Russell was approached by Willing United head coach Paul Parker and invited him to join the team soon spread throughout the team during the next training session. Many people came to ask Russell if this was true.

Russell didn't want to be so arrogant because he hadn't decided whether he would accept the invitation. But facing his enthusiastic teammates, he could not lie and say that everything was made out of nothing, so that his friend Borger would be difficult to do, because the news was spread by his good friend Gavin Borger... So he had to nod and admit that all this was true. There was indeed a former England international named "Paul Parker", a Manchester United player, and the current head coach of the Wiring United came to him and indeed invited him to join Wiring United.

Everyone's reactions were mixed, some envious, some were indifferent, and some wanted to persuade him to stay but it was difficult to speak.

Chu Zhongtian does not belong to any of them, he is in a complicated mood.

When he heard Borger shouting, "Russell was attracted by the fifth-level team", he thought Borger was joking again at first. Because Shilin, who was by his side, didn't believe it, he said to Borger in a joke tone: "Hey, blog. Are you bragging again?"

Borger said the whole process in detail, and everyone was speechless when he looked at his serious expression. Although Borger did brag before, he had a habit - the bragging protagonist is himself, for example, his speed is comparable to Michael Irving; he is Giggs on the right; he was attracted by Chelsea scouts since he was a child, but he refused because of his love for Wimbledon... He has never seen him treat other people as the protagonists bragging, even if that person is his best friend Alay Russell.

Maybe what he said is true? Everyone, including Chu Zhongtian, has this question.

When Russell came, he naturally surrounded him and asked what was going on.

"Hey, Russell, have you really received an invitation from the Weling United?"

"Hey, Ahlai. Is this true? Isn't that guy on the blog bragging this time?" The person who asked this question was stared fiercely by Borge.

Chu Zhongtian didn't go up to join in the fun, but he kept watching, and he was also looking forward to Russell's answer.

Russell glared at Borger first, saw Borger shrugging at him innocently, then nodded and said, "Yes, this is true, guys. I was looked at by the head coach of the Weling United."

"Wow—" There was a commotion in the simple locker room.

"This is actually true!"

"You guys are so lucky!"

"This is the first invitation from other clubs our team has received!"

"Russell, you lucky guy..."

Everyone started shouting.

"Damn it! It's so enviable!" Xilin, who was sitting next to Chu Zhongtian, also muttered.

Chu Zhongtian turned his head to look at him, thinking about his reaction when he asked him in the bar "Do you want to play professional football?" This person envied Russell, which means that he actually wanted to play professional football, but he just didn't have a chance, right?

"Why no one is interested in Kevin Cooper?" Andy Sullivan asked.

Kevin Cooper is the captain of the team and the team's number one scorer. L) can also rank in the top three in the scorer list. Logically speaking, someone should come to him, and many teams should be interested in him.

Shilin shrugged: "Who knows? Maybe it's because he doesn't have a big mouth friend like Borger."

Kevin Cooper is calm and taciturn, but every word is full of power and unquestionable authority. He is a good helper for Eames to manage the team. There are several friends who are all people with similar personalities as him. He is not used to long-term comments, and his voice is not loud enough. He is not very noticeable in the team, but is indispensable. For example, Keith Ward.

Sullivan looked at Chu Zhongtian again.

"But why no one likes Chu?"

Chu Zhongtian didn't expect the topic to be drawn to him. He pointed at himself in surprise: "Why is it me?"

"You are the core of our team's defensiveness," Sullivan explained. "You have performed very well, but why hasn't anyone come to you?"

Xilin glanced at Chu Zhongtian who was surprised and laughed: "Even if someone goes to him, it's useless. Chu Ke won't want to use football as a profession."

Sullivan shook his head: "That's a pity."

Everyone was still making excuses, and Eames had already walked into the locker room. Seeing the stern boss, everyone calmed down.

"Russell, come with me." Eames looked around and waved to Russell, then turned around and walked out.

Everyone looked at each other, and they felt that the boss must be angry. At the critical moment of upgrading, his general was poached, which was not a trivial matter... Borger also showed a sorry expression. He raised his hands to Russell and said, "Sorry, Alai... I didn't expect that the incident would reach the boss's ears so soon..."

"You big mouth!" Russell compared his middle finger to him before following him out to find the boss.

He had just left, and assistant coach Ingrich appeared at the door again: "Okay, boys. Tea time is over, let me go out for training!"

※※※Eames stood outside the Kings Ranch, which was a parking lot, but most of the time there were no parking lots. Gasoline in the UK was too expensive, and most of the players of the team chose to take public buses to participate in training. Eames had a car of his own parked here, but the car looked very old.

"Uh, boss, I'm sorry... I was going to tell you after the training..." On the way here, Russell had already thought about it. At this time, he should turn passive into initiative and confess himself. Maybe he can make the boss feel better.

"What do you think?" Eames didn't get entangled in this issue. He waved his hand, exposed it, and asked.

Paul Parker came to Russell two days ago. Russell has been thinking about this question these two days. Since his father asked him the third time in the evening, "Do you still want to play professional football?", this question has been lingering in his mind.

"I... I'm honestly, I haven't thought about it yet." He did not hypocritically cry to the head coach about his loyalty to Wimbledon, saying such clichéd lines as "I was Wimbledon's man in life, and Wimbledon's man in death." He honestly showed Eames his inner confusion.

Eames nodded: "But I don't think you need to be so hesitant. The fifth-tier league will be better than the ninth-tier league, no matter whether the Welly United can upgrade next season, it will be better than us."

Russell looked up and looked at the head coach who said this in surprise.

"Do you really think our team can be promoted one level a year and return to the top league within nine years, Russell?" Eames asked in the face of Russell's puzzled gaze.

When the club chairman Mr. Chris Stewart and more than 4,000 fans shouted that afternoon, "Go to where you should go! Return to the top league! Go back to where you should go! Southwest London!", he believed so - it won't be long before they can return to the southwest London and return to the top league.

However, after calming down, he had to admit that this was just a better wish. The league journey was long, with a total of nine-level leagues, and the more they went up, the harder they were to play. When they entered the fifth-level league, it was estimated that the team's strength was not only the strength of the team, but also the ability of the club. If the club lacked financial resources, even if they were promoted to the fourth-level league and became a "league team", it would be meaningless, because they would quickly fall back to the fifth-level league without financial support. What Wimbledon lacked the most is probably money.

There is never a shortage of such teams in the English League. Many teams have been established for a hundred years, but they are still spending time in leagues below level 5.

Even those clubs that now call the wind and rain in the Premier League and look glorious have had plenty of time to spend in the low-level leagues.

"I think I should be able to lead this team in the two to three leagues upwards, and then I don't have that ability. The club should find someone better than me to coach the team, if they still want to return to the top league." Eames said. His tone seemed calm when evaluating his own level. "I don't know how long Wimbledon will have to stay in such a league. Maybe it can really be one level a year, maybe... it will take ten years, twenty years before we can get back to the ranks of the 'League'."

"League team" refers to the teams participating in the Premier League, English League One, English Two, English Two (the latter three were called English Championship, English League One and English Two after the summer of 2004). They are all real professional teams, and their strength is completely incomparable to the teams in the leagues Wimbledon is currently participating in.

"From the team's perspective, your departure has an impact on our strength. But I think you personally want to leave, right?"

"I..." Russell wanted to tell him apart, but was interrupted by Eames's wave.

"Being able to be favored by more advanced teams is the dream of many people when playing football in low-level leagues. Who doesn't want to participate in games with higher levels? If you have the strength, then go. I'm more ruthless. Russell Wimbledon Athletics is not your own team, nor does it mean that you can't play anymore after leaving. We are a team, and no matter who leaves, you must be able to continue to survive and develop. Do you understand what I mean?" Eames asked.

Russell nodded. Although the last words made him feel a little depressed, he must admit that the boss was right. Although he is now the core of the team, if Kevin Cooper is not in front and then shot, and Chu is not in a crazy way to provide protection for him, then he alone can't do anything. Football is a team game no matter whenever it is Maradona, even Bailey can't fight eleven people on his own.

"I hope you think about it carefully. If you want to stay, I welcome you, and if you plan to leave, don't think this is a bullshit betrayal. We don't play such pretentious things. But I have a requirement - no matter what choice you make, as soon as possible. I don't want this to affect your condition and the performance of our team. At least, even if you decide to leave, you will still be a member of us until the end of this season."

"I get it, boss. Thank you."

Although Eames' words were a bit ugly, they helped Russell remove the heaviest stone in his heart. If he really chose to leave, what would the club and his teammates look at themselves? Will they think they are a traitor who pursues glory and wealth? Will they hate themselves? What about Wimbledon fans? How would they view their departure? Will they curse themselves?

He didn't know the fans' reaction, but at least he was not worried about the team now.

"Very good, we've been delayed for a long time, now go back to practice." Eames slapped Russell in the back and pushed him out.

※※※After the training, Russell was called by Eames to ask questions. This time he asked what Paul Parker had said to him. He planned to be well prepared if the other party came to the door and knew what the other party had so that he could seek maximum benefits for the club.

When he returned to the locker room, Chu Zhongtian was the only one there.

"Are you planning to accept the invitation?" Chu Zhongtian asked when he saw that there was no one around.

Russell had already thought about the whole training class, and he felt it was time to make a decision. "I have thought about it carefully and I still want to play professional football." He said to Chu Zhongtian.

Chu Zhongtian already knows what the answer is.

"What should I do when I go to school?"

"Apply for the leave of absence. Anyway, I have skipped a lot of classes in the past two semesters." Russell shrugged indifferently. He is not a good student who loves to study.

"The only regret is that there is no way to torture you anymore." If he switched to the Weling United, although they were all in Greater London, there was obviously not much time to guide Chu Zhongtian to improve his skills. When he thought of not taking this opportunity to torture Chu Zhongtian and let him complete some training programs that were not something ordinary people could do, Russell felt regret from the bottom of his heart.

Although Russell and Chu Zhongtian were a bit dirty before, he was very serious and responsible in training Chu Zhongtian. In the past half a season, Chu Zhongtian has greatly improved his ball control because of his training. Now he is no longer afraid of two people being snatched. Even when facing the siege of three people, he can still maintain his football in a short period of time.

"I'm very sorry, too." Chu Zhongtian said.

He regarded Russell as his friend, although they had wanted to kill each other before. But such a contradiction was nothing at all. After so long, it had faded. But in normal times, Russell helped him improve his skills, which benefited Chu Zhongtian a lot. No matter what Russell trained himself out of his mind, as long as this matter was beneficial to him, Chu Zhongtian felt that Russell was not hateful. Emily was right. He and Borger were not bad people, but sometimes they were a little mean.

Emily went to the United States to film, and she was so busy that she could not see her many times. After graduation, she would have to go to the United States to develop her career. At that time, she would not have seen her again before she graduated. Now Russell is also leaving Wimbledon and Wimbledon Art School to go to another place to pursue his professional football dream again.

I finally met some friends, but now I am slowly leaving. When he graduated two and a half years later, how many of these friends can I have left?

"Good luck, sissy."

Russell was surprised that Chu Zhongtian did not compete with him and was the most angry. He suddenly heard Chu Zhongtian say this before he could react, but Chu Zhongtian had already changed his clothes and left the locker room.

Only then did he realize that Chu Zhongtian cursed himself at the end.

"Damn! You mad dog!" He could only vent his anger at Chu Zhongtian's cabinet in the empty locker room.

※※※ Chu Zhongtian tried hard to forget Russell accepted the news of Weiling United, because it had nothing to do with him. But for some reason, when he was working at the Duns Bar at night, this thing always lingers in his mind.

He was a little concerned about Russell's choice, but in fact he shouldn't care so much. He didn't care about his departure from Wimbledon, but about where he went - a team in the fifth-level league. If he could upgrade, he would enter the league and become a real professional team.

Chu Zhongtian didn't know how to describe his inner feelings.

There was a little envy, a little loss, and a little longing... It was like knocking over a five-flavor bottle, and all kinds of taste were mixed in.

※※※After returning home, Russell told his choice to his father.

"I thought that 'retirement' made you completely give up." Dad didn't comment on his son's decision.

Russell shook his head: "I gave up, dad. But after playing for most of the season at Wimbledon, I found that I didn't give up."

That dream was like a gradually cooler fire. I thought it was completely cold, but I didn't expect that a mountain wind would blow away, and after blowing off the ashes on the upper layer, the dark red inside was revealed.

"I don't think I'm a good source of study," Russell continued with his head down.

To be honest, he has always been afraid of his father. Every time he makes a choice, he is worried that his father will disagree with him. Although this situation has not happened once, he is always worried so much.

Just like now he is still worried that his father will suddenly get furious and disagree with his choice, so he must let him continue his studies. But all this hasn't happened yet... After he said this, the study was silent.

"Fifth Division League..." My father spoke.

Russell thought he was going to object, so he hurriedly said: "The fifth level is always closer to the goal than the ninth level, Dad..."

Another silence.

Mom knocked outside: "It's time for supper, my dear."

As if he was awakened from his sleep, Russell looked up and saw his father smiling at him. He remembered that his father rarely smiled... He didn't know whether this meant a good thing or a bad thing.

"Good luck, son. This is your own choice."

(To be continued)
Chapter completed!