Tang Long and Diletta Rehearse a Goal-Scoring Showdown and Make a Bet!
The temperature rise in the UK this year has been exceptionally rapid.
From the southern coast to the northern highlands, the heatwave swept across the British Isles like an invisible behemoth, with temperatures in many areas exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
Meteorological data shows that the extent and intensity of this heat wave have broken many records for the same period in the past fifty years, catching the UK are used to mild climates, off guard.
Manchester at the end of May became one of the hardest-hit areas by this heat wave.
The blazing sun hung high in the sky, relentlessly baking the earth, with the highest temperature soaring to 33 degrees Celsius.
For a city that has always been known for its cool climate, such high temperatures are nothing short of a "climate disaster".
It's important to know that UK has a typical temperate maritime climate, with temperatures mostly stable in the teens and twenties throughout the year, characterized by cool summers and mild winters.
For this reason, air conditioning was not considered an essential feature in the initial design of buildings in most parts of the UK.
The UK Met Office took the situation very seriously, issuing an emergency red heat warning and advising the public to reduce outdoor activities and take precautions against heatstroke.
Under the continued impact of this heat wave, the streets and alleys of UK seem to have been put on pause.
The usually bustling commercial street was almost deserted.
Public places such as parks and squares are also deserted.
Apart from office workers and vendors who have to work hard to make a living, most people choose to stay indoors and avoid the scorching sun.
At that moment, Diletta drove her iconic Mini Cooper slowly into Tang Long's yard.
The moment Diletta pushed open the door, a cool breeze rushed in, instantly dispelling most of the heat she felt.
Tang Long, with a smile on his face, had been waiting for a long time. He handed over a glass of ice water.
Diletta took the water glass, tilted her head back, and gulped down several mouthfuls. The cool liquid slid down her throat, refreshing her and making her feel instantly relaxed and refreshed, as if all the fatigue in her body had dissipated into the air with that mouthful of ice water.
"How's it going? The final round is about to begin, are you ready?" Diletta put down her water glass and asked Tang Long softly.
The weather was hot, but her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze.
This seemingly simple and casual statement actually contains a double meaning.
From the perspective of the league, the first meaning is self-evident: the season is finally coming to an end.
The 38 rounds of the league are like a long and arduous marathon for every team and every player.
During this months-long competition, they experienced countless challenges and tests, tasted the joy of victory, and also the bitterness of defeat.
Now, the race is finally coming to an end. Although Manchester City has already defeated Chelsea three rounds in advance, securing the Premier League title for this season, according to the conventions and spirit of football, they still need to give their all in the final leg of this marathon to give the entire season a complete and satisfactory conclusion.
But what Diletta really wanted to convey was a second meaning – the highly anticipated battle for the European Golden Shoe between Tang Long and Cristiano Ronaldo!
In today's football world, the European Golden Shoe is undoubtedly one of the highest accolades for a striker's goal-scoring ability, representing the player with the highest goal-scoring efficiency in the top five Europe Top Five Leagues.
Tang Long's performance in the Premier League is currently nothing short of phenomenal. With his outstanding play, he has already scored 51 goals, leading the top scorer list by a wide margin and leaving strong competitors such as Agüero and Kane far behind. He has already secured the Premier League Golden Boot award.
However, Diletta knew very well that for the ambitious Tang Long, his goal was to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo for the ultimate honor of the European Golden Shoe and see who was the highest scorer in the Top Five Leagues!
However, the current situation is far from optimistic.
In the last round of matches, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, bringing his league goal tally to an astonishing 56, a full 5 goals ahead of Tang Long.
Despite Diletta's unwavering support for Tang Long in her Sky Sport column, as his staunchest fan, she publicly declared her belief that Tang Long could achieve a dramatic comeback in the final round.
But at this moment, in this huge house, there were only her and Tang Long, and a sense of worry couldn't help but rise in Diletta's heart.
She knew all too well that scoring five goals in a single match was an incredibly difficult task.
A hint of worry lingered in her eyes; she didn't know if this young China boy could pull off a miraculous comeback from five goals down.
However, as a seasoned journalist, Diletta possesses a keen professional instinct.
Based on her years of experience in the industry and her deep understanding of football, she realized that if Tang Long were to complete this seemingly impossible task, it would be an unparalleled comeback in the annals of football history, as shocking as the Night of Istanbul 2005— Liverpool's thrilling comeback against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League final!
In that match, Liverpool, trailing 0-3 at halftime, rallied in the second half and ultimately won the championship through a penalty shootout, becoming a classic comeback in football history.
Therefore, despite the tight schedule and heavy workload, Diletta still insisted on scheduling an interview with Tang Long the day before the match.
She knew that if the entire interview footage could be preserved, and if Tang Long were to actually make a comeback, this video would become an incredibly valuable and precious piece of material in football history. It would witness the birth of a legend and become a topic of conversation for fans in the future!
Just as Diletta was focused on fixing the camera bracket, Tang Long glanced at her casually.
That one glance froze his gaze.
Despite the persistently high temperatures outside, Diletta was dressed in exceptionally light clothing.
She wasn't wearing anything underneath, just a tight-fitting black tank top.
The halter top clung tightly to her body, perfectly outlining her curves.
At this moment, Diletta was bent over, intently fiddling with the bracket. Tang Long, sitting on the sofa, could clearly see her two round, snow-white breasts without even getting up. They swayed and rose with her movements, like surging waves, creating a powerful visual impact that made it impossible to look away.
Looking at Diletta's lower body, she wore more fabric, opting for tight-fitting jeans instead of a short skirt or shorts.
These jeans also hugged her legs tightly, making her long legs appear even longer and straighter.
Especially her buttocks, where the fabric clung tightly to her body, making her round and full curves clearly visible.
It's often said that the essence of blonde women's allure lies not in their breasts, but in their hips. When Diletta squats down, her hips are noticeably wider than her shoulders, and her beautiful peach-like curves are like a work of art meticulously sculpted by God, exuding a unique and sexy charm.
Looking at the beautiful scene before him, Tang Long couldn't help but compare Diletta to Manchester City's team doctor Gracie.
He thought to himself, "She has the perfect figure. Diletta's face may not be as petite and delicate as Gracie's, but in terms of figure, she's a total stunner."
Perhaps due to the large range of motion while fiddling with the supports, when Diletta was pulling on one of the supports, one of the straps on her shoulder accidentally slipped down and draped over her arm.
This was practically a sudden, unexpected exposure of spring's beauty.
The towering peaks finally shed their dark shadows and were suddenly illuminated by the sunlight.
However, because she was so engrossed in her work, Diletta didn't immediately notice and continued working intently.
Generally speaking, journalists of her caliber usually have a dedicated photographer with them when they go out for interviews.
However, because Tang Long prefers privacy, he only granted the exclusive license to Diletta.
To maintain confidentiality, Diletta always came to Tang Long's house alone, and she carried the camera herself.
"Hey, your clothes fell off." Tang Long stared at Diletta's chest and said softly.
Upon hearing the sound, Diletta instinctively glanced at her chest and realized that her bra strap had slipped down.
She deftly pulled the straps back onto her shoulders, smiled apologetically at Tang Long, and got up to continue editing the camera footage.
Although the air conditioning was on in Tang Long's house, Diletta was still sweating profusely after going through this whole process.
She was about to tie up her long blonde hair with a hair tie to let it cool down, but she couldn't find the hairband that was originally hanging on her wrist.
"Did you see my hairband? It was just in my hand a moment ago," Diletta asked.
"I didn't see it. Let's look for it; it might have fallen on the ground," Tang Long replied.
Diletta felt a surge of irritation.
We've already wasted even more time, and now the hairband at this fork in the road is gone.
After the interview, he had to rush back to edit the footage, and he was also going to work at the Etihad Stadium the next day. He was overwhelmed with work.
Ignoring her image, she knelt down and started looking for her hairband.
Finally, bending over, Diletta burst out laughing.
She discovered that the hairband had fallen under the sofa.
She lay down on the floor, reached under the sofa, pulled out a hairband, and quickly tied up her long hair.
Just as she was about to get up, she realized that Tang Long had been sitting in front of her at some point.
When Diletta looked up, she found Tang Long still staring at her. Her face flushed red, and she smiled shyly. Just as she was about to get up to avoid him, Tang Long firmly pressed her shoulder down with his large hand.
"Ready?" Tang Long's eyes held a hint of amusement.
Diletta thought Tang Long was asking if he was ready for the interview, and a wave of apology washed over him. He said softly, "I'm so sorry, I'm ready, big star. Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's begin."
Four hours later.
When Diletta got back into the car.
She gripped the steering wheel weakly and said coquettishly to Tang Long outside the car window, "You little rascal, you said you'd score a certain number of goals in a few tries. If you don't score six goals for me tomorrow, even one less, I won't let you off the hook."
The next day.
Etihad Stadium.
62,000 Manchester City fans flooded into the stadium, filling the entire stands to capacity.
It's said that even half of the tickets for the away team, Sunderland, were sold at high prices to Manchester City fans because they were so eager to witness their team's final match of the season at home!
They still harbored a sliver of hope, wanting to see if Tang Long could achieve a comeback victory against Cristiano Ronaldo in the final round, although that hope was extremely slim.
However, a small number of Manchester City fans firmly believe that the word "miracle" was tailor-made for Manchester City and Tang Long!
"This is their last home game."
As Tang Long walked onto the court, he silently recited these words to himself, his eyes revealing a firm and resolute determination.
When he came up with that line, the DJ at the scene started announcing his name!
"Number 9, Tang!"
Thunderous applause and cheers rang in his ears like a storm. He looked around and felt a surge of pride and ambition.
Tang Long stood in the center circle, his foot on the ball, his eyes fixed on the goal ahead, which was his target, his mission.
He had only one thought in his mind: to score goals, to keep scoring goals, for his own honor, for Manchester City's glory, and for the bet he made with Diletta.
"Ju--"
The match has begun!