Chapter 1 The Beginning

The Tianhe Stadium erupted in thunderous cheers as, just a minute prior, Chen Hero had executed a stunning long shot. It was his second attempt of the match, forcing Evergrande's goalkeeper, Yang Lin, into a brilliant save.

The cheers were both for Yang Lin's magnificent save and for Chen Hero's near-world-class strike.

Liverpool, as they had stated in the pre-match press conference—that they were there to prepare for the new season—took the match seriously, unlike some teams that habitually went through the motions after arriving in China.

Dalglish didn't field his most frequently used lineup from the previous season.

He put together a starting lineup composed of some substitutes, second-string players, and a few regulars.

These players were full of motivation, eager to impress the manager and make a good impression on Dalglish in the new season, hoping to secure a good position.

So, when facing Evergrande, Liverpool only probed for ten minutes, roughly gauging Evergrande's level, before launching a fierce offensive, no longer holding back.

Frankly, Evergrande wasn't as weak as Liverpool had initially imagined—they had assumed that Chinese teams were generally not very strong, with only Conca potentially posing a threat.

While it was true that Conca was indeed a threat, he wasn't the only one.

As Liverpool pressed forward, Evergrande seized the opportunity to counterattack, putting some pressure on Liverpool's defense. In particular, Evergrande's foreign players were performing impressively.

Besides Conca, the most expensive player in the Chinese Super League, there was also Muriqui.

He wasn't tall, but he was fast, agile, and possessed decent dribbling skills.

He was a significant threat on the counterattack.

After the match began, the Tianhe Stadium quickly divided into three factions. One faction consisted of die-hard Guangzhou Evergrande fans, who had come to cheer for Evergrande. If Evergrande could defeat Liverpool, who had Chen Hero, it would naturally make them even happier, giving them a sense of vindication.

Another faction consisted of Liverpool fans and Chen Hero's loyal supporters who had traveled from all over the country. They weren't interested in Evergrande, especially those fans who had come from outside Guangzhou… they just wanted to see Liverpool's stars, especially Chen Hero, put on a spectacular show. As for Evergrande? They didn't care.

In addition, there was a third faction, composed mainly of local Cantonese, who were both Evergrande fans and Liverpool fans, and who also liked Chen Hero. They hoped that Liverpool would perform well, that Chen Hero would score, and that Evergrande would also put on a good show, preferably scoring as well, losing the match but not being humiliated. Ideally, Liverpool would defeat Evergrande with their superior strength, while Evergrande would put up a valiant fight… a win-win situation for everyone.

These three factions were very evident during the match. When Evergrande had a counterattacking opportunity, those cheering were the first and third factions. When Liverpool attacked, those cheering for Liverpool were naturally the second and third factions—the third faction cheered all the time.

However, this also made the atmosphere incredibly lively.

At least from the perspective of the atmosphere, it was a successful commercial match.

But whether it was truly successful depended on the performances of the players from both sides.

Chen Hero's long shot had just thrilled the fans.

Besides cheering, everyone in the stands was enthusiastically discussing Chen Hero's shot and the level his abilities had reached.

"I think he's at a world-class level! Look at that long shot! Powerful and accurate! And the angle was tricky too!"

"It would have been amazing if that shot had gone in, a truly world-class goal! They say Hero is good at long shots, and seeing it today, it's definitely well-deserved!"

"Hero is so awesome!"

"Hero is so amazing!"

"How can such an awesome and amazing player not be selected for the national team? I really don't know what those people at the Football Association are thinking!"

"Don't insult pigs!"

…

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Yang Lin was the goalkeeper for the Chinese national team, but in the national team, he was just a backup to Yang Zhi and Zeng Cheng, rarely getting to play. His position in the national team was not stable. In Evergrande, he had initially been a substitute as well until May of this year when the original starting goalkeeper, Li Shuai, suffered a severe shoulder injury. Yang Lin came on as a substitute, performed well, and since then became the team's starting goalkeeper.

This was his first time facing Chen Hero.

Chen Hero had taken two shots on goal. The first was a long shot just three minutes into the match, which went high over the goal, but anyone could tell that Chen Hero was testing the waters, or rather, he was calibrating his aim. Sure enough, the second shot went straight for the upper corner of the goal.

If Yang Lin hadn't been focused on Chen Hero the whole time, he might have actually let that ball in…

As he fell from the air, he was still a little apprehensive. When the ball brushed past his fingertips, he couldn't believe that he had managed to save it, so he watched it all the way, and he only felt relieved when he saw the ball fly over the crossbar.

Chen Hero's movements before shooting weren't exaggerated. Unlike many players he had seen, when they were about to take a powerful long shot, their entire body would be in motion, with a very large range of movement. The power of the ball shot in that way would naturally be greater, but the movements were too obvious, making it easy for people to guess his intentions. At the same time, the preparation time was too long, making it easy for the opposing defenders to interfere.

Chen Hero, while running, suddenly swung his leg and quickly struck the ball, which then flew straight toward the upper right corner of the goal.

He was surprised by the speed and power of the shot.

He tightened his loosened gloves.

No wonder he was able to win the Golden Boot in Europe… he really has what it takes!

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Twenty-five minutes into the first half, both sides had attacked and defended, but overall, Liverpool was pressing Evergrande. However, Evergrande's counterattacks were also quite sharp. Muriqui's several breakthroughs caused loud cheers to erupt in the Tianhe Stadium, and the commentators joked, "Maybe after this match, Muriqui will receive a transfer offer from Liverpool, haha!"

But Liverpool was still the stronger team, especially with Chen Hero…

So, in the twenty-eighth minute, Liverpool took the lead, putting an end to Evergrande's counterattacking momentum!

"This is Liverpool's attack, Skrtel makes a long pass directly from the backfield!"

As soon as the ball flew toward Chen Hero, a burst of cheers erupted in the stands.

Chen Hero didn't disappoint the fans who were cheering for him. Playing in front of his compatriots for the first time, he had to try to show off his skills a bit, to make them feel that their support was worthwhile.

That was what Chen Hero was thinking.

He jumped up, but this time he didn't head the ball to a teammate. Instead, he chose to control it with his chest.

Evergrande's center back jumped up behind him to try to interfere, but that little bit of impact was nothing to Chen Hero's strong, bear-like body!

Chen Hero didn't even flinch as he steadily controlled the ball.

Then… he neither passed nor dribbled, but instead used his left foot to flick the ball to the outside, then turned around and shot!

The turning long shot was initially Chen Hero's most troublesome skill. He couldn't do it at all, but after so many years of training and repeated use, this move was now particularly familiar. Not to mention that his opponents were not strong, completely incomparable to the defenses he encountered in the Champions League.

So, this turning long shot was executed as if it were done in a training session, very smooth and natural.

Any movement, as long as it's smooth and natural, will be beautiful.

Therefore, Chen Hero's turning shot was completed in one go, with graceful and powerful movements. In the eyes of onlookers, it was truly beautiful!

But in Yang Lin's eyes, it was the most terrifying thing…

With a bang, the ball was struck by Chen Hero's instep, and in the next second, it reached Yang Lin's eyes. He made a save—raising his hands.

The ball flew into the goal before his hands arrived…

"Wow!!!" The commentator paused for a moment before shouting loudly, "Beautiful! Beautiful! Truly beautiful! This long shot is a textbook example of perfection! It's too beautiful!!"

The Tianhe Stadium was also boiling. Whether they were Evergrande fans or Liverpool fans, at this moment they were all Chen Hero's fans. They jumped up from their seats and cheered wildly.

"So beautiful!"

"This goal alone was worth the price of the ticket!"

"Truly worthy of being called Hero! This goal was so domineering!"

"Awesome! Hero, you're so awesome!"

The shouts in the stands rose and fell, filled with various dialects.

After scoring, Chen Hero ran all the way, leaped over the advertising boards, and then ran to the bottom of the stands, cupping his hands to his ears, as if listening. The cheers grew even louder.

Then he spread his arms, leaned back slightly, raised his head, closed his eyes, and, amidst the roar of cheers from his compatriots, looked very much like he was enjoying himself.

He really was enjoying it, it wasn't just a gimmick. Since his debut, he had heard many cheers, including the air raid sirens of Zenit Saint Petersburg fans, the mix of boos and cheers from Napoli fans, and even though he had only just transferred there not long ago, he had heard the cheers of Liverpool fans many times… but this was the first time he had heard cheers from Chinese fans.

He understood this sound. He could even distinguish what some people were shouting, and what others were shouting. Although the accents might not be the same, they were all using the familiar mother tongue.

At this moment, Chen Hero was actually filled with emotion. So he closed his eyes, immersed in the cheers, enjoying this joy.

After his feud with the Football Association grew increasingly larger, he didn't know if he would ever have the opportunity to represent China in a match again in his life, and he might be scolded for not being patriotic.

But at least, I still have the opportunity to hear my compatriots cheering for me…

It's like putting on the Chinese national team jersey and scoring a goal in a match. I believe that the cheers in that situation would be similar to the cheers today, all the same.

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ps, today's four-chapter burst begins!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is five chapters!

So……………… please vote for me!!!!