Fox in the Penalty Area

"Brother Lin, what prompted you to choose to return to your hometown and play for your hometown team when you were 38 years old?"

In the media hall of the Provincial Sports Center in Jincheng, the welcome ceremony held by Anton Shining Star Club for the three new players is in progress.

Now it's the reporter's questioning session. The reporters who raised their hands and were called by name almost all threw their questions to Qin Lin, who was the biggest of the three new players.

This can be seen from the fact that the microphones of all the media were piled up in front of Qin Lin. In front of Hu Lai and another new aid, Xu Wentao, he looked deserted...

Facing this question, Qin Lin coughed, cleared his throat, and replied: "You just mentioned 'hometown', that's why. I'm from Anton and from Jincheng. I'm from the echelon of Xingcheng Club I started my football career, but I didn’t play a game for Anton’s professional football team. Come back and use my own experience to lead the young people of Shining Star to grow...I would also like to thank the South China Tigers Club. Back to the place where my football dream started..."

When Qin Lin was answering this question, Hu Lai was on his right, turning his head and staring at him for a long time, in a daze.

Because this person in front of him always makes him think of the international footballer in another time and space involuntarily. Even though the two people are completely different in name, place of origin, and age, and their career achievements are different, Hu Lai still feels that these two people are too similar, without him, and their fates are too similar.

In that time and space, Zheng Zhi, a Liaoning player born in 1980, was considered the only player who could make a difference in the darkest era of Chinese football. Although many people who don't care much about Chinese football and don't watch football games may think that this face-to-face statement is nonsense-does Chinese football still have face? But it is what it is.

In today's time and space, Qin Lin, who was born in Jincheng City, Andong Province in 1983, is also the only face of the dark age of Chinese football.

After coming to this time and space, Hu Lai had learned about the situation of Chinese football in this time and space, and knew that although many details were different, the overall situation was no different from the time and space before he came—very Bad, all bad, all had a dark time.

The difference is that the darkness of that time and space seems to be endless, but this time and space is accompanied by the vigorous development of campus football and a series of practical reforms in other aspects, at least there is some hope.

In Chinese professional football, Qin Lin is recognized by everyone as the most professional player.

The training is serious and hard, the life is self-disciplined, and the body is clean and self-respecting, and there are almost no scandals. Carlos Leimen, the foreign head coach who coached the South China Tigers, once commented on Qin Lin, saying that he is not like a Chinese player, but more like a European player.

In the original Chinese football, this was simply the highest evaluation of a professional player.

In fact, Qin Lin did go to Europe to play football, and many of his training and living habits are also related to his own experience of studying abroad.

Playing for European clubs for five years fully shows that his strength has been recognized by European football, and at the same time, his knowledge of playing in Europe also makes him superior to other domestic players. He even won the Asian Footballer of the Year, which is the second Asian Footballer of the Year in Chinese football history.

But such an outstanding player has not been able to realize the greatest wish of Chinese fans.

After representing the national team for the first time in 2003, he began the long journey to lead the Chinese team to the World Cup.

In the 2006 World Cup, the 2010 World Cup, the 2014 World Cup, and the 2018 World Cup, he participated in four World Cup qualifiers, but he never led the Chinese team to the World Cup finals. During this process, he grew from an ordinary soldier of the national team to the captain of the national team, but he still failed to achieve the goal of "breaking out of Asia and going to the world".

After the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, he also participated in the 2019 Asian Cup as the captain of the national team, which was the last time he played in the national team jersey. The Chinese team finally won the fourth place. He also completed the handover and took off his jersey. Apologies to the Chinese fans.

Why do you have to apologize?

Not because of losing a third or fourth place final. It is because since joining the national team in 2003 and retiring from the national team in 2019, during his 16-year national team career, he has not brought even a formal championship to Chinese football. As an Asian footballer who was once highly expected and capable, this result is really bitter.

The runner-up in the local Asian Cup in 2004 is the highest achievement in his career in the national team. Compared with his brilliant club results, his national team career is too bleak and helpless.

Hu Lai stared at Qin Lin, unconsciously overlapping him with the other face in his memory.

Although the two of them only have the same position on the field, and many places are different, Hu Lai just thinks that Qin Lin may be the projection of Zheng Zhi in this time and space...

In terms of personal feelings, it is hard for Hu Lai not to treat Qin Lin and Zheng Zhi together. After all, they are both the last bosses of Chinese football, both are veterans of the national football team. I had no choice but to say goodbye.

※※※

As a reporter for the sports column of Anton Provincial TV Station, Chen Jianyu is responsible for running all the news related to the Flash Star Club. As a reporter who has been in contact with Flash Star since its establishment, he is now a team reporter of Flash Star.

As a team reporter, he naturally has many privileges, and the news is better than other media reporters.

For example, the news that Shining Star had taken over Qin Lin was the first thing he disclosed on his social media account.

At that time, the Flash Star Club had not yet made an official announcement, so he was able to be exposed in advance in the form of "rumors".

Of course, based on his relationship with the Shining Star Club, this method of early exposure must also have the support of the Shining Star Club, or some kind of tacit approval.

After all, Flash Star's performance in the Chinese League One this season is not very good, and it really needs such news to boost morale and make everyone temporarily forget about the bad results.

Chen Jianyu, as the team reporter of Shining Star, did not rush to raise his hand to ask questions. He knew that as long as he raised his hand, his name would definitely be called. He just wanted to observe more and think about what questions he should ask.

Then his eyes were inevitably attracted by Hu Lai.

Because in this welcome ceremony, Hu Lai, who is the least experienced, least famous, and least capable of the three new recruits, was distracted...

Was it because the reporters were all asking Qin Lin questions, which made him a little bored?

Although those reporters who only have Qin Lin in their eyes are indeed a bit rude, but you still have to do enough on the surface, right? With such naked eyes wandering, anyone can see that your mind is not here.

Thinking of this, he decided to gently remind the youngest player, so he raised his hand.

Sure enough, as soon as he raised his hand, he was immediately called by the press officer of the Shining Star Club.

Chen Jianyu stood up and took the microphone from the staff. He found that Hu Lai still hadn't recovered.

So he decided not to remind him euphemistically, just teach him a lesson...

"This question is for this player..." He pointed to Hu Lai and said, "May I ask Hu Lai, as far as I know, as the top scorer and best player in the National High School Football Championship last year, you didn't choose to join your hometown The team Flash Star, why did they choose to transfer to Flash Star after going to the Poseidon Youth Team in the Chinese Super League for a year and a half?"

As soon as this question was asked, many people present turned their attention to Chen Jianyu who asked the question, because everyone felt the... sharpness of his question.

Even the press officer who is very familiar with Chen Jianyu is a little flustered-this should not be a question that Chen Jianyu, a team reporter who has cooperated with the club for many years, should ask.

For Hu Lai, an unknown person, he is not entitled to be targeted by the media in this way.

Qin Lin, who finally didn't have to answer the question, had just picked up the mineral water bottle and was about to take a sip of water, when he heard the reporter ask Hu Lai such a question. Although he didn't know Hu Lai well, he could also feel it. In the reporter's mood, he held the mineral water bottle with the cap unscrewed and did not move, but turned to look at Hu Lai.

Then he found that Hu Lai's eyes were empty, and he didn't respond to the reporter's question...

Apparently, he was distracted.

Dai Zetao hid in the last row of the news hall, where a row of cameras was set up, and he stood behind the cameras, looking like a cameraman.

He sneaked in specifically to see Hu Lai.

When he saw this scene, he couldn't help lowering his head and covering his forehead.

He knew that Chen Jianyu, as a well-known sports reporter in Andong Province, was already a celebrity. He is a celebrity, so he naturally has a personality and a temper. This question does not mean that Chen Jianyu has any personal grievances with Hu Lai—in fact, they didn't know each other at all before.

Then Chen Jianyu still asked this question because he was not used to Hu Lai’s performance just now—at the welcome ceremony specially prepared for them by the club, when Qin Lin, the former captain of the national team, was answering questions It's really too much to be sideways.

This big reporter probably wanted to teach Hu Lai a lesson.

Poor Hu Lai, when he first came to the club, he didn't make a good first impression on the team reporters...

Qin Lin really didn't expect the little player on his right to be distracted during the welcome ceremony, so he put his right hand under the table, and poked Hu Lai calmly.

Only then did Hu Lai come back to his senses, looking at Chen Jianyu who was standing in the press box looking straight at him, he instantly understood what had happened.

Then he tried hard to recall what the reporter said just now, but he didn't hear the rest clearly, so he remembered the last sentence: "Why did you choose to join Flash Star?"

So he blurted out his answer: "Of course it's because of Director Zhao. I used to get along with Director Zhao in the Poseidon youth team, so when Director Zhao called me, I came..."

As he spoke, he remembered how Qin Lin answered similar questions just now, so he quickly smiled and said: "I am also very happy to be able to play for my hometown team."

As for Chen Jianyu's real question, he didn't answer a single word.

In the eyes of the questioner Chen Jianyu, how could the youngest player answer the question so smoothly? He rambled and talked about him from left to right, and said some high-sounding nonsense, but he didn't touch the real core issue.

He should have sat down after getting the answer, but Chen Jianyu was a little reconciled to being fooled by an eighteen-year-old child in such a way, so he asked again before the press officer could speak: "You seem to be confused just now?" Are you distracted?"

He bluntly brought up Hu Lai's gaffe just now.

Hu Lai scratched his head in full view, and said with some embarrassment: "This... I never thought that I could sit next to Brother Lin, so close to him, I was a little nervous... I didn't dare to think about it before. One day I can be teammates with Brother Lin, you know I grew up watching Brother Lin play football..."

As soon as he said this, there was a burst of laughter at the scene.

The reporters were all amused by Hu Lai's answer.

Even Chen Jianyu couldn't help laughing, and shook his head with a smile—seeing Hu Lai like this, it's clearly the uneasy expression of a little fanboy next to his idol, and it's normal to be distracted...

So he asked again: "So now you can share the stage with your idol, how does it feel?"

This question swept away the previous aggressiveness, and it can be regarded as giving both parties a common step down.

Hu Lai turned his head to glance at Qin Lin, and Zheng Zhi's figure overlapped with him again.

"I still have the unreal feeling that I am dreaming. I am afraid that if I blink, Brother Lin will disappear..."

"Hahahaha!" There was another burst of laughter at the scene.

Even Qin Lin laughed, then passed his arm over, and said to Hu Lai, "Pinch it, it's warm."

Everyone present couldn't stop laughing.

Seeing this scene, Dai Zetao let out a sigh of relief. Obviously he was distracted during the welcome ceremony, and it was an annoying stain to say it out, but now that he explained it like this, it turned into a humble attitude, humor and cuteness.

He couldn't help but want to give Hu Lai a thumbs up.

At the same time, even though we haven't seen each other for a year and a half, today's Hu Lai doesn't seem to have changed much from the boy he saw in the national competition, and he is still so interesting. The things he encountered in the Sea God Youth Team didn't seem to affect him, but it's really great...

※※※

The press meeting is over, and there will be a fan meeting next.

But before that, the three newly joined players returned to the lounge and took a short break.

At this time, there was no one else in the room except the three of them.

It was only then that Qin Lin smiled and said to Hu Lai: "Just now the press conference made a good excuse and solved a crisis perfectly."

Hu Lai shook his head seriously: "That's not an excuse, Brother Lin. I really grew up watching you play football."

After speaking, he took out a pen and paper from his backpack and handed it to Qin Lin: "Brother Lin, please sign it for me!"

Qin Lin was dumbfounded by Hu Lai: "It's the first time I've seen a teammate ask me for an autograph..."

He said so, but still took the pen, wrote his name on the paper, and returned it to Hu Lai.

Thirty-year-old Xu Wentao saw this scene nearby, and was somewhat envious of Hu Lai's ability to gain favor with Qin Lin in such a small way: Why didn't I think of using the meme that grew up watching Brother Lin play football first? Woolen cloth?

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