Godfather Of Champions

In order to prove that he really loved Chinese culture, as well as to have some sort of evidence for being "self-taught", Tang En went to all the old and new bookstores in Nottingham that afternoon. He bought all the books he could find about China, regardless of whether they were in Chinese, English, French, or German.

After dragging a car-full of books home, Tang En was annoyed. He could not find any place to put them. The two cupboards in Tony Twain\'s house were filled with football-related items, from newspapers to magazines, to various data collected by Tony himself. There wasn\'t the slightest gap for the new books. Tang En did not want to move the data, which had already been so carefully categorized. So, he had no choice but to stack all of the new books on the floor.

Anyway, ever since he had arrived, the house had always been in a mess. He had been used to living as a bachelor and did not think that there was anything wrong with it.

However, when Yang Yan came over the next day, she was shocked at all the books scattered all over the floor. By the end of the first lesson, the amount of time spent on the lesson was minimal, as Yang Yan\'s "helpful" habits resurfaced and helped Tang En tidy up his room.

Tang En served as her assistant, and he could only mischievously chuckle whenever he saw Yang Yan sigh and shake her head.

"You know... a bachelor staying alone tends to be like this. Ah! Actually, you don\'t have to do this. I can just hire someone to do it."

Yang Yan finished tidying up the living room and could finally catch a breather. She shook her head and replied, "I\'m not used to giving lessons in this kind of environment, so... forget it, since I\'ve already finished tidying up."

Tang En smiled embarrassedly, but he was actually enjoying it deep inside his heart.

Yang Yan stood at the door of the bedroom and chanced upon the picture hung on the wall. She had seen it in the newspaper before, and it suddenly piqued her interest. She went in to admire it.

Tang En watched Yang Yan\'s silhouette. Since the start of junior high, that girl had been the target of affection of many people. She was understanding and helpful, and with virtually no shortcomings at all. At that time, Tang En was still a stubborn and weird-tempered bookworm. However, puberty was something that every teenager underwent, and even Tang En fantasized about receiving the affections of the popular girl. However, never did he expect that a day would come where such a situation like this would occur—the lover which everyone longed for, was tidying up and cleaning his house, spending time alone with her.

The only pity was that, while Yang Yan was still that same Yang Yan, he was no longer her classmate, Tang En. It was not that Tang En did not think of telling his true identity to Yang Yan, but the thought only flashed through his mind for a split second, before being instantly rejected. First of all, he was unsure if a time-travelling body-possession story would be well-received by her. Secondly, he did not know if he would lose his job, should anyone get to know the truth. For his current self, he understood that even if he were to be unemployed, he could still rely on a decent welfare provided by the government. However, being a football manager had become his dream job and not merely a job that supported his lifestyle.

As such, faced with his very familiar classmate, Tang En could only act as if they had just met. The feeling was really unbearable, especially during the few instances when they experienced awkward silences. During those moments, Tang En wanted to discuss with Yang Yan about some of the interesting happenings during their junior high days—even though there were only a few instances that he could recall.

Returning to his senses, Tang En decided to enter the room and help. Walking into the bedroom, he discovered that Yang Yan was not busy, but instead stood below that photograph, admiring it with her head raised.

"Erm, this was a gift to me from a certain newspaper office, which enlarged the photo before giving it to me."

"Very beautiful," Yang Yan exclaimed. "The choice of background, composition, color, timing, meaning... they are all excellent."

"I feel the same way. The only reason why I decided to keep it, was because the person captured in the photo was me and not someone else."

Yang Yan turned her head around and smiled at Tang En. "Mr. Twain, you are really not a humble person."

Tang En shrugged his shoulders. "In the world of professional football, the thing that is least needed is humbleness."

Speaking of football, Yang Yan had become a bit interested. That was because, after being in England for two years, she had only recently discovered that many people around her were actually football fans, many of whom were die-hard. It turned out that Yang Yan had originally thought of football as something which had nothing to do with her life, as if it were a completely different world. However, this perspective of hers had been changing gradually.

"Then what is the most necessary quality?"

"Confidence. The belief that you are much more exceptional than others. The belief that you are the best. You have to work toward your goals based on these two beliefs."

"You aren\'t afraid of over-confidence becoming arrogance?"

"If you have the ability to back it up, then there\'s nothing wrong with being arrogant. In the football world, there are countless numbers of players who possess this kind of personality. If you don\'t have the ability, and yet you insist on being arrogant, then you only have to wait for your demise. Those people are not worthy of pity. They have already been automatically disqualified from the football world by the rules it is governed by, and therefore it is unnecessary for us to worry about it."

Yang Yan sat on a chair, while she continued to look at the picture. She remarked, "From what you\'ve just said, I feel like football is just like an animal world, where it\'s survival of the fittest."

Tang En snapped his fingers. "You\'re absolutely right. Professional football is essentially a harsh and cruel world, where it\'s survival of the fittest. Those with the ability live, while those without it die. Here, there\'s no trust in tears and no need for sympathy and comforting. It\'s purely a man\'s world."

Hearing the last sentence, Yang Yan turned her head around and asked, "A world that doesn\'t welcome women?"

If Tang En hadn\'t understood the meaning behind those words, then he would have looked like a complete fool. "No! Of course women are welcome! We welcome any female that likes football to join. In the eyes of the masses, football is closely associated with two things. One is music, and the other is beauty."

"But I\'m no beauty..." Yang Yan shrugged her shoulders and said as she pouted her lips.

"What did I just say? In the world of football, humbleness is not needed. Do you wish to enter this world?"

Yang Yan looked at the serious-looking Tang En, and smiled. "Alright, I\'m a beauty, the most beautiful person in the entire world!"

After shouting those words, the two burst into a laughter.

Tang En decided to strike the iron while it was hot. "If you\'re interested, you can come watch my team play. You don\'t have to buy tickets, I have some."

Yang Yan smiled and said, "If I\'m interested, I\'ll give you a call."

"Alright. I have a small suggestion for you. If you want to enjoy the full pleasure of football and understand the secret as to why it is so attractive, you must..." Tang En stopped here, and waited for Yang Yan to ask him. However, he discovered that Yang Yan only looked at him and did not have any intention of opening her mouth. As such, Tang En could only surrender.

"Alright... You\'ve got to have a team that you support. If you watch a football match from a neutral standpoint, more often than not, it\'s boring, and the match doesn\'t live up to your expectations."

"Why is that?"

"Virtually all neutral football fans like to see beautiful goals and amazing offenses, but that\'s idealized football." Tang En practically gave this newbie football fan a lesson on interest in football. So who was the one giving lessons to whom now… "The actual situation is, if all matches were played like this, people in my position would all have to retire. Because in most situations, playing like that will not win matches. Then what\'s the point of professional football managers? It\'s to lead his own team to victory. So, if you want to experience the most charming point of football, you have to choose a team to support and dedicate your entire mind and body to it. That way, when you watch their matches, you will experience joy and sadness according to their performance. And that is an extremely wonderful experience. Regardless of whether they win or lose, it is still the same. The sadness and pain after a loss, the joy after a win, as well as the delight when the team experiences a narrow escape."

Tang En looked at the photo on the wall and mumbled, as if he had returned to that fateful day when they faced off against Wimbledon. Hours after the match, Tang En was still in a state of shock and trepidation. However, the feeling of his heartbeat accelerating was simply too good. It was just like consuming drugs. Once you become addicted, you can never forget about it.

Yang Yan realized that Tang En\'s gaze had shifted away from her, appearing to be lost in thought once again. Standing before her, Tang En\'s hair was slightly messy, and the buttons on his shirt were not done up properly, either. One side of his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, while the other side was not buttoned up and was wide open. His house was also extremely messy. This image was completely unlike the "gentleman" whom her friend described him as.

The polite, gentlemanly, unruly and wild football manager, and the unkempt bachelor... Exactly which one was the real him?

In addition, what really puzzled Yang Yan was that she could see the shadow of another person in him. At times, just for a split second, he appeared to be very, very similar to that person. Yet in reality, they were two completely different people. One was an Englishman, while the other was Chinese.

"Alright then. I shall choose your team. From now on, I am a fan of Nottingham Forest."

Tang En lowered his head and looked at Yang Yan, who gave him a mesmerizing smile.

"In that case, I shoulder a huge responsibility."

"Why?"

"Because I have a new supporter. And as the manager of the team, I cannot let my supporters down. Erm… Do you think these words are mushy?" When Tang En said this, he discovered that Yang Yan was still laughing. Was she laughing at him?

Yang Yan shook her head and replied, "No, I think it\'s wonderful. Mr. Twain, I believe that you won\'t let your supporters down."