Chapter 5: Monty Has Arrived!

“But Tang’s passing is truly excellent!”

Tenghahe said.

Although Tang Ye is young, although Tang Ye likes to stroll, although Tang Ye has little defensive ability…

Despite all these flaws, they cannot hide the fact that his passing ability is phenomenal.

What the Utrecht first team needs is wins!

In a high-level league like the Eredivisie, when two strong teams face off, what do you need to win?

Top-tier discipline, and just a touch of creativity.

Tang Ye has no discipline, but he has creativity!

Tenghahe could already picture Tang Ye delivering a one-on-one pass on an Eredivisie pitch.

Holy shit, if you had a midfielder like this, how easy would it be for strikers to score!

Yet, right after completing that pass, Tang Ye suddenly walked slowly toward the sideline.

“What’s wrong?”

Meilunte and Tenghahe tensed up almost simultaneously.

Damn, this level of training match shouldn’t cause injuries, right?

“What’s going on?”

Meilunte shouted, expecting Tang Ye to point out some physical problem—but instead, Tang Ye sneaked to the sideline, pulled a fresh piece of gum from his backpack, put it in his mouth, and sprinted back onto the field.

The previous gum had lost its flavor; Tang Ye needed a new one!

Meilunte , Tenghahe : …

“Does he really like chewing gum?”

Tenghahe suddenly asked.

“Well…”

Meilunte took a deep breath and brushed it off vaguely.

He’d only recently noticed this young player; he didn’t really know Tang Ye’s preferences or playing style.

The training match ended quickly. Tenghahe quietly noted Tang Ye down, then left the second-team training ground.

“Although this training match wasn’t intense, there are still some issues you need to pay attention to…”

Meilunte was explaining tactics in the center, players gathered in a circle listening intently, while Tang Ye, taking advantage of the crowd, slipped to the very edge and sat down directly on the grass.

“Hey, Tang, the coach is talking!”

Zhaka kicked Tang Ye’s butt, reminding him.

Tang Ye pressed a finger to his lips and whispered: “Shh, I’ll sit for a bit.”

“Get up!”

Zhaka insisted Tang Ye stand, which confused him—but soon he understood why.

He looked up and saw Meilunte glaring down at him.

“M-Mister…”

Tang Ye felt embarrassed, and beneath that, a hint of grievance—he’d felt the system’s drawback for the first time.

Meilunte never cared about players sneaking to the back of the group—but now, because of those two “lucky” outside-of-the-foot passes, his eyes were locked onto Tang Ye!

“Tang, do you know…”

Meilunte looked at Tang Ye sitting at his feet: “You feel more like 36 than 16. You’re lazier than Mrs. Jones’s sow!”

…

It was July 23. Utrecht’s second team continued their friendly matches at home.

Unlike the previous match, today’s opponent was Rotterdam Spartans’ second team, from the lower-tier Eerste Divisie.

On the Chinese Huanle Dou livestream, Wang Chao turned on the broadcast as usual.

“Phew, guys, good evening! This is the friendly between Utrecht and Rotterdam Spartans. Last match cost you guys a lot of Dou—don’t panic! If you follow my logic today, you won’t go wrong!”

【Wait till you win before you praise Super Brother—you’re just Little Wang, right, Little Wang?】

【Streamer, last match I followed your tip and bet on Forward Eagle to win—I haven’t been to the foot spa in four days. You owe me compensation.】

【Will Tang Ye play today? I’ve watched that outside-of-the-foot pass over fifty times—it’s fucking gorgeous, holy shit】

【That kind of pass was pure luck, but if he pulled off one like that, Tang is bound to get more playing time now.】

【Home team 3:0—if I get it right, I’m buying a Utrecht jersey.】

Before the match even started, the Dou Gods on Huanle Dou were already making bets. Host Wang Chao didn’t lag behind.

“If Utrecht wins 3:0 or 3:1 today, I’m buying an official jersey!”

Making bets with jerseys is common among fans—but unlike ordinary fans, the Dou Gods never lie.

If they guess the score right, they’ll actually buy the 2000-Dou official jerseys!

The match began. The host didn’t introduce either team’s starting lineup, because in this level of match, aside from Tang Ye, no one else mattered.

Is the match itself important?

No. What matters is the score!

On-site, the director zoomed in on Tang Ye on the bench. The crowd erupted in screams.

Everyone still remembered that stunning outside-of-the-foot pass from days ago!

“Are you under pressure?”

Zhaka elbowed Tang Ye’s upper arm. The latter shrugged indifferently: “Big pressure.”

“They want to see your outside-of-the-foot pass.”

“That was luck. They won’t see it again.”

Tang Ye grinned.

If he gave fans what they wanted just because they asked, wouldn’t that make him look cheap?

“Move forward, move forward!”

“Yes, just like that—beautiful!”

Meilunte clapped repeatedly. Less than 15 minutes into the match, Utrecht scored first at home—1:0.

After celebrating with the fans on the pitch, Meilunte turned his gaze to Tang Ye sitting on the bench.

Originally, Meilunte had wanted to get rid of Tang Ye from the second team—but now his thoughts had shifted slightly.

Everyone thought Tang Ye’s previous outside-of-the-foot pass was luck—but Meilunte knew it wasn’t, because Tang Ye replicated the same pass in training the very next day.

One time could be luck. What about two?

His sharp instincts picked up something subtle—he no longer wanted to let Tang Ye go.

But what if Tenghahe wants him?

Got it!

Meilunte ’s eyes lit up. He shouted to Tang Ye on the bench: “Tang, warm up!”

Tang Ye used the outside-of-the-foot pass to attract Tenghahe —but beyond that, he had nothing else.

Tenghahe was definitely watching this match. Meilunte just needed to put Tang Ye on the field so Tenghahe could see every single one of his flaws!

Meilunte acted fast: at 14 minutes, Tang Ye warmed up on the sidelines; at 35 minutes, he was subbed on.

【Here he comes! Monty’s here!】

【Tang Ye’s back on! I knew the coach would give him more minutes—but I bet 2000 Dou on 3:0! Why the hell did you bring Monty on now?】

【Home team scored in the 12th minute—I thought my 3:0 was safe, then you bring Monty on!】

【Fire Meilunte !】

…

(End of chapter)