Chapter 333 You’re Running Out of Time to Get a Girlfriend

Although it wasn’t their first time playing at Koegenwaard Stadium, FIFA still strictly followed regulations, arranging for both teams to have separate training sessions at the final’s venue the day before the match to familiarize themselves with the pitch.

But the Chinese Team didn’t conduct any overly complex training; they just went through the motions of getting reacquainted with Koegenwaard Stadium.

With the final imminent, everyone could feel the atmosphere of a decisive battle, making it difficult to relax.

To allow the team to prepare better, Yang Yang and the captain, Feng Xiaoting, had made a special request to the head coach and officials after the semifinal against Brazil. They hoped to skip any pep rallies and speeches from the officials for the next few days, letting the players focus on adjusting their mindset.

Both the head coach and the officials granted the team’s request.

But even so, the atmosphere within the team remained somewhat oppressive.

Today, the visit from the Ajax stars did liven up the team’s atmosphere for a while. It became much more animated, especially after Arie Haan, Van Basten, and the others stopped by.

After all, these were stars who usually only existed in newspapers and legends, so seeing them in person was still incredibly exciting.

The players were under immense pressure, and as the team’s core star, Yang Yang’s was even greater.

Youth team matches are very different from senior team matches, with the main distinction being the gap in technical and tactical levels.

For example, the defense in youth teams is far inferior to that of senior teams. This gives a huge advantage to technically-oriented teams and teams with strong individual players, which is why South American teams tend to perform better in youth tournaments.

And players with strong individual skills often find it easy to stand out on a youth team.

This FIFA U-20 World Cup was somewhat special, because both teams in the final placed a heavy emphasis on collective defense.

China and Argentina were both teams with outstanding defensive capabilities and strong team cohesion. Furthermore, each team had a player with extraordinary individual skills: Yang Yang for the Chinese Team, and Messi for the Argentina Team.

In fact, the Chinese Team had been carried into the final by Yang Yang, just as Argentina had been carried there by Messi.

Because of this, both Yang Yang and Messi were bound to be heavily marked by the opposing team, putting them under immense pressure.

Yang Yang’s, especially so.

On the bus back to the hotel after training, Yang Yang sensed the oppressive atmosphere and took the initiative to start telling some amusing stories he had experienced or heard about in European Football.

The captain, Feng Xiaoting, quickly understood Yang Yang’s intention and immediately joined in, telling jokes to liven up the atmosphere.

And what do you know, the kid’s jokes were actually pretty funny. A few in a row had everyone on the bus roaring with laughter, especially the last one where he clapped Yang Yang on the shoulder and delivered a pitch-perfect, teasing line that made the whole bus erupt.

"After you turn twenty, if you still don’t have a girlfriend, everything you say is wrong."

"Bro, you’re really running out of time!"

Everyone knew that Yang Yang would be turning nineteen at the end of October, but according to the traditional Chinese way of counting age, he was already twenty.

By that calculation, he really was running out of time.

Amidst a wave of uproarious laughter, the bus arrived at the Mitland Hotel.

With the final battle so close, reporters and fans had gathered outside the hotel.

The match had attracted countless Chinese international students and ethnic Chinese from all over Europe. Many passionate fans had even flown all the way from China to the Netherlands just to watch the game live.

As a result, the crowd of fans at the hotel entrance before the final was huge. However, to avoid disturbing the players’ rest, the hotel staff kept the reporters and fans cordoned off outside.

As the National Youth Team players disembarked from the bus one by one, the reporters and fans surged forward, shouting the players’ names at the top of their lungs.

Naturally, the name shouted most often was Yang Yang’s.

The National Youth Team players and coaches all waved to the fans outside. Yang Yang pressed his palms together, giving a slight bow and nod of thanks to the crowd before walking into the hotel lobby.

But as soon as they entered the hotel, many of the National Youth Team players stopped in their tracks.

To one side of the lobby stood a young woman, looking a bit shy and exuding the air of a student. She had her hair in a loose ponytail and was dressed casually in a puffy, cream-colored T-shirt, a simple pair of denim shorts, and a pair of white Adidas Stan Smiths.

What was most stunning was her exceptionally beautiful face and her long, straight legs, which were incredibly eye-catching.

Especially when the young woman heard the commotion outside and walked over quickly, a gentle smile gracing her lips, she looked even more gracefully charming.

When the National Youth Team players walked in and suddenly saw her, they all clearly froze for a moment, their faces showing unconcealed amazement.

"Who’s that? She looks so familiar!"

Yang Yang, having lingered outside to interact with the fans, was the last to enter the lobby. Following his teammates’ gazes, his eyes immediately lit up, his delight obvious on his face.

"Xiaomei, what are you doing here?" Yang Yang strode forward to greet her.

As he got closer, he immediately discovered that it wasn’t just Su Xiaomei. His own parents, Mr. and Mrs. Su Wenhong, the brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng, and even his uncle Shen Ming and his wife, along with his cousin Shen Yuzhu—they had all come.

The moment Yang Yang spoke, the National Youth Team players all remembered.

’Isn’t this Yang Yang’s rumored "sister"?’

In fact, the media had later clarified that she wasn’t his sister, but no one really paid much attention to that detail anymore.

In any case, Su Ye was stunningly beautiful and had been enthusiastically embraced by netizens and fans, quickly becoming famous. They’d even heard she had gotten into the Central Academy of Drama.

"Captain, that joke of yours was pure genius!" Chen Tao said to Feng Xiaoting with a wink and a grin.

Feng Xiaoting raised his eyebrows. ’Goes without saying, doesn’t it?’

The surrounding teammates looked at Yang Yang and Su Ye, their faces full of envy.

...

...

As it turned out, on the very night that Yang Yang and the National Youth Team defeated Brazil to enter the final, Su Wenhong and Su Ye had made a very bold decision: they would fly to the Netherlands to watch the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in person.

For Su Wenhong, this was partly to make up for the regret of having missed Yang Yang’s Champions League final.

There was nothing he could do about it; teaching a graduating high school class, late May was his busiest and most stressful time of year. He simply couldn’t get away.

After making his decision, Su Wenhong immediately contacted the brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng. To his surprise, they were on the same page instantly. He then contacted Yang Yang’s parents, and so they waited for them to fly from Quanzhou to Beijing before flying together from Beijing to Amsterdam.

Consequently, they didn’t arrive in the Netherlands until this afternoon.

His uncle, Shen Ming, picked them up from the airport in Amsterdam and drove them straight to Utrecht as soon as they landed.

"Since you’re here, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. You can travel around the Netherlands and Europe, my treat!" Yang Yang said magnanimously.

He had always been the type to repay kindness with kindness. The Su family had helped him out a great deal during his time in Beijing, and now that he finally had a chance to pay them back, he was determined to treat them well.

Besides, it was a rare break for his own parents and Uncle Shen Ming, so it was a perfect opportunity for them all to travel together.

As for money, that wasn’t an issue for him at all.

"How could we do that?" Su Wenhong was an honest man; he had come specifically to watch the game, so how could he let Yang Yang foot the bill for their trip?

But this wasn’t Beijing.

Yang Yang declared with righteous confidence that if they were so formal with him now, he’d be too embarrassed to show up at their home for free meals when he went back to Beijing.

Yang Yang’s parents, knowing the history, were also incredibly grateful to the Su family and chimed in to persuade them.

The brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng also understood what Yang Yang was getting at and added their own words of encouragement, finally convincing Su Wenhong.

Wei Zhen, however, wouldn’t be able to join them; he had to return to China immediately after the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Regrettably, Yang Yang couldn’t get away either, as he had to report back to the Ajax training camp right after the tournament.

"You have to go straight to training camp right after the World Cup?" His parents’ hearts ached for him.

Over the past two years, their precious son had indeed become more and more successful, but he had also become busier and busier.

"Actually, the club did give me a vacation, but I already missed it last year. And since the camp is right here in the Netherlands this year, I want to go early. Besides, our team signed a new midfielder, so I need to get there quickly to build some chemistry and prepare for the new season."

Yang Yang himself didn’t think it was a big deal. He was probably just used to being busy, so it felt normal to him.

And so, the group gradually started chatting about the final the next afternoon, as well as where to travel after it was over.

Wei Zheng and Shen Yuzhu were the local experts on the Netherlands, so naturally, they would be leading the tour.

The two were already engaged, though they hadn’t set a wedding date yet. Yang Yang handed his bank card to his cousin, putting her in charge of paying for everyone’s expenses during their time in the Netherlands and Europe, including hotels and flights. He was covering everything.

"You’re my personal support group, and you came all this way just to cheer me on. I’m already incredibly grateful. For everything else, please don’t be formal with me," Yang Yang said sincerely.

Hearing him say this again, the group stopped protesting and just showered him with praise, making Yang Yang himself feel a bit embarrassed.

At the side, Su Ye found a moment to tug on Yang Yang’s training jersey, saying she wanted to go get something to drink.

Yang Yang led her to the beverage area at the far end of the lobby, but the girl didn’t seem to want a drink at all. Instead, she took a colorful woven bracelet out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"This is for you."

"I have one already," Yang Yang said, shaking his left wrist.

Su Ye’s face flushed slightly. She lowered her head and said in a small voice, "That one wasn’t made very well, and it’s gotten dirty from being worn for so long. You should change it."

Yang Yang took a closer look and saw that the new bracelet was indeed more exquisitely made. Clearly, practice had made perfect.

Seeing Yang Yang struggle to untie the bracelet on his left wrist with his right hand, failing on the first try, Su Ye reached out to help.

"Here, let me."

Up close, Yang Yang could see that Su Ye’s face, free of any makeup, was very clean and incredibly pretty. She also carried a faint, fresh scent. As she untied the bracelet, he noticed that she was also wearing one that was identical to his.

The only difference was that she wore hers on her right wrist.

Yang Yang didn’t think much of it. After Su Ye untied the old one and helped him put on the new one, he asked for the old one back.

"It’s all dirty, just throw it away. If you like it, I can make you another one some other time," Su Ye said.

But Yang Yang just chuckled. "You worked so hard to make it, what a waste it would be to throw it away. I’ll keep it safe."

He said it casually, but Su Ye seemed to read something more into his words. Her face turned red again, but she nodded lightly.

The sight was utterly captivating.