[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-foresight":3,"chapter-foresight-foresight-chapter-153":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","FORESIGHT",{"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},1847551,2452,"Chapter 153 153: When The Past Knocks","foresight-chapter-153",153,"\u003Cp>Barnett's agency wasn't just about brokering transfer contracts. His group handled everything from sponsorships to carefully crafted public images.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the image work, for example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barnett had decided that Kai should be packaged as the classic sunny, athletic young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Le Kai, soon-to-be twenty, fit that role perfectly—talented, upbeat, and brave. It was a look the European market adored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To lock it in, Barnett even created a set of brand tags for Kai: energetic, fearless, bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It matched the kid's current vibe so well that it almost wrote itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the concept was nailed down, Barnett moved fast. He lined up a feature with a London-based outlet and arranged an exclusive interview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The session ran nearly an hour. The back-and-forth felt more like rehearsed theatre than a spontaneous chat, but the results were gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the next morning, the interview was everywhere online. Kai hadn't fully grasped how Barnett worked his magic, but the message was clear: a carefully polished image had just been launched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sunny boy, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Arsenal's Colney training ground, Chamberlain frowned at the newspaper headline. \"If they knew the big lad likes to swing a bat around, I wonder what they'd write.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai laughed and shook his head. \"If you keep quiet, nobody will think you're daft.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain grinned, nodding toward Kai's locker. \"So… the bat's still in there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I look mad?\" Kai shot back. \"Why would I drag a bat to training?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to leave, but Flamini sidled up to Chamberlain with a conspiratorial whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So those rumours about the vice-captain are true?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain widened his eyes dramatically. \"What do you think? I saw it myself. Kai walks into the underground car park with a bat and a sack. When the coaches finally show up—absolute carnage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Imagine it,\" he went on, lowering his voice for effect. \"Stuck in a sack, no idea what's coming next.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flamini winced. \"That's brutal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Last season,\" Chamberlain continued, \"things got tense. Nobody wanted to talk. Kai strolls out of the equipment room with a cracked bat and, boom, everyone falls in line.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flamini squinted. \"Come on, you lot outnumbered him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain tapped his shoulder with mock gravity. \"I guess it was from the shock?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flamini's eyes lit up. \"Ah… right. Of course. Makes sense now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai, blissfully unaware of the tale growing behind his back, was already focused on the afternoon grind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training these days was relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First came the daily ball-control drills. Then long-range shooting. After that, coordinated offensive and defensive runs with Cazorla and either Ramsey or Flamini.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't over-dribble on the cut,\" Kai reminded Cazorla as they moved into a final circuit of sprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical conditioning followed. That part was Cazorla's idea—he wanted to match the endless engines of players like Modrić and Ramsey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been thinking the same,\" Cazorla said between breaths. \"More quick passing, less solo dribbling. We can push the tempo that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai nodded. \"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cazorla's footwork was electric, but Kai knew the risk. Too much time on the ball made him a target, and the Spaniard already absorbed more fouls than anyone in the squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a heavy challenge derailed him, it would be a tragedy. A player of his Champions League calibre deserved a long career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai quietly resolved to help. He joined extra drills he didn't even need, just to keep Cazorla motivated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cazorla, eight years older, still couldn't bring himself to treat Kai like a kid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some players grow up fast. Kai was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arsenal was humming now, chasing silverware with genuine belief, and Kai was at the centre of it all—trusted by every teammate, trusting them back. That bond was driving their surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evening settled in as Kai headed for his car. He'd barely buckled in when his phone buzzed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few people even had the number, and the screen showed an unfamiliar call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated, then answered. \"Hello?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A calm voice on the other end froze him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kai. I'm in London. We need to talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai froze for a moment, recognising the voice the second it came through the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Robin van Persie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't expected a call like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where are you?\" Kai asked after a brief pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll send you the address,\" Van Persie replied, a hint of relief in his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai jotted it down and ended the call. He wasn't sure why the former captain wanted to meet, but it didn't feel like a friendly catch-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The passenger door of his car suddenly clicked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain slid in, grinning. \"Go, go, go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai gave him a sidelong look. \"You really need to buy your own car.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chamberlain only shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Kai pulled into the car park of a hotel in central London.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tugged on a baseball cap and sunglasses before stepping out and heading for the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft knock on a door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hinge creaked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie opened it, surprise flickering across his face. \"Long time no see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai forced a polite smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come in,\" Van Persie said, ushering him inside and pouring a glass of water. \"I've got to head back to Manchester tonight, so dinner's out, I'm afraid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai took a sip and got straight to the point. \"So, what's this about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie drew a slow breath. \"I want to come back to Arsenal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai had half expected that. He nodded slightly. \"Then you're talking to the wrong person. You should speak to the professor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He won't have me,\" Van Persie said quickly. \"But if you talk to him… well, he listens to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai raised an eyebrow. \"You want me to lobby for you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie gave a small, hopeful shrug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if the manager likes me,\" Kai said evenly, \"I'm not about to risk that relationship on your behalf.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words landed hard. Van Persie's smile faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We were teammates for a season,\" he pressed. \"I'm asking for a bit of help, that's all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Robin,\" Kai sighed, rubbing his forehead, \"you need to understand something. When you left Arsenal, certain things were set in stone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned forward. \"Maybe you don't know this, but last year Fabregas wrote the manager a letter of apology.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie blinked. He clearly hadn't heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The professor read it to us in full,\" Kai continued. \"Do you see what that means?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie's face tightened. \"He was warning you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. He was warning all of us—leave Arsenal the way you both left and be ready to live with the consequences. Yes, he likes me, but that isn't a license for me to spend that goodwill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kai let the silence hang for a moment, then added, \"And to be blunt, there's no room for you in this squad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie's brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I could be tactful,\" Kai said, \"but that might give you false hope. So here it is: between you and Suarez, who do you think the club will choose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dutchman opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Last season, he might have argued. This season, the gap was obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And there's one more thing,\" Kai said, standing. \"You're thirty now. Arsenal are building for the future, investing in younger players.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Persie lowered his eyes, the weight of the words settling in.\u003C\u002Fp>",1202,"2026-06-09T07:00:21.491Z",1,"novelbin.me","df79baa8578a1181739a4695e14e0a3f3ad0528274dfbf4b8b40e61662df494d","foresight-chapter-154","foresight-chapter-152",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fforesight-cover.jpg"]