Chapter 341 - 334: I’ll Kiss Your Head

"Argentina takes the free kick quickly..."

"It’s over the wall..."

"But the free kick is a bit too high, and it goes straight over the end line!"

"It’s clear that Amentros was under immense pressure. In trying to get it over the wall, he sacrificed the quality of the kick."

"And with that, the Chinese Team has defended against this Argentinian attack."

"There are only a few dozen seconds left now, and the Argentinian players look a bit dejected."

"Messi is still frantic, constantly urging the Chinese Team to get the ball back in play."

"Feng Xiaoting, however, is signaling for the goalkeeper to slow things down a bit."

"The Argentinian players protest to the referee, and the referee gives the Chinese Team’s goalkeeper, Yang Cheng, a yellow card."

"The Chinese Team takes the goal kick..."

"The referee blows the final whistle!"

"World champions!"

"We are the world champions!"

"Congratulations to the Chinese Youth Team! Congratulations to Yang Yang! Congratulations to Klauen! Congratulations to all the young players on the team!"

"At the same time, we must also congratulate Chinese Football!"

"We’ve finally won a World championship!"

"This is an absolutely magnificent victory! A victory for Yang Yang! A victory for all Chinese people!"

...

The moment the final whistle blew, the entire Koegenwaard Stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.

Yang Yang threw his arms wide and let out a powerful roar, unleashing all his pent-up excitement and elation.

Many of his teammates around him also shouted in celebration.

The coaches, staff, and substitutes on the sidelines all rushed madly onto the field.

Gradually, more and more people surrounded Yang Yang, swarming him in the center.

Yang Yang was so exhausted he could barely move. He could only slowly shake hands and hug his teammates one by one.

He noticed many of his teammates were crying. Some were trying to hold it back, but they couldn’t stop sobbing.

From last year’s Toulon Cup to this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, they had traveled this road together, fighting side-by-side. No one knew better than Yang Yang the pressure they carried and the environment they faced.

For them, today might just be the peak of their lives.

Because they stood at the pinnacle of the world!

"Don’t cry! Don’t cry! You can’t cry!" Yang Yang wrapped one arm around Chen Tao, who was already a mess of tears, and patted the shoulder of Feng Xiaoting, who was bawling his eyes out on his other shoulder. His own voice couldn’t help but choke up.

"We have to smile! We’re world champions now! We have to smile, to face all difficulties and challenges with a smile!"

"From now on, we can proudly tell the entire world, tell everyone, that we are world champions!"

"This is a fact that no one can ever change!"

All the players gathered around, leaning their heads together in a display of incredible unity.

This touching scene was captured by the broadcast cameras and witnessed by all the fans in the stadium.

Chinese Football had suffered too many disasters and was indeed plagued by countless problems.

Some were historical remnants, some arose during its development, and others were self-inflicted mistakes.

But regardless, as a part of it all, they could only do everything in their power to help the sport.

A player’s duty is to win matches!

...

...

After finally calming down, the players went to celebrate around the pitch.

This was the victors’ prerogative.

Yang Yang watched from a distance as the players tossed Klauen into the air, laughing with delight.

’The old German man is getting on in years. What if they scare him into a heart attack?’

But then he thought again, ’There’s nothing to be done about it. Who can blame them? They’re the world champions, after all.’

Just as Yang Yang chuckled at the thought, Messi quietly came up behind him.

"Congratulations!" the Argentinian prodigy said.

Yang Yang turned around, saw it was Messi, and immediately extended his hand. "Thanks. You played incredibly well, too."

"But I still lost," Messi said, his face a complex mix of unwillingness to concede, frustration, and other emotions. "I only scored two goals, and one was a penalty. But you scored a hat-trick, and one of your goals was while being double-teamed. I truly lost."

"Don’t say that. I was just... a bit luckier," Yang Yang said reassuringly.

Messi smiled, clearly unwilling to continue this topic.

He had already lost the match. Nothing Yang Yang could say would change that outcome.

"Can I have your jersey?" Messi asked, holding out his own damp one.

"Of course," Yang Yang said, quickly taking off his jersey and handing it to Messi.

The Argentinian prodigy took it and gripped it tightly in his hand, as if trying to wring water out of it.

"After I get back, I’m going to wash it, hang it up, and use it to push and motivate myself. I’ll make sure I never forget that today, in the Netherlands, I lost a World championship to you. But sooner or later, I will definitely win one back from you."

Yang Yang was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Messi to be so competitive with him.

In truth, he didn’t know that he had already become Messi’s number one rival several months ago.

But he was the type of person who had a big heart and never shied away from any challenge.

"Alright. I’ll wash this and keep it as a memento, too. And I won’t give you any chances," Yang Yang said with certainty.

"Then let’s both do our best."

"Deal."

After speaking, Yang Yang leaned in and gave Messi a customary hug.

Yang Yang greatly admired the Argentinian prodigy, especially his delicate footwork, which was something Yang Yang definitely didn’t possess.

Yang Yang’s footwork was more solid and fast-paced, but Messi’s dribbling was almost like a magician’s. Once the ball was at his feet, it was nearly impossible to take it from him. It was incredible.

After seeing Messi off, Yang Yang started walking back.

The award ceremony was about to start, and he needed to find a jersey to wear first.

Just then, he noticed someone waving at him from the entrance of the player’s tunnel. Ibrahimovic and the others had actually come down from the stands, which surprised him greatly.

"Hey, brother! A world champion!"

"Wow, after this FIFA U-20 World Cup, your status has gone up another level!"

When this group of teammates saw him, they all crowded around to congratulate him.

Just as Yang Yang was about to thank them, he saw Ibrahimovic give him a suggestive pat on the shoulder, a knowing wink, and then point toward the player’s tunnel. "Someone’s waiting for you in there. Go on."

His teammates all snickered, urging Yang Yang to hurry inside.

"Who is it?" Yang Yang was completely baffled.

"You’ll know when you get there. Hurry up," Maxwell said, giving him a push.

Full of doubt, Yang Yang walked into the player’s tunnel, only to see Su Ye standing gracefully to one side of the entrance, her eyes gazing at him with deep affection.

She was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her T-shirt in front of her. He wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or something else, but her face looked a little red, and she seemed shy.

The moment he saw her, Yang Yang immediately smiled and walked over, asking in pleasant surprise, "Xiaomei, what are you..."

Before he could finish his question, Su Ye had already darted into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

This sudden action not only startled Yang Yang but also Ibrahimovic and the others, who were secretly peeking from outside the player’s tunnel.

"Whoa, that girl’s got guts!"

"Is she going to confess?"

"Damn, and she’s so pretty too. If Yang Yang rejects her, he’d be a..."

Both Ibrahimovic and Maxwell felt they couldn’t let the others keep peeking. What if something not suitable for children happened? They quickly turned and pulled the others away.

"Hey, hey, hey, that’s enough. Stop looking."

"I’m talking to you, Nicolas. Still peeking."

"I just wanna see if they kiss!"

"I’ll smack you upside the head!"

"Hey, don’t pull me..."

...

Inside the tunnel, Yang Yang was held tightly by Su Ye, his hands hovering awkwardly in mid-air, not knowing where to put them.

Feeling the exquisite curves of the delicate beauty in his arms and smelling the faint fragrance of her hair near his shoulder, Yang Yang couldn’t help but feel his mind start to wander.

He had never been this close to a girl before and was somewhat flustered, at a complete loss for what to do.

’This is way harder to deal with than those two Argentinian defenders on the field just now.’

’This is Su Xiaomei!’

"What’s wrong?" Yang Yang asked with concern.

Su Ye just hugged him tighter, but he felt her shake her head.

"I’m covered in sweat, all dirty and smelly. I’ll get your clothes dirty," Yang Yang said with a wry smile.

"I like it," Su Ye whispered in his ear.

"What?" The noise from outside was so loud that Yang Yang thought he had misheard.

Su Ye finally let go of Yang Yang, but she didn’t move far away. Staying so close he could feel her breath, she looked directly into his eyes and said, word by word, "I... like... you!"

After mustering the courage to say those three words, she seemed to deflate as if all her strength had been drained, her eyes filled with vulnerability and unease.

She was afraid of being rejected!

She was afraid that Yang Yang didn’t like her at all!

’If that happens, will we not even be able to be friends anymore?’

It wasn’t that Yang Yang had never been confessed to before. Someone at his school in the Netherlands had confessed to him face-to-face, but back then, he had been calm and rejected them without a second thought. For some reason, however, he felt flustered now, completely at a loss.

"I..." Yang Yang started to speak, but then stopped.

Su Ye thought he didn’t believe her, so she immediately raised her right hand and pulled up Yang Yang’s left. "Look, these two wristbands are a matching pair. It took me several days to make them. Yours has my name on it, and mine has your name on it."

’Is that so?’

Yang Yang really hadn’t noticed this detail. He had originally found it strange that Su Ye was also wearing a wristband, and on her right wrist.

Now, he understood.

And in that moment, he suddenly realized that he really liked her too.

It was because he liked her that he always wanted to chat with her, to call her, and that he had been so nervous just now.

As for when it started, he couldn’t remember.

Maybe it was from the first time he saw that photo of her in a school uniform. Maybe it was when he first met her at Yihe Garden. Or perhaps it was something that had grown over time from being around her so much.

But no matter when it began, he was absolutely certain of one thing: he liked Su Ye. He liked this stunningly beautiful, wonderfully sweet Su Xiaomei.

"You... don’t you like me?" Su Ye asked, her expression turning sorrowful when he remained silent.

’Did I guess wrong?’

’Have I been misreading things this whole time, just flattering myself?’

But in the next moment, Yang Yang pulled her forcefully into his arms. His strong hands held her tight as he whispered in her ear, "No. I like you too. I like you a lot."