Dieter Hecking suddenly remembered the player he had ignored for over ten days—Qin Ming.
But to be honest, a single training match wasn’t enough to fully convince him.
He still needed more proof.
“If there’s a chance in the German Cup the day after tomorrow…”
Hecking muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, after finishing his conversation with management, Guardiola stared blankly at the transfer news.
The player he had his eye on… sold?
Sure, Bayern made €1.5 million off the transfer, but did they really need that little bit of money?
Was this some kind of joke?
He called Erik ten Hag, and after confirming the news, he was utterly stunned.
He couldn’t explain why, but he had a strong feeling—Bayern had just lost something precious.
He didn’t even feel this way when Toni Kroos left.
“Erik, in the future, let me know ahead of time before moving any second-team players.”
Knowing it was too late, Guardiola sighed.
He couldn’t really blame Ten Hag either—the man had done his job well, and from what he’d heard, the management was involved.
Apparently, Bayern had even gone to court with Volkswagen’s legal team.
But the youth development agreement they signed years ago was just a basic youth contract.
Which meant, before a player turned 16, there were no binding legal restrictions.
As long as a youth player submitted a request at the end of the season, they could freely transfer to another club.
Although Qin Ming had already turned 16, no one had offered him a professional contract—he was still on a youth deal.
So Volkswagen’s legal team won the case easily.
“Don’t worry, Qin’s just an average player.
It won’t have any effect.
Wolfsburg was generous and paid a fair price,” Ten Hag said proudly.
He was quite pleased with himself.
Getting rid of an unimportant player and making over a million euros in return?
That was a massive win in his book.
Management was pleased too—the price was roughly what they would’ve gotten from selling him to the Chinese Super League anyway.
Ten Hag figured that based purely on ability, without commercial value, Qin Ming would likely return to the CSL before the season ended.
Guardiola didn’t respond.
He hung up and stared at the transfer list on screen.
Lewandowski, Bernat, Benatia, Xabi Alonso—those four had cost Bayern about €50 million.
But selling Kroos and Mandzukic had brought in €53 million.
In other words, it was a balanced window.
Even penny-pinching Guardiola had no complaints.
His eyes landed on Kurt’s name and lit up with hope.
This under-18 talent was not only technically gifted but extremely fast—touted as the next Marco Reus.
And coincidentally, he played the same position as Qin Ming.
So now that Qin was gone, Guardiola naturally shifted his attention to Kurt.
Time slipped by like sand through fingers, and soon it was August 18.
The first round of the DFB-Pokal kicked off.
At Merck Stadium am Böllenfalltor, Darmstadt 98 hosted Wolfsburg.
Since CCTV hadn’t bought broadcasting rights for the German Cup, eager Chinese fans could only tune in via Huandu Livestream.
“Good evening, brothers and sisters!”
“Wolfsburg just released their squad list—Qin Ming is on the bench!
Maybe we’ll see him play today.”
“Also, easy win tonight—Wolfsburg is facing a second-tier team.
Should be a walk in the park.”
“The match has started!
The stream quality’s a bit blurry, but it’s the best I could find.”
“Let me share a quick overview of the German Cup…”
“It’s a knockout tournament hosted by the German Football Association, with both professional and amateur clubs participating.”
“The champion earns a spot in the German Super Cup and next season’s Europa League.”
“Since the 2011–12 season, Bayern and Dortmund have completely dominated this competition.
Wonder if Qin Ming will manage to snag a title this year?”
The streamer rambled on.
Meanwhile, viewer comments flooded the screen like falling snow:
[Volkswagen will do anything to sell cars—even stuck Qin Ming on the roster.]
[Qin Ming and Wolfsburg have been posting nonstop on Weibo.
He should be crowned ‘King of Weibo.’]
[Can we get some shots of the bench?
If we can’t watch him play, at least let us see him sit.]
[Relax.
Wolfsburg is strong on paper—they’ll easily crush the opponent.]
[Famous last words.]
[There’s no “what if.” I spent my Huandu tokens—Wolfsburg better win!]
[Next time Qin Ming scores a hat trick, those media accounts will go crazy with headlines like “Wolfsburg wins big, Qin Ming nets three!”]
[…]
Soon, the smiles vanished from fans’ faces as tension crept into the chat.
“Darmstadt is parking the bus!
Every time they get the ball, they just clear it long!”
“All their midfielders already have yellow cards—they’re doing whatever it takes to stop Wolfsburg from threatening the goal.
De Bruyne’s shorts are practically black now!”
“No way… are we really going to draw?”
The streamer groaned, mourning the fate of his Huandu tokens.
The camera panned over the bench.
Qin Ming sat there bored out of his mind.
With all three substitutions used during regular time, there was no way he’d get on the pitch.
He would spend his first match at Wolfsburg sitting on the bench.
Of course he was disappointed.
But he understood—Hecking couldn’t risk using him in a tense moment like this.
After all, he hadn’t truly proven himself yet.
“Qin, you think we’ll lose?” asked Malanda, De Bruyne’s close friend, looking worried.
He and Qin had grown close through casual chats.
Malanda was naturally friendly, and they got along well.
“I don’t know.
I hope we win,” Qin Ming said, shaking his head.
Originally, professional teams didn’t have to play the first round of the German Cup.
But in a 1999 meeting, the DFB decided that from the 2000–01 season onward, all clubs—pro and amateur—would start from the same round.
If Wolfsburg lost today, their German Cup journey would end before it even began.
“If you ask me, the boss should’ve given you a shot.
Our left side’s been dead—no threat at all.
Opponents just focus on defending the middle and right.”
Malanda glanced cautiously at Hecking as he spoke.
In the short time he’d known Qin, Malanda had already been dribbled past countless times in 1v1s.
So he had a clear idea of Qin’s ability.
What shocked him most was Qin’s rapid improvement—like a new version every day.
“Qin’s going to be a key player.
I better stick close to him from the start,” Malanda thought to himself.
Why?
Because he saw in Qin the same innate talent he saw in De Bruyne—something that radiated from within.
“Extra time is over!
The score is still 0–0.
Is Wolfsburg really going to be eliminated?”
“Is Qin Ming a good luck charm… or a curse?”
“Time for the penalty shootout.”
(END CHAPTER)