Another Charity Event? Where are the Models? (Two-in-one)

Post-match press conference.

Hecking still managed to put on the air of a master coach.

"Unbelievable."

"But what I want to say is this: Li performed as usual. He's a genius, and geniuses can always create wonderful moments in a flash of inspiration during a match."

"That's right, I was the one who successfully integrated him and De Bruyne into a dual-core midfield."

The Wolfsburg manager secretly reveled in it.

It was no longer like before, when even after winning, he still had to endure media reporters picking at faults.

Now, no matter what they said below the stage, all he had to do was give a vague response, and he would be regarded as an outstanding manager.

A few minutes later.

Mazzarri appeared in the hall with a dejected expression.

"The loss is the coaching staff's responsibility."

"It is still too early to discuss a revival. Looking at the long course of history, Inter Milan's past two seasons can only be called a minor bout of growing pains."

Li Luo's Inward-Curling Arc did not just cause a sensation on China's internet.

Fans around the world were equally stunned.

In the video, the wind whipped at the white shirt and black hair as the Chinese teenager calmly and elegantly delivered a curved strike that cut through the night sky above the Meazza Stadium, astonishing all of Europe.

GIFs and screenshots spread across the internet like wildfire.

The front pages of major media outlets promptly featured close-up photos of Li Luo battling at the Meazza Stadium.

Some haters refused to accept it and posted one after another: <He's only popular because he's handsome. Put Huang Bo's or Fan Wei's face on him, and he definitely wouldn't be this famous.>

Munich, Allianz Arena.

After just finishing a UEFA Champions League match, Bayern Munich star Xavi Alonso walked over to the sponsor board by the pitch and, looking puzzled, accepted the tablet handed over by a reporter.

He tapped the screen and started the video.

The next moment, Alonso was dumbfounded.

"I..."

"I've produced a similar Inward-Curling Arc before, but this is a little different... You can't question Li's long-pass quality. In that situation, he didn't have much time to look up, and two Inter Milan players had closed in around him. The time he had to deal with the ball was very, very short."

"It wasn't taught by me. I haven't had the chance to meet Li yet."

"That's right, he's very handsome. He's a true genius."

"To think of something and execute it to that extent requires elite vision, an understanding of defensive lines, timing, courage, creativity..."

"Haha, I'm not praising myself. I'm describing Li's talent."

Suddenly.

A bald head reflecting the floodlights leaned into view.

Guardiola.

"Li?"

After glancing at it a few times.

He could not resist reaching out and dragging the progress bar.

In the end, he simply gently "moved" the tablet over to himself, his gaze gradually turning vacant.

"He basically never makes mistakes..."

The Bundesliga media were used to this, because the Bayern Munich manager before them... had done plenty of things that left people both amused and exasperated.

Milan.

The entire Wolfsburg squad had returned to their hotel.

Bendtner sneakily tried to slip out to experience the customs and charm of the fashion capital... but unfortunately, the assistant coach caught him in time.

It was not that the coaching staff wanted to interfere with the players' private lives. It was just that the Arsenal Emperor had been arrested for causing trouble last time, leaving Wolfsburg in a very difficult position when arranging their lineup for subsequent matches.

In the elevator.

Malanda excitedly pressed at a calculator and said in a low voice, "Li, it's so good being teammates with you. Once I finish this season, I might be able to sort out housing for my brothers and sisters."

The little black bean stood behind Li Luo, filled with gratitude.

From the perspective of tactical setup, if the Chinese teenager had not arrived, a raw, powerful black player like him... simply would not have had so many chances to play.

Li Luo thought for a moment and said, "You should thank Mr. Hecking too. Thank him for his lineup arrangements."

"Mm-hmm, he's a good person too."

A moment later.

Li Luo returned to his room and locked the door.

He opened his laptop, ready to write in his diary.

Beep beep beep.

His phone rang.

It was a message from Lei.

The content was simple:

The German girl with sexy long legs first said that she happened to be working in Milan, then praised Li Luo's stunning long pass at the Meazza Stadium, and finally asked whether they might have a chance to meet.

Li Luo shook his head and declined her invitation on the grounds that he did not feel like going out at night.

With a crisis looming, how could he possibly be in the mood to date a girl?

Shakespeare once said that a person's worth was decided in the instant they faced temptation.

There would be time for that later.

He put down his phone and continued writing in his diary.

"Mazzarri's three-center-back system isn't about how many center-backs there are, nor does it have much blood relation to the three-center-back formations in history books. At its core, it is the product of Mazzarri reshaping the build-up system and strengthening proactive attacking."

"Not every tactical problem posed by the opponent needs to be solved. Likewise, we are creating tactical problems for them."

The geometric model within Spatial Awareness slowly turned, silently replaying the phase of Mazzarri's three-center-back formation versus Wolfsburg's parked bus.

Li Luo did not write down what came next.

"Half a month from now, in the A-level international matches, no tactical understanding will be of any use!"

"For the next Bundesliga match, I hope the blind box I redeem will yield a module with immediate, efficient combat power..."

To use gaming terms:

At Wolfsburg, Li Luo was a midfield hero with a buff aura.

With the Chinese national team, Li Luo had to switch combat forms, changing his style of play for the national team like Bayern Munich's Alaba and Real Madrid's Bale.

A long while later.

He picked up his phone and saw a huge pile of messages from Lauren.

He skimmed through them.

Then carefully typed out a reply:

[Li Luo: What Eastern girl? The Sun made it up. Since joining Wolfsburg, you're the only Dutch girl I've met.]

Smack.

Raindrops the size of beans burst against the floor-to-ceiling window.

Milan in the night was like a young girl with tangled thoughts. Its streets were her scattered skirt, while rainwater gathered into winding streams along the stone-paved roads; the red-brick walls were like her flushed cheeks; the top of the cathedral was like something raised high...

At a hotel more than ten miles from the one where Wolfsburg was staying.

Lei, the nineteen-year-old German girl, sat alone in her room. Looking at Li Luo's rejection message on her phone, she appeared dejected.

"I worked up the courage..."

"But this also proves that Li is a decent, self-disciplined good boy."

"But who is the Eastern girl The Sun mentioned?"

Lei could not help sending another message to ask.

A long while later.

The corners of her lips curled upward slightly, her heart fluttering as she received a satisfying reply:

[Li Luo: What Eastern girl? The Sun made it up. Since joining Wolfsburg, you're the only German girl I've met.]

Great Britain.

The lights in Manchester United's head coach's office were blazing.

"Get ready to clock out."

"The Red Devils are back on track. We snatched a draw against West Bromwich Albion at the very end—it's worth having a couple of drinks!"

Van Gaal straightened the red tie on his chest as he spoke encouragingly.

The coaching staff all jolted to attention.

A moment later.

In the spacious office, only Van Gaal and Giggs remained.

"Li has been playing better and better at Wolfsburg."

"We need to prepare in advance, starting with signings in the winter window."

"But... boss, Li won't return until next summer."

"Hmph. We need to prepare early. Some players might not be available if we wait until the summer window."

Manchester United's transfer budget was enormous. They had already invested £130 million in this summer's transfer window, and they were prepared to add another £200 million over the next two windows!

Of course, many media outlets and fans recently felt that the £130 million already spent had somewhat gone down the drain...

They could only hope the next £200 million would be spent wisely.

In this era, that level of transfer spending was downright terrifying.

"Depay from Eindhoven? You said he would inherit Manchester United's number 7 shirt..."

"No."

Van Gaal waved a hand. "I've changed my mind. Depay holds onto the ball too much. He'll disrupt Li's rhythm when the time comes."

Manchester United's management held Van Gaal in high regard and gave full consideration to his opinions on recruitment.

Many years later, the old man often blasted Manchester United for not giving the head coach authority over transfers. Numerous Premier League media outlets strongly refuted him: "If you had no say in transfers, how did Depay end up wearing Manchester United's number 7 shirt? Was he worthy of it?"

As Giggs was leaving, he accepted the sheet of draft paper Van Gaal handed him.

"The lineup to welcome Li back next summer?"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea."

"Defenders: Alaba, Boateng, Thiago Silva, Blind."

"Midfielders: Li Luo, Yaya Touré, Pogba."

"Forwards: Neymar, Lewandowski, Sánchez."

"Impossible. Unrealistic, boss... Is this the lineup your grandson uses in a game?"

In early October, Lower Saxony's Aller River resembled a silver chain veiled in gauze, winding through the heart of the lowland plains. The fields, meanwhile, were like oil paintings touched by time, their autumnal brushstrokes outlining an air of desolation.

Returning from Milan to Wolfsburg was like returning from the city to the countryside. The population gap between the two cities was immense, but each had its own merits.

At clubs in major cities, there were more entertainment options and richer social lives. For example, Morata, who had only recently arrived in Turin this season, was already getting hot and heavy with an Italian model he had just met.

Speaking of Turin, there was a Chinese female artist surnamed Chen whose given name was also Turin, because her father was a Juventus fan.

At "remote" clubs, players could simply focus on football in peace. The private lives of De Bruyne and the rest of Wolfsburg's players were all very "quiet."

There was no rest even on the day off.

Li Luo trained alone on the practice field.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The explosive crack as his boots struck the ball startled the two collies brought over from Manchester, making them tug uneasily at their chains.

When the Manchester United Crown Prince had been loaned to Wolfsburg, he had brought not only a chef, fitness coach, and personal assistant, but also two dogs.

A long while later.

Li Luo lay flat on his back on the grass.

He had finally fully mastered the Matthäus Cannon... strictly speaking, the "Cannon" within the limits his body could withstand.

Tom jogged over and handed him a towel, water, and a banana.

"Li, make sure you rest. You still have a charity event to attend later."

"What event? I can't remember."

"As a player representative, you'll be donating on Wolfsburg's behalf..."

Right after that.

A Wolfsburg logistics staff member jogged over with a package in hand. "Li, a parcel came from London. I forgot to tell you."

"What parcel?"

Li Luo opened it, his expression turning stunned.

"An Arsenal shirt?"

"The signature on it is... Kelly?"

"Who's Kelly? I can't remember."

Tom frowned in thought and said, "That Everton match—there was a little girl who asked you for your match-worn jersey... Remember now?"

Everyone noticed there was also a letter in the box and turned their heads away to give him privacy.

The letter roughly said that sixteen-year-old Kelly had successfully joined Arsenal Women. To thank Li Luo for giving her his jersey that day, she had sent back a signed Arsenal jersey of her own and said that she would definitely become a star player someday.

Li Luo smiled and asked the staff to put it away for him. He would take it home later.

Fortunately, this kid played women's football.

This kind of plot usually led to a fated rivalry in cartoons.

Four in the afternoon.

After finishing training, Li Luo headed to the banks of the Weser River with his assistant, Tom.

This charity event was simple: he was there to make a donation on behalf of Wolfsburg.

The spacious venue did not seem to have spent much on decoration and looked somewhat plain.

Several middle-aged men in suits came up to greet him warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Li."

"Lower Saxony has been committed to charity work for many years. There's a historical reason for that."

"Back in the last century, the governor at the time..."

"Forget it, it would take a whole day and night to explain. In short, we're good friends."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Li Luo nodded.

He had learned a little about the history of Lower Saxony recently and could roughly guess the story they wanted to tell.

Framed, yellowed old newspapers hung on the walls on both sides of the venue.

Two headlines stood out:

The Warmest Christmas Gift.

<We Stand With You. There Is No Need to Be Afraid Anymore.>

Just as he was about to be moved in keeping with local customs—

Suddenly.

He caught a faint scent of perfume.

"Li, is that really you?"

Li Luo turned around and saw a handsome face.

Morata?

Juventus's genius.

The "mentor" from those finishing tutorial videos.

The two met for the first time and smiled at each other.

Morata said, "Sorry, this is a little abrupt. I saw the news about your match against Inter Milan. Uh, I came here with my sister. It's really too boring here."

Li Luo had no interest in anyone's sister.

Then he remembered something and asked seriously, "The way you control the ball before shooting is a little different from most players'. In that Serie A round two weeks ago, Pogba misplaced a pass and the high ball was dropping. How did you..."

Morata was slightly surprised.

He had never expected anyone to discuss something like this with him at an event like this.

Not long ago, Pirlo and Pogba had also expressed confusion about it. Was it the sensitivity of genius midfielders?

The Juventus genius gradually became serious.

With a straight face, he said, "Mm, I can't put it into words. It's difficult. Other people can't do it."

But inwardly, he thought, I just got lucky. I tried it dozens of times in training afterward, but I could never find the feeling from that control-and-shot again.

He slowly began reliving that magical moment.

According to research by relevant institutions, some players' prefrontal cortexes entered a dormant state during matches... In other words, they did not need to think too much and handled the ball on instinct.

It was said that emerging genius stars like Neymar, Hazard, and Morata often experienced similar states.

It usually manifested as: the stronger the opponent, the stronger they became.

The two chatted intermittently.

Morata gradually slipped into bragging mode, boasting about the highlights of his call-up to Real Madrid's first team and his journey with Juventus.

Li Luo did not question him.

He thought, I heard all the top clubs want Morata. That proves his potential is limitless and his talent extraordinary.

What was more, his instructional videos were packed with practical insights.

Before they knew it, the charity event had come to an end.

It was time to say goodbye.

Morata said earnestly, "The next time we meet might be on the UEFA Champions League stage—assuming Manchester United qualify for it after you return."

"Good luck, Li!"