"Hello?!"
"The language training instructor?"
"Why are you calling me during summer break?"
"I'm going to play in the World Cup!"
"What?!"
"Your twenty-year-old daughter wants my autograph?"
"Is your daughter pretty?"
"She looks just like you?"
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Time rewinds to June 15, 2017.
Bluewater Star, a parallel world.
Summer tournament.
Leicester City vs. Chelsea.
It was clearly just a friendly, yet the atmosphere was strangely intense.
"Both sides are going all out!"
"Isn't this supposed to be a warm-up match?!"
"This feels like the Champions League final!"
Commentator Jon Champion's sharp voice pierced the ears of every fan.
"Hazard on the ball."
"Breaks down the wing!"
"Maguire with a flying tackle—both players crash into each other hard!"
"The referee blows for a foul! Yellow card for Maguire!"
"He's still arguing—players from both sides rush in!"
"What on earth is going on here?"
Fifteen minutes had already passed.
From the moment both teams stepped onto the pitch, the tension had been cranked to the maximum.
Despite being a friendly, both sides had fielded near-first-choice lineups.
The challenges were fierce, the tempo relentless.
On the bench, a handsome young man muttered under his breath.
"Are they trying to kill each other?"
"It's just a friendly—what are they risking their lives for?"
Leo Lin.
A product of the Premier League youth system.
His father, Charles Lin, was once a renowned player who, after retiring, decisively brought his son abroad to join youth training.
Leo Lin first joined Everton, where he trained for two and a half years.
At sixteen, he caught Leicester City's attention and transferred to the Foxes.
Across every stage of the Premier League youth competitions, Leo Lin performed impressively. He clearly had real talent—otherwise, he never would have entered the Premier League youth system so smoothly.
Charles Lin was asked more than once why he didn't let his son return to his homeland to play.
His answer never changed.
"I want my son's talent to be developed to its fullest."
Back in the Bluewater Star Cup youth league, Charles Lin had once stood out with extraordinary ability. He quickly secured a starting spot and attracted interest from numerous Championship clubs.
There were even rumors that Premier League teams had taken notice.
Yet at the most critical moment, Charles Lin suddenly faded into obscurity.
The Championship and Premier League clubs that had shown interest withdrew their offers one after another.
In the end, Charles Lin had no choice but to drift through the remainder of his career in a haze.
The reason he vanished from the spotlight was the chaotic, quagmire-like state of football back home.
His own experience taught him one thing clearly: Leo Lin absolutely could not return to play there. Europe possessed the most complete modern football system in the world.
Whether it was youth development or personal growth, staying in Europe would give Leo Lin far more support. He could not be allowed to walk the same road his father had.
That was why Charles Lin brought Leo Lin into the Premier League youth system and did everything he could to keep him there.
He refused to let his son repeat his own fate.
He even believed Leo Lin had a chance to represent Spain at the World Cup.
But when Charles Lin said this in an interview, a former teammate of his, far away in the homeland, burst out laughing.
A loud, unrestrained laugh.
"Hahahaha!"
"Spain?"
"Does Charles Lin really think that just because he married a Spanish woman, Leo Lin can get into the Spanish national team?"
"Wake up. His son is a total waste!"
Hearing this, Charles Lin flew into a rage. During the interview, he named the man outright and hurled curses at him from afar.
"＊＊＊＊"
A shining example of national linguistic heritage.
From that moment on, the two men completely severed ties.
Leo Lin also lost any remaining chance of returning to play football there.
Once things had escalated this far, Charles Lin actually let out a long breath.
All of his hopes now rested on Leo Lin.
Everything that had destroyed his own career—Charles Lin had been quietly collecting evidence all these years. Over the course of his professional life, he had hidden away more than enough proof.
With that evidence in hand, he waited.
The career that had been buried and erased would be reckoned with at the perfect moment—when Leo Lin truly became a world-class superstar.
Expose it too early, and it wouldn't cause much of a stir. Charles Lin understood this well, which was why he had endured in silence for so long.
But he also knew one thing: when others attacked him with malice, he had to strike back. That was what a man should do.
...
Time returns to the present. July 15, a preseason warm-up match.
From the stands, Charles Lin looked toward the bench, where Leo Lin sat waiting. He knew his son had real talent—he was no useless nobody.
Because it was a preseason friendly, many young players were seated on the bench, hoping to get some minutes.
Leo Lin focused on the flow of the match.
This was a friendly. He might get his chance.
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
"Oof!"
"Foul!"
"That's way too rough!"
On the surface, Leo Lin remained calm. Inside, the little devil was already screaming.
"Make a substitution already! It's just a friendly—why are the starters going this hard?"
"At this intensity, someone's going to get hurt."
"Put me on!"
Leicester City's manager, Shakespeare (the great coach, who passed away in 2024), was chewing gum as the team doctor hurried over to report.
"No need to take risks."
"Chelsea are playing too aggressively. There's no reason to match them head-on."
Shakespeare nodded and turned to scan the bench.
If you wanted to avoid injuries to your starters in a friendly, youth players were the best choice.
"Leo Lin."
"Put on your shin guards."
Shakespeare slung an arm around Leo Lin, his tone earnest.
"Remember this."
"This is a friendly. You may not get many more chances with the first team. Make the most of them."
He encouraged Leo Lin to go all out—after all, Leo Lin's contract with Leicester City was about to expire.
"Do you understand?"
Leo Lin nodded furiously.
"Boss, don't worry."
"Leave it to me!"
At that moment, the commentators noticed the substitution.
"Leo Lin is coming on. His father, Charles Lin, was once a very famous player back in his country."
"He attracted interest from several Championship clubs, but for unknown reasons lost his starting role and returned home."
"Leo Lin's appearance should come with specific tactical instructions."
"Just as expected!"
"He tries a long-range shot!"
"Too much power—no real threat."
"Still, a decent attempt."
Since Shakespeare had told him to express himself, Leo Lin naturally gave it everything he had. It was only a friendly, and his contract was nearly up. If he didn't show himself now, when would he?
After the shot, Leo Lin shook his head.
"Probably because it was just activated. I'm still not used to it."
That's right.
One minute earlier, the moment Leo Lin stepped onto the pitch, a system notification rang out.
"Congratulations, Host, on completing the system activation task: First-team appearance for a club in one of Europe's top five leagues!"
"Activation reward unlocked: Heavy-Artillery All-Round Midfielder!"