Chapter 94:
It was only after the match officially ended that Saint’s staff went to the commentator’s box and notified the commentators and director. The staff asked them for a few minutes to let Old A say a few words to announce his retirement.
In front of the commentators’ and all the audience’s surprised expressions, Old A, right arm trembling slightly, took the microphone, and with a smile on his face, calmly introduced his seven year career that, though devoid of any highlights, was nevertheless spent putting in great effort. He thanked all of Club Saint’s staff member who’ve served since his youth training days. He thanked his previous teammates. He thanked Angel Sword for his company and mutual support throughout the years and gave his blessing to their local division. He hoped everyone can have a good result in this year’s World Championships.
“A lot of people...probably only found I was in the league because I’m retiring. Although I leave no trace, like everyone else, I have been fighting in the league for several years and I dared not work any less than others. Being a player of limited talent, I haven’t been understood by a lot of people. This is how it’s supposed to be. In competitions, only results matter. All I could do was to never slacken in my efforts so that I could have a clear conscience.” Old A turned his head towards his team and waved to his teammates. And finally he said, “I was only able to seize a little bit of honor and I can only blame my lack of ability. I don’t have any grievance. I’m already very fortunate. I’m honored to have been able to take the stage and fight with this group of outstanding people. I was able to happily spend the most important seven years of my life with this welcoming club. Last year, I was unexpectedly able to appear in our team’s starting line-up and finally I was able to complete my retirement ceremony in such a large game. This is all because...”
There were tears in old A’s eyes, and he paused for half a minute and continued, “Because the owner of our club, the management... and my teammates didn’t give up on me. They all knew that my right shoulder was going to give out soon and yet they still didn’t give up. I......”
Old A wiped his tears and continued, “They didn’t give up on me, and I couldn’t give up on the team. My ability is limited. I don’t dare stay on the team or join the coaching team and delay everyone but after retiring, I will join our team’s sparring team and try my best. I’ve been a substitute player on the team for so many years, I really have become an expert at being a sparring partner. I will try my best to help the starting players of my team. My fans can rest assured that I will never leave Saint all my life. Saint, Jiayou! Everyone, Jiayou!”
Old A bowed deeply and returned the microphone to the host.
Yu Sui and Shi Luo were in the venue and they could clearly see that Saint’s players, coaches and even their bosses were waiting for Old A. After Old A stepped off the stage, everyone hugged each other for a long time.
Shi Luo tried his best to hold back his tears and took a few photos for them from a distance.
Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo, “Is this the first time you’ve seen someone retiring?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it live.” Shi Luo sent the photos he had taken to Angel Sword and said in a low voice, “Old Qiao recorded a video when he retired. It was all clichés. It wasn’t very moving. It took less than three minutes. At that time, I saw it and felt like my chest was blocked up. It wasn’t this... this direct.”
Shi Luo looked sideways at Yu Sui. Yu Sui’s expression remained as usual, completely the same as before the game.
Shi Luo asked, “How many times have you seen it?”
“Too many times. Playing professionally for so many years, I’ve lost count a long time ago.” Yu Sui pretended not to see Shi Luo wiping the corner of his eyes. He said softly, “No need to feel ashamed. The first time I saw my teammate...not Ji Yan Han, it was much earlier, a player you have never heard of, another striker.”
Yu Sui continued, “The first time I witnessed my teammate retire, although I didn’t cry... But I changed my game ID and profile picture to his. I played more than 30 games without eating, drinking or sleeping. At that time, I was young, 15 or 16 years old. I was much more emotional than I am now.”
“You...” Shi Luo frowned, “Going through self-abuse for someone’s retirement? What were you thinking?”
“Because I thought it was my fault at the time.” Yu Sui calmly looked at the Saint team who was still hugging in the distance. “I thought it was because I didn’t have enough C and so he couldn’t fight anymore. I couldn’t accept it.”
Yu Sui turned to look at Shi Luo and smiled, “Who doesn’t have a bit of black history, right?”
“What kind of black history is this&#k2026;” Shi Luo was not surprised by this reason. Shi Luo looked at Angel Sword in the distance and muttered in a low voice, “You medics are all like this&#k2026; What if it were me?”
The spectators in the venue were all slowly exiting the stadium, becoming noisier and noisier. Yu Sui didn’t hear Shi Luo clearly, “What about you?”
Shi Luo opened his mouth and he already felt that he was being unreasonable. He hesitated before continuing, “Then what would you do if I were to retire?”
“Shi Shen, there’s no need for you to be drinking this old vinegar. Moreover...” The corner of Yu Sui’s mouth ticked up. “It’s hard to say which one of us will retire first, don’t you think?”
It really was hard to say who would retire first. Neither of them had any physical injury. Although Yu Sui is two years older than Shi Luo, his profession as a medic wasn’t as taxing. The more important thing for them was awareness and reaction. Yu Sui was only 21 this year. He was in peak condition in all aspects and his ability to control the battle situation only increased year by year. There was no decline in his various competitive abilities.
It was an indisputable fact that Shi Luo’s career life span was shortened after he changed jobs to striker, but he was a young man in extremely good health with surprisingly high talent. Comparing the two...
It really was hard to say who would retire first.
“Let’s go.” All the fans in the stadium except Saint’s were already gone. Shi Luo rubbed his forehead, “Le-let’s go...”
Yu Sui called the driver and lagged two steps behind to talk with the driver. After speaking with the driver, the two of them got on, Yu Sui followed Shi Luo. He squeezed Shi Luo’s neck and whispered, “When my teammate retired that year, after more than 30 hours of using his ID, I changed it back. If you retire before me...I will change my game id to yours, and I won’t change it until I retire, okay?”
“I’m not jealous.” Shi Luo was too possessive of Yu Sui. He actually couldn’t tell whether he was jealous or not right now. He had no other intentions by saying those things just now. He had just been influenced by Old A’s retirement. “Looking at them, it was pretty hard to take. Sigh...”
“I understand.” Yu Sui said softly, “He has retired. It’s only now that we know that from the very start Saint has been enduring this season under tremendous pressure. No team has had it easy to reach this point.”
Shi Luo nodded, “That’s what I mean... Let’s go home.”
The two originally planned to go on a date outside for the entire day. After watching the game, they were supposed to go to dinner and watch the movies. However, they weren’t feeling in the mood for that at all right now. Shi Luo thought about that last game just now. The more he thought about it, the more content he felt with his situation. He began to feel that his nice and organized teammates were each cuter than the next. Their home base was just so f*cking warm and comfy. No matter many Michelin stars the chefs outside have, it couldn’t compare to the Cleaning Aunt’s cooking.
However, Shi Luo was worried that Yu Sui would feel hungry and his stomach was going to start to ache so Shi Luo asked the driver to stop at a porridge shop near the stadium before returning home. He then got down to buy Yu Sui a bow of hot rice porridge.
“Your previous incident of gastric bleeding... Was pretty serious.” Shi Luo handed the packed porridge to Yu Sui. Brooding, he said, “We don’t know how many months it took from your career lifespan.”
Yu Sui slowly blew on the porridge and reminded him, “Shi Shen, when you went to buy the porridge, it seemed like you were photographed again.”
Shi Luo closed the car door and said, “If they want to take my picture, then let them take my picture.”
Shi Luo originally thought he, this weak chicken that had yet to fully experience life, would be the most affected by seeing the retirement ceremony. He didn’t think that once he returned to base, before even entering the door, he would already hear Old Qiao’s howling.
“Hey? You two... Came back just in time for dinner?” Zhou Huo just happened to be on the first floor. He looked at Yu Sui and Shi Luo in surprise. Feeling angry at them not having made the most of their time, he said, “It wasn’t at all easy to finally schedule a date! Who do you think you are? How come you’re being so frugal today? Coming back here to eat?”
Shi Luo rubbed his ears and frowned, “What’s with Old Qiao?”
“From watching the game to the retirement ceremony to the post game interview...” Zhou Huo had a headache. “He started to see himself in their shoes and he felt really moved. He felt it more than the actual Saint team and cried from beginning to end.”
Before dinner, Yu Sui and Shi Luo went upstairs to change their clothes. On the way there, they caught sight of a tearful Old Qiao in the training room.
In the training room, Chen Huo and Old Qiao were re-watching Old A’s retirement video together. Old Qiao’s eyes were red and he couldn’t help but wipe the corners of his eyes as he choked out, “This is a successful retirement! This is a happy ending! Yes! With teammates by his side, even losing the match is glorious...”
“What does it matter even if Old A didn’t have any results? He has his teammates! He has Angel Sword! This is already worth it! I’m also a striker, I understand! That kind of medic desperately trying to protect you feels so warm!” Chen Huo leaned against Shi Luo’s cushion. He grabbed Shi Luo’s tissue box and quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Old Qiao. Self-pitying, he chimed in, “What about me? Someday, I will be unable to play anymore and will have to retire. Who would turn into an angel to protect me? Who can I count on? Yu Sui? Is this slag man someone I can actually rely on?!”
Puppy, with a numb face, saw Yu Sui and Shi Luo. He spread his hands and said, “It’s been over an hour. These two have felt moved by another team. Especially Old Qiao. He can’t shake himself out of it.”
Shi Luo, blank expression on his face, knocked on the door of the training room.
Old Qiao looked back and saw that it was his own people and didn’t feel embarrassed. He clicked on the video playback and continued to be choked with emotions as he watched the video. He suddenly looked back at Yu Sui and remembering the past, started crying, “When I retired, I didn’t have a medic with me. I didn’t have my teammates. I had nothing...”
Chen Huo also took a look at Yu Sui, who had a relaxed expression on his face. He continued to question, “Yu Sui, do you have any heart? When the director cut the camera to you during the game, your eyes hadn’t even turned red! You should have taken a page from Shi Luo! Take a look at Angel Sword then take a look at yourself!”
Yu Sui was scolded without any rhyme or reason. “It’s the first time Shi Luo has seen someone retire and was affected. I’ve seen it too many times already... I really don’t have any friendship with Old A. Is it really strange that I didn’t have much of a reaction?”
Old Qiao glanced at Yu Sui reproachfully and continued to cry.
“You just don’t have a heart.” Chen Huo said sternly, “If it were me, would you protect me like that?! Would you rush recklessly to throw yourself in front of me?”
Yu Sui: “...”
Yu Sui was numb towards Chen Huo’s questions. He asked seriously, “Throw myself in front of you...are you looking to die?”
Old Qiao wanted to cry but also wanted to laugh a little. He hung helpless in the middle. He could only grab a tissue to wipe his face.
Puppy said coldly, “Can you be more sensible and face up to the fact that our team is made up of cold-blooded villains? Stop dreaming. We’re not the warm, soft-hearted types, alright?”
Chen Huo held Old Qiao’s shoulder, sighing while patting Old Qiao, “You guys have no heart.”
“If you have this kind of dream, then I’m going to have to warn you in advance.” Yu Sui sat down and said lazily, “I’m not going to rush in to protect you. It may even be that when you are about to lose the last sliver of blood of your career... I’m probably going to do what I’ve always done and snatch away your kill.”
“Pfft.” Old Qiao finally couldn’t help it. “Your last kill and it’s still going to be snatched away...”
Yu Sui glanced at Old Qiao and said slowly, “Didn’t you already know a long time ago that I’m this kind of person?”
Shi Luo just then realized it. He realized that Yu Sui, Chen Huo and Puppy were teasing Old Qiao so that he would no longer brood about his broken retirement ceremony.
Sure enough, Old Qiao’s funny bone was tickled by the thought of having his last kill snatched away and was finally emotionally cut off. He couldn’t cry anymore. He rubbed his face and finally turned off Old A’s retirement video. He said helplessly, “Fine... Old A’s situation is too sad anyway. I might not have been able to handle it. Having a quiet retirement was good too.”
Old Qiao quickly cleared up his emotions, got up and urged everyone, “Eat, eat, let’s eat. After eating, we’ll have training. We also have to play our semi-finals. Saint didn’t hold anything back when they played against us that day. Although they didn’t say it, but they were giving us training. We have to play well in the World Championships and live up to their kind regards.”
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