Lionel Messi!
The greatest genius of this Barcelona!
The king of Bar?a, Camp Nou, and even La Masia.
The man with countless honors under his belt still couldn’t believe it, even as the final whistle blew.
They had actually been forced to a draw!
The entire Bar?a team had never taken FC Schalke 04 seriously.
As the ever-eccentric Alves jokingly said, the only thing he knew about that Bundesliga team was Raul—and poor Raul wasn’t even playing due to injury.
At this moment!
Messi’s gaze fixed on the Chinese player standing at the center of the pitch.
Two goals!
Especially the second one!
He had been used as a backdrop, and he knew that kid’s goal would set the world ablaze after this match.
But...
So what?
The title would still belong to Bar?a. And in their next meeting at the Veltins-Arena, Bar?a would show them the true difference in strength!
Unlike Messi, Xavi was the one who approached Su immediately after the whistle.
"?Hola, Su !"
"?Bien jugado!"
"Eh?"
Su was confused.
What was going on?
"Oh! Forgot about that! Hello, Su! Nice play!"
Realizing Su didn’t understand Spanish, Xavi quickly switched to English.
"Oh! Thank you! You’re my idol!"
Facing one of the greatest midfielders in football history, Su couldn’t hide his admiration.
"Ha ha!"
Xavi laughed.
Then, covering his mouth, he suddenly leaned closer to Su and whispered something!
The cameras were all focused on the man of the match—the player who had helped FC Schalke 04 secure a draw against Bar?a on their home turf!
On camera, Su’s face clearly showed surprise.
But before Su could respond, Xavi just smiled, patted his shoulder, and took off his jersey.
The two exchanged jerseys with a smile in front of the cameras.
Su didn’t reply to Xavi—after all, at that moment, he wasn’t sure what to say.
Once the match ended, Su and his teammates rushed over to the away fans to celebrate with their loyal supporters.
Upon seeing Su’s arrival, the fans erupted, chanting his name as if they were possessed.
It was an absolutely magical night for FC Schalke 04 fans.
They had drawn against the legendary Barcelona at the best stadium in the world.
And their own man of the match had scored a goal that would go down in history.
No matter the final result, FC Schalke 04 fans would never forget this miraculous night.
At this moment, right in the middle of the crowd,
a girl with long, flowing hair, wearing a Su jersey and sunglasses, stood out.
The chubby assistant beside her grabbed Yang just as she was about to rush forward.
"Yang, calm down! Be careful—there are so many people!"
"Mr. Liu called, and you didn’t answer. You know how much his father has helped expand our overseas business. The boss already said you should at least pretend for appearances’ sake—go have a meal with him or something!"
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"Fine! You take his call then! I think you two would make a great match anyway!"
Seeing that this wild girl had no interest in his advice, the fat assistant slumped back helplessly.
Pulling out her compact mirror, she checked her reflection and sighed.
Honestly...
More than ten years ago, I was the leading actress at an entertainment company...
I was even the top assistant to the most beautiful girl there, okay?
I just wonder if Mr. Liu likes braised pork...
Yang stared at the handsome figure standing on the pitch, feeling a sudden, unfamiliar surge of emotion.
So strange!
I’ve always treated him like a buddy—he’s even younger than me!
I never thought of him that way before, so why did I panic so much when he got hurt?
And the moment he stood back up after the injury,
that face—which had never met her usual standards for a partner—suddenly seemed...
perfect.
Whatever!
I came to watch him play just to cheer him on, that’s all!
She’d stay one night, then fly back early tomorrow.
Happy Camp couldn’t delay filming any longer—the boss was already furious.
If she skipped work again, he’d probably explode!
Ugh.
Being under someone else’s control is the worst.
I need to save up, terminate my contract, and open my own studio.
Then I’ll finally know what it’s like to be called "Boss Yang"!
With that thought, she joined the FC Schalke 04 fans, chanting along:
"Su!"
"Su!"
"Crazy Su!"
"Hard Su!"
Well, even if Yang didn’t understand German, she could at least recognize "Su."
It must be something good!
The fan stands were so packed that even someone as beautiful as Yang went unnoticed by Su.
Back in the locker room,
FC Schalke 04's players were catching their breath, one by one.
Uchida Atsuto wiped away tears as teammates took turns consoling him.
Baby Baumann hobbled in on crutches, an ice pack pressed to his leg.
His injury wasn’t serious—
two weeks of rest would get him back on the pitch, but the next UCL round was clearly out of the question.
Su had initially considered giving Baumann some of those pills too,
but since their effects were slow-acting, he ultimately decided against it.
Better not risk exposing the system’s items.
Raul had looked after him and Hao from the start, so sharing a few with him was just returning the favor.
Most people assumed they were ordinary recovery meds, but Hao...
Thinking of how Hao keeps complaining about back pain lately...
As the match’s standout performer,
Su freshened up before joining Magath for the post-game press conference.
This was a globally watched fixture.
However,
the moment they stepped out, Su sensed something off.
"Gaffer, you alright?"
Magath’s usually athletic posture looked... strange.
One hand braced against his back, the other gripping Hughes for support.
"Uh... Gaffer got a bit too excited after your goal and threw his back out!" Hughes quickly explained.
He couldn’t let Su know the truth—that they’d practically crippled Magath during the celebrations.
Hearing this, Magath’s eye twitched, but pride kept him silent.
With a stiff nod at Su’s understanding look, he turned and marched toward the press room.
At the door, Magath took a deep breath, signaled Hughes to release him,
then gritted his teeth and strode inside like a man walking to the gallows.
Magath was born for the spotlight.
Cameras rolling? No retakes. Pain? Irrelevant.
Su hurried after him.
Flash!
Flash!
Flash!
The moment they entered, the expansive press room lit up like daylight under the barrage of camera flashes.
Reporters clutched their devices, fingers poised to fire off more shots.
"Su! What did Xavi say to you? Was it a transfer invitation from Bar?a?"
"Su! According to the post-match stats, your speed reached nearly 10.41 when you scored your second goal! This surpasses all active players, and in history only Argentina's 'Wind Child' Caniggia's 10.23 is faster than you!"
......
Su, who had been looking completely normal just moments before, immediately panicked at this question.
Shit!
Using hacks might bring temporary satisfaction, but getting caught would be disastrous!
That flash of genius was great, but it was random - with a ridiculously long cooldown, triggering maybe once a month.
And it wasn't like La Croqueta where the skill refreshed and was always available.
This time's speed was insane enough with just 15 seconds at 100% capacity.
But this... How was he supposed to explain it?
Just when he was at a complete loss, Magath came to the rescue!
"Su! Is my free agent! He's the core of my tactics! This draw was part of my tactical plan!"
Magath declared emphatically.
For a moment,
The entire press room erupted in chaos.
A free agent?
What the hell?
Even Su had no idea what Magath was talking about!
...........
