Hughes was speechless.
So Dewsnip had not listened to a word of what he had just said.
Still, the man was a senior figure at the FA.
Even if he had zoned out or fallen asleep on the spot, Hughes would have to explain everything again from the beginning.
“Mr.
Dewsnip, here’s what happened…”
Hughes cleared his throat and went through Zayn Ryder’s story once more.
“Last Saturday, Villa U16 played Liverpool.
Cowans put him up front for forty-five minutes, and he scored twice.”
“Then on Wednesday, in his first match for the U18s against Brighton U18, I gave him only twenty minutes.
He scored twice again.”
“And you saw what happened today.
Another two goals…”
Dewsnip’s brow furrowed deeply.
“So it isn’t merely six goals in three matches.
He scored six goals in only a hundred and fifty minutes?”
He looked down and flipped through his battered notebook.
It contained all the match data he had recorded on Leicester City left back Luke Thomas.
But now, those numbers suddenly seemed far less interesting.
Dewsnip had spent most of his life working within England’s youth development system and had encountered every kind of young player.
Some shone from the age of eight or nine and kept advancing through the age groups.
Others did not suddenly find their feet until after turning twenty.
But he had never seen a player spend seven years in completely the wrong position, then undergo a transformation of this magnitude in a single week.
“Interesting.”
Dewsnip snapped his notebook shut.
A spark appeared in his wrinkle-lined eyes.
“Mr.
Hughes, there’s an international break in mid-November.
The U18 league will pause for two weeks.”
Hughes nodded.
He could already guess what Dewsnip was about to say.
In mid-November, England U17 would host a Four Nations Tournament as preparation for the following year’s U17 European Championship, which would also be held in England.
Alongside hosts England, Germany, Portugal, and Russia would take part.
It was a high-level tournament, with every match being played at St George’s Park, the England national team’s training center.
“Mr.
Dewsnip, are you thinking of bringing Zayn…”
“That’s right.
The Four Nations Tournament,” Dewsnip said plainly.
“The U17 squad is mostly settled, but I can add one more player.”
He took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Hughes.
“Have the boy report to St George’s Park next Monday.
I’ll send the official call-up letter to your academy office.”
Hughes accepted the card.
He was delighted for Zayn, though he maintained his usual composure.
“Zayn certainly deserves an opportunity.
But his fundamentals are still somewhat rough, especially the finer details of his first touch and distribution…”
Hughes stopped halfway through the sentence.
After considering how quickly Zayn had improved over the past few days, he was no longer certain that those rough edges would still be there by next week.
Dewsnip did not notice his hesitation.
He was already considering which players might work well alongside Zayn in the U17 setup.
…
That evening, Zayn cycled home.
The moment he opened the front door, the living room lights came on.
“Surprise!”
Lucy jumped out from behind the sofa, holding a crooked handmade banner with a stick-figure drawing of Zayn in colored marker.
Biscuit barked excitedly behind her.
Lucy had tied a pink bow around his neck, and his tail was spinning like a propeller.
George emerged from the kitchen carrying a cake.
Anna had baked it herself, and seventeen candles stood on top.
“Happy birthday, son.”
Anna stood beside George, her eyes full of warmth.
Zayn remained in the doorway, staring at the scene before him.
A sudden lump formed in his throat. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
In his previous life, Austin Sun had grown up in an orphanage.
To him, a birthday had been nothing more than a date written on a form.
But now, the lights, the candles, and the melody of “Happy Birthday” all felt so real that his eyes began to sting.
“What are you standing there for?
Blow out the candles,” Lucy said, tugging at his sleeve.
Zayn blinked hard, bent down, took a deep breath, and blew out all seventeen candles at once.
Lucy clapped and cheered.
Biscuit seized the opportunity to lick some frosting from the edge of the cake, earning a light smack on the head from Anna.
While they ate, Zayn briefly explained what had happened with Jade Tower.
“A thousand pounds?” George lowered his fork, looking as though he had just heard something unbelievable.
“You’re saying the owner of that Chinese restaurant wants to give you a thousand pounds?”
“Yes.
There’ll be a formal contract.”
George and Anna exchanged glances.
What did a thousand pounds mean to a working family in England in 2017?
It was enough to pay for a decent holiday within the country.
They could spend a week in the Lake District, visit the coast in Cornwall, or travel to London and explore all its museums.
For an ordinary family living from one paycheck to the next, a thousand pounds was significant, whether it went toward emergency savings or improving their quality of life.
“Just for taking a few photos?” George still found it hard to believe.
“What does he get out of it?”
“I’m a future star,” Zayn said with a perfectly straight face.
Lucy burst out laughing.
George, however, gave his son a serious look and nodded.
“All right.
If you think it’s legitimate, sign it.
But bring the contract home and let your mother read it first.
She’s the professional.”
“Okay.”
“A thousand pounds…” Lucy’s eyes practically turned into pound signs.
“How much plum sauce could that buy?
I’ve never tasted anything that good in my entire life.”
“You’re still a child.
What do you mean, your entire life?” George laughed.
“It was delicious!
Zayn, does this mean you’ll get to eat roast goose for free every day?”
“I wish I could eat it every day!”
Zayn laughed and ruffled Lucy’s hair.
Under the table, Biscuit was eating a special cake made for him.
Startled by the laughter, he looked from one person to another in confusion.
In the end, he decided to wag his tail.
Wagging his tail was always a safe choice.
…
The next morning, Sunday, Hughes kept Zayn behind after a light recovery session.
“The U17 national team?” Zayn wondered whether he had misheard.
“That’s right.
England U17.
Mr.
Dewsnip personally selected you.” Hughes handed him the call-up letter.
“The Four Nations Tournament at St George’s Park.
You report next Monday.
You’ll be facing Germany, Portugal, and Russia.”
He paused before adding, “This isn’t an ordinary set of friendlies.
It’s preparation for next year’s U17 European Championship.
It’s a major event.”
Zayn accepted the paper bearing the FA seal.
“Don’t be nervous.” Hughes gave him a rare smile.
“Just play the way you have in your last few matches.
Put the ball in the net.”
Zayn nodded, folded the call-up letter, and slipped it into his training bag.
“Thank you, Coach.”
Hughes waved him off.
Your performances lately have been remarkable.
Go home and get your things ready.
You have the afternoon off.”
Zayn did not waste any more time.
He turned and ran.
There was only one thought in his mind.
He had to get to Jade Tower and sign the contract.
The national youth team offered a far greater stage than the Villa U18 league.
Dewsnip would not be the only observer on the touchline.
Coaches from every level of England’s youth setup, scouts from major clubs, and reporters would all be there.
Eyes from across the country would be focused on St George’s Park.
Before reporting for duty, he had to complete [Main Quest 2].
…
At lunchtime, Zayn raced through Chinatown on his bicycle.
Jade Tower was bustling with customers.
Anna sat in a booth beside the window, with a stack of neatly organized tax documents spread out before her.
After spending a week at the firm wrestling with tax forms, the accountant had finally resolved every problem.
She was now relaxing with a cup of tea that Mr.
Chen had prepared especially for her.
“Didn’t you say you were coming tonight?” Anna asked, surprised to see her son rush inside.
“I need to pack tonight, so I won’t have time.” Still catching his breath, Zayn quickly explained that he had been called up to England U17.
Mr.
Chen’s eyes widened as he listened.
“Good heavens, you’ve already made the national setup?”
That thousand pounds was money well spent.
Without another word, he turned around, pulled a prepared contract from behind the counter, and slapped it onto the table.
“The contract’s been ready for ages.
I was only waiting for you to come and sign it.”
Anna put down her cup and picked up the contract.
Once her professional instincts took over, no one could stop her.
She read through every clause with great care.
“This isn’t a sponsorship contract.
It’s a one-time endorsement agreement…
The authorization is limited to use inside Jade Tower’s premises…
Everything looks fine.”
Anna raised her head and nodded to her son.
“There’s nothing wrong with the contract.
It’s properly drafted.”
She then signed her name in the guardian section on behalf of Zayn, who was still under eighteen.
Evelyn had been waiting nearby for some time.
She carried a DSLR camera fitted with a telephoto lens and appeared to know exactly what she was doing.
She directed Zayn through seven or eight different poses, telling him precisely how to hold the chopsticks, how to position the bowl, and where to look.
Through her lens, the blond, blue-eyed teenager beamed at the honey-glazed char siu, stir-fried beef noodles, and steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce arranged before him.
Watching from the side, Mr.
Chen sighed.
“She didn’t put half this much effort into taking my passport photo.”
…
When Zayn returned home, he greeted his family and went straight to his room.
He closed the door, threw himself backward onto the bed, and opened the system interface.
Words began updating across the pale golden panel.
[Main Quest 2: Setting Out]
[Objective: Sign your first commercial contract]
[Status: Completed]
[Calculating Quest Rewards…]
[Realization Rate increased by 15%]
[Current Realization Rate: 35.15%]
Zayn quickly calculated the numbers in his head.
Besides the fifteen percent awarded by the quest, his training and matches had naturally added another point one percent or so.
More than a third of Torres’s template had now been unlocked.
[Drawing random B-Rank skill…]
[Skill: Stable Penalty Kick (B-Rank): Significantly improves mental resilience when taking penalty kicks.]
Zayn went numb.
“Not one of my six goals has come from a penalty!”