Fox in the Penalty Area

Hu Lixin changed into his security uniform and walked to the front gate of the community to replace his colleague Lao Fan.

He's about to start another day at work.

When Lao Fan saw Hu Lixin, he poked his head out of the guard room and waved to Hu Lixin.

"Old Hu, Lao Hu, your son is actually playing professional football?!"

As soon as Hu Lixin walked in, he couldn't wait to open his mouth to ask.

Hearing this sentence, Hu Lixin frowned and looked at his colleague and partner.

"I saw it by accident last night, Hu, you are hiding it so deeply..."

As he spoke, Lao Fan punched him, lightly hitting him on the shoulder.

Hu Lixin figured out how Lao Fan knew about it—Anton Satellite TV broadcast a trailer of "Character History" last night, and it was at that time that he knew that his son had actually appeared on the flagship program of Anton Satellite TV.

Not only him, but even his wife was caught off guard.

At that time, the two of them were watching Anton Satellite TV's anti-Japanese drama, but when there was an advertisement in the middle, such a trailer suddenly appeared.

When he saw the video of Hu Lai shooting on the screen, Hu Lixin didn't even have time to get up to smoke, so he could only sit on the sofa and finish watching. His son said to him, "It's never too late to pursue your dreams."

The wife was surprised at first, and then laughed happily, so that people lay on the bed and kicked their legs hard.

She was so happy because she saw her husband deflated.

Hu Lixin was sitting on the sofa depressed at that time, but unexpectedly, he was stabbed in the back by Anton Satellite TV...

And then he realized the seriousness of this matter - Anton Satellite TV's "Character History" column is very well-known, and I am afraid that everyone who knows their father and son will soon know that his son has gone to play professional football...

Sure enough, when he came to work today, he was caught by Lao Fan.

"I'm talking about Lao Hu, and so are you. My son is a big football star, so why don't you come here as a security guard... Do you want to experience life?" Lao Fan said half-jokingly.

The reason why it is "half joking" is naturally because in Lao Fan's mind, Hu Lixin's son Hu Lai, as a professional football star, must have made a lot of money - he really believes that Hu Lixin does not need to be a security guard for money now This hard work.

Hu Lixin glared at his colleague: "What are you talking about? Are professional players so easy to make money?"

"Isn't it?" Lao Fan puffed up his eyes, "I see that online people often say that professional players drive luxury cars and buy luxury things... Money is not easy to earn, so can you spend it like that?"

"You are a typical example of only seeing thieves eating meat, but not seeing thieves being beaten. How can there be any money in this world that is easy to earn? The money of professional players is also exchanged for their lives..."

"Exaggerated, exaggerated. It's just playing football, and you are trading your life? Let me tell you, Lao Hu, based on the performance of those players, I feel that I can do it! This money should not be too easy to earn..."

Hu Lixin couldn't listen to Lao Fan's nonsense anymore, he interrupted the other party: "Old Fan, you really can't do it."

Seeing Hu Lixin's serious look, Lao Fan couldn't help grinning: "Why, you're so sure, have you ever been a professional player?"

I did...

Hu Lixin said this in his heart, but he immediately realized that he might not be qualified to say that, because he hadn't even played a professional game, so even if he signed a contract, what kind of professional player is he?

Thinking of this brought up Hu Lixin's sadness.

So he didn't want to talk about this topic with Lao Fan any more, waved his hands, and was ready to stand guard.

Lao Fan was still muttering: "... Isn't it shameful to play? Why can't I do it? Since they lose if they go up, and I lose if I go up, why can't I make this money? Hey!"

Hu Lixin had already stood on the sentry box, staring straight ahead, saluting every owner who entered or exited the gate of the community.

He turned a deaf ear to Lao Fan's muttering.

※※※

Hu Lixin, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV and swiping his mobile phone, suddenly noticed that his wife came up to him and put a plate of peanuts and melon seeds and a plate of cut fruits on the coffee table in front of him.

Although the melon seeds and peanuts are on the same plate, they are clearly distinct. The black-brown melon seeds and the tooth-yellow peanuts are shown by Xie Lan as a picture of a Tai Chi yin and yang fish...

The apples form a radial circle on the outermost side of the plate, and inside the circle are long strips of green grapes, which are also neatly arranged in a radial circle, and the center of the circle is one that has been picked plump purple grapes.

There are just three layers, the innermost layer is red, the middle layer is turquoise, and the outermost layer is light yellow, which is quite beautiful.

"Why do you do all this fancy stuff?" Hu Lixin wondered.

"Holidays." Xie Lan happily sat down on the sofa next to her husband, then took out the remote control, turned on the TV, and switched to Anton Satellite TV.

"It's never too late to pursue your dreams!"

Hu Lai's face and voice appeared on the TV again—this is the trailer for the "People's History" program.

Hu Lixin immediately understood what his wife was going to do. Today, Wednesday, is the day when the latest issue of "People's History" is broadcast... She made such a grand event just to watch her son on TV!

Hu Lixin rolled his eyes, and planned to get up and leave to smoke in the kitchen.

But this time he failed because he was held back by his wife: "Smoking is harmful to health!"

"Then I don't smoke..." Hu Lixin took out the cigarette case and lighter from his pocket and put them on the coffee table.

I would rather not smoke than watch TV.

Xie Lan was in a hurry: "Must watch it! It's fine if you don't watch the game, but today's son's documentary must be watched! Hu Lixin, he is your son, not your enemy! You don't know much about your son at all, look at him Wouldn’t it be great to get to know him in the documentary? Besides, you always complain that he was banned from playing football since he was a child, how did he fall in love with football in the end... Then you may know the answer after watching this documentary What? So just sit down for me and let's watch together!"

Her hands passed through her husband's arms and hugged him tightly, for fear that he would run away.

Hu Lixin used some strength, but found it difficult to exert strength while dragging his wife on the soft sofa. He lost all his strength halfway through exertion, and fell back to sit on the sofa again.

Seeing this, he had no choice but to agree: "Okay, let me see. Don't keep dragging me..."

"No! I won't let go until I finish reading it!" Xie Lan shook her head and said firmly.

Hu Lixin was speechless, and pouted at the fruit plate on the coffee table: "Then how do you eat these things you carefully prepared?"

Now my wife is holding on to my left arm with both hands, how can I have a free hand to eat?

"You feed me!" Xie Lan said it as a matter of course.

Hu Lixin turned his head to look at his serious wife, and finally he could only sigh helplessly.

※※※

Li Qingqing sat cross-legged on the bed, leaning back slightly against the head of the bed.

On top of her crossed legs, there was a plastic slag tray. She held the paper bag containing melon seeds in one hand, and kept taking out melon seeds from it with the other hand, and then put them into her mouth.

The remaining melon seeds were naturally thrown into the dregs tray on her lap.

Because of the broadcast rules of the Chinese League One, she has been unable to watch Hu Lai's game in Shanhai.

And this time, although it was a character documentary, there should be a lot of scenes of the game in it.

Poor Li Qingqing can only see Hu Lai's game through this "curve to save the country" method.

The show started, and after the opening credits, the host appeared. He was wearing a dark suit, and when he spoke, his voice was deep and magnetic. It was Ren Junsheng, the ace host of Anton Satellite TV: "...we always sing about dreams, praise dreams, and always talk about dreams. It seems that having dreams is A very proud thing. But many people seem to be limited to this-they decorate their lives with dreams to make it look shining and dazzling in the eyes of others. But such dreams are just an ornament .Why is this so? Because it is not easy to realize dreams, there will always be obstacles of one kind or another...But it is precisely because dreams are difficult to realize that so many people are keen to pursue their dreams. So those who overcome all difficulties and obstacles , the talents who finally successfully fulfill their dreams are more worthy of our praise and respect..."

Li Qingqing didn't know when she stopped reaching out to grab melon seeds. She was still holding the bag containing melon seeds in her hand, staring straight at the TV screen.

※※※

"... Today "People History" is going to introduce to you a slightly special character. He is very young, but he has been in the limelight recently... Yes, he is today's protagonist, Hu Lai. This name sounds a bit weird. The young people who are 'nonsense' have extraordinary life experiences... As we all know, to become an outstanding professional player, you need to start training from a very young age, pay a lot of effort and price, and at the same time You need good luck to succeed in the end. But Hu Lai, a young man, only got in touch with formal football training for the first time when he was sixteen years old and in the first year of high school..."

Zhang Qinghuan, who just opened a can of beer for himself in front of the TV, was stunned when he heard what the host said.

His hand, reaching for the beer can, stopped halfway.

"Are you kidding?!" Then he exclaimed.

He only started playing football at the age of sixteen, and now he is the top scorer in the Shining Star team... Do you want to be so exaggerated?

Now TV programs don't even need common sense in order to create program effects!

He regretted a little that he had decided to stay in the apartment and watch TV on a temporary basis...

What's so good about this shit show?

But when he was about to get the remote control and turn off the TV, he hesitated again.

With his hand hanging over the remote, he finally turned back to pick up the beer can and took a swig of himself.

※※※

"... Now the team's top scorer who scored seven goals for Shining Star in only six games, almost didn't even make it to the Dongchuan Middle School team... Coach Li Ziqiang of the Dongchuan Middle School football team told us When he recruited new students for the school team..."

Li Ziqiang watched himself appear on the TV screen, and said to the camera, as if he was facing himself in front of the TV: "...Actually, I didn't want to recruit him into the team at first, I didn't think much of him. In the future... Hu Lai is a very special player, the most special in that team. I think he should not be able to endure hardships or suffer offenses... His foundation is really poor, so I arranged for him A lot of basic training, and I didn't plan to let him play...but he persisted, which was beyond my expectations. At that time, I thought, maybe he really wanted to play, he put the previous The hunger and thirst of not playing football well for sixteen years has been released... He knows that he has missed more lessons than others, and if he can't train harder than others now, he will never make up for it..."

Li Ziqiang stared at himself on the TV, a little unnaturally.

But he struggled a lot in his heart, and he still didn't turn off the TV, but continued to watch it.

After all, as his daughter said, this is his disciple, he should pay attention...

※※※

"...Coach Li even did not hesitate to play the role of a villain in order to allow Hu Lai to carry out basic training with peace of mind. He set up a very difficult training program for him. With Hu Lai's level at the time, it was almost impossible to complete... But At that time, no one expected that Hu Lai would break Coach Li's game with a beautiful barb goal in training..."

There was a picture of the Dongchuan Middle School football team training on TV, but it was not Hu Lai's original training content.

Mao Xiao turned his head and said to his family: "I was there at the time! It was Hu Lai who was defending me. In the end, under the defense of Team Yan and I, he still completed a barb shot! It's really beautiful, all of us Everyone was scared to death!"

In the restaurant, Yan Yan pointed at the TV screen and showed off to his companions who were eating together: "Let me tell you, that ball... Hu Lai hit the ball on top of my head! It's amazing! At that time he was I'm a beginner, but I scored a world wave! Who would have thought of that? Our coach was completely stupid at the time! It's the first time I saw the coach lose his composure..."

※※※

The TV screen gradually dimmed, and when it came back on, there were empty shots of Street View.

Crossroads where people come and go, crowded bus stops, people going up and down on subway platforms...

At the same time, music sounded in the background. After the piano prelude, a male voice sang:

"I am ashamed to say that I am still doing nothing; I wait for the bus, change the subway, and fight for seats every day..."

In a crowded subway car, a beautiful white-collar woman wearing a professional suit and exquisite makeup is holding the ring with her hand, leaning her head on the arm holding the ring, and gently swaying with the shaking of the subway train. Like a leaf hanging on a branch and swaying in the wind.

"I used to think that I would stand out; I tried my best to prove that I could. No one in this world cares about your efforts, only your achievements..."

A takeaway boy quickly ran into an office building with a bag full of meals. Looking at the crowd crowded at the elevator door, he finally chose to turn into the stairwell next to the elevator.

Another courier brother was trying to help the food delivery battery car that fell on the ground in the heavy rain. He was soaked from top to bottom.

"...It turns out that I wasted my youth just to prove that I am a mediocre person..."

On the empty last bus, a young man in a dark suit sat on the seat, with a backpack under his feet, and a small cake with a candle on it on his lap.

The dim candlelight was reflected on the car window and also on the young man's face. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and then blew out the birthday candles on the cake.

"It's sad to think about it, there is no time to waste anymore; I started to bow my head to fate, and I stopped doing things right... people who are better than you work harder than you, and I feel sad when I think about it; it turns out that I spent my whole life just to prove that I am Mediocre, I am mediocrity..."

Li Qingqing looked at the TV, and the scene she saw on the podium of the Dongchuan Middle School stadium appeared in front of her eyes.

It was her first physical education class in this school. The boys were playing football in teams. Hu Lai wanted to participate, but was excluded. Everyone thought he played poorly and didn't want to take him, no matter how he explained. , and no one cared about that thin figure.

In the end, everyone was chasing the football on the field, but he could only stand on the sidelines alone, staring blankly at the field.

That lonely and stubborn figure stayed in Li Qingqing's memory for a long time.

It was also the direct reason that prompted her to go to the secret special training base to find Hu Lai. She was really curious about the owner of this figure...

At this moment, the scene of the secret special training base suddenly appeared in front of her eyes - that small open space already overgrown with weeds.

Li Qingqing thought she was dazzled, but she soon discovered that it was not her hallucination, but a real picture on the TV screen.

That's where she and Hu Lai used to play and practice.

Now it is full of weeds, and a young man appeared in this wasteland.

With his back to the camera, he stood in front of a dirty football, ran towards the ball, and then kicked the football towards the facing stone wall!

Although there is a note of "Scene Restoration" marked on the upper left corner of the screen, Li Qingqing feels that this is like a real shot at that time...

At the same time, the rapid and sharp sound of the electric guitar was added, and the voice of the male singer who was originally low-pitched and narrating also became high-pitched, as if he was declaring war on this mediocre life:

"I'm not mediocre! I'm not mediocre! I believe there's still a chance! I'm not! I'm not..."

Just repeating the lyrics over and over again, screaming.

As the boy kicked the football towards the stone wall, the scene changed suddenly, and the original wild grass cleared away like water waves. The cheers in the background sound changed from small to loud, as if a tide was surging up, drowning everyone in front of the TV.

During the game, Hou Lai, who was wearing a star jersey, shot the ball towards the opponent's goal.

He ran to the stands.

Flash Star fans in the stands jumped up, raised their arms and shouted.

Waving the flags in their hands, they rushed from the stands to the first floor, stretched out their hands to Hou Lai, and cheered loudly.

Amidst the singing and cheers, Hu Lai leaped high, performed his signature celebratory gesture, and proudly displayed his name and number in the rebroadcast footage.

"I'm not mediocre! I'm not mediocre! I believe there's still a chance! I'm not! I'm not..."

Xie Lan on the sofa hadn't dragged her husband with her hands for a long time, but Hu Lixin hadn't gotten up to leave either. She took a sneak peek and found that her husband was staring at the TV screen with eyes fixed, completely unaware of her voyeurism.

As the song came to an end, the picture gradually dimmed, and the singer's voice recovered from its high pitch: "I gave up love and betrayed my faith. Maybe this is the truth of life, so desperate..."

In the black field, the host Ren Junsheng's magnetic voice sounded again: "Before Hu Lai decided to play professional football, whether it was his father or his professional coach of the school team, they all told him about his career. The risky and cruel side of football. This is a kind of warning, but also a kind of worry... But in the end, Hu Lai chose to embark on this road full of unknowns to pursue his dream."

The picture turned brighter, and Hu Lai was standing alone on the training ground in the morning, dripping with sweat. The golden sun shone on him, and the sweat beads on his face were all lit up by the rising sun.

"Romain Rolland once wrote in "The Biography of Michelangelo": There is only one kind of true heroism in the world, and that is to know the truth of life and still love it."

The camera zoomed in until it reached Hu Lai's eyes, a pair of pupils reflected the light of the morning sun, as if they were burning.

"For each of us, it may be mediocre in life, but we can all be not mediocre."

The picture finally freezes on Hu Lai's back. He faces the rising sun, and the bright sunlight pours in, drawing a golden border around his slightly dark figure. More light overflowed from the outside of his body, cutting through the thin morning mist in the air, as if giving Julian a pair of pale golden wings.

Subtitles float on top of the screen:

It's never too late to start chasing your dreams.

——Respect those ordinary people who are unwilling to be ordinary

Looking at this scene, Zhang Qinghuan had a question in his mind:

How can a person...be so radiant?

※※※

ps, the song that appears in this chapter is "Mediocre People" by Antusheng Band.

About the outbreak... There will be a single chapter to talk to you later.

vertex