Fox in the Penalty Area

"...Because I passed the ball, it is also necessary for me to answer the question about why I passed the ball. Why did I pass the ball under the circumstances?"

Hu Lai in the camera spoke solemnly to the microphones that the reporters stretched out one after another.

"I can't say too much about why I want to pass the ball. After all, I know everything I know, and I don't know what I don't understand...Because there are many things involved, I can't say too much. Details. In short, it’s like this. Everyone understands what I’m saying, right?”

The scene was quiet.

In the camera, Hu Lai showed a smile: "Very well, it seems that everyone is fine. Then goodbye, I wish you all a happy weekend!"

He waved and turned and walked down the tunnel.

The camera lens followed his back all the time, and then turned back when he walked away.

Confused faces appeared in the shot.

Someone was the first to react and raised his hand to the camera lens and shouted: "What did he just say?!"

The picture freezes here and then cuts back to the studio.

Bobby Klein, the host of "When the Season Goes On", laughed so hard that he pounded the table with his hands, and the former Stan Park Rangers star Hector Ingram beside him spread his hands: "Who can help me translate Translator, what did he say?"

His partner, Tramed legend Peter Nelson, leaned listlessly on the table, ignoring the other two.

His team lost to Leeds City again, and because of Hu Lai's post-match interview, he became the focus of public opinion again.

Controversial penalty kicks in the 2024-2025 season, anti-lore in the 2025-2026 season, and Hu Lai's post-match news interviews this season...Nelson sadly found that almost every confrontation between Leeds City and Tramed , will create a hot topic for discussion.

As a Tramed supporter, after my team loses the game, I wish the world would forget the game immediately. This is a bit of an ostrich mentality, but it is indeed the true thoughts of all fans after their home team loses.

After all, a failure was repeatedly mentioned by the media, like "whipping a corpse"...

The result backfired.

Every game between Tramed and Leeds can come up with something new.

Ingram reached out and patted the loveless Nelson: "It's okay, Peter. Even without the impromptu performance of Hu's post-match interview, his pass is enough to make this The game became the focus of public opinion..."

Nelson gave him a blank look: "You really know how to comfort people, Hector!"

Klein finally stopped pounding the table. He picked up his phone and started looking for interesting messages online:

"I found one...a fan said that Hu shouldn't play in Leeds City, he should be the prime minister. Because his speech is the same level as the prime minister-saying is equal to not saying! Hahaha! But I want to remind This fan, Hu is a Chinese, according to the laws of our country, a Chinese cannot be the prime minister!"

"Oh, by the way, there is one more thing. 'Simple English' has announced that Hu's remarks will be included in the shortlist for the 2026 'Mistake Award'. Although there is not much time left until the final award is announced Yes, but in the voting on the official website, Hu's remarks have suddenly emerged, surpassing all the "strong enemies" at an astonishing speed, and jumping to the top position-it is worth mentioning that the contribution of the quotations that originally ranked first He is our beloved Prime Minister..." Klein joked in a serious tone in a news broadcast.

But what he said was not a joke, but what was actually happening.

"Easy English" is an organization that aims to make English more concise and easier to learn. Every year, they hold the "Mistake Award" on their website, and specially select the most verbose and incomprehensible speeches of the year. Come to criticize those who do not speak well, make mysteries, and show off grammar and diction.

In terms of "unsatisfactory words" and "mystery", football, politics, and the entertainment industry are the three hardest hit areas.

The organization once commented on the level of speaking of football people: "The 'philosophical words' of football people have always brought us great obstacles, because they are used to speaking first and then thinking."

Many similar classic quotations have been born in the history of English football. But despite all the gems in front of him, Hu Lai's remarks in the interview after the game today reached the peak of confusing the audience.

The official website of "Simple English" put the original text of Hu Lai's interview on the Internet immediately after the game, and then their editors translated it word for word.

The translation results are as follows:

Hu Lai means: "Uh, uh, uh."

The final "plain English" official evaluation:

"We all know that people in football like to talk nonsense. When they talk, their brains often stop working. For a long time, this kind of hypocrisy and boring talk has filled the football world, and it has also poisoned those children who worship stars...

"That's why we can always see generations of young players repeating their predecessors' ways in interviews on TV and on the Internet. I'm afraid I'll make them read those words again , they themselves may not know what it means...

"And this kind of bad atmosphere has reached its peak in Hu's body today. The nonsense in the past had to be disguised anyway, but today Hu completely tore off this disguise, and said this kind of' nakedly, but there was nothing. Say 'show in public.

"We've studied Hu's past interviews and it's not that bad. Obviously this is not his usual behavior... Someone on our editorial team said this should be Hu's rebellion against reporters' boring questions - look What questions did the reporters ask...

"They asked Hu why he was passing the football to the unmarked Laski...why the football was passed to the unmarked Laski! Unmarked! Ladies and gentlemen, take a good look at this question, Anyone who knows a little bit about football will know how ridiculous and boring this question is! Why pass the ball to Laski? Because he's unmarked, man!

"Perhaps it is because the reporters' questions are so boring that Hu chose such a boring way to respond to express his protest..."

※※※

"Nonsense, how can I have such thoughts, and I'm not a performance artist, but I'm here to criticize the social atmosphere. Am I worthy?"

Hu Lai's words amused Li Qingqing on the other end of the phone video.

He had just returned from Manchester to this small villa in Leeds, and was having a video call with Li Qingqing.

Li Qingqing probably also saw the discussion about Hu Lai's interview on the Internet, so he specially made the video for him. Probably like those people on the Internet, I am very curious why Hu Lai said that.

As for why Hu Lai passed the ball to Laski, she was not curious, because she already knew the reason - when chatting on WeChat before, Hu Lai united the team and wanted to help Lasky complete the second season. He told her everything about the goal of ten goals and going to the red pepper for dinner.

"Then what were you thinking?"

Li Qingqing on the opposite side of the video is obviously half lying on the bed in the apartment, wearing cute dog pajamas, with her freshly washed hair coiled on top of her head.

"Whatever you can think about, just deal with it casually. I can't tell them the real reason..."

Hu Lai walked up and down the room with his mobile phone, he just came back. It can even be said that he stepped into the house with his forefoot, and the request followed Li Qingqing's video and appeared on the screen of his mobile phone.

"You are too casual!"

"Then you can think of a reason for me?"

"Hmm..." Li Qingqing over there really thought about it seriously.

After thinking about it for about ten seconds, her eyes lit up, and she even sat up from the bed, straightened her waist, and said solemnly to the phone camera: "You just say, 'Since you have asked the question sincerely, I am sorry. Tell you mercifully! To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect the peace of the world, to implement love and justice! So I decided to pass the ball to Laski!' How?"

Hu Lai rolled his eyes wildly: "Then I will die!"

"Are you still afraid of death?" Li Qingqing's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't you know how the domestic Internet evaluates you now?"

"How do you evaluate it?" It's been a while since Hu Lai went to the domestic Internet to see how everyone praised him.

"They're already going to crowdfund your quotes online!"

"What the hell?"

"Even the name has been chosen, so it's called "Nonsense"...hahahaha!" Li Qingqing couldn't bear it anymore, and before she finished speaking, she laughed so much that she lay on the bed and shrugged.

"Why do they have such a distorted impression of me? What does Fatty Song's public relations department do?" Hu Lai frowned, feeling that his personality was about to collapse.

Li Qingqing was still laughing, and said with a smile: "Song Jiajia didn't dare to tell you that the company's public relations department has been powerless. You have been picked up by people on the domestic Internet, let alone the professional team... ..."

Hu Lai felt a chill in his heart.

If all my high school experience was picked up, it would really be over.

"But there is still good news, Hu Lai." Li Qingqing suppressed a smile, allowing herself to complete the sentence, "After the World Cup, didn't Song Jiajia help your men's football set up a collective entry into "Goal" Internet thing?"

Holly nodded.

Because of her outstanding performance in the World Cup, after returning from the World Cup, Song Jiajia negotiated with "Goal", the largest football community website in China, and all the international football teams under the company settled in to interact with the fans.

At that time, he also held an online question-and-answer event, and the response was very good, and his popularity was overwhelming, which further consolidated his status as China's number one star.

"The good news is that your vest on the "Goal" website has not been exposed, otherwise you would be dead!" Li Qingqing laughed so hard that she patted the bed again.

In the early days, Hu Lai used the vest of "WHO of the penalty area" to be very active on the "Goal" website. He often appeared in various topics about him, and even posted a post asking fans how he felt in a certain game. .

If this is picked up by someone, it is indeed "innocence is not guaranteed".

Hu Lai grinned: "Only the two of us know my number. If you don't tell me, I won't tell you. No one can figure it out."

Li Qingqing had a smile on his face, and rolled his eyes: "Then you have to bribe me, Hu Lai. What if one day I can't hold it back and accidentally say it? How about this, since we have known each other for so many years For the sake of it, I'll give you a discount, as long as you treat me to ten meals, I promise to keep my mouth shut!"

When she said that, she patted her chest to show that she kept her word.

"You have made a big circle and waited here!" Hu Lai called out the good guy.

Li Qingqing smiled and rolled her eyes: "Ten meals and social death, you choose one, Hu Lai!"

Knowing the biggest secret, Hu Lai had no choice but to raise his hand and surrender: "Please, please, please write it down first!"

"Oh, keep it in the account? How much do you owe me? When are you going to cash it?"

"Think about it in the long run, think about it in the long run..." Hu Lai said perfunctorily. Now he is completely free from itch if he has too many lice, and doesn't worry about debts.

But Li Qingqing didn't intend to let him go: "No, at least you have to treat me to dinner, right? It's better to hit the sun than to choose a date, or it's the New Year..."

"There will be no truce over Christmas in the Premier League."

"Who said Christmas? I said New Year, New Year's Day. I researched, after New Year's Day there is a period of loose fixtures, there is no league in between, only an FA Cup and a League Cup. And you League Cup is eliminated We're out. So there should still be a day." Li Qingqing retorted triumphantly, seeing her like this, she obviously came prepared.

But Hu Lai poured cold water on her: "How can I have time, sister... You forgot, there will be the Asian Cup in January next year, and I will have to go back to China for training after a while..."

Hearing this, Li Qingqing was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Hu Lai didn't find an excuse to shirk this time.

On December 15th, Hu Lai was really going to report to the national team.

So it is impossible for two people to get together during the Christmas holiday...

Thinking of this, Li Qingqing's disappointment was beyond words.

Seeing the lost girl in the video, Hu Lai, who was originally happy to have escaped, seemed to have been influenced by Li Qingqing. He hesitated for a while, and comforted him: "It's okay, I will definitely pay back what I owe you, anyway, life is still alive." It’s long, are you still afraid that I’ll renege on my debts?”

"That's hard to say..." Li Qingqing muttered, then raised her right hand, stretched out her little finger and gestured towards the camera. "Hook!"

Hu Lai gave her a blank look, but obediently put her little finger in front of the camera.

"Hanging the hook, it must not be changed for a hundred years!" Li Qingqing muttered, "This time it is really not allowed to change for a hundred years!"

Hu Lai looked at Li Qingqing who was so serious, and did not refute her, but nodded: "Okay, no change for a hundred years."

Li Qingqing, who had received Hu Lai's solemn promise, was in a better mood, and a smile appeared on her beautiful face again.

"Then come on for the Asian Cup, Hu Lai! If you win the championship, you have to treat me to dinner!"

"Why do you have to ask..."

"Winning the championship is a happy event, shouldn't it be a treat?"

"Hey……"

Seeing Hu Lai helplessly deflated, Li Qingqing grinned from ear to ear.