Chapter 1 No Title

No one cared when the Senegalese left. The more than 10,000 Chinese fans were the main attraction of the stadium after the game. Still excited, they hadn't left yet, constantly shouting the names of everyone on the Chinese team, even though those names were now in the locker room.

Qiu Suhui watched his still-excited players, understanding their feelings. The Chinese men's football team had always been the object of ridicule and venting. Seeing the women's football team shine in international competitions, what did they think in their hearts? Now, they had waited for this moment, and they had created it themselves. Whether young or old, the players shared a common goal: to win. Therefore, no matter what had happened between them before, at this moment, they were united.

He smiled and signaled for the still-celebrating players to quiet down. He had something to say. "I know you are very excited, very happy, and your mood is extraordinary. Because my mood is the same as yours right now, but I want to tell you that in this World Cup, this feeling will definitely not be just this once, as long as you all listen to me. No one wants this victory to be the only one, right?"

"Right!"

"That's right!"

"Yes!"

The players shouted.

"As long as you think that way, then there's no problem. Our minimum goal for this World Cup is definitely not just one victory, but what?" Qiu Suhui held up his right index finger and shook it. "But to qualify from the group stage and enter the top 16! Does anyone still find this goal surprising?" Qiu Suhui observed the players' expressions with interest.

Some were excited, some were surprised, and some were confused.

Then Qiu Suhui looked down at his watch, and then looked up at everyone and said, "Okay, I have to go to the press conference. You guys, change your clothes and go out again to thank those fans who have come from afar, they are still cheering in the stands outside."

※※※

Zhang Jun stood at the entrance of the tunnel, looking at the Chinese fans gathered in the stands opposite, but he hesitated to step out. Quite a few of his teammates rushed out excitedly to accept the fans' cheers.

Yang Pan caught up from behind and patted his friend's shoulder. "Why don't you go out and celebrate with everyone? There won't be any reporters now, they've all gone to the press conference."

Zhang Jun shook his head. "No, I'm not worried about the reporters. I'm just… uh, a little unprepared."

"Unprepared?" Yang Pan realized that since Zhang Jun had left him to go to Fiorentina, he couldn't quite understand this friend he had grown up with. Could different environments really change a person so much? "Just run out and raise your hands to the fans like they are, look." He pointed to Xiang Tao, who was howling and rushing out.

"No, that's not what I mean, Yang Pan, you still don't understand… I mean, I'm not prepared for this kind of victory, for the fans' cheers and adulation."

Yang Pan was stunned for a moment. What Zhang Jun said made sense. For the long-weak Chinese men's football team, were they all prepared to suddenly face such a victory? Zhang Jun wasn't ready, so was Yang Pan ready?

But it was obvious that what Zhang Jun was thinking was different from what Yang Pan was thinking, completely different levels.

Zhang Jun leaned against the door and sat down. "I can't imagine that four years ago we were just playing football for a university, and I can't imagine that five years ago we were just carefree middle school students. How many years has it been? Kaka has already won the World Cup, and we have all started our professional football careers. If we had continued to go to university, we would have just graduated a year ago, and we wouldn't even know if we had adapted to this society yet…" He went on and on like that, was it a complaint or a sigh? Who knew.

Yang Pan wasn't in the mood to listen to Zhang Jun rambling like an old man. He directly pulled Zhang Jun up from the ground. "If you ask me, no matter where you used to be or what you might be doing now, come out with me to see the fans. You are the protagonist today, you would be letting those fans down if you didn't go out."

"That's simple." After Zhang Jun finished speaking, he shook off Yang Pan, jogged onto the field, raised both hands, and clapped them above his head, just like he did in Volendam, AC Milan, and Fiorentina. His appearance naturally aroused the most enthusiastic cheers from the fans. Their opinion was the same as those experts and reporters. The best player of the match was Zhang Jun. One goal, one assist, and several threats to Senegal's defense. Who else could have done so well besides him?

Yang Pan watched Zhang Jun's actions, which were so skilled that they couldn't be more skilled, and muttered to himself, "Is he ready or not?"

※※※

That night, the Chinese celebration did not stop in China or Germany. They partied all night, just as the commentator said, "Tonight, no one in China is asleep." They changed the previous impression in the hearts of foreigners: in the past, they thought that Chinese people were polite, cautious, and not ostentatious, a little shy, but now they finally saw the crazy side of the Chinese people.

Germany's most influential professional football magazine, *Kicker*, sighed in its commentary the next day: "Although Brazil beat Ukraine and advanced to the next round ahead of schedule, last night belonged to the Chinese. They achieved their first victory in history, and everyone performed very well. Nearly 10,000 Chinese people partied all night in the streets and pubs of Munich. The citizens of Munich may never have seen so many Chinese people in this city at the same time, and after the Chinese team won a game, the speculation about the group's emergence is no longer just speculation. To repeat, the night of June 19th belongs to the Chinese team and the Chinese fans!"

※※※

"This is both good news and bad news for us." At the routine tactics class in the evening, Qiu Suhui said to everyone, "I believe everyone already knows the result of the other game. Brazil defeated Ukraine 3-1, and they have already qualified in advance. The good news is that we still have a chance to compete with Ukraine for the second qualifying spot in the group, the bad news is that Ukraine will definitely go all out in the last game, because they also want to qualify."

"Ukraine has a strong attack, because they have Shevchenko. But in fact, their overall strength is also very good, otherwise they could not have qualified first in their group in Europe. This is something we need to pay attention to, Ukraine is not just Shevchenko's team. If we don't realize this, we may lose the game, very likely lose." Qiu Suhui emphasized and repeated the last sentence, "Tonight's tactics class, we will watch the video of Ukraine's game, no one is allowed to doze off, this is related to whether we can qualify!"

At the same time, in another hotel 500 meters away from the Chinese team's hotel.

"We are watching the video of the Chinese team's game. This is a very distinctive team. They are very young, their defense is not good, but their attack is sharp. Especially a few people who play in the top European leagues, scored four goals in two games, they are indispensable. So I hope you will be serious and treat this game as a final!"

When the screen showed the Chinese team, all the Ukrainian players sat up straight and focused their attention on the game.

※※※

When Zhang Jun came out after taking a shower, he found Yang Pan was on the phone. He waited until Yang Pan finished, and then teased, "Calling Yi Lan again?"

Yang Pan shook his head. "No, Sheva called."

Zhang Jun was a little surprised. "He did?"

Yang Pan nodded. "Calling to scout the enemy."

Zhang Jun was stunned there. He wasn't very familiar with Shevchenko and didn't know if Yang Pan was telling the truth or joking. Yang Pan noticed Zhang Jun's expression and smiled. "Naturally I'm joking, he just said that they were watching our game video at night, and then I told him that we were also watching theirs."

"Then what did he say?"

"He said… that number 11 of yours played very well, our coach wants us to pay special attention to him." Yang Pan imitated Shevchenko's tone to Zhang Jun. This made Zhang Jun laugh, "What are you talking about?"

"I said… that number 7 of yours also played very well, our coach wants us not to be polite to him."

Zhang Jun continued to laugh. "You two have a good relationship."

"Don't you?" Yang Pan asked back.

Zhang Jun stopped laughing.

"Okay, no more Milan." Yang Pan stood up. "I'm going to take a shower. You should really think about the game, two goals in two games, Sheva was definitely not joking just now." He pointed at Zhang Jun, then picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom.

Zhang Jun sat cross-legged on the bed, looking at the night sky outside, he didn't think Shevchenko was joking either. Just like the Chinese team's attention to Shevchenko.

Although Coach Qiu initially said that Ukraine was not Shevchenko's team alone, during the viewing of the video, he spent fifty percent of the time talking about Shevchenko, how Shevchenko was, how Shevchenko was… analyzing every move of Shevchenko for the Chinese team's players. This was also something that couldn't be helped, who made Shevchenko have the most opportunities to perform? He accounted for forty percent of Ukraine's threatening attacks. Although Ukraine wasn't his team alone, he was indeed the offensive core of Ukraine.

Coach Qiu told the Chinese defense to maintain one hundred percent vigilance against Shevchenko throughout the whole game. So would it be the same on Ukraine's side?

Zhang Jun hoped so, he was looking forward to this game.

Ancelotti chose the latter between him and Shevchenko, Inzaghi. He wanted to defeat Shevchenko on the field, to defeat Inzaghi, not only for himself, but also for the team.

Although he didn't want to go back to Milan anymore, he still wanted to prove to everyone that he was no worse than anyone.

※※※

In the following days of training, the Chinese team's training was very targeted. Qiu Suhui had the Chinese team's players treat Ukraine as an imaginary enemy in their minds during training. They repeatedly studied the video of Ukraine at night, and then did targeted training on the video studied the night before during the day. Every day was like this.

As the coach, Qiu Suhui's mind was full of Ukraine, thinking about it while eating, thinking about it while going to the toilet, thinking about it while taking a shower, thinking about it while walking, and even dreaming about Ukraine's starting lineup while sleeping.

As a partner, Hu Li saw it all. This was proof of Qiu Suhui's hard work and dedication, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The time for a walk after dinner was originally for the two of them to chat and relax, but it wasn't like that these days.

Hu Li saw that Qiu Suhui was still immersed in those data and information, and planned to pull his mind out, so he jokingly asked Qiu Suhui, "Xiao Qiu, you've been married for almost two years, when are you planning to have a child?"

"Ah… well, soon." Qiu Suhui responded vaguely.

"What are you planning to name it?"

"Voronin…" As soon as the words came out, Qiu Suhui realized something was wrong. He smiled embarrassedly at Hu Li, whose expression was a little strange.

Hu Li shook his head. "Xiao Qiu, it's not that I'm criticizing you. You've been a little crazy these days. It's not bad to work hard, but everything in excess is as bad as not enough. The way to success is to balance work and relaxation. I think you should relax."

Hu Li was older than Qiu Suhui, so sometimes he could talk to Qiu Suhui as an elder, and as long as what he said made sense, Qiu Suhui listened.

Qiu Suhui raised his head to look at the stars in the night sky, then stretched. "I think you're right, it's time to relax. Our game against Ukraine is the day after tomorrow… well, tomorrow is a day off, no training, let the players have free time, go wherever they want."

"Great. So where are we going to relax?" Hu Li was overjoyed to see that he had persuaded Qiu Suhui.

"We? Continue to study Ukraine. Lao Hu, do you think there will be any changes in Ukraine's two forward combinations? Both of them are very strong, but Voronin isn't as stable as Shevchenko, and Rebrov on the bench seems to be making a comeback…"

Hu Li sighed helplessly in his heart. The players can rest, but the coach can't rest at all. The psychological pressure and physical burden, over time, how many years will Qiu Suhui's lifespan be shortened?

※※※

"What? A day off tomorrow?" Zhang Jun stared at Yang Pan with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Coach Qiu just announced it."

Zhang Jun heard a very loud cheer from the room next door, Xiang Tao and Wang Yu's room. "See, they know too." Yang Pan pointed at the wall.

"Great!" Zhang Jun flipped over from the bed and looked for his mobile phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Sophie, asking her to come out tomorrow." Since the World Cup started, the two of them hadn't spent time alone together, and he had been suffocating for a long time.

Yang Pan's eyes lit up immediately, and he shamelessly rubbed up against him. "Great! I want to go too, I want to go too!"

"Go, go, go!" Zhang Jun pushed Yang Pan aside like chasing away a puppy. "You have Yi Lan, so don't come and be a third wheel."

"Yi Lan is still in Italy…" Yang Pan said "plaintively."

"Not coming to cheer you on at the World Cup?"

"The relationship is not public, so it's not good to show up."

"Look at you two 'secret lovers', it's really tiring!"

"How dare you say me! You should take a look at how you and Sophie used to be? Even shooting an advertisement together had to be secretive."

Zhang Jun immediately thought of the years when he and Sophie were still together secretly. "Actually, Yang Pan, I think it wouldn't have much impact even if you were exposed. You don't have much news anyway, and Yi Lan wouldn't be implicated. You're not Beckham and Victoria, so you don't have to worry about the paparazzi harassing you every day."

"Oh, oh! You deserve to be someone who's been through it, you're starting to talk about experience. Okay, I won't talk to you anymore, I'll go find Li Yongle and them to discuss where to go tomorrow." Yang Pan turned and went out to visit.

He actually wanted to leave a private space for Zhang Jun and Sophie to say those sugary sweet words.

Zhang Jun watched Yang Pan close the door casually, smiled and shook his head, then dialed Sophie's phone.

※※※

Sophie had just hung up the developed photos when she heard the phone in her pocket ringing. She shook the water off her hands, took out her phone, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a call from Zhang Jun.

"Sophie, did you miss me?" Zhang Jun's voice came through the airwaves.

Sophie pouted. "No."

"Ah?" Zhang Jun was a little surprised.

"I look at your photos every day, of course I don't miss you." After joking enough, Sophie said with a smile.

"Wow, then I'll give you a chance to see a live person tomorrow." Zhang Jun knew that Sophie missed him too much, but could only look at his photos and see him from a distance through the lens every day, and was dissatisfied, a girl's little temper, you have to go along with it.

"Ah?" This time it was Sophie's turn to not react.

"Yeah, I mean… Coach Qiu gave us a day off tomorrow, I want to ask Miss Sophie out for a meal, I don't know if Miss Sophie has time?" Zhang Jun picked up the tone and said a very casual thing in a serious way.

※※※

Li Yan, who was coding outside, was frightened by a scream from the darkroom, and his hand shook, almost Ctrl+Zed the unsaved document. He thought something unexpected had happened to Sophie, and rushed over. The door of the darkroom was locked from the inside, so he had to raise his hand to knock on the door, and knocked very urgently: "Sophie! Sophie! What happened?"

When he shouted for the third time, Sophie opened the door. She said to Li Yan, who was anxious, "It's okay, Brother Li. I want to ask for a day off tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow? Then work…" Li Yan and the others had to interview and report on everything related to the Chinese team every day.

"The Chinese team has a day off tomorrow, they're not training. Zhang Jun just called and told me."

"Oh, so that's what happened…" Li Yan finally understood why Sophie had screamed just now, because she could be alone with Zhang Jun.

"I think Brother Li should also give himself a day off and relax." Sophie said to Li Yan with a smile, and this smile made Li Yan unable to refuse. "You're right, I've been busy these days, I should consider taking a rest, after all, it will be cruel from the day after tomorrow… Okay! I agree to you taking a leave of absence, spend more time with Zhang Jun, it will also be of great help to the Chinese team's results! Haha!" Li Yan laughed.

In his laughter, Sophie also smiled with a flushed face, it was a shy smile, it was also a happy smile.

※※※

June 26, Monday, the weather was sunny, with a breeze blowing, suitable for: going out, dating.

The last group of the second round of the group stage was in intense progress, and the decisive battle of the third round was also imminent, while the Chinese team players were on vacation.

As soon as Qiu Suhui made this move, it immediately caused a lot of controversy in the country. Some people said that this was a good way to adjust the mentality before the competition; some people said that the Chinese team was proud after winning a game, and didn't know the immensity of the world; and some people said that the Chinese team took the initiative to give up, anyway, they had already created history by winning a game.

To see how enthusiastic the atmosphere of the World Cup is, you can't go to the stadium, but to the streets and alleys away from the stadium, what is reflected there is the most real.

Zhang Jun and Sophie were walking in such streets. The surrounding shops were full of posters, flags, logos and slogans related to the World Cup. Since the host Germany had already won two games and qualified in advance, many windows of buildings were hung with the German flag.

"Is everything here related to the World Cup? Aren't you annoyed?" Zhang Jun asked Sophie, who was holding his arm.

They finally had time for a date, but they were always interrupted when they were alone together. When they were eating at an unknown small restaurant at noon, they unexpectedly ran into a group of domestic fans who had traveled all the way from China to Germany. The restaurant became lively, and Zhang Jun was dragged by them to sign autographs, take photos, and have a "brief" exchange. Sophie was left on the sidelines.

After that group of people left, the two of them finished their meal in a hurry and "fled". Zhang Jun was afraid that they would go back and call a group of enthusiastic fans again. It wasn't that he hated the fans, but today was his and Sophie's time, and he didn't want to be disturbed by anything else.

Sophie shook her head gently: "Your job is to play football, my job is to report on football, both are related to football, I'm used to it, and I don't feel annoyed. More importantly, we still like football, don't we?"

"That's right… I'm afraid you felt uncomfortable because of what happened at noon, after all, it's our date, but it has to be interrupted by all kinds of things…"

"You're a public figure." Sophie comforted Zhang Jun with a smile.

"Does that mean that public figures have to sacrifice their personal privacy because of this?"

Sophie thought for a while, she didn't know if she should or shouldn't, but as a reporter, she also knew that as a public figure, the media definitely had the right to report on him. As for whether the report was privacy, what privacy could be exposed, and what could not be exposed, there was no clear regulation, everyone just made it a convention. Moreover, the exposure of this public figure was not the same in China and other countries.

Seeing that Sophie didn't answer, Zhang Jun also realized that today was the day he and Sophie were dating, why discuss this kind of problem? He waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this…" Then what to talk about? Zhang Jun didn't know either, he and Sophie often talked on the phone, and everything was made clear on the phone, so what should they say now that they met?

Forget it. Zhang Jun said to Sophie: "Will you walk with me? Anywhere is fine, until we're tired, then we'll stop and rest."

Sophie nodded. Sometimes they didn't need too many words to communicate, just like Zhang Jun and Yang Pan's tacit understanding on the field, there was also a tacit understanding between her and Zhang Jun.

The two of them walked hand in hand in the streets and alleys, admiring the scenery along the way, and also went into some shops, but only looked and didn't buy. They joked with each other, as if they had returned to their student days.

This was exactly what Zhang Jun wanted to pursue. In addition to the intense and exciting game, he could have such an afternoon, with his lover, shopping, chatting, or doing nothing, just snuggling together. Relaxation was that simple, much better than going to a massage room.

Unconsciously, the two came to the Olympic Park outside the Munich Olympic Stadium. A few days ago, China had won a historic victory here. Today, coming here again, it was inevitable that the two would bring the topic to the World Cup.

The two found a bench by the artificial lake and sat down. People walked past on the gravel road in front of them, but no one recognized that the person sitting on the bench by the road was actually the Chinese team's star. As for the reporters… Zhang Jun knew that they couldn't be honest, but he didn't care and was too lazy to pay attention. Anyway, his relationship with Sophie had been exposed, and they were not stealing or robbing, they were dating openly, so what were they afraid of others saying?

"We're here again." Zhang Jun leaned back on the chair, looking at the roof of the Olympic Stadium not far away.

"Yeah."

"We won the game here, and it's still very exciting to think about it now."

Sophie laughed, "Speaking of that victory, do you know the outside reaction?"

Zhang Jun shook his head, he rarely read newspapers, and never cared about what was going on outside.

"The domestic headquarters were all working overtime that day. As soon as the game was over, I heard that the streets outside were crazy. The company was also crazy… because not many people were optimistic that you could win before the game, and you won 3-1. Watching the TV news, celebrations were held all over the country… that kind of scene was like entering the World Cup in those years. Many places woke up in the morning and saw red paper all over the ground - that was what it looked like after setting off firecrackers." Sophie told Zhang Jun vividly.

"Were you also excited?"

"Of course!" Sophie said, clenching her fists, "I was at the scene, and your goal was right in front of my eyes!"

Zhang Jun turned to look at Sophie's vivid face, as always. He was very moved, this girl still supported him. He looked at Sophie intently like this.

Sophie finally reacted: "What are you looking at me for?" She blushed.

Zhang Jun didn't take his eyes away, and Sophie's face became even redder. In the afterglow of the Munich sunset, it was like a bright rose, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.

Watching, Zhang Jun lowered his head and wanted to kiss the slightly trembling red lips opposite him.

Sophie stepped back slightly, then stopped and quietly waited for that moment to come.

In the sunset, by the small lake, on the bench, a pair of silhouettes were approaching each other. The warm yellow sunlight was squeezed out little by little from between them, and then transformed into a hazy halo around them, constantly changing, constantly jumping…

"I will try to continue to win, I will try to qualify from the group stage, and I will try to go further."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to be as happy as that day."

Sophie snuggled in Zhang Jun's arms, her head resting on his chest, and murmured softly: "Silly…"

Her face was still red, as red as the sunset.

※※※

Zhang Jun, who had experienced a wonderful afternoon, returned to the hotel, just in time for the routine tactics class. Everyone returned on time, and there were no situations such as some people worried about players not returning or drinking and partying. With the premise that the Chinese team's record was promising, everyone was relatively self-loving.

"While we were on vacation, Ukraine was training. It seems that they value this game more than us. In fact, you should also know that tomorrow's game is the final for both sides! Ukraine's starting lineup should not be much different from the previous two games, Shevchenko is still their offensive core, and he needs special attention. Voronin, who partnered with him, has been in excellent condition in the past two seasons, so pay attention to him too. Like other Eastern European teams, Ukraine has excellent physical fitness, delicate footwork, and focuses on the overall situation, and most of them come from the domestic Dynamo Kyiv team, so they cooperate tacitly. Their awareness of assistance is very strong, Ke Lu, you can use this to disrupt their defense, and then pass the ball to the open space."

On the tactical board, Qiu Suhui analyzed the tactical arrangements for the Chinese team's players one by one, letting the players know what they should do in tomorrow's game, so they would have a number in their minds.

"...In general, in tomorrow's game, we will focus on offense. Both sides are stronger in offense than defense. It will be difficult to play if we are conservative." Qiu Suhui put the cap on the marker and threw it aside. "However, during the game, don't think about qualifying or anything like that, you just need to think about winning this game. I know that for any of you, including me, it will be a very special experience, it is the first time, but I hope everyone will perform more maturely and professionally. Never, ever let yourselves regret it."

※※※

After returning to the hotel, Sophie, who had been out with Zhang Jun all day, began to prepare for the next day's work in a happy mood. Camera, lens, film, stand… she carefully checked them three times before putting them in the camera bag. She knew that for Zhang Jun, tomorrow was a special game, because there was a very special opponent - Andriy Shevchenko.

※※※

"Andriy." Ukraine's coach Oleg Blokhin stopped his beloved general at the elevator door in the lobby, "Let's have a drink." He meant coffee, not alcohol.

The two found a quiet place to sit down, it was by the window, very comfortable, and each ordered a cup of coffee.

"You look very relaxed about tomorrow's game." Blokhin asked Shevchenko, he still remembered how much the forward's hand trembled when he participated in the first game of the World Cup. At that time, he joked that Sheva was also nervous, Sheva resolutely denied it, saying that he was excited. Until now, Blokhin still occasionally takes it out to joke with Shevchenko.

Sheva smiled when he heard it.

Blokhin continued: "For tomorrow's game, I hope you treat it as a normal game, nothing special…"

"No, sir…" Shevchenko interrupted Blokhin, "That's not a normal game. I have an opponent I must defeat…"

"Who?" Blokhin was a little surprised. There were almost no more than three people in this world who could make Shevchenko say this. Could there be such a person in the Chinese team?

"Their number 11, Zhang Jun." Shevchenko looked out the window, 500 meters away, that was the hotel where the Chinese team was staying.

※※※

Zhang Jun sneezed, and Yang Pan immediately nervously went to look at the air conditioner remote control, twenty-six degrees, not very low.

Zhang Jun saw Yang Pan's nervous look and smiled: "Don't be nervous, I'm in good health, I won't catch a cold so easily."

"It's always good to be cautious, put your clothes on." Yang Pan threw the t-shirt to Zhang Jun.

After Zhang Jun put on his clothes, Yang Pan said: "Tomorrow's game…"

Zhang Jun nodded, knowing what Yang Pan wanted to ask. "I will go all out."

"For what?"

"There are too many reasons, but I think I will really want to win the game then."

"Sheva…"

"He is a very good opponent."

"Then about Milan…"

Zhang Jun glanced at Yang Pan: "Why do you sound like an interviewing reporter?"

Yang Pan said with a smile: "Your answer is also like being interviewed!"

"It was all induced by you… what I mean is it's useless to think about these now, everything will be known when the game comes."

"That's right, it's useless to say anything now." Yang Pan stretched and lay down. "Let's go to sleep, tomorrow is very important."

Zhang Jun hummed and reached out to turn off the light on the bedside table.

※※※

In the hotel's coffee shop, the two guests in the seat by the window had already left, but there were still two cups of coffee that had cooled down on the table, one had been drunk halfway, but the other had not been touched at all.

※※※

Qi Wei was still busy at the international news center rented by CCTV. Just now, Beijing called to inform him to make all preparations, not only for tomorrow's game live broadcast, but also for the editing and compilation of the special program *I Love World Cup* after the game.

"What theme have you thought about for tomorrow's game?" a colleague asked him.

He didn't answer, he reached out and took two photos from the table, and then put them together in a "v" shape on the left and right of the table, Zhang Jun on the left and Shevchenko on the right.

※※※

"Sophie, have the photos I want been selected?" Li Yan knocked on the door of the darkroom.

"They're out." Sophie opened the door and handed a photo to Li Yan. The photo was of Zhang Jun's celebration after scoring his second goal - he lowered his head to kiss the national flag on his chest.

Li Yan looked at the photo and praised it repeatedly: "Well, not bad, not bad! Very suitable for the front page special of our newspaper tomorrow. Let's not discuss who can qualify between China and Ukraine first, this game still belongs to two forwards, Sophie you should be very clear, how important is this for Zhang Jun?"

Sophie nodded and didn't say anything.

"Also playing in Milan, also as a forward, similar technical characteristics, competitive relationship, but also familiar with each other, maybe they also cherish each other. Look, what a perfect relationship this is. More importantly, one represents the backbone force, and the other represents the new force, what will be the process of their confrontation, what will be the result, and what impact will it have on the future? These must be what many readers and fans want to know." Li Yan said excitedly, and then he put the two photos together, pointed and said: "This is the highlight of the game, the focus of the audience, the focus of our media work, and, the war between them two."

※※※

ps: The promised one chapter a day public version is all unblocked. So far, the public version of *We Are Champions*, which has been serialized for almost two years, will also temporarily say goodbye to everyone. Due to publishing reasons, the remaining chapters have to be placed in vip and physical books. In two days, I will write a stage postscript for these two years, originally this postscript was planned to be written after the champion was completely finished, but now it is earlier.

There will be a lot to say in the postscript, I hope friends who are still interested remember to come and see it then. About publishing, about the champion, about the feelings of writing for two years, about other things, are all in the postscript.

Finally, We Are Champions has been published and is on sale in major Xinhua bookstores, I hope everyone will support it! Thank you! Thank you!