Manchester United CEO regrets it: "Now I will personally bring him back
Ye Chen devoted himself entirely to training.
During a break, he finally had the chance to claim the Golden Treasure Chest for being in the starting lineup!
Originally, he planned to open it during his morning practice, but Klopp interrupted him.
However, the reward wasn't doubled—probably because the system considered him earning a starting spot two rounds earlier to be within expectations.
Looking at the Golden Treasure Chest in his consciousness, Ye Chen felt an inexplicable excitement.
After all, his current abilities were entirely built upon the skills granted by the system!
But was Ye Chen strong now?
No, not really!
To put it simply, there are plenty of fast players in football, but only a handful have ever become superstars based solely on their speed.
If Ye Chen wanted to become a football superstar, he still needed to improve his technical skills!
That's why he eagerly hoped the system would grant him some technical abilities.
"System, please grant me a miracle!"
Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen commanded, "Open the Golden Treasure Chest for me!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the S-rank skill: Penalty Expert!"
Ye Chen was stunned.
System, are you serious?
"All rewards are randomly generated."
Ye Chen's mouth twitched…
This felt a bit underwhelming!
Opening his attribute panel, he saw no immediate improvements in his stats.
Wait!
Just as he was feeling disappointed, he suddenly noticed something under his non-dominant foot attribute…
It had increased from 3 to 4!
Could it be… that taking penalties requires the use of his weaker foot, so the system improved it?
It's important to know that improving one's weaker foot is extremely difficult.
For example, Ye Chen's right foot could strike a shot at 120 km/h, but with his left foot, it barely reached 80 km/h, and he struggled to control the ball's curve.
That's why he rarely used his weaker foot in matches.
But he didn't expect that the "Penalty Expert" skill would actually improve his weaker foot…
This was an unexpected surprise!
Ye Chen was easily satisfied and happily accepted the reward.
The only question was whether Klopp would entrust him with penalty-taking responsibilities…
With the "Penalty Expert" skill, scoring penalties should be a piece of cake, right?
What Ye Chen didn't realize was that this skill improved more than just his weaker foot—it also enhanced his mental attributes.
Mental attributes are invisible and intangible, yet they exist.
Why do English players always struggle with penalties in major tournaments?
The greater the expectations, the bigger the disappointment.
It's like a curse.
But Ye Chen shouldn't have to worry about that in the future… right?
Back on the training field, Klopp instructed Ye Chen on his positioning. For the next match, Dortmund would adopt a brand-new 4-3-3 formation.
However, its effectiveness would largely depend on Ye Chen's performance.
At this point, Klopp had no idea that his opponent, Ralf Rus, had already assigned three defensive midfielders specifically to lock Ye Chen down.
Their only instruction?
"Stop Ye Chen at all costs!"
October 25 – German Cup Second Round Pre-Match Press Conference
As usual, Klopp attended the press conference.
But unlike before, where the German Cup barely attracted any media attention, the hall was now packed with journalists!
Clearly, they were all drawn by the rumors of Ye Chen's potential transfer.
There was no doubt—Jorge Mendes was an expert at manipulating public opinion.
These past few days, Ye Chen hadn't needed to worry about contract negotiations; all he had to do was focus on training.
Yet his fame in European football was steadily rising.
"Is it true that Mourinho wants to bring Ye's talent to Real Madrid? We've heard that Mendes is working on the transfer!"
Klopp remained calm. "I have already spoken with the management. They will soon offer Ye Chen a contract extension!"
"Reports say Manchester United have increased their bid. Will Ye leave Dortmund and return to Old Trafford?"
"I can't speak for the future, but right now, no." Klopp said confidently. "I spoke privately with Ye, and he is very happy in Dortmund."
"Will the transfer rumors affect Ye's status in the team? Will he start in the next match?"
"Ye will start. As I've said before, the entire Dortmund team will do their best to help him make history." Klopp replied firmly.
Meanwhile, Ralf Rus sat at his own press conference, looking out at the flood of reporters.
He was momentarily dazed.
Was this the terrifying influence of Ye Chen?
Dresden was just a small town with a population of 500,000. Before, their second-division matches only attracted a handful of local reporters.
Yet now, a second-round German Cup match had drawn such a massive media presence…
"Dortmund will do everything to help Ye break records. Will you let them?"
Rus responded sternly, "Let me make one thing clear—we in Dresden are not pushovers!"
"We understand that Ye wants to make history, but first, he must get past us!"
"Will you use rough tactics against Ye?"
"Of course not. He's just a 17-year-old kid! Besides, he's not Messi or Ronaldo—we have ways to stop him!" Rus declared confidently.
While Ye Chen was impressive, Rus believed there was some exaggeration in the media hype.
After days of specific tactical preparations, he was feeling more confident than ever.
He was determined to surprise everyone at Signal Iduna Park!
Of course, once the press conferences concluded, the internet exploded with discussions.
"Klopp: Ye is happy in Dortmund; he won't leave!""Ye's tactical status is secure—he is Dortmund's future core player!""Dresden's head coach: We have found a way to stop Ye!""Ralf Rus: If he wants a record, he'll have to go through us first!""He's not Messi or Ronaldo!"
As the match approached, fans grew increasingly anxious.
Especially the Chinese fans.
"CCTV5 isn't broadcasting tonight. Where can we watch? I'm already getting nervous!"
"I never cared about the German Cup before, but now I can't wait!"
"It's been three days since I last saw Ye—I'm having withdrawal symptoms!"
"Commentator Jianjun will be streaming on Tencent. He's Ye's biggest fan now!"
"Come on, Ye! Prove the doubters wrong!"
"I've set my alarm—waking up at 2 AM to witness history!"
"Ye Chen, let's goooo!!!"
Meanwhile, in a luxurious suite at the Hilton Dortmund Hotel, two elderly men were chatting.
Sir Alex Ferguson smiled. "Old friend, are you sure this is the way to bring him back?"
David Gill nodded firmly. "I was the one who kicked him out—now I must personally bring him back!"
He had been scolded by the club's owner more than once over this…
"But if we do this, I won't have money left to buy Van Persie!" Ferguson sighed. "If only the Glazers would give me more transfer funds!"
"Didn't you say that if we had Ye, we wouldn't need Van Persie?" Gill looked at his old partner in surprise.
"Well, as an adult, isn't it normal to want both?" Ferguson chuckled.
They once thought Ye Chen was just another unremarkable youth player.
But who could have predicted that he would transform into one of Europe's hottest talents?
After Manchester United's humiliating 1-6 defeat to Manchester City, Ferguson had a change of heart.
He couldn't help but wonder—if Ye had started instead of Welbeck, would the result have been different?
Just thinking about Welbeck missing two clear chances made his heart ache…
If only he had chosen Ye back then, how great would that have been?