Chapter 32: A rare vacation! I unexpectedly ran into her
Two counterattacks, two goals.
This goal completely extinguished the Celtics' fighting spirit.
In the remaining 30 minutes of the game, both sides attacked and defended each other. Furuhashi Kengo even received a yellow card for elbowing Chen Xiaoliang during a scramble.
The referee was too lenient. This action was worthy of a Ruby War God card.
After the game, the Rangers players sang and celebrated in unison in the corner of the stands where their own fans were, and they did not leave for a long time!
Now everyone can shout out loud: The sky in Glasgow is blue!
After eleven rounds, Rangers are firmly at the top of the table with an amazing record of nine wins and two draws, and 29 points.
And they only conceded three goals to their opponents.
The Celtics have two games fewer and are in second place, seven points behind.
Six days later, the team will face the first group match of this season's Europa League, travelling to Belgium to play against the veteran powerhouse Standard Liege.
Since the team had submitted the registration list when Chen Xiaoliang joined on loan, he was not eligible to represent Rangers in the Europa League until the winter window opened.
As a reward for his outstanding performance, Gerrard gave him two days off, allowing him to go out and relax.
At the same time, Gerrard also told Chen Xiaoliang that because of the team's extraordinary record and Chen Xiaoliang's popularity, the club will find several agents for him and let him choose one of them to manage those advertising contracts and commercial endorsements.
Since he is under 17 and cannot drive alone, David, the security guard and driver, still serves as Chen Xiaoliang's personal escort, driving him wherever he wants to go.
The two chatted along the way and came to the small cafe in Las where they had met Sun Jihai before.
Under the warm sunshine, Chen Xiaoliang felt particularly comfortable.
He asked David to park the car and wait for him here, as he wanted to wander around the area alone.
The team's outstanding record and his own stable performance made Chen Xiaoliang feel satisfied and at ease.
It’s just that life seems to have no other colors except football.
Apart from training, competing, and analyzing videos, it was still training, competing, and analyzing videos. His friends in Hongguo also had to prepare for exams, and given their different life trajectories, they gradually faded out of his circle of life.
There are not many residents in the town of Las. There are only small bungalows, but they are beautifully decorated.
Passing by the door of a flower shop, Chen Xiaoliang saw a woman dressed beautifully, like a noble lady, walking out of the shop holding a bouquet of colorful flowers.
Chen Xiaoliang asked subconsciously: "Excuse me, ma'am, do you know how to get to the pier at Raymond Lake?"
The lady seemed to be in a good mood. She smiled at Chen Xiaoliang while wearing a pair of big sunglasses and asked, "Are you going to Leimeng Lake as well? It's not far ahead. Why don't we go together?"
"Uh..." Chen Xiaoliang was somewhat surprised to get such feedback and could only nod embarrassedly.
Along the way, the two chatted a lot. The lady said that she also came here specifically for a vacation and relaxation after finishing her work in Glasgow.
Chen Xiaoliang introduced himself to the lady vaguely, saying that he was a youth player, and asked her if she liked watching football.
The lady replied that she used to watch Premier League games frequently and had even traveled across the ocean to watch many of England's World Cup games.
Chen Xiaoliang asked again, why didn’t you watch it later?
The lady did not answer, but just passed over the topic with a faint but sad smile.
As the two of them became more and more intimate, the sun emerged from behind the clouds. The lady took out a short, exquisite parasol from her bag. Out of politeness, Chen Xiaoliang took the umbrella and held it up for her.
The lady put her hand gracefully on his arm.
When he got closer, Chen Xiaoliang could see from the side of the lady's face the pair of big watery eyes hidden behind her sunglasses.
Even in the Oriental aesthetic, this is a standard beauty.
Chen Xiaoliang asked the lady what her job was.
The lady seemed to think for a moment before answering that she had worked in the media industry for a period of time.
The two of them walked like this, talking more and more, and their topics were no longer limited to each other.
Even after passing the pier at Lake Raymond, they showed no intention of stopping.
The already quiet town now seemed to have become a spiritual space for only the two of them.
As the sun gradually set, the two found a small restaurant and ordered a few drinks and some simple food, including fried chicken, French fries and mashed potatoes.
However, the owner of the restaurant, an old man with a white beard and black-framed glasses, recognized Chen Xiaoliang. He excitedly showed off his identity as a Rangers fan and insisted on taking a photo with Chen Xiaoliang.
As a result, the lady seemed to become more interested in Chen Xiaoliang.
After having a good meal and a few drinks, and looking at the blue moon in the sky, it’s time to say goodbye.
David called again and again to urge Chen Xiaoliang to come back, but Chen Xiaoliang said he wanted to shop for a while longer.
"Oh my god, there's just a crappy lake there, and there's not even a bar at night, what are you going to do?"
David didn't know that there was a lonely heart telling Chen Xiaoliang every detail of her football life.
Neither of them said goodbye, and they kept chatting in the small restaurant about the Premier League, her hometown Newcastle, and the girl band Girls Aloud that once made her popular.
Under the moonlit night and starry sky, he listened to her stories, which brought him to a brand new world he had never been to before, where he swam and flew freely and to his heart's content...
The next morning, Chen Xiaoliang opened his sleepy eyes and found himself lying on a recliner in the restaurant. At the other end of the restaurant, an old man with a white beard was wiping wine glasses and bowls, as if preparing for a new day of business.
The lady had long since left.
For a moment, Chen Xiaoliang even thought that all this was just a dream he had about football and Britain.
However, with the reminder of the old man with white beard, Chen Xiaoliang found a small card on the table, and the words on the card brought him back to reality.
“Dear Chen, I’m glad to meet you. I will leave here today and go to the next city.
Maybe we won't have the chance to meet again, or get to know each other again.
But that doesn't matter.
Thank you for listening to my story.”
The signature at the end was a bit sloppy. Chen Xiaoliang looked at it several times before he could understand it. It was "Cheryl".
"Oh... so her name is Cheryl. In the end, I still didn't understand what she does, and I don't know where she will go next..."
He lay down again and couldn't help but recall the stories of last night.
The old man with white beard told him that he could continue to sleep if he wanted to, as this place was not as noisy and bustling as the bars in big cities.
"This is really a good place... But sleeping here is always uncomfortable. Fortunately, I have a physical recovery card... I didn't expect that the reward given by the system can be used for things like going out to play..."
Rubbing his sore back and neck, he couldn't help but think: "I wonder if what this lady named Cheryl said is true. It sounds so legendary."
He sat up, ordered breakfast, and then checked the information on his mobile phone. As he was looking at it, he couldn't help but slap his thigh.
"Fuck! Was this person once so famous?! Turns out his ex-husband is Ashley Cole..."
"That's not right? Why do so many people associate him with this person called Chen Chi?"
Chen Xiaoliang packed up his things and called David to ask him to pick him up.
David had worked as a security guard for other players on the team before, and he knew where those hormonal athletes liked to go to vent after games or on rest days.
Chen Xiaoliang is the first person who chooses to relax in a remote and quiet town like Las.
David couldn't help but admire his self-discipline.
After returning home, Chen Xiaoliang fell asleep and had a deep sleep.
After waking up, I plunged into the gym again!
After the holidays, even greater challenges are waiting for him!