How Am I This Famous?

Spain had more than three hundred bullrings of all sizes, and Las Ventas Bullring was the largest among them.

Spaniards were laid-back and sluggish. Being half an hour or even an hour late for a date was perfectly normal, but bullfighting matches were never late, much less missed.

By the time Sun Hao brought Jocelyn to the bullring, the venue, which could hold 25,000 people, was already packed to the brim.

They had barely managed to squeeze their way inside.

And not long after they sat down, the bullfight began.

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

They went straight to the chairman's stand and asked him to bestow the key to the bull pen.

The band struck up the resounding Matador March, and three matadors led their respective teams into the arena in three columns.

Their silk bullfighting suits shimmered brilliantly beneath the sunlight.

The entire preparation phase was steeped in medieval style.

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

At first, only the matadors' three assistants were responsible for provoking the bull and wearing down its initial ferocity.

But when the armored picador rode in and used his lance to stab the bull in the back of the neck, rupturing its blood vessels to drain its blood—

Sun Hao suddenly felt his arm being gripped tightly.

When he turned to look, he found Jocelyn frozen in shock.

She probably had not expected bullfighting to be this bloody.

After the picador came the banderillero.

After entering the arena, he provoked the bull into charging at him, then took the chance to drive banderillas into the back of its neck.

Before long, the bull's neck was covered in banderillas. Blood stained their tips, making them look like blooming roses.

By then, Sun Hao had already noticed Jocelyn looking around, wanting to leave.

But the stands were packed so tightly that even shifting seats was difficult, let alone getting out.

After the picador completed his duty, the matador finally entered, holding a sword and red cape, and began performing provoking maneuvers and evasive moves to display his skill.

The spectators' emotions were ignited, and they began cheering and whistling with all their might.

When the performance ended, the matador lowered his head, aimed his sword at the bull's neck, and lured it into charging at him. He charged straight at it as well, driving the sword into its heart.

"Ah!"

Sun Hao heard a cry. Jocelyn had already buried her face in his arm.

He turned and blocked her view for her.

He had wondered why Jocelyn would be interested in something like bullfighting. It seemed she had most likely been talked into it.

The bull was ultimately killed, and every spectator rose to their feet, cheering and applauding.

The matador in the arena basked in the crowd's enthusiasm.

The Spanish said that only a Matador who emerged victorious from Las Ventas Bullring was a true matador.

They had just witnessed the birth of a new matador.

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

After leaving, Sun Hao noticed that Jocelyn's face was slightly pale, and she was still clutching his hand without letting go.

She really had been frightened.

"How about I take you to watch Real Madrid play football tonight? It's El Clásico."

Sun Hao made the suggestion.

Real Madrid was Madrid's most prestigious club. The Real Madrid Basketball Team and football team both belonged to it.

The two teams usually had little interaction, but they exchanged tickets privately from time to time.

After all, if you played football, your family might get tired of watching football matches. Changing things up with basketball once in a while was not a bad choice.

Sun Hao was on the Real Madrid Youth Team. There were not many tickets like that, but some were distributed to them. The seats just were not very good.

Jocelyn nodded when she heard that.

She was like someone on the phone right then, with little capacity to think. Whatever you handed her, she would take.

Only after they had been in the taxi for a while did Jocelyn gradually recover.

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

The spot she had gripped was already bright red.

"Sorry."

She was normally a rather easygoing person, but that bullfighting performance had really scared her.

It was all because of the travel guide the airport tour guide had stuffed into her hands, saying that the bullring was a tourist attraction in Spain that she would absolutely regret missing.

She had gone, and she truly regretted it.

But when she learned they were going to watch football that night, her mood gradually improved again.

After dinner near Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, they headed to the stadium.

Compared to the shabby gym where Sun Hao's Youth Team played, this place was practically heaven.

The enormous stadium stirred a sense of grandeur in people's hearts.

Sun Hao had only experienced that feeling in his previous life while watching the NCAA Finals.

Even the football stadiums requisitioned for the NCAA Finals could hold only sixty or seventy thousand people at most, still falling short of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium before them.

At its peak, this stadium could hold a full 120,000 spectators at once.

Although the removal of standing tickets due to later regulations had sharply reduced the capacity to 80,000, the venue was still this massive.

Their seats were very high up, and the football pitch really looked no bigger than a few palms.

"Look what I prepared."

Sun Hao quietly took two pairs of binoculars from his bag.

When they had gone out to eat earlier, he had noticed someone selling binoculars on the street.

While Jocelyn went to the restroom after dinner, he had taken the opportunity to buy two pairs.

Do not ask why Sun Hao was so thoughtful. He had watched football before, and he had once been screwed over by spending an entire night watching tiny dots run around.

Jocelyn had not expected Sun Hao to prepare something like this, and her face was full of surprise.

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

But just one year later, with the lineup largely unchanged, the team's results had plummeted.

At this point, they were only tenth in La Liga, showing none of the bearing of defending champions.

This El Clásico against Barcelona Team was especially important.

If they could win such a marquee match, their morale would soar. Otherwise, they would truly fall into the abyss.

As the match was about to begin, the stadium wave had already started moving.

Neither Sun Hao nor Jocelyn had experienced it before, but with this sort of thing, you simply followed the crowd.

After joining in for a while, the two of them were completely swept up in the atmosphere.

After the warm-up ended, El Clásico between Real Madrid Team and Barcelona Team officially began.

Barcelona Team took the upper hand right from the start.

Real Madrid Team looked lethargic in both attack and defense. There was a reason their results this season had been so awful.

And soon enough, Barcelona Team broke through their goal. By halftime, Real Madrid Team was trailing 0–1.

The fans at the sidelines were filled with anxiety.

If even El Clásico could not awaken this team's fighting spirit, then Real Madrid Team would truly be finished this season.

As the match entered the second half, the fans began cheering for Real Madrid Team in unison, and Sun Hao and Jocelyn joined them.

There was an idiom about going with the flow. In an atmosphere like this, an individual's emotions simply could not resist the larger current.

Sun Hao's arm hurt again.

At some point, Jocelyn had grabbed his hand again, and she had grabbed the exact same spot.

Though this time, it was from excitement rather than fear.

But could she maybe grab somewhere else...

The fans' cheers finally had an effect. Real Madrid Team's young "Golden Boy," Raul, stepped up.

Amid the cheers, he received a pass from his teammate and scored with a trademark high-angle shot, helping Real Madrid Team equalize!

That moment completely ignited Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and Raul's name echoed through the air above the venue.

Jocelyn tightened her grip on Sun Hao's arm.

Then she stood up and gave it another tug upward.

That goal ignited the morale of the entire Real Madrid Team, and they went on to suppress FC Barcelona in the flow of play.

Led by Raul, they began relentlessly attacking FC Barcelona's goal.

Finally, in stoppage time, Raul scored his second goal with a spectacular strike, breaking through Barcelona Team's goal once more.

The stadium erupted completely after the goal went in.

With almost no time remaining, that goal had effectively sealed the victory.

Including Sun Hao, everyone in the stadium rose to their feet and cheered.

Many people excitedly hugged those beside them, then shouted and screamed to vent their emotions.

A couple in front of Sun Hao became so excited that they started making out passionately on the spot.

European countries really were open-minded.

Just as Sun Hao was marveling at it, someone suddenly yanked him hard.

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

After kissing him, Jocelyn continued shouting and screaming, motioning for him to join in.

She was completely fired up.

Sun Hao mechanically waved along with her, still not having recovered.

His... first kiss was gone?

The wild celebration continued for a long time. Only after every player had left the field did the fans begin filing out one after another.

This time, it was Sun Hao who dazedly walked down with Jocelyn.

He was still savoring that kiss from earlier.

It had been a little sweet, but why had it been sweet? Jocelyn had not eaten any candy.

"Raul! Raul!"

The fans' shouts pulled him back to reality.

Only then did he realize that Jocelyn had not led him out of the stadium. She had brought him to the players' tunnel to wait for the players leaving the field.

Raul happened to be coming over then.

Raul smiled and waved to greet the fans. Coupled with that handsome face, he was the very picture of a top-tier idol.

Jocelyn wanted to squeeze forward, but there were too many people for her to manage it.

Seeing that, Sun Hao silently stepped in front of her and opened up a clear path.

All those years of hard training with the system had not built up his strength for nothing.

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

It was not necessarily that she truly liked football, nor could she be called Raul's fan.

But travel was about experiences, and this was an unparalleled experience.

Behind her, Sun Hao was like a thick wall, blocking everyone trying to squeeze toward her.

Then, to Jocelyn's surprise, Raul actually walked toward her!

Sun Hao was also full of confusion. Could it be that Raul was a kindred spirit?

That was what Sun Hao thought, and Jocelyn thought the same thing.

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

After Raul came over, he was not looking for Jocelyn. He looked directly at Sun Hao instead.

"Sun? Basketball?"

"You know me?"

Sun Hao had never expected Raul to 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 was unbelievably accurate."

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

Big shots, send over some recommendation votes and chapter comments~