Chapter 1 After the Match with Atlético Madrid

After the match against Atlético Madrid, Chen Yingxiong could take a break. There was no league game on the weekend; instead, it was the international break. However, for reasons everyone knew, the international break had nothing to do with Chen Yingxiong.

Karim Medjani and screenwriter Jones Jackson had already written the script, and they flew to Liverpool that weekend.

As Medjani's friend, the intermediary for Medjani and Chen Xing's collaboration, and the male lead slated for the movie, Chen Yingxiong played host and treated both parties to a meal.

They would also discuss the movie script.

In fact, the script had already been sent to Chen Xing by email, and Chen Xing had already read it.

Overall, he was quite satisfied, but he hoped the script could be a little more lighthearted, because the theme of such a road movie was the exchange of emotions. If there were many hilarious things happening during the process, it could increase the appeal and avoid falling into the path of an art film.

In the script that Medjani and Jones had come up with, it was a bit too artistic.

"To be honest, if I were the audience, I wouldn't go to the cinema to see such a movie. Because I can't find an emotional high point," Chen Xing said, making people feel that he was very professional. Actually, he was just talking casually.

"If you really plan to find Yingxiong as the lead actor... Yingxiong is not a very silent person. With him around, there will be no shortage of laughter. You should seize this point, arrange the story to be a little more exaggerated, a little more bizarre, and make the conflict between the male and female protagonists a little bigger, a little more exaggerated, so that there will be comedic effect. Audiences pay to go to the cinema to kill a weekend. Anyway, they are just killing time, is it not better to spend an afternoon or an evening happily in laughter? Why go to the cinema to think about the meaning of life with a group of strangers?"

Medjani nodded repeatedly, this time not because the other party was the largest investor that he was being so humble. In fact, he thought Chen Xing was right.

His goal was to make blockbusters, and blockbusters were all commercially successful works. Commercially successful works were definitely not niche art films. He absolutely didn't want to be an avant-garde artist and make experimental films...

"So what the audience likes is very important. I think in this world now... during the economic crisis, everyone's life is not easy, and it would be very boring to go to the movies to see that kind of depressing movie. We have to give everyone hope and smiles, and Yingxiong is indeed quite funny..."

"Hey!" Chen Yingxiong spoke up to express his dissatisfaction.

Everyone laughed.

Chen Xing ignored him and continued, "The female lead must be beautiful..."

"Hey! That's good! That's good! Must be beautiful, can't accept not beautiful! I have to join in the fun when you choose the female lead..." Chen Yingxiong interjected again.

Everyone laughed again.

"Can you even go?" Chen Xing rolled his eyes at him.

"Why don't you guys pick a female lead when I don't have a game and I'm not busy? Besides, I'm the male lead, the female lead who plays with me must make me feel something... How can I act without feeling? Right?" Chen Yingxiong said with a serious face, but everyone knew that this was just an excuse. He just wanted to be with beautiful women...

Medjani laughed and said, "Don't worry, Yingxiong. Even if you can't come, we will record all the auditions and send them to you. Tell me which one you like by calling me!"

Chen Xing continued to say his requirements for the female lead: "It doesn't matter if she's not very famous, of course, it would be even better if you can find someone with a big name. This movie is mainly about the interaction between the male and female leads, right? So the female lead must have acting skills, we can't just have a pretty face!"

Since he had decided to be the biggest investor, Chen Xing naturally had to be responsible for the money he invested, so he was particularly concerned about all aspects of this film.

Basically, Chen Xing was communicating with Medjani, Yingxiong occasionally interjected, and Jones Jackson was relatively silent.

Everyone chatted happily, and Chen Xing confirmed the investment in the film.

The film was tentatively titled *Liverpool Love*, but Chen Xing thought it was too artistic and didn't highlight the theme. Audiences wouldn't know what it was about from the name and wouldn't be interested in buying tickets to see it, so he suggested changing it. So everyone discussed names one after another, but they weren't satisfied no matter what they came up with. During this time, Chen Yingxiong deliberately made trouble and acted mischievously, suggesting names like "Car Shakes All the Way", "Lost in Thailand", "Lonely Men and Women in Europe"... all of which were rejected.

In the end, they couldn't think of anything, so they had to temporarily use this artistic name and replace it later when they had a suitable one.

Chen Xing also invited Medjani and Jones to stay in Liverpool for a few more days and wait to watch the next round of the league, when Liverpool would host Norwich at home.

The two could also experience the atmosphere of Anfield Stadium on the spot, which might inspire some creative inspiration.

There were also match scenes in the movie, and Medjani had a portable camera with him anyway, so he could first film the situation on the stands. This was material that could be directly edited into the movie later.

The two readily agreed.

The two were not very famous in the Hollywood circle, and they rarely received such treatment in other places. Those big stars who visited a club would usually be invited to watch a game on the spot. But these two had never encountered such a good thing.

Liverpool Football Club did not look down on them just because they were currently unknown, which made them very moved.

Although they didn't know much about this team before, and hadn't had any contact with them. But now they were willing to learn more about Liverpool, and it wouldn't hurt to become Liverpool fans.

※※※

After the international break, the national team players returned to their clubs one after another, but there was bad news for Martin O'Neill.

Because there were injuries after the international matches...

Gerrard was injured again. Fortunately, this time the injury was not serious and he only needed to rest for a week, but he would definitely miss the home game against Norwich.

Chilean winger Sanchez also strained a muscle during a match back home, and might be out for half a month.

In addition to injuries, there was also the impact on physical fitness. Many players who participated in international matches showed poor performance in training, and they seemed very tired.

Liverpool had to rotate again, and this time Martin O'Neill could only rely on Chen Yingxiong.

He was not affected by international matches, nor would he be infected by the fifA virus.

From this point of view, O'Neill actually hoped that Chen Yingxiong and the Chinese Football Association would continue to be at odds, which meant that Chen Yingxiong's most golden years of his career would be devoted to the club, without having to run around. Flying from Liverpool to China was halfway around the world, a very long way.

※※※

On the afternoon of February 23rd, Liverpool welcomed Norwich to their home stadium, Anfield.

Half of the starting eleven Liverpool players were rotated.

So far this season, Liverpool had only lost two games, and the worst loss happened to be against Norwich—in the sixteenth round, Liverpool lost 1:3 to Norwich away.

Of course, in that game Martin O'Neill insisted on rotation and replaced all the main players at the time, and Chen Yingxiong did not start either.

But even so, losing two goals away from home was still quite embarrassing for Liverpool. Norwich was not a strong team, ranking tenth this season. Liverpool was first in the league! After losing to Norwich in that game, they were snatched the top spot in the league by Manchester City, but fortunately they narrowly beat Manchester United 1:0 at home immediately afterward, and regained the top spot in the league.

Although it was a bit far-fetched, today's game could indeed be regarded as Liverpool's "revenge match."

At least that's what Liverpool fans thought.

Before the game even started, the stands were packed. Fans decorated the stands with various slogans and flags. Medjani and Jones personally witnessed the entire process of this stadium transforming from empty to a red-hot home ground.

Medjani held a camera in his hand and filmed everywhere, recording the whole process. This was material.

After the fans entered the stands, they began to sing loudly. Before the game even started, the kind of exciting atmosphere had already appeared.

"Really amazing..." Medjani praised repeatedly while filming.

In fact, he had indeed found inspiration. There were three loyal Liverpool fans in the movie, and after experiencing this atmosphere on the spot, it could also help him successfully create three believable fans.

And not only that.

"... I think football can be used as a hidden thread throughout the story... how about adding some scenes of the team's coach and fans anxiously waiting for their hero, thereby indirectly expressing Liverpool fans' love for this team, Jones?"

Jones Jackson nodded: "I think that's a good idea, Karim."

When the two teams appeared and the stadium announcer called out Chen Yingxiong's name, the deafening shouts from all directions of the stands caused a great shock to Medjani and Jones.

They knew that Chen Yingxiong was a very famous superstar, otherwise so many internationally renowned brands would not have sought him for endorsements, but their understanding of Chen Yingxiong's popularity only existed on paper. Now they truly understood what kind of status Chen Yingxiong had in the hearts of fans...

This was obviously a great help to them in how to create a successful superstar.

In Medjani's lens, Chen Yingxiong walked out of the stadium with his head held high, holding the hand of a child mascot, and the entire Anfield stadium was filled with shouts of "Yingxiong!! Yingxiong! Yingxiong!!"

With Gerrard injured and players like Sanchez, Suárez, and Agger rotated out, naturally, all hopes were pinned on Chen Yingxiong for this Liverpool team.

Next to Medjani was a fanatical Liverpool fan, who waved his fist at the field: "Take down Norwich, Yingxiong! We all know you can do it! You never let us down!!"