Chapter 61

Illusion? The silhouette of Liu Xiaohao would only leave a deeper shadow in Zhang Yu's heart.

It was impossible for her to have no thoughts. With so many coincidences and similarities, she would naturally have some doubts.

Moreover, this guy was heading into the hotel?

Staying in the same hotel as them? This was also a coincidence.

A mysterious sixth sense made her take Liu Bao's hand and quicken her pace towards the elevator.

If it really was... her husband? She didn't have many thoughts in her heart; she just wanted to verify it.

But Liu Hao slipped away faster than a thief, leaving no trace.

Clothes, wigs, everything was thrown out of the balcony, and Liu Hao narrowly avoided this time...

***

"This week, our country's football league has once again driven fans wild. It's still the China League, and it's still student Liu Xiaopang. Liu Xiaopang announced to the world with a stunning 40-meter free kick that China also has a free-kick master." Duan Xuan directly introduced Liu Hao in the opening of 'World Football,' which was the second time Liu Hao appeared on the show.

Of course, the reason he used a free kick for the opening was mainly because free kicks had been quite popular recently.

Since the 2014 Brazil World Cup was about to kick off in June, the Brazilian Football Association decided to hold a World Cup Free Kick Competition to enhance the atmosphere. They were currently soliciting participants from around the world.

Of course, with so many fans worldwide, there were bound to be many talented individuals. Brazil couldn't possibly host a free-kick competition for ten thousand people, so they could only recommend participants by country.

As the most influential 'World Football' program in the football world, it naturally took on the responsibility of promoting the event.

"Liu Xiaopang once again proved this week with a free kick that he is the No. 1 free-kick taker in Chinese football. Although Diamanti, the God of Tianhe, also scored two free kicks, the quality was indeed not comparable to Liu Xiaopang's. Now, fans are re-ranking free kicks online, and Liu Xiaopang's free kick ranks second, just behind Juninho's. However, in my personal opinion, the reason fans rank it second is entirely because Liu Xiaopang's free-kick goals are not yet numerous enough to challenge Juninho's position. Given time, when Liu Xiaopang accumulates a certain number of free-kick goals, I believe no one will dare to ignore his existence."

Duan Xuan hadn't spoken so much in one breath for a long time. Clearly, Liu Xiaopang was to his taste. As expected, he then began to introduce the World Free Kick Competition. "In fact, in our country, there are definitely many experts like Liu Xiaopang. For example, there might be a monk in Shaolin Temple who has mastered the art of free kicks..."

"Coinciding with the World Free Kick Competition being held in Brazil, it would be a great loss of face for China if we don't have any experts participating. Although we can't participate in the Brazil World Cup, we might win the Free Kick World Cup! They say a group of Chinese people is like a worm, but an individual Chinese person is like a dragon. The opportunity to prove we are a dragon has arrived!"

The last sentence was a bit uncomfortable to hear, somewhat reflecting on Chinese football. It's unclear whether Duan Xuan said it intentionally. Sometimes, hosts have their own selfish views and secretly vent their frustrations.

Just like in 2006, when Huang Jianxiang went crazy after seeing Italy eliminate Australia and advance, the principle is the same.

However, Duan Xuan's skill was clearly much higher. He used a technique of first suppressing and then uplifting... the ultimate goal was this:

"To give fans with dreams a chance to participate, our CCTV channel will collaborate with the Football Association to introduce the following selection methods. The first method is the recommendation by the Football Association. We can vote for any professional player in the Chinese league, including players from the Super League, the China League, and the Second Division. Of course, foreign players don't count unless they first join Chinese nationality! Also, they must not be retired. Log on to www. and select the star you support... there is one spot available."

This method was quite fair. The capable would rise to the top. Whoever had the ability could participate. Players recommended by the audience would definitely be recognized by the audience. However, in Chinese football, which player's free-kick skills were good enough to be showcased?

Who? Who would dare to say their free kicks were amazing and represent China in a free-kick competition? Even the thickest-skinned person would be embarrassed to represent China. On the world stage, it would be a laughingstock.

It was said that Xu Liang and Sun Xiang's free-kick skills were the best in China... but that was only within China. If Li Xiaopeng hadn't retired, he might have been even better.

"Cough, of course, free kicks are not the exclusive domain of professional players. Free kicks belong to everyone. To allow everyone to participate, we have opened another way to join. Log on to www., register with your phone, and send a text to secure a spot. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday! Note that there is only one spot, and you can send multiple texts!"

Isn't this just a money-grab? Liu Hao, sitting in front of the TV, sneered.

If millions of fans just wanted to have some fun and sent dozens of texts each, wouldn't the mobile company, CCTV, and the Football Association make a fortune? For just one spot, this was like winning a football jersey through text message interaction in a football match. If you had the spare money, you might as well buy a lottery ticket...

The World Free Kick Masters Competition is held annually, and this year it's in Brazil.

However, the scale of this year's event is ten times larger than before!

The first Free Kick Competition was held in Spain in 2004, and Chinese star Shen Si was invited to participate, finishing second! He even eliminated Zidane...

In 2008, he was invited again and eliminated Messi and Ronaldinho, finishing third...

Indeed, as Duan Xuan said earlier, one Chinese person is truly a dragon.

Shen Si, a master of Chinese football, lived up to his reputation.

Of course, Shen Si also had his successor—Song Bo... Little Shen Si.

Only, Little Shen Si might not even be a regular in the China League.

"Of course, the main event is the third method, which involves retired top free-kick masters from around the world. We will see Carlos, Beckham, Juninho, Chilavert, Zola, Mihajlovic, Rivaldo, Recoba... cough, I can't finish, there are just too many. I can only tell you that Shen Si is also participating, the old Shen Si, not Little Shen Si..."

The third method involved retired stars. There were three methods in total. Apart from the second method being a bit ridiculous, the other two were quite good.

Of course, the website Duan Xuan mentioned, www., was now experiencing a surge in traffic. Fans are crazy; on one hand, they want to vote for their favorite players, and on the other, they want to send texts to secure a spot...

The viewership of 'World Football' instantly dropped by twenty percentage points, reaching a historic low!

At this moment, Liu Xiaopang's name was rising rapidly on the website. In just half an hour, he had received over two thousand votes.

"Qingdao people support you!"

"Ah! Liu Xiaopang! Liu Xiaopang's name is leading by a wide margin, towering like a pillar!"

Towering like a pillar, what kind of word is that? Liu Hao rolled his eyes in front of the TV, feeling quite depressed by Duan Xuan's commentary, but his heart was warm. He didn't expect so many fans to support him.

The second-place contender was indeed Sun Xiang, with about three hundred votes, all from IP addresses in Guangdong.

The third place was a surprise, it was Song Bo? But the IP addresses couldn't be displayed...

"Who will be the two people to join Shen Si in Brazil for the free-kick competition? Stay tuned..." Duan Xuan smiled slyly...

(Brothers, there's a five-a-side match at seven. I haven't played in a long time, so I'll only update once today. The word count is a bit low, I'll make it up later. Also, could you give me some recommendations?~)

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