Baiyun International Airport.
Jin Hayes and Anna stood wide-eyed in the underground parking lot, pulling their suitcases. Soon, a classic black Volkswagen Santana sedan stopped in front of them. The car window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
"Young man, need a ride?"
"Dad, stop messing around. Hurry up—the cars behind you are honking."
After putting their suitcases in the trunk, Jin Hayes and Anna sat obediently in the back seat, letting Ding Ru turn around and scrutinize them.
"You're darker, but much stronger. Playing football in Germany must be tiring. You haven't gotten injured, have you?" Ding Ru's eyes were full of concern. She didn't care what achievements her child had; she only hoped Jin Hayes could always be healthy and safe. Every time she saw Jin Hayes being tackled to the ground by a defender on TV, Ding Ru couldn't bear to watch.
"Yes, you need to protect yourself when you play. Every time you get injured, I get injured too." Chen Jianping, who was driving, showed his arm, which was covered in marks from Ding Ru pinching him when she was nervous.
"Who told you to marry a wife stronger than you?"
"Hey, you little-!"
"What, got an opinion? Is what the child said wrong?"
"No, no problem." Chen Jianping smiled sheepishly, concentrating on the road.
Ding Ru nodded in satisfaction, her gaze then falling on Anna beside Jin Hayes, her eyes glowing. "Can she understand? I've returned all my English to the teacher."
"She can understand a little." Jin Hayes had taught Anna a fair amount of Chinese, so simple communication was not a problem.
"Hello, Anna. Welcome to China. You are so beautiful."
Faced with Ding Ru's enthusiastic greeting, Anna's tension eased considerably. She had originally been a little worried that Jin Hayes's parents wouldn't like her. Now, she finally gathered her courage and timidly spoke: "Thank you, madam. You are also very beautiful."
"Oh my! This girl's mouth is really sweet!" Ding Ru was overjoyed by the compliment and began to chat more enthusiastically with Anna. When she couldn't express herself clearly in Chinese, she even mixed in a few English phrases with a noticeable accent. Her own son, Jin Hayes, was left aside like a stranger.
In a lull in their conversation, Jin Hayes's phone suddenly rang.
"Hello?"
"Jin, it's me."
It was Wenger.
Jin Hayes immediately perked up: "Mr. Wenger, what's wrong?"
"It's like this…" Wenger's tone was a bit down. "The club's application for a work permit to the FA has failed. I'm afraid we'll have to transfer you."
It would have been enough for a staff member to inform Jin Hayes, but Wenger felt bad and wanted to tell him personally. After all, he had originally guaranteed that he could get him into Arsenal's first team. He hadn't expected this outcome.
Wenger thought Jin Hayes would be disappointed to hear such news, but the other end of the phone was very calm.
"Thank you, Mr. Wenger. So, where is my next destination?"
"Dortmund are still very interested in you. They will probably sign you for around twelve million euros. They'll likely contact you soon to discuss personal terms. The specific conditions might be even better than the youth contract you signed before, but you'll need to negotiate that yourself… By the way, do you have an agent?"
Jin Hayes didn't have one yet. When he signed the contract with Arsenal before, the legal services were all arranged by the club. After he turned sixteen, in addition to normal player contract issues, there would be more commercial considerations. In this era, it's difficult to be like Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, who had no agent throughout his entire career.
"How about I recommend Jorge Mendes to you? Although he is a mercenary businessman, he can at least help players."
"Okay, no problem."
According to Jin Hayes's instincts, signing with Mendes should not be a big problem. He wasn't like some notoriously aggressive agents. Relatively speaking, Mendes's reputation was better—focused on building careers rather than just extracting money.
"Then I won't bother you for now. After I contact Mendes's team, they will find you. Regarding Dortmund's transfer and contract issues, the agent team should handle it directly with you."
Wenger paused for a few seconds, then sighed softly: "Jin, if there's a chance in the future, I still hope to work with you."
"Regardless, thank you, Mr. Wenger."
"Just call me Arsène from now on. Or 'Professor,' as you used to like to call me. I hope we can still be friends."
Hanging up the phone, Jin Hayes looked out the car window. He couldn't help but recall his time at Everton. If Wenger hadn't helped so much, he might not have embarked on a professional career. Although he couldn't stay at Arsenal this time, Wenger had already done his utmost.
Looking at it from another perspective, having the opportunity to stay and play for Dortmund might be a better choice. They had a new coach coming in and Champions League matches next season. Jin Hayes was full of anticipation for the new campaign.
"What's wrong?" Anna noticed Jin Hayes's mood and quietly asked in German.
"Nothing. I'll probably still stay in Dortmund."
"Really?!" Anna's voice rose a few pitches. She quickly realized she had overreacted and shyly lowered her head. "I mean… Dortmund is more suitable for you. I believe Dad, Mum, and Grandpa will all be very happy…"
And me.
The last half-sentence, Anna couldn't get out before she was interrupted by Ding Ru.
"What's up?"
"After the summer holidays, I'm still going back to Germany to play football."
"That's great! Let me tell you, I'm very familiar with the Bundesliga now. I can name all the people on your team…" Ding Ru began to boast endlessly about her football knowledge, which made Chen Jianping secretly smile. Jin Hayes, however, was a little surprised. Ding Ru, who used to have no interest in football and didn't even know how many players were on the pitch, had actually become a die-hard fan.
…
"Here, the bath towels and toiletries are all new for you. Feel free to use the guest bathroom. Let me know if you need anything else. There are no spare pyjamas at the moment, so if you don't mind, wear my T-shirts—they're all clean."
"D… Danke, thank you. So, you… now…"
The blush on Anna's face was almost spreading to her neck. The thought of showering and staying at Jin Hayes's house made her feel embarrassed. She had been crazy to suggest travelling to China with him in the first place. She had originally planned to stay in a hotel, but Ding Ru had sweet-talked her into coming straight to the house.
Fortunately, Jin Hayes's home had three bedrooms, with a guest room for Anna. Plus, Ding Ru's enthusiasm helped ease much of Anna's unease. In Anna's opinion, Ding Ru and her mother Maria were exactly the same type—they would definitely get along well.
Since it was already late at night, Chen Jianping and Ding Ru had gone to their bedroom to sleep. Anna had wanted to stay with Jin Hayes a little longer. In an unfamiliar environment, she instinctively wanted to be close to someone more familiar. But after Jin Hayes finished his instructions, he turned and walked into his bedroom, completely oblivious.
"Get some rest early, okay? I'll take you around the city tomorrow. Good night."
Bang!
The door closed, leaving Anna standing awkwardly in the living room.
No, dude? Couldn't you tell she wanted to chat with you?
Sigh…
She didn't know when, but Jin Hayes had become increasingly oblivious. Anna reluctantly walked into the bathroom.
Back in his familiar bedroom, Jin Hayes threw himself onto the bed. After more than ten hours of flying, with a long layover in between, he was already exhausted. Lying on the bed, his mind kept drifting to the new season and his new agent, and he felt himself getting sleepy.
But soon, the pattering sound of water instantly sobered him up. The guest bathroom was right next door, and Jin Hayes really couldn't help but imagine what was happening inside.
A stunning young girl was showering just a wall away from him. As soon as Jin Hayes pictured Anna, he felt his composure slipping. Burying his head in the quilt was useless—the sound could completely penetrate and constantly scratch at his heart.
Fortunately, the phone ringing rescued him from his heated thoughts.
"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Hayes Jin?"
"This is he. And you are?"
"Sorry to disturb you. We're from Gestifute, a company that provides player agent services. The main purpose of this call is to discuss your interest in signing with an agent… You should have heard of our boss's name. Jorge Mendes."