Chapter 3

The long-awaited new book is finally here, and I apologize to all my readers for the delay. However, now that the book has started, I can assure you that the usual guarantees still apply. As mentioned in the introduction: I will write with a new author's mindset, and I promise not to stop updating.

Now, I will start writing more chapters. Even without website recommendations, I will ensure at least two updates per day. If you give me more support, I will add an extra update for every thousand recommendation votes. I hope to change some of my past habits while writing this book and occasionally burst into a flurry of updates. So, I really need to stockpile some chapters. I hope for your understanding and continued support.

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Qin Xiong's apartment is not large, about 50 square meters, with one bedroom and one living room. The interior is simple and well-organized.

Qin Xiong placed his shoulder bag on the clean table and walked straight to the kitchen. He first replenished his water, then opened the refrigerator and started cooking.

Freddy followed in and sat down at the table. He accidentally saw the sketchbook peeking out of the shoulder bag and casually pulled it out to flip through it. From the first page to the latest, every drawing was a sketch. Half of them depicted scenes and events, while the other half were fantastical characters that seemed to appear out of nowhere. For example, Freddy's favorite drawing showed a sunrise by the river, with a pair of magnificent wings above the rising sun!

When he flipped to the latest page, Freddy was captivated by the majestic dragon hovering above the towering mountains. Yes, in China, dragons are symbols of good fortune, representing favorable weather and national peace. However, in Western culture, dragons are often symbols of disaster and misfortune.

Coincidentally, Freddy is a Christian, and in the Bible, dragons are often depicted as Satan or demons.

Moreover, the dragon drawn by Qin Xiong, from any angle, could not possibly represent the light.

Freddy closed the sketchbook with a light sigh. As Qin Xiong's guardian, he could roughly understand what Qin Xiong was thinking.

Qin Xiong was suppressing his strength, harboring aspirations for life and the future!

It was time for a change.

Qin Xiong walked out of the kitchen with two plates, each containing tonight's dinner, one for him and one for Freddy.

They sat across from each other at the table. Qin Xiong didn't rush to eat, but instead, he calmly gazed at Freddy as if waiting for something.

Freddy's expression became solemn and serious. He sat up straight and spoke slowly and deeply, "Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."

Qin Xiong closed his eyes, as if memorizing and savoring the words. After about 15 seconds, he opened his eyes. Freddy smiled at him, and they both picked up their utensils to start eating. Qin Xiong used chopsticks, while Freddy used a spoon.

Over the past ten years, as Qin Xiong's guardian, Freddy often recited a few famous Bible verses before meals as a pre-meal interlude. Qin Xiong was used to it, sometimes it would cause self-reflection, and sometimes, he would treat it as if Freddy had let out a not-so-smelly fart.

During the meal, they chatted casually. Freddy mostly asked Qin Xiong where he had been during the day, what he had done, and if there were any new things to share. Qin Xiong responded lightly, not annoyed by Freddy, but somewhat absent-minded.

After dinner, Freddy took the initiative to clear the plates and wash them in the kitchen. Before leaving, he said to Qin Xiong, "By the way, I have something to tell you. Tomorrow is Tang Tian's 50th birthday. In Chinese, it means he is turning 50. He has invited you and me to attend."

"Specific time?"

"We'll leave at 5 PM."

"Okay, I'll remember. Do I need to prepare a gift?"

"No need."

After Freddy left, Qin Xiong returned to his bedroom. His bedroom was spacious, with a single bed against the wall. He walked to the bookshelf, took out a Spanish textbook, and then a portable cassette player. He put on the headphones and started his self-study for the evening.

He is a person with extremely strong self-discipline.

Since being adopted by the Tang Group 16 years ago and living in this place, 70% of his time was spent on sports, mainly football. The remaining 30% of his time was divided into a small part for personal activities and a larger part for cultural studies, with a focus on the humanities. Besides Chinese culture, his other focus was on European culture and language learning. He had already mastered English and had been learning Spanish for a year and a half.

During his studies, Qin Xiong would wander aimlessly around the room, pace in the living room, or go to the balcony to catch a breeze. After an hour of study, he would do some light exercise in the room and then continue studying, ensuring he spent two hours each evening on his studies.

At 9:30 PM, he went into the bathroom to shower. By 10 PM, he was lying on his single bed.

In the darkness, he gazed at the ceiling.

He had no parents. Yes, from the moment he had memories, he had no parents.

To him, even though he lived in a comfortable apartment, he still had nothing, not even a small stool belonged to him.

Even those with parents, when they turned 18, their future, whether bitter or sad, could no longer be blamed on their parents.

Qin Xiong had never resented anyone. He accepted everything calmly and always looked forward.

This positive and optimistic mindset had been instilled in him since he was under guardianship and tutelage.

Last month, he turned 18.

He had become an adult.

He believed this was a milestone moment, and he should strive for everything he should belong to.

But a month had passed, and he was still "trapped" here, in a place where nothing belonged to him.

Tick, tock, the alarm clock on the bedside table struck 10 PM, and Qin Xiong closed his eyes and fell asleep...

The next morning, on the playground divided into four sections, the young people who came from the dormitory or the dining hall to prepare for training, as expected, saw a unique figure.

Qin Xiong arrived earlier than anyone else. He always appeared energetic during training, thanks to adequate sleep and well-recovered physical condition. He would complete his warm-up jogging and stretching exercises before anyone else arrived and then familiarize himself with the ball before the official training began.

At that moment, he was juggling the ball with his feet, the soccer ball bouncing up and down like a toy, light and natural, alternating between his feet.

Occasionally, he would flick the ball high and touch it with his forehead, shoulders, or the back of his neck, but he always managed to keep the ball from hitting the ground.

This did not mean he had a natural talent for soccer. Anyone who had lived with a soccer ball for 15 years since the age of 3 should be able to do this easily.

Outside the training base, some young soccer enthusiasts admired Qin Xiong, but they did not know that inside the base, he was not liked by most people.

Most of the people here were orphans, and they were also trained in soccer skills from a young age. However, in their eyes, Qin Xiong was a unique and strange person.

He never went out to explore the world or play with them secretly, nor did he chat and joke around during breaks.

Qin Xiong often kept to himself, and his only hobby was drawing, which he was particularly good at. Moreover, he had shown significantly stronger soccer skills than his peers since the age of 8, leading to his focused cultivation, a personal apartment, and more attention from coaches, doctors, and teachers. This easily aroused jealousy among others.

Thus, those who disliked Qin Xiong would call him a weirdo behind his back, but no one dared to challenge him face-to-face. In the few times he had fought, he had sent his opponents to the hospital, the lightest injury being a fracture. Those three who challenged him eventually left the place, and no one knew where they were now, perhaps working in a factory to support themselves or drifting in some corner of society.

Since his remarkable performance at the age of 8, over the past ten years, Qin Xiong had consistently outperformed his peers in physical fitness and soccer skills. By the age of 18, he was revered and kept at a distance by his peers.

Perhaps they were afraid of being overshadowed by his "weakness," or perhaps it was Qin Xiong's terrifyingly serious training attitude and astonishing perseverance. In this restless society, it was not surprising that people like Qin Xiong were called monsters.

But Qin Xiong was clear-headed.

The Jiangcheng Youth Football Home had been established for nearly 20 years, training children in soccer skills. Over 1,000 children had passed through, some giving up early, others ending up like the story of Fang Zhongyong. Today, excluding Qin Xiong, only two had achieved some success.

One was Liu Yi, who is two years older than Qin Xiong. He joined the German football scene last year and plays for the second-tier club Nuremberg as a defensive midfielder.

The other is Zhang Pengfei, who is one year older than Qin Xiong. He signed a professional contract with the Portuguese club Marítimo six months ago and plays as a winger.

And Qin Xiong, the most prominent figure in the Jiangcheng Youth Football Home, where is his future?