Chapter 1224: Chapter 1199: Inviting Ye Chen to Join the Team

The crowd was stunned upon hearing this; Zhou Ming was known for fiercely protecting his own, so how could he let Zhang Xu apologize to anyone?

It turns out that the student Zhang Xu fought with was actually injured by Zhang Xu, and yet the student who was beaten got punished.

But now Zhang Xu is the one injured, and somehow he’s supposed to apologize to Ye Chen, leaving everyone puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xu’s face turned grim; clearly, he suffered this time, so why should he apologize to Ye Chen?

He definitely couldn’t swallow this insult, nor would he apologize; otherwise, where would he put his dignity?

Oddly enough, Zhang Xu was Coach Zhou’s prized student, loved and protected dearly by him.

Now his leg is broken, but Coach Zhou didn’t even ask about it, nor did he care, which was utterly bewildering.

Coach Zhou was like a different person today, his attitude towards Zhang Xu changed by 360 degrees.

He ignored Zhang Xu’s injuries and kept chatting non-stop with Ye Chen.

"Ye Chen, I just watched your performance on the field; you played very well. Have you learned before?" Zhou Ming asked with a smile.

"No, I just play for fun," Ye Chen replied.

Zhou Ming looked at Ye Chen with amazement; playing so well without professional training—it was simply genius.

Looking at Ye Chen before him, Coach Zhou liked him immensely.

This was the soccer player he wanted—Ye Chen was exceptional in both speed and skills.

Coach Zhou was someone who cherished talent, and he really wanted Ye Chen to join his team.

He even felt a regret at not having met Ye Chen earlier; if he had, they surely could have won the championship last year.

Coach Zhou and Ye Chen chatted happily, while Zhang Xu watched, his rage burning inside.

"Coach, shouldn’t you kick Ye Chen out? He injured me, and I want to call the police to handle this," Zhang Xu shouted.

"Zhang Xu, shut up! I clearly saw everything that just happened. Hurry up and apologize to Ye Chen," Zhou Ming angrily rebuked Zhang Xu.

At this moment, Zhang Xu was somewhat frightened; this was the first time he saw Coach Zhou so angry.

And hearing him scold so loudly.

With Zhang Xu silent, Coach Zhou spoke again, "Zhang Xu, when you are wrong, you need to admit it—this is the most basic principle of being a human."

He knew Coach Zhou was genuinely angry, and if he didn’t do as told, there would definitely be consequences.

"Ye Chen, I’m sorry," Zhang Xu gritted his teeth, hopping on one leg to face Ye Chen.

He gazed at Ye Chen with intense hatred in his eyes.

Ye Chen knew that people like Zhang Xu couldn’t genuinely apologize to others.

Thus he paid it no mind at all.

"Zhang Xu, what kind of attitude is this? An apology requires sincerity," Coach Zhou scolded again.

Apologizing to Ye Chen, Zhang Xu was inwardly defiant.

But he didn’t expect Coach Zhou to nitpick and demand another apology, turning the small flame in Zhang Xu’s heart into a raging inferno.

"Ye Chen, I’m sorry, it was my fault, please forgive me," Zhang Xu said, forcing a smile while suppressing his inner rage.

"Hmm, that’s more like it—recognizing and correcting mistakes is invaluable," Coach Zhou nodded in satisfaction.

Zhang Xu thought to himself, "Apologize, my foot! My leg is broken, and you still make me stand to apologize to this guy. Do you have any humanity, you old geezer?"

Ye Chen, satisfied, nodded and was about to turn and leave.

Seeing Ye Chen about to leave, Coach Zhou quickly called out, "Ye Chen, please wait."

"Coach Zhou, what is it?" Ye Chen turned back to ask.

"This is the thing, Ye Chen, I want you to join the soccer team and participate in this year’s competition," Coach Zhou said candidly.

He felt Ye Chen’s soccer skills were truly outstanding, even far surpassing Zhang Xu’s. If Ye Chen joined, this year’s championship would undoubtedly be theirs.

The crowd was amazed upon hearing this. Many people tried desperately to join the team but were refused by Coach Zhou.

Yet now Coach Zhou was actively inviting Ye Chen to join, showing how highly he valued Ye Chen.

Zhang Xu was stupefied; he could clearly feel Coach Zhou liked Ye Chen a lot, even more so than he had liked him initially.

He suddenly felt a sense of crisis; if Ye Chen joined, his position in the team would surely change.

Although reluctant, there was nothing he could do since it was Coach Zhou’s decision.

Just when everyone thought Ye Chen would agree, his response shocked everyone once again.

"Sorry, I’m not interested, and I don’t want to train every day—it’s too boring," Ye Chen said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing Ye Chen’s direct refusal, Coach Zhou showed a disappointed expression.

Meanwhile, the crowd was stunned, knowing how many people tried to pull strings to join without success.

Yet now when Ye Chen had such a great opportunity, he directly gave it up.

"Ye Chen, you don’t have to train every day," Coach Zhou said with a smile.

"No need, I still don’t want to join," Ye Chen refused again.

Coach Zhou didn’t speak; instead, his eyes shifted as he said, "Ye Chen, I promise you, if you join the team, I can recommend you for the Olympic soccer competition."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.

"Participating in the Olympics is a dream for so many; how much effort is needed to achieve it? Yet if Ye Chen agreed to join the team, he’d have this chance—it’s truly enviable."

Zhang Xu clenched his fists tightly; although he was Coach Zhou’s favorite, Zhou Ming had never promised to recommend him for the Olympics.

Why did Ye Chen get the chance upon joining? Zhang Xu felt a bit unbalanced now.

"Coach, who is Ye Chen to you that you’d favor him this much? You’re far too biased," Zhang Xu nearly roared, ignoring any semblance of face.

"Coach Zhou, thank you for your kindness, but I don’t want to be teammates with someone like him," Ye Chen replied, using Zhang Xu as an excuse.

Zhou Ming, hearing this, glared at Zhang Xu angrily, his eyes full of resentment.

At this moment, he even felt Zhang Xu was more of a liability than an asset, ruining his chance with a rare talent.

As a talent seeker, losing Ye Chen would truly be a regret for Zhou Ming.

What Zhou Ming said next shocked everyone, leaving them with incredulous expressions.