As Christmas approached, the Christmas atmosphere in the Heinrich gradually thickened.
With Chen Tao's help, Uncle Hans, panting, dragged the Christmas tree into the living room, collapsed onto the sofa, opened a beer, and chugged several mouthfuls.
"Burp—that hits the spot!"
"Look at you, Chen Tao put in the most effort and isn't tired, but you're a mess."
"I helped too, didn't I! I drove the car."
Facing Hans's weak defense, Maria responded with a roll of her eyes.
"By the way, Chen Tao, is this your first Christmas? Do you celebrate holidays over there?"
"No, we only celebrate Chinese New Year grandly; we don't have a habit of celebrating Christmas."
"That's perfect then. When Christmas comes, I'll let you taste my roasted goose with potatoes."
Before Maria finished speaking, Uncle Hans secretly winked at Chen Tao.
Seeing him desperately shaking his head and waving his hands, the roasted goose probably didn't taste very good.
"Speaking of which, who was the opponent for the last match before the winter break?"
Grandpa Fritz, sitting by the fireplace, warming himself, turned his head tremblingly.
"It's Bayern Munich!"
"What? Bayer Leverkusen?"
"Bayern! Munich!"
The old man was hard of hearing due to his age; only by shouting could he hear clearly.
According to Uncle Hans, a Soviet RG42 hand grenade once detonated not far from him, and the hearing in his right ear had never been good.
Fritz's legs and feet were also inconvenient.
Ever since his wife passed away a few years ago, he had been somewhat melancholic.
He would either sit quietly by the fireplace, warming himself, or sit by the door, sunbathing, sitting for an entire day.
Only on match days every weekend would Grandpa Fritz come alive.
Especially when watching a game live at Westfalen, he seemed to be 20 years younger.
"Playing Bayern Munich… Can we do it?"
Aunt Maria stirred the egg liquid, her face filled with worry.
"Why not? With Chen Tao, it's definitely stable!"
Uncle Hans was not flustered in the slightest, taking a gulp of beer with full confidence.
Since Chen Tao's debut, Borussia Dortmund had achieved a 5-match unbeaten run and 3 consecutive wins in recent matches.
1-0 last-minute win against Nuremberg;
2-1 comeback last-minute win against Wolfsburg;
2-0 away win against Stuttgart!
Especially in the last round against Stuttgart, the entire Borussia Dortmund team seemed to return to its peak in 1995.
Everyone was in excellent form, playing with great satisfaction.
Nuri Şahin started and performed excellently, assisting Alexander Frei for the opening goal in the first half.
In the second half, when Chen Tao came on, Stuttgart's defense frequently faced crises.
He was like a ghost on the right wing, making 8 successful breakthroughs and delivering at least 5 dangerous passes in just 30 minutes of playing time.
In the 82nd minute, Chen Tao dribbled past the opposing full-back into the penalty area, then dribbled past two more players inside the box, almost reaching the goalkeeper's face.
Surrounded by defenders, Chen Tao remained calm, stepping on and dragging the ball to evade the opponent's press, and delivered a deadly pass through the crowd.
Alexander Frei only needed to simply extend his foot to tap the ball into the net, completing his brace!
After defeating Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund's standing stabilized at 7th place, only 4 points behind 6th-placed Hamburg!
They were just one step away from Europa League qualification!
The first half of the Bundesliga now had only one final test remaining, also the ultimate test of the Bundesliga, the German League overlords, the great demon king Bayern Munich!
…
Meanwhile, Säbener Straße, Munich.
Bayern Munich training ground.
Head coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's expression was serious as he stared intently at the players on the field.
They were currently 7 points ahead of second-placed Werder Bremen, having already secured the winter championship two rounds in advance.
But Hitzfeld still showed no signs of relaxation.
"Ottmar, are you still worried?"
"Nonsense!"
Hitzfeld's expression was displeased.
"In the last match, they wasted so many chances!"
The more Hitzfeld thought about it, the angrier he got.
In the 16th round of the Bundesliga, facing bottom-placed Duisburg, Bayern Munich was held to a 0-0 draw!
The planned 3 points turned into 1 point, no wonder Hitzfeld was furious.
Originally, the holiday was canceled, and the entire Bayern Munich team trained as usual.
He couldn't understand why, even though the team had World Cup-winning striker Luca Toni, World Cup top scorer Klose, and top midfielders Mark van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, and Franck Ribéry, they couldn't even defeat a small, bottom-placed team?
"Before the winter break, we must win the last match!"
"The opponent is them."
Assistant coach Hunterton sighed with emotion.
"Borussia Dortmund is history; that kind of team has no hope."
Hitzfeld pouted.
Eleven years ago, he led Borussia Dortmund to lift the Bundesliga championship trophy.
Eleven years later, Borussia Dortmund was just a stumbling block on their path forward.
No one could stop Bayern Munich from winning the League.
"What about that 15-year-old kid?"
"One person is not enough to change a match. Our overall strength is overwhelming. In my opinion, his role is far less than Franck's."
When Chen Tao was shining in the Bundesliga, the Bayern Munich coaching staff had already thoroughly analyzed Chen Tao. His matches were watched frame by frame by analysts, every detail meticulously studied.
Hitzfeld's evaluation was: flashy.
Franck Ribéry could break through, shoot, and pass, a hundred times stronger than that kid.
Assistant coach Hunter was about to say something but swallowed his words back.
Perhaps Hitzfeld was right, and his worries were purely unfounded.
Would mighty Bayern Munich be afraid of a 15-year-old kid?
…
Two days remained until the home match against Bayern Munich.
After finishing his morning training, Chen Tao went to school to complete his lessons.
In the evening, he and Anna naturally walked home together.
Anna used to try to avoid him, but recently, it was very strange; she wasn't in a hurry to go home after school.
When Chen Tao packed his bag and left, she would quietly follow behind, inadvertently walking side by side.
"Chen Tao…"
"What's wrong?"
"The match the day after tomorrow, can we win?"
"Oh, you're also following the matches? I thought you weren't interested."
"Hmph."
Anna gave him a reproachful glance.
This guy, he knew she watched the matches, and he was deliberately teasing her!
"Are you very afraid of Bayern Munich?"
"Mm."
Anna nodded gently.
In the eyes of other Bundesliga fans, Bayern Munich was always a formidable mountain in front of them.
Every encounter was enough to be suffocating.
"Don't worry, it's their bad luck to meet me. In two days, at home, I will definitely not disappoint you all."
"Braggart."
Anna mumbled softly.
"When have I ever boasted?"
"This…"
Anna tilted her head, thinking carefully.
This guy really didn't seem to have boasted before. He said they would win against Werder Bremen, win against Wolfsburg, and they really did!
As Chen Tao walked, he felt Anna's beautiful blue eyes next to him constantly staring at him.
"Is there something on my face?"
"I believe you."
"It's right to believe me!"
Chen Tao's lips curved upward, and his gaze met Anna's.
Soon, she averted her eyes and lowered her head, a lovely blush creeping up her fair neck and behind her ears.
Hey, for the first time, he realized she could actually be shy.
He always thought she was always cold and distant.
Chen Tao quickly changed the subject:
"That modeling agency that contacted you last time, did you get any results?"
"Mm."
Anna was a little surprised, her beautiful eyes looking at Chen Tao.
She hadn't expected that he, busy with training and high school courses, would even pay attention to her.
"I passed the selection, and I might have to attend training afterward."
"Models train too?"
"There are many things to practice. At that time, I'll also have to spend time at the gym every day, just like you."
When the topic of her modeling career came up, Anna lit up completely, her demeanor completely different from usual.
"By the way, my agent said it's best to change to a stage name to become a model. Can you help me brainstorm some ideas?"
"Of course, what ideas do you have?"
"Hmm… Aether Hirsch, what do you think?"
Chen Tao paused, slightly startled.
He felt like he had heard that name somewhere before.
"Does it not sound good?"
"No, it sounds like a world-class supermodel."
"You're just flattering me."
Anna's lips curved slightly upward, and she walked side by side with Chen Tao, her steps a little lighter.
(German 'Fairy-like' Supermodel Esther Heesch)