Chapter 72

Starting Friday afternoon, "Sanmu Garden" became very lively, with several popular posts flooding the screen, leaving Li Yu and Li Xun, who were in charge of reviewing posts, exhausted.

Three days ago, Li Yu had moved to the Red Building to use Bian Xuedao's computer to review posts. Later, as he couldn't handle it alone, he brought Li Xun over as well.

Li Yu even considered temporarily shutting down the forum, but Bian Xuedao told Li Yu that unless "Sanmu Garden" didn't want to continue, they shouldn't falter at this critical moment.

The most popular post on "Sanmu Garden" was a comparison of the abilities of the players in the international student team and the media team. Some enthusiasts even listed several scoring criteria and predicted the strengths and weaknesses of both teams in the final.

On the forum, Bian Xuedao's nickname was "Heavy Artillery." Anyone who had seen him play was deeply impressed by his long-range shots, as well as the fingers he and Shan Rao raised to indicate the number of goals. People commented that he was strong in physical confrontations, good at ball control, and his shots were clean and decisive, especially his powerful long-range shots, which were particularly mesmerizing. As long as he took a shot, it was a nightmare for the goalkeeper.

At 6 PM on Friday, all the media team members gathered for a pre-match preparation meeting.

The meeting was chaired and led by the current coach, Wu Tian.

Wu Tian mainly emphasized several points:

First, this is just an amateur match, and the outcome doesn't matter. The key is to enjoy the game.

Second, he outlined the formation and positions of the players on the field.

Wu Tian's exact words were: "I haven't assigned any specific tactics, as you won't remember them on the field. I have two requirements: except for the few I will name, no one is allowed to leave their position, and you must run more and pass more."

Third, he discussed defense.

"Number 5, everyone says you have the best stamina. Your task is to be the destroyer in the backfield. Wherever the ball goes, you go. Follow the ball, not the player. Have you seen a mad dog? Follow that example. Number 16, you are good at man-marking. Your task is to stick to the opposing team's Number 9, who scores in every game. Wherever he goes, you go. If he goes back to defend, you follow. Even if he squats to tie his shoelaces, you stand there and guard him. Number 17, I've seen you do some good long passes over the past two days. When you get the ball in the backfield, if there's an opportunity, you should launch a long pass to the front."

Fourth, he discussed offense.

"Number 24..."

Bian Xuedao, hearing Wu Tian call his number, quickly focused his attention.

"Number 24, as the main striker, you need to make off-the-ball runs to create space in the opponent's defense. Use your physical advantage, and I've heard you have a good long-range shot. When you have the opportunity, take the shot. Don't be afraid to waste chances."

"Number 31..."

Wu Tian mentioned Duan Qifeng.

"Number 31, you will play behind the striker. When he has enough stamina, you will be the shadow striker. When his stamina drops, you will move up. The main offensive responsibility will be on the three of us."

"Number 23..."

Wu Tian mentioned Xu Zhiyou.

"Priority in the backfield is to pass to you. You will be the midfield engine, directing the play."

Wu Tian said, "I want to tell everyone that although we have four substitution slots, each one is precious. Except for Number 5, everyone else needs to manage their stamina. If the situation is unfavorable, I plan to bring in fresh players in the last 20 minutes to use their physical advantage to push for goals."

"Finally, we still have one more day. I hope everyone finds time to search online for the hunting habits of wolves. If we can learn just a fraction of their resilience, ferocity, and unity, we will have an 80% chance of winning."

On Friday evening, Shan Rao called Guan Shunan, telling her that the "Dongsen Cup" final would be held at 10 AM the day after tomorrow, and Bian Xuedao would play for her college as a foreign player.

After hanging up with Shan Rao, Guan Shunan called her close colleagues and her supervisor to take a day off on Sunday.

On Sunday, the day of the championship match, the weather was clear and pleasant.

The third-place match the previous day had already been decided, with the graduate team winning 4-3.

At 8 AM, the organizers noticed that the number of spectators was exceeding the capacity and immediately sought permission from the leadership to designate seating areas for each college and external visitors, and to increase security at the entrances to prevent further entry once the stadium was full.

This wasn't due to the school's lack of foresight, as even the school's track and field events had never filled the stadium, and the third-place match the previous day had only filled about 70-80% of the seats.

However, by 8 AM on Sunday, two hours before the match, the stadium was already one-third full.

"The latest news: once the stadium is full, no one will be allowed in. Those who want to come should hurry." The message spread quickly through phone calls and the internet. By 9 AM, the organizers had no choice but to implement entry restrictions.

It was easier for external visitors, but for students from the school and those who came with them, it was a different story. They knew each other well and could easily find someone to vouch for them with a few phone calls, and they would eventually get in.

By 9:20 AM, there was hardly any space left in the stands.

Couples watching the game together, if the man said to the woman, "Sit on my lap!" the people around them wouldn't dismiss it as "pervert!" but would give a thumbs up and say, "That's loyalty!"

Yang Hao had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Just after 8 AM, Yang Hao arrived at the stadium and chose a good spot early.

By 9 AM, the stadium was three-quarters full. Yang Hao walked to the center of the football field, facing the main stand, and began to recite "The Seagull" loudly.

After finishing "The Seagull," he took out a miniature version of the "Tao Te Ching" from his pocket and started reading it chapter by chapter.

The stadium was noisy, and some people noticed him, while others didn't. Some heard what he was reading, while others didn't. Some thought it was a pre-match warm-up act and asked those around them, while others wondered if he was practicing his courage or trying to win someone's heart. Even without a microphone, why not use a handheld speaker?

After about 20 minutes, Yang Hao was asked to leave the field by the staff, but he immediately stood at the bottom of the stands and introduced himself loudly to the audience.

Many people cheered for him, while others thought he was crazy. Yang Hao saw some people with annoyed and mocking expressions, but he didn't care. He was only pursuing what he wanted.

Many foreigners, both men and women, with various skin tones, gathered near the international student team's rest area. Clearly, they were from the same circle in this stadium.

Harry's girlfriend was also there, and she was also British. Both young British people, curious about Eastern culture, were studying at the university.

Yang Hao didn't miss this group of foreigners.

He used the English version of his self-introduction that he had prepared. Foreigners were generally kind and encouraging, giving him friendly smiles and gestures, except for three Koreans who could be identified by their appearance. They were cold and ignored him as if he were a monkey being played with.

Guan Shunan lived far from her workplace and also far from Dongsen University. She hadn't expected this situation, so when Shan Rao picked her up at the school gate, it was already 9:30 AM.

When Shan Rao and Guan Shunan arrived at the stadium entrance, there were already many students outside who couldn't get in and were indignant. At this point, the security at the entrance had been increased to 10 people, and a leader had just come and explicitly said, "No one is allowed in."

Shan Rao tried every possible way to get in, saying she was a student leader, the deputy captain of the media team, a representative from the sponsor, and a family member of a media team player. She left the people around her and Guan Shunan speechless, but it was useless against the 10 determined security guards. They knew that there was a dedicated passage under the main stand for players, school leaders, and special guests, but it was even more strictly guarded, and there was no way to sneak in.

Shan Rao had no choice and, though she knew it wasn't appropriate, called Bian Xuedao. The call went through, but no one answered.

Shan Rao then called Yang Enqiao, but it was clear that too many people were calling him to get in, and he had turned off his phone to avoid the disturbance.

With no other options, Shan Rao called Li Yu.