Chapter 62

Li Xuan felt somewhat frustrated during this match. Pan Zhiwen had said that the last time they played against this group, they were very weak and were easily defeated 4-1. However, today, the opponents had regrouped and returned with a vengeance, winning 5-1.

"Ah Wen, didn't you say that the HKU team was very weak? Their strength is clearly very strong! At least half of them could be starters for the school team, much better than us amateurs!"

Li Xuan was particularly depressed during this match. As the striker, he hardly touched the ball throughout the game. CUHK was pinned down in their own half by HKU's relentless attacks. Eventually, Li Xuan had no choice but to join in the defense.

CUHK's only goal came when Li Xuan, quick on his feet, seized on a mistake by the opposing defenders, intercepted the ball, and sprinted 15 meters, dribbling past the goalkeeper to score an empty-net goal, saving some face for the team.

"I didn't want this either, bro! This time they tricked us. They're not the same group as last time, it's too despicable!" Pan Zhiwen, bent over with his hands on his knees, said weakly.

As a defender, he had been busy the entire game, constantly running and being outmaneuvered by the opponents. The skill gap made him feel like a tree stump, easily bypassed by the opposing forwards. At least two of the five goals were his fault.

"They're playing unfairly, next time I'll call Big Mouth to even the score!"

The "Big Mouth" Pan Zhiwen mentioned was the vice-captain of CUHK's school team, a classmate from the same high school, known as "Tai Po Kempes." He had long, flowing hair like Kempes of the Argentine team and was very skilled at dribbling and breaking through defenses.

"Here, wipe your sweat!"

Zhong Chuhong walked over with two bottles of water, handing one to her boyfriend and the other to Pan Zhiwen. Then she took out a pack of tissues and carefully wiped the sweat from Li Xuan's head and neck.

"Ah, I won't interrupt your lovey-dovey moment. I need to take a shower and get back to school; I have an experiment tonight!" Pan Zhiwen winked at Li Xuan and laughed.

He was a senior in the Biochemistry Department, working on a research project with an associate professor, often assisting with various tasks.

"You should go take a shower too, be careful not to catch a cold!" Zhong Chuhong pushed Li Xuan gently.

"Okay, wait for me a bit, I'll be quick!"

The facilities at the racecourse amusement park were very complete, with showers available for players to use after sweating from a match, making it very convenient.

"Xuan, are you going back to school together?"

"Let's go. Do you think Vincent is like you, a single man with no one? He brought his family, so they'll naturally have a romantic candlelit dinner tonight. I doubt he'll be back to the dorm tonight!"

"Hehe!" The group burst into a chorus of laughter.

Li Xuan ignored them; they were just talking nonsense. After his shower, he changed out of his sweat-soaked sports shirt and packed it into his backpack, then put on his original red and blue striped shirt and a pair of gray casual pants.

Li Xuan walked out of the bathroom and looked around, spotting Zhong Chuhong leaning against the railing, looking somewhat bored as she gazed at the racetrack outside. He smiled and walked over quickly.

A few steps away from Zhong Chuhong, a short, stocky man with a buzz cut stepped in front of him, turned his head, and smiled, seemingly indicating that he should go first.

"Hey, beautiful, you look familiar. Have we met before?" A slightly hoarse voice reached Li Xuan's ears.

Zhong Chuhong was startled and turned her head to see the two men standing behind her.

Before she could speak, the short, stocky man said, "Let's get acquainted. I'm Zeng Zhiwei, a film director. Miss, you're so beautiful, I can introduce you to be the lead actress in a movie!"

Zhong Chuhong didn't refuse, smiling and looking at her boyfriend standing behind Zeng Zhiwei.

Li Xuan smiled helplessly. He recognized Zeng Zhiwei's face when he turned to smile at him.

He patted Zeng Zhiwei's shoulder and said, "Bro, your pick-up lines are terrible. This beautiful lady is already taken, she's my date!"

"Ah, you brought your date to play soccer? I can't stand this kind of showy behavior!" Zeng Zhiwei, having failed to pick her up and caught by her boyfriend, showed no embarrassment. He glanced at Li Xuan's slightly damp hair and deliberately put on a dissatisfied expression.

"Isn't the strength and skill of men meant to be shown to girls? It's no fun playing soccer without girls cheering you on!" Li Xuan smiled and said, "Let's get acquainted, I'm Li Xuan, and this is my date, Zhong Chuhong!"

"Zhong Chuhong? Weren't you the fourth runner-up in last year's Miss Hong Kong? No wonder you look familiar!"

Zeng Zhiwei laughed. At that moment, a chorus of boos came from nearby. He flipped them off, drawing more laughter. Li Xuan recognized the people nearby: Tam Wing-lun, Chan Pak-cheung, and Chung Ching-to.

Zeng Zhiwei's father and Tam Wing-lun's father were both former football players and teammates. Their sons grew up playing soccer together. Chan Pak-cheung and Tam Wing-lun were childhood friends, and Chung Ching-to and Tam Wing-lun had once formed the band Wings, making them good friends.

Zeng Zhiwei and Tam Wing-lun, influenced by their fathers, had been passionate about soccer since childhood. Zeng Zhiwei had even joined a soccer team as a professional athlete. Li Xuan quickly figured out why these people were together.

These people were not yet as famous as they would be in thirty years. Zeng Zhiwei wasn't yet the respected "Uncle Zeng," and Tam Wing-lun wasn't yet the "Principal Tam" who was always eighteen.

"Come, let me introduce you to these guys. This is Ah Xuan! This is Ah Xuan's date, Miss Hong Kong, Zhong Chuhong!" Zeng Zhiwei called the others over, "Ah Xuan, these are my old friends. The one making faces is Ah Lun, real name Tam Wing-lun. The one with the big face next to him is Chan Pak-cheung, just call him Ah Lat.

But this guy is full of mischief, be careful, or you'll fall for his tricks. The last one with the handsome face is Ah B, Chung Ching-to. Be careful with your date around him, that's all I can say!"

"Don't talk nonsense, or we'll sue you for defamation!" Tam Wing-lun pushed the chattering Zeng Zhiwei aside and smiled at Li Xuan and Zhong Chuhong, "Ah Xuan, don't listen to him, we're all good guys. It's Zeng Zhiwei you should be careful of. You saw his performance just now, he's unattractive and doesn't know it, and he goes after every beautiful girl he sees!"

The group joked around, and everyone quickly became familiar with each other.

"Meeting Ah Xuan and Ah Hong today is a great opportunity. I'll treat you to seafood at Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai tonight! Ah Lun and Ah B, you two decide who will pay the bill!"

"You're so shameless, taking the credit for treating us but making us pay!" Chung Ching-to immediately objected.

"You two made a lot of money filming in Taiwan. It's rare for you to be back in Hong Kong, so you should contribute a bit!" Zeng Zhiwei said matter-of-factly.