Xie Lan was standing on the bus stop waiting for the bus. After moving to a new home, it was a little far away from her workplace.
However, Dongchuan, a fourth-tier small city, is only so big. Even if it is a little further away, it is not that far away. It used to be five stops by bus, but now it is ten stops. It is only one stop seven or eight hundred meters away. Five more stops is not much.
How many.
Now that the Spring Festival is approaching, there are still a lot of people and cars on the streets.
Dongchuan is a small city, and it is close to Jincheng, the capital of Andong Province. Many people usually work, study and live in Jincheng, and they will return to their hometowns during long holidays such as the Spring Festival. So when the Spring Festival comes, it becomes like Jincheng.
It is different from a ghost town. During the Spring Festival in Dongchuan, there are many more people and cars than usual.
In addition, people in Jincheng are keen on self-driving tours during the Spring Festival. Dongchuan, which usually does not suffer from traffic jams, is even more prone to traffic jams during the Spring Festival.
In fact, this bus stop is not the closest one to her home, but she still comes to this bus stop every day to wait for the bus to go to work. For this reason, she has to walk nearly an extra kilometer.
Xie Lan was still very happy.
Because there is no light box billboard on the bus stop near her home.
Just behind Xie Lan, in the advertising light box at the bus stop is a huge photo of Hu Lai.
This is an advertisement for a domestic functional drink that he endorses.
In the photo, Hu Lai holds a drink bottle and reminds every tired office worker at every station with a smile: "Lack of energy? Drink Lux!"
At first, Xie Lan was pleasantly surprised when she saw her son's photo on the bus stop in her hometown. Her son told her that he had signed two endorsement contracts, but she didn't expect to see her son's endorsement advertisement on the bus stop in Dongchuan.
.
This gave her a sense of intimacy, so she would rather walk an extra kilometer to wait here for the bus. Seeing her son's smiling face every day was like waiting for the bus with her. It didn't matter how sleepy or tired he was.
In addition to the bus stop, she also saw her son's advertisement in the elevator of the Xinjia elevator apartment.
There are also buses that travel through every corner of the city. On the buses, you can see advertisements for another brand endorsed by Hu Lai, which is the sub-brand of smart home appliances for a local home appliance brand in Andong Province.
When Xie Lan first saw these advertisements, he would take out his mobile phone to take pictures, and then look at them carefully.
I don’t know whether it’s because she misses her son so much, or it’s because of the makeup artist and photographer, but Hu Lai’s biological mother actually thinks her son looks more handsome in the advertisement...
It's a little unfamiliar, but it does look better.
When she later discovered that her son's grinning face could be seen everywhere in the streets, she no longer took out her mobile phone to take photos as before, as if she had never seen the world before.
But she learned to hide in the crowd and eavesdrop on what passers-by said about her son.
It is true that some people think Hu Lai is handsome, which proves that it is not her illusion.
Some people also talked about the championship that Hu Lai brought to Anton Football, which also made Xie Lan, who was mixed in the crowd, feel happy. He felt that he was happier than his employer who had doubled the bonus.
Normally, while waiting for the bus, Xie Lan would have pricked up her ears to eavesdrop on what the passengers waiting for the bus had to say about her son. But today, Xie Lan was not in such a mood, and she was wandering around while waiting for the bus.
Five days ago, in the 22nd round of the Premier League, his son was not selected for the squad and sat on the sidelines.
She was very unhappy at the time, and then gloated and waited to see Leeds City lose, hoping to use failure to let the manager know the importance of her son.
Her husband also criticized her for thinking about harming others and not benefiting herself.
Xie Lan turned a deaf ear. She was not a Leeds City fan to begin with. She was just a mother who supported her son unconditionally. Why did she talk so much truth?
As a result, Leeds City, who did not take Hu Lai to the away game, did not lose at all. Not only did they not lose, they also won!
They defeated Wijston 2:1 away from home.
The game kicked off at 11 pm Beijing time, and it was less than 1 o'clock in the evening. But Xie Lan didn't watch it - what's the fun of watching a game without his own son?
She only found out that Leeds City had won the game when she woke up the next day and heard from her husband.
At that time, she almost didn't eat breakfast, and she felt like she was no longer in a good mood for the day.
Fortunately, in the twenty-third round of the league yesterday, Leeds City finally lost when they returned to home. They lost to Liverpool United 1:3 at home.
The kick-off time of this game was the same as the previous game. Xie Lan watched the whole game in front of the TV, although her son still did not make the squad.
Throughout the live broadcast, she was cheering for Liverpool United, who were wearing blue jerseys, making her husband roll his eyes.
Leeds City lost this game and accumulated 19 points, ranking 18th, third from the bottom, and still in the relegation zone. All the positions that were promoted after winning the last game fell back.
Asking Tony Clark to "outsmart Widgerston" seemed like a waste of time.
At the post-match press conference yesterday, a Chinese reporter asked Clark whether he would consider giving Hu Lai a chance if the team's performance did not improve.
Clark did not answer directly at the time, but said that he would make a decision based on Hulay's physical condition and the opinions of the coaching staff, but he also assured that Hulay would not be too far away from playing.
"Hulay has never played in the European League before, and each of us is helping him adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League as soon as possible."
It's not like Xie Lan has never asked his son on WeChat what's going on. Didn't he say that the coach appreciates him very much? Why did he hide it after he left? It's been twenty days since he joined the team, and it's still...
Never played for even one minute.
What is this thing called?
But Hu Lai's answers every time are: "The coach has the final say" "I listen to the coach" "Mom, don't worry" "Step by step, lay a solid foundation"...
Then her husband, still standing by Hu Lai's side, believed that he should be patient in the early stage, do what he should do well, and let nature take its course when it comes to playing opportunities.
alright?
Xie Lan took out his mobile phone and opened the "Goal" APP. Leeds City's next league match kicked off at 8:30 pm on January 29th, which was the earliest game to kick off in that round of league matches.
And that day is the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Spring Festival.
※※※
"Here, here! Pass the ball!" Hu Lai ran into the space and raised his arms, shouting for the ball.
Fullback Farrak Quinn, who had shrunk into the penalty area to defend, saw this and ran away.
The moment Hu Lai stopped the ball with his chest, his shoulders hunched up and he pushed forward.
Tony Clark's eyes narrowed when he saw this scene in the audience.
The moment he cared about most came.
Hu Lai, who was jumping in the air to stop the ball, had nowhere to use his strength. He was hit by Quinn and fell forward, as if he was about to fall to the ground. The ball stopped a little too big.
But then he saw Hu Lai's left leg take a step forward, firmly planted on the turf, the thigh muscles bulged, and the sharp-edged lines were highlighted one by one, helping him stabilize his figure, even if it was only temporarily.
, that’s enough.
Because then he raised his right leg and, with his body in an awkward position, swung the football that had just fallen from the air towards the goal!
Bang!
The football flew into the goal before Van der Ven could pounce on it!
"Oh! Beautiful!!" Hu Lai's teammates cheered on the training ground.
Hulay turned to Quinn, spread his hands, made a face, and then ran to find Charlie Porter who passed the ball to him.
Although Porter is a bit ugly, as a right midfielder, he is not ugly in kicking the ball. The kick just now accurately found Hu Lai who ran to the back point.
"Aha, Hu! I thought you were going to waste the wonderful pass I gave you just now!"
Charlie Potter doesn't look like much, but his personality is not affected by his appearance at all. He is very cheerful and lively. After Hu Lai got along with him for twenty days, he discovered that this kid is the team's favorite...
Everyone liked to joke with Potter, and Potter didn't mind.
Uncle Yong once said that Lorraine Peretz, who was sold by the club as soon as the winter transfer window opened, has good popularity in the team, but Porter's popularity is obviously better.
Thanks to him, Hu Lai integrated into this group faster than both he and Uncle Yong expected.
※※※
Off the court, Tony Clark and strength and conditioning coach Anthony Clement raised their arms and high-fived each other.
This was his thanks for Clement's work.
In that ball just now, Hu Lai managed to hold on without falling when his body was almost out of balance, and he also completed a high-quality shot. His waist and abdominal muscles and thigh muscles played a crucial role in this.
function.
You must know that when Hu Lai shoots, his upper body is still leaning forward, and his whole body seems to be folded up. This is not a standard shooting action at all. The body cannot open, and the force cannot be exerted well, but Hu Lai is like this
Despite the situation, he still hit the ball in.
This is certainly due to his shooting ability, but the importance of core strength is also self-evident.
"To be honest, Tony, I'm a little surprised myself." After high-fiving, Clement shook his head and said. "In twenty days, he improved so fast, I have never seen another person in my career.
…”
Tony Clark was not surprised at all. He smiled and said: "Why else could he go from a middle school student who couldn't play football to a Premier League player in just five years?"
"Even if I see it with my own eyes, I still find it incredible. He has now gained three kilograms and weighs 70 kilograms. This has greatly helped to improve his strength."
"Anthony, do you think the current Hu can withstand the collision of Sydenham defenders?"
Clement did not give a direct answer, but said: "Although Quinn plays as a full-back, he has the body of a central defender."
Hearing him say this, Clark laughed.
As for the fact that Quinn always made trouble for Hu Lai in training, he, as the head coach, not only knew but also why Quinn did this. However, he had no intention of interfering at all, and instead allowed the two people to interact for a while during training.
A confrontation full of gunpowder.
He felt that this was exactly the training effect he wanted. Quinn's hostility towards Hu Lai would allow him to fully experience what the actual confrontation in the game would feel like.
And Quinn didn't do too much, he just worked harder in confrontation training.
So Clark is happy to see it work.
This level of competition is allowed and even encouraged by the team.
Besides, if you can’t even stand the confrontation in training, why play in the game?
No matter how much he admired Hu Lai, he wouldn't say that he would hold Hu Lai in his mouth for fear of melting or hold it in the palm of his hand for fear of falling off. It was precisely because he admired Hu Lai that he had to let him go through more severe tests.
After all, everyone now feels that his wealth and life are tied to Hu Lai, so how could he leave his career and life in the hands of a weakling?
※※※
After training, Tony Clark came down from the training ground and returned to his office. He met Harry Bradley, the club's commercial director, at the door. He looked anxiously waiting for someone.
Seeing Clark coming, he took the initiative to greet him: "Tony, are you ready?"
"What's the matter, Mr. Bradley?" Clark asked very politely.
"It's been almost a month since Hu joined the team, but he hasn't even made it into the game squad... Don't you know? The Chinese fans are about to rebel... But that's not important. What's important is that he has been talking to us all this time.
A Chinese company, they also hope to see Hu appear as soon as possible."
"Is it the company that plans to put their brand LOGO on the roof of the stadium?"
"That's right. You also know that this is related to how much money they are willing to pay..." Bradley explained. "And I checked, Tony. The day when we play Sydenham at home in the next round of the league
, it happens to be the Chinese Lunar New Year, and Chinese people care about this festival very much. If Hu Lai can play by then, the effect will be explosive..."
At this point, Bradley saw Clark frowning, and quickly realized something, and explained: "Sorry, I don't mean to interfere with your employment, Tony. I just made a suggestion. I think it will be effective to let him play at that time.
It would be better... Of course, in the end, you have to make the decision."
Clark was silent for a while. While he was silent, Bradley kept looking at him, a little worried but afraid to speak, as if he was hesitant to speak.
After silence, Clark sighed: "Mr. Bradley, thank you very much for your understanding. But I did plan to let him play in the next round of the league. But when you say it now, it seems like Hu's appearance
It's not my decision, it's the club's decision."
"No, no, no, no, no. You decide, you decide." Bradley waved his hand quickly.
"I can't make any promises to you now, Mr. Bradley. I can only say that I can put him in the squad, but in the end, I have to see the specific game situation in what way he will appear."
"Of course, it's reasonable." Bradley finally got the answer he wanted, and a smile appeared on his face while letting out a sigh of relief.
Clark also smiled and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Bradley, I stand with the club. You need money from Chinese companies, I can understand it. I don't know much about business operations, but I know
, if Hu's performance in the team gets better and better, you may regret the price you negotiated now..."
Bradley understood Clark's words, and he smiled and said: "That doesn't matter, Tony. The roofs of our stadium and three stands are bare... As long as the Chinese give enough money, we will not even have the naming rights of the stadium.
It can be sold! In addition, the naming rights of the training base can also be sold, as well as the naming rights of the main building, the naming rights of the podium building... and many other things. We can also conduct multiple in-depth cooperation with Chinese companies. This is not a problem."
Clark shook his head, he really didn't understand this. Just thinking about the future described by Bradley... He didn't know whether it was good or bad.
Will the Flanders Stadium be renamed after a Chinese company in the future?
Then he hopes to call it "Red Pepper Stadium". At least the food in this Chinese restaurant is really good...
