Chapter 13

Even if he were to go back a hundred times to ten years ago, Lin Sen's goal would not change. To achieve his goal, he didn't care how the process went. To him, being a successful doctor and being a successful coach were essentially the same, of course, as long as it wasn't too bumpy. Lin Sen wouldn't do something he was destined to fail at. A farmer, even if he traveled back a hundred years, couldn't become God. More likely, he would still be a farmer, at best a successful one. Creating a world was too exhausting, better left to God. In other words, Lin Sen hated trouble, really hated it, but it wasn't out of fear.

The dressing room of Atlético Madrid was now the most tense place in the entire Calderón. Even if they had nothing to lose, a six-game losing streak was enough to make everyone shut their mouths. More terrifyingly, they didn't know if the six-game losing streak was the end. In this atmosphere, Lin Sen walked into the dressing room.

"Don't expect me to say something like 'you've done your best' when we lose. Of course, I'm not a blowhard, at least not until the bet is over. I'll just say one thing: I'm satisfied with all the players who have made an effort in the game." After saying this, Lin Sen turned and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to step out, he stopped and turned his head to say, "By the way, please keep your promise if you lose the second bet. You and the first group who lost will be the starting lineup for the next game."

The atmosphere in the dressing room instantly changed from tense to surprised.

When they lost the first bet, many players thought it was just because Lin Sen had somehow gotten the information that Rijkaard would soon be fired, so it wasn't a big deal. But the second bet? Villarreal surpassing Barcelona? And right after this game? Could this also be from some channel? A betting company?

"He's right," Fran said after checking his phone. "Barcelona was held to a draw by Espanyol, and Villarreal won against Valladolid, leading by exactly one point."

The situation suddenly became a bit eerie.

Especially for the four who lost the second bet: Pereira, Peña, Barrera, and Jara!

Lin Sen didn't care what the atmosphere in the dressing room had become as he walked out. His mood was very, very bad. But just as he stepped out of the dressing room, he saw someone already waiting for him outside the door—press officer Karlping Pérez.

Karlping had been in a terrible state recently. Xiao Hill had unilaterally canceled Lin Sen's pre-match press conference for the previous game. At first, he didn't think it was a big deal. After all, Lin Sen wasn't a big shot, and Xiao Hill was the club's executive. But he didn't expect that after that, Lin Sen not only refused to attend the post-match press conference for the previous game but also ignored the pre-match press conference for this game, citing illness both times. Damn illness, Atlético Madrid had played two games, and the journalists hadn't even seen Lin Sen's face. It was clear that the press conferences were being canceled altogether.

Lin Sen not attending press conferences didn't affect him at all, but if this continued, Karlping, as the press officer, would really be in trouble.

So, as soon as Lin Sen came out of the dressing room, Karlping blocked him.

To Karlping's surprise, Lin Sen didn't refuse this time. He just nodded and easily followed him to the press room.

When Lin Sen appeared at the press conference, the flashbulbs almost blinded Karlping. Karlping clearly didn't expect so many journalists to show up for an ordinary league game, but Lin Sen knew exactly why. Flies don't bite uncracked eggs. Atlético Madrid's bad luck wasn't enough to satisfy the media's appetite. Now, the coach's bad luck was the main course they were waiting for.

When the press conference finally entered the main Q&A session, Alfonso, who had been given the first question, glanced triumphantly at the angry Moreno. The relationship between Marca and Diario Sport was the same as that between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even at a small press conference, they were in fierce competition.

"Coach, I'm a reporter from Marca. We all know that near the end of the game, the TV cameras captured some interaction between you and your players. Is there any truth to this?"

Not about Atlético Madrid's six-game losing streak, not about how Lin Sen planned to respond, Alfonso's question had just been asked. As the press officer, Karlping was about to find an excuse to refuse, but Lin Sen's response was even faster: Yes.

Yes, there is!

Young man, what are you saying such a blunt truth for? Press conferences aren't held like this. Honesty doesn't get rewarded. Seeing Alfonso's ecstatic expression, Moreno was almost grinding his teeth in hatred, glaring at Karlping on the stage. What the hell is a press officer for if you can admit this at a press conference?

"Then, can you explain what exactly happened?" Alfonso tried to keep his voice calm.

"Very simple. I wanted them to come on as substitutes, they didn't want to, and then they didn't come on. That's it." Lin Sen's voice was much calmer than Alfonso's, but the content was shockingly straightforward.

What do you mean, "they didn't come on"?

The entire press room was in an uproar, and Moreno almost jumped up.

Now, if he still didn't understand why Lin Sen was being so honest, he would have wasted his years as a journalist. The young man in front of him wasn't just young; he was deliberately making a big deal out of it. But after this... the Atlético Madrid executives would probably go crazy!

"Can I interpret this as them refusing your instruction to come on?" Alfonso continued to press.

"That's your interpretation. You wanted to know what happened, and I told you. I won't comment further." Lin Sen smiled, his tone equally calm and shockingly straightforward.

Alfonso was about to ask more when Karlping finally reacted. "Your question is over. Next question."

Seeing Karlping's almost murderous gaze, Alfonso reluctantly sat down but quickly cheered up. No matter what, his goal had been achieved.

"Coach, we all know you were a team doctor before. Can I interpret Reyes and Simão's refusal to come on as being related to this?" Moreno asked next, clearly dissatisfied with Lin Sen's "favoritism" towards Alfonso. His question was harsh and almost overtly critical, and he stared directly at Lin Sen on the stage.

Facing a question that everyone knew, everyone secretly mocked, and everyone considered Lin Sen's sore spot, the expression on Lin Sen's face, who was facing it for the first time, was not what Moreno hoped to see. He was very calm.

"Have you always been a journalist, Mr. Moreno?" Lin Sen didn't answer Moreno's question immediately but asked a counter-question.

"No, I was a writer before I became a journalist," Moreno thought for a moment and said. He understood why Lin Sen asked this, but he didn't think being a writer was harder to admit than being a team doctor.

"Are you ashamed of being a writer?"

"Of course not."

"Compared to your current job?"

"…I can only say that I prefer being a journalist, not that I regret not being a writer."

"Then, do you think there's any connection between being a team doctor and a coach, compared to being a writer and a journalist?"

Sure enough, Moreno felt tears welling up. He knew what Lin Sen was going to say, but why did he get caught up in it? Of course, there's a connection, but can I say that to his face?

"No," Moreno gritted his teeth.

"Then, as you said. I used to be a team doctor, and now I'm a coach. In other words, I'm the best coach among team doctors, and the best team doctor among coaches. Maybe one day, I'll be the best coach among coaches. Who knows what the future holds? Mourinho is the coach I admire the most. When he was a translator, who could have predicted his current success? Can you say he's not a successful coach but a successful translator?" Lin Sen decisively brought Mourinho into his camp. When it came to previous careers, was there a more inspiring example than Mourinho?

…Mourinho, I knew it would be that damn Mourinho. How can you become that damn madman? Who is he, and who are you? Moreno roared in his heart. As a Barcelona mouthpiece, Mourinho was almost a negative example for Diario Sport.

"Coach, you've gone around in circles, but you still haven't directly answered my question. Did their refusal to come on have anything to do with your past identity? I don't think so, but they might."

"Then you're asking the wrong person. You need to ask them!" Lin Sen replied coldly. "As for me, I won't apologize for my profession! I won't in the past, I won't now, and I won't in the future!"

The entire press room finally fell silent. Karlping looked at Lin Sen, who was calm, as if he had just met the young coach.

Wow!

Rod, sitting in the corner, was secretly amazed. Compared to Marca, the Independent was just a small newspaper, and getting a chance to ask a question was a matter of luck. But today, he had a real eye-opener. If anyone ever said the young Atlético Madrid coach was a rookie, he would slap them: Have you ever seen such a fierce rookie? Who could silence the sharpest-tongued journalists in all of Spain?

After this small incident, the rest of the press conference was uneventful.

The next day.

Marca's headline: Refusal to Come On, Players Publicly Split with Coach!

Diario Sport's headline: Comparing Himself to Mourinho! Arrogant or Confident?

The Independent's headline: I Won't Apologize for My Profession!