817 Everyone’s on Their Way

In the blink of an eye, Chen Jian had already spent two years in a foreign land. If he were to count the year in which he was sent there after participating in the talent show, then it was his third year in Nottingham.

He had initially stayed at the home of the man proclaimed to be Nottingham Forest's most die-hard fan, Mr. John. However, he had later moved out because he wanted to learn to be independent.

Chen Jian might have been undertaking an apprenticeship with Nottingham Forest at the moment, but that did not stop him from continuing his studies at Nottingham University. He kept a low-profile in school, and did not reveal his second identity as a footballer to his schoolmates.

Having spent three years in England, Chen Jian no longer struggled with communicating in English. He was always the most hardworking and passionate player on the team, and the coaches would always use him as an example to encourage his teammates to train hard.

His behavior piqued the interest of his teammates, and they asked him, "Do all Chinese people work as hard as you?"

Chen Jian ought to have felt lonely and left-out, as he was the only Chinese or Asian person on his team. However, he focused all of his attention solely on his training, and he did not think about any of those other trifles.

He knew that he was in a race against time. He would not be able to accomplish anything in his life if he were to slack on his training now.

He firmly believed in a principle that came up in many of the stories that he listened to while growing up: A genius is only able to achieve success because he is working hard in the time that another person uses to drink coffee. There is no such thing as a genius who achieves success by relying purely on his gift alone.

If even a genius needed to work hard, then there was no way an ordinary person like him could fail to do so.

A genius would still have his gift without hard work, but an ordinary person would have nothing.

Chen Jian was assigned to train with the U15 team during the very first year that he joined Nottingham Forest because of his poor foundation in football. He might have stuck out like a sore thumb among a group of 14-to-15-year-olds, but he was not embarrassed about the situation. He put his heart and soul into developing his football fundamentals, and he did not care about the looks that were thrown his way.

It was difficult for him to find a training partner as a result of the age gap between him and his teammates in the U15 team. Therefore, most of the time, he had to practice by himself.

Chen Jian was also unable to participate in the U15 competitions.

In China, it was common for players to lie about their actual ages, but that was not the case in England.

In truth, Chen Jian longed to participate in the U15 competitions. Every time the team played in one, he would sit by the side and become very engrossed in watching how the players played football.

The players might have been younger than him by four or five years, but, besides the fact that his physical build was slightly better than theirs, he was not able to find a single advantage that he had over them.

Chen Jian was not able to participate in intra-team U15 competitions, either. He was too old, and it would be too easy for him to take advantage of his physical build, which would be unfair to the younger and smaller players in the team.

This situation lasted for almost a year.

In his second year, Chen Jian was promoted to train with the U18 team, despite being nearly 20 years old by then. However, even then, he was still unqualified to participate in U18 competitions such as the FA Youth Cup. He was only able to play in intra-team U18 competitions, and in some unofficial warm-up games. However, he was, at the very least, able to participate in some kind of competition.

Chen Jian was actually a very intelligent person. His intelligence can be discerned from how he was able to converse in fluent English with his British teammates after just a short period of time.

Even if he was not selected to play in a particular game, Chen Jian would still make a trip down to watch the match in person. In fact, he never missed a game that Nottingham Forest played, be it a youth team match, a reserve team match, or one of the First Team's.

The best part about watching the match in person, rather than on TV, was that his perspective was not restricted by the camera's angle. He was able to get a complete view of the entire pitch.

Other than a few occasional appearances as a right back, Chen Jian mostly featured as a midfielder who operated down the middle of the field on the youth team. It was a position that required him to be able to see and grasp everything that was happening on the pitch.

He would mull over every action that a player took while he watched the games from the stands.

Why did they choose to deal with the ball that way and not this way? he thought. What are the pros and cons of every possible method of dealing with something?

He paid attention to the performance that the more famous players gave on the pitch. He observed how they played football in general.

Chen Jian believed that watching football was also a form of training. A player who is willing to rack his brains and analyze the game being played out before him, he thought, would definitely be able to learn a lot of things just by watching.

He also carries a small notebook with him whenever he showed up to observe a match. He would jot down everything that he observed or thought of as he watched the match, so that he would be able to refer back to his notes in the future.

A midfielder needed to be the most intelligent player on the pitch, because he had to be able to analyze what was happening on the field at all times and to make the best decision that corresponded with the situation. In this sense, the training that Chen Jian was giving himself was apt.

Chen Jian did not only watch and analyze the games. He also tried to apply what he learned from those matches in his actual training.

All the coaches of the youth team admired his way of playing football, in which he made use of his brain.

Chen Jian did not have any physical advantage once he was put onto the U18 team. There were lots of professional footballers who were physically stronger than he was. Asians were simply not able to measure up against the Westerners in terms of physical stature and height.

as far as his sheer power went, Chen Jian was not the weakest in the team, but he was not the most outstanding, either. He was just average at best. The only thing that he could work on to make himself stand out from the rest of his teammates was his ability to make use of his brain. Unlike physical stature and height, a person's intelligence did not rely on his genes.

He might not have been physically strong enough. He might have lacked sheet power, and he might also not have been fast enough. However, he could make up for all those weaknesses with his intellect.

A year had passed since Chen Jian trained himself to use his brains more while playing football, and he has managed to achieve outstanding results.

He was not able to participate in the FA Youth Cup or the Youth League, but he was able to perform well in the intra-team matches.

Chen Jian typically played as a defensive midfielder for his team. When he had to defend, he did not make use of his physicality to fight for the ball with his opponents. Instead, he would judge where his opponent would run to during his attack and then head over to that area before his opponent could get there, so as to intercept the ball and stop the opposition's offense before it threatened his team's goal.

Similarly, he would not attempt to use his pace against his opponents when he was trying to bring the ball forward during an attack. He would always observe the situation on the pitch after he received a pass, and he would then pass the ball over to where it needed to be sent. Doing so makes his offensives easy, effective, and straightforward. It also enables him to grasp any fleeting chance to catch his opponents off guard and launch an attack.

However, it did not matter how hard he trained and how well he performed in the youth team. He remained as an 'apprentice' in Nottingham Forest, and the club never offered him a new professional contract. His salary was very low and was only enough to enable him to live his life in Nottingham. He was not able to send money back to his parents, nor did he have any money to spend on women to satisfy his biological needs.

His life was simple and dull. He spent most of his time either at the training grounds or in his apartment, and he would drop by the university once in a while. It had been three years since he had come to Nottingham, but he had only gone to the downtown shopping district five times in total, and he did not even know where any other places of entertainment were.

He did not know how much longer he could go on living this way. He was not some monk doing penance. He craved to live a life of higher quality, but he needed to get a higher salary in order for him to achieve that. He needed a new professional contract.

Later on, he still vividly remembered every single word that Tony Twain said to him in that phone call.

"…You are just an apprentice. I won't guarantee anything for you. I won't promise that you'll be able to fulfill your dream and become a professional footballer in the future. Don't even think about something like representing the First Team in competitions right now! The club will also not be able to promise you anything, be it your pay, your treatment, or a guaranteed contract… We won't promise anything. We will not give you anything besides a chance. You could still be on the reserves team, fighting for a spot on the First Team, when you are 26. You could also be kicked out of the club and forced to join a semi-professional football team. There are even worse scenarios, but I'll leave those to your imagination…"

Will one of those scenarios become a reality? Chen Jian thought.

Chen Jian did not return to China during the month's long vacation. He intended to use the time to continue practicing.

His actions caused his mother to worry about him, and she took a month's leave to fly over to England to visit him. His father, on the other hand, was not able to come over because he had to work. That was to be expected, since his family was not rich enough to be able to emigrate to England to be with their son.

Chen Jian could be considered to be working right now, and it was good that he no longer needed to ask for money from his parents.

Both his parents were in jobs with low salaries. It would take them a long time to plan their finances before they were able to pay for a trip to England.

Chen Jian hoped that he would receive a professional contract from the club soon. This would increase his salary, and he would then be able to reduce his parents' financial burdens.

It would mostly be a lie if he were to say that he wanted to play football because it was his passion. His wish was to turn his passion into his profession. Nothing in the whole wild world could be more blissful to him than that.

His mother brought numerous bags of luggage with her when she came over to England. Most of the items were specialties and condiments from Sichuan.

She had brought them along because she was worried that her son was not able to taste any authentic Sichuan cuisine during his time in England, and also because she wanted to save money, since the cost of living in England was much higher than that in Mianyang City, their hometown.

However, Chen Jian could not eat any of the Sichuan food products she brought along, from the Sichuan bacon to the sausages; he was a professional athlete and could not eat any of those foods.

In truth, he really wanted to partake, but he had to force himself to stay away from them. If he was not able to persevere with this strict diet, then he ought to just give up on being a professional footballer entirely.

His mother could not understand how he could find boiled chicken delicious. Despite their disagreements over food, however, the two still spent a happy month with each other. Chen Jian did not feel as lonely with his mother by his side.

Every night after training, he would take his mother out to shop. At times, he would also bring her to watch Forest's First Team's matches at the stadium. He wanted to let her experience that crazy environment. However, his mother did not want to go after a visit or two because she found the atmosphere too noisy and did not think that her heart would be able to take it…

When the time for their separation drew near, Chen Jian began contemplating what he should get his parents as a gift. He eventually decided to bring his mother over to London during the weekend and buy a gift for both of them.

Oxford Street was a famous business district in London. Nearly all of the luxury brands in the world had set up a retail store in that area.

Every year, large numbers of tourists made their way there to shop for branded products on Oxford Street. They came here to shop not because of the appeal of luxury brands, but because the products there were slightly cheaper compared to other places.

Despite the cheaper price, however, the expression on Chen Jian's mother's face changed after she glanced at the price tags on a few items. She immediately pulled on her son and urged him to leave. She looked as if she would never go near any of those shops again in her life.

Regrettably, to her mind, Chen Jian was adamant about buying them gifts as his way of showing filial piety toward them.

It was only natural for Chen Jian to want to buy gifts for his parents, considering what they had done for him in the past.

His parents were the only ones who had stood up for him at a time when all his close friends and relatives were against his decision to drop out of the Tianjin Police Academy in order to pursue his footballing dream in England.

They did not think that Chen Jian was talented enough to make a name for himself in the footballing scene. One of his relatives, who had no knowledge of the state of football in England, used the situation for football in China as a way of deterring him from going there.

"Jian, look at the reputation surrounding Chinese professional football! Listen to me. Don't think about the quality of the school that you are enrolled in. All you need to do is to get a certificate. When you graduate and return here, I will use my connections to land you a job in the court. Don't become a professional footballer, okay?"

If Chen Jian still remembered vividly remember the spectacle of how all his relatives made a trip over to talk him out of his decision, then he certainly remembered even more clearly how his parents had supported him in the face of his family.

His relatives had intended to get his parents to stop him from pursuing unrealistic things. They knew that there was a chance that Chen Jian would not listen to their words, no matter how good a relationship they might have had with him. However, a son would surely not disobey his parents if they told him to give up on his impractical dream.

Chen Jian's parents gave a unified response to their relatives when asked. "It's up to Chen Jian. We, as his parents, can't interfere with his decision. If he wants to go, then we'll let him go."

His relatives could say nothing else when his parents came out in support of his decision. Chen Jian subsequently flew over from Sichuan to England and set out on a journey to realize his dream.

Chen Jian did not know what he would be doing now if not for his parents' open-mindedness.

Perhaps he would have gotten a job at court through his relative's connections, and also have ended up owing that relative a huge favor in the process. Or, perhaps, he would have become a security guard in Tianjin after graduation. Who knew?

He definitely needed to do something to reciprocate the support he had received from his parents.

However, he needed a way to get his mother to accept his gift wholeheartedly. Thus, he told his mother that he had just signed a new contract with the club before she arrived in England. He was no longer just an apprentice, but a professional footballer. His salary was of the sort that a professional footballer would draw and definitely was incomparable to the salary he was getting as an apprentice.

Therefore, it was not a problem if he spent a bit of money buying gifts for them!

His mother was happy for him after hearing the news. Chen Jian felt like it had been worth the lie after he saw the smile on her face.

As for how to cover up his lie afterward—he would just think about that some other time.

In the end, Chen Jian used up two years' worth of his savings to buy a tuxedo and a casual outfit for his father, and a handbag and skirt for his mother.

His mother walked out of the dressing room wearing the skirt happily. She looked a little embarrassed as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"My son is a famous football star now." She quickly changed the topic to hide her embarrassment from her son. "Your dad will also be very happy when he hears this."

"I'm just a professional footballer. I'm not a football star, mum…"

He might have feigned composure before his mother, but worry still crept onto his face when he walked over to the cashier to make the payment.

He was not concerned about the money he had spent to buy the gifts for his parents. He was just worried that his lie would be exposed one day. He could not imagine how disappointed his parents would be then…

His mother's flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. Chen Jian went to find the youth team manager, Greenwood, to request for a day off of training on Monday.

Greenwood did not agree to his request straight away. Instead, he grinned at him and said, "You came at a good time, Chen. I received a call from South Wilford earlier. They told me to ask you to make a trip over and find Manager David Kerslake when you showed up."

Chen Jian was confounded. "I'm sorry, Manager Greenwood. I didn't catch your words. Can you repeat yourself again?"

Greenwood coughed lightly. "The First Team's assistant manager, David Kerslake, wishes to speak to you."

"Me?" Confusion was written all over Chen Jian's face. He had not interacted with the first team coaching staff before. Why would the First Team manager want to speak to him?

Greenwood could not hold back his words after seeing the foolish look on Chen Jian's face. He slapped him on the back and said, "He's going to tell you to sign a new professional contract! You are not going to be an apprentice after this."

Chen Jian would have thought that he was dreaming if not for the fact that Greenwood's slap was painful.

"You mean… They want to sign a professional contract with me?" He asked in disbelief.

"That's right, Chen. Are all the Chinese as cautious as you? I've already repeated myself so many times, and you still don't trust me. If you don't believe me, then I'm going to call them to put away the contract…"

Before he could finish his words, however, Chen Jian had already run away from him after giving him a curt bow.

It took a while before the words, "Thank you, Manager Greenwood!" reached his ears.

Greenwood smiled. "Why are you thanking me? You should thank yourself, Chen."

The First Team's training session had concluded a while earlier, but both Tony Twain and Kerslake had stayed behind to wait for their man in the office.

Sounds of hurried footsteps and rough breathing could be heard from down the corridor. The two looked at each other and smiled.

Their man was here.

Chen Jian stood in front of the closed door. He was not in a hurry to knock on it. He held up a fist, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. He tried his best to calm himself and to slow down his breathing.

No one could blame him for feeling so worked up after hearing the news. Nonetheless, it would still be very embarrassing to enter the room looking the way he did right then.

A while passed before he finally raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Come in." Kerslake's voice rang out from behind the door.

"Manager Twain. Manager Kerslake." Chen Jian politely greeted both managers as he made his way inside.

Kerslake was full of smiles when he responded to the greeting. "Hello, Chen."

Twain, on the other hand, was more composed, and only nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Judging from the way you look... I suppose you already know why we want to speak to you today?"

Chen Jian nodded his head forcefully. He was afraid that they would change their minds if he were to nod too softly.

"We have always kept an eye on your performance over the past two years. You have performed well in the youth team. Tony thinks that you are talented. If we count the year when you first became a part of us after joining the talent show, then you have improved very quickly in these three years."

The first image that surfaced in Chen Jian's mind was his mother's smile. He no longer had to worry about the lie that he had told her earlier.

It wasn't a lie! he thought. I'm really going to be given a professional contract now!

"You still don't have an agent yet, right?"

Chen Jian nodded his head.

"Hmm… It doesn't matter. It's just a normal contract, like any other. Go through it yourself." Kerslake passed the contract over to him.

Chen Jian scanned over the contract. He did not care about what was written on it. He only paid attention to the duration of the contract and his weekly pay. It was a four-year contract, and he was going to be given 1,500 pounds a week.

It was not a high salary, but it was much better than what he was currently getting as an apprentice.

"I've finished looking through it. I have no issues with it! Can I sign it now?" Chen Jian wished that a pen would magically appear in his hands right then and there.

Kerslake was about to open his mouth, but Twain cut him off.

"Don't be in such a hurry, lad." The manager, who had not spoken a single word since Chen Jian entered the room, got to his feet. "I want you to think about it carefully. Is this your ultimate goal?"

Chen Jian did not understand what Twain was trying to say. He looked at him in confusion.

"We might have given you a professional contract, but, based on your current abilities, you would still not be able to play for the First Team. Even if we were to put aside the issue of the work permit, you would still not appear in any of the First Team matches. You also can't play in any of the reserve team's games."

Chen Jian felt as though someone had doused him with cold water upon hearing Twain's words. He was instantly able to cool down and think rationally.

What Twain said was right. Even if he signed the contract, he would still not be seen as an official member of Nottingham Forest, because he would not be able to represent Forest in any of its matches.

What good was there in being a professional footballer if he was not able to participate in games?

Was he just going to go to the training grounds to train every day and then draw a salary for it?

I am, indeed, playing football to earn money, he thought, but this is not how I want to earn money.

Chen Jian shook his head. "If I'm not able to participate in matches, then why are you even giving this contract to me? I don't understand, Mr. Twain…"

Twain glanced at Kerslake before continuing. "The reason why we called you here alone is because we have a special arrangement with regards to your contract with us… By signing this contract, you will undoubtedly become a member of Nottingham Forest. We would be responsible for your professional career. However, as you know, the work permit is an issue. You won't be able to play for the team. We also wouldn't sign a player and leave him to train on our training grounds for four years. It'd be too much of a waste.

"I do think highly of you. You have the potential to become a star player in the future. I believe that what you need right now is to play in matches against decent teams. There's little you can learn by training in the youth team. But, as you know, you can't feature in matches if you don't have a work permit. It does not matter how talented you might be."

"This is a vexing issue, Chen," Kerslake added.

Twain went on to say, "Let's not think about your personal abilities and potential for now. Let's focus on the work permit. In reality, there are many ways to obtain one. It just depends on what you are willing to do. One of the ways is to marry a British woman."

Chen Jian was shocked. He was only 20 years old as of that year. He had been preoccupied with becoming a professional footballer for the past few years, and so had not had any time to spare for finding a girlfriend.

How could someone like him possibly have contemplated marriage?

Twain smiled after seeing Chen Jian's reaction. "Looks like that's a dead end. The other way is to apply for British citizenship."

Chen Jian was not as shocked this time around. He immediately shook his head. "This is impossible, Mr. Twain. China does not allow any of its citizens to hold dual citizenship."

"Then, just change your citizenship," Twain said to Chen Jian with a stoic expression.

Chen Jian became even more animated. "No way! Definitely not! I have never thought about doing anything like that. I am Chinese. How could I possibly give up my Chinese citizenship? My parents would never agree to that, either…"

"Okay, let's say you get selected to be a member of the Chinese national football team, and you manage to play in 75 percent of your national team's 'A-ranked' matches. The Chinese national football team would also need to be ranked in the top 75 teams in the world… I don't think that's possible based on their current ability level. I also think it would be a pity for you to be playing football in China…" Twain furrowed his brows and continued to speak to Chen Jian gravely. "I still think it's better for you to consider doing one of those two things that I just mentioned. Either you marry a British woman, or you change your citizenship."

Chen Jian continued to shake his head. "Mr. Twain. I am really grateful that you think so highly of me. It doesn't matter if my abilities are good enough to get into the Chinese national football team or not. It also doesn't matter how poor the Chinese national football team is. I would never refuse to play for them if they requested for me to do so. It's impossible for me to change my citizenship, Mr. Twain. Perhaps you do not understand the strong sense of belonging that we Chinese feel toward China… I don't know how to explain this feeling to you, either. Anyway, I won't ever change my citizenship. Give up my Chinese citizenship to play football is something I cannot do..."

Chen Jian suddenly felt as though the contract he was holding in his hands was very heavy.

He was prepared for the worst. He was prepared to either give up the opportunity to sign a professional contract with Nottingham Forest and return to China, or to play football in another country that did not require a work permit.

Twain shrugged. "I certainly don't understand. Isn't it your dream to become a true professional footballer? Then why are you hesitating now, when the opportunity is right in front of you? I think it's very normal to change your citizenship. Look at all the famous professional footballers. They all hold multiple citizenships. Didn't the Brazilian football star Aílton give up his Brazilian citizenship to join Qatar so that he could participate in World Cup?"

Chen Jian furrowed his brows as he explained to the British manager, "It's not the same, Mr. Twain. The Chinese are different from other people in other parts of the world. Why is there a Chinatown in almost every country? I might not harbor such thoughts if I was born in England. But I was born and raised in China…" He started becoming more and more exasperated as he spoke. He did not know how to explain his feelings to the manager in front of him.

He bit his lip and reflected for a moment. "A dream is just a dream, Mr. Twain. My dream is to turn my passion into my profession. However, neither my dream or my job could ever become more important than my 'motherland.' The word 'motherland' also refers to the land of your mother. How could anyone turn their back on their mother, just for money? Being filially pious toward your parents is one of the many Chinese morals that we are taught, and it is also the most important. How could I still call myself a human if I pushed my mother aside just to play football?"

Chen Jian got more and more worked up as he continued to try to explain his thoughts to Twain.

Eventually, he decided to just return the contract to him.

"If I really have to give up my citizenship to play for Nottingham Forest, then I would rather give up on this chance, Mr. Twain."

Neither Twain nor Kerslake picked up the contract. Instead, the two broke out laughing.  Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

"What did I tell you, David? Don't underestimate a Chinese person's stubbornness! Ha!"

Twain then looked at the dumbstruck Chen Jian, who could not make sense of what was happening. "Don't worry. There's no one here who would force you to do anything that you don't want to. As for what citizenship you want to hold, that's entirely up to you. Your decision will not affect the validity of this contract. We still want you to sign this contract."

"Then… Just now…" Chen Jian was at a loss.

"That was just a joke."

The expression on Chen Jian's face became solemn. "I don't think that was a very funny joke, Manager."

Twain became a little embarrassed after hearing him say that. "All right, I'll apologize to you. I apologize to you sincerely for that. I definitely understand what you meant and how you felt just now. I'm not joking about this. After all, I am a British man who knows a thing or two about China."

Chen Jian's happiness had completely vanished due to the 'joke' that those two had pulled on him.

He looked at the contract in his hands and suddenly began thinking a lot more about his future. He was not as excited as he had been at the start.

That's right, he thought. Even if I do sign this contract, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to succeed in the future. This is just the first small step in the long journey ahead of me. If I can't play a match for Forest, then where will I go four years from now? Will I be able to continue playing professional football? If so, where can I go?

The work permit. The Chinese national team. My citizenship…

All these various issues continued to linger and swirl around his head.

Twain seemed to read his mind. He placed his hand on Chen Jian's shoulder. "Don't think about things in the future. You should focus on playing well now. If you really possess the skills needed to represent Forest in matches, we will apply for a work permit on your behalf. Thus, the work permit is not an issue. The only issue is whether you have the ability to represent Forest. Do you understand?"

Twain's words enlightened Chen Jian.

That's right, he realized. In the end, I might not be able to get the work permit. But, as long as I have the ability, then isn't it the same, no matter where I play football? My dream was never to play for Nottingham Forest, either…

Chen Jian eventually signed the contract, penning the Chinese characters for his name.

Twain took the signed contract from him. He scrutinized his signature for a while before smiling and saying, "You sure wrote your name nicely."

He passed the contract over to Kerslake before turning to face him once again. "I heard your mother is in Nottingham?"

It was only then that Chen Jian remembered why he had tried to find Manager Greenwood earlier.

"Yes, but she's flying back tomorrow. I was going to ask Manager Greenwood for a day off of training in order to send her off…"

"No problem. You can just make your request to me. Anyway, I grant you approval. Go ahead and send your mother off tomorrow. After you are done with that, I want you to start packing your things. You have to prepare to leave England, as well."

The news caught Chen Jian off guard.

Were they trying to chase him away now that he has signed the contract?

"What kind of rubbish is running through your head now?" asked Twain. "Why do you always like to think about all these useless things? Greenwood said that you are an intelligent player, but you need to use your intellect on other things! Without a work permit, you can't play in any matches here. Why would we keep you here? Can you develop your skills just by training? You obviously need to participate in matches! That's why you are already on loan to Volendam, a Dutch football club that is playing in the Eerste Divisie. Develop your skills while you are there!"

Chen Jian had not thought he would be able to play in an official league match so soon. It was only for a club in the Eerste Divisie, but he was not choosy.

It would be great for him to play in a match after being deprived of any chance to do so for three years. How could he possibly still be picky?

"There'll be a language barrier, but you'll need to get used to it. No matter what, I still hope that you'll be able to perform well over there. From my point of view, I don't want any player that walks out of Nottingham Forest to become a laughingstock in front of others. And, from your point of view, you need to perform well for your own good."

Chen Jian nodded his head forcefully. "I promise you that I'll do my best over there!"

Twain smiled after seeing the way he reacted to his words. Chen Jian reminded him of how a member of the Young Pioneers would act when they were inducted into the organization…

"Words are cheap. If you fail to perform over there, then this will be the very last contract you get from us." Twain pointed at the contract in Kerslake's hands.

Then, he paused briefly and changed the tone and language that he had been using up until that point.

"Chen Jian."

"Huh?" Chen Jian did not expect Twain to suddenly speak in Sichuan dialect at all. It took him aback.

"You are a player who only started playing football recently. You know what you lack, don't you? It's time. It doesn't matter how hard you train. This is something that you can't make up for through hard training. Three years of training"—Twain raised three of his fingers—"is definitely a very short time for any player who's aiming to become a professional footballer. But you don't have a choice. It doesn't matter where you are playing football. You have to remember one thing. You do not possess talent, and you also do not possess time. You cannot afford to make mistakes, and you also do not have the right to complain about your circumstances. You are incredibly lucky even to have gotten to where you are today. So, from now on, I want you to keep pushing ahead, no matter what obstacles lay in front of you. You don't have another choice. Do you understand?"

Chen Jian nodded his head. "Yes, I understand."

Twain smiled and then reverted back to speaking in English. "Don't think about anything, and don't let anything get to you. Just keep moving forward. Keep moving forward…"

Twain's voice started to trail away and eventually became a whisper. His vision became blurry as he spoke as well.

Was it not the same for him?

Ever since the day he had transmigrated, hasn't he also just kept on moving forward? He had to keep moving forward then, and would have to do so in the future as well…

Destiny chose him, and he had not had a choice, either. Just like Chen Jian, there was no way back for him.

"Keep moving forward!" Twain's voice reverted to how it had been previously, and his vision also started to clear up.

He looked at Chen Jian. "You will definitely achieve your dream someday. Don't forget what you expressed just now when you were adamant about retaining your Chinese citizenship."

Chen Jian bowed deeply to Twain.

A day later, Chen Jian sent his mother off from Heathrow Airport. He also told her at that point that he was going to play football in the Netherlands.

His mother wished him all the best after hearing the news.

Two days later, Chen Jian packed up his belongings and made a trip over to the Netherlands all by himself. The media paid no attention to his departure, and there were no fans to send him off at the airport. He was going to start chasing after his dream in a new and foreign country.

At the same time, Dunn began his journey to achieve his dreams over at Meadow Lane Stadium, which was situated north of the Trent River. He was appearing before the press for the very first time as Notts County's new manager, and he displayed a slightly bashful smile before the cameras.

As for Tony Twain, he continued to lead Nottingham Forest, a team that had his name deeply engraved upon it, toward a brand-new tomorrow.

The radiant morning sun rose up slowly from beneath the horizon, and it poured light onto the faces of everyone who was on their way to achieve their goals and dreams.