At the same time, the referee showed Saint-Étienne defender Yoann a red card. This was far too vicious; attempts to cripple another player had to be firmly stopped.
In the CCTV-5 studio, host Liu Jianyou and guest Xu Yang were filled with worry.
"That Saint-Étienne defender must be severely punished. He was simply too malicious. Everyone can compete fairly on the pitch, but a player who sets out to cripple someone must be banned permanently." Xu Yang was furious.
"Exactly. If Zhang Kuang really suffers any serious consequences from this, it will be a loss for world football. He's only eighteen, with such technical ability... oh, we can see Zhang Kuang getting up. His ankle is indeed bleeding, and the team doctor is helping stop the bleeding.
"After the team doctor put a bandage on him, Zhang Kuang jumped a couple of times. There doesn't seem to be any major problem... he's signaling to the referee that he can return to the pitch. Thank goodness, thank goodness, it's nothing serious." Liu Jianyou let out a deep sigh of relief.
Xu Yang also sighed with relief. "Hopefully, this malicious foul won't affect Zhang Kuang physically or psychologically.
"Some players become afraid of physical challenges after suffering malicious fouls, and their technical play becomes timid and hesitant from then on. Many gifted players end up like that. After one or two injuries, the psychological wounds are even worse, ultimately affecting their careers.
"We wish Zhang Kuang the strength to weather these psychological difficulties, and we believe he can." Xu Yang offered his heartfelt wishes.
Liu Jianhong said, "Yes. After all, everything he experienced back home severely tested his psychological resilience too. He lost his mother as a child, then his father, and was expelled as well. Which of those wouldn't be too much for an ordinary person to bear? He bore all three alone.
"So we believe he can withstand the pressure of normal physical challenges like these on the pitch and continue to maintain his style and ability..."
As soon as Zhang Kuang signaled that he wanted to keep playing, the fans throughout the stadium gave him warm applause. But he had only taken a few steps after returning to the pitch when play stopped again, and the fourth official on the touchline raised the substitution board.
Auxerre substitution: number 19, Yaya Sanogo, on; number 33, Zhang Kuang, off!
Seeing the substitution, Zhang Kuang shook his head helplessly, then raised both hands above his head and applauded. The fans throughout the stadium applauded him too.
The two France 1 commentators sighed with relief at the same time, as did the two CCTV-5 commentators. Auxerre was right to take Zhang Kuang off now to protect him.
Yaya Sanogo was only sixteen, a future Arsenal striker, but he was very tall, standing at 1.94 meters. The signal was obvious: Fernandez was telling Saint-Étienne that he would stop attacking and pull back. He was satisfied with what he had.
Sure enough, the rest of the match entered garbage time. Although sixteen-year-old Yaya Sanogo was very lively, he was still too young.
After three minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle. Saint-Étienne striker Kevin Mirallas immediately ran over to ask Zhang Kuang to swap shirts. After exchanging shirts with him, Zhang Kuang joined his teammates in going over to the away fans to thank them for their support.
Once the match ended, the two CCTV-5 commentators began talking freely too.
Liu Jianhong said, "All right, viewers, this Ligue 1 matchday 22 fixture, with Saint-Étienne hosting Auxerre, has come to an end. In the end, our country's player scored four goals in succession, and Auxerre beat Saint-Étienne 4-0 away.
"Apart from Zhang Kuang's four incredibly spectacular goals, this match also saw him suffer a malicious tackle from Saint-Étienne defender Yoann. I believe many fans are very concerned about the exact state of his injury. Stay tuned; we'll also be broadcasting a post-match interview shortly..."
At the stadium, before the Auxerre players left, a France Football Federation staff member stopped Zhang Kuang and told him he had been named the match MVP and would receive a match ball.
Next came his interview with Marina Durand. The female reporter who had had such a wild time tumbling between the sheets with him looked at Zhang Kuang with a complicated gaze, containing both concern and hatred.
Zhang Kuang was a little puzzled, but this was a public setting, so he could hardly ask.
Marina said, "Zhang, first, congratulations on scoring four goals for the first time, recording your first four-goal haul in the top five leagues, and winning the MVP award for this match.
"Also, regarding that malicious tackle on your ankle by Saint-Étienne defender Yoann, how is your injury? Will it affect your performances going forward?"
Zhang Kuang said, "Thank you for your good wishes. I'm very happy to have scored four goals. That takes me another step closer to the Golden Boot, and I'll keep working toward the Golden Boot and the league title."
"As for the Saint-Étienne defender tackling my ankle, I don't have much to say. I only suffered a minor impact injury. It won't affect my upcoming matches at all, so please don't worry.
"As for why that defender tackled me, I think scoring four goals in succession twisted his mind and made him want to destroy me. I suppose the France Football Federation will hand down a fair punishment for that?
"If outstanding stars are going to get their legs broken by defenders just for putting on dazzling performances in Ligue 1, then I imagine promising players won't dare come to Ligue 1 to develop anymore."
Hearing Zhang Kuang's words, Marina felt uncomfortable too, and she had to admire his way of applying pressure.
"Yes, I believe the France Football Federation will certainly deliver a fair ruling. We're also glad you weren't seriously hurt. We all saw that after your supporting leg gave way, your other foot came down and badly injured Yoann. He was taken away in an ambulance. What would you like to say about that?"
Zhang Kuang said, "Perhaps all of this was God's will. When you maliciously try to hurt someone else, God might be sickened by your malice, so he arranges an outcome where 'the aggressor gets attacked instead.' I didn't expect to injure his ankle by stepping on it either. It was all accidental. I hope he gets better soon."
Marina asked, "If something like this happens on the pitch again, how will you respond?"
Zhang Kuang said, "As an excellent player, of course I have to avoid injuries as much as possible for the sake of my career. But I can't lose my drive just to avoid injury either. Besides, football is inherently a sport of technique and physical confrontation. Injuries are inevitable. What has to be faced must still be faced."
Marina nodded. "One last question, on a topic off the pitch. According to what TF1 commentator Dugarry revealed during his commentary, you took four beautiful women away to spend the night with you at a party for people in the arts and sports a few days ago. Aren't you worried that indulging in women will affect your career? Aren't you worried your fans will dislike this indulgence in women?"
Zhang Kuang froze for a moment. He hadn't expected this to have spread through television already. Now he was done for; his reputation was well and truly out there.
Zhang Kuang shrugged. "I don't think there's much to say about this private matter. I'm only eighteen, young, full of energy, and full of curiosity about sex, and I wanted to test my limits.
"So I believe anyone who has been young can understand the occasional act like this. Besides, which superstar in football hasn't indulged in women when he was young? As long as it doesn't affect performances on the pitch, that's fine.
"Besides, we're all adults. If someone can't control his desires and his career declines because of it, he's brought it upon himself. Outsiders can only resent his failure to do better or feel sorry for him. The only person truly hurt is the player himself.
"I understand that very well, so... none of that applies to me, because I know what my actions mean and understand some of the consequences. Or rather, there are some consequences I can afford to bear."
Marina nodded. "All right, thank you for the interview. Finally, I wish you all the best."
After Marina finished the on-site interview, Zhang Kuang had no idea that the studio far away in Beiping had broadcast it live, with someone translating directly. Now fans all across China had seen it.
Liu Jianhong and Xu Yang both wore very peculiar expressions.
Liu Jianhong said, "Ah, from Zhang Kuang's post-match interview, we can see that he's in excellent shape. He also addressed his injury and psychological condition. He is very mentally prepared to handle physical challenges and injuries on the pitch, which is very reassuring."
Xu Yang said, "Exactly. As long as the injury isn't serious and his psychological resilience is strong, Zhang Kuang will go a long way in his career.
"In particular, he has a clear understanding of how an excellent player should avoid injuries, while also responding calmly to physical challenges on the pitch. That's the foundation of an excellent player."
Liu Jianhong said, "Yes, exactly. I wish Zhang Kuang outstanding results in Ligue 1. In three Ligue 1 matches, he has already scored nine goals, putting him sixth in the scoring charts.
"He's only one goal behind fifth place and only six behind Mamadou in first. With sixteen league rounds still to come, I believe Zhang Kuang will certainly realize his Golden Boot dream."
Xu Yang said, "Exactly. Besides his rise to sixth in the scoring charts, Auxerre is currently still fourth in the standings, but only four points behind first place. With sixteen league rounds remaining, that's a gap that can easily be bridged. We also hope Auxerre can bravely seize the Ligue 1 title under Zhang Kuang's leadership.
"Of course, we also hope he'll be more disciplined and lay an even firmer foundation for his future football career."
Liu Jianhong said, "Exactly. Let's wish Zhang Kuang well. That's all for this program, viewers. We'll see you again for Auxerre's next match."
Xu Yang said, "Goodbye."
But some viewers sitting in front of their televisions weren't having it.
At a table at a late-night food stall, one viewer shouted, "Hey, what's with those two? Didn't that beautiful reporter clearly ask about Zhang Kuang taking four women away from a party to spend the night with him? Why aren't those two hosts talking about it?"
Another fan said, "Ha, how are they supposed to discuss that? This is CCTV. You expect them to talk at length on the program about how a player spent the night with four women?"
Another fan said, "It's over, it's over. Zhang Kuang is finished. He's going to ruin himself on women's bellies. Fine, fool around with women, but four at once? Does he have a death wish? And the worst part is, he admitted it. This kid is beyond saving."
"And I admired him so much before. Turns out he's a scumbag and a womanizer. That handsome face is completely wasted on him. How disappointing."
"Exactly. One woman would be tolerable. At most, everyone would say you were young and hot-blooded and couldn't help yourself. But four? That's practically giving up on yourself and ruining yourself with your own hands. How disappointing."
"Am I the only one who envies his ability to handle four women in one night? That's so fucking awesome. I really wish I had that ability."
"Fuck, get lost..."