Uncle Qi Ci

The next few days were relatively calm. June 23, Shanghai East Asia once again played on its home and welcomed the team from Urumqi, Xinjiang Sports Lottery, which is the furthest from Shanghai on the map.

This is a strong team. In the Northern Division, Xinjiang Sports Lottery is three points behind the undefeated Shanghai East Asia. The Northern Division of China League Two focused on this six-point match.

A few days before the match, there was an intriguing incident. The football base was given a pennant from the police station that read: "The football players perform wonders, capturing thieves to the residents' praise."

It had Qi Ce's name written on it in bold letters. Confusion struck when Xu and Bao saw it and summoned Qi Ce, inquiring as to when he had completed the task. Qi Ce could only play it off and laugh a couple of times.

At this point, Qi Ce discovered that the thief was a local habitual offender. The old people do not know where the thief went or what he looks like, and the countryside is very large. Despite multiple dispatches, the police station had not discovered any clues. It just so happened that Qi Ce ran into him.

This might also be the reason why there were more spectators at this game. In the past, the stands were mostly filled with the players' parents and staff, but today many people attended the game, including a lot of elderly people. This was the locals showing their support for the East Asian team.

There was one particularly striking man who was bald. He appeared to be a very experienced fan in contrast to these ignorant old people. He was in the stands beating a large drum that he had brought.

Boom boom boom! "East Asian team, go! Qi Ce, go!"

In the strong rhythm of the drums, the fans in the stands were attracted by his actions and shouted with him: "East Asian team, go! Qi Ce, go!"

Qi Ce, who had never been fond of this treatment, felt a little embarrassed even though it was super pleasant.

But even if Qi Ce wanted to ignore this man on purpose, he couldn't. He had to wave to them to express his gratitude for their support. These people can be considered his first group of fans, right?

Still, they must be treated well.

Next to the bald man sat a little girl who waved at Qi Ce with a smile. The distance was far, so Qi Ce couldn't see who it was, but she looks familiar. It should be the daughter of the bald man next to her.

The match started, and the team from Xinjiang quickly gave the boys a good start. As one of the top teams in the Northern Division, the Xinjiang team fully utilized the advantage of having many Xinjiang players. These players, whose physical and technical skills were close to European players, had strong individual abilities. In contrast to East Asia's small, fast players who focused on teamwork, the Xinjiang players opened the game with their personal skills.

In the 25th minute of the game, the Xinjiang team broke the deadlock first. In 2006, Xinjiang's Footballer of the Year, main forward Aikrem, received a pass from his teammates, used his tall body to hold off the central defender Wang Shenchao, turned around with a pull of the ball, and shot directly without adjusting, breaking the goal guarded by Gu Zhuo.

0:1! In China League Two this season, Shanghai East Asia was down for the first time. The fans were disappointed for a moment, but then the drums started again.

Boom boom boom! "East Asia, go! Qi Ce, go!"

Qi Ce's initial embarrassment gradually gave way to another emotion as the fans cheered, especially when the team was losing. This support gave him a motivation to move forward.

This feeling is pretty good!

Qi Ce quickly ran into the penalty area. At that moment, the ball was on the flank. Zhang Linpeng and Cao Yunding played a one-two. Cao Yunding quickly moved towards the center from the right. Qi Ce gestured subtly, indicating to Zhu Zhengrong to pull to the side.

Cao Yunding glanced around. Xinjiang players surrounded him, and he had no choice but to pass back to Zhang Linpeng. At this moment, Zhu Zhengrong was already on the flank to meet Zhang Linpeng.

Qi Ce started directly into the penalty area. This time, he didn't make any gestures to Zhang Linpeng. Once he spoke out, Xinjiang players would definitely focus on him instead of defending Zhu Zhengrong, so he could only rely on Zhang Linpeng to understand his intentions.

Qi Ce always felt his teammates couldn't keep up with his rhythm, but football is played by people. Even if they aren't in sync, there will be moments of harmony on the field. Zhang Linpeng noticed Qi Ce out of the corner of his eye and kicked the ball hard towards the center. It was a half-height ball!

The pass was clever, just bypassing the Xinjiang players' defensive zone and landing in front of Qi Ce. Handling a half-height ball was tricky, so Qi Ce simply shook his head and pushed the ball towards the goal!

Xinjiang goalkeeper Ai Laiti was blocked by his teammate's tall figure and couldn't immediately judge Qi Ce's shot method. He opened his arms and made a save based on experience, but the ball slid past his hand and went into the goal!

The goal was valid! 1:1! The referee dashed forward and gestured to the center.

Cheers erupted from the stands, though it wasn't thunderous. After all, most of the people present were elderly, more interested in joining the fun than watching football.

The bald man looked at Lin Xiaojia, who was smiling from ear to ear and applauding vigorously. He wondered why his daughter suddenly became interested in football. It turned out that was the reason...

"Girl, do you really like that kid named Qi Ce?"

Lin Xiaojia abruptly stood up, not expecting her father to ask such a question. He's annoying. He came to the store and spoiled the plot of Conan, which made me so mad!"

"Huh?" For a moment, the bald man was stunned. What is she talking about?

He didn't quite understand his daughter's thoughts, but he noticed that since she got to know Qi Ce and he became known in the village, his daughter seemed quite interested in the name.

Qi Ce's second goal was scored before the end of the first half. This was a demonstration of his personal ability. He successfully dribbled past two Xinjiang defenders, and Qi Ce's right-footed shot found the top corner of the goal. In this game, he focused five attribute points on technology, knowing that besides the ordinary fans in the stands, there were also several foreigners.

Like the previous scouts from Dortmund, they should also be scouts from other clubs. As he is now confident in his off-ball abilities, refining his skills further can attract the attention of scouts.

The young men from Xinjiang worked very hard. In the second half, even though the score was reversed, they weren't discouraged. From their perspective, winning or losing was secondary; playing football was important. This mindset helps them focus on the game.

In the 57th minute of the second half, Xinjiang midfielder Dilimula took a long shot to equalize the score again. The Xinjiang players celebrated in an interesting way: for the first goal, they gathered together and danced, while for the second goal, they held hands in a circle and sang.

Xinjiang football is very pure, with the players' eyes clean and full of a simple love for the game.

However, in terms of passion, Qi Ce is by no means shallower than these Xinjiang players. In his previous life, he left professional football because he lacked hard skills and went with the flow. Ideally, he could have pursued football as a hobby, but in the end, he set his life goal on a different path.

A youth training coach, this may not seem like a clear professional choice, but it was a shortcut for him to stay close to football and pursue his passion. Without enough passion, how could he have taken that step?

Perhaps this new opportunity was the heavens rewarding and responding to his love, giving him the chance to embark on a professional path.

In the last half-hour, both sides fought hard and couldn't be separated. Unfortunately, the score remained unchanged. In the second half, Qi Ce became somewhat exhausted, and his technical movements began to show signs of fatigue. The game ended with a 2:2 score.

Despite not winning, many fans came to watch the game this time. Xu and Bao led the players to the sidelines to greet the fans, among whom Qi Ce received cheers from most of the crowd. Those familiar with football knew Qi Ce scored two goals in the game, and those who didn't know much about football heard about the young man who caught the thief.

"Uncle, can you sign an autograph for me?"

In this stadium, the stands and the field were almost at zero distance. A four or five-year-old boy holding a football ran down and tugged at Qi Ce's pant leg.

Qi Ce didn't mind being called "uncle" since his actual age was enough to be the child's father. However, it prompted his teammates to laugh: "Uncle Qi Ce, hahaha!"

The child caused a small commotion on the scene. Normally, Jiang Bingyao would have a pen with him to jot down tactics and situations on the field, but at this crucial juncture, he was unable to locate it. They scrambled to find someone with a pen.

"Hey!"

Qi Ce heard a girl's voice and looked up to see a girl who looked to be around 15 or 16 years old, smiling and leaning against the stands with a pen in her hand.

She withdrew her hand as Qi Ce reached for the pen.

"Why, don't you say thank you?"(T/N: De ja vu)

This phrase sounded so familiar... Qi Ce remembered saying the same thing to his teammates a few days earlier.

"Uh... thank you."

"That's more like it."

Qi Ce squatted down and signed his name on the football the little boy brought. Since he was not a celebrity and had not done this kind of thing before, the signature was not especially elegant, but the little boy looked happy.

"Do you like football?" Qi Ce smiled and gently touched the boy's head.

"Yes, I do!"

"This is a sport worth loving for a long time. I hope you keep playing it."

"Okay!" The young boy had a clear, powerful voice.

"Thank you, uncle!" Before leaving, the little boy bowed, then threw the football to his mother in the stands and quickly climbed up to the stands.

The young mother smiled at Qi Ce, nodded in acknowledgment, and then left the stadium with her child.

"Qi Ce! You seem so much like an uncle!" the girl who witnessed it all teased from the stands.

Qi Ce couldn't deny it. After several years as a youth training coach, he was used to teaching students slightly older than the little boy. Being around these children had brought out his nurturing qualities.

"By the way, who are you?" Qi Ce raised his head and looked at the girl.(T/N: Wtf!)

The girl's expression changed suddenly; her cheeks puffed out, and she turned away with a huff and started running up the stands.

Qi Ce watched her back and felt a sense of familiarity. He had seen her not long ago...

Oh! Now I remember, this was that girl from the supermarket, Lin Xiaojia, who had driven him back to the football base a few days ago. How could he have forgotten?

"Lin Xiaojia!"(T/N: tbh Idk how he knows her name)

Sorry, it just occurred to me. I am not very good at remembering things. This, your pen."

Stopping in her tracks, Lin Xiaojia cast a sidelong glance back at Qi Ce. Then, she turned away, puffed up and annoyed she ran away.

"Keep it for yourself!"

"Darn, Uncle Qi Ce, who's that girl?" The teammates who saw the scene rushed over, yelling. With the noise from behind her, Lin Xiaojia accelerated her pace.