“Zhou Yi… I’m… done for…” When he saw Zhou Yi appear in front of him, Mark finally couldn't help but cry.

“What nonsense are you talking about? How can you be done for?” Zhou Yi consoled him.

“Cruciate ligament… cruciate ligament…” Mark repeated the words.

“It’s not like you’ve lost a limb. What’s there to worry about?” Zhou Yi asked.

“Uh…” Mark didn't expect Zhou Yi to say that and was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

Even Mark's parents, the Wagners, were a bit surprised.

※※※

As Zhou Yi pushed open the door and entered the ward, Koutana, who was facing away from him, raised her hand to wipe away the tears that were about to spill from her eyes. Then she tilted her head back and sniffed, trying her best to stop the tears from flowing again.

She remained standing in that position for a while.

Until Schulze returned, pulling Zhou Yi's suitcase.

“Where’s Zhou Yi?” he asked Koutana.

Koutana pointed to the ward. “He went in there.”

“Oh… Then I’ll wait for him outside.” With that, Schulze sat down on a chair.

Koutana looked back at him, seemingly not used to being alone with him, so she turned and walked towards the ward, planning to check on her younger brother, wondering if his spirits would improve when he saw his best friend arrive.

Physical injuries were certainly frightening, but Koutana was most worried about the psychological blow her younger brother had suffered.

The thought of him lying in bed with a vacant look in his eyes pained Koutana, as his older sister.

Her lively and lovable brother had become like a soulless and lifeless corpse…

As she gently pushed open the ward door, she happened to hear Zhou Yi’s voice.

※※※

“In 1984, Roberto Baggio, who had just signed with Fiorentina, was injured in a tackle during his last game for Vicenza, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The surgery required two hundred and twenty stitches. In his nearly twenty-year Serie A career, from the age of eighteen to thirty-seven, Baggio’s right knee underwent six surgeries, but he used those crippled legs to score two hundred and five league goals.”

Zhou Yi ignored the surprised looks of the Wagners and Mark and continued speaking on his own.

“In 1999, Ruud van Nistelrooy tore his cruciate ligament in a friendly match, taking ten months to recover. This injury delayed his transfer to Manchester United by a year. But he reached the peak of his career at Manchester United, known as the ‘King of the Penalty Box.’”

“Also in 1999, during Inter Milan’s match against Lecce, Ronaldo tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and spent nearly six months recovering. But not long after recovering, he returned in the Coppa Italia final against Lazio, and just six minutes into the game, an unmarked Ronaldo suddenly collapsed, again with a cruciate ligament injury. This time, it took him two years to recover. But after recovering, he led the Brazilian national team to win the World Cup and became the top scorer of that World Cup.”

“In 2005, while still at Stuttgart, Philipp Lahm tore his cruciate ligament in his right knee during training, sidelining him for six months. But now he is the captain of both Bayern Munich and the German national team.”

“During the Milan Derby in 2007, Walter Samuel tore his cruciate ligament while defending Kaká, as Kaká’s three feints led to the injury. He once wanted to retire early. But he didn't. In 2010, he won the Treble with Inter Milan.”

“In 2008, during Roma’s match against Livorno, Roma captain Francesco Totti tore his cruciate ligament, ending that season early. He is still Roma's captain, a hero of Roma, and has not ended his career.”

“In March 2009, during a match between Italy and Montenegro, Antonio Di Natale tore his cruciate ligament in his left knee. After undergoing surgery, he was sidelined for six months, but after returning, he scored twenty-nine goals to become the Serie A top scorer, and last season he used twenty-eight goals to retain the Serie A top scorer title.”

“In 2010, Filippo Inzaghi felt discomfort in his knee during a match. After being substituted, he was diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament and underwent surgery shortly after. At the time, because Inzaghi was already thirty-seven years old, everyone thought he would retire as a result. But he successfully returned on May 15 this year, making it in time for the end of the season. He’s still playing this season.”

As if reciting a script, Zhou Yi finished speaking and then looked at Mark, who was dumbfounded, and said, “You’re telling me you’re done for? Then tell me, did any of those people above get finished?”

Mark just stared blankly at Zhou Yi, unable to say a word.

The Wagners were the same.

So was Koutana, who had quietly entered and was leaning against the door.

“Can’t answer, right? Because none of them were finished! Every single one of them eventually returned to the pitch! And achieved remarkable success. You’re only twenty years old, Mark, what’s there to despair about? Cruciate ligament injuries happen to many players, and it’s true, it's devastating for players. But I prefer to call it the ‘touchstone of great players.’ Those who can overcome it are, without exception, great players, and their careers shine brightly. Are there those who can’t overcome it? Yes, their careers die. "

Zhou Yi spread out his hands.

“Dying isn’t a big deal either, there’s more to life than just football. But Mark, do you remember what you said to me back then? In the first Revierderby against Schalke 04 last season, after you scored your first goal for Borussia Dortmund's first team, what did you say to me? Do you remember?”

Mark looked at Zhou Yi with a blank expression. He probably didn’t remember, or maybe his mind hadn’t caught up yet, so he couldn’t remember for a moment.

“You said you had a new dream. You not only wanted to stay in the first team, but also wanted to play in the first team. You also wanted to become a Dortmund player that many people would still remember after you retired, to become a Dortmund legend!” Zhou Yi pointed at Mark and said, “You said that, didn’t you?”

There was a glimmer in Mark’s eyes, and the expression on his face changed.

“You remembered, right?” Zhou Yi asked again.

“I… I did say that…” Mark said with difficulty.

Zhou Yi smiled brightly: "Right, I didn't misremember! How can someone who wants to become a legend say he's done for now?"

“But my cruciate ligament is injured, Zhou Yi…” Mark said aggrievedly.

“That’s right, that part of you is injured. So what? Overcoming injuries and returning to the field. Isn’t that normal? You’re not already considering retirement, are you? You wouldn’t do that, would you?” Zhou Yi looked at Mark with an incredulous gaze, which made Mark lower his head in shame.

"Remember what I said to you, Mark? I said you were afraid of your dreams, that you were beaten down by your dreams. Now I want to say you’re afraid of injuries, that you're beaten down by injuries. For us players, injuries are commonplace, everyone gets injured. The important thing isn't never getting injured, but what you do when facing injuries. Do you shrink back because you're afraid of it? Or do you bravely face it and overcome it? The first path is easy to take, the second path is very difficult to take. But the right path is never easy, Mark. Think about the path you took to become a professional player. All the way here, do you think it was easy?"

Mark lowered his head, seemingly recalling the situation he had encountered along the way. From being talented as a teenager and entering the Borussia Dortmund youth team, to growing older, talent fading, being discriminated against, ridiculed, and then to giving up on himself, believing he couldn't become a professional player… In the end, he not only became a professional player and joined Borussia Dortmund's first team, but he also became a member of the German national team. He went much further than he had dreamed of when he was young!

Was this path easy?

In fact, it wasn't easy at all...

“If you just want to become a professional player, wearing the Borussia Dortmund jersey and scoring goals at the Westfalenstadion. You’ve already achieved this goal. But you want to become a legend of Borussia Dortmund, you have a greater goal, so you have to pay a greater price, and the road to becoming a legend will be even more difficult. That's fair, Mark. There's no such thing as a free lunch in the world. If you want to get something, you have to pay something, and the more you get, the more you pay."

"Mark, let me tell you, I also want to become a legend. But not just a legend of Borussia Dortmund, I want to become a legend of football. I don’t know if I can do it, but you always have to have a dream, right?"

Mark nodded and interjected casually: "What if it comes true?"

Zhou Yi laughed loudly when he heard this: "Right! What if it comes true?"

The fact that Mark was willing to respond to him showed that his mood had improved, so he was very happy.

“I’ll be waiting for you on this path to becoming a legend, Mark. So, keep fighting, Mark.”

Zhou Yi held out his hand to Mark.

Mark looked at him and extended his own hand: "I will catch up with you, Zhou Yi! I swear!"

Zhou Yi used force to pull his upper body up, while he himself bent down, and the two hugged each other. He patted Mark hard on the back and whispered in his ear: “When you come back, I'll give you a goal as a gift, Mark!”

“Like Kagawa?” Mark asked.

Zhou Yi smiled: "That's right, just like that!"

"Thank you, Zhou Yi..."

"What are we to each other? Don't be polite!"