowly walked toward the sideline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Your 37-year-old self, still ambitious, stands on the pitch once more】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【An old steed lies down but still dreams of a thousand miles—drawing your reward…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You’ve obtained: Modric’s Soul-Crushing Outside Foot (right foot)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Modric’s outside foot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s eyes lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d expected some ancient star’s skill—but instead, he got a Modric outside foot template.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye suddenly realized something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the system’s timeline, the current year is 2036—so technically, Modric is already retired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, the system really knows how to deliver!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On camera, Tang Ye in jersey #99 stood at the edge of the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Holy shit, who said Tang Ye wouldn’t get playing time? Here’s his chance—awesome!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Good, good, those 70+ minutes weren’t wasted】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Those who bet on draw or Utrecht win are screwed—Utrecht has never won a match with Tang Ye on】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Don’t say that—counting friendlies, Tang Ye has only played three matches for Utrecht. This is his fourth.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Three losses in three games—aren’t you G?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fuck it, I’m betting on a draw just to support Tang Ye!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Tang Ye entered the pitch, the number of viewers on Happy Bean Live suddenly surged, because the app Dongqiu Di had pinned a news article after his substitution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>《16-Year-Old Slacker Makes Fourth Substitute Appearance—Come Watch!》\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Tang Ye had just shaken hands with Milner and stepped onto the pitch—he had no idea so many were watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match resumed: Utrecht’s goalkeeper Bednarek kicked a free kick from the back, and both teams scrambled for possession in Forward Eagle’s half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leveraging his height advantage, Forward Eagle won the first header. Marent immediately shouted for his players to press.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go! Go right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All Utrecht players were in the opponent’s half, and Forward Eagle now had possession—this was extremely dangerous. If Utrecht didn’t win back the ball, Forward Eagle could launch a counterattack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Utrecht’s defense was completely empty!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the coach’s shout, Tang Ye shuffled lazily toward the ball carrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sluggish pressure had zero effect—the ball carrier easily passed it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat reacted fast—he lunged forward, used his shoulder to block the attacker’s path, then kicked the ball away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy shit, Jesus!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent exhaled deeply—he’d nearly stopped breathing when he saw the ball get passed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good thing Amrabat delivered!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xuuu—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xuuuu!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bip bip bip!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match continued. Over 2,000 home fans were furious with Tang Ye’s performance—boos erupted across the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his 75th-minute entrance to the 85th minute, Tang Ye had touched the ball only twice—and both touches came only after he dropped back to receive it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The home fans wondered: why did Utrecht spend 50,000 euros to bring this slacker to the Netherlands last summer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kalen, I told you—he can’t do anything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent shrugged to his assistant: “I won’t say anything in friendlies, but in official matches, I’ll never let this guy play!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After ranting, Marent noticed Kalen wasn’t looking at him—he was pointing at the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent turned—and saw Tang Ye receive a pass from defender Trupe, then turn and dribble forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he played lazily, the guy had decent ball control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used a small feint to shake off the defender, then lifted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t rush—keep possession first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marent shouted—but Tang Ye ignored him, swung his right leg back, and struck with an outside foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crisp sound rang out—the ball soared upward, slicing past the defender’s ear, then curved sharply to the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball cleared two opposing center-backs, bounced once, and rolled smoothly to the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a player in red-and-white stripes sprinted forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Breakaway! Tang Ye sent a perfect outside-foot through-ball!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the striker Zaka!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ball is steady—Zaka extends his foot, controls it perfectly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Breakaway! A perfect breakaway pass!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The goalkeeper comes out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zaka, shoot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goal! Goal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zaka scores—assisted by Tang Ye’s outside-foot through-ball!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Zaka was the one who finished, the director cut the camera to Tang Ye back in his own half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside-foot curve creates a breakaway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this really a Dutch second-tier friendly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1010,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a8a0e18055e66fbbfb36f6bdf98da89da3ef31fa8cf63fa247969d76f485427f","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-3","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-1",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]