That evening, in an apartment in Paris, Marina Durand, a female reporter for France 1's (TF1) football channel, indulged her personal desires under the guise of discussing work, perpetrating a fraud against Chinese player Zhang Kuang.
So, to teach this French con woman a lesson, Zhang Kuang subjected her to several hours of whipping.
Under Zhang Kuang's whipping, Marina finally recognized her mistake, so she used the compromising words "no talking about work" to cover up the embarrassment of falling asleep exhausted.
Sigh, what a hypocritical little Frenchwoman.
Fine, better go find the girls from the France Study-Abroad Squad. They really knew how to have a wild time and let loose, and they even threw in perks.
And so...
January 31, Ligue 1, round 22.
Auxerre took on Saint-Étienne away from home.
Saint-Étienne were a traditional Ligue 1 powerhouse, having won the league title ten times, and were one of the most successful clubs in French football history.
Although their performance this season had been unremarkable, leaving them only seventh in the standings, their pedigree as a powerhouse was there for all to see-all thirty-five thousand seats at Keane Gérard Stadium had sold out, and the home fans had long since prepared an enormous tifo and clouds of green smoke that filled the sky.
In the dressing room before the match.
Fernandez shut the door, his expression even more serious than usual.
"I'll announce today's lineup one more time."
He finished reading the list, with everyone waiting for him to read Zhang Kuang's name.
"Striker-number 33, Zhang Kuang."
Zhang Kuang nodded without saying much.
Fernandez looked at him, fell silent for two seconds, then said something nobody had expected.
"Zhang, you were instrumental in four goals last match. That's a fact. But let me lay down the harsh words now-if you don't score today, you'll be on the bench next match."
The dressing room went quiet for a moment.
Pedretti frowned, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. Two people sat between Grichting and Zhang Kuang; Grichting turned to glance at Zhang Kuang, hoping to read something in his expression.
Sitting in the corner, Oliech paused as he tied his shoelaces.
Everyone knew Fernandez was speaking in anger-how could a striker with three goals and an assist in a single match possibly be benched for failing to score in one game?
But his tone did not sound like he was joking.
"Do you understand?" Fernandez asked again.
Zhang Kuang raised his head and met his gaze.
"I understand."
"Good. Get out there."
At four in the afternoon, the match began.
In the away stands at Keane Gérard Stadium, roughly three thousand Auxerre fans were battling the roar of thirty-five thousand home supporters in their own way.
They waved white flags and belted out their team's chants, though their voices were almost completely drowned out by the home fans' boos.
They now had more confidence than the fans of any other Ligue 1 team, because a dominant Chinese striker had joined their side, scoring every match-and scoring plenty.
So Auxerre's fans waved their flags and sang at the top of their lungs, with Zhang Kuang's name among the lyrics.
Zhang Kuang did not pay attention to exactly what they were singing, but he was very happy.
TF1's two commentators had already begun their live broadcast. Jean-Christophe Bart and Christophe Dugarry were TF1's Ligue 1 commentary duo; they had also covered Auxerre's previous few matches, and this time was no different.
Jean-Christophe Bart was a famous commentator and presenter on France 1, while Christophe Dugarry was a distinguished veteran of French football. As an attacking player for the France National Team, he had won the 1998 World Cup, the 2000 Europe Cup, and the 2001 Confederations Cup alongside his teammates, making him a legendary star from France's golden era.
After retiring in 2005, he had begun working as a football pundit for France 1.
So he was highly professional and well respected.
"Dugarry, how many goals do you think Chinese Zhang can score today?" Bart asked Dugarry.
Dugarry said, "Oh, that's very difficult to predict, because a player's ability is one factor in scoring goals, but defensive tactics are another important factor.
"In the previous few matches, nobody knew Chinese Zhang very well, so there were oversights in their defensive tactics. Besides, Saint-Étienne aren't a weak team, so I believe they'll have an appropriate strategy.
"How many goals Chinese Zhang can score depends on whether he can break through Saint-Étienne's defensive setup. That's very important."
"Mm-hmm, I see. A truly top-class striker can break through different defensive setups. Without that ability, a striker will be shackled by the opposition."
"Exactly, Bart. Besides, I've heard a little rumor that Chinese Zhang's private life isn't all that respectable. Apparently, he attended a joint party for people from the arts and sports worlds last week, then left with four beautiful women at once."
"What? F-four beautiful women? At once? Could he handle that?"
"Apparently, none of the four beauties could get out of bed the next day, but he turned up for team training on time as though nothing had happened. Then, a few days later, he showed fine form against Sedan in the France Cup with three goals and an assist."
"Wow, if that's true, then Chinese Zhang is an absolute beast. Taking on four beauties single-handedly, then still wreaking havoc on the pitch? To all the beautiful women watching at home, if you're tempted, make your move."
"All right, the match is about to begin. Dear viewers, coming up next..."
Meanwhile, over in China, Liu Jianhong and Xu Yang were once again covering the match on CCTV-5.
"China Central Television, China Central Television. Dear viewers, coming up is our broadcast of round 22 of Ligue 1, with Ligue 1 side Auxerre visiting Saint-Étienne..."
With a blast of the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
The broadcast director certainly knew where to point the cameras. Knowing that 1.4 billion Chinese viewers were watching the match, he gave Zhang Kuang no fewer than a dozen shots within a minute.
They came from every angle, and the angles were chosen exceptionally well. After all, the French were highly accomplished when it came to art. Their shots made Zhang Kuang look incredibly handsome; even with every fine hair on his body captured, he still looked flawlessly handsome.
"Wow, this is the Chinese kid who handled four beauties in one night? Isn't he ridiculously handsome?"
"Does anyone have his contact details? I want to measure how long he is."
"Ha, a man who can leave four beauties bedridden in one night? I'm afraid you're not deep enough for him to measure. Want to team up?"
"Sure!"
"..."
On the pitch, Zhang Kuang had no idea that the television commentators had already broadcast his embarrassing exploits, and that plenty of viewers now knew about them.
But even if word had spread, it did not matter. Playing around with women was not important; scoring goals was... And there it was-after Saint-Étienne's defenders had marked him tightly for a dozen minutes, the ball came his way!