By the ti the three returned to Wan Country Manor, it was already past ten in the evening.
Due to what happened with Annie, none of them were in the mood to chat. After exchanging a simple goodnight, they each went to their rooms to rest.
Xiao Zheng, always carefree, slept straight through until he woke up naturally.
When he got up, he noticed that Leng Ruobing and Chu Xiaoran were already dressed and seated in the dining area, starting to enjoy breakfast. The service at Wan Country Manor was truly top-notch, even the complintary breakfast was deliciously made.
"What are we doing later? What ti does the match start?"
Hearing this, Chu Xiaoran, sowhat distracted, replied, "The match starts at 2 PM. If we head over after lunch, we should be just in ti."
"Does the match start only in the afternoon? What should we do in the morning? Do you guys have anywhere you want to go? How about going shopping?" Xiao Zheng asked, unwilling to waste the beautiful morning within Wan Country Manor.
Upon hearing him, Chu Xiaoran suggested, "Why don’t we go visit Annie for a bit? Honestly, I’m still really worried about her."
"Ugh, I never thought Shi Yihang could turn out to be such a jerk."
Feeling her anger, Xiao Zheng couldn’t help but ask curiously, "You know Shi Yihang too?"
"Of course, I know him. Annie, Shi Yihang, and I attended college together as classmates," Chu Xiaoran explained. "People are indeed unfathomable. After studying with Shi Yihang for four years, how did I never realize he was such a jerk?"
"If I’d known he’d hurt Annie, I shouldn’t have set them up back then."
At this point, her heart was filled with guilt.
It wasn’t until now that Xiao Zheng pieced together their relationship, and he couldn’t help but shake his head and say, "It’s not your fault. After all, you can’t read minds. Since we have nothing planned for the morning, let’s go visit Annie."
Leng Ruobing agreed with a nod.
After finishing breakfast, the three drove over to the An Family.
Seeing Annie still lying in bed, Xiao Zheng and his friends felt discomfort in their hearts. Compared to yesterday, Annie appeared much more haggard today.
Indeed, in this world, only love can wound so deeply.
Whether Annie had co around herself or was relieved to see Xiao Zheng and the others, her complexion finally improved a bit. Occasionally, a hint of a smile appeared on her face, though the sadness in her eyes hadn’t faded at all.
Healing a heartache requires the slow passage of ti.
Xiao Zheng and his friends stayed at the An Family for lunch, departing only at 1:30 PM.
Sitting in the car, Chu Xiaoran’s mood was still heavy: "Annie’s condition is really bad. Who knows how long it’ll take for her to recover from last night’s shadow?"
"Take it slow, you can’t rush things like this," Xiao Zheng replied.
Chu Xiaoran nodded and then remained silent.
Half an hour later, the three arrived at the stadium.
Barely on ti to validate their tickets and enter, by the ti they reached the VIP section, the stands on both sides were almost full. Many people were wearing blue team uniforms, and the atmosphere was extrely lively.
"Don’t tell all these people are Yunhai Team fans?" Xiao Zheng asked in surprise.
Chu Xiaoran responded with a nod: "Yes, blue is Yunhai Team’s jersey color, while our Zhonghai Team’s is red. This is Yunhai Team’s ho ground, so it’s normal not to see Zhonghai Team fans here."
Hearing this, Xiao Zheng couldn’t help but marvel at the allure of sports competitions.
And today isn’t even the weekend, yet it still draws so many spectators to watch the ga live. It’s truly a terrifying kind of charm.
Suddenly, a wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.
Xiao Zheng looked towards the field and saw Yunhai Team players coming out. After Yunhai Team’s lineup was showcased, Zhonghai Team players followed suit.
Just like Chu Xiaoran said, Zhonghai Team players were all dressed in red jerseys.
Except, this ti there were no cheers, only countless boos.
Xiao Zheng couldn’t help but furrow his brow, even Leng Ruobing’s expression turned a bit sour. Although this was Zhonghai Team playing away, was such loud booing really necessary?
Seemingly sensing their confusion, Chu Xiaoran explained, "This is normal. Almost every team faces booing from ho team fans when playing away."
"This has almost beco an unwritten rule."
Hearing this, Xiao Zheng shook his head and said, "Rules are one thing, but I just can’t get it. Oh well, let’s just enjoy the ga. Hmm? Xiao Ran, didn’t you say Lin Xiaofeng is a starting player for Zhonghai Team? Why didn’t I see him co out?"
Hearing his words, Chu Xiaoran quickly looked at Zhonghai Team’s players and indeed didn’t spot Lin Xiaofeng’s presence within the team: "What’s going on here? Though Lin Xiaofeng may not have the best character, he’s definitely a key player for Zhonghai Team."
"Why isn’t he playing in this match?"
Chu Xiaoran furrowed her brows, clearly not understanding the reason either.
"Maybe there was a last-minute change, or perhaps the coach has other plans." Leng Ruobing offered, "The match is starting soon, let’s just watch it closely. Maybe we’ll find out the reason soon."
Chu Xiaoran nodded, then fell silent again.
With a whistle from the referee, the match finally began.
Yunhai Team started with the ball. Right after they gained possession, their number 9 player executed a fast break, navigating deftly as if unchallenged. In contrast, Zhonghai Team seed unable to stop him at all.
The number 9 swiftly dribbled into the penalty area, then took a shot at the goal, sending the ball straight into the net!
It’s a goal!
Yunhai Team fans were ecstatic, beating drums and celebrating as if it were New Year!
Barely two minutes into the ga, Yunhai Team scored a point, the gap in strength left Xiao Zheng and his friends sitting in the stands speechless.
"I really didn’t expect the disparity to be this huge," Xiao Zheng shook his head and said, "Yesterday you said Yunhai Team had only a 70% chance of winning, but judging by today’s situation, I’d say it’s 100%."
Chu Xiaoran sighed and said, "Nothing can be done, Yunhai Team players are just too formidable. Zhonghai Team has no chance against Yunhai Team, I just hope they don’t lose too badly."
After forty-five minutes, they paused for halfti.
Sitting in the VIP section, Xiao Zheng and his friends already felt compelled to turn and leave.
The score on the field now stood at four to zero.
Yunhai Team, four points, four goals.
Zhonghai Team, zero points, zero goals...
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