Would You Mind If I Play?

The game continued, but because Li Yongle was receiving treatment, Zhongyuan only had 10 people battling now.

On the other side of the court, the doctor was applying ice and numbing sprays to Li Yongle's slightly swollen left knee. Sun Laihong was squatting next to him and watching the whole process.

"The current treatment only relieves his pains. It's not treating his wounds and injuries, so I suggest that you consider replacing him," the doctor explained to Sun Laihong as he treated the boy.

Sun Laihong did not answer. He only looked at Li Yongle's slightly swollen left knee. After a while, it seemed like he had made his decision, He stood up and shouted to the substitute bench, "Dong Jin! Do some warm-ups!"

Li Yongle, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up and jumped next to the doctor, frightening him in the process.

"Coach!"

Sun Laihong turned his head.

"I can still play, there's no need to replace me!"

Sun Laihong looked at Li Yongle and his eyes stopped at his swollen knee. Li Yongle knew what his coach meant by that. He bent his left knee a little and endured the pain as he said, "There's no problem, I can still move as usual!"

He winced the moment he said "move as usual", but it did not escape Sun Laihong's eyes.

Li Yongle looked at Sun Laihong and Sun Laihong looked at him too; both of them were staring at each other.

After a while, Sun Laihong turned. "Please bandage his knee up…"

The doctor was shocked. "What are you doing? His knee won't allow him to continue!"

During this time, there was loud cheers from the stands. Since Kaka was not suppressed by Li Yongle any longer, he was very active. There were frequent passes and good shots. On top of that, Zhang Lintao had tackled a long ranged effort in that little window of time.

"Li Yongle is still under treatment and the situation of his injury is still unknown. The members of Zhongyuan seem to be somewhat absent-minded at this moment. However, Shu Guang's brilliance is great! If this shift continues, Zhongyuan's defense will not be able to sustain itself any longer! Does Sun Laihong have any instructions for his team?"

"No, look at this, he's already given instructions. Zhongyuan's No. 15, Dong Jin is warming up. Looking at things, Li Yongle has most certainly been replaced."

Sun Laihong did not answer the doctor's question, instead he turned his head to ask Li Yongle, "Are you ready?"

Li Yongle nodded.

"Doctor, please bandage his knee up and let him continue the game."

When the doctor saw that they both had no objections, he felt it wrong to say anything further. He just did as he was told and carefully wrapped Li Yongle's injured knee. He then helped him up and got him to try some movements.

In the beginning, Li Yongle could slightly bend his knee without any pain. He then ran and leaped around in a small area, but there was still no obvious pain. He exclaimed with joy, "Okay!"

"It's not okay, I only treated you with gauze to ease the pain. Your injury is not okay yet. You have to remember that another collision and excessive movements will lead to increased pain. I advise you to think about it before you go on the field," the doctor used a stern voice as he spoke. But obviously, Li Yongle did not listen to half of what he said, because he was already standing and waiting by the side to get on the field again.

"Dong Jin, back to your seat." Sun Laihong raised his hands.

"Are you ready?

"Are you ready to give everything for victory?

"Are you ready to bear all the consequences of failure?

"Are you really ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready!"

"Zhongyuan is not having a replacement. Li Yongle is back in the game! But looking at his bandaged left knee, it really makes us worry! Are his injuries really okay?"

"Li Yongle is jogging to the field, and based on his movements, it seems like the injury has not affected him that greatly!"

"Hopefully!"

Li Yongle returned to the game and his teammates who were worried for him gave a sigh of relief. The stands burst out in louder cheer and applause.

When Li Yongle came out to the field, Sun Laihong announced his latest instructions loudly on the sidelines, "Luo Bin, go up! Kaka is now on you! Li Yongle, withdraw to Luo Bin's position and freeze Zhang Jun!"

Everyone was shocked at the sudden change, except for the Zhongyuan team itself.

Luo Bin did not say anything and gave Li Yongle a high five. He turned away from the middle defender. "He's all yours!"

"The coach, Sun Laihong… Li Yongle is injured, but why is he allowing him to defend against Zhang Jun?"

"I don't know, but I do know that the remaining 20 minutes of the match will be very exciting, I believe it!"

"Are… your injuries okay?" Zhang Jun had his eyes wide opened as he looked at the thick bandage on Li Yongle's knee and asked.

Li Yongle raised an eyebrow. "If you become soft because of this little issue, I'll gladly make you regret it for another year!"

Li Yongle meant what he said. Zhang Jun took Yang Pan's pass, and was just about to break through, but he kicked the ball to the side. As a result, Li Yongle shoveled it and Zhang Jun fell. The referee whistled and motioned a free kick for Shu Guang.

"Li Yongle is full of strength! Seems like concerns for his injury were unnecessary."

Zhang Jun got up and looked at Li Yongle's back thoughtfully.

"A direct free kick! Only 23 m away from the goal, this is a good chance for Shu Guang to score! Will Kaka, the leader grab this opportunity? Yang Pan has stood in front of the ball in high school and middle school. Yang Pan has been the only player to perform the free kick and his strong shots are extremely destructive! Kaka, who is currently good with angles and Yang Pan, who is good at strength are both standing in front of the ball. Even Zhang Lintao, the best goalkeeper of the previous National Championship feels a bit nervous! Who will take the penalty kick?

Who will take the penalty kick?  Zhang Lintao asked the same question in his heart. From his standpoint, any of them were a possibility. Zhang Lintao then wiped his sweat away. In the afternoon of a winter game, he could still sweat so much as a goalkeeper, because the competition was so tense.

The defensive wall was set up and the corners were closed, Zhang Lintao stood in his defensive stance at the far corner.

The referee whistled and Yang Pan started to run. He then swung his leg in a familiar fashion, prelude to his strong, signature shot.

The defensive wall jumped up out of habit, but they noticed Yang Pan holding his leg back right in front of the ball. He picked it up with his right leg instead, before gently dropping it to the side. When they landed, Kaka had already rushed up to the ball. He stomped his foot, raised his hand and kicked it!

The soccer ball crossed the defensive wall and fell towards the corner!

Zhang Lintao used his fingertips to set the ball out of the goal!

"A beautiful free kick and a great save!"

Zhang Lintao got up from the ground, but he still had some lingering fears as he was only gambling earlier on. In general, a free kick like that normally led players to kick near corners. But if it was above and below, Zhang Lintao would have been completely oblivious. He never thought his calm self would be a gambler and bet on the field.

Up till this point, could he not master his own mind yet? Zhang Lintao smiled wryly.

"The ball has been handed over to Ren Yu De, but Zhongyuan has not immediately defended against him. He hasn't been playing well so far though. It's almost like a different Ren Yu De than the one at the semi-finals. Zhongyuan is paying him no attention!"

The distance between Liu Chao and Ren Yu De shortened as Yu De continued to dribble the ball. Liu Chao lowered his center of gravity, putting both his hands slightly behind him. He marked the ball at Ren Yu De's foot closely.

Ren Yu De dribbled the ball with his right leg and crossed it to his left shortly after.

"It's Ren Yu De's famous 'cycling' move!"

However, Liu Chao did not move. When he saw Ren Yu De's situation, he only hardened himself. Ren Yu De raised his right foot again and when people thought he would continue his cycling, he kicked the ball and it passed between Liu Chao's separated legs!

"Crotch ball!"

Immediately after that, he accelerated and intended to bypass Liu Chao. However, Liu Chao did not lose his calm because of the crotch ball. He reversed and blocked Ren Yu De, cutting the ball off.

"Experienced defense! Ren Yu De ran into a tough opponent!"

Ren Yu De collided with Liu Chao, but he was knocked down.

When he got up from the ground, he suddenly heard a familiar child-like voice from the noisy stands. "Brother! Come on, don't be so weak!"

He lifted his head up and looked at the stands. He was shocked to find the people he was looking for in the crowd: his own brother, mother and also… the one sitting next to his mother, the one who always sat in front of the television back home, his strict father….

"Brother!" His little brother waved a little colorful flag in his hands.

His mother smiled and waved her hands too, "Yu De! Play nicely! Don't bring shame to your family!"

His father did not say anything; he only had a strict expression on his face. Nonetheless, looking at this face, some tears gathered at the corner of Ren Yu De's eyes.

In his younger days, his mother said it was okay to train his body when it came to soccer, but his father never said anything. There was neither objection nor support. Whenever he saw Ren Yu De coming home full of sweat, he only said one sentence, "It's time to eat." He always thought his father did not care about him playing soccer. But today, his beloved father came to see him play soccer!

As thought about it, when he was young... there was that pair of expensive new shoes. When he woke up, he found himself a glittering leather soccer ball by his bedside and a beautiful jersey… yet he patronized and complained about his father not talking to him. He did not even think about the one who bought the precious babies in front of him.

It wasn't that he never cared about him, or his involvement in soccer, but he did so from his heart. He had always showed it through his actions. Ren Yu De just never saw it clearly… He suddenly felt the ice wall that grew between him and his father for nine years beginning to melt away…

Even though Li Yongle was on the field, he was injured and could only fully defend Zhang Jun. He was no longer able to help offensively. Kaka clearly found Luo Bin's pressure far worse than Li Yongle's, but he had also begun to be active again.

At this moment, Zhongyuan could only defend, not attack.

"Shu Guang is back! After scoring a goal, they have been very successful, constantly exerting pressure on Zhongyuan's goal! Kaka has gotten past Luo Bin again! He crosses over to shoot! But Zhang Lintao hugs the ball in his arms!"

Zhang Lintao rose up from the ground. It was a truly busy time for him. With the exception of Ren Yu De in Shu Guang's offense, the rest were at full power. This got him into some trouble and things became quite chaotic.

He held the ball and looked at the situation before him; it was his first time being at a loss. Even as they started the kick-off, thire captain at the front, Zhao Defeng was not good at heading, and the ball would fall at the opponent's feet. If he just threw the ball then and watched the strikers of Shu Guang give out pressure, his teammates would be cut off from the ball if things were not done properly. This would be a direct threat to the goal.

Zhang Lintao realized that he could no longer hesitate. It would not be worthwhile to be sentenced for taking too long. He finally decided to be secured with himself andhe threw the ball by hand.

From his comparison of the players, only Ren Yu De, who was being guarded by Liu Chao did not look very good. Therefore, his pressure would be the most minimal, so Zhang Lintao chose to throw the ball to Liu Chao.

"Zhang Lintao throws the ball to Liu Chao! Liu Chao places the ball in front of him and rushes forward… Ah! Ren Yu De!"

Liu Chao wanted to take the ball from Zhang Lintao and dribble it forward. As he formed another plan in his mind, he placed the ball in front of him confidently. He never thought that the soccer ball, which was three or four meters away would be snatched away by Ren Yu De!

Ren Yu De took the ball, but Liu Chao was still an experienced back defender. He quickly blocked his road, causing him to reach a dead end.

"Although Ren Yu De snatches the ball, he is immediately forced into a dead end by Liu Chao! It seems like Liu Chao is taking advantage of this confrontation between the two of them!"

Ren Yu De could really feel the pressure from this small-sized defender. Liu Chao pushed him to the sideline with his body and continued to harass his feet. It was difficult for Yu De to prevent the ball from being cut off. But what could he do? Breaking the ball by himself was like hitting the other person by surprise, but be caught off guard. If Liu Chao was trapped, would this great opportunity not be wasted?

However, it was scary! Where did Liu Chao get all his strength from? He was being forced outside the field!

"Brother! Keep it going!"

Ren Yu De gritted his teeth and jerked his body backwards, hitting Liu Chao. Liu Chao never expected anyone in the game to give such great strength, and he took a step back. It was only half a step, but it was enough for Ren Yu De.

It was this half a step where Ren Yu De felt Liu Chao's body loosening. This was his chance! He twisted forward and Liu Chao thought he was going to force him to the front. He moved his body, thinking of blocking Ren Yu De's route in advance.

However, Ren Yu De used his heel to gently kick the ball in the opposite direction. He also turned at the same time!

"Ren Yu De has fooled Liu Chao, and now he has to make a break through from the other side!"

"Great thinking!" Liu Chao was a person who was easily deceived. He gritted his teeth as his right leg suddenly jerked and his left leg was thrown off the ball due to a reactionary force.

But Ren Yu De turned around once again and pulled the ball to the back with his left foot. As he did before, he turned simultaneously again. He turned in the direction where he pretended to break through the first time! However this time, it was not pretend, it was the real thing.

"Wonderful! A series of fake turnings! Liu Chao is helpless and has been broken through by Ren Yu De!"

After Ren Yu De got past Liu Chao, he slammed his right foot into the penalty area. When Deng Rui saw the whole thing unfold, he quickly went over to recover the defense. Nevertheless, Ren Yu De pretended to pass through the middle as well, and Deng Rui stretched his foot out to stop him. Ren Yu De took the ball back again with his left foot and turned around, fooling Deng Rui too.

"Beautiful!"

Liu Chao had already rushed up at this point. There was no doubt that he was an excellent back defender. The speed in which he recovered his defense was really fast.

Ren Yu De knew that he should not be wasting time in the penalty area. He would either shoot or pass.

Looking at Zhang Lintao who did not completely seal the near corner, he saw a gap, which was enough for his kick. He felt like taking a shot!

Liu Chao, of course, knew how bad he was when it came to small angles. When he saw Ren Yu De lifting his foot up, he instinctively shoved the ball, not caring about his own position. There was a high possibility of a foul.

And unsurprisingly, Liu Chao's right foot hit Ren Yu De's left and the both of them slammed into the soccer ball, knocking it to the side. In the process, Ren Yu De's body tipped over and he fell down!

*Beep!*

"Penalty! Penalty! The referee has penalized Zhongyuan for a penalty and Ren Yu De is up! In the confrontation with Liu Chao, he not only tricked him twice but Liu Chao was also given a penalty for fouling! Liu Chao's defeat is devastating!"

The referee quickly ran over and gestured for the penalty. He mercilessly waved off the players of Zhongyuan who were desperate to argue.

On the other side, Kaka pulled Ren Yu De up and gave him a passionate hug as well as a warm kiss.

"Amazing! Amazing! Amazing!" Being excited, the commentator did not know what else to say.

The other Shu Guang players quickly grouped up, as though they were celebrating another goal. They were totally confident, and it was justified, because penalties were taken by their captain, Yang Pan!