Chapter 69
"What nonsense are you talking about? Put on your pass and let's go out for a walk." Lin Jiafan's expression remained unchanged, and it was obvious that he was not going to continue the conversation.
Pang Guang refused to let him go. "I've noticed for a long time that you and Coach Luo are always flirting with each other. What's going on? Are you not even hiding your feelings now?"
"Eh? Don't tell me you're doing this to investigate a case. What can I tell from your eyes? I've worked for you for so long, and I've never seen you wink at me many times." The young man kept chattering, shaking his head.
"It's because you don't have the tact." Seeing that his words were getting more and more outrageous, Lin Jiafan didn't intend to indulge him and told him the truth.
"I don't have good judgment?!" Pang Guang shouted in disbelief. "My IQ is 158, and I hold multiple patents before I even graduated from college, and you say I can't read people's expressions?!"
Hearing the young man's unconvinced shouting, Lin Jiafan was too lazy to argue with him. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows and squinted at him.
"Captain Lin, honestly, is there anything I don't understand..." Across from him, Pang Guang continued to mutter and complain. When he noticed something was wrong with his captain, he was stunned for a moment, then wrinkled his nose in disdain. "Captain Lin, is your eye cramp?"
Facts speak louder than words. Lin Jiafan spread his hands, and the expression on his handsome face was quite intriguing.
It took several seconds for the young man to finally react. He immediately put on a fawning expression, obediently stepped forward, hung the pass on his chest, and opened the lounge door. He said respectfully, "I know. You just told me you wanted to go out for a walk."
Lin Jiafan walked to the door, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, then left the lounge.
Pang Guang moved the shoulder that had just been patted in pain, and followed with a grimace.
Putting aside the fact that the two of them were swaggering among the growing crowd backstage at the league, Luo Jingyao, on the other side, had already arrived at the waiting area where the contestants were gathered under the leadership of Song Jingming.
She did see a lot of old acquaintances here. Some of them were old coaches, instructors or managers she knew when she was competing in various places at home and abroad. Some were former professional players who retired around the same time as her and now held important positions in various clubs.
"Ronaldinho, why haven't I seen you since you retired? Where are you doing now?" The person who asked her was an old man with Mediterranean gray hair, and his tone was concerned.
Luo Jingyao had a slight impression of this old man. When she was still unable to join the national club, he had secretly poached her during a competition.
She didn't remember much about the club the old man worked for at the time, she only remembered that she had refused.
She was about to open her mouth to respond, but Song Jingming beside her beat her to the punch: "After retiring, Ayao returned to her hometown of Jinshi, cut off all ties with her previous social circles, and opened a flower shop."
The old man's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said regretfully, "What a waste! With your strength and skills, no matter which club you go to, you will be paid a million a year."
"Yes, yes, I've always advised her that, but A-Yao is stubborn and once she makes a decision, nothing can change it." Song Jingming smacked his lips regretfully. "By the way, Coach Guan, is your club hiring recently? Do you think A-Yao is suitable?"
"Suitable!" Before the man finished speaking, Coach Guan took over and made an invitation: "Xiao Luo, are you interested in trying it?"
Seeing Luo Jingyao's hesitation, Song Jingming quietly patted her on the back and reminded her in a low voice, gritting his teeth: "That's Shengye International Club. Think about it carefully before you speak."
Swallowing the words that were about to come out of her mouth, Luo Jingyao once again raised a formal smile and said in admiration, "Coach Guan is actually coaching at Shengye now? In recent years, many players who left Shengye International Club have become the main force of the national team. It's quite remarkable."
"Well, it's all because of the comparison with our peers, but our Shengye International is indeed one of the best clubs in the country!" The old man tried to be modest, but he couldn't control the corners of his mouth that were almost grinning from ear to ear.
"But we have to admit that the women's team is currently our club's weak point... Ronaldinho, you're still very young. Are you interested in coming back and continuing to play?"
Faced with the olive branch extended by Coach Guan, Luo Jingyao was stunned for a moment.
She thought the other party wanted to invite her to coach, but she didn't expect that they were so bold as to actually plan to let her return to the court directly.
"I've been retired for almost two years." Luo Jingyao was a little amused.
"Two years, so what? Even if it's ten or eight years, your level is still there. You're much better than the current crop of female athletes." Coach Guan glared and continued to persuade, "Besides, you were young and in your prime back then. It's such a shame to suddenly announce your retirement when you're not injured or sick."
Seeing that she was interested, the old man continued, "Don't worry about answering me. It's true that players like you who have already reached the international level may look down on our club. But I'll tell you the truth. Shengye International Club will be upgraded to national level by the end of this year. When that happens, all you have to do is join us, and the club will send you out to compete in international competitions!"
Luo Jingyao looked surprised, as if questioning the authenticity of the news.
"Why would I lie to you?" Coach Guan slapped his thigh anxiously, ignoring the announcement that the players were preparing for the first match. "Xiao Luo, since you're already in Dingjiang, why don't you come to our club and take a look?"
In the end, the conversation ended with Luo Jingyao reluctantly agreeing for the old man's sake. It can be said that everyone was happy.
As if he was afraid that she would run away, Coach Guan kept chatting with her about this and that, and as soon as his players finished the competition today, he pulled her directly onto the bus parked outside the Shengye International Club venue without any explanation.
She chose a seat by the window and sat down. Luo Jingyao didn't know where Lin Jiafan and the others were at the moment, so she could only take out her cell phone and send a text message.
Soon, the bus slowly left the Dingjiang City Gymnasium, and after reaching the outer ring road, it went up the overpass without any obstruction.
Finally, at around 1:00 p.m. that day, Luo Jingyao and her group arrived at No. 76 Xianglin Road, where the words "Shengye International Club" were engraved outside the gate.
Unlike Eric's second-rate gym-style club, Shengye International in front of them was more like a mature enterprise than a simple club. After entering the park through the gate, the bus continued driving for another five minutes before stopping in front of a boxing gym.
"Ronaldinho, how's it going? The environment in our club is definitely top-notch," Coach Guan said, puffing out his large belly with pride. "This is where the athletes usually train. To the east are two dormitory buildings, to the west is a huge open-air stadium, and to the north is an office building."
"Let me show you around the venue first." As soon as he finished speaking, the old man led the way, introducing the venue as he walked.
"Last year, our club invested a huge amount of money to renovate the venue and installed a fresh air system throughout the venue. It can be said that it is spring all year round."
"Look at this arena. All the materials were purchased from abroad and built strictly in accordance with international standards."
"The entire second floor is filled with high-tech sports equipment, which allows coaches to better understand the training conditions of their athletes and make timely adjustments."
"By the way, our club now implements a one-coach-one-athlete model. If you can perform well, you will be assigned a coaching team of three to five people!"
After a tour, to be honest, the conditions here are indeed good. If it were a few years ago, Luo Jingyao might have been tempted.
Seeing her smile without a word the entire time, Coach Guan, who had been full of confidence, suddenly felt unsure. He could only laugh dryly. "Of course, what I mentioned above is just the most basic treatment. For outstanding talents like you, Xiao Luo, our manager will have to discuss it with you in person."
"How about we go over there now?"
"Huh? The manager of Shengye International?" Luo Jingyao's eyebrows jumped.
The old man nodded. "Manager Qi is a low-key person and doesn't often appear in front of the media. However, her professionalism is undeniable. She also worked in a related industry when she was young. She is definitely not the kind of leader who gives orders without understanding anything."
"She's at the club today?"
"Yes." Coach Guan responded nonchalantly, "I'll take you there right away."
Hiss... Luo Jingyao frowned slightly. Shouldn't Qi Wangshu, also known as Qi Huimei, be at the Jinshi Public Security Bureau now?
Suppressing the doubts in her heart, she followed Coach Guan out of the venue and walked towards the office building in the north.
During this time, her thoughts were racing, and she only came back to her senses when she entered the office building and stopped in front of the door with a sign that read "General Manager's Office".
"I just asked the secretary, and she said Manager Qi is in a meeting upstairs and will be down soon. Please wait in the office for a while." Coach Guan pushed open the door and motioned her in. "I have some things to deal with at the venue, so I can't accompany you."
After saying this, before Luo Jingyao could respond, the old man turned around and left at the speed of light.
"..." She tilted her head and hesitated for two seconds before deciding to stay.
This is an office with a very strong personal style. The walls are covered with trophies and medals from various competitions, as well as signed photos of champions of major competitions.
Suddenly, Luo Jingyao was successfully attracted by the solid wood display cabinet placed in the corner of the office.
Just as she was slowly approaching the display case, the crisp sound of high heels came from outside the door.
Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da.
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