Unconventional Center

Chapter 50: Three Rewards in One Match

After the Spring Festival, the number of people following the Segunda División—or, more specifically, Valencia—had noticeably increased, and along with this surge in attention came the viral popularity of three animated signed images. The most widely used was Chu Yang’s mind-blowing curling shot—shown from three different angles, even capturing the ball boy on the sideline. Next was the “Scorpion” kick, though unfortunately shot from Mo Ya’s perspective, so the view wasn’t very comprehensive. Last was the Earth-Shattering long-range shot following a backheel dribble, though some fans opted directly for the “machine-gun” celebration instead. Although the three GIFs had no sound, they easily caught the attention of all soccer fans. As a result, various online communities and forums were flooded with questions like “Can the OP share the source of this image?” or “Which soccer movie is this from?” , which indirectly boosted viewership. In short, the name Chu Yang has re-entered the public eye—in a way and at a speed no one could have anticipated. On February 18, after two days of buzz, *Green Field Magnifier* quickly spread among Chinese soccer fans—to the point where you couldn’t talk about soccer with others unless you’d seen it—and on that same day, Chu Yang played his seventh match since joining Valencia. In the 27th round of the Segunda División, Valencia—currently ranked third—faced Elche, ranked 22nd, on the road. Well, there are only twenty-two teams in Segunda División A, so you can imagine what this team is capable of. They’ve basically lost every match they could have lost, and they win the matches they should win only when they feel like it—and so far, they’ve only felt like winning five games. So, naturally, they set up a defensive wall in their own half. Unfortunately for them, against an elusive fox, their “park the bus” tactic was clearly nothing more than a substandard vehicle on the verge of being scrapped. “Goal! Chu! It took him less than five minutes to find the back of the net against Elche! Banderas crossed from the byline, Boati misjudged the clearance, and Chu didn’t let the chance slip—he poked the ball into the net with the tip of his toe.” “Oh! It’s Chu again! He had a clear one-on-one, but unfortunately, the referee ruled him offside. However, the slow-motion replay shows that this call seems rather unconvincing. This player from China is definitely the biggest headache for Segunda División referees right now.” “Cesc! Chu Yang! Valencia’s dynamic duo is shining once again! Cesc’s pass was unremarkable, but Chu’s shot was magnificent. Just look at the defenders’ expressions to see how terrifying Chu’s powerful strike was—it looked like he wasn’t kicking a soccer ball, but a missile. 2–0,This is a goal-fest, and Chu is the star of the show. He looks really excited—could it be because his Valentine’s Day confession was a success? Okay, just kidding—we know it’s because Chu’s family is sitting in the stands.” Chu’s parents, along with Xiao Luo and Shen Qianwei, were seated in a private box, while only Chu Yu enjoyed the atmosphere in the stands, taking a seat closest to the field. Chu Yang rushed over to her, and the siblings high-fived with a loud “smack.” “Whoa! Chu! Spill the beans—who’s that girl?” Mo Ya, who had provided the assist, seemed even more excited than Chu Yang, the goal-scorer, his grin never leaving his face. That kid Chu is so insane—it looks like this season is really going to be something. “Is Chu Yang really that good?” With a boyfriend who’s a die-hard fan, Shen Qianwei had picked up the hobby by osmosis and become a casual fan herself. She certainly knew what it meant to score two goals in ten minutes. “If he weren’t that good, would I be spending a fortune in euros to support him all year?” Xiao Luo, seeing her astonished expression, felt a twinge of jealousy and said sourly. “Spill the beans—how much of an annual salary did you give him, exactly?” Unlike the Premier League, where salaries are paid weekly, most other leagues pay on an annual basis. “As the Buddha said: ‘It cannot be spoken of.’ ” Having spent more time with the Chu family over the past couple of days, Xiao Luo had inevitably been influenced by them. “If you don’t tell me, you’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.” “…That’s fine, too. We haven’t tried the guest room yet.” The seasoned veteran lowered his voice, looking sly and furtive. “You rascal!” “It seems… my son really has become quite impressive.” A smile spread across Chu Cheng’s face—part pride, part reflection. “Of course. Haven’t you seen the news? Xiao Yang was named last month’s Segunda División B Player of the Month, and this month’s too… Oh, right—you don’t understand Spanish.” Having scored a hat trick in the first half, Chu Yang showed no signs of slowing down. The teams at the top of the standings are all closely matched in strength, and the teams further down the table will surely mark him even more tightly from now on, making it increasingly difficult for him to score. That’s why he has to do everything he can to break records against weaker teams like Elche. In this match, he had his sights set on one record and two achievements. These were the Segunda División single-game scoring record and the achievements “On Fire: Score five goals in a competitive match” and “Full Throttle: Score six goals in a competitive match.” The current individual single-game record in the Segunda División stands at five goals and has remained unbroken for quite some time. If Chu Yang can score six goals, he will break the record and earn both achievements simultaneously. The Segunda División is a highly professional league, and blowout victories of five goals or more are rare. Even a team like Elche, sitting at the bottom of the league, would not allow Chu Yang to do as he pleased on their home turf. A hat trick is likely the absolute limit the defenders can tolerate; any attempt to score more would likely be met with some unconventional defensive tactics. But even such unconventional tactics won’t deter Chu Yang’s determination. It may seem like there are many records a striker can break in a single season, but if you count them carefully, there are actually only a handful—and some are simply out of reach for Chu Yang this season. Take, for example, the most closely watched record: the single-season league goal-scoring record. It sounds thrilling to accomplish in half the time what others take an entire season to achieve, but the challenge is simply too great. At least until he becomes a truly perfect superstar striker, Chu Yang believes it’s unlikely. What is a “truly perfect superstar striker”? Every single physical attribute must be 18 or higher. As for technical skills, aside from slightly lower requirements for interceptions and saves, everything else must also be 18 or higher. Additionally, his talents must include something like “Natural Strength”—a trait that allows him to take “Earth-Shattering” to its absolute limit. As for titles, even if he doesn’t have “Alien” or “White Swan,” he’d at least need something like “King of the Six-Yard Box” or “Lewandowski-Style Goal Machine,” right? As for skills, there are even more gaps. Setting aside exotic moves like bicycle kicks and direct corner kicks into the net, he’d still need the basics: turning, ball control, heading, and dribbling. Although Chu Yang could train these himself, his natural talent wasn’t up to par—no matter how hard he trained, he’d only ever reach a level where he could dominate the Chinese Super League. So the road ahead is long. Although it looks like he’s already dominating in the Segunda División, this is actually just the first step of a long journey. “The road to becoming a champion is always winding—you can’t let a single opportunity slip by.” Shouting this rather over-the-top thought to himself, Chu Yang began running even more aggressively, sending shivers down the spines of the Elche players on the field. Damn it, is this ever going to end? Two goals in ten minutes and he’s still not satisfied—is he deliberately trying to stir up trouble?