And in discussions across every part of Asia, Zhang Kuang's father was the name mentioned most often.
"Zhang Kuang's mom died ages ago. His dad scraped together two hundred thousand for gifts to get him into a certain team, and raised him alone by doing hard labor. After he joined that team, he got bullied and got into a fight. His dad died in a car accident on the way over to sort it out."
This story was told over and over, each time with different details and emotions. Such delicate touches.
Others spread far and wide the story that his father had once been a player too, but had been kicked out of the circle for costing the bookies money through match-fixing.
How much of it was true and how much was invented no longer mattered. What mattered was that the story moved people.
A poor father, a son repeatedly ground beneath the wheels of fate, an angry counterattack, an accidental death, a journey far from home with everything riding on one throw of the dice, and then a stunning breakthrough that made his name.
This wasn't a football story. This was a myth.
It was precisely the kind of myth everyone struggling at the bottom most wanted to see.
And on the mainland, "blowing up" could no longer describe the intensity of the discussion.
The servers were burning.
The news of Zhang Kuang's five goals in two matches drew enormous attention on domestic online platforms.
On Weibo, related topics rapidly shot toward the top of the trending list.
Whether you followed football or not, you could see people playing clips of Zhang Kuang's goals.
"This Chinese guy is fucking incredible. I never watch football, but I watched his goal compilation today and my scalp tingled."
"I don't know what kind of league Ligue 1 is, but I know scoring five goals on your own is impressive."
"He's so handsome. Does anyone else think so? He looks a bit like Kaká!"
"I recommend everyone look into his past. It's legendary."
"..."
On Youku, videos of Zhang Kuang's goals had already surpassed fifty million views. The most-liked video showed Zhang Kuang roaring "Siu-" at the camera after his debut hat trick, set to some unknown, rousing background track. The comments were uniformly, "This is the hope of Chinese football."
And just before CCTV-5's evening sports news ended, the presenter changed tack and mentioned a piece of news that excited every Chinese football fan.
"According to information obtained by our reporter, in light of Zhang Kuang's recent outstanding performances and the keen interest of domestic viewers, CCTV-5 is holding urgent discussions with Ligue 1, with hopes of broadcasting Auxerre's matches starting from the next round. Specific broadcast arrangements will be announced to the public as soon as they are confirmed."
As soon as this news broke, it sparked heated discussion among domestic fans.
"CCTV is going to broadcast Auxerre? Fantastic. Finally, no more hunting online for those pirated streams that buffer you to death."
"They should've done it ages ago! A Chinese player is slaughtering all before him in one of the top five leagues. If CCTV doesn't broadcast him, who will?"
"I heard TV stations in France have already started adding Auxerre matches to their schedules. Their ratings are shooting up."
"That's the power of the market. If someone watches, someone will broadcast."
"I hope CCTV doesn't just broadcast this one match. As long as Zhang Kuang is at Auxerre, their matches are worth watching."
"Honestly, the last time I watched Ligue 1 was when Shenhua legend Petković was playing for Bordeaux. That was more than a decade ago."
"..."
While domestic fans were still discussing the news of CCTV's broadcasts, an even bigger piece of news suddenly caused an uproar early the next morning.
Almost simultaneously, major domestic media outlets released an unusually brief report:
"According to the relevant authorities, Xie Moumou and Yang Moumou of a certain association are suspected of serious disciplinary and legal violations and are currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation."
The report gave no full names, no specific details, and no further explanation. It was just one short sentence, yet it exploded like a bomb throughout the entire circle.
Public opinion online instantly erupted.
After Zhang Kuang returned to Paris, Marina, the TF1 sports reporter, asked to meet him again the next day. Zhang Kuang had thought she was lusting after him.
But things at the hotel turned out rather differently.
"I'll be honest with you." Marina sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself. "This wasn't the only reason I asked you here."
"Then what was it? A scandal? If I'm going to have a scandal, it'll be one between you and me."
"Pfft. I'm a sports reporter, not a gossip reporter. Why would I dig up scandals?"
"You're a TF1 reporter, and you've invited a rookie who's only played two matches to a hotel room twice in a row. Surely it can't be for an exclusive interview?" Zhang Kuang said. "Go on. What is it?"
Marina looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "You're smarter than I imagined."
She took a folder from the bedside table drawer and handed it to Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang opened it and found a rough proposal inside-
"China Storm: Zhang Kuang's Journey to France"
A documentary about him, jointly produced by TF1's sports channel and a Chinese video platform, following him through half a season at Auxerre.
"Whose idea was this?" Zhang Kuang asked.
"Mine," Marina said. "I started writing this proposal the night you scored that hat trick on your debut. After watching your second match today, I'm even more certain-you're going to be huge. Not just in France, but across Europe, even the whole world."
"So you want to secure the rights to follow me before I become huge?"
"Exactly," Marina said frankly. "Once you're really huge, the price won't be what it is now."
Zhang Kuang leafed through the proposal without answering immediately.
"I need to think about it," he said.
"Of course." Marina nodded. "But I hope it won't take too long. Filming a documentary takes advance preparation, and I need to convince the station to approve the budget."
"Even if I agree, you'll have to discuss the specific terms with my agency. I'm no good at negotiations."
Zhang Kuang closed the folder and put it on the bedside table.
Marina leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Of course. Give me your agent's number."
Zhang Kuang stood up and began getting dressed.
"You're leaving already?" Marina was a little reluctant to see him go.
"Then, one more time?"
"Mm, let's do it one more time."
"..."
An hour later, Zhang Kuang opened the door and walked out. The door closed softly behind him.
The corridor was quiet. He pressed the elevator button and waited for the elevator to come down from upstairs.
His phone vibrated just then.
He took it out and saw a message from his agent, Jonathan:
"Zhang, something's happened back in your country. Two people called Xie Moumou and Yang Moumou have been arrested. Now people online back home are all saying it was your revenge."
Zhang Kuang stared at the message, his brow furrowing slightly, then called Jonathan.
"Jonathan, those vermin back home getting arrested has fuck all to do with me. I've never reported anyone. Should I say something to clear it up?"
"Mm, we looked into it. In principle, you can make a statement refuting the rumors. Just watch your wording."
"All right, got it. Oh, right, a sports reporter from TF1 said she wanted to make a documentary about me. I gave her your number. You can discuss how to work together."
"Hm? Oh, sure. I'll talk to her."
After hanging up with Jonathan, Zhang Kuang opened Sina Weibo on his phone, thought for a moment, and began writing a post.