Lin Hai Ting Tao
Chapter 135 Goodbye, Feng Qing
After defeating NEC Nijmegen, the team drew 1-1 with FC Utrecht away on November 28th, with Zhang Jun scoring Volendam's only goal. However, there was not much to boast about the goal, as it was just a penalty. But Zhang Jun's breakthrough before the penalty was a thrilling sight.
At that time, he received the ball ten meters in front of the penalty area, and first used a reverse feint to fool the first defender, then broke into the penalty area. Surrounded by three players, he still managed to keep the ball and, with a chop and a pull, broke through the encirclement of the three without any physical contact!
Nieuw Galgenwaard Stadium in Utrecht erupted in exclamation. Due to the angle, many people did not see what Zhang Jun had done before they saw the home team's three defenders being broken through by Zhang Jun like scarecrows.
In the end, the goalkeeper had to bring down Zhang Jun, who was already in a one-on-one situation. The referee, of course, showed no mercy, not only awarding Volendam a penalty but also directly showing a red card to send off Utrecht's main goalkeeper!
The substitute goalkeeper was unable to stop Zhang Jun's shot, and Volendam earned a valuable point away from home in their fight to avoid relegation.
But that foul worried Feng Qing. As soon as the match ended, he couldn't wait to examine Zhang Jun in the locker room. Volendam's team doctors were amazed and enlightened to see Feng Qing being able to know the situation by simply pinching and rubbing Zhang Jun's ankle.
After the examination, Feng Qing said to Zhang Jun and Adriaanse, "To be cautious, I suggest that Zhang Jun not play or play less in the next game."
This made both of them nervous, thinking he was injured again. But Feng Qing shook his head, "No, he's fine. But after playing several games in a row, I think he needs to rest a bit. After all, Zhang Jun's foot has just recovered, so it's always good to be careful."
Knowing that there was nothing wrong with him, Zhang Jun breathed a sigh of relief. But he had some objections to not being allowed to play, so he looked at the coach, hoping to get his support. But Adriaanse considered it slightly and accepted Feng Qing's suggestion: "Okay, you don't have to go to the next game against Feyenoord." Anyway, the game against Feyenoord was not very significant. With Volendam's current strength, even with Zhang Jun, they might not win, so it was better to give Zhang Jun a day off and let him adjust himself. After experiencing such ups and downs this month, he must be physically and mentally exhausted.
Seeing that the head coach had said so, Zhang Jun had no choice but to accept the suggestion. In the next round, the home game against Feyenoord, he watched the whole game from the stands. Since he was sitting in the president's box, not many fans came up to ask for photos, but flashes kept going off towards him.
Without Zhang Jun in this game, Volendam was particularly tenacious in front of their home fans. Their defensive counterattacks created some trouble for Feyenoord, but in the end, they lost by two goals because their strength was still inferior, which was not too bad.
Because Zhang Jun didn't play in this game, Feng Qing didn't go to the stadium either. To be honest, this "pseudo-fan" who only watched high-level football games was not interested in Volendam's games at all. The only thing he cared about was Zhang Jun.
Zhang Jun rested, and Feng Qing also took a day off to go to Amsterdam. Zhang Jun "maliciously" guessed that Feng Qing had gone to the "capital of sex" in Europe to "care" for prostitutes, but Feng Qing just smiled it off.
Volendam won one game, drew one game, and lost another game, but their ranking remained unchanged, still second to last. And the next game would be even more difficult, as they would have to go to Amsterdam to challenge Ajax, currently ranked third in the league.
Ajax did not play well at the beginning of the league season, and they were quickly left behind by PSV Eindhoven, who had won several consecutive games. But after entering October, Ajax began to exert their strength. After winning several key games, they jumped to second place in the league. But at this time, the biggest dark horse of the season emerged--Alkmaar AZ squeezed down Ajax after achieving an amazing five-game winning streak and caught up with PSV Eindhoven, joining the battle for the mid-season championship.
For the match between Ajax and Volendam at home, Koeman naturally did not allow the team to lose. This match was also selected by the Dutch sports channel as a national live broadcast.
And Zhang Jun, who had rested for one game, would also start again and play the entire game.
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After being absent from the last game for no reason, many Chinese reporters were worried, fearing that there was something wrong with Zhang Jun's foot again. Later, Zhang Jun had to personally come forward to explain that he was just feeling a little tired after continuous battles and wanted to rest, and that there was nothing wrong with his body. Only then did people feel relieved.
Zhang Jun naturally received a lot of attention in this match against Ajax. People made various guesses before the game, such as whether he would score, how he would score if he did, and whether he would get injured...
But Zhang Jun didn't think so much. Whether he could score or what kind of goal he could score were not things that could be achieved by thinking about them before the game. Instead of doing these boring things, it was better to train seriously.
After finishing training, Zhang Jun returned home and had just finished eating when Feng Qing would come to give him a massage.
Feng Qing didn't live with Zhang Jun. He still lived in a hotel, but it was the best hotel in Volendam. Anyway, the big boss was paying for him, so his consumption standard, in the words of Feng Xiaogang's movie *Big Shot's Funeral*, was: "Not seeking the best, but seeking the most expensive!"
Every time Zhang Jun saw Feng Qing being so extravagant, even he, a popular football star with two super commercial contracts, was speechless. He silently prayed in his heart for that big boss, hoping that no one else's business would ever lose money, but let Feng Qing eat them into bankruptcy.
Speaking of which, Feng-ge was a very interesting person. Before meeting him, Zhang Jun thought that the youngest traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were fifty years old, looking like immortals. But he didn't expect this traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to be such a person, fond of alcohol and women, without any sense of "health preservation." Zhang Jun had asked Feng Qing this question, and the guy who had been kicked out of university for being caught with his girlfriend during a room check said, "I'm only responsible for helping patients recover, it doesn't mean I have an obligation to consider my own health. If a person lives a lifetime and is not happy and cannot do what they want to do, then what's the use of health? I like to drink, I like women, and I like money, that's my life's ideal. For this ideal, health is secondary."
After listening to Feng Qing's high-sounding remarks, Zhang Jun was stunned for a long time. People said that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners must be upright and self-disciplined. From this point of view, Feng Qing was a traditional Chinese medicine expert who took a different approach.
When he was giving the massage today, the two of them chatted about everything, and time passed quickly. "Oh, right, Feng-ge. This is a ticket for the game against Ajax the day after tomorrow. You can go watch it then." Zhang Jun took out a ticket from his pocket. Before, as long as he was playing, he would prepare a ticket for Feng Qing so that he could go to the stadium to watch the game.
But this time, Feng Qing didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he got up and went to the bathroom. Zhang Jun looked at Feng Qing's back strangely, "Hey, Feng-ge, I've never seen you wash your hands before taking the ticket!" He thought Feng Qing thought his hands were unhygienic after touching his feet.
"What are you thinking? I don't need a ticket!" Feng Qing's voice came from inside the bathroom.
Zhang Jun was stunned for a moment, "Don't need it? Could it be that Feng-ge is going to Amsterdam again to care for the suffering women? Hehe!" he said with a sly smile.
"You bastard! I'm flying back to China the day after tomorrow!"
Zhang Jun was completely stunned this time, and didn't say anything for a long time.
Feng Qing dried his hands and tidied his hair before coming out of the bathroom. He saw Zhang Jun holding the ticket in a daze, so he smiled and said, "What's wrong? Can't bear to see me go?"
Zhang Jun murmured, "No... I'm just a little unprepared."
"Ha! It's me going back to China, not you, what are you preparing for?" Feng Qing continued to laugh.
"Mood." Zhang Jun replied, and then he looked at Feng Qing and said, "Can't you postpone it? I know you have to go back to collect the money sooner or later, but can't you watch our game against Ajax before you leave?"
Feng Qing shook his head, "Silly boy, the plane ticket is already booked. Besides, my visa is about to expire. Of course, the most important thing is... the boss said that if I can't go back by the deadline, the money will be gone! Haha!"
Zhang Jun rolled his eyes. This was indeed Feng Qing's style. He could give up everything for money and beautiful women. It seemed that the boss was afraid that Feng Qing would linger in the dazzling Amsterdam, so he had to use this trick to get him back.
"Okay, what time is the flight? I'll take you..." Since leaving was a done deal, he wouldn't try to keep him.
"Hehe, you're really silly! The day after tomorrow is your game day against Ajax, how can you take me?"
"I... I'll drive to Amsterdam first, take you to the plane, and then go meet up with the team." Zhang Jun thought his idea was very good, and neither side would be delayed.
Feng Qing sighed softly, "What time does your game against Ajax start?"
"8:30 in the evening."
"Then my plane is also at 8:30 in the evening, are you going to take me?" Feng Qing asked Zhang Jun back.
Zhang Jun's mouth twitched, "Are you kidding me?"
"Really."
Zhang Jun slumped on the sofa, deflated. "You deliberately bought a flight at that time, right? Afraid that you'd cry in front of me when I take you, right?"
"You idiot! It's the only flight to Hong Kong that day! You should rest well, I'm not messing with you. I'll come one last time tomorrow night, then it's goodbye." Feng Qing put on his coat and pushed open the door, "Oh! It's snowing! Tsk tsk, beautiful... Achoo! Be careful at night, don't catch a cold." He waved his hand, then stepped out of the door and closed it behind him.
Zhang Jun listened to him walking down the steps, stepping into the snow, and then the slight "crunch, crunch" sound became smaller and smaller, and he walked further and further away.
Zhang Jun didn't get up to see him off, still maintaining the pose he was in when Feng Qing turned and left - lying on the sofa.
How could he just leave like that? Although he knew that this day would come sooner or later, he was still unprepared when that day really came. He had been with Feng-ge for almost seven months, from the initial hostility to the later suspicion, and then to the current tacit understanding. His care in treatment, life, and training was meticulous. A rough-looking northerner had a delicate heart. Although every time he asked him, he would say that he was following the instructions of the beautiful Sophie, and every time he treated him, he would say it was because the boss gave him a lot of money. But Zhang Jun knew that it wasn't because of Sophie, nor was it because of the huge reward, it was definitely because he cared about him.
Looking back on the days with him, there was always more happiness. They would talk about a lot of things, of course, all things that men were interested in. Feng-ge would always tell him those erotic stories vividly, and Zhang Jun listened with relish. He really couldn't imagine what Sophie would think if she knew these things.
Just such a mysterious big brother, who knew when he would see him again after he left. He said that he was going to travel around the world alone.
Sometimes he was quite envious of him, unrestrained, living wherever he went, enjoying himself when he had money, and working for others when he didn't have money. Even if he slept on the street and was with beggars, he didn't feel anything bad. He didn't care how he dressed or what he ate, as long as he did what he liked and traveled happily. But he had been restricted, with too much pressure and expectations on his shoulders, unable to do what he was interested in casually. Every move he made, every word he said would be noticed by people, who would use it to make all kinds of guesses about him. This kind of life... sometimes he really felt a little tired.
Unfortunately, he could no longer give up everything he had now and live like Feng Qing. Everyone had their own life. Some people were destined to wander all their lives, but they were also happy. Some people had to bear the expectations of more people and be a hero as they wished.
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The next night, Feng Qing came again as expected. After the usual procedure every night, Feng Qing gave Zhang Jun some more instructions.
"Well, your ankle has completely recovered now, and you no longer need me to give you a massage every day. But once you feel discomfort in your foot, you should go for traditional Chinese medicine massage treatment. Through my months of observation and understanding, traditional Chinese medicine is very developed in the Netherlands and has a very good foundation. You can go to Amsterdam or Utrecht, where there are traditional Chinese medicine clinics, and there are very eye-catching Chinese signs at the door, which are easy to recognize. I recommend one to you, it's a Chinese medicine store called 'Shenzhou Yi Lu' opened by my friend, which not only sells medicinal materials but also provides various traditional Chinese medicine treatments. Here is a prescription I wrote for you, you can go there if you need it and let their guys grab the medicine for you and boil it yourself to fumigate it. There are also masters for massage, I've already told them, you just need to say that you're my patient and they'll get you the best doctor." It sounded a bit like giving instructions for his funeral.
After saying these things, Feng Qing said goodbye. Zhang Jun got up to see him off. At the door, he asked a question, "Feng-ge, will we have a chance to meet again in the future?"
Feng Qing thought for a while, then smiled at Zhang Jun and said, "You can't find me, but if I miss you, I'll come to you. It's much easier to find you. Hehe! But no one can say for sure about the future, so let's see what happens! I'm leaving, I'm going to Amsterdam tomorrow morning and have a good time there, and then catch the plane at night, so don't worry about me. Prepare well and play well in the game against Ajax, don't let me worry about you even when I'm in the sky!"
"Don't worry, I won't." He really made Feng-ge worry a lot.
"Oh, right, when you see Sophie, say hello to her for me. She's a good girl, you're lucky! If I were fifteen years younger, I would definitely compete with you, haha!" After saying that, Feng Qing laughed and left Zhang Jun's house. He walked in the snow, with snowflakes flying around him, looking like a traveler.
Zhang Jun was a little dazed.
Feng-dage, bon voyage!
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Before the game against Ajax, Zhang Jun was always thinking about what Feng Qing was doing at this time, and what he was doing at that time. The only thing he didn't care about was what he was doing.
The snow was very light, and Zhang Jun always thought it would stop completely, but the fact was that Zhang Jun was wrong. This second snow of winter had "lingered" for two days and still hadn't stopped. He just didn't know if the airport would be affected by this kind of weather. If Feng-ge didn't get back on time due to the weather, would he not get his reward? But then he thought that the airport should have people clearing the snow on the runway, and this small amount of snow shouldn't make it difficult for the plane to take off, so he was relieved again.
It was now 8:15 in the evening, and Zhang Jun was sitting in the warm locker room of the Amsterdam Arena, listening to Adriaanse speak: "I will only send one striker in this game, mainly focusing on defense. So Zhang Jun, you will be under a lot of pressure. The weather is terrible, and although the stadium has turned on the geothermal heating, the snow has turned into accumulated water, and the field is not much better. We must make as few mistakes as possible in the defense process, and the handling of the ball must be clean and crisp. In the attack, we must seize the opponent's mistakes. In this regard, Zhang Jun, you have to run more."
Zhang Jun nodded, indicating that he understood. In such cold weather, if he didn't run more, he would probably be frozen into an ice cube when the ball really came to his feet.
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Inside the Amsterdam Arena, the fans had almost arrived. Due to the bad weather, it wasn't as full as before. The stands, which could hold more than 50,000 people, were only about 70% full. Most of the fans seemed listless because of the weather. In this case, many fans would rather watch the live broadcast on TV in the warm home, but those who were present were definitely hardcore fans.
The staff was busy clearing the accumulated water in the field, but how easy was it to clean a huge stadium in just ten minutes? What had they been doing before? Wang Hua suspected Ajax's motives.
But doing so was also detrimental to the home team. Now, the staff of many clubs are increasingly fond of helping out, but they are just making a mess.
Wang Hua stamped his somewhat stiff feet, rubbed his numb face with his hands, and then thought of Zhang Jun. He rested in the last game, and then he encountered such a ghostly weather when he started again. He didn't know if the away game, the strong opponent Ajax, and the damn weather would have any adverse effects on Zhang Jun.
But... even if they lost, some people wouldn't make a fuss anymore, right? Anyway, there were so many adverse factors.
Wang Hua found that he was thinking too much and quickly interrupted these messy thoughts. Suddenly, he heard a roar in the noisy stadium. He looked up and saw that the huge retractable roof of the Amsterdam Arena was slowly extending outwards, blocking most of the stands.
The snow had gotten heavier without him realizing.
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Feng Qing walked towards the plane with the crowd. Through the huge glass curtain wall of the airport, he could clearly see the snowflakes dancing wildly under the lights due to the turbulence caused by the takeoff and landing of the plane.
It seemed to be a little heavier than before.
Fortunately, the plane was taking off at this time, otherwise, he didn't know when it would be postponed if the snow continued like this. At that time, he would either spend the night in the place provided by the airport, waiting for the weather to return to normal, or simply cancel the ticket and return to Volendam. He wondered what kind of expression Zhang Jun would have when he saw him.
He came to Europe with a mission seven months ago, but he didn't expect to meet Sophie on the plane, which made things go smoothly. Now that Zhang Jun's foot had recovered, it was time for him to go back to the boss and "report his work" and collect his reward.
Seven months had passed in the blink of an eye. The scene of teasing Sophie on the plane was still vivid in his mind, but now they were about to part. Although Zhang Jun had asked him if they would meet again, he didn't plan to look for them again for a long time. He was originally a doctor who wanted to make money and have fun, so there was no need to worry about whether people's family life was happy after he cured the patient. Besides, he had traveled around the world and seen all kinds of people, but had he ever been attached to anything? He probably didn't even remember where the girls were good and cheap. So why should he be unforgettable about Zhang Jun?
But Feng Qing still looked back when he boarded the boarding ladder. He looked at the brightly lit waiting building and the snowy night sky. What was he looking at?
He and Zhang Jun were just a doctor-patient relationship. But then again, Zhang Jun was a somewhat different patient. He was sometimes strong, but sometimes a little cowardly. He just wanted to play football happily, but he had to bear the expectations of Chinese fans to revitalize Chinese football, and he couldn't get rid of it or dared to get rid of it. Behind his sunny smile was not as happy and simple as people imagined. He had many friends, but sometimes you could see loneliness on his face... In short, he was a somewhat complex but also somewhat simple person, a big boy. Maybe it was this kind of personality that attracted Feng Qing, making him willing to take care of him, just like taking care of his own brother.
Feng Qing sat in his seat and took out a stack of photos from his small bag. These were all taken for him by Sophie in the Netherlands, some in black and white and some in color. This little girl took them pretty well! Well, from this angle, I'm still pretty handsome. The black back, the deep eyes, the closed lips, make the angular face distinct, great! After I go back, I'll enlarge it, frame it, and hang it on the wall.
Feng Qing was reveling in those photos when he was interrupted by a pleasant voice: "Excuse me, sir, can I get in?" A fashionable beauty pointed to the seat next to Feng Qing and said to him in authentic Chinese.
At first, Feng Qing thought it was a flight attendant, but he didn't expect it to be just a passenger, and she was sitting with him! Feng Qing watched the beauty squeeze in front of him, her thigh rubbing against his knee, what soft and shapely legs...
Sophie came when he arrived, and a beauty came when he left. God is so good to me! Wuu... Feng Qing was moved to tears by God in his heart.
"Miss, are you going to Hong Kong too? Me too! Don't you think it's fate that we can meet on this journey in the vast sea of people? My name is Feng Qing, Feng (wind) meaning charm, Qing (youth) meaning limitless youth. May I ask your name..."
Just as Feng Qing was courting the beauty next to him, the flight attendant reminded everyone to fasten their seat belts on the radio, as the plane was about to take off.
Then the fuselage shook slightly and slid onto the runway. All the runway lights were turned on, guiding the plane. The Boeing 747 began to accelerate, accelerate, and then, when the speed reached the requirement, the nose of the plane lifted slightly, the front wheels gradually left the runway, and then the entire plane left the ground. This behemoth roared straight into the night sky, leaving behind the more turbulent snowflakes and the empty runway.
The warning lights on the fuselage flickered in the night sky, flying towards the east.
Goodbye, Zhang Jun. Goodbye, Sophie. Goodbye, Holland.
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At the same time, inside the Amsterdam Arena, twenty kilometers east of the airport, the referee blew the whistle to start the game in the swirling snowflakes. Eight months later, Zhang Jun began his long season alone in the Netherlands.
"The game has begun! Volendam obviously wants to focus on defense, but Zhang Jun is very active. He rushes towards van der Vaart, who has the ball! van der Vaart is caught off guard, slips, and the ball is intercepted by Zhang Jun! Volendam attacks!"
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PS: This issue's characters: Liu Peng and Xiang Tao. Next issue's characters: China's two gate gods: An Ke and Sima Hongxin, as well as the defensive midfielder Wang Yu.
Xiang Tao
Height: 183cm Weight: 73kg Technical values - Offensive ability: 74 Defensive ability: 87 Body balance: 70 Stamina: 97 Speed: 84 Acceleration: 90 Reaction: 70 Agility: 80 Dribbling precision: 61 Dribbling speed: 74 Short pass precision: 75 Short pass speed: 72 Long pass precision: 87 Long pass speed: 50 Shooting precision: 70 Shooting power: 89 Shooting technique: 74 Free kick precision: 34 Curve: 28 Heading precision: 87 Jumping ability: 84 Personal technique: * Aggressiveness: 77 Mental strength: 85 Stability: 2 Goalkeeping ability: 24 Teamwork: 79 Status stability: 7 Weak foot precision: 8 Weak foot frequency: 7 Special abilities - Dribbling master: Dribbling ball protection: Positioning and heading ability: Good sense of position: Protruding: Offside trap: Shooter: Commander Tower: Passer: Two-footed feints: Penalty master: One-on-one ability: Powerful throw-in: ☆ Winger: ☆ Central player: Shooting from any position: ☆ Marking ability: Commanding the defense: Tackling: ☆ Quick long pass: Saving penalty kicks: Saving one-on-one shots:
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Liu Peng
Height: 187 Weight: 86kg Technical values - Offensive ability: 34 Defensive ability: 86 Body balance: 77 Stamina: 84 Speed: 74 Acceleration: 80 Reaction: 78 Agility: 67 Dribbling precision: 51 Dribbling speed: 38 Short pass precision: 45 Short pass speed: 23 Long pass precision: 40 Long pass speed: 12 Shooting precision: 38 Shooting power: 57 Shooting technique: 50 Free kick precision: 21 Curve: 28 Heading precision: 90 Jumping ability: 83 Personal technique: 51 Aggressiveness: 20 Mental strength: 76 Stability: 7 Goalkeeping ability: 15 Teamwork: 79 Status stability: 8 Weak foot precision: 3 Weak foot frequency: 2 Special abilities - Dribbling master: Dribbling ball protection: Positioning and heading ability: Good sense of position: Protruding: Offside trap: Shooter: Commander Tower: Passer: Two-footed feints: Penalty master: One-on-one ability: Powerful throw-in: Winger: Central player: Shooting from any position: Marking ability: Commanding the defense: ☆ Tackling: ☆ Quick long pass: Saving penalty kicks: Saving one-on-one shots:
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Remark: The options under "Special Abilities" with a five-star mark indicate that the player possesses this ability, and if there is nothing behind it, it means that the player does not possess this ability.
Considering that the player's values will increase to varying degrees in the league mode in *Pro Evolution Soccer 8*, this data does not represent the final values of each player. As for how far they will grow, it depends on how well you can do in manipulating them, hehe! Please enjoy the fun of football, whether in the game or in reality.
Also: The player qualities I refer to are from *We Are the Champions*, not *Are You Watching Me Play Football?* Therefore, some players may seem to have very different abilities compared to *Are You Watching Me Play Football?*