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"Gold +1"
"Silver +72"
"Vamos! Vamos! (Well done!)"
"Lance! It's really you!"
In the 84th minute of the second half, Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Atlético Madrid.
After Lance scored twice, he created another opportunity during a counter-attack, giving Torres an undefended shot.
Before the end of the match, Bayer Leverkusen finally scored a goal through Chicharito Hernández, salvaging a bit of dignity.
However, the 1-3 score was beyond recovery, and the first Champions League match of the new season was about to be lost at BayArena.
The home fans were certainly disappointed, but Lance's aura was still present.
When Lance was substituted in the 84th minute, nearly 60,000 people at BayArena collectively stood up, giving Lance applause and cheers.
Losing to Lance, the home fans were willing.
His teammates also came up to congratulate him; Lance's performance was undeniably the highlight of the match.
However, his attention was on the system.
The Gold, which hadn't been rewarded for a long time, finally resumed.
————
Gold: 8
Silver: 1422
————
It was still not enough for a ten-pull.
Lance estimated that, at the current reward rate, he would probably only be able to accumulate enough for a ten-pull when the Hyuga Kojiro template reached 100% fusion and the system upgraded again.
"Forget it, I don't rely on the system to make a living anyway."
The existing template was enough to deal with ordinary teams.
Lance even tried today to put aside his reliance on the system and use his true strength against Bayer Leverkusen.
It was a bit challenging in actual combat, but at least he could establish himself in the upper-middle teams of Europe's top league, and joining the starting lineup was no problem.
"Everything is slowly getting better!"
In the shower room, Lance clenched his fist.
"Damn it! Damn it! I'm freezing!"
Lance almost forgot, the visitor's changing room at BayArena was quite bad; the showerheads here randomly switched between 0 and 100 degrees.
Every visiting team cursed as they left.
It used to be satisfying to mess with opponents, but he didn't expect it to happen to him today.
Most European clubs are like this: the home team's changing room is luxurious, whilst the visitor's changing room is dilapidated.
That's why they talk about home advantage.
They will try every possible way to bother the visiting team's players, both physiologically and psychologically.
After a quick shower and changing into his everyday shirt and suit, Lance found Simeone.
"Coach, you know I have friends here, and I need to ask for leave to meet them after the match."
Regardless of whether the team played at home or away, discipline was very strict.
On match days, no one was allowed to go out without the permission of the coaching staff.
"No problem! I understand, go ahead. It's fine if you don't come back tonight, but young people should try to be moderate, otherwise, it will affect your match performance."
"???"
Simeone was also an old rascal.
Lance hesitated to speak, then turned and left the changing room.
A group of Atlético Madrid teammates peered out the window, watching Lance approach a Porsche supercar, then a slender young girl got out.
From a distance, her face wasn't clear, but judging from her outfit and demeanour, she was definitely top-tier beautiful.
The only drawback, especially for Westerners, was that she wasn't curvy enough in front or back; she was too much like a young girl.
Westerners preferred a more fiery figure.
"No wonder this kid doesn't go to nightclubs; he has such a high-quality girlfriend."
"German media reported earlier that she's supposedly a model."
"By the way, any plans for tonight?"
"Let's break it up, no more gossiping. Just stay in Bayer Leverkusen obediently tonight, don't think about going to Cologne to have fun."
"Ah?"
After hearing Simeone's warning, the changing room was filled with wails.
What was there to do in this godforsaken little village of Bayer Leverkusen?
The real fun was in the neighbouring big city of Cologne.
What a pity… Lance couldn't care less about his teammates' fates.
Sitting in the passenger seat of the Porsche, he suddenly felt like he was being kept by a rich young lady.
"Lance, what are you thinking?"
Lance told her truthfully.
"Oh? So you want to be kept by me?"
The girl's eyes darted around, and she looked at Lance with a blush.
"Watch the road, drive carefully. Actually, being kept by you isn't so bad; I could just lie flat."
"Then it's settled, you leave the club and come to Munich to study with me."
"This…"
The girl deliberately acted serious, making Lance's words sound difficult.
"Pfft."
Chloe laughed, shaking like a flower in the wind.
"Just kidding!"
The girl who was usually shy on the phone or in videos, always showed her lively side when they met in person.
Beneath her sweet and well-behaved exterior, without digging deeper, you really couldn't touch her quirky inner world.
"Where are we going tonight?"
"I know a place where you can see the night view. You've been here for years, but I bet you haven't seen it, have you?"
"That's true."
Aside from his trip to Cologne with Chloe last time, Lance actually knew nothing about the beautiful sights in Germany.
Every day was filled with training and matches; over 90% of his vitality was consumed by football.
By the Rhine River, on the terrace of a rather chic Western restaurant, the two sat by the terrace edge.
Not far away, the Rhine River and the lights of Bayer Leverkusen's industrial zone merged into a night light show.
Lance and Chloe both remained silent, simply enjoying the moment.
To avoid disturbance, Lance specially paid a considerable fee to book the entire terrace area.
This small amount of money, which might be two or three months' salary for a middle-class German worker, for Lance, he had already earnt it back with the bonuses from his two goals today.
Money was truly just a number for Lance.
If it weren't for that ultimate plan in the future, he couldn't spend all his money even if he squandered it.
"So beautiful."
The lights of the Rhine industrial area shimmered, reflecting the city of Cologne on the opposite bank.
Chloe couldn't help but sigh.
"Is this a date for us today?"
Lance smiled faintly.
Compared to the Rhine's light show, the ethereal beauty of the girl opposite him, bathed in the soft glow of the night, was far more captivating.
Chloe was slightly startled at first, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
She instantly understood Lance.
After their day trip to Cologne last time, she had sent him a similar text message asking the same question when she got home.
Lance was calling back!
"Of course."
"Come closer."
A strange warmth surged into his chest; Lance, uncharacteristically, used a commanding tone.
"Was machst du denn? (What are you doing?)"
The girl was visibly flustered, complaining coquettishly with her mouth, but her body was honest, and she obediently sat beside Lance.
She had specially dressed up today.
On top, she wore a beige high-neck cashmere jumper, and slim-fit jeans perfectly accentuated her slender, long legs.
A faint Chanel scent exuded the aura of a rich young lady, drifting right into Lance's nostrils.
"It's cool at night; I see you're quite cold."
"No, I'm not…"
"I say you are, and I'll warm you up."
Lance didn't allow the girl to refuse, reaching out to put his arm around her shoulder.
Her delicate body trembled slightly at his touch.
Feeling Lance's firm arm, Chloe tentatively leant in, resting her head gently on Lance's shoulder.
Lance didn't say anything to spoil the mood, just enjoyed this moment, nestled together with the girl…
...
Late at night, at the entrance of the BayArena hotel.
The Porsche stopped.
The attendant was about to open the car door, but Lance waved him off.
"What, you don't want to leave?"
Chloe's pretty face was slightly flushed, and she looked at Lance's amber eyes with a sly gaze.
His deep, star-like eyes, Chloe couldn't get enough of them.
"Yes, it's a pity I have to leave again tomorrow, and I don't know when we'll meet next."
"Hmph, when you meet some Spanish model in Madrid, you definitely won't remember me."
For some reason, the girl pouted inexplicably, feeling jealous out of thin air.
"It's just tabloid gossip, it's all lies."
"What if? I don't believe you wouldn't be tempted if those hot beauties threw themselves at you."
At this, Chloe instinctively looked down.
She was good in every way, her only disadvantage being her A-cup chest.
This was also a point of insecurity for her.
"Don't worry, I'll tell them then that my heart already belongs to someone."
"Ah?"
In the already cramped interior of the Porsche, the girl's heartbeat was clearly audible.
"You… who does your heart belong to?"
Seeing her look like a startled deer, Lance was about to tease her.
But Chloe's tender white hand directly covered his mouth.
"Don't say it yet, I don't want to hear it, you should go back… Oh!"
The next second, Chloe's eyes widened as she realised Lance had taken her hand and gently kissed the back of it.
"Then I won't say it for now. Drive carefully, watch the road, text me when you get home. I'm leaving."
"Eh?"
Watching Lance open the car door and get out, Chloe suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart, no longer caring about shyness.
Her bright eyes flickered, and she deliberately rolled down the car window.
"Lance!"
"What?"
"Actually, my dad isn't home tonight, you could have come back with me."
"Eh?"
"Too bad, you're already at the hotel. Next time, perhaps. Good night~"
Chloe made a playful face and sped off from the porte-cochère.
Leaving Lance in disarray at the entrance.
"Don't go! It's still not too late! Damn it!"
Watching Lance's impatient look in the rearview mirror, Chloe couldn't help but burst into laughter, but as his figure gradually faded, her smile slowly froze, turning into a soft sigh.
"I wonder when we'll meet again."
Not long after they parted, Chloe suddenly understood the meaning of a Chinese phrase Lance had once said:
One day apart feels like three autumns.
"I think I really already…"