Chapter 1 He Just Wants to Forge

Chen Yingxiong didn't take the end of his record to heart, but there were those who cared a lot.

These people were not the supporters who cared about Chen Yingxiong; on the contrary, they were Chen Yingxiong's opponents.

The Manchester media were frantically hyping this matter.

Because they saw an opportunity in the end of Chen Yingxiong's record!

They saw a chance for Manchester United to defeat Liverpool and win!

No one knew what Chen Yingxiong was really thinking. He seemed very indifferent when he was interviewed by reporters after the game.

But everyone didn't believe it, thinking that Chen Yingxiong's indifference was fake.

Yes, if anyone were in Chen Yingxiong's shoes, they probably wouldn't be able to remain calm, right? It was his record, a record of scoring in twenty-five consecutive rounds. Every game he played added to this record, and who wouldn't like it if it could continue?

But it was ended, and who could accept it all at once? Chen Yingxiong's indifference might just be a mask to disguise himself. In reality, he must be extremely upset, but he couldn't show it because of his image.

This mood would definitely affect his state. The next game against Manchester United was another tough battle, and who knew how bad his performance would be then.

So this was an opportunity, and they wanted to amplify the impact of this matter in order to influence Chen Yingxiong's state.

Even if it really wasn't a big deal for Chen Yingxiong, they would hype it up as if the sky had fallen!

Soon, all kinds of news and commentary targeting and discussing this matter were released.

"Hero ended his record of scoring in twenty-five consecutive rounds in the game against Bolton. I think he must be very unwilling!"

"Bolton is undoubtedly the luckiest and happiest because they didn't expect that the Liverpool killer who baffled the whole of Europe would be stopped by them! Before the game against Bolton, Chen Yingxiong had already scored in twenty-five consecutive league rounds. Bolton is not a strong opponent, so it stands to reason that there was no suspense that he would continue to score. But tenacious Bolton successfully blocked Chen Yingxiong! This game alone is enough to make them famous in history!"

"Hero stopped his scoring streak in the game against Bolton. I think the fatigue of continuous combat has finally affected him. Just when a decisive battle with Manchester United is about to begin, Chen Yingxiong's sprinting pace has been tripped up… This is definitely not good news for Liverpool."

"Hero seemed very calm when his record was ended, but is he really calm? I don't think so… He's just pretending to be calm! He's actually worried about the next game against Manchester United… Liverpool's top scorer has fallen into anxiety, and this is Manchester United's opportunity!"

……

These media outlets were frantically hyping the fact that Chen Yingxiong hadn't scored. At first, everyone didn't react, but later they gradually felt that it really was a very important event.

A record of twenty-five rounds, ending so abruptly, who wouldn't be heartbroken? Chen Yingxiong must be even more upset!

Liverpool fans began to worry that this matter would affect Chen Yingxiong's performance in the game against Manchester United, while those who hated Chen Yingxiong and Liverpool couldn't wait to cheer.

So what about Chen Yingxiong himself?

※※※

To say that Chen Yingxiong himself didn't care about this matter at all would be a lie. Even the most calm person would feel some heartache.

However, Chen Yingxiong's heartache lasted for a shorter time than others. From the moment the final whistle blew to when he was interviewed by reporters in the mixed zone, he didn't feel much heartache anymore.

He figured it out. A record of twenty-five consecutive rounds was already very good, so if he didn't score, he didn't score. In addition, this also filled him with fighting spirit for the next game. If he didn't score in this game, then he would score a few more goals in the next game to make up for it!

Therefore, the media's current frenzy of hype about this matter would not affect his mood at all. On the contrary, it would only make him look forward to the game against Manchester United even more. The media's doubts, criticisms, and pessimistic voices were just cheering Chen Yingxiong on.

So, seeing the media frantically hyping this matter, Martin O'Neill didn't stand up to speak for Chen Yingxiong either. He even hoped that the media would hype it up even more—he didn't know what Chen Yingxiong was thinking, and he was afraid that the media's hype wouldn't ignite Chen Yingxiong's anger.

Martin O'Neill sincerely didn't want to come forward to speak, while Chen Yingxiong was too lazy to pay attention to those bastards. When he scored in the game, he would have plenty of ways to deal with that group of media.

But the media's hype really affected many people who didn't know the truth.

Even Ferguson became more convinced of his judgment because of this.

Liverpool's poor form due to continuous combat had successfully spread to Chen Yingxiong. He was the most tenacious person in Liverpool, and he had not been affected before, scoring goals as he should. Now the situation was different, and Chen Yingxiong also showed signs of being unable to do what he wanted.

This increased his confidence in defeating Liverpool at home.

What did Liverpool rely on to rank first in the league this season? It was nothing more than Chen Yingxiong's goals. Without Chen Yingxiong, Liverpool might still be struggling for Champions League qualification.

Liverpool's success today was all because of Chen Yingxiong. Without Chen Yingxiong, how could Liverpool have won the UEFA Europa League title last season, and how could they have attracted Gareth Bale, Sanchez, and others to join the team? They couldn't even keep Suarez.

Ferguson was very happy to see that the mainstay of Liverpool had been shaken…

※※※

In addition to Chen Yingxiong, the media also cared about Gerrard. The England national derby between Liverpool and Manchester United, Gerrard was also an important figure. Previously, he was injured in the game against Real Madrid and had not played a game. It wasn't until the last twenty-odd minutes of the previous game that he came on as a substitute.

Although he scored a goal, it was a penalty with no technical content. It didn't mean that his performance was very good.

In fact, his performance was indeed very average. It could be seen that after missing several games due to injury, he couldn't find his form. It stands to reason that he should play a few more games to slowly find his form, but now there wouldn't be so much time left for him. The game against Manchester United was coming up soon, so as the captain, would he play or not?

This was also a question that the media was concerned about.

Liverpool's chief team doctor, Brookner, said in an interview with the media that Gerrard's injury was no longer a problem and that he could play at any time.

This was nonsense. What everyone cared about now was not whether his body was okay, but his form.

It was hard to say what his form was like.

※※※

Because there was no longer the influence of the Champions League games, this was the first time in more than a month that Liverpool could rest for a week.

In this week, with the media's hype, their game against Manchester United was gradually heating up.

These days, more and more fans and reporters gathered outside the Melwood training base.

Everyone even found that there were many more non-national faces. They were also Liverpool fans. They were not British, they came from all over the world, some from the Americas, and some from Asia.

Liverpool had many fans, and although their reputation in the world was not as good as Manchester United, they were also a giant.

This time was when Liverpool had a very good chance of winning their first Premier League title, so they naturally came to cheer for the team and witness this historic moment.

If Liverpool really defeated Manchester United away and won the championship, then they would be fortunate enough to become witnesses to history.

Therefore, they traveled thousands of miles to England to witness this moment with their own eyes.

Among them, there were also many fans with yellow skin and black hair. They were neither Japanese nor Korean, they were Chinese.

They were both Liverpool fans and hardcore fans of Chen Yingxiong. They specifically organized to come to the scene to cheer for Chen Yingxiong.

The end of training was their happiest time because the players would come out of the training ground. As long as they guarded the iron gates on both sides of the field, they would have the opportunity to get autographs from their idols. If they were lucky, they could also take a group photo with him.

Chen Yingxiong was the most popular Liverpool player. In addition to the fans in Liverpool, there were also many compatriots who spoke Chinese.

Chen Yingxiong tried his best to meet everyone's requirements, especially those compatriots who came to Liverpool specifically to cheer for him.

Everyone enthusiastically called out his name and patted him on the shoulder to show their affection and encouragement.

Chen Yingxiong did not refuse anyone. So he was always the last player to leave the training base.

Today was the last full day of training at Melwood before the game. Tomorrow morning, they would gather at Melwood, and then take a bus to Manchester, where they would rest for one night, and then prepare for the focus battle with Manchester United in the afternoon.

Chen Yingxiong finally dealt with all the readers and drove out of the parking lot.

He was stopped at the gate.

Because he left too late, the lane left for motor vehicles had been closed, and he had to wait for the old gatekeeper Brown to open the gate.

Brown came out of the guard room and took out the remote control to open the electric gate.

But he only opened it halfway and stopped. Chen Yingxiong's car still couldn't pass.

Chen Yingxiong felt strange. He rolled down the car window and stuck his head out.

"Hero." Brown stood at the gate and called his name.

"What's the matter, old man?" Chen Yingxiong responded.

"Your condition is okay, right?" Brown asked.

"Of course there's no problem with my condition!"

"But you didn't score in the last game…"

"That was just an accident." Chen Yingxiong explained.

"But you never let this accident happen before, before that game…" Obviously, Brown didn't accept Chen Yingxiong's explanation. In his opinion, this kind of unfounded explanation was not much different from a cover-up.

Chen Yingxiong didn't expect the media's hype to have such a big impact.

He had to find another excuse. He thought about it, and then waved to Brown.

Brown took two steps forward, and Chen Yingxiong was still waving.

He simply walked directly to the car door, looked up slightly at Chen Yingxiong.

Chen Yingxiong looked left and right to make sure there was no one around before leaning out and lowering his voice to Brown and saying, "I'll tell you a secret, Brown, you can't tell anyone, you can't even tell your wife and children…"

Seeing him so mysterious, Brown was even more curious. He quickly nodded vigorously to show his agreement: "Don't worry, Hero. I will definitely not tell!"

Chen Yingxiong smiled with satisfaction when he saw him like this, and then put on a solemn expression and said to him: "Actually, I deliberately didn't score in order to deceive Manchester United… just to make Manchester United think that I'm in very bad shape now… and then when I get to Old Trafford, I'll give them a hard time! I haven't told anyone about this, just to give Manchester United a 'surprise' in the game the day after tomorrow… so you can't tell anyone else about this!"

Hearing Chen Yingxiong say this, the doubt on Brown's face was replaced by enlightenment, and there was also some excitement mixed in. Because he thought of what the expressions on the faces of the Manchester United people would be when Chen Yingxiong threw out this "surprise" at that time… It must be very exciting!

He nodded vigorously and also lowered his voice: "Don't worry, Hero! I have the strictest mouth! This matter is a secret between you and me, no one will know!"

Chen Yingxiong smiled at him and didn't speak.

Brown opened the gate.

"Go, Hero. Teach Manchester United a hard lesson at Old Trafford the day after tomorrow!"

Chen Yingxiong waved to him and drove out of the Melwood training base.