"The final whistle blows! It's all over!"
"VfL Wolfsburg 3–1 Eintracht Frankfurt. The Wolves secure their first league victory of the season!"
"Naldo, Vieirinha, and David Qin are the names on the scoresheet, with David Qin also recording a crucial assist!"
"Congratulations to him on a perfect Bundesliga debut. We hope he can maintain this momentum and continue to grow!"
After years of commentating on the Bundesliga, Liu Jiayuan finally felt that same surge of pride he had experienced back when Yang Chen played for Frankfurt. He was already looking forward to Wolfsburg's next fixture with genuine anticipation.
Inside the Volkswagen Arena, the Wolfsburg supporters rose as one, offering thunderous applause to the young man on the pitch. Without a doubt, the boy they had dismissed as a mascot—a mere product of corporate marketing—had become one of the brightest stars of the afternoon. More importantly, he was young. In that moment, the fans felt they were witnessing the ascent of a brilliant new star.
On the touchline, Dieter Hecking patted David's shoulder, the wrinkles on his face blooming into a wide grin. "You gave me a surprise I haven't even dared to dream about."
Hecking had fantasized about the match, but in his most optimistic scenario, he only saw David providing an assist. He hadn't dared hope for a goal. After all, how much pressure must a player feel stepping into the Bundesliga for the first time under the gaze of thirty thousand spectators?
David smiled. "Coach, I have a very, very big heart. If there's high-pressure work to be done in the future, just leave it to me."
The greater the pressure, the greater the motivation. Besides, he relished the attention and the intoxicating rush of finding the back of the net.
"Haha, well then, get ready. Your first start is coming sooner than you think." Hecking admired that kind of ambition in a young player.
The Volkswagen Arena was a stone's throw from the training base, and David returned with the team bus shortly after the match. He showered before heading in for a session of physical therapy and massage. Although he had only played for less than half an hour, the intensity of a top-tier match took a heavy toll on the body. Recovery was essential.
While they waited, the players chatted about the game.
"Hey, David, look at our official Twitter! The comments are exploding!" Junior Malanda stared at his phone, his eyes wide. Honestly, every time he refreshed the feed, dozens of new comments appeared. Wolfsburg was a Bundesliga club, sure, but they had never commanded this kind of engagement.
"Don't you guys know? David's home country has a population of 1.3 billion," De Bruyne explained with a deadpan expression.
"One, two, three..." Malanda counted on his fingers for a while before sighing in awe. "That's a hundred times more than us. What a terrifyingly large country."
On the adjacent table, David opened his own phone and checked the club's social media.
"Wolfsburg 3–1 Frankfurt: Chinese Player Records Goal and Assist on Debut!"
"Stunning Bundesliga Debut! 17-Year-Old Chinese Talent's Potential is Off the Charts!"
"The Fluid, Elegant Flip-Flap: He Plays Like He's Dancing Ballet on the Pitch!"
David wondered if the Wolfsburg social media team had been taking lessons from clickbait tabloids; the headlines were increasingly hyperbolic. He noticed that the majority of the recent posts focused on him—it seemed the club was truly determined to sell more cars.
He clicked on a report and, as expected, familiar Simplified Chinese characters dominated the comment section.
—
@GoalGetter: This is what you call a genius.
@Cantonona_7: I apologize. I was wrong. I shouldn't have called David a mascot—he's the missing piece for Wolfsburg's rise!
@VW_Fanatic: I'm going to the dealership to buy a Passat tomorrow just to support David!
@Realist_001: Don't hype him up too much. It could be a 'debut peak.' What if he gets worse from here?
@OldSchoolFan: It's possible. Look at Pato.
@TacticalNerd: Dong Fangzhuo scored 18 goals and was top scorer in the Belgian second division, but he never made it at Man Utd.
@Analysis_Joe: Frankfurt didn't know him. They didn't know his technical style, so he caught them off guard. Next match, opponents will study him and mark him out of the game.
—
Perhaps because they had been let down so many times before, Chinese fans were hesitant to fully believe. Even after a performance like that, the voices of doubt persisted.
David didn't mind. He closed social media and opened the Bundesliga database. There, in the league's top scorers list, he could see his name. It was far down the list, but it was a start. He rubbed the screen, imagining the day his name would sit at the very top.
Don't get ahead of yourself, he thought, shaking his head. He hadn't even secured a starting spot yet; dreaming of the Golden Boot was premature. One meal at a time, one step at a time.
The next day, the sun was shining.
Before the temperature peaked, David began his daily routine: ball control, juggling, and shooting drills. An hour and a half later, he walked to the sidelines to wipe the sweat from his brow. He closed his eyes and opened the System interface.
Nearly forty days had passed since his transfer to Wolfsburg. His template synchronization had risen from 65% to 69%. He felt the progress was swift; he could clearly feel the massive improvements brought about by that 4%. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to produce that debut performance. Furthermore, the System had previously notified him that a new function would unlock once synchronization reached 70%.
"The international break lasts until September 13th," David murmured. "That's the perfect time to put in extra work and get that synchronization up before the league resumes."
Since most Wolfsburg players had been called up to their national teams and the rest were enjoying a holiday, the training base was quiet. David enjoyed the solitude. In his previous life as a corporate worker, the only solace he found outside of work was in the silence of late nights. Now, being able to do what he loved while earning a fortune was more than enough for him.
The only slight disappointment was that the national team hadn't called him up. As for whether he wanted to go... as a fan, he had harbored plenty of resentment toward the national team. But he had always watched, always followed, and even traveled to see them live. He had gone from hope to disappointment, and from disappointment to despair.
Now, if he had the chance to go to the national team—to do something for those bitter Chinese fans, to do something for his former self—he knew he wouldn't refuse.
Days passed. September 4th arrived.
Alain Perrin, who had been in charge for only six months, had lost his first match 1–3 to Iraq, but miracles often happen in moments of despair. Thailand scored twice against Lebanon while the national team scored a penalty; the goal difference swung in China's favor by a single goal, allowing them to join Iraq in qualifying for the Asian Cup.
In a friendly today, the national team defeated Kuwait 3–1. Afterward, Perrin was asked by the media about Wolfsburg's David Qin.
"I've seen his performance. To use a Chinese idiom... he is 'gifted with extraordinary talent,' is that the phrase?" Perrin said through a translator. "I won't call him up at this stage. Experience in a top league is vital, and I want him to grow without external distractions. Perhaps next year, for the 16th AFC Asian Cup."
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