Original subtitles

[Road to Success]

[Episode 22]

Let's check with the doctor again.

Mom.

How's your foot,

Fu?

Are you okay, Captain?

Don't worry, everyone.

The doctor said it should just be a soft tissue injury.

We're waiting for a CT scan

to make sure there aren't any fractures.

That Wen Chengye...

We never should've asked him to come.

He really never changes.

Ms. Lin.

What are we going to do from now on?

Do you mean

what you should do

or what we should do about Wen Chengye?

The latter.

I don't want to play football with him anymore.

He's not a good person.

Zhi Hui,

that's a bit too harsh.

Don't say that.

Then why didn't he apologize

after what he did?

I think he's just indifferent

to all of us equally.

That's why he acted so recklessly,

without caring about the consequences at all.

I don't want to play with him anymore.

Neither do I.

[Inpatient Building]

Me neither.

Me neither.

He isn't happy on this team,

and he doesn't want to be part of it.

Maybe we shouldn't have forced him in the first place.

As if I care about you guys!

A bunch of brain-dead

football scrubs.

What did you say?

Qin Ao!

-Look at his attitude! -Exactly!

Fu Xinshu.

I'll handle this.

You go check on Wen Chengye.

Wen Chengye!

I'm fine.

Ms. Lin, you can go back.

I'm your team supervisor.

I can't let you go off on your own.

Team?

What team?

They've already abandoned me.

Don't worry.

I can take the high-speed train back by myself.

No.

That's too dangerous.

Ms. Lin,

I'll be fine.

You should go back, Ms. Lin.

How is he?

The doctor checked the scans

and said he'll be fine after some rest.

That's a relief.

Fu, I'll have you over for fried skewers later

to help you recover.

You'll carry Fu there?

I'm buying, you're carrying.

Deal.

Fu Xinshu,

how did it go?

Ms. Lin,

I'm fine.

Where's Wen Chengye?

Why bother asking him?

He took the high-speed train back by himself.

It's getting late.

We should head back too.

I'll do it, Coach.

Ms. Lin.

Are we still going to keep playing football?

What makes you ask that?

You've lost one match,

but there are still plenty more games ahead.

But we're down a player now.

Can we still call ourselves a team?

We got hammered 11–0.

Could it be that

we just don't have what it takes?

I hate to admit it,

but we really suck.

An uncertain future—

a bad omen.

Is that how all of you feel?

What else can we do?

We have to face reality eventually.

I disagree.

Of course, we have to keep playing.

Not only that,

we also have to crush Yongchuan Hengjiu.

Right?

Come on.

Am I wrong?

No.

Boys, cheer up.

You still have me.

And Coach.

With a coach this amazing,

we'll get there.

Right?

Right.

Alright.

We've still got more than two hours to go.

Get some sleep first.

Driver, please turn off the lights.

Let's all sleep.

What else can we do anyway?

[Wen Chengye]

Wen, have you boarded the train?

Yeah.

Zhi Hui,

wake up.

Wake up.

We're home.

Wake up.

We're home.

Goodbye, Ms. Lin. Goodbye, Coach.

Be careful.

Bye, Ms. Lin, Coach.

Look, look.

What a touching display of a deep teacher-student bond.

Isn't that heavy?

Isn't he heavy?

Coach, maybe you should put me down.

Your ankle needs proper rest right now.

Otherwise, it will cause permanent damage

to your football career.

Football career...

Coach,

do you think Wen Chengye

even cares about his football career?

What makes you ask that?

The way he's been acting—

going off on his own

and ignoring the game plan.

Was he trying to get back at the team?

Or trying to get back at me?

Get back at you?

Are there

any conflicts between you two that we don't know about?

No.

I was just asking.

I just think he doesn't take himself

or football seriously at all.

Oh, Ms. Lin,

when we get to my home later, can you tell my grandma

I just twisted my ankle by accident?

But you must update me on your condition every day.

If it hasn't gotten better,

we'll need to go back to the hospital for another checkup.

Don't try to tough it out.

Got it, Ms. Lin.

What a day.

But those kids had it even harder than we did.

How did it not occur to me

that if it's downhill going there,

it'll be uphill coming back?

Tired?

Tired and hungry.

I'm okay.

I can lend you a hand.

I won't say no, then.

I didn't think they could win,

but I also didn't expect them to lose so badly.

That's just how cruel

competitive sports can be.

Do you regret leading them, Ms. Lin?

Not at all.

Then...

are you thinking of giving up?

Definitely not.

We've still got a long uphill climb ahead.

I'll pull you up.

Do you think—

with them so crushed like this—

the team is just going to disband?

Miss, sir,

would you like a bracelet?

Jasmine bracelets.

Jasmine bracelets. They smell wonderful.

♪ Night slips through my fingers ♪

Why did you buy this?

♪ Embracing the coldness of wakefulness ♪

♪ Whispering my thoughts alone ♪

♪ Saying goodbye to the evening breeze I chanced upon ♪

Jasmine means

"forever together, never apart."

♪ Staying with the jasmine blossoms until late spring ♪

♪ Watching their elegance fade, their fragrance disappear ♪

I've coached many teams.

♪ I once dreamed of something beautiful ♪

The real bonds

♪ And I accept that regrets may grow wild ♪

are often forged after the biggest fights.

So, they won't disband.

♪ Look, beneath the sunlight ♪

♪ In the dancing specks of dust ♪

♪ I'm grateful I never lost my sincerity ♪

Actually...

there's another reason.

♪ Or my gift for happiness ♪

What is it?

Because of you, Ms. Lin.

♪ Sharing my warmth with a passing rain ♪

Me?

You never forced them.

♪ Quietly feeling its journey ♪

Instead, you gently helped them discover

what they truly wanted and let them

♪ Like a firefly vanishing in an instant ♪

choose to step onto the pitch themselves.

♪ Still beautiful in its entirety ♪

So for them, football

isn't a business,

♪ There's no need to seek a final answer ♪

or a blood sport.

Even after such a crushing defeat,

♪ Let the ending remain with questions unanswered ♪

on the pitch,

they still want to play

♪ No need to prove it with promises ♪

and still want to win.

♪ The dusk when we once vowed to stay together ♪

Their hearts

haven't left the pitch.

♪ No need to cling to forever ♪

So they won't disband.

♪ Allow parting to happen quietly ♪

♪ The inner voice hidden in the origami ♪

Thank you, Wang Fa.

♪ Each scratch and line is proof of beauty ♪

I have a request.

Go ahead.

I can help them keep playing.

But you have to help them win.

Deal.

Tell me.

Where did you go?

I told you to meet with the former admissions officer

for a one-on-one consultation.

All you had to do was show up and talk.

Yet you actually stood them up!

How did you get hurt?

From playing football, huh?

Have you lost your mind?

Yes, I have.

Say that again!

Wen Chengye.

I told you long ago—

stop messing around with that bottom-tier team.

You just wouldn't listen.

And now you're injured.

How stupid are you?

I applied to Berkeley for you and put down

computer science as your major.

Including football on your application

wouldn't even add much.

You've got a great future ahead of you,

so stop wasting time, okay?

Then let it go to waste.

I never wanted to study abroad anyway.

You must go abroad!

You're my son—Wen Ruigang's son.

You'll do as I say.

Right.

I'm your son.

If it weren't for that DNA test showing

I might be your only son,

I probably

wouldn't mean anything to you.

That test was only for getting some documents reissued.

Don't bring up

the past again.

Why can't I bring it up?

How cold-blooded must a father be

to take his son, who wasn't even 10,

to get a DNA test?

This is the one.

Kid,

in a bit, we're going to do a mouth swab on you.

Don't be afraid. Just open your mouth.

Xu,

take the sample.

Okay.

Because deep down,

you've never cared about me.

Not even a bit.

I... I never cared about you?

Wen Chengye, I've spent so much time

and so much money sending you to study abroad.

And you say I never cared about you?

Then listen carefully.

I never wanted to study abroad in the first place.

Don't be so ungrateful.

Look at your classmates.

How many of them have what you have?

And you don't even appreciate it?

Did I ask for any of this?

Never play football again.

Never play football again!

Kid! Kid!

Whose child is he? He just fainted!

-Kid! -Son!

Son!

Son, are you alright?

Doctor! Doctor!

-Come with me! Hurry! -He fainted! Where to?

Wanxing,

why are you here?

To see you.

Thank you for tutoring them in math and physics.

Wen Chengye didn't come today.

I know.

He probably won't be coming anymore.

No wonder the class seemed so out of it.

From what I gathered,

they're looking for someone to replace Wen Chengye

but haven't found anyone yet.

Here.

For me?

This is for you too.

Come on, hop on.

I'll take you somewhere.

Where?

You'll see.

Here it is.

Do you remember this place?

Of course.

Back in school, whenever we had a break,

we'd come sit here for a whole afternoon.

And sneak glances at cute guys.

You were the one sneaking.

Here.

See that?

Glove puppets.

When we were kids,

you loved watching glove puppet shows.

I remember you used to come over to my place all the time

to watch the old man next door carve wooden puppets.

Do you still like them?

I haven't played with them in ages.

Happy New Year.

The sun rises above this wilderness.

This place has changed so much.

Not that much.

Aren't Ju Li and Lin Wanxing

still sitting together, playing?

Come here.

Thank you, Li.

Here?

Come on, do it.

Seal released.

The past can never be changed

or erased.

But the future will always be waiting for you.

Don't worry.

Lin Wanxing will keep moving forward.

Good girl.

Come on, let me walk you up.

Looks like I won't have to.

-Bye. -Be careful on your way home.

Out for a night run?

No.

You're back late.

Li saw I wasn't in a good mood,

so she took me somewhere.

Still because of them?

Worried about their uncertain future?

♪ Two souls aligned ♪

Well,

any words of wisdom, Mr. Coach?

♪ In silent gravity ♪

♪ Heal my heart ♪

♪ With every part of you ♪

It's flickering.

Just pretend it's a star.

♪ Our words flow ♪

Make a wish.

♪ A gentle stream ♪

♪ They glow like fireflies ♪

♪ Inside a silken dream ♪

♪ We talk the cool night, breeze away ♪

I wish

our team could come together

and that we could all make it to the next round.

♪ We trace the roads ♪

I don't want to give up.

♪ That never see an end ♪

♪ We softly calm the hidden doubt ♪

♪ Seen in each other's eyes ♪

♪ And wake the warmth inside ♪

♪ Life begins alone ♪

♪ A road we walk alone ♪

♪ Until fate brings warmth ♪

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♪ To light our way back home ♪

Then, thank you, Coach Wang.

♪ True love is not just ♪

Come on.

Let's not head home just yet.

♪ The gaze when two hearts first meet ♪

I want to take you somewhere.

♪ It's courage in the arms ♪

Grandma.

Teachers.

Sorry to bother you, Grandma.

We came to have a chat with Fu Xinshu.

He's inside.

Go on in.

Thank you, Grandma.

Excuse us.

How's your ankle?

Much better.

Actually, today

we have something to discuss with you.

Qin Ao and the others

are planning to give up on Wen Chengye

and find another substitute player.

Ms. Lin, actually,

I've already thought about this.

Honestly, I don't really care

whether he bumped me on purpose.

What I want to know is whether he actually wanted to win.

I don't want to play football

with someone who doesn't want to win.

It'll only drag the whole team down.

We'll talk about that later

during the team review.

Ms. Lin and I came today

to ask you about something else.

Is there some unresolved issue

between you and Wen Chengye?

I've been watching you two for a while.

Wen Chengye clearly cares a lot about you,

but at the same time

seems to have some grievance against you.

Fu Xinshu,

tell us the truth.

Before the match,

did something happen between you and Wen Chengye?

What I also want to know is—

why is it so easy for you to set him off?

Actually, it all goes back to when we were kids.

Since it was his birthday that day,

why didn't you go?

Be...

Because that day, my...

my parents...

It's okay.

If it's too hard to say,

then don't force yourself.

But there's something I want you to know.

Wen Chengye joined the team—

and keeps targeting you—

for more than just his love of football.

A big part of it is that he's waiting for your answer.

He wants an answer from you.

It's really important to him.

Ms. Lin, I know you're about to say

that he must have his own reasons for not saying it.

But today, I'm here to push you, Fu Xinshu.

Wen Chengye really cares about that "why."

He's not a sociopath.

He's just paranoid and lonely.

Your silence

is very cruel to him.

Fu Xinshu, I know

you're the one who wants the best for the team.

If you don't want to say,

I'm sure you have your reasons.

But the day you got hurt,

he was hurt pretty badly too.

And he still rushed to the hospital

to wait for your news.

If you guys have the chance,

you two should sit down and have a proper talk.

Rest early.

Don't dwell on it tonight.

How about...

we grab a drink?

Fu Xinshu still wouldn't tell us the reason.

Maybe it's just too heavy

for him.

But as long as Wen Chengye's grievance remains unresolved,

the team will always be

sitting on a ticking time bomb.

We can't keep pushing Xinshu either.

If we push him any harder,

he'll only shut down even more.

We'll have to find another way.

Maybe we need to get them to stop.

Stop focusing on their opponents

and stop dwelling on old grudges.

Just look back

and think about why they stepped onto the pitch in the first place.

"Never forget why you started,

and you'll reach the end."

I'll give it a try.

Let me say something.

[Little Savage Tribe]

Everyone, I want you to complete a reflection assignment.

Answer this question with complete honesty:

Why do you play football?

You have a week

to give me an answer.

I hope it works.

Guess they're not coming

while we're down a player.

And no one even turned in the assignment.

That did nothing at all.

Understandable.

A team of 10 isn't really a complete team.

[Group B Round 3 Match Schedule; This Sunday]

[at 2 PM, Hongjing No. 8 High School vs. Chuncheng Xinpeng.]

[Round 3; Group B Group Stage]

[Group B Group Stage]

[Hongjing No. 8 High School vs. Chuncheng Xinpeng]

The date for the match against Chuncheng Xinpeng is set.

If we only have 10 players,

are we bound to lose?

Especially when the team is so divided.

Leave it to me,

Ms. Lin.

[Little Savage Tribe]

Everyone to the field. Now.

Hello, Coach.

Coach.

-Hello, Coach. -Hello, Coach.

-Hello, Coach. -Coach.

Coach,

we've already seen the schedule.

If we lose again, we're out for good.

With just 10 of us, there's no way we can win.

Maybe...

we should just stop training.

We suck.

Come on.

Play a match with me.

Press him over here!

Go, Coach!

Carry us!

Close him down! Close him down!

I can't stop him!

I've got it; I'll cover.

Me too!

Coach, I'm behind you!

Coach is a beast!

-Let's double-team him. -Okay!

-Coach, take the pass! -Go!

Coach is ridiculously good!

I can't catch him!

Feng Suo, you're up!

We won!

Over to you!

Quick! Stop the coach!

So fast!

Nice shot!

-Nice shot! -Feels like we got carried, doesn't it?

Coach is way too fast.

I can't even react.

Coach is seriously incredible.

He's impossible to defend.

Totally impossible.

Coach, that goal was amazing.

So awesome, Coach!

Coach doesn't even need us to cover for him when he attacks.

If our team had someone like him,

how could we have lost to Yongchuan Hengjiu?

Coach should just play forward.

Who are you talking to?

We already have someone like him.

Are you kidding me, bro?

Looks like Fu Xinshu gets it now.

I've got the game tape ready.

Take your time watching it when you get back.

Everyone, look at Wen Chengye's movement off the ball.

He didn't seem to be kicking randomly.

-He did it himself... -He quickly anticipated

the opponent's next move.

-Yeah. -Seems like...

the same movement Coach used today, right?

If we'd passed the ball to him then,

wouldn't we have scored?

Crashed into him that hard?

My foot!

-Fu! -Fu!

-He jumped to block the ball? -Seems like it.

Did he really not notice Fu was charging in too?

-Yeah. -Probably not.

Then we misunderstood him.

His last kick

didn't seem intentional, right?

Definitely not.

When Wen Chengye took that hit in the first half,

it looked like he was injured just as badly as Fu.

True.

Well.

Then why didn't he say anything?

Because even if he had,

none of us would've listened.

So why bother?

I was so nice to him during that "vegetable-planting" drill.

We even dragged him to take photos together, right?

Right.

Indeed.

It's because of me.

What does it have to do with you, Fu?

Stop making it about yourself.

Let's bring Wen Chengye back.

I'll go find him tomorrow.

I'll go talk to him myself.

I'm sorry.

If that's all, I'm going back to eating.

C-Can we talk outside?

I'll wait for you outside.

Go ahead.

Well...

Can you come back to the team?

We all know now.

You weren't playing recklessly before.

We misunderstood you.

Everyone feels terrible about it.

So you're here on everyone's behalf, asking me to come back?

Come back.

The team needs you.

I see. Without me on the team,

your dumb teammates were struggling so much

they couldn't even keep playing,

and that's why you came to ask me to come back.

They're not dumb.

Right.

They're not dumb.

I'm the dumb one.

Give up.

I'm not coming back.

Wen Chengye,

if you're still hung up

on what happened between us as kids...

You wouldn't say a word before, no matter what.

But now, for their sake, you're willing to talk about it?

I don't want to hear it.

Wen Chengye!

Let go!

Didn't you already give up on me?

I'm sorry.

Qin Ao,

where's that fire you had when you wanted to hit me?

Softening up now?

Coward.

♪ There's nothing to fear ♪

♪ Because you're with me ♪

♪ The light shimmers ♪

♪ Brilliant as stars ♪