Chapter 3

Liu Hao naturally wouldn't stop Liu Hao from going on a 'business trip.' In the morning, Liu Hao played the role of a stern judge, thoroughly inspecting eight driving schools, offending dozens of instructors and fining them several tens of thousands of yuan. Amidst a chorus of curses, he finally boarded the high-speed train to Beining City as he wished.

The Xiguang Super Club is a Chinese second-tier league team and the only professional team in Xiguang Province, affiliated with the Xiguang Super Transport Group. Its headquarters and training base are both located in Jiangnan District of the provincial capital, Beining City.

This place was originally the Xiguang Province Jiangnan Training Base. Since the establishment of the Super Club, the provincial sports committee directly 'rented' this land to the Super Club, so the original training base no longer existed, becoming the temporary property of the Super Club for no reason.

When the 30-year-old Liu Hao appeared here, he was both excited and nervous. He stood outside the simple and ancient gate, looking around, hesitating to move forward.

Actually, it felt no different from a child's first day at school.

He was excited because he had finally taken the first step towards his dream, and nervous because he was a newcomer...

The guard at the gate had been staring at him, a fat man in sports clothes, with suspicion in his heart.

Could this guy be an athlete? But he's so fat... Did Xiguang Province add sumo wrestling this year? But he doesn't seem heavy enough.

A series of questions couldn't stop his curiosity.

"Bro, are you the sumo wrestler reporting to the sports committee? The base has moved to Langxi District."

"Ah, no, I'm here to report to the Super Club... What? Sumo? Oh, no, I'm here for a visit..."

Sumo! Do I look like a sumo wrestler? What a lack of knowledge! Judging by appearance! I'm a football player! Just a bit fat! Instantly, his face turned dark, stormy, and very unpleasant.

He had felt a bit superior as a professional athlete, but the guard's words were like a bucket of cold water, almost freezing him.

"Fatso, don't think you can become Maradona just by wearing a wig!" At that moment, Cai Jin appeared, poking his fat head out of a black Audi, grinning at him.

"Cai Boss..." The guard was shocked, his mouth wide open as if it could swallow a crocodile.

"Cai Boss."

"Cai Boss."

"..."

On the way to the training ground, everyone called him 'Cai Boss.'

"Damn, you rich guy, you kept me waiting for so long!" Liu Hao was somewhat angry, only now realizing that Cai Jin was the heir of the Xiguang Super Club...

"Damn, isn't it great to use connections? Be low-key. I'll treat you to a welcome dinner tonight. But what's with the curly hair? It looks terrible!" Cai Jin looked delighted, leading the way and mocking Liu Hao's wig.

"Isn't it for safety, so no one recognizes me? When I score on the field, the camera will show me, and everyone will know who I am. Damn!"

Before leaving at noon, Liu Hao had specially bought a wig at a beauty salon. With the black, curly wig and his fat body, it's no wonder Cai Jin thought he looked like Maradona...

"Alright, Xiguang Maradona, score quickly, I want to go to Wenfeng Road."

"You show-off, let's settle the food expenses for four years of university first, pay up!"

...

The two laughed and joked, playfully bickering, not at all like men in their thirties, but as if they had returned to their pure university days.

Soon, they were in a place full of spring vitality and lush green grass.

Looking around, there were over a dozen training fields of various sizes.

Several groups of players in training uniforms were training hard on the fields. Just by their heights, you could tell they were players from different age groups of the Super Club.

But they all shared one common point: the air of youth that permeated the surroundings.

Of course, Cai Jin and Liu Hao had a clear destination, heading towards the tallest group of people.

"Coach Li, come over. This is the Liu Xiaopang I asked you to register," Cai Jin said casually, showing the boss's demeanor.

The tallest guy in the group ran over, looking to be around 37 or 38 years old.

As he got closer, Liu Hao's eyes widened. This Coach Li was actually...

Li Tie?!

Yes, the former Chinese football superstar, former coach of the Guangzhou Evergrande youth team, Li Tie! No doubt about it.

Now he was the head coach of the Xiguang Super Club...

Life is truly strange, who would have thought it would be like this? It felt like a dream. Liu Hao sighed, immediately putting on a smile and politely greeting Li Tie.

To his surprise, Li Tie warmly extended his hands first...

His heart was a mix of emotions. Although he had known about Liu Hao's situation, seeing him in person made him want to laugh out loud.

"Long admired your name, Comrade Liu Xiaopang! Your name is like thunder in my ears!"

Well... Long admired your name? Like thunder in my ears! Even with his thick skin, after ten years in the government, Liu Hao felt embarrassed to hear these words. He didn't expect Li Tie, who had been in professional football for so long, to speak so exaggeratedly, making him shiver with goosebumps.

Of course, this was all thanks to Cai Jin.

"Where, where, being able to play under the guidance of the famous Coach Li is a great honor for me. You are my idol. The Chinese national team that dominated in those years, I admired you for your ability to hold the line and defend with such dedication. Without your hard work, there would have been no 2002 World Cup journey!" Liu Hao smiled and flattered him.

Even he couldn't believe when Li Tie became his idol. His real idol was Hao Haidong, and when it came to Li Tie, all he could think of was his shooting...

"Cough, cough..." In the team, some players were whispering, "The relationship is not ordinary. Even Coach Li welcomed him personally. His relationship with the heir is obvious. But his body and age... Is he really here to play? He looks more like a coach."

"Shh! Keep it down. You know the relationship, yet you still dare to say such things about the uncle."

"We should take good care of him. Maybe we'll get a raise..."

"Maybe because of his relationship with him, Coach Li will favor us..."

"I'll apply to share a room with him after training..."

"Hey, I smell alcohol..."

...

Liu Hao and Li Tie shamelessly flattered each other, while Cai Jin nodded meaningfully. In his mind, Liu Xiaopang was just here for fun, and he needed to lay the groundwork first.

"Then you two chat. I have some business to attend to. I'll pick you up after training, Xiaopang."

With that, Cai Jin left...

Now, Li Tie was the biggest authority here.

Cough, cough, he cleared his throat, then turned to look at his disciples with a burning gaze.

"Line up, gather!" His voice was firm and serious.

At his command, the players quickly responded.

"Today, we have a new member joining our team, he is our Liu Xiaopang. Everyone, give him a warm welcome!"

Li Tie's serious face had already turned into a flower, leading the applause.

The players, who had already discussed and reached a conclusion, naturally didn't want to fall behind, clapping enthusiastically as if the louder the applause, the more likely they would be favored.

The commotion even made a few younger groups of players stop their training and look over.

Was a Chinese football star joining the team?

This... lining up to welcome? It was a bit too much. Even with his thick skin, Liu Hao felt extremely awkward, though his face remained unchanged.

He wasn't a proper professional player. Although he believed he could score, his skills were unconventional. How could he feel comfortable?

Thinking about this, cold sweat started to bead on his forehead, but he couldn't avoid shaking hands with his new teammates, so he steeled himself and treated it as a visit...

"Hello, my name is Ling Zhenbang."

"Comrade Zhenbang, you've worked hard," Liu Hao's hands tightly gripped the tall, imposing, but nearly bald man, speaking in an official tone, then warmly patted his shoulder.

Wait, this really turned into a visit? After patting, he realized the communication was inappropriate and quickly added, "Please take care of me, Brother Ling."

Brother... Now it was Ling Zhenbang's turn to be confused. This guy could be called an uncle, yet he was called a brother?

"Hello, my name is..."

"Liu Xiaopang, please take care of me, Senior Brother."

"Brother Fat, no, Brother Liu, please take care of me..."

"Little Brother Liu Xiaopang."

"Can't, can't, Brother Liu, please guide me..."

...

After introducing himself and shaking hands with about twenty people, Liu Hao was drenched in sweat, extremely nervous, while the others looked like spring flowers.

To quickly end this absurd scene, Li Tie asked:

"Student Xiaopang, did you bring your training gear?" In his view, this significantly overweight, Messi-height guy was definitely not here to play a real game or score a goal. He was just here for a tour arranged by the heir.

Xiaopang... Sigh, Liu Hao sighed inwardly, knowing the nickname 'Xiaopang' would accompany him for a while.

"Bringing, bringing." Liu Hao answered, putting down his luggage and taking out his gear one by one.

A set of white Real Madrid home jerseys, a set of red and blue Barcelona home jerseys, clearly counterfeit.

And a pair of 26-yuan Double Star brand football shoes...

The teammates were stunned, and Li Tie's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

This Brother Liu was really here to play pretend, probably wanting everyone to play a five-a-side game with him. Everyone had this thought.

However, although they wanted to laugh, no one felt contempt. Why? Because they were employees, and Liu Xiaopang was the heir's friend, a god of wealth, no different from the god of wealth himself.

"Student Xiaopang, playing professional football is very dangerous," Li Tie paused, originally wanting to add that one needs a healthy body, but seeing Liu Hao's belly, he stopped, "We need proper equipment, like football shoes. We must use better quality shoes to protect ourselves. Shin guards are also essential. What size shoes do you wear? I'll have the staff get you a pair."

Liu Hao, who had seen pigs run even if he hadn't eaten pork, had professional standards that weren't this bad. He just usually played with this equipment and didn't think to dress up to the level of a professional player, hence the current awkwardness.

Seeing everyone's confusion, he could only laugh foolishly and thank them.

It was a huge honor for Li Tie to help him put on his shoes.

After all, a professional team is a professional team. With the staff's efforts, Liu Hao quickly put on his first pair of cleats and the club's training uniform.

Of course, since they hadn't expected Liu Hao's size, the training uniform barely covered his belly, and at 1.68 meters tall, he looked even fatter.

Everyone standing in front of him wanted to laugh but didn't dare. This wasn't a football player, but a fan.

Li Tie shook his head and smiled bitterly, then called his disciples to start a recovery training session.

Originally, he wanted the players to run fifty laps around the field, but after a moment's hesitation, he changed it to passing drills...

He was worried about Liu Hao's stamina. He couldn't just leave him aside, could he...

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