Chapter 1 When Zhang Jun Returned to Florence

When Zhang Jun returned to Florence, he couldn't help but take a deep breath of the Florentine air. He was back…

Florence had added some new faces this summer. Some Zhang Jun recognized, some he had heard of, and some he had never heard of at all.

Bonera's arrival strengthened Florence's main defensive line, but for a long season, these few defenders were obviously not enough. Therefore, they bought Simon Padoin, a versatile player on the defensive line, from Vicenza for 2.7 million euros. He could play in any position in the backfield except goalkeeper, and he could do quite well in any position, possessing a strong physique and keen insight. He was a very important addition to Florence's backfield strength.

In this way, Florence's defensive line had been fully supplemented. They had seven defenders: Ujfalusi, Sebastian Kehl, Philipp Lahm, Xiang Tao, Dainelli, Bonera, and Simon Padoin.

In midfield, Antonio Aquilanti, a defensive midfielder cultivated by Florence's youth team who had been loaned out for two years, was recalled to the team by Sabato. He had been the backbone of the Italian youth team's defense. He could play as a defensive midfielder or a right defensive midfielder. He was fast, had strong running ability, and was good at wing assists. Like traditional Italian defensive players, he had a good sense of position and awareness of cooperative defense. In this way, Mascherano and Donadel had a good substitute in the defensive midfielder position. In the attacking midfielder position, they had three good players: Krøldrup, Montolivo, and Van Persie, so there would be no problems. The four wing midfielders were also very strong: Duff, Joaquin, Gasparoni, and Jørgensen.

In the forward line, only three players made many people uneasy, and Sabato had also strengthened this area.

Although Van Persie was a midfielder, he could also play as a forward, and he did it well. As Toni grew older, he would move further into the substitute ranks. Pazzini was an excellent shooter. Now, what needed to be done was to find one or two suitable substitutes for them.

Finally, Florence bought the forward Rocca Della from Bologna. A twenty-four-year-old shooter who was calm and accurate in front of goal was a very good player.

In terms of goalkeepers, in addition to the main goalkeeper Frey, there were two substitutes, Marco Roccati and Fabio Virgili, who transferred from Parma.

In this way, Florence's lineup was complete. Sabato was very satisfied with this lineup. He had plenty of choices. Even if someone in the team was injured or in poor form, he could guarantee that there would be enough substitutes. Moreover, there was another very important point, that was, the strength gap between the substitutes and the main players was not very large. In this way, Florence could cope with fighting on two fronts.

※※※

As usual, Zhang Jun drove Xiang Tao and Krøldrup to the training ground in his car. Along the way, Xiang Tao told him endlessly about the various interesting things that had happened to the team in the past month. He also introduced him to new teammates he hadn't met yet. Zhang Jun could hear from his words that Joaquin, Duff, and Van Persie had integrated into the team quite well, at least he hadn't heard of any conflicts.

Hearing Van Persie's name, Zhang Jun had an inexplicable impulse. He seemed to have returned to his days in the Netherlands. Robin, we've gone full circle in these five years, and we're teammates again!

This was Zhang Jun's first time back to team training in two months. Looking at the many unfamiliar cars in the parking lot, he seemed to see the lively scene in the locker room. In the corridor leading to the locker room, Zhang Jun could already hear the noise coming from inside. It seemed that everyone's relationship was quite good. Zhang Jun smiled with satisfaction.

Krøldrup followed silently behind him, while Xiang Tao ran ahead.

When he opened the door, the first person Zhang Jun saw was Robin van Persie sitting opposite the door. At that moment, Van Persie happened to look up at the door, and their eyes met in the air.

"Long time no see, Robin," Zhang Jun said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's been a long time," Robin also said with a smile. "Maybe I'll have to go to your house to borrow CDs again in the future."

Zhang Jun smiled very happily: "No problem, no problem! You can have as many as you want."

The others were a little confused about what was going on. Zhang Jun then remembered to introduce him to the others: "Robin and I played together in the Dutch Eredivisie for half a season in Volendam, Netherlands, five years ago. We are old friends." He put his arm around Van Persie's shoulder and said.

Then Zhang Jun walked towards Joaquin and Duff, who were sitting together.

Zhang Jun extended his hand to the two of them: "I'm very happy that Florence has such experienced stars joining us. Welcome you, and I hope we can cooperate happily in the future."

"Yes, we came here to pursue victory and honor. We have the same goals." The two also extended their hands and shook hands with Zhang Jun respectively.

Joaquin used to be the captain in Betis as well, and he was also a young captain, so he resonated with Zhang Jun. Now that he finally saw this even younger captain who was doing even better than he did in Betis, he couldn't help but admire the charm that Zhang Jun showed. He always had a smile on his face, so he could always give his teammates trust and a sense of closeness.

Looking at Zhang Jun and then thinking about himself, he seemed to be too strict, too strict with himself and with others. As a captain, he always had a stern face, and he also had a stern face when he failed to be selected for the national team. Therefore, the outside world said that he was showing off, but only Joaquin himself knew. He was too eager for victory and honor. Now that he had come to Florence, he naturally didn't need to be the captain, and he didn't need to worry about so many things. He just needed to play his own game well, strive for a main position in both the club and the national team, and then see how Zhang Jun did it.

Afterwards, Zhang Jun met with other newly transferred players.

Finally, he ran to Xiang Tao and extended his hand: "Oh, I almost forgot that there is another newly transferred person. Come, Xiang Tao, welcome you to join!"

Xiang Tao slapped his hand away: "Go to hell! I was here last year! Don't give me this act!"

Everyone laughed.

Zhang Jun laughed happily. He felt that the air here was the air he could breathe freely. Compared with the national Olympic team, Florence was heaven. He glanced at Krøldrup, who was also smiling. He had never seen him smile in China. Sure enough, he had the same idea.

※※※

The second leg of the Champions League qualifying round was held on August 26 at Florence's home stadium, the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Considering that Zhang Jun and Krøldrup had just returned from China, and their physical fitness, form, and team training were not guaranteed, Sabato did not arrange for them to start, but placed them on the bench in case of an emergency.

Florence's starting lineup was Pazzini and Van Persie as forwards, Montolivo as attacking midfielder, Joaquin as right winger, Duff as left winger, Mascherano as defensive midfielder, Ujfalusi and Kehl as center backs, Xiang Tao as left back, and Bonera as right back.

Among them, it was the first time for Joaquin and Duff to appear at Florence's home stadium, and the fans gave them a big round of applause. Sabato also wanted to take this opportunity to examine the integration of the new players and the team.

After the game started, Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia was obviously no match. Florence pressed them in their own half and bombarded them wildly amidst the cheers of the home fans.

Zhang Jun sat on the bench watching the game. He could see that Joaquin and Duff's strength was indeed superior. They charged from the right and left, making the opponent exhausted. Sabato's tactics focused on wing play, otherwise he would not have bought so many wingers and wing midfielders.

And Van Persie on the forward line also showed strong adaptability. Apart from the warm-up match, this was his first time partnering with Pazzini, but the two had a good understanding.

Another thing that made Zhang Jun very happy was Montolivo's performance. Because Krøldrup's body and form were unusually stable last season, he didn't have many chances to play, but what was commendable was that he didn't complain about it, but instead worked hard in training. He, who was thin, worked hard to gain weight and increase his muscles. Now that he appeared on the Champions League stage, he performed quite maturely. Zhang Jun had heard Xiang Tao say that he had also made a great contribution to Florence's away victory over their opponent in the first leg. Montolivo's characteristic was that his passing was full of imagination, and he also had excellent dribbling skills and a wonderful free kick. Zhang Jun often pulled him to do extra training after training and taught him a lot of things.

In this game, Montolivo continued his performance from the first leg, organizing Florence's attack alone, and in the absence of Zhang Jun, he almost monopolized the free kicks in the frontcourt, which were very threatening.

In the twenty-ninth minute of the first half, Joaquin made a series of wonderful breakthroughs on the right, shaking down two CSKA Sofia players, and then he crossed the ball. However, he passed the ball to the far post. Pazzini and Van Persie in front were just pulling the opponent, attracting the attention of the defenders. The real killer was Duff, who suddenly cut in from behind!

"Duff! Direct shot without stopping the ball! Goal! Goal! Goal!! He scored his first goal for Florence!!"

The goalscorer Duff excitedly pounced on Joaquin, who assisted him, and then the two were knocked down by other excited teammates.

Sabato chuckled triumphantly. This was what he had deliberately arranged. This season, because of the addition of two strong wingers, Sabato had enriched Florence's wing play. Once Joaquin and Duff formed a wing breakthrough, they could not simply cross to the bottom line, but pass the ball to the far post of the penalty area—where there were fewer defenders and it was easy to create opportunities, and this position naturally did not belong to the forwards who were in front of the goal, but to the wingers. Joaquin passed the ball, Duff responded, Duff passed the ball, Joaquin responded. They could shoot directly, or adjust their shots, or stop the ball and transfer it outside the penalty area, where there were Mascherano and Xiang Tao, among others.

He wanted to use this rich and varied tactic to set off a purple storm in Italy and even throughout Europe.

Due to their poor record, Florence had rarely been able to appear on the top European stage, but every time they appeared, they would definitely leave a very deep impression on the world.

"Duff has made a good start to his life in Florence, and so has Joaquin, who assisted him. Their strength has been recognized by the discerning Florence fans. Florence is now leading Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia 1-0 in their home stadium! They are leading 3-0 on aggregate in the two-legged European Champions League qualifying round!"

"One goal is not enough! Not enough! You have to score more goals!" After his excitement, Sabato rushed to the sidelines and shouted inside.

The Florence fans and the head coach had the same idea: how could they only score one goal in their own home stadium? At least three or five, right?

So they started shouting: "2-0! 2-0! 2-0!"

Pazzini quickly satisfied them. In the thirty-seventh minute of the first half, Florence seized the opponent's mistake and scored another goal, leading 2-0. The goal was scored by Pazzini, whose aggressive pressing in the frontcourt won him this goal opportunity.

After the cheers, the stands rang out with shouts of "3-0! 3-0! 3-0!"

The shouts continued until the half-time break.

In the locker room, Sabato praised Duff and Joaquin by name, believing that they had both performed to the best of their abilities. Sabato's move was to increase the cohesion of these new players to the team and to guarantee them that as long as you played well, there would be a place for you in the team.

"Our opponents are very weak, they are only the second in the Bulgarian league. Don't be satisfied after leading 2-0. Score as many as you can. We have to strive to defeat them by a large margin, so that they will tremble when they hear Florence and the Franchi in the future! Ahahaha!"

※※※

At the beginning of the second half, the opponent almost scored a goal, but this time Bonera made a timely save. In the first half, when the team had an overwhelming advantage, the players on the defensive line also showed their faces once.

"Don't give Daniel so many close-up opportunities, Javier!" Pazzini joked with Mascherano and Bonera. "The protagonists of this game are our attacking players!" Mascherano had made a passing error in midfield just now, which led to the opponent's attack.

"What?!" Xiang Tao was furious. "Who said that? Who said that defenders can't show their faces more often? I'll show you today!"

Frey kicked him in the butt from behind: "I'll thank God if you don't miss the header." It was Xiang Tao's missed header on the wing that allowed the opponent to pass the ball into the penalty area.

"Hahahaha!"

"The players' emotions are very relaxed, and you can tell by the smiles on their faces. Florence is entering a very good period. The team is united internally and its strength has increased. They may have a chance to compete for the league title this season!"

Xiang Tao, who was determined to get a close-up shot, desperately assisted, assisted, and assisted again. Finally, his efforts paid off in the sixtieth minute of the game. Florence got a free kick. Montolivo didn't shoot directly, but lobbed the ball into the penalty area. Xiang Tao, who was only one meter eighty-three tall, rushed in from outside the penalty area like a rebounder in basketball, and then jumped up suddenly. Without anyone noticing him, he jumped higher than anyone else. His head was almost as high as the goalkeeper's raised hand, and then he made a powerful header!

The ball went into the net.

"goooooooooooooAL!! Xiang Tao! The first goal of the season! A beautiful header! No one noticed his cut-in, a surprise soldier!"

"4-0! 4-0! 4-0!!" The fans shouted again. They were indeed creatures with insatiable desires...

Amidst the huge cheers, Sabato said to Zhang Jun and Krøldrup: "You two go warm up."

They were about to play.

※※※

In the seventy-fifth minute, Florence got a throw-in opportunity. The fourth official raised the flag to indicate that Florence was going to make a substitution.

"Number 11 Zhang Jun is on! Replacing number 17 Van Persie!"

"Number 10 Krøldrup is on, replacing number 22 Montolivo."

The fans in the middle made huge cheers, because they had not seen their captain Zhang Jun for nearly two months.

"Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun!" Everyone shouted Zhang Jun's name in a rhythmic way. Joaquin was stunned. Even at Betis' home stadium, his popularity might not reach Zhang Jun's level here.

But Van Persie had a familiar and kind feeling, because back in Volendam, he had heard with his own ears how the fans there called their top scorer. He ran off the field quickly and then high-fived Zhang Jun: "You are still so popular... Good luck!"

"Thank you, Robin."

Zhang Jun rushed onto the field quickly. It had been more than two months since he had played on this field. It felt so good now!

The only regret was that he couldn't partner with Robin on the forward line right now.

Krøldrup replaced Montolivo. His appearance was not as "gorgeous" as Zhang Jun's. Following Zhang Jun, he was like a green leaf, just a foil. But in Florence's midfield, everyone was his foil. He was the master of Florence's attack, and his performance was directly related to Florence's attack, and also related to Florence's performance, which was based on attack.

If Mascherano was the heart that controlled the overall rhythm of the team, then Krøldrup was the brain that made the team imaginative. The roles of the two were not contradictory at all, and they cooperated very well.

Whether he was dribbling or passing, he was Florence's number one attacking midfielder.

After he came on the field, the CSKA Sofia team sent two people to defend him when he first received the ball, but he nonchalantly shook them all off. The Franchi once again rang out with screams only for Krøldrup.

After shaking off the two people, Krøldrup did not continue to dribble the ball. He cleverly passed the ball to Joaquin. Joaquin relied on his speed and skills to break through and then cross.

Zhang Jun cut in from behind and shot directly with a volley!

The ball hit the net straight! Goal!!

"goooooooooooooAL!!! 4-0!! Zhang Jun scored his first goal in the European Champions League! Florence leads 4-0!"

Zhang Jun happily pounced on Joaquin, who assisted him. This was the time to thank him and also the best opportunity to enhance their relationship.

"Thank you, Joaquin! Thank you so much!!"

"No... it's your own beautiful shot..." Joaquin was a little at a loss because of Zhang Jun's enthusiasm. He murmured.

"Leading 4-0 at home, with a total score of 6-0. Florence has already entered the top 32 of the European Champions League in advance. There is no suspense in this game." The commentator said.

The subsequent game was indeed like this. The Bulgarians had given up their resistance. Krøldrup scored another goal, and they won the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia team with a score of 5-0.

For Sabato, the biggest gain was not entering the top 32 of the Champions League, but accepting the power of the two wings and the return of Zhang Jun and Krøldrup. In this way, he was full of confidence in the new season that was about to begin.

※※※

Florence, who had a good start, was assigned to Group H in the subsequent Champions League top 32 group stage draw. They were in the same group as Porto, CSKA Moscow, and Paris Saint-Germain. This was a very good draw for Florence. Group H was the weakest of the eight groups, and there was no big problem for Florence's strength to appear in the top two.

As soon as the news came out, the whole city of Florence cheered. They saw the hope of reaching the knockout stage of the European Champions League. It had been a long time since Florence had reached the knockout stage of the European Champions League.

Their best result in history was created in the 5657 season. In the first two seasons of the Champions League, they reached the final, but lost 0-2 to the then-dominant Real Madrid in the final. That was the closest they had been to the peak of Europe. Now, with a large number of excellent players and coaches, what level could Florence reach?

Everyone was looking forward to it with this kind of mentality.

But Sabato encountered great resistance in the league.

Joaquin and Duff both seemed very uncomfortable with the defense in the Serie A league. This was different from any game they had played before. The defense here was more fierce and barbaric. Stopping the opponent was the ultimate goal of the defense. As for what means to use, it didn't matter.

In the first league game, Florence challenged Udinese away from home. The home team's defenders gave Joaquin and Duff a game they would never forget in their lives. They were entangled in the defenders' rough defensive actions throughout the game and had no way to pass the ball to the front of the penalty area. Their speed could not be发挥发挥 at all in front of the dense chain defense.

"It seems that the situation is not very good..." Sabato murmured on the coach's bench.

Duff's performance was slightly better. Joaquin was terrible. He was completely lost. The style of the Premier League was at least a little tough, but Spain was a completely different world from Italy. In the eyes of the Italians, the defense in Spain was like it hadn't even graduated from kindergarten.

During the half-time break, Joaquin seemed to be in low spirits, but Sabato did not criticize him, nor did he mean to replace him. Instead, he roared at Joaquin: "Cheer up! This is more difficult than you imagined, isn't it? Then you have to cheer up even more! This is the challenge! Did you transfer to Florence just to play easily and then get an annual salary of six million euros every year? Football is full of challenges! If you can't even cope with the challenge in front of you, then you might as well not play! Because there will be more severe challenges waiting for you in the future!"

"Yes, challenge!" Sabato turned around and roared at all the Florence players, "I'm telling you, from now on, every game we face is a challenge, the league, the Champions League, all of them. You have to cheer up from beginning to end! If you can't keep up now, you don't know where you will be left behind in the end! Don't give me that sleepy look again!"

That voice that Zhang Jun missed was back, Sabato's dirty words were back, and Florence was back.

Joaquin's performance in the second half was obviously much better than in the first half. Although he was still not very comfortable with the defense in Serie A, he was very smart. If he couldn't break through, he would pass the ball directly and send several good balls into the penalty area.

Zhang Jun's stab shot twenty minutes into the second half helped the team break the deadlock. Florence led 1-0!

"Oh! Oh! This is his first goal in the league this season! He is in good shape! No one can stop him! He is still a strong contender for the top scorer this season! Although Udinese's defense once created trouble for Florence, Zhang Jun's goal was still unstoppable. This season, we will wait and see how many goals he can score in the end!"

Finally, Florence defeated Udinese 1-0 away from home, achieving a good start.

Although they won, Joaquin and Duff's performance was still criticized by some media. Although the two performed better in the second half, their overall performance was too inconsistent with their status.

Sabato strongly defended his disciples in front of the media. He ridiculed that the media didn't understand anything, and that he knew his players best. People were used to seeing Sabato arguing with the media, and they were not surprised. Sabato's principle was that even if the players were wrong, he would never admit it in public and would not tear down the players' platform. Then, how he dealt with it back in the team was his business. But he would never allow outsiders to point fingers at him and his team. So even if the truth was not on his side, he would use sophistry to turn a false argument into the truth. Many people had a headache because of his unreasonable entanglement, but for the sake of sales, many media deliberately did so.

※※※

"...The league has already started two rounds, and Florence is currently going smoothly. They have achieved two consecutive victories, although the victories have been very difficult. But relying on Zhang Jun's goals, they finally survived. There is now a saying in Italy that Zhang Jun is Florence's 'ultimate weapon'. Once they are in a deadlock, Sabato will use this weapon. Although it is a bit exaggerated, it can be seen that Zhang Jun's current status in the hearts of the Italians." Li Yan was sitting in his own apartment in Florence again, writing a summary of the round. Summer had passed, Serie A had restarted, and he had to follow Zhang Jun and be busy for a season, witnessing one exciting moment after another.

Work is only fun this way... Li Yan stood up and stretched, then paced to the window. He looked at the sunset in Florence outside the window. The draft for this round had been written, and now it was time to relax.

But a burst of urgent phone calls disturbed his interest.

※※※

Zhang Jun was making dinner with Sophie at home. The two of them were very happy in the kitchen, and they were joking with each other.

At this moment, the phone on the dining table rang. There were two phones on the table, one for contacting Sophie, friends, and family, and the other for contacting reporters, the club, and agents. This time, the work phone rang.

Zhang Jun found it strange. Who would call him at this time?

"Hello? What's up, Li Yan?" He saw that the phone number was Li Yan's, so he answered the phone with a smile.

"It's not good, Zhang Jun. An Ke has an accident!"

"What?!"

Sophie looked at Zhang Jun with a surprised expression, not knowing what had happened.

"In today's training in the afternoon, his head hit the goalpost and he has been unconscious. He has been sent to the local hospital and his condition is unknown..." Li Yan's tone sounded very flustered.

"Hey, Li Yan, you're not kidding, are you?"

"Does my tone sound like I'm kidding?"

"Okay, let me know the latest news first!"

Zhang Jun put down the phone, and Sophie asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"An Ke has an accident..." Zhang Jun said while dialing An Ke's phone.

Sophie covered her mouth: "..."

The phone went through, but no one answered. Zhang Jun dialed three times in a row, but it was still like this. He angrily slammed the phone on the table, then turned around and saw Sophie's appearance. He smiled at her: "It's nothing... nothing. He bumped his head during training and has been sent to the hospital, don't worry. That kid is lucky and won't be in danger."

After comforting Sophie, he called Hua Fang again.

"Hey, Sister Hua. An Ke has an accident..."

"I know. I'm going to Munich now. It's nothing, you can play football with peace of mind. I'll handle the matter over there." Hua Fang was obviously busy packing things. Zhang Jun could hear her walking back and forth, making constant noises.

"Oh, okay. Be sure to let me know as soon as you have any news, Sister Hua."

Zhang Jun, who had put down the phone, planned to call Yang Pan again. He felt that his mind was a little chaotic now. He only knew to call constantly, but he didn't know what he should do.

This time, he didn't make the call. Instead, he received a call. "Zhang Jun, An Ke has an accident..."

"I know, I was just about to call you, Yang Pan."

"Ah? You know? Oh, then it seems that everyone knows. I don't know what the media will do tomorrow morning. Do you know the details, Zhang Jun?"

"I heard it from Li Yan. It is said that his head hit the goalpost during training, and then he fell unconscious and was sent to the hospital."

"It's the same as what I heard. It seems that we won't know too much about the situation here, and we can only wait for news from the front. Hey, Zhang Jun, don't let this affect your Champions League game." Yang Pan urged. The first group stage game of Florence's European Champions League was the day after tomorrow.

"Don't worry, I know what to do."

Putting down the phone and seeing Sophie still standing there, he smiled again: "Don't be silly, make dinner. Worrying about this matter can't solve it."

Sophie obediently turned around and continued to cook, but she still said, "Zhang Jun, you are actually more worried than I am, right?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jun sat weakly on the chair, then looked at the phone in his hand. Yes, he wished he could fly to Munich now, then rush into the hospital and see how An Ke was. He had only heard about the situation from others, and he was not at ease at all. Although it was common for goalkeepers to have close contact with goalposts, it was still very rare to hit them and remain unconscious.

Zhang Jun felt that his mind was very confused and his thoughts couldn't be concentrated. What exactly was he going to do, what should he do, what should he do? In that instant, terrible words such as "vegetative" and "dementia" flashed through his mind.

"Hey, Sophie... Do you think An Ke won't wake up forever?" Zhang Jun asked softly, his lips trembling.

Sophie's body trembled slightly.

Neither of them spoke again.

※※※

Although it was close to midnight, the outside of the Munich hospital was still brightly lit and crowded with people. Many reporters gathered at the door. They were blocked by security guards and could not enter, but they would definitely not be willing to leave like this, so they all guarded the door, determined not to leave until they got the latest news.

The security guards were conscientious and maintained order silently. The reporters gathered in twos and threes, chatting, and occasionally looking inside, hoping to see a few responsible people come out.

People near the outside began to stir, and someone shouted: "Agent Hua Fang! Can you accept our interview?"

"Hey! Hey! Can you reveal An Ke's current situation?"

"Hello! I am a reporter from Xinhua News Agency in Munich. Do you know the details of the matter?"

"Please let me in! Let me in!"

"Security! Security! Come out and pick them up! Drive the reporters away!"

All kinds of voices were intertwined, and it was very lively.

The security guards began to work hard to push the reporters away to clear a path for Hua Fang. Then Hua Fang, looking tired, appeared in front of everyone. She had just gotten off the plane and had driven directly here. An Ke's incident was unexpected to everyone, and she rushed here to solve it.

Before coming, she had called An Ke's parents. An's mother fainted after hearing the news, and An's father was stronger, but his tone was not good either. Hua Fang had arranged for her brokerage company in China to help them handle visa and ticket matters, and they must come as soon as possible. But even at the fastest, it would take a few days...

Now, looking at these noisy reporters, Hua Fang had a headache. No matter what happened, these reporters would get involved, and what wasn't complicated would become complicated. But if she didn't make it clear to them and let them spread it casually, the consequences might be more serious. Maybe tomorrow's newspaper would say that An Ke's life was in danger.

Thinking of this, she stopped in the crowd, then turned around and smiled at everyone: "Everyone, everyone! Thank you for your concern for An Ke, but I don't know much about the situation right now. After the situation is clear, we will hold a press conference for everyone here. At that time, I will answer your questions in detail, so please go back today. It is useless for you to surround yourself here. It will also affect other patients' rest and obstruct traffic."

After speaking, Hua Fang turned around and entered the hospital under the protection of security guards.

After she entered the hospital, the automatic door behind her closed tightly, cutting off the noise outside. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up to see Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the vice chairman of Bayern Munich. The German was obviously waiting for her.

"How is the situation?" Hua Fang had no time to be polite with him. Anyway, the two knew each other and had crossed swords at the negotiating table, and they knew each other's bottom line. She walked towards the operating room while asking.

"It's not very optimistic. The doctors are still conducting a comprehensive examination. He is not in life-threatening danger, but the worst thing is that he could become a vegetative. A little bit more and he would be demented. Even if he can wake up, there will be sequelae such as concussions." Rummenigge said slowly, appearing very calm.

"Then what happened at the time of the accident?" Hua Fang asked.

This time it was Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath who answered her: "At that time... training was about to end. An pulled Makaay to do goalkeeper training. He had to add training for himself like this every day, and I didn't care... However, at that time, Makaay's shooting angle was a bit tricky. An rushed over, and although he saved the ball, he didn't have time to avoid the goalpost himself and hit it head-on... That's it."

As they were talking, the door of the operating room was pushed open, and the doctors and nurses came out one after another. Several people surrounded them.

"Dr. Robert, how is An?" Rummenigge asked.

The doctor who was called Robert took off his mask and hat, and Hua Fang realized that he was an old man. "The surgery was successful. He is not in life-threatening danger, and the chances of him waking up are also very high, but he is still in a coma and needs to be observed further. I don't think there will be too much of a problem. Please rest assured. However, he will definitely have sequelae of a concussion in the future. These sequelae will gradually manifest themselves as he gets older, and may even affect his athletic lifespan. I hope you are all mentally prepared for this."

After speaking, Dr. Robert and the nurses left, leaving only a few silent people behind.

"Affecting athletic lifespan and concussion sequelae will deepen over time... Should we tell An about this?" One of the staff members asked.

Hua Fang thought for a while: "It's better not to tell him, and don't tell the media either. Under no circumstances can we leak these words. We must tell that doctor and this hospital not to leak out An Ke's medical records."

Rummenigge nodded: "I think so too. Don't spread this matter out, at least not before An finishes his athletic career. That's it. All we have to do now is wait patiently."

Hua Fang walked to the hospital gate and saw the reporters still gathered at the door. They hadn't listened to her and gone back obediently. Looking at the reporters who were still guarding outside in the middle of the night, she was speechless for a moment.

※※※

Lin Jia had been restless lately. Since returning from Beijing, she had been considering a question. Did she really still have feelings for An Ke, did she really still care about him? If she didn't care, she wouldn't have gone to have that awkward lunch with An Ke. Considering that she had her boyfriend by her side, she acted so indifferent.

But looking at An Ke's expression, she felt a little distressed.

She knew An Ke's intentions, but she began to doubt her own intentions.

She had once been so sure of her feelings for An Ke, believing that no one in the world could like An Ke more than she did. She could even give up her status at home for An Ke, give up her studies, give up the generous living expenses given by her family and go to work herself, and could fall out with her family.

But now... had she lost her fighting spirit after staying at home for a long time?

At home, she could have whatever she wanted. She was never short of money, and her family didn't let her go out to work. They let her have everything, afraid that she would run to Germany again if she got angry.

Now she had found a boyfriend. She should be satisfied, right?

No, in Lin Jia's heart... if she had to choose between An Ke and Li Wei, she thought she would still choose An Ke.

Girls are all vain. An Ke was tall and handsome, while Li Wei was short and wretched. Which one would you choose? It goes without saying, it's just that Li Wei had a good heart, and Lin Jia felt that she was too sorry for him.

But if she lived with Li Wei for the rest of her life, she probably wouldn't be able to stand it, right?

It was really contradictory... Lin Jia had reduced the number of times she went out on dates with Li Wei. In her frustration, she didn't want Li Wei to see anything, after all, they were still boyfriend and girlfriend in name.

She was in a dilemma.

This contradictory mood