[{"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-68":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},2300038,4499,"Chapter 68: Meng","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>Dongqiudi — Germany’s transfer market releases new valuations for Eredivisie players and some Eerste Divisie players; rookie overseas talent Tang Ye creates history with a €4 million valuation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Dongqiudi was flooded with fans denouncing Ten Hag’s outrageous remarks, but the moment the transfer market news dropped, all attention immediately shifted to Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Respecting one’s teacher is a traditional Chinese virtue; Tang Ye resolved Ten Hag’s dilemma by updating his Transfermarkt valuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【What? Up by how much?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Dude, yesterday we still thought of you as a brother, and now you’re suddenly worth €4 million?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Turns out Germans have bad eyesight】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You over there can just bark all you want — clearly you’ve never seen the greatness of my King Tang; my King Tang drops one long pass and shatters your eyes】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Reborn King: My Valuation Depends Entirely on Meng】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wait, €4 million? Is there really someone willing to spend €4 million on Meng? Can Man United take a look? I feel they’re missing a top-class midfielder like me!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Germans are still too conservative!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fans were baffled by Tang Ye’s valuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention his age of sixteen — the main point is that no Chinese male footballer has ever reached a €4 million valuation before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Tang Ye’s valuation from just this half-season is now the highest in all of China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, fans dug up Tang Ye’s match statistics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since becoming a starter, Tang Ye has recorded at least one goal or assist in every match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at it this way… €4 million is actually quite reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe even a bit conservative?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fans didn’t know, since they hadn’t participated in evaluating Tang Ye’s valuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fans only knew: their Meng had risen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On December 22, the first-team players held their final training session before Christmas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye arrived at the training ground wearing a thick down jacket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he wasn’t late — or rather, he hadn’t been late recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because Ten Hag had spoken with the facility staff: every morning at 8 a.m., the heating in Tang Ye’s dorm would automatically shut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His alarm went off at 8:30, but thanks to the brutally cold Dutch winter, Tang Ye always woke up before it rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wowow, so cold, so cold, hey, Bart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye spotted Ramselaar walking into the training ground and rushed over; Ramselaar, seeing him, started clapping for no reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing, Bart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye walked over and pointed to the indoor training field beside the gym: “Bart, could you suggest to Mr. Eric that we train indoors? It’s freezing out here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, he won’t agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramselaar shook his head: “We have winter matches — do you know what Eric would say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Players with ability adapt to the environment themselves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ramselaar imitated Ten Hag’s tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there’s nothing we can do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they mentioned Ten Hag, he walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was clever — training hadn’t started yet, so he deliberately strolled around in front of Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t want you to know I was late before, but I’ve been arriving early lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d better remember that!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Tang Ye stroll in front of him, Ten Hag was speechless: “Pigs usually wake up late in winter — you’re an exception.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The pigsty at Montford has heating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s just an exception — Mrs. Martha’s pigsty has no heating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag sized Tang Ye up and down: “Tang, I know what you’re trying to say. If you arrive early every day for the next two weeks, your dorm heating won’t malfunction again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye ran off immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Tang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little star, haha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, little star!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Jansen, who was sick and skipped training, the first-team players gradually arrived at the training ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, as soon as they got there, they all went straight to Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye turned to Amrabat: “I got here early yesterday too — why are you so surprised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, you don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag walked over upon hearing Tang Ye’s words and realized Tang had no idea what had happened: “Aren’t you always online? Playing your FIFA?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did some player get upgraded?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonono!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag shook his head; Ramselaar walked over, pulled out his phone, and showed the news to Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Transfermarkt: latest Eredivisie player valuations, Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aale €4.5 million, damn, Aale’s value went up — and Bart...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“€3 million! Wow, you’re up too, Sofyan, let me see yours...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye scrolled down the phone screen and soon saw Amrabat’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, Sofyan, how’d you get to €2 million so fast?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye had been about to look up at Amrabat, but then he saw his own name behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>yetang (u17) — €4m, ↑€4m\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye handed the phone back to Ramselaar and pointed at himself: “€4 million? Me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the only U17 in the entire Eredivisie — who else could it be, you idiot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag burst out laughing: “€4 million — in just fifteen weeks of training, from zero to €4 million. Tang, you must admit: our first-team training system is the most advanced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placing a hand on Tang Ye’s shoulder, Ten Hag continued: “I told you — follow me, and you’ll embrace the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said nothing, then suddenly remembered something: “Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag asked, as Tang Ye suddenly dashed to the sideline and picked up his phone from the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he looked up and asked Ten Hag a question: “Why did Transfermarkt update my valuation, but my FIFA stats haven’t changed at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Tang Ye said, his player card still showed only 58 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye dared not put himself in his lineup while playing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was afraid he’d ruin his own game!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag exhaled deeply and turned to the other first-team players: “Let’s ignore him — that kind of player’s future is dark. Bart, Aale, lead everyone through some simple dynamic warm-ups; then we can start stretching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>December 25 was Christmas — it meant nothing to Tang Ye; his plan was to return to China on December 29, rest for a few days, then fly back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This would not only renew his visa but also let him celebrate the New Year with his family. As for training...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the team officially stopped training on the 23rd, Tang Ye’s skill proficiencies had remained unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the days before returning home, Tang Ye had been playing with Zakaria and teammates from the reserve team, U17, and U19.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all non-Dutch players; though they celebrated Christmas, since their families weren’t here, they could only gather together with teammates to mark the holiday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nice, haha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Christmas Eve, in a small house in Montford, Tang Ye jumped onto the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His phone displayed the score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3:2 — Tang Ye scored the last-minute winner against Zakaria!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isaac, I told you — you’ve been unable to beat me for a while now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was luck! I told you, it was luck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zakaria spread his hands: “I thought the match was over — damn, I should’ve let you score in the final minute!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lost is lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two U19 players lay on the sofa laughing — the weakest player, Tang Ye, had inexplicably become unstoppable and crushed everyone present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you — I’m great at gaming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye sat back on the sofa, pointing his phone at Isaac: “You used to beat me because I was just starting out — now you get it? I only need one Hazard to shred your entire defense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you’re a midfielder — you should play possession football!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zakaria spread his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When players play FIFA, they’re easily influenced by their on-field positions, so Tang Ye didn’t control any midfielders at all—he just let the forwards run around the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I play midfield, but in the game I’m a striker—no conflict. The fact is, you lost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Woww!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The players on site began to mock, imitating Tang Ye’s tone to Zaka, and soon broke Zaka’s composure: “Eat! Eat! It’s Christmas Eve—we should be eating!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the fifteen players staying in the Netherlands for Christmas gathered together, clasped their hands, and prayed to God for their wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, Messi, the star of Real Madrid and Barcelona, had just won this year’s Ballon d’Or, so the young players’ dreams naturally revolved around this crucial prize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka took a deep breath: “I want to become the King of Football, win the Ballon d’Or, and then… uh, date a lot of supermodels!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, you can drop that last line.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isaac, what’s in your head? Hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, that’s totally normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka pulled his hands back and looked at Tang Ye sitting to his right: “Tang, you should make a wish too—tell God your wish, and your chance of achieving it will grow a lot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye scratched his head: “But I don’t think Jesus has any authority over me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, no problem—God is very forgiving. Just say your dream out loud. Go on, how many Ballon d’Ors do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye bit his fingernail, thought briefly, then said: “Seven or eight should be about right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, okay okay okay, Tang, even God himself couldn’t fulfill that wish. We didn’t ask you to make something like this—pick another wish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh oh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye nodded, then fell still again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka clapped his hands: “What do you want? Think about what you truly desire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t seem to want anything special…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was stuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t wish that he’d never get caught skipping training by Ten Hag, could he?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or… maybe ask the holy God Jesus to punish that damn Ten Hag?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must want something—think about yourself, think about your team!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teammates at the table reminded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye took a deep breath: “I want to win the Eredivisie title with my teammates—that silver shield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka gave Tang Ye a side-eye: “You refused to wish for anything, yet you’re the greediest of all, Tang. Utrecht’s Eredivisie titles are exactly as many as your Ballon d’Ors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why say that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because so far, both numbers are zero.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next few days, Tang Ye stayed at the base, waiting for his flight back to China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But things didn’t unfold as Tang Ye expected—on the afternoon of the 27th, he inexplicably received a call from his agent, Pohl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feyenoord’s coach asked me for your number—he wants to talk to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pohl briefly explained: Feyenoord’s coach had contacted him through their staff, inquiring about Tang Ye’s buyout clause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning Tang Ye’s buyout clause was 200,000 euros, Feyenoord’s coach said they intended to pay it to forcibly terminate Tang Ye’s contract with Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Feyenoord’s coach was reaching out to Tang Ye directly to hear his own thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Tang Ye agreed, Feyenoord could push this transfer during the winter window!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During Christmas, Ten Hag hosted a party at his home in the Netherlands, inviting all first-team players—including Zaka and other second-team players who had been training with Tang Ye in the evenings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Isaac!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag immediately spotted Zaka and walked over: “Where’s Tang? Aren’t you two always together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka shook his head: “Mr. Eric, Tang asked me to pass along his apologies—he has something today and won’t be able to come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? You’re sure? He’s not coming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the news, Ten Hag was furious. He told Van der Gaag beside him: “He’s become so lazy he won’t even show up for a party! Damn it—I bought gifts for the players, and now I can’t give them to him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Ten Hag wasn’t as bad-tempered as he seemed, but this time, Tang Ye’s absence truly enraged him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he’d bought Tang Ye a game controller!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latest model!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you imagine? You spend time picking out a gift for your player, and that player is a pig—he has no idea how hard you worked to choose it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag sighed: “It’s just a party, not training—I thought he’d come. I don’t know why…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he didn’t come!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag cut him off: “You know what? He’s gotten swollen with pride. Thinks his 4-million-euro valuation makes him the biggest star on the team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn thing—I didn’t act this arrogant when I won Monthly Best Coach! He’s inflated like a balloon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag flung his hand out, then clenched his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When training resumes, he’ll give that lazy pig a proper beating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, don’t get angry yet—Tang must have a reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag advised. Ten Hag thought it made sense, so he asked Zaka: “Did he say where he was going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He said he’s meeting a friend in Montfoort—it just happened to be today, so he couldn’t make the party.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meeting a friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag frowned. “Does he have any other friends in the Netherlands besides his teammates?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag suddenly lifted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2157,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7d731b60dd5415ea5bf87785d6236b605b8ee29be788fb2e9cbd30871665bfac","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-69","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-67",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]