Chapter 10

Zhou Yi's first meal at the training base was the lunch on the day he reported in, at a canteen not far from the dormitory building.

Here, Zhou Yi not only met Sun Pan, Yang Mugē, and that hot-tempered man Guo Nu again, but also the other teammates.

As soon as Sun Pan saw Zhou Yi, he warmly invited him to sit down.

So, Zhou Yi carried his stainless steel tray over and sat down with Sun Pan and Yang Mugē.

"Hey, Zhou Yi, have you heard?" As soon as Zhou Yi sat down, Sun Pan leaned in, speaking mysteriously, as if he had some new news.

"Heard what? You have new news again?" Zhou Yi was also excited and responded enthusiastically.

This made Sun Pan very happy—how boring it would be if he were to excitedly share a piece of gossip and no one listened. Even if one plays the lute well, there must be a connoisseur; who would play the lute to a cow?

Sun Pan liked Zhou Yi's cooperative attitude, so he lowered his voice and said, "This morning, didn't you ask who else hadn't arrived besides you?"

"Yes. Did that person arrive?"

Sun Pan snorted lightly, "Of course. A big star, of course, has to make the last entrance, right? Otherwise, how could he be the finale? Moreover, the head coach personally went to the main gate to welcome him and took him to register. Look at that treatment... tsk tsk!"

"The head coach personally took him to register... why does he get such treatment?"

"He's the only national team player on our team," Sun Pan said, spreading his hands and shrugging.

"Our team is supposed to be the strongest in the country for our age group, isn't it? Isn't it normal to have a national team player?" Zhou Yi found Sun Pan's words strange. The only national team player?

When Zhou Yi asked this, Sun Pan fell silent. The usually talkative Sun Pan actually had a moment of silence, and Yang Mugē answered Zhou Yi's question for him.

"That's just media hype, a gimmick. In fact, we are not the strongest in the country for our age group. Isn't the strongest supposed to be the U17 (Under-17 national team)? If that's the case, why not just send the national youth team? Why do we need to form a team temporarily?" Yang Mugē didn't talk much, but his silence was different from He Ying's. Even when he didn't speak, he always had a smile on his face, while He Ying would remain cold and silent. One was a warm guy, the other was a high-cold guy.

To explain this to Zhou Yi, Yang Mugē rarely spoke so much at once.

"So, in fact..." Zhou Yi had already guessed.

Yang Mugē nodded, "Many of us can't even be starters in our respective club youth teams. Otherwise, which club youth team would be willing to send their starters to participate in a TV reality show that's just for fun?"

"So, no one really cares..." Zhou Yi thought about the excitement he felt when he saw that news on TV. It turned out he was just naive. How could someone with experience take the hype seriously? He felt a bit disappointed. He thought this show might just be about playing games in European cities, taking some scenic photos, and that's it. He even began to doubt whether he would get to meet the young talents from European top clubs.

"Of course, who would believe a bunch of people put together could have the qualifications to challenge the youth academies of Barcelona and Real Madrid?" Sun Pan snorted. "Europeans would definitely think we're pulling their leg."

Yang Mugē didn't continue. He had said what needed to be said. Saying more would only be discouraging, and he didn't want to dampen the spirits of this new teammate.

But Zhou Yi was still thinking along these lines: "So, the production team found a national youth team player to make our team look a bit stronger and save face?"

"Right, and not just a substitute, but a starter, a starting forward!" Sun Pan's words sounded sarcastic to Zhou Yi.

"A forward..." Zhou Yi frowned when he heard this. He was also a forward, and with such a strong competitor, he might end up as a substitute. If he couldn't play in Europe, it would be a great disappointment.

"Yeah, it feels like he's the head coach's own son..." Sun Pan lowered his voice, clearly knowing it wasn't good to criticize the coach behind his back.

"Since he's so good, why did he come to our reality show? Didn't Yang Mugē say the clubs wouldn't play along with us?" Zhou Yi had another question.

"Apparently, the head coach used some personal connections to get him, so he's very precious..."

Just as they were talking, there was a commotion at the canteen entrance. Many people who were eating put down their chopsticks and spoons, looking up.

Then, Sun Pan, Zhou Yi, and Yang Mugē saw someone walk into the canteen.

"Hey, the main character is here. Even for meals, he has to be the last to arrive, tsk!" Sun Pan snorted.

But Zhou Yi was stunned.

Why?

Because the person who came in was none other than... He Ying, his roommate!

***

When He Ying walked into the canteen, he could clearly feel the noise in the canteen quiet down, and many eyes were on him.

But He Ying wasn't surprised or unfamiliar with this.

As the starting forward of the Chinese U17 national team, he was used to such treatment.

He ignored the gazes, whether they were curious, flattering, or disdainful.

He walked straight to the serving window, picked up a stainless steel tray, and started ordering.

He didn't order much and deliberately avoided the greasy dishes, not taking any of the popular pork dishes.

After ordering, he carried his tray to an empty table and started eating.

The canteen was large, as it was a comprehensive training base with not only a football field but also tennis courts, cycling tracks, golf courses, and more. There were many people training, and the canteen had to accommodate all of them. Currently, only the football team was training at the base, so most of the canteen was empty, with plenty of empty tables. He didn't have to look hard to find one.

Zhou Yi quickly observed the situation in the canteen. Some people wanted to sit down and chat but clearly lacked the courage. Zhou Yi understood this. In the dorm room, he had tried to find a topic to chat with He Ying to liven up the atmosphere, but the thought of He Ying's dead fish eyes made him hesitate.

Others looked at He Ying with disdain and resentment, disliking this show-off. Sun Pan was a typical example.

Zhou Yi turned his gaze away.

Sun Pan was still muttering, "I wonder who the unlucky one is to be his roommate... Of course, he's a big star, so he might be in a single room..."

As he was speaking, he saw Zhou Yi point to himself.

Sun Pan was puzzled, "What's that for?"

"Me," Zhou Yi said.

"Me what?" Sun Pan was confused.

"The unlucky one is me," Zhou Yi pointed to himself.

***

"You and He Ying are roommates?" As soon as they left the canteen, Sun Pan couldn't wait to ask.

Zhou Yi nodded, "Yes."

"Feels good?" Sun Pan pressed.

"Great, I don't think I need to turn on the air conditioner at night," Zhou Yi replied.

Hearing this, Sun Pan burst out laughing. His hearty laughter echoed for dozens of meters, drawing curious glances from passersby, and he quickly covered his mouth.

Even Yang Mugē smiled at Zhou Yi's words.

"I heard He Ying is particularly cold, very distant and proud. From your description, it seems the rumors are true," Sun Pan said in a low voice.

"I completely understand your situation. If I were your roommate, I'd commit suicide!" Sun Pan said a bit exaggeratedly.

Zhou Yi nodded repeatedly, "I get it."

He certainly got it.

If Sun Pan, who was so talkative, had to share a room with He Ying, even if Sun Pan had no prejudice against He Ying, the almost frozen air in the room would probably suffocate him.

"Alright, I can't help you much with this. You're on your own, brother," Sun Pan patted Zhou Yi's shoulder, his tone serious, as if Zhou Yi were heading to the execution ground.

Yang Mugē laughed and said, "It's not that bad. Zhou Yi, just don't provoke him. I don't think he's the type to start trouble."

Sun Pan was about to agree with his roommate, but halfway through his nod, he suddenly remembered something, and his expression changed, "Not necessarily, Yang Mugē. I don't think Zhou Yi is the type to avoid trouble..."

Hearing this, Yang Mugē's expression also changed. He and Sun Pan exchanged glances, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes—they were on the same wavelength.

Zhou Yi didn't expect his friends to change their opinion of him so quickly. He was dissatisfied and pointed to his face, "Hey, look at me, look at my harmless face. Tell me, do I look like someone who causes trouble?"

Sun Pan and Yang Mugē nodded simultaneously, saying in unison, "Yes!"