There are no lights in the room, only the skylight from outside comes through the gauze in front of the window.
The room was quiet until the alarm clock on the phone rang, breaking the silence.
A hand reached out from the quilt on the bed and touched the mobile phone on the bedside table. He picked it up, looked at it, turned off the alarm clock, and put it back on the bedside table.
Everything became quiet again.
However, this kind of silence only lasted for about ten seconds, and was completely ended by the friction sound made by the quilt.
A figure sat up from the bed, and most of his body was plunged into darkness. At the height of his head, there was a faint starlight, which was the dim light outside the room reflected in his pupils.
Then he turned to look at the sky behind the thin gauze curtain. The light from outside illuminated half of his face. There was a look of confusion on his face that was not yet awake, as if to say, "Where is this?"
At this moment, a voice came from outside the camera: "OK."
Immediately afterwards, the lights in the room turned bright.
The director of the CCTV crew gave a thumbs up to the person on the bed: "Okay, Hu Lai. The way you picked up your phone and turned off the alarm clock, then put it down to continue sleeping is so detailed. I thought you were going to get up directly."
Hu Lai scratched his head, his hair was a little messier after sleeping on it: "Doesn't that look fake? Who can wake up with just one alarm clock?"
The director laughed: "Oh, I think you could be an actor if you didn't play football. With your acting skills and understanding... there's nothing to say!"
Hu Lai shook his head: "I really didn't expect that documentaries would also be filmed..."
"Some are scene re-enactments. After all, we can't set up a machine next to your bed to film you all night, right? If we want to film you getting up, we can only reshoot after you actually get up." The director explained.
Just ten minutes ago, when Hu Lai got up and washed up, he sent Yong Jun a WeChat message to inform him.
Soon the film crew rushed into his room carrying machines and asked him to lie back on the bed to film this scene. Hu Lai woke up from bed in the early morning for the first time in Leeds City.
"Then let's film me washing next?" Hu Lai asked proactively.
"Okay. Get ready to start!"
At the director's order, the lights in the room were turned off again, and the room returned to its previous dim state.
Hu Lai opened the quilt and jumped out of bed.
The camera focused on his feet, only filming the part below the calf, and followed his feet from the window to the bathroom of the hotel room.
The sound of water sounded.
※※※
The alarm clock on the mobile phone suddenly rang in the room, and a hand reached out from the bed to grab it. After turning off the alarm clock, he jumped up from the bed like a carp.
He jumped out of bed and rushed to the door, opened the door, and then knocked on the doors of the other two rooms one by one:
"Get up! Get up!"
"Brothers, wake up!!"
Then he rushed back to his room to get dressed.
Before he could put on his clothes, the doors of the other two rooms were opened one after another, revealing two sleepy heads. They said in a very resentful tone to the room where the door was opened: "Wang Haoxi, why are you crazy..."
"That's right, what time is it?"
Wang Haoxi put on a sweatshirt on himself and walked outside: "Did I say you were all confused? Have you forgotten what we are going to do today? Hu Lai! Hu Lai's joining ceremony!"
His two roommates said helplessly: "Does Hu Lai's joining ceremony need to start at seven o'clock in the morning?"
"We have to go early to get a good seat!" Wang Haoxi jumped up and down excitedly.
The two roommates looked at each other, retracted their heads helplessly, and closed the door again.
When they all changed clothes and came out, Wang Haoxi was stepping on the armrest of the sofa and taking down the Chinese flag hanging on the wall.
"Why do you have to stand in the front row? In addition to making it easier to ask Hu Lai for an autograph, you also have to let him see this!"
Wang Haoxi shook the flag he took off, spread it flat on the wooden floor, folded it and put it in his backpack.
※※※
Hu Lai and Yong Jun, who had already had breakfast at the hotel, walked towards the black Buick business car parked outside. There was a half circle of photographers surrounding them, using different equipment to shoot. There was also someone who stretched the microphone above Hu Lai's head.
, to receive the sound.
Yong Jun said to Hu Lai as he walked: "The results of yesterday's physical examination report came out, and there is no problem at all. The last obstacle to signing the contract is gone."
Hu Lai is still a little regretful: "I was not said to be 'as strong as an ox'? Doesn't every player receive such an evaluation during his physical examination?"
Yong Jun was speechless: "What are you thinking? Your figure has nothing to do with a cow..."
While talking, the two people walked out of the hotel door and were greeted by Matt Dawn, who was standing next to the business car: "Good morning, Hu. Did you sleep well last night?"
Hu Lai shook hands with him: "It's good, I don't choose the bed."
Matt smiled and said: "I will write an email to Sports Rangers and suggest that they increase your adaptability to more than fifteen in the data update in March. In my previous save file, you also suffered from homesickness...
"
Hu Lai laughed, and then thought of his parents in China, and the shared villa that was always bustling with activity.
No matter how hard or tiring the training is every day, as long as I go back to the house with my friends, it seems to be a happy time, bickering with Brother Huan and the others, bullying Morikawa, who is the second grader, and playing games to decide who is in charge.
Housework, who is responsible for paying the water and electricity bills this month...
Now all this is gone. It's just him and Uncle Yong in a distant, strange country and strange city. But Uncle Yong obviously can't play with him, or even stay here with him all the time.
So in the end I have to face it alone.
His smile disappeared from his face.
I do feel a little homesick...
Matt saw the change in Hu Lai's expression and wondered if his joke had the opposite effect. He quickly asked: "Are you okay, Hu?"
After coming back to his senses, Hu Lai managed the expression on his face again, smiled and said to Matt: "No problem, Matt. I do feel a little homesick, because I have my parents and many friends in my hometown."
"My parents can't help it." Matt spread his hands, "But I think you will have friends here soon. Let's get in the car."
Hu Lai smiled at Matt, and got into the car with Yong Jun.
Then a photographer from the film crew followed up with a lightweight SLR camera and sat in the car to continue shooting.
Matt opened the passenger door, got in and closed the door: "Then let's go to Flanders Stadium!"
※※※
The camera's surveillance screen showed Hu Lai turning his head and looking out the car window. He was looking intently at the street scene outside.
Although it wasn't raining, the sky was still gloomy, very characteristic of British winter.
But to be honest, as the day when Chinese football returns to overseas, this weather may not give the audience a good impression.
It will make people feel depressed involuntarily and think of some bad things.
But there is no way, the British winter is like this most of the time, and it is not easy to wait for a sunny day in the British winter.
The black Buick commercial vehicle was driving on the road. They had entered Leeds city, but they still didn't see too many high-rise buildings.
Matt Dawn, who was sitting in the co-pilot and acted as Hu Lai’s guide in Leeds, introduced: “Although Leeds is the third largest city in the UK, it is still very different in size from Jincheng.”
Hu Lai nodded, not really caring about this problem.
Whether a city is big or not, what does it mean to players?
The club owner may consider the relationship between the size of a city and the size of the football market, and thus the relationship with income, but he is a player and only needs to train and play football.
No matter how big the city is, the scope of its activities will only be so wide.
Jincheng's self-media has various propaganda, saying that Jincheng is the vanguard of China's new first-tier cities, how prosperous the city is, where a new park is opened today, and a big international brand will settle in Jincheng's high-end shopping mall tomorrow... These things are related to
Hu Lai has nothing to do with it.
He played football in Jincheng for two and a half years, and spent most of his time in Liucheng District, where the team's training base is located. He has only been to the city center a few times, and he didn't know which way the park door opened.
He has never been to any of the high-end international brands... He has never been to any of the charming new landmarks mentioned in the press release.
Hu Lai, who was still curiously looking at the street scene outside the car, suddenly saw a gray two-story building.
Hu Lai has seen a lot of small buildings of this style on this trip, and they are residential houses that can be seen everywhere in Leeds.
But what makes this small building different from other small buildings around it is that there is a huge human head painted on the wall facing the street corner.
It was an old man who looked energetic. Although his hair was gray, his eyes were sharply watching the people and cars passing by on the street.
"Who is that?" Hu Lai asked curiously.
"Ah..." Matt Dawn was a little embarrassed, but he still introduced this person to Hu Lai. "Lauren Galli, he used to be the head coach of Leeds City. He coached in Leeds City for ten years.
For three years, he is the longest-serving head coach of Leeds City. He led Leeds City to successfully promote to the Premier League in the 2022-2023 season. It was the first time Leeds City participated in the Premier League, and he helped
The team successfully avoided relegation..."
"No wonder he was painted on the wall." Hu Lai nodded and understood.
"Yes, he has a high status in the hearts of Leeds City fans." Matt also said. This is nothing to admit. He can be an employee of the Premier League team, and he must also thank this old man for leading the team two seasons ago.
Leeds City has succeeded in reaching the Premier League...
After that, he added: "Hu, I believe that one day, you will also be painted on the exterior wall of their house by Leeds City fans..."
"Thank you Matt, that's too far away. It's only my first day here..."
"No, it's not far away. In the future, we will definitely be able to write our names in the history books of this city." Matt Dawn clenched his fists and said, not knowing that he was trying to impress Hu Lai.
He is still encouraging himself. After all, the current situation of his good friend Tony Clark in the team is not optimistic.
"Yeah." Hu Lai hesitated and continued to observe this strange city.
He cares more about the present than the future - what will the city where he is about to live and work look like?
On the exterior walls of the houses facing the street, he can often see various graffiti, many of which contain elements of Leeds City Football Club, such as the abbreviation of Leeds City Football Club "LCFC" and the Leeds City team emblem - in yellow
In the middle of the V-shaped coat of arms is an abstract fist, as if it is beating on the heart. At the same time, it also looks a bit like the symbol of West Yorkshire, where Leeds is located - the white rose. Above the coat of arms is the name of Leeds City Club:
"LEEDS CITY", the ribbon under the coat of arms is the club's sports: "FOOTBALL CLUB", and the bottom is the time when the club was established, "1928"
There are traces of football everywhere in this city, and there are traces of Leeds City Football Club everywhere.
He also saw some teenagers wearing Leeds City yellow jerseys playing football on the street.
There was a child holding a football on the roadside and looking curiously at the commercial vehicle passing in front of him. He wondered if he saw Hu Lai in the car window.
This is the cultural atmosphere of Britain, the birthplace of modern football.
Although Leeds City is not a traditional giant with a brilliant record, nor is it a down-and-out powerhouse that has left a mark in the history of English football.
Founded in 1928, they do not have a long history in the history of English football. After the establishment of the national league system in England, they have only won the third-level league championship once, and there is no championship of sufficient weight. The top league in England
The competition history is only two seasons - the last two seasons.
In the history of England's top league, Leeds City are truly unknown, and no one cares about them except their own fans.
They do not have a large number of overseas fans, nor do they have many glorious pasts worth talking about, but people here still love and support this team. Because this is their hometown team and carries this city.
Emotions and memories of generations in this area.
These emotions have nothing to do with memories or the team's achievements. They just come to the stadium stands with their family and friends every afternoon, whether it rains or not, to cheer for their hometown team and cheer non-stop for ninety minutes.
Enjoy the joy of victory with the team, or chew the bitterness of defeat. The carnival of promotion, the sadness of relegation, cheering for victory, crying for defeat, these emotions have appeared repeatedly in the team's nearly 100 years, and this building
The lives of everyone in the city are closely related and integrated.
Mentioning a certain time, they would say: "Ah... I remember that the team was relegated that year, and they played really poorly, with only a few good games. My girlfriend and I also broke up at that time.
, what the hell..."
"When I was 30 years old, I had my first child, the team was successfully promoted, and we finally won. I still remember George. His goal in the key game for promotion was really the best I have ever seen in my life.
beautiful!"
…
And many more memories like this.
Football is not a window-dressing project to embellish political achievements, nor is it a tool for businessmen to rack their brains to make money. Instead, it is like air, permeating every corner of the city, and like blood, in every corner of the city.
flows in the human body.
Man cannot live without air, nor can he live without flowing blood.