Chapter 6

When Qin Xiong was first adopted by the Tang Group at the age of three, he exhibited a reclusive and self-isolated demeanor. He was always immersed in the world of painting, creating many fantastical and incomprehensible works for outsiders.

He did not interact with other children and often kept himself far away during group games. The doctors diagnosed Qin Xiong with depression, but the cause was difficult to determine.

Over the next five years, Qin Xiong received football training. Besides his early education, his life revolved around painting and football training. His talent was widely recognized at a young age, but the recognized talent was in mathematics and painting.

In mathematics, Qin Xiong demonstrated sharp thinking. While other children struggled with basic arithmetic, he had already mastered it. In painting, he improved through practice, and his skills grew without any guidance.

Unfortunately, the Tang Group had no interest in nurturing these orphans into mathematicians or science scholars. After the early education, there was no need to teach them more advanced mathematics. Football training took up an increasingly larger portion of their education.

By the time Qin Xiong was eight, his talent in football suddenly became apparent. It was not just a matter of accumulated effort leading to a qualitative change; over five years, he was more focused on football than his peers. Other children would often slack off, but once Qin Xiong set his mind on something, he showed a level of dedication that even adults found terrifying. Most shockingly, Qin Xiong displayed remarkable creativity in football!

Just as when other children were still struggling with basic arithmetic, Qin Xiong was already exploring more complex problems on his own. The same applied to football.

While other children were still practicing dribbling, Qin Xiong was already using agile moves to bypass opponents. While others relied solely on speed to break through, Qin Xiong could keenly grasp the rhythm of acceleration and deceleration, easily outmaneuvering opponents. While other children focused only on the ball and wanted to show off individually, Qin Xiong could look up during matches and timely assist his teammates with precise passes.

This extraordinary talent, which began to show at the age of eight, continued to widen the gap between him and his peers over the next ten years. It was not an exaggeration to say that Qin Xiong stood out like a crane among chickens.

However, the world is vast, and China's football environment is a desert compared to the rest of the world. With countless talents worldwide, it was hard to determine Qin Xiong's exact position. He needed to go out and face the harsh competition to test and further improve himself!

Even today, Tang Tian still believed that Qin Xiong had a tendency towards depression. In a positive light, Qin Xiong appeared unique and independent, but in a negative light, he seemed "clumsy" in social interactions. It was as if there was an invisible barrier between Qin Xiong and the outside world, and his response to social situations was very passive.

Tang Tian vividly remembered that on his birthday today, Qin Xiong only showed a hint of a smile when he learned he would be going to Ajax for a trial. Otherwise, his expression remained indifferent, which was out of place at the festive birthday banquet.

Freddy took out another document from his briefcase and handed it to Tang Tian, saying, "Over the years, I have tried to find ways to improve Qin Xiong's somewhat closed-off psychological state. Recently, I noticed a research report by the psychology departments of the University of Toronto and Harvard University. I believe we have found the true issue with Qin Xiong. No, it shouldn't be called an issue. From my perspective, the talent Qin Xiong possesses is a gift from God!"

Tang Tian curiously opened the document and read it, muttering, "Low-risk depression?"

Freddy explained, "In simple terms, the probability of having low-risk depression is lower than winning the lottery. Moreover, if a person with low intelligence has this condition, they might become a fool. However, if a person with high intelligence has low-risk depression, they could either be a genius or a madman! Often, the line between genius and madness is very thin. Like Einstein and Newton, they made unparalleled contributions to human science, but they were also fools in daily life. Later analyses suggested they had mental illnesses or other psychological issues. Qin Xiong might be in a similar situation."

As Tang Tian read through the document, he began to understand what low-risk depression was.

The medical diagnosis given to Qin Xiong years ago was no longer taken seriously today, as medical standards had improved. Back then, the diagnosis was generally correct, but depression comes in many forms.

Low-risk depression is characterized by very low spontaneous latent suppression in the brain, lacking the ability to defend the brain properly and failing to effectively suppress overly divergent thinking.

It's easy to imagine that if a normal person were to engage in divergent thinking and exploration of everything they saw every day, the brain's burden would be immense!

Over time, this could lead to severe and irreversible damage!

However, due to the excessive divergent thinking of people with low-risk depression, they can process, analyze, and handle more and more comprehensive information in a shorter time than ordinary people.

In simple terms, a scene that would be very complex and confusing to an ordinary person, causing dizziness and confusion, would be clear and orderly to someone with low-risk depression. More importantly, they can quickly grasp key details and, based on this, engage in more creative and innovative thinking!

Tang Tian frowned and said, "Did I make a mistake? When Qin Xiong showed his talent in mathematics, should I have nurtured him to become a scientist?"

From the talent Qin Xiong displayed in mathematics as a child, it was clear that his IQ was not low.

If he had pursued a career in science, Qin Xiong might have become an outstanding researcher, contributing to the country, or even the world.

Freddy leaned forward, his voice serious, "Mr. Tang, I don't think you made a mistake. If Qin Xiong had been left to study complex scientific knowledge like mathematics, physics, and biology without protection, his brain might have been damaged by the uncontrollable divergent thinking, or he might have become a monster in daily life. For example, when he saw you, he might not see your appearance, hairstyle, height, or body shape, but rather muscle groups, neural networks, and tissue fibers. When he saw me drinking, he might visualize the liquid passing through my mouth, esophagus, and stomach. He might also spend a long time pondering simple questions that we take for granted, like why 1+1 equals 2 and not something else. If he could understand these simple questions, he might create unparalleled scientific achievements. However, would he be happy? Would his life be joyful? Over the past ten years, we did not teach him these concepts, so his brain could not visualize muscle groups, nerves, and cells. Therefore, he did not think about these things. Football, which we provided him, is a field with limited knowledge and divergent thinking compared to scientific research. Even so, his creativity in this field is already outstanding. In terms of insight on the football field, to be honest, he is on par with the best in the world. What he lacks is the opportunity to step onto that stage, to train, grow, and gain experience. Over the years, football has also helped him build a strong mental resilience and a positive attitude towards life. He appears no different from ordinary people, just more introverted."

Hearing Freddy's words, Tang Tian felt much better. He sincerely said to Freddy, "I hope you will take care of him as you did in the past when he goes to the Netherlands."

Freddy replied with a gentle expression, "Of course, he is like my own child. I hope he is happy and content."

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