chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Should I send her a message and ask?”

Wu Ai’s feelings for Shang Wanling were complicated-so complicated that he not only lied to her, but also to himself.

Lao Ba’s words just now made Wu Ai feel as if he had been transported back to that autumn night.

Outside a very stylish Western restaurant, Wu Ai held his guitar and softly sang a song he had just learned for the girl in front of him.

This song seemed tailor-made for the two of them. Rather than lyrics, it was more like Wu Ai’s love letter to her.

The girl quietly watched Wu Ai.

In her clear, water-like eyes, there seemed to be a thousand words, yet none could be spoken aloud.

But in the end, everything was condensed into a single sentence that he would never forget.

“I’m sorry… I can’t accept your confession…”

Wu Ai threw his phone onto the bed, ultimately choosing to say nothing and trying his best not to think about it anymore.

On the other side, Shang Wanling stared at her computer screen, also unable to react for a moment. The pen in her hand paused mid-sentence.

As she was spacing out, the door was gently pushed open, and a woman in a silk robe with exquisite makeup walked in.

“The one singing in the online class just now, was that Xiao Wu?”

Shang Wanling snapped back to reality. “Mom… why did you come in without knocking?”

“Oh, you child, do you really need to be so formal with your mother?”

An Xunyan smiled and sat down on the bed beside her.

“Xiao Wu is still the same-carefree as ever, hasn’t changed a bit.”

Shang Wanling bit her lip, wanting to say something, but swallowed her words at the last moment.

Before she could speak, An Xunyan continued, “By the way, I remember Xiao Wu is studying music, right?”

Shang Wanling was taken aback, then nodded. “Mm, he’s the top composition student at Media University in the whole country.”

An Xunyan’s eyes lit up. She clapped her hands, her tone tinged with excitement.

“Well, that makes things much easier!”

Over the next two days, Wu Ai kept dreaming of Shang Wanling.

In his dreams, she was still smiling, and the two of them seemed to have returned to those innocent days, treading carefully around each other.

But upon waking, all that remained was emptiness.

It wasn’t until two days later, when Wu Ai received a message from Liang Tianhang, that he finally sobered up a bit.

“Brother Ai, I’m planning to get everyone together this afternoon, and maybe do a quick screening. Want to come take a look?”

Wu Ai agreed, and arrived at Dongdan Sports Center right on time at two in the afternoon. There were quite a few young people playing soccer on the field.

Liang Tianhang was changing his shoes at the sidelines. Wu Ai lit a cigarette and sat down next to him.

“Brother Ai, you’re here early!” Liang Tianhang said.

“You’re early too. With so many people, we’ll be waiting a while.”

Liang Tianhang finished tying his laces and stood up, looking puzzled. “No need to wait, they’re all here, aren’t they?”

Before Wu Ai could react, Liang Tianhang suddenly shouted toward the field.

“Guys! Gather up!”

The next second, all the players on the field ran over to Wu Ai and Liang Tianhang, quickly crowding the sidelines.

A full sixty people.

Wu Ai was startled by the scene, his mouth hanging open. His cigarette fell out and nearly burned his pants.

Some of these people wore professional soccer uniforms, others were in everyday T-shirts. They stood together in a dense crowd, looking like a real mixed bag.

Wu Ai pointed at the group, his voice a little shaky. “Is this a soccer team or a mafia gathering?”

“Brother Ai, do you think we don’t have enough people?”
Liang Tianhang noticed his odd expression and quickly leaned in to whisper in his ear, “I can call a few more!”

“You’re practically booking out the whole field!”

Wu Ai looked at the group in front of him. Although they seemed a bit scattered, everyone was chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was great.

He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and stamped it out, then stood up to stand side by side with Liang Tianhang.

After that, Liang Tianhang cleared his throat and called out loudly to the crowd.

“Hello, everyone! First of all, welcome. My name is Liang Tianhang, and I’ll be the captain of this team for the foreseeable future!

Those selected today will become members of our big family and move forward together with us!

And for those not selected, don’t be discouraged. Life is long, and there are still plenty of opportunities!”

No one knew who started it, but applause broke out instantly.

Wu Ai looked at the passionate Liang Tianhang beside him and couldn’t help but think he really had a way with words-a natural showman.

But addressing such a big group was exhausting. After Liang Tianhang finished, his face was flushed and his voice a little hoarse.

Finally, he assigned a few people to set up the equipment for the upcoming tests and then dismissed everyone.

“So, how does it feel to be captain? Tiring?” Wu Ai teased, seeing how worn out he looked.

“Tired… I’m exhausted…”

Wu Ai waved his hand. “It’s much more comfortable just being a regular player and kicking the ball around.”

Suddenly, Liang Tianhang clenched his fists, his eyes shining with determination.

“I have to be a good captain!”

Seeing him like this, Wu Ai couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration. Having ambition was a good thing, after all.

Wu Ai wanted to inherit Genesis mainly because of the benefits it could bring him. He had no interest in the title of football team captain, which he saw as worthless.

“Just hope your story doesn’t end badly-give yourself a good ending.”

Wu Ai patted Liang Tianhang on the shoulder as a bit of encouragement, then turned his gaze back to the field.

A row of marker poles had already been neatly set up in front of the goal, and the players who had been busy earlier were waving at them.

“Captain Liang, the equipment is ready. Time to start the tests!”

Liang Tianhang stood up, gave Wu Ai a grateful look, and quickly walked onto the field.

The rules for the tests were simple: sprinting back and forth at full speed to test speed and explosiveness, juggling to assess ball control, dribbling around the poles to test dribbling skills, and finally shooting to test accuracy.

“I’ll demonstrate for everyone first!” With that, Liang Tianhang started running back and forth on the field.

Despite his size, he wasn’t slow at all when he ran.

The whole process took less than two minutes, which was pretty fast.

“If you’ve seen it clearly, let’s go one by one!”

With that, Liang Tianhang grabbed a tactics board and sat on the sidelines, taking on the role of referee.

The first few people made all kinds of mistakes, so Liang Tianhang simply called for the next person and sent them off to do their own thing.

Eventually, a few with decent skills came up, and Liang Tianhang nodded for them to stand aside, tentatively marking them as selected.

After eliminating a few more, a slightly chubby, dark-skinned boy under 1.7 meters tall stepped up. Liang Tianhang’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Cao Renke! Show us what you’ve really got-don’t embarrass yourself!”

The man named Cao Renke froze for a moment, then shot Liang Tianhang the middle finger.

“Liang Tianhang, f*** you! Can’t you wish me something good for once?”

Wu Ai raised an eyebrow. “Is this the guy in the group who wanted the number 10 jersey?”