Fox in the Penalty Area

Hu Lai stood by the window of the hotel room, looking at the street scene below.

He was a little sad.

This is his first visit to Leeds as a visiting player.

And the hotel we stayed in this time turned out to be the same hotel that Li Qingqing didn't stay in...

This seemed to be a hook, bringing back many memories of his time at Leeds.

Although he only played two and a half seasons in Leeds City, this city and this team had a great impact on him.

After all, this is his first stop in Europe.

And everyone always pays special attention to their first time.

Hu Lai suddenly remembered that not only was Leeds City his first stop in European football, but he actually played for Anton Flashstar, the first stop of his career, for a short period of time.

Like Leeds City, it turned out to be two and a half seasons.

These two teams that had a profound impact on Hu Lai did not last long in his career.

If you just recall, it would be easy to think that both Anton Flash and Leeds City stayed for a long time.

Because of the rich details, there are too many stories worth remembering.

Hu Lai has already asked for leave from head coach Parotti. No matter what the final result of tomorrow's game is, he will stay and have a small gathering with his friends.

Then return to Madrid alone the next day.

Parotti agreed to his request without setting any conditions like Clark did.

He doesn't need to score, and Madrid Pirates doesn't need to win. As soon as the game is over, Hu Lai can leave the team and catch up with his former teammates.

Truly a "good guy" Parotti.

Of course, Hu Lai wouldn't think it was unprofessional to go to his former teammates to reminisce after the game.

Professional players are also human beings. After completing their own work, they have their own personal time outside of games and training. As long as they are not partying every night, living in nightclubs and not coming out, affecting the next day's training and games, then no one has anything to do with it. Not qualified to accuse him.

It’s different from sharing a room with two people in Leeds City.

At Madrid Pirates, all players live in single rooms.

This will help the players get a better rest, but of course it will also require the club to spend more money on these expenses.

But this is a wealthy club. How can we reflect the style of a wealthy club if the players can’t live in single rooms?

Not to mention staying in hotels during away games, the player dormitories in the Madrid Pirates training base are all single rooms.

Each person has a dormitory room with the player's number and name on the door. The room has an independent bathroom, which is the same standard as a five-star hotel room.

At this moment, Hu Lai didn't have to worry that someone would suddenly come to him and ask him, "What are you doing?" He stood relaxedly by the window for a long time.

The hotel is not big, only five floors high.

His room was on the third floor, very close to the street outside.

He saw some Leeds City fans gathering in the streets.

In fact, when the Madrid Pirates arrived at the hotel, there were even more fans gathered here.

Pirates fans are in the minority, and the majority are Leeds City fans.

Of course they are not here to welcome the Madrid Pirates, they are just here to visit Hulay.

After Hu Lai got out of the car, he waved to them, and the scene was filled with joy.

Some fans moved the "HUUUUU Challenge" on TikTok offline and played it in front of Hu Lai.

The players of the Madrid Pirates stopped to watch the excitement.

This scene was quickly posted on TikTok.

The fans below are the ones left after the previous ones dispersed.

Naturally, it is impossible for them to stay here to obtain Hulay's signature, but they did not make any noise to affect the rest of the Pirates players.

They just stood on the street and looked up, as if looking for the room where Hu Lai was.

At this time, Hu Lai believed that as long as he showed up at the window and waved, he would be able to reap another wave of cheers and screams.

And the scene of cheering and screaming accompanying his figure will definitely appear on TikTok again.

It became another strong evidence of his popularity with Leeds City fans.

But Hu Lai didn't do that.

He always hid his figure behind the curtains, observing the outside only through the gaps between the curtains.

It's easy to be in the limelight, and it's easy to show how much you are liked and loved by the fans here.

But before the game between Pirates and Leeds City, Hulay did not want to cater to everyone's love for him.

Although some media published the title "Go Home", Hu Lai did not think it was a tender game.

If Leeds City loses to Madrid Pirates at home, it will be more difficult to qualify from this group.

If he keeps showing off to the outside world how popular he is with the fans of his former club, and keeps putting gold on his face. What will his former teammates who have prepared carefully for this game feel?

Why didn't he want to cater to the fans' ideas? Why didn't he agree to celebrate after scoring?

Because he wants everyone to know that this is just an ordinary game.

Since it is an ordinary game, they are naturally enemies and have to decide the winner.

Throw away those warm clothes, put away your self-moved emotions, and don't let the focus be blurred.

The focus is that Leeds City wants to win, and the Madrid Pirates also come for a victory.

No matter how enthusiastic and tolerant Leeds City fans are towards him during the game, he will try his best to score goals, help his new club Pirates win this game, and strive to get first place in the Champions League group.

After standing behind the curtain in a daze for a while, Hu Lai closed the curtain completely.

After turning around and lying back on the bed, Hu Lai still felt a little fresh. Since the first few days when he joined Leeds City, he had never stayed in a hotel in Leeds.

Lying back on his hotel bed in Leeds, it dawned on Hulay that, no matter what others thought, he was now indeed a guest in the city.

※※※

Underneath a smart urban jacket, Han Shuyu wore a red No. 14 jersey of the Chinese team. She was extremely grateful for her decision to bring a jacket to the UK because it was raining now.

It wasn't raining heavily, and the light rain combined with the British weather made Han Shuyu feel a little cold.

But luckily she had a scarf from the Leeds City vs Madrid Pirates match around her neck, which made her feel a little better.

Under the scarf, hanging around Han Shuyu's neck was the media interview pass he had just received from a special window.

Holding her cell phone on a stabilizer, she was conducting interviews with fans outside Flanders Stadium.

These interviews are to accumulate material for her own VLOG, and are not required by CCTV.

In fact, it would take a while for CCTV to send a request for live connection. Then she would briefly interact with the host at the back, answer the questions raised by the other party, and introduce the situation at the front to the back.

After the game is over, she connects with the back studio again, and the work is done.

Just like Sister Shanshan said to her at the beginning, as a part-time reporter, her job is actually very simple.

Such a simple job can give her the benefit of watching games everywhere, and she no longer has to worry about tickets.

With a media card, there are even some benefits that fans cannot get, such as the ability to enjoy catering services specially provided for media reporters before the game.

In addition, the media box in each stadium is basically the area with the best view of the game. Watching the game in the media box, you don’t have to worry about incurring ill will from those around you if you cheer for Hu Lai.

So when Sister Shanshan found her, she agreed without hesitation.

Sister Shanshan said that she saw many interviews with live fans in the football watching VLOGs she posted on Station B.

This made her realize that Han Shuyu might become a permanent reporter for CCTV there.

After all, there is no need for CCTV to always send a team of reporters to Madrid for interviews, and games like the Madrid derby do not happen every round.

In order to satisfy the interest of domestic fans and audiences in everything related to Hu Lai, the best way is of course to find reporters directly in Madrid.

Han Shuyu, as a very popular UP leader among domestic fans, was "recruited" in this way.

As for the specific remuneration, Han Shuyu didn't care at all.

Being able to let her watch football for free is already the best reward, right?

"...We regard this game as Hu's return home!" Leeds City fans who were interviewed by Han Shuyu said to the camera, "He left Leeds City a little hastily, and we didn't even say goodbye to him in Flanders. .”

Another Leeds City fan next to him interjected: "When Hu left the team, he was training in Frankfurt. There was no farewell game, no farewell ceremony... nothing! We just want to give Hu a farewell game!"

"He's right. Yes, this game is both a reunion and a farewell for Hu and us." The first person interviewed nodded.

"Thank you, thank you for accepting my interview..."

"You're welcome." The two interviewees gave Han Shuyu a thumbs up, "CHINA, NEWBEE!"

Watching two Leeds City fans blend into the crowd and walk towards Flanders Stadium.

Han Shuyu switched the camera lens to the front, and then she sniffed hard.

Her nose and eye circles in the camera are slightly red, but they are not frozen.

"I can feel...Although Hulay has left Leeds City, everyone in this city still loves him. As another fan I interviewed said before, Hulay is only here for this This team played for two and a half years, but created the most glorious time in the history of Leeds City Club..."

"It is said that the way Leeds City fans express their love for a certain player is to paint that person on the outer wall of their house. This time I came to Leeds and I could see houses with Hulay's portrait painted everywhere... Everyone followed. My lens looks this way..."

Han Shuyu first ended the current video recording, then switched to the rear camera to start recording. She took a photo of a row of houses behind her. These are typical English-style small houses, just across the street from Flanders Stadium.

Obviously the people who live here are also Leeds City fans.

The shapes of these small western-style buildings are not exactly the same, but they all have one thing in common. The outer wall facing the Flanders Stadium is full of large-scale vertical paintings of Hu Lai. Only the movements and painting styles are different. It can be seen that they are not from the same family. Handwriting.

"When Hulay was still playing in Leeds City, his image was still on the advertisement on the exterior wall of the Flanders Stadium. With his departure, he was also removed from the advertisement on the exterior wall. But those who came to Flanders People at the Rand Stadium don’t have to worry that they won’t be able to see Hulay because of this... Look here, there are a total of twelve small Western-style buildings, each with Hulay on the outer wall. This is how Leeds City fans retain them The hero in my heart... So I think what the Leeds City fan just said is right. This game is both a reunion and a farewell for both Hulay and Leeds City fans."

She has already thought about what she will tell the domestic hosts, commentators and fans when CCTV Sports Channel connects her live.

Tell them how many people in distant Leeds, England, love a Chinese player so deeply.

Tell them how proud and proud she is at this moment as a Chinese fan.