Before contacting domestic sports brands, Jin Hayes first signed a contract with Coca‑Cola through Jorge Mendes's connections. Within the next two months, he might fly to London to film a commercial with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, and Sergio Agüero.
Mendes also mentioned another matter: at the end of this month, on October 28th, after the 8th round of the Bundesliga, Jin Hayes would travel alone to Turin, Italy, to attend the 2008 "European Golden Boy Award" ceremony at the headquarters of Tuttosport.
"So, you're saying I'll be elected?"
"Of course. While I can't guarantee it 100%, it's already a done deal." On the other end of the phone, Mendes smiled mysteriously. "Congratulations, Jin. This is your first international individual award. How do you feel?"
"I don't really feel anything. Unless it's the Ballon d'Or, it's not that interesting."
"Alright, I'll have Michael Carter go over the details with you then. Also, Michael will take you to get a custom suit made for the awards ceremony."
"With my money?"
"I'm paying for it out of my own pocket, alright?"
"Then that's fine."
Hanging up the phone, Mendes couldn't help but smile. Who said young players are easy to fool? Jin Hayes was practically the player who gave Mendes the biggest headache. Back then, even Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't as calculating as Jin Hayes.
Paying tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for a custom Armani suit for him wasn't much money for Mendes. As long as he held onto a cash cow like Jin Hayes, he could easily earn back hundreds of millions in the future.
...
"The Golden Boy Award, that's really nice."
"I want to win the Golden Boy Award too."
"Who wouldn't?"
By the hot tub, Mats Hummels, Nuri Şahin, Marco Reus, Mario Götze, İlkay Gündoğan, and the other brothers were eavesdropping while Jin Hayes was on the phone. Although the "Golden Boy Award" is for players under 21, and both Hummels and Şahin were 20, they theoretically still had a chance to be selected.
But they knew that if you hadn't reached a certain level by around 18, you wouldn't have another chance in this lifetime. Reus, Götze, and Gündoğan all considered themselves not that outstanding. Among everyone present, the only one to win the award was Jin Hayes.
It's not that brothers are afraid of suffering; they're afraid of their brother driving a Land Rover. Everyone was happy for him, but also felt a bit sour in their hearts.
"What's with those expressions? Does me winning the award make you feel that bad?"
"Yes." Several people nodded at the same time.
"Then keep feeling bad. If you want to see the trophy, you can come to my house and look at it then."
"How annoying! Get him!" Nuri Şahin was the first to get jealous, intending to push Jin Hayes into the water. Hummels helped from the side. Fortunately, Reus, Gündoğan, and Götze were all good boys and didn't get involved.
As it turned out, Jin Hayes had already expected Şahin's mischief and dove into the water first to swim away. Şahin and Hummels lunged at nothing, both falling in and choking on several gulps of hot water.
"Does your brother's bathwater taste good?"
"Shit!!" Seeing Hummels and Şahin looking like a bedraggled pair, Reus and the others couldn't help but laugh out loud, even the little brother Götze was snickering. The hydrotherapy area was filled with laughter.
…
"Borussia Dortmund's winning streak continues! They have now accumulated 5 consecutive wins across all competitions and 3 consecutive wins in the Bundesliga. Their momentum is like a rainbow!"
"From the start of the season until now, they have remained unbeaten in 15 matches across three fronts, looking down on the rest!"
"What exactly is the secret behind this youth storm of the Bumblebees' consecutive victories? What kind of magic does coach Klopp's tactics hold? And why is the star player, the young genius Jin, in such excellent form?"
"Welcome to today's 'Sportstudio.' I am your host Mehmet Scholl, and beside me is my partner Oliver Kahn."
"Now, let's welcome today's heavyweight guest with a round of applause! Germany's rising young coach, Jürgen Klopp! Borussia Dortmund's midfield brain, Nuri Şahin—and the darling of the fans, the King of Westfalen, Jin—Hayes—"
"Hello everyone, I am Jin Hayes—"
...
At the Heinrich home, an interview program was being broadcast on TV. It was one of the most popular football programs on the German TV station ZDF. Commentators Scholl and Kahn had come to the Westfalenstadion to invite the currently popular Dortmund members for a walk and chat. It happened to be between intense fixtures, and with this week being relatively free, the production team and the club took the time to complete the recording.
Seeing Jin Hayes on TV, Uncle Hans was quite happy. "Jin!! Look, you're on TV!"
"Jin is on TV almost every day, what's the big deal?" Maria, busy in the kitchen, immediately spoke up to mock him.
"Not free! Jin is busy!" Anna's voice came from upstairs.
Hmm? It seemed to come from Jin Hayes's bedroom. What were the two of them busy with? Hans suddenly became alert.
"What are you worried about? Just watch the TV." Frank smiled and came over to hand him a bottle of beer.
Uncle Hans took the beer, feeling a bit curious. "You know them best. How far have they gotten now? Is it possible for me to become a grandfather?"
"Ack!" Frank almost spat out a mouthful of beer. His father was in his 50s, why did he talk like a child?
With those two's awkward personalities, they probably wouldn't even hold hands without someone assisting. His sister was completely different from typical German girls; she kept everything in her heart.
Jin seemed focused only on football and had no understanding of women. Frank had started out enthusiastically trying to help, but after several attempts with no results, he simply gave up and let things develop naturally. Forget it, let it be.
"Don't worry, if you want to be a grandfather, you'll have to wait at least 5 years—no, 10 years."
"Ah? That long? I want to hold a grandson."
"Weren't you afraid of Anna being taken advantage of? Why the change of heart?"
"I don't know either." The old father was very conflicted; he didn't want his daughter to be taken away, but he also hoped she would be happy. "Forget it, drink the beer."
Hans gulped down a few mouthfuls of beer and leaned back on the sofa to watch the show.
Scholl and Kahn were joking around, chatting with Klopp and the others about the current Dortmund team.
"Dortmund is sitting firmly at the top of the table after 9 rounds of the new season. Jürgen, what are your prospects for the team this season?"
"The season is long, and the current lead isn't enough for us to be 100% sure of anything, but we will try to secure the winter championship first, and then launch a challenge for the league title that has eluded us since 2002."
On TV, Klopp was full of confidence, his tone powerful and resonant. The current league standings were also displayed on the screen, showing Dortmund with 8 wins and 1 draw, leading with great momentum. Teams behind them like Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, and Stuttgart were still quite far away. Dortmund really had a chance to compete for the title this season.
"Next, I'd like to ask Jin. You are currently leading both the scoring and assist charts with a huge advantage of 8 goals and 17 assists. How do you view your excellent form in the new season? The outside world once criticised you for not knowing how to shoot and only knowing how to dribble. What is your response to that?"
On camera, facing host Mehmet Scholl's slightly difficult question, Jin Hayes maintained a charming smile throughout. "My shooting really is terrible; I can miss even from point‑blank range. There's nothing I can do about it, so I can only dribble past everyone and aim for an open goal to be more certain. I didn't expect to be temporarily at the top of the scoring charts. Other Bundesliga forwards should work harder."
As soon as he said this, Scholl and Oliver Kahn looked at each other and laughed. They had intended to tease the 16‑year‑old and see him look embarrassed, but he actually pulled off a perfect flex.
"Then do you have a chance to challenge your own assist record this season?" Last season's Bundesliga record of 28 assists was truly impressive; it would likely only be broken by Jin Hayes himself.
"I'm not interested in assist records, nor am I interested in the title of Golden Boot or Assist King. I'm only interested in championships. This season, I will help the team win at least one trophy."
"This..." Even Klopp and Nuri Şahin were stunned. With Jin Hayes making such a bold claim, it put a lot of pressure on them. Dortmund winning the league was already a bit difficult, let alone other trophies while competing on three fronts. But since Jin Hayes said so, Klopp also had to support his player. "That's right, I believe in Jin, and I believe our young boys can do it."
With the coach and star player being so confident, Dortmund fans were naturally very happy. Could it be that this season...
*Yeah, even Arsenal won the PL title. I'm Team PSG on 30th!!!
However, on the Kicker forum, Bayern Munich fans were very unhappy. Clearly, they were the kings of the Bundesliga, the double winners of last season, and the ones who should be dominating the league. They had just played poorly in the first few games of the season and were temporarily ranked 8th. How could the only powerhouse in the Bundesliga be ignored like this?
"Jin's tone is too arrogant. He says they'll win the title and they just will?"
"Just wait, weak teams will collapse in the middle and late stages."
"Every season some team jumps out, but the ones winning the title are still us."
"Being 8th now doesn't mean we won't climb back up later."
Bayern fans vented their anger, but were quickly shut down by a reply from a Dortmund fan: "Fun fact: Bayern 1–5 Borussia Dortmund." The 5–1 defeat at home was nothing short of a disgrace.
"Just wait, we'll crush you in the second leg at home!" The angry Bayern fans were jumping in rage, but unfortunately, no one paid them any mind. Fans of Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, and other teams were all gloating. Everyone had suffered under Bayern for a long time, and seeing the king fall to the bottom was a situation everyone enjoyed. Now the Bundesliga was a battleground of heroes; perhaps everyone had a chance to compete for the title.
While the program was discussing the battle for the Bundesliga in the new season, upstairs in Jin Hayes's room, Anna was hurriedly helping him with his tie.
The Armani suit Mendes had custom‑made for Jin Hayes had arrived—a hand‑tailored version costing €70,000. J
in Hayes was trying on the clothes in his bedroom, not quite used to the feeling of wearing a suit. With such an expensive suit on, he always felt awkward everywhere, and the person in the mirror looked like a stranger. He still preferred wearing jerseys and training gear. Even for daily outings, he wore sports‑style outfits.
Anna came out of her room and happened to catch a glimpse of Jin Hayes's outfit. She curiously leaned in to take a look and couldn't stand it on the spot. As a fashion‑forward girl, she couldn't bear to see Jin Hayes looking so bad in his clothes.
"Who wears a suit like that?"
Before Jin Hayes could stop her, Anna was already close at hand, complaining while standing on her tiptoes to help him straighten his collar. The fragrance of her shampoo kept drifting into his nose.
The slender girl was almost tucked into his arms, and at this moment, Jin Hayes had an uncontrollable urge to hold her tightly. He seemed to see ten years into the future, where Anna, as his wife, was helping him with his tie before he left the house. Saying "Hubby, come home early" while kissing him goodbye—perhaps this was what happiness looked like.
Seemingly sensing Jin Hayes's awkwardness, Anna suddenly realised they were too close. If she stood a bit higher on her tiptoes, she could have kissed him right then and there.
"Aaaaah—what on earth am I thinking?"
Anna's fair skin was instantly flushed with a rosy hue. Every time she was embarrassed, the redness would reach all the way down to her neck. Even though they were very familiar and lived together every day like family, such an intimate gesture still made her extremely flustered. But since Anna had offered to help Jin Hayes tidy up, walking away suddenly would seem too deliberate. She had to find something to say to ease the awkwardness.
"Look, the shirt cuffs should peek out a little, and only two buttons of the suit should be fastened, leave one undone... Also, your pants pockets should be smoothed out. Don't put your phone in there, don't put anything in there. What is this..." Anna didn't realise it at first and reached out a few more times.
"Uh—" In the next second, the girl retracted her hand as if she'd been struck by lightning, fleeing in panic like a startled deer.
"Sigh, what a mess." Jin Hayes stood frozen in place, feeling extremely embarrassed. This really couldn't be blamed on him; who told Anna to take matters into her own hands?