Is My Name So Famous?

# Chapter 15: Am I That Famous?

Spain has over three hundred bullrings of various sizes, and Las Ventas Bullring is the largest among them.

Spaniards are known for being lazy and slow—even showing up half an hour to an hour late for a date is normal—but when it comes to bullfighting, they are never late and never absent.

By the time Sun Hao arrived at the bullring with Jocelyn, the venue that could hold 25,000 people was already packed to the brim.

They barely managed to squeeze their way in.

And no sooner had they sat down than the bullfight began.

Two escorts dressed in sixteenth-century attire rode in first on horseback.

They went straight to the presidential box and requested the key to the bullpen.

The band struck up a rousing matador march, and three matadors each led their own teams onto the field in three columns.

Their silk bullfighting suits glistened dazzlingly in the sunlight.

These preparatory stages were steeped in medieval style.

A horn sounded, the bullpen gates swung open, and the bull charged out—the bullfight had begun.

At first, only the matador's three assistants baited the bull, wearing down its initial ferocity.

But when the mounted, armored lancer appeared and stabbed his lance into the bull's neck and back, piercing its blood vessels to let blood flow, Sun Hao felt his arm suddenly gripped tightly.

He turned his head and saw that Jocelyn's expression had frozen.

She probably hadn't expected the so-called bullfight to be this bloody.

After the lancer came the banderillero.

He stepped forward, lured the bull into charging at him, and seized the opportunity to plant banderillas into the bull's neck and back.

Before long, the bull's neck and back were covered in banderillas, their tips stained with blood, like blooming roses.

At this point, Sun Hao could already see Jocelyn looking around, wanting to leave.

But the seats were packed tight—not just leaving, even shifting position was difficult.

After the lancer completed his mission, the final matador, holding a sword and red cloth, stepped onto the field and began performing baiting and dodging moves to showcase his skill.

The crowd's emotions ignited, and they cheered and whistled with abandon.

When the performance ended, the matador angled his sword, aimed at the bull's neck, baited it into charging at him, and then charged forward himself, plunging the sword into the bull's heart.

"Ah!"

Sun Hao heard a cry, and Jocelyn had already buried her head in his arm.

He turned around to block her view.

He had been curious earlier why Jocelyn would be interested in something like bullfighting—she had probably been tricked into it.

The bull was finally slain, and the entire audience stood up, cheering and applauding.

The matador on the field basked in the crowd's enthusiasm.

Spaniards say that only those who emerge victorious from Las Ventas Bullring are true matadors.

They had just witnessed the birth of a new one.

But taking advantage of this moment, Sun Hao had already led Jocelyn out of the bullring.

Once outside, Sun Hao noticed that Jocelyn's face was slightly pale, and she was still gripping his hand, refusing to let go.

She had probably been genuinely frightened.

"How about I take you to watch a Real Madrid football match tonight? There's an El Clásico tonight," Sun Hao suggested.

Real Madrid is the most prestigious club in Madrid, and both the Real Madrid Basketball Team and the Football Team belong to it.

The two teams usually have little to do with each other, but they exchange some tickets privately.

After all, if you're a footballer, your family might get tired of watching football all the time, and occasionally switching to basketball for a change of pace isn't a bad idea.

Sun Hao was on the Real Madrid Youth Team; these tickets weren't plentiful, but some were distributed—just not in great seats.

Jocelyn nodded when she heard this.

She was like someone on the phone right now, her mind not capable of much thought—hand her anything, and she'd take it.

It wasn't until they had been in the taxi for a while that Jocelyn slowly came back to herself.

Only then did she realize she was still holding Sun Hao's hand.

The spot she had been gripping was already bright red.

"Sorry."

She was usually the easygoing type, but that bullfight had really scared her.

It was all that tourist guide the airport attendant had shoved into her hands, claiming the bullring was a must-see attraction in Spain that you'd regret skipping.

She went, and she truly regretted it.

But knowing she'd be watching a football match that evening, her spirits gradually lifted again.

They had dinner around the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, then headed straight to the venue.

Compared to that rundown gym where Sun Hao's youth team played, this place was heaven.

The massive stadium stirred a sense of grandeur in the heart.

This feeling—Sun Hao had only experienced it once in his past life, during the NCAA Finals.

Even the football stadium used for the NCAA Finals could only hold sixty to seventy thousand people at most per game, still falling short of the Bernabéu before him.

At its peak, this stadium could accommodate a full 120,000 spectators simultaneously.

Although standing tickets were later abolished due to regulations, slashing attendance to 80,000, the venue itself remained just as vast.

Their seats were very high up, making the pitch look no bigger than a few palms.

"Look what I've prepared."

Sun Hao quietly pulled two binoculars out of his bag.

Earlier, while heading to dinner, he'd noticed street vendors selling binoculars.

When Jocelyn went to the restroom after eating, he seized the chance to buy two.

Don't ask why Sun Hao was so thoughtful—he'd watched football matches before and once spent an entire miserable night staring at tiny moving dots.

Jocelyn hadn't expected Sun Hao to have thought of this, and her face lit up with surprise.

Real Madrid had unearthed the "Golden Boy" Raul last season and brought in the talented Danish star Michael Laudrup, reclaiming the La Liga title after four years.

But a year later, with the lineup largely unchanged, the team's performance had plummeted.

As of now, they ranked only tenth in La Liga, showing none of the bearing of defending champions.

This El Clásico against Barcelona was especially crucial.

If they could win such a pivotal match, their morale would surely soar; if not, they would truly sink into the abyss.

As the match was about to start, the crowd's wave began to ripple through the stands.

Neither Sun Hao nor Jocelyn had experienced this before, but such things were always about following the crowd.

After joining in for a while, both of them were fully caught up in the excitement.

Once the warm-up ended, the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona officially kicked off.

Barcelona dominated from the opening whistle.

Real Madrid's offense and defense both looked lackluster—no wonder their season record was so poor.

And soon, Barcelona breached Real Madrid's goal, leaving them trailing 0–1 at halftime.

The fans' faces were filled with anxiety.

If even El Clásico couldn't rouse this team's fighting spirit, then Real Madrid's season was truly doomed.

As the second half began, the fans started cheering in unison for Real Madrid, and Sun Hao and Jocelyn joined in.

There's a saying about going with the flow—in an atmosphere with so many people, individual emotions simply couldn't resist the overwhelming tide.

Sun Hao's arm ached again.

Jocelyn had grabbed his hand again without him noticing, and she was gripping the exact same spot.

Though this time it was from excitement, not fear.

But could she please pick a different spot...

The fans' cheers finally paid off—Real Madrid's young "Golden Boy" Raul stepped up.

He received a pass from a teammate amid the cheers and scored with a trademark high-angle shot, leveling the match for Real Madrid!

This moment ignited the Bernabéu, and Raul's name echoed through the stadium.

Jocelyn tightened her grip on Sun Hao's arm even more.

And she pulled upward, yanking him to his feet.

That goal ignited the fighting spirit of the entire Real Madrid team, and from then on, they turned the tables and suppressed Barcelona.

Led by Raul, they launched a frenzied assault on Barcelona's goal.

Finally, in stoppage time, Raul scored a brace—a stunning long-range strike that beat Barcelona's goalkeeper again.

The stadium erupted into chaos after the goal.

With time running out, this goal all but sealed the victory.

Everyone in the stadium, including Sun Hao, rose to their feet and cheered.

Many people excitedly hugged those around them, shouting and yelling to vent their emotions.

A couple in front of Sun Hao was so overcome that they started kissing passionately on the spot.

The European countries were indeed open-minded.

Just as Sun Hao was marveling at this, he was suddenly yanked hard by someone.

Before he could react, he felt Jocelyn grab him and plant a firm kiss on him.

After kissing him, she kept shouting and yelling, and even signaled for him to join in.

She was getting hyped up.

Sun Hao mechanically waved along, still not having snapped back to reality.

Was this... his first kiss gone?

The wild celebration lasted a long time, and it wasn't until all the players had left the field that the fans began to file out.

This time, it was Sun Hao's turn to walk down in a daze alongside Jocelyn.

He was still savoring that kiss just now.

It was a little sweet, but why was it sweet? Jocelyn hadn't eaten any candy, had she?

"Raul! Raul!"

He was pulled back to reality by the fans' shouts.

Only then did he realize that Jocelyn wasn't leading him out of the arena, but rather running over to the player tunnel to wait for the departing players.

Just then, Raul was coming over.

Raul smiled and waved to greet the fans, and with that handsome face of his, he was a textbook-quality idol.

Jocelyn wanted to squeeze forward, but with so many people, she simply couldn't manage it.

Seeing this, Sun Hao silently stepped in front of her and helped open up a Green Passage for her.

All those years of hard training with the system meant his strength wasn't for nothing.

Jocelyn squeezed to the very front row and waved at Raul just like the other fans.

It wasn't that she was really into soccer, nor could she be called a fan of Raul.

But traveling was all about the experience, and this was an unparalleled one.

Behind her, Sun Hao was like a thick, sturdy wall, blocking everyone who pushed toward her.

Just then, to Jocelyn's surprise, Raul actually started walking toward her!

Sun Hao was also full of confusion—could it be that Raul was a kindred spirit?

That's what Sun Hao thought, and Jocelyn thought so too.

But what happened next was something neither of them could have ever expected.

After walking over, Raul didn't look for Jocelyn, but instead stared straight at Sun Hao.

"Sun? Basketball?"

"You know me?"

Sun Hao never imagined Raul would ask that.

Was he really that famous?

"Yes, yes, my parents are your loyal fans. They watched three of your games in a row."

"They said your shooting is just too accurate."

Recommending a book, Kobe Biography, also known as I Really Just Want to Hit Iron.

Bosses, throw in your recommendation tickets and chapter comments~