Chapter 15

These past few days have been so busy that I only had time at nine in the evening. Tomorrow, I will resume updating twice a day with six thousand words each. This book has already been signed with Qidian. I have completed two sports novels and won't abandon this one.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The victor should stand on the stage of glory, basking in the adoration, even if the height of glory is just that of a toe.

But as a victor, Liu Hao fled in disarray.

He had too many reasons to run.

His identity could not be known by others;

He was the culprit who messed up two teams;

And he wasn't a real professional player...

After leaving the bench, Liu Hao directly slipped into the restroom and hid there for a long time before coming out.

By then, the stadium was empty, the night was cold, and the lively atmosphere of the afternoon was completely gone.

It seemed that everything he experienced that day was just a dream.

In the dream, everything was splendid, all his wishes were fulfilled, but the outcome was rather absurd...

He did not participate in the celebration organized by Ling Zhenbang, with only one thought in mind.

If what happened in the locker room was true, then his 'sin' was indeed great.

He just wanted to ask Cai Jin if he knew about it.

But he called over a dozen times, and the phone couldn't get through.

His heart sank, a sense of foreboding welled up in his mind, though it seemed absurd.

"Could he have been assassinated by the Sea Cows team..."

If there was an assassination, they would have targeted Li Tie first, not Cai Jin.

Unable to reach Cai Jin, he didn't know what to do in Guiyang. He didn't want to go back to the hotel, fearing he might run into Li Tie.

Thinking of the teammates' tearful expressions today, Liu Hao understood even more clearly what had happened.

Maybe both teams could still get bonuses for a draw, but not for a win? Because the boss would have to pay out?

During the second match, Boss Cai confidently said in the locker room that everyone would get ten thousand if they won. Now, for the third match, since it was a默契ball (a match with a prearranged outcome), it was likely that they would get bonuses for a draw.

The world is truly unpredictable. No wonder everyone's faces twisted into bitter gourds when they saw him score, with no trace of a smile.

He didn't just ruin one team, but two...

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic his mind became. At that moment, his phone rang.

He thought it was Cai Jin calling back, but it turned out to be a message from the team captain, Ling Zhenbang.

"Brother Liu, thank you today."

The few short words left Liu Hao utterly confused.

Did he help Ling Zhenbang today? He didn't give him any flashy assists, and it couldn't be because he provided a broad shoulder for him to cry on at the last moment.

Was it sarcasm? Liu Hao was taken aback.

He must be blaming me for ruining everyone's livelihood, so he sent this sarcastic message!

They must be drinking in a bar right now, venting their anger and looking for me to settle the score.

Fortunately, I didn't go to the celebration; otherwise, I might have ended up dead in Guiyang tonight...

In just a short while, Liu Hao had guessed everyone's feelings, and they were all harmful and not beneficial.

However, he thought one thing, but whether others really thought the same was another matter.

At that moment, Ling Zhenbang sat in a quiet private room, holding a beer in his broad hand but not bringing it to his lips.

Despite the dim night, his eyes were still exceptionally bright.

Huang Rongzheng, on the other side, was gulping down beer, as if he had been thirsty for it for a long time, just like his feelings for women.

"If it weren't for Brother Liu, we would have been involved in this match too. Honestly, if we hadn't played seriously, we would have carried a stain for life," Ling Zhenbang said calmly, recalling the match that afternoon.

"Even if we didn't participate, the media might still have speculated that we were involved. Fortunately, the result wasn't as people expected, or else..." Huang Rongzheng put down his beer bottle, equally serious.

But after holding back for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "But, you missed several shots today, wasn't that intentional? Your performance was completely different from usual. If your usual level is 2.0, today it was 1.2, or maybe 0.8..."

"Shit! Do you think I'm a god? In such an important match, wouldn't I be nervous? Missing shots is normal. Even Cristiano Ronaldo might not score in a dozen shots in a match. What about me!" Ling Zhenbang scolded, but his heart was chilled. This guy...

"Since you mention it, I might as well ask if you have something to hide. There were several times when you could have passed the ball to me directly, but you hesitated and dribbled. You know your dribbling skills aren't good enough. Usually, you always talk about one-touch passing. Your performance today was very strange!"

"Uh..." Although Huang Rongzheng was cunning, he was still young and couldn't hide his feelings. Under Ling Zhenbang's pressure, he couldn't hold up.

"Alright, I admit I was scared... I'm different from you. You're a genius, now in the national team, the first to go straight from the second division. Even if you go to Guangzhou Evergrande, you might get a starting position. As long as you don't get seriously injured, your future is football. But me, I'm different."

Huang Rongzheng's tone softened as he spoke.

Although the dim light made it hard to see his expression, Ling Zhenbang sensed that he was different from usual, even his attitude had changed.

"I finally climbed to the starting midfielder position in the top team. If I go against the club's wishes, the result is obvious. As long as someone speaks up, I might not even have a chance to play. What's a second-division player? Destroying you would be easy. I don't think the environment now is much different from ten years ago."

Although Huang Rongzheng was only twenty, his thoughts were quite deep.

He wasn't stupid, quite the opposite, very cunning. To be able to speak so sincerely to Ling Zhenbang, he must have considered Ling Zhenbang a brother.

"Actually, I..." Ling Zhenbang almost blurted out, "I'm the same as you..."

But he hesitated, his bald head flashing with insight. "I understand your pain. Don't worry, most of the team is like you, with their own unspoken troubles. I understand. Play well, and you should all thank Brother Liu. If he hadn't caused a commotion, everyone might have been invited to the police station for tea, and playing football might have been over..."

"But why hasn't Brother Liu replied to my message? Can't he see that there was something wrong with today's match?" Ling Zhenbang quickly changed the subject...

At this moment, Liu Hao had already left the hotel lobby and was heading to the Guiyang bus station...

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