Chapter 1 "...So you gave up Barcelona and chose Borussia Dortmund so you could play games faster?"

In the studio of the sports channel, Duan Xin asked Zhou Yi, who was sitting across from him.

"Yes. La Masia has a big name, but I think I would have to wait a long time to play in the first team, and I was seventeen years old at that time, and what I lacked most was time. So I chose Borussia Dortmund..." Zhou Yi, sitting across from Duan Xin, was wearing Ck-jeans jeans and a Puma t-shirt.

"Then how can you be sure that Borussia Dortmund will definitely give you more first-team opportunities?"

"Their coach even came to invite me to dinner. I don't think he would do that if he didn't really value me, right? And from my contact with Klopp, he is a very pure coach, not the kind of schemer."

"This evaluation of Klopp is rarely heard. Tell me about Klopp, what kind of person is he usually? All we can see is what he looks like in front of the coaching bench..."

"Well, he's a person who is easy to talk to and not easy to talk to, a person who is easy to get along with and not easy to get along with."

Duan Xin frowned: "What you said is incomprehensible, too mysterious..."

"That's right, getting along with him is a kind of metaphysics!" Zhou Yi said.

Duan Xin was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly: "I know that photography is a kind of metaphysics, but I didn't expect that getting along with Klopp is also metaphysics..."

Zhou Jianliang in front of the TV also laughed, very satisfied with his son's performance just now, relaxed, humorous, and not stage-frightened. This is his precious son.

※※※

Wang Shunquan came home and saw his son sitting in front of the TV watching TV. Watching TV is of course a very ordinary thing, but what is not ordinary is the person appearing on the TV screen.

That person was talking eloquently to the camera.

At first glance, he looked a little strange, but the faint smile on his face still reminded Wang Shunquan of who he was after a moment of愣.

Zhou Yi!

The student he thought he would soon forget, but could never forget.

The naughty teenager in the school at the beginning has now become a big star being interviewed by national television. Looking at the composure he showed in front of the camera, his temperament has completely changed, so Wang Shunquan didn't recognize him at first.

Actually, this child has changed a lot... But there are always some inherent marks that cannot be changed.

Wang Shunquan recognized him from his smile.

"This Zhou Yi is a student at your school, right, Dad?" The son turned his head and saw his father standing behind him, so he pointed to the TV screen and asked.

"Yes." Wang Shunquan nodded.

"He's really amazing! He's now a world-class football star!" the son said excitedly.

Hearing what his son said, Wang Shunquan suddenly asked: "Is he very powerful?"

"Very, very, very... powerful!" said the son, who was a football fan.

"How powerful is he?" Wang Shunquan never watched football and didn't understand football. His understanding of football might be limited to some very fixed and outdated information.

"Let me put it this way, Dad. With him, the Chinese team now has a much higher chance of entering the World Cup!"

Even Wang Shunquan, who didn't know much about football, was moved by this answer, because he knew that the level of Chinese football was very bad and it was impossible to enter the World Cup. But because of Zhou Yi's joining, it was possible?

In this way, Zhou Yi is really amazing.

The "poor student" who was always criticized by himself at the Monday flag-raising ceremony at school suddenly became a pivotal figure in another field.

Wang Shunquan thought of what the old principal Lin Xianrong said.

Education is not to mold you into completely identical replicas according to a unified standard... Education, while laying a good foundation for you, is actually to discover the possibilities in each of you and let your life have more possibilities and surprises...

At that time, he didn't think much of it when he heard these words, and felt that the old principal's words were too sour.

But now, looking at Zhou Yi on the TV screen, he realized how correct the old principal's words were...

More possibilities and surprises in life... Isn't it fully reflected in Zhou Yi?

※※※

Zhou Yi bid farewell to Schulze the day after finishing his interview program on TV. He took a plane back to Qingyang alone. Before taking off, he called his parents to tell them he was boarding the plane.

Then he turned off his phone and waited patiently for takeoff.

When Zhou Jianliang and Li Cuiyun arrived at the airport to pick up their son, they found that someone was more active than them - at the domestic flight exit of Qingyun Airport in Qingyang, people were already crowded.

There were fans, and many media reporters carrying cameras.

Zhou Jianliang saw the logo of the local TV station.

"This...can we still squeeze in?" Li Cuiyun was very surprised.

Zhou Jianliang was quite happy, because it showed that his son was popular.

"Don't be happy, we can't get in, how will our son see us?" Li Cuiyun complained.

Zhou Jianliang looked around, then said to his wife: "Don't worry, I will have a way to let our son see us!"

※※※

When Zhou Yi stepped out of the exit with the passengers, he saw a situation similar to that at the Capital International Airport again.

A dark crowd and star-like flashing lights.

Especially the flashing lights, for a moment, they flashed so much that he could hardly see anything, let alone find his dad from this pile of people.

So he turned his head, dazed by the flashing lights. When he turned his head... he saw his dad.

His dad, on the side of the exit passage, climbed onto a street lamp pole used by an airport bookstore for decoration. On it, he opened a piece of cardboard with the word "Son" written on it in black brush.

And under the street lamp, two female bookstore clerks were looking up at Zhou Jianliang and saying: "Sir, don't do this! Sir, come down! Sir, climbing is prohibited here..."

Zhou Yi also saw his mom, who was standing next to him, looking like "I don't know this person".

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yi couldn't help shouting: "Dad! Mom!"

The somewhat noisy scene suddenly quieted down, and everyone's eyes followed Zhou Yi's gaze to the street lamp pole...

Zhou Jianliang, on the street lamp pole, wrapped his hands around the decorative light bulb at the top, making it inconvenient to make large movements, but he shook the cardboard in his hand at Zhou Yi and shouted excitedly: "Son!"

The female bookstore clerk under the street lamp was also stunned. She didn't expect that this middle-aged uncle who was so out of line was actually the famous football star Zhou Yi's... father!

※※※

That night, in the news about Zhou Yi's return to his hometown broadcast on Qingyang TV, the scene of Zhou Jianliang recognizing his son while lying on the street lamp pole was cut out. But this video was spread on the Internet.

Everyone saw the scene of Zhou Yi's father constantly bowing and apologizing to the bookstore clerk after sliding down from the pole.

So netizens sighed that like father, like son. If the father is so out of line, no wonder Zhou Yi doesn't take the usual path...

This is not a very civilized action, but considering the old man's eagerness to see his son, and the fact that the exit was blocked by fans and media picking up the plane at the time, Zhou Jianliang's action was forgiven by many people.

And after he came down, he apologized very sincerely at the first time. How could this look like a celebrity's family member? Nowadays, which celebrity family member isn't the type who becomes powerful after one person achieves success? Relying on their children being stars, they are all arrogant. Not to mention climbing a pole, even if they hit someone while driving on the road, they may not dare to show up.

Zhou Yi's father's performance was quite in line with the image of an ordinary person, who would make mistakes, but also apologize.

Zhou Yi next to him also apologized to the bookstore clerk with his father, which made the other party a little embarrassed - they may not have expected that a star could be so unpretentious.

So after this matter spread on the Internet, it suddenly became a bonus point for Zhou Yi, making more people have a good impression of this young and famous football star.

This was something that Zhou Yi and his parents had never expected.

Li Cuiyun kept complaining about her husband's behavior being too embarrassing when she returned home: "It's too uncivilized. People won't scold you in the future, they will scold your son!"

Zhou Jianliang sat there, drooping his head, being honestly scolded by his wife.

Zhou Yi next to him quickly spoke up for his father: "Mom, it's okay. Dad has apologized, and he will pay attention next time, don't always talk about him. My dad is such a big man and he has self-esteem too. If you always say that to him, he..."

"What else dare he do?" Li Cuiyun glared at Zhou Yi and asked.

"What if he gives up on himself and breaks the pot?" Zhou Yi replied.

Li Cuiyun was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. Zhou Jianliang, who was honestly being scolded with his head down, jumped up when he heard his son say this: "Don't talk about your dad like that, you have no respect for your elders!"

"Sit down!" Li Cuiyun suddenly changed her face and scolded, and Zhou Jianliang sat back on the chair obediently.

Zhou Yi then moved his gaze away from the chair his father was sitting on and looked around the house.

It was basically the same as before he left. The wallpaper in the living room was yellowed and turned up at the seams due to the long use time and humidity, and some of the floor tiles under his feet were cracked into several pieces for the same reason.

The refrigerator was still the old refrigerator that had been used for more than ten years, and there were still lock holes on the refrigerator door. At that time, it was because he was worried that Zhou Yi would steal popsicles, so he specially bought such a refrigerator with a lock, which could be regarded as a relatively old "child lock" function.

The TV was the only relatively new large appliance, because it was a LCD TV that was bought a few years ago, but the size was a bit outdated.

The furniture has not been updated either.

While his mother was still complaining about his father, Zhou Yi suddenly asked: "Dad, Mom, why didn't you use the money I gave you?"

Li Cuiyun stopped, and Zhou Jianliang also looked up at his son.

"We saved your money," he said.

"What are you saving it for? Use it!"

"Hey, we all have wages now, and we don't lack money to use. What do we need your money for?" Zhou Jianliang said with a smile.

"What for?" Zhou Yi pointed to the TV, the refrigerator, and the sofa with cushions and backrests that were worn out, and said, "Replace all these things."

"It's working fine, why replace it?"

"What's so good about it? Listen to the sound of this refrigerator compressor, it's almost like a tractor. And look at this TV, don't you think it's too small? Replace it with a fifty-inch one, high-definition, so it's convenient for you to watch my games. And this sofa, I remember you carried it over from my second uncle's house when I was in the third grade of elementary school, right?"

Zhou Jianliang didn't speak, and turned to look at his wife.

Li Cuiyun coughed and said to Zhou Yi: "I know you earn a lot from playing football, but the risks are also high. Look at those retired athletes, which one of them doesn't have injuries all over their body? To be blunt, your money is your life, we can't use it casually..."

Zhou Yi took a breath: "Mom, can you not make me sound like an international mercenary fighting in Africa? What kind of life is it? Of course there are risks in playing football, but the income is also high. High risk, high reward, that's normal. Besides, if you don't spend money, what motivation is there to make money? Didn't I choose to take the path of professional football in order to make our family's life better?"

"Isn't it because you like playing football?"

"That's one of the reasons. Mom, besides, I know you're not happy with your work..." Seeing his mother open her mouth to speak, Zhou Yi quickly interrupted her, "I know what the people in your office are like, I don't want to say harsh words. Didn't you have a lot of ideas when you were young? Now that your son has money, why don't you resign and start your own business? You can do whatever you want."

"Hey, I've always wanted to open a fan tea house..." Zhou Jianliang next to him was glared back by his wife before he could finish his words.

"Dad, if you want to open one, I support you. You can also hang my photos and jerseys in the store..."

"Thank you, son!" Zhou Jianliang made a V sign to his son.

"Anyway, my meaning is very simple, Mom. You raised me for twenty years, and now it's my turn to support you. If you're not happy with your work, then don't do it. This house is too small, you can change it to a bigger one, anyway, I don't lack money now."

Zhou Yi's words were very forceful, but he had the confidence to do so.

He now earns a pre-tax annual salary of 1.5 million euros a year in Dortmund. After taxes, he still has more than 800,000 euros, which is 7.4 million yuan. In Qingyang, a city in the back of the second tier in the country, this money can already buy three villas, and the remaining money can buy a Land Rover Range Rover.

And Zhou Yi's annual salary is only a small part of his annual income. The biggest part of his income is actually various sponsorship contracts.

For example, the endorsement fee that Ck_jeans gives him every year is almost the same as his annual salary in Dortmund, 800,000 euros.

Puma's contract with Zhou Yi is for six years, with one million euros per year.

In addition, the mineral water brand that Zhou Yi endorses in China gives Zhou Yi a four-year contract with 2 million yuan per year.

Excluding Zhou Yi's scattered game bonuses, just these easy-to-calculate income, Zhou Yi has a tax-paid income of 25.5 million yuan a year.

This money, placed in Qingyang City, where the average salary is only 2,000, is something that many people can't earn in several lifetimes. And Zhou Yi has it in one year, and his future income will be even higher.

This is why Zhou Yi has such confidence.

"Isn't the purpose of making money to improve the standard of living and live a good life? Now that we have this ability, why should we continue to live in this small house?" Zhou Yi looked around.

It's not that he doesn't like this small house, he likes it very much, because this small house, and the surrounding environment, has all the memories of his childhood life.

But no matter how beautiful the memories are, people can't live in memories forever, and they can't not grow up. So the house is small, if you have the ability, why not move to a bigger house?

Hearing what Zhou Yi said, Li Cuiyun didn't say anything.

Who doesn't want to live a good life? Who doesn't like living in a brand new, bright, and transparent house?

If anyone has the ability, who would be willing to live in a small, dark room for the rest of their life?

After being silent for a while, Li Cuiyun looked up and said: "I won't quit my job. If your dad doesn't work, what can he do with the fan tea house? I don't know what to do. But this house..."

She looked around and said.

"It really should be replaced with a new one."