Chapter 44

Striking while the iron is hot, Lai Yuxin's sudden move caught Li Xiaopeng off guard.

Li Xiaopeng hadn't expected that even a player like Liu Hao would give him trouble. It seemed that the contract issue couldn't be delayed any longer.

If this guy performs well in the next match, other clubs might start eyeing him...

Liu Hao is a treasure, and Li Xiaopeng believed he couldn't afford to lose him.

After greeting Li Xiaopeng at the press conference, Lai Yuxin soon ran to the hotel to negotiate with him again.

"Xiao Lai, you really caught me off guard at the press conference," Li Xiaopeng tapped his finger and chuckled, "But isn't your method a bit too underhanded? I'll have to complain to my senior brother."

"Hehe, go ahead and complain. My cousin will definitely support me! If it comes to that, I'll have him recommend Liu Hao to another club," Lai Yuxin said with a pout, as if she really held a Chinese Messi or Ronaldo in her hand, a significant bargaining chip.

These words hit Li Xiaopeng right where it hurt. He scratched his head, a bit awkwardly, and said, "This matter is a bit tricky. You see, it was Coach Zhang who signed Liu Hao, and I don't have the authority. I need to report back to the club leadership in Qingdao."

"Why can Brother Nan do it, but you can't?" Lai Yuxin was surprised, thinking Li Xiaopeng's power should be greater than Zhang Nan's.

"Do you know who Zhang Nan is? Do you think he was fired by the club? Let me tell you, there's more to the story!"

"What more?"

"Pei Lan just joined the national team, as you know. The national team doesn't allow foreign coaching staff; they must be selected domestically. I'm not sure why Zhang Nan was chosen..." Li Xiaopeng's expression was somewhat helpless.

"I have no problem with Brother Ma joining, but Zhang Nan..." He shook his head, not finishing his sentence.

"Haha, you mean, if Brother Nan can join, why can't you?" Lai Yuxin understood Li Xiaopeng's meaning. He was feeling unbalanced and subtly hinting that there was something fishy about Zhang Nan's selection.

Zhang Nan, though a football coach, was once a prominent figure in the football world, just like Li Xiaopeng. How did Zhang Nan, who started as an amateur player, catch Pei Lan's eye?

"Don't get the wrong idea. I was once the head coach of the national women's team. Do you think it's appropriate for me to be an assistant coach? That would be a demotion. I just feel something is off... Even my senior brother couldn't get in..."

"You know how my cousin is, too rigid and doesn't know how to get along with people. As the saying goes, one must do things before being a person, but he only talks about things and doesn't know how to be a person... You, on the other hand, seem honest and straightforward on the surface, but you're actually quite cunning..." Lai Yuxin stuck out her tongue, being quite playful.

In front of Li Xiaopeng, Lai Yuxin was just a little sister, so he didn't mind her teasing.

"Don't slander your Brother Peng. I stand tall and act with a clear conscience. However, in China, getting things done without connections is impossible. Of course, my senior brother couldn't get in. Let's not talk about this. First, let's settle Liu Hao's matter. You can name your conditions, and I'll report back honestly. But whether it will be approved is not up to me. I'll do my best to help you. I'm counting on him this season." Li Xiaopeng patted his chest, guaranteeing, "But his weight is a real problem. I wonder if Xiao Qiao can help him lose weight."

"Xiao Qiao? Qiao Weiguo's second daughter?" Lai Yuxin blinked, her face turning pale, "If she gets involved, that guy will lose ten times his weight. It's terrifying..."

Lai Yuxin's thoughts suddenly drifted back to three years ago, when she was a reporter for Sports Weekly.

Three years ago, her first assignment was to interview Qiao Xianglan.

At the time, Qiao Xianglan posted on a famous domestic website: "What kind of exercise can help people lose weight the fastest?"

She also attached before and after photos of her weight loss.

Yes, three years ago, Qiao Xianglan was a 170-pound heavy woman, not the super beauty Liu Hao saw the other day.

Qiao Xianglan used her method to reduce her weight from 170 pounds to 110 pounds in just two months...

This seemed to give all the fat people in the world hope for beauty.

But after interviewing her, Lai Yuxin discovered that those two months were truly terrifying, not something a human could endure.

After the interview, she thought long and hard and didn't submit her article to the editor-in-chief because Qiao Xianglan's weight loss method was like suicide... She couldn't publish an article that might mislead readers to imitate and end up with a tragedy.

"Did he really agree?" Lai Yuxin couldn't believe it, her lips trembling, "Can he survive?"

"He agreed. Xiao Qiao just gave him a simple plan. I don't see anything unusual. Why are you so nervous?" Li Xiaopeng was puzzled; he didn't see anything wrong with Qiao Xianglan's weight loss plan.

"You don't understand... Poor fat guy..."

Liu Hao, of course, had no idea about this conversation between Li Xiaopeng and Lai Yuxin. For him, safely driving back to Yin City was the most important thing. If he knew, he would definitely trust Lai Yuxin.

He originally planned to have a casual dinner with Cai Jin in Guangzhou and meet his future sister-in-law, but time didn't allow it. He had to rush home and work the next day.

What he didn't know was that when CCTV Sports News came on that night, he was already on the big screen.

The best goal of the weekend in the Chinese league was his goal!

No one's goal was more beautiful than his.

Even Gao Lin, who scored immediately after returning to the club, with a rare acrobatic shot, couldn't match the excitement of his goal.

This time, he had a big moment in the spotlight!

"Look at his shooting action, it doesn't seem like he was just lucky. He must have been well-prepared!" At the same time, major media websites posted videos of Liu Hao's shot, and a reader on Sohu commented, "But I didn't expect he would injure his testicles after shooting. If he loses some weight, should he be in the national team? China actually has someone who can shoot such a bizarre ball!"

"Forget it. Look at Gao Feiji. He's impotent in the national team but managed to score an acrobatic goal in the club. Can you see his level?" A fan countered, "You can't judge his ability based on one goal!"

"Clearly a fake fan. Do you think you're Dong Qiudi? Check this link, and you'll see his shots aren't just this one! The people of West Guangdong should thank him. Otherwise, who knows when West Guangdong Province would have a first-tier team!"

...

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