Reflections on the 41st Day

  Remember in one second

  "Hey, Coach is coming!" Gao Wei looked at Luo Jin walking towards him and said with a somewhat frightened expression.

  "What are you afraid of? You're already a big star." Wang Peijun sneered from the side, "Look at Xiao Yu..."

  When she turned her face to praise Wu Yu, she found that Wu Yu's face was also a dazed expression, and for a moment, neither of them could do anything.

  Lu Jin, who was far away, had already walked to the four people's emotions. All he saw was that his unsmiling face squeezed out a smile and said casually: "Pei Jun, you guys are here?"

  "Coach!" Wu Yu and Gao Wei said in unison with respect.

  Lu Jin looked at Wu Yu and Gao Wei, who were being cautious and respectful, and his face, which had originally had a hint of a smile, immediately turned stern. He said in a cold voice, "You're both main players on the Portuguese Super League team, yet you're still so afraid of me?"

  "Uh... Coach, we're just showing respect for your age." Wu Yu reluctantly defended.

  "Yes, I respect you, sir." Gao Wei immediately reacted and repeated it.

  "......" Luo Jin glanced at the two of them and suddenly had nothing to say to them.

  。

  On the other hand, Hua Yan looked at the three people's expressions and also had a face full of black lines, thinking to himself: What a strange master and disciples.

  This is Wu Yu and Gao Wei who have not yet escaped from Luo Jin's hellish training methods, but after Wang Peijun introduced Hua Yan to Luo Jin, everyone's conversation became more natural.

  Next to the training ground of Fuli Youth Team, the head coach Luo Jin and two excellent players who came out from here were chatting, attracting the attention of the entire training ground. Those teenagers are extremely familiar with the names Wu Yu and Gao Wei, because every time Head Coach Luo Jin trains them, he uses the two as examples of success, urging them to strive for it.

  Now seeing these two "seniors" who are currently playing in the Portuguese Super League, everyone's heart is filled with excitement and can't be restrained. If it weren't for the devil coach Luo Jin being here, they would have probably surrounded them already.

  Wu Yu and the four of them naturally stayed at the base to have dinner with their coaches, chatting about past events. Although it had only been less than half a year, everyone felt that the changes seemed quite significant.

  The day just passed like this.

  ……

  The next day, Wu Yun returned to the training base of Fuli Youth Team alone without contacting Gao Wei and Wang Peijun, watching Luo Jin directing training on the sidelines.

  Luo Jin found Wu Yu alone by the court and arranged for the younger players to play a game of 3-on-3 before walking over to talk to Wu Yu.

  "Xiao Yu, is there something bothering you?" asked Luo Jin with concern.

  "Coach, two weeks ago our team played at home against our city arch-rivals and were in control the whole game, but we still lost. I haven't been able to figure it out," Wu Yu said slowly, glancing around the field.

  He came alone to the training ground today just wanting to find Luo Jin to express his inner confusion. After all, this heart disease has entangled him for a long time.

  "Are you disappointed because of failure or because your efforts have not been rewarded?" Luo Jin continued to ask.

  "I don't understand why our strength is better than theirs, and we played better too, but we can't win the game." Wu Yu was still puzzled: "We are clearly the home team, but the goalpost keeps blocking our shots, I just can't figure it out"

  。”

  Lu Jin looked at Wu Yun's bewildered expression, let out a soft sigh, and thought to himself that his disciple was still too young. Without experiencing setbacks and failures, he wouldn't be able to mature. However, as his coach, Lu Jin had to guide him somehow, or else Wu Yun would become trapped by his own heart demons and be unable to move forward.

  "Strength, luck and morale are the three key factors that determine the outcome of a match. I've told you this before." Luo Jin said slowly: "You have stronger strength than others and your morale is not weak either, but it doesn't necessarily mean you can win the match."

  "Could it be that luck can determine the outcome of a match?" Wu Yu became even more puzzled.

  "Luck can't determine the outcome of a match, but luck can affect the game." Luo Jin shook his head and explained: "Your opponents' morale won't be weaker than yours. The most crucial point is that they understand how to play to their strengths better than you do, so others can withstand your offense, while you can't break through their defense."

  "If it weren't for the goal frame, they wouldn't have been able to defend against our attack!"

  "Why don't you shoot the ball in the direction closer to the goal, but instead shoot it at the goal frame?"

  Wu Yu was suddenly speechless. Yes, why couldn't he shoot the ball from a dead angle into the goal, but instead hit the door frame? Was it just a matter of luck?

  Lu Jin saw Wu Yu's thoughtful expression and knew he had guided him in the right direction: "Because your fighting spirit has been suppressed by your opponent, you can't calmly face shooting opportunities."

  After a slight pause, Luo Jin continued: "If your fighting spirit can be stronger than the opponent's, then when you shoot, it won't be that you're afraid of shooting the ball out, but they'll be afraid that you'll shoot the ball into the dead angle. But you didn't do that."

  Wu Yu thought back to the game two weeks ago, when his team was shooting and they were eager for the ball to go into the goal, but also feared that it would fly out. This was probably because his determination to win wasn't strong enough, and their fighting spirit was suppressed by the opponent.

  "What can be done?" Wu Yu had accepted Coach Luo Jin's words from the heart, untied the knot in his mind, and began to seek a solution.

  "Never think that victory is a matter of course, no matter how strong you are, no matter how weak the opponent is, and no matter how many games you have won before." Luo Jin said with deep meaning.

  "Never think that victory is a matter of course..." The words kept echoing in Wu Yu's mind, his expression fell into confusion.

  。

  "When you're on a winning streak, the psychological advantage you have isn't because you've become confident, but because your opponents are intimidated. Once you think that your next win is a given, you're not far from failure." Luo Jin continued to guide Wu Yu.

  Wu Yu heard this and his body shook, his whole person revealing an epiphanic expression, the frown on his face that had been tightly locked in place finally relaxed.

  He finally understood why he lost the game, it was because he never thought that his opponent would win against him, he never thought that he would fail. However, on the football field, there is no team and no one can be invincible forever, everyone has to try the taste of failure, this is football.

  If you want to continue enjoying the thrill of victory, then you must forget the thrill of victory in the next game, only then will you have the momentum and fighting spirit to win the game!

  The troubles that had been plaguing Wu Yu for several weeks were finally dispelled under the guidance of his mentor, and a confident smile appeared on his face, which had been gloomy for a long time.

  "Thank you, Coach." Wu Yu said sincerely to Luo Jin.

  "No need to thank me, I'm your coach. If you make a name for yourself in the future, it'll reflect well on me too." Luo Jin revealed a rare smile.

  Wu Yu also smiled shyly.

  "You're still young and haven't experienced many things. Life is like that too, don't think that everything you get is a matter of course, learn to cherish what you have." Luo Jin continued to speak his grand theories, but soon thought he seemed to be going off on a tangent, so he waved his hand and interrupted himself: "You'll understand these things later, if you have any troubles, my place is always welcoming you."

  "Alright, got it, coach."

  Wu Yu looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, who was stern in appearance but kind-hearted inside, and felt extremely comfortable in his heart.

  ……

  This is the second week of Wu Yu's holiday. In order to maintain physical fitness and ball sense, after returning to the training base, Wu Yu and Gao Wei will go to the R&F Youth Team's training base every day to train with their former teammates. After resolving his mental knot, Wu Yu trained very hard.

  The appearance of the two, although making some young players who had been teammates with them for several years feel a bit awkward, further motivated their training attitude.

  Wu Yu and Gao Wei are training at the R&F Youth Training Base, news of which has spread throughout Guangzhou, with many fans trying to find ways to enter the base every day to catch a glimpse of the two.

  Wang Peijun and Hua Yan also occasionally go to the training base to watch everyone's training, their goal is of course Wu Yu and Gao Wei. The appearance of the two beauties made these young people envy, only yearning for themselves to have a day when they were discovered by foreign scouts, going abroad, and making a name in Europe.

  ……

  At the end of December, there were only a few days left in 2013. Wu Jinhua's recovery after surgery was not bad, and he had been discharged from hospital a few days ago and returned to his home in Yuexiu District. After Wu Jinhua was hospitalized, Li Chunhua also quit her job as an environmental sanitation worker and is currently doing some small manual work at home.

  But with Wu Yu's salary supporting the family's expenses, they were actually living a bit better than before. Seeing his mother not working so hard made Wu Yu feel slightly more at ease than before.

  That day, Wu Jinhua was still in the hall cutting newspapers. During his illness, Li Chunhua had collected and put the newspapers in his room. After being discharged from the hospital, although Wu Jinhua's hands and feet were not very agile, he would cut newspapers for a while every day, which was also beneficial to his recovery. So Li Chunhua and Wu Yu did not stop him either.

  Knock knock knock...

  There was a knock at the door outside.

  "Here!" Li Chunhua put down the pearl thread in her hand and walked over to open the door.

  As soon as the door opened, a middle-aged man in a suit and slightly chubby stood outside the door, holding a bag of fruit.

  "Feng Shu, it's you! Come on in and take a seat." Li Chunhua warmly welcomed the visitor into her home.

  "Little Feng, it's been a long time since I've seen you come." Wu Jinhua, sitting in his wheelchair, raised his glasses and smiled slightly.

  "Recently been quite busy, no time to visit you, Mr. Wu, sorry about that." The middle-aged man said with some embarrassment, his expression seeming a bit awkward.

  This is Feng Bo, a teammate of Wu Weihong when he was young. After Wu Weihong's death, he helped the Wu family pay off their gambling debts to the casino and took good care of Wu Yun. Li Chunhua also called him Uncle Feng along with her son.

  You can click "Add Bookmark" at the top to record this (041 insight) and see it next time you open the bookshelf! Please recommend this book to your friends (via QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.), thank you for your support!!