The next day, at two in the afternoon.
The assistant coach blew the whistle to end training.
A breeze from the banks of the Aller River rippled through the zoysia grass in widening waves.
Li Luo walked to the sidelines and took a dry towel and a bottle of mineral water.
He carefully reviewed last night's practice in the courtyard at home.
He found that with 60 attribute points, he could already skillfully master and use all six shooting techniques in non-confrontational situations. His accuracy had improved considerably as well.
He had not been slacking off.
Li Luo took his phone, ready to seriously review Morata Teaches You How to Shoot Step by Step.
The atmosphere within Wolfsburg was very harmonious.
His teammates also had a strong sense of boundaries and did not constantly disturb the Chinese youngster.
There were exceptions.
"Li, I used that goal bonus to pay off my gambling debts. I'll split it with you after the next match."
Bendtner came over, sounding a little dejected.
Li Luo sat on the bench and looked up. "You might not even start the next match."
Competition on Wolfsburg's front line was fierce.
The Arsenal Emperor scratched his head. "Can't be helped. I've been training pretty well lately, so I should have a chance to play."
He had picked up his gambling addiction a few years ago while recovering from an injury. His luck was not terrible, but he had still lost several million pounds so far.
Fortunately, he later became obsessed with drinking and women and gradually kicked the gambling habit.
Even when he occasionally played a few hands, the stakes were very small.
Throughout football history, most stars who had once been wildly popular but ended up destitute after retirement had picked up bad habits.
Li Luo smiled and shook his head. "It's fine, I was joking. Football is a team sport. Your goal wasn't my achievement alone."
Bendtner beamed and patted his backside as he bid farewell. "Next time, for sure."
Tom came over with a folder and said quietly, "Li, the legal department has reviewed the GG endorsement contract too. There aren't any issues."
He then handed over two photographs.
They showed candid, bare-faced photos of two foreign girls. "Pick one."
Li Luo looked puzzled. "The club is even introducing me to potential dates?"
Tom's lips twitched. "No, they're your colleague... cough, cough, your female co-star for the GG. She's around your age and not too tall. She's a model signed with a legitimate agency. The Volkswagen Group selected them from several thousand people, and they said you could choose."
"All right."
Li Luo raised the two photographs.
Jets of water burst up around the training ground, scattering droplets that sparkled crystal-clear beneath the afternoon sun.
The girl in the photograph in his left hand had blonde hair and blue eyes. She stood on the stone steps of the Great Wall in a panda hat, smiling brightly.
The girl in the photograph in his right hand had black hair and green eyes. Leaning against a wall, she had a curvaceous figure. Her pale blue gauze dress had been gathered up, revealing a pair of perfectly proportioned long legs.
"Do I really have to choose only one?"
"Can I choose both?"
Three hours later.
Li Luo and Tom arrived at Volkswagen's filming base.
The staff were bustling about.
Hans greeted them excitedly. "Li, I'm very sorry. I hope this timing won't interfere with your rest. The filming will be over soon."
"Come, let me introduce you to Chanel's biological daughter."
"Lauren de Graaf!"
"You're the same age."
A foreign girl with a golden ponytail walked over gracefully, her smile gentle.
Li Luo recognized her as the girl in the first photograph wearing the panda hat.
"Hm? Lauren, you're much prettier in person than in the photo."
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Li."
What young girl did not dream of love?
Besides, Lauren had watched Wolfsburg's match highlights. The Chinese youngster controlled the entire game, his every touch elegant and effortless. He was just too cool.
It was Li Luo's first time seeing such a fresh and beautiful girl.
They exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads at the same time, their cheeks flushing.
"..."
Hans slapped his forehead and pulled Tom away. "Come with me and discuss the details with the director."
After a moment of silence,
Lauren was outgoing and took the initiative to break the awkwardness.
"Li, I've been to China."
"Where did you go?"
"I took photos on my phone. Come closer and have a look."
Li Luo was just about to lean closer. The faint scent of her perfume made his heart race... when suddenly, an astonishingly beautiful figure entered his view.
He looked up.
A black-haired girl with cool, delicate features slowly approached.
No one could take their eyes off her.
She was too beautiful.
Her face was enchanting to the extreme, yet still carried an icy aloofness.
Her green eyes seemed to possess a magical power.
Li Luo felt as though he had traveled into an animated film and met an ancient Egyptian princess.
Seeing the Chinese youngster standing there in a daze, the girl could not help blushing.
"Hello, Li. I'm Larissa."
"Hello, Larissa. You're even more beautiful in person than in the photo."
What young girl did not dream of love?
Besides, Larissa had seen Li Luo's news reports. A last-minute equalizer in his Premier League debut, then a composed Bundesliga debut where he sent a stylish chipped pass slicing through the defense for an assist...
It was Li Luo's first time seeing a girl so enchanting yet so cool in temperament.
They exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads at the same time, their cheeks flushing.
Lauren looked displeased and lightly stamped her foot. Why does this guy blush whenever he sees a pretty girl?
Clap! Clap! Clap!
In the distance.
The bearded director clapped his hands.
"Time to get to work!"
"Chinese genius, Dutch girl, Brazilian girl, come over here!"
Much later.
After leaving the filming base,
the Chinese youngster could no longer remember what the GG had been about.
He did not remember what they had filmed either.
He had gained nothing from this shoot.
Except that his phone now contained the contact information of two girls.
Tom said solemnly, "Li, the boss told me to remind you at all times to focus on the pitch and not be led astray by girls."
He could not help recalling Ferguson's conflict with Beckham and sighed quietly.
Li Luo nodded. "Mm-hm."
He thought, The GG endorsement is only a job. I like both girls, which means I don't like either of them. I just think they're pretty and have nice figures.
He could not get addicted to fooling around with girls.
He had to train hard. The next Bundesliga match would be here soon.
When he got home,
his phone chimed repeatedly with message notifications.
Li Luo saw that they were all messages from Lauren.
He ignored them.
He flicked up his football and headed to the training field in the courtyard.
The grass on the training field had also been replaced with seasonal zoysia grass.
Bang! Bang bang bang!
A series of crisp strikes scattered three orioles from the branches.
A GG sample video leaked onto the Chinese internet.
It was quite long.
Its general plot was about Li Luo leading an expedition team to an ancient Egyptian ruin in search of treasure.
The story was wholesome.
There was no romance, and there was plenty of fabric in the costumes.
His teammate was a blonde, blue-eyed foreign beauty.
At the end,
Li Luo slowly moved aside the mummy's tomb and saw an ancient Egyptian princess who looked like a goddess.
A GG slogan slowly appeared at the end: Unveil Eternity.
The views and comments kept skyrocketing.
-[Well, damn, two at once!]
-[I think the title should be changed to Li Luo Introduces Me to Young Models. That would get more clicks.]
-[The Sun just said that Li Luo prefers Eastern girls and has no interest in young European or American models.]
-[I think Lauren is prettier.]
-[Larissa has a more exotic charm after putting on makeup.]
Hoffenheim.
A village under Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a permanent population of only 3,200.
Hoffenheim's head coach, Markus Gisdol, sat in his office, staring gravely at the computer screen.
"In the next Bundesliga match, we must contain De Bruyne."
"As for that Chinese player, Li..."
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