I'm Carlos Ruvio.

Sister Rosa told me that I was born on August 27, 1988, in the sunny summer of the Iberian Peninsula.

The nun was a kind and wise person, and she always told me to be full of expectations, but I never met them.

Until Bella's appearance.

I met this girl on the small playground of training, and that day was the day when the Chinese consulate came to the orphanage to condole, and I didn't go because I didn't like the feeling of being given alms. Charity is not one's own after all, it is like home, just like companionship.

A long, long time later, I still have a deep impression of her at that time, with her green gauze dress, black hair, fair skin, beautiful facial features, she is like a real doll living in the world, how beautiful.

She called me many times and I ignored her, she was such a warm-hearted little girl, and she told me her name when we met for the first time. She chirped like a little sparrow, but probably because her voice was so soft that I was a little reluctant to let her go away, and it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to me like this and smiled at me.

I was practicing endurance and running for long periods with sandbags strapped to my calves. I love football, even though the teachers at school said I had no talent, I still insisted on practicing on my own, and it was hard to live without guidance, but I had to keep going.

Bella told me that it wasn't right for me to do that. She said some proper nouns, which I didn't understand, but my gut told me that she was right, and I sat there thinking for a while, and told her my name, and her eyes seemed to light up, and the shadows of the trees shone on her face, but her smile still sparkled, and I didn't dare to look into her eyes, so I could only lower my head and play football.

She happily said many, many more words, all obscure, and I tried to try to write them down, because soon the girl would disappear from my world and I would have to continue practicing football.

After she finished speaking, I wanted to thank her for smiling and sparkling like her.

But I hadn't laughed in a long time, and I moved the corners of my mouth to see that it was all stiff.

When Bella made a move, I subconsciously took a step back and remained defensive, but she just wanted to teach me to laugh.

I finally laughed out loud after trying a few times, she gave me a warm hug, how warm was it? I don't know, I just know that in the end, I hugged her back, I wanted to hug her a little longer, but her friend came to call her, in a language I didn't know.

Oh, this girl is so far away from me. I gently let her go and returned to the runway to continue practicing my shooting.

Look, I said, she's going to disappear from my world soon.

But to my surprise, Bella actually came back, and she bounced and gave me a new soccer ball and a water glass, which were all things I desperately needed, and before I could say no, she had already run away, and before leaving, she told me—

"You're playing great football, you're talented, trust me."

It was the first time I had been recognized, and I was a little overwhelmed, and finally, I untied the sandbag that was tied to my calf.

Later, I thought, maybe it was that moment that changed my life.

Bella began to come to me and teach me the basics of football, and I would often watch her come like an angel from another distant country that I didn't know about, taking me out of the cold ice fields and into the disturbing but warm world.

Her voice is very sweet, and when she laughs happily, two small pear vortices will be revealed; When she thinks, there will be a light like a star in her eyes; She was very fond of roses and liked to smell the scent of flowers; She is very patient in everything she does, and when she speaks, a strand of her long hair falls out.

I unconsciously pay attention to her, and every day while waiting at the bus stop, I always get my hair neatly up, and I hope that it will be the way she likes it.

When I took her around Las Ramblas, she asked the wandering painter to paint a picture for me, it was very beautiful, I never knew that I would be so clean and warm in the eyes of others, Bella smiled at me, she named the painting "Pretty Boy", this title was given to me by the children in the orphanage to mock me, but at that time, I realized that this can also be a compliment.

I kept the painting very well for all the years that followed, I framed it again and again, hung it in my room, and when I woke up in the morning, the sun would shine on the painting, and the boy in the painting would tell me that I was warm and clean, that this is who Bella would like, that I wanted to be the most important person.

I think that's probably what Mother Rosa said, my expectations.

And this doll with black hair brought me another special expectation -

Invitation to La Masia's Academy.

A legendary football training school, the cradle of countless talents.

I finally knew why Bella was always busy all this time, and I finally understood the meaning of the look in Bella's eyes as she watched me shoot.

Like she said to me when we first met -

"You're playing great football, you're talented, trust me."

She didn't just talk about it, she really believed that I had talent, she brought this strange man to me and gave me a ticket to La Masia.

I suddenly didn't know what to say, football was my dream for a long time, and at this moment, it seemed to have a new meaning, and at the same time, it also made me more determined.

I walked into La Masia on a sunny day, when the sky was blue, the wind was salty and wet, and I had no relatives to see me off, but Bella came, and when we parted, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on my dimple.

I'm so glad I have such a dimple that fills her sweet scent.

As I walked into the farm with the crowd, I touched my cheek and told myself that I would be the brightest star because I didn't want to disappoint Bella.

I passed the medical and the tryout with ease, and the Academy directors were so optimistic that they took my luggage out of the orphanage and when they put Pretty Boy on the wall, I knew I had made a home here.

I work hard every day, I do all kinds of training during the day and teach professional football knowledge at night, I am in awe of the vast football world, and I understand more that Bella and my world are as far away as heaven and earth.

Vela would come to see me in the academy and she wouldn't say anything, she would sit quietly in the audience, clapping or giving me a thumbs up from time to time, and the boys at the U17s would say she was my little girlfriend and that I was so lucky, and I was sweet and apprehensive.

On August 27 of that year, Bella came to me with a potted plant, the heart-shaped leaves were very beautiful, Bella told me that it was the first birthday gift for me, it was called pothos, and the flower language was tenacity, kindness, and happiness.

I haven't had a birthday in years, so long that I've forgotten about myself, I once had a blonde doll with a missing leg, and on my birthday, the naughty boy in the yard threw it into the river, and I never had a birthday again.

But when Bella held the potted plant and blessed me in a red dress, I seemed to hear the sound of flowers blooming.

Bella made me longevity noodles and took me to put the river lantern, I couldn't bear the beautiful river lantern, and after Bella left, I waded into the water and took it back.

When I arrived at the dormitory, the U17 coaches and players came in with birthday cakes, and the small dormitory was packed, and they smiled and blessed me. After seven years of absence, I once again have the right to be blessed by everyone.

Mother Rosa was right when she said that people have expectations, and the seven-year gap was filled by this girl, and I had even greater expectations.

An expectation that wants to say but doesn't dare to say.

Bella's birthday was approaching, and I gave her a pearl bracelet, for which I had saved up for a long time, and every day, every day, I fantasized about the appearance of this chain on her thin white wrist.

In the winter, when she sat in the audience and waved, the bracelet was shining, and I thought maybe we were a little bit closer.

I trained harder and applied to the supervisor to skip a grade, in the match, I chose the number three jersey, Vela was invited by me to watch the game, but for many reasons I was finally judged not to be eligible, Bella anxiously and worriedly comforted me, I knew that I was a little bit away from my expectations, not a football dream, but a desire for love.

The academy stopped training for me and I didn't know why, but the director looked at me with pity and distress.

I wandered around Columbus Square every day until Vela found me, she took me to see the La Liga match that year, I still remember, it was a crucial match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, tens of thousands of people sang "Carol to Barcelona" at the Camp Nou, I turned my head to look at Bella, she sang to the beat, and from the pear vortex she raised, I knew that she still believed that I would be a talented player.

Because of her, I learned to compromise and I asked my supervisor to start playing again, and after signing the contract, I was back on the pitch.

Bella started to care more about me, she tutored me, and I had my own thoughts, deliberately giving Spanish literature a bad test in the exam. When she returned to China, I found a Chinese tutor, Shen Ke, who explained to me the meaning of Bella's Chinese name.

Qingjia means beautiful.

Just like her.

I also wanted to have a Chinese name, a Chinese name with a strong meaning, so that we could be a little closer again.

When she came back to Barcelona, I confessed to her, she was flustered, she seemed to be overwhelmed, the first time I saw her like this, she was resisting me.

We hadn't seen each other for a long time, Bella avoided me, avoided me, and I was unwilling to ask her to watch my ball game.

But a rainstorm hit, and the lack of spikes made me suffer, and I failed in front of her again.

But this time, she still didn't give up on me, she asked someone to give me a pair of blue and white spikes, and began to accompany me to train carefully.

I know she cares a little bit about me, too.

I asked Oleg to learn how to draw, I wanted to draw every moment of her, I wanted to draw her smile that cared about me.

But before I could learn it, Bella told me that she was leaving to go to a distant land, across the ocean.

I have no right to stop her from leaving, and I know that once we part, maybe the gap between us will get bigger and bigger, or maybe, she will forget me.

I made an impulsive decision and ran to get a tattoo.

I'm going to tattoo her name on my chest so that I don't forget her.

She can have her better future and I will wait.

She can have her sweeter lover, and I will wait.

She can have her happier life, I will wait.

What are you waiting for? Wait for an indefinite number of returns, wait for an agreement without expectations, and wait for a love without an ending.

But I still want to wait, at least let me have the right to wait, because it's you, I can do it.

On the day she left, I went to the Canaleste Springs and filled a glass of water, and when she drank it, I thought to myself that she would one day return to Barcelona.

I became a person again, but the pothos at the head of the bed grew more and more vigorous, and the paintings on the wall still smiled shyly.

I bought a picture book and drew a picture of her every day.

The training pressure in the academy is getting more and more intense, the coaches and supervisors have high expectations for me, and a lot of people start to anesthetize themselves with alcohol and femininity, and they will invite me graciously and I will turn it down with a cold face.

Because I hope that when she looks back at me, I will still be a warm and clean teenager.

The talent and hard work earned me a place for the Under-19s and the Spanish National Youth League that year, and I flew to the United States before the tournament and had the courage to see her for the first time. We haven't seen each other for two years, no phone calls, no letters, no MSN.

I know her contact details, I know her address, but I'm afraid I'm not good enough to stand in front of her.

I smiled at her when she called my name in a dress with a big phoenix flower.

She was more beautiful than I had ever imagined, and she had not forgotten me.

I had the audacity to invite her to come and watch my game, and she didn't refuse.

I know that all my waiting, waiting for a girl's heart.

Out of the humble wasteland, a flower blossomed.

On the night I won the championship for Barça's youth team, Vela responded to me, and she made a lot of requests, and I nodded yes, but what she didn't know was that because I liked her, I was used to them.

I'm used to seeing her alone, loving her alone, and dreaming of her alone.

That year, I made a name for myself in football, and when I walked out of La Masia, the supervisor gave me my medical report for that year.

The report showed that I had a rare low-risk depression.

The director said, I wish you success.

I nodded to him and left the farm, and that night I signed the contract that Barcelona had given me and officially entered the world of professional football.

Before going to bed, I touched the tattoo on my chest and everything was getting better.