Godfather Of Champions

When Tony Twain was pushed into the operating room to undergo the surgery to implant a pacemaker, Allan Adams was signing a contract in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Next to him, glasses of champagne had been poured and placed quietly on the table.

When the person opposite also signed the contract, the two men picked up the glasses of wine and clinked their glasses as a toast. “This is a great collaboration, Mr. Allan Adams.”

“Yes, we each get what we need. Mr. Mijatović.”

“A toast to our cooperation.”

“Cheers.”

※※※

Meanwhile, in Nottingham, England.

Franck Ribéry looked at the two-story mansion in front of him, which he bought with the signing payout after he came to Nottingham Forest. He had already lived in it for four years and would be moving out today.

He would entrust his agent to sell the house on the United Kingdom housing market.

Thereafter, Nottingham would only have memories for him.

Today’s weather was no different from any previous day. The sky was gloomy with gusts of cold wind, as if it was going to rain at any time. The brick houses with their red roofs and white walls stood quietly in the woodlands where the trees only had bare branches left. The noisy birds called from the forest, accompanied by gusts of undulating wind. It was not calming to one’s mood.

He spent countless days and nights here. He had held a party on the lawn in front of the house to entertain his teammates. He also once pushed a child’s stroller and took a stroll together with his wife along the forest path and played with his child here. He also sunbathed alone on the grass, but it was seldom…

He did not return to Wilford to say goodbye to his teammates because he was afraid of facing those disgruntled looks. He knew that since he decided to move to Real Madrid, some people in the team despised him and thought that he wanted to run away when he saw Nottingham Forest fail.

He admitted that he did make up his mind to leave because the boss had collapsed, but he did not think he was running away. He just went to a place to pursue a better life. If the boss was around, he would not have left. He definitely would not have left even if he fired the chattering agent. He would not leave the boss. But now no one… knew whether the boss could return to Wilford or not. He did not have to continue to stay here.

Piqué was gone, Bendtner had left, and now it was his turn. What could still be left of the all-powerful and arrogant Nottingham Forest, which swept across Europe at the time…

The sound of a car horn tooted behind him.

“Franck! Time to go! You’re going to miss the plane if it gets later!” His agent, Bruno Heiderscheid shouted at him from inside the car. “The weather’s so cold. What are you doing standing outside?”

Ribéry pulled his collar tight and wrapped himself in his coat. He turned and walked to the car parked on the side of the road.

Behind him, the house underneath the dark clouds slowly blurred, as if to blend in with the woods behind. Then the house disappeared, and the City Ground stadium in the open space. Loud noises traveled from there.

“Forest, Forest! Nottingham Forest! We’re the champions! We’re invincible! Come on—Forest, Forest, Nottingham Forest…”

Amid such a song, Ribéry did not turn his head back as he got into the car and hurried away.

※※※

In the same afternoon, Ribéry arrived in Madrid, Spain. After a simple medical examination, he attended a grand press conference. At the press conference, he took a number 18 white jersey printed with his name on it from the hands of Real Madrid’s honorary president, Di Stefano.

Then he greeted the Spanish reporters present in Spanish, smilingly said that he liked the weather in Spain very much, causing them to laugh. Following which, he said he would help Real Madrid through the tough times, and he did not come here to taste defeat.

Next, he went to the stadium to show off his skills and won the applause of the fans present.

After the public event was done, he strolled with his wife and child through the empty Bernabéu stadium to get a feel of the international powerhouse’s home ground, which was astoundingly big.

The City Ground stadium was like a high school campus compared to the Bernabéu…

A higher salary, a bigger pitch, more attention… and more honors?

Ribéry embraced his wife with his left arm and his right held his daughter. The sunshine of the Iberian Peninsula was warmer and brighter than that of England. He even felt a little warm, with a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

Although he was at Bernabéu now, he thought—would the boss fly into a rage since he did not say goodbye? Could his heart take it?

※※※

Sometime later, Nottingham Forest’s official website announced that Franck Ribéry had officially moved to Real Madrid for a fee of fifty-five million euros. The official online article was followed by a tribute to Ribéry for his contribution to the team over the four years, thanking him for the number of championship trophies he had brought to the team, and finally wishing him all the best in Madrid, Spain.

The Spanish media sang praises of Ribéry’s arrival. They claimed that he was the first man who could change Real Madrid’s weakness in the wings and that he was a world-class superstar. After the departure of Robinho and Robben’s injury, the admiral of the flanks which Real Madrid had long waited for was finally here. Schuster would be better off in the second half of the season.

But there was no hot topic mention of how Nottingham Forest, which was having a tough time, would survive the winter.

Twain, who was lying in a hospital bed at the Royal Hospital of Nottingham University and had not yet regained consciousness from the operation, was not aware of everything.

※※※

When Twain woke up again, he did not see Shania, but Stanley Meyer’s smiling face.

“That’s good, you’re awake. It’s pretty fast this time.” He said.

“How long have I slept?” asked Twain.

“Eight hours. The anesthetic had long worn off, but you went on sleeping for a while.”

Twain turned his head and saw Shania who was watching over next to him as expected. When Shania saw he was awake, she smiled at him.

Twain was relieved when he saw the smile. This showed that the operation went very well and there was nothing to worry about.

Sure enough, Mayer later confirmed his hypothesis and said, “The operation went very smoothly. You have nothing to worry about. Now you have a nuclear-powered device here, full of power!” He said, pointing to Twain’s heart.

“So, can I return to the team?”

Meyer shook his head and said, “No. You just had surgery and haven’t recovered from your heart attack. You need at least five months to recuperate.” He extended his five fingers.

Twain’s mouth gaped, “Isn’t that too long?”

“No, it’s not long at all. Heart patients need the recovery time. The heart is not a finger, which only take a few days to recover if there’s a problem. Your body is still weak and needs to recover slowly. I’m worried that if you immediately return to such a stimulating environment, even an antimatter-powered battery won’t save your heart, Mr. Twain.”

“But the team…” Twain still could not forget Nottingham Forest, which he had thrown all his energy into.

Stanley Meyer had a flash of an odd expression across his face and then he smiled to say, “Just take it that you gave yourself a half-year holiday, Mr. Twain. A chance that a lot of managers can’t get. Don’t pay any attention to anything about football. Let Miss Shania stay with you. In half a month’s time, you can be discharged from the hospital. However, you still need to return for frequent check-ups so that we have a grasp on your latest condition.”

Twain did not care about these matters. He still asked, “So roughly when can I start focusing on football again?”

Meyer thought for a while before he said, “Four months from now. You just finished the operation, and there are a few recommendations you ought to know: stay away from strong magnetic field. Do not open the hood to check the engine if the car breaks down. When using the cell phone, remember to use your right hand and also not to place the phone in the left chest pocket; do not let the pacemaker’s area to come into contact with hard objects. When driving, take care not to let the seat belt press against the pacemaker. You must stay in bed for three days after the operation. No intensive exercise within seven days, do not lift your left arm, and pay attention to not let this arm bear weight in the future…In addition, Mr. Twain, you mustn’t think that just because you’ve got a pacemaker, your heart has no more problems. You must complete all the treatments, carry the medicine with you at all times, and take as prescribed.”

Twain laughed bitterly as he laid in bed, “No matter what I hear, I feel like an eighty-year-old man.”

“It’s a necessary measure to protect your life.” Meyer consoled him with a smile, “Please be sure to follow them strictly. I have also told Miss Shania that it is necessary to pay attention to these things in your daily life. I know Miss Shania can’t always be with you to take care of your everyday life. Please hire a professional medical staff to take care of you later. Mr. Twain, I’m afraid from now on, you must say goodbye to your familiar old habits.”

Twain gently nodded and said, “I know, I know… Although it is sad, I can only follow the doctor’s orders strictly in order to live.”

“Just so long it’s clear, you’ll be fine, Mr. Twain. In that case, I won’t disturb your rest.” He left with the nurse.

Once again, only both Shania and Twain were left in the ward.

Twain looked at his lover and said, “It will take me at least five months to start work again. How about you? Shania, when are you going back to work?”

Shania seemed to already have a plan. She said with a grin, “Would you glare at me if I said I also have five months?”

As expected, Twain wanted to glare at her.

“So, when you’re in a better shape, I’ll hire a professional nurse for you to take care of your daily life. Then I’ll be able to leave with a peace of mind… Of course, we have to hire a male nurse!”

Twain rolled his eyes, “Ah, you know how to get jealous so soon.”

Shania held the Totoro soft toy she took from home to sleep with her and hid her face behind the toy. She then carefully stretched forward and said, “I belong only to Uncle Tony, and Uncle Tony only belongs to Shania.”

Hearing her said so, Twain suddenly thought of something, “Do your parents know that we are now… in a relationship?”

Shania shook her head and replied, “I did not tell them. But they are not blind, deaf or stupid. I’ve rejected so many jobs to run back to England to be with you. The media outside have hyped it up so much that they cannot not know. Once they know this matter, I don’t think I need to tell them specifically about our relationship.”

Twain remembered the dream he had in the car on the day Shania confessed her feelings. So, he asked carefully, “What would your parents think? After all, you and I… uh, have a twenty-two-year-age gap.”

Shania continued shaking her head, “I don’t know.”

“Don’t tell me they did not contact you?” Twain did not believe that with such a big thing, the irresponsible parents did not look for Shania. Otherwise he had to wonder whether Shania was their biological daughter.

“They called once. But they did not say anything about this matter. They just asked you about your condition.”

“You did not tell them?”

“Why should I tell them? This is my love life, my business, and nothing to do with them.” Shania found it strange.

Shania’s words rendered Twain speechless. Deep down, he still thought that this was a traditional Chinese love relationship which required both parties’ parents to agree before the two people could be considered …

Well then, I don’t have to think whether the irresponsible parents would think I have abducted their daughter. Anyway, they usually do not care how their daughter is. Even if she really was abducted, I reckon that they will not know as long as the kidnappers do not demand a ransom.

Shania burst out laughing, “But when your health is better, maybe we can make a trip back to Brazil together. I will re-introduce you to my parents!”

Twain wondered why Shania suddenly changed her mind when he saw the little fairy smiled at him with her eyes glittered with excitement and sneakiness.

She leaned over and moved closer to the front of Twain. As she exhaled her sweet and warm breath, Twain felt turned on—the tips of her chest intentionally or unintentionally rubbed against his body. Her hair hung down and draped his face. Her fragrant perfume continuously drifted into his nostrils. Once he opened up his heart to reveal the truth of his feelings, he found that he longed to possess this person.

It turned out that the little peach had matured long ago ah …

But then her words immediately startled Twain.

“Uncle Tony, let’s get married!”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh?'” Shania pouted.

“Well…”

“What does ‘well’ mean?”

Twain tried to struggle, only to find himself firmly pressed to bed by Shania. “The doctor said that you must stay in bed three days after the operation, Uncle Tony.”

“It’s too sudden, isn’t it?”

“What’s too sudden?”

“I mean… about getting married. We haven’t started dating yet… How can we get married so soon?”

“But we’ve been in love for five years.”

Twain was completely baffled, “Why was I not aware of it? When did it start?”

“It started when you clumsily tried to make sesame paste for Shania, lying in the sick bed.” Shania’s lips curled up with her eyes curved like a crescent moon and laughed happily. “It was then she fell in love with this middle-aged uncle!”

He picked up a cute young girl with a cup of sesame paste. Twain lamented inside that Shania’s love values were actually equal to a cup of sesame paste.

“How could you know what love is at such a young age….” Twain retorted weakly.

“It doesn’t matter. Five years are enough to let Shania know what love is.” Shania was determined to force Twain to submit today.

“I’ve decided, Uncle Tony! I want to marry you. This is the final ruling. No rebuttals and appeals are allowed!”

“Wow, you’re acting shamelessly!”

“I don’t care if I am! I’m hanging onto you, Uncle Tony! I’ll hang on to you for the rest of my life!”

“That’s not fair, I protest … Well…”

Shania’s rosy lips had once again sealed Twain’s mouth.

“Your protest is invalid.” After the moist kiss, Shania licked her lips. Her face was flushed, and she was slightly breathless, but she still had a sly smile. Twain could even see a pair of pointed ears shaking smugly on top of her head, and a brown tail swaying behind her.