Chapter 17

On Lin Sen's tactical board, the 4-2-3-1 formation would be the main lineup for Atletico Madrid's next few matches. Lin Sen's original intention was to build everything on defense, but given that the attacking players in the current Atletico Madrid squad were both more numerous and stronger, he had no choice but to accept this reality. The goal became a matter of life and death. Whether it was the 1-0 that the coach preferred or the 4-3 that the fans loved to watch, you had to score one more goal than the opponent.

In the 4-2-3-1 formation, the most critical and demanding position in the attacking system was not the 1 on the surface, but the 1 hidden among the 3. This 1 was currently given to Luis Garcia, but the Spaniard was more accustomed to playing on the wing. Lin Sen's plan was to have the highly skilled playmaker Forlán drop back at times to help Luis Garcia in this role, just as he did in the national team. However, this was not a long-term solution.

The long-term solution lay within the team. Aguero was the best candidate for this position, and this "best" was not limited to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine prodigy could pass and shoot, and his organizational skills were also excellent. This position, slightly behind the forward, could maximize the compensation for his lack of height and allow him to fully display his offensive talents.

This was also why Lin Sen always wanted to give Aguero a shot!

However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, it was best to do this quietly.

According to Lin Sen's original estimate, Aguero would need at least two more weeks before he could return to the field, and his playing time would have to be strictly controlled. Acupuncture could roughly halve this time, meaning that if everything went smoothly, Aguero could play in the match after next, but not the next one. Although acupuncture was miraculous, it was still a conventional method, just enhanced by Lin Sen's eyes to make it unconventional.

Even so, when Lin Sen inserted the fine needles into Aguero's previously injured area and then removed them one by one, Aguero still found it incredible. From the initial soreness and swelling to the sensation of ants running over his bones, waiting for Lin Sen to remove all the needles, Aguero felt as if his leg had suddenly become several pounds lighter, completely free of the previous heavy and sluggish feeling.

"Too amazing," Aguero felt like he was dreaming. "Lin, you shouldn't be a coach. With your skills, why bother with others' opinions? How about being my personal doctor?"

Aguero still had his ulterior motives.

Lin Sen rolled his eyes: "If you can give up football and become my apprentice, I won't be a coach."

"… Haha, just a joke." Aguero laughed. "Just a joke."

"Next time is the day after tomorrow." Lin Sen ignored him, just tidying up the used needles.

"Again?" Aguero was taken aback.

"What, afraid of pain? Or do you think I'm God?"

"… You're not far from it."

"Thanks for the compliment. But you still need at least two more sessions. Of course, if you want to continue, that's not a problem…"

"Ha… See you tomorrow! See you tomorrow!"

Before Lin Sen could finish, Aguero pulled up his pants, jumped off the bed, and tried to make a quick escape. Lin Sen quickly grabbed him.

"At least put your pants on properly before you go out. If people see you like this, how will you face them in the future?"

---

After Aguero left, the sky grew dark. Lin Sen tidied up his things and was about to go home when he suddenly stopped. He realized his place was still a mess. As he hesitated about whether to stay at a hotel for the night and chat with the girl he met at the bar, a phone call came in.

"What's up?" Lin Sen didn't even look at the caller and spoke with a commanding tone.

The person on the other end was taken aback and replied even more forcefully: "Are you asking for death?!"

"What do you want, Na? Is it Norah wanting Chinese food again? It's so late, you can't treat her like that just because she's not your biological daughter…"

"Get lost." Dina cursed.

"Okay." Lin Sen hung up immediately.

A moment later, Dina roared again.

"Did you dare hang up on me?"

"Didn't you tell me to get lost? What do you want?"

"Norah misses you…"

After hanging up, Lin Sen felt the sky had grown even darker.

On the other end of the line, Dina smiled.

The humiliation from the players, the fans' misunderstanding, the media's ridicule, and now even not being able to return home… Any one of these things could have plunged someone into despair. During the training session, Dina had been worried that Lin Sen was putting on a brave face in front of the players, but now it seemed he was still the carefree little bastard.

When Lin Sen appeared at Dina's doorstep with a large bag, Dina was even more convinced.

"You're really not shy, are you?" Dina was speechless.

"Don't be so formal. I know you want me to stay." Lin Sen put a bag on the table and took the rest of the things upstairs to the guest room.

Foreign women were great in this way. As long as they were pure in heart and body, there were no issues with cohabitation. Unlike in China, where you might be forced to meet the other person's aunts and uncles the next day and have their parents come to inspect you the day after.

"What's that?" Dina closed the door and looked at the bag on the table, sighing.

"Food. I didn't have time to cook today, so I got it from a Chinese restaurant. We'll have to make do." Lin Sen's voice came from upstairs. "By the way, where's Norah?"

"My parents just took her." Dina opened the food and reached into the box with her pale hand, answering casually.

"Mr. Diaz came by? Why didn't I see him?" Lin Sen came downstairs.

"They ran away as soon as they heard you were coming. I find it strange, they seemed to like you so much." Dina said, munching on a chicken claw, her usual goddess image now more like a demon in Lin Sen's eyes.

"Is this… to give us a chance?" Lin Sen immediately understood.

Dina's parents, the Diaz couple, had always puzzled Lin Sen. How could such a kind and gentle couple have a daughter like Dina? Apart from her height, she seemed to have inherited nothing from them. This made Lin Sen seriously doubt whether Dina was adopted. However, after Dina mentioned DNA testing, Lin Sen never dared to bring it up again. The Diaz couple deeply detested Dina's commitment to being single. For parents, the most unacceptable things were probably a son who didn't like women, a daughter who didn't like men, and children who didn't marry.

Thus, Lin Sen's appearance and his relationship with Dina gave the Diaz couple hope.

"Right." Dina looked up. "Dare you take it?"

After saying that, Dina slowly licked the juice from the corner of her mouth.

One day, one day…

Seeing this, Lin Sen took a deep breath, his teeth grinding in frustration.

---

"Has Cerezo really not contacted you at all?" After finishing the last chicken wing she had snatched from Lin Sen, Dina leaned back in her chair and asked lazily.

"No." Lin Sen replied lazily, wondering why this woman never gained weight no matter how much she ate. Was this a benefit of being a fitness coach?

Lin Sen was telling the truth. The last time he saw Cerezo was not in his capacity as a coach. Although there was no need for the president and the head coach, especially an interim coach, to meet, Cerezo had not met Lin Sen after the team's two consecutive losses, the refusal to play incident, or even the issue with Lin Sen's residence. He hadn't even called, though he wasn't completely ignoring the situation. For example, Simao and Reyes apologized to Lin Sen at his "suggestion," and this time, he publicly expressed disappointment in the fans' behavior. So, while the situation was strange, Lin Sen didn't find it too surprising.

"How confident are you about the next match?"

"Try not to lose." Lin Sen said calmly, his voice unusually confident.

"Pellegrini is not easy to deal with, but you don't have much room to maneuver." Dina frowned. Two consecutive losses were not a disaster for a new coach, but who would have thought Lin Sen's two losses would follow four consecutive losses? Six consecutive losses were a disaster. Fans were already vandalizing houses, and if they lost again, who knew what would happen.

"I don't plan to back down." Lin Sen's voice softened. "Even if it's bad luck, it should be at its worst by now."

"Maybe you can focus on fitness. Although Villarreal has been in excellent form this season, their biggest weakness is that their starting lineup is generally older. If you can exploit this and focus on fitness, there might be a chance…" Dina finally offered some advice, but before she could finish, she heard steady breathing from beside her.

Dina fell silent, a slight smile playing on her lips. She remembered their first meeting, when Lin Sen was a shy team doctor who would blush if she looked at him for too long. She used to tease him with all sorts of jokes, and over time, they ended up in this relationship. It was good. Dina looked at Lin Sen again.

Tired, go to sleep.