Fox in the Penalty Area

"I have a dream! I dream that in the future I can wear the jersey of the Chinese team, participate in the World Cup as a national footballer, and finally win the championship! Let Chinese football stand on top of the world! I also want those foreigners to become the Chinese team fans! Just like we have many Brazilian fans, Argentine fans, German fans, and Spanish fans in China! I believe... I believe that there will be a day! Yes, there will be a day!"

Little Hu Lai, who was wearing a white shirt and a red scarf around his neck, stood on the podium with one hand behind his back, and the other hand swung forward with his last words. At the same time, he stepped out with a lunge, his little head raised slightly, and his eyes looked at the place where his finger was - that was a five-star red flag pasted on the back wall of the classroom.

In the classroom in front of him, the students were already laughing in their seats, leaning back and forth.

Little Hu Lai didn't care, he just stared at the national flag, as if he was watching the flag rising with the national anthem on the podium of the World Cup.

...

Hu Lai looked at the five-star red flag being waved vigorously in the stands of the Lotus Stadium, and his teammates screamed, cheered and roared wildly in his ears.

This made him realize that he was not on the podium in the primary school classroom, but in the Lingnan Lotus Stadium on December 19, 2025.

It is the last play-off match of the US-Canada World Cup qualifiers in 2026.

Just now he scored a crucial goal.

That's why he was hugged by so many ecstatic and excited teammates.

No matter who it is, what is the reason for bringing me into this world... I have to say thank you! Thank you for making it possible for my daydreams not to be laughed at...

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There was no one on the bench of the entire Chinese team. Whether it was the substitute players or the staff of the coaching staff, they all rushed to the corner flag area to hug Hu Lai and participate in the carnival.

Even the fans in the audience gathered towards the stands of the corner flag area where Hu Lai was located, like a surging red tide...

No matter what you say in the live environment, you can't hear your own voice.

But everyone is still speaking out, and they don't care if their voices are heard, they just don't want to remain silent at this time!

At the commentary table, He Feng and Yan Kang pressed the earmuffs of the sound-proof headsets with trembling hands, trying to minimize the interference of environmental sounds on their work - other people can ignore the specific sounds they make, but the commentator can't , They also have to explain the game to thousands of households in front of the TV.

But maybe not many people actually care about what they said at this time...

"The Chinese team... The Chinese men's football team has never been so close to the World Cup as it is now! From 1961, when Chinese football failed to hit the World Cup for the first time, to 2025, we have been pursuing it for 64 years! Finally, we have reached the distance from the World Cup. The moment was only a few minutes! People who cheered for the Chinese team in the stands at the stadium, I don’t know how many people can still see this scene today..."

"Sixty-four years...enough for a newly born child to grow old...but the dream chaser is still young! The ball started from a corner kick from Paraguay, was hit by Lin Zhiyuan, and was returned by Chen Xingyu with a header Point to Wang Guangwei, then Zhang Qinghuan, Luo Kai... Finally back to Wang Guangwei's feet, pass to Hu Lai...all young people under the age of 24! This is the future of our Chinese football! Thanks to these young dreamers Thanks to them, the dream of sixty-four years has the closest chance to come true! Youth is invincible, dreams are immortal!"

Li Ziqiang stood in front of the sofa, staring blankly at the spectacular scene on the TV screen, only feeling that there was something rampant in his chest, wanting to rush out.

No matter what, he never thought that the bastard who made him dislike him was almost going to help him realize his biggest dream!

He took a few deep breaths before finally calming down the suddenly roaring sea.

It turned into the usual calm and calm appearance again.

Li Ziqiang, who had calmed down, suddenly remembered one thing-his next door, when Hu Lai scored the first goal, there were loud cheers and screams, how did Hu Lai score the second goal just now? From the start of the ball to the present, there is no movement?

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Xie Lan turned to look at her husband, and found that his face was already full of tears at some point.

So she got up gently, took her husband into her arms, and gently patted his back with her hands, as if comforting a wronged child.

Surely her husband had fantasized about this day too? In his youthful years before he lost all vision of football...

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Wang Xianke drank the white wine in the cup, and put the cup back on the coffee table heavily.

After a bang, he leaned back on the back of the sofa, raised his hands and put them down, pillowed them behind his head, just stared blankly at the TV screen, listening to the sound coming from the Lotus Stadium in Lingnan City thousands of miles away. cheers.

Then his gaze moved up a little bit, from the TV screen to the white ceiling, and then to the lit ceiling lamp. Just letting the white light fill his field of vision, he didn't blink, let alone look away.

Until the stinging eyes burst into tears uncontrollably, they overflowed from the two corners of the eyes, and slid down the arc of the cheeks.

He also remained motionless, not raising his hand to wipe away his tears.

Just closed my eyes.

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In a luxury apartment in a high-end community in Dashun City, Jin Yong lifted the babbling child high, and smiled at her: "Huahua, let me tell you, luckily my father stopped at that time! Fortunately, fortunately! Haha !"

The wife next to her nervously reached out to pick it up: "Be careful! Don't drop the flower! Be happy if you are happy. What are you doing holding the flower so high? Oh, you are spinning!"

Although the mother was worried, the little flower raised high by the father seemed to be on a merry-go-round, giggling happily, and didn't think it was a dangerous thing.

In the brightly lit living room, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the figures of a family of three, as if they were dancing.

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On the bar street near the Jiukong Bridge in Jincheng, countless cheers came from various bars, overshadowing the roar of the engines of the sports cars on the street.

Excited fans kept rushing out of those bars, waving their arms and shouting to the sky.

No one could understand exactly what they were yelling about, but everyone knew why they were so excited.

China had just scored their second goal to draw with Paraguay 3-3 on aggregate and also had an away goal advantage. This makes the Chinese team very hopeful to reach the World Cup finals!

This is the first time in the history of Chinese football to enter the men's World Cup finals!

All of them experienced history firsthand tonight and became a part of history.

In one of the bars, the members of the Dongchuan Middle School Football Team Jincheng branch raised their arms and shouted, throwing the liquid in their cups into the air, and the air in the whole bar was filled with the sweetness of alcohol.

"Hu Lai Niubi!! Dongchuan Middle School Niubi!"

In another bar, Wu Yue and his companions yelled with tears: "The Chinese team is awesome! The Wang team is awesome!"

"Dongchuan Middle School will always owe us Jiaxiang High School!"

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"I have a dream. I dream that one day I can wear the jersey of the Chinese team and win the World Cup!"

Li Qingqing can still remember the scene when Hu Lai said these words.

Although she didn't see it with her own eyes at the time, she only reviewed it later through the news video - in front of the camera, Hu Lai stood upright with her hands behind her back, trying to make herself look taller, with her head raised slightly. Said the words in a clear and unmistakable voice.

Many people laughed when they saw this scene, and Li Qingqing also laughed. But it was not ridicule like others.

It was the same smile as at this moment, happiness, relief, admiration, pride...all mixed in this one smile.

The tablet computer was placed on the coffee table together with the stand, and Li Qingqing sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of the coffee table, holding her head with her hands together.

She just tilted her head slightly, smiling, staring at the familiar face on the tablet screen.

Great, Hu Lai, you're almost catching up to me!

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PS, this chapter is less than 3,000 words, not long, but it is very long. For nearly five hours, I listened to Feng Feifei's "Dream Chaser" repeatedly, allowing myself to fully integrate into this scene.

Transition between different people, different scenes...

These are not my fictional pictures, but real events in another time and space.

I just described them in words.

Those people, no matter what they are now, they have all chased that supreme dream.

So I named this chapter "Dream Chaser".

PS2, two updates will resume tomorrow, and the May Day holiday will allow me to slowly collect some manuscripts. Thank you for your enthusiastic support! Thanks!