Chapter 34: The Agent Comes Knocking

In the post-match locker room, Ramselaar and Barazite were chasing Tang Ye around.

"Don't run! Come and celebrate with us!"
"Stop running, Tang!"

Tang Ye sprinted around the locker room, moving even faster than he had during the match. He had no choice; those two troublemakers, Ramselaar and Barazite, were charging at him with mineral water bottles. They were intent on drenching him.

"No, no, no, don't do this! I didn't bring a change of clothes!"
"Then don't wear any!"

Barazite lunged across the central bench, reaching out to grab Tang Ye. Tang Ye’s reflexes were lightning fast; he darted behind Amrabat, thinking that would stop Barazite from splashing him. Little did he know, Amrabat spun around and grabbed Tang Ye by the wrist.

"Hey, Sofyan, what are you doing?"
"No, let me go, let me go!"
"Aren't we best friends? Why? No!"

Betrayed by Amrabat, Tang Ye was defenseless as Barazite and Ramselaar poured the entire contents of their water bottles over his head. This was the Utrecht players' signature way of celebrating a victory.

"Woohoo!!!"
"Damn it, Sofyan, you betrayed me!"

Tang Ye sat on the floor, glaring fiercely at Amrabat. "I will never trust you again!"

Amrabat ignored him, grabbed another bottle of water, and walked toward Tang Ye with a grin.

"No, brother, good brother, don't do this. Sofyan, remember our friendship!"

Sensing trouble, Tang Ye scrambled to his feet and bolted. As he ran, he snatched a half-empty water bottle from Van der Maarel’s hand and caught Amrabat by surprise.

"Hahaha, Sofyan, you're still too weak!"

Tang Ye backed away, but his heel caught on something. He turned around to see Ten Hag, who had just returned from his post-match interview. Utrecht had won the match 3-1, and given the victory, Ten Hag had even managed to score an extra "goal" in the press conference by pointing out the team's three-goal lead over Cambuur.

"Every time I come back, the locker room floor is soaking wet. Can't you find a different way to celebrate?" Ten Hag gestured to his own feet. "I’m wearing leather shoes; it’s easy to slip."

"I’m wearing flip-flops," Tang Ye pointed at his own feet.

"...Fine, let's not talk about that." Ten Hag took the water bottle from Tang Ye, finished the remaining water, and stuffed the empty bottle back into Tang Ye's arms. "Lads, it was a good win today, but we must maintain our focus. It was 3-1, but our opponent today was on the weaker side. We will face stronger teams later—Feyenoord, PSV, Ajax. I hope you can celebrate like this when you face those teams."

Ten Hag’s authority remained absolute. Silence descended on the locker room as everyone listened quietly, save for Tang Ye, who was drying his hair with a towel, and Amrabat, who was drying his body.

"However!" Ten Hag continued. "Today we secured a victory. You have all earned a two-day break!"

"Wow!"

Tang Ye suddenly leaped up, grabbed a water bottle, and sprayed it wherever the crowd was thickest. Once he was done, he bolted out of the locker room. Time to vanish!

...

*Utrecht Evening News* headline: The Royal Dutch Football Association and youth protection organizations have investigated the Utrecht Football Club regarding allegations of abuse toward youth players. There is insufficient evidence to suggest that head coach Ten Hag prevents Tang from entering the first-team cafeteria.

"We see him every day," said a first-team cafeteria worker. "His favorite is the raw herring fillet; it’s his motivation for training."

*Voetbal* reported: Tang's goal tally in the Eredivisie has reached three, making him the top-scoring U17 player in the league.

Dongqiudi reposted: Utrecht defeated Cambuur 3-1 at home. In the post-match interview, head coach Ten Hag expressed dissatisfaction with the team's performance, stating the actual score should have been 4-1 or even 5-1.

...

Ten Hag was generous in granting the players two days off. This was a massive relief for Tang Ye, who only needed to complete his daily tasks during those two days to bank six "Counterattack Points."

Aside from his daily tasks, Tang Ye received a call from his parents on the first day of the break. Zhang Qingqing wanted Tang Ye to buy an apartment near the training base so he wouldn't have to stay in the dormitory anymore. Tang Ye, however, told them it wasn't necessary. Damn it, if he stayed in the dorm, he was already over ten minutes late; if he bought a place outside, he’d probably be half an hour late!

That afternoon, while Tang Ye was playing FIFA in Zakir’s room, he received another call. It was a local Dutch number starting with +0031.

The caller, Boer, introduced himself as a football agent and expressed a desire to collaborate with Tang Ye.

"Unless you can beat my friend at FIFA, I'm not interested in working with you," Tang Ye said, moving to hang up.

Boer hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, wait, don't be hasty! I'm not a scammer."

"I know you're not a scammer, but I don't think I need an agent. I'm doing just fine."

"No, no, no. You're young; you don't know the value of an agent. Listen, I can negotiate on your behalf to secure benefits from the club—you know, higher wages."

Boer spoke quickly. He had spent 8,000 euros in information fees to get Tang Ye’s number from a staff member at Utrecht. It was a gamble, a bet that Tang Ye would achieve greatness. But the prerequisite was that Tang Ye had to be willing to meet him. If Tang Ye dismissed him as a fraud, the gamble would be lost before it even began.

"Bye-bye, my good friend."

*Click.* Tang Ye hung up.

"What's wrong? Why were you asking for help on the phone? Haha, can you win even once today?" Zakir shook his PS5 controller. They had been playing for an hour, and Tang Ye hadn't won a single game.

"I haven't been playing this game for very long. We should play League of Legends or Hearthstone; you wouldn't stand a chance against me there. Do you know how good I am at Hearthstone? I could crush you with one hand."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just tell me who called you," Zakir asked, curious. As far as he remembered, Tang Ye’s phone never rang, except for calls from China.

"Oh, it was a football agent. Smith must have sold my number."

"An agent!" Zakir put the controller down and turned to face Tang Ye. "Are you already good enough to have agents reaching out to you? Man, why did you hang up?"

Seeing Tang Ye’s indifference, Zakir began to explain. "Just like in the game, an agent can help you with transfers. And it’s not just that; they can communicate with the club to get you a better contract."

"You could even have your agent write a vacation clause into your contract!"

"Wow!?" Tang Ye’s eyes lit up.

So, an agent could actually negotiate for vacation time! Without further hesitation, Tang Ye called him back.