Chapter 153

P.S. Here's the triple update for today, I'm sure you'll support me with monthly tickets!

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The new season had only just begun, and Chen Hero had already stirred up so much trouble. First, he engaged in a war of words with Allardyce and the fans of West Ham United. Then, he swore on live television during the widely popular "Match of the Day" program, leaving the host, Kyries, dumbfounded and shocking thousands of viewers. As if that wasn't enough, various social groups protested his use of foul language in public, claiming it had a negative influence, but he responded with "fuCk_you," driving those moralists crazy as they declared Chen Hero a degenerate... Shortly after, the media unearthed a scandalous bombshell—Chen Hero, only twenty-four years old and a top-ten sex fantasy for many women, was actually engaged to his girlfriend, Christine Cabella, with marriage on the horizon. This news broke the hearts of many female fans.

And that was just the first week! Who knew how many more of these kinds of things would happen in the future?

The media lamented that if things continued at this pace, there would be something interesting happening every week this season, leaving them no peace.

Sure enough, with Chen Hero around, the reporters felt like their jobs had become much easier...

Martin O'Neill was also taken aback by Chen Hero's ability to cause trouble. After the last league match, he avoided talking about what Allardyce's transfer meant, as the media had ill intentions.

But then Chen Hero took the reins, drawing all the hatred... If he had known this would happen, he would have shouldered the burden of animosity with West Ham United himself. At least it would have stopped there, and there wouldn't have been so many messy things afterward.

It seemed he had completely underestimated Chen Hero's ability to mock.

He felt he should have another heart-to-heart with Chen Hero, telling him not to be so eager to provoke the media and other teams, that making enemies everywhere was not a good thing, and that he should focus more on football itself. He was still young and constantly improving, and as long as he didn't mess around off the field, he would achieve even greater success in football.

Becoming the world's number one player was not an unattainable dream.

If Chen Hero wasn't his player, he wouldn't bother with such matters; after all, it was his freedom. But now that he was his coach, and his performance directly affected the team's results, which in turn affected his own future at Liverpool, he couldn't help but say a few words.

He knew that players like Chen Hero, who had gained fame overseas and won many honors at a young age, were quite arrogant and wouldn't easily listen to others' advice. They always liked to stick to their own ways, both on and off the field. They had that kind of confidence. Of course, if they didn't have such confidence, they might not have achieved such success. But if they always refused to listen to others, their careers would only reach this point at best, and they wouldn't be able to move forward.

Even if Chen Hero hated him for it, Martin O'Neill felt he should play the villain once.

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Martin O'Neill did a lot of work and prepared himself mentally. To that end, he humbled himself and went to talk to Chen Hero about this.

But Chen Hero's response made him feel what "arrogance" meant. Chen Hero's overflowing confidence hit him head-on, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed. In his career, both as a player and as a coach, he had seen many different kinds of people, but he had never seen a player as arrogant and confident as this. He lacked experience in dealing with him...

Earlier, he had said that he was worried Chen Hero would be distracted by off-field matters and delay his progress, ultimately failing to become the world's number one player.

Guess how Chen Hero responded to him?

Chen Hero said, "Boss, when I was playing in Russia, I fought with the entire Moscow media. I provoked the CSKA Moscow fans who were racially discriminating against me during matches, but I still won a league title, a UEFA Cup, two league top scorer awards, and a UEFA Cup top scorer award. In Naples, I was at odds with the entire city of Naples' fans. As home fans, they booed me for an entire season, but I still won a league title, a Champions League title, three league top scorer awards, and two Champions League top scorer awards. Last season, I came to Liverpool. Off the field, that bastard Richards falsely accused me of racial discrimination, and I fought him, battled the media, and even declared war on FIFA, but I still won the Premier League Golden Boot and broke the record... This thing you call arrogance is an indispensable part of my character. Without this thing, I wouldn't be Chen Hero, and I wouldn't have achieved so many honors and accomplishments. I call it 'confidence.'"

His tone was actually very calm, and even surprisingly polite. But Martin O'Neill could still feel the powerful arrogance from it... Of course, Chen Hero now called it "confidence."

Was Chen Hero really successful because of this personality trait?

Martin O'Neill hadn't really studied Chen Hero's personality.

"I like to compete, boss. I can't allow anyone to get the better of me, let alone let anyone shit on my head. So if someone provokes me, I will definitely retaliate with the most aggressive attitude. But I'm not someone who randomly starts trouble, boss. You've seen it. That idiot Allardyce was mocking me, and I just retorted. Who told those West Ham United fans to be so quick to take the bait?"

Martin O'Neill felt he couldn't persuade this person at all. Because this person had his own principles and was following them very firmly. He wasn't like other young people, easily swayed by the outside world, indecisive, and easily influenced.

In that case, perhaps his success was really due to his personality? After all, Chen Hero knew what he wanted. A person with a clear goal had motivation and was more likely to succeed than those who didn't know what they wanted.

He sighed, "Alright, I know this is part of your personality, but I still hope you can restrain yourself a little..."

Chen Hero laughed, "Don't worry, boss. Those things won't interfere with me. They'll only make us more motivated. If you really want the team to do well, you might even want me to go around 'stirring up trouble,' hahaha!"

O'Neill chuckled dryly. He didn't think Chen Hero's statement was correct...

For him, this was truly a failed persuasion. But it wasn't entirely without gain. At least he had begun to seriously pay attention to Chen Hero's personality traits and what impact they would have on him and the team. Perhaps it would only help him further understand what kind of person Chen Hero was, how to get along with him, and how to unleash his abilities, thereby bringing surging momentum to Liverpool.

To revitalize Liverpool, Chen Hero was truly indispensable.

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The news about Chen Hero's upcoming engagement to Cabella was still circulating in the gossip circles, but neither Chen Hero nor Cabella denied it, because they didn't think it was necessary to deny it. The more you deny it, the more energetic the media becomes, and that would truly be a waste of their time.

If you say, "We are not engaged, and we have no plans to get married."

They will say, "Then when are you getting married?"

If you say, "We haven't considered that question yet."

They will start asking, "Why haven't you considered that question yet? Is there something wrong with your relationship?"

If you say, "We have no problems."

The reporters will think you're trying to cover something up, and that maybe you two have already had a very intense conflict and it's completely irreparable. The reporters' thinking will quickly shift in another direction, and they will draw completely different conclusions from the same event. For example, Chen Hero's so-called "major life event"—was it because Chen Hero was arguing fiercely with Cabella, and the production team's phone call just happened to become Chen Hero's outlet for his anger? Otherwise, it was just a phone call, why would he be so angry? Clearly, he was already very angry beforehand, and that anger was most likely related to Cabella.

So, the conclusion that Chen Hero and Cabella had a conflict was reached.

Then they will continue to look for clues in their past relationship—why was Cabella reluctant to live in England permanently? Why did they only see each other at least once a month? Before, they said it was because both Chen Hero and Cabella were very busy with work and couldn't find time for a vacation together. But now they could say that it was ironclad evidence that the two had a conflict—Cabella didn't come to England, and the two didn't see each other often. How could a virile man like Chen Hero endure such a long-term widowhood? With his flirtatious personality, he would definitely look for new love, and maybe he had already found a replacement for Cabella in England, so the two often argued, and their previous love no longer existed...

Finally, the matter of Chen Hero and Cabella breaking up became irrefutable. Even if Chen Hero denied it, everyone would think, "You're so eager to deny it, it must be true. But who would really admit it? So they definitely have to deny it verbally."

See, it's that simple. The media can turn a dead horse into a live one with just their mouths.

And by then, public opinion will be so strong that their relationship might actually be affected by these rumors, and things that weren't true will become true. If they broke up because of the media's rumors, that would be too depressing.

Because they understood these behind-the-scenes machinations, Chen Hero and Cabella both kept quiet about the matter, letting the media spread the news that they were getting engaged and married. It was all just rumors, but at least marriage was a hAppy_end, while breaking up was a BAd_end.

Since they couldn't stop the rumors, they would choose a rumor that was a blessing to them to circulate in the market.

And maybe as it spread, it would eventually come true? Bad things might happen, but beautiful endings were not castles in the air.