Chapter 824: Everyone’s on Their Way
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the blink of an eye, Chen Jian has already spent two years in a foreign land. If he were to count the year in which he was sent here after participating in the talent show, then this was his third year in Nottingham.
He had initially stayed at the proclaimed Nottingham Forest’s most die-hard fan, Mr. John’s home. However, he later moved out because he wanted to learn to be independent.
Chen Jian might be having an apprenticeship with Nottingham Forest at the moment, but that did not stop him from continuing his studies at Nottingham University. He keeps a low-profile in school, and does not reveal his additional identity as a footballer to his school mates.
Having spent three years in England, Chen Jian no longer struggles with communicating in English. He is always the most hardworking and passionate player amongst his team mates, and the coaches would always use him as an exemplar to encourage his team mates to train hard.
His behavior piqued the interest of his team mates and they asked him, “Do all Chinese people work as hard as you?”
Chen Jian should feel lonely and left out since he was the only Chinese or Asian in his team. However, he focused all his attention on his training solely, and he did not think about any of these other trifles.
He knew that he was in a race against time. He would not be able to accomplish anything in his life if he were to slack on his training now.
He firmly believes in a principle that was brought up in many of the stories that he listened to while growing up:
A genius is only able to achieve success because he is working hard in the time that another uses to drink coffee. There is no such thing as a genius who is able to achieve success just by relying on his gift alone.
If even a genius needs to work hard, then there was no way an ordinary person like him could not work hard.
A genius would still have his gift without hard work, but an ordinary person would have nothing without hard work.
Chen Jian was assigned to train with the U15 team during the very first year that he joined Nottingham Forest due to his poor foundation in football. He might have stuck out like a sore thumb amongst a group of 14 to 15 year olds, but he was not embarrassed about the situation. He put his heart and soul into training his footballing foundation, and he did not care about the looks that were thrown his way.
It was difficult for him to find a training partner as a result of the age gap between him and his other team mates in the U15 team. Therefore, he could only practise by himself most of the time.
Chen Jian was also unable to participate in the U15 competitions.
In China, it was common for players to lie about their actual ages, but that was not the case in England.
In truth, Chen Jian longed to participate in the U15 competitions. Every time the team participated in a competition, he would sit by the side and become very engrossed in watching how the players play football.
The players might be younger than him by four or five years, but besides his physical build being slightly better than theirs, he was not able to find a single advantage that he had over them.
Chen Jian was also not able to participate in intra-team U15 competitions either. He was too old, and it would be too easy for him to take advantage of his physical build, which would make things unfair to the younger and smaller players in the team.
This situation lasted for close to a year.
In the second year, Chen Jian was promoted to train with the U18 team despite being nearly 20 years old by then. However, even then, he was still unqualified to participate in U18 competitions such as the FA Youth Cup. He was only able to play in intra-team U18 competitions, or some unofficial warm-up competitions. But, he was still able to participate in some kind of competition at the very least.
Chen Jian was actually a very intelligent person. His intelligence can be discerned from how he was able to converse in fluent English with his British team mates in just a short period of time.
Even if he was not selected to play in a particular game, Chen Jian would still make a trip down to watch the match in person. In fact, he never misses a match that Nottingham Forest plays in, be it a youth team match, a reserve team match or a first team match.
The best part about watching the match in person rather than on TV is that his view would not be restricted by the camera shot. He is able to get a complete view of the entire pitch.
Other than a few occasional appearances as a right back, Chen Jian mostly featured as a midfielder who operated down the middle of the pitch in the youth team. It was a position that required him to be able to see and grasp everything that was happening on the pitch.
He would mull over every action that a player takes while he watches the game from the stands.
Why did they choose to deal with the ball that way and not this way? What are the pros and cons of every possible method of dealing with something?
He would pay attention to the performance that the more famous players put in on the pitch. He would observe how they play football in general.
Chen Jian believes that watching football is also a form of training. A player who is willing to rack his brains and analyze the game being played out before him would definitely be able to learn a lot of things just by watching.
He also carries a small notebook with him whenever he shows up to watch the matches. He would jot down everything that he observed or thought of as he watched the match, so that he is able to refer to the notes again in the future.
A midfielder needs to be the most intelligent player on the pitch, because he needs to be able to analyze what is happening on the pitch at all times and make the best decision that corresponds with the situation. In this sense, the training that Chen Jian has given himself is apt.
Chen Jian did not only watch and analyze the games. He would also try to apply what he learned from the matches in his actual training.
All the coaches of the youth team admire his way of playing football in which he would make use of his brain.
Chen Jian did not have any advantage in his physicality once he was put into the U18 team. There were lots of professional footballers who were physically stronger than he was. Asians simply are not able to measure up against the Westerners in terms of physical stature and height.
In terms of explosive power, Chen Jian was not the weakest in the team, but neither was he the most outstanding. He was just average at best. The only thing that he could work on to make himself stand out from the rest of his team mates was his ability to make use of his brain. Unlike physical stature and height, a person’s intelligence does not rely on his genes.
He might not be physically strong enough. He might lack explosive power and he might also not be fast enough. But, he can make up for all those weaknesses with his intellect.
A year has passed since Chen Jian trained himself to use his brains more while playing football, and he has managed to achieve outstanding results.
He might not be able to participate in the FA Youth Cup or the Youth League, but he was able to put up good performances in the intra-team matches.
Chen Jian typically plays as a defensive midfielder for his team. When he has to defend, he does not make use of his physicality to fight for the ball with his opponents. Instead, he would judge where his opponent would run to during his attack and then run over to the area before his opponent is able to get there so as to intercept the ball and stop the opposition’s offense before it threatens his team’s goal.
Similarly, he would not try to use his pace against his opponents when he is trying to bring the ball forward during an attack. He would always observe the situation on the pitch after he has received a pass, and he would then pass the ball over to where it should be passed to. Doing so makes his attacks easy, effective and straightforward. It also enables him to grasp any fleeting chance to catch their opponents off guard and launch an attack.
However, it did not matter how hard he trained and how well he performed in the youth team. He remained as an ‘apprentice’ in Nottingham Forest, and the club has never offered him a new professional contract. His salary was very low and it was only enough to let him live his life in Nottingham. He was not able to send money back to his parents, and neither did he have the money to spend on women to satisfy his biological needs.
His life was simple and dull. He spent most of his time at either the training grounds or his apartment, and he would drop by the university once in a while. It has been three years since he came to Nottingham, but he has only gone to the downtown shopping district five times so far, and he did not even know where the other places of entertainment were at.
He did not know how much longer such a life would last. He was not some monk doing penance. He craved to live a life of higher quality, but he needed to be given a higher salary in order for him to achieve that. He needed a new professional contract.
He still vividly remembers every single word that Tony Twain said to him in that very phone call.
“… You are just an apprentice. I won’t guarantee you anything. I won’t promise that you’d be able to fulfil your dream and become a professional footballer in the future. Don’t even think about something like being able to represent the first team in competitions right now! The club will also not be able to promise you anything. Be it your pay, your treatment or a guaranteed contract… We won’t promise you anything. We would not give you anything besides a chance. It is possible that you would still be in the reserves team fighting for a spot in the first team once you are 26. It is also possible that you would be kicked out of the club and be forced to join a semi-professional football team. There are even worse scenarios, but I leave those to your imagination…”
Will those scenarios become a reality?
Chen Jian did not return to China during the month’s long vacation. He intended to use the time to continue with his practice.
His actions caused his mother to worry about him, and she took a month’s leave to fly over to England to visit him. His father, on the other hand, was not able to fly over because he had to work. That was to be expected, since his family was not rich enough to be able to emigrate over to England to be with their son.
Chen Jian could be considered to be working right now, and it was good that he no longer needed to ask for money from his parents.
Both his parents were doing jobs with a low salary. It would take them a long time to plan their finances before they are able to pay for a trip to England.
Chen Jian hoped that he would be able to receive a professional contract from the club soon. This would increase his salary and he would then be able to reduce the financial burdens on his parents.
It would mostly be a lie if he were to say that he wanted to play football because it was his passion. His wish was to turn his passion into his profession. There would be nothing more blissful to him in this whole wide world than that.
His mother brought numerous bags of items with her when she came over to England. Most of the items were specialties and condiments from Sichuan.
She had brought them along because she was worried about her son’s inability to taste authentic Sichuan cuisines during his time in England, and because she wanted to save money, since the cost of living in England was much higher as compared to Mianyang City, their hometown.
However, Chen Jian could not eat of any of the Sichuan food products she brought along, be it the Sichuan bacon or sausages, because he was a professional athlete and he could not eat any of those food.
In truth, he really wanted to eat them, but he had to force himself to stay away from them. If he was not able to persevere with this strict diet, then he should just give up on being a professional footballer entirely.
His mother could not understand why he would find boiled chicken delicious. Despite their disagreements over food however, the two still spent a happy month with each other. Chen Jian did not feel as lonely with his mother by his side.
Every night after training, he would bring his mother out to shop. At times, he would also bring her to watch Forest’s first team matches at the stadium. He wanted to let her experience the crazy atmosphere. However, his mother did not want to go after a visit or two because she found the atmosphere too noisy and she did not think that her heart would be able to take it…
When the time for their separation drew near, Chen Jian began contemplating about what he should get for his parents as a gift. He eventually decided to bring his mother over to London during the weekend to buy a gift for both of them.
Oxford Street is a famous business district in London. Nearly all of the luxury brands in the world have set up a retail store in this district.
Every year, large numbers of tourists make their way over to shop for branded products at Oxford Street. They come here to shop not because of the appeal of the luxury brands, but because the products here are slightly cheaper as compared to other places.
Despite the cheaper price however, the expression on Chen Jian’s mother’s face changed after she glanced at the price tags on a few items. She immediately pulled on her son and urged him to leave. She looked like she would never go near any of these shops in her life again.
Regrettably for her, Chen Jian was adamant about buying them gifts as his way of showing filial piety towards them.
It was only natural for Chen Jian to want to buy gifts for his parents, considering what they had done for him in the past.
His parents were the only ones who stood up for him at a time where all his close friends and relatives were against his decision of dropping out of the Tianjin Police Academy to pursue his footballing dream in England.
They did not think that Chen Jian was talented enough to make a name for himself in the footballing scene. One of his relatives who had no knowledge of the state of football in England used the state of football in China as a way of deterring him from going over to England.
“Jian, look at the reputation surrounding Chinese professional football! Listen to me. Don’t think about the quality of the school that you are enrolled in. All you need to do is to get a certificate. When you graduate and return here, I will use my connections to land you a job at the court. Don’t become a professional footballer, okay?”
If Chen Jian could still vividly remember the spectacle whereby all his relatives made a trip over to talk him out of his decision, then he would certainly remember how his parents had supported him in the face of his relatives even more clearly.
His relatives intended to get his parents to stop him from pursuing unrealistic things. They knew that there was a chance that Chen Jian would not listen to their words, no matter how good a relationship they might have with him. However, a son would surely not disobey his parents should they tell him to give up on his impractical dream.
Chen Jian’s parents gave a unified response to their relatives when asked. “It’s up to Chen Jian. We as parents can’t interfere with his decision. If he wants to go, then we’d let him go.”
His relatives could say nothing else when his parents were supportive of his decision. Chen Jian subsequently flew over from Sichuan to England and began his journey to realize his dream.
Chen Jian did not know what he would be doing now if not for his parents’ open-mindedness.
Perhaps he would have gotten a job at court through his relative’s connections, and also end up owing his relative a huge favour in the process. Or perhaps he would have become a security guard in Tianjin after graduation.
Who knows?
He definitely needed to do something to reciprocate the support he received from his parents.
However, he needed an excuse to get his mother to accept his gift wholeheartedly. Thus, he told his mother that he had just signed a new contract with the club before she arrived in England. He was no longer just an apprentice but a professional footballer. His salary was one that a professional footballer would draw and definitely could not compare to the salary he was getting as an apprentice.
Therefore, it was not a problem to spend a bit of money to buy gifts for them!
His mother was happy for him after hearing the news. Chen Jian felt like it was worth lying after seeing the smile on her face.
As for how to cover up his lie afterwards, he would just think about it another time.
In the end, Chen Jian used up his two years’ worth of savings to buy a tuxedo and a casual outfit for his father, and a handbag and skirt for his mother.
His mother wore the skirt and walked out of the dressing room happily. She looked a little embarrassed as she looked at herself before the mirror.
“My son is a famous football star now.” She quickly averted the topic to hide her embarrassment from her son. “Your dad will also be very happy when he hears this.”
“I’m just a professional footballer. I’m not a football star, mum…”
He might have feigned composure before his mother, but worry still crept onto his face when he walked over to the cashier to make payment.
He was not concerned about the money he had to spent to buy the gifts for his parents. He was just worried that his lie would be exposed one day. He could not imagine how disappointed his parents would be then…
His mother’s flight was scheduled to take off on Tuesday afternoon. Chen Jian went to find the youth team manager, Greenwood, to request for a day off during training on Monday.
Greenwood did not accede to his request straight away. Instead, he grinned at him and said, “You came at a good timing, Chen. I received a call from South Wilford earlier. They told me to inform you to make a trip over and find Manager David Kerslake when you reach.”
Chen Jian was confounded. “I’m sorry, Manager Greenwood. I didn’t catch your words. Can you repeat yourself once more?”
Greenwood coughed lightly. “The first team assistant manager David Kerslake wishes to speak to you.”
“Me?” Confusion was written all over Chen Jian’s face. He did not interact with the first team coaching staff before. Why would the first team manager want to speak him?
Greenwood could not hold back his words after seeing the foolish look on Chen Jian’s face. He slapped him on the back and said, “He’s going to tell you to sign a new professional contract! You are not going to be an apprentice after this.”
Chen Jian would have thought that he must be dreaming if not for the fact that Greenwood’s slap was painful.
“You mean… They want to sign a professional contract with me?” He asked in disbelief.
“That’s right, Chen. Are all the Chinese as cautious as you? I’ve already repeated myself so many times, yet you still don’t believe in me. If you don’t believe in me, then I’m going to call them to put away the contract…”
Before he could finish his words however, Chen Jian had already run away from him after giving him a curt bow.
It took a while before the words, “Thank you, Manager Greenwood!” reached his ears.
Greenwood smiled. “Why are you thanking me? You should thank yourself, Chen.”
The first team training session had concluded a while back, but both Tony Twain and Kerslake had stayed behind to wait for their man in the office.
Sounds of hurried footsteps and rough breathing could be picked up down the corridor. The two looked at each other and smiled.
Their man was here.
Chen Jian stood before the closed door. He was not in a hurry to knock on the door. He held up a fist, lowered his head and closed his eyes. He tried his best to calm himself down and slow down his breathing.
No one could blame him for feeling so worked up after hearing the news. Nonetheless, it would still be very embarrassing to enter the room looking the way he was right now.
A while passed before he finally raised his hand to knock on the door.
“Come in.” Kerslake’s voice rang out from behind the door.
“Manager Twain. Manager Kerslake.” Chen Jian politely greeted both managers as he made his way inside.
Kerslake was full of smiles when he responded to his greeting. “Hello, Chen.”
Twain, on the other hand, was more composed and only nodded his head as acknowledgement.
“Judging from the way you look… I suppose you already know why we want to speak to you today?”
Chen Jian nodded his head forcefully. He was afraid that they would change their minds if he were to nod too softly.
“We have always kept an eye on your performances for the past two years. You have performed well in the youth team. Tony thinks that you are talented. If we were to count the year where you became a part of us after joining the talent show, then you have improved very fast in these 3 years.”
The first image that surfaced in Chen Jian’s mind was his mother’s smile. He no longer had to worry about the lie he told her earlier.
I did not lie! I’m really going to be given a professional contract now!
“You still don’t have an agent yet right?”
Chen Jian nodded his head.
“Hmm… It doesn’t matter. It’s just a normal contract like any other. Go through it yourself.” Kerslake passed the contract over to him.
Chen Jian scanned through the contract. He did not care about what was written on the contract. He only paid attention to the duration of the contract and his weekly pay. It was a four year contract, and he was going to be given 1500 pounds a week.
It was not a high salary, but it was much better than the salary he was drawing as an apprentice right now.
“I’ve finished looking through it. I have no issues with it! Can I sign on it now?” Chen Jian wished that a pen would magically appear in his hands right now.
Kerslake was about to open his mouth, but Twain cut him off.
“Don’t be in such a hurry, lad.” The manager who had not spoken a single word since Chen Jian entered the room stood to his feet. “I want you to think about it carefully. Is this your final goal?”
Chen Jian did not understand what Twain was trying to say. He looked at him in confusion.
“We might have given you a professional contract, but based on your current abilities, you would still not be able to play for the first team. Even if we were to put aside the issue of the work permit, you would still not be able to appear in any of the first team matches. You also can’t play in any of the reserve team matches.”
Chen Jian felt as though someone had doused cold water over him after hearing Twain’s words. He was instantly able to cool down and think rationally.
What Twain said was right. Even if he signed the contract, he would still not be seen as an official member of Nottingham Forest, because he would not be able to represent Forest in any of its matches.
What good is there in being a professional footballer if he was not able to participate in matches?
Was he just going to go to the training grounds to train every day and then draw a salary for it?
I am indeed playing football to earn money, but this is not how I want to earn money.
Chen Jian shook his head. “If I’m not able to participate in matches, then why are you still giving this contract to me? I don’t understand, Mr. Twain…”
Twain glanced at Kerslake, before continuing, “The reason why we called you here alone is because we have a special arrangement with regards to your contract with us… By signing this contract, you are undoubtedly a member of Nottingham Forest. We would be responsible for your professional career. However, as you know, the work permit is an issue. You won’t be able to play for the team. We also wouldn’t sign a player and leave him to train on our training grounds for four years. It’d be too much of a waste.”
“I do think highly of you. You have the potential to become a star player in the future. I believe that what you need right now is to play in matches against decent teams. There’s little you can learn by training in the youth team. But, as you know, you can’t feature in matches if you don’t have a work permit. It does not matter how talented you might be.” Kerslake said. “This is a vexing issue, Chen.”
Twain went on to say, “Let’s not think about your personal abilities and potential for now. Let’s focus on the work permit for now. Actually, there are many ways to obtain a work permit. It just depends if you are willing to do them. One of the ways is to marry a British woman.”
Chen Jian was shocked. He was only 20 years old this year. He has been preoccupied with becoming a professional footballer for the past few years, so he did not have any time to spare to find a girlfriend.
How could someone like him possibly have contemplated about marriage?
Twain smiled after seeing Chen Jian’s reaction. “Looks like this is a dead end. The other way is to apply for British citizenship.”
Chen Jian was not as shocked this time round. He immediately shook his head. “This is impossible, Mr. Twain. China does not allow any of its citizens to hold dual citizenship.”
“Then just change your citizenship.” Twain told Chen Jian with a stoic face.
Chen Jian became even more animated. “No way! Definitely not! I have never thought about something like that. I am Chinese. How could I possibly give up my Chinese citizenship? My parents would never agree to this either…”
“Okay, let’s say you get selected to be a member of the Chinese national football team and you manage to play in 75 per cent of your national team’s ‘A-ranked’ matches. The Chinese national football team would also need to be ranked in the top 75 teams in the world… I don’t think that’s possible based on their current abilities. I also think it’s a pity for you to be playing football in China…” Twain furrowed his brows and continued to speak to Chen Jian gravely. “I still think it’s better for you to consider doing one of those two things that I told you about earlier. Either you marry a British woman or you change your citizenship.”
Chen Jian continued to shake his head. “Mr. Twain. I am really grateful that you think so highly of me. It doesn’t matter if my abilities are good enough to get into the Chinese national football team or not. It also doesn’t matter how poor the Chinese national football team is. I will never reject being a player for them as long as they request for me to do so. It’s impossible for me to change my citizenship, Mr. Twain. Perhaps you do not understand this strong sense of belonging that we Chinese feel towards China… I don’t know how to explain this feeling to you either. Anyway, I won’t ever change my citizenship. I can’t do something like give up my Chinese citizenship to play football…”
Chen Jian suddenly felt as though the contract he was holding in his hands was very heavy.
He was prepared for the worst. He was prepared to either give up the opportunity to sign a professional contract with Nottingham Forest and return to China, or to play football in another country that did not require a work permit.
Twain shrugged. “I certainly don’t understand. Isn’t your dream to become a true professional footballer? Then why are you hesitating now that the chance is right before you? I think it’s very normal to change your citizenship. Look at all the famous professional footballers. They all hold multiple citizenships. Didn’t the Brazilian football star Aílton give up his Brazilian citizenship to join Qatar so that he could participate in World Cup?”
Chen Jian furrowed his brows as he explained to the British manager, “It’s not the same, Mr. Twain. The Chinese are different from the people from other parts of the world. Why is there a Chinatown in almost every country? I might not harbor such thoughts if I was born in England. But I was born and raised in China…” He started becoming more and more exasperated as he spoke. He did not know how to explain his feelings to the manager before him.
He bit on his lip and contemplated for a while. “A dream is just a dream, Mr. Twain. My dream is to turn my passion into my profession. However, neither my dream or my job would ever become more important than my ‘motherland’. The word ‘motherland’ also refers to the land of your mother. How could anyone turn their back on their mother just for money? Being filial to your parents is one of the many Chinese morals that we are taught, and it is also the most important. How can I still call myself a human if I push my mother aside just to play football?”
Chen Jian got more and more worked up as he continued to try and explain his thoughts to Twain.
Eventually, he decided to just return the contract to him.
“I would rather give up on this chance if I really have to give up on my citizenship to play for Nottingham Forest, Mr. Twain.”
Neither Twain nor Kerslake picked up the contract. Instead, the two broke out laughing.
“What did I tell you, David? Don’t underestimate a Chinese’s stubbornness! Ha!”
Twain then looked at the dumbstruck Chen Jian who could not make sense of what was happening. “Don’t worry. There’s no one here who would force you do anything that you don’t want to do. As for what citizenship you want to choose, that’s entirely up to you. Your decision would not affect the validity of this contract. We still want you to sign this contract.”
“Then… Just now…” Chen Jian was at a loss.
“That was just a joke.”
The expression on Chen Jian’s face turned solemn. “But I don’t think that was a very funny joke, Manager.”
Twain became a little embarrassed after hearing him say that. “All right, I’d apologize to you. I’d apologize to you sincerely for that. I definitely understood what you meant and how you felt earlier. I’m not joking about this. After all, I am a British who knows a thing or two about China.”
Chen Jian’s happiness had completely vanished due to the ‘joke’ that the two had pulled on him.
He looked at the contract in his hands and suddenly began thinking a lot more about his future. He was not as excited as he was at the start.
That’s right. Even if I do sign on this contract, I can’t guarantee that I’d be able to succeed in the future. This is just the first small step in the long journey ahead of me. If I can’t play a match for Forest, then where should I go four years from now? Will I be able to continue playing professional football? If I can, where can I go?
The work permit. The Chinese national team. My citizenship…
All these various issues continued to linger and encircle his mind.
Twain seemingly read his mind. He placed his hand on Chen Jian’s shoulder. “Don’t think about things in the future. You should focus on playing well for now. If you really possess the skills needed to represent Forest in matches, we would apply for the work permit for you. Thus, the work permit is not an issue. The only issue is whether you have the abilities to represent Forest. Do you understand?”
Twain’s words enlightened Chen Jian.
That’s right. I might not be able to get the work permit in the end, but as long as I have the abilities, then isn’t it the same no matter where I play football? My dream was never to play for Nottingham Forest either…
Chen Jian eventually signed on the contract by penning down the Chinese characters for his name.
Twain received the signed contract from him. He scrutinized his signature for a while, before he smiled and said, “You sure wrote your name nicely.”
He passed the contract over to Kerslake before turning to face him once again. “I heard your mother is in Nottingham?”
It was only then that Chen Jian remembered why he tried to find Manager Greenwood earlier.
“Yes, but she’s flying back tomorrow. I was going to request for a day off from Manager Greenwood to send her off…”
“No problem. You can just make a request to me. Anyway, I approve of your request. Go ahead and send your mother off tomorrow. After you are done with that, I want you to start packing your things. You have to prepare to leave England as well.”
The news caught Chen Jian off guard.
Are they trying to chase him away now that he has signed the contract?
“What kind of rubbish are you thinking about now? Why do you always like to think about all these useless things? Greenwood said that you are an intelligent player, but you need to use your intellect on other things! Without a work permit, you can’t play in any matches here. Why would we keep you here? Can you develop your skills just by training? You obviously need to participate in matches! That’s why, you are already on loan to Volendam, a Dutch football club that is playing in the Eerste Divisie. Develop yourself while you are there!”
Chen Jian did not think that he would be able to play in an official league match so soon. It might only be for a club in the Eerste Divisie, but he was not picky.
It was great that he was able to play in a match after being deprived of any chance for three years. How could he possibly still be picky?
“There’d be a language barrier, but you need to get used to it. No matter what, I still hope that you’d be able to perform well over there. From my point of view, I don’t want any player that walks out of Nottingham Forest to become a laughingstock to others. From your point of view, you need to perform well for your own good.”
Chen Jian nodded his head forcefully. “I promise you I’d do my best over there!”
Twain smiled after seeing the way he reacted to his words. Chen Jian reminded him of how a member of the Young Pioneers [1] would act when they were inducted into the organization…
“Word is cheap. If you fail to perform over there, then this would be the very last contract you are getting from us.” Twain pointed at the contract in Kerslake’s hands.
Then, he paused a little and changed the tone and language that he had been using up till then.
“Chen Jian.”
“Huh?” Chen Jian did not expect Twain to suddenly speak in Sichuan dialect at all. It took him aback.
“You are a player who only started playing football recently. You know what you lack, don’t you? It’s time. It doesn’t matter how hard you train. This is something that you can’t make up for through training. Three years of training…” Twain raised three of his fingers. “Is definitely a very short time for any player who’s aiming to become a professional footballer. But you don’t have a choice. It doesn’t matter where you are playing football. You have to remember one thing. You do not possess talent, and you also do not possess time. You cannot afford to make mistakes, and you also do not have the right to complain about your circumstances. You are incredibly lucky to even be able to get to where you have today. So, from now on, I want you to keep pushing ahead, no matter what obstacles lay in front of you. You don’t have another choice. Do you understand?”
Chen Jian nodded his head. “Yes, I understand.”
Twain smiled and then reverted back to speaking in English. “Don’t think about anything and don’t care about anything. Just keep moving forward. Keep moving forward…”
Twain’s voice started to trail away and eventually became a whisper. His vision became blurry as he spoke as well.
Isn’t it the same for him?
Ever since the day he transmigrated, hasn’t he also just kept moving forward? He also has to keep moving forward now and in the future as well…
Destiny chose him and he does not have a choice either. Just like Chen Jian, there was no way back for him.
“Keep moving forward!” Twain’s voice changed back to how it was earlier, and his vision also started to clear up.
He looked at Chen Jian. “You will definitely achieve your dream someday. Don’t forget that expression that you made just now when you were adamant about retaining your Chinese citizenship.”
Chen Jian bowed deeply to Twain.
A day later, Chen Jian sent his mother off at the Heathrow Airport. He also told her that he was going to play football in Netherlands then.
His mother wished him all the best after hearing the news.
Two days later, Chen Jian packed his belongings and made a trip over to Netherlands all by himself. There was no attention from the media over his departure, and there were also no fans to send him off at the airport. He was going to start chasing after his dream in a new and foreign country.
At the same time, Dunn began his journey to achieve his dreams over at the Meadow Lane Stadium that was situated north of the Trent River. He was being revealed for the very first time before the press as the new manager for Notts County, and he displayed a slightly bashful smile before the cameras.
As for Tony Twain, he continued to lead Nottingham Forest, a team that has his name deeply engraved upon it, towards a brand new tomorrow.
The radiant morning sun rose up slowly from beneath the horizon, and it shone light onto the faces of everyone who were on their way to achieve their goals and dreams.
