Chapter 11

Didn't quite understand what was going on...

When he opened it, it was three hundred yuan.

Why would she give him three hundred yuan? He didn't even know what she looked like.

Liu Hao's head was full of question marks.

He stood up and looked around, but the person who gave him the money was gone, and he didn't even get to see their face. It was really strange.

Guiyang was truly a treasure land; he could even pick up money by squatting at the door...

The next day, when passing by the training ground, Liu Hao wondered if he should squat at the door again, smoke a cigarette, and then pick up another envelope.

On the third day, when Liu Hao passed by again, he glanced at the wall by the door, but in the end, he walked straight past.

It seemed that good things wouldn't always fall from the sky.

He might as well consider it a stroke of luck, but oh, benefactor, could you let me play in the match tomorrow?

It was the last match. If he couldn't play, he would probably have to go back home and give up his football dream.

It was a life-or-death match, and Li Tie wouldn't let him play, unless the team was still trailing 0-2 in the final moments. Otherwise, how could that happen?

In his imagination, Liu Hao saw himself returning to Beining City, surrounded by tens of thousands of fans in the middle of the field, each holding a torch, ready to burn him alive on the training ground.

Just because he injured the main goalkeeper, leading to the team's failure to qualify for the first division...

Thinking about this, his body couldn't help but shiver.

At the same time, Li Tie actually called his name.

"Liu Xiaopang!"

What? He woke up from his dream.

He was a bit dazed.

Being called meant he was on the list, right? This wasn't a dream.

Heaven really did play tricks. In just ten days, his name had been linked with the Super Club.

Indeed, he was back on the match list, and it seemed that Li Tie had been influenced by Guo Deliang...

*************

In a professional match, the decisive playoff, the name "Liu Xiaopang" was prominently displayed on the big screen.

The second-tier league, which had already attracted much attention, was no longer unfamiliar to the journalists.

The media had a clear understanding of every player on each team.

If there was a problem with a match, it was most likely due to some players. Therefore, the paparazzi conducted very detailed investigations of the players, but this time there was an exception.

It was the name "Liu Xiaopang" on the computer screen.

Who was Liu Xiaopang? Where did he come from? What did he look like? It wasn't just one journalist who was curious and eager to find the answer.

As his name suggested, he should at least be a little fat.

Amid the curiosity of countless media, Liu Hao walked out of the player's tunnel for the first time in his equipment. However, it was so cold that he pulled his cap down very low, and no one could clearly see who Liu Xiaopang was.

All people saw was a series of players in the same color uniform, and among them, one figure was particularly fat, fat to the point of being unbearable.

Everyone thus concluded that this guy was the new secret weapon of the Super Team.

Looking at the lush green grass, Liu Hao thought that when he went on the field, he should bend down and touch the grass, just like the stars.

But wouldn't that waste the limited time on the field?

So, after sitting on the bench, he rubbed his heels on the grass, feeling a bit embarrassed...

For fairness, both matches started simultaneously.

The Super Team vs. Sea Bull match set many records in the second-tier league.

First, CCTV-5 actually broadcast the match live, with the famous CCTV commentator Duan Xuan on site.

In the past, at most, a provincial sports channel would broadcast it, and only if the timing was right.

Second, the number of spectators surprisingly exceeded 40,000.

It could be said that this was the match with the most spectators in the history of the second-tier league.

After the match, it was rumored that even Guizhou Renhe wanted to get a share of the ticket revenue.

From 1,000 to 40,000, what a concept.

Of course, the tickets were still cheap at ten yuan each, and the rumor about Guizhou Renhe's involvement didn't seem quite right.

However, why did this match attract so many fans?

A journalist interviewed on-site: Why are the fans so enthusiastic about this match?

Most of the reasons were: We are all here for the spectacle.

What spectacle?

To see the jokes in Chinese football, to see how absurd the match can get!

Oh! So it turns out that even the fans think the match might be rigged, and the whole country is waiting to see the jokes!

"Hello, friends in front of the TV, the final match of the 2013 Chinese Second Division League is about to start. The result of this match will determine who will participate in the 2014 Chinese First Division League..." Duan Xuan, who was hosting the second-tier league live for the first time, started talking non-stop.

"Unimaginable is the number of spectators today, which many Chinese Super League clubs cannot match. Who says China has no fans?"

"From the lineups announced before the match, we can see that both teams have strong lineups. Any of them could compete in the first division. Many of the players' names are familiar to us, such as the new national team player Ling Zhenbang from the Super Team, and... (he made a mistake and couldn't remember other players' names) cough, the coach Li Tie... many promising young players. Both teams are the champions of the North and South regions of the 2013 second-tier league, and this match will surely be a fierce battle, sorry, a fierce dragon and tiger battle..."

The guest Yao Xia, sitting next to him, felt a chill down his back.

Damn, don't bring up last night's incident! This is a CCTV live broadcast, not a CCA.V live broadcast. Xiao Xuan, are you going to appear on TV in a suit top and shorts again?

Yao Xia sighed helplessly.

"Last night, I heard that the bookmakers' odds were for a draw." Speaking without thinking, another inappropriate comment slipped out.

Damn! Even the bookmakers are mentioned! Yao Xia was completely chilled... Is this guy a famous CCTV commentator or a village gossip?

Duan Xuan didn't know that his mention of "bookmakers" increased CCTV's ratings by ten percentage points.

"Cough, hello, friends, let's introduce the lineups now..." Yao Xia immediately changed the topic to stop Duan Xuan from continuing, or else something would go wrong.

Duan Xuan seemed to understand Yao Xia's good intentions, but his mouth still wouldn't listen. A sudden drowsiness hit him, and he couldn't help yawning in front of the camera...

This ruined his reputation...

Sss... Sss...

The fans watching the TV suddenly found that the CCTV-5 live broadcast signal was gone.

Five seconds later, the TV screen flickered twice, and the signal was restored.

But only Yao Xia was left in front of the camera.

Yao Xia, a former Chinese star who became famous with Ma Mingyu, could handle the commentary alone. As for Duan Xuan, he became a topic of discussion after the match.

Where did Duan Xuan go? He might have temporarily joined the "Where Are We Going, Dad?" show.

The atmosphere outside the stadium was lively, and inside the stadium, it was no less so.

The match had just started, and a strong sense of tension was already in the air.

Just because of a meaningless foul, the players from both teams immediately rushed together, as if they were about to start a big fight.

This seemed to indicate that this would be a real, no-holds-barred match, not a fake one as rumored.

The referee, with a determined and serious face, separated the two teams and immediately showed two yellow cards to the players who started the trouble, treating both sides equally.

The leaders were watching, so what were they doing? They were asking for trouble! The referee's serious face also indicated that the match would be exciting.

While one side was causing trouble, the other side already had a goal! Zhongji led Kejia 1-0, and it was fast!

Whether intentional or not, the home stadium of Guizhou Renhe, which originally had only one big screen, now had an additional one.

The additional screen prominently displayed Zhongji's goal, drawing the attention of all the fans.

However, as long as this match was a draw, even if Zhongji won 100-0, it would be useless!

The fans were still watching with a sense of anticipation. In Chinese football, no one could guarantee the outcome until the last moment!

The fans watching the match were all old fans, not just for a year or two, but for ten or twenty years. They naturally saw through the issues and were much calmer than the players on the field.

Of course, it was rare to see Li Tie walking around on the sidelines, indicating that he was quite nervous.

If this match couldn't end in a draw or a win, his tenure as the coach of the Super Team would probably be over.

The coach of the Sea Bull team was no better, both of them circling around the coaching bench, never sitting down. Once, they even bumped heads while looking down.

Fortunately, the fourth official saw it clearly, or it would have been mistaken for a fight.

However, even though they were anxious on the sidelines and the players were tense on the field, the first half ended 0-0. As Yao Xia put it: "Passionate, but not exciting enough!"

The other match had a score of 2-0, but there was no one-sided situation in the first half.

"The timing is well controlled! It seems that Chinese football is getting more and more refined." During the halftime break, a slender female journalist interviewed an old fan in the stands, who answered meaningfully, "The second half will be the turning point, and the last few minutes will be the most beautiful moments..."

Quite cultured, especially the last half sentence was poetic...

"Turning point my ass, can't you see that this match is definitely a draw, and the other match will be at least 3-0!" A younger fan, hearing the old man's answer, dismissed it with disdain.

"Exactly, even if not, these two teams will probably end up 1-1, 2-2, anyway, a draw! This is a默契match! If it had to be decided as people predicted before the match, the goals would have appeared long ago. We guessed wrong before the match!"

"You guys are too cynical, have some hope for Chinese football! The match isn't as dark as you think!" An old man with white hair couldn't help but interject, how many years of football fandom must he have!

The fans' voices were the most genuine.

The match seemed to be unfolding as predicted.

At the 65th minute, Ling Zhenbang headed the ball, but it went over the crossbar.

At the 67th minute, the Sea Bull team retaliated, but the single shot was too wide.

However, at the 72nd minute, Ling Zhenbang made a comeback, breaking through to the edge of the penalty area and firing a powerful shot, finally breaking the Sea Bull team's goal.

The excited Ling Zhenbang sprinted fifty meters, running to the coaching bench to high-five everyone, as if he had already won the match.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Could this expression be faked?!

The old fan chuckled, clearly satisfied with his insight.

As the match continued, the Sea Bull team launched a fierce counterattack, but the Super Team defended tightly.

The match reached the 89th minute.

The fourth official raised the stoppage time board.

"Three minutes of stoppage time!"

Three minutes, for the leading team, felt like an eternity, but for the trailing team, it was as short as a hair...

At this moment, Li Tie finally turned to the bench and beckoned to Liu Hao.

Liu Hao, wearing the number 32 jersey, rubbed his eyes, shook his head from side to side, looked at his teammates, and finally pinched his thigh.

Only then did he confirm that he was finally going to play!

No warm-up needed!

Dragging his chubby body, he wobbled like a ball, rolling to the substitution area.

The entire stadium was in an uproar.

"This fat guy, actually playing football?"

Whistles, jeers, and taunts filled the air.

Li Tie stared straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to the fans' jeers.

But Liu Hao's face was not good. He was already very fat, and now his face was as red as a pig's liver, truly turning into a pig, just missing a hoe.

What kind of courage did he need?

"This... I didn't see wrong, right? This is Liu Xiaopang? Wow, let's take a closer look, from the side, he does have a bit of Maradona's flavor." Yao Xia's spirits were lifted, and he joked, "He might be the fattest professional player in Chinese football history. What makes him stand out? He's not young, is he?"

Liu Hao didn't even know who he was replacing. After a dazed embrace with his teammates, he appeared on the field, completely forgetting his plan to touch the grass and make a cool entrance.

Worse still, it seemed the other team knew the ball was for him, and they immediately counter-pressed. The ball flew like a tornado, passing over everyone's heads, and landed at the feet of the Sea Bull team's forward.

In less than five seconds!

In a flash, the ball went into the net!

!!!

The entire stadium erupted in applause!

The applause was like a mountain roar, deafening and lasting for a long time...

Did they wait ninety minutes just to see this moment?

Weng...

Liu Hao's head spun.

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