While Lance was concentrating on preparing for the Bundesliga, in a distant Eastern nation, news reports about the young player making a mark in the Bundesliga were already subtly emerging.
The Bayern Munich Baidu Tieba, a fan community with 2.7 million followers, saw many fans posting late into the night, discussing the recent match situation.
This was still the most popular period for Baidu Tieba; before communities like Dongqiudi and Hupu emerged, fans preferred to discuss football on Baidu Tieba.
Bayern Munich had just won a road game 4-0, and the comments under the match threads were all celebratory and boastful.
As they chatted, they began to look forward to their upcoming opponents.
Bayern Munich was about to face a brutal schedule at the beginning of the season, starting from Bundesliga Round 6, where they would play against all opponents ranked 3rd to 7th in the league.
Round 6 was against FC Schalke 04, which they had just won by 4 goals.
Round 7 was against VfL Wolfsburg;
Round 8 was against Bayer Leverkusen;
Round 9 was against 1. FSV Mainz 05…
If they could finish this brutal schedule with all wins, Bayern Munich would strongly lead the standings, with Borussia Dortmund as their only real competitor.
As a Bayern Munich fan, this season was definitely a joyous one.
The team had just won five titles, and then welcomed Pep Guardiola, a coach who had won six titles.
Guardiola brought the "most advanced" possession-based football in Europe to Bayern, seemingly poised to forge Bayern into an invincible force.
They had hopes of becoming the first team to successfully defend the Champions League title after its format change.
If they could defend the treble for two consecutive seasons and even challenge for a six-title haul…
Wouldn't Bayern be a dynasty?
It was simply incredibly exhilarating!
As a result, Bayern fans didn't even pay attention to other Bundesliga teams.
What brutal schedule?
It was a brutal schedule for other teams, because they were meeting the great demon king, Bayern!
"By the way, I saw a young Chinese player at Bayer Leverkusen, he's been performing really well lately!"
"I noticed him too, he's scored in fouconsecutive games! His DFB-Pokal gr oal was also quite brilliant."
"Yes, he's so brilliant, he always shows off when he scores, a bit arrogant."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Lu Xiao, or Lance, don't you know him?"
"Never heard of him, I only pay attention to my Bayern's matches."
"Well, you'll meet him soon. In the match after next, we play Bayer Leverkusen, and Lance might play."
"Which Chinese Super League team did he come from?"
"Not Chinese Super League, he's a Belgian Chinese."
"Mixed-race?"
"No, no, no, both parents are Chinese, he was just born in Belgium."
"So he's still a 'banana' then."
"He doesn't seem like a 'banana'…"
However, netizens didn't know much about Lance; there were too few domestic media reports on him.
Everyone only learned about Lance from commentator Zhan Jun, Sports Weekly's Weibo, or fragmented information from some football marketing accounts, finding a clue here and there.
To date, no formal media has comprehensively reported on Lance, and he hasn't appeared on television.
Such a 16-year-old Chinese player in a Bundesliga first team had not yet broken into the mainstream.
If he had developed domestically and then gone abroad, it would have been easier to gain attention from some mainstream media.
When a Chinese player suddenly emerges overseas, news for domestic fans might be significantly delayed.
Just like Jeremy Lin initially, he played in the NBA for two years without breaking into the mainstream.
It wasn't until he had a surge of high performance with the Knicks that the domestic audience realized there was a Chinese-American player performing brilliantly.
By the time the hype built up and everyone was paying attention, Jeremy Lin's performance wasn't as miraculous anymore.
It can only be said that Lance still needs a period of consistent performance, or to make a name for himself in a clash with a top club, before he will be noticed by mainstream domestic public opinion.
In Germany, however, Lance's popularity was much higher than in China.
German media were all reporting and praising this treasure player from Bayer Leverkusen.
"Where can I watch his games?"
"CCTV5 rarely broadcasts Bayer Leverkusen matches; occasionally, you can see them on Sina Sports."
"Just wait for my Bayern to play the 'Pharmacists' (Bayer Leverkusen), then watch it directly on TV."
Indeed, CCTV5 would definitely broadcast Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen live.
Lance would certainly appear on CCTV5.
If he played and performed well, it would undoubtedly create a greater impact domestically!
Fans on Tieba discussed for a long time, but with too little information about Lance, they ultimately reached no conclusion.
Only a portion of them went to follow "Lance Ba" (Lance's Tieba community).
These were the fervent patriots, hoping that Chinese players could shine in Europe.
…
Lance usually paid little attention to the developments back home.
All his thoughts were invested in the upcoming training and matches.
Less than a week after the DFB-Pokal, came Bundesliga Round 7: Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hannover 96…
The day before the match, the locker room suddenly erupted.
Many players gathered in front of the squad list, unable to believe their eyes.
Lance had just come out of the gym and hadn't yet reacted when Julian Brandt, like a golden retriever, excitedly ran over.
"Lance!"
"What?"
"You're in the squad!!"
"Being in the squad, isn't that normal?"
Lance didn't mind.
He had recently secured a stable substitute spot due to his excellent performance.
This substitute spot should not be underestimated; Lance was only 16, and having stable playing opportunities already meant he had surpassed 99% of his peers.
He didn't temporarily aspire to be a starter, as that depended on the overall team's compatibility and the tactical system arranged by the coaching staff recently.
It wasn't just the head coaches making a snap decision and randomly picking someone for the starting lineup.
As long as they kept winning, there was no reason to change the starting lineup.
However, this time, even with the team on a winning streak, the starting lineup had changed!
The main left winger, Andrés Guardado, was surprisingly removed from his position and moved to the substitute bench.
Starting forward Son Heung-min's position was adjusted, moving from striker to left winger.
Then, an unexpected name appeared!
Lance!
Lance had actually made the starting lineup! A Bundesliga start!
No way, buddy?
Sascha really dared to use him!
Lance himself was very surprised.
"The coaches must be crazy, or they made a mistake."
Julian Brandt put on a pained expression.
"I was clearly the one! Why did the coaches choose you to start instead?!"
"Why!"
However, his complaint was immediately retorted by Lance.
"Because I'm better than you. Don't believe me? Let's go solo on the field?"
"Forget it, you're good."
Julian Brandt quieted down; he didn't want to be toyed with by Lance on the training ground.
It was too embarrassing every time he couldn't get the ball.
Other teammates also offered congratulations; Lance's hard work was evident, and the entire team had no objections to his starting this time.
Except for Andrés Guardado, who looked dazed.
He clearly understood why the coaching staff had removed him from the starting lineup.
He had indeed been slacking off in training recently and often frequented bars and nightclubs, which led to Guardado losing his former dominance on the field.
His usual training attitude seemed vague, purely a matter of discipline.
But consistent training and diligently performing every movement would have miraculous effects in a match.
Lance saw Andrés Guardado's disappointment.
It was due to his own rise and Guardado's decline in form that he took the starting spot.
Lance had no psychological burden towards Guardado.
Everyone was just competing based on their own abilities!
…
Time quickly arrived at the match day.
After starting in the DFB-Pokal, Lance had another start within a week!
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hannover 96!