"I think it's normal for Brother Lin to lead the team to win the Chinese Super League championship. He showed great coaching talent when he was still playing football... Anyway, I heard that after he led the team to win the championship,
I'm not very surprised...happy? Of course I am happy. I am very happy to meet Lin Ge in the Club World Cup...I haven't seen him for a long time. The last time I saw him was..."
In front of the camera, Hu Lai raised his eyes to look at the sky at a 45-degree angle. After a pause of about two seconds, he looked down at the camera lens again and said to a row of microphones with a serious expression:
"Same as last time."
The camera lens shook.
"The camera is actually handheld, I thought it was placed on a tripod..." Yu Daisong looked at this news picture and couldn't help but complain.
The restaurant was filled with a happy atmosphere, and everyone was amused by Hu Lai's answer just now.
Liu Yan and Wang Zijian, former teammates of the Olympic team, also gathered together and complained softly: "Fuck! I guess only Hu Lai dares to tease Brother Lin..."
Qin Lin, who was also dining in the restaurant, was also laughing.
He laughed and shook his head.
Then the assistant coach next to him asked him: "When was the last time you met?"
Qin Lin also raised his head and thought for a while, then said:
"Last time."
"..." The coaches at the table were all speechless - What? Can Hu Lai's special temperament be transmitted through the TV screen? I have never seen Qin Lin like this before...
Seeing everyone like this, Qin Lin laughed loudly: "You're kidding. The last time I saw him was before the World Cup... Oh, strictly speaking, it was during the World Cup qualifiers, in 2025. At that time, he returned to Dongchuan from the UK, and then
The national team had a top-12 match against Australia, and he came to Jincheng a few days in advance. On the one hand, he visited Zhao to guide them, and on the other hand, he also trained with Flash Star to maintain his condition. At that time, he invited a few of them to my house for dinner
Had a meal..."
As he narrated, Qin Lin's eyes gradually deepened, as if his whole person was immersed in the memory of that time.
It wasn't until he finished speaking that his eyes gradually returned to clarity.
"...It seems like we didn't meet again after that."
"Four years?"
"Yes, it's been four years. It's short or long. It's exactly the same as a World Cup cycle." Qin Lin nodded.
Four years is actually a short period of time, just the time between two World Cups.
But four years is a long time, because a lot of things have happened in these four years, and everyone has changed a lot.
He has gone from an ordinary coach with Anton Shining Star to a "championship coach" who is now leading the South China Tigers to win the Chinese Super League again.
Hu Lai has changed even more, from a "hope of the whole village" who just went abroad to study abroad, to a top star who can compete with Melli and Kabangka, the former outstanding players of the younger generation.
Chinese football has experienced earth-shaking changes in the past four years.
More and more players are going abroad and gradually taking on leading roles in their respective clubs, becoming a "Chinese force" that no one dares to ignore in European football.
Like the country they are in, their influence is increasing rapidly.
Seeing the current progress and achievements of Chinese football, Qin Lin, an "old man" who has experienced the darkest moments of Chinese football, always feels like he is dreaming.
He always believed that as long as everyone worked hard, the day would come when Chinese football would stand among the nations of the world.
For this reason, he has been ridiculed by many people as an "optimist".
But even though he was as happy as he was, he never thought that this day would come so quickly.
Some people say that this is because Chinese football has insisted on deepening reforms since 2015 and finally ushered in the "golden generation".
But every time Qin Lin hears others say this, he can't help but think of that day on July 3, 2022.
He, Hu Lai, and another new player who had just transferred to Anton Shining Stars sat on the stage and were interviewed by Anton local media.
At that time, he didn't know who Hu Lai was, and he had never even heard of this person's name before.
Until the other party said at the press conference that he grew up watching him play football...
Qin Lin finally got to know Hu Lai for the first time, and mentally labeled the boy as "glib-tongued".
Although Qin Lin cooperated with Hu Lai's performance in front of media reporters, his impression of Hu Lai was not good.
Unexpectedly, during the team training, Hu Lai's attitude and cleverness made Qin Lin's opinion of him improve again.
Training is really hard and serious, and I can endure hardships.
Unlike some of his peers who cheat and show off, and complain when they are a little bit tired or tired. In terms of training attitude, Hu Lai is indeed in line with the aesthetics of Qin Lin, an "old-school player".
Cleverness means that he can always find gaps and opportunities on the court that others cannot find.
Now Qin Lin roughly knew why the club wanted to sign this young man.
But Qin Lin still didn't think Hu Lai could achieve much.
until……
Needless to say the subsequent story, Hu Lai conquered everyone with his unstoppable goals one after another, including Qin Lin.
Now thinking back to the first time he and Hu Lai met, Qin Lin found it funny.
At that time, no one, including myself, probably thought that that glib kid would become a football hero in this country...
Hero, what an amazing title.
But at that time, he was really more like... a "connected person".
Who could have imagined how much craze he would create in the future, how many people he would inspire, and how many people’s beliefs he would strengthen...
The raging fire that has now burned through the entire Chinese football world was really just an insignificant little spark in the beginning.
In the pitch black darkness, it was so inconspicuous that no one noticed it at all.
When history happens, people often don't realize it because they are in history.
Only when I look back and summarize, do I realize how... extraordinary that once ordinary moment was.
Qin Lin no longer talked about the topic with Hu Lai. He just lowered his head and ate his food. Some of the coaches at the same table still turned to look at the TV screen and continued to watch the news report of the Madrid Pirates team arriving in Lingnan City.
※※※
"...This morning, the whole team of the UEFA Champions League champion team Madrid Pirates took a plane and landed at Lingnan Yunshan International Airport... They just finished the last group match of the Champions League against Insubre and flew directly from Milan, Italy.
Boarding the plane to fly to China... Every Madrid Pirates player who appeared in the camera could not hide the exhaustion on his face. They were warmly welcomed by the fans at the airport, and Hu Lai was naturally the most popular one...
"Although he was very tired, Hu Lai still accepted an interview with our reporter at the airport. He said that he has very deep feelings for Lingnan, because strictly speaking, this is the birthplace of his first national championship in football career...
"
Hu Lai original sound:
"...I won my first national championship here...it was the high school national championship. That was my first national championship. Also, my youth team also played for Poseidon, and I also
I have lived here for a year. I am very familiar with Lingnan and like it very much..."
"Hey." Xie Lan, who was holding a mobile phone, couldn't help but said when he saw this, "I thought he was going to say thank you to that Sunzi director again..."
"It's not necessary. He still mentions that person now, but he is exalting him." Hu Lixin said.
"Look, who still remembers that person? He has disappeared a long time ago, right? I remember the last time I saw his name, it seemed to be a news about occupying a seat on the high-speed rail. He was the person who occupied the seat... and then there was no trace of him anymore.
I've seen it before, whether it's football news or social news. It's good to be forgotten by everyone."
Just as Hu Lixin finished speaking, the phone in his hand vibrated, and a message came to remind him that the plane he was on had begun boarding.
So he stood up and pulled up his suitcase, and at the same time said to his wife: "Let's go to the boarding gate."
"Boarding?" Xie Lan hadn't finished reading the news yet, and was still a little reluctant to leave.
"Well, let's start boarding."
"We've just started boarding? Don't worry, right? Isn't there a battery car sent to the boarding gate?" Xie Lan still stayed on the sofa and didn't want to leave.
"Don't always think about riding in the car or walking. Exercise more. It will be good for your health."
After speaking, Hu Lixin pulled the suitcase and walked in front.
Xie Lan had no choice but to put on his backpack and follow behind while looking at his phone.
The two people walked out of the first-class waiting room and walked towards the boarding gate.
They want to fly from Jincheng to Lingnan to watch the Club World Cup semi-final between Madrid Pirates and Lingnan Tigers and cheer for their son.
In the airport departure hall, many of the screens that can be seen everywhere are playing football news:
"... In the games that have ended this year, Hu Lai has scored a total of 98 goals, only two goals away from breaking the 100-goal mark. And with three games left this year, Hu Lai has
With Lai's current state, it is certain that he will set a jaw-dropping record... The only suspense left is in which game he will break the 100 mark..."
