Chapter 99

Lin Sen ultimately neither said yes nor no to Ariel. After confirming that Ariel was not joking, he gave her a response similar to the one he had given Mendes: we'll see.

This was because Lin Sen never made promises about things he might not be able to do. The reason he could make a promise to Dina was, first, because he could do it. Dina and Ariel were two different people. Dina was a physical trainer, a position that any professional team must have. Ariel, as a sports psychologist, was not a necessary position for a professional team. Secondly, Dina was a piece of the puzzle in the coaching team Lin Sen planned to build. In Lin Sen's mind, aside from himself, a personal coaching team needed at least three more people: a physical trainer, a technical coach, and a goalkeeper coach.

A well-qualified coaching team shouldn't be too large, because when taking over a team, you couldn't expect the new club to fire all the original coaches, and even if you could, it would inevitably affect the team's stability, which would not be beneficial for the new head coach to start work. Of course, a team that was too small wouldn't work either. Just like Lin Sen, who had to take great pains to "buy" Tapia when he first took over Malaga, because even if he could cover all aspects, time was fixed, and time was precious for any new head coach.

Since the start of the Christmas holiday, Lin Sen has maintained his usual routine. Ariel visited a few times, and this girl seemed to be serious about becoming a sports psychologist. She asked Lin Sen for a lot of books and materials related to football, and Lin Sen no longer tried to dissuade her, instead giving her a long list of book titles to find on her own.

As for the La Liga chairman's summit, which attracted the attention of the entire country, Lin Sen didn't take it seriously. Not only because he knew that the summit would ultimately be all talk and no action, but also because the tax reform had nothing to do with him. With his current annual salary, whether it was the new or old tax rate, it made no difference to him.

More concerning to him was a phone call in the morning, which came from home, and was personally made by his grandfather, asking him to find time to return to China.

If it were any other day, given his grandfather's temper, he would never use such a mild term as "find time," and it would likely not be the old man himself who would call. The change now suggested that his "frank advice" at the time had taken effect. Thinking that he probably wouldn't be able to return for the Spring Festival, Lin Sen checked the calendar and found that this year's New Year's Eve coincided with a La Liga match day. He ultimately decided to return to China during this time.

After making up his mind, he bought some local specialties from Malaga and booked a flight for the afternoon. The next day, Lin Sen appeared at Tianan Airport.

Unlike the last time, this time Lin Sen was recognized as soon as he walked out of the airport. Although it wasn't a big deal, it still took some time for photos and autographs. Fortunately, someone was there to pick him up, so he didn't have to hail a taxi. Uncle Dong, who had received the news, was already waiting at the airport.

After returning to Lin Manor, Lin Sen, as usual, went to see his grandmother first. The old lady was delighted to see her grandson and kept asking if he could stay for a few more days. When Lin Sen said he could stay until after New Year's Day, the old lady was very pleased and said that the rest of the family would return, and they could all gather together.

Since his grandfather was out and had not returned, Lin Sen adjusted to the time difference until dinner. After eating the meal left by Aunt Fang, Lin Sen composed himself and went to his grandfather's study.

---

Unlike the last time, the old man was clearly waiting for Lin Sen. When Lin Sen entered, he closed the book he was reading. Although his face was still stern, the tension in his brows had eased.

"I'm retiring."

The old man's first words left Lin Sen unable to remain calm.

"Your story is good."

This was the second sentence, or rather, a supplement to the first.

After saying these two sentences, the old man fell silent, looking at Lin Sen with a deep gaze, as if waiting for him to continue the conversation.

Lin Sen knew what his grandfather was waiting for. Six months was enough to verify many things. Even the biggest doubts would dissipate in the face of facts. Lin Sen had long expected that his grandfather would make a decision different from his memory, but he didn't expect it to be so decisive, even resolute.

The old man would rather bend than break. Lin Sen's description of his grandfather as an old tree was not without reason. Lin Sen understood this better than anyone. In this sense, he should have expected the old man to handle the situation this way, but he had chosen to avoid it in his heart.

No matter how accurate Lin Sen's "foreknowledge" was, it couldn't change the fact that a tree was a tree.

A tree that moves will die.

Since the old man was destined not to yield, it was better to wither himself and make a final contribution to the flowers and grass that he could no longer protect.

"Grandfather, if I told you I came from ten years in the future, would you believe me?" After a long silence, Lin Sen suddenly said something shocking.

The old man's face seemed to change slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and asked a seemingly unrelated question: "What about your grandmother in ten years?"

"Like you," Lin Sen thought for a moment and replied.

Hearing Lin Sen's answer, the old man's expression seemed to darken.

"Like me... become another old tree?" Indeed, that was her nature. The old man sighed inwardly.

"Have you told anyone else this?" After a long pause, the old man asked.

"Never," Lin Sen said honestly. This had always been his biggest secret, one that no one would believe. He thought this secret would remain buried in his heart forever, but today, facing his grandfather, he said it as if possessed.

"Very good. Don't say it again in the future." The old man nodded.

"Do you believe me?" Lin Sen looked up at the old man.

"I don't believe your words, but I believe in my grandson." The old man smiled, and his stern expression seemed to melt away instantly, replaced by a kind and relaxed look that seemed to have been absent for a lifetime.

In that moment, Lin Sen felt an indescribable emotion fill his heart, almost bringing him to tears.

"I'm old. In the future, I plan to travel with your grandmother. Don't worry about the family." Seeing Lin Sen lower his head, the old man comforted him with a smile.

"Grandmother might not go with you," Lin Sen took a deep breath and joked boldly.

"Haha." The old man was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Then you'll have to help me persuade your grandmother. She loves you the most."

---

On the last day of 2008, Lin Sen met the most relatives he had seen since childhood, including his uncles, aunts, and a large group of cousins, sisters-in-law, and brothers-in-law...

Uncle One had a personality most like his grandfather, showing a stern but kind expression when he saw Lin Sen. Uncle Two was more laid-back, calling Lin Sen a "little rascal" as soon as he saw him. The aunts were very热情, but their热情 had a natural distance. As for the cousins, the one who left the deepest impression on Lin Sen was his cousin Lin Lei, because he was a football fan...

Lin Sen's parents ultimately couldn't return to China. According to his grandfather, his father, who had been in South America for five years, would soon be transferred to Europe, and this was the most critical and busiest time.

The usually quiet Lin Manor suddenly became lively. Lin Sen thought this was everyone who would be eating the "big pot meal" in the evening, but as night fell, two more people arrived. One was an elderly man about the same age as his grandfather, surnamed Shi, who stared at Lin Sen as soon as they met, making him feel uneasy. The other was a woman about Lin Sen's age, Shi Shan, the granddaughter of the old man.

Hearing her name, Lin Sen couldn't help but chuckle: Shi Shan? Lost? For how long?

Seemingly sensing Lin Sen's almost imperceptible change in expression when he heard her name, Shi Shan, who had only smiled once when she first met her grandfather and then turned into an ice queen, shot Lin Sen a cold, sharp look, making him shiver.

That evening, Lin Sen had the most uncomfortable dinner of his life, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

After dinner, his eldest sister, Lin Xiang, came over and asked how he felt. Lin Sen smiled bitterly and honestly said he couldn't take it.

In fact, Lin Sen had already noticed the unusual atmosphere during the dinner. His grandmother had been asking how long he would stay since he arrived, and his grandfather's conversation with the old man seemed to focus too much on him. The presence of Shi Shan, who was completely unrelated, made it clear that this "reunion dinner" had a hidden purpose: it was a matchmaking dinner.

This wasn't strange. The Spring Festival in China had long become a matchmaking festival. Lin Sen, who had been abroad for a long time, often couldn't return for the Spring Festival, making this the best opportunity. Now, Lin Sen was the only one in the family who wasn't married and was approaching thirty. His parents had a laissez-faire attitude towards him, so it was only natural for the old man, who had regained confidence in Lin Sen, and the grandmother, who had been nagging about his marriage, to arrange a matchmaking dinner for him.

However, the two elders had considered Lin Sen's feelings and didn't say it outright, probably hoping to see if they could get along. But it seemed...

Hearing Lin Sen's answer, his eldest sister laughed and scolded him: "You know how many people would love to chase that girl but don't have the qualifications? And you can't take it?"

Lin Sen just shook his head and smiled bitterly. Unexpectedly, at that moment, Shi Shan walked over. Seeing her approach, Lin Xiang smiled, greeted her, and gave Lin Sen a meaningful look before leaving him alone.

"I know about you. I saw a report about you on CCTV. You're a football coach, self-reliant. I don't dislike self-reliant people, but I know you're not interested in me, and I'm not interested in you either. However, neither of us wants to worry our elders, so let's put on a show?"

Lin Sen was thinking about what this woman would say, but he didn't expect Shi Shan to be so straightforward. He couldn't help but admire her: she was indeed an ice queen, but not to the point of being arrogant, and she was considerate.

So, Lin Sen nodded in agreement.

They exchanged contact information, and Shi Shan left as quickly as she had come.

Before Lin Sen could recover from the conversation, a transatlantic call came in.

The caller was Livermore.

"Lin, Atletico Madrid has officially made an offer to buy back Koke."

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PS: I thought this part might be a bit off-topic, but I felt that the protagonist's background couldn't be fully understood just by imagination, so I decided to write it out. If you don't like it, you can skip it.