Chapter 75: The Path of a Hamburg King (230k Updates—Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

The 15-minute post-match interview ended, and Tang Ye said almost nothing.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t interviewed—just that everything he said was restricted by Ten Hag.

PSV Eindhoven Football News—After losing the Dutch Cup, PSV hopes Cocu can prove himself in the next league match. Some executives believe Cocu’s tactics are “already outdated.”

Utrecht Evening News—After one win and one draw against the defending champions, Utrecht’s management has full trust in Ten Hag; the Dutch newcomer may receive a substantial transfer budget this summer window.

Dongqiu Di: Deep Master-Disciple Bond! Tang Ye thanked Ten Hag for his dedication to the team and for mentoring him during the post-match interview.

“If it weren’t for Ten Hag’s recognition, I’d probably still be sitting on the bench for the reserve team.”

…

After scoring the winner against PSV Eindhoven, Tang Ye earned 40,000 euros in goal/assist bonuses, plus 500 euros for the win and 7,200 euros in weekly salary—he would receive 47,700 euros outright when the club paid wages this Sunday!

He’s really making big money now!

Tang Ye told his parents back in China about this good news.

But Tang Zhengxiong and Zhang Qingqing weren’t particularly interested in his weekly salary—they asked Tang Ye one question.

“When are you coming home for the New Year?”

This question from his parents left Tang Ye speechless.

Last year, when he was still playing for the reserve team, he rushed back to China ten days before Lunar New Year’s Eve, staying for over twenty days under the excuse that “the Spring Festival is extremely important to Chinese people.”

But this year is different…

February 4: Dutch Cup quarterfinal; February 7: Eredivisie Matchday 22 vs PSV Eindhoven; February 13: Eredivisie Matchday 23 vs Cambuur.

Looking at Utrecht’s packed schedule on his phone, Tang Ye didn’t know what to do.

Should he stay in the Netherlands or return home for the New Year?

Tang Ye couldn’t find an answer right away.

On the evening of February 5, Zhang Qingqing pressed him again; Tang Ye knew he couldn’t wait any longer, so the next day at noon he went to find Ten Hag.

“February 8 is Chinese New Year’s Eve, followed by the Spring Festival, Mr. Eric—do you know about the Spring Festival? Chinese New Year—it’s a very important holiday…”

Tang Ye stood before Ten Hag, who held a bottle of mineral water he’d barely touched.

“And?”

“What I mean is, I’d like to request leave to go home—like I did when I was in the reserve team.”

Tang Ye rubbed his hands, looking slightly embarrassed.

“No.”

Ten Hag placed the water bottle on his desk and flatly rejected Tang Ye’s request.

“Alright… okay…”

Tang Ye nodded and quickly left.

“Hey, Eric, you should’ve approved this—Spring Festival is important!”

Fan De, sitting on the sofa nearby, had heard the entire conversation and found Ten Hag’s cold response utterly incomprehensible.

Even though they were playing PSV on February 7, it was still the Spring Festival—the Chinese Christmas. Out of human decency, Ten Hag shouldn’t have outright refused Tang Ye’s request.

Even if he couldn’t let him go on the 7th, he should’ve granted leave after the match!

“He walked out right after I said no—that shows he was unsure himself.”

Ten Hag sat down in his office chair: “I know this guy—if he truly wanted to leave, he’d have just run off. But he came to ask me, which means he doesn’t know whether he should go home for the holiday.”

“That…”

Fan De didn’t know what to say.

Ten Hag’s reasoning actually made sense!

Tang Ye was probably torn between playing and celebrating the holiday—and from his reaction just now,

maybe he wanted to stay and play more than he wanted to go home?

…

At 9 p.m. that night, Tang Ye ran back to his dorm from the gym and immediately called Zhang Qingqing.

He’d chosen this time deliberately—it was afternoon in China right now.

“Tang Ye, what’s the verdict? When are you coming back?”

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Qingqing’s familiar voice came through.

Uh…

Tang Ye took a deep breath: “Mom, what if… I mean, could I maybe not go home this year?”

“What the hell, are you kidding me? I’ll cut you first!”

Tang Zhengxiong’s voice suddenly blared from the phone.

He’d been eavesdropping since the call started, and hearing Tang Ye didn’t want to return, he immediately flew into a rage.

“Not you, Tang Ye—you’ve only been in the Netherlands two years and now you’re skipping home for New Year? You really think I won’t fly to Sweden and drag you back?”

“Dad, I’m in the Netherlands…”

“Same thing! Netherlands? I’ll buy a ticket and be there in two days!”

Tang Zhengxiong’s tone was heated.

As he said—he was already imagining wielding a knife!

Disgraceful descendant—must be cut down immediately, or disaster will follow!

“It’s not that I don’t want to come back—it’s just the team’s situation…”

“What’s wrong with the team? Is your coach holding you hostage?”

“Pretty much.”

“Huh?”

“No no, mainly—we have a lot of important matches in February.”

Tang Ye explained slowly to his parents: “I’m basically a half-starter now—if I leave, the team will suffer… When I was injured last time, we only got two points in two games.”

“Huh?”

Tang Zhengxiong frowned: “You’re this good now? Weren’t you barely getting playing time over there?”

“That was last season!”

Zhang Qingqing slapped Tang Zhengxiong’s chest: “Tang Ye is a starter now—substitute was last season. He played against PSV Eindhoven the night before last.”

“You mean PSV Eindhoven, right? Tang Ye is playing against PSV Eindhoven now?”

Tang Zhengxiong was a football fan—but he followed only the Premier League and La Liga; Premier League and La Liga fans looked down on the Eredivisie.

Tang Zhengxiong was also rather oblivious—he didn’t watch the Eredivisie at all, even though his son played in it.

The reason was simple: the Eredivisie wasn’t as exciting as the Premier League, and his favorite team, Liverpool, played in the Premier League!

Though unfamiliar with the Eredivisie, Tang Zhengxiong knew “PSV Eindhoven”—they were regular Champions League participants.

“Of course—he’s already played them twice, scored one goal and made two assists the night before last!”

Zhang Qingqing first raised her index finger, then her middle finger.

“Whoa.”

Tang Zhengxiong took a deep breath, then picked up his phone: “Tang Ye, when are you moving to the Premier League? Can you join Manchester United? Hey, don’t you dare go to Liverpool—go to United, and screw them over.”

“That’s not the point right now!”

Zhang Qingqing reminded him: “So you’re not coming home for the New Year?”

“Uh… pretty much.”

Tang Ye bit his lower lip, his face reddening.

This was his first New Year away from home.

“I think it’s great!”

To everyone’s surprise, Tang Zhengxiong supported Tang Ye: “You’re not a benchwarmer anymore—play hard.”

“Even if Utrecht isn’t a great team, you need ambition. Live with a goal. Tang Ye, remember—your goal is to find a way into Manchester United. You must work hard!”

“Uh, I’ll try my best.”

Tang Ye scratched his head: “So… about the New Year…”

“That’s a small thing—don’t come back if you don’t want to. You’re almost seventeen, then you’ll be twenty-seven, then thirty-seven—this is the time to fight. If you wait until you’re thirty-seven to start, it’ll be too late.”

Tang Zhengxiong spoke slowly: “Just train hard in… the Netherlands. I’m waiting for you in the Premier League. If you don’t come back, your mom and I won’t stay in China either.”

“Huh? Where are we going?” Zhang Qingqing froze.

“To England!”

Tang Zhengxiong said it as if it were obvious: “I haven’t seen a Liverpool match live this year yet—we have to go for the Merseyside Derby.”

“But we could go to the Netherlands!”

Zhang Qingqing suggested.

“No way—the Eredivisie is trash. I’m taking you to watch the Premier League—the Merseyside Derby—that’s real football!”

“But…”

Tang Zhengxiong and Zhang Qingqing suddenly started arguing, and Tang Ye quietly hung up.

Phew…

He exhaled deeply.

Looking up at the ceiling, Tang Ye felt something was strangely off.

Staying in the Netherlands to keep playing didn’t feel like something he’d choose.

Oh right!

Tang Ye thought of something, adjusted his sitting posture, then opened his personal panel.

Tang Ye (37 years old)

{Ball Control: 72; Passing: 79}

{Shooting: 61; Heading: 39; Set Pieces: 66}

{Speed: 60; Stamina: 64; Physical Confrontation: 64}

{Defense: 61; Vision: 93}

Overall Rating: 73

The intense first-team training and fast-paced Eredivisie matches had caused Tang Ye’s attributes to rise rapidly.

Except for heading, none of his attributes were now below 60.

This was worth celebrating, but Tang Ye’s focus in opening the panel this time was not here.

{Account Balance: Comeback Points * 108}

This was the first time in Tang Ye’s memory that his Comeback Points had exceeded three digits!

All of this was the result of hard training!

Tang Ye felt moved—he had last spent 40 Comeback Points unlocking a new item in the item shop, right before the Christmas break, when he barely trained at all.

Hazard’s Burger was expensive, but Tang Ye bought only one, which was why he had managed to save up Comeback Points.

Holding 108 points of wealth, Tang Ye now had two paths to choose from.

One: buy a burger every rest day to enhance his ball feel.

Two: spend 80 Comeback Points to unlock a new item.

These were two completely different development paths, so Tang Ye was extremely cautious—he did not rush to spend his Comeback Points, but instead went to find Ten Hag the next morning.

{Account Balance: 111}

“Good morning, Mr. Erik!”

Tang Ye wore a pulled-down knit cap and walked toward Ten Hag, rubbing his hands.

“Where are your gloves? The ones Nike gave you.”

Ten Hag pointed to the gloves on his own hands, then to Tang Ye’s exposed fingers.

“Uh… I left them in the locker room after the match against PSV and forgot to bring them back…”

Damn!

Ten Hag clapped his hands in approval: “Only you’d do something like that—but I remember the sponsor gave you two pairs.”

“Uh…”

Tang Ye rubbed his nose: “I lost one during training, so now I only have one left. But wearing just one looks stupid, so I don’t wear any.”

“Hahaha!”

“You already look stupid—no need to worry about that.”

Ten Hag was exceptionally skilled at comforting players—it was his innate talent as Monthly Best Coach.

“Mr. Erik, you shouldn’t say that about me.”

“Alright, alright.”

Ten Hag patted Tang Ye’s shoulder: “Make sure to tell the guys in the office about the gloves. So, Tang, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Ten Hag assumed Tang Ye wanted to discuss “Chinese New Year” again, but clearly that wasn’t it.

“Mr. Erik, if I want to get stronger quickly, do you think improving ball feel is important?”

“Oh?”

Ten Hag narrowed his eyes and sized up Tang Ye: “What are you planning?”

“I want extra training!”

Tang Ye shouted loudly.

Extra training should be shouted out loud!

“Oh, alright.”

Ten Hag eyed Tang Ye skeptically: “Ball feel is certainly important—if you want extra training, it’s a solid choice.”

“But…”

Ten Hag changed tone: “You just said you want to get strong quickly. If that’s the goal, training ball feel won’t help much.”

Tang Ye fell into thought.

“Then… what’s most important?”

“Your body.”

Ten Hag answered without hesitation: “To play in a league, you first need a body suited for that league—otherwise you’ll look ridiculous.”

Ten Hag mimicked a tackle: “A domestic pig can’t outmuscle a human, but a wild boar can. You need to become a wild boar—the Montfort Wild Boar!”

The most important thing is your body…

Tang Ye memorized this insight, then told Ten Hag: “Mr. Erik, I’ll go eat something in the cafeteria.”

“Go to hell! Training starts in five minutes—are you trying to run again?”

Ten Hag grabbed Tang Ye before he could leave.

On the training ground, Tang Ye, practicing possession drills with his teammates, was distracted.

He was thinking about what Ten Hag had just said.

If Ten Hag hadn’t said that, Tang Ye himself would have preferred buying burgers to boost ball feel.

Because his goal was to become a midfielder with superlative ball control!

The problem was, Ten Hag said ball feel improved too slowly.

As for the [Hazard’s Tarta Sauce Burger]…

Tang Ye had once spent 20 Comeback Points—a huge sum—to buy one during his injury.

He’d felt something, but it vanished immediately.

According to Tang Ye’s estimation, eating this thing required consistency.

Meaning he’d have to shove a burger down his throat every few days.

If he kept developing like this, would he turn into a burger king?

That was absolutely unacceptable!

Tang Ye hardened his resolve and abandoned the idea of eating burgers.

{Spend 80 Comeback Points to unlock purchase rights for a new item?}

{…}

{You obtained Cristiano Ronaldo’s Chicken Breast}

{Cristiano Ronaldo’s Chicken Breast: For the next 3 hours, you gain 30% additional cellular growth yield during strength training}

Tang Ye did not see the price of the chicken breast beneath the description—he saw a red line instead.

This item has side effects!

Tang Ye felt nervous.

The item was great, but what if the side effect was too severe and he couldn’t use it?

{Side Effect: After the effect ends, you will become as hungry as a pig!}

Price: Comeback Points * 10

…

(End of Chapter)