[{"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-82":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},2300052,4499,"Chapter 82: 45 Goals, 38 Offensive Contributions (20k words—seeking monthly votes!)","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-82",82,"\u003Cp>Utrecht defeated Saint FC 5-0 to advance to the Dutch Cup final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye recorded his second career assist hat-trick in this match, but he is now under immense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the return bus, Tang Ye sat in his seat, both hands clutching his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Which is faster: a 16-year-old’s reaction speed or an 18-year-old’s?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye is very worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his reaction speed has been artificially accelerated by the system!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He furrowed his brow, carefully scanning the items popping up on the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye did not directly search for which reaction speed was faster between 16 and 18, but he caught a key piece of information among the many results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Generally, human reaction speed peaks around age 20.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If reaction speed peaks at 20, then logically, an 18-year-old’s should be faster than a 16-year-old’s!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, that scared me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye sighed, put his phone back in his pocket, and leaned back to rest for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, isn’t your birthday coming up soon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat elbowed Tang Ye, who sat beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after Amrabat asked, Aale turned around from the seat ahead: “Yeah, I remember your registration form says March.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s March 4th.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye replied: “What’s today’s date again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s already the 2nd, so it’s coming soon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to turn 17!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So does that mean I’m no longer a youth team player?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye blinked. Every time Tenghahe  submitted the official match squad list to the federation, he saw “U17” next to his name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye disliked this—he felt he was being treated differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, as long as you haven’t turned 18, you’re still a youth team player, because you signed a youth contract—this is how the Netherlands does it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat answered: “But after this, your name won’t show U17 anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what will it show?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“U19!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Okay!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his head and realized it was indeed true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was a regular starter in the first team, he had signed a youth contract and was still officially registered with the U17 reserve team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Utrecht Evening News front page headline: After Tang’s 17th birthday, Utrecht paid a fine of 44,000 euros for two previous matches, saving about 29,000 euros by delaying payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht RTV reporter: Tenghahe  was reported by the Dutch Youth Protection Organization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Working minors past 10 p.m. is an undeniable violation of the law. Utrecht Club is treating him as a professional player—this is absolutely wrong. Minors should not be professional players.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongqi Di Extra: Analyzing Dutch Minor Protection Law—Could Strict Laws Put Tenghahe  at Risk of Arrest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the match against Saint FC, Tenghahe  gave the players half a day off, then gathered them at the gym in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The result of the other match is out—our final opponent is Feyenoord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  sat on the bench press, speaking slowly to the players in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve all felt it in previous matches—we struggle against Feyenoord, even more than against PSV or Ajax. So I want you to stay grounded and not get overconfident…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the first day after the match; even the afternoon training intensity wouldn’t be high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  spent a long time chatting with the players—essentially holding a small team meeting in the gym.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye sat on the floor, reading a novel on the Qidian app. Ahead of him sat Aale, 1.9 meters tall, perfectly blocking Tang Ye’s phone screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was reading comfortably, so he used his account to tip the author 100,000 Qidian coins—then the next second, Tenghahe  called his name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Tang, they’re calling you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat kicked Tang Ye’s foot; he quickly hid his phone in his sleeve and looked up at Tenghahe : “Mr. Eric, I’m listening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  spread his hands: “Tang, I didn’t call your name, did I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye turned to look at Amrabat—the sneaky Moroccan was smirking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, Tenghahe  never called Tang Ye’s name—it was Amrabat who tricked him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye waved it off, thinking the matter was over, but Tenghahe  directly ordered him to stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come here, stand right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  called Tang Ye over to his side; the players sitting on yoga mats struggled to hold back their laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh, Mr. Eric, what’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is exactly what I feared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe ’s expression turned serious, pointing to Tang Ye beside him: “We’re currently top of the Eredivisie and have reached the Dutch Cup final. I’m worried you’re becoming complacent after these successes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  held up a “9”: “There are nine league matches left. Do you remember our season’s goal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Avoid relegation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye answered quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean the later goal—we changed it twice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, top four.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye answered again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. We aim for top four—and ideally qualify for the Europa League, even the Champions League! That’s our goal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  turned his upper body toward Tang Ye: “But Tang, you’re getting a little too full of yourself! You don’t act like a regular youth player—you act like the top scorer or top assist leader in the Eredivisie. Even the actual top assist leader wouldn’t be this arrogant!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye felt embarrassed by Tenghahe ’s scolding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye stepped forward: “Mr. Eric, but I’m already the top assist leader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  leaned sharply backward and turned to Van der Gaag beside him: “Is he telling the truth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van der Gaag nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  had never been wrong in his statements—yet today, he’d been caught out on a trivial matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, when did you become top assist leader? After yesterday’s match? No, yesterday was the Dutch Cup—that doesn’t count.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will you be top assist leader after we play Feyenoord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me check.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye pulled out his phone, opened the Royal Dutch Football Association homepage, and found this season’s Eredivisie assist stats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t remember exactly, but I think I’ve been number one for a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye handed his phone to Tenghahe .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had checked the assist list last December and remembered he was already number one then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since it was assists, he never bragged about it to his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  took the phone and examined it carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1. Tang Ye (Utrecht), 24\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2. Locadia (PSV Eindhoven), 14\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3. Duplan (ADO Den Haag), 13\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>4. Ziyech (Twente), 12\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>5. Carlsdoop (Feyenoord), 12\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“2…24?” Tenghahe ’s eyes widened: “When did you get so many assists?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That can’t be right!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenghahe  felt his memory must be wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered Tang Ye only occasionally making one or two bizarre long passes per game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did it add up to this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most baffling to Tenghahe  was that Tang Ye’s lead was ten assists over second place!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ridiculous—does Utrecht score every goal because of Tang Ye’s assists?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag signaled the players to hold off, then took Tang Ye’s phone, turned off the Chinese translation, and pulled up the league table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The league table shows each team’s total goals scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht’s total goals this season so far are 45.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag exhaled, handing the phone back to Tang Ye: “You scared me—I thought you were that strong. But assisting half the team’s passes is still pretty impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye has 24 assists; Utrecht’s total goals this season are 45—that’s over 50%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Ten Hag usually likes to PUA Tang Ye, these stats are genuinely solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s no excuse for Tang Ye to zone out during meetings!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan de Jiahe whispered, leaning close to Ten Hag’s ear: “He’s also scored 14 goals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>14 goals?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>24 assists, 14 goals…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>24 plus 14 is 38.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>38.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>45.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahem!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag kept his stern expression, waving his hand briefly: “We just won yesterday, so I won’t make things hard for you today. Tang, you’re dismissed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye slipped his phone back into his pocket and hurried back to his spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected that damn Eric would let him off!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye sighed in relief, sat down, and gave Ram Saierer  a middle finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training began immediately, and Tang Ye started his routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Nixi  points now stood at 183; Tang Ye didn’t rush to spend them unlocking new item permissions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current items were enough for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You purchased Cristiano Ronaldo’s chicken breast.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye wondered if buying two chicken breasts would give him a 4x training boost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after testing it, he found that buying the same item during its active duration only refreshed the timer—it didn’t stack the bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad. But then again, it made sense—if stacking worked, Tang Ye could’ve eaten ten chicken breasts today and woken up tomorrow with shoulders half a foot wider!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly two hours later, the first-team players finished their gym session; after massage, it was 5:30 p.m.—Utrecht’s first-team dinner time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, Bart, I feel my thigh veins pulsing—do you feel that too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking out of the physio room, Tang Ye limped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t injured—he was just sensing his muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Bart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ram Saierer  suddenly nodded repeatedly: “Ah, uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bart, you’re zoning out—that’s bad. Eric hates distracted players.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the last to leave the physio room; Tang Ye had noticed Ram Saierer  had been distracted since earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked toward the cafeteria, Tang Ye sized up Ram Saierer : “Bart, you’re not thinking about games, are you? I’ve seen you logging into FIFA a lot lately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ram Saierer  shot back: “You’re imagining things. I’m not you. That’s impossible. Only lazy pigs who hide in their rooms playing games think about games—and I’m not a lazy pig.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was skeptical, but said nothing more and kept walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bart, I think we should hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier in the physio room, Ram Saierer  had suggested playing a few FIFA matches—but by now, the other teammates had been in the cafeteria for half an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was worried: if everyone had already eaten, the cafeteria would be dead quiet, and he hated eating alone at a table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ram Saierer  leaned over, glancing at Tang Ye’s phone screen: “Okay, we really should hurry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two broke into a run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they reached the cafeteria, they found the windows closed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the curtains were drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s not right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rushed over—according to his memory, the cafeteria shouldn’t be closed at this hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good—it was open. There must still be food…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Happy birthday!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Tang Ye stepped inside, a 10-inch cake flew straight at his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had the reflexes of an 18-year-old, Tang Ye still couldn’t dodge it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye jerked his head violently, flinging cream and chocolate off his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped his eyes with his shirt, about to curse—then froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first-team cafeteria had transformed. Colored lights glowed everywhere; in the center, a table held a cake with two candles labeled “1” and “7.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised Tang Ye most: after “17” was a Chinese character—“ Sui .”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together: “17 Sui .”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, see? Haha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wuhu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teammates were cheering. Tang Ye looked around and realized Ram Saierer  had somehow reappeared beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bart, so you deliberately distracted me with FIFA.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, did you like it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I liked it, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his head: “My birthday is March 4th—should be tomorrow, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag pushed aside Ale and De Jong, stepping forward: “Last week, when your parents came, I asked your mother—you were born at 12:01 a.m. China time on March 4th.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… so what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not very smart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag patted Tang Ye’s shoulder: “We have a time difference. Right now, it’s 12:01 a.m. on March 4th in China!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Happy birthday, Tom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over twenty first-team players, along with Ten Hag and Fan de Jiahe, all watched Tang Ye as he stepped forward to his giant cake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You need a wish—maybe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ram Saierer  was about to suggest ideas, but Tang Ye closed his eyes and blew out the candles instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye raised an eyebrow at Ram Saierer : “Bart, I know exactly what I’m wishing for. I’ve always known.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2023,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","be8e129c4d855cd4b95416c0317910f9f4bf8b670e4e458f2fcdcb07c66cfa31","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-83","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-81",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]