The next day, Evan Lin went to the bank, withdrew some cash, and handed it to Stella Huang. Stella hadn’t planned to accept it, but after repeatedly refusing and seeing Evan insist, she finally took it. She told him, though, that if he ever needed money, he should just come to her directly.
Stella’s family wasn’t short on money, but she was a bit worried: if Evan suddenly paid so much upfront, would he run into problems with his living expenses?
The three-bedroom apartment had Evan and Stella each occupying a room, while the third room remained empty most of the time. According to Stella, it belonged to a friend of hers, but Evan didn’t pay much attention to it.
Over the next few days at Capitalview First High School, news about the National Team Reserves spread like wildfire. Especially info about Ethan Yi—students everywhere were digging for details, and the sharp-eyed ones quickly noticed Ethan was from Brightsea City.
A lot of people instantly turned their attention to Lynn Chen and Evan Lin, who were also from Brightsea City. Quite a few wanted to run up and ask Evan for confirmation, but his cold, aloof attitude made them all back off and go to Lynn instead.
“Hey, isn’t Ethan Yi also from Brightsea No. 2 High? Do you guys know him?” As soon as Evan sat down at school, Jason Liu—his desk neighbor—leaned over, face full of excitement.
“Yeah, I know him. Why?” Evan nodded. Back then, Coach Peter had wanted to bring Evan into the National Team, even strongly recommended him for Crisbeal FC, but after Evan flatly refused, Peter picked Ethan Yi for the National Team Reserves instead, grooming him as a future national player.
Evan had publicly crushed Ethan Yi’s whole team, stomping his pride into the dirt. So yeah, they knew each other—just not on good terms.
“Oh, so if it’s possible, could you help me get his autograph?” Jason’s eyes lit up at Evan’s answer, and he grinned sheepishly.
“His autograph?” Evan frowned. Jason quickly nodded, “Yeah, Ethan Yi’s. I don’t know him personally, so I might not get it, but you’re his old schoolmate and you know him—if you ask, you’ll definitely get it.”
Jason Liu’s face was full of anticipation. He didn’t even like soccer that much—he was just trying to get the autograph for someone else.
“We’ll see,” Evan replied—neither agreeing nor refusing.
Seeing this, Jason didn’t push it any further.
Every afternoon, the soccer field was packed with students crowding around to watch Liam Liu, Mason He, and the rest of the team train. Lynn Chen wasn’t interested in any of it, but her classmates dragged her along to act as a cheerleader, so she had no choice but to go.
Whenever Lynn Chen showed up at the field, the whole team’s fighting spirit would shoot up a notch. The boys trained even harder—especially Mason He, who became unstoppable, scoring goal after goal and drawing waves of excited screams from the crowd.
Wendy Wen was often seen hanging by the field too, writing reports on the team’s training. The school radio, under her direction, switched its afternoon playlist to rousing tracks like “Chasing Dreams, Child’s Heart,” pumping up the whole student body.
As the National Team Reserves’ arrival drew closer, even Capitalview City radio and the Citizen Life Daily covered the story. Their reports especially hyped up Ethan Yi’s journey to fame, painting him as a boy who loved soccer since childhood and dreamed of reviving Chinese soccer. With his good looks, Ethan instantly attracted a swarm of fangirls.
A lot of people were counting down, eagerly waiting for Ethan Yi to arrive.
Two days later, at Capitalview International Airport, a flight from Beijing landed. The group in tracksuits got off the plane, and Ethan Yi, wearing a baseball cap, looked full of energy.
After being publicly defeated by Evan Lin, Ethan Yi had hit rock bottom for a while. But soon after joining Coach Peter and the National Team Reserves, with all the training and matches, his confidence came roaring back.
"Evan Lin, next time I see you, I’ll make you realize just how laughable you used to be! I, Ethan Yi, was only lacking professional training. Once I’m done, I’ll crush you completely—stomp you into the ground and show you who the real soccer genius is!"
Ethan Yi was riding high, feeling unstoppable. Compared to Brightsea City, Capitalview City was on a whole other level—richer, flashier, and way more exciting.
"I bet you’re still strutting around that tiny school, Brightsea No. 2 High! So what if you’re the best player there? In the end, you’re just a frog at the bottom of a well. What’s waiting for me is the real stars and seas!"
Ethan’s eyes gleamed. This time, in Coach Peter’s National High School Soccer Exchange Tour, they’d picked twenty-four top high schools across China to test the National Team Reserves’ skills.
In the earlier matches, Ethan Yi had been a standout—averaging three goals a game, a powerhouse striker.
“Ethan Yi!”
“Look over here!”
“Aaaahhh!”
Outside the airport, besides reporters, there were even more girls waiting to greet Ethan. As soon as they saw him step off the plane, they started screaming his name, the whole place buzzing with excitement.
“Ethan Yi, do you have confidence in this match against Capitalview First High?” Stella Huang, dressed in professional attire and holding a microphone, hurried up to interview him.
All the other reporters turned their cameras on Ethan Yi. Coach Peter wasn’t with him this time—he was busy training the National Team.
“I’ve always known Capitalview First High has the strongest school team in the city. But just like I said in every previous match—even if it’s just a friendly, I’ll give it my all and treat it seriously.”
Ethan Yi spoke slowly, his gaze firm and sharp. He paused, glanced around at the students nearby, and continued, “That’s exactly why we’re going to stomp Capitalview First High’s team into the ground.”
“No team can stop me. If anyone tries, I’ll crush them with the scoreline. You ask if I’m confident? Honestly, I’ve never even considered losing.”
Ethan Yi’s tone was cool and calm, but as soon as he finished, the crowd exploded. Some of the girls from Capitalview First High looked a little offended, but most just screamed, “So cool!”