Wenger hung up and rubbed his temples. Barnett's call had caught him completely off guard. He never imagined Chelsea would go this far to try to sign Kai.
Even though Kai ultimately chose to stay, Wenger knew Arsenal would still have to make concessions to keep their captain satisfied.
Not that Wenger considered it a loss—if Kai wanted to stay, he would move mountains to help him achieve everything he dreamed of at Arsenal.
"Kai isn't going anywhere," Wenger muttered. "He's our captain. He's built differently from most players."
Pat Rice, on the other hand, remained far calmer than his boss.
"I'm not surprised," Pat said. "I trust Kai. I've coached him—he's not the type who chases money."
Wenger nodded. "That's exactly why we should give him the very best treatment we can. Speaking of which… any updates from Mendes?"
Pat shook his head. "Nothing yet. We'll probably speak to Di María once the group stage ends."
He paused, then added, "Do you really see Di María as an essential piece for our team?"
"Absolutely," Wenger replied without hesitation. "He has pace, skill, unpredictability. His ceiling is far higher than people give him credit for."
Pat raised a brow. "What about James Rodríguez? He's the one everyone in Europe is talking about right now."
Wenger chuckled softly. "Rodríguez isn't the right fit for us. And truthfully, his World Cup has made people forget his flaws. He's talented, yes, but in our system? His dribbling isn't sharper than Cazorla's. He can't control the tempo the way Kai can. His ball retention slows transitions, and he struggles physically."
Pat stared at him. "So you've been tracking him closely."
"Of course," Wenger said. "That's my job. And let me put it another way—if Kai were at a smaller European club right now, every giant in Europe would've been bidding for him already. Compared to Rodríguez, Kai has a stronger core role and far more resilience under pressure."
Pat gave him a long, amused look. Wenger could criticize Rodríguez all he wanted, but it was obvious he was secretly hyping Kai.
...
With the second round of the World Cup group stage wrapped up, qualification scenarios became much clearer.
Japan and South Korea—once seen as Asia's best hopes—had both collapsed early, sitting at the bottom of their respective groups.
China, incredibly, had become Asia's final hope.
They sat second, drawing the Netherlands and staying ahead of Spain and Chile.
But everything still hinged on the final matchday.
...
Inside the media hotel in Brazil, Wang Bingbing and the CCTV team gathered in a small conference room for an urgent meeting.
They had booked return flights after the third group-stage round, but now? It was clear they might not go home that early.
Headquarters quickly sent new orders: stay in Brazil and keep filming.
Meanwhile, more and more Chinese media outlets were flooding into the country.
After China's first win, the number of reporters had doubled. After the draw with the Netherlands, the entire Chinese media industry seemed to explode.
Broadcast teams, journalists, commentators… everyone was rushing to Brazil.
The Chinese national team had become the ultimate traffic magnet.
And with traffic came opportunists.
The entertainment industry tried every possible way to latch onto the players.
Weibo went even crazier.
Kai didn't even have a Weibo account, yet dozens of fake "official" accounts appeared overnight, harvesting clicks until they were inevitably exposed and roasted.
All sorts of ridiculous stories were circulating.
Kai had heard some of it, but he didn't bother paying attention.
Right now, all that mattered was preparation.
...
On the training pitch, frustration finally boiled over.
Kai stopped the ball dead under his boot and snapped at Chen Man:
"What are you doing?!"
Chen Man spun around and glared at him.
"Why are you shouting like that? Now everyone's staring at me!"
Kai blinked, genuinely confused. "Staring at you? For what? And why were you tiptoeing like you're about to rob someone?"
"I'm trying to make myself disappear!" Chen said with full seriousness.
Kai stared at him for a moment. "…Disappear?"
Chen waved dismissively. "Forget it. You wouldn't get it. Just—don't pass to me for now."
Kai raised his eyebrows. A winger asking not to receive the ball… that had to be a first.
And the worst part? He still had no idea what Chen was plotting.
Kai jogged over, grabbed the back of Chen's neck, and demanded, "No more riddles. What exactly are you up to?"
Chen's expression twisted. "I'm practicing a special move."
"What 'special move'?"
Chen puffed out his cheeks. "Disappearing."
Kai tilted his head. This conversation was getting more absurd by the second.
Chen Man groaned. "How can you be this dense? I'm trying to make myself less noticeable so I can sneak up and steal the ball!"
"A… sneak attack?" Kai repeated.
Chen nodded earnestly. "Didn't you say Spain could be rattled? Is it the perfect moment for a surprise move? What if it actually works?"
Kai exhaled deeply. "Okay… so what exactly is the plan?"
Chen explained it slowly, in exaggerated detail.
By the end, Kai looked at him like someone listening to a child describing how they'd catch a tiger with a cardboard box.
"Absolutely delusional," Kai concluded.
Chen frowned in protest—until Kai kicked him lightly on the backside. That finally shut him up.
"How did you get so strong, man…" Chen muttered, rubbing his backside with a hurt expression.
"Cut the nonsense and get back to training," Kai snapped.
Chen Man trudged away, still holding his butt.
A moment later, Wang Yi walked over.
"So… what's he working on now?"
Kai rubbed his forehead. "Trying to make himself disappear."
Wang Yi blinked. "Disappear?"
Kai let out a long sigh. "He wants to sneak up on Casillas and steal the ball."
Realization dawned on Wang Yi, followed by a helpless smile. "He seriously thinks he can pick the ball off the world's best goalkeeper?"
Kai shook his head. Chen's brain really worked in… creative ways.
But that was who Chen Man had always been—clever, tricky, and forever using his intelligence for the strangest things.
Back in youth training, he'd been notorious as a "ghost striker," ambushing goalkeepers when they least expected it. Honestly, Kai used to think Chen was more naturally gifted at sneaking around than playing football.
Even so, Kai knew Chen wouldn't drop the idea.
Chen's other defining trait? Pure, unshakeable stubbornness.
Tell him not to do something, and he'll double down.
So Kai didn't stop him. Against Spain, they needed every unpredictable element they could get.
Would Chen actually pull it off?
Who knew.
Kai could only sigh.
...
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