Chapter 20: The Loaned Midfielder
“This, this…” Tang Ye was utterly stunned by Ten Hag’s words.
No need to do homework?
“Is, is that really allowed?”
“Of course. I’ve already spoken with Ms. Valerie. You’ve been assigned a lot of homework lately. I also understand that you’re an athlete and need to train, so it’s quite normal for you not to finish your homework.”
Ten Hag sat down beside Tang Ye.
Tang Ye’s eyes brightened.
No homework!
Could such a fortunate thing really be true?
He had to seize this opportunity!
“So, does this mean I don’t have to do any homework from now on?”
“Oh, don’t rush,” Ten Hag said, wagging his index finger in front of Tang Ye. “If you simply refuse to do your homework, Ms. Valerie won’t agree. But I have a solution!”
The Dutchman smiled, “As long as you train football an extra two hours every evening, then you’ll have a valid reason not to do your homework.”
“What do you say?”
“…” Tang Ye rolled his eyes at Ten Hag.
Damn it.
It was obvious without any analysis that Ten Hag was the culprit behind the sudden increase in homework.
“No, I won’t agree to that!”
Tang Ye suddenly jumped up from the bed.
Damn Ten Hag! He absolutely refused to comply!
“Don’t be so hasty, Tang. Sit down first,” Ten Hag said, pulling Tang Ye back. Once Tang Ye was seated again on the bed, Ten Hag continued, “If you don’t finish your homework, Ms. Valerie will contact your parents. I heard your mother cares a lot about your academic performance. If you can’t even complete your homework, she’ll be upset, right?”
“Tang, you don’t want to disappoint your mother, do you?”
“This, this…” Tang Ye grit his teeth, sweat streaming continuously down his forehead.
“Two hours every week?”
“No, two hours every day.”
“But I only have two homework assignments per week. That’s unfair!”
“For you, two hours of physical training is definitely easier than doing those assignments. I think this is already very fair!”
Ten Hag had his own set of theories.
Youth academy players generally disliked doing homework, and Tang Ye was no exception.
Sitting in a chair staring at recycled paper was torture for young players!
“How about this: you get two days off from extra training each week. Does that sound good? Two hours isn’t much anyway, and Michel [Van der Gaag] will be the one training you.”
“Damn it!”
Tang Ye held his head in his hands.
He didn’t refuse Ten Hag’s condition.
Because he couldn’t!
“Alright, now you can go. Michel’s already waiting for you outside on the first team’s training field!”
Ten Hag walked to the door, opened it for Tang Ye, and made a gesture inviting him out.
…
At 8 p.m., Tang Ye arrived at the first team’s gym. Van der Gaag was leaning against a treadmill, smiling as he watched Tang Ye approach.
“The lazy kid pays the price for avoiding homework.”
“Start with a 3 km jog to warm up, then I’ll assign you some tasks.”
Thunk-thunk!
Van der Gaag tapped twice on the treadmill’s screen, signaling Tang Ye to get on. He then sat on a nearby chair, reading a newspaper. “Call me when you finish running.”
Tang Ye didn’t reply. He stepped onto the treadmill and set the speed to 6 km/h.
This pace was not too slow for a warm-up, yet not tiring—just perfect.
Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap…
The sound of rubber soles hitting the track echoed. Tang Ye grew bored and decided to focus on his system.
After scoring a goal in the afternoon match, Tang Ye had successfully unlocked the store section.
He was too anxious celebrating after the match to explore it before!
Opening the store, he saw only three items on the interface.
[Red Bull by Vardy: For the next 120 minutes, your stamina is increased by 10%.]
[Grealish’s Draft Beer: Reduces your perception of fatigue but impairs your thinking ability.]
Tang Ye knew Vardy but not Grealish.
Of course, the players’ names didn’t matter much; what mattered was the price and effect.
Both the Red Bull and the draft beer cost 5 comeback points each. Considering Tang Ye’s daily tasks only rewarded 3 comeback points, these items were quite expensive for him.
Besides the Red Bull and draft beer, Tang Ye discovered another item.
[Spend 10 comeback points to unlock additional product content.]
Hmm…
Checking his comeback points balance—25 points—Tang Ye decided to give it a try.
[You spent 10 comeback points. Store capacity +1.]
The next moment, Tang Ye saw a green item with a fairly lengthy description.
[Broccoli by Cristiano Ronaldo: For the next 12 hours, football training gains are doubled.]
This broccoli’s effect was much stronger than the Red Bull or draft beer and therefore more expensive.
A full 10 comeback points! That meant Tang Ye needed to complete four days of daily tasks or score one goal in the Eredivisie just to afford one broccoli!
The prices were absurd!
Despite the outrageous cost, Tang Ye wasn’t particularly interested in the broccoli.
What intrigued him most was the [Grealish’s Draft Beer].
Reducing fatigue perception?
That was unbeatable!
Tang Ye cursed himself for not unlocking this store section sooner. If only he’d had this beer during last week’s endurance training!
The only downside was the draft beer impaired his thinking ability, so it couldn’t be used during matches.
Tang Ye planned to buy a draft beer to test it but then recalled today’s session was strength training.
Lowering fatigue perception during strength training was risky, so he abandoned the idea.
Continuing to examine the store interface, Tang Ye noticed it was divided into two parts.
Items like Red Bull, draft beer, and broccoli were classified as “props” and grouped in the “Prop Store.”
Besides the Prop Store, there was also a “Template Store.”
[Hazard’s Rhythm Change]
Price: 15,000 comeback points
[Mbappé’s Stop-and-Go Acceleration]
Price: 21,000 comeback points
Prices had soared to four- and five-digit figures. If the broccoli was a luxury item, these templates were completely unaffordable for Tang Ye.
Even more astonishing, besides skill templates, the store also sold growth templates of famous players.
Unlike skill templates, acquiring a growth template meant Tang Ye’s future development would mirror that star, eventually gaining all their abilities.
Of course, such items usually had a string of zeros behind the price…
[Kevin De Bruyne Growth Template (Non-Cheat Version)]
Price: 100,000 comeback points
[Paul Pogba Growth Template]
Price: 100,000 comeback points
[Sergio Rodri Growth Template]
Price: 100,000 comeback points
One hundred thousand!
After tallying the numbers, Tang Ye laughed outright.
This system was ridiculous—what was the point of setting such prices? How could he ever afford them?
But…
Tang Ye noticed the “Purchase” button was lit up.
Wait a minute!
An idea struck him, and he clicked the purchase button beneath the De Bruyne growth template.
[Please select a payment method]
1. Account balance (insufficient funds)
2. Huabei (Credit service)
Was that even real?
He decided to give it a shot!
[You used Huabei to purchase the Kevin De Bruyne Growth Template (Non-Cheat Version)…]
The system’s voice sounded, leaving Tang Ye stunned.
[Huabei credit used: 100,000. Repayment period: 1 month. Latest repayment date: Amsterdam time, October 13, 2036.]
…