On June 30, 2024, Gao Nuo bid farewell to his parents and friends and returned home to Manchester with Wang Qing.
Before the team's preseason preparations began, Gao Nuo set a small goal for himself: to clear the 50th level of Challenge Road and obtain his first purple star card teammate.
However, reality was always frustrating, with several consecutive matches ending 2:0, 3:1, and 4:2, just barely missing the clearance.
Using the time difference, Gao Nuo made another challenge, and the 2:1 result gave him a headache.
Reluctantly exiting the system space, Gao Nuo wanted to drag Wang Qing out for a stroll.
Just as he finished tidying up and got into the car, before they could even set off, Gao Nuo surprisingly received an unexpected call.
"Gao Nuo, big star, do you have time to pick me up at the airport?"
"I've already left, huh? Wait a minute, Captain, you've come to Manchester City?"
"Haha, of course, we just met a few days ago, and I knew you were back in England."
"Wait for me, I'm going to the airport right now!"
"Okay, drive slowly, no rush."
After hanging up the phone, Gao Nuo apologetically asked Wang Qing to prepare dinner at home, then drove quickly to the airport.
At Manchester Airport, a tall man walked briskly, looking around the international arrivals exit.
Gao Nuo's height allowed him to see far. On a seat, a young man with black hair, yellow skin, and a somewhat thin build was wearing headphones, looking up into the distance. The long flight made his face look a bit tired.
"Captain, I'm here!" Gao Nuo's shout was muffled by the headphones. He quickly walked a few steps to the young man and said again, "Captain, why did you come? It would have been great if we had come together."
The young man took off his headphones upon seeing Gao Nuo, and hearing the surprise in Gao Nuo's voice, a smile bloomed on his face. "I'm coming to England to play football. It wasn't decided before, so I didn't tell you. How about it, welcome me!"
Gao Nuo gave the young man a big hug, took his suitcase, and said as they walked, "Of course, welcome! Let's go, let's go, let's go to my place first, we can talk on the way."
The young man was Wang Xiaochuan, Gao Nuo's former captain. Two years ago, his companionship and encouragement provided a lot of help for Gao Nuo to stay at Manchester United.
The two had always kept in touch. After Wang Xiaochuan returned to China, he left the football academy and struggled in the Chinese Super League for two years, getting very few chances to play.
Gao Nuo was thriving in the Premier League, which made Wang Xiaochuan envious and his heart stir.
On a chance occasion, an English scout, while reviewing Gao Nuo's data report, looked back at his initial performance at the Manchester United trial camp and inadvertently discovered Wang Xiaochuan's good passing ability.
With the idea of leveraging Gao Nuo's popularity, Stockport County Football Club in League Two accepted the scout's recommendation and offered Wang Xiaochuan a trial opportunity.
For Wang Xiaochuan, League Two was already full of challenges. He didn't need to be as outstanding as Gao Nuo; as long as he could become a regular starter in League Two, he could get a good income after a few years when he returned to the Chinese Super League.
Without much thought, Wang Xiaochuan accepted the trial invitation. Stockport was very close to Manchester United, and he planned to stay with Gao Nuo for a while before the trial ended.
The two talked a lot along the way. Through Wang Xiaochuan's narration, Gao Nuo immediately understood his former captain's difficulties.
Wang Xiaochuan, already 23 years old, had technical movements that, like Gao Nuo's in the past, were not standard enough. This wasn't the main problem; the gap in physical fitness meant Wang Xiaochuan had no competitiveness in the midfield position.
Gao Nuo's brain was working rapidly. In two years, the system had given him a deep understanding of training and matches. He wanted to find the best strategy to help Wang Xiaochuan stay here.
With some ideas in mind, Gao Nuo was no longer in a hurry.
Back home, Wang Qing had already prepared dinner. She was not unfamiliar with Wang Xiaochuan, having met him several times in China.
Both being athletes, Wang Qing prepared two nutritious meals for them, while she herself ordered a pizza. Gao Nuo was already accustomed to such unfair treatment.
Wang Xiaochuan ate the rather bland chicken, and upon learning that Gao Nuo was so disciplined that every meal was like this, he couldn't help but give a thumbs-up in his heart.
After dinner, they took Wang Xiaochuan for a walk around the neighborhood for a while, and the sky gradually darkened.
When it was time to rest, influenced by the time difference, neither Gao Nuo nor Wang Xiaochuan felt sleepy. The two simply went to the backyard lawn and started playing football under the lights.
Gao Nuo carefully observed Wang Xiaochuan's movements, constantly verifying his own ideas. Two hours later, Gao Nuo returned to his bedroom with a heavier heart.
His captain, who was even stronger than him two years ago, had made negligible progress in his abilities. Low training levels coupled with no opportunities to play had essentially led him to waste two years.
Based on Gao Nuo's understanding of League Two, Wang Xiaochuan's chances of staying were very slim. The one-week trial period was his last opportunity.
Without blind confidence, Gao Nuo seriously sought the system's opinion.
"System, can you help Wang Xiaochuan design a training plan?"
"host, doing so would only provide a plan without corresponding coaching guidance, so its effect would not be significant."
"I'll guide him. I can't change too much in a short time, just correct some basic movements. That shouldn't be difficult, right?"
"host, please wait a moment. I will collect some data."
After patiently waiting for a few minutes, the system continued, "The data is a bit scarce, but it's enough to formulate a simple plan. host, please receive it."
A string of information entered Gao Nuo's mind. It was indeed simple: just some basic movements, with the training volume tailored to Wang Xiaochuan's specific situation.
With a scientific training plan, Gao Nuo felt relieved and began his daily tasks.
The next morning, Wang Xiaochuan, still half-asleep, was dragged by Gao Nuo to run 10 kilometers. Such a sudden high intensity left him a bit overwhelmed.
After breakfast, before he had fully recovered, Gao Nuo dragged him again to start the morning training.
Wang Xiaochuan wasn't foolish; he knew Gao Nuo's intentions, so even for the most basic movements, he performed them very seriously.
Two hours later, Wang Xiaochuan was surprised to find that the gap between himself and Gao Nuo was ridiculously large, which ignited his long-lost competitive spirit.
In the afternoon training, even though his body was very tired, Wang Xiaochuan still tried his best to perform at his highest level.
Gao Nuo knew that only one day of training wouldn't change anything, but the system's arrangement must be correct. At the very least, Wang Xiaochuan could adjust his physical condition better for the trial starting tomorrow.
Over the next week, Gao Nuo began his Manchester United preseason training. The two went to their respective clubs during the day and returned to the backyard lawn in the evening, where Gao Nuo helped Wang Xiaochuan correct his movements.
Regarding diet, Wang Qing specifically increased Wang Xiaochuan's protein and carbohydrate intake. Muscle gain is the simplest problem for a nutritionist.
Tomorrow, Wang Xiaochuan's trial will end, and Gao Nuo is just as nervous as he is.